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• Q Acoustics new 5.1 system will 'move the goalposts'
• Lib Dems may challenge parts of the Digital Economy Act
• Loewe adds to its 3D TV lineup
• Jeffrey Katzenberg gets 3D Visionary award
• Exclusive: Nikon: new rugged camera can be 'market leader'
• In Depth: What will your TV look like in 2021?
• eBay.co.uk boasts 25% increase in million-pound businesses
• Panasonic power zoom lenses: hands on video
• Photos of HTC's first Mango phone leak, could be named HTC Radar
• Review: Packard Bell Liberty Tab
• Exclusive: Phones dominate 3D searches while gaming and movies lag behind
• Google TV UK launch given green light?
• Google TV UK launch given greenlight?
• Week in Tech: HP says it didn't say it wants to quit PCs
• Week in Tech: HP says it didn't say it wants to quit PCs
• Buying Guide: 10 best iPhone photography apps
• Review: Asus Eee PC 1008P Karim Rashid
• Review: Asus Automobili Lamborghini VX7
• New LG Aurora laptops bring 'Crystalline Finish'
• New Panasonic 'power zoom' lenses launched
• Panasonic FX90, new Wi-Fi enabled compact launched
• Panasonic FZ150 24x superzoom bridge camera outed
• New Panasonic LX5 firmware upgrade arrives
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 coming at IFA?
• Government won't ban rioters from social networks

Q Acoustics new 5.1 system will 'move the goalposts' Posted: 26 Aug 2011 05:15 AM PDT Getting style-conscious small-scale speakers to sound good isn't always easy, but Q Acoustics reckons its cracked it with its new Q7000 5.1 system. Featuring four surround cabinets just 24cm tall, plus a dedicated centre speaker and subwoofer, the Q7000 setup 'moves the goalposts' in terms of audio performance, according to the UK company. Says Q Acoustics brand manager Tony Jones: 'They are small, look beautiful and deliver an audio quality previously thought unattainable for style speakers in the sub £1,000 price sector.' One reason for this claim is that all the satellite speakers are full-range, packing a pair of 3in bass drivers and a 1in high-frequency tweeter into their aluminium frames. Added sub Yet Q Acoustics accepts that its bookshelf speakers will still lack real low-end grunt, hence the new Q7000 subwoofer, which marries a 10in ultra-long throw bass driver to an integrated 250W amplifier. Adding to the living room appeal of the system are adjustable desktop stands on each speaker that also double up as wall or ceiling brackets, plus concealed terminals and cable management. Meanwhile the subwoofer's controls are mounted on the top, rather than round the back, so it can also be wall-mounted. The Q7000 package slots into Q Acoustics already award-winning range of style speakers, which includes the somewhat chunkier Q 2000 and Q1000i models. The Q7000 is available in either gloss black or gloss white finishes for around £800 from late September. Matching floorstands will set you back another £125 per pair.

Lib Dems may challenge parts of the Digital Economy Act Posted: 26 Aug 2011 05:04 AM PDT The Liberal Democrat Party is set to take certain parts of the Digital Economy Act (DEA) to task at its party conference next month, voting on whether to the repeal the sections of the document relating to piracy. In a policy paper from the party's Information Technology group, titled Preparing the Ground: Stimulating Growth in the Digital Economy, the group discusses repealing sections of the DEA. While making it clear that the party is still anti-piracy, the document raises questions over the balance of the sanctions put forward in the bill, worrying that rights holders are better protected than consumers in its proposals - particularly those concerning site blocking, which were branded feasible but impossible by Ofcom. Lack of evidence "Given this emphasis on growth and balanced legislation, we recommend the repeal of sections 3-18 of the Digital Economy Act, which relate to copyright infringement," the document reads. It goes on to propose an independent review of the impact of file sharing on the creative industries in order to make balanced decisions on any current and future proposals. "Good legislation is built upon a robust evidential framework and a clear democratic mandate, neither of which were secured in this case," the document states. "The ultimate result has been a deeply flawed and unworkable Act which stands only as the main emblem of a misguided, outdated and negative approach." Before last year's general election, Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem's leader and current Deputy Prime Minister, said that the DEA "badly needs to be repealed, and the issues revisited."

Loewe adds to its 3D TV lineup Posted: 26 Aug 2011 05:04 AM PDT Loewe has today announced a trio of 3D-enabled flatscreens in its Art and Connect ranges, joining the existing Individual 3D. The new sets are the 40in Connect 3D, and 40in and 46in Art 3D. Each uses Active Shutter technology to provide Full HD 3D playback from Blu-rays, and features in-built 2D-3D conversion. Loewe's smart TV offering, dubbed MediaPortal, is also onboard. Highlights of this connected service include a full web browser and Napster, plus media playback from your PC or USB device. The bespoke nature of Loewe's TV business means all three models can be specified with Loewe's in-built DR+ hard disk recorder, which, as well as allowing TV timeshifting, uses the brand's Follow Me feature to let you pause a programme and continue watching it on another TV in the house. Customisation Other add-ons for the well-heeled TV enthusiast include Loewe's BluTechVision 3D player, SoundProjector and purpose-built rack. Typically for the premium German brand, the TVs cut a sleek, stylish figure, and the Art sets can be jazzed up via custom colour options, as well as standard gloss black, chrome silver and mocha. Says the company: 'Innovation for the senses, exclusive customisation options and a spectacular profile from any angle: that's Loewe.' Prices for the Art sets have yet to be announced, but the Connect 40 3D, without the DR+ hard disk, will set you back around £2,500. That's Loewe, too.

Jeffrey Katzenberg gets 3D Visionary award Posted: 26 Aug 2011 04:33 AM PDT Jeffrey Katzenberg is to be the very first recipient of the 3D Visionary Award, which is to be presented to the CEO of DreamWorks at the 3D Entertainment Summit in September. The summit is a place where bigwigs in the 3D industry get together to discuss how things are going. Now in its fourth year, it covers everything 3D-related, from theatrical, mobile, home entertainment, gaming, advertising and broadcast. Katzenberg will be showing off a few 3D goodies at the event, which is taking place in Hollywood, and James Cameron and Sony Vice President Mick Hocking are among those speaking. 3D's greatest advocate 3D hasn't exactly set the world on fire in 2011, but 3D movies do still ride high in the box office and the movie and home entertainment industry is still collectively behind pushing the format. Speaking about Katzenberg's 3D award, Bob Dowling, the Summit's co-producer said: "No one is more knowledgeable or passionate about the global possibilities of 3D entertainment than Jeffrey. "As we mark our 4th anniversary with a major expansion of our programming and sponsor list, it seems a most propitious time to honour 3D's greatest advocate and to thank him for being such a huge supporter of the Summit since its inception."

