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• Apple invites Mac OS X Lion app submissions
• iOS 5 Beta 3 arrives, brings Assistive Touch feature
• Windows Phone still "very small" admits Ballmer
• Ballmer: Windows 8 will be 'dawning' for Microsoft slates
• Anonymous promising 'biggest day in its history' on Tuesday
• Facebook music service to be called Facebook Vibes?
• Updated: Windows 8: everything you need to know
• News Corp changes tack in BSkyB bid
• Hands-on: Olympus PEN E-P3 review
• Updated: Windows 8 tablets: what you need to know
• Updated: PS4 rumours: what you need to know about the PlayStation 4
• New Polaroid portable instant printer
• Review: Canon PowerShot A800
• Guardian Zeitgeist announced for HP TouchPad
• First e-reader with integrated Google eBooks announced
• Steadicam video stabiliser for iPhone now available
• Interview: Dell design lead talks carbon fibre, Windows 8 touch and more
• GetJar responds to Apple's 'app store' legal letter
• Bowers & Wilkins unveils first ever in-ear headphones
• Updated: Wii U: all the latest details
• Kindle version of the Guardian announced
• Is Google too close to the UK government?
• Review: Matrix Mini-i DAC
• Review: Sony KDL-40HX723
• Video: Television buyer's guide

Apple invites Mac OS X Lion app submissions Posted: 11 Jul 2011 11:40 PM PDT The imminent arrival of Mac OS X Lion seems a little more imminent after Apple emailed developers inviting submissions for the Mac App Store. In an email to app makers Apple says that the new desktop and laptop OS will "soon be available to millions of Mac users around the world," but doesn't specify exactly when. The company wants app submissions for Lion's Mac App Store so they can be readily available to download when the operating system is given a rubber stamp. Game-changer Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is largely expected to become available for download later this week or early next week, boasting an iOS-like interface and 250 new features. MacRumors points out that Apple asked for iOS 4 submissions 11 days before launch, but the site doesn't expect Lion to take that long. It'll be the first version of Apple's game-changing OS X platform that won't be available to buy on physical media and will be downloadable for the extremely reasonable price of £25. The launch of Lion is expected to trigger the release of the long-awaited 2011 MacBook Air refresh, which are thought to feature Intel's Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt connectivity. Related Stories Report: Apple Stores preparing for Lion launch next week Apple to test full HD 1080p iTunes movies? iOS 5 Beta 3 arrives, brings Assistive Touch feature

iOS 5 Beta 3 arrives, brings Assistive Touch feature Posted: 11 Jul 2011 11:21 PM PDT Apple has unleashed the third iOS 5 Beta version for developers ahead of the planned public launch later this year. The latest version sees the company activate the new Assistive Touch feature for iPad, which has appeared in the settings of previous Betas, but has now become functional. Assistive Touch is an accessibility setting for users who may find it difficult to operate some of the iPad's functionality. Custom gestures So, for example pressing on a designated corner of the screen will summon a menu which will allow users to control the device's volume, lock screen and shake settings. It'll also work for gestures such as pinch and swipe and enable the creation of custom gestures. Aside from Assistive Touch, there isn't much else to report with the latest developer Beta aside from a few speed tweeks and slightly enhanced location settings. The public launch of iOS 5 isn't expected until Apple decides to unleash the iPhone 5 handset, which is thought to be sometime in September. Source: MacRumors Related Stories Report: Apple Stores preparing for Lion launch next week Apple to test full HD 1080p iTunes movies? Apple invites Mac OS X Lion app submissions

Windows Phone still "very small" admits Ballmer Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has admitted that the Windows Phone platform has struggled to gain traction in the mobile OS market, almost year after it was launched. After celebrating the monumental success of 400m Windows 7 PC licenses sold, Ballmer revealed that the mobile side of the business still has a long way to go to make a name for itself. He told the company's Worldwide Partner Conference in LA: "Phones? We've gone from very small to very small but it's been a heck of a year. "And you're going to see a lot of progress in that competitive market this year," he added. Bring on Mango It is estimated that Windows Phone, despite producing what is widely regarded as an excellent OS with a host of top manufacturers on board, has only managed to pick up 1 per cent of the market. Later this year the company will provide the Mango update for all users which will boast 500-plus changes. The first Nokia-built Windows Phone device will also arrive later this year, a partnership which is considered integral to the continued success of both entities. Related Stories Bluetooth headsets don't make driving safer

Ballmer: Windows 8 will be 'dawning' for Microsoft slates Posted: 11 Jul 2011 12:56 PM PDT Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says that the Windows 8 operating system will bring about a new dawn for PCs and Windows-powered tablets. Speaking at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Los Angeles, the big man also revealed that Windows 7 has become the fastest selling OS of all time. He said: "Windows 8 really does represent a true re-imagining of Windows PCs and the dawning of Windows slates." Windows CFO Tami Reller added: "We see a future with a heterogeneous enterprise environment of Windows 8 devices and apps alongside Windows 7 PCs and apps. "At the heart of our ability to deliver Windows 8 is the flexibility Windows has consistently shown; its ability to adapt over time is what ensures Windows will continue to be highly relevant in the future." The next Windows 8 announcement will come at Microsoft's BUILD conference in September this year. Windows 7 record Ballmer and Reller were speaking as Microsoft announced that it has sold a whopping 400m Windows 7 licenses, making it the fastest selling OS ever. The record comes less than two years after Microsoft launched the Windows 7 OS in October 2009, and represents an astonishing comeback for the company following the disaster that was Windows Vista. On its first birthday in October 2010, Microsoft revealed that 240m licenses had been sold, and that number has continued to rise proportionately by reaching the 400m mark. Source: Seattle Times

Anonymous promising 'biggest day in its history' on Tuesday Posted: 11 Jul 2011 12:19 PM PDT Anonymous has threatened to attack the computer systems of the Metropolitan Police and the UK judiciary system, in what it promises will be its 'biggest day' ever The Guardian is reporting that senior figures within that hacking collective have ominously predicted that that tomorrow (Tuesday) will be "the biggest day in Anonymous's history." Anonymous is said to be targeting the police following revelations that officers took money from News International reporters as well as expressing anger over the phone hacking scandal. Twitter revelations Twitter account, @anonymouSabu, believed to belong to Sabu, a leading member of the collective posted: "ATTN: Tomorrow will be two of the biggest releases for Anonymous in the last 4 years. Everyone brace. This is literally explosive." He went on to post: "IT'S COMING! GET READY. INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY BRACE YOURSELVES." Assange The group is also a staunch supporter of Wikileaks head Julian Assange and the master-leaker begins his appeal against extradition from the UK on sex charges on Tuesday. The court hearing is also said to be a focus of Anonymous's promised Tuesday onslaught. Related Stories In Depth: The United Kingdom's secret firewall Promoted Tweets coming to your timeline Google+ notification spam caused by lack of disk space Is Google too close to the UK government? Facebook music service to be called Facebook Vibes?

Facebook music service to be called Facebook Vibes? Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:28 AM PDT A software developer has discovered a string of code that suggests that Facebook's long-rumoured music service will be called Facebook Vibes. Jeff Rose spotted that the code, which relates to the social network's recently released video chat feature, includes reference to another app, "facebook.vibes". In a blog post, he writes, "The vibes app connects with a music download dialog in the page though, so I'm guessing that with this release we are seeing the seeds for Facebook's upcoming music offering." Just vibing, man The name was just about the only thing that hadn't leaked about Facebook's upcoming music dashboard, with rumours circling that it will launch in August. The social network looks set to use Facebook Connect and integrate a music player into the site's newsfeed page, housing it in a tab on the left hand side of the page. Zuckerberg and his cronies have apparently already inked a deal with Spotify, with rumours suggesting that other music services are also set to come on board. Related Stories In Depth: The United Kingdom's secret firewall Promoted Tweets coming to your timeline Google+ notification spam caused by lack of disk space Is Google too close to the UK government? Anonymous promising 'biggest day in its history' on Tuesday

