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Techradar |
- Panasonic: Hollywood damaged 3D
- Pegatron gets Apple call, it wants 15 million iPhone 5s
- Apple business website hacked by Anonymous
- Hands on: Google+ review
- Buying Guide: 5 no-frills iPhone and iPod docks
- Virgin Media: Website blocking plan faces major issues
- LED lighting to replace the lightbulb in homes
- Vaizey's vision: International rules will curb piracy
- Tutorial: How to set up an iPhone Personal Hotspot
- Sony is 'most valued' brand in Asia
- Nokia X7 gets UK release with Three
- Review: Technomate TM-8000 HD Combo
- Vaizey: Site-blocking plans are industry led
- Mark Zuckerberg is top user on Google+
- Hands on: Toshiba Qosmio F750 3D review
- Review: CM Storm Sentinel Z3RO-G
- Toshiba Qosmio F750 3D, glasses-free 3D laptop announced
- Review: Samson Meteor USB Microphone
| Panasonic: Hollywood damaged 3D Posted: 05 Jul 2011 10:35 AM PDT Hollywood's rush to flood cinemas with 3D movies to take higher ticket prices has damaged the 3D brand, according to Panasonic's marketing director Andrew Denham. Speaking at a panel session that TechRadar attended at the Intellect Consumer Electronics 2011 show, Denham stressed the important of high quality content to people buying 3D TVs. "It all comes back to quality," he said. "Hollywood damaged 3D by rushing so many badly converted films out in the Avatar's wake.
"What we need now is the next level, the next Avatar. And that's a big ask, I think." The Sky's the limit John Cassy, channel director of Sky 3D, agrees. "It's very easy to make bad 3D," he told the panel. "At Sky we only make native 3D programmes, and our first stage of production is always to forget about the 3D altogether. "Because first and foremost, it's a TV programme – and if the story isn't right or it doesn't make any sense or it's not compelling, it's not good enough and we won't buy it." 
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| Pegatron gets Apple call, it wants 15 million iPhone 5s Posted: 05 Jul 2011 09:52 AM PDT Apple manufacturer Pegatron has reportedly been given a massive order by Jobs and co to produce 15 million iPhone 5 handsets ready for the phone's autumn launch. Although Pegatron has produced Apple products before, the big batches usually go to Foxconn. Apparently Foxconn has also been asked to produce iPhones for the impending launch, but it seems that Pegatron has landed the big handset shipment. This is all according to Digitimes, with the site believing that Apple is thinking big with the iPhone 5, upping the order from 10 million units to 15 million. No sign of Megatron Due to the rumour that Pegatron has indeed been given the go ahead by Apple, its stock rose 3.1 per cent. Apple is a company which is renowned for keeping its releases hush-hush, but this latest bit of news does go with the general consensus that we will see an iPhone 5 release date announced for September – a month normally saved for the launch of new iPods. Digitimes has been busy with the Apple rumours recently. Last Friday, it reported that component manufacturers for the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 had been told to start prepping for a big autumn push. 
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| Apple business website hacked by Anonymous Posted: 05 Jul 2011 08:02 AM PDT An Apple website has been the subject of a hack by Anonymous, with a small number of users' details leaked on to the web. The hack is thought to have happened 4 July, with data found on the Apple Business Intelligence website posted on Paste Bin. While it is only the details of 27 people (including usernames and passwords) the attack was claimed by Anonymous and is all part of the group's antisec campaign, which is targeting business sites. And hacking Apple, regardless of the size of the bounty at the end of it, is a major feat for the collective – given the amount of data the company holds on the public through its iTunes service. Love hack Anonymous has already been busy attacking a number of sites and has already picked apart the security of PayPal, MasterCard and Visa. Anonymous had been fairly quiet when LulzSec was hacking into the likes of the NHS, the CIA and FBI but now that hacking group has disbanded and some of its members have joined Anonymous, it has begun causing web-based havoc once more. 
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| Posted: 05 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT Google has made its big move into social networking. Only we've been here before, several times over. Google Buzz, Google Wave, Orkut, Google Profile, Jaiku, Google Friend Connect and Dodgeball – all have been Google products that have had variable degrees of success. So why is Google bothering? Because it needs social more than ever to better target us with ads and search results. Indeed Google is losing any grip it had on the real-time internet. Facebook and Twitter have become so strong, while in the field of IM, voice and video it's Microsoft that has built on the success of MSN and Windows Live with its acquisition of Skype. So how does Google expect to compete with all of them? Google+ is the answer. Mind you, if you want to have a go, you'll probably have to wait. At the time of writing, the service is restricted and you'll need an invitation to get onto the service at plus.google.com. Before we go on, it's worth saying that it's early days for Google+, so expect Google to continuously improve it as the months go on. Don't think of this as anything like finished. Here's the homepage.
When you enter the service, you'll see three panels like this. But don't be fooled by these - the magic buttons are actually along the top. The key features are Stream, Photos, Profile and Circles - more on all of those in a moment.
The core part of the service (thus far) revolves around contributing to a Facebook-style newsfeed (called the Stream) and adding friends from your Google Contacts into different groups, known as Circles which can be called anything you want.
