Techradar

LG unveils integrated Google TV for CES 2012
Nikon D4 first camera to use XQD memory format
Nikon introduces D4
Nikon introduces new 85mm portrait lens
10 things you need to know about the Nikon D4
Hands on: Nikon D4 review
PlayBook OS 2.0 coming at CES
Apple patent hints at Thunderbolt for iOS devices
HBO cuts-off Netflix as competition hots up
HBO cuts-off Netflix as competition heats up
Samsung 7.1 channel 3D Blu-ray system announced
Google TV sacks off Intel, jumps to ARM
Motorola Motoluxe budget Android phone outed
Tiny and rugged: Motorola Defy Mini launches
Samsung DA-E750 audio dock takes Galaxy S and iOS handsets
LG Z430 Super Ultrabook to strut its stuff at CES 2012
Review: Samsung Infuse 4G
Review: Samsung Infuse 4G review
Updated: CES 2012: all the latest news
Microsoft to buy Nokia if Elop resigns in 2012?
BlackBerry PlayBook UK price cut to £169
In Depth: How Windows 8 helps remember passwords
Gary Marshall: TV tech is terrible
HTC to reveal two quad-core smartphones at MWC 2012?
Logitech Cube is a mouse shaped like a brick

LG unveils integrated Google TV for CES 2012

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 01:19 AM PST

LG has confirmed that it will introduce a television with integrated Google TV at CES 2012, a key step for both companies as they look to a connected future.

LG's take on Google TV has been eagerly anticipated, with the Korean giant keen to bring in Google's Android-based IPTV platform and pair it up with its 3D and Smart TV technologies.

"LG has constantly strived to provide consumers with wider choices in home entertainment that bring the highest level of sophistication and convenience," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company.

LG google tv

"Through Google TV, LG has merged Google's established Android operating system with LG's proven 3D and Smart TV technologies, offering consumers a new and enthralling TV experience," he added.

The LG Google TV will feature a 'magic remote QWERTY' designed by LG and an extension of its current magic remote, but use the Google TV user interface on screen.

The integrated television will also feature LG's well-established passive Cinema 3D technology, which allows 3D conversion from a 2D source.

Interestingly, LG is not leaving out its own NetCast-based Smart TV offering, although it replicates much of the Google TV functionality.

"Alongside Google TV, LG will continue to advance its own Smart TV platform based on NetCast, which will be available in more than 60 percent of LG's flat panel TVs scheduled for introduction over the coming year, explained LG

"With a growing collection of content and services, LG's Smart TV platform will continue to provide consumers with a unique user experience."

Nikon D4 first camera to use XQD memory format

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 09:01 PM PST

The recently announced new memory card format by the CompactFlash Association will make its debut in the Nikon D4, the company's latest pro-DSLR.

XQD, which is slightly bigger in size than a standard SD card, can provide extremely fast write speeds of up 125MB/sec or higher, while specification of the new memory card is based on the PCI Express specification, designed to futureproof the cards.

The current standard for pro-level memory cards is Compact Flash (CF), which is capable of reading and writing quicker than SD cards which are most commonly found in beginner and enthusiast DSLRs along with compact cameras.

Traditional

Along with a slot for the new XQD format, the D4 also contains a slot for traditional Compact Flash cards.

Both Nikon and Canon backed the new memory card format, which will boast the fastest speeds available in the market once released.

It is thought that the first chance to see the cards in action will be at the CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2012, taking place in Yokohoma between 9th and 12th February.

It's also possible that new cameras announced at next week's CES trade show in Las Vegas might also feature the format, watch this space to see if that happens.

The Nikon D4 is expected to go on sale from the 16th February.

Nikon introduces D4

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 09:00 PM PST

Nikon introduces D4

Nikon has unveiled its latest flagship pro DSLR camera, the D4, which features more than 45 new or improved features from the D3s.

A 16.2 million pixel FX format (full frame) sensor has been newly developed, while the camera also includes the latest EXPEED 3 image processing engine for ultra-fast shooting speed.

Nikon d4

The new camera is primarily being targeted towards sports, news and reportage photography, and will be available before the London 2012 Olympics. The D4 is capable of shooting at up to 11fps, which is faster than any other Nikon DSLR.

Low noise images are promised thanks in part to optimised and redesigned 14-bit A/D signal processing which is built into the new sensor. The standard sensitivity range is ISO 100-ISO12800, but this is expandable down to the equivalent of ISO 50 and up to ISO 204, 800.

Video capability

Movie recording on the D4 has been improved, with Full HD video recording available at 30p, 25p, 24p and this can be increased to 60p for slow-motion movies at 720p HD. Clips can be recorded for up to 29 minutes and 59 seconds at a time.

A new multi-area mode has been introduced, which means that videos can be recorded in both FX and DX based formats, as well as in native full HD (1920 x 1080 crop), meaning that the same lens can be used to capture the same scene with different crop factors.

Nikon d4

Other new video features include an audio output for external headphones, uncompressed HDMI output for professional quality editing and the ability to tag important frames in the video while recording for quick location when editing.

The D4 features Nikon's own Advanced Scene Recognition System, which incorporates the newly designed 91,000 pixel RGB sensor which analyses each scene for accuracy. 3D tracking can be used for shooting and tracking smaller subjects, while human faces can also be detected.

Also redesigned is the Multi-CAM3500FX AF Sensor module, which has 9, 21, and 51 point coverage settings for fast subject detection. The redesign means that autofocus is claimed to be possible in extreme low-light situations, down to -2 EV.

Teleconverter power

Designed with sports and wildlife photography in mind, the D4 can maintain the power of eleven central AF sensors, which includes one cross-type even if the combined aperture is f/8. This is particularly useful when shooting with extenders, as for example if using a 600mm f/4 lens with a 2x teleconverter, the power of 15 central AF sensors (of which 1 is cross type) are available at the effective aperture of f/8.

Nikon d4

The shutter unit has been redesigned with a Kevlar/carbon-fibre shutter unit, which has been tested up to 400,000 releases, with a maximum shutter speed of 1/8000 and flash synchronisation at up to 1/250 seconds.

Operations speeds are also quick on the D4, boasting a start-up time of 0.12 seconds, and a release lag of 0.042 seconds.

New format

Two card slots are offered on the D4, including, for the first time on any camera, a slot for the new XQD memory card format which was recently announced. The other is a high-speed UDMA 7 CF card slot.

CARD slot

For photographers using the camera at important events, connectivity has been improved. Wireless LAN support is available via the newly designed WT-5 wireless transmitter, which features HTTP and FTP connection modes, while the HTTP has also been designed to work with iPhone and iPad screen resolutions. A wired LAN connection is integrated into the camera body - a Nikon first.

Whether using the camera in portrait or landscape mode, the button layout is identical, while several of the ergonomics of the camera have been redesigned. AF and AF-area mode selection are now possible without taking the eye away from the viewfinder, while one-handed operation has been made easier, while the shutter release button has also been angled at 35 degrees for more comfortable use.

On the rear of the camera is the newly designed 3.2 inch wide-viewing angle LCD monitor with automatic brightness control. With a 921k dot resolution, the screen has been improved to very closely resemble sRGB colour space, for accurately checking images during playback.

Other notable features of the D4 include the ability to create and playback time lapse movies, without need for a PC, HDR shooting and refined colour temperature control, as well as in-camera editing.

Nikon D4 key specifications:

16.2 million pixel FX format sensor
ISO 100-12800, expandable 50-204,800
Full HD video recording at 30/25/24fps
720p HD video recording at 60/50fps
3.2 inch 921k dot resolution rear LCD screen
Up to 11fps shooting
51 AF points

The Nikon D4 UK price is set to be £4,799.99 (RRP), with a release date of 16 February 2012.

Nikon introduces new 85mm portrait lens

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 09:00 PM PST

Nikon has introduced a new portrait lens to sit in its Nikkor line-up, the 85mm f/1.8G.

The lens features a redesigned optical system, comprising 9 elements in 9 groups, while the dedicated Silent Wave Motor promises to deliver quick, accurate and silent autofocusing.

Weighing in at 350g, the lens is also weather sealed and is lighter than its predecessors. Compatible with both FX (full frame) and DX format D-SLRs, it offers an effective focal length of 127.5mm when using with a DX DSLR. It is also compatible with entry-level models that do not have an inbuilt autofocus motor in the camera body.

Classic

85mm is a traditional length for portrait photography, which allows for subjects to be singled out while creating a beautifully blurred background. The fast aperture also means that the lens is good for shooting in low-light situations.

Sitting below the 85mm f/1.4 lens, which was launched last year with a retail price of around £1500, the f/1.8 is designed to be a more affordable piece of kit for photographers wanting to add a portrait lens to their arsenal.

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G UK price is £469.99 (RRP), with sales expected to start on March 22nd. The price also includes a lens hood HB-62 and soft pouch CL-1015.

10 things you need to know about the Nikon D4

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 09:00 PM PST

Nikon has introduced a new flagship pro DSLR to sit at the top of its product line. Here, we take look at the most important features on the new introduction.

1. Redesigned 16.2 MP sensor

The Nikon D4 features a 16.2 million pixel FX format sensor, which includes redesigned 14-bit A/D signal processing.