Exclusive: Nikon: new rugged camera can be 'market leader' Posted: 26 Aug 2011 04:30 AM PDT Rugged compact cameras have been around on the market for a long time now, with most manufacturers offering up something for adventurer types. But Nikon has always held back from entering this market, until this week when they unveiled the new AW100. The AW stands for all-weather, and it features some pretty serious tough credentials. It's waterproof down to 10m, and can be knocked about from heights of 1.5metres. It's also freezeproof down to -10, perfect for snow-bound users. So why now? According to James Loader, Product Manager for Consumer Products, a tough camera is something that has been on the boil for Nikon for some time. "We watched what was going on in the market, and if we think we can something better than what is currently available, then we will," he said. "The reason we haven't done before now is simply that we like to take our time to make a more refined product, and make sure everything is absolutely spot on," he explained. "When large consumer technology companies like Panasonic, Sony and Samsung launch cameras like this, there's leeway for them to make an error and it will just get sucked up into the corporate machine. With us, we have to look after our image carefully and make sure the products are the best possible quality." Market leader Packing some punch with extra features such as GPS positioning and onboard maps, Nikon is not only hoping to make some headway into the rugged market, but to come out on top. "We want to be category leader in the shockproof, waterproof and freezeproof market and I think we can do that with the AW100," Loader said. "We didn't want to come in with an entry level model, so we've added things like the backlit CMOS sensor which I think really sets us apart from our competitors. "It's been designed with a very specific type of user in mind – the adventurer photographer – for instance, it's waterproof down to 10metres, so it's not just for snorkelers. There's also things like the orange version appealing to mountain climbers and skiers, as it will be easily visible against the snow," he said. The camera will be available from September at a pretty hefty price tag of £330 (RRP), so only time will tell if the AW100 manages to make it to the top of the pile, but some of the onboard features do seem to be pretty promising. Look out for a full review of the Nikon Coolpix AW100 soon.

In Depth: What will your TV look like in 2021? Posted: 26 Aug 2011 04:15 AM PDT What will your TV look like in a 2021? The latest LED-backlit models might have 'smart' features, BBC iPlayer apps and 3D, but that's only the beginning of the journey for the humble TV. Over the next decade the TV is set to become bigger, sleeker, greener - and even higher-def. "Judging by the advances in the past decade, the next 10 years look set to offer consumers another collection of jaw-dropping developments," says Stephen Gater, CE Consumer Marketing Director at LG. "Whether it is large-scale OLED displays or glasses-free 3D; one thing is sure, home entertainment is set to get even more immersive and bring consumers closer to the action." Let's start with OLED. Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED) TVs OLED: Deliciously slim, with jaw-droppingly good pictures (the inky blackness alone is wroth the investment), but damned expensive. LG already sells its £1,500 15-inch 15EL9500 OLED TV, and is currently the only company to do so given Sony's decision to cease production of its look-what-we-can-do XEL-1 from a few years ago, which presumably never reached an economy of scale. "It is well known that OLED displays offer the ultimate in picture quality, lower power consumption and an ultra slim design," says Gater. "As such LG is committed to launching a large screen OLED TV in 2012 to meet the consumer demand for this new screen technology." LG will soon start selling its 31-inch 31EL9500 for around £6,000, and could offer a 55-incher in 2012; the age of OLED has begun. "We will see a couple of big brands go to OLED TV, if only to make life difficult for their competitors," thinks Paul Gray, director of Europe TV market research at analyst firm DisplaySearch. "I'm not sure that OLED can be significantly thinner - 5mm is probably a finite limit below which any TV is too fragile to be practicable. With LCD already at 8mm, I doubt if consumers care much about a little less." Gray also points out that OLED will cost more as it's a new and immature technology, with no production facilities in existence. Whether OLED can catch-up, and overtake, LCD is by no means certain - does anyone remember what happened to Toshiba's SED, hailed back in 2007 as the future of the flat TV? Nothing, that's what. OLED ahead? Is LG's 15-inch 15EL9500 OLED TV is a sign of things to come? Larger screen sizes Many of the 2011 ranges of TVs from the major brands don't go below 40-inch, suggesting that either there's little profit to be made in the under-40-inch sector, or our appetite for ever larger screens is continuing. "Larger screen displays will become the norm, with smaller screen sets a smaller proportion, while the vast majority of sets will be connected," says Carl Hibbert, head of broadcast research at analyst firm Futuresource. Paul Gray is not so sure: "Screens will be a little larger, but probably only 5-10-inches more than today - consumers have other constraints such as room size." That's especially true in Europe and Asia, though the 50-inch+ size category is growing in popularity. Connectivity They might call themselves 'smart' TVs, but the first generation of TVs sporting online content hubs could soon look like dinosaurs. "TVs should be able to display seamlessly from mobile, personal and handheld devices, and consumers should be unaware of whether they are watching from broadcast, the internet or from storage," says Gray. An Apple AirPlay-type experience - as enjoyed by the Apple TV and assorted other audio gear - is long overdue on mainstream TVs, though content will always be king. "The vast majority of sets will be connected," reckons Hibbert, "with Pay TV subscriptions co-existing with online content and OTT TV, both for free and paid-for content." GETTING SMARTER: Will so-called 'smart' TVs soon be able to perform Apple AirPlay-like transfers between devices? Auto-stereoscopic multiview 3D TV The main problem with glasses-free 3D TVs that use lenticular lenses actually on the panel, as anyone who's seen Toshiba's Qosmio F750 3D laptop or prototype 'Cevo' LCD TVs at January's CES knows, is the viewer's position. There's a series of sweet spots, or corridors, where the 3D effect is excellent, but far too many gaps between to make this a practical, and comfortable, experience for more than one very still viewer. The answer is to get more 'views'. "It looks as though the technology is around five years away," says Gray, "although there will be some flagship products earlier - Toshiba already sells small quantities in Japan." Are we likely to see effective glasses-free 3D TVs in the near future? Steve Lucas, product specialist at Panasonic, thinks so: "We will see reasonable quality glasses free 3D TVs within the next five years," he says. "Effective glassless 3D systems will be the ultimate 'goal'." And that comes from the maker of the most highly rated Active 3D TVs around. 4k2k 'ultra HD' resolutions As well as bigger and better OLED TVs, trade shows like the CES and IFA in recent times have seen the debut of 4k2k displays using - you guessed it - 4,000x2,000 (or thereabouts) pixel resolution panels. 4k2k is thought to be essential for 'multiview' glasses-free 3D TVs to flourish (see below). So will 4k2k TV resolutions ever hit the mass market? "As with any advances in screen resolution, 4k2k's success will depend on the volume of content that is compatible with the format," says LG's Gater. "However, this is a very exciting technology - and one that will raise the bar in picture quality." Panasonic's Lucas is more conservative, mindful of how slow progress is. "This will be driven by the broadcast industry," he says. "HD is still not mass market." Panasonic actually already sells a 4k2k screen, its whopping 152-inch TH-152UX1 plasma display that sells for close to £380,000. Gray isn't sure if 4k2k is needed: "They are coming in limited quantities later this year, but the question remains: exactly what is the value proposition of extra resolution?" he says. "Will consumers pay significantly more for 4k2k programming over HD? Definitely monitor and PC resolutions are due for increase as monitor screen sizes have grown."

eBay.co.uk boasts 25% increase in million-pound businesses Posted: 26 Aug 2011 04:12 AM PDT eBay has announced that the number of UK businesses taking a turnover of £1 million will have shot up by 25 per cent by the end of 2011. The online auction site projects that there will be more than 150 million-pound businesses on eBay.co.uk's books before the year is out. It seems that exporting is where the big bucks lie, with 98 per cent of 2011's eBay millionaires boosting sales by exporting goods overseas with two of the six-figure businesses achieving £1 million in sales by export alone. Good for them London has emerged as the top eBay millionaire hotspot with Birmingham coming in a close second, followed by Nottingham, Manchester and the wildcards of Wakefield and Southend-on-Sea. "We've seen a surge of businesses starting up on eBay since the recession which shows the vital role online businesses play in supporting the fragile UK economy," said Angus McCarey, retail director for eBay UK. "Many eBay businesses including some of our millionaires are selling offline as well so their total contribution to the UK economy is even more substantial."