You can then drag people into the Circles to effectively sort them into contact groups - more on why we're doing this in a minute.
While the Circles concept is brilliant – without it Google+ would look rather weak – there are a few problems with creating Circles and making contacts. You can search contacts, but people that aren't yet on Google+ are just web searches rather than searches of Google+. After an initial period of picking up obvious contacts such as work colleagues, subsequent Contact Suggestions are poor. Indeed, to find people we knew, we were relegated to looking at the friends of friends we did have on Google+ to add more people. There's definitely a lot more work to do here. Here's my Colleagues circle - you can search within the circle or remove people at any time.
Google also represents Circles graphically, so you can drag your contacts onto them.
So what's the point of all this? You can then share updates with individual Circles and combinations of Circles – so if you posted a holiday picture, you can share it with your friends and not your colleagues, for example. Or, if you wanted to send a link about a current work task with the relevant people, you can simply share it with your Colleagues rather than your wider friends. This is the key play; being able to keep personal and work separate in a way that Facebook currently can't – expect Facebook to work on offering similar options soon. You can also filter your Stream to see updates from individual circles only as well as move people between Circles at will. And you can have people in more than one Circle – say, Colleagues and Friends.
Sharing is easy and enables you to incorporate images, links, video, location and more. But while Circles is innovative, the process of sharing isn't. In its blog post to introduce Google+, Google's Vic Gundotra said the following: "Today, the connections between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of our online tools. In this basic, human way, online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And we aim to fix it." But Google+ doesn't do this in any way. In what way is the sharing in Google+ a better system than that on Twitter? Or Facebook? Google's claimed raison d'être for Google+ doesn't make sense. Google+ just gives us another social networking service rather than becoming a TweetDeck or Seesmic-style facilitator sitting between existing services. There's no option here to share anything with Twitter or Facebook at the same time, for example, though you can still pull that stuff in using Buzz. The real Achilles heel is the dependence on Google Contacts – because we don't have an Android phone but do have a Gmail account, years of broken and poorly maintained contacts were pulled into the service. If Google is serious about using Google Contacts everywhere, it needs to give us the tools to improve them rather than just removing duplicates. By the way, new updates that are shared with you by people not inside your circles are displayed on an Incoming page.
Google+ does incorporate some other Google Services such as Picasa Web Albums (you can choose whether or not to link to your existing albums or not), while there's full location information (like Facebook Places) but powered by Google Latitude. You can also add videos from YouTube or upload them directly from Google+. Google Talk is also integrated into the sidebar (it's not branded as that at all and is just called Chat). There's also total dedication to Google+1 – you can +1 any updates on the service (like Facebook's like button) or reshare anything. Well, most things – there's a clever option to disable resharing on anything you post to ensure it doesn't go beyond your chosen person or Circle. A great little touch. There's no twitter-style direct messaging – though you could share an update with just one person. The Photos section of Google+ is quite basic at the moment - here it's simply pulled in our albums from Picassa Web Albums. You can also view Photos from your Circles - which initially will just be most people's profile pictures.
You also have a personal Profile page (which replaces your standard Google Profile). Unless you choose to prevent it, your Profile is searchable on the web and comes high up in personal web searches. Our advice? Make sure it's sanitised.
Here's our public profile.
Once you're signed up to the service, Google+ appears in the toolbar at the top of Google search pages as well as in Gmail and other services that Google provides.
This is the biggest indication that Google is serious about Plus – it's deeply integrated into the core Google experience in a way that Wave and the rest just weren't – you even get Facebook-style notifications in the Google nav bar too as well as a box that enables you to share something instantly.
Google Buzz is present on your Profile Page and appears to be the way Google intends for you to import other services into your profile – there's currently no other way to have a feed of your Tweets, for example. Google+ does keeps emailing you notifications like Buzz, though there are some options for these – we've chosen to filter them in Gmail instead. It's not all about competing with Facebook though - an interesting feature is Hangout, which enables you to group video chat with your contacts as well as group instant message and share funny YouTube videos – these play within the hangout. First you need to install the Google voice and video plug-in if you don't have it already.
Then you can Hangout in a shared window with an IM chat window at the side.
You're also able to watch YouTube videos at the same time. Hangout is OK, but we think you're much more likely to use Skype for this kind of thing.
Then there's a bit of an odd feature called Sparks. It's essentially a refined version of Google search that enables you to access things of interest on a particular topic. You add your interests and off you go. Unfortunately in this early implementation of Google+, the focus seems off kilter and, far from being the "feed of highly contagious content" promised by Google, the feeds we searched for contained a lot of content with poor interest levels. A search for Manchester United, for example, piled on the summer transfer talk but also added some rubbish wallpaper links. Must do better.
As well as being web-based and available on the mobile web, there's an Android app for the service and one for iPhone and iPad is in the pipeline – indeed, we hear it's already been submitted to the App Store for approval. Here's what the mobile web version looks like on the iPad. Again it has the key components of Google+ as well as Notifications.
And here's what the Stream looks like - pretty standard.