Updated: Windows 8: everything you need to know Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:15 AM PDT The Windows 8 picture is becoming clearer. Following on from the slides allegedly leaked in June 2010 by a software engineer at HP, Microsoft has now outed more details about the interface design. Microsoft says Windows 8 is a reimagining of Windows, "from the chip to the interface". It says that "a Windows 8-based PC is really a new kind of device, one that scales from touch-only small screens through to large screens, with or without a keyboard and mouse." Opinion: Windows 8 could make you rethink buying iPad 3 Indeed, the new OS appears to have two completely separate interfaces - one, a traditional (and, on the surface of it, unchanged) Windows desktop and the other a new touch-based interface that borrows heavily from Windows Phone. Actually, as you'll see, it basically is Windows Phone. You can move seamlessly between the interfaces and even have both on screen at the same time. So that leads us to believe there will be a single OS for tablets and traditional PCs. This shows the transition between the interfaces: Windows 8 release date We originally wrote that we expect the Windows 8 release date to be in early 2012 and on 23 May 2011, Ballmer confirmed that Windows 8 will be released in 2012. He didn't go as far specifying when in 2012, though. Bizarrely, Microsoft later said: "It appears there was a misstatement," adding "To date, we have yet to formally announce any timing or naming for the next version of Windows." However, it now seems he was spot on - as you'd expect. However, more stories are now adding weight to the 2012 date. Microsoft corporate vice president Dan'l Lewin, hinted that the Windows 8 release date is likely to be next autumn - late 2012. Seasoned Microsoft-watcher Mary Jo-Foley suggested on 27 June 2011 that the RTM, or Release to Manufacturing, date could be April 2012. Speculation is rife that a Windows 8 beta will surface at PDC, a developer conference being held by Microsoft in September 2011. The dates for the conference were announced by Microsoft at its MIX event on 12 April 2011. Windows 8 system requirements The new demo shows Windows 8 running on touchscreens (potentially tablets too) - expect many Windows 8 devices to be touch-orientated - and this may make its way into the device spec. Both Windows Vista and Windows 7 have system requirements of a 1GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. Vista requires 15GB of free hard drive space, and Windows 7 requires 16GB. Given that there's been no real jump in requirements from Windows Vista to 7 (unlike the jump from XP to Vista, where XP required a 233MHz processor and 64MB of RAM) we'd expect Windows 8 to happily run on a system that can run Windows 7. On 18 May 2011, Intel confirmed that there will be separate editions of Windows 8 that run on ARM processors and versions that require Intel's own chips. The Windows 8 ARM editions will be tailored to mobile devices and Windows 8 tablets. The Intel versions of Windows 8 will feature a Windows 7 compatibility mode, while ARM versions won't. However, the following day, Windows President Steven Sinofsky said that Intel's statements were "factually inaccurate and unfortunately misleading." Sinofsky didn't elaborate on how the statements were inaccurate, simply saying "[We] have emphasized that we are at the technology demonstration stage. As such, we have no further details or information at this time." Windows 8 price Windows 7 Home Premium costs £99 for an upgrade copy and £149 for the full version. Expect the Windows 8 price to be similar. Windows 8 interface In March 2011, we reported that Windows 8 could offer a cut-down version of its user interface, taking on some design elements from the Windows Phone 7 UI in the form of Aero Lite. And it appears that prediction was correct - what we've seen looks a lot like Windows Phone. Indeed, it essentially is Windows Phone. And, what's more, you can swipe between any of the interfaces in a cycle - and that includes traditional apps on the Windows desktop. "Fast, fluid and dynamic, the experience has been transformed while keeping the power, flexibility and connectivity of Windows intact," says Microsoft's head of Windows Experience Julie Larson-Green. "Although the new user interface is designed and optimized for touch, it works equally well with a mouse and keyboard. Our approach means no compromises — you get to use whatever kind of device you prefer, with peripherals you choose, to run the apps you love. This is sure to inspire a new generation of hardware and software development, improving the experience for PC users around the world." Here's a full list of what Microsoft has announced about the interface: Fast launching of apps from a tile-based Start screen, which replaces the Windows Start menu with a customizable, scalable full-screen view of apps. Live tiles with notifications, showing always up-to-date information from your apps. Fluid, natural switching between running apps. Convenient ability to snap and resize an app to the side of the screen, so you can really multitask using the capabilities of Windows. Fully touch-optimized browsing, with all the power of hardware-accelerated Internet Explorer 10. The user interface and new apps will work with or without a keyboard and mouse on a broad range of screen sizes and pixel densities, says Microsoft "from small slates to laptops, desktops, all-in-ones, and even classroom-sized displays." "Hundreds of millions of PCs will run the new Windows 8 user interface. This breadth of hardware choice is unique to Windows and central to how we see Windows evolving." Windows 8 features The 'fundamentals' Microsoft is aiming for with Windows 8 include "a fast on/off experience, responsiveness, and a great level of reliability from the start". You'll be able to use an encrypting hard drive to boot Windows 8 and they'll integrate with BitLocker and third-party security apps. Improving battery life will be based on some deep changes to the kernel; removing an interrupt in the kernel scheduler completely and removing more of the timers that interrupt Windows when it's trying to save power. Windows 8 might get the same option for powering down unused areas of memory to save power that's on the cards for Windows Server, it will block disk reads and writes and some CPU access when you're not doing anything on your PC and PCI devices can turn off completely when they're not in use (assuming the drivers for specific devices support it). Windows 7 stopped laptops waking up automatically when they're not plugged in; Windows 8 will get a new 'intelligent alarm' that can wake them up for things like virus scans, but only if they're plugged in. OEMs will get new test tools that check the performance, reliability, security and Windows Logo compatibility of the PC, as well as measuring performance in Outlook and IE. And depending on whether partners have "concerns" about it, Microsoft might give the same tools to journalists, IT pros and users. Windows 8 is also set to feature a native PDF reader, meaning PC owners will no longer need to install a third-party app such as Adobe Reader to view PDFs. The new PDF reader is known as 'Modern Reader', and uses the new AppX application package type, which is similar to that in Windows Phone 7 and likely to be used in Windows Phone 8 . Reports that surfaced on 18 April 2011, suggest that you'll be able to run Windows 8 from a USB stick, using a feature called 'Portable Workspace'. This feature is said to only be available in Windows 8 Enterprise Edition, though. Microsoft has shown effortless movement between existing Windows programs and "new Windows 8 apps." Yep, that's right - Microsoft is going right down the app route... A Windows app store and Windows 8 apps More than 30 app stores have launched in the last year and Microsoft isn't the only company copying Apple here; Intel has its own app store for Atom PCs. PC makers like the idea - apparently at the first forum they commented that it "can't happen soon enough". With an app store, Microsoft hopes to attract more of the type of developers who are currently building smartphone apps and it wants them to create apps that make Windows the best place to use web apps (a job advert last October claimed "we will blend the best of the web and the rich client by creating a new model for modern web applications to rock on Windows".) Microsoft says the new OS will support "web-connected and Web-powered apps built using HTML5 and JavaScript that have access to the full power of the PC." There is "effortless movement between existing Windows programs and new Windows 8 apps. The full capabilities of Windows continue to be available to you, including the Windows Explorer and Desktop, as does compatibility with all Windows 7 logo PCs, software and peripherals." Windows 8 apps use HTML5, tapping into the native capabilities of Windows using standard JavaScript and HTML. New Windows 8 apps are full-screen and touch-optimized, and they easily integrate with the capabilities of the new Windows user interface. "There's much more to the platform, capabilities and tools than we showed today," says Larson-Green. The Windows Store will be branded and optimised for each PC manufacturer. Your settings will follow you from PC to PC, as will your apps (although some slides refer to this as a possibility rather than a definite plan) - but you'd need an HP ID to log into the 'HP Store powered by Windows' and get your HP-specific apps. Microsoft doesn't plan to make money from the store; the early slides called it "revenue neutral". The full capabilities of Windows continue to be available to you, including the Windows Explorer and Desktop, as does compatibility with all Windows 7 logo PCs, software and peripherals. "Windows 8 apps can use a broad set of new libraries and controls, designed for fluid interaction and connectivity," says Larson-Green. "Apps can add new capabilities to Windows and to other apps, connecting with one another through the new interface. For example, we showed today how a developer can extend the file picker control to enable picking from their own app content or from within another Windows 8 app, in addition to the local file system and the network. We're just getting started." Windows 8 startup and shutdown The 'big three' are boot time, shutdown time and battery life which will undergo massive improvement, but Microsoft is also thinking about how long it takes to get things done - how long until you read your first email, see the home page in your browser or start playing media. PCs should feel like an appliance that's ready to use as soon as you turn on the power. FASTER STARTUP: Windows 8 will show you what slows down startup and if removing an app you don't use improves it Mobile PCs should resume 'instantly' from sleep (in under a second from S3 sleep), and booting up will be faster because of caching, with a boot layout prefetcher and the ReadyBoost cache persisting even when you reboot. As only 9 per cent of people currently use hibernate (which will work more quickly in Windows 8 because system information will be saved and compressed in parallel), Windows 8 will have a new Logoff and Hibernate combination that closes your apps like shutting the PC down does and refreshes your desktop like restarting does, but actually caches drivers, system services, devices and much of the core system the way hibernation does. Turning the PC back on will take about half the time a cold boot needs (and the slides point out that on many PCs the power-on tests take longer than the Windows startup, so BIOS makers need to shape up). It will be the default option but it won't be called Logoff and Hibernate; Microsoft is debating terms like Shutdown, Turn Off, Power Down and thinking through how the other options for turning the PC off will show up in the interface. We've previously reported on a whole load of other Windows 8 rumours, too: Windows 8 multimedia Windows 8 will have better media playback and recording, but it will balance using hardware acceleration to save battery life and using the CPU when it gives a better result. Audio will use hardware acceleration more because that does improve battery life. There will be post-processing to take out blur, noise and shakey video filmed on a phone or webcam, and support for more codecs including AVC and as-yet-undetermined 3D video codecs (stereoscopic3D support is coming, for games and for 3D movies in Media Center, but there are format issues). Microsoft talks about sharing 'with nearby devices'; one way that will work is adding the Play To option currently in Windows Media Player to the browser for HTML 5 audio and video content, so you can play it on any device that supports DLNA, another is APIs to let other software do the same. That will work with DRM content, if it's protected with DTCP-IP (digital transmission content protection over IP) or Microsoft's own PlayReady and hardware acceleration will speed up DRM decoding. There's also a new 'remote display' option that will let you send your screen from a laptop to a large monitor (which will use DirectX hardware acceleration and the same multimonitor interface that's already in Windows 7, but for wireless displays as well, which could be an Internet-connected TV - Microsoft refers to 35 per cent of TVs having network connectivity by 2012 and wonders whether to prioritise Internet TV over further improvements to broadcast TV). Windows 8 Help and Support In Windows XP the Help and Support centre was a branded hub of tools and links; in Windows 7 it's far more minimal. Windows 8 will go back to the branded experience, with integrated search for support forums run by your PC manufacturer but add the Windows 7 troubleshooters. It will also link better with the Action Center, with tools that show more clearly what's happening on your PC; what apps are running, what resources are being used (like Task Manager showing which apps are using the most network bandwidth), how and when things have changed and what they can do about it. It will also include an Application Management tool that will let you find what apps are causing performance problems and adjust or remove them. IMPROVED TASK MANAGER: Task manager will make it easier to see why an app might not be performing; here the Zune software is using all the network bandwidth to download podcasts, so video in the browser keeps pausing. We hope the white on black isn't the final design! The Windows pre-boot recovery environment will be simpler, combining the safe mode and 'last known good' options into one interface. It will use what Microsoft calls 'superboot' to remove malware and rootkits If you have to reset your PC, Windows 8 will restore "all the files settings and even the applications" although you'll have to go to the Windows Store to download apps and get a list of apps that didn't come from the store, so it's not clear how automatic this will actually be. UPDATE: On 28 March 2011, the Windows 8 System Restore feature surfaced in a screenshot. Microsoft is also apparently building a feature called History Vault into Windows 8. History Vault would allow users to back up files and data automatically using the Shadow Copies function and could also allow users to restore documents to a particular moment in time. Devices matter (almost) as much as PCs One of the reasons that Windows took off in the first place was working more easily with devices - in those days, printers. Support for a wide range of devices is one of the reasons it's hard to other OSes to challenge Windows but Microsoft would like to get hardware manufacturers to do more with the sensor platform and DeviceStage interface it introduced in Windows 7. With Windows 8, Microsoft wants to see "PCs use location and sensors to enhance a rich array of premium experiences. Users are not burdened with cumbersome tasks that Windows can accomplish on its own. Users are neither annoyed or disturbed by the actions the PC takes. Instead, the PC's behaviour becomes integrated into users' routine workflows. Devices connect faster and work better on Windows 8 than on any other operating system." The 'current thinking' is for Windows 8 to include Microsoft's own Wi-Fi location service Orion (which has 50-100m accuracy in North America and Western Europe but falls back to using the location associated with IP addresses elsewhere, which can be as bad as 25km). Orion will be used in Windows Phone 7 (as well as Hawaii, a Microsoft Research project to build cloud-enabled mobile apps which refers to Orion as a 'prototype service'). Microsoft partnered with Navizon in March to use their Wi-Fi and mobile network location database but the slides claim that Orion is buying a bigger database than Navizon's 15 million access points, giving it 40 million compared to Google's 48 million (neither matches the 120 million Skyhook gives the iPhone). Location will be available to the browser as well as to any app that's written to use it (music players as well as mapping tools), and web apps will get access to webcams. Microsoft is emphasising the privacy aspect of location and webcam use, with mockups of how apps can ask for location and users can choose to deny it or only allow it once. And it's also asking PC manufacturers how many devices they plan to put GPS in and offering a Device Stage interface for using a PND like a Garmin nuvi as a GPS source for your PC. LOCATION PRIVACY: Web apps can see your location and use your webcam – but you get to control that to protect your privacy As we've said before, Device Stage will become the standard way you work with devices; Microsoft previewed the options you'll get with a featurephone and a webcam as well as GPS. Along with GPS, Microsoft is expecting PCs to include infrared sensors as well as the ambient light sensors that are becoming common, and the accelerometers that are in tablets with rotating screens. Put that together and the PC could know which way up it is, whether there's anyone in front of it - or near it and what the lighting is like in the room. So when you walk into the room your PC notices and wakes itself up so by the time you sit down the webcam is ready to recognise you - and no waiting or having to line your face up with a box on screen. If this works, the camera will pick your face out of the room, like Photo Gallery finding a face in a picture (hopefully without thinking the face in a picture on the wall is you). When you walk away it goes back to sleep again. We like the idea of rotation lock buttons on 'Lap PCs' so you can move them around to control a game without flipping he screen repeatedly; again, if you look away from the game, Microsoft envisages it pausing automatically and if you pass a slate to someone it will switch to their account automatically. What's in: USB 3, Bluetooth hands free and headset profiles (mono and stereo audio). What's out: Microsoft has no plans to support Bluetooth 3.0 + High Speed, 1394 might be deprecated and Microsoft seems to expect USB 2 ports to be phased out in favour of USB 3 within the lifetime of Windows 8. What's under consideration: Bluetooth Low Energy (from Bluetooth 4.0). What's not mentioned: Intel LightPeak, although Microsoft does ask if it's missing anything on its list of connectivity. Windows 8 Xbox Live integration Like Windows Phone 7, Microsoft is planning to add Xbox Live to Windows 8. Microsoft VP Mike Delman said plans are afoot to bring the experience to its other platforms. Windows 8 will know who you are With better ways to log in to your PC, like your face, Microsoft is considering giving Windows 8 a way to "securely store usernames and passwords, simplifying the online experience". Your Windows account might connect more directly to the cloud than just having a Windows Live ID, logging into web sites on your behalf; there's very little detail on this but it could revive the CardSpace technology introduced in Vista but not widely adopted. FACE LOGIN: Forget passwords; Windows 8 will use the webcam to find and recognise your face (probably) Windows 8 gaming Microsoft hopes to use Windows 8 to relaunch itself at the forefront of PC gaming, with Redmond ready to put its weight behind the platform once more. "Windows 8 will represent a real new push into PC gaming," a source told TechRadar. "Gaming will be a key component for the whole OS." Windows 8 tablets and ARM support The revamped interface and support for ARM processors point only one direction - Microsoft wants to be big in tablets. LAP PC: Using the Lap PC to read a magazine and play a driving game Windows 8 tablets rumours: what you need to know Key to making a successful Windows tablet is apps with user interfaces that change depending on the form factor (touch and gestures instead of keyboard and mouse), but Microsoft is also looking at stereoscopic 3D and high colour displays and natural input that uses touch, voice, 3D gestures ("on the horizon"), and facial recognition. 3D SUPPORT: Windows 8 will play 3D movies and games, but don't ask Microsoft to pick its favourite format yet Optimising "for smaller screens" will help netbook users as well; Windows 7 gets key dialog boxes to fit on a small screen but not all apps do. Put it all together and you get some welcome improvements. It's impossible to say if Microsoft can come up with a simple enough programming system to appeal to the developers it wants to create Windows apps to rival Apple's App Store.

