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Techradar |
- Android 3.2 update starts to arrive on Motorola Xoom
- Windows Phone OS not for tablets says Microsoft
- Samsung wants Apple lawyers chucked-off legal case
- Google+ now has 10m+ users, says analyst
- LoveFilm looking to improve on-demand offering
- HTC challenges Apple to fight it out in the shops, not the courts
- MacBook Air refresh to bring keyboard backlighting back?
- Updated: iPad 3 rumours: what you need to know
- Review: Canon PowerShot A3200 IS
- Tablet shipments fell 28% in Q1 2011
- Teach Yourself Photoshop iPad app now available
- HTC Desire Android 2.3 update to land in July
- In Depth: 20 Google+ tips, tricks and hints
- Qualcomm: 'Our dual-core will be better than rival quad-core'
- Google Nexus Prime confirmed by Samsung?
- Review: Boston Acoustics A360 loudspeaker
- New Nikon 40mm f/2.8 macro lens confirmed for UK
- New Nikon 40mm f/2.8 macro lens
- Review: SRM Tech Athena turntable
- More than 10% of new TV's 3D-enabled by end of 2011
- Review: Marantz UD7006
- YouTube to premiere show from Robot Chicken team
- Report: Nintendo 3DS video downloads to start Wednesday
- Latest gaming figures show rise of DLC and mobile
- Latest gaming growth figures show rise of DLC and mobile
| Android 3.2 update starts to arrive on Motorola Xoom Posted: 12 Jul 2011 10:22 PM PDT Google has begun rolling-out the Android Honeycomb 3.2 operating system, starting with the Motorola Xoom tablet. Late on Tuesday a small percentage of Xoom owners started to report the Android version upgrade had appeared on their device, so it looks like Google is aiming to trickle this one out slowly. At present, only users of the Wi-Fi Xoom have been blessed with the new software so its difficult to predict when the rest of the pack will catch up. Zoom for the Xoom Android 3.2 brings a few minor improvements including the new zoom feature, which will allow users to make smartphone-optimised apps appear full-screen, in the same way the iPad upscales iPhone apps. The new version of the OS also brings Honeycomb compatibility for the smaller 7-inch Android tablets like the first iteration of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Other improvements include better widgets for the Music, Movies and Movie Studio apps, faster hardware acceleration and better support for SD cards. The Android 3.2 update is believed to be one of the last incremental updates before the new Ice Cream Sandwich operating system arrives to save us from pesky Android fragmentation and get us all on the same page. Source: Gotta Be Mobile 
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| Windows Phone OS not for tablets says Microsoft Posted: 12 Jul 2011 07:51 PM PDT The president of Windows Phone says there is no chance of the mobile OS appearing on tablets. Speaking at the Microsoft Partner Conference in Los Angeles, Windows Phone chief Andy Lees says that tablets are considered more like PCs than smartphones. "We view a tablet as a PC," he said during his keynote, before claiming that Microsoft "wants people to be able to do the sort of things they do on a PC on a tablet." Windows 8 Lees reaffirmed that any forthcoming Microsoft tablets will run the Windows 8 operating system rather than Windows Phone 7 or the Windows 7 PC OS. The remarks are slightly surprising, as the first gazes at Windows 8 have shown it to be a lot more WP7-like than its PC counterpart. Lees also claimed that Windows phones, PCs and tablets will eventually come together in a "unified ecosystem" rather than separate operating systems for each sector. Source: Apple Insider 
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| Samsung wants Apple lawyers chucked-off legal case Posted: 12 Jul 2011 02:54 PM PDT Another day, another twist in the Apple vs Samsung trademark infringement legal rollercoaster. Samsung is demanding that Apple's outside legal representatives are thrown-off the case because, lo-and-behold, they used to represent Samsung. The Korean giant, which faces several allegations of copying Apple's iPad and iPhone for its range of Galaxy smartphones and tablets, reckons this creates an obvious conflict of interest. Substantially related "At least five of the ten attorneys at the firm of Bridges & Mavrakakis represented Samsung on patent litigation matters that are substantially related to the case at hand," says a filing made to the California court. "Collectively, these attorneys spent almost 9,000 hours, including time spent earlier this year, performing work on patent litigation matters for Samsung." The attorneys in question represented Samsung back in 2006 when the company was involved in another patent dispute against Sony Ericsson. Naturally, Samsung is claiming that the in-depth knowledg of the company the legal-eagles gleaned from working that case could be used against them in the current proceedings. The filing continues: "It is inevitable that Samsung's confidential information--including not only the legal strategies implemented by Samsung in a prior litigation, but also other accumulated insights such as the decision-making tendencies and pressure points of Samsung's internal legal team--will be used to Advance Apple's interest against Samsung in this litigation." Copied The legal battle began way back in April when Apple issued an extremely strongly-worded writ, alleging that Samsung had copied iOS devices for its popular Android range of phones and tablets. "Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smart phone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple's technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products," read the lawsuit. Since then there have been lawsuits and counter lawsuits in several countries with both companies demanding that the other's next generation tech go before the court. So far there's been plenty of handbags, but not much in the way of a resolution. We can see this rumbling on for months. Source: CNET 
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| Google+ now has 10m+ users, says analyst Posted: 12 Jul 2011 12:28 PM PDT Google+ will pass 10 million members today, less than two weeks after launch, according to analysis of registered surnames on the social networking site. Ancestry.com founder Paul Allen has been taking samples of surnames on Google+ and measuring them against the US Census. Allen reckons that by the end of Tuesday, Google+ will have sailed past the 10 million members mark, which is a huge increase from his 4th July estimate of 1.7m. 20m by the weekend? In a post on his Google+ profile, he says: "My latest estimate tonight shows approximately 9.5 million users. This suggests that 2.2 million people have joined Google+ in the past 32-34 hours. "I project that Google will easily pass 10 million users tomorrow and could reach 20 million user by this coming weekend if they keep the Invite Button available." Google has refused to be drawn on exactly how many people have signed up to use Google+, but Chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt has admitted that there already millions of users. We've noticed a marked increase in friends adding us to their circles in recent days, and while Allen's methods aren't, by his own admission, perfect, the methodology at least gives us a good indication of the speed at which Google+ is growing. If Google keeps the invite process open then there really is no limit to how fast the uptake will be. Right now, it's only 740m users behind Facebook! Link: Paul Allen on Google+ 
