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• Spotify Premium likely to be cheaper in the US
• Report: Apple Stores preparing for Lion launch next week
• Bluetooth headsets don't make driving safer
• Google+ population doubles as invites briefly re-open
• Updated: iPad 3 rumours: what you need to know
• Review: SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB
• Review: Xebec Tech M-touch Mouse
• Nintendo Wii U will have 3D support
• BSkyB takeover decision pushed to September
• Review: Verbatim Store 'n' Go USB 3.0 External SSD
• Review: Creative Aurvana In-Ear3
• Amazon Appstore gets to keep its name
• Review: Jabra Extreme
• 10 features Google+ needs to challenge Facebook
• Apple App Store passes 15 billion downloads mark
• Three confirms BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 UK release date
• New Jessops Android photo app arrives
• How fast can Windows 8 run on ARM?
• Illegal movie downloads still on the up
• PlayStation Suite gets shown off in S1 video
• Nokia: We'll support MeeGo for years
• UK calls for world's cyberlaws to be tightened
• Google explains apostrophe in "+1's"
• Apple to launch iPad 2 Plus later this year?
• Review: Verbatim Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard

Spotify Premium likely to be cheaper in the US Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:44 PM PDT The forthcoming launch of Spotify in the US will see Americans get a proportionately better deal than us veterans in the UK, according to leaked documents. According to a sign-up flow sent to TechCrunch, the Unlimited Spotify plan will cost $4.99 a month and the Premium service, with access to mobile music will cost $9.99 a month. Although, on the surface, that sounds the same as our tariffs, the dollar-to-pound conversion means that US users will get Unlimited for £2.99 and Premium access, including mobile playback for just £5.99. The leak also reveals that American users, like us, will get ad-funded free access to the service with a limited amount of plays per month. Unconfirmed? With the pricing seemingly in place, it can't be long until the service is launched across the pond. Some reports claim record company deals are yet to be finalised, while others claim Spotify is waiting for Facebook to sort out the rumoured collaboration with the company. After the story broke, Spotify's PR made a statement claiming that no actual prices have been confirmed yet, but we suspect that these will indeed be the launch prices. The company says:"No details are set for the pricing or details of our US service yet – we're still testing a number of different options. We'll be sure to let you know when we have something to announce." Related Stories Zuckerberg: Google+ proves we're right about social's future Facebook and Skype hook-up will soon allow calls to phones Google explains apostrophe in "+1's" UK calls for world's cyberlaws to be tightened Google+ population doubles as invites briefly re-open

Report: Apple Stores preparing for Lion launch next week Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:06 PM PDT The long-awaited release of Apple's Mac OS X Lion operating system will arrive after the weekend, according to reports late on Thursday. Cupertino has started to inform its retail store players of the preparatory measures required to make the imminent upgrades, according to AppleInsider. The site says it has been made aware that Mac models in-store will be upgraded with the necessary RAM under the weekend in preparation for download to Lion. A separate source says that an overnight product shift will take place sometime next week, with Apple retail store employees working through the night to ensure all Macs are upgraded to OS X 10.7 Lion. MacBook Airs to follow The report also claims that once the Lion refit is complete, the eagerly-anticipated MacBook Air refresh will arrive soon after, probably the following week. Apple is rumoured to be holding back on launching any new Macs until it can fit them all with a completed version of the new OS. With over 500 new features, the iOS-like desktop and laptop software refresh will be available for the ridiculously inexpensive £25. Source: AppleInsider

Bluetooth headsets don't make driving safer Posted: 07 Jul 2011 06:34 PM PDT A new report into traffic safety says there is no conclusive evidence that using a Bluetooth headset, rather than making a call on your handset, makes driving any safer. The report claims that portable gadgets are now responsible for 25 per cent of accidents in the United States and suggests that novice drivers be completely banned from using their cellphones while driving. Interestingly, the study reveals that there has been no fall in crash rates in US states where handheld phone use has been banned, hence the assumption that Bluetooth is no safer. The Governors Highway Safety Association in Washington D.C. reckons that up to half of crashes are caused by drivers being distracted and half of those are attributable to gadget use behind the wheel. Bad novices The GHSA reckons that while making a call can increase your chances of an accident somewhat, texting is a bigger contributor to crashes, and says new drivers are the worst offenders. "Novices are the highest-risk drivers. Their attention should be focused on driving, not on cell phone conversations... A ban reinforces this message... and helps parents manage their teenage drivers," the study claims. The non-profit group came to its findings by researching ten years of crash reports. So as well as looking like an idiot with your handsfree kit, both behind the wheel and on the street, you're no safer than you were before. Source: MSNBC Related Stories Samsung Galaxy S2 passes 3 million sales Explained: What is Android? A beginner's guide Review: LG Optimus 3D