News Corp changes tack in BSkyB bid Posted: 11 Jul 2011 09:43 AM PDT News Corporation has announced that it is withdrawing its previous suggestion that it would spin Sky News off into a separate company if it was to take full control of BSkyB. This move comes after the closure of the News of the World and will mean that News Corp's bid for BSkyB will be referred to the Competition Commission. There had been major concerns over News Corp's attempt to take full control of BSkyB – mainly due to the fact that there would not be enough plurality in the UK's news offerings. The separation of Sky News into a separate entity to BSkyB was meant to be a sweetener for the UK government to accept the takeover bid. Now that the News of the World is no longer around, however, News Corp has changed tack and now wants to retain control of Sky News and send the whole thing to the competition commission. Competition time "News Corporation today announces that it is withdrawing its proposed undertakings in lieu of reference to the Competition Commission with respect to its proposed acquisition of BSkyB," said the statement. "Should the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport decide on this basis to refer the proposed transaction to the Competition Commission for a detailed review, News Corporation is ready to engage with the Competition Commission on substance." The statement continued: "News Corporation continues to believe that, taking into account the only relevant legal test, its proposed acquisition will not lead to there being insufficient plurality in news provision in the UK." With more and more hacking revelations being revealed, one thing News Corp does need is time – and if the Competition Commission does feel that the takeover would break the UK's anti-monopoly laws, then the buyout would be put on hold. According to the Guardian, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said to MPs that he is to "now refer this [the bid] to the Competition Commission with immediate effect". Related Stories Illegal movie downloads still on the up In Depth: 10 tech facilities you can see from space Final NASA space shuttle mission blasts-off Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

Hands-on: Olympus PEN E-P3 review Posted: 11 Jul 2011 09:35 AM PDT The design of the new PEN E-P3 is very similar to that of the E-P2 and E-P1 with a few notable distinctions - including a pop-up flash. Firstly, the mode dial, which is rotated by the thumb of your left hand on the E-P2, has been moved to the right-hand side of the E-P3's top plate - as on the PEN E-PL2. This sits to one side of the shutter release button and on the other is the customisable Fn2 button. ABOVE: The Olympus PEN E-P2 ABOVE: Olympus's new PEN E-P3 Like the P2, the Olympus E-P3 has a long control dial built into the thumbrest on its back. On the Olympus E-PL2 this position is taken by the video button, but on the E-P3, the video button is on the camera's back to the left of the thumbrest and small speaker. ABOVE: Olympus's new PEN E-P3 ABOVE: The Olympus PEN E-P2 There has been a little further rejigging of the buttons on the back of the E-P3 since the E-P2. The auto exposure and auto focus lock (AEL/AFL) button has gone and the Menu, Info and Function buttons have been switched around. It shouldn't take users too long to get used to it, but it will make a slight difference. It will be interesting to see how much difference the alternative grips make to the feel of the E-P3. Touchscreen The new PEN E-P3 is the first PEN from Olympus to feature a touchscreen. The E-P3 features touch AF, which instructs the camera to focus on the point in the scene chosen by a touch of a finger, and, like the Panasonic G3 and GF3, it also has a touch shutter. Hopefully, the Anti-Fingerprint Coating will help keep the LCD smudge free so that provides a clear view in all lighting conditions. Autofocus Olympus shares technology with Panasonic, including the sensor in the new PEN E-P3, PEN Lite and PEN Mini. The Live MOS device has a fast read-out speed of 120fps, which helps to speed-up the contrast detection autofocus (AF) system. Olympus claims that the TruePic VI processing engine inside its new PEN cameras is faster than Panasonic's Venus Engine VI FHD and it can therefore push the AF system further. As a result, Olympus claims that its new PEN cameras have the world's fastest AF when used with it's MSC (Movie Stills Compatible) optics. We will be putting this and the improved AF tracking ability to the test. Olympus's TruePic VI processing engine is also claimed to decrease the length of time that the screen blacks-out between exposures, which should make shooting sport much easier. Having used the PEN E-P3 for several hours it's clear that it has the best handling of any digital Olympus PEN to date. The buttons and controls are sensibly arranged, the OLED screen provides are clear view even in quite bright light and the menu has had a much needed makeover. The P3's touchscreen is also responsive and easy to use. We particularly like that the screen's touch-sensitive function can be controlled by touching an icon, which remains active even when the touch feature is deactivated. Although most users will find that they can use the P3 straightaway without any reference to the manual, there are lots of hidden features that take time to discover. The Highlight and Shadow tone adjustment control for instance is found by accessing the exposure compensation facility and then pressing the Info button. Plenty to explore then. Noise appears to be pretty well controlled in JPEGS taken at ISO 3200. It's visible, but not objectionable and could even be described as the type of grain that you might occasionally want to add to enhance the atmosphere of a shot. Push the sensitivity to ISO 6400, however, and noise (and it's control) becomes more troublesome. Even when sized to make relatively small prints, these images look soft and lack details. At 100% on-screen, there's a fair amount of blurring of detail and some image elements lack any definition. It will be interesting to compare the JPEG results with the simultaneously captured raw files one the raw conversion software becomes available. Further testing is required, but generally the E-P3 handles colours well and its ESP exposure system takes most situations in its stride. Colours are bright and punchy straight from the camera Shot at f/4 to limit depth of field. Taken with the new M. Zuiko 12mm f/2.0 lens and manually focussed on the eyelashes The ESP system puts in a good performance and colours look natural, yet vibrant The transition from light to dark along the cobbles has been well handled here The automatic white balance system hasn't been fooled by the warm tones of this bloom, or the mixed lighting Compare with the image below The shadow and highlight adjustment feature has been pushed to maximum to darken the highlights and brighten the shadows to produce this HDR-like image Taken with the same tonal adjustment options as the image above, to produce another low-contrast HDR image The Grainy Film Art Filter in action Pin hole and Crossed Processed Art Filters combined In reasonable light using ISO 3200 produces a pleasant level of farily uniform noise When light levels fall, JPEG images taken at ISO 6400 have slightly oversharpened edges and lack fine detail. There's also some mottling of red, green and blue ISO 6400 The rest of the camera testing team spent the day in London testing out the new Olympus PEN E-P3, testing out the fast autofocus claims and putting art filters in action. Here are some more pictures taken with the E-P3 ahead of our full review, which is coming soon. Taken with the Pinhole art filter The art filters can now be applied in Aperture Priority and Shutter priority modes - allowing for more creativity. Cross process mode Black and white grain mode with frame applied Pinhole with grain applied Pop art with frame applied The super-quick autofocus allows for ultra quick focusing speeds Related Stories Lomo announces new colours for Sprocket Rocket cameras Kenko-Tokina buys Cokin filters Compact system cameras on the way from Fujifilm? Steadicam video stabiliser for iPhone now available Review: Canon PowerShot A800