Sensor

2. Autofocus "in the dark"

Nikon claims that this camera can see, shoot and autofocus in the dark. Not only does it have an ISO range of 100-12800, which is expandable down to ISO 50 and up to a whopping 204,800, it also promises that automatic focusing is possible in extreme low-light situations, all the way down to -2EV. On top of that, the key buttons now have illumination, allowing quick visibility in the dark.

3. Full HD video recording with new movie modes

Full HD video recording at 30p, 25p and 24p frame rates are available, while slow-motion movies can be created, but only at 720p. A new interesting feature is the multi-area mode, allowing videos to be recorded in three different crop formats, FX (full frame), DX (crop-sensor) and native full HD (1920 x 1080). This gives the possibility of using the same lens to produce three different crops and depth of field effects.

4. Redesigned ergonomics

Nikon d4

Nikon claims to have been listening very closely to photographers, and has therefore made a number of ergonomic upgrades to the D4. These include better one-handed shooting when in portrait mode and a shutter release button at a different angle.

5. New screen

On the back of the camera a 3.2 inch LCD monitor with 921k dot resolution and automatic brightness control is included - Nikon claims that the screen now very closely resembles sRGB colour space to more accurately represent colours.

6. Improved autofocus performance

Eleven central AF sensors can even be used even when the combined maximum aperture is f/8, which should be of particular interest to sports and wildlife photographers - especially those using teleconverter lenses. For example, a 600mm f/4.0 lens with a 2x teleconverter still retains the power of 11 central AF sensors (including 1 cross type) even though the effective maximum aperture is f/8.

7. New card format

The D4 is the first camera on the market to use the newly announced XQD memory card format (along with the traditional CF format), which boasts incredibly fast read and write speeds.

Nikon d4

8. iPhone/iPad resolution shooting

When using the additional WT-5 Wireless Transmitter, a HTTP mode has been specially designed to work with iPhone and iPad screen resolutions - meaning you can remotely control the camera via your tablet or phone.

9. It's made in Tokyo

The D4 is being manufactured in Nikon's Sendai plant in Tokyo, meaning that the recent problems with the flooding in Thailand shouldn't affect the production of the camera. Furthermore, Nikon also says that it expects stock demand to be fulfilled quickly once the on-sale date is surpassed.

10. Availability and price

Keen to not only cash in on the upcoming London Olympics in the summer, but wanting to trump its closest rival, Nikon has made the D4 cheaper and available before the recently announced Canon EOS 1DX. The RRP for the D4 is £4,799.99, with sales starting on 16th February.

Hands on: Nikon D4 review

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 09:00 PM PST

Ergonomics

As we might expect with a camera that is designed for use by sports and reportage photographers, the majority of the changes made since the Nikon D3S for the D4 are aimed at making the new camera quicker and easier to use.

The move to a faster EXPEED 3 processing system, for example, is an obvious step, but there are other control and ergonomic changes that make a significant difference to how the camera is used.

Ergonomics

Nikon has added two mini-joysticks to the back of the D4. These are used for selecting the AF point, with one being within easy reach of the right hand thumb when the camera is in upright (portrait) orientation. Your thumb has to reach a little lower down than when the camera is in horizontal format, but it's easy to locate the controller and change the AF point.

Nikon d4 review

Each of these controllers is paired with an AF-on button to activate the AF system without using the shutter release button. There's also a customisable function button just to the side of the vertical shooting shutter release button, reducing the need for the camera to be taken away from the eye or re-orientated in use.

The introduction of a small thumbgrip towards its base also makes the D4 feel a little more secure in your hand when shooting upright images.

Another nice touch is that the buttons on the top, back and side of the camera can be illuminated slightly when the camera is in use. This isn't noticeable in normal daylight, but in the dark the button icons are just bright enough to be legible. It will make shooting in the dark much easier, and given the low-light credentials of the D4, it seems likely that it will be a popular feature.

Nikon d4 review

We don't remember having too many issues with the angle of the D3S's shutter release, but the D4's now sits at an angle of 35degrees rather than 28 and it falls comfortably under the index finger of your right hand. It also has a high-quality, smooth action as it is pushed home to fire off 10 or 11fps -depending upon whether the auto exposure and autofocus systems are required.

Nikon d4 review

There are no major surprises in the build of the D4, it feels solid and made to withstand some serious use. There are seals around all the joints and controls to ensure that it can cope with the usual rigours of life as a professional photographer's tool.

Screen

Reflections weren't an issue in the basement where we handled the pre-production D4, so it will be interesting to use a full production model in bright light to see how its LCD screen performs.

Nikon d4 review

Nikon has filled the gap between the glass and the LCD with a gel to reduce reflections, improve the viewing angle and boost brightness and this could be important for professional photographers shooting in the bright sun that is hoped to shine over the Olympics this summer. We're looking forward to testing it properly.

Nikon d4 review

Autofocus and video

Nikon claims that the D4's has faster focus acquisition than the D3S (which was no slouch) and that it can focus automatically in -2EV light, which is moonlight. We will have to wait until we can test a full production sample of the D4 to draw proper conclusions, but the pre-production model we got our hands on focused extremely quickly, almost instantly in many cases and it wasn't phased by the low-lighting conditions we were able to subject it to.

Nikon d4 review

Helpfully, the AF point selection mode control follows the Nikon D7000 model and uses a button at the centre of the focus mode selection switch (near the lens mount) in combination with the control dial. It's easy and fast to use.

Nikon d4 review

Furthermore, the options are made clear in the viewfinder, so that the selection can be made with the camera held to the eye. When 3D Colour Tracking mode is reached, for example, some of the AF points illuminate to spell '3D' in the viewfinder.

To help lighten the load for sport and wildlife photographers Nikon has made the D4's 11 central AF points function at f/8. This means that teleconverters can be used with shorter focal length lenses instead of long, heavy and expensive lenses.

All 51 AF points function when the effective aperture is f/5.6 or greater, 15 (9 cross-type) operate when the aperture drops to f/6.7 and 11 points (1 cross type) function at f/8.

This means that full AF functionality is maintained when a 70-200 f/2.8 is mounted via a TC-20E III (2x converter) to effectively turn it into a 140-400mm f/5.6 optic. However, if the same teleconverter is used with a 600mm f/4 lens to create a 1200mm f/8 arrangement, the D4 will have 11 functional AF points, one of which is cross type.

Nikon hasn't made many changes to the D3S's menu system for the D4, but it has made it impossible to select conflicting options. For example, it's not possible to select one of the tracking AF options in Single AF mode.

There's also an option for the D4 to switch AF point when its orientation changes so that the original subject remains the target.

Nikon d4 review

Video

It's interesting that Nikon has enabled the D4 to shoot Full HD (1920x1080) video using a crop that gives a 2.7x focal length magnification factor. This is coincidentally the same crop factor as the Nikon 1 system and we are told it is just that – a coincidence.

This option is selected via the menu and it gives users the ability to shoot using wider-angle lenses than normal to get greater depth of field. This is quite forward looking, because the arrival of video enabled SLRs has created a trend for shooting with shallow depth of field and like most trends, it will go out of fashion sooner or later.

Nikon d4 review

As with the Canon EOS-1DX, the D4 has a sound level display in video recording mode that gives a clear indication of how much sound it is picking up. The sound level can also be adjusted in camera, with 20 levels plus Auto. There's also a headphone port (with 30 sound levels) so that video shooters can listen the audio recording and exclude ambient noise.

IPhone and iPad

On the basis of the demonstration that we saw, the D4's iPhone and iPad compatibility (using HTTP) looks like a really useful facility for a range of photographers who need to control their camera remotely.

The live view image can be displayed on the iPad or iPhone screen and most of the key camera settings (though it would seem not aperture) can be adjusted via the interface. It is even possible to use the screen's touch sensitivity to set the camera's focus point.

We think this is a feature that will photographers will start to discover uses for and will begin to appear in other cameras.

Conclusion

Nikon d4 review

Nikon appears to have created a formidable camera for its target audience of sports, news and reportage photographers. It may be 2MP shy of the 18 million pixel Canon EOS-1DX, but it has the flexibility of the DX crop for more affordable extra reach when necessary and greater AF sensitivity. This is combined with comprehensive video functionality, compatibility with the fastest available memory cards what promises to be superb ergonomics.

Perhaps wisely given the fast approaching Olympics, which will be a key event for many existing D3S users, Nikon hasn't meddled too much with what is widely regarded as the best AF system around. Those considering for an upgrade will be looking for a smooth transition to a camera that they can master quickly to be at the top of their game for the summer.

The differences between the handling of the D3S and D4 are relatively minor, in that they shouldn't take too much getting used to, but we think they make a significant difference.

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PlayBook OS 2.0 coming at CES

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 03:40 PM PST

RIM has confirmed that it will finally unleash a long-promised software update for the suffering BlackBerry PlayBook next week at CES 2012.

The BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 will likely bring the elusive Android app player which will allow some Android applications to run on the device.

Also expected is a native email client and a host of other improvements aimed at making the device, which is currently available for as little as £169, more user-friendly.

Long delays

RIM was criticised heavily for not delivering on these promises in 2011 and delaying the software update until the new year.

The new software will be unveiled at an 'intimate event; next Tuesday 10 January in Las Vegas.

However, the invite to the press offers no insight into when the platform may be available to the long-suffering PlayBook owners.

BB10 'confirmed' for MWC

Meanwhile, Pocket-Lint says it has confirmation from RIM that the crucial BB10 smartphone platform will be officially unveiled at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona next month.