Panasonic power zoom lenses: hands on video Posted: 26 Aug 2011 03:25 AM PDT Two new lenses have been added to Panasonic's line-up for for the G series, a 14-42mm kit lens and a 45-175mm telezoom lens. The new lenses are the first interchangeable lenses in the world to feature a 'power zoom' - a switch on the side of the lens for zooming in and out, as opposed to the standard zoom ring. The 14-42mm kit lens is incredibly compact, with the ability to automatically extend and retract when the camera is switched on or off. The small size of the lens makes it more akin to a 20mm pancake lens and is handy for slipping into a bag. Available from October, the 14-42mm lens will be available on its own or as part of a GF3'X' kit. The 45-175mm lens will be available from September. We popped along the to the UK launch event of the new lenses to find out more, have a look at our video hands on. brightcove : 1129358813001

Photos of HTC's first Mango phone leak, could be named HTC Radar Posted: 26 Aug 2011 02:40 AM PDT Press shots of the HTC Omega have been leaked on to the internet complete with a new mooted name, HTC Radar, and Windows Phone 7 Mango. Everyone with half a brain now suspects that this is one of the handsets we'll see announced officially at HTC's 1 September event. The Radar has a Hero-ish look about it, partly down to the fact that the HTC Omega will come in silver and white, and we can see the traditional Windows Phone soft buttons under the touchscreen (back, menu and search), while a front-facing camera sits above. HTCRadar.com There's also a snapper on the back - probably 8MP - with LED flash and speaker grille to boot. The rumoured specs, which emerged in late July, tip that touchscreen as a 3.8-inch affair, with a 1.5GHz single-core processor, 512MG of RAM and 16GB of memory behind it. At first we were sceptical about the validity of the artist previously known as the HTC Omega, but these photos look pretty darn legit. And of course, we're very much in favour of the Radar-based name tag. And, with the as-good-as-confirmed launch date just days away, we'll find out very soon for sure. brightcove : 1028214971001

Review: Packard Bell Liberty Tab Posted: 26 Aug 2011 02:30 AM PDT With so many manufacturers trying to emulate the iPad's sleek black bezel and paper-thin form factor, it's good to see a tablet that's a little different once in a while. Enter the Packard Bell Liberty Tab, available in cherry-red or brown with a stylish chrome frame and Android 3.0 Honeycomb under the hood. Anyone familiar with an Android smartphone will start to feel at home with the Liberty Tab very quickly. There are five separate homescreens, all fully customisable with widgets and applications. Swiping between the different homescreens is fast and responsive and a quick tap of the capacitive, multi-touch screen will open applications promptly. We had no trouble skipping through websites with the Flash-supporting browser and had the BBC homepage open in five seconds. If you're thinking this tablet looks familiar, it's because it's from the same stable as the Acer Iconia Tab A500 and, like the Iconia, has Nvidia's Tegra 2 processor at its heart. This keeps performance strong and on a par with other Tegra 2 tablets, such as the Motorola Xoom. In terms of weight, it's a fairly hefty tablet – especially when compared to the light 7-inch Galaxy Tab or the iPad 2. But a little extra girth is always good when it comes to connectivity and the Liberty Tab has an HDMI port for connecting the tablet to a TV as well as USB and micro-USB sockets for peripherals. Wireless connectivity is the standard fare with 802.11n Wi-Fi and 3G support, as well as Bluetooth 2.1 and GPS built in. Decent sound Stereo speakers produce decent sound and are managed by an on-board Dolby chipset. Then there's the standard 3.5mm headphone jack for when you want to keep the music to yourself. A 5-megapixel front-facing camera and 2-megapixel rear-facing camera are both included and, while adequate for taking pictures, you're more likely to use them to video-chat across the web. We found the battery life to stand up well against other tablets, with the exception of the Asus' Transformer. As long as you restrict yourself to basic tasks like surfing the web or working through emails, you'll get most of a day's work out of the Liberty Tab. But if you're planning to use it as a gaming machine or to watch HD movies, expect the battery to drain out much faster. We ran a looped standard-definition movie and managed to get 287 minutes out of the battery. The Packard Bell's 1280 x 800-pixel resolutions means the screen holds up well when watching films or looking at photographs. To get the best results from the screen though, we had to put the brightness right up to the highest level. We did find that the viewing angles were good enough that more than one person could comfortably watch the Liberty Tab's screen. Overall, the usability and performance of the Liberty Tab is on a par with other Android tablets of the Honeycomb era, but two favourable points make this worth considering. Firstly, the price is reasonable – the Liberty Tab comes in at £100 cheaper than its tablet twin, the Acer Iconia A500. Secondly, the cherry-red design admittedly looks good and we certainly recommend this colour over the brown option – it's so much more interesting than having just another dark slab lying around the house.

Exclusive: Phones dominate 3D searches while gaming and movies lag behind Posted: 26 Aug 2011 02:24 AM PDT The HTC Evo 3D and LG Optimus 3D have emerged as two of the top three 3D search terms in the UK over the last three months. The Evo 3D and Optimus 3D each turned up twice in the top 20 3D-related UK search terms across all search engines in the 12 weeks ending 20 August, according to data from Experian Hitwise exclusively provided to TechRadar. The handsets took a total of 4.3 per cent of all 3D searches by UK internet users over the 12 week period - the total number of searches across all search engines during that period is nigh on impossible to pin down but averages out at around 6.6 billion. Shocker The hitherto unsuspected public appetite for the two phones has ranked them just under 3D TV in public interest, but above Sky 3D, 3D games and 3D as a generic phrase in the chart. What does it all mean? Well, we can explain some of the popularity of the two phones by looking at their launch dates; both handsets hit the shops during the monitored period, but the Optimus 3D was first launched at Mobile World Congress back in February and is still generating interest. Even so, the figures were surprising to us; we'd have guessed that Sky 3D and a number of 3D movies and games would come ahead of the two phones - after all, we're constantly being spun the line that 3D TV and cinema are here to stay and content is king, with marketing budgets to match. Instead, only one game-related term ('3D games') made the cut at number six, while Piranha 3D was the only film to make it into the top 20 (at number seven). It's surprising not to see more gaming and movie titles in the list - particularly given that one of the top 20 was 'Silver cross 3D' which, a quick Google search revealed, is a kind of pram. Diversification James Murray, Marketing Research Analyst for Experian Hitwise commented: "The 3D market is rapidly diversifying and whereas last year the focus was very much on 3D films and 3D TVs, this year new 3D products like mobiles are grabbing the attentions of UK consumers. "Our search data suggests that TVs are still the primary 3D product that people want to purchase, accounting for 10 per cent of all 3D searches online, but as more 3D mobile handsets come onto the market this could be the new dominant 3D platform." The top 20 3D search terms in order are as follows: 3D TV LG Optimus 3D HTC Evo 3D Sky 3D 3D 3D games Piranha 3D 3D shapes 3D glasses 3D printer Samsung 3D glasses Harry Potter 3D glasses Silver Cross 3D LG 3D phone 3D TV without glasses 3D pictures Samsung 3D TV 3D warehouse 3D printing HTC Evo 3D UK