Updated: Windows 8 tablets: what you need to know Posted: 11 Jul 2011 09:31 AM PDT Microsoft's been pushing tablet computers for the best part of a decade, so you can imagine how happy the iPad's success makes them. But Microsoft doesn't give up easily, and Windows 8 tablets will emerge. So what's Steve Ballmer going to be shouting about when he shows them off? Windows 8 tablets will have a new touch interface As we saw from the recent Windows 8 preview, Windows 8 tablets will have a marvellous new interface that looks rather like Windows Phone 7. "Fast, fluid and dynamic, the experience has been transformed while keeping the power, flexibility and connectivity of Windows intact," says Microsoft's head of Windows Experience Julie Larson-Green. "Although the new user interface is designed and optimized for touch, it works equally well with a mouse and keyboard. Our approach means no compromises — you get to use whatever kind of device you prefer, with peripherals you choose, to run the apps you love. This is sure to inspire a new generation of hardware and software development, improving the experience for PC users around the world." Windows 8 tablets' release date In December 2011, the New York Times wrote that Microsoft would unveil tablets running Windows 8 at CES 2011 in January, which proved to be incorrect. The NYT credited an unnamed source for the leak, which suggests that Microsoft's keynote will be enlivened by the arrival of the next generation of Windows, as well as Samsung and Dell tablets. As it turned out, no Windows 8 tablets were shown at the show. However, the Windows 8 release date may be sooner than you think. Speculation is rife that a Windows 8 beta will surface at PDC, a developer conference being held by Microsoft in September 2011. The dates for the conference were announced by Microsoft at its MIX event on 12 April 2011. That means Windows 8 tablets could be out by early 2012 - after CES 2012. According to Bloomberg there will be no Windows for tablets until 2012. As we reported on 4 March 2011, sources told Bloomberg that a tablet-friendly version of Windows will be tested at the end of this year and not released until the summer of 2012. Microsoft may launch its own Windows 8 tablet New rumours suggest that Microsoft is working on an own-brand tablet to launch running Windows 8. The speculation comes from Taipei, with sources claiming that the tablet will make use of a Texas Instruments chip and will launch by the end of 2012. Digitimes, which first published the rumour, claims its sources say that Microsoft is also looking to launch a tablet brand, as it did in gaming with the Xbox. Engadget posted on 8 July 2011 that Dell is to follow up the Streak line with a Peju tablet that will run Windows - possibly in late 2011 - so no Windows 8 initially. Windows 8 tablets manufacturers It's no surprise to see the names Dell and Samsung in the NYT piece: both firms have close relationships with Microsoft, although it's interesting to see Microsoft getting groovy with an Android tablet manufacturer. We'd expect to see something like the leaked "Lap PC" from HP too. UPDATE: On 9 May 2011, we reported on a rumour of a forthcoming Nokia Windows 8 tablet. The info comes from phone commentator Eldar Murtazin, who wrote on the Mobile Review forum that Nokia will launch a tablet in 2012, possibly pushed back to 2013. Windows 8 tablets will probably look like iPads While Dell makes some unusually shaped tablets already, the Samsung tablet is "similar in size and shape to the Apple iPad, although it is not as thin." Unlike the iPad, "it also includes a unique and slick keyboard that slides out from below for easy typing." Windows 8 tablets will be designed for business use "The company believes there is a huge market for business people who want to enjoy a slate for reading newspapers and magazines and then work on Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint while doing work," the NYT says, quoting the inevitable "person familiar with the company's tablet plans". Windows 8 tablets will have apps and an app store Apps are a big part of Windows 8, with Microsoft convinced that "app development will move to the web" and building a Windows Store with manufacturer-specific entrances. Again, we saw a lot more detail on this from the Windows 8 preview. Windows 8 tablet specifications aren't strange or startling We'd expect Windows 8 tablets to have similar specifications to other iPad rivals such as the Galaxy Tab or BlackBerry Playbook, essentially netbooks in a different form factor: a gigahertz processor, a gigabyte of RAM, 802.11b/g/n wireless and multitouch capacitive displays. Expect lots of connectivity too, with USB ports a key selling point. Windows 8 tablets will run on ARM, Intel and AMD chips On 18 May 2011, Intel confirmed that there will be separate editions of Windows 8 that run on ARM processors as well as standard x86 processors from Intel and AMD - all companies involved are serious about tablets, though ARM has stolen a lead; all major tablets on the market are ARM-based. The x86 versions of Windows 8 will feature a Windows 7 compatibility mode, while ARM versions won't. Windows 8 tablet prices should be similar to Android ones Windows 8 tablets will be up against iPads, Android tablets and Chrome OS netbooks, so if they're not priced very aggressively they're going to be a tough sell. Related Stories Buying Guide: Tablet buying guide: 10 things to look for Buying Guide: Mac or iPad: which is right for you?

Updated: PS4 rumours: what you need to know about the PlayStation 4 Posted: 11 Jul 2011 09:29 AM PDT When it comes to rumours about the next Xbox, there's some wild speculation to get your teeth into. Over on the PlayStation 4 rumour mill, things were, until recently, turning much slower. As Kaz Hirai said earlier in the year: "we're not deliberating on a PS4 or a next generation machine, whatever you call it." But on 26 May 2011, that stance appeared to change when Sony's executive vice president and chief financial officer Masaru Kato seemingly confirmed that Sony is working on the PS4. The revelation took place during a conference call to investors where he was asked about increased R&D costs. "This is a platform business, so for the future platform - when we'll be introducing what product I cannot discuss that - but our development work is already under way, so the costs are incurred there," Eurogamer reported him as saying. However, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on 31 May 2011, Kato denied that he was specifically referring to the PS4, saying "Some people misread what I said." So what can we expect from the PlayStation 4? The PS4 specs could abandon the Cell processor and return to x86… In February, there were rumours of a failed Sony/IBM research project to develop a PowerPC chip for future PlayStations. Going forward, Sony will surely stick with the advanced, multi-core, bitch-to-develop-for Cell processor that it dropped $3 billion on. Here are three reasons why: 1. Easy backwards compatibility with the PlayStation 3 2. A familiar development environment. By 2015 (or whenever a PS4 comes out), games developers will have had much more experience working with Cell and its software tools 3. Toshiba recently sold its Cell factory in Nagasaki back to Sony for £400 million. Sony is hardly going to abandon the chip now it owns the means to manufacture it in bulk What are the PS4 features we'd most like to see? PS4info dreams of a next-gen PlayStation with a 32nm Cell processor an up to 16 SPEs, double the number in the PlayStation 3. While over on gamrConnect, there's talk of a greater partnership with Google. Sony's new fondness for Android on the Xperia Play is an interesting strategy. Blu-ray on the PlayStation 4 is a dead cert. While digital distribution is undoubtedly the way forward, not every PlayStation owner has access to a fast broadband connection. As Kaz Hirai told Develop, "we do business in parts of the world where network infrastructure isn't as robust as one would hope. There's always going to be requirement for a business of our size and scope to have a physical medium." As for the PlayStation 4 controller, Dr. Richard Marks (Sony Computer Entertainment's US R&D manager of special projects) says that "anything that lets us get the player's intent into the system more" is technology they'll be looking at. No brain wave gaming just yet. Could there be a redesign of the PlayStation network too? According to Reg Hardware, Sony has a PlayStation Network design upgrade in the works to compete with Xbox Live - could it eventually launch alongside the PS4? What about a PS4 release date? Tricky. If you side with the likes of ITProPortal, you might believe that "the whole concept of a single lounge-bound gaming device may become obsolete". The future of gaming may well lie in a more portable device/controller that you can play on the move or plug into your TV. Epic's Mark Rein has some interesting thoughts on this here. Sony claims that the PS3 will have a 10 year lifecycle, suggesting the next PlayStation will arrive by the end of 2016 at the latest. Or we might not get a PlayStation 4 at all. Developers haven't yet maxed out the potential of the PS3, while the release of PlayStation Move has given it an extra dimension… However, according to Digitimes, Sony is to start production of PS4 at the end of 2011 with Kinect-like body control. Though we're not sure how accurate that can possibly be. "Where we go after this is an interesting one," says Sony Computer Entertainment UK boss Ray Maguire. "The online side is very interesting and is a big part of our business going forward. But in terms of what sort of technology we'll be using, it's far too early to say yet because we're only half way through the lifecycle of PS3 - there are many years to come on that machine." Long live PlayStation 3. Related Stories Updated: Wii U: all the latest details

New Polaroid portable instant printer Posted: 11 Jul 2011 09:17 AM PDT Polaroid has announced its new GL10 Instant Mobile Printer. The GL10 quickly prints out images from mobile phones and digital cameras, which can be transferred in one click via Bluetooth or USB. Once the images are received, the printer can churn out 3x4 inch photos. A free Polaroid Android app allows you to print out the images with a classic Polaroid border or your own customised border in less than 45 seconds. Apps for the GL10 will be available on other mobile platforms later in the year. Zero ink technology Polaroid printers use next generation ZINK Zero Ink thermal technology to produce images, meaning the printers never run out of ink. ZINK paper contains cyan, yellow and magenta dye crystals embedded inside that appear as regular white photo paper, but transform when heated. The paper is also water-resistant, smudge proof and tear-proof and once it has been inserted in the printer, it's ready to go and when it's fully charged, the portable printer can produce up to 35 prints at a time. Polaroid already manufactures printing products including the Polaroid Pogo printer, which prints 2x3 inch stickers, and the Polaroid Pogo Instant Digital Camera which combines a digital camera and printer. Both also use ZINK technology. Capable of connecting wirelessly to a wide range of smartphones including Blackberry, Android and Windows compatible phones - the Polaroid GL10 Instant Mobile Printer will be available later this month with an RRP of £119.99. Visit the Polaroid website for more information.