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| LoveFilm looking to improve on-demand offering Posted: 12 Jul 2011 11:51 AM PDT LoveFIlm subscribers could soon see a boost in on-demand titles, after the company bolstered its workforce with the intention of stepping up its digital operations. The Amazon-owned company will add to its London-based staff by 20 per cent over the next three months, which will result in 40 new positions. "Following Amazon's acquisition of LoveFilm we have created around 40 jobs at our London office, half of which are in the technology and digital sphere," said LoveFilm CEO and all-round nice guy Simon Calver. Relatively limited LoveFilm currently offers nearly 5,000 movies and TV shows to stream over various connected devices like the PS3 and Samsung's Smart TV platform as well as laptop and desktop computers. The company also offers a further thousand movies on a pay-per-view basis, which accounts for a lot of the newer releases offered by the site. Netflix, the US equivalent of LoveFilm offers a much larger selection of content for digital viewers, which has contributed hugely to the company's dominance across the pond. Optimum deal Back in March, LoveFilm was able to add to its digital offering thanks to a deal with film distributor Optimum Releasing. Let's hope this leads to a mass expansion effort for the company as it uses Amazon's clout and its new workforce to bring more movies to our connected devices. Source: Guardian 
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| HTC challenges Apple to fight it out in the shops, not the courts Posted: 12 Jul 2011 10:31 AM PDT HTC has responded to Apple's latest legal action against it, denying that the patent infringement claims hold any water. As we reported yesterday, Apple has filed a new complaint with the International Trade Commission (ITC), seeking to block the sales of certain HTC devices, claiming that they infringe on Apple's copyrights. The HTC devices that stand accused in the UK include the HTC Wildfire, HTC Desire, HTC Hero, and the HTC Flyer, the company's first Android tablet effort. Nah, mate HTC "vehemently denies" Apples claims, in a statement that accuses Apple of trying to compete in the courts rather than taking it to the shop floor. Grace Lei, HTC's general counsel, said, "HTC is dismayed that Apple has resorted to competition in the courts rather than the market place. "HTC continues to vehemently deny all of Apple's past and present claims against it and will continue to protect and defend its own intellectual property as it has already done this year." Zing! Handbags at 20 paces. 
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| MacBook Air refresh to bring keyboard backlighting back? Posted: 12 Jul 2011 08:48 AM PDT Apple's next generation of MacBook Airs could be bringing the backlighting back, if a new report is to be believed. The first generation of Airs rocked a backlit keyboard, but the handy typing-in-the-dark feature was done away with in the most recent iterations. As well as keyboard back-lighting, Apple Insider's sources posit that the new 11.6- and 13.3-inch MacBook Airs are rumoured to come with Thunderbolt ports for high-speed file transfer, and possibly high speed 400MBps flash memory. The Mac that roared The new line is set to debut during the week commencing 21 July, according to the same sources, and are set to ship with the final build of Mac OS X Lion, which was unveiled at WWDC in June. Lion itself is yet to be released, having only just opened app store submissions. However, it's set to be a bit of a hit when it does finally land, thanks in part to the new OS's extremely attractive price of just £25. 
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| Updated: iPad 3 rumours: what you need to know Posted: 12 Jul 2011 08:20 AM PDT The iPad 2 is out, and the rumour factory's already moved on: it's predicting iPad 3 specifications including chips, cameras and retina displays - with a little bit of help from mysterious, unnamed people who can't possibly be identified. How very convenient. So what's the word on the street about the next iPad? Read on to find out. But first, our colleagues at T3.com have rounded up the latest rumours in the iPad 3 video below: iPad 3 release date This is the biggest rumour of all: an iPad 3 mere months after the iPad 2. An unnamed Apple employee says that the iPad 2 was a bit of a rush job, and "the third generation iPad is the one to make a song and dance about." Respected Apple watcher John Gruber added fuel to that particular fire by strongly hinting that the iPad 3 release date will be in September 2011. Gruber, who was musing about the HP TouchPad's potential summer release said: "Summer feels like a long time away. "If my theory is right, they're not only going to be months behind the iPad 2, but if they slip until late summer, they might bump up against the release of the iPad 3." If Gruber is right about this and the iPad 3 features in an Apple autumn line-up, then it looks like Apple is going to start offering a new iPad every six months. Indeed, Reuters reports that the new iPad 3 is due in the fourth quarter of the year. On 1 July, Digitimes reported that Taiwanese-based component suppliers were gearing up for production of iPad 3 and iPhone 5. The iPad 3 UK release date is a mystery With Apple unable to meet initial demand for iPad 2, we'd expect a staggered release date for the iPad 3 too: if the US gets the iPad 3 in September, we'd expect the UK iPad 3 release date to be in October, or possibly even November. However, Apple could always follow the pattern it has with the previous two iPad launches and do it in the new year. The iPad 3 specs include a dual-core processor... It's possible that the iPad 3 will have a brand spanking new processor, Apple's A6, but if the rumoured release date is correct then time is awfully tight: we'd certainly expect to see an A5, not an A6, in the iPhone 5 when it turns up this summer. Apple may well surprise us, of course, but we'd expect to see the same processor and graphics as the iPad 2 in the iPad 3: an A5 processor with PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics. This one comes down to the iPad 3 release date: if it's 2011, expect an A5. If it's 2012, see below. ...unless iPad 3 has a quad-core processor If the A6 is the next stage in the line - and we don't see a new iPad until 2012 - we could also be looking at a quad-core chip from Apple. Quad-core designs will be coming from all ARM partners late this year. iPad 3 display A retina display was widely predicted for the iPad 2, but of course the current iPad doesn't have a double-resolution display: for now, that's