Google TV UK launch given green light? Posted: 26 Aug 2011 02:07 AM PDT Google is set to launch its Google TV service in the UK, with Eric Schmidt set to make the announcement at the Edinburgh Television Festival. This is according to the Telegraph, which believes that the service is to launch in the UK within six months despite it getting lukewarm reviews in the US. Google TV is a set-top box that allows you to watch online content alongside traditional TV channels. In the UK this is nothing new; the majority of high-end TVs launched this year allow Smart TV functionality, where you can access web content and the myriad catch-up TV services available. Google TV But there have been a number of behind-the-scene changes that may well make Google TV a powerful force. The first was the acquisition of SageTV in the UK, a company that specialises in providing software for media servers. The biggest change of all, however, is Google buying Motorola – alongside its massive pot of patents it has expertise in IPTV infrastructure and already has a hand in making set-top boxes. The recent launch of the Google TV development kit also shows that Google are looking for devs to re-invigorate the IPTV platform. The Edinburgh International Television Festival is set to take place 26-28 August, with Schmidt's talk happening today.

Google TV UK launch given greenlight? Posted: 26 Aug 2011 02:07 AM PDT Google is set to launch its Google TV service in the UK, with Eric Schmidt set to make the announcement at the Edinburgh Television Festival. This is according to the Telegraph, which believes that the service is to launch in the UK within six months despite it getting lukewarm reviews in the US. Google TV is a set-top box that allows you to watch online content alongside traditional TV channels. In the UK this is nothing new; the majority of high-end TVs launched this year allow Smart TV functionality, where you can access web content and the myriad catch-up TV services available. Google TV But there have been a number of behind-the-scene changes that may well make Google TV a powerful force. The first was the acquisition of SageTV in the UK, a company that specialises in providing software for media servers. The biggest change of all, however, is Google buying Motorola – alongside its massive pot of patents it has expertise in IPTV infrastructure and already has a hand in making set-top boxes. The recent launch of the Google TV development kit also shows that Google are looking for devs to re-invigorate the IPTV platform. The Edinburgh International Television Festival is set to take place 26-28 August, with Schmidt's talk happening today.

Week in Tech: HP says it didn't say it wants to quit PCs Posted: 26 Aug 2011 02:00 AM PDT "Is it me, or is the tech industry trying to cram all of this year's news into a single week?" our columnist Gary Marshall asked last Friday. It certainly seems that way: on Wednesday Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple, and a few days previously the world's biggest PC maker decided to stop making phones and tablets and sell off its PC division. So what on Earth is going on? Apple first. We've been expecting it for a while, but Steve Jobs' resignation still came as a surprise: Tim Cook takes over - the man that has effectively been running Apple for ages anyway. Does the following description remind you of anyone? "He wears blue jeans and trainers. He's a workaholic. He's incredibly intelligent, doesn't miss a detail, and can destroy you with a single question. He's had a brush with mortality. He's intensely private. He eats, sleeps and breathes Apple." It sounds like Steve Jobs, but we're describing Tim Cook. "With Cook running the ship and Jonathan Ive taking care of design, Steve Jobs is leaving Apple in very capable hands." Despite Cook's competence, Jobs' departure is the end of an era, Marshall writes: the industry Jobs helped create has grown up, and grown dull. It's "a place for patent lawyers, not product visionaries - a place for Olly Murs, not Exile on Main Street." Goodbye to the TouchPad Jobs isn't the only one getting out of the computer business. HP is too. The world's biggest PC manufacturer has canned its tablet and smartphone divisions, with the price of the HP TouchPad plummeting to £89. Inevitably there was a rush and stocks sold out almost instantly; HP promises that there's more coming. The end of the TouchPad and Palm smartphones means that WebOS, HP's own and rather attractive operating system, is dead. "WebOS is not dead," says HP vice-president Stephen Dewitt. "It's just having a nap. A very, very long nap." Okay, we made that last bit up. But its long-term future doesn't look good. "The whole world isn't just about tablets and phones," Dewitt said. "There are going to be appliances of so many different sizes and shapes in the future that are going to require a human interface for data". So there you go. WebOS may be coming to a fridge near you. That's much more exciting than tablets, isn't it? HP moves to quit PCs Not only is HP getting shot of its mobile devices, but it intends to get rid of its PC business too. Why? Allow us to explain: "PCs aren't going away, but the business of making them has changed dramatically... HP wasn't losing money on PCs, but it wasn't making enough money." It's particularly tough at the moment, "when stockbrokers are hurling themselves from high buildings and most people have stopped spending money on luxuries". HP, like IBM before it, has decided to focus on selling services to businesses, not making computers with single-digit profit margins. However, HP yesterday moved to quash a lot of speculation over the move, saying it hadn't actually said it was getting out of the PC business. Which it actually did say. "Let me be absolutely clear in saying that at no stage has HP said it is quitting the PC business," explained CEO Leo Apotheker in a bizarre statement. "Three options are being investigated, and whether the company is spun off, sold or kept in the HP portfolio, the team in the UK remains committed to creating and supporting great products and services." So despite saying it won't be getting out of the PC business, it still wants to get out of the PC business. Where is this all heading? Marshall reckons that "the PC isn't dead, but our relationship with it is changing: it's gone from white-hot tech to something more akin to white goods. When was the last time you got excited about a washing machine, or a kettle? That's where the PC is heading."