Google+ population doubles as invites briefly re-open Posted: 07 Jul 2011 01:58 PM PDT Google briefly re-opened the invite process for its new Google+ social network in order to double users during the initial trial period. Following a phenomenal demand to join the new Facebook rival, Google closed invites last week, but late on Wednesday night members were once again allowed to invite their buddies to join. The invite mechanism has now closed again, presumably after Google racked-up enough new users to double the population. Last night engineering direct Dave Besbris posted on the Google+ site, explaining that the limited roll-out is to ensure that the network works properly and that bugs only affect a small amount of users. Growing slowly He said: "I wanted to take a moment to explain why we're growing the system slowly. First, we want to make sure our infrastructure scales so the service remains fast and reliable. "Second, we want to ensure that bugs are fixed while there are still a relatively few people in the field trial. "Things are going well with the systems right now so we feel comfortable enough to open up invites for a brief period. "Our goal is to double the user base in the field trial. (Sorry, we're not giving details about how many folks are in the field trial yet)." "So, in a few minutes, we'll open up invites again.We continue to throttle invites, so please don't mass invite folks as it won't work. If you invitea handfulof your most important friends and family you're much more likely to get these folks into our system." Google has yet to reveal when a full public launch will take place. Related Stories Zuckerberg: Google+ proves we're right about social's future Facebook and Skype hook-up will soon allow calls to phones Google explains apostrophe in "+1's" UK calls for world's cyberlaws to be tightened Spotify Premium likely to be cheaper in the US

Updated: iPad 3 rumours: what you need to know Posted: 07 Jul 2011 09:20 AM PDT The iPad 2 is out, and the rumour factory's already moved on: it's predicting iPad 3 specifications including chips, cameras and retina displays - with a little bit of help from mysterious, unnamed people who can't possibly be identified. How very convenient. So what's the word on the street about the next iPad? Read on to find out. But first, our colleagues at T3.com have rounded up the latest rumours in the iPad 3 video below: iPad 3 release date This is the biggest rumour of all: an iPad 3 mere months after the iPad 2. An unnamed Apple employee says that the iPad 2 was a bit of a rush job, and "the third generation iPad is the one to make a song and dance about." Respected Apple watcher John Gruber added fuel to that particular fire by strongly hinting that the iPad 3 release date will be in September 2011. Gruber, who was musing about the HP TouchPad's potential summer release said: "Summer feels like a long time away. "If my theory is right, they're not only going to be months behind the iPad 2, but if they slip until late summer, they might bump up against the release of the iPad 3." If Gruber is right about this and the iPad 3 features in an Apple autumn line-up, then it looks like Apple is going to start offering a new iPad every six months. Reuters reports that the new iPad 3 is due in the fourth quarter of the year. On 1 July, Digitimes reported that Taiwanese-based component suppliers were gearing up for production of iPad 3 and iPhone 5. The iPad 3 UK release date is a mystery With Apple apparently unable to meet demand for iPad 2, we'd expect a staggered release date for the iPad 3 too: if the US gets the iPad 3 in September, we'd expect the UK iPad 3 release date to be in October, or possibly even November. However, Apple could always follow the pattern it has with the previous two iPad launches and do it in the new year. The iPad 3 specs include a dual-core processor... It's possible that the iPad 3 will have a brand spanking new processor, Apple's A6, but if the rumoured release date is correct then time is awfully tight: we'd certainly expect to see an A5, not an A6, in the iPhone 5 when it turns up this summer. Apple may well surprise us, of course, but we'd expect to see the same processor and graphics as the iPad 2 in the iPad 3: an A5 processor with PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics. This one comes down to the iPad 3 release date: if it's 2011, expect an A5. If it's 2012, see below. ...unless iPad 3 has a quad-core processor If the A6 is the next stage in the line - and we don't see a new iPad until 2012 - we could also be looking at a quad-core chip from Apple. Quad-core designs will be coming from all ARM partners late this year. iPad 3 display A retina display was widely predicted for the iPad 2, but of course the current iPad doesn't have a double-resolution display: for now, that's something you'll only get in the iPhone 4. Could a Retina Display be one of the features Apple didn't quite get into the iPad 2? Could be! It's the very first thing on our iPad 3 wish list. Rumours of an HD screen on the iPad 3 gathered pace on 12 April 2011 when Digitimes reported that Apple is asking panel makers to provide screens that are capable of displaying higher image quality than the iPad 2. On 26 May 2011, we reported that the iPad 3 could launch with a Samsung-made AMOLED screen, following rumours that Apple has been in talks on the matter with Samsung execs. On 15 June we reported that the iOS 5 code hinted at a Retina Display for iPad 3. The iPad 3 hardware could include an NFC chip Apple's very interested in Near Field Communications, and one particularly tasty rumour at Cult of Mac suggests that the iPhone 5 will use NFC to take over nearby Macs, enabling you to use your data and settings with a flick of the wrist. Since the iPad 3 will follow the iPhone 5, if NFC's in one it'll probably be in the other too. The iPad 3 specifications will include more storage The iPad 2 has the familiar 16/32/64GB storage options, but as flash storage comes down in price a 128GB option for the iPad 3 isn't impossible - although that might depend on the current horrible situation in Asia, where the tsunami has caused chaos in parts of the electronics industry. The iPad 3 features could include a Thunderbolt port Two generations of USB-free iPads suggest that Apple just isn't interested in adding one, but the new Thunderbolt port found in the 2011 MacBook Pro could be another story: it's a combined accessory/display connector with astonishingly fast performance. There could be more than one iPad 3 TUAW says the iOS 5 code features new code files for USB devices in the iOS 5 firmware, Through this, TUAW found references to an iPad3,1 and an iPad3,2. The iPad 3 may live in the cloud This has been talked about and leaked about for so long that, on the same principle that even a stopped clock is right twice a day, it's bound to come true eventually: a cloud-based MobileMe for storing your stuff on Apple's servers. A new iPad with iOS 5 and a new MobileMe would be lots of fun. The iPad 3 specs might include an SD card slot This was widely predicted for iPad 2 and, like the retina display, didn't materialise. One for version 3, perhaps? Using a separate adapter to read camera cards is rather inelegant and clunky. The iPad 3 specification should include a better camera The rear-facing camera on the iPad 2 isn't brilliant: an iPhone 4 camera and flash would do nicely. The iPad 3 could feature a carbon fibre case Apple has hired a carbon fibre expert, senior composites engineer Kevin Kenney, fuelling speculation that the next iPad could be encased in the lightweight material. The iPad 3 price might be higher than the iPad 2 The iPad 2 didn't herald a price hike, but if the iPad 3's coming in September we don't think a massive iPad 2 price cut is very likely - which suggests that if the iPad 3 does appear then, it might be more of an iPad Pro - with a price to match. Could the iPad 3 actually be an iPad 2 Plus? An analyst has suggested that we could see an iPad 2 Plus on our Christmas wishlists. The so-called iPad 2 Plus isn't set to be a radical departure from the current iPad 2, with supply chain sources tipping an improved display (250-300 ppi as opposed to the current 132 ppi).