Review: Canon PowerShot A800 Posted: 11 Jul 2011 08:46 AM PDT For Canon, the PowerShot A800 is as basic as it gets. The A800 is Canon's entry-level compact camera, and as you'd expect for 60 quid, it's a no-frills affair. No-frills doesn't necessarily mean dumbed-down, however, and there's actually quite a lot to like about this device. Indeed, the specifications belie the bargain-bucket price and include a 10 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom, Digic III processor and Smart Auto mode. In terms of shooting mode, you get Auto and Program mode, along with the ability to adjust exposure, flash, metering, ISO and other key settings. At this end of the market, Canon is competing against camera phones, so does the A800 offer enough to persuade punters not to put the money towards an iPhone instead? The PowerShot A800 replaces the PowerShot A495, but it's a minor upgrade rather than a great leap forward. However, it's certainly no cosmetic upgrade, as the boxy looks and portly girth evoke a compact camera from five years ago. Indeed, the PowerShot A800 is a porker compared to the sleeker (and pricier) IXUS range, and while you can just about squeeze it in a pocket, the camera will create an unsightly/embarrassing bulge. Although the body's made from plastic, it feels sturdy enough, with a reassuringly robust lens cover. The button layout is logical, but there are a few ergonomic niggles. The power button is frustratingly close to the shutter release button, for instance, and some of the button icons might not be very obvious to beginners/casual photographers. Having two buttons for key camera settings (Menu and Func. Set) isn't unusual these days, but it could further confuse newbies. Also, it's not at all obvious how to access the Scene Modes either, so much so that we reckon many owners won't even realise they're on offer (they're activated via the button with the camera icon next to Menu). Meanwhile, the shutter release button feels crude, and it tends to fire when you only want to depress it half way. All these are minor hassles rather than deal-breakers, however, and a few minutes with the manual should sort most people out. The menu system is up to Canon's usual standard and the camera very easy to use once you've figured out what's accessed by the Menu button and what's accessed by Func Set. Battery life has been boosted too, and you can now fire off 300 shots before the juice runs out. Canon needs to pull some rabbits out of hats to stand out at the budget end of the market, and a big selling point of the PowerShot A800 is the Smart Auto mode. Canon claims to have integrated 19 common shooting scenarios into the camera, so it can recognise what you're shooting and adjust its settings accordingly. The Scene Modes come in handy too, once you've figured out where they are, and include Blur Reduction, Super Vivid and Poster Effect. This is the icing on the cake, though, and the camera will stand or fall by the quality of its images, however low the price. Fortunately, the PowerShot A800 passes the test, and the quality of images straight from the box is impressively high. The camera's metering system is intelligent and flexible and copes well with most lighting conditions (a blown-out highlights warning is a useful extra). As well as delivering consistently accurate exposures, colours are rich and well-saturated without being garish, and noise is well controlled through the range, as our test shots reveal. The lens is not particularly wide at 6.60-21.60mm (equivalent to 37-122mm on 35mm format) and lacks stabilisation, but is impressively sharp and well-engineered considering the price point. While purple fringing is apparent in contrasty scenes, the results are still better than you'd expect from a budget entry-level compact. Returning to the scene modes, they're fun, but need to be used sparingly. Super Vivid overcooks the colours a bit too much, but could be useful on a very drab day, while the Poster Effect is pretty psychedelic, but in the right conditions can deliver pleasing results. More immediately useful are Blur Reduction and Long Shutter, which save having to fiddle around with the settings. It's well worth adjusting White Balance, as we found it sometimes a little cold on the Auto setting. As you'd expect on a budget entry-level compact, shots can only be saved as JPEG files, but you can choose from 640 x 480 to 3648 x 2736 in size. Movies can be recorded at 640 x 480 at 30 frames per second, and are reasonable enough quality considering it's not HD. For a sixty quid camera, this is a great macro performance – sharp and well saturated Flesh tones are reasonably well rendered, although auto white balance washes colour out sometimes Poster is one of the more creatively useful in-camera effects The A800 lacks image stabilisation, but the lens is still a reasonably sharp performer, even for on-the-hoof candid shots Telephoto and wide angle performance is good for the money, though purple fringing can creep in to high contrast scenes Telephoto and wide angle performance is good for the money, though purple fringing can creep in to high contrast scenes ISO 100 ISO 200 ISO 400 ISO 800 ISO 1600 Sixty quid will barely cover a get-together meal in a pub these days, so at this price the PowerShot A800 is a great little family camera. It takes consistently good pictures from the box, and while nigh foolproof if you shout in Auto mode, the camera also offers some manual control over the final images. There's also a good choice of Scene Modes for specific photo situations too, and the whole process of using this camera is relatively straightforward. We say relatively as some of the key menu functions are needlessly tricky to locate, and the icons could be more obvious. So the PowerShot 800 is a no-brainer budget choice, right? Yes and no. While we've established its many virtues, shop around and you can get the Nikon S3100, for instance, at a similar price. This 14Mp head-turner is slimmer, looks better in black and offers 720p video recording. We liked Smart Auto mode makes it hard to take a bad picture, and there's a good choice of Scene Modes. While very much a point and click device, the PowerShot A800 offers a reasonable amount of manual adjustment and has a decent built-in flash. Battery life's been boosted too. We disliked Canon should make it easier for newcomers to figure out the icons and menu settings. The camera's dumpy, dated looks won't win you any cool points, and the lens can feel a bit restricted. You can't record movies in high definition, either. Sensor: 10.0 megapixel CCD Lens: Canon 6.6-21.6mm(37-122mm equivalent) Memory: SD card Viewfinder: LCD LCD Screen: 2.5-inch TFT Video resolution: 640 x 480 pixel, 320 x 240 pixel ISO range: ISO 100 to 1600 Focus modes: Single, Continuous Max burst rate: 0.8 shots per second Shutter speeds: 15 – 1/2000 sec Weight: 186g Dimensions: 94.3 x 61.6 x 31.2 mm Power supply: AA batteries x 2 Related Stories Lomo announces new colours for Sprocket Rocket cameras Kenko-Tokina buys Cokin filters Compact system cameras on the way from Fujifilm? Steadicam video stabiliser for iPhone now available Hands-on: Olympus PEN E-P3 review

Guardian Zeitgeist announced for HP TouchPad Posted: 11 Jul 2011 08:25 AM PDT The HP TouchPad will receive a high-profile new app, with UK media giant the Guardian revealing that it is currently working on a brand new Guardian Zeitgeist product for the tablet. HP's latest tablet arrives with a completely new operating system, with WebOS arriving as part of the Palm purchase and bringing an alternative to iOS and Android. Obviously a new OS needs to have a competitive application store to compete with these two behemoths and, although the early offerings have been a little underwhelming, big name involvement will be encouraging to the computer giant. Kindle too Subhajit Banerjee's post on Guardian Unlimited revealed the news in a post to announce the arrival of a Guardian Kindle version. "I'm also excited to announce that we'll soon be launching a brand new product for the HP TouchPad, called Guardian Zeitgeist," wrote Banerjee. "More details about this will be released when it launches." The app will differ from the critically acclaimed iPad Guardian app, with the Zeitgeist tag suggesting that this will build on the paper's experimental web offering at http://www.guardian.co.uk/zeitgeist. In fact, a minor amount of investigation around Google Zeitgeist suggests that the app is being built by ThinMartian - although a blog on the developer's site has since been removed.

First e-reader with integrated Google eBooks announced Posted: 11 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT Google has announced the release of the first e-reader that comes with the Google eBooks platform on board. The iriver Story HD is the first e-reader on which you can buy books directly through Google's eponymous eBooks platform. Hitting the US on 17 July, the e-reader will be sold through Target – but it's not clear if the reader will be heading to the UK any time soon. eLook book But, while there's a definite possibility that the iriver Story HD won't head to the UK, another eBooks integrated reader probably will, with Pratip Banerji, product manager of Google Books noting that we should "stay tuned for more Google eBooks-integrated devices to come." We hope we're not left waiting too long, because direct access to the Google eBooks store via Wi-Fi would be so much more convenient than having to download anything we fancy reading to a computer and then connecting the e-reader via USB. The only other option at present is to access Google eBooks through the usually-awful e-reader web browser; a painful experience at the best of times, and particularly if you're going on a flight or the Underground and lose internet access. All the added hassle means we're more likely than not to simply skip browsing Google's three million free ebooks, and that's a crying shame. Google is also opening up the Google Books APIs to device manufactuers, so they can tinker with the eBook Store to meet their own needs; it also allows users to store their ebook library in the cloud and access the collection from a different device, including smartphones and tablets – much as you can with Amazon's Kindle apps.

Steadicam video stabiliser for iPhone now available Posted: 11 Jul 2011 07:37 AM PDT Tiffen has announced the release of its Steadicam Smoothee in the UK. Designed to help users making videos on their iPhone get stabilised shots, which might otherwise suffer from camera shake, the Steadicam Smoothee grips directly on to the iPhone and features a hand-grip for holding on to the device when shooting. Packaged with a specific mount, either for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS or iPod Touch, additional mounts can also be purchased if you have other video devices that you wanted to use with the steadicam. The Smoothee has been designed to work straight out of the box, with no setup required and is compact and lightweight, measuring 20.3 x 36.8 x 6.4cm. Furthermore, the handgrip folds away when not in use. Movement Using a Steadicam allows aspiring videographers to get fluid movement with their camera while going up and down stairs, walking through crowds or other motions which would usually be associated with camera shake when video recording handheld. Each of the quick release removable camera mounts can also serve as a tabletop stand or mounted to any tripod with a standard quarter inch camera mount. The Steadicam Smoothee is available in the UK with an RRP of £169.99 including VAT and comes with the mount of your choice and a carry bag. Additional mounts cost £22.99. Related Stories Lomo announces new colours for Sprocket Rocket cameras Kenko-Tokina buys Cokin filters Compact system cameras on the way from Fujifilm? Review: Canon PowerShot A800 Hands-on: Olympus PEN E-P3 review

Interview: Dell design lead talks carbon fibre, Windows 8 touch and more Posted: 11 Jul 2011 06:15 AM PDT Dell has worked hard to improve its industrial design in recent times, with design teams given more credence internally. In addition to the Dell Streak line, the company also released the Inspiron Duo which, although weighty and underpowered, is an interesting convertible with a rotating screen. We caught up with Michael Smith, Dell's Industrial Design Director to talk a little about Dell's design ethos, how it comes up with new materials and concepts, the forthcoming opportunity of Windows 8 and the challenge of designing PCs and tablets that combine both style and durability. "The battery life is not as long as it could be, but the biggest feedback we've had is about the processor itself," says Smith, who adds that his department always has plenty of questions to ask itself and Windows 8 is at the forefront of current thinking. "We're working on a lot of stuff in the lab around mobility, convertibles, where do we take it? What is the processor, where is Windows 8 going? "Microsoft is redesigning its interface to be landscape, 16:9 with a focus on touch – today Windows 7 isn't the best touch interface in the world, the targets are small. "That's why we developed our Stage touch software because Windows 7 is difficult to use in a touch environment. We're looking at all types of different form factors. The Inspiron Duo is almost four years old from when we had the first idea." "We're looking at extending the idea of convertible into the next generation of thinner and slimmer [devices], larger screens. We're looking at everything from ARM processors to… everything." Cost and materials One key aspect of PC and tablet design is, of course, cost. Smith talks about the challenge of making the high-end Adamo notebook first introduced in 2009, but then dripping aspects of its design further down the range to the Inspiron Duo. "The Adamo is 16mm thick but to get there it's all machined out of solid aluminium. That is not cheap to do, but it's a very rigid part. We started this programme before the [similar] new MacBook unibody was constructed. ADAMO ALUMINIUM: Expensive to produce "This is extruded… and then machined with a five axis router and it takes a lot of time to make these parts. You're talking a $2,000 box versus a $400 box [in the Inspiron Duo]." "We invest in our materials. This is magnesium [shell] right out of the tool," he says, picking up a shell. "It's light, it's rigid, but it's a real pain in the ass to finish. You gotta machine all this away. MAGNESIUM SHELL: Before the machining process "This is a very cheap material, the expense is making it look nice. You'll see one of the clever things we can do is insert moulded plastic, this is puttied and sanded and painted. It's a very lengthy process. "When you look at our Inspiron stuff, which is all plastic, that enables you to get the price point down." So what other materials is Dell playing with. He's a bit cagey here, but he does say they're messing around with some pretty cool stuff. "We're playing with carbon fibre, titanium and others. We have a Surface Studio with a full time team of six people. That's all they do, look for new materials and we do trials. Screen and keyboard tech Picking up the Inspiron Duo again, Smith turns to talk about screen tech "We were the first to work with Gorilla Glass in the notebook market." Gorilla Glass is now also used in Dell's tablets and mobiles. "Originally you could only get it to 0.7mm thickness, this is 0.5mm on both sides, the back is glass as well to handle the wireless LAN. We had to spend time on prototype after prototype and finally found a way to do that. "Carbon fibre's an interesting one, we're doing a lot of work on that." Smith is clearly proud of the Inspiron Duo and talks candidly about Dell's efforts in the tablet market. "There were all these convergent devices – what if we could create a device that was about work and play, had a keyboard and became a Transformer, if you will. "We built lots of different prototypes. One of the early ones we looked at was a slider with a 7-inch screen. We also did a bunch of different form factors and ultimately we ended up with this [final] idea. CONCEPT: This 7-inch concept never made it beyond the model stage "We wanted something that was robust. If you look at the traditional convertible it has a centre hinge that twists around, but these hinges are notoriously fragile and put in the hands of a 12 -year-old, havoc can happen. "So we went for an all-magnesium construction, we had to go soft for [wireless] antennas and this whole idea of, 'boom it flips' and then we have a keyboard, trackpad and it turns into a traditional netbook. "So it has an Atom processor and we designed a touch interface specifically for this product – we extended it into our Stage software. When we showed this to kids they were like 'wow, do it again' – the whole idea of transforming from one state to another." What about usability, we ask – how much work is done on keyboards for example? Smith looks serious here and indicates that Dell takes keyboards especially seriously, even on a convertible tablet, since it's crucial in both the business and consumer spaces. "We do a ton of work on keyboards. The Inspiron Duo goes to 98 per cent full pitch for what is [primarily a touch device]. "Netbooks are notoriously too cramped, people didn't like that. We took a lot of time trying out different layouts, doing error counts and dialling that all in. "We probably spend more time than any of our competition on keyboards, especially in the business space where, if you mess up a keyboard, you're done. "Even for consumers at retail, the first thing they do is walk up and try the trackpad. If that's not a good experience from the get-go, they'll move down the line. It's a big focus for us."

