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Techradar |
- Old Twitter close to flying the nest
- Apple rolls out Mac OS X 10.6.8 to prepare for Lion
- Exclusive: Google: Chromebooks will succeed where Linux netbooks failed
- In Depth: How social apps help small firms compete with global brands
- Phone Awards 2011: Have you voted in the TechRadar Phone Awards yet?
- Review: Sapphire Pure Platinum H67
- Review: Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 Dirt 3 Edition
- Video: First Nokia Windows Phone 'Sea Ray' revealed
- Review: Sony KDL-32EX524
- In Depth: Ubuntu 11.04 explored: a new dawn for Linux?
- Pottermore - glorified Harry Potter ebook store revealed
- UK 'most paranoid' about computer security, suggests study
- CoPilot Live Premium: social sat nav app launched
- First images of Sony A77, A65 DSLRs leaked online
- Microsoft: we don't wish PSN hacks upon anybody
- Philips Fidelio SoundSphere DS9800 arrives
- In Depth: How to get Windows 8 features today
- Exclusive: Fox: Digital copies with Blu-ray are the perfect combination
- Review: 3D Experience PolaRotator
- Interview: Twentieth Century Fox admits confusion over benefits of Blu-ray
- Review: BenQ W1100
- Review: Samsung HT-D6750W
- Acer TravelMate 5760 laptop unveiled
- Gary Marshall: Secret censors could cripple the internet
- Winklevoss twins finally settle with Facebook for £48 million
| Old Twitter close to flying the nest Posted: 24 Jun 2011 12:54 AM PDT Twitter is getting 'very, very' close to switching off the old version of the site completely, nine months after the launch of its re-designed service. It has taken a while for some Twitter users to get used to the 'new' site. This is one of the reasons Twitter has made the old one available just by clicking a dropdown and choosing Switch to old Twitter. This option seems to be on the way out, however, with the old site now showing the warning: "You will automatically be upgraded to New Twitter very, very soon." And to make things seem a little more urgent, this has been given a yellow banner. Promote or demote? In what could be a sign of just how Twitter 2.0 is changing, at the Cannes Lions awards this week – the place to be for advertisers – Twitter hinted that Promoted Tweets would be making their way to your timeline and not just staying on the right-hand side of the screen. According to TechCrunch, Twitter's head on monetisation used his slot at the Cannes Lions to explain the virtues of Promoted Tweets. Twittter has always said that if they were to come, then the tweets would only come to those who follow brands, so it will be interesting to see if this is the route Twitter will be taking. 
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| Apple rolls out Mac OS X 10.6.8 to prepare for Lion Posted: 23 Jun 2011 07:39 PM PDT Apple has released what will surely be the final Mac OS X Snow Leopard upgrade before Lion arrives next month. Mac OS X 10.6.8 appeared as a software update on Thursday evening promising some minor bug fixes and further protection against variants of the already-addressed Mac Defender malware. However the headline change is an enhancement of the Mac App Store that prepares users for the forthcoming upgrade to Mac OS X Lion, which will arrive to download from the store during July. Disc-less OS OS X Lion (or version 10.7) is only available via the new App Store and will be the first disc-less version of the operating system. Apple also pleased Mac users by once again offering the tweaked version of the operating system, which boasts over 250 new features, for a bargain basement £20.99. Lion is heavily influenced by the success of iOS on the iPhone and the iPad with a full-screen app view and new multi-touch gestures among the new feature set. 
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| Exclusive: Google: Chromebooks will succeed where Linux netbooks failed Posted: 23 Jun 2011 10:14 AM PDT Why would you wait for over a minute for your Windows 7 PC to boot up if all you want to do is check your email and catch up on world news? That's the key question that Google is hoping will persuade even tech-savvy punters to splash the cash and buy a 'boots in 10 seconds and resumes instantly from sleep' Chromebook this summer. In doing so, Google hopes to break the Microsoft-Apple stranglehold on home computing that has seen only two major operating systems succeed in 30 years. The stats don't lie - most of us spend all our computing time within a web browser, and Google's philosophy for it's browser-based Chrome OS is that you shouldn't need to tinker with your laptop, you shouldn't need to maintain it or change settings, you should simply 'use' it. TechRadar spoke to Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome at Google, at the launch of the Samsung Chromebook this week. Pichai says that Chromebooks are ideal for anyone who doesn't want to deal with the complications that come with more traditional operating systems. "I've given Chromebooks to thousands of users, friends and family. The extent to which is that they feel their life is made better compared to a traditional Windows experience on a netbook," he says. "My dad used to ask me technical questions every few days, I gave him a Chromebook and he's never had an issue with it. I think it's such a simpler end to end experience it's just a no brainer. "Even the hardware for a lot of people is easier than most netbooks. Most netbooks are cramped, you can hardly see the web. We really spent a lot of time trying to give you a lot of pixels so you can maximise your web usage, a full size keyboard, the trackpad is really big, literally you can take it out all day without a charger and most importantly you do nothing other than use the device. You just use it. You're not maintaining it, you're not taking care of it, you just use the device. That's how computing should be."
Chromebooks for power users? Pichai admits that for power users, Chrome OS is not going to replace their main machine, but says these people only make up around two per cent of the world's computer users. "If you're a regular user of traditional Windows desktop applications like Photoshop, this is not the right computer for you. So I think as long as you spend most of your time on the web, which is true for most users, it's a great choice and most people who've shown interest in buying a Chromebook or have one of our test machines, already have a computer at home, but they get this and this is what they spend most of their time on. And they can use that other machine for their legacy needs." While the reception to Chrome OS has been on-the-whole a lot more positive than it perhaps could have been, TechRadar readers have been less than receptive to the £350 asking price for the Wi-Fi-only Samsung Chromebook. But Pichai says the price is fair: "The price point comes from the grade of hardware. I think if you compare the equivalent prices of hardware, I think we've done a great job to make the hardware better. If you think a windows 7 netbook is more attractive because it has more software then I think you're just opting in to two very different computing models. "If you get Windows 7 on your computer, with that you inherit all the design decisions and the choices and the security trade offs and everything that's built in. You may be a sophisticated user - and I think maybe one to two per cent of the population really enjoy dealing with those issues - Chromebooks might not be the right device for you. "But if you're asking me why people should buy it, then everything I see, in my experience with friends and family, people like the change, they find it better. Once you have been using Chrome OS, you can pick up any Chromebook anywhere and you can log in and all your stuff is there waiting for you as though it's your device."
Chromebooks vs Linux netbooks Of course, readers with a sharp memory will recall the netbook revolution of 2007 when Asus launched its first Eee PCs. They cost under £200 but ran Linux rather than Windows and return-rates for these products were amongst the highest in consumer electronics history. But Pichai thinks there is no comparison between Linux netbooks and the new Chromebooks. "I have thought about this a lot and I bought a Linux netbook too to test it out, and the thing I found was that those netbooks did not offer a great user experience. Linux netbooks tried to have the same metaphor as windows, so you constantly felt like you were in a Windows experience but it wasn't the same and it was confusing. "But whoever you give a Chromebook to, they log in and they're in a browser - it's the most familiar environment to most users because they spend most of their time in a browser anyway. Even a technical user could struggle with a Linux netbook, but give them a Chromebook and there's just no hesitation, they just log in and start using it, so I think that's a huge difference. As long as you know how to use a browser, there's literally nothing you need to learn, nothing."
Google is attempting to smooth over the transition period for users by making Chromebooks available online only for the time being. The idea is that by walling off Chromebooks from traditional home computers in stores, it reduces the risk of people buying them without fully understanding what they are. "We didn't want them to be just lying around where people who don't understand it walk away with it by mistake," says Pichai. "Our intention isn't to force this on anyone, by having it online you come and buy it because you know what it is and what it's all about. "We have 160 million users of the Chrome browser and for them, buying a Chromebook would be the most seamless transition ever. If you're already using Chrome sync, and you log in to a Chromebook and first time, it's all there. "And there's other things. The guest mode in Chrome OS is one ofthemost private modes ever built into a computer. We care about security a lot internally and I was speaking to Eric Sachs who is head of security at Google and I said, 'so somebody has sent me a really shady URL, can I click on it?' He said, 'as long as you're in the guest mode of Chrome OS, I wouldn't worry about clicking on anything'. "That's the promise we can make to a user. We had a zero day flash bug last week, we got a patch from adobe on Sunday morning, by Sunday afternoon we updated all Chrome users and all Chromebook users. And it all happens in the background. It updates all on it's own without you even knowing about it." TechRadar is in possession of a Samsung Chromebook and we'll bring you a full review in due course. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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| In Depth: How social apps help small firms compete with global brands Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:56 AM PDT When you're a small independent company in a market dominated by gargantuan global über-brands, how do you compete? For Urban Coffee Company, a tiny concern that until recently had only one coffee emporium, located in the middle of Birmingham's business district, the answer is technology and innovation. Oh, and great coffee, of course. It offers free Wi-Fi, embraces the so-called 'digital nomads' who come into the store toting iPads, smartphones and laptops, gives its Foursquare mayor a free coffee every week, exploits Twitter and Facebook, and even has its own app to let you order your cup o' joe on your iPhone before you arrive. We went to meet with founder Simon Jenner to find out - over a cup of coffee, naturally - how Urban Coffee is out-innovating Starbucks, Caffè Nero and Costa.
Let's start with the iPhone app. "We originally looked at an app early last year and got a few speculative quotes," says Jenner. "They were coming in at £6,000 and more, and given we couldn't see the app being a clear revenue generator, we couldn't justify getting one at the time." Happily, one of Urban Coffee's regular customers had been experimenting with developing for iPhone, and was looking for a project to focus his new skills. "One day, I had a sudden eureka moment that a coffee shop app would be a great first project," says Scott Remnant, a developer who now works for Google. "I wondered why Urban, with its tech-savvy customer base, hadn't got one already. "I had an idea of how the flow of the app should work, so I created a quick mock-up of the process on my iPhone for the first meeting with Simon. When we met, I was able to give him an idea how it would work. The overall development process then consisted of a series of beta versions sent to a few people to make sure things were heading in the right direction and to get feedback. We had a few in-person meetings along the way, too." The tech side of things, then, was quite simple; the only problems the company encountered were boringly real-world. "The major issue for us was not technical but to do with practicalities within the coffee emporium," says Jenner. "How were the baristas alerted to the order, what happens if a customer didn't turn up, what happens if they were late and it had gone cold, what happens if we needed to stop taking orders; that sort of thing." Social engineering
That's a common concern of Jenner's. He'd like to evolve the app to add the ability to pay directly from your phone, either through Apple's in-app purchase mechanism or using an alternative such as pre-pay vouchers, as well as features such as a loyalty card. Again, however, though the technical side of implementing these in the app is relatively trivial, integrating them into the till system in the coffee shop is impractical - tills are notoriously complex, archaic systems, and trying to get till manufacturers to do development work such as would be required here is traditionally ruinously expensive. But while a company as small as Jenner's can't afford the tens-of-thousands of pounds of investment needed for this kind of end-to-end payment system, its small size brings other advantages. Urban Coffee can move quickly to make small investments, such as in the app - which, though Jenner says he doesn't think it has directly driven any significant revenue, has contributed to the customer experience, building loyalty. Plus the company can implement decisions quickly because there isn't a huge corporate structure. It can also build very close, personal relationships with its customers. For example: everyone at Urban Coffee, including every barista, has access to its @urbancoffeeco Twitter account, and is encouraged to post to it and respond to tweets from customers. Sure, sometimes someone says something that makes Jenner wince a little, but he thinks everyone on Twitter understands that it's a conversation, and appreciates that humans are actually tweeting real views; Urban Coffee's Twitter feed isn't some bland, triple-approved corporate-speak.