Week in Tech: HP says it didn't say it wants to quit PCs Posted: 26 Aug 2011 02:00 AM PDT "Is it me, or is the tech industry trying to cram all of this year's news into a single week?" our columnist Gary Marshall asked last Friday. It certainly seems that way: on Wednesday Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple, and a few days previously the world's biggest PC maker decided to stop phones and tablets and sell off its PC division. So what on Earth is going on? Apple first. We've been expecting it for a while, but Steve Jobs' resignation still came as a surprise: Tim Cook takes over - the man that has effectively been running Apple for ages anyway. Does the following description remind you of anyone? "He wears blue jeans and trainers. He's a workaholic. He's incredibly intelligent, doesn't miss a detail, and can destroy you with a single question. He's had a brush with mortality. He's intensely private. He eats, sleeps and breathes Apple." It sounds like Steve Jobs, but we're describing Tim Cook. "With Cook running the ship and Jonathan Ive taking care of design, Steve Jobs is leaving Apple in very capable hands." Despite Cook's competence, Jobs' departure is the end of an era, Marshall writes: the industry Jobs helped create has grown up, and grown dull. It's "a place for patent lawyers, not product visionaries - a place for Olly Murs, not Exile on Main Street." Goodbye to the TouchPad Jobs isn't the only one getting out of the computer business. HP is too. The world's biggest PC manufacturer has canned its tablet and smartphone divisions, with the price of the HP TouchPad plummeting to £89. Inevitably there was a rush and stocks sold out almost instantly; HP promises that there's more coming. The end of the TouchPad and Palm smartphones means that WebOS, HP's own and rather attractive operating system, is dead. "WebOS is not dead," says HP vice-president Stephen Dewitt. "It's just having a nap. A very, very long nap." Okay, we made that last bit up. But its long-term future doesn't look good. "The whole world isn't just about tablets and phones," Dewitt said. "There are going to be appliances of so many different sizes and shapes in the future that are going to require a human interface for data". So there you go. WebOS may be coming to a fridge near you. That's much more exciting than tablets, isn't it? HP moves to quit PCs Not only is HP getting shot of its mobile devices, but it intends to get rid of its PC business too. Why? Allow us to explain: "PCs aren't going away, but the business of making them has changed dramatically... HP wasn't losing money on PCs, but it wasn't making enough money." It's particularly tough at the moment, "when stockbrokers are hurling themselves from high buildings and most people have stopped spending money on luxuries." HP, like IBM before it, has decided to focus on selling services to businesses, not making computers with single-digit profit margins. However, HP yesterday moved to quash a lot of speculation over the move, saying it hadn't actually said it was getting out of the PC business. Which it actually did say. "Let me be absolutely clear in saying that at no stage has HP said it is quitting the PC business," explained CEO Leo Apotheker in a bizarre statement. "Three options are being investigated, and whether the company is spun off, sold or kept in the HP portfolio, the team in the UK remains committed to creating and supporting great products and services." So despite saying it won't be getting out of the PC business, it still wants to get out of the PC business. Where is this all heading? Marshall reckons that "the PC isn't dead, but our relationship with it is changing: it's gone from white-hot tech to something more akin to white goods. When was the last time you got excited about a washing machine, or a kettle? That's where the PC's heading."

Buying Guide: 10 best iPhone photography apps Posted: 26 Aug 2011 02:00 AM PDT 10 best iPhone photography apps Apple's five-megapixel iPhone 4 can produce amazing results under a variety of conditions. When the shots are viewed side-by-side with some compact cameras they hold up very well, especially when you consider it's also a phone, personal computer and more besides. Having phones and tablets with built-in cameras has driven a boom in casual photography. An analysis of geotagged photos uploaded to the Flickr and Picasa websites by a chap called Eric Fischer showed that the most photographed place in New York was the area around the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. It seems we Apple aficionados love to snap and share our photos with the world. With knowledge of basic photographic composition and the photographic apps we've picked, you can take greater control and creative freedom over the images you capture with your iOS device. Our best iPhone photography app selection will help transform you from an everyday snapper into an accomplished photographer. 01. Camera+ Price: £1.19 Works with: iPhone, iPod touch A regular appearance at the top of the iTunes chart for photography apps, Camera+ is worth considering as a replacement for the default Camera app. You may be wondering why you would need another photography app on top of the default. It's true that the Camera app is capable, but the functionality is quite basic. Camera+ add those extra features you didn't realise you needed. We're all familiar with tapping the screen to focus, but when you tap to focus in Camera+, the reticle remains on the screen showing where you've focussed. A tap on the plus sign next to the square gives you another reticle with which to set the exposure and white balance. For anyone wondering how to get more realistic skin tones than the standard Camera app gives you, the white balance setting is a most welcome improvement - as is the addition of a countdown timer for the shutter to fire, with intervals of 5, 15 and 30 seconds; plenty of time to run in front of the camera and pose. When saving photos, you can choose to send them to the Camera Roll or to the app's Lightbox area. The Lightbox presents thumbnails of your photos in a cropped square format arranged in a film strip. The Camera Genius app on the next page presents your thumbnails better, though, with a choice of sizes in a less cluttered screen. To view your photos full-size, just double-tap, then drag left and right to scan through them and choose to Edit, Save, Share or Copy your photo. If you're going to process your image, we'd recommend making a copy first, because when you save an edited image from Lightbox it disappears from the app and saves to the Camera Roll. To access photos in your Camera Roll you have to import them, which is a bit of a faff, truth be told. Stored with your photo are the technical details of what settings were used, and if you have the geotagging option enabled you'll be able to see exactly where your photo was taken on a map inside the app. You only have to tap the i icon to access this information. Editing is reasonably straightforward, with the ability to rotate, crop and flip your image. A number of preset scenes give you quick image colouring and exposure tweaks, although there's no ability to fine-tune these adjustments. The app comes with nine colourisation effects, nine retro effects and nice special filters. You can vary the amount the effect is applied in most cases, and more filters are available to download through an In-App Purchase. You can only apply one effect at a time, which is a little limiting for creative types who may want to combine effects to create their own style. And if you're going to use these special filters, please use the HDR effect sparingly, folks! 02. ProCamera Price: £1.79 Works with: iPhone, iPod touch With a simple, minimalist design, ProCamera is a rather clever photography and video-capturing app. Styled like a fighter pilot's heads-up display, complete with virtual horizon, the interface is intuitive to use. For some reason - perhaps as an aid to determine where the sun will be - a compass can also be overlaid on the screen. Like other more recent camera apps (most obviously Camera+), it comes with primary and secondary reticles enabling you to set focus, exposure and white balance points on your screen. If you've ever found yourself taking photos with camera apps that have a zoom slider bar above the capture button, and missing the zoom control and taking a picture instead, ProCamera's positioning of the zoom buttons on either edge of the display will come as a welcome change. After taking a shot, you can view information about your photo, again all neatly displayed, including where it was taken on a map and which direction you were facing. The app has a simple and useful editing system, with control over brightness, contrast, exposure, saturation and colour temperature, as well as options for rotating and cropping the image. It also comes with a number of processing filters. We should mention that the version tested here did crash on occasion. 03. Photosynth Price: Free Works with: iPhone, iPod touch Dedicated to taking wrap-around panoramic photographs, Photosynth from Microsoft will automatically shoot and stitch photos together as you pan around your surroundings. It's simplicity itself to use: hold up your iPhone and start moving it around. The app will take photos as it goes and stitches them together on the fly. You might get some strange looks pointing your phone up to the sky and then down to your feet, but the result makes for a much more interesting memento than a standard photograph. If you've ever tried stitching panoramas with software or by hand, you know that there's usually somewhere that doesn't match up. Photosynth does a great job of piecing things together, but if you do spot any areas of your panorama that look a bit out of place you can manually re-take portions of the it until you get a fit you're happy with. Being able to take the effort out of aligning and stitching together photos is a real timesaver. It also means that you can keep the wide-angle lens and computer at home, and create an immersive photographic experience on the spot. The processing of the final panorama takes a few minutes while it fits everything together. After uploading your photo to photosynth.net, you can embed your panorama in your website for all to see, or send a friend a link to view it on the Microsoft site, though they may need a computer and the free Silverlight software for the full experience. The version of Photosynth we tested with had an issue connecting to Facebook directly, though this is currently being addressed. There's a workaround available in the meantime. 04. Hipstamatic Price: £1.19 Works with: iPhone, iPod touch Hipsters love retro, and being seen to have expensive things, which is why, if you're ever-so-slightly trendy, you'll want to fasten a plastic strap around your iPhone and dangle it around your neck when using Hipstamatic. This is the app to get if you have an affinity for big, chunky plastic cameras and square prints. We say prints rather than photos because the makers of this app want you to turn your shots into real, physical prints. The beautifully designed Hipstamart Print Lab uses its in-app print service to turn your snaps into fine art to put on display, and prices range from $4.99 for nine four-inch prints to $59.99 for a big 30-inch print. The reason that the app feels so authentic is that rather than selecting filters to alter the properties of your image, you change virtual lenses, film and flashes. Each item is detailed in a Field Guide, further enhancing the feeling that you're using a real old camera, rather than a virtual one. It feels like it needs care in your choices, but still encourage experimentation. The images it produces have a wonderful retro style to them that will make any hipster happy. Another great addition is the contests, which have prizes ranging from cash to seeing your photo on display. 05. Gorillacam Price: Free Works with: iPhone, iPod touch Gorillacam is quite similar to the built-in Camera app, but includes several helpful additions for snappers keen to take better photos. The grid overlay, for example, helps you apply the Rule of Thirds to your pictures, while the graphical spirit level is very handy for keeping your horizons, er, horizontal. For those who find it difficult to hold steady while taking a photo, the anti-shake system will wait until you've stopped wobbling all over the place before firing the shutter. Alternatively, you can opt to use the three-shot burst mode to better your chances of capturing at least one good image each time you press the shutter button. The app comes with a countdown timer, which has a more clearly audible alarm than the other apps here. A rudimentary time-lapse option is included for shooting individual photos, but stop-motion animators should check out its sister app, Frame X Frame, which has a very handy stop-motion movie maker. Being free, there are compromises made compared to some of the other apps here - there's no separate exposure reticle, for example, but it's still a good addition to your device. 06. Instagram Price: Free Works with: iPhone, iPod touch With over four million people said to be using Instagram, it's taken off in a way few apps do. It's more straightforward to use than Hipstamatic; simply take a photo, choose a filter, and your image is swiftly available for your fellow Instagrammers to view and comment. You can also import pics taken in the standard Camera app, giving it a bit of flexibility. Instagram has a more social feel to it than the other apps, thanks in part to Twitter and Facebook integration, and you'll find many users meeting up to go on photo walks. If you'd rather eschew the social aspect and keep your photos private, you can. While there are endless photos of people's pets turning up on the Popular page in the app, there are many keen photographers using this app to create some truly striking images, and with the app being free it's worth downloading just to try it out. 07. Camera Genius Price: 59p Works with: iPhone, iPod touch Camera Genius gives you control over exposure, focus and zoom like the other apps here, and can be used in video mode, too. It also comes with simple processing options so you can make adjustments to the contrast, brightness, and colour balance of your pictures. The app comes with 24 creative filters and 15 borders to enhance your original shot, or any photo that appears in your Camera Roll. The filters can be added together in any combination, with the ability to undo your handiwork if you get a bit too eager. The results of your editing expertise are then saved as a new file, so you can always go back to the original and get tinkering a second time. The app comes with a countdown timer for shooting, and a sound-activated shooting mode, although no amount of saying 'cheese' could get it to work properly. The other minor bugbear was the lack of a delete option from the app - instead you'll need to visit the Camera Roll to remove photos. 08. Magic Shutter Price: £1.79 Works with: iPhone, iPod touch Magic Shutter is one of two apps on this list dedicated to long exposure photography, with Slow Shutter Cam being the other. This is perfect for photographing car light trails, light graffiti, or for giving waterfalls that ethereal look. It's not the easiest discipline to get into, but the results can be rewarding. Magic Shutter is easier to use straight away than Slow Shutter Cam, because it comes with a number of preset modes, including a Smart Shooting mode to help you capture your first long exposures, and it's easy to get started capturing car light trails. You can take manual control, however. It lacks a countdown timer so that you can set it up and leave it going, but it does have the ability to fire the flash at the beginning or the end of an exposure - perfect to highlight an element in your shot. Be sure to check out the website, which has video tutorials. 09. Slow Shutter Cam Price: 59p Works with: iPhone, iPod touch Another app dedicated to long exposure photography, Slow Shutter Cam gives you greater control over the shutter speed compared to Magic Shutter, plus a countdown timer so you can set up your camera against a sturdy support to prevent it wobbling around while the shutter's open. An advantage that both these apps have over a traditional camera for this type of photography is that you can watch a live video preview of your scene while watching the long exposure picture build. This is perfect for seeing exactly where to hold your torch or sparkler when creating light graffiti. Because the camera sensor is much smaller compared to an SLR camera, you will inevitably see more digital noise in your shots, and the final images won't be as sharp. Then again, you don't need to fork out for an expensive camera, and the results are good enough to have plenty of fun experimenting with your own long exposures. 10. FusionCam Price: 59p Works with: iPhone, iPod touch Retro photography isn't all about fancy filter treatments. For those who remember what happens when you don't wind on your film and shoot multiple exposures on one frame, FusionCam will be a blast of nostalgia. After taking a shot, you can choose to superimpose this over your next shot. With this technique, you can construct some great multiple exposures, or use textures from one frame to give another frame a different look. Apart from the savings on film and development, the advantage of going digital means that you get a live view of the first exposure ghosting over the top of the subsequent one, which helps to compose the shot you're after.