Review: SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB Posted: 07 Jul 2011 09:14 AM PDT Although the SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB gaming headset is compatible with PCs, and is perfectly good at playing music, it really comes into its own if used when playing games online on Xbox 360. In games where communicating with teammates is essential, this is a fantastic headset. Not only does the unobtrusive microphone (similar to the SteelSeries Siberia V2's mic) pick up voices incredibly well, the SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB comes with the SteelSeries AudioMixer. This is an inline remote with two volume controls – one for voice and the other for game audio. It connects to the Xbox 360 controller, so you don't have to move your hands far to adjust the volumes. When using these headphones online, we found the ability to alter these two volumes on the fly incredibly useful – it can make a real difference in competitive team-based games. The excellent comfort of the headphones meant that we didn't feel uncomfortable, even during the longest online matches. The sound quality is good enough, but it has neither the depth nor the 5.1 surround sound positioning of its competitors. The real selling points of this set are the SteelSeries AudioMixer and Xbox 360 compatibility – if you're a serious gamer, then the SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB can really help improve your game. Related Stories Review: Samson Meteor USB Microphone Review: CM Storm Sentinel Z3RO-G Review: Fellowes Health V Easy Gliding Palm Support Review: Jabra Extreme Review: Xebec Tech M-touch Mouse

Review: Xebec Tech M-touch Mouse Posted: 07 Jul 2011 09:09 AM PDT The Xebec Tech M-touch Mouse isn't your average peripheral, but more of a hybrid of a traditional mouse and the multi-touch track pads you find on laptops. It's certainly an ambitious device, although it doesn't quite pull it off. The top of the mouse is completely flat. There are no buttons, but if you click the top right side you get a right mouse click, and the top left provides a left mouse click. Instead of a middle scroll wheel you drag your finger up and down the surface. When we tried this, it exposed a flaw – it can be difficult to drag your finger across the surface without moving the mouse as well. Using the scroll wheel – and the two buttons, for that matter – on standard mice is so much easier. Things aren't made any easier by the fact that the touch-sensitive parts of the Xebec Tech M-touch Mouse don't cover the entire surface, and there's no indication where the touch surface begins and ends. We found ourselves fruitlessly clicking parts of the mouse that weren't responsive. The Xebec Tech M-touch Mouse looks very nice, but is it worth struggling with it when an uglier mouse will do the job much better? The size and shape of the mouse is also quite uncomfortable to use, and while the 1000 DPI sensor makes it perfectly responsive, it really feels like this is a product where aesthetic choices have been made at the expense of function and comfort. Related Stories Review: Samson Meteor USB Microphone Review: CM Storm Sentinel Z3RO-G Review: Fellowes Health V Easy Gliding Palm Support Review: Jabra Extreme Review: SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB

Nintendo Wii U will have 3D support Posted: 07 Jul 2011 09:05 AM PDT The Nintendo Wii U has the ability to support 3D games, but Nintendo won't be focusing on this feature when it is launched in 2012. This is according to Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo – who was speaking to MercuryNews about its 3D capabilities. "If you are going to connect Wii U with a home TV capable of displaying 3D images, technologically, yes, it is going to be possible, but that's not the area we are focusing on," he explained. "When it comes to 3D, we already have the 3DS, and each owner of the Nintendo 3DS is capable of viewing 3D images." Wii U, me, who? Iwata notes that the reason it is not focusing on the 3D side of gaming is because consumers aren't hungry enough for the technology at the moment. "However, when it comes to the home console, it depends upon the availability of 3D TV sets at home, which, unfortunately, is not expanding enough," Iwata revealed. "And rather than pouring a lot of energy into that kind of area, with the Wii U we'd like to focus more on each Wii U owner being able to have an equal opportunity to enjoy it." The Nintendo Wii U UK release date has been pencilled in for April 2012.