More reports on Thursday claimed that RIM has ditched other BB10 projects to focus on just one flagship device, which is seen as critical to any comeback the company can make in 2012.

We hope for RIM's sake that the PlayBook 2.0 OS and BB10 can deliver, or 2012 is likely to be much like 2011 for the Canadian giant.

Apple patent hints at Thunderbolt for iOS devices

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 12:50 PM PST

Apple is preparing to integrate Thunderbolt I/O connectivity into a future generation of iOS devices according to a newly-unearthed patent filing.

Three new filings made to the US Patent Office show that plans that would speed-up data transfer between Apple iPhones, iPods and iPads and Mac OS X computers.

It could also lead to a much faster charging solution for iOS devices.

In the filing Apple says: "The present invention, connection may also be a new type of connection. … a connection may be provided between a portable media player and a display, a computer and a portable media player, or between other types of devices."

Who owns Thunderbolt?

Apple debuted Thunderbolt in an early 2011 iteration of the MacBook Pro and followed it up by including it in new Macs and MacBook Air laptops later that year.

The technology was developed by Intel in collaboration with Apple, although it's unclear who has ownership over the invention.

Clearly, Apple believes it has enough sway to file for new Thunderbolt patents, which Patently Apple has explained in tremendous detail.

HBO cuts-off Netflix as competition hots up

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:54 AM PST

Cable juggernaut HBO will no longer provide physical discs to Netflix in response to the streaming giant's decision to screen original programming.

Lilyhammer, the first Netflix original series, will become available to streaming customers on 6 February and it's clear that HBO now sees the company as a business rival.

However, this doesn't mean that Netflix customers will no longer be able to rent the likes of True Blood, Game of Thrones and The Sopranos.

Netflix will still be able to use discs it has already acquired from HBO and there is no law preventing the company from simply replacing those with DVDs and Blu-rays from third-parties.

Symbolic gesture

Even though HBO's stance is unlikely to affect Netflix's operations, it is being seen more as a symbolic gesture, that the gloves are officially off as the pair look set to duke it out for your subscription cash.

Previously HBO has been largely unconcerned by Netflix, but now it is investing heavily in, and in some cases even outbidding HBO, for original, first-run content it's clear the pair are destined to clash.

Both companies have confirmed the situation to CNET.

Call this refusing to feed the mouth that bites you, or something like that.

HBO cuts-off Netflix as competition heats up

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:54 AM PST

Cable juggernaut HBO will no longer provide physical discs to Netflix in response to the streaming giant's decision to screen original programming.

Lilyhammer, the first Netflix original series, will become available to streaming customers on 6 February and it's clear that HBO now sees the company as a business rival.

However, this doesn't mean that Netflix customers will no longer be able to rent the likes of True Blood, Game of Thrones and The Sopranos.

Netflix will still be able to use discs it has already acquired from HBO and there is no law preventing the company from simply replacing those with DVDs and Blu-rays from third-parties.

Symbolic gesture

Both companies have confirmed the situation to CNET.

Call this refusing to feed the mouth that bites you, or something like that.

Samsung 7.1 channel 3D Blu-ray system announced

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 09:32 AM PST

Samsung has given the world a sneak peak at what to expect from them at CES 2012, by announcing the arrival of three new home cinema setups.

The top of the range is the HT-E6750W, a 7.1 Channel Blu-ray 3D Home Theatre System which is all amped up so easier to install in your home.

The speaker setup includes four tall boy speakers which actually have the front height speakers inside of them, some rear satellite speakers (which are wireless) and a wide centre channel and meaty sub.

These come in a high gloss black finish and are said to sync closer to the audio track to match the movement in whatever movie you are watching.

Raising the bar

If you are not yet set to get a 7.1 setup, then there is also the HT-E5500, which offers virtual 7.1 and also comes with an Apple-certified iPhone dock.

Samsung has also shown off a new sound bar, the HW-E551. This is a system that will fit nicely under your television and will magically split into two so you can have a 2.1 system if you are not happy with the sound bar shape. Clever.

There's no pricing or release date on any of the products but they will be shown off at CES 2012, so expect more information next week.

Google TV sacks off Intel, jumps to ARM

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 09:20 AM PST

Google has dumped Intel architecture in its new Google TV products in favour of the ARM-based Marvell Armada 1500 chipset.

The new televisions will be showcased at CES 2012 next week, complete with the Marvell Armada 1500 HD Media System-on-a-chip which should mean lower prices and better power efficiency than the Intel-made predecessors.

What's more, the passive cooling system means no whirring fans to distract you from whatever it is you're watching.

Marvell-ous

"The Google and Marvell teams have been working closely together to bring our combined software and chipset technologies to market to grow the Google TV ecosystem of manufacturers and devices," said Mario Queiroz, VP of product management at Google TV.

"Marvell-powered Google TV solutions will enable powerful products to be brought to market at attractive prices."

Both LG and Samsung have talked up their interest in Google TV televisions and, although Samsung said it won't be able to show its TV set off at the show, we're expecting to see more than one launching at CES 2012 next week.

And of course TechRadar will be out in Vegas to bring you our expert thoughts on the new televisions as they launch – it's a hard life, we know.

Motorola Motoluxe budget Android phone outed

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 09:09 AM PST

Motorola has announced its latest handset range for the budgets conscious, the Motoluxe.

Both stylish and unique – Moto's words – the Motoluxe packs in Android 2.3 Gingerbread and is one for cut-price fashionistas and part-time ravers – boasting both a slim chassis (117.7x 60.5 x 9.85mm) and a lanyard spot which comes complete with a flashing light.

The specs on the phone are actually fairly decent. There's a 4-inch (480x854) edge-to-edge touchscreen display, 8MP camera on board and a front-facing VGA camera.

All this is powered by an 800MHz processor and there's the likes of Bluetooth, GPS and DLNA on board.

You're in luxe

When it comes to a Motorola Motoluxe UK release date, we are expecting the phone to land in Europe this spring, although it could come as soon as February.

If you are living in China, then you may well like to know that the handset is already out in the shops there, under the less sexier moniker Motorola XT320.

Motorola has informed us that the phone will be appearing at CES 2012, so expect TechRadar's hands-on Motorola Motoluxe review next week.

Tiny and rugged: Motorola Defy Mini launches

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 09:06 AM PST

Moto has announced a new rugged smartphone ahead of CES 2012 in the form of the Motorola Defy Mini.

The 'strong and sturdy' handset joins the likes of the original Defy and the upgraded Defy+ to offer a dust- and water-resistant handset to the masses.

Motorola is promising this Android 2.3-powered dinky destroyer will come with a budget price tag, but has shied away from giving any indication of what this might be.

The Motorola Defy Mini comes with a 3.2-inch touchscreen shorn in Gorilla Glass and a 3MP camera with single LED flash, plus a nifty VGA front-facing camera for the video chatting you'll never get round to setting up.

Battery up

However, the 1650mAh battery isn't to be sniffed at - that smaller screen should suck less power and see you texting and surfing for more than 24 hours at a go (21 days of standby, according to Moto).

MotoSwitch is also included, which is described thusly: "MotoSwitch means your smartphone learns who you talk to and which apps you use and keeps all of that information front and centre," and could get scary if your phone offers up predictions that you didn't even know you wanted.

The Motorola Defy Mini UK release date has been set for the lovely-and-vague 'spring' portion of the year, so wait until the howling winds outside die down before browsing for it at your local Carphone Warehouse.

The phone will be on show at CES 2012, so you won't have long to wait until you can see TechRadar's in-depth hands on Motorola Defy Mini review.

Samsung DA-E750 audio dock takes Galaxy S and iOS handsets

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 08:58 AM PST

We had a dream. And that dream was to be able to cut through the legal finagling and use our Samsung and iOS handsets with the same gorgeous audio dock. And today that dream came true in the form of the Samsung DA-E750.

They might be sworn enemies in court, but Samsung knows better than to completely alienate Apple's customers so its new audio dock can dock the iPhone, iPod and iPad as well as the Samsung Galaxy S and Samsung Galaxy S2.

The Samsung DA-E750 can also handle wireless music using Apple's AirPlay and Samsung's AllShare, as well as tunes from an analogue input, USB stick or portable hard drive.

Double hybrid

But enough of this format schlock; you want to know what makes it tick.

"The DA-E750 Audio Dock is Samsung's first speaker dock and features exclusive hybrid vacuum tube amplifier technology," says Samsung. Exclusive hybrid vacuum tube amplifier technology, you say? Tell us more.

"This technology combines the digital amplifier's transparent clarity with the natural sound performance of valve amplifiers and produces the ultimate listening experience."

Basically, those hybrid amps offer the warmth of a valve with the clarity, power efficiency and reduced size and price of a digital one. As well as that, you're looking at a 2.1-channel speaker and 100 watt subwoofer.

It certainly looks great but whether it sounds as good we won't be able to say until we get our ears 'round the DA-E750 at CES 2012.

Samsung's not giving anything away as far as UK release date and pricing are concerned, perhaps we'll find out more next week.

LG Z430 Super Ultrabook to strut its stuff at CES 2012

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 07:56 AM PST

LG may have taken the wraps off its LG Z330 Ultrabook in Korea late last year, but it's now revealed that we'll see a 14-inch version that will be shown off at CES 2012, known as the LG Z430.