However, the Android app is a little better in terms of design. The Android app can instantly upload web-optimised photos to Google+ (called Instant Upload). You can uncheck this if you don't want it - presumably the iOS app will be able to do the same.
Here's the main screen of the Android app...
...where you might have noticed Huddles, basically instant messaging between mobiles. This is very easy to use, but don't get it confused with Hangout which, at the moment, isn't for mobile use.
And here's the Notifications display....
...and the Stream. It's all rather well designed, and it's easy to update your status as well as add media and share your location. A lot of time has been spent on this app and it'll be worth it. Mobile use will make or break Google+.
As a fully fledged social networking service, Google+ isn't there yet. But then it's not meant to be – this is an early version and there will be a lot more to come. Geotagging, for example, is an area currently underdeveloped but that Google will surely spin its Latitude service into. However, there is a harsh truth here. If Google thinks it has reinvented the social wheel with Google+, it is extremely mistaken. Google+ doesn't go that far into the territory of reinvention – this is a competent rehash of social networking - and of Facebook for that matter - but it's still social networking as we know it. Google+ does precious little that people can't get on Facebook - with the honourable exception of Circles.
The Circles feature is cool, but it's not a reason to swap out your Facebook profile. Twitter is another headache for Google – there is nothing here to rival it, but that probably isn't its intention. After all, while Twitter itself knows relatively little about people, Facebook knows a lot about each and every one of us that has a profile – it's this strength in being able to tailor ads, services, searches and more that Google wants to replicate.
Google+ is a compelling way of sharing content with specific groups of people (expect Facebook to intro such a feature as soon as it can be done). And since we joined on Friday, we've found a lot of tech types have joined the service and started sharing stuff. Maybe it could well have a groundswell of support from the early adopter community. But is that enough?
It could be. But the success of Google+ will depend on one thing – how many friends you have on it and what contact you make with people. If your friends all leave Facebook, so will you. But is that likely now that Facebook has become such an integral part of many of our lives? Some people have growing privacy concerns over Facebook sharing, but despite those behind Google+ saying that security and privacy is of utmost concern, people just don't want to put all their eggs in one basket. As people aren't that enthused to have all their services run by Microsoft or Facebook, the same goes for Google.
Google will hope that Google+'s deep integration into the Google nav bar and other services (not Google Apps as yet we notice) will encourage takeup and we wouldn't bet against Google becoming a third large social player behind Facebook and Twitter. But it needs to have some more compelling features to add to Circles before it can think about having that level of strength. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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| Buying Guide: 5 no-frills iPhone and iPod docks Posted: 05 Jul 2011 06:31 AM PDT These compact docking stations charge your iPhone or iPod touch (but not your iPad), and some do more besides. There's one to suit every need and budget! 01. XtremeMax 3-in-1 Microdock
While this model may seem expensive, you get more than just a charge dock. It packs in two little speakers, so you can use it as an alarm clock and mini music player as well. It's got a line-in jack, plus audio and alarm controls on the front. Score: 3/5 02. Gear4 Chargedock
An interesting budget option that makes a good computer-side sync and charge companion, especially if you need to sync several devices and don't want multiple docks. It doesn't come with a specific iPhone 4 adaptor, but we docked ours fine with one of the included ones. Score: 3/5 03. Griffin Powerdock
Share the charging love by docking two devices at once! The brushed metal finish on the PowerDock 2 looks gorgeous, especially with the iPhone 4. There's no syncing, but this would make the perfect bedside charging dock if you have two devices, or for you and your partner. Score: 3/5 04. Apple Universal Dock
Simple and sleek, this dock is Apple at its designer best. It's the only one here that comes with a remote for controlling your tunes, which you can play through speakers using the lineout socket. But, being Apple, you'll have to reach for your wallet. Score: 3/5 05. KitSound iPhone 3G(S)/4 Dock
No, that's not a typo; these docks (for the iPhone 3G(S) and 4) really are that cheap. They're tiny, and yet include a line-out socket and RCA lead so you can hook up your device to your stereo's speakers. Brilliant. Score: 5/5 
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| Virgin Media: Website blocking plan faces major issues Posted: 05 Jul 2011 06:14 AM PDT Website blocking could be a part of the solution to internet piracy, according to Virgin Media CEO Neil Berkett, but he has also warned of the issues facing such a proposal. Speaking at Intellect's consumer electronics conference in London, Berkett said that Virgin Media still has reservations over website blocking proposals. He said, "I think site blocking is a possible part of the overall solution, but it's not the solution. How do we go about ensuring it's the right sites [being blocked]? What is the process we go through so we don't unnaturally block supply? There's a lot to consider over the legalities of it all." Regime change "You must have a regime that a) [sees] the right site is blocked and b) it is blocked by everybody; there can't be any Robin Hoods of the internet [ISPs] saying, 'No, I'm with the other side'," he continued. "And I think that we still have a way to go to be able to create an environment where the two sides of the table see eye to eye. "I think we [Virgin Media] are probably more progressive than our peers and competitors; we do see [the proposals] as important for ourselves, but it's a greater part of our vision as the facilitator for change in the digital world; and I think you'll start to see others follow that." The comments come after Ed Vaizey, the UK's minister for culture, communications and creative industries, denied that secret meetings had taken place to rush a website blocking proposal through government. Although the proposals remain real, he maintains that the copyrights holders put forward the plans and that consumer groups were invited to discuss them. 