Jenner credits Twitter with some of the emporium's initial and ongoing success. When it opened in 2009, it kept an eye on people tweeting about coffee within a five-mile radius, and tweeted them directly to invite them to pop into Urban Coffee. What's more, he maintains that this active social engagement brought in a clientele that its business-district premises would otherwise have struggled to attract. At the weekend, knitting groups, book groups and even a group of folks who get together to play board games ensure Urban Coffee is always busy, while many neighbouring businesses are almost deserted. And all this without any traditional advertising. Location, location
Urban Coffee rewards its Foursquare mayor with a free coffee every week, but Jenner's not sure this is working as well as he originally intended. "If you have a regular customer then it's very difficult to knock them off the top spot, and therefore what should have been a competitive thing becomes a fixed thing. That said, we do think geolocation promotional tools will be a critical battleground for retail over the next few years." And Jenner has lots of ideas for what he wants to do over those next few years. As well as plans for expansion - with a second emporium just opened in Birmingham and plans for one in Manchester - he's keeping an eye on tech trends. He hopes to port the app to BlackBerry and Android, and is excited about the possibilities for instant, contactless payment that the rumours of NFC in future iPhone models will bring. With 18 months' experience under his belt, then, what advice would Jenner give to other independents looking to stand up to the big boys? "I recommend: invest now and innovate like crazy, because the big high street chains will not be able to keep pace. Independent coffee shops are already giving the high street chains problems, because we can provide a better cup of coffee by higher-trained baristas. If we now out-innovate them on the tech side, then we will start to see a change in the makeup of our high streets, which can only be a good thing." Wake up and smell the coffee, Starbucks - tech innovation is helping little independents punch above their weight.
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| Phone Awards 2011: Have you voted in the TechRadar Phone Awards yet? Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:53 AM PDT The TechRadar Phone Awards has been a huge success this year with over 100,000 reader votes cast already. If you have yet to have your say, don't worry as there is still a few weeks left before the 8 July closing date. This is when we close the voting process and your chance to win one of 13 smarter than smart smartphones is over. That's right, if you vote then you can also enter our competition, where we have 5 Dell Venues, Pros, 5 HTC Pros, 2 Sony Ericsson Xperia arcs and 1 Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY up for grabs! The readers' categories you can vote in are as follows:
Now that we have narrowed down the nominations to just five in each category, it is more important than ever to have your say and get your vote counted. As we speak, our expert judges are busy making their mind up about what is going to win categories like phone of the year, best phone OS and best phone innovation. But don't worry – they're not allowed to win the smartphones up for grabs, they are just for you! Go to awards2011.techradar.com to find out more. 
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| Review: Sapphire Pure Platinum H67 Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:09 AM PDT The latest manufacturer to join the Sandy Bridge/ITX revolution is Sapphire, with its Pure Platinum H67 based around Intel's H67 chipset. When Intel was gazing into its crystal ball to get an idea of the impact its Sandy Bridge technology might make on the market, there's a fair chance it didn't see the second – or at least the third – coming of an old motherboard format back into the limelight. Since its inception back in 2001, every now and then the ITX motherboard format makes an appearance, with some brave manufacturer hoping that this will be the time the format takes off. But with the coming of Sandy Bridge, at last it seems the format's time to bask in the sun has arrived. With the tiny platform now being able to offer performance that previous generations of boards could only dream about, nearly every motherboard manufacturer worth its salt has at least one Sandy Bridge based ITX board in their lineup.
The Sapphire Pure Platinum H67 isn't quite as well featured as Zotac's H67-ITX Wi-Fi – you only get two SATA 3Gbps ports on the Sapphire board as compared to the four Zotac supply – but both have twin SATA 6Gbps ports. Sapphire's board also misses out on the Wi-Fi module that comes with the Zotac board. It still has the mini PCIe slot, which sits under slung beneath the board, but it does have Bluetooth built in and, in place of the Zotac's Wi-Fi aerial mount, the Pure Platinum H67 has a standard VGA output port. Mind you, this isn't the only output to feed a monitor/TV, as you also get single HDMI, dual-link DVI and DisplayPort outputs. The rest of the ports are pretty standard, apart from the antennae for the Atheros AR3011 Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR module. That would be standard for a microATX or lower-mainstream, full-sized ATX board, let alone a wee thing like the Pure Platinum H67. There are also four USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit LAN, the audio block for the 7.1 integrated audio and a separate optical S/PDIF out port.
Benchmarks CPU rendering performance Cinebench R11.5: Index. Higher is better Cinebench R10: Seconds. Quicker is Better CPU video encoding performance X264v2: fps. Higher is better X264v3: fps. Higher is better Discrete graphics 1080P gaming performance DiRT 2: fps - Higher is better CPU graphics 1080P gaming performance DiRT 2: fps - Higher is better
As you might expect with two ITX motherboards using Intel's H67 chipset, there's hardly anything to choose between Zotac's H67-ITX Wi-Fi and the Sapphire Pure Platinum H67. But what they both show is just how much more powerful today's ITX board is, compared to any other previous incarnation of the format. Compared with the last Sapphire ITX motherboard we reviewed, the AMD Fusion-based Pure Fusion Mini E350, the Pure Platinum H67 is light years away in performance terms. This is thanks to its Intel LGA1155 i7/i5/i3 CPU support and the H67 chipset itself. The Fusion board is close in concept, but still the weak Brazos APU doesn't have anywhere near the processing grunt of the full-powered Intel chip. That said, it's not really in the same ballpark in terms of price or power consumption.
As with all ITX boards, the limitations of the form factor are apparent when it comes to expansion slots, as there is only room for a single x16 PCI-E slot. But still, it's a full-size slot capable of handling a proper discrete card. We liked As with most of the better Sandy Bridge-equipped ITX boards, Sapphire has made full use of the display options offered by the H67 chipset which, when you add in Intel's QuickSync video transcoding technology built into the Sandy Bridge proccessors, makes the Pure Platinum H67 an ideal base for a tiny HTPC or media PC. Sapphire's Pure Platinum H67 also a well put together board with the brand's usual attention to detail. We disliked It's difficult to find anything to dislike about Sapphire's Pure Platinum board. It may have slightly less in its feature list than Zotac's H67-ITX Wi-Fi, for example, but then again it's around £30 cheaper. Verdict The Sapphire Pure Platinum H67 is yet another very well put together mini motherboard that shows that the ITX format is no longer the ugly duckling of the motherboard world. 
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| Review: Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 Dirt 3 Edition Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:08 AM PDT The pick of AMD's latest generation of graphics cards is undoubtedly the AMD Radeon HD 6950, and Sapphire has paired up with the launch of Codies' new racer game, Dirt 3, to unleash the 2GB Radeon HD 6950 Dirt 3 Edition. Despite the fact that the GPU is running at the standard stock speeds, it's not just another reference board with a fancy sticker and bundled game – we're talking about a brand new cooler design and access to further clock tweaks through Sapphire's Trixx overclocking software. Recently redesigned Radeon HD 6950s, however, have come with a few definite deficiencies – the main one being a lack of the impressive dual-Bios switch. That made the reference HD 6950 one of the most easily tweaked graphics cards around. Add in the fact that you could unlock the dormant shaders nestling in the Cayman Pro GPU to turn it into an HD 6970 with a simple Bios flash and there was a lot to like. Later cards, such as the MSI HD 6950 Twin Frozr III, came without the switch, making a Bios flash far more hazardous. It's back with the Sapphire HD 6950 Dirt 3 Edition, though. So does the combo of Bios-flash and flash cooler make it the best Radeon HD 6950 around?
It's a mighty close thing, it has to be said, although if you were looking to this version to right the dubious wrongs of AMD limiting the previous shader-unlocking shenanigans then sadly you're barking up the wrong GPU. It looks as though the shader count has been well and truly locked down. We tried multiple methods, bricking the odd Bios as we went along (thank the maker for the recovery Bios switch), of getting at those hidden shaders but nothing worked. Unfortunately this here Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 Dirt 3 Edition is going to stay an HD 6950. The other unfortunate thing about not being able to flash it to HD 6970 levels is the artificial locking of the clock speed to a maximum of 840MHz still in place. That means no extra overclocking speed compared with the reference design in either AMD's OverDrive or our usual favourite, MSI's Afterburner. But wait! Like the cavalry's flag coming flapping over the horizon is Sapphire's Trixx overclocking utility. Not only does this software enable us access to tweak the card's voltage nipples, we can also push the core clock speed up to a theoretical 1,200MHz. In practice we struggled to get a completely stable run through of our benchmarks at 1GHz, but even at a shade under the 1,000MHz mark that's an impressive overclock. Benchmarks DirectX 11 Tessellation performance DirectX 11 gaming performance DirectX 10 gaming performance
The Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 Dirt 3 Edition's a reference GPU and no mistake. There's absolutely no difference in clock speeds, and hence no change in performance. What's not shown in the raw fps numbers, however, is the change in temperature. The three small and two fat heatpipes do a fantastic job of pulling the GPU sweat away from the chip. It idles around 10C cooler and manages a 12C drop in temperatures under load. That, however, does come at a higher cost in terms of power draw – it's 30W more thirsty than the reference card. Sadly, however, no matter how much of an overclock you can squeeze out of this little GPU, it's no substitute for the reference chip's shader-unlock prowess. And no matter what, it's always going to be compared to that.
We liked The fact you can get around AMD's artificial locking of the Cayman Pro's core clock speeds is an absolute bonus for this Sapphire card. It makes for some serious overclocking chops. The new cooler is also impressive, giving a hefty drop in temperature to help push along that overclocking prowess. We disliked Sadly one of our favourite things about the reference HD 6950, the shader-unlock, has been cut out of the latest round of Cayman Pro GPUs, making the dual-Bios almost irrelevant now. That new cooler has also had a rather negative effect on the power draw too, making for a fairly significant extra pull under load. Verdict If you look at this Radeon HD 6950 Dirt 3 Edition with an open mind, and no thought to the shader-unlocking loving, then you wont be disappointed. It's one of the best stock HD 6950s out there, and one of the coolest too. 
