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Techradar |
- Updated: LG: Era of the portable console is over
- Google Maps for Android adds Transit Navigation
- Facebook and Skype hook-up will soon allow calls to phones
- Triggertrap time-lapse photography concept unveiled
- Zuckerberg: Google+ proves we're right about social's future
- Facebook group chat and video calling announced - links up with Skype
- Spotify US launch imminent, sign up page appears
- Review: Hauppauge Colossus
- Microsoft and Steve Ballmer to kick off CES 2012
- Review: LG Optimus 3D
- iPhone 5: thinner, faster, stronger, trickier to build?
- Explained: What is Android? A beginner's guide
- Fujifilm aiming to be top 3 camera manufacturer
- All private Google Profiles to be deleted on 1 August
- Orange Monte Carlo officially unveiled
- Video: Toshiba Qosmio F750 3D laptop
- HTC Sensation to get mystery software update?
- Orange launches Barcelona and Stockholm budget Androids
- Panasonic promises glasses-free 3D TV 'within five years'
- Gary Marshall: Is Spotify on Virgin second best?
- Canon still considering compact system camera
- In Depth: Top 10 best HP TouchPad apps
- Review: Eminent EM7195 HDMedia DVB-T
- Video: Nintendo Wii U - what you need to know
- Interactive broadband map of Britain goes live
| Updated: LG: Era of the portable console is over Posted: 07 Jul 2011 12:17 AM PDT The president and CEO of LG Mobile has insisted that the era of portable consoles is over, insisting that phones will now become the portable gaming platform of choice. In a press release, Dr Jon-seok Park was quoted as saying that "the era of dedicated handheld gaming platform is over [sic]." UPDATE: In a subsequent release – two hours later – this part of the statement was removed. Horsepower "Today's smartphones have the horsepower to compete with the best portable gaming devices and LG Optimus 3D is our proof," added the LG electronics mobile communications CEO in both releases. "We think 3D is the natural next step in portable entertainment and LG is eager to throw its hat in the ring with the Optimus 3D and Gameloft's 'must-be-seen-to-be-believed' titles." The focus of the release was on this deal with Gameloft – which sees the mobile gaming specialist offer 17 3D games for the autostereoscopic-screened LG Optimus 3D. "The convergence of communication, the internet and entertainment all on one device was what made smartphones so popular so quickly," added LG's Dr. Park. "3D on smartphones is what color was to television – it introduces an entirely new level of viewing enjoyment. "Playing a Gameloft 3D title on an LG Optimus 3D is simply taking that enjoyment and multiplying it by a factor of ten. It's an experience that's guaranteed to put a smile on anyone's face." 
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| Google Maps for Android adds Transit Navigation Posted: 06 Jul 2011 07:06 PM PDT Google has announced Google Maps 5.7 for Android, bringing a version of its turn-by-turn Navigation service for public transport routes. Google Maps Transit Navigation brings detailed public transport information for over 400 cities around the world, allowing you to plan your journey more effectively. Instead of turn-by-turn directions, Transit Navigation offers a stop-by-stop service, making it easier for users traveling in foreign countries to keep track on their journey. The new functionality also supports multi-tasking so if you leave the app, you'll get a notification telling you to get off at the next stop or when to transfer to a different train. Other improvements As well as Transit Navigation, Google has added improvements to the driving and walking aspects of the app and has tweaked the search aspect in order to identify target destinations more easily. You can also look at the photos for Places in more detail using the 5.7 updated.You can read about this and the rest of the updates in more detail on the Official Google Blog. Naturally, the app is still free to all Android users and should download automatically to your handset. 
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| Facebook and Skype hook-up will soon allow calls to phones Posted: 06 Jul 2011 05:23 PM PDT Facebook users will soon be able to call any phone in the world via the social networking site using the built-in Skype service announced on Wednesday. The news was confirmed by Skype's consumer boss Neil Stevens as the next thing planned for the partnership between two of the world's most recognisable tech names. If one of your Facebook friends is online and has their phone number listed, you'll be able to call their handset in the same way that you would initiate a text chat. Just like when using your regular Skype app, voice calls to mobile phones will be charged, but it is not yet clear whether members can use Facebook or Skype credit for the service. Google Voice-beater The revelation isn't exactly ground-breaking as Skype has been offering this service forever, and Google Voice offers cheap international calls through the web browser and smartphone apps. However, according to Business Insider, users will also be able to make inter-client calls between Facebook and Skype in the future. Facebook engineer, Philip Su, who worked on the video chat feature, told the publication that Facebook-to-Skype calls would be the next logical step for the partnership. Earlier on Wednesday Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the link-up between the two companies, which will allow users to video chat using the social networking site. Source: Business Insider 
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| Triggertrap time-lapse photography concept unveiled Posted: 06 Jul 2011 03:58 PM PDT A photography author has unveiled a new universal camera trigger, which replaces the conventional means of taking snaps with something altogether more awesome. The Triggertrap concept, which has been designed primarily to assist with time-lapse and hands-free photography, will enable you to trigger your camera's shutter in an almost unlimited number of ways. Triggertrap can be used with any camera thanks to a universal adapter and, thanks to the auxiliary port, can be configured via radio signal, a laser-beam, by sound or by using a timer, among other methods. The project encourages users to dream up any number of ways to trigger your camera using the device. Funding As with any cool concept, the creator is currently seeking funding for the open source project and is well on the way to reaching the $25,000 target to help build the Triggertrap. For $70 you can get a do-it-yourself kit to make your own modifications, but for $75 you can get a ready-built Triggertrap camera trigger. You can watch a video of the concept at kickstarter.The deadline for ordering and contributing to the project is July 31st. 
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| Zuckerberg: Google+ proves we're right about social's future Posted: 06 Jul 2011 12:02 PM PDT At the launch of Facebook and Skype's new video calling service, Mark Zuckerberg talked briefly about Google+ and believed that its existence backed up his view that social is indeed the future of the web. Google+ launched earlier in the month as an invite-only social network, with the service offering, among other things, video calling and group chat – two things that Facebook announced today. Social is the future Taking a question from Mashable about Google+, he said about the search giant's new service: "I have spent a little bit of time with the service, we all have. "In terms of how we see the next five years about building these social apps, what you will see is a lot of companies using more social stuff and not just Google. "Companies like Netflix, will start to try and build a social structure. I view this as validation on how the next five years will pan out." It was revealed this week that Mark Zuckerberg is the most popular person on Google+ at the moment, although he has not yet posted anything on the site. 
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| Facebook group chat and video calling announced - links up with Skype Posted: 06 Jul 2011 11:04 AM PDT Facebook has announced two new services that brings more sharing to the social network - group chat and video calling, After much rumour and speculation, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stage today at a Facebook event which was live-streamed on the site. Speaking at the event, Zuckerberg said: "We've been busy building stuff for the past six months or so – today marks what we are calling launching season 2011." The new things that are being launched is the ability to group chat ad hoc on the service and also the addition of video calling, with a little help from Skype. There has also been a makeover of the chat window, so that it is easier to speak to multiple people.
Zuckerberg's speech was mainly about the power of sharing on the social network and how this is the biggest driver of traffic on the site. "Social networking is at an inflection point right now. The narrative has always been about connecting people," said Zuckerberg. "The amount of stuff that is shared today is twice what it was a year ago. That kind of exponential growth is profound. The thing that is growing faster than people on Facebook is the amount of sharing on Facebook." "If you look at how sharing is growing, then you can plot this out in the future. So, if this is what people are sharing now then what apps do we have to create to encompass this in the next few years." Facebook is hoping that group chat and video calling will allow this, but it is not doing this on its own. Facebook's video chat is using Skype - something that was widely rumoured. This is the big difference between what Facebook is doing compared to other internet companies, according to Zuckerberg - which was more than a sly dig at Google who recently announced its own video chat, as part of Google+.