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| LED lighting to replace the lightbulb in homes Posted: 05 Jul 2011 05:47 AM PDT Leading LED lighting manufacturers have announced large price drops for the next-gen tech, meaning we could all be using far less energy in a few years. Aeon Lighting and Samsung have both aggressively been dropping the price of LED lighting units, with the former announcing a 40 per cent drop in the price of a retrofit lightbulb to replace 'normal' incandescent bulbs. According to Digitimes, the industry has seen a price drop from £15 to £9.30 per unit, with further price drops to occur. Why switch? That price is unlikely to convince too many of us to start pulling out our inefficient bulbs (which actually emit 90 to 98 per cent of energy as heat rather than light, whereas LED manages to emit around 20 per cent in light). But it does mean larger business will be able to see significant energy and maintenance savings by replacing the bulbs, which can last over 20 years and are so efficient that many can be powered by solar energy alone - and that will lead to further price drops to entice consumers to save polar bears. The shift towards aggressive price drops in the LED lighting arena is in part explained by the apparently disappointing uptake in LED TVs, according to LED packaging firm Edison Opto. The first commercially available LED TV was popped out by Sony all the way back in 2004 as part of its super high-end Qualia range, but recent pushes with the technology by the likes of Philips, Samsung and LG have yet to see a significant demand from users. 
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| Vaizey's vision: International rules will curb piracy Posted: 05 Jul 2011 05:09 AM PDT Despite the ongoing debate raging over web freedom, the UK's culture minister Ed Vaizey has expressed his belief that international laws are inevitable. When asked how the war against file sharing is going at Intellect's Consumer Electronics Conference, he said, "It will be interesting to have this conversation in ten years' time – I think we'll see more uniform rules across national boundaries and a shift in business models; the big thing will be a more universal structure to deal with piracy. "The music industry has a bit further to go, I suspect. I think people [the music and film industries] are doing their best to change but I don't know if they fully understand the fundamental change that needs to happen yet." Tough He responded to the news broken by the Guardian this weekend that the USA is seeking to extradite website owners under suspicion of infringing US copyrights even if the content, owner and servers are all based outside the US, saying that the country has been 'very tough'. "We constantly hear news of voluntary agreements with the USA – and that will be a real gamechanger and I'm in favour of that. And the more legitimate sites there are online, that will allow users to get easier legal access to those files, which will help," he said. The vision of an international collaboration to tackle piracy goes some way against the hopes of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Google execs, who have all spoken of support for an unregulated web in order to foster innovation and creative freedoms. However, his viewpoint echoes that of Thomas Hammarberg, head of human rights at the Council of Europe, who believes that the UN should take the lead on policing the global internet. 
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| Tutorial: How to set up an iPhone Personal Hotspot Posted: 05 Jul 2011 04:50 AM PDT Personal Hotspot is a new feature in iOS 4.3 that enables you to use an iPhone 4 or 3GS to get other devices – such as your MacBook or iPad – online wherever there's phone reception. While you've been able to do this before in the shape of tethering, Personal Hotspot is less limited on the iPhone 4 – you can attach up to five devices using USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Note that tethering on the iPhone 3GS has been renamed Personal Hotspot, but works over USB and Bluetooth only. We haven't got space to go into specifics on each UK network here, but have a look at this for more details on the possible costs of using the feature. Speak to your provider before using Personal Hotspot to be sure that you understand what, if anything, you'll be charged. You can connect up to five devices to your iPhone 4 Personal Hotspot, consisting of one over USB, a maximum of three using Wi-Fi (on the GSM models we have in the UK) and up to three on Bluetooth. A blue bar across the top of your iPhone's screen tells you how many devices are connected and the mini Wi-Fi network it creates is password protected. Using your iPhone's data connection in this way uses more battery if you're doing so over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The first thing to do is update to iOS 4.3 by plugging your iPhone into your Mac, loading up iTunes, selecting your phone and clicking Check for Updates. If you're prompted to update carrier settings, do this as well. Once it's done, go to Settings > General > Network > (Set Up) Personal Hotspot on the iPhone to get started. If you don't see the setting, speak to your network about enabling it. It's best to switch it off again when you're finished. How to browse the web with Personal Hotspot 01. Connect the USB lead
Using Personal Hotspot over USB charges your iPhone battery and, if you disable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on your device, it ensures no one else can 'steal' your connection. You don't need any passwords using it over USB so plug the cable into your Mac and iPhone. 02. Make sure it's recognised
With the iPhone hooked up to your Mac, it's time to check everything's working. In the Apple menu, select System Preferences. Now click the Network entry – you'll see the various ports listed down the left-hand side. The iPhone USB should be in there with a green dot next to it. 03. Try it out
If there's a red dot next to the iPhone, try unplugging and then reconnecting it. If this doesn't help, restart your Mac. Once it's listed as Connected, you'll be able to browse the web, check your email and catch up on the latest news, all on your Mac's big screen! 04. Go wireless!