BSkyB takeover decision pushed to September Posted: 07 Jul 2011 09:00 AM PDT The government will not make a decision on the News Corp takeover of BSkyB has been delayed until September, although the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has insisted that it is not a delay. The controversial takeover was expected to be completed by the time Parliament breaks up on 19 July, but a reported surge in public complaints may have increased the timeline. "The Secretary of State has always been clear that he will take as long as is needed to reach a decision," stated a DCMS release on the subject "There is no 'delay' since there has been no set timetable for a further announcement." Complaints Sky News is reporting that 60,000 complaints in the past week or so could be responsible, in what will be seen as another kick for News Corp following a terrible week. With allegations over phone tapping dominating the headlines, Rupert Murdoch's empire is under huge scrutiny, and the Sky takeover remains highly controversial. As part of the terms of the deal Sky News would be spun into a separate company, but there remains concerns over the sheer weight of UK media that would be owned by News Corp if the deal is finally greenlit. Related Stories BBC Olympics head: 3D looks odd for some sports BBC Olympics head: 3D sports can look odd Panasonic: Hollywood damaged 3D Review: One For All SV 9390 Review: SkyHD Digibox

Review: Verbatim Store 'n' Go USB 3.0 External SSD Posted: 07 Jul 2011 08:42 AM PDT The Verbatim Store 'n' Go USB 3.0 External SSD has a relatively small storage space of 32GB. This is not an external hard drive for storing thousands of digital photos, movies and music. For backing up important office documents, the 32GB should be plenty of space. If it's not, you can also get 64GB and 128GB versions, with slight increases in speed the larger the capacity. The physical size of the Verbatim Store 'n' Go USB 3.0 External SSD makes it much easier to carry around and plug into different computers than a standard external hard drive. The convenience of an external hard drive this size cannot be overstated. Of course, with small sizes comes great responsibility – a drive this size could easily get lost. However, it won't look out of place plugged into a media centre PC in your front room, or attached to a router as a NAS device. As far as speeds go, the Verbatim Store 'n' Go USB 3.0 External SSD took a very good 18 seconds to transfer our 1GB test file, and scored an average write speed of 60.11MB/s and a read speed of 129.06MB/s in our benchmarks when plugged into the super speed USB 3.0 socket. This is a performance that puts most USB flash drives to shame.

Review: Creative Aurvana In-Ear3 Posted: 07 Jul 2011 08:19 AM PDT Sound quality is something that regularly gets overlooked. Everyone raves about the amazing picture quality of Blu-ray discs, for example. But how often do you hear anyone say anything about how good the audio is, even though it's utterly brilliant compared to what you get on a DVD? Seeing is believing, as they say, and with sound… well, you can't see it, can you? The human brain is much better at capturing visual memories than audio ones, too, so it's much easier to look at a TV and say 'that looks better than the other one' than to switch between headphones and work out which sounds better. The way this usually pans out on the street is that people will drop £200 on a new iPod but they won't bother to buy a decent set or headphones to go with it. The audio market is further muddied by the fact that there are many so-called premium audio brands out there that claim to offer studio-quality sound, while actually delivering something distinctly mediocre – Beats by Dr. Dre, anyone? For those who care though, there are lots of genuinely brilliant earphone and headphone products out there. And we're happy to report that the Creative Aurvana In-ear3 earphones are pretty good, too. They're noise-isolating rather than noise-cancelling, and they do a fantastic job of blocking out external noise. The PR blurb claims 98 per cent of outside noises are blocked by the 'AuraSeal' design and we can't fault them on this score. If noise isolation is top of your feature list, these earphones are about as good as it gets. However, that's not to say they're the best earphones in the world. They're not. We're always perplexed as to why some companies coat their cables in grippy rubber. Sure, it means the wires grip your clothes and don't jangle about as much when you're on the move. But the downside is that they're just so difficult to untangle when they emerge from a bag in inevitable and inexplicable super-knots. Sound quality is head and shoulders above most bundled earphones, and obviously a lot better than ones that cost a bit less. Each unit packs two drivers, one a woofer and the other a tweeter. Bass, midrange and highs are all recreated smoothly without any imbalance. But that price… these earphones cost £129.99 on launch, which is a lot of cash to drop on a pair of earphones. If you value sound quality though, and you've got money to spend, you probably wouldn't be disappointed by them. That said, shop around a bit and you'll find some models in other ranges from the likes of Shure, which offer similar sound quality for a lot less cash.

Amazon Appstore gets to keep its name Posted: 07 Jul 2011 08:04 AM PDT A judge in the US has ruled that Apple cannot stop Amazon from using the term 'appstore'. According to the ruling in response to Apple's preliminary injunction request, Apple has not established that Amazon's use of the term will confuse consumers. Apple does have a trademark pending on the App Store name, however, which may lead to further litigation in the future. The company is already battling Microsoft on the trademark front, with Ballmer's bunch trying to block the Cupertino crew's claim on the App Store name. Order in the court Judge Phyllis Hamilton wrote an eighteen-page document giving her opinion on the Amazon matter, saying, "First, Apple has not established that its "App Store" mark is famous, in the sense of being 'prominent' and 'renowned'. "The evidence does show that Apple has spent a great deal of money on advertising and publicity, and has sold/provided/furnished a large number of apps from its App Store, and the evidence also reflects actual recognition of the "App Store" mark. "However, there is also evidence that the term "app store" is used by other companies as a descriptive term for a place to obtain software applications for mobile devices." Meanwhile, the actual Apple App Store has just sailed past the 15 bililon downloads milestone. A rose by any other name, and all that.