In his keynote, he said: "Working with Skype underlines our approach with how we are building this stuff. We want to leave these types of apps to those who are best in class in creating these things. "This is a big difference from other internet companies who try and to millions of things on their own." Zuckerberg confirmed that the video chat would be a plug-in that would have to be downloaded. Tony Bates, CEO of Skype, said about the link-up between Facebook and Skype: "We think this makes a lot of business sense, we have a shared vision of what communication to mean and there is no finer platform to stick your technology on top." If you want to try out video calling on Facebook, then go to www.facebook.com/videocalling now - the service is available from today and is fully integrated into Facebook Chat. 
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| Spotify US launch imminent, sign up page appears Posted: 06 Jul 2011 10:32 AM PDT Spotify is readying itself for a launch in the US, by posting a sign-up page on its UK website. There has been rumour after rumour of Spotify launching in the US, but music companies have so far dug their heels in, which has meant Spotify has had to make a number of changes to its model. The most significant of these was back in April, when it announced that it would be changing its free service so that you can only listen to 10 hours of music a month. The reason for this wasn't really made clear by Spotify, other than it was done to keep the free service afloat. Off the record, it seemed that Spotify was changing the way it did things at the whim of the US record companies. Coming to America The sign-up page for the US version of Spotify reads: "Spotify is coming to the US. The award-winning music service that's taken Europe by storm will soon be landing on US shores. "Millions of tracks to play instantly, on your computer and on your phone." There is also a place where you can add your email to 'be one of the first to get Spotify'. Interestingly, the notice also says it is free. So, it may be that the US will get a version of the service that we first got in the UK – without all that messy subscription business. Go to www.spotify.com/uk/coming-to-the-us for more information. 
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| Posted: 06 Jul 2011 10:19 AM PDT Having a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) that can record high definition TV can be expensive – the Humax Digital Satellite HD Set Top box goes for around £140, for example. The Hauppauge Colossus slots into your PC's PCI slots. You can then attach your existing set top boxes, Blu-ray players and even games consoles to the Colossus and record their outputs. Before using this device, you're going to have to make sure you have a free PCI slot and open up your computer to install it. This isn't the most convenient of options, but it offers the best performance. The Hauppauge Colossus also accepts digital surround audio, and can record 1080 resolutions with 5.1 surround sound – something that USB-based competitors can't. The results look great, and with the included software you can begin building a decent library of H.264 encoded high definition content. The card has an HDMI component video and analogue and TOSLINK digital optical inputs, allowing for a huge range of sources to be connected. We tried the IR blaster and, with a bit of tweaking, we were able to change the channels on the set top box via the Colossus. WinTV Scheduler works well to set the PC to record programmes, and the ArcSoft ShowBiz program is included to burn recorded footage to DVD or Blu-ray discs. This is a niche product that's more suited to a purpose-built media centre PC for your living room, and that puts performance before ease of use. 
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| Microsoft and Steve Ballmer to kick off CES 2012 Posted: 06 Jul 2011 09:56 AM PDT Gary Shapiro, president of CES 2012, has confirmed that Steve Ballmer is to attend CES 2012 and head up what will be one of the biggest events at the show – the Microsoft keynote. Ballmer is no stranger to CES, he was part of the 2011 and 2010 Microsoft keynotes, but both of these only hinted at what was to come with Microsoft. This is why the CES 2012 keynote will be so important – we know that Windows 8 is coming but we need him to explain a lot more about the operating system and what to expect from the software which is said to bridge the gab between computers and mobile devices, touchscreen and keyboards. Latest initiatives "We are pleased to welcome Microsoft back to the CES keynote stage," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA. "From mobile to desktop to gaming and beyond, Microsoft has a significant impact on all aspects of the consumer technology industry, and Steve Ballmer's keynote is a great way to kick off the exciting 2012 International CES. "We are excited to hear Microsoft's latest initiatives and Ballmer's vision for where consumer technology is heading." CES 2012 is set to kick off 2 January 2012 and will feature more than 2,700 tech companies showing of their wares – and many more journalists struggling with the balance of reporting on the show night life of Las Vegas… we, er, assume. 
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| Posted: 06 Jul 2011 09:34 AM PDT LG has had a good run of form with its Optimus series of smartphones. The Optimus One was a solid little thing for a good price, then it branched out and up into fancy phone territory with the quirky dual-core charms of the Optimus 2X, before tackling high style with the skinny Optimus Black. Now LG has another demographic in its sights – fans of the hot trend for 3D technology. The Optimus 3D is the first smartphone to launch with a "glasses-free" 3D display, enabling users to take still photos and record videos in full 3D, then play them back in 3D on the phone's cutting-edge 4.3-inch display. But thanks to what LG calls the phone's "tri-dual" technology – a dual-core processor, dual cameras and dual-channel memory – the Optimus 3D comes with a massive price tag. The cheapest monthly tariff for this monster 3D phone currently stands at £35, with SIM-free prices currently around the £500 mark. Is it worth paying such a hefty early adopter tax in return for LG's – and the world's – first glasses-free 3D mobile phone display?
The Optimus 3D is as hefty as its price tag, but at least you're getting your money's worth in terms of sheer physical bulk. The 4.3-inch 480 x 800 resolution screen is surrounded by a large black plastic bezel, making the LG Optimus 3D feel like a whopping great rubbery brick in the hand.
Beneath the screens sit four capacitive touch buttons. They're in a bit of an unusual order, with LG opting to be a pain in the arse by lining them up, from left to right, in the order of Menu, Home, Back and Search. The Menu button shouldn't really be given prime location on the left-hand side. We'd prefer the much more frequently pressed Home or Back to be there, as it's the easiest spot to find without searching. These buttons are backlit, but the light only comes on when you press one of them. Which makes the backlight absolutely useless, as there's no point in a button lighting itself up once you've just pressed the wrong one. A weird feature, that.
The LG Optimus 3D is also a fat little monster, coming it at 11.9mm thick – much chunkier than the 8.5mm Samsung Galaxy S2. It also weighs 168g, so is much heavier than the S2's 116g or even the larger HTC Sensation's 148g.
There's what appears to be a camera shutter button on the bottom of the right-hand side, where camera buttons usually congregate. But it's not a camera button – it simply toggles the camera between 2D and 3D modes when taking shots, or can be held down to launch LG's separate 3D interface when using the Optimus 3D.
The only vaguely interesting physical design feature here is the metallic strip along the phone's rear, which houses the Optimus 3D's two camera sensors and its LED flash. It's one nice touch in an otherwise quite generic lump of black plastic.
The rest of the phone is your standard modern smartphone layout. Power button and 3.5mm headphone jack along the top, volume up/down rocker along the right-hand edge, then USB and HDMI connectors safely hidden behind little plastic stoppers in the top-left corner.
It feels solid and heavy, which isn't a bad thing because our brains tend to associate gadget weight with quality, but the Optimus 3D is a very bland plastic black rectangle on the outside. Hopefully the "tri-dual" thrills inside will make up for this uninspiring design. The LG Optimus 3D's main interface is the Android 2.2 standard series of seven scrollable Home screens, populated with your own choice of shortcuts and widgets. LG's carried out a few customisations of its own, but they're mostly quite clean and simple visual tweaks. We;re disappointed with the decision to stick with Froyo for the Optimus 3D, especially with the glut of Gingerbread-enabled handsets on the market. However, LG has promised an upgrade, so if that appears in the near future most users won't be affected by the slower operation and less-impressive battery life.