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| Video: First Nokia Windows Phone 'Sea Ray' revealed Posted: 23 Jun 2011 07:19 AM PDT The first Nokia Windows Phone has been revealed by Stephen Elop, CEO of Nokia, and it looks very familiar. Codenamed Sea Ray, the phone is pretty much identical to the recently announced Nokia N9 and we will be the first to admit that its showing in a video is very brief. This is because the video of the phone was filmed covertly at an event where Elop asked for all imaging equipment to be turned off. Super confidential "This is something that is super confidential," explained Elop in the briefing and picked up by WinRumors. "We do not want to see it out in the blogosphere but we want to show you how this innovation lives and how well we as a company are today executing." Even though cameras are asked to be switched off, the clear video, filmed centre stage at the briefing, brazenly continues. It's almost as if Nokia has turned a blind eye to the camera on them. Which is a touch silly if you don't want the video to "hit the blogosphere". The video gives almost nothing away, other than it has a slightly different LED placement on the back, compared to the N9, and it is running Windows Phone 7 Mango. The first Nokia Windows Phone is set to launch in Autumn of this year, with October pegged as a possible release date. 
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| Posted: 23 Jun 2011 07:18 AM PDT Sony's KDL-32EX524 is described as a 'great all-rounder' and 'family friendly'. This is normally a euphemistic way of saying that there aren't many flashy features on board – but that's not the case with this impressively specified little TV. Sony has stuffed it full of features but kept it at a reasonably wallet-friendly price, which gets even friendlier if you shop around online. And it certainly is a great all-rounder, able to deliver hi-def pictures and play content from a variety of sources including USB devices and Blu-ray players – as well as providing access to online content through Sony's magnificent Bravia Internet Video portal and streaming content from other devices around the home. The KDL-32EX524 is one of four 32-inch sets in the latest EX range, alongside the KDL-32EX523, KDL-32EX723 and KDL-32EX724. The difference between the 32-inch '523' and '524' models is that the latter adds the new Presence Sensor feature and USB hard-disk drive (HDD) recording, while the step-up KDL-32EX724 throws even more features into the mix for a £200 premium, including 3D support, MotionFlow XR 200, 100Hz processing, S-Force Front Surround, built-in Wi-Fi and smartphone control. If you want to go even bigger, try the KDL-37EX524, KDL-40EX523, KDL-40EX524 or the 46-inch KDL-46EX524. Although it lacks the wow factor of Sony's high-end 'designer' sets, the KDL-32EX524 is still a good-looking TV. Slim and fitted with a sleek black bezel, it looks suitably modern without going overboard, and particularly nice is the shimmering brushed finish below the screen that houses the LEDs and IR sensor. There are no touch-sensitive controls, though, so the row of buttons tucked away around the side is your only means of up-close control, which is difficult to access when it's tucked in a tight space. The supplied swivel stand takes minimal effort to attach, although its plasticky build is below par. On the back, Sony has provided a tidy selection of sockets. There are three HDMI inputs – a fourth is found on the side – as well as component, Scart, analogue stereo and PC audio inputs and an optical digital audio output. Joining the HDMI on the side are two USB inputs, which is very useful, given that Wi-Fi support requires a proprietary dongle – when connected it leaves the other USB port free for multimedia playback. A CI slot, headphones output and 15-pin D-Sub PC input completes the lineup.
As mentioned, the KDL-32EX524 is equipped with a healthy array of features for a reasonably priced TV. First up, let's talk screen technology – it is of course, a full HD affair that uses Edge LED backlighting, which facilitates those super-slim dimensions and light weight. Driving the set is Sony's new single-chip image processor, X-Reality, which analyses and selectively processes the picture to sharpen it up, boost colours and contrast and get rid of noise. It's designed to grab blocky, low-res web video by the scruff of the neck and get it looking halfway decent – in theory, at least. The TV is 50Hz though, so look elsewhere if you want 3D. The KDL-32EX524 is part of Sony's wide selection of internet-enabled TVs and therefore boasts a top-drawer selection of web content and networking features. To access these you can either hook it up via Ethernet cable to your router or purchase Sony's optional USB Wi-Fi dongle (UWA-BR100) and go wireless. The most compelling of these features is Bravia Internet Video, which offers an unrivalled selection of applications. These include TV and movie services like BBC iPlayer, Demand 5, Sky News, Qriocity Video on Demand, Love Film, Eurosport and YouTube, plus music and radio services and Picasa photos. You can also poke, throw sheep and tweet thanks to built-in Facebook and Twitter access, both of which became available as onscreen widgets after a firmware update. But that's not all. The Skype feature enables you to make video and voice calls on your TV, although this requires Sony's optional CMU-BR100 voice control camera and microphone (£89) and a firmware upgrade (which is available now). And on another phone-related topic, another firmware upgrade enables you to use your smartphone to control the TV or use it as a second screen for watching video-on-demand. And if you're the sort of person who laps up trivia and facts about movies and TV shows the search applications will be very welcome. The Gracenote-powered Music and Video Search features enable you to look up detailed information relating to songs, movies or cast members by entering a keyword. Then you can search for content related to the results across all applications. There's even a Track ID button on the remote that calls up information about song info while you're watching a programme – we hit it during a Snoop Dogg video being played on MTV and lo and behold up popped info about the song as well as a Snoop Dogg bio. Clever stuff. Away from web-related stuff, you can record programmes from the built-in Freeview HD tuner on an external HDD (again, with a firmware update) and there's a Presence Sensor on board that can detect body heat and movement, switching the picture off when you leave the room but keeping the sound going to save energy. There's a fairly decent array of picture tweaks, too. On the most basic level, Scene Select (activated at the touch of a button on the remote) provides a list of presets that cater for different types of material – General, Cinema, Sports, Music, Animation, Game – but the Auto setting saves you the hassle of choosing. Dig a little deeper into the setup menu (scrolling down past the usual backlight, colour, contrast, brightness, sharpness, hue and noise reduction settings) and you'll find an Advanced Settings menu. This opens up adjustments like Black Corrector, Advanced Contrast Enhancer, Live Colour, Gamma and various image enhancements - the sort of detail that'll keep picture perfectionists very happy indeed.
It may not set a new picture benchmark for 32-inch LED TVs, but the KDL-32EX524's performance is still impressive for a £550 set. There are some obvious flaws, but on the whole your hi- and standard-def sources are in good hands. Images from the built-in Freeview HD tuner look crisp and precise, showing precious few signs of stepping along edges, pixellation or block noise. Detail shines through from every inch of the screen, whether you're ogling the textured green grass of Wimbledon's Centre Court or the suburban London surroundings of Lead Balloon. It's a great advert for hi-def, even on a screen of this size, and shows that the new X-Reality chip is no slouch when it comes to sharpening up detail and removing noise. Switching over to a Blu-ray disc – in this case Children of Men – the KDL-32EX524 continues its good work with more scintillating detail and deep, natural colours. However, the movie's gloomy settings and subject matter means dark scenes are frequent, and here we find the KDL-32EX524 slightly struggling – instead of deep, inky blacks you get a sort of misty grey/blue and the backlight seems uneven, with pooling down the left and right sides. We also ran Samsung's HD Reference Software evaluation disc through the KDL-32EX524 and with the black level test patterns found it hard to define the outlines of black objects set against black backgrounds, and although contrast is good, it lacks the punch and breadth of a good plasma, or the best full LED sets. You can get some joy playing around with the Black Corrector and Advanced Contrast Enhancer, but it's never fully rectified and doesn't really improve the detail within blacks. Brighter Blu-rays like Wall-E or Legends of the Guardians look much better though. The other major flaw with the TV's picture is motion blur. It's highlighted most clearly on our evaluation disc's Motion test patterns, showing fast camera pans over the front of a building and a map. The image is beset by smearing, which makes text on the map difficult to read, plus the image judders uncomfortably. During movies this blur interferes with the clarity of fast-moving scenes. With no frame insertion technology to iron this sort of stuff out it's fairly inevitable, but might encourage some to fork out more for a 100Hz sets from the Sony 724 series. Back to the positives, and Sony makes good its promise of improving web video. We watched zombie film Day of the Dead (1985) on BBC iPlayer and were enormously impressed by the lack of artefacts and buffering delays with this 26-year-old movie. Horrible Histories also looked superb: it was just like watching an SD BBC One broadcast on Freeview.
Sound The KDL-32EX524 packs 20W of audio power, invisible speakers and plenty of sonic technology, including S-Force Front Surround – a virtual surround mode that attempts to trick the ears into hearing surround effects using four different presets. There are also several presets (Dynamic, Standard, Clear Voice). Surprisingly, all of this contributes to some reasonably hearty and open sound quality – Children of Men's end shoot out is peppered with beefy explosions and sharp gunshots, while dialogue is delivered with body and excellent clarity, although we won't pretend that your enjoyment wouldn't be enhanced greatly by a separate home cinema system. Value Judged purely from a features point of view, the KDL-32EX524 offers tremendous value for money. Granted, you miss out on bells and whistles like 3D support and 100Hz processing, but the inclusion of DLNA support, two USB ports with media playback and TV recording, a Freeview HD tuner, Skype, smartphone control, a wealth of web content and the eco-friendly Presence Sensor is a lot more than some people would expect for £550. We're also massive fans of the tweaked operating system and some of the new web features, plus if you're a regular BBC iPlayer viewer then the excellent web video quality is a real boon. The motion blur and contrast issues do dock it some value points, and it lacks the rock solid build quality you'd get further up the range, but on balance it's money well spent. Ease of use Sony has made some major changes to its TV operating system this year, and they're for the better. Don't get us wrong – we love Sony's old-style Xross Media Bar but it was definitely time for a refresh and – thankfully – this new operating system is equally intuitive. The main menu, accessed by hitting the Home button, abandons the cross axis layout for a row of icons along the bottom of the screen, while live TV plays in a box large above. Highlight one of the icons and the corresponding list appears to the right of the live TV box. These are grouped into things like Media, Internet Content, Widgets and a very useful Favourites that remembers your last-used inputs and TV channels. It uses the same colour scheme fonts and icons as before, just arranged in a different way, but it still operates with the sort of slickness we've grown used to from Sony AV products. This new layout also addresses another problem – on the previous menu, Bravia Internet Video's list of applications was starting to make the vertical axis too long to scroll down quickly, but now the various BIV services are laid out in a grid of thumbnail icons, again split into Video, Music and Photo, and it takes no time to find the one you want. Using other widgets and web-enabled services like Music and Video Search, Skype and media streaming caused no major confusion, although the full-screen web-browser isn't much cop and entering text using the mobile phone-style multi-press system isn't ideal, but could be worse. The set's EPG is a little cluttered but easy to work with. Eight channels are displayed at once in the timeline grid, but it leaves enough room for live TV, a synopsis and a cluster of colour-coded options at the bottom. If you have a HDD connected (32GB or over) then recording programmes is an absolute cinch, thanks to straightforward, PVR-like dialogue boxes. The onscreen info banners also convey details clearly, although they're limited to now and next info. Of course, the single tuner setup is a drawback as you can't change channel while recording. It's not all plain sailing though. We couldn't get the TV to stream music from our Windows 7 laptop (it wouldn't appear in the list) but worked fine with video and photos. The KDL-32EX524 streamed our AVCHD, WMV and DivX files smoothly but turned its nose up at hi-def AVI files. We were also able to play MKV, DivX HD, XviD, MP3, WMA, WAV and JPEG from a USB stick. Sony hasn't fiddled with the remote control formula too much, going for the same long black zapper with a ring of menu controls surrounded by the most-used buttons like Guide, Options and Home. There are a few buttons of note, such as the dedicated keys for TrackID, Internet Video and the i-Manual (an onscreen help guide). Its only foible is that the Return key is placed slightly too close to the 'left' button, which caused a few slip-ups.