GetJar responds to Apple's 'app store' legal letter Posted: 11 Jul 2011 05:57 AM PDT Free app distributor GetJar has responded to a cease and desist letter sent by Apple over the term 'app store', explaining that it won't stop using the name and that it is surprised that Apple has gone down the legal route. In a candid blog GetJar revealed that, like Amazon, it had also received a letter to stop using the term app store by Apple but it is going to ignore the letter and carry on as normal. GetJar has been using the phrase 'app store' since 2009, although it never uses it in its brand, slogan or strapline. Get Jar believes that Apple's claim of ownership of the term "is taking the piss" and that all these legal wranglings are ultimately affecting the makers of the apps. Closed eco-system "The ecosystem as a whole is becoming increasingly closed. Its character is dictated by larger companies exercising excessive force to get bigger shares of the pie," said GetJar. "For example, Android was supposed to be FREE and open; yet developers can't choose their billing solution. They have their price points micro-managed for them without input. "If Apple isn't suing Amazon, it's suing start-ups. Now Microsoft, who is struggling to gain traction with Windows Mobile, is charging OEM's for using Android using our country's broken patent system. "Where are all of these law suits and threats getting us? Is anyone actually worrying about whether app developers and content providers make enough money to keep the lights on?" Instead of taking the threat seriously, GetJar has announced that "it won't be subject to this kind of bullying". "We're not going to 'Cease & Desist'. We were here long before Steve & Co. We were built by developers, to help developers. Not to help sell handsets or search results. "In the words of Twisted Sister: We're not going to take it!"

Bowers & Wilkins unveils first ever in-ear headphones Posted: 11 Jul 2011 05:57 AM PDT Bowers & Wilkins has been busy in its workshop coming up its first stab at in-ear headphones, the noise-isolating C5. Discerning Apple product users step this way; it's time to eschew those cheap, white-wired ear buds that come with the iPhone, iPod and iPad in favour of Bowers & Wilkins' in-ear headphones which have been "designed specifically" for Apple devices. Of course, you can enjoy the noise-isolation, hi-grade aluminium materials and cushion-looped headset with non-Apple products too, it's just that Apple users are (supposedly) more likely to pony up the premium-level cash - £149.95, to be precise. Pricey For £150, you'd be wise to expect a superior playback performance from the C5s; they come with a bespoke micro-porous filter which diffuses the music and limits noise bleed, supposedly leaving you with a richly deep, wide sound even when you're only listening to Adam and Joe tell fart jokes. One thing's for sure, Bowers & Wilkins' first in-ear headphone efforts look the part, with a funny little loop design that fixes quickly and comfortably (thanks to infinite adjustability) into the inner ridge of your ear. There's also an inline remote and microphone so you can make and take calls with the set up too. If we were you, we wouldn't go shelling out such a hefty wedge of cash for the C5s until we've had a chance to run them through the old TechRadar headphoneometre to be sure the quality matches the high price tag. Whether you can wait or not, the Bowers & Wilkins C5 headphones UK release date is set for August 2011. Related Stories Sony to discontinue the MiniDisc Walkman

Updated: Wii U: all the latest details Posted: 11 Jul 2011 05:50 AM PDT As original Nintendo Wiis gathered dust in households across the UK, Nintendo confirmed it would unveil a second-generation 'Wii 2' at this year's E3. And now the Wii U is out in the open and we've rounded up all the new details on the new console right here. Check out our Hands on: Nintendo Wii U review. The Wii 2 is called Wii U Nintendo is calling the successor to the popular Wii console the Nintendo Wii U. It has sold 86 million Wii consoles so far. Remember when you first heard the name Nintendo Wii? Many people laughed and said it would never catch on. It did. Nintendo is hoping that Wii U will capture people's imaginations in the same way. "You might remember how the Wii name began to make perfect sense once you started hearing it as Wii. It was clear how much fun we all had playing together," said Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime on the E3 stage earlier today. "But in thinking about a new Nintendo system we knew the prevailing thought would be this: yes, the game would probably be right for all of us, but could it also be a perfect fit just for you. "The answer to that question is an emphatic 'absolutely'. Today, welcome to the world of Wii U." Wii U is the Wii logo we all know well, with a small blue U just to the right of it. It looks (and sounds) a bit weird, but we may well get used to it in time. So here's the new console - read on for more details on it and the revolutionary new controller. Wii U UK release date The Nintendo Wii U UK release date is pencilled in for April 2012. Wii U UK price Pricing is yet to be announced. But the fear is that, with the new controller, it may be a little too high. Wii U is a Full HD, 1080p console The new console will be fully HD compatible, unlike its predecessor. EA boss John Riccitiello says that Wii U is a "stunning breakthrough" that "speaks directly to EA Sports games" and boasts "brilliant HD graphics." "Imagine a shooter like Battlefield with jaw-dropping graphics and smooth animations from the Frostbite engine, brought to you on a Nintendo system with that brilliant controller… We can't wait to see EA games on this new system." Wii U has a touchscreen controller The controller for the Wii U is, as was rumoured a 6.2-inch touchscreen tablet that also features an accelerometer and gyroscope for motion control, dual analogue sticks, rumble feedback, a D-pad, a front-facing camera, triggers and shoulder buttons, start/select/home buttons and a microphone. Each Wii U console will come with a new controller and can also use up to four additional Wii Remote or Wii Remote Plus controllers. The system is also backward compatible, and can play all Wii games and use all Wii accessories. Can Nintendo disrupt the market - just as they did with the original Wii controller - yet again? Wii U processor According to IBM, Nintendo's Wii U is powered by a custom 45nm multi-core Power processor with embedded DRAM. Says the company: "IBM's embedded dynamic random access memory will help deliver a thrilling new game experience to Nintendo fans. The new memory technology, a key element of the new Power microprocessor that IBM is building for the Nintendo Wii U console, can triple the amount of memory contained on a single chip, making for extreme game play." Wii U graphics Wii U's graphics carry on the ATI heritage of the Wii, with a custom AMD Radeon HD GPU reports Kotaku. Wii U specifications and connectivity It appears the original Wii's Gamecube controller compatibility will be binned. while there will be four USB ports under that hatch/at the rear and there will still be an SD card slot. There will also be some internal storage, though you'll be able to boost that by plugging in an external drive. And, as befits an HD console, there will be HDMI onboard, in addition to S-Video and component. Also expect 802.11n Wi-Fi. Wii U disc format We know Wii U will be backward compatible with all past Wii games, but we don't know for sure if there will be any upscaling - or indeed whether the unit will boast a Blu-ray or DVD drive. However, a company exec has revealed that the system's proprietary disc format will hold up to 25GB of data, but it will not be compatible with Blu-ray. A mid-June 2011 report says that the Wii U's disc format won't be comp You can play games solely on the Wii U touchscreen controller Nintendo president Satoru Iwata agrees that the first Wii U demo video "may have answered some questions, but it probably raised several others, too". But the key concept is clear - Nintendo hopes that you will be able to transfer the game you are playing on a TV screen in your home to the local screen, should you wish to play alone in your bedroom or study - perhaps if someone else needs the TV. "Up until now, home console games had to occupy the TV screen in order to be played. But, the new controller for Wii U with 6.2-inch screen means you won't need to give up your gameplay when someone else comes in the room and wants to watch a TV programme." Demos show that you can move your game from the TV to the screen in your hand almost immediately. Games can also make use of both screens - there's an ace video of this in action where a girl is using the controller as the tee in a golf game while using a standard Wiimote to actually swing - it's at 3m30s. Here's a pic of the controller in use for baseball: So in single-player games the new controller can display information on its screen that does not appear on the TV, while the information and viewpoint can also change in the new controller based on the orientation of its gyroscope. In multiplayer games the player using the new controller can have a different experience than those looking at the TV. Wii U does video calling and more It also looks like you will be able to make video-calls on the Wii U control pad, using its front-facing camera. Plus, you will be able to share content such as your holiday pictures and home videos from your local controller to the main television with ease. Wii U is fully backward compatible with kit and games Wii U is fully backward compatible, which means that you can play all of your current Wii games on the system and use your Wii Fit or any other accessories you currently use with it. But Wii U's controller is not a standalone handheld console The controller needs to be tethered to the Wii U console to function - it isn't a PlayStation Vita competitor. Wii U games will be plentiful "Wii U was created so that the widest variety of games can be supported," says Nintendo. "That means those aimed at experienced controllers that can use circle controllers using both their hands, plus those games that can be intuitively played without the need for any buttons." Games design guru Shigeru Miyamoto says of Nintendo's new home console: "More than anything I'm really looking forward to new styles of play... There are so many we're just trying to decide where to begin." Ninty announced new content based on its own franchises such as Mario (see below) and Zelda, but more interestingly, says our own Adam Hartley, "is that EA, Ubisoft, Sega and lots of other third party games developers were showing off new adult-themed, hardcore games that they are making for Nintendo's Wii U." "Graphically, many of the games look on par with new AAA titles on PS3 or Xbox 360. "Hardcore favourites such as Tekken, Assassin's Creed, Batman Arkham City and Ghost Recon Online were also demonstrated. Clearly, Nintendo aims to push Wii U to the hardcore crowd as well as to the casual market it has so successfully won over with Wii. "EA boss John Riccitiello took to the Nintendo stage to tell the crowd that: 'Over the years I've made E3 appearances with several console partners, but never before with Nintendo.'" Want to look back? Here are all the rumours we rounded up before the big announcement. Considering PlayStation 4 rumours have little substance and Xbox 720 rumours are wispy at best, any revamped, upgraded, HD-friendly follow-up to the Wii would undoubtedly turn heads. And Wii sales finally show signs of decline, Nintendo needs a new console to maintain its momentum. Our colleagues at T3.com have rounded up the latest rumours in the Wii 2 video below: Enter 'Project Cafe': more than just a Wii HD If the Wii 2 rumours are to be believed, then Nintendo's Project Café is more than just a high-def Wii. Game Informer started the rumour mill turning, citing the existence of an HD-ready Wii from mysterious 'multiple sources'. French website 01net.com then chipped in with the Project Café codename and suggested core specs that could eclipse those of the Xbox 360 and PS3. Wii 2 specs could include a touchscreen display… The 01net.com website has form - it previously leaked the specs of Sony's NGP handheld before the official reveal. So it's tempting to believe that the Wii 2 could indeed be powered by a three-core IBM Power PC chip, feature an ATI R700 GPU for 1080p/3D visuals and use a unique gamepad with a 6.2-inch touchscreen, dual analogue sticks and a built-in camera. This machine would also be backward-compatible with the current Wii and its motion-sensing peripherals, enabling it to go head-to-head with Kinect and PlayStation Move. Such a specification would make the Wii 2 faster than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. But you'll note that it's hardly cutting-edge tech we're talking about here. In contrast, the components are proven, reliable and reasonably cheap. If this is the specification Nintendo opts for, it won't take two years to turn a profit on each Wii 2 sold. It seems the Wii U will have the ability to support 3D games, but Nintendo won't be focusing on this feature when it is launched in 2012. That's 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. Goodbye Wii, hello 'Stream'? There's a good chance that Nintendo's new console won't be called the Wii 2, Wii HD, Super Wii, 'Wii Wii' or any other variation of Wii. IGN has heard the name 'Stream', but it could be one of many names up for consideration. Moving on from the Wii brand would make sense if Nintendo is building a powerful machine to win back hard-core Western gamers. Rather than recycle Wii Sports Resort and Just Dance in 1080p Full HD, Nintendo has its eye on greater 3rd-party software support. EDGE claims that "Ubisoft, Activision and Electronic Arts have had development units of the new hardware for months." Of course, having AAA titles such as Mortal Kombat and LA Noire alongside a next-gen Mario Kart or Zelda on the Wii 2 isn't going to win Nintendo many converts. It will also need to revolutionise its online offering for the Wii 2 to be taken seriously as a credible gaming machine. Wii 2 release date With the Wii 2 set to be revealed at this year's E3, then it's possible that Nintendo could start rolling it out before Christmas. But given the complexity of a global console launch, early 2012 looks a more sensible bet. That would give Nintendo two years to rack up sales if Sony and Microsoft don't launch new consoles until 2014. "Nintendo is doing this one right," an anonymous source told Game Informer. "[It's] not a gimmick like the Wii." The statement is a little harsh on the Wii, which opened up video gaming to a whole new demographic. Nintendo won't want to throw that all away. Check out our Hands on: Nintendo Wii U review. Related Stories Updated: PS4 rumours: what you need to know about the PlayStation 4