The lock screen enables you to access the phone by swiping upwards, but there's one slight annoyance here already – there's a pause between pressing the power button and the screen illuminating itself. It doesn't always happen, but it occurs often enough to have you questioning if you actually pressed the power button and to make you press it again – relocking the phone just as it was waking up. You could end up hating it for that.
Unlock the LG Optimus 3D's screen and you see a high-res 480 x 800 display that's bright and sharp, with LG's own weather widget and clock set by default to take up the top half of the screen. And it's all in 2D to begin with.
Long-pressing on any widget gives you the option to remove it, while LG has also added resizing options to most widgets. The four icons in the floating dock are customisable, too, so you can have your Optimus 3D set up exactly how you like it.
Widget resizing is a little bit of a cheat, in that it only enables you to cycle through each particular widget's preset sizes rather than pick your own custom dimensions, but it's still a better solution than having to delete widgets and replace them with different versions as you do on most Android phones.
You also get another impressive LG widget – its huge Social+ aggregator. It's a much more impressive option, both visually and in terms of functionality, than the FriendStream tool found in HTC phones such as the HTC Sensation. It has tabs to switch network feed, more tabs to access specific functions for each social stream and opens links in its own, simple LG window. It's a great widget.
The apps drawer is, by default, sorted by category on the LG Optimus 3D, with a 3D section up the top to remind you why you paid so much money for the phone. Or you can have a more traditional horizontally scrolling page layout, or one big text list. Press the Manage Apps option in the Menu and the layout is customisable, if you'd rather sort them by colour or usefulness rather than the alphabetical default.
The 3D features are contained within LG's standalone 3D Space app, which pops up a – 3D! Actual proper 3D! – revolving menu containing all the novelty three-dimensional content. Gameloft has pre-loaded three 3D games on here – NOVA, Asphalt 6 and Let's Golf 2 – plus there's a weird 3D storybook version of Gulliver's Travels to look at... for a bit.
The 3D images look great on the LG Optimus 3D's screen, although – as with all 3D content – you find yourself squinting and wiggling the device around and moving your head to get the viewing angle that works best. Incidentally, our screenshots of the 3D features look poor because we're translating a 3D still to 2D. It all looks very nice on the Optimus 3D itself.
But there's clearly a lack of 3D content. LG has put in a link to a 3D portal on YouTube inside its 3D Space, which contains a few trailers from rubbish children's' films and some brief, slow-moving tech demos. You'll be bored of that lot inside 10 minutes. If you want 3D content for you LG Optimus 3D phone, you'll have to start generating your own.
LG's other big Home screen widget is its take on Google Calendar support, with a huge, full-page widget it calls the Agenda. It's a simple interface for the standard Android Calendar, enabling you to schedule events, set alarms and invite people by entering an email address. As with all of LG's updated Android widgets, it looks clean and is fast to open and use, and offers much better functionality than the Android defaults. Good work.
And look, you can even change the display fonts if you want a Mickey Mouse telephone. The LG Optimus 3D's Contacts system is a slightly tidier version of the standard Android options. You get four tabs – one for the dialler, call log, the big list of everyone and a collection of editable Groups for managing things a little more effectively. The Contacts section is, by default, accessed via one of the floating dock buttons that sit beneath every Home screen. Press that and you're taken to the big list of everyone, with a search bar along the top and alphabetical list of shortcuts down the right-hand side for quickly scrolling down to your mate Zebediah.
You're prompted to import all contacts from Facebook and your Google account if you have both already, plus each contact has their own custom page filled with your calling history and calendar entries. You're also able to add in instant messaging details, website addresses, notes and more.
Again, LG has supplied a pretty nice contacts widget, which displays icons of members of your Favourites group on the Home screen and comes with a pop-up bar to select relevant actions when you touch someone's face. It's another nice LG widget that's well worth keeping on a Home page.
Calling quality is excellent. We had no signal issues at all, with volume coming through loud and clear. It's so loud we got by with the earpiece volume set to around 7/10, so there's certainly room to spare for turning it up loud if you're somewhere noisy.
Thanks to the LG Optimus 3D's secondary front-facing camera, the option to start a video call with someone is also present on their Contacts page. Plus, if your contacts list has been automatically populated with details for people from Facebook and Twitter, it's possible to only display details for people with phone numbers listed.
You can also choose individual accounts to ignore and stop showing up completely, should you have more than one internet personality to keep hidden. Calling The dialler is simple - just a whopping great touchpad, with shortcuts to the Messaging app if you whimp out of phoning and decide to send a text instead, plus a video call button if your recipient also has an expensive new mobile with the right number of cameras.
From within the Contacts you can add someone to the phone's Speed Dial settings, allocating a shortcut number for one-digit dialling. There's no noise cancelling feature in the Optimus 3D. But its speaker is plenty loud enough regardless. LG has only put the one keyboard on the Optimus 3D. The LG keyboard. It's a very simple touchscreen QWERTY that lacks the long-press alternate characters found on many other Android phones, with numbers and special characters farmed out to a second screen.
Which is a bit of a pain, but with a 4.3-inch screen there's loads of space for each key, so typing's as easy and accurate as you'll get on a touchscreen phone.
Word predication is turned off by default on the LG Optimus 3D. Switch it on and you get the standard floating bar that tries to guess your gist as you type. The good news here is that punctuation appears in the prediction bar once you've entered a word, so it's an easy way to access commas and exclamation marks without going to the second screen.
Text messaging has been polished up on the LG Optimus 3D, with a colourful threaded view. An attachment button pops up with the option to share photos, video, contacts and calendar entries saved in the standard VCS format, or you can choose to take a photo or record some audio to attach to an SMS text message.
Email is handled by another custom LG interface, which simplifies the front end and makes for a nice, text-based POP3/IMAP email reader. Android 2.2 includes support for Push notifications and MS Exchange accounts, plus there's a Select Text option in the menu if you need to copy and paste a chunk of text from an email.
There's also a little tabbed cursor that pops up when you're typing in a text box, which makes selecting words and editing your typos easy. It's a nice, simple email and text entry system, given a clean makeover by LG for the Optimus 3D. The email app supports as many active email accounts as you have, and includes a combined inbox for lazily reading everything, with the option to stop it checking for messages when you're on a roaming data connection to avoid crippling yourself with a massive bill next month. Internet use is probably the LG Optimus 3D's highlight, with its dual-core power and large screen doing the donkey work, while LG's nice little interface tweaks make the Android browser even more usable than usual.
LG's biggest tweak is the addition of a tab along the bottom of the browser screen. Normally this would be a bit of a restriction, but on a whopping 4.3-inch screen you don't really notice the intrusion. This tab houses back and forward page navigation shortcuts, plus a Tabs button that pops up with a list of all currently open windows.
The Plus button opens a new tab, with the new window featuring an Opera-like carousel automatically populated with your most read web pages. It's an excellent system that makes handling new windows and browsing sessions much, much easier.
The Bookmarks tool on the LG Optimus 3D is accessed through the tab beside the URL bar. This is the usual untouched Android system, with a big list of bookmarks, your most visited pages and a history file. One interesting addition is the new Read it later tab, which enables you to add temporary page bookmarks temporarily that disappear once you've looked at the pages. It's sort of a holding area for links.
As with many Android phones, the text reflow system on the LG Optimus 3D is handled by a double-tap of the screen. Do this and the view automatically zooms in, reformatting the text to fit the window. You can zoom in further with pinch-zooming multi-touch finger action, but this way the text doesn't reflow.