Like its 13-inch compatriot, the Z430 will feature Windows 7, speedy boot-up time, the second-gen Intel i7 processor, SATA3 SSD and dashing, MacBook Air inspired good looks.

The 14-inch LG Z430 will weigh in at 1.5kg with a skinny 19.9mm chassis, and comes with an HDD alongside the SSD.

The term Ultrabook doesn't contain enough hyperbole for LG. Oh no, its slim powerful notebooks aren't just ultra, they're SUPER ULTRA – and thus the LG Super Ultrabook Series was born. Both the LG Z330 and LG Z430 fall into the Super Ultrabook category.

Supercalifragilisticexpialiultrabook

By comparison, the rest of the LG CES 2012 notebook line up looks a bit lacklustre if only because there's no super in their names; the company will showcase two new 3D notebooks and an all-in-one touchscreen PC.

The LG P535 is a Cinema 3D notebook with 15.6-inch backlit LED display and i7 processor, while the glasses-free LG A540 brings enhanced 4.1 channel sounds and the Nvidia GT555M graphics card to the laptop party.

Finally, LG's first all-in-one PC will be showcased in the form of the LG V300. It comes with 3D tech and an IPS display on its 23-inch screen as well as an outrageous triple-camera system for superior touchscreen action.

LG's entire CES 2012 laptop line-up will launch throughout the first quarter of 2012 with UK pricing and release dates to be confirmed.

Review: Samsung Infuse 4G

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 07:53 AM PST

Overview, design and feel

The Samsung Infuse 4G feels a bit like a phone with an identity crisis. It costs the same as the Epic 4G Touch, but is excluded from the Galaxy line. It's got a 4G right in the name, but it doesn't boast 4G speeds.

And at 4.5" it's also large enough to feel almost like a tablet - albeit one rocking the stale Froyo Android OS. But is it a good phone?

The first thing anyone will notice about the Samsung Infuse is its gargantuan 4.5" Super AMOLED display. Samsung is no stranger to large displays; its flagship Galaxy S2 rocks a 4.3" screen, and the Samsung Galaxy Note is actually, legitimately, a tablet-phone crossover poised to launch stateside in early 2012.

But no matter how its predecessors feel, the Samsung Infuse's large screen and small borders make it feel bigger than it actually is.

Samsung infuse 4g

Those with small thumbs might want to look elsewhere, or else risk having to hold the phone in two hands. For others, the extra screen real estate will feel comfortable.

Samsung infuse 4g

This is at least in part due to the phone's thickness and weight - at only 131g (less than .30 pounds) and 8.8mm at its thickest the Samsung Infuse is thinner and just about as light as the Samsung Epic 4G Touch.

Samsung infuse 4g

The frame chassis feels a bit cheap, with slippery angular plastic. It has a grippy back, which also serves as, quite possibly, the world's thinnest battery cover, and can easily be pulled off. This gives you easy access to the battery, SIM, and the interchangeable microSD - which is hidden (not to mention upside down) beneath the SIM card.

Samsung infuse 4g

You don't have to remove the SIM card, just the 1760mAh battery, to access the microSD - if you can find it. You'll likely want to replace it as the onboard microSD it comes with is an inadequate 2GB. The internal memory sits at 16GB, but it's easy to imagine filling if you want to watch a few movies on that posh screen.

There's also the usual features - a 3.5mm headphone slot on top, speakerphone on the back, Micro-USB on the bottom. That Micro-USB doubles as a high-definition video output as well, but you'll need to use an (included) optical dongle.

Samsung infuse 4g

We'd have loved to see a notification light somewhere on the Infuse, but besides that and a cheapish feel, build quality is just good enough to be adequate. The Infuse 4G can be yours for $199 with a two-year contract from AT&T.

Interface

The Infuse comes packed with 2.2.1 Froyo, which wasn't even the most recent version of Froyo when the phone released. While we fully hope to see Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich make its way to the Infuse one day, we're not sure if it'll ever come.

At 512MBs of RAM and only a single-core processor, the Infuse 4G isn't showcasing the most impressive specs. Even still, with the 1.2GHz processor, it's snappy and quick in everyday tasks. Either way, it's a travesty that Gingerbread is still absent.

As for now, the current version of Froyo - though unexciting - is sufficient. After all, the 2.2.2 and 2.2.3 update mostly fixed small glitches the Infuse isn't plagued with.

Samsung infuse 4g

There are several slightly different interface features in the Infuse, mostly stemming from the version of Samsung's Touchwiz that's on the Infuse (it's slightly newer than the Samsung Galaxy S, but not as new as the S2). The first of differences you'll notice is a new lock screen that (thankfully) only makes you swipe about 3/4s of the gargantuan screen to unlock.

New screens now come touting a semi-opaque "Press and hold this page to add content," which is the easiest way to add widgets and shortcuts to blank screens.

Samsung infuse 4g

Besides a few other negligible changes, not much has been changed to make the OS more suited to the larger screen. The Infuse still utilizes four icons to a row and doesn't allow you to reshape widgets with the flexibility of the Galaxy Note.

Samsung infuse 4g

In addition, there are times when the large screen makes big enough boxes just, well, bigger. Landscape typing into Facebook's username and password, for instance, only shows one enormous text box at a time. This ends up making certain graphic elements on the Infuse needlessly large.

Unfortunately, The Infuse 4G only offers six seen-before live wallpapers. We'd have loved to see a couple new offerings to show off the gorgeous Super AMOLED screen (plus, we're just kind of tired of the old ones).

Like the Galaxy Note, you can pinch to show an overview of home screen cards, which is a neat trick, but not more efficient than simply swiping from side to side.

Contacts and calling

Call it envy, but much of the UI looks just a bit outdated now that we've seen the beautiful Ice Cream Sandwich interface. This is especially apparent in the Contacts app, where the huge font and black and blue color pallet looks nearly archaic.

Samsung infuse 4g

As usual, contacts are synced with Google in the cloud. You can import contacts from a SIM as well as a your social networks - if you configure them. There are a number of networks to integrate with, including Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace (for some reason).

Names are presented alphabetically, and Contacts pictures sit on the left. At the top, there are four tabs: Contacts, Groups, History, and Activities.

Samsung infuse 4g

The keypad is big, taking up about half of the screen. Hitting the menu button from the keypad will allow you to add special characters (like a 3 second pause, or a "wait"), as well as adjust speed dial settings or send a message.

Smart dialing is supported, whether you're tapping in the numbers or the name on the astronomically huge keyboard. Yet only one name can be displayed at a time, and you'll have to press a button to display a pop up box with the others, and at that point it's not much easier than just keying in a few more numbers.

Samsung infuse 4g

You can quickly thumb between the keypad and the activity logs (which show you the times of calls, as well as texts), but bafflingly, accessing a specific text from those Logs isn't possible - so why bother showing them in the first place?

Despite a few weird quirks, actually making calls is all that we'd hoped. We made calls in three states and experienced fine signal strength, though we did have a bit of voice echoing in Seattle, Washington.

This occurred only when we were the ones who made the call, which leads us to believe it was a fault on the part of the carrier.

Messaging

Email has two stock apps included on the Infuse. The first is Samsung's Mail app, which serves for any email addresses you might have, from Exchange to POP3/IMAP. Simply enter the email address and the password and, depending on account type, the phone will guide you through a simple setup wizard.

Samsung infuse 4g

The second app is the Gmail app, which - if you're using Gmail - looks slightly different but serves the exact same purpose as Samsung's Mail app, but is limited only to Gmail accounts. Samsung's Mail app has a few snazzy options, but push Gmail doesn't work on this app like it does in the official app.

Social media is well integrated into the Samsung Infuse 4G, especially in widgets. But here things get a bit redundant. There are two include Twitter widgets, a Facebook widget, and a Social Updates widget - all of which do similar things.

Holding your finger on any of these (like you're prone to do when scrolling through long lists on a big phone) will lift the widget, making them less beneficial for long reads than their free (included) app counterparts.

ChatOn, Samsung's answer to iMessage and Blackberry Messenger isn't bundled - but can easily be downloaded from the Marketplace.

Samsung infuse 4g

For all your friends who aren't using a Samsung phone, there are always SMS texts. This is the same texting we've grown accustomed to on Froyo, but it all feels slightly different on a 4.5" screen.

You can switch between QWERTY keyboard, a 3x4 Keyboard (which, for all intents and purposes, is T9), and two different handwriting boxes. Each are easily selectable from the tools icon, where you can also turn on predictive text, auto-capitalization, and a league of other settings.

You can also speak to text by hitting the microphone button on the keyboard. We found it to be almost as good as the iPhone 4S's dictation, but it still wasn't quite accurate or fast enough to use for everyday texting.

Samsung infuse 4g

Our biggest gripe with the messaging app was that predictive text selections pop up under the text field, which means both the text thread and the field you're typing in are constantly bouncing up and down in a jittery, unpleasant manner. This made typing long messages feel clunky, no matter how admirably the keyboard performed.

Internet

The Samsung Infuse 4G has 4G right in the name, but it's more of an AT&T misnomer than actual 4G phone (or worse, part of the propaganda machine).

Samsung infuse 4g

AT&T has no true 4G, not yet anyway, and we weren't able to clock more than 3Mbps bandwidth speed anywhere but San Francisco, where we were able to hit 9.6Mbps down and .67Mbps upload - once. Suffice it to say, that's not great for what's being touted as AT&T's first unit with HSPA+ Category 14 speeds.