something you'll only get in the iPhone 4. Could a Retina Display be one of the features Apple didn't quite get into the iPad 2? Could be! It's the very first thing on our iPad 3 wish list. Rumours of an HD screen on the iPad 3 gathered pace on 12 April 2011 when Digitimes reported that Apple is asking panel makers to provide screens that are capable of displaying higher image quality than the iPad 2. On 26 May 2011, we reported that the iPad 3 could launch with a Samsung-made AMOLED screen, following rumours that Apple has been in talks on the matter with Samsung execs. On 15 June we reported that the iOS 5 code hinted at a Retina Display for iPad 3. The iPad 3 hardware could include an NFC chip Apple's very interested in Near Field Communications, and one particularly tasty rumour at Cult of Mac suggests that the iPhone 5 will use NFC to take over nearby Macs, enabling you to use your data and settings with a flick of the wrist. Since the iPad 3 will follow the iPhone 5, if NFC's in one it'll probably be in the other too. The iPad 3 specifications will include more storage The iPad 2 has the familiar 16/32/64GB storage options, but as flash storage comes down in price a 128GB option for the iPad 3 isn't impossible - although that might depend on the current horrible situation in Asia, where the tsunami has caused chaos in parts of the electronics industry. The iPad 3 features could include a Thunderbolt port Two generations of USB-free iPads suggest that Apple just isn't interested in adding one, but the new Thunderbolt port found in the 2011 MacBook Pro could be another story: it's a combined accessory/display connector with astonishingly fast performance. There could be more than one iPad 3 TUAW says the iOS 5 code features new code files for USB devices in the iOS 5 firmware, Through this, TUAW found references to an iPad3,1 and an iPad 3,2. The iPad 3 could be made by someone other than Foxconn Apple is said to be in talks with another Far Eastern manufacturer as the release of the iPad 3 nears. Digitimes says the company is looking to ramp up production soon. And, given there was a fire at usual supplier Foxconn in May, Quanta Computer and Pegatron Technology could benefit. The iPad 3 specs might include an SD card slot This was widely predicted for iPad 2 and, like the retina display, didn't materialise. One for version 3, perhaps? Using a separate adapter to read camera cards is rather inelegant and clunky. The iPad 3 specification should include a better camera The rear-facing camera on the iPad 2 isn't brilliant: an iPhone 4 camera and flash would do nicely. The iPad 3 could feature a carbon fibre case Apple has hired a carbon fibre expert, senior composites engineer Kevin Kenney, fuelling speculation that the next iPad could be encased in the lightweight material. The iPad 3 price might be higher than the iPad 2 The iPad 2 didn't herald a price hike, but if the iPad 3's coming in September we don't think a massive iPad 2 price cut is very likely - which suggests that if the iPad 3 does appear then, it might be more of an iPad Pro - with a price to match. Could the iPad 3 actually be an iPad 2 Plus? An analyst has suggested that we could see an iPad 2 Plus on our Christmas wishlists. The so-called iPad 2 Plus isn't set to be a radical departure from the current iPad 2, with supply chain sources tipping an improved display (250-300 ppi as opposed to the current 132 ppi). 
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| Review: Canon PowerShot A3200 IS Posted: 12 Jul 2011 08:18 AM PDT Stump up another £40 from the Canon PowerShot A800 and you can get the PowerShot A3200 IS – IS standing for image stabilisation. You get a lot more besides, including a 14.1 megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, 720p HD video recording, better-looking slimmer metal case, 5x optical zoom and Advanced Scene Detection modes. The A3200 is an upgrade of the A3100 IS camera, which had 12.1 megapixels, 4 x optical zoom lacked HD video capability. So are these extra features worth the upgrade? Our review sample looks really classy in tastefully sparkly orange; it feels great too, and its metal casing is clearly built to last. While not the slimmest budget compact on the block at 130g, it's still a lot easier to slip into a pocket than the PowerShot A800. As is often the case with Canon compacts, button placement and ergonomics are a mixed bag. First, the plus points. The shutter release is a sensible distance away from the power button, while the mode dial is easy to turn without being so sensitive you're constantly changing shooting paramaters by accident. The biggest niggle we found was the activating the expanded scene modes – you have to select SCN on the dial, then press the Func Set button and navigate through the options, again using the mode dial. It needs to be much more obvious on an entry level camera of this nature, and as a result a lot of new users won't even realise the scene modes are even there. The fisheye lens effect icon isn't very obvious either, although an explanatory label does pop up on the 2-7-inch LCD. In general though, the PowerShot A3200 IS is a handsome, well-made and easy to use model that will satisfy families with young kids as well as more aesthetically demanding camera owners. It's a testament to the quality of Canon's compact camera engineering that there's actually relatively little to report here. The PowerShot A3200 IS takes really nice, well exposed pictures on Auto mode, Program mode, or when shooting in a preset Scene mode. The metering is impressively accurate and although it does sometimes suffer from blown highlights on a bright, sunny day, it still very reliable for a camera at this price point. Colours are lovely, with the upgraded Digic 4 processor never taking things too over the top (a Super Vivid effect is available should you need to punch the hues up a bit, but it can be rather garish). The bonus lens effect simulators a mixed bag. Fisheye is fun to play with, but as with an actual fisheye lens, choose your subject carefully or the end result can look like a mistake. Miniature and Toy Camera work reasonably well too, but the nature of this camera means that fine-tuning the end result is very limited. Staying with lenses, the 28-140mm (equivalent) glass on the PowerShot A3200 IS a real cracker; it's wide enough to cope with a lot of landscapes, and is pleasingly sharp, with minimal purple fringing or barrel distortion. The addition of in-camera image stabilisation helps too, particularly as this is quite a light camera that big hands might struggle to hold steady all the time. The autofocus is generally accurate and fast, though it hunts in lower light conditions. As our images reveal, ISO performance is pretty good through the range. Noise starts to become a headache around ISO 800 and is really noticeable when you max out at 1600, but the integrity of the colours still holds up well. The quality of the HD movie recording is up to Canon's usual standard, with accurate movement tracking, minimal smearing and noise, and reasonable sound quality for a budget device.