Everything's always readable on the browser, while the LG Optimus 3D handles embedded Flash videos with ease. If a page has an RSS feed there's an option to add it – although there's no specific news reader tool on here. The smartphone will prompt users to add it to a Google Reader account for use through Google's own website or RSS app.
Overall, there's a lot of power within the Optimus 3D's chunky frame and LG has made some very nice additions to the stock Android web browser, making the phone a great choice for those who need a big, portable, capable web machine. Pages load quickly, scroll easily, and text looks great on the vast screen. The Optimus 3D supports wi-fi 802.11b/g/n, with its mobile data connection supporting UMTS, HSDPA and HSUPA signals. The Wi-Fi stayed connected well, with no dropped links or noticeable signal issues no matter which way we held it. On the mobile network we also had reliable data transfers, good speed and were connected quickly - it's hard to say too much more about this but it's such a key area it's ace the connection decided to say so strong throughout use.
One of the reasons for the LG Optimus 3D's amazing bulk – compared to smartphone rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 and iPhone 4 – is the inclusion of two 5MP camera sensors around the back, which work in tandem to give you 3D images and videos.
The camera app on the LG Optimus 3D is very straightforward, with a toggle to switch between 2D and 3D modes in one corner, plus your standard Android picture settings down the left-hand side.
There's a digital zoom accessed through an onscreen meter or the volume up/down buttons, plus numerous scene modes, face tracking, a self-timer and geotagging options.
BLUR: This is taken at full digital zoom. Not great. Click here for full-size image
SPLIT: Your 3D photos are stored in JPS file format, which is a tweaked JPG. In fact, if you change the extension to JPG yourself you can see the raw images, which is simply a left and right pair the phone combines to create a 3D picture. Click here for full-size image
The 3D picture effect is surprisingly good on the LG Optimus 3D, with the Android Gallery attaching a 3D icon to each three-dimensional shot. Obviously the sharing options for these 3D photos are limited, in that the viewers need a 3D screen to make them work. Share a 3D photo on Facebook, and the LG Optimus 3D uploads the JPS file so that people get to see both the left and right images.
LOW-LIGHT: Indoor picture taken on default settings. The colours aren't as vibrant as they could be, but detail is maintained quite well. Click here for full-size image The camera is quite fast in operation, although it does take a while to open the camera app itself. Once it's up and running you can take multiple shots very quickly, plus there's a Continuous shooting mode that fires off six rapid shots and lets you pick the best – but it takes the resolution down to 2MP in return.
PORTRAIT: With flash, in the dark. The Optimus 3D produces nice low light images and doesn't go mad with the over-saturation. But while there are no blocky, enhanced colours, shots taken with the flash do appear a little washed out and ghost-like. Click here for full-size image
MACRO MODE: There's a decent macro mode for close-up shots. Click here for full-size image
SUNSET: This is a sunset taken with the Sunset scene mode. It doesn't really do much, and actually made the image come out darker than when just left to auto. Click here for full-size image
LANDSCAPE: Colours are nice, foreground detail good, but there's an odd mosaic tiled effect on the tree leaves in the background visible when viewed at full size. Click here for full-size image The most annoying feature is LG's power limitations. The Optimus 3D refuses to open the camera app if it has less than 10% of battery remaining, complaining that there isn't enough power to run it. While this may seem like a good idea to some, we'd rather the user was left to decide how they'd like to fritter away their last few dregs of battery life. Even if it limited photos to 2D-only it'd be better than just refusing to let you even try to take a photo. What if your cat was doing something amazingly interesting with the potential to become a viral smash? Again, the LG Optimus 3D comes with both 2D and 3D video abilities. In 3D you're limited to recording at 720p resolution, while 2D video clips go all the way up to the 'Full HD' 1080p image format. And again, the 3D effect when viewing video on the phone's glasses-free 3D display is excellent. We obviously can't show it to you very well here, but it does come across convincingly. It's not a pretend effect – you really can see the depth of the images.
LG has even included a "Depth" slider bar on the 3D video player, which is used to fiddle with the 3D effect. It makes a big difference too, with the filter adjusting the 3D intensity of both pre-recorded YouTube material and your own 3D clips to suit your eyes and brain. It's a little flickery on playback, especially when switching between light and dark areas, but for a first go at mobile phone 3D it's a very impressive effort. 3D videos are encoded into standard MP4 format, so when viewed on your PC you see both the left and right frames side by side and squashed up a little.
Back in the 2D world, LG's camera records its 1080p clips in MP4 format as well, producing good results. Images are fairly sharp – the sensor switches smoothly between light and dark bits of the image, with the quick autofocus keeping everything clear. The frame rate was always smooth for us, even at maximum resolution, with a lot of background detail coming across in the footage. It's a very nice video camera. The Optimus 3D's 1080p video clips look smooth, and there's data to back that up - VLC tells us the 2D videos are recorded at a solid 30fps. It's just as smooth when recording in 3D mode, too, with the 720p three-dimensional footage also emerging at 30fps.
2D video recording options are more limited than in the still camera, with users able to change resolutions, select from a few white balance presets, put on a handful of sepia and negative filter effects, toggle audio recording and set the phone to save video to internal memory or SD card. The LG Optimus 3D is DivX certified, so comes with support for a wide range of video formats out of the box. And it works pretty well. Our usual sample of DivX and Xvid AVI files played perfectly, with the world's first 3D phone also managing to play a medium resolution WMV file and the usual MP4s. It nearly managed to play a 720p MKV encode, but crashed after a few seconds of audio. But that's still a pretty good result, making the LG Optimus 3D a decent option for housing your collection of downloaded media. The phone's Gallery lumps all your recorded photos and videos together, presented in the standard Android scrolling icon view. There's no Facebook or YouTube integration here, aside from the ability to share each photo or video through the usual Android sharing menu options, sending it via an email or Bluetooth transfer, or uploading it to a social network – or sending it to any apps you have installed that can take the files and spew them out somewhere else with a witty caption beneath.
The video player is pretty light on features, but there is one LG addition – a 3D filter that attempts to enhance 2D media into new, exciting 3D. It does quite a good job of it, although it reduces the viewing angle and, after a few seconds of amusement, becomes a bit of a distraction.
Inside the Image Gallery is a comprehensive Image Editor, which lets you combine photos, add borders and colour effects and fiddle with the colour balance of your shots. It's a nice tool, although it lacks the advanced area selection options of the Samsung Galaxy S2.
Music is handled by a very simple reskin of the Android player, which is, again, very light on exciting features. You get lists of all your content, support for creating new playlists, a graphic equaliser if you're listening through headphones, plus there's another excellent LG widget for the Home screen...
...which once again integrates Facebook and Twitter extremely well, giving you a one-touch option to ping a link out to your favourite social network, telling everyone what tune you're currently self-consciously enjoying.
When listening via the loudspeaker, music is very loud on the Optimus 3D – managing to push out its full volume without any distortion. When switching to headphones, it's even better and louder still – although LG's supplied down-the-ear earphones feel rather flimsy and are best swapped for something more robust.
LG has put a few music player controls into the Android Notifications tab too, with play/pause and skip options up in this easy access pull-down window.