The KDL-32EX524 has all the hallmarks of a budget, no-frills set – the price, size, its billing as a 'family' TV and the compromised build quality – yet in actual fact it's more special than that. There's a feast of features on board, ranging from flashy DLNA, Skype and Bravia Internet Video to the Presence Sensor and USB HDD recording. Yes, there's no 3D or 100Hz, and you have to make some picture quality sacrifices, but it's still a decent performer – particularly when it comes to Freeview pictures and web video. We liked Web videos look great on the KDL-32EX524 thanks to X-Reality's miracle-working, and despite some motion blur and contrast issues picture quality is at an acceptable level. The improvements to the operating system are a triumph, making the wide range of functions even easier to access than before. The EPG is slick and cleverly laid out, with crisp graphics and a large live TV box. Despite the lack of 3D and 100Hz processing, there's a wide range of features on board that make the KDL-32EX524 feel like solid value for money. Highlights include Bravia Internet Video (which thanks to the inclusion of several catch-up TV services is still the best web portal of any manufacturer), DLNA, USB recording, smartphone control and Skype. We disliked Motion blur, judder and average contrast prevent this TV hitting the heights of other LED sets, with fast moving objects losing clarity. Detail during dark scenes also loses some definition. Although the set's black bezel and brushed bottom section are easy on the eye, build quality is merely adequate, particularly the supplied stand. A few operational niggles, like our inability to stream music and play some hi-def AVI files, might be a turn off, plus the additional hardware required for Skype and Wi-Fi will add quite a chunk onto the price. Final verdict See past the picture flaws and missing features and the KDL-32EX524 is a very attractive LCD that punches above its price point with a generous array of features and decent picture performance, which should make you, and the whole family, very happy. 
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| In Depth: Ubuntu 11.04 explored: a new dawn for Linux? Posted: 23 Jun 2011 07:06 AM PDT Ubuntu releases are always eagerly awaited, generating feverish debate on the blogosphere, but Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal has received an unprecedented amount of attention because it's different - in more than one sense of the word. This release is about the one area that's often overlooked in the Linux ecosphere, the desktop. Linux has struggled with the desktop; compositing window managers such as Compiz Fusion allowed you to play around with it but it still looked the same. But if you think the Gnome 3 Shell is different, wait till you experience Unity - and there's a lot more to it than glitter. In this article we'll explore the desktop in close detail, tell you how to use it productively and compare this release with previous versions and its major competitors. In adopting the Unity interface, Ubuntu 11.04 marks a major departure from Gnome for Canonical. There has been no love lost between it and members of the Gnome Foundation and, indeed, between Canonical and the developers of music player Banshee. At the end of it all, though, Linux users have two new desktops that are a radical departure from the Gnome desktop of old. And, if everything goes to plan, the separation could in fact herald a new era of collaboration between Linux communities. What's new in Natty? The biggest addition to Natty Narwhal is its new interface which requires accelerated graphics. Although you don't have to have an OpenGL graphics card to use Natty, you do need one to experience the full Unity 3D desktop - on machines that lack the minimal graphics processing requirements of Unity, there is a fallback 2D Unity mode. Installation is a piece of cake. You can use the Live Desktop CD or, if you haven't installed it before, you can use the Windows-based Ubuntu Installer (WUBI) to install and run it from within a virtual disk within Windows. To install Ubuntu onto its own partition, boot from the Desktop CD. The most important decision during installation is while preparing your hard disk for Ubuntu. The installer makes your job easier by detecting operating systems or other distros already installed on your disk. You can go with the default option to install Natty alongside your existing OS. The installer will automatically carve out space from the existing OS to create a new partition and it'll also give you the option to optionally adjust the size of the partition graphically. The next partitioning option will wipe your disk clean and give all the space to Natty. The last option allows you to create, remove and resize partitions manually. Use either of these two only if you know what you are doing. Besides the Desktop CD, there's also the Alternate Install CD which has a text-based installer. You can also use that CD to upgrade existing Ubuntu installations. Behind the scenes, Ubuntu ships with the latest stable Linux kernel v2.6.38. It boasts of improvements to the Btrfs, and EXT4 file systems, and the usual dose of updates to existing drivers and a host of new ones. There are also updates to the GCC toolchain, dpkg, and Natty now includes the latest version of Upstart to replace the traditional init daemon, that can also activate D-Bus services.
Onto the more visible changes then. A fresh Ubuntu Natty install has the latest LibreOffice 3.3.2 office suite, Firefox 4.0 web browser, the Shotwell photo manager, Evolution for your mail, address book, and calendaring needs, the Gwibber microblogging client, Empathy for instant messaging, and the usual assortment of Gnome tools and utilities. The Banshee music player has replaced Rhythmbox, and lets you buy music from within the player itself, either via Amazon or Ubuntu One's music store. Natty's software selection is comparable to other mainstream distros such as OpenSUSE and Fedora. All have now dropped OpenOffice.org in favour of LibreOffice and moved to the latest release of Firefox. Fedora, like Ubuntu, had replaced the F-Spot image organiser with Shotwell a couple of releases ago, but F-Spot remains the default on OpenSUSE.
To compliment the Unity desktop session, the X.org server bundled with Natty includes support for multitouch devices via the XInput library. There have also been improvements to home-brewed software such as Ubuntu One. The very popular Ubuntu Software Centre now allows you to rate and review apps and then share your opinions on the social networks you have configured with Gwibber. The Unity desktop Love it or hate it, Ubuntu's Unity desktop is different and undoubtedly a refreshing change from the desktops of old. But there is a lot more to the desktop in Natty Narwhal than Unity. Several teams focusing on improving the user experience collaberated on the desktop. One of them, the Ayatana project - first announced by Mark Shuttleworth in 2009 - dealt with several aspects that present information to the user, such as notifications, indicators and the launcher.
Another important aspect of Natty's desktop is that it is designed for touch interfaces. The distro ships with several multitouch and gesture recognition libraries that let you ditch the mouse. This bonds well with the Linux kernel that comes with Natty because it includes drivers for several touchscreens, such as the Cando version on our Acer laptop. Another major shift is Unity's move away from Metacity, the old Gnome Window Manager, to the compositing window manager, Compiz. The move comes at a price though. To fully experience the Unity desktop you need a graphics card that supports OpenGL 1.4 or newer. Before you shake your head in disapproval, though, remember that that version of OpenGL was released way back in 2002. In tests done by Ubuntu, Unity will run on GPUs made by either Nvidia or AMD over the past five years. Well integrated Lots of work has been done integrating the various Gnome apps with the Ubuntu desktop. Previous Ubuntu releases had glimpses of this work, most notably the MeMenu, which allows you to broadcast to social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Identi.ca, and set the status for instant messaging on your IM accounts.
The MeMenu integrates the Empathy instant messaging client and the Gwibber microblogging client and you can also set up these accounts through it. Then there's the Messaging menu which has a section for all messaging accounts that you have configured under Ubuntu. Along with all the social networking accounts in the MeMenu, this also includes mail which is handled by Evolution. You can set up the mail account from within the Messaging menu itself, which also sets up Ubuntu's file sharing service Ubuntu One. The Messaging menu keeps count of the number of unread or new messages for every account it is tracking. The integration of apps in the panel expands beyond the two menus for messaging. The Banshee music player is fused in the Volume indicator. It displays the currently playing track, along with its cover art, and gives you basic controls to pause, and change tracks. Besides this, you'll find the network manager rolled into the network indicator, Evolution's calendar module in the clock, and the one stop for setting up the system in the PowerOff menu. Working in Unity The whole design philosophy behind the Unity desktop is to make it intuitive. This works pretty well for new users but for users familiar with the Classic Gnome desktop, Unity might come as a bit of a shock. Besides the notification area which houses the indicators and the MeMenu, there's the launcher that gives you quick access to some of the installed apps. Then there's the dash which is activated by clicking the Ubuntu logo at the top left of the screen. When the dash is activated, the icons in the launcher turn monochrome, and the icons in the dash 'lens' are shown in colour. A lens is a graphical interface for a particular task. For example, as well as the Global Search lens that you get when you click the Ubuntu icon in the top left of the screen, there is an Application lens in the launcher which shows the available apps, most frequently used apps, and apps that can be downloaded. The Unity interface is designed to give apps maximum real estate on the screen. One of the ways it does so is by using Mac OS X-style Global menus. When you run an app, menus for that app are displayed in Unity's top panel. All running apps on all virtual desktops are represented with an icon in the launcher. The launcher is animated and "squishes" icons when there are lots of apps. When you hover over it, the launcher scrolls through the icons of all the running apps. Right-click on an app's icon to display its unique Quick List options which are actions you can perform without switching to the application. For example, Firefox gives you the option to open a new window, and the Gnome Screenshot utility gives you the option to take screenshots. 2D vs 3D So why is Canonical investing in two similar looking desktops, rather than concentrating on the one that runs on most hardware? In a blog post, Bill Filler, engineering manager at Canonical USA, explains that although the two versions offer roughly the same functionality, the 3D version harnesses the full power of OpenGL for a richer set of visual effects and tighter integration with the Compiz window manager. Many were surprised that Ubuntu went with Qt when they had experience with Enlightenment Foundation Libraries (EFL) which they had used to create a 2D launcher for Ubuntu Netbook Edition 10.04. Again, Filler explains that Qt was a better fit for Unity 2D due to its active development community, wide range of excellent development tools, such as Qt Quick and Qt Creator, great documentation, and support options. Unity 2D is available in the Natty mirrors, and can be installed via the Software Centre. Once installed it'll show up in the list of sessions at the login screen. If Unity 2D is installed, and your machine can't run the full blown Unity, it'll fall back to Unity 2D. Otherwise, the fallback will be the classic Gnome with the gnome-panel. It's a competitive distro market out there, so how does Natty compare? Ubuntu 11.04 vs Fedora 15
Closely following the release of Ubuntu 11.04 and its Unity desktop, is Fedora 15 'Lovelock' with Gnome 3's default Gnome Shell desktop. Sure, there's the usual dose of changes and new additions as well (keep an eye out for our review), but the most notable difference is on the desktop. Although both Fedora and Ubuntu have historically tinkered with the stock Gnome release and tweaked it to their own liking, never have the two distros looked so different. The graphical differences stem from the choice of compositing window manager, with Ubuntu basing Unity on Compiz rather than Gnome 3's Mutter. Despite their visual differences, having used both Gnome Shell and Unity day-in day-out for several weeks, we think the two desktops aren't all that different for common tasks; both were designed to provide a better user experience. Both desktops require 3D acceleration to take full advantage of the user interface improvements; both also ship with fallback modes for machines that don't meet their graphics requirements. And the developers have worked hard to ensure both closely resemble the "real thing". With 11.04, Ubuntu has merged both its desktop and netbook distros. Gnome is also aiming for a consistent desktop across devices. Both interfaces are designed for touch-screen devices, yet can be controlled via the keyboard, and Zeitgeist plays an important part on both desktops. Of the two, Gnome Shell is the one that has made bold changes, such as dropping the minimise and maximise window controls. The functionality is still there, and you can right-click on a window's title bar to minimise it, but removing the buttons caused a furore. Both Gnome Shell and Unity handle minimised windows in much the same way though. In Unity, the Launcher points to minimised windows across workspaces, and in Gnome Shell all windows are visible in the Overview. The most noticeable difference between the two desktops is Unity's global menus. Also, Unity doesn't have a panel at the bottom of the screen, while Gnome Shell has one that hides automatically and is used to display notifications. The Gnome Shell is also bundled with other mainstream desktop distros such as OpenSUSE and Debian Unstable, while no other distro besides Ubuntu has yet announced its plan to bundle Unity. Ubuntu 11.04 vs Mint