Used in the right environment, the fish eye effect can be a lot of fun
The image stabilisation is impressive, even when you're shooting a gig screen from the crowd
Colours are rich and well saturated, without being garish
The quality lens and image stabilisation technology do a great shop at keeping everything sharp
Macro performance is really good for the money too
Sensor: 14.1 megapixel CCD Lens: Canon 28-140mm Memory: SD card Viewfinder: No, main LCD only LCD Screen: 2.7-inch TFT Video resolution: 640 x 480 to 1280 x 720 ISO range ISO 100 expandable to 1600 Focus modes: Single, Continuous Max burst rate: 0.9 shots per second Shutter speeds: 15 – 1/1600 sec Weight: 130g Dimensions: 95.1 x 56.7 x 24.3mm Power supply: AA batteries x 2 For £100 the PowerShot A3200 IS is an outstanding little camera that ticks a lot of boxes. It's very tough and easy to use with an expanded battery life (250 shots), so this is an ideal family camera. The relatively wide lens, with handy 5x optical zoom, will make it an essential accessory for holidays and it's simple enough to give it the kids for a school trip. HD video recording at 720p comes in really handy too. At the same time, the smart looks and image adjustment options make the PowerShot A3200 IS a good choice for more ambitious photographers. While it's not sophisticated enough to serve as an SLR backup, the ability to adjust metering modes and AF parameters is to be applauded. The lens is impressively sharp and well-engineered too, while the Digic 4 processor delivers smooth, well-saturated images with minimal noise at everyday ISO levels. The downsides are few, and centre around Canon's sometimes eccentric ergonomics and the tendency of the AF to hunt a bit in low light. Once you get used to these quirks, however, the PowerShot A3200 IS should prove a very reliable and rewarding everyday budget compact. We likedThe great looks, tough build quality, crisp lens, reliable metering and intelligent image processor. The PowerShot A3200 IS comes with some genuinely useful extras too, such as quality 720p HD video recording and some useful scene modes/in-camera lens effects. We dislikedWhile this camera takes great pictures from the box, it's not immediately obvious how to switch between the various scene modes. The autofocus tends to hunt around in lower light conditions and it's the HD video maxes out at 720p rather than 1080. 
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| Tablet shipments fell 28% in Q1 2011 Posted: 12 Jul 2011 08:03 AM PDT Worldwide tablet shipments fell by almost 30 per cent in the first quarter of this year (Jan-Mar), according to new figures released by analyst firm IDC. 7.2 million tablets were shifted in the three month period, compared to 10.1 million sold in Q4 2010. But let's break it down; Q4 2010 included Christmas and the months running up to it. No one spends any money in January (anecdotally, at least). And a plethora of new tablets, the iPad 2 included, were anticipated to hit the market in April which is just outside Q1's remit. So it's no huge surprise that shipments fell in the first part of the year; and it's no huge surprise that they're on their way back up again, with IDC revising their tablet sales estimates for the year back up – from 50.4 million tablets up to 53.5. Festive upswing Jennifer Song, IDC research analyst explained: "Although media tablet sales were not as high as expected in the first quarter of 2011 due to slower consumer demand, overall economic conditions and supply-chain constraints, we believe with the entrance of competitive new devices in the second half of 2011, the market will sell close to 53 million units for the year and continue to grow long-term." And guess which tablets are dominating the market? Yep, it's Apple's iPad and iPad 2, while "other vendors have had a more difficult time finding market acceptance for their products", something IDC blames on consumers' unwillingness to sign up to additional data plans. But there is some good news for the Android tablet market: its share of the worldwide tablet market grew by 8 per cent in Q1, taking it up to 34 per cent in total. 
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| Teach Yourself Photoshop iPad app now available Posted: 12 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT A new iPad app from our colleagues at Digital Camera features a complete 10 part video guide to mastering Adobe Photoshop. With videos aimed at both Elements and Creative Suite users, the videos start from image editing basics to more complicated techniques such as using colour curves as well as practical lessons on creating website galleries and photobooks. More than four hours of videos, seperated into 60 tutorials have full narration throughout, making it easy to follow the step-by-step techniques featured in each. The app also includes links to download the original start images used in the tutorials, so you can follow along on your Mac or PC. The app is available for iPad for £9.99. Download the app from the UK store here. Download the app from the US store here. The list of episodes are as follows - each episode contains 6 videos.
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| HTC Desire Android 2.3 update to land in July Posted: 12 Jul 2011 05:35 AM PDT HTC has announced that its long-awaited Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for the HTC Desire will be rolled out by the end of July. The company once again took to its Facebook page to announce that testing on the update has gone well and reveal the new deadline. "We have more news about our build of Gingerbread for Desire. Our testing has gone well so we will begin rolling out the update by the end of July," the update reads. A chequered past The tale of the Gingerbread update for the original HTC Desire has been fraught with twists and turns. In February of this year, there was dancing in the streets as HTC announced that the aging HTC Desire would get the Android 2.3 upgrade, along with the Desire HD, Desire Z and Incredible S, saying that the update would roll out in Q2 (April-June). Three got a bit angsty when it seemed as though the update had been delayed, and just days later HTC shocked us all by announcing that the software update was no longer possible. Three got a bit annoyed about that too. The very next day, we were all shocked again as HTC changed its mind, saying that it would bring the update out after all, dropping a few apps along the way to make it possible. With July already well underway, it won't be long before we can finally put the whole sorry HTC Desire Android 2.3 mess behind us. 
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| In Depth: 20 Google+ tips, tricks and hints Posted: 12 Jul 2011 05:05 AM PDT Google+ is the fantastic new social networking service that lets you keep friends, family, and business contacts separate. Now that Google has cracked open the floodgates a bit and invitations are easier to come by, you might wonder how to get the most out of the service initially. Here are 20 tips to help you be productive using the service without spending hours learning the ropes. 1. Send a private message You can send a message to just one person or a handful. Click in the Stream box and type your note. Now, remove the Public group by clicking the X. Add the names for those who will receive your note. Note that you can also type + and @ before a name to see a list of who to add.
2. Create a custom Spark Sparks are like news feeds, but they can be highly customized. Just click Sparks, then type a search term. You can't use Google search restrictions (like site:techradar.com) but the more you type in the search box the more specific the news feed. Click Add Interest to add the search under Sparks.
3. Download your stuff Google+ lets you download most of your content. Click your name in the upper left, select Account Settings, and then Data liberation. You can download photos, stream posts, and all of your contacts as a Zip file for use in desktop programs and even other social nets.
4. Block public searches Google+ information is widely available to anyone who searches the Web. You can restrict access to your private info, however. Click on your name in the upper right, then Privacy. Click the option "edit visibility on profile" and then select the area you want to restrict. In the pop-up menu, you can restrict viewing parts of your profile to just Google+ members, specific circles, or just you.
5. Invite your pals Recently, Google made the link to invite people to Google+ available at all times. To find it, you may have to logout of your account first before logging back in. The link is on the lower right.
6. Start a Huddle One confusing feature in Google+ is that you can start a Huddle chat with anyone, but only using the Android app on your smartphone. Install the app (search Android Market) and select Huddle. Now, type the names of people you want to add to the chat and start typing your first message.