Plus there are lock screen playback controls, with a very useful pull-down menu on the lock screen granting access to play/pause and track forward/back skipping. It's always nice to see the lock screen getting some action. LG has put a decent amount of onboard memory for media into the phone – 8GB worth. As for app storage space, the Optimus 3D is supposed to contain 512MB of memory – but ours showed 1GB of available space, with just over 800MB free for use. This is more than enough, especially with Android 2.2's support for shifting many apps onto an SD card. There's one last thing we want to talk about before moving off media - what's going on with the lack of FM radio? Sure, it's not the most oft-used feature on a phone, especially as you need headphones to make it work, but there's not a trace of one on the LG Optimus 3D. What gives, L-Dogs? Battery life Battery life is one of the LG Optimus 3D's weak points. The dual-core phone could do with dual-batteries as well, as we struggled to get anything like a full day of serious use out of the 3D phone. The battery is a 1540mAh unit, which is around the standard size in most large-screened Android phones – and in fact slightly larger than the 1520MaH one found in the HTC Sensation. But it could do with being a lot bigger, as the power-hungry Optimus 3D can chomp around 25% of your battery life in 20 minutes of intense use.
Playing one of the pre-loaded 3D games will nuke your battery extra-fast, but even with just the default Twitter and Facebook syncing options active and the odd bit of web use we caught the phone's battery draining itself alarmingly quickly. Leaving it overnight, the phone manages to get by with only a few per cent drain. It's just when you start actually using it that there's a problem. Which is a problem.
Connectivity LG has installed a DLNA service on the Optimus 3D, which is contained within its SmartShare application. There's also a separate menu option dedicated to managing the phone's HDMI output, with users able to specify the resolution of the output – anything from good, old-fashioned PAL up to 1080p is selectable.
As with all smartphones based around the Android OS, the LG Optimus 3D can be used as a modem. You activate the Tethering option for a USB connection with a laptop or set it up as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot to share internet fun wirelessly. By default the phone sets your hotspot up with WPA2 PSK security, but you can turn that off and leave it unsecured if you trust your neighbours.
USB connectivity for managing your media is the usual, super-simple Android system – plug the LG Optimus 3D into a computer via USB and you're able to mount the phone as an external drive via the Notifications pull-down menu. Then it's a simple case of dragging across anything you want on your mobile. Maps Being based around Google's Android OS means you get the full suite of excellent Google apps on the LG Optimus 3D, with Gmail and YouTube accompanied by Google Maps – which comes broken down into standalone Maps, Places, Navigation and Latitude tools.
Maps are the standout feature on all Android phones, offering a superb and completely free sat nav service. Once you've downloaded the voice pack from the Android Market it offers spoken directions as well, making it excellent for use as a replacement GPS – as long as you have an in-car charger, because the LG Optimus 3D's battery won't see you through anything longer than a trip to the shops. The phone supports Google's most up-to-date features, with multi-touch support for zooming, panning the view angle and zooming around street-level 3D images.
The Optimus 3D is quick to get a satellite lock, hooking into the GPS network in a few seconds. Google's software then calculates your route, and away you go. It's an amazing app and one of Android's biggest selling points. Apps
LG has provided its own take on app discovery in the form of LG World, an odd and unpredictable collection of apps with a few exclusive LG options to jazz up your phone. It's a strange thing to put on here, as apps downloaded through LG World don't show up on the official Android Market app list, so you end up with two separate app management and updating systems on the go on your Optimus 3D at once if you download apps through LG World.
You also get LG's App Advisor tool, which rather awkwardly duplicates the content from both LG World and the Android Market. It's a curated selection of apps, complete with links to the Android market to download them. Big waste of time, this one.
The LG Optimus 3D is a big, powerful phone. LG's additions to Android's interface are mostly to the benefit of the mobile phone operating system, plus the glasses-free 3D screen is seriously impressive when you see it working in the real world. It actually works. However, as a smartphone, it lacks the whizz of the Samsung Galaxy S2 or the solid feel of the HTC Sensation, while even LG's own Optimus 2X manages to feel like a classier phone in the hand. If you really, really want 3D, it's a good (and currently your only) choice. But in terms of modern smartphone performance, the Optimus 3D is slightly disappointing. We liked The glasses-free 3D images are excellent, both on the pre-loaded clips and movies and the photos you take yourself. Sure, it's little more than a novelty, but you'll be the most popular man in the pub for a good five minutes when you start showing it to people.
LG has upped its game in the Android customisations, with some very nice widgets in here. The Social+ Facebook and Twitter aggregator is a fantastic addition to the Home page, combining heaps of functionality with a clean, stylish look, plus many widgets can be resized in-situ. There's also a useful music player control panel on the lock-screen. Web performance is excellent. The large, high-resolution screen makes text easily readable, while the dual-core processor flings pages around with ease. LG has also made some nice usability tweaks to the browser interface on the Optimus 3D, with some clever tab management options in here. We disliked Despite its dual-core processor, the LG Optimus 3D feels a little sluggish in use. It's not glitchy or broken, but it doesn't have the wow factor of the Samsung Galaxy S2 or the reliability of the HTC Sensation. The camera's quite slow to open, the lock screen takes a while to light up when you press the power button. It's all a bit laboured. Physically, it's a big, fat, lump of a phone. This is one big-screen phone that really feels its size, coming in wider and heavier than the competition. While the Galaxy S2 and Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc combine monster screens with slim style, the Optimus 3D's a bit of a monstrosity. Battery life is poor. Even without using much in the way of 3D features, we struggled to get through a whole day of casual use. You're going to need USB cables everywhere to keep this one alive. Android 2.2 on board as well - admittedly, it's not as big of an issue as many make out, but to not bring a £500 smartphone to market with the latest version of Google's mobile OS is sure to irk a fair few users. Verdict
If you're happy to take a punt on glasses-free 3D being here to stay, the 3D features of the LG Optimus 3D are certainly enough to warrant its high price. The 3D video's great, with a genuine sense of depth coming across in the footage. The worry is, if you take a load of 3D photos and videos now, are they going to be viewable five or 10 years down the line? Or will you be left with a big, undocumented gap in your life, where all your photos and videos were taken in a format that no new devices support? Also, for those looking for a high-quality smartphone as well as a 3D conversation piece, there are many better, faster, longer-lasting options out there – for less money. The success of the LG Optimus 3D boils down to how willing people are to pay a premium for its nice 3D features – and whether they are happy to sacrifice style and battery life in return. 
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| iPhone 5: thinner, faster, stronger, trickier to build? Posted: 06 Jul 2011 08:54 AM PDT As the suspected iPhone 5 launch date of September draws ever closer, the rumours are flying thick and fast about what we should expect; the latest pegging it as thinner, lighter and more difficult to assemble than the iPhone 4. The first tips come courtesy of the WSJ, which offers the groundbreaking suggestion that the new iPhone will be thinner and lighter, and come with an 8MP camera. It's not the first time we've heard talk of an 8MP camera on the next iPhone – a recent analyst note and sources cited just before WWDC also tipped the same. Fantastic Mr Foxconn Meanwhile, over at Apple's assembly plant, Hon Hai, they're having a bit of trouble putting the darn thing together, with a source complaining that it is "complicated and difficult to assemble". This fiddly process could mean that shipments of the iPhone 5 could be delayed, leading to possible stock shortages. WSJ's Foxconn source added that, "Apple's sales estimates of the new iPhone is quite aggressive. It told us to prepare to help the company meet its goal of 25 million units by the end of the year." The source also went on to add that "we were told to ship the components to assembler Hon Hai in August" – suggesting that the September release date that's been put forward by many is just about spot on. 