Review: Asus Eee PC 1008P Karim Rashid Posted: 26 Aug 2011 02:00 AM PDT Nothing polarises opinion like a pink design, and the Asus Eee PC 1008P Karim Rashid is very, very pink. At the risk of stereotyping, we'll assume this design will find more traction on the female side of the market, but it's great to see Asus reaching out beyond the technology industry to renowned designer Karim Rashid to spice things up a little. The interesting design covers the lid with an uneven, undulating surface and overlays this with hundreds of tiny rectangles. Running your hand over it is akin to touching a bag made from alligator hide. Lift the lid and you see that the pink outer design is complimented with solid black on the rest of the laptop – the exception being the single clickbar beneath the touchpad that is chrome silver. If pink isn't your ideal choice, then don't worry as the laptop also comes in a dark brown colour. The keys use the isolation-style design, which looks nicer than a standard keyboard and also works better for typing. The extra space between the keys means there's less chance of hitting the wrong key by accident. The touchpad is also easy to use. It's responsive and the textured surface feels better than any kind of regular smooth touchpad. Conventional power Even though it looks great on the outside, the workings of the Eee PC are much the same as any conventional netbook. Power comes courtesy of an Intel Atom N450 processor and the 1GB of RAM is basic, even in the netbook market. The benchmark tests we ran returned average results, although we would have liked to see a little more staying power from the battery. TechRadar Labs Battery Eater '05: 158 minutes Cinebench: 565 3DMark 2006: 100 The 250GB hard drive is perfectly suitable for a netbook and, in fact, the Eee PC beats the Dell Adamo XPS when it comes to storage, even though it's less than half the price. Graphical performance on any netbook will be severely limited, as it is the first thing manufacturers cut back on to keep battery life up and weight down. The Eee PC has a standard integrated Intel chip that is enough to keep a couple of browser windows open and play video at the same time, but don't expect it to do much more than that. When playing video, you will most likely want to invest in some external speakers. As expected on a portable machine, the built-in speakers lack punch and are on the tinny side. The Eee PC does feature Asus' Express Gate fast boot-up software, which is now being packaged with Asus' newer models. Outward connectivity is also par for the course, with two USB slots, an Ethernet slot and a space for a MicroSD card to boost the storage space. All the ports are covered to continue the unbroken alligator-skin design which runs over the base of the netbook as well as the lid. Obviously, being a netbook means the Eee PC is exceptionally light and, as well as looking good, the outward design makes it easier to grip the device. Both of these features add to its portability and the Eee PC is perfect for slipping into a bag and takiing out an about with you. We're big fans of the Eee PC range. Asus was the first to market with the netbook format and it continues to produce some of the best machines. The Eee PC 1018P would be a better choice if you value power and features on your netbook but, in terms of style, the Karim Rashid Eee PC is the most striking we've seen.