Kindle version of the Guardian announced Posted: 11 Jul 2011 04:44 AM PDT The Guardian and Observer newspapers are now available to download for the Amazon Kindle, with the newspaper group marking the optimised edition's arrival with a 14-day free trial. The Kindle is the most popular product Amazon has ever sold through its online store, so it is easy to see why the Guardian has launched a Kindle edition. It is calling its e-newspaper "the best newspaper reading experience you can have on Kindle," which is a bit of a dig at the other newspapers available for the Kindle – including its rival, the Times. Tremendous growth "This is the first of many mobile launches from Guardian News and Media over the next few months and comes at a time when we're seeing tremendous growth on all our mobile platforms," said the Guardian about the launch. The Guardian has increasingly started to embrace digital, with the paper announcing earlier in the year that it is now taking a 'digital first' attitude to its news output. It has also revealed that it is close to launching an Android and iPad app as well, with the iPad version already in its 'testing' phase. The Android version of the paper will be available this autumn. The paper will be looking to capitalise on the massive amount of growth it has seen in the mobile sector. According to the Guardian, the mobile version of the paper (m.guardian.co.uk) accounts for 10 per cent of its web traffic. The Guardian Kindle edition is available now and is priced at £9.99 a month. Related Stories Google Maps gets offline download area feature

Is Google too close to the UK government? Posted: 11 Jul 2011 04:34 AM PDT A national newspaper has questioned whether Google is too close to the UK government after discovering that the search giant has had over 20 meetings with senior politicians over the past 12 months. The Sunday Times uncovered the frequent conferences using Freedom of Information requests; revealing that Prime Minister David Cameron, Chancellor George Osborne and Steve Hilton, director of strategy for David Cameron, among others, have all met with Google. Google's executive chariman, Eric Schmidt, is also a member of the Prime Minister's Advisory Council. More than its fair share When the Times put to Google that the frequency of its meetings with the UK government amounted to unfair access, it responded with a statement saying, "We talk to governments around the world whenever a proposed legislation would affect our users." The proposed legislation includes the ideas put forward in the Hargreaves Report relating to online copyrights and use of unlicensed video, music and other creative material online. However, few other companies have powerful British politicians' ears so regularly – apart from, perhaps, News International. And that's working out pretty well, right? Related Stories In Depth: The United Kingdom's secret firewall Promoted Tweets coming to your timeline Google+ notification spam caused by lack of disk space Facebook music service to be called Facebook Vibes? Anonymous promising 'biggest day in its history' on Tuesday

Review: Matrix Mini-i DAC Posted: 11 Jul 2011 04:30 AM PDT Diminutive DACs are very much the flavour of the moment – just look at the widely varying models from Cambridge Audio, Arcam, Lavry, Benchmark and so on. Many of these are aimed fair and square at the computer audio world, with hi-fi -flavour inputs (S/PDIF etc.) almost an afterthought and indeed the idea of adding quality to computer audio via a USB digital audio interface is thoroughly sensible. The Matrix Mini-i DAC is no different. Not the same old Except that in some ways it is. It takes audiophile details unusually seriously, with pro-style AES/EBU digital input and also balanced audio outputs alongside the usual phono sockets. It also features a headphone output and a volume control, operative on headphone and line outputs. And a digital output. And... (drum roll) a remote control! This puts it in a class of about one: granted, a remote is not the most essential accessory for a DAC, but it has its uses and as such is astonishingly rare. It's a rather sexy metal remote control too, a very nice touch. No sign of scrimping If you use the 'traditional' digital inputs you can take advantage of the Mini-i's 24-bit/192kHz capability. Via USB it's limited to 48kHz sampling. The electrical S/PDIF input is on a BNC socket, while the output is on a phono – at least that reduces the chances of mixing them up. Inside the case there's a generous helping of circuitry including a good quality modern DAC chip (in fact two of them) and decent op-amps. The mains transformer is internal so there's no 'wall wart' needed. Operation is straightforward thanks to the informative display and intelligent push'n'twist control – twiddle for volume, press briefly to change input, press and hold to switch off. There's quite a bit of circuitry inside the case, including two high-performance DAC chips (each capable of stereo operation, so presumably operating in tandem to lower noise and distortion). Op-amps are good parts too and in general there's no obvious sign of scrimping anywhere. A spring in its step We've had some impressive audiophile results from a few budget DACs recently, so our expectations of the Mini-i were high. For reasons of convenience as much as anything else, we began our listening with a CD player as source, connected via electrical S/PDIF and this turned out to give very good results. What we most enjoyed about the sound was the light and agile character that this DAC seems to manage so well: it's not short of bass when needed, but it has great energy and clarity in the midrange and treble which can really make music skip along with joy and verve. In prosaic technical terms, this is basically down to its good resolution and extended treble – possibly ever so slightly bright, but certainly not in a disturbing way. We felt that USB sounds a touch less assured, with slightly less insight in the upper octaves and also a bass register that could use a touch more precision. This is being picky, though, and had the S/PDIF performance not provided such a classy comparison we would doubtless have been quite impressed by USB. There's no question, but that it will provide a clear and obvious upgrade over most onboard computer analogue outputs. Great with 'phones too The headphone output deserves special praise. It is capable of driving headphones loud very cleanly, but at any volume level there is a real sense of assurance that makes the whole experience very involving. Headphones may not need as much hard driving as loudspeakers, but a good source like this makes one realise that a tight rein is still beneficial. Given that digital volume controls still have a dodgy reputation in some quarters, it's also worth mentioning that we were never aware of this one having any adverse effect. Using it as an alternative to the traditional control on our day-to-day amp produced no audible side effects that we could hear. For ultimate sound quality with a USB source, this may not quite beat the Cambridge DacMagic, but it is certainly a very capable DAC and the flexibility of remote, headphone output and volume control make it exceptionally attractive value. Related Stories Review: Audiolab 8200A Review: Monitor Audio Gold GX200 Review: Triangle Color Review: Cambridge Audio Sonata NP30