7. Check notifications in Chrome If you use Google Chrome, you can add a simple extension that shows you any new notifications in Google+. The advantage is that you do not need to keep Google+ running in a tab. Go to the Chrome Extension store and search for Surplus (or click the link), then install the extension.
8. Control notifications You may not want to see all notifications, such as any time someone adds you to a circle. Click Notifications on the left column. Click the More link, and select which notifications you want to see. For example, you can quickly see only the notifications for when someone mentions you in a comment.
9. Stop getting e-mails In the early days of using Google+, you can receive e-mails almost every minute when people start mentioning you and adding you to circles. It's annoying. To turn them off, click your name in the upper left, then go to Account settings. Click the Google+ link. Now, you can disable e-mail (and phone) notifications for countless alerts, such as photo tags and starting a new Huddle.
10. End a Hangout If you decide to start a Hangout, be careful. Once you add participants, your video feed becomes live. It's easy to get distracted by other things. When you are done with the Hangout, make sure you click the Exit button and confirm that the dialog box goes away. Otherwise, your webcam will continue broadcasting your video feed and audio even if you click away from the Hangout. (Google needs to fix this problem: if you click away, the Hangout should suspend until you return.)
11. Upload your YouTube videos Since Google owns YouTube.com, the integration with that service is stellar. You can quickly add your own YouTube videos. Just click in the Stream box, then click the small video icon. Select YouTube, then Your YouTube Videos. Select the one you want and click Add Video. Repeat for more vids.
12. Add your phone number for notifications You can add your mobile to receive SMS alerts. Click your name on the upper left, then select Account Settings. Click Google+ and then the link to add a phone number. Enter your mobile number. Google will send a verification code that you'll need to type in.
13. Drag and drop photos You can drop photos into your Stream box. Just find them on your computer, select the ones you want to post, and drop them into the Stream box. Be sure to select who can view them.
14. Use keyboard shortcuts Google+ lets you move quickly through the interface. Use J to see the next post or K to see previous. Press Space to scroll one page down, Space + Shift to scroll up. Press Q to chat.
15. Click the Date for permalink Any time you see a date in Google+, it means you can see that specific comment or post by itself. When you click a date, it removes the clutter and also provides a permalink you can copy and paste. You can post a permalink to Twitter or another feed, but only G+ users will be able to see it.
16. View your +1 saves A Google +1 is similar to a "Like" in Facebook, except that you can +1 any posts, comments, orWeb link. To see what you have clicked, click your own picture and then select the +1 section.
17. Engage with influencers As with any social network, the key is to engage with influential users. The site SocialStatistics.com shows show is popular on Google+. Make sure you add them to a circle, but more importantly start commenting on their posts and using +1 on their content. They may start noticing.
18. Use strikethroughs Google+ has a limited number of formatting options for stream posts, mostly to make everything run smoothly. One is a strikethrough - just place a dash before and after a word. You can italicise (just use an underscore before and after a word) and bold (place an asterisk before and after a word).
19. Quick post to Stream You don't have to visit Google+ to make a new post. Just look to the upper left of your browser for the field called Share. Click in the field and type your post. Be sure to select who will see it.
20. Add your location You can quickly add your location to any new Stream post. Click the pin on the lower right in the Stream field. Google will prompt you once to agree to share your location, but after that the geo-location data will appear whenever you click the pin. Click the X to remove the location.
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| Qualcomm: 'Our dual-core will be better than rival quad-core' Posted: 12 Jul 2011 04:59 AM PDT Qualcomm is nothing if not bullish on the future of its Snapdragon chipset, saying that it has no fears that its mobile success will dwindle. Speaking at a Qualcomm media event attended by TechRadar, Ben Timmons, senior director of marketing and business development at Qualcomm, said that the company isn't worried about competitors' future products. "The key thing for us is that we're trying to produce the best optimised integrated platform, and other companies will struggle to catch us easily on that," he said, stressing the importance of working with developers and manufacturers to get the most out of a chip's capabilities. Forget about it "Regardless of GPU and CPU power, we're in a strong position because of our experience of optimising and integrating our hardware with software and the actual user experience," he continued. "That's why our single core chips now are as good as a standard dual core, and our dual core will be as good as a standard quad core. "I'm very confident that we're going to stay on top." 
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| Google Nexus Prime confirmed by Samsung? Posted: 12 Jul 2011 04:00 AM PDT Samsung has inadvertently confirmed that it will be the creator of the next Google Nexus device. A (translated) Tweet sent from the Samsung Mobile Romania account said the company is planning to get the phone on the market for 'late 2011': "The production will be started now, most likely [to arrive] in late 2011. It [Nexus 3] will bring Android 4.0 on the market." Real or no real? Of course, given this is a translation it shouldn't be taken as totally factually accurate, which could mean that it's more of a commentary on the situation, something the the Samsung Mobile Romania account is now saying in response to user queries: "Hello! It's about a discussion around the rumor of releasing the new Nexus. We haven't got any official info!" The original Tweet has (unsurprisingly) been deleted - but let's be honest here, the chances that Samsung is behind the next iteration of the Nexus brand and will be the first to launch an Android 4.0-powered device are looking pretty good. Nothing like a company exec getting over-excited on Twitter then becoming very skittish when the world notices, eh? 