It's faster than most other US 3G speeds, and certainly nothing to squawk at, but not nearly as fast as we've seen on Verizon's LTE or even T-Mobile's own HSPA+ network.

Samsung infuse 4g

The browser is the same we've seen on other Froyo devices. Like Chrome, typing a single word into the address bar will perform a Google search, and gestures feel as natural as ever - whether you're pinching to zoom out or two-finger tapping to zoom in.

Samsung infuse 4g

Like the Messages app, there's also a speak-to-text feature, but the microphone icon's located in a different spot - up near the address bar. It's the same spot the bookmark feature is located, though the bookmark feature disappears the second you tap the address bar.

Resolutions top out at 800 x 480, which is the same as most new Samsung Phones. However on the big screen, it can feel a tad bit low while surfing certain sites. Fonts specifically didn't look quite as crisp, and sometimes sites felt a bit cramped.

Samsung infuse 4g

Every once in a while, sites will "crack" when you scroll from side to side, displaying a line of text cracked in half, displaying at different heights. But fortunately, this problem wasn't frequent and didn't persist. Any issues we had were easily fixed by quitting and relaunching the app.

Camera

The Samsung Infuse has an LED flash and an 8MP camera, which looks similar - if not identical - to the one found on the Galaxy S II. It's no real surprise as the camera-flash combination on the back looks awfully similar to that found on the S II as well.

Samsung infuse 4g

Click here for full-res version

The camera performed admirably in low-light tests, and Auto focus works well, even with some macro shots. It was a bit inconsistent, sometimes focusing on things as close an inch, other times fumbling with the focus at over two inches away.

Samsung infuse 4g

Click here for full-res version

Fortunately, settings allow you to change the focus mode from Auto focus, to Macro, to Face detection - each of which works best for their intended purposes. What you won't find in Settings, however, is the ability to take photos with the physical buttons.

Samsung infuse 4g

Click here for full-res version

That's because they're already delegated to their own tasks. Pressing the volume buttons up or down digitally zooms the camera, and pressing the power button on top locks both the volume buttons and touchscreen buttons, to prevent you from ruining a shot with the slip of a thumb.

Samsung infuse 4g

While lots of phones come touting great looking 8MP sensors with LED flash, less ditch the crappy front-facing VGA camera for video chats. The Samsung Infuse 4G delightfully changes things up with a 1.3MP front-facing camera, which looks clearer, if a tad less warm, than VGAs.

Samsung infuse 4g

Click here for full-res version

The camera app also comes with a slew of virtual goodies, including settings for composite and panorama shots, as well as guidelines, and a slider for exposure value. Suffice it to say, the Infuse 4G's powerful camera was one of our favorite features of all.

Video

Video is almost as impressive, topping out at 720p and auto focusing without the need to tap on the screen.

Samsung infuse 4g

Not surprisingly, the video doesn't look too hot in low-light, but you can turn the LED flash on in a few taps.

YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGeJffhA6Ww

Samsung infuse 4g

You can also choose a variety of resolutions to shoot at, ranging from 176x144 to 1280x720. We preferred pressing an easy to access button, which optimized the recording mode for MMS, making it easy as pie to create simple bite-sized videos for our friends.

Samsung infuse 4g

Onscreen buttons are mostly the same as the camera's; you can still adjust the exposure levels, and add guidelines, but there are a few different tricks available in video mode. Where you would find a focus mode in the Camera app, you'll find a timer and white balance level in the video app.

There are also four effects to choose from, which allow you to shoot normally, or in Negative, Black and white, or Sepia.

Samsung infuse 4g

Besides lowlight quality, our one complaint with the video app is that there are almost too many options (if you can call that a valid complaint). Those trying to preserve room on thier phone may not know if they should change the video resolution or the video quality, and accessing these panes takes some digging.

Media

Call us old fashioned, but no matter how big and bright its display, we've never been quick to watch videos on our phones. The Infuse 4G is just capable enough to change that.

It's huge, bright, comes with 16GB onboard memory and an expandable microSD, and has a great battery - most (if not all) of our concerns about phone viewing were nullified.

Samsung infuse 4g

But if you still don't want to watch videos on your phone, you can always use the Infuse's dongle for video-out. We found this to be pretty much worthless, as you have to have the dongle connected, and the phone plugged in to a wall outlet. By the time you might actually use it, you'll probably have lost the dongle or the living room won't have an outlet available.

Samsung infuse 4g

But the Infuse isn't just great for videos, it also great for music. The Infuse has a fairly snazzy music player, which looks a little better than most Android players, and allows for vertical and horizontal orientation.

The volume is plenty loud, though since the speaker is on the back, you'll probably want to flip the phone face down before blasting your heavy metal.

The gallery app is pretty neat, boasting an accelerometer-based tilting mechanism and the ability to pinch in and out of stacks of photos and videos. Strangely, the back button doesn't work while watching videos through the app, so you'll have to resort to the onscreen button to exit videos.

Samsung infuse 4g

The Infuse 4G also comes with the Samsung Media Hub, an on-the-go media store that's packed with shows, music, and movies. Perhaps best of all, you can get a free $25 Media Hub credit just for purchasing the Infuse 4G which should entice wary spenders.

Battery life and connectivity

The Infuse 4G has a 3.7-volt, lithium ion, 1750mAh battery. At 8 hours talk time, it's slightly worse than the Galaxy S2 and a handful of other Android phones with smaller screens and 1800mAh batteries.

Samsung infuse 4g

Even so, we were pleasantly surprised with the phone's battery performance (not to mention the favorable standby time). After all, that's a big screen to light, and it'll still outlive any LTE phone on the market (provided that LTE is turned on).

Samsung infuse 4g

Adding media is as easy as popping out the hidden micro SD or connecting the phone to a PC. But if fidgeting with hardware isn't your style, you can also use the phone's included AllShare which is Samsung's free software which will allow you to wirelessly access files from your computer - provided you don't have a Mac.

Samsung infuse 4g

In order to tether the Infuse 4G, you'll need to sign on for an additional tethering (or mobile hotspot) plan and travel deep within Settings to access it. The Samsung Infuse 4G supports 802.11.n, Bluetooth, GPS and the usual wireless standards.

Maps and apps

All the usual Google location apps are included, from Google Latitude to Maps, and they load quickly and accurately. AT&T includes a few of it's own as well, including the AT&T Navigation app and the yellow pages app, YPmobile.

Samsung infuse 4g

Apps

Among the standard slew of media apps, Samsung also bundles the Infuse with a QR Code scanner and a Family Map app - which is similar to the already included Google Latitude but will add an additional $10 a month to your plan.

Samsung infuse 4g

There's also a Live TV shortcut, placed conveniently on your home screen, though tapping it will just bring you to the Marketplace to download AT&T's U-verse app.

Samsung infuse 4g

Finally, for feather fans, there's also an exclusive version of Angry Birds available only on the Infuse 4G. It's largely the same old Angry Birds enthusiasts have come to know and love, but this time it has more golden eggs and secrets.

Verdict

Samsung infuse 4g

The main problem with the Samsung Infuse is that AT&T refuses to let it live up to its true potential. We're dreaming of Ice Cream Sandwich on the Infuse's gorgeous 4.5" screen but without a firm Gingerbread release date, there's just no point in holding our breath. For all intents and purposes, its just another neglected Android phone in dire need of an update.

We Disliked

The build quality left a little to be desired and the flimsy battery cover feels like a break waiting to happen.

If you're a fan of Samsung phones, it's hard not to notice that for the same price, on the same network, you can invest in the Galaxy line. You'll likely receive updates on a more regular basis and have a phone with a few more goodies.

Most of AT&T's bundled software just feels like bloatware, that will surely sucker some users into adding expensive subscriptions to their already expensive plans.

We're not too fond of AT&T's liberal use of the term "4G," either. Is the Infuse actually 4G? Even with the Cat 14 speeds, we think it feels more like a cog in the AT&T propaganda machine than a next generation internet speed.

We Liked

If you don't care about timely updates and all this talk about Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwiches just sounds like a toothache, there's a lot to love here, too. The display is clearly the Samsung Infuse's killer feature, and even with the lower sharpness we loved the size and clarity.

Despite whatever extra battery the Infuse 4G sucks up lighting that display, we were equally impressed with its battery life. We could easily make it through an entire day using our Infuse moderately with a few phone calls.

Photographers will also love the camera, and switching focus modes and other onboard settings made a surprisingly large difference in the quality of our photos.

Verdict

From the moment Samsung opted to throw a 4.5" screen on the Infuse 4G, it was destined to be a niche phone. If you've got huge hands or just feel cramped on your normal-sized phone, the Infuse's size won't disappoint. But that's also the first dividing line - we handed the phone off to multiple people who said it was way too large for them.

Ultimately, it's just doesn't have fast enough bandwidth or the build quality required to swing us from our Galaxy preferences. But if you're a huge fan of huge phones, the Samsung Infuse 4G is clearly a winner, and we're certainly not complaining about having another size to choose from.

Review: Samsung Infuse 4G review

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 07:53 AM PST

Overview, design and feel

And at 4.5" it's also large enough to feel almost like a tablet - albeit one rocking the stale Froyo Android OS. But is it a good phone?