One of the most popular distros built on top of Ubuntu is Mint, which trails an Ubuntu release by a couple of months. The developers use that time to extensively modify the Ubuntu codebase and make their Mint release stand on its own. In fact, one of the most popular features of Mint is its Mint Menu which is also being ported to other distros. Mint's USP is that the distro is about usability, and its custom menu and custom update manager are examples of this. Katya, the upcoming version of Mint, will be based on Ubuntu 11.04, but the release will be considerably different from Natty, most notably, in that it will not ship with the Unity desktop. In a blog post announcing the name of Mint's next release, founder and lead developer Clement Lefebvre wrote that Katya's desktop "will look similar to the one we're using at the moment". Despite this, Lefebvre added that Katya will ship with Gnome 3. That's another separation from Ubuntu 11.04, which ships with Unity on top of Gnome 2.32. Details are sketchy and Lefebvre hadn't got back to us by the time we went to press. So we're not sure whether Katya's desktop will be the fallback mode of Gnome 3, or the Gnome Classic mode that Ubuntu 11.04 defaults to on machines that don't meet Unity's hardware requirements, or something else entirely. There's also no details as to what window manager Mint will go with. It's important to remember that Mint's desktop was already very different to Ubuntu's. Instead of the panel on top, Mint grouped applications, places, and systems under its custom Mint Menu. The new Unity interface has no room for the Mint Menu, so Mint either had to drop it or stick with the classic look. Ubuntu 11.04 vs Ubuntu 8.04
It might sound melodramatic, but Ubuntu has come a very long way and you don't have to go right back to 2004 to really see the difference. Cast your mind back just a few years - to 8.04 which was the distro's second Long Term Support (LTS) release - and you can see that Ubuntu was starting to be more adventurous. The boldest move in that release was the inclusion of beta software in what was a LTS release (Firefox 3 beta 5 for the curious). We also remember 8.04 because it was the first release that shipped with the Windows-based Ubuntu installer, WUBI, which allowed Windows users to install Linux from within the familiar environment they felt safe in. Interestingly, it was the first release that was criticised for its choice of graphical environment, although not for Gnome, but its decision to stick with KDE 3.5 for its KDE-based sibling Kubuntu. Back then Ubuntu didn't consider KDE 4.0 which had been out for only a couple of months, because the bold, new desktop environment hadn't proved its stability credentials. Heard that one before anywhere? From that point on, it would appear each subsequent Ubuntu release introduced new features in the build up to 11.04. Ubuntu 8.10 introduced a failsafe mode that would drop you to a minimal desktop if your graphics hardware wasn't supported. The state of drivers for 3D hardware, both in free software and proprietary form, has improved in leaps and bounds since then. It was also around then that Ubuntu started eyeing netbooks with an option to create a USB bootdisk. In 9.10 Ubuntu added the immensely popular Software Centre, and closely integrated its Ubuntu One cloud service into the Gnome desktop. The effort to make the desktop more social continued with 10.04 which debuted the MeMenu. We also remember that version because it bundled the Nvidia open source Nouveau drivers. The stage was all set then for the 10.10 release, which broke from the convention of an August-end release, and was instead released on the 10 August, 2010. The date 101010 in binary equals 42, which as any geek worth his salt would know, is the answer to the "ultimate question". That release was all about the Unity interface for netbook users. Now with 11.04, the Unity interface leaps from the confines of the netbook to the bigger real estate of the desktop. Is Ubuntu's answer to the "ultimate question" the correct one? The politics of Ubuntu
Mark Shuttleworth announced that Ubuntu 11.04 would ship the Unity environment at the Ubuntu Developer Summit in October 2010. Up until that point, Unity was just the radically redesigned environment shipped on the Ubuntu Netbook Edition. When announcing the Natty Narwhal name for the 11.04 release, Shuttleworth wrote: "Once Maverick is out the door we'll be turning our attention to making the most of the amazing capabilities of modern graphics hardware, both for outer beauty and inner efficiency. There's a lot more to GL than glitz and glamour, though we won't say no to either." The announcement just acted as a catalyst in the battle brewing between Ubuntu and Gnome. Back in May 2010, Shuttleworth said both Unity and Gnome Shell were "complementary" for the Gnome Project. At that time the Unity interface was built on the Clutter toolkit, and used the Mutter window manager, the same as Gnome 3, but by the time of the UDS announcement, Ubuntu developers had started porting Unity to Compiz. Tempest in a teapot Many saw Ubuntu's move on Unity as a step away from Gnome. It took a lot of convincing but finally people began seeing Unity and Gnome Shell as two different approaches. In a blog post Dave Neary, former member of the Gnome board, wrote that Novell, Nokia, OpenMoko, Intel and OLPC had all at some point used the Gnome platform to build custom user interfaces. What kicked up a stink with Unity was Ubuntu's open criticism of Gnome for not collaborating with the project. Shuttleworth and others from the Ubuntu project claim they offered Gnome help but it was rejected. Gnome's version of the story is that Shuttleworth reacted without understanding the Gnome community's motivations and intentions. Jeff Waugh, a Canonical employee between his stints as director of the Gnome Foundation, has detailed the spat between Ubuntu and Gnome in a series of blog posts. He writes that "from mid-2010, Mark Shuttleworth was criticising Gnome for not accepting Canonical contributions for "political reasons". Ultimately, that was used as public rationalisation for the jump to Unity". KDE's project leader Aaron Seigo wrote that "the story is not so much about Gnome and Canonical as it is about Gnome and the rest of the free software desktop ecosystem and the regressive behaviour being demonstrated there". Major releases of mainstream open source software are only the beginning. Both Gnome 3.0 with the Gnome Shell, and Ubuntu 11.04 with the Unity Shell, have repainted the open source desktop landscape. But they are far from done. It takes a release or two for major projects to implement decisions. So far there aren't any plans for reconciliation between the two but expect some Qt love in the next Ubuntu release and Shuttleworth has already said they will keep investing in the 2D Unity experience built atop Qt. Was it worth it? Some will cringe at the sight of Unity, others will love it. However you feel, you can't really find fault with Ubuntu or Canonical's intention to rejuvenate the desktop. Sure, it's raised the bar on hardware requirements, but that bar's still way lower than what competing proprietary operating systems demand. And despite the fact that there are lightweight distros especially tuned for older hardware, Ubuntu has put considerable effort into Unity's 2D interface. If you forget Canonical's run-ins with Gnome, you have two beautiful desktop shells in Unity and Gnome Shell. Remember that there's an actively maintained PPA that'll install Gnome Shell on top of Ubuntu 11.04 and this is definitely a plus, from a purely options point of view. But the bad blood doesn't reflect positively on the community. Be it throwing accusations at each other or trying to nibble away at revenue percentages. Although, as Shuttleworth puts it, "money is particularly contentious in a community that mixes volunteer and paid effort". In a recent TuxRadar podcast we asked whether Canonical is good for free software? Many agreed it was. Fabian Scherschel who hosts the Linux Outlaws podcast said "Every company goes through some rough patches and makes mistakes (just look at the Red Hat of 2001) but that doesn't mean they can't come out into the light again". We hope the Desktop Summit in Berlin, the conference organised by the Gnome and KDE communities, will give both sides an opportunity to start building bridges. 
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| Pottermore - glorified Harry Potter ebook store revealed Posted: 23 Jun 2011 06:16 AM PDT JK Rowling has revealed her next big thing in the Harry Potter world – Pottermore, an interactive site which will eventually become a portal for all Potter ebooks. Instead of going down the route of putting e-books in the Amazon Kindle store – or any other e-book store – Rowling is going out on her own and publishing the e-books through her own portal. The ebook part of the site doesn't go live until 1 October, where the shop will be open for fans to purchase audio and ebooks of the first book in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The Chamber of Secrets will be available in 2012 and the other books further down the line. The good thing about the ebooks is that they will be DRM-free, so you can read them on as many devices as you like. Potter, more Potter Pottermore isn't just an e-book store, however, it has been built as an extension of the whole Potter franchise. Rowling has written more than 18,000 words for the site, focusing on various bits of the series, and the site will offer a virtual tour through the Potter world. The site is set to go live 31 July and will be made accessible to 1 million people who find a Magical Quill in an online treasure hunt. If you can't be bothered with such nonsense, then the site will be available to all as of 1 October. Rowling is describing the new site as a way of giving something back to fans, telling journalists that the online experience has been kept free for all to enjoy. 
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| UK 'most paranoid' about computer security, suggests study Posted: 23 Jun 2011 05:32 AM PDT The UK is getting the message about how important security software on their computers is, with a Europe-wide study suggesting that Brits are more paranoid than their neighbours. A survey by G Data of nearly 16,000 people across 11 European countries, more than a thousand of them from the UK, suggests that 94 per cent of Brits have security software installed, compared to 83 per cent in Russia. "The finding is very interesting, and could perhaps be explained in part by factors which researchers have found to be related to the intention to practice online security," said Dr Grainne Kirwan, lecturer in cyberpsychology at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology. "It would seem that UK internet users have the right combination of these factors, which is a very positive thing for improving their online security." Full suite The UK also scored highly on having full security measures and not just anti-virus software - with 65 per cent claiming 'full suite' protection. "In the case of internet security, a healthy dose of paranoia can be a good thing; the rest of the world can learn a lot from the UK in this respect," said James Coombes of G Data. "Web users need to ensure they are careful for the correct reasons and continue to be aware of the risks associated with the internet." 
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| CoPilot Live Premium: social sat nav app launched Posted: 23 Jun 2011 05:32 AM PDT ALK has announced a massive update to its CoPilot Live range, with Facebook check-ins, Twitter functionality and Bing integration making up some of the extras to be found on CoPilot Live Premium. CoPilot has been making decent satnav apps for sometime now and this update is something of a rebranding for the company. Based on CoPilot 9 – which TechRadar tested earlier in the year – the new app adds more functionality to make it easier to get to where you want to go. Premium features New features include the ability to create your own route by dragging your finger across the screen, as well as ActiveTrafffic which will sort you out if you are in a fix – offering real-time traffic updates and the like. The app also uses more of your phone's functionality, so you can cut and paste addresses straight into the apps as well as drive to areas where you have geotagged images. Couple this with text to speech that can say actual street names (madness, we know) and the ability for the app to tell you where your car is when you are searching for it in the supermarket car park and what you have is a pretty hand satnav add-on to your phone. If you get in fast, you will be able to pick up the CoPilot Live Premium for £14.99 in the UK, which will be available from the Android Market. There's an iOS version to and an iPad version is currently under approval. 