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| Review: Boston Acoustics A360 loudspeaker Posted: 12 Jul 2011 03:30 AM PDT Boston Acoustics are one of the major players in the American speaker market, producing a full range of conventional box loudspeakers, custom install products and car audio. Since the company was acquired by D&M holdings – which oversees Denon, Marantz and McIntosh amongst others – it has been raising its UK profile. The A Series speakers are the new entry-level range and made its low key debut at Bristol this year. Rear surprise The flagship A360 combines a number of design features that are relatively conventional with others that are relatively distinctive. On the conventional side, it mounts a pair of 6.5-inch graphite-injected plastic woofers (a technology Boston calls Deep Channel Design or DCD for short) paired with a one-inch softdome tweeter. There is also a three-inch DCD driver aiding the transition between the larger drivers and the tweeter. This is not unusual in itself, but the small size of the driver is less common and most designs at this price point do without it. Boston claims a sensitivity of 90dB at eight ohms and they need an amp of reasonable output to show their best. Around the back, the mix of the expected and unexpected continues. A large bass port is normal enough, but we were surprised to find only a single set of speaker terminals rather than the more usual bi-wire capable set. That said, many of our favourite speakers also favour a single-cable connection, so we don't regard this as an impediment, more something to be aware of if your existing speaker cable is for bi-wiring. Sonic guru The most interesting aspect of the development of the A Series is that Ken Ishiwata, the longstanding sonic guru of Marantz was involved in its voicing. While Ishiwata is better known for his work in electronics rather than loudspeakers, his input is rarely going to be unwelcome. Ken's stated intention has been to voice the A Series to be better suited to European tastes (and in this context, the UK is defined as 'European'). In appearance terms, the Boston is still rather American. The gloss-black finish is smart enough, but we aren't entirely convinced by the leatherette baffle around the drivers. At slightly over a metre tall, they are relatively large, but not unmanageably so and we obtained good results with them just over two metres apart and about twenty centimetres from the wall. Solid ground Deciding whether the Boston sounds 'European', or whether Ken's input has been worthwhile, is secondary to whether it sounds good full-stop and on this count, the speaker's on solid ground. This is one of the most cohesive and lifelike speakers you can buy under £1,500. It has a tonality that is rich, full and utterly believable and, while the three-inch driver might be a bit of a design oddity, the payoff appears to be a excellent cohesion from top to bottom. Voices and instruments are extremely well handled and always sound convincing. This means that although they have plenty of detail, they are never artificially placed forward in the context of the piece as a whole. Instead they present a finely detailed soundstage that grows and shrinks with the music in question. This is partnered with a bass response that is good, if not the most seismic around – despite a larger cabinet it will not go as low as the Triangle Color. This is, in the purest sense of the word, a musical speaker that places no particular emphasis on any part of a performance; simply producing a fabulously entertaining whole that makes the Boston incredibly easy to listen to for long periods. European sound If this fantastic performance is the manifestation of 'European sound' and the result of some KI magic, we are all for it. The A360 needs to be in contention for anyone making the decision on sub-£1,000 floorstanders. It doesn't have the top-of-the-tree to itself, the Epos Epic 5 is more forceful, exciting and subjectively better looking, but it still has to give ground to one of the most tonally excellent designs we have heard at anything like this price. This is a very fine loudspeaker indeed. 
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| New Nikon 40mm f/2.8 macro lens confirmed for UK Posted: 12 Jul 2011 03:15 AM PDT Nikon has announced a new 40mm DX-format (for APS-C sensor cameras) macro lens designed especially for close-up photography. Boasting a 1:1 reproduction ratio, the latest addition to Nikon's line-up of Micro Nikkor lenses offers a picture angle equivalent to 60mm on FX-format (full frame) DSLRS. Capable of focusing as close as 0.163m, it comes with a fast maximum aperture of f/2.8 allowing for blurred backgrounds and sharp handheld shots in low-light conditions. The lens is also fitted with Nikon's exclusive Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for accurate and super-quiet autofocus. M/A focus mode allows photographers to override the autofocus to fine tune the focus exactly as desired, without the need to physically switch between auto and manual focus. Especially designed for capturing detail such as pattern and textures, this kind of lens is also well suited to portraits and general shots too. Measuring approximately 68.5x64.5mm, the lens weighs around 235g and features a metal mount with rubber sealing and comes supplied with a lens-hood (HB-61) and soft lens case (CL-0915). Nikon's existing macro lens line-up includes 200mm f/4 and 60mm f/2.8 FX format (full frame) lenses and the AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 85mm f/3.5 lens in the DX format (APS-C) range. The new Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8g will retail for around £249.99 and will be available from 25 August 2011. More information can be found on the Nikon website. 
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| New Nikon 40mm f/2.8 macro lens Posted: 12 Jul 2011 03:15 AM PDT Nikon has announced a new 40mm DX-format (for APS-C sensor cameras) macro lens designed especially for close-up photography. Boasting a 1:1 reproduction ratio, the latest addition to Nikon's line-up of Micro Nikkor lenses offers a picture angle equivalent to 60mm on FX-format (full frame) DSLRS. Capable of focusing as close as 0.163m, it comes with a fast maximum aperture of f/2.8 allowing for blurred backgrounds and sharp handheld shots in low-light conditions. The lens is also fitted with Nikon's exclusive Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for accurate and super-quiet autofocus. M/A focus mode allows photographers to override the autofocus to fine tune the focus exactly as desired, without the need to physically switch between auto and manual focus. Especially designed for capturing detail such as pattern and textures, this kind of lens is also well suited to portraits and general shots too. Measuring approximately 68.5x64.5mm, the lens weighs around 235g and features a metal mount with rubber sealing and comes supplied with a lens-hood (HB-61) and soft lens case (CL-0915). Nikon's existing macro lens line-up includes 200mm f/4 and 60mm f/2.8 FX format (full frame) lenses and the AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 85mm f/3.5 lens in the DX format (APS-C) range. The new Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8g will retail for around £249.99 and will be available from 25 August 2011. More information can be found on the Nikon website. 
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| Review: SRM Tech Athena turntable Posted: 12 Jul 2011 03:00 AM PDT We first encountered SRM Tech when the company sent its Arezzo deck in for review. It won a Best Buy Award and went on to win Best Turntable up to £1,000 in our 2009 Awards issue. The new Athena turntable tested here is also built from transparent acrylic and has seen a number of revisions in recent times. This attractive turntable is very well finished and comes complete with a modified Rega RB251 arm for a very competitive price considering its handmade nature. Well-damped The Athena is made from a slab of 10mm acrylic that sits on three spiked feet and holds the motor and three Sorbothane isolators, these support the top slab which incorporates the platter bearing and tonearm. It's a simple, but well conceived design that uses the resonance-damping properties of acrylic and Sorbothane to minimise energy transfer from the supporting surface to the platter. The platter is 10mm acrylic and this sits on a damping layer, then a vinyl polymer subplatter, which is driven by twin belts from an aluminium pulley. Putting the belts on is a little fiddly and this would make changing speed a bit slow but it's an interesting approach. Another unusual feature is that the on/off switch is a separate item that links to a wall-wart power supply and the motor via fairly long cables – you could almost put the switch a couple of metres from the deck if you wanted. The EL-1 arm has three small mods: the counterweight has a ring of synthetic polymer to dampen it; the counterweight stub is filled with sorbothane and the finger-lift on the headshell has a shrink fit covering for a bit more damping. Competitive package This is a well-built and finished turntable for the asking price; the polished chrome spikes and top caps, plus the decent-quality motor and bearing all confer a degree of confidence in its reliability and longevity. The free range on/off switching is a little untidy, but doesn't slide around as you might expect and if you add the Athena Isolation Platform (£69), it can sit underneath this and the wires won't show. This platform is very good value and its polished black form looks great under the turntable. The EL-1 arm mods are simple and, in the case of the polymer ring, a little inelegant but undoubtedly worthwhile. All-in-all it adds up to a competitive package that should hold its own against the big names in the budget turntable market. The right match All that resonance damping pays off with a calm and resolute sound that's almost at odds with the turntable's light weight and physical transparency. One tends to expect lighter turntables to have a busy, exciting if not necessarily relaxed sound, but the Athena is commendably even-handed. It's particularly strong on texture, which to an extent is because there is an emphasis on the midband. Adding the Isolation Platform goes a long way to addressing this by beefing up the bass and adding real gravitas, the mid also improves thanks to stronger contrast and better dynamics. Personal audio We were pleasantly surprised by the Athena, it has an assurance that belies its appearance and a degree of detail resolution that puts it among the front-runners in this price range. There is a hint of the acrylic sound in its balance, but less so than with many alternatives thanks to the careful use of damping. It times well, too and can reproduce the scale of a recording with little difficulty. This keenly priced Athena should do a lot to establish the company in the turntable market, because it looks and sounds remarkably good for the money. 