As long as Personal Hotspot's enabled and Wi-Fi is switched on on the iPhone 4, your iPhone's Wi-Fi will appear in the AirPort list on your Mac. Select your phone and type the password (you can find it in the Personal Hotspot screen in the iPhone's Settings app). 05. Change the password
To change your Wi-Fi password, open up the iPhone's Settings app. Personal Hotspot should now be on the main page – tap it, then tap Wi-Fi Password to set your own. If you've previously connected to your iPhone's Wi-Fi hotspot, re-enter the password on your Mac. 06. Pair over Bluetooth
To connect up to three devices to your iPhone over Bluetooth, first go to Settings > General > Bluetooth to enable it. On your Mac, open System Preferences, click Bluetooth, tick On if necessary then click the + button at the bottom of the list or Set Up New Device… 07. Connect the two
Find your device in the list, select it and click Continue. Your Mac will try to link to your iPhone and show you a number. Keep the two close and the same figure should appear on your iPhone screen – check they're the same and tap Pair. 08. Get online!
Click Continue on your Mac. Then click Network Preferences… on the dialog shown and a Bluetooth entry will appear in the list. Select it and click Connect. In future, skip steps 6 and 7 and connect from the Bluetooth menu (enabled in the Bluetooth preference pane). Quick tip
Worried about how much data you're using over Personal Hotspot? On the phone, go to Settings > General > Usage and scroll down to Tether Data. Set an iCal reminder to reset the counter each month so you know exactly how much you're using. 
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| Sony is 'most valued' brand in Asia Posted: 05 Jul 2011 04:42 AM PDT Sony has been named as the 'most valued' brand in Asia, beating the likes of Samsung, LG, Panasonic and Canon to the top spot. 2011 has definitely been an annus horribilis for Sony. The company was faced with one of the worst hacks ever on a corporate company, which led to the leaking of millions of people's data. A brand survey, however, by market research firm TNS, has found that this hasn't dented Sony's credibility. The 3,300 people surveyed decided that Sony was the brand that garnered the most value for them. Everyday brands "I think we often find it's the everyday brands that come out on top in this survey," said Atifa Hargrave-Silk, from Haymarket Asia who was sponsor of the survey. "It's not a reflection of Asia's love affair with luxury brands. "Luxury brands, by definition are not mass market products," explained Thomas Isaac, commercial director at TNS. "In most Asian countries, the man on the street has not heard of Louis Vuitton, but he has heard of Sony." To prove that the list showed that Asia was cooling to luxury goods, in second place was instant noodle brand MasterKong. 
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| Nokia X7 gets UK release with Three Posted: 05 Jul 2011 04:02 AM PDT The Nokia X7, the second phone on the UK market with the Symbian Anna update, is finally being offered through a retailer with Three. The new handset comes with a 4-inch OLED screen, Bluetooth 3.0 and USB-on-the-go to allow connection of hard drives and USB sticks directly to the phone (although you'll need to buy a separate lead for this as none will be provided in the box). The new Symbian Anna update, which will be coming to other Nokia phones imminently, offers faster web browsing and better keyboard operation - it might not bring the phones up to iPhone levels of user experience, but it's certainly a step in the right direction for new users. Three and easy Three is the first retailer to announce the Nokia X7, either on contract (£30 a month) or on pay as you go (£380 outright, but users are forced to sign up to a one month rolling contract, which is pushing the boundaries of paying as you go). We cranked up the TechRadar Number-0-Matic (patent pending) to see which deal worked out better - it seems if you go down the 'PAYG' route the overall cost will be £20 higher over two years, but you're saving yourself the commitment and you get more data to boot. And as an additional bonus, Three's chucking in a new service on the homescreen called 3Spot too, which allows connection to laptops or other WiFi devices - essentially making your phone into a wireless hotspot, which we thoroughly approve of, especially if you have all-you-can-eat data enabled. 
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| Review: Technomate TM-8000 HD Combo Posted: 05 Jul 2011 03:30 AM PDT For those who remain undecided between terrestrial and satellite, we present the TM-8000 HD Combo from Technomate. This smart-looking unit, which has a top-mounted cooling fan, includes both satellite and terrestrial tuners. It can be upgraded to full PVR operation, by inserting a 2.5-inch SATA hard drive into a slot that's hidden behind a front-panel flap. A neat idea, it has to be said. However, although the satellite tuner (and the receiver itself) is capable of tuning into hi-def channels, courtesy of its DVB-S2 compatibility, the same is not true of its terrestrial counterpart. This caters only for the DVB-T standard, and so the hi-def channels are overlooked. The TM-8000 HD Combo really comes into its own when you have both types of antenna connected – with the HDD installed you'll be able to record one while watching another. The receiver caters for multi-satellite and with the appropriate outside hardware you'll be able to expand your viewing choice (which includes some European HD transmissions). Other useful features include blind search, provision for pay-TV upgrades, a multimedia player, integrated networking and – that rarest of things – a UHF modulator. Appearance and connectivity A centrally mounted LED cluster on the glossy frontpanel punctuates the centrally mounted joypad, which is used to change volume level or step through channels. Menu and exit buttons allow basic configuration parameters to be accessed too. The comprehensive fluorescent display is an unexpected delight in these days of cost-cutting. On the opposite side of the front panel is a flap that conceals the aforementioned HDD compartment, a USB port and the conditional access hardware, which consists of a card-reader and two CI slots.