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| First images of Sony A77, A65 DSLRs leaked online Posted: 23 Jun 2011 05:11 AM PDT Sony may soon announce the launch of new Alpha 77 and Alpha 65 DSLRs, according to new images of the Sony cameras posted online. The Sony Alpha Rumors blog has obtained images of production models of the Sony A77 and Sony A65 from a souce who claims the Sony DSLRs will be announced in August. The source claims a Sony announcement was originally planned for July, but was pushed back following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. This would seem to confirm what we reported earlier this year when an announcement on Sony's Japanese website hinted at the launch of a Sony A700 replacement at 'mid-year'. The blog reports the Sony A77 will be Sony's new top APS-C DSLR and replace the Alpha 700. The source claims its specs will include an ISO range from 100 up to 102,400. The Sony A77 is also said to use a new double Bionz processor, boast a 3-million-dot OLED EVF and shoot more than 10fps, with 11 cross AF points. Less is known about the Sony A65, but it is expected to use Sony's translucent mirror technology. Earlier this year our colleagues at PhotoRadar reported that all future Sony Alpha cameras would feature translucent mirror technology. Image via Sony Alpha Rumors Read More: Sony A77 rumours: what you need to know 
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| Microsoft: we don't wish PSN hacks upon anybody Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:52 AM PDT The Chief Operating Officer of Xbox has admitted that it would never want anybody to go through the hacking woes its rival Sony did, which is why it has kept quiet about the security situation. Xbox COO Dennis Durkin was interviewed by Industry Gamers, where he talked about the Sony situation and how it has affected the entire industry. "It's bad for the industry that this has happened to Sony. It's very, very bad. It's very damaging," he explained. "So we don't wish that upon anybody and you've seen we've been actually pretty quiet on the subject because we don't want to appear to even be looking to be taking advantage of somebody else's situation like that. That's just not in our DNA." All about the Network Sony has finally got over the PlayStation Network hack which brought down the entire PSN for nearly a month. A compensation package of new games and trial subscriptions of PlayStation Plus and Music Unlimited have satiated some of the anger felt by PSN members, but it isn't something that will be forgotten in a hurry. Durking believes that Microsoft's years of perfecting its security should mean that Xbox Live users should be vigilant about security but the service is as secure as it can be. "Like in society, you can't always protect everything. There are people who are going to want to disrupt things and you can't always perfectly protect against every scenario, but we're going to make sure we do everything we can to be sure we're as secure as we possibly can be. "And thankfully – I'm grateful to be part of a company like Microsoft, which has such deep investments across its whole ecosystem that we leverage. Because it's an industry challenge and it's something that we all have to get better at." 
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| Philips Fidelio SoundSphere DS9800 arrives Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:05 AM PDT Philips has announced the arrival of the Philips Fidelio SoundSphere DS9800 – a high end dock with AirPlay connectivity. Announced originally back in March, the speaker system is one of the more unusual-looking things we have seen for a while, but that's no bad thing. The DS9800 has a pair of active SoundSphere speakers, with one of the pair brandishing a 110W RMS stereo digital amplifier and a Wi-Fi receiver. The unusual shape of the speakers comes from seven-years of hard slog from Philips which has been looking for a setup that is free from the 'shut in' sound of conventional speakers. This is why the 25mm tweeter system is on the outside, situated above the mid-range driver. Inside the speaker system is a 5-inch woofer and this is all rounded off with AirPlay functionality.
The Philips Fidelio SoundSphere DS9800 UK release date is July, with the dock available from John Lewis. Pricing should be around the £699 mark. Look out for a Philips Fidelio SoundSphere DS9800 hands on later, as TechRadar has already had some time with the high-end device. 
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| In Depth: How to get Windows 8 features today Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:00 AM PDT Windows 7 is a great operating system - one that managed to solve most of the problems of Windows Vista, while adding a host of useful features for good measure. There's plenty of room for improvement, though, and the rumours about Windows 8 suggest there's much more to come. We're willing to bet on a simpler interface, better performance and reliability, enhanced security, cloud-based backups and file sharing, plus built-in virtualisation. There could be more too in what looks like a major step forward for Microsoft's OS. It will be some time before you can find out, because Windows 8 won't appear until late next year. It'll probably cost you plenty of money, and even then there's no guarantee that Microsoft will deliver on all its pre-launch plans and promises. Fortunately, there's a better way - if you know where to look. It turns out that most of the features of Windows 8 are available right now, using proven technology, which in many cases won't cost you anything at all. As you read on, you'll find everything you need to know about hacking Windows 8 features into 7 right now. Windows 8, it's claimed, will improve performance, particularly with regard to boot, shutdown and hibernation times. It should also boost battery life. Of course, every previous version of Windows has promised something similar, but they haven't always delivered. With this in mind, turning to third-party solutions can often provide better results. Performance Windows 7 helped improve boot times by letting you delay the launch of non-essential services. So if you've installed iTunes, say, you can run 'SERVICES.MSC', double-click 'Apple Mobile Device', set the Startup Type to 'Automatic (delayed start)', and the service won't fight with others for system resources when your PC boots. Windows 8 may extend this scheme further, but you can do it right now with Startup Delayer. This tool lets you postpone the launch of selected Windows startup programs. This means these programs won't be available right away, but in many cases you won't notice. By reducing hard drive and CPU contention early in the boot process you'll ensure your desktop becomes usable far more quickly.
If that's too basic, give Soluto a try. This tool doesn't just delay startup programs, it can identify unnecessary programs that can be disabled for the maximum performance gain. Windows 8 is expected to improve battery life by reducing the work your laptop does when it's idle. Again, you can do this right now by installing the free BatteryCare tool from www.batterycare.net. This lets you disable Windows Aero and demanding services automatically when your system is running on batteries. It can also configure your power plan according to your power source. With accurate monitoring of your battery's discharge cycle, this is a powerful tool for extending its life. Windows 8 also promises improved shutdown and hibernation times, which will be achieved via low-level tweaks that are difficult to reproduce. However, extended shutdown times are often down to driver issues, and may not indicate a Windows problem at all. Use a tool like Device Remover to take a closer look at the drivers on your PC, then run Driver Easy to look for and install any updates. This might be enough to solve your problems. Interface improvements Microsoft's plans for the Windows 8 interface haven't been revealed yet, but some details are becoming clear. It's expected that the interface will be optimised for touch-screen use, for instance. Windows 7 works well with touch-screens already, but an add-on called Microsoft Origami Experience can improve things further on ultra-mobile PCs. It simplifies program access, gives you more screen controls, and adds a Picture Password feature that lets you log in by tapping targets on a picture. The Tech-Recipes blog explains more. Leaked Windows 8 screenshots suggest the possibility of more eye candy, with features like video avatars for user accounts. This kind of thing isn't for everyone, but if you'd like to give your Windows 7 PC a more eye-catching look then Okozo Desktop can help, letting you customise your PC with interactive Flash-based wallpapers. For example, the 'Aquarium' option doesn't just display fish swimming around on your monitor, it also lets you click on the screen to 'feed' them. Pointless, yes, but also fun, and it doesn't use as many system resources as we expected. If you prefer more practical improvements, you may prefer to focus on the rumoured expansion of Windows Snap, which lets you resize windows by dragging them to the edges of the screen. There are plenty of ways this could be extended to simplify window management, but the free WinSplit Revolution has probably implemented most of them already. It can reposition windows automatically, or store their position for instant recall later.
Of course, no new Windows release is complete without some attractive new themes and wallpaper. If you can't wait, the Windows 8 Beta site has produced a series of posts packed with stylish (entirely unofficial) wallpapers. The Windows Valley site has a Windows 8 theme pack based around what could be the new Windows logo, with four cycling wallpaper images. Windows 8's security improvements start at the login screen, which is expected to include biometric support. A Microsoft presentation suggests that this will be linked with proximity sensors. The idea is that a PC will recognise that you're there, turn itself on and let you log in via a biometric interface. It'll detect when you leave, and close down after an appropriate delay. While this is high tech for Windows, there's nothing new about the core technology. If you'd like face authentication on your Windows 7 PC, you can get it by installing Luxand Blink. The program copes well with all the usual face recognition setbacks, compensating for everything from different lighting conditions to a new haircut. If it does fail, you can log in with a username and password. If you're willing to pay for the Pro version, (around £31), you can have Blink continuously monitor whether you're sitting in front of the PC, with the option of locking access to your system if you're away for a period of time. It's not quite the proximity sensor that Microsoft is talking about, but it's close. It seems likely that Windows 8 will include new encryption technologies, as well as making those from higher Windows 7 editions available to everyone. TrueCrypt remains one of the best free encryption alternatives, though, while SafeHouse Explorer makes it easy to protect data on USB keys.
Perhaps the most important security feature in Windows 8 will be IE9, which includes new tracking protection technology to prevent sites monitoring what you're doing online. It's a solid step forward, and you can download it right now at http://ie.microsoft.com. Reliability Windows 7 has made considerable progress over Vista in terms of reliability, and it seems likely that Windows 8 will build on this. A revamped Help and Support Center will include more troubleshooters, diagnosing and perhaps fixing common problems in a click or two. It would make sense for this to offer better integration with Microsoft's own online Fix It Solution Centre, and there were some clues as to what that might look like in Microsoft Fix It Centre, a desktop troubleshooting tool. The Fix It Centre beta is now closed (maybe the tech is being saved for Windows 8), but the download is still available from http://fix-it-center.en.softonic.com. It will choose the troubleshooters you might need, then download and display them. Just choose an area where you've having problems, then click 'Run', and the Fix It Centre detects issues and applies fixes in a single click. Windows 7 saw great improvements in diagnostic monitoring - warning you of drivers or programs that might be delaying the startup or shutdown process, for example. If you've never noticed that, launch Event Viewer and browse to 'Application and services logs | Microsoft | Windows | Diagnostics-performance | Operational'. Windows 8 will build on this, expanding the scheme to cover general performance issues and alerting you to programs that are using more than their share of resources. This is difficult to achieve with third-party tools - you need full OS integration to keep resource use low - but you can monitor your system manually when you notice issues. A tool like Process Hacker will show you everything that's happening on your system, and is a great way to highlight rogue processes. The other major reliability changes in Windows 8 will deal with disaster recovery, simplifying the current system and introducing a 'superboot' scheme to assist in removing malware. These are worthwhile steps, but there are some excellent free tools that you can try immediately. Paragon's Rescue Kit 10 Free Edition creates a bootable disc that can undelete partitions and fix common boot problems, for instance. Many antivirus companies also provide free images of bootable discs that will scan your system for malware and remove it. One major area of speculation about Windows 8 is how much of the operating system will be migrated to the cloud. It seems certain that some of your data will move there, at least optionally, via a new online backup system. If this happens, it's likely that we'll get a small amount of storage space for free - 2-5GB seems common - with more available for subscriptions via a selection of Microsoft partners.