But no matter how its predecessors feel, the Samsung Infuse's large screen and small borders make it feel bigger than it actually is.

Those with small thumbs might want to look elsewhere, or else risk having to hold the phone in two hands. For others, the extra screen real estate will feel comfortable.

Samsung infuse 4g

Interface

As for now, the current version of Froyo - though unexciting - is sufficient. After all, the 2.2.2 and 2.2.3 update mostly fixed small glitches the Infuse isn't plagued with.

Samsung infuse 4g

New screens now come touting a semi-opaque "Press and hold this page to add content," which is the easiest way to add widgets and shortcuts to blank screens.

Samsung infuse 4g

Like the Galaxy Note, you can pinch to show an overview of home screen cards, which is a neat trick, but not more efficient than simply swiping from side to side.

Contacts and calling

Samsung infuse 4g

Names are presented alphabetically, and Contacts pictures sit on the left. At the top, there are four tabs: Contacts, Groups, History, and Activities.

Samsung infuse 4g

This occurred only when we were the ones who made the call, which leads us to believe it was a fault on the part of the carrier.

Messaging

Samsung infuse 4g

ChatOn, Samsung's answer to iMessage and Blackberry Messenger isn't bundled - but can easily be downloaded from the Marketplace.

Samsung infuse 4g

For all your friends who aren't using a Samsung phone, there are always SMS texts. This is the same texting we've grown accustomed to on Froyo, but it all feels slightly different on a 4.5" screen.

Samsung infuse 4g

Internet

The Samsung Infuse 4G has 4G right in the name, but it's more of an AT&T misnomer than actual 4G phone (or worse, part of the propaganda machine).

Samsung infuse 4g

It's faster than most other US 3G speeds, and certainly nothing to squawk at, but not nearly as fast as we've seen on Verizon's LTE or even T-Mobile's own HSPA+ network.

Samsung infuse 4g

Resolutions top out at 800 x 480, which can feel a bit low while surfing certain sites. Fonts specifically didn't look quite as crisp, and sometimes sites felt a bit cramped.

Samsung infuse 4g

Camera

Samsung infuse 4g

Click here for full-res version

Samsung infuse 4g

Click here for full-res version

Samsung infuse 4g

Click here for full-res version

Samsung infuse 4g

Video

Video is almost as impressive, topping out at 720p and auto focusing without the need to tap on the screen.

Samsung infuse 4g

Not surprisingly, the video doesn't look too hot in low-light, but you can turn the LED flash on in a few taps.

Samsung infuse 4g

There are also four effects to choose from, which allow you to shoot normally, or in Negative, Black and white, or Sepia.

Samsung infuse 4g

Media

Call us old fashioned, but no matter how big and bright its display, we've never been quick to watch videos on our phones. The Infuse 4G is just capable enough to change that.

It's huge, bright, comes with 16GB onboard memory and an expandable microSD, and has a great battery - most (if not all) of our concerns about phone viewing were nullified.

Samsung infuse 4g

The volume is plenty loud, though since the speaker is on the back, you'll probably want to flip the phone face down before blasting your heavy metal.

Samsung infuse 4g

Battery life and connectivity

Samsung infuse 4g

Adding media is as easy as popping out the hidden micro SD or connecting the phone to a PC. But if fidgeting with hardware isn't your style, you can also use the phone's included AllShare which will let you wirelessly access files from your computer.

Samsung infuse 4g

Maps and apps

Samsung infuse 4g

Apps

Samsung infuse 4g

There's also a Live TV shortcut, placed conveniently on your home screen, though tapping it will just bring you to the Marketplace to download AT&T's U-verse app.

Samsung infuse 4g

Verdict

Samsung infuse 4g

We Disliked

The build quality left a little to be desired and the flimsy battery cover feels like a break waiting to happen.

Most of AT&T's bundled software just feels like bloatware, that will surely sucker some users into adding expensive subscriptions to their already expensive plans.

We Liked

Photographers will also love the camera, and switching focus modes and other onboard settings made a surprisingly large difference in the quality of our photos.

Verdict

Updated: CES 2012: all the latest news

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 07:45 AM PST

CES 2012: Home Entertainment

The world's greatest tech show - CES 2012 - kicks off on Monday 9 January (if you're a show obsessive, note that's a week later than usual).

Running until 13 January, the show will see the entire tech world descend on Las Vegas. We'll be hearing from the biggest names in tech to talk about their plans for 2012. The show covers more than 1.8 million square feet and has more than 140,000 attendees from across trhe globe.

As for every CES, TechRadar will be there getting hands on with the hardware that matters and bringing you the latest breaking news from the show. We have a dedicated CES 2012 channel where you can keep up with all the news.

This year the show will be 'greener' than ever; attendee badge holders are made from repurposed vinyl show banners from last year, and they'll be recycled again after the show. New signs have been made using a reusable, recyclable paper honeycomb material. A whopping 289.6 tons of waste was recycled from last year's event.

So what are we expecting to be launched at CES 2012? Here are our complete predictions for the show.

Home entertainment

While some brands like Philips prefer to use IFA in September to show new wares, most of the consumer electronics giants choose CES to showcase their forthcoming gear for 2012.

For this reason, the big names like Sony, Panasonic and Samsung always have huge stands packed full of new products and exciting new prototypes.

For a couple of years there was an element of stagnation as iterations of new products failed to truly innovate or inspire but recently that trend has started to turn around.

For the last two years Samsung has led the way in terms of TV design. The bezel-less look of the D8000 range is simply stunning, and we fully expect other brands to make strides in this field in the coming year. LG in particular are nailed on to ape Samsung's design with its new Nano and Plasma ranges, but we'd put money on some of the other big brands also following suit. Bezels are just so last millennium.

OLED

OLED was the 'next big thing' a few years ago but viable products failed to materialise other than in the form of Sony and LG's small-sized super-expensive vanity panels a few years ago. But in 2012 we're expecting to see OLED make a comeback. The problem has been the expense – the yield rate for OLED panels has been so poor that the working products were subsequently prohibitively expensive. But new production techniques are thought to be more promising and so we're likely to see the likes of Samsung and LG show off some large new OLED prototypes – probably 55-inch.

3D, 4K and Smart TV

As ever we'll be inundated by new 3D TVs and it's likely that the majority, if not all the new TVs from the big names at 32-inches and above will be at least 3D-ready.

But the exciting 3D innovation will be elsewhere... We're also expecting to see improved crosstalk-free flagship 3D TV models, universal active 3D glasses, and maybe even the appearance of some glasses-free active 3D prototypes which do the shuttering inside the screen. There will certainly be plenty of lenticular glasses-free 3D TVs on show, though if Toshiba's first-generation models are anything to go by they won't be terribly exciting.

The next big step on the roadmap for TVs is the introduction of 4K TV panels. While full HD TVs have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, 4K panels are much sharper with a resolution of 3840 x 2160. Toshiba's 55ZL2 glasses-free TV, which launched at IFA in September, has a 4K 2D resolution, and we're expecting a lot more new sets to emerge from the other big names in 2012.

It's even possible that we might see the announcement of a new storage medium for 4K sources. Just maybe…

Of course Smart TV is another area of innovation in this field, and we're likely to see some bold new interfaces and features.

Gaming

It's very possible that we'll see the reappearance of the Nintendo Wii U at CES, although it's anyone's guess whether that would be the prototype we've already seen or if it'll be an updated version.

And of course, there are also rumours circulating the web that we may even see Microsoft show off a prototype or at least announce the Xbox 720. It's fairly obvious that Microsoft would want to get the next Xbox out before the PlayStation 4 – doing so with the 360 saw it gain a huge head start, but whether it's anywhere near showing its hand seems a bit far-fetched. But who knows?

CES 2012: Computing

Windows on arm

The big thing we're expecting from CES 2012 is yet more details on Windows 8. Steve Ballmer is yet again doing the opening keynote of CES 2012, so we're expecting more versions of the OS to be shown off and possibly some more prototype hardware.

We've only so far seen a developer preview of the new OS – a fuller Public Beta to be available from February. This will probably be officially announced by Steve Ballmer at the show although we already know that it's going to be later than the show before we can get our hands on it.

At last year's CES we were invited to a briefing with Microsoft at which it announced ARM support for Windows 8 – and we're really hoping we'll get more clarity on this at the show. How will Microsoft differentiate ARM and Intel-based tablets and PCs, for example?

This will become an even bigger issue as traditional x86-based software will not be backwards compatible on ARM-based installs of Windows 8.

What we may well find out is that, as has been rumoured, ARM kit running Windows 8 won't have the traditional Windows desktop to avoid legacy app confusion.

After launching its Sandy Bridge range of Intel Core processors at last year's CES, Intel will showcase its die-shrink successor – Ivy Bridge.

Intel chief Paul Otellini is set to deliver one of the main keynotes at CES 2012 and, while his keynotes have delivered little in the past, we'd expect him to at least show off some Ivy Bridge hardware designs – probably an Ultrabook. Ivy Bridge itself won't be with us until later in 2012.

However, the new chipsets around the new processor will likely be adorning every motherboard manufacturer's stand.

Intel's Z77, the high-end chipset companion to Ivy Bridge will be very much in evidence, though we would expect to also see some Z75 and H71 boards at least in the prototype stage.