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| More than 10% of new TV's 3D-enabled by end of 2011 Posted: 12 Jul 2011 02:52 AM PDT Between 10 and 20 per cent of new televisions being made will be 3D ready by the end of 2011, according to the five key manufacturers of panels. Sharp, Samsung, LG Display, AU Optronics (AUO) and Chimei Innolux (CMI) have variously announced their target for the total shipments to go out with 3D TV panels by the end of the year. CMI – who specialise in active technology - are pushing for one in five of their panels to be 3D capable, while AUO are aiming for 10 per cent. The more familiar names to consumers – Sharp, LG and Samsung – are all setting their targets at between the two. Price benefits The competition between passive and active shutter glasses is being seen within the industry as a battle which will ultimately drive prices down for the consumer. With the amount of 3D content being produced increasingly hugely, the desire for a 3D television is clearly on the rise, despite some deep-seated doubts from consumers in the technology. With the major television manufacturers all backing 3D, albeit with a split between active and passive, the technology is likely to become a familiar site in new televisions, in the same way as HD is now more often present than not in the latest screens. 
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| Posted: 12 Jul 2011 02:30 AM PDT The term 'universal', as applied to pretty much anything in home electronics, is generally only valid for a few minutes these days. No sooner is a 'universal' player on the market than some new format, specifi cation or system is launched which is beyond its ken. That said, we can't actually think of anything this player won't do. The big news, the thing that makes it more universal than last year's crop, is 3D video support. Maybe that'll take off, maybe it won't: we're more interested in audio performance. But it does a very decent job of handling anything else you can throw at it. Blu-ray audio and video discs, every flavour of DVD we can recall encountering, SACD, CD, photo discs, all the various data disc formats with all the various compressed file formats. Oh, OK, it won't play OGG or any losslessly compressed file formats, which isn't a huge blow since few (if any) competitors will. It does support AAC, though, which isn't so common and gets a tick from us as we would love to see this superior system replace MP3. Silver discs and more On the other hand, it's not limited just to playing discs. It has a USB socket on the front (which handles uncompressed files, hurrah, as well as the usual compressed formats) and an Ethernet socket at the rear through which it can talk to your home network, allowing it to play files from on your computer or Network Attached Storage and also play files on YouTube. There's no option to play internet radio, so that's something for the next generation to add, and we can't see any way to play wax cylinders... Pardon? Ah, yes, thank you. When CD was launched it was a very simple system that stored audio in a fixed format. You put a disc in, it was recognised, you played it. Subsequent generations have added functionality because the boffins could and the marketing bods could sell it. Functions are great, but they make things complex. You can't set this player up fully without a TV screen attached (fair enough, it is marketed as an AV unit first and foremost so it is likely to live near a screen in most applications) and even then it's a little bewildering. The instruction manual is heavy enough to use as an offensive weapon and isn't the best we've seen by a long way – frankly some of it is as clear as mud, but the information's in there somewhere. Knock twice for 'Play' But in most situations you can still plonk a disc in the tray, press 'Play' and simply listen. Marantz has taken the issue of loading time seriously and it's down below 10s for all the disc types we tried, which is an improvement on the 12-15s we've seen from several recent machines. But there are some bizarre operational details. Not the least of these is that pressing 'Play' doesn't necessarily make the machine play. If it's been idle for more than about a minute, the transport spins down (like most new-format transports, it keeps spinning for a while after one presses 'stop'), after which pressing any control button simply brings it back awake. One must then press the button again to make it actually do something useful. Annoying? Very much so! Another detail which we bet most users will miss is that the downsampling applied by default to the digital output seems to affect the analogue output, too. It's understandable that the digital output is converted down to 48kHz when high-sampling sources are played, because if this is connected to a typical AV receiver the latter probably won't accept high sampling rates. But surely the stereo audio output (at least) should derive the benefits of extended bandwidth? In practice, if the default settings are not changed, the analogue output is limited to 24kHz bandwidth – and the downsampling filter has rather poor performance, too, with deviations from a flat response (technically referred to as 'ripple') that are about the worst we can remember seeing from any digital equipment ever. Inside the case are five stereo DAC chips, necessitated by the 7.1 channels of surround sound plus the stereo pair. The DAC in question is described as a '32-bit' part and indeed its manufacturer uses the same term in the data sheet. Yes, it accepts 32-bit data but in no meaningful sense does its performance approach 32 bits of genuine analogue precision – not even 24, indeed, though it is one of the closest to that.