Review: Sony KDL-40HX723 Posted: 11 Jul 2011 04:24 AM PDT The KDL-40HX723 has an ace up its sleeve with the potential to improve dramatically on the poor 3D efforts of the EX723 series. Motionflow XR 400 claims to deliver a processing-driven equivalent' of 400 frames per second, which ought to bode well for three-dimensional playback. Unlike many of Sony's previous screens, the KDL-40HX723's 3D transmitter is built in, but no glasses are included with the set. Other key features of the KDL-40HX723 include dynamic edge LED lighting, offering a degree of local dimming to the picture's illumination, Sony's Bravia Internet Video online service and an open internet browser. You can also use Skype via an optional camera and the TV's pictures are knocked into shape by the highest ('Pro') level version of Sony's new X-Reality processing, which is designed to improve the appearance of low-quality source material such as stuff streamed from the internet. The only other model confirmed in the HX723 range at the moment is the 46-inch KDL-46HX723. For other Sony choices you're looking at the step-down NX723 series, which introduces Sony's Monolithic design concept, but only offers MotionFlow XR 200 processing. Or further up you can find the NX823 series, which among other things adds built-in Wi-Fi to the KDL-40HX723's spec sheet and a super-slim chassis. The KDL-40HX723's design, by comparison, is less dramatic, featuring a normal raised black bezel given a little added appeal courtesy of a metallic-looking (but rather plasticky feeling) finish to the bottom edge. A slightly more heavy-duty build-quality wouldn't have gone amiss on a £1,300 40-inch TV, but the KDL-40HX723 certainly can't be considered remotely ugly. The chief attraction of the KDL-40HX723 is its combination of integrated active 3D with a much faster claimed refresh rate. It's a pity, however, that the set doesn't underline its potential 3D appeal by providing any active shutter glasses for free, thereby adding a couple of hundred quid to the set's already high cost. The KDL-40HX723 doesn't ship with built-in Wi-Fi or the USB dongle with which you might add it, so you'll need to find another £80 or so if you want to go wireless. From here on in, though, the news where features are concerned is mostly good. As well as the promising 3D and refresh rate stuff, the KDL-40HX723 is extremely well equipped for multimedia. The Bravia Internet Video service enables you to jack the TV into your network via a provided LAN port (or the optional Wi-Fi dongle) to enjoy a startling amount of video streaming from Sony's online servers. Highlights include the BBC iPlayer and Channel Five Demand 5 catch-up services, a World of Sony channel providing instant and free access to a varied array of classic Sony-backed TV shows ranging from Rescue Me to Diff'rent Strokes! and an interactive Sky News channel providing on-demand to headlines and key video news packages. You'll also be able to download LoveFilm movies, watch Eurosport and YouTube and avail yourself of Sony's Qriocity servers, which offer a subscription model for accessing films and music. There are dozens of other video providers for you to explore on Bravia Internet Video and you can use Skype if you add an external camera (yes, another optional add on). Finally, there's an open web browser, which works well enough, though navigating sites via a TV remote is never a pleasurable experience. The KDL-40HX723 can connect up to a DLNA PC for straightforward streaming of video, photo and music files, or it can play such files directly from USB storage devices via its two USB inputs. The USBs also permit direct recording of whatever's showing on the integrated Freeview HD tuner - though while the picture quality from these recordings is impressive, you shouldn't expect the same sort of flexibility you would get from a dedicated external recorder. Joining the USBs and LAN port among the KDL-40HX723's connections are four HDMI inputs for your digital/HD/3D sources, plus the staple connections you'd expect of any self-respecting TV. A surprising number of these connections, including three of the HDMIs, face directly out of the TV's rear, though, which isn't very helpful to anyone thinking of wall-hanging a KDL-40HX723. Exploring the picture adjustment section of the KDL-40HX723's onscreen menus reveals an intimidating amount of options - many of which are related to the extensive processing tools. When it comes to noise reduction, for instance, you get separate standard NR, MPEG NR, and Dot NR options, all with multiple levels of potency. Then there's Sony's Reality Creation system, designed to adjust detail and noise levels to make pictures look more realistic. There are multiple levels to this processing and you can adjust its resolution and noise filtering elements manually. Also worth tinkering with is a Smooth Gradation system. Part of Sony's new X-Reality Pro engine, designed to improve the appearance of low-quality video sources, the Smooth Gradation system attempts to deliver the equivalent of 14-bit colour processing (meaning no striping in colour blends) in an 8-bit output signal. MotionFlow is one of the most important processing features. There are multiple settings, the default level being Standard, though you'll probably be safer switching to Clear, as it reduces judder and blur without causing too many processing side-effects. Then there's a black level corrector, an advanced contrast enhancer, various gamma settings, the ability to turn on or off dynamic control for the LED lighting… a white booster, an edge enhancer... the list goes on. This is all well and good, although a lot of the options are concerned with tweaking levels of processing, and, as such, demand a bit of care in order to strike the right balance between improving the image and making it look worse; the last thing you want is to make your pictures look over-processed. Final bits and bobs worth running by you are Twitter and Facebook apps held within the Bravia Widgets section of the onscreen menus, and a fun bit of fluff called TrackID, which can analyse with remarkable accuracy even a very short bit of music playing on a programme you're watching and tell you the artist and track. Given the problems with the EX723 series' 3D pictures, it's a huge relief to find that the KDL-40HX723's 3D abilities are in a whole different class. The main reason for this is that they suffer far less from the dreaded crosstalk double ghosting noise. In fact, with bright scenes there's practically none of it; the Wimbledon finalists during the BBC's 3D Wimbledon footage looked crisp and ghost-free while the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge in Monsters Vs Aliens were free of echoes. The situation isn't so impressive during dark scenes. The current classic scene for revealing dark crosstalk is the lantern sequence in Tangled, and there was some evidence of ghosting around some of the lamps and around the spires of the distant castle. However, no TV has so far been able to show this scene without any crosstalk at all and the amount generated by the KDL-40HX723 is low compared to many of its rivals. Not having to squint through reams of ghosting noise makes it easier to appreciate the other strengths of the KDL-40HX723's 3D picture quality. For instance, it's easy to see the benefits of Blu-ray's full HD 3D system, even on a screen as relatively small (by 3D standards) as this. Also, while Sony's bulky but acceptably comfortable 3D glasses do take quite a lot of the brightness out of images, the set's edge LED lighting delivers enough punch and vibrancy to counter this. Colours are more natural and dynamic than they tend to be with 3D footage. Motion occasionally looks a touch juddery during 3D viewing for some hard to fathom reason, but for the most part the KDL-40HX723's 3D pictures are very accomplished. The KDL-40HX723 is also a useful 2D performer. Fine detail, propelled by the impressive brightness, is terrific and clarity takes only a minor hit when there's a lot of motion to handle, though you do need to engage the motion processing to get the best from the set. Colours with HD and standard-def footage alike are vibrant and natural after a little tweaking (the main presets leave skin tones looking rather ripe and the overall tone a touch warm), and blends are immaculate, even without calling on the Smooth Gradation processing. The KDL-40HX723 also makes a better job of upscaling standard-definition material, particularly low quality stuff from the web, than any set we've seen, presumably thanks to X-Reality Pro, which was expressly designed to get the most from online video. Black level response is usually a tricky area for edge LED technology, but the KDL-40HX723 handles it very well for the most part. Blacks are impressively dark, so long as you don't leave the backlight setting too high and that profundity doesn't come at the expense of too much shadow detail. One final positive about the KDL-40HX723's picture performance finds the set running with an input lag of between 39-41ms when using its game mode. This could be better, but it's unlikely that such a figure would lead to any significant detriment to your performance when playing console or PC games. The main flaw in the KDL-40HX723's picture is that the backlight can look a bit uneven – particularly in the bottom corners – if you don't calm it down considerably from its preset level. Patches of extra brightness can also occasionally be seen when watching 3D, thanks to the extreme brightness the screen defaults to in 3D mode. The good news is that you can iron out the vast majority of these inconsistency issues without over-compromising dynamism. Another issue is that the KDL-40HX723 does demand considerable effort to consistently get the best from its picture potential, thanks to the numerous processing options available. It's tempting just to turn every bit of processing off, but if you do it quickly becomes apparent that some of the tools - motion compensation, advanced contrast and some elements of the noise reduction in particular - can really improve the way pictures look. Given that tolerances to video processing differ from person to person, the only thing anyone who buys a KDL-40HX723 can do is go through everything one step at a time to see how they feel about what each processing element does. One last negative concerns the KDL-40HX723's effective viewing angle, as the backlight inconsistencies increase and the overall contrast range decreases pretty rapidly once you start watching from angles beyond 35° or so. Sound The KDL-40HX723's audio performance is acceptable, but nothing special. It sounds absolutely fine under relatively tame conditions, but when pushed by any sort of action scene, the speakers start to sound harsh and compressed, with dialogue sounding shrill or becoming overwhelmed. There's not enough bass or enough dynamic range in the upper register to handle trebles convincingly at high volumes. At least the cabinet doesn't start to buzz when pushed hard, though. Value The KDL-40HX723's £1,300 price tag makes it pretty expensive by 40-inch TV standards, especially when you consider that no 3D glasses or Wi-Fi USB dongles are bundled. However, although it takes work to get the best out of it, the KDL-40HX723 is an excellent picture performer in both 2D and 3D mode, as well as being fearsomely well equipped with multimedia/online video streaming features and picture tweaking tools. Ease of use The KDL-40HX723 is a mixed bag where ease of use is concerned. One of its strongest points is its remote control, which uses an unusual curved fascia and mostly logical button layout to good effect. The electronic programme guide for surfing the digital channel list is nicely done too. There are no adverts on it and a small version of the picture continues to play while you browse the listings. The listings themselves are cleanly presented, well organised and respond quickly to commands. The onscreen menus also have much to commend them. The way the picture shrinks to accommodate twin axes of menus focused around the screen's bottom right corner, for example, is clever, as it enables you to keep watching a full version of the picture while you look for the feature you're after. The main problem with the menus is that they are difficult to navigate to get to the feature you're after. The icons along the screen's bottom aren't always particularly helpful in explaining what features they lead to and there are too many of them for comfort. Even getting to the basic picture adjustment options is a chore. The KDL-40HX723 could do better when it comes to explaining its myriad features, too. There's no paper manual to speak of, yet the onscreen one is brief with its explanations, and – worse – it's seldom interactive. In other words, you seldom get an explanation of a feature when you highlight it as you do with recent TVs from Samsung and Panasonic. Instead, you have to manually find a feature in the onscreen i-Manual. Sony desperately needed to get 3D right with the KDL-40HX723 after the mess that was the 3D performance of its EX723 models. So it's good to find the set boasting an effective 400Hz refresh rate that manages to greatly reduce the crosstalk problems of the EX723 models. The KDL-40HX723 also goes a bundle on other picture processing, including X-Reality Pro to boost the quality of duff source material, multiple noise reduction systems and various contrast boosting circuits as well as a system for improving colour blends and two or three tools for adjusting sharpness. It's also loaded with multimedia tools, including DLNA networking and Sony's excellent online video-on-demand service. The complexity of the KDL-40HX723's picture settings makes it a TV that's potentially not for the technologically faint of heart, but thankfully the rewards for your set-up efforts are extreme, with 2D and 3D pictures that are among the best seen to date. We liked Sony has sorted out its 3D gremlins for the KDL-40HX723, resulting in 3D pictures that are now among the best from any LCD TV. The set is also a mostly excellent 2D picture performer and is especially impressive at upscaling low-quality standard-definition sources. Its multimedia support is good, too, while Bravia Internet Video remains arguably the most watchable online TV service. We disliked While the basic principles of Sony's latest onscreen menu system are clever, the way they're implemented feels long-winded and complicated. This situation is not helped by the fact that you need to spend quite a bit of time in the menus fine-tuning all the video processing tools. There's a little backlight inconsistency, but you can usually calibrate this down to a very low level. Finally, given the KDL-40HX723's price, it would have been nice to have found at least one pair of 3D glasses bundled. Final verdict The KDL-40HX723 marks a considerable and welcome return to form for Sony, firmly putting to bed any thoughts that the brand might have forgotten how to do 3D well. It's a very polished and enjoyable 2D performer, too, and sets new standards when it comes to presenting low-quality sources such as compressed internet video feeds. Add in comprehensive multimedia and online source support, and the KDL-40HX723 amply justifies its slightly intimidating price tag. Related Stories BSkyB takeover decision pushed to September Review: Sony KDL-40CX523 Video: Television buyer's guide

Video: Television buyer's guide Posted: 11 Jul 2011 04:20 AM PDT Buying a television is difficult, even for a committed technophile – with a mass of tricky decisions to make on features, size and type. Should you plump for a 3D ready set? If so, should you go for active or passive 3D? What size screen should you go for? And how many HDMI ports do you need? TechRadar sympathises with the problem, and we've put together a video buyer's guide for televisions that should give you a little more insight in to what you are looking out for. If you are looking for even more information - you can check out Best TV 2011: how to choose the best TV to buy. Related Stories BSkyB takeover decision pushed to September Review: Sony KDL-40CX523 Review: Sony KDL-40HX723

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