Review: Jabra Extreme Posted: 07 Jul 2011 08:03 AM PDT The Jabra Extreme is a Bluetooth headset that comes with a USB dongle for connecting it to a PC. It features excellent noise cancelling technology through two built-in microphones, and in our tests we found that it worked brilliantly, blocking out the background noise and making Skype calls feel less strained. The sound quality is also excellent, some of the best we've heard on a Bluetooth headset of this size. The small size of the Jabra Extreme headset makes it easy to carry about, but it's not that comfortable to use, with the volume control buttons in particular being a little too much on the small side, meaning they're fiddly to use. The Jabra Extreme comes with two sizes of in-ear headphones, although we found both to be a little uncomfortable, and definitely not something you'd want to have in your ear all day long. Pairing up the Jabra Extreme to a PC or Bluetooth is incredibly easy – it took us just a few minutes to connect it up to a smartphone and a PC, and it accepted calls from both without any problems. This is an excellent Bluetooth headset that offers excellent noise cancelling and sound quality and is very easy to set up and use. Its only major flaw is that it can feel uncomfortable when used for long periods of time. Related Stories Review: Samson Meteor USB Microphone Review: CM Storm Sentinel Z3RO-G Review: Fellowes Health V Easy Gliding Palm Support Review: SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB Review: Xebec Tech M-touch Mouse

10 features Google+ needs to challenge Facebook Posted: 07 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT Is Google+ a legitimate threat to Facebook or just another half-baked social network? The service already shows promise as the latest challenger to the throne with features for selectively posting content, chatting in a private hub called a Hangout, and viewing a news stream that suits your tastes. The clean interface is attractive and ad-free, but Google needs to add new features quickly before the full rollout. Here are ten we want. 1. Improve Circles Circles is a brilliant idea - Google obviously picked the one feature in Facebook that has never worked right. You can post messages to select groups, but Facebook still maintains a general feed for your profile. Anyone you have friended can see your profile. With Google+, you can select who sees the content you post. Still, it is a bit simplistic. We'd like to see sub-categories under each Circle and a better way to add users en masse, especially from one entire account like Twitter. 2. Analytics dashboard For a company that practically invented analytics (with Google Analytics), we're surprised there are few reporting features. You can't see a daily summary of new (and lost) followers, and there is no scorecard that shows whether other users are re-posting your content and commenting - it needs something like SproutSocial (below). A daily snapshot would help motivate new users to engage with the service more. And, a feature that even shows whether people are clicking on your links, similar to the Bit.ly link-shortener, would also help add some value that Facebook lacks. 3. iPhone/iPad app Anyone with an Android smartphone can download the Google+ app, but that leaves out iPhone and BlackBerry users. The iPhone app would be particularly useful for those who rely on a contacts database on the road - with Google+, it would be easy to find new colleagues and chat with co-workers, or even find new business customers. We'd also welcome a tablet version where you can drag contacts into Circles and chat over the built-in camera. This is reported to be imminent, so we'll see. 4. Search by interest and occupation Right now, Google+ only lets you search for other users by name. That's disappointing, given that Google is the biggest name in search. We'd like to see a way to search for people with common interests, or even who work in the same field. There are few features for searching by location, and you can't even find former classmates or colleagues. 5. Better Twitter integration The Extended Share for Google Plus extension for Chrome lets you send your posts to Twitter and Facebook, but we want a feature that works the other way, Google+ is the new kid on the block. For those who post on Twitter exclusively, and then feed those posts to other services and a blog, we want to the ability to send posts to Google+ as the service ramps up and more people start signing up over the next few months. 6. Facebook import Speaking of better integration, we'd also like to see an "import from Facebook" feature. Facebook closes their data from the world - you can't export all of your photos, for example. Tools like Facebook Friend Exporter could have solved the problem, but Facebook has blocked the tool. A workaround is to import all of your contacts to Yahoo Mail, then import the Yahoo contact into Google+. Can't we all just get along? Google should be able to make a Facebook Connect feature to bring in your friends from the competing service using OAuth. 7. Block Inappropriate content You can post a rude picture on Google+ without any warning. That's a sign of an early beta. Google told us that explicit content can be flagged, but Facebook does a much better job of analysing images and blocking those that would be offensive. Google has an image recognition tech baked inside Google Search; they need to get those engineers in the same room. 8. More control over public data Google+ is a more public social network than Facebook, and that is a good thing. The indexes are fully searchable from Google.com. Yet, we'd like a way to control that. You might decide to create an account for your business and post publicly to other users, but would prefer that your posts were not searchable. Privacy is a bit weak overall; the service has a few bugs related to blocking users (the blocking does not work at first) that need to be ironed out. 9. Errant message warning The ability to post messages to a select few is a welcome feature. We like the interface for posting a message to just a couple of friends, and it works like a direct message in Twitter. You can also post content to select groups. However, it is too easy to send an errant message. For example, if you type a private message and forget to remove the "public: circle, Google+ does not warn you at all. Either private messages need to be separated out or there needs to be an opportunity to verify the people who will see your message are the ones you wanted. 10. More interface options Surprisingly, Google+ offers no options at all for changing the interface -- you can't change colour schemes, use more than one column for your feed, and even add widgets. This is an early stage, and we're not wishing that Google+ follow in the MySpace footsteps with highly customized pages, but some UI flexibility would help. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related Stories Hands on: Google+ review