Each DAC channel feeds a neatly laid-out array of analogue filter and buffer components, the whole 10 channels-worth taking up very little space. Advantage audiophile? Video processing stuff takes up even less space and is distinguished by an impressively large heatsink sitting on top of the main processing chip. Between that, the rest of the circuits and the (switch-mode) power supply, quite a lot of heat is generated and it is dispersed by a fan, which runs at all times. It's fairly quiet but by no means silent, and simply adds to a growing list of reasons why we don't expect this machine to appeal to many audio purists. The disc transport makes a moderate amount of noise, mostly an indistinct whooshing sound and we were rather disappointed to find that ours rattled like anything when playing Blu-ray discs. We soon shut it up with a judiciously placed cotton wool bud, but we really hope that doesn't affect more than this one sample. Now that we've painted a slightly gloomy picture of this machine's audiophile potential, what does it actually sound like? Thankfully, it's not half-bad. We spent quite a lot of time playing CD on it, simply because the vast majority of the world's digital music discs are CD. It's got a good sense of timing, good detail and plenty of extension in both bass and treble. You can find a slightly more solid bass, perhaps, in a few mid-range CD players and the higher frequencies don't quite have the crystalline purity of that in some of the better dedicated players around, but we enjoyed our time with it nonetheless, once we had put it in a place where its fan and transport noise were (just about) inaudible. Stereo still the best? With SACD and DVD-A discs, once we had set things up correctly, we felt the sound was just a shade more open and detailed, with better depth and greater precision in stereo images. The sample Blu-ray music disc we tried (hey, how many have you got?) was encouraging in some ways, with excellent definition, but was also somewhat frustrating in offering only a 48kHz sampling rate. 96/24 DVD-A recordings, including a couple of in-house productions, made more of an impression. Of course, one of the big attractions of this player is the comprehensive multichannel output. 7.1-channel audio is rare going on non-existent, but some 5.1-channel productions sound impressive in a rather classy AV-based system. But 'impressive' is rather the key word here: not many surround recordings seem to have been made with natural spatial qualities in mind and it's probably not an accident that most audiophile-oriented high-resolution players are stereo-only. Bluntly put, we had the most convincingly musical experiences exclusively from stereo discs, in any format.
We did appreciate some very fine video images, too! The USB input seems to match disc-sourced sound, given that its maximum sampling rate is 48kHz. Data-compressed (MP3 etc.) files from USB or disc sound about as good as they ever do, and in fact we admit that some AAC-encoded files at higher data rates had us fooled that we were listening to perfectly respectable CD sound. From an audiophile perspective, there are plenty of disc players around which at least match the UD7006 for sound, but in a mixed audio/video playback environment, the UD7006 makes a lot of sense and is actually very good value. 
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| YouTube to premiere show from Robot Chicken team Posted: 12 Jul 2011 02:27 AM PDT YouTube will be soon be showing off a new comedy from the team behind the occasionally genius Robot Chicken. Actor Seth Green and Matther Senreich - who won an Emmy for Robot Chicken - will team up again for Stoopid Monkey, a mix of live action and stop motion. The series will air every Friday with two episodes a week from July 15. "We are beyond excited to be part of YouTube's creator-friendly program and thrilled to team with Joe and our friends at Buddy System Studios," said Green and Senreich. Web content The duo have had a deal with YouTube for some time, and the rise and rise of web content is becoming one of the media stories of the decade. The likes of Felicia Day's The Guild and the Joss Whedon penned Dr Horrible's sing-along-blog have proven to be major hits as more of us turn to the internet for video entertainment. Stoopid Monkey is the name of Green and Senreich's production company and is named after a quote from Futurama's Dr Farnsworth. 
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| Report: Nintendo 3DS video downloads to start Wednesday Posted: 12 Jul 2011 02:11 AM PDT Nintendo has apparently announced its 3DS video download UK launch date – with the eagerly anticipated service set to arrive on 13 July. The date appeared on the official sites news headline ticker, although the company later pulled the article. According to CVG: "There are headlines for the press release on our RSS feed and even still on the official site's news headline ticker, but clicking through to it (at the time of writing) just kicks out a 404 error." Days away With the date set at tomorrow, it won't be long until the news is either confirmed or proved wrong, but it will nevertheless spark enthusiasm from 3DS owners who have been waiting for the service. That would mean the Nintendo Video application will be available on the shop to download region-specific content (from Sky in the UK, for instance) automatically, but not for permanent archive on the device. "This service allows your Nintendo 3DS system to use the SpotPass feature to download 3D videos, so users can view new 3D videos each day," explained Nintendo's Daiji Imai on Monday. "Until now, people have only been able to see 3D images in movies. That experience will now become much closer to them. And what's more, if SpotPass is activated, the videos come in automatically." 
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| Latest gaming figures show rise of DLC and mobile Posted: 12 Jul 2011 01:59 AM PDT The US spent a staggering $5.9 billion dollars (£3.1 billion) on games in the first quarter of 2011, with a massive rise in the amount being spent on downloadable content and mobile apps. With £1.2 billion of that total spent on traditional game purchases, NPD's figures suggest that a further £1.16 billion was spent on 'other monetization methods'. That includes "used games, game rentals, subscriptions, digital full game downloads, social network games, downloadable content, and mobile games," and truly shows the breadth of the gaming world. Growth $5.9 billion represents a 1.5 per cent growth on 2010 Q1 figures, in figures published in NPD's well-respected Games Industry: Total Consumer Spend report. "While the new physical retail channel still generates the majority of industry sales, our expanded research coverage allows us to assess the total consumer spend across the growing number of ways to acquire and experience gaming, including mobile apps and downloadable content," said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. "Through a combination of point-of-sale and consumer research tracking, The NPD Group is providing an expanded, more comprehensive measure of a dynamic and rapidly evolving games industry." 
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| Latest gaming growth figures show rise of DLC and mobile Posted: 12 Jul 2011 01:59 AM PDT The US spent a staggering $5.9 billion dollars (£3.1 billion) on games in the first quarter of 2011, with a massive rise in the amount being spent on downloadable content and mobile apps. With £1.2 billion of that total spent on traditional game purchases, NPD's figures suggest that a further £1.16 billion was spent on 'other monetization methods'. That includes "used games, game rentals, subscriptions, digital full game downloads, social network games, downloadable content, and mobile games," and truly shows the breadth of the gaming world. Growth $5.9 billion represents a 1.5 per cent growth on 2010 Q1 figures, in figures published in NPD's well-respected Games Industry: Total Consumer Spend report. "While the new physical retail channel still generates the majority of industry sales, our expanded research coverage allows us to assess the total consumer spend across the growing number of ways to acquire and experience gaming, including mobile apps and downloadable content," said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. "Through a combination of point-of-sale and consumer research tracking, The NPD Group is providing an expanded, more comprehensive measure of a dynamic and rapidly evolving games industry." 
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