The HDD is a fairly tight fit, and it's perhaps just as well that our Technomate-fitted HDD boasted a tab for removal – even with the finger recesses removal would be quite tricky without it. Rear-panel connectivity is comprehensive. Both the terrestrial and LNB feeds benefit from loopthrough facilities. Taking the form of an additional loopthrough facility, the UHF modulator is useful, as it would allow off-air services and received channels alike to be distributed around the house via UHF. Your main TV can be hooked up via HDMI (up to 1080i), component, RGB/composite Scart or S-video. HDMI and a standard-def output can be active simultaneously, a useful feature for those with complex multi-room AV setups.
Among the data connections are a second USB port, RS232, e-SATA (for external HDDs) and Ethernet. Sadly, Technomate hasn't yet done anything meaningful with the latter. All you can do for now is access firmware updates and update channel lists. Setup Among a plethora of menus is 'installation' where you'll find a series of submenus covering dish setup and terrestrial/satellite scanning. For each of the desired satellites, you can specify a transponder (its signal and quality are displayed in bar graph form), LNB power setting and DiSEqC 1.0/1.1 switch-position. A simple 'all-and/or-free' search can then be invoked – additional refinements include network and radio specific scans. This should suffice for most situations, however, 'advanced search' is also provided. From here, you can choose one of the target satellite's preset transponders. These can be edited or added to; polarity, search type, network scanning and symbol rate are all changeable. For some reason the ability to specify PIDs is not provided, although the channel editor will let you modify the PIDs of existing channels. It may be slower than a regular search, but the blind search facility will be of particular enthusiast appeal. The feature seeks out new transponders and then scans these for new channels. Step size can be changed, allowing you to trade off resolution (and thus channel-finding potential) against the time taken. DTT channels are the responsibility of a 'terrestrial scan' menu. From here, a single channel or the entire band can be scanned. Menu options are provided for bandwidth and channel type (free and/or encrypted). The 'motorised setup' menu supports both DiSEqC 1.2 and USALS mounts. Coarse and fine movement steps are off ered for 1.2 dish peaking in USALS mode. As with some previous Technomates, a handy feature known as 'auto-navigation' will scan a user-specified group of satellites in succession, the dish moving as appropriate. From the 'edit channels' menu, services can be moved, locked, skipped, deleted or added. You can also place frequently viewed channels into one of eight lists. Basic use The formidable-looking handset includes 'shortcut' buttons for DiSEqC movement, the recording list and channel editing. As with previous Technomate receivers, we note an annoying tendency to 'overshoot' past the desired option. But in other respects, it's excellent. As is usual, the channel list – which can be sorted alphabetically, by transponder or encryption type – is accessed by pressing 'OK'. When viewing a channel, the 'info' button releases EPG-derived information about the current programme. Pressing the coloured buttons reveals tech data.
The EPG supports now-and-next as well as seven-day DVB schedules for terrestrial and satellite channels alike. Up to six consecutive channels can be displayed simultaneously, and navigating the schedules is a matter of using the joypad. Programming the 16-event timer, which supports weekly and daily recording, is also simple. Other features include a multi-channel 'mosaic', an effective picture zoom, a shortcut button to video/aspect ratio/resolution adjustments and a sleep timer; no game-type gimmicks are provided. However, the DTT tuner could be improved. It lacks support for the both the UK-spec digital teletext (MHEG-5) and DVB subtitles. The subtitles button of the review sample didn't work at all. If you need the facility with British TV channels, you're advised to view via satellite and select page 888 on 'regular' teletext. Audio description is supported. PVR and multimedia
An irritating camcorder-style 'rec' graphic flashes onscreen whenever a recording is in progress, and there's no means of removing it. Another minor annoyance is that it takes a minute or so for the HDD to initialise after startup and recordings cannot be started until this procedure has completed. In other respects recording is more flexible. In addition to EPG scheduling, recordings can be manually invoked. You can also modify or enter timer parameters yourself – a moot point for late-running schedules or Freesat-type channels; as far as boxes like this are concerned, the only available (now-and-next) EPG data is of limited value. There may only be one satellite tuner, but you can record one channel while watching another provided they're carried on the same transponder (or multiplex for DTT). In fact, it's possible to simultaneously record two channels while a third is onscreen or, for that matter, while you're playing an existing recording. A 'file list' button lists and presents for selection all such content. Buy a cradle-type SATA docking station and plug your FAT32-formatted hard drive into it. Stored recordings can then be transferred at much-faster-than-Ethernet speeds. What a pity that only MP3s and JPEG playback is also supported (more formats are promised 'soon'). MPEG files with the same technical parameters as standard-definition TV broadcasts aren't even listed, and thus cannot be played. We hope that new firmware will accommodate other formats, such as DivX/XviD/mkv video. Timeshifting is possible and additional 'trick play' features are 'bookmarks', variable-speed cue/review, 'skip' playback and slow motion. Performance
Searching is reasonably quick, a hunt of 100 Hot Bird transponders being completed within four minutes. Blind search is thorough yet speedy – even with the smallest (and default) 1MHz step size, a full Hot Bird scan was completed in under 10 minutes. We suspect that blind search is implemented in hardware, rather than software alone. Even with a fairly small dish, all of the key Astra 1x and Hot Bird services were reliably received; the sensitivity of the DTT tuner proved to be fine too. HDMI picture quality from the satellite-delivered BBC channels and ITV1 HD, on a 1080p Samsung LCD TV, was excellent. Positive characteristics include abundant detail and pristine colour fidelity. What a pity that we couldn't compare them with the terrestrial HD simulcasts, owing to the lack of DVB-T2 support. Decent standard-def content, from satellite and terrestrial sources alike, also fared well with no unpleasant upscaling anomalies. Scart and component performed well, and the S-video output – used to source the screenshots accompanying this review – was appreciated too. TV sound quality was excellent, although radio was hampered by occasional 'glitches'. We recorded the radio programme in question; its transport stream, found to be error-free, played on a PC just fine. Verdict In many respects this is a solid performer with flexible recording facilities and a host of worthwhile features. In particular, the removable HDD will appeal to those who have a need to get recordings onto a PC. But some minor issues need addressing – like the non-functional DVB subtitling and flashing 'rec' indicator. We would also like Technomate to make more of the Ethernet port, and bolster the multimedia player format as promised. 