Review: Asus Automobili Lamborghini VX7 Posted: 26 Aug 2011 01:30 AM PDT There was a genuine air of excitement when the Asus Automobili Lamborghini VX7 rolled into the office. A Lamborghini Gallardo boasts a 552bhp V10 engine and its namesake is running the laptop equivalent – an Intel Core i7-2630QM CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 460QM GPU and 8GB of RAM. The lid is sculpted to resemble the front of a Lamborghini, complete with the famous badge on the front. The base of the laptop protrudes out behind the screen hinge and sports mock Lamborghini rear lights and two gigantic vents. Although our review unit was black, this laptop is also available in a striking orange finish that we think looks even better. The inside of the laptop is also designed to mimic its four-wheel counterpart with a black and chrome finish – and the power button even reads 'start engine'. Better yet, the palmrests either side of the matt-black touchpad are stitched leather, just like the upholstery of a proper super-car. Not everyone will be a fan of the chunky design and, if you like your laptops slim and svelte, this isn't the machine for you. The design also means that it's incredibly heavy at 3.9kg and even if you wanted to carry it round, the dimensions make it hard to fit comfortably into a bag. Even though you're consigned to a desk, usability is fantastic. The 15.6-inch Super-TFT screen is bright and it runs at a native pixel resolution of 1920 x 1080, so even the most complex websites and dense pictures are rendered in extremely sharp detail. Cool running Aside from looking the part, the two large vents at the rear of the VX7 keep it cool during prolonged gaming sessions and we had no problems with excessive heat during our tests. If you want to up your usage from pictures and web browsing to editing video and playing games, then the Asus really comes into its own. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 460QM is one of Nvidia's top GPUs and when we tested Need for Speed: Shift and Tom Clancy's HAWX, each on the highest detail settings, the VX7 showed no signs of lag. TechRadar Labs Battery Eater '05: 119 minutes Cinebench: 16,760 3DMark 2006: 7653 The VX7 also boasts a Blu-ray drive and dual 750GB hard drives, adding up to well over a terabyte of storage space. Asus is keen to label the VX7 as a high-performance laptop rather than simply a gamer's machine, and both the usability and range of features reflect this. The isolation-style keyboard is very comfortable to use and backlit for when you end up working late. The VX7 also features four USB ports for transferring data and documents, one of which uses USB 3.0 technology for twice the speed. Elsewhere, HDMI and VGA-Out ports let you connect to another monitor for presentations or even an HDTV. As is always the case with high-performance machines, the battery life suffers badly. The VX7 managed only 119 minutes on battery, giving enough time for one high-definition (HD) movie. This fact, as well as the aforementioned weight and dimensions, means you won't be taking this away from the mains for any great length of time. Understandably, cost is a factor and, although it's not quite the £160,000 needed for a real Lamborghini, the asking price of the VX7 is pretty steep. But if you can afford it, this is a fantastically designed piece of kit that will easily satisfy all your computing needs.

New LG Aurora laptops bring 'Crystalline Finish' Posted: 26 Aug 2011 12:59 AM PDT LG has unveiled two new Aurora laptops, with the LG S430 and LG S530 bringing what the company is terming a 'Crystalline Finish' The 14 inch LG 430 and its 15.5 inch brother the S530 are all about the design, although the laptops do come equipped with second generation Intel Core i5s and up to 8GB of RAM. "The LG 430 and the LG S530 provide an outstanding value package through their ingenious Crystalline Finish lids," explains LG's release. NCVM tech "Using NCVM (Non-Conductive Vapor Metallization) technology, an innovative coating process that produces a colorful metallic veneer, LG Aurora notebooks have a pellucid, glossy exterior that provides genuine value to customers through improved scratch resistance and a strengthened cover. You'll be delighted to know that the laptops will be arriving in either Aurora Purple or Aurora Blue. "We've designed our notebooks to offer a computing experience that is as stylish as it is powerful," said J.J. Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of LG Electronics PC Business Unit. "With its unique Crystalline Finish, the LG S430 and LG S530 set new standards in design while offering features and functions that can compete with any notebooks in their class." The LG S430 and S530 UK release date (as well as the US) is set for "soon" after a September launch in the Middle East Africa and Asia. No price has yet been made available.

New Panasonic 'power zoom' lenses launched Posted: 25 Aug 2011 10:00 PM PDT Panasonic has unveiled two new interchangeable lenses for Lumix G System. The two new additions are the first in the company's premium "X" brand. Featuring Panasonic's unique nano surface coating technology, optical image stabilisation and aspherical and ED glass elements, Panasonic claims that the lenses offer higher quality images that previous similar lenses. Nano surface coating helps to combat reflection which can result in unwanted ghosting and lens flare. You can check out the Panasonic power zoom lenses in our video hands on: brightcove : 1129358813001 For the first time in an interchangeable lens, both of the new optics come with a zoom lever on the lens barrel, which allows for quick and silent zooming. On the 14-42mm lens, there is no zoom ring to keep the size down, while on the 45-175mm lens the option to use either the lever or the conventional ring is available. Both the lenses feature a new Power O.I.S (optical image stabilisation), which is designed to help take clear pictures in low-light conditions, or to combat camera shake. Compact size The 14-42mm lens is collapsible, making it roughly the same size as a compact 20mm pancake lens. When switched on, the lens will automatically pop out to provide a 3x zoom lens, and, when switched off again will automatically retract. Two ED lenses and four aspherical lenses within the lens promise to minimise distortion and chromatic aberration. Compared with the standard G 14-42mm kit lens, the new lens is 58% smaller (when turned off) and 47% lighter. The new 45-175mm lens is the first lens to use a fast motorised Multi-Actuator Floating Inner Focus System, which has been designed to ensure that air and dust isn't sucked into the lens during zooming or focussing. Availability and pricing The Lumix G X VARIO lenses will be available in black and silver. Each lens can be purchased separately, while the GFX3 kit will contain both the GF3 body and the 14-42mm lens. The 45-175mm lens UK price will be around £400, with a release date set for September. The GF3X UK price will be around £600, while the 14-42mm on its own should cost around £350. Both are set for an October UK release date.