As these will presumably be the same companies that are offering online backup now, there's little reason to wait. Mozy, IDrive or ADrive all offer basic free plans. A more significant and interesting change under consideration is the idea that your user accounts may move to the cloud, which will allow your settings to follow you: log in on any Windows 8 system and it'll be configured just the way you'd like. This isn't something that can be reproduced easily in Windows 7, but you can get a taste of what might be involved by signing up for Microsoft's Live Mesh 2011. This lets you synchronise files, IE and Microsoft Office settings across devices, as well as allowing remote desktop access. If you're interested in moving your computing to the cloud, Windows 7 already provides most of the features you'll need. All you have to do is find the apps that suit your needs and sign up. Google Docs, Microsoft Office 365, Google Calendar, Simplenote, and Dropbox are all great places to get started. Location sensors Windows 7 introduced support for sensors - physical devices that can measure attributes of the world around you: light levels, temperature or location, for example. If you have some software development experience, you can read the technical details here. This technology hasn't changed the world - not least because most PCs lack sensors to take advantage of it. Windows 8 is due to expand it anyway, supporting sensors for proximity, infrared and ambient lighting. The intention here (again) is that PC manufacturers will build the relevant sensors into their systems, so for instance, the location sensor in your laptop will be able to return your current location to a website when asked, which will display local services. While you probably don't have a laptop with a location sensor just yet, there are alternatives. In particular, if you have a COM-based NMEA-compatible GPS device, then installing the free GPSDirect Sensor Driver will allow your system to access the COM port containing GPS data, and map it to a Windows 7 sensor. If you don't have such a device, but would like to give it a try, prices start at under £20 - enter keywords like 'GPS NMEA USB' into a shopping comparison site to find out more. While this sounds complicated, it's not difficult to set up, and you don't need to understand the low-level technicalities. Author Michael Chourdakis provides all the instructions you need, and the driver itself is free for non-commercial use. If you try this, it would be wise to configure your applications accordingly; you might not want every website you visit to be able to determine your location. IE9, for instance, will always ask before releasing this information, but clicking 'Tools | Internet options | Privacy' and checking 'Never allow websites to request your physical location' will disable the feature entirely. Windows Explorer Every new version of Windows has included at least some Explorer tweaks, and these won't always move the program in a positive direction. You might want to expand Explorer with a dual pane or tabbed view of your filesystem, but Microsoft is just as likely to remove features, like the ability to remember individual folder sizes and positions, which disappeared in Windows 7. If you're also a little unhappy with the direction Explorer has taken in recent years, there are two approaches you might take. The first option is to work with and improve the Windows 7 Explorer. If Windows Explorer forgetting folder position and size settings annoys you, then a simple add-on called ShellFolderFix should solve the problem. The 'Classic' Computer view displays your drives in the right-hand pane, and nothing else, which for most people means lots of wasted space. Install Companel, and you can add a host of other applets: Network and Sharing Centre, Troubleshooting, Favourites, Programs and Features, Mobility Centre - whatever suits your needs. You could always turn to a different file manager altogether. FreeCommander looks like classic Explorer, so you'll feel at home, but it also has powerful extras: a dual-pane interface so you can display two folders at once; browser-like tabs so you can switch folders at a click, easy file selection, batch file renaming, secure file deletion and more. What we know about Windows 8 sounds promising, but there are issues. It will be a while before it arrives, no one can be sure if Microsoft will deliver on its plans, and it's not going to be cheap. If you can live with this, then just wait for a year or two, when the success or otherwise of Microsoft's next OS will be clear. If you're a little less patient, you can have many of the planned Windows 8 improvements right now, delivering a Windows 7 PC that's faster, easier to use and more secure, with simple face recognition logon and settings that automatically synchronise with your other computers. Most of this comes at no charge at all, so why wait? Take charge of your own PC - upgrade it with your favourite Windows 8 features today. 
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| Exclusive: Fox: Digital copies with Blu-ray are the perfect combination Posted: 23 Jun 2011 03:48 AM PDT Digital copies bundled with each Blu-ray discs represent the best way for people to satisfy both their need for a physical product and a future-proof format that they buy, according to Twentieth Century Fox. With the Blu-ray format celebrating its fifth birthday, surviving an early format war with HD DVD to become the successor to DVD, questions remain about its longevity as downloads and digital copies flourish. But in an extensive interview with TechRadar, Danny Kaye, Twentieth Century Fox's executive VP for global research and technology strategy, expressed his belief that bundling physical and digital was pleasing everybody. Confusion "We do think there is confusion in the market over several things and we're working with industry bodies alongside other studios and manufacturers to help educate consumers on the benefits of Blu-ray," said Kaye. "To help minimise consumer confusion one of the things we talk about is Blu-ray as the 'perfect hybrid' – bridging the gap between physical and digital for consumers. "It allows consumers to own a physical disc which we know there is demand for but acts as a gateway to the digital world now, with electronic copies in the box, and in the future with Ultra Violet." Demand for digital copies is growing, and increasingly people want to have their physical cake a digitally eat it, according to Kaye "We know that two thirds of those buying the Blu-ray disc want the digital copy as it future proofs consumers' home movie collections," he added "It's a versatile pricing model and, we believe, the fairest way to buy movies as you 'pay once, play anywhere'." 
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| Review: 3D Experience PolaRotator Posted: 23 Jun 2011 03:30 AM PDT Active shutter 3D technology can be expensive, particularly if you want to cater to a large audience, but what if you could convert an active shutter 3D projector into a passive one? Then you could use the dirt-cheap passive polarised glasses of the sort you get in cinemas. This is the idea behind the PolaRotator from 3D Experience. Think of it as an active shutter 'window', which sits in front of the projector, synchronising with the alternating 3D frames, and turning them into circular-polarised images which can be viewed with cheap passive glasses. The system consists of the PolaRotator LCD device and stand, a driver box with controls for sync rate and eye reverse, and cables to connect to the VESA output of the sync source – which in our case was Optoma's 3D-XL converter – check with 3D Experience for compatibility with other projectors. Our demo Optoma projector and 3D-XL convertor (normally viewable with active shutter spex) produced excellent 3D images viewable with cheap polarised glasses. The PolaRotator was also easy to set up and use, though some adjustment of the PolaRotator is necessary to get just the right angle for maximum effectiveness. However, it's not cheap; at this price it could only be viable for the pub, club or educational markets. It's also worth noting it needs a special 'silver screen'. Ordinary projection screens scatter light too much for the polarisation effect to work. The distributor offers a range of laminated board portable screens up to 84-inches, or if you're really serious you can buy material and make your own. Also, no glasses are supplied (even for testing purposes!). 
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| Interview: Twentieth Century Fox admits confusion over benefits of Blu-ray Posted: 23 Jun 2011 03:00 AM PDT Blu-ray is five years old this week, with the first discs coming to market way back in June 2006. While the format may not yet be in the public conscience as DVD and VHS before it, there's still no better way to watch movies in the home at 1080p quality. With high-def downloads still some way off hitting mass market and DVD sales on the wane, Blu-ray is a format that's here for the long run. To celebrate the technology's birthday, TechRadar spoke to Danny Kaye, Executive VP, Global Research & Technology Strategy at Twentieth Century Fox about Blu-ray, where he reveals his favourite discs, why he thinks Blu-ray is the perfect hybrid between digital and physical media, and how the studio is trying to address customer confusion about the benefits of the format. TechRadar: How has Blu-ray changed the home entertainment market? Danny Kaye: Blu-ray discs and players have provided consumers with more affordable choice and a way of future-proofing their living rooms. We talk about Blu-ray as the perfect hybrid - bridging the gap between physical and digital for consumers - the player ups the resolution of your existing DVDs, provides the best available HD through Blu-ray discs and is the best way to make TV an internet-connected device. TR: Is Blu-ray sales expectation where you think they should be at the moment? DK: Sales are strong. Blu-ray sales are 20 per cent higher than DVD sales were four years after that format was introduced. By the end of 2011 over 159.3 million Blu-ray discs will have been sold in Western Europe with 83 million last year. On titles launched simultaneously on DVD and Blu-ray, such as Avatar and the A-Team, we are seeing around a third of our sales on Blu-ray. TR: Blu-ray is still seen as a premium product, when will we see it become more affordable like DVDs? DK: We think Blu-ray is already an affordable option and we've seen players drop to under £100 recently. The discs themselves are good value with combo/triple play packs giving people a DVD, a Blu-ray disc and the digital copy. It's a versatile pricing model and, we believe, the fairest way to buy movies as you 'pay once, play anywhere'. TR: What's been your favourite Blu-ray disc? DK: My personal BD choice has constantly been updated as we improve the technology. Currently I have to go with our first release of Avatar, which was encoded at the highest bitrate possible and was an amazingly pristine version of the movie. The details, especially the colors, were so vibrant that for me at least the experience was better than anything I could have seen in a large movie theater, and that was an incredible experience on its own. TR: Do you think there is still some confusion over value added extras, like BD-Live? DK: We do think there is confusion in the market over several things and we're working with industry bodies alongside other studios and manufacturers to help educate consumers on the benefits of Blu-ray. As I mentioned, one of the things we talk about is Blu-ray as the 'perfect hybrid' – bridging the gap between physical and digital for consumers, which is one way we hope to help minimise consumer confusion. It allows consumers to own a physical disc which we know there is demand for but acts as a gateway to the digital world now, with electronic copies in the box, and in the future with Ultra Violet. TR: How is the triple format (DVD, blu-ray, downloads) working for consumers, is it causing confusion? DK: Although triple play is the industry term, we also like to call it 'multi-screen' as the real benefit is consumers get to pay once and play their movie anywhere – it isn't just across three screens anymore. We know that two thirds of people buying Blu-ray discs think the digital copy in the box is important – and we think it's the fairest way to buy movies today. TR: How do you prioritise older films coming out on Blu-ray? DK: It's our close working relationship with filmmakers that determines our catalogue Blu-ray releases. The likes of Spielberg, James Cameron, Ridley Scott and George Lucas all back Blu-ray as delivering the best high definition experience of their films. TR: What's the situation with 3D Blu-ray – where in the world is leading 3D in the home? DK: Significant improvements have been made in 3D technology recently, including full 1080p resolution per eye, that today allow us to fully exploit the benefits of Blu-ray's inherent data capacity. We have already started releasing Blu-ray 3D titles in store this year with more to follow. The US and UK are the leading 3D markets, both in terms of early 3D TV sales but also in leadership for 3D broadcast channels and distribution, from Sky to DirecTv, Comcast/Xfinity, ESPN, etc. And of course 3D on Blu-ray as the best way to enjoy 3D in the home. 