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| Vaizey: Site-blocking plans are industry led Posted: 05 Jul 2011 03:18 AM PDT Ed Vaizey, the UK's Minister for Culture, has responded to widespread criticism of the government's 'closed-door' meetings over web censorship and site blocking. Speaking at Intellect's Consumer Electronics Conference in London, Vaizey described accusations that the government failed to invite consumer groups to meetings discussing proposals for policing piracy on the web as "conspiracy theories". He told delegates, "We've been accused of having a light touch as far as internet freedoms go and a heavy hand with old media; I think we need to find a balance somewhere in the middle." Industry-led He went, "It's clear that the issues are of inappropriate content and protecting user data. "With the site blocking proposals, copyright owners put forward a proposal and we simply facilitated a discussion around that proposal, including inviting consumer-focused groups, despite the popular conspiracy theory that we did not. "No one will disagree that stopping piracy is a good thing. The copyright holders said to us, 'We want to use the law, but we want discussion with ISPs beforehand to make the legal process quicker.' "These are industry proposals, it's not something the government is leading. But we do want to protect content and our industry and it's clear that business models will have to change." 
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| Mark Zuckerberg is top user on Google+ Posted: 05 Jul 2011 03:01 AM PDT Google+, the new social network by the search giant, had a soft launch last week but while most of the world still isn't up to speed with what Google+ is about, Mark Zuckerberg has already gotten himself more followers than anyone else. Not content with being the dominant figure in Facebook, Zuckerberg's Google+ account now has nearly 30,000 followers – which is well up on Larry Page's (near) 20,000. But spare a thought for Tom Anderson (the founder of MySpace), as he has only managed to bag just over 4,700 followers. I make things Interestingly, Zuckerberg seems to be very much a voyeur on Google+ - he hasn't actually posted anything on his page. He does tell us that he is male and lives in Palo Alto in his about section, though. In his intro, he's rather understated with the statement: "I make things." If you want to check out those who have the most followers on Google+, then socialstatistics.com is a good place to look – although the numbers do look like they need some updating. Zuckerberg and co are set to launch a video chat rival to Google+ 6 July, with rumour that it will finally partner with Skype for the service. 
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| Hands on: Toshiba Qosmio F750 3D review Posted: 05 Jul 2011 03:00 AM PDT You have to be extremely quick to bag a world's first in the technology industry. No sooner had Asus announced what it thought was the world's first glasses-free 3D laptop, the G53SX, Toshiba also announce its – with the hook being that it will actually be out before Asus' effort. The Qosmio F750 3D laptop offers up 3D without glasses and it primarily aimed at movie buffs and gamers. Toshiba showed off the laptop to a select few technology journalists in London this week, and hailed it as "the evolution of 3D".
Toshiba is not stranger to glasses-free 3D. It has released the first TV panel of its type on the market in Japan, the Regza 20GL1, which offers nine different points from where you can view the image from. While this is far from perfect, it is a big and bold step in the direction 3D has to go if it is to ever go truly mainstream. The Qosmio F750 3D does things differently. It uses a lenticular lens sheet as a panel and this is how it can offer the 3D without glasses.
The real hook, though, is that it uses the webcam on the laptop to track your eyes, so wherever your eyes go, the 3D image is meant to follow. This technology was seen in a demo at CES 2011. In our tests with the Qosmio F750 3D – and bearing in mind this was a pre-production model – the tracking seemed to work pretty well but there are a few caveats to using the laptop. As the 3D tracks your eyes and your eyes only, this is a one-person affair. Given that the screen is 15.6 inches, you wouldn't exactly have many bodies crowded round the thing, but it is worth bearing this in mind.