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| Explained: What is Android? A beginner's guide Posted: 06 Jul 2011 08:30 AM PDT With Google's Andy Rubin announcing that there are now 500,000 activations of Android devices per day, it's clear that Google's operating system has hit the big time. However, despite shops such as Phones4U advertising "Latest Android handsets" for the release of phones like the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, LG Optimus 2X and HTC Wildfire S, many people are still left asking, "What is an Android phone?" Android is an operating system for mobile phones and tablets, in much the same way that PCs run Microsoft Windows as their operating system. It's maintained by Google, and comes in a few different versions. At the time of writing, mobile phones run a variant of version 2 of Android, while most new tablets run a variant of version 3. The difference between the 2.x and 3.x versions of Android is mainly in how they use the screen space provided. Because Android 3.x is designed to run on tablets, its apps have been altered to be able to fit more information on the screen at one time. It also puts all buttons for navigation in the interface, while Android 2.x devices tend to include some physical buttons (usually Home, Back, Menu and Search keys). Android's standard layout is to have a series of Home screens, which can contain shortcuts to launch apps, or can contain widgets, which are small programs that serve a single function, such as controlling your music or displaying Facebook updates.
ANDROID 2.3: This is the standard Android 2.3 Home screen, as seen on the Google Nexus S From the Home screens, you can bring up a menu with all of your other apps on. Very little is done from within the Android interface, but instead you launch an app for what you want to do, including dialling the phone or browsing through your contacts. Android itself contains the functions that are vital to using a mobile phone, including the phone dialler, text messaging client and phone number storage. Google also provides some additional apps, including a Gmail email client, Google Maps (which features free turn-by-turn satellite navigation) and YouTube. Beyond that, you can also buy or download for free many other apps to enable your phone or tablet to do more. You can get these apps from the Android Market, or from other sources, such as GetJar or Amazon's Appstore. They can also be loaded onto an Android device manually, without using a store. These apps can include ways to use Facebook, create documents, access online storage services such as Dropbox, or there's a huge range of games available. Some social networks are integrated into certain Android phones by default, enabling you to connect someone's contact information in your phone to their Facebook account, for example, and automatically pull through details such as their birthday. Android is open source, meaning that manufacturers don't have to pay Google to use it, and that they're free to modify it. This means that it's used in a wide range of hardware varying in price from small budget phones to large-screen high-end handsets. Because manufacturers are able to tweak Android, it can look quite different on phones from different companies. HTC uses an overlay it calls Sense to add its own apps and social networking features to phones such as the HTC Desire S. It even adds a flashy 3D Home screen on the powerful HTC Sensation handset.
HTC SENSE: HTC makes subtle changes to the standard Android interface Samsung uses an overlay called TouchWiz on its handsets, such as the Samsung Galaxy S2, which makes its Android phones look a lot more like the company's non-Android phones.
SAMSUNG TOUCHWIZ: The Samsung Galaxy S2 runs TouchWiz 4.0, the latest version of Samsung's interface Currently, it's not possible for Android 3.0 tablets to be tweaked by the manufacturers, so tablets such as the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 look almost identical. HTC actually uses Android 2.3 on the HTC Flyer tablet so that it can still add the Sense overlay to it.
ANDROID 3.0: The Android Home screen on tablets offers more space for widgets and apps, and has the navigation keys in the bottom-left Android has many media features built in, so it's easy to load your music and movies onto your device and play them without problems. Most common audio file formats are supported, as are some of the most often-used video formats. Many manufacturers also add support for some of the less-common formats. There's no official iTunes-like media syncing client for Android (though there are some third-party tools to do this, such as doubleTwist). In most cases, when you connect your device to your computer, it will show up as external storage, in the same way a USB flash drive would. You can then simply drag your music and video files to it to copy them over. When you disconnect your device, it will scan for media, and it to the music player app. Google regularly releases updates to Android, which are downloaded straight to the phone or tablet without having to connect to a computer. These updates often bring speed and battery life improvement, as well as other new features. However, not all devices get these updates at the same time, and many won't receive them at all. If you want to stay up to date on when the latest Android update is coming to your device, keep your eyes on TechRadar's phones channel and tablets channel. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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| Fujifilm aiming to be top 3 camera manufacturer Posted: 06 Jul 2011 08:01 AM PDT Fujifilm is aiming to overtake Nikon and Samsung to become the world's third largest camera manufacturer by 2014. Currently Fujifilm is the fifth biggest camera manufacturer in the world but it is aiming to expand in the market over the next three years. First the company plans to overtake Samsung into fourth place by March, followed by Nikon two years later. This is according to Takeshi Higuchi, head of the company's camera division. New interchangeable camera? Fujifilm withdrew from the interchangeable lens market in 2009, but is said to be considering making a comeback, perhaps with the launch of a mirrorless camera. The Fujifilm X100 was launched earlier this year, a premium compact which retails for around £1,000. Higuchi told Reuters that Fujifilm would do all the development in-house to cut costs, but needed to work on the profile of the brand. Fujifilm is currently the world's fifth largest manufacturer behind Canon, Sony, Nikon and Samsung. 
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| All private Google Profiles to be deleted on 1 August Posted: 06 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT Google has decided to delete all Google Profiles that are set to private on 1 August. The search giant describes Google Profiles, which are used as your Google+ profiles too, should be public, as "what the world sees when it searches for you" – so it stands to reason that they be public. The move comes in preparation for the Google+ public roll-out, and will make each profile easily findable via the search engine. However, the only elements of your profile that have to be made public are your name and your gender (yeah, we're not sure why either), everything else can be kept private. Google me Google explains: "The purpose of Google Profiles is to enable you to manage your online identity. Today, nearly all Google Profiles are public. We believe that using Google Profiles to help people find and connect with you online is how the product is best used. Private profiles don't allow this, so we have decided to require all profiles to be public. "Keep in mind that your full name and gender are the only required information that will be displayed on your profile; you'll be able to edit or remove any other information that you don't want to share. "If you currently have a private profile but you do not wish to make your profile public, you can delete your profile. Or, you can simply do nothing. All private profiles will be deleted after July 31, 2011." 
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| Orange Monte Carlo officially unveiled Posted: 06 Jul 2011 05:48 AM PDT As if two budget handsets in one day weren't enough, Orange has also revealed a higher-class Android handset in the form of the Orange Monte Carlo. It's not quite cutting edge, what with its 800Mhz processor and 5MP camera, but it does offer a 4.3-inch touchscreen and Android 2.3, as opposed to the smaller, be-Froyo'd Barcelona and Stockholm. As well as the not-too-shabby specs, you'll also get Orange goodies like HD Voice and Orange Signal Boost compatibility. I like capital cities Nicola Shenton, Head of Device Portfolio at Orange's parent company Everything Everywhere, said: "Orange believes it is important to bring great value innovation to the mass market - so that's why today we're announcing a series of new Orange Android devices which we believe will prove extremely popular with consumers in the forthcoming months." If the success of the Orange San Francisco is anything to go by, she's probably not wrong. Although there's no official word on the Orange Monte Carlo UK release date or pricing, all will be revealed when it launches later this summer. 
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| Video: Toshiba Qosmio F750 3D laptop Posted: 06 Jul 2011 05:00 AM PDT TechRadar managed to get some hands-on time with the Toshiba Qosmio F750 3D laptop – the first computer in the UK to offer glasses-free 3D. To make this happen, Toshiba has given the laptop a lenticular screen and uses a special webcam which tracks your eyes – bringing the right 3D image to you wherever you are looking on the screen. While 3D still hasn't made the mark manufacturers would have liked, the main problem with the technology seems to be that you have to wear glasses. Toshiba knows this and that is why it has decided to launch its glasses-free laptop this year. The Qosmio F750 3D laptop UK release date is August, so you haven't got too long to decide if it is for you. 