Panasonic FX90, new Wi-Fi enabled compact launched Posted: 25 Aug 2011 10:00 PM PDT Panasonic has unveiled a new slim compact camera equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity. Using the camera, users can post images to Facebook, Flickr, Picasa or YouTube as well as a new service from Panasonic called "Lumix Club". The club allows photographers to compile log-in information for several different social services in it, meaning they don't need to login individually, and can share on different services simultaneously. While out and about, users can upload images and videos instantly via mobile networks on a smartphone. Panasonic will provide a free, dedicated app (Lumix Link) for both iPhone and Android users. A dedicated wi-fi button on the camera directly opens up a wi-fi connection. A newly developed Leica DC VARIO-SUMMARIT 24mm wide-angle lens which stops down to f/2.5 is on board the camera, which allows the use of higher shutter speeds in low lighting situations. Anti-blurring mode can be found on the iA mode. Intelligent Resolution technology is available on the lens, which extends the zoom ratio by approximately 1.3x, maintaining picture quality even when using a digital zoom. This means the standard 5x optical zoom can be virtually extended to 6.5x. High speed The camera is equipped with a Venus Engine processor, which is designed to provide low noise images even when used at high ISO sensitivities. Sonic Speed AF and quick-start up times have both been added to make the cameras super quick. The camera can also record full HD video and high-speed continuous shooting. iA (intelligent Auto) mode includes AF tracking and Mega O.I.S. (optical image stabiliser) is joined by Face Detection, Intelligent Scene Selector and Intelligent Exposure, which are also available in motion image. 5x optical zoom is also available in video recording, while a wind cut function works to block out noise from background wind. Featuring a touch screen, the camera is also equipped with Touch AF, Touch Zoom and Touch Shutter. 3D photos can be captured in camera by taking 20 panning shots and automatically selecting the two most suitable images, which can be viewed on 3D televisions, photo frames and computers. The Panasonic FX90 UK release date is set for October, pricing is yet to be confirmed.

Panasonic FZ150 24x superzoom bridge camera outed Posted: 25 Aug 2011 10:00 PM PDT Panasonic has introduced a new 24x superzoom camera with full HD video recording. Slotting into the top of its superzoom compact digital range, the camera boasts a 25mm wide angle, 24x optical zoom Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens. Also equipped with Panasonic's Black Box Nano Surface Coating technology to minimise light reflection that can cause ghosting and flaring, the camera is also capable of shooting full HD videos. The lens comprises 14 elements in 10 groups to include 3 ED lenses and 2 aspherical lenses with 3 aspherical surfaces. Designed for the best optical performance, Panasonic promises that it suppresses distortion at the wide end and colour bleeding at the tele-end. Intelligent Zoom Zoom power can be increased from the standard 24x optical zoom to a 32x equivalent using the Intelligent Zoom function. Intelligent Resolution technology means that picture quality is theoretically maintained even when using a digital zoom. Equipped with a 12.1 megapixel MOS sensor and a Venus Engine, the camera promises high performance in both sensitivity and speed. A newly developed Multi-process Noise Reduction works by applying noise reduction according to the brightness in the picture. As well as HD video recording, fast shooting at 12fps (without autofocusing) is also possible, or 5.5fps (with autofocusing), both at full resolution. Full manual control is available on the DMC FZ150, with a side level on the left side of the lens barrel allowing for smooth zooming. Focus can also be changed with the lever, which could prove handy while in video recording. Creative Control is a new feature, which includes a number of artistic effect modes including expressive, retro and sepia, as well as Photo Style. Creative Video mode is also available, which allows users to set shutter speed and aperture manually. A hotshoe allows various accessories including an optional stereo microphone or external flash can be found at the top of the camera. 3D ready 3D shooting is available by taking 20 panning shots and the camera automatically selecting the two most suitable images. The resulting 3D image can be viewed on a compatible 3D device. A number of shooting modes are included on the camera, including Intelligent Auto, Motion Deblur and Intelligent Handheld Nightshot. Face Recognition function is able to remember registered faces to give an appopriate autofocus on people, while removing red-eye. Intelligent Scene Selector chooses from 6 different scene modes for the best settings. The Panasonic DMC-FZ150 UK release date is set for October, with UK pricing yet to be confirmed.

New Panasonic LX5 firmware upgrade arrives Posted: 25 Aug 2011 10:00 PM PDT Panasonic has introduced a firmware update for its premium LX5 compact camera. The firmware version 2.0 improves camera performance and upgrades various functions while enhancing usability. Autofocus time has been reduced by approximately 23 per cent at the wide end of the lens, making it in the fastest level of speed in class. High ISO NR (Noise Reduction) mode has been added for reducing the noise of images shot at high ISOs of 1600-3200. Auto white balance adjustment in low light situations has also been improved. Anti blur Active Mode has been added in video recording, to help prevent blur in addition to the already on-board Power O.I.S. (optical image stabiliser). The mode is designed for shake free videos especially while walking. Miniature effect mode, which gives a tilt-shift type impresses has been added to the MyColour mode and can be applied to both photos and videos. 60 seconds of shutter speed limit has been lifted with a new 250 second speed for shooting fireworks or night scenery. Shutter operation has been improved so that continuous focusing half-shutter and shooting full shutter is realised, working in a similar way to a system camera. The size and the location of the focusing area once set can be resumed, which is helpful when shooting using a tripod. The firmware upgrade is available free to all users of the LX5 and will be available worldwide from 13 September 2011.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 coming at IFA? Posted: 25 Aug 2011 08:48 PM PDT Samsung is set to launch the Galaxy Tab 7.7, the Wave 3 smartphone and a mystery device called the Galaxy Note next week, according to hidden files in the company's IFA preview app. A tipster for TheNextWeb site went snooping around in the Samsung Mobile Unpacked teaser app for Android, which provides a few nibbles before this year's German techfest. Within the APK, the inquisitive fellow found logos for the three aforementioned devices, which suggests they will be launched when the show begins on September 1st. What is the Galaxy Note? The Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Wave 3 are self explanatory (Samsung has already confirmed new Wave devices are on the way), but the mention of a Galaxy Note is a little more intriguing. The name suggests something a little different may be on the way from Samsung, neither a tablet or a smartphone. But what could it be? The company is encouraging users to update the Android app on September 1st, which is when any announcement is likely to be confirmed. Link: TheNextWeb

Government won't ban rioters from social networks Posted: 25 Aug 2011 01:05 PM PDT The government has backed-down over its plan to ban suspected rioters from using social networks and IM services the next time trouble erupts. The controversial plan would have seen those alleged to have played a part in the nationwide unrest blocked from using the likes of Twitter, Facebook and BBM. However, during a meeting with Home Secretary Theresa May and the major social networks, the idea, which would have involved certain sites being shut down, was dismissed out of hand. Co-operation "The home secretary, along with the culture secretary and Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne, has held a constructive meeting with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the police and representatives from the social media industry," said a Home Office spokesperson "The discussions looked at how law enforcement and the networks can build on the existing relationships and co-operation to prevent the networks being used for criminal behaviour." The idea of using the social networks to assist with law enforcement rather than simply shutting them down next time someone smashes a window seems a much more sensible approach. Earlier this month, Prime Minister David Cameron suggested that Draconian action may be coming the way of the social networks after their use was heavily implicated in the rapid spread of the rioting. Emergency A Twitter spokesperson said: "We've heard from many that Twitter is an effective way to distribute crucial updates and dispel rumours in times of crisis or emergency. "People also use Twitter as the first place to get information, monitor quickly changing events in real-time, and connect with friends, family and their communities. "We are always interested in exploring how we can make Twitter even more helpful and relevant during times of critical need." Link: Guardian

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