On the graphics side AMD is likely to be making the loudest noises as its new Southern Island, 28nm graphics cards are due to launch in Q1 2012. We would expect to see varieties of the Radeon HD 7970 and HD 7950, along with the dual-GPU HD 7990. Albeit possibly hidden behind closed doors.

Nvidia is also set to release new 28mn graphics cards early next year, based on its Kepler architecture, but we don't expect to see any of them at the show.

Nvidia is likely to be holding back its cards for a couple of months to see what improvements it needs to make post Southern Island launch.

With AMD's latest APU, Trinity, also on its way early next year we may see some signs of it, and its new FM2 socket. Though early signs would suggest an April/June release more likely.

We'll certainly see a lot more Ultrabook laptops at CES 2012 – not least because Intel is actively encouraging kit manufacturers to create designs for the platform. And, if we're lucky, we might experience some running versions of Windows 8.

Ultrabook

There are also rumours that several large manufacturers could launch ARM-based laptop designs at the show – most likely ready for the launch of Windows 8. It wouldn't be the first time we've seen kit like this: 2010's Lenovo Skylight used a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

These could be the new netbooks - netbooks as we've known them for the last couple of years are dying out as customers demand more features and basic full-fat laptops reduce in price.

Of course, tablets are also an area we'll be hearing a lot more from at CES – read on for a lot more on that.

CES 2012: Mobile phones and tablets

The mobile industry traditionally launches its new phones and tablets during February's Mobile World Congress, but such is the fierce and deadly competition to make bigger, faster phones with more cores than ever before, we expect many manufacturers to steal a few weeks of publicity and go big at CES 2012.

Tablets will be huge news. Most high-end models will have moved on from the Tegra 2 chipset that's inside many popular Android models today, so we ought to see plenty of quad-core Tegra 3 tablets at the show.

HTC

HTC still hasn't released a version of its Jetstream tablet in the UK, so we won't get too excited about the company's next rumoured tablet - currently known as the HTC Quattro. It's your usual 10.1" format, only updated with a quad-core processor.

As for mobiles, quite a few possible HTC models for 2012 have leaked in recent weeks, any of which may show up at CES. There's the quad-core HTC Edge and the dual-core HTC Ville, but HTC likes to release separate models for the US market - so any CES HTC releases are more likely to be US-only products.

HTC ville

OUTED: Is this the HTC Ville?[Image credit: BGR]

Acer

A possible new Acer tablet has also leaked online recently, with Acer's Iconia 700 said to be the company's attempt to impress us a little more than it did with the boring Iconia A500, this time with a quad-core processor update. The A700 is also said to feature a 1080p resolution display, which ought to grab it a few headlines.

Samsung and LG

Samsung is guaranteed to be launching a Galaxy S III in 2012, with plenty of internet leaks underlining its existence. Samsung could show it off at CES. This would make us literally sob with joy.

And if Samsung's there, LG won't be far behind. There's recently been a leak of a possible Android 4.0 LG phone called the LG Optimus U1, which, although looking rather bland, could be something to get excited about if LG manages to get the Ice Cream Sandwich OS to market quicker than the competition.

Sony Ericsson

We could see Sony Ericsson show off its previously leaked Xperia Arc HD at CES.

Codenamed Sony Ericsson Xperia Nozomi, the new handsetis getting more sightings than a Hollywood A-list star and this time we're able to see it in all its glory.

The latest spy snaps suggest it will be packing a 4.3-inch LCD display, with a 1280 x 720 pixels HD resolution, with a matte finish and a stylish clear button block. Inside it will house a dual core processor, rumoured to be 1.5GHz Scorpion cores, and 1GB of RAM.

Sony will want to make its recent acquisition of Ericsson's share of the business look like it's paying off, so a prompt unveiling of a new flagship Android phone would go some way to reassuring its shareholders that it was a good buy.

Xperia arc hd

And there could be many more. Recent reports claim Samsung, LG and Motorola have been sourcing quad-core processors for future smartphone use, so expect multi-core mobiles and tablets to be big news in early 2012.

Nokia

And we now know that Nokia will be at CES 2012 - and, what's more, there's a Windows Phone-themed press conference. Nokia will probably be launching the Nokia Lumia 900 which may or may not be US-only. The full specs which came to TechRadar back in October include: a 4.3-inch Clear Black Display AMOLED screen, an 1800mAh battery, Carl Zeiss 8MP camera. It should also come with HSPA+, which means it could well be 4G for the US.

CES 2012: Cameras

CES 2012 is going to be especially interesting for photographers because it is also hosting the PMA (Photo Marketing Association) trade show. Unlike CES, all the major camera manufacturers have traditionally attended PMA.

As usual, all the camera manufacturers are playing their cards very close to their chests, but there are a few products that we hope to see at the show.

Canon

Canon's EOS 5D Mark II is getting on a bit now and a replacement is hotly tipped for early 2012. This full-frame camera straddles the boundary between high-end enthusiast and professional-level models and is a firm favourite with those who want to shoot still and high quality video footage.

Canon recently announced that it is developing a full-frame SLR capable of shooting 4K video at 24P (with APS-H cropping). As yet we don't know the name of this model, could it be the EOS 5D Mark III or EOS 6D replacement for the EOS 5D MK II?

EOS 5d mk ii

CANON EOS 5D MK II: Can we expect the successor to the MKII at CES?

Canon is the only major camera manufacturer to not have a compact system camera (CSC). It's bound to announce one soon and perhaps CES will be when it chooses to reveal its first CSC to the world.

Nikon

We've been expecting Nikon to update its top-end SLRs for ages now and perhaps CES 2012 could be the company's launchpad.

The 12-million pixel full-frame D700 is particularly long in the tooth, with a D800 being widely rumoured to be coming soon. It may feature a 36Mp sensor, which would make it the highest resolution SLR around.

It's also been a while since the Nikon D3 series has seen a refresh and with the Olympics coming next summer a D4, or perhaps a D4S, could be on the cards.

Looking a little lower down the Nikon SLR line-up the D300S is looking out of step with the competition with only 12 million pixels on its APS-C format sensor. Perhaps we will see a D400?

Sony

When Sony announced its 24-million pixel Alpha 77 a slip of the tongue seemed to suggest that there could be a full-frame SLT waiting in the wings. If so, this would replace the Alpha 900 and it's most likely to be called Alpha 950.

This would be the first full-frame digital camera to feature a fixed translucent mirror to enable full-time phase detection autofocus in live view mode and blistering-fast continuous shooting rates. It would also be the first full-frame SLR to have an electronic viewfinder (EVF).

It's widely known that Sony produces Nikon's sensors and if Nikon is about to use a 36MP device, it seems likely that Sony is too.

Compact system cameras

It seems that 2011 has been the year of the compact system camera (CSC) with models being announced by Panasonic, Olympus, Samsung, Sony and Nikon.

Now that Sony has revealed the NEX-7's impressive EVF, the other manufacturers have some ground to make up. Olympus has promised a massive improvement in its optional external EVFs in 2012.

Our contacts suggest that Panasonic will be making CSC announcements at Photokina in September 2012, rather than January, but the other manufacturers may have something up their sleeves. Could Canon join the party as well?

And then there's Fuji. Speaking to Reuters, the company said it is aiming to become the no.3 camera manufacturer by 2014, perhaps by launching a new mirrorless camera based on its own in-house development.

Fujifilm dropped out of the interchangeable lens market in 2008, but it recently announced it will bring out a mirrorless system camera in spring 2012. Naturally, we expect to see some hard evidence at CES in January.

There are no firm details, but Fuji's Mr Komori said that the camera will have "low noise and will surpass the 35mm full-size sensor". Rumours of an organic sensor and possibly two camera bodies rather than just one have been circulating.

NEX-7

We'll be watching developments - rest assured we'll be keeping you posted about what new cameras and other kit we expect to see at CES.

Microsoft to buy Nokia if Elop resigns in 2012?

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 07:06 AM PST

The rumour of Microsoft lining Nokia up for a buyout has reared its head again, with a number of tweets sparking off yet more speculation.

The editor and chief of Mobile Review, Eldar Murtazin, used Twitter to explain the Microsoft/Nokia 'will they, won't they?' situation and claimed that he knows just how the whole drama will play out.

Murtazin believes that Steve Ballmer, Andy Lees, Stephen Elop and Kai Ostamo will meet in Las Vegas during CES 2012 to finalise the agreement which involves bringing Nokia under the Microsoft banner in 2012 after Stephon Elop resigns from his post as CEO of the Finnish company.

All of this has, of course, been denied by Elop a number of times.

Nok on wood

Murtazin has a long and varied history with Nokia. Back in April, Nokia sent out a statement with regards to the journalist asking him to send back various prototypes he apparently had which belonged to Nokia.

The statement also insisted that the request had nothing to do with rumours that Nokia tried to close his website down after he criticised the company.

Since then Murtazin has repeatedly claimed that Elop will resign in 2012 and now his latest tweets corroborate this, along with claims this will coincide with the buyout of Nokia. This is similar to the claim by Danske Bank, which also believes that Nokia will be bought out in 2012.

It's all rumour and speculation at this point, but then again nobody really believes that Nokia's relationship with Microsoft is purely a platonic one. Do they?

BlackBerry PlayBook UK price cut to £169

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 06:57 AM PST

Since RIM slashed the US price of the BlackBerry PlayBook earlier this week, it's no great surprise that the UK price has followed suit with some retailers now selling the 16GB model for £169.