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| HTC Sensation to get mystery software update? Posted: 06 Jul 2011 04:59 AM PDT The HTC Sensation is set to get a rather large update in the near future, with a spyshot showing a test version of the update screen. The HTC Sensation, which had the codename Pyramid, is HTC's flagship handset so it's no surprise that the phone would be first on the list for a major update. In the shot, the system update screen is shown, with the firmware upgrade weighing in at 368.92MB - Wi-Fi at the ready, people. There's no other information about the update, apart from the teasing statement: "To improve the performance of your device and add new features." HTC Sensation upgrade Some users of the XDA developers' forum have apparently already tried out the leaked upgrade and are reporting improvements to the GPS and battery life of the phone. In our HTC Sensation review, we noted that the battery life was still far from best in class, so if any sort of update improves on this, then we would be more than happy. There's no news on when the update will land but it does seem to be something that will be coming to the European market. 
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| Orange launches Barcelona and Stockholm budget Androids Posted: 06 Jul 2011 04:45 AM PDT Orange has officially launched its latest branded Android handsets in the form of the Orange Barcelona and the Orange Stockholm. They follow in the globe-trotting footsteps of the super successful Orange San Francisco which was the toast of budget Android handsets last year. The Barcelona, which has been up on Orange's shop for a while, comes with a capacitive touchscreen with Orange's bespoke gesture interface, a physical QWERTY keyboard and a 3.2MP camera. Unfortunately it doesn't come with Gingerbread (Android 2.3), opting instead for the lower-spec Froyo (Android 2.2).
Other Spanish-flavoured goodies include HD Voice, Orange Signal Boost, push email and a very attractive price tag of £100 on pay as you go and £10 per month on contract - that's actually lower than the network had originally advised. It's like a tour of Europe Meanwhile the capital city of Sweden lends its name to the Stockholm, a lower-priced handset with a 3.2MP camera, 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, MP3 player and FM radio. The Stockholm comes in at £80 on pay as you go, but you'll have to top up £10 of credit when you buy it too. There doesn't seem to be a contract option, so no chance of developing Stockholm Syndrome as you're held hostage by the network for two years… Anyone? No? Oh whatever. Both handsets are available from Orange with a UK release date of today. 
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| Panasonic promises glasses-free 3D TV 'within five years' Posted: 06 Jul 2011 04:08 AM PDT While the war over active versus passive 3D TVs rages on, it could be all but obliterated by the development of an autostereoscopic television which does away with the glasses altogether. Some manufacturers, like Toshiba, have committed to rushing out a glasses-free 3D TV as early as 2012, but Panasonic has now said that it'll be at least five years before it has an auto-stereoscopic 3D set on the market. Speaking at Intellect's Consumer Electronics 2011 show, Panasonic's marketing manager Andrew Denham explained why: "Its not there yet. The physics of it – you can't get there without hurting the 2D experience at the moment." Lenticular lentils While Philips, which will launch an auto-stereoscopic set in 2013, and Toshiba are relying on lenticular displays (which show two sets of the same image, one for each eye, which your brain then puts together), Panasonic won't be going that route. The problem is that glasses-free 3D, like that of the Nintendo 3DS and smartphones like the HTC Evo 3D, is that it requires you find a sweetspot and hold your head there. Fine when using a mobile device, but not so brilliant for watching a 40-inch TV attached to the wall. "It's getting better," said Denham. "But we won't solve it with lenticular displays. Within five years we'll see it [glasses-free 3D TV] in the consumer market." The company is no doubt keen to get it right, particularly given that its range of active-shutter TVs require people to buy glasses that cost upwards of £80. When asked if it was sustainable for the company to continue bundling multiple pairs of glasses with each TV sold, Denham replied, "Clearly not."
But is the advent of glasses-free 3D TVs hindering uptake of the current crop? "We don't think so," said Denham. What could be hindering it, though, is the damage Hollywood has done with its shoddy 2D to 3D conversions. "The film industry has accelerated the time to market and that has created concerns over quality. But that will subside; we're all learning and moving to higher quality content. It's a chicken and egg situation, though – but we're doing our part in seeding enthusiasm for 3D TV." 
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| Gary Marshall: Is Spotify on Virgin second best? Posted: 06 Jul 2011 04:01 AM PDT Every now and then, I like to travel back in time to dispense wisdom from the future. This week, I chose 1999 and ended up talking to a bunch of Napster users. "This is just a blip," I told them. "One day, you'll be able to get all the music you want without worrying about being sued." "Ooh," said the music fans. "It'll be instant, too. Click a song, it'll play immediately, in CD quality." "Wow," came the reply. "Not only that, but it'll work on anything. Your TV. Your PC. Even your phone." "Blimey," they said. "All you need to do is wait twelve years." I'm not allowed to print their reply to that one. I wasn't kidding, though. We finally have a UK ISP offering a celestial jukebox, a service where you can play what you want, when you want, without paying per track. It's just a shame that it's taken more than a decade to turn up - and that it's not the service Virgin Media really wants to give you. Music non stop Does anyone want a music service from their ISP? Playlouder MSP spent 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 trying and failing to launch a music-streaming ISP, while Sky dumped its Sky Songs subscription service late last year because of insufficient demand. Other ISPs have fiddled with music services too, without much success. There are several differences this time. First, the Virgin Media/Spotify deal has the blessing of the major labels (although that's taken Virgin Media two years to get), which has been the stumbling block for many music services - including previous attempts by Virgin Media. More of that in a moment. Secondly, Spotify has a free version for people who don't want to pay extra for music, something Sky Songs didn't offer. And thirdly, Virgin is reportedly considering offering paid-for Spotify services as part of a bundle rather than as stand-alone services. "Buy broadband, get Spotify" could be an attractive offer. So should we be grateful to the big record labels for letting Virgin Media team up with Spotify? After all, they have the power to veto Spotify's content deals, and they could easily have scuppered this one. The answer is yes and no. Yes, because Spotify's not a bad service, and deals with the other big ISPs can't be far away - and no, because it seems that the labels have scuppered what sounds like an even better offering. According to The Telegraph, Virgin Media developed its own music service, a service that makes Spotify look rather limited: not only would you get unlimited streaming, but you'd get unlimited downloads too. A "senior music figure" apparently told The Telegraph: "Virgin Media has built its own service and it's really good... Warner and EMI are driving a tough deal, but Sony US management has really stuck its heels in and is not budging. The company do not like the idea of offering unlimited amounts of downloads for a monthly subscription fee." So much for progress. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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| Canon still considering compact system camera Posted: 06 Jul 2011 03:57 AM PDT Canon has revealed that it is still exploring the possibility of bringing a compact system camera to the market. After the earthquake in Japan, production at the firm's factory slowed down. But Canon, in an interview with Reuters, said that pre-quake levels of production are now in operation, with plans afoot to increase Taiwan's production capacity, bringing their SLR output to 10 million units annually. Following suit There has long been speculation that Canon and Nikon would follow the suit of their rivals Sony, Nikon and Panasonic who all have interchangeble lens compact cameras on the market, offering photographers high-quality in a more compact body. Masaya Maeda, head of Canon's camera division, said: "We are considering the technical aspects. We will launch an interesting product next year," without clarifying whether the model would be mirrorless or not. Currently, mid to high-level cameras are manufactured in Japan, while entry-level models are manufactured. Expect to hear more from the manufacturer after its April-June earnings are released at the end of the month. 
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| In Depth: Top 10 best HP TouchPad apps Posted: 06 Jul 2011 03:30 AM PDT Launching a new tablet these days must keep executives up at night. Bugs creep onto the device unannounced, the press has a field day comparing slight variances in thickness and battery life, and everyone complains about the sordid state of app availability. But guess what? The HP TouchPad actually has a few good options. There are 300 launch apps designed for the 9.7-inch screen. Here are the 10 best apps for the TouchPad. 1. Citrix Receiver By far the most impressive app on the TouchPad, Citrix Receiver could propel the fledgling tablet into the corporate realms. (Keep in mind that HP is the largest tech company in the world - they can make things happen.) In practice, a demo version worked smoothly for viewing PowerPoint slides and running a 3D animation.