Apple App Store passes 15 billion downloads mark Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:30 AM PDT Apple has revealed that its App Store has hit another massive milestone, announcing that it has reached the 15 billion downloads mark. The App Store has been open since July 2008 and has been a massive success for the company – you only have to look at the copycat services that have spawned off the back of the store being released. Currently, there are 425,000 apps on the Apple App Store, and there are 200 million iOS devices out in the wild. Apple has done the maths for us and it means that on average 75 apps for every iOS device. Exciting and successful Speaking about the milestone, Phil Schiller of Apple said: "In just three years, the revolutionary App Store has grown to become the most exciting and successful software marketplace the world has ever seen. "Thank you to all of our amazing developers who have filled it with over 425,000 of the coolest apps and to our over 200 million iOS users for surpassing 15 billion downloads." Apple has every reason to thank the developers. For every paid-for app sold, it gets a 30 per cent cut. To put the number of apps sold into context, Google launched the Android Market in August 2008 and it said in May that it has hit the 4.5 billion app mark. Google is thought to have around 100 million devices in the market at the moment.

Three confirms BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 UK release date Posted: 07 Jul 2011 06:31 AM PDT Three has confirmed the UK release date for the BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900, which was announced in May. The handset will be hitting the numerical network on 15 September in black, with a white version to land a month later in October. What we don't know yet, however, is the BlackBerry Bold Touch's UK pricing. Speccy The handset brings a handy little touchscreen to the physical QWERTY party, as well as a 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor, NFC and a 5MP camera. Unfortunately for BlackBerry fans, this will mean that it's taken RIM eight months to launch a single smartphone in 2011. O2 and Vodafone have also announced their intentions to sell the Bold Touch 9900; no doubt we'll start to see release dates and prices trickling in from all the networks towards the end of the summer. Related Stories Orange Monte Carlo officially unveiled iPhone 5: thinner, faster, stronger, trickier to build? Bumper Samsung Galaxy S2 sales limit profits slide In Depth: Best internet phone: how to choose the right one Nokia: We'll support MeeGo for years

New Jessops Android photo app arrives Posted: 07 Jul 2011 06:29 AM PDT Jessops has introduced a new photography app for Android users. With the new app, users are able to browse their phone's photo albums and choose their favourites to print and have delivered to their door in either 6x4 or 7x5 inch formats. This is the first app to appear on the Android Market from Jessops, who introduced an iPhone app earlier in the year which allows users to order a printed iPhone shaped photo album made up of 12 photos. Currently on the Android Market there are lots of photo sharing and wireless photo printing apps for home printers, but Jessops appears to be the first UK high street brand to offer a photo print ordering service. Order from your phone With some Android phones now boasting high megapixel cameras, such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 which is equipped with an 8MP camera and LED flash, having the ability to order prints directly from a phone saves you the bother of downloading photos to your computer, or visiting a photo printing machine in a high street store. Photographers can also edit phone photos on the move with myriad photo editing Android Apps currently available in the Market, such as Photoshop Express and TouchRetouch. The new Jessops Photo Android App is available free from the Android Market, for more information, visit the Jessops website for more details.