When we tried out the laptop, we were shown two types of media: a still 3D image of some flowers and a 2D-3D version of a DVD. The picture offered the best 3D illusion. Colours were vibrant and the image definitely 'popped' from the screen. The converted footage wasn't quite as impressive. Although we were impressed with the lack of judder – the laptop has a 120Hz refresh rate to minimise this – the 3D effect felt a touch shallow. As this is a pre-production model we can't say if this is what you will see when shop bought but it was in keeping with most converted 3D footage we have seen.
The eye-tracking on the webcam, does work well though. This technology was introduced earlier in the year with the company's television range. It is worth noting that while Toshiba has added a 3D Blu-ray drive to the Qosmio F750 3D, so you can watch 3D Blu-ray content on the laptop. You can also pipe this through the laptop's HDMI slot and into a big-screen TV. Drifting away from the 3D capabilities of the laptop, there are a number of powerful features. These include: an: Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce GT 540M graphics, 6GB RAM, 640GB hard-disk drive, Harman Kardon stereo speakers and Dolby Advanced Audio.
All of this is coupled with 4x USB drives (one USB 3.0), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and HDMI. Another key feature is the Qosmio F750 3D's Blu-ray XL drive. This is definitely one for the storage nuts, as it allows you to write content to the most capacious of Blu-ray recordable discs. Toshiba has also made some tweaks with the 3D technology so you will be able to work on 2D documents, while also watching 3D content. This may sound like it is enough for your eyes to turn against you but the idea you can work with 2D and 3D content is certainly an intriguing one. The Qosmio F750 3D UK release date is August, with pricing to be around the £1,300 mark. 
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| Review: CM Storm Sentinel Z3RO-G Posted: 05 Jul 2011 03:00 AM PDT Cooler Master's gaming peripheral spin-off, CM Storm, has been making a serious name for itself in recent times. First off its chassis have been making beautiful, and more than functional, homes for our most precious of components and it's also been making some rather tasty gaming mice too. The £35 CM Storm Inferno didn't get such a great reception, but the Sentinel Advance split opinions between another reviewer and myself. I was impressed as the first mouse out of the CM Storm stable, though it didn't fair so well in a subsequent roundup. But the Sentinel is back, this time in Z3RO-G trim. Essentially it's identical to the Sentinel Advance, though this time comes with a chunkier 128kb of onboard memory. So now as well as storing profiles you can put a lowres, monochrome .BMP on the OLED screen. Oh and you get the instantly forgettable Shattered Horizon from Futuremark in the box too, as proof of why benchmarking software makers should stick to what they're best at… It's still a good mouse though, and fully featured thanks to a serious software suite that enables you to get at every possible tweak you could want to perform. Still, at £50 there are better mice out there, such as the R.A.T. 5, and you won't be paying for a dodgy game in the bundle. 
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| Toshiba Qosmio F750 3D, glasses-free 3D laptop announced Posted: 05 Jul 2011 03:00 AM PDT Toshiba has announced the arrival of the Qosmio F750 3D, the 'world's first' glasses-free 3D laptop. A prototype of the lappie was shown off at CES 2011, but now the Qosmio F750 3D is coming to the UK sporting an Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce GT 540M graphics, 640GB hard disk and 6GB RAM. The Qosmio F750 3D comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD lenticular screen, which means that you can do away with the glasses. To make sure that the glasses-free 3D works with your peepers, Toshiba has integrated a HD webcam which comes with eye tracking technology. This means that wherever your eyes go, the webcam will follow and adjust the 3D picture to suit.
Alongside 3D gaming, you will be able to look at 3D pictures and the laptop also has the ability to upscale 2D DVD footage to 3D. There is also a Blu-ray XL drive on board. This means that you can store more content on a Blu-ray drive and you will also be able to use the laptop as a 3D Blu-ray player – you can plug the laptop into your TV via the HDMI socket. Other connectivity includes 4x USBs (one of which is USB 3.0), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and a multi-card reader. The Qosmio F750 3D UK release date is August and it will cost from £1,330. 
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| Review: Samson Meteor USB Microphone Posted: 05 Jul 2011 02:30 AM PDT Podcasting is much improved by the addition of proper equipment, but you don't need to go mad; Samson's Meteor USB Microphone is a decent replacement for any laptop mic or headset, and it's cheaper than a full-scale SLR mic setup. Its sensitive cardioid pattern can make a real difference in quality, and the chrome styling is pretty attractive too, particularly if you have velvet lapels on your suit jacket and an upcoming gig at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. There's a problem though; the angle of attack is quite limited, and its tiny chrome feet don't lift it far from the desk. It's adjustable, to an extent, but the limited range of its pattern means you'll need to be in the right spot. To get the absolute best signal out of the Meteor you'll need to hunch close to the capsule, prop it up on a box, or screw it onto a mic stand, which puts a damper on its portability somewhat. And then there's the Yeti to consider: Blue's excellent USB mic is only £10 more and is much more flexible, both in its size and in its full quotient of operating modes. Okay, the Meteor is a quality mic at its size, but it's that same diminutive size that lets it down in the end. 
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