2. Kindle With the noticeable lack of any built-in book reader, the TouchPad desperately needs the Amazon Kindle app. (It is included on a new device as a beta but will be updated shortly after launch.) We usually place the Kindle app high on our lists because the ecosystem is so sound: buy a book on any phone or reader and you can then access it with the app, in seconds. Book selection is astounding good.
3. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit One of the major issues with the TouchPad is slow application load times. Yet, once the apps load, they generally run fast. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is the best game on the platform so far, zooming along without the stuttering you might see on an Android tablet when several European sports cars fill the screens. Plus, like the BlackBerry PlayBook, the game runs even when you minimize it.
4. Facebook One clear differentiator on the TouchPad is that it has a first-party Facebook app. You can drag panels left and right, view your own feed, and post updates. The Facebook app is well-integrated: when you view photos on the device after you have added a Facebook account, it's a little disconcerting to see all of your photos piled up in one album - mostly because other tablet are not that integrated.
5. Audubon Birds As you're browsing through available apps like Hangman Haunting! and the Menstruation and Ovulation Calendar app (yes, it exists), keep an eye out for Audubon Birds. Yes, it's an iPad port and costs US$14.99. The interface for finding birds works well - you can search in specific regions and by size/colour.
6. Localscope This location-search app works like Yelp and countless others, but this version is designed for TouchPad with panels you can drag to re-size and an interface that matches the look and feel of the tablet. The Wi-Fi version of the TouchPad has no GPS chip, so the app triangulates based on your Wi-Fi location, which is not as accurate. Yet, there's plenty of detailed info (mostly retail shops).
7. Moodagent This music discovery app analyses the songs on your TouchPad and then suggests similar songs. For example, if Appleseed Cast is angry and smooth, you will see similar artists like Sunny Day Real Estate. You can get information on the newly found artists, play snippets, and find related artists.
8. Angry Birds Could the TouchPad survive without Angry Birds? Not really. This version runs about the same in HD as the same app on Android 3.1 tablets, with snappy performance on the TouchPad's 1.2GHz processor. The TouchPad has a good speaker and plays crisp audio, so the cartoonish audio makes the game fun.
9. USA Today The USA Today app shows how a free newsreader should work. You can quickly scan through stories from the day and view photos. The colour-coding helps you identify entertainment stories, sports, and major news headlines.
10. Weatherbug A new interface in Weatherbug tries to reduce the clutter but make weather info easier to find. You can view a quick summary of the current and forecasted weather for your area, then study detailed maps showing weather movements.
Note: For those wondering why Armageddon Squadron, the app shown at the HP TouchPad press briefing, is missing: it was not available yet on the device. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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| Review: Eminent EM7195 HDMedia DVB-T Posted: 06 Jul 2011 03:30 AM PDT Eminent is one of a handful of media player manufacturers prone to throwing TV recording into the mix. Its EM7095 combined an (SD only) digital terrestrial PVR with an HD-capable media player, although its recording component was basic and it lacked networking support. The EM7195 promises improved functionality in the form of two tuners (again suitable for reception of standard-definition Freeview channels only) and built-in networking (you'll need to add a dongle for WiFi) with support for Samba, DLNA and uPnP and torrent downloading all powered by a new Realtek chipset. Looking like a NAS drive, its black and bulky form lacks a readout, just a power light stretched across the middle of the fascia, glowing red in standby or blue when in operation. The fan is a little noisy. It will take 3.5-inch SATA drives inserted via a slot beneath a flap on the right-hand side and is being sold in some quarters with drives pre-installed ranging from 500GB (£220) to 2TB (£289). You can also use USB-connected or external SATA-connected drives, insert memory cards into the slot provided on the left side next to a USB 2.0 port or stream from networked storage. There are plenty of connections on the rear including a USB 3.0 port (client only) two more USB 2.0 host ports, HDMI, component and composite video outputs for video and coaxial and optical S/PDIF and stereo phono outputs for audio plus SATA and LAN connectors. There's also an aerial loopthrough – although it uses F-connectors, which could mean an adapter is needed – and a power switch. Most key cables are provided. Web browsing and functionality The shiny remote control is better than many we've seen with similar products sporting PVR controls and a few menu shortcut buttons. It can also be backlit, which makes TV and film viewing with the lights dimmed easier. A side-scrolling interface with labelled icons is clearly influenced by Sony's Xross media bar, and familiarity largely breeds contentment. One exception is the web browser. Here you get a favourites option but entering addresses is hamstrung by the browser bizarrely not being covered in the manual, leaving us to guess which keys on the remote do what. You can record two TV channels at once (to internal or USB drives) using a manual timer or by pressing record when watching TV and timeshift as you go. A basic EPG which supports seven-day DVB data and displays a list of shows for one channel at a time viewable day by day. Red button services aren't supported. Recordings are in native MPEG-2 format and can be exported to storage devices. They can be fast-forwarded and rewound up to 32x speed and picture quality is reasonably sharp for SD (certainly an improvement on the lacklustre EM7095). Music, video and photo playback and web-enabled functionality get their own menus. Format support is broad, including MKV, and ISO files as well as AVI, XVID and MP3 – it played the myriad formats stored on our NAS drive, albeit with minor jerkiness evident on some DivX Plus HD files. Subtitles are supported and playlists can be imported or set up within the software. Web services include YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, Shoutcast internet radio, BBC News and Metafeeds, all reasonably easy to navigate with the remote. Verdict
DVB-T2/Freeview HD reception is a predictable omission in a Euro-minded product, but this is undoubtedly an improvement on the EM7095. We hope some of its drawbacks can be remedied when a promising looking replacement interface is eventually released. 
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| Video: Nintendo Wii U - what you need to know Posted: 06 Jul 2011 03:22 AM PDT The Nintendo Wii U not only comes with just about every control mechanism you can think of, including motion control, touchscreen, analogue joysticks and an accelerometer, it also comes with a massive burden of expectation. The Nintendo Wii U is the successor to the wildly successful Wii – which redefined modern gaming and captured a huge share of the burgeoning family gaming market. So, the weight of expectation on the follow-up could not be greater, something that Nintendo is well aware of. TechRadar has produced a video to show you all you need to know about the oddly-monickered Wii U. 
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| Interactive broadband map of Britain goes live Posted: 06 Jul 2011 03:16 AM PDT Ofcom has launched an interactive map of Britain showing just how fast – or slow – each area's broadband connections are. As well as connection speeds, the map options allow you to view overall performance, average broadband take up, superfast broadband availability and average modem sync speeds. Unsurprisingly, London is one of the few areas rated 1 for fastest, while most of Wales, the South West of England and huge areas of Scotland languishing in the 4s and 5s, restating the need for investment in rural areas. Rural juror Northern Ireland has almost complete availability of super-fast broadband thanks to BT's intense fibre-optic roll-out, due for completion in 2012, but the rest of the country is quite far behind, with very few other areas offering 90 per cent availability or more. Clicking on the area you're interested in brings up a run down of the state of its broadband availability, including the average sync speed for that realm. The map is based on accurate information procured by Ofcom from ISPs and other communications providers, with another, more detailed map slated for later in the year. It's a handy map which not only shows you how your own personal area is doing, but also serves to remind us how many areas of the country are falling behind in the super-speed broadband race. 
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