How fast can Windows 8 run on ARM? Posted: 07 Jul 2011 05:17 AM PDT Among the many Windows 8 topics that Microsoft hasn't discussed is what ARM performance is going to be like. After all, while Windows ARM tablets will have dual core or quad core cpus running at a 1.8 or 2.5GHz speed – faster than most netbook Atom processors and the Celerons in cheap ultraportables, or even ultra-low power Core i5s - what does that mean for an operating system as complex as Windows? Windows 8: everything you need to know One of the key features will be the GPU. That's what IE10 relies on to get fast performance using hardware accelerationand IE10 is the engine powering the Windows 8 touch interface and the new breed of Web apps. ARM has been suggesting recently that its Mali GPU will be as fast as Xbox graphics within 18 months but there are other options already; both Texas Instruments and Qualcomm have announced ARM SoC packages for Windows 8 with powerful GPUs in, and Nvidia's quad core Kal-El Tegra (coming in Android tablets this year) will have 12 GPU cores in. USE THE CORES: Performance on ARM is about how well the OS handles multi-threading (and how well apps like IE take advantage of that) The lead program manager on the IE team, Rob Mauceri, pointed out to TechRadar how important the hardware acceleration and multicore support in IE is for the new Web worker feature, which is what will make those Web apps run fast. What does Windows on SoC mean for Windows 8? "In same way we take compiled JavaScript and run it in the background with Chakra [IE's fast JavaScript engine], we can take that script as it's compiled for a worker and execute that across multiple cores. This is really some of the power in why workers are so interesting because you can keep that main thread running for user responsiveness while other calculations are going on." GPU FAST: The browser subsystems that speed up in IE using hardware acceleration will speed up Windows 8 on ARM as well But does that still hold true for browsers on mobile devices as well, like phones (or, say, ARM Windows tablets)? That's up to the OS, he told us. "It depends really on the operating system and the underlying support that's there for threading. Multi-threading has existed on single core chips and systems for years and it's really about the scheduling that the operating system does and how efficiently it does that. I think we'll see [mobile] hardware improve over time and more and more multicore CPUs on there - and at the same time it's really the OS and the interactions that you have there that enables it." Does 64-bit matter? While almost every PC that ships now is running the 64-bit version Windows, despite rumours ARM still hasn't publicly announced a 64-bit chip and all the ARM processors announced for Windows are 32-bit. That's not a problem for performance because while there are cases where 64-bit processing can be faster (because you can work with more of a media file at a time), in general 32-bit processing will actually be faster. Jason Weber is responsible for performance in IE and he doesn't see 64-bit support being significant for browsers at this point. "Even a hefty JavaScript app is not physically that big to manipulate in memory. And when you move to 64-bit, you have 64-bit pointers – they're twice as big so you have more data to move." That wouldn't slow down Chakra significantly; "it would be about the same speed on 32 and 64-bit but there's a definite overhead." As with Office on the ARM version of Windows, IE 10 on ARM is more than just an app Microsoft has to have running well (and it's about more than the user interface and Web apps that IE will power, important as they are). IE and Office are proof points; if Microsoft can port the full versions of Office and IE to ARM, then ARM on Windows is the same powerful operating system it is on Intel processors. Microsoft is doing all the right things to make Windows, IE and Web apps perform well on ARM. Developers of other applications are going to have to think about the same multi-threaded, GPU-accelerated way of programming to make sure that Windows apps can run fast on ARM as well.

Illegal movie downloads still on the up Posted: 07 Jul 2011 05:00 AM PDT Illegal film downloads have increased by 30 per cent in the last five years in the UK, according to new research from consultancy firm Envisional. These lawless ways, it seems, are down to the rise of faster broadband and an insatiable eagerness to get immediate access to movies, rather than waiting for their legitimate release. The research showed that torrenting films is still far more widespread than illegally nabbing TV episodes, games, software or music albums, with the top five box office hits of last year (including Toy Story 3, Inception and Harry Potter) illegally downloaded 1.4 million times. High price to pay The film industry claims that pirating films is costing it £170 million every year, putting 'thousands' of jobs at risk. Then again, that's only about half of what Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End cost to make and we could live without a few of these dodgy sequels if you want to recoup your losses, Hollywood. Dr David Price, who led the research team, blamed the rising piracy on technological advancements, "We've seen increases in technology like faster broadband. The methods of piracy have become easier, with quicker downloads and easier to find content. "We have a generation online now who aren't really bothered about downloading things illegally. "Finally it's an issue of availability - there's a lot of American content which a lot of people are desperate to download that they can't get hold of legitimately." Related Stories Sony is 'most valued' brand in Asia Microsoft and Steve Ballmer to kick off CES 2012

PlayStation Suite gets shown off in S1 video Posted: 07 Jul 2011 04:59 AM PDT A video has surfaced that shows off just what the PlayStation Suite will look like on the Sony S1 – the company's Honeycomb tablet. The Sony S1 is an Android tablet that's hoping to take on the might of the iPad. While this sounds like a pretty impossible task, it has got a trick up its sleeve in the form of the Sony PlayStation Suite. This service will bring PlayStation One games to the tablet, much like what we have seen with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. Tablet talk The specs of the Sony S1 tablet are impressive. It's been given a 9.4-inch display, has a 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 chip inside and has a lip on the back for easier holding when you are using the tablet in situ. The video that has been released was originally posted on Notebook Italia and shows the layout of the PlaySation Suite and some of the content you will find when the service launches with the S1. The Sony S1 UK release date has been reported as early September, which means we will get a Sony S1 hands on at IFA 2011.

Nokia: We'll support MeeGo for years Posted: 07 Jul 2011 04:41 AM PDT If you were one of the many checking out our early look at the Nokia N9 and salivating at the thought of playing with a fancy and slick new operating system, you were probably also terribly sad that Nokia seemed to not care about the new OS. So we're happy to be able to bring you much better news: while Nokia tells us that Windows Phone is still its 'primary smartphone strategy', a recent tweet has shown that the Finns will be supporting the new OS for years to come. Klas Strom, Head of Portfolio Management in Marketing for Nokia, said: "We will support #NokiaN9 for years AND release several SW updates... #nottoworry :)" Anything more? He sadly refused to be pushed by Twitter users on what this means for the MeeGo platform, but if it's supporting the Nokia N9 for a long time yet, then Nokia must hope that the platform will be successful - which will surely mean more MeeGo-powered phones, right? The Nokia N9 brought a raft of differences over the oft-maligned but much-used Symbian platform, including more advanced multi-tasking, a new homescreen layout and easier icon management. Nokia recently told TechRadar that it will be bringing 'many of the innovations seen in the new N9 to future Nokia products', so combined with the new Tweet, the future looks a little bit brighter for a MeeGo range of devices from the Finns. Related Stories Orange Monte Carlo officially unveiled iPhone 5: thinner, faster, stronger, trickier to build? Bumper Samsung Galaxy S2 sales limit profits slide In Depth: Best internet phone: how to choose the right one Three confirms BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 UK release date