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| Posted: 23 Jun 2011 03:00 AM PDT BenQ's W1100 projector delivers large scale, vibrant images without obvious compromise, and its a full HD flag-waver for AV in our straitened times. Despite the budget price tag, this model is undeniably cute. Should you be a fair-weather projectionist, it is small enough to store in a draw, but it's also smart enough, with its contemporary white finish, to leave out when guests drop by. Its distinctly upmarket remote also helps. Backlit and comfortably moulded, it feels good in the hand. There are generous connections on the back, comprising two HDMIs, component and S-Video inputs, phono AV and a 12V trigger. The latter allows the projector to automatically sync with an electric screen or lighting system – a pleasingly professional AV embellishment for such an affordable model. Other connection options include a PC D-Sub input, Type B USB 'upscreen' connector, RS232 port and PC monitor output. It doesn't take long to have the W1100 up and running. While there is no vertical lens shift, the projector sports auto keystone correction which works surprisingly well. There's also a manual option, should you need to fiddle further. BenQ is rightly proud of the 12-element optical system used on this model. Straight out of the box, the W1100's image is preternaturally sharp and bright. The picture pings like buttons off a fat man's waistcoat and I soon had this PJ a-popping. Image controls are extensive. There are three user-definable presets allied to a trio of picture settings (Standard, Cinema, Dynamic). All the expected picture parameter controls are here and can be saved to the individual user preset. As with all small projectors, fan noise is an issue. Large vents pull air in on one side and expel it on the other, cooling the DLP chipset in the process. There is none of the sophisticated noise management seen on more costly models. You are given a modicum of control, though. You can dive into the lamp menu and adjust the lamp setting from Normal to Economic. This reduces power consumption by 20 per cent, but more importantly, knocks back fan noise from 27dB to a low 22dB thrum. When you're on a tight budget, you can't expect extravagances. So I can't complain about the lack of fast framerate technology on this model. That particular feature is reserved for BenQ's step-up W1200 model (around £200 more). However, motion resolution is limited as a consequence. The W1100 tops out at a measured 650 lines. But what this PJ lacks in fast moving detail, it gains in cinematic swagger. Image dynamics and colour fidelity are very impressive. With TI's Brilliant Colour mode engaged, hues are striking without becoming seriously overcranked. I found yellows in particular tended to zing. Through the W1100, the vibrant hues of Forties Havana (Chico & Rita, Blu-ray) are utterly entrancing. Rita's rosy-red lipstick mesmerises Chico (and us) when they first meet, yet never dominates the colour palette.
The machine brings enough light to spare and there's a crisp bite to static detail. The black level is good; the W1100 tracked a 20/20 B&W greyscale with only minor pinching at each end of the scale.
Power consumption (Watts): White screen: 293W Contrast ratio: Claimed: 5,000:1 Colour temperature (Kelvin): 6800K Presets: Colour temperature can be adjusted for 6500K via red/blue white-point controls via the User mode Standard: 8,200K It's easy to overdo the sharpness settings though. I'd argue the main Sharpness control should not be eased past 4 on the numerical scale. This is optimum to bring out believable detail and delineation, as is evident in Chico and Rita's rotoscoped animation. Once I'd started watching, I just didn't want to turn it off. Motion slickness The projector does suffer from horizontal panning judder, but this is to be expected given the lack of glacial frame interpolation. On the upside, there's no motion artefacts to contend with either. Although this is a single-chip DLP model, I wasn't disturbed by colour fringing or rainbows from the six-segment colour wheel. Even high contrast images barely registered a flash. It's very impressive. Like so many tabletop projectors, the W1100 includes a modest amp and speaker. BenQ rates the output at 2 x 10W, although it certainly doesn't sound that loud. To make the most of its sound box, the projector employs SRS Wow HD sound processing. This aspires to boost bass response, raise the soundstage and widen the sound field. Make of those claims what you will. For a full HD projector, the W1100 is an unqualified steal. I love the Lasik sharpness of its images and the striking colour fidelity. This model definitely punches above its weight. Budget home cinema builders have never had it so good. 
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| Posted: 23 Jun 2011 02:30 AM PDT Samsung's top-of-the-line home cinema system is frothy, feature-rich and just a bit mad. Opening the box reveals a veritable forest of shiny black plastic. The HT-D6750W package comprises two slim tallboy (1.3m) stereo front speakers which bolt together in the middle, and a pair of similar tallboy rears. They're joined by a small horizontal centre and a large (but light) subwoofer, which uses a 6.5-inch woofer and 10-inch passive radiator. Samsung bills this as a 7.1 channel system, but there are no extra enclosures. Instead the main stereo loudspeakers each sport a separately driven, swivelling frog eye, which aims at the ceiling (or thereabouts). That counts, apparently. Core components At the heart of the shebang is a digital amp with integrated 3D Blu-ray player, two-in, one-out HDMI functionality and Smart Hub connectivity. For those who don't have a wired network connection handy, Wi-Fi is built-in. One extra nicety is that the rears are wireless. That's to say you don't need to run speaker cable from the main amp. Instead there's a module, the SWA-5000, which receives a wireless feed (dual band 2.4/5.8GHz) from a transmitter plugged into the back of the main unit. The 3D Blu-ray component of this system is clearly a derivation of the brand's standalone models. Video quality is high and functions broad. Samsung proudly declares the power output of its digital amplifier to be 1300W. Given that it only draws 70W at the mains, this is obvious bunkum. I suspect it's more likely to be around 25-30W per channel. This is plenty for a smaller room; during my audition I never felt the system lacked volume, only dynamics. So what of the HT670's 7.1 billing? Well, this is not a 7.1 system in the traditional AV sense, but Samsung's engineers maintain the HT-D6750W takes advantage of DTS' speaker remapping function, which uses 'sophisticated algorithms to electronically reposition speakers in the living room' if they don't match the placement used during recording. But, if you think you can take a panned rear sound effect, throw it from a front height driver and get the same listening experience, you're simply delusional. Playing Rush Hour 3, a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix, there was simply no correlation between what came out of the back of a conventional 7.1 system and this front-weighted simulacrum.
However, rear back/front height speakers aside, the system does a spirited job panning 5.1 multichannel audio to and fro. The audiovisual excitement of TRON: Legacy (3D Blu-ray) is not lost here. Without a doubt, the star of this particular show is the 50Hz Super Tweeter, which delivers a crispness and clarity that lifts this entire system above the purely mundane. There are caveats of course. Voice matching is a little rough, while timbre across the L/C/R is compromised because the centre speaker doesn't sound the same as the tallboys. It lacks that splendid tweeter, and consequently sounds comparatively dull.
Power consumption (Watts): Idle: 20W Disc loading (Boot/Java): Boot speed: 10 seconds Good value While I contest the value of this system's bonus height drivers, I do think that overall Samsung's HT-D6750W is rather good fun. The functionality it offers is exceptional, ticking every must-have feature box, and overall can be considered a good value option if you're not interested in a larger separates-based home cinema system. Just don't tell me it's 7.1. 
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| Acer TravelMate 5760 laptop unveiled Posted: 23 Jun 2011 02:14 AM PDT The Acer Travelmate 5760 laptop has been announced, bringing Intel Core processors and Nvidia graphics. Pitched squarely at the high volume and low cost enterprise market, the Acer TravelMate 5760 will bring a range of potential specs, with the UK price of the basic version £379 excluding VAT. "The new Acer TravelMate 5760 represents the perfect synthesis of productivity, security, efficiency and ergonomic design, with the added appeal of a touch of glamour," insists Acer's release. Upgradeable The popular Intel Core processors are at the heart of the machine, which has a 15.6 inch screen and can be pumped up to have 8GB RAM and up to 750GN of hard drive capacity. "Developing this notebook Acer made no compromises on performance," added Acer. "The TravelMate 5760 takes advantage of the second generation Intel Core processor family with mobile Intel HM65 Express Chipset ensuring smart performance that adapts to users' needs, giving a significantly faster performance to speed through demanding tasks and boost productivity, while saving energy." 
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| Gary Marshall: Secret censors could cripple the internet Posted: 23 Jun 2011 02:09 AM PDT The Open Rights Group has published details of secret plans to censor the internet - plans which, if implemented, would probably see the ORG site booted off the net for copyright infringement. The plans are being developed by a motley crew of organisations including the Football Association Premier League, the Publishers Association, BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, the Motion Picture Association and the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television. Only one group representing consumers has been allowed in - Consumer Focus - and that was only for the most recent meeting. CF has "serious concerns" [PDF]. So do we. As Consumer Focus points out, the plan is to make ISPs block allegedly offending sites within two hours. The process, it seems, goes something like this: BIG COMPANY: Oi! Judge! This website's made of villains and evil! JUDGE: Blimey, what a well-researched and argued case, with lots of supporting evidence! Let's block it forever! The leaked document says that "sound internet policy should encompass notions of accountability to incentivise private sector participants to take commercially reasonable steps, where available, to prevent or limit those harms that flow from the products or services they offer." In other words, it's up to ISPs to block bad things. This week, bad things include MP3s and streaming football matches. Next week, who knows? One-sided argument There are several problems here. The first is that the discussions are secret, so we're not supposed to know who's there or what they're talking about. The second is that the participants are almost all from one side of the argument, the sod-freedom-we've-got-profits-to-protect side. And the third is that blocking is a bloody stupid idea, especially if it involves permanent blocks with just two hours' notice. Things are bad enough now - action against Lulzsec took Pinboard and Instapaper offline for no good reason and if lobbyists get their way, that's going to happen all the time. That was the FBI. Reckon the BPI will do a better job? The proposals say that they would "give responsibility to rightsholders to initiate action where the evidence is that the sites in question are substantially focused on infringement of copyright." I'm willing to bet that the definition of "substantially focused on infringement" means "hosts an MP3, or maybe an illegal ePub". The proposals say that censorship means there will be less need to target individuals, presumably because if they can shut down entire domains then nobody will be able to do anything worth suing over. And everything will be overseen by a "council" and an "expert body" that, if the current discussions are representative, would consist of representatives from the copyright industries rather than consumer groups. As Consumer Focus puts it: "we do not believe that it is appropriate for two non-judicial bodies to broadly interpret existing case law, effectively establish new copyright law, and direct the Applications Court to issue a permanent injunction, without a trial." Consumer Focus is right. This is a scandal. You might like to write to your MP about it. 
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | ||
| Winklevoss twins finally settle with Facebook for £48 million Posted: 23 Jun 2011 12:47 AM PDT The Winklevoss twins, who have been engrained into the history of Facebook thanks to the movie The Social Network, have finally accepted a $65 million (£48 million) payout from Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. This comes after the twins decided to re-ignite their feud with Facebook and Zuckerberg – who they initially claimed took the idea of the social network from them – by trying to undo the settlement they agreed on in 2008. In April, however, this was turned down by the Supreme Court and while they were going to appeal in May the twins have now made the decision not to. "After careful consideration [the] appellants no longer oppose issuance of the mandate, and have no objection to vacatur of the stay of issuance of mandate," said the filing. Taking stock The Winklevoss case is one of the more interesting in the tech world, given that it stems from Zuckerberg's time at Harvard with the twins. Originally they accused Zuckerberg of breaking an 'oral contract' with the twins, where he said he would complete work with them on their university social network idea, the Harvard Connection. Instead of completing this website, Zuckerberg went on to make TheFacebook – a social networking site that was originally restricted to Harvard graduates. One of the reasons not to appeal may be to do with the amount of stock on offer. The money bundle has been split as £12.5 million in cash, £28 million in stock. With estimates that Facebook could well be worth £100 billion in 2012, that stock option is now looking a lot more favourable than it did back in 2008. 
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