UK calls for world's cyberlaws to be tightened Posted: 07 Jul 2011 04:12 AM PDT The UK Home Office has appealed to the rest of the world to tighten up their cyberlaws, explaining that web criminals are "not inconvenienced by national boundaries". Speaking at an event in London, crime and security minister James Brokenshire said that there needs to be some sort of international agreement about the punishment of cybercriminals, so that there aren't countries in the world that are seen as a safe haven. Currently, there is a European convention of Cybercrime but, Brokenshire wants this to be expanded so that the likes of Russia and China are singing from the same cyber song sheet. Global problem "Cybercrime is a truly global problem that demands a global response," explained Brokenshire. And speaking to Zdnet, he noted: "People recognise that we need appropriate legal frameworks in place. Partnership is key." With the on-going hack attacks on high-profile companies, cybercrime is hitting the front pages more and more, making it all the more apparent that some sort of global response is needed. Related Stories Zuckerberg: Google+ proves we're right about social's future Facebook and Skype hook-up will soon allow calls to phones Google explains apostrophe in "+1's" Google+ population doubles as invites briefly re-open Spotify Premium likely to be cheaper in the US

Google explains apostrophe in "+1's" Posted: 07 Jul 2011 03:15 AM PDT Google has explained itself to those questioning its decision to put an apostrophe in "+1's", with a humorous post thanking people for caring and insisting that it is correct to include it. Google has found people asking why +1's would have an apostrophe at all, with people pointing out that it is not a contraction or a possessive. However, Google reasons that "It's also acceptable to use an apostrophe to add clarity and make sure people read words as intended - for example, when your school teacher tells you to mind your p's and q's." Font of all knowledge Plus, the search giant is worried that, "in certain fonts, a 1 looks quite a bit like a lowercase L. So we use +1's to avoid showing you something that looks like +ls. "Adding an apostrophe makes terms like +1's, +1'd, and +1'ing easier to read quickly." Rest assured that Google is taking this all very seriously and not making fun of you grammar nerds at all: "Thank you for caring enough about grammar to read this article. You're exactly the type of person for whom this answer was written." Related Stories Zuckerberg: Google+ proves we're right about social's future Facebook and Skype hook-up will soon allow calls to phones UK calls for world's cyberlaws to be tightened Google+ population doubles as invites briefly re-open Spotify Premium likely to be cheaper in the US

Apple to launch iPad 2 Plus later this year? Posted: 07 Jul 2011 03:02 AM PDT The suggestion that Apple will launch a new iPad model this autumn is the rumour that refuses to die; but rather than the iPad 3, an analyst has now suggested that we could see an iPad 2 Plus on our Christmas wishlists. The so-called iPad 2 Plus isn't set to be a radical departure from the current iPad 2, with supply chain sources tipping an improved display (250-300 ppi as opposed to the current 132 ppi). "There are some indications from the supply chain that Apple may look to introduce an 'iPad 2 Plus' device as they put out request for quotes from various component suppliers for this marginally different device," writes Craig Berger from FBR Capital Markets. Aspersions We're not always convinced by analyst notes, but given the robustness of the autumn iPad rumour, some kind of tablet launch from Apple does seem to be on the cards. Noted Apple botherer John Gruber first suggested an autumn iPad 3 launch, was then backed up by Reuters' anonymous sources and noted rumour mongerers Digitimes. Still, we won't be too surprised not to see a new iPad launch in September or October, particularly given that Berger himself casts aspersions on the rumblings: "While we find this new commentary interesting, we await more confirming data points from other supply chain contacts before fully believing a new iPad device is coming in 2011." Related Stories In Depth: Top 10 best HP TouchPad apps Opinion: How the Eee Pad points to the future

Review: Verbatim Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard Posted: 07 Jul 2011 03:00 AM PDT Almost 15 years ago, PDAs such as the Sony Clié or Pocket PC were the best means of carrying your data around with you. Their admittedly modest success spawned a range of keyboards that docked with your touchscreen device. Over time, these keyboards grew into mechanical marvels that folded very small for portability, but gave a typing experience to rival a notebook. These days, smartphones and tablets are the touchscreen portables of choice, and most mobile keyboards favour Bluetooth connectivity. But if this Verbatim Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard is anything to go by, lessons learned by PDA keyboards 15 years ago urgently need revisiting. The open keyboard is 32cm wide, folding down to 16x10x2cm when closed. We've seen smaller, but it's portable enough and comes with a handy leather slipcase. It has a slideout stand for the iPhone, but it's flimsy and certainly won't hold an iPad. Indeed, the build quality overall isn't fantastic by any means. To make matters worse, key positioning has been compromised for space. Things are not quite where they should be, making typing at length a chore. The tiny backspace key and split spacebar are especially annoying. It sits flat on the desk too, with no stands to speak of to raise it to a comfortable typing angle. The keyboard has useful media keys for listening to your music as you type, and the arrow keys make it easier to highlight text and use the cut, copy and paste functions, but overall, it's difficult to recommend. It's okay for SMS, short emails and updating your Facebook status or Twitter feeds, but this keyboard is certainly not for serious typing.

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