If 16GB isn't enough for you, 32GB will only set you back £199 and 64GB is a very reasonable (compared to the rest of the market) £329.

Carphone Warehouse and PC World are both offering the reduced prices, although RIM hasn't instigated its one-price-fits-all policy that the US is enjoying – across the Atlantic, you can get all three models for $299.99 each.

Tablets all round

It has been just seven months since the BlackBerry PlayBook launched in the UK with the much heftier price tag of £399 for the 16GB model.

Perhaps RIM is hoping to achieve the same stock-shifting success that the HP TouchPad enjoyed when HP slashed the price to £89 ($99) after it decided to discontinue the hardware.

It's a nice price for a tablet, but bear in mind that the PlayBook doesn't have the greatest selection of apps known to slate-kind. You can find out what we really made of it in our full BlackBerry PlayBook review.

It's happy days for tablet buyers though, with the Sony Tablet S and BlackBerry PlayBook both hopping down the pricing ladder, while the Amazon Kindle Fire started life with the lower rate and Google is rumoured to be taking the same strategy with its upcoming Android tablet.

We're unlikely to see a similar pricing nosedive from Apple, though – sorry iPad lovers.

In Depth: How Windows 8 helps remember passwords

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 06:42 AM PST

Windows 8 security and passwords

Passwords are almost a joke these days; every site has different rules to try and force you to create a secure password, making it harder to remember – which means we're more likely to reuse the passwords we can remember.

In 2007, the average user had 25 accounts with passwords, but they only used six or seven different passwords, so each password was reused on three or four sites.

Five years on, passwords are even more likely to be reused; even if you log into more services with your Facebook or Twitter ID now, you probably have more than 25 accounts.

Windows 8 is going to help by remembering passwords used in IE10 for you (stored in a Credential Password Vault), so you can make them more complex and more secure, and it's also going to sync the credentials those passwords unlock onto every machine you use your Windows Live ID with (unless a website like your bank tells the browser not to save the credentials).

That saves you struggling to tap out a long, complex password on a tablet Microsoft Technical Fellow John Shewchuk explains. "Suppose I've logged into [a site] and now I'm running to the airport. I've got my tablet with me. And I'm loaded up with baggage, and I want to go see what's going on .Do I really want to type in with one hand on there?

Because the Windows Credential Vault, that password vault, has synchronized between all my machines, my credential has flowed from my work machine over to my tablet and I simply log in without having to enter any information."

Windows 8 Credential Vault explained

The credentials don't have to be just passwords; they could also be the complex two-part 'key pairs' of long, mathematically related numbers that you usually need separate security hardware for (like the digital key fobs with frequently changing numbers some banks and credit cards use).

These store the secret key and generate a related number that lets you prove you have access to the secret key without ever saying what it is (so it can't be phished or captured by a key logger).

So far we've needed a separate device to store the secret key securely and to show you the related number. (Secure Web sites use similar key pairs to encrypt the information to and from your PC but they're created from scratch by the browser and Web server every time you log in with your – probably insecure – password).

A lot more Windows 8 machines will have a secure Trusted Platform Module that can store the secret key, so we can finally start to switch to secure credentials instead of passwords that are easy to forget or lose (one of the key ideas in the rarely used CardSpace feature from Windows Vista).

Virtual smartcard

NO HARDWARE: This tablet has a TPM that Windows 8 uses as a virtual security token – usually you'd need a smartcard reader to log in to a work PC like this

The credentials in the vault are encrypted using your Windows account password, and then encrypted a second time before they're synced through your Live ID. That's one reason that Windows 8 will force you to make that a complex and secure password (and you can't leave it blank any more).

To make that convenient to use on a tablet you can draw a pattern on a picture to log in – and if you forget your Windows password you can reset it from another PC using your Windows Live ID, so you don't need to make a password restore USB stick any more.

You'll also have to prove your identity before you can 'trust' the PC you sync them to, by giving Windows Live a second email address or a mobile number it can text a security code to, so anyone who gets your Live ID password doesn't get all your other passwords too – Windows 8 will make you set that up the first time you use your Live ID on a PC.

You can always sign in to your Windows account, even if you can't get online – or if there's a problem with your Live ID – because Windows 8 remembers the last password you signed in with successfully (again, that's encrypted in the Password Vault).

Live secondary

TRUST ME: Verifying your Live ID with another email address and trusting Windows 8 PCs

IE10 will definitely use the Password Vault, but other browsers and apps can save credentials there says Microsoft's Sunil Gottumukkala; "The APIs for storing the passwords are available to both desktop and Metro style apps. So, any browser could provide this functionality on Windows."

Is Live ID ready to cope with millions of passwords being synced between PCs? The Windows Live team says in a recent job advert that the Cloud Directory Platform that Live ID runs on "scales to billions of transactions [and] stores billions of users, profile and their relationships". Windows Live corporate VP Chris Jones told us the Live infrastructure is "built to support over 500 million active users a month" (he also mentioned that the sync will also work from behind firewalls without problems).

But will you only get to sync credentials to another PC? If you have complex passwords, you don't want to type them in on a phone any more than you do on a tablet.

The same job advert talks about enabling "new scenarios that make Windows Live the one-stop-shop for users to connect with friends and all their social networks, more richly and immersively than ever, across their PC, browser, and phone experiences" and says "the next Wave of Windows Live [will] light up computing devices to be ever more personalized".

We'd hazard a guess that devices means phones as well as tablets. This could be the same sync of favourites, browsing history and passwords to your phone that Mozilla has with Firefox on mobiles, and with Windows Live-powered aps like OneNote and SkyDrive appearing on Android and iPhone we wouldn't be surprised to see it work for more than just Windows Phone.

The password sync is optional in Windows 8 but if Microsoft wants people to adopt it – and if IE10 is going to carry on competing with Chrome – password sync is going to have to work on multiple platforms (including phones and Windows 7).

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Gary Marshall: TV tech is terrible

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 06:01 AM PST

It's CES 2012 time, so the next few days will be packed with tales of ever more clever bits of home entertainment kit. We'll have better PVRs and bigger screens, TV apps and all kinds of dongles, hoojamaflips and doohickeys.

And I can confidently predict that even if I bought the whole lot of it, I'd still end up shouting myself hoarse as box X refuses to play service Y on display Z.

I don't watch much TV. It's not because there isn't anything to watch. It's that making sense of my home entertainment kit takes so long that by the time I get the right thing working, it's time for bed.

Here's an example: when my daughter wants to watch something on the Apple TV, we need to turn on the TV with the Sky remote, press Help to select the second input, grab the AV receiver's remote, turn its power on, select the Apple TV input, turn it off again so we use the TV speakers rather than the big speakers, find the tiny Apple TV remote and finally - finally! - select the programme or film my daughter wants to see.

Then she wants to watch a DVD, or something on the Sky+ box, or something on the Xbox, or something on iPlayer, and the whole saga starts again.

I'm a fairly patient chap, but home entertainment kit usually makes me apoplectic. It's a mess of remotes and inputs and things that should be simple but which turn out to be enormous time thieves, and whenever my wife is in charge of the remotes we come perilously close to divorce.

Keep it simple

From where I'm sitting - on the sofa, shouting the world's worst swear words at my Sky+HD box as it grinds its way through the EPG and accidentally deletes Frozen Planet - the problem with home entertainment kit is that we have an abundance of riches.

Taken individually, my various bits of home entertainment kit (excepting the Sky box, which is a donkey) are brilliant. Taken together, though, it's all a bit of a mess, with everything competing with rather than complementing everything else.

Imagine if in years gone by we'd needed a different kind of TV set for each channel. My living room's like that now.

I'm serious. I can get Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5 on my Xbox, but if I want iPlayer I need to grab my PC or my iPad. My Apple TV does AirPlay and iTunes Home Sharing, but my TV expects DLNA - and it only plays nice with my DVD player because they're both Sonys. No doubt the imminent Apple TV update will do its own thing too, refusing to work with anything Apple doesn't like.

Never mind smart TV. Any chance of simple TV?

HTC to reveal two quad-core smartphones at MWC 2012?

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 04:14 AM PST

HTC is looking to reinvigorate its smartphone line-up with not one but two quad-core smartphones, which it will show off at this year's Mobile World Congress.

This is according to Digitimes, which is reporting that there will not just be the HTC Edge on display – a phone that's said to have Nvidia's Tegra 3 processer inside – but a number of new smartphones packing some quad love.

It believes this is the case as investment bankers JPMorgan Chase have upgraded the stock of HTC to 'overweight' – which is kind of like saying their stock is phat in hip-hop lingo – in preparation for the company to release a possible brace of quad-core devices.

JP Morgan believes that if HTC does release a number of high-end smartphones in February (MWC) and brings them to market in April then it will have won a game of one-upmanship against its rivals.

Quad for its own back

Now, we are not sure if JPMorgan has been keeping that up to date with tech news, as HTC may well release at least one quad-core smartphone, but back in November it was reported that LG, Samsung and Motorola would likely do the same thing.

HTC had been heralded as the brightest star in the smartphone world when the HTC Desire was released in 2010, but since then a number of manufacturers have managed to get their mobile phone shenanigans in order and not just catch up with the company but overtake it in the quality stakes.

With this in mind, HTC will be hoping that whatever it does release in 2012 will be able to wow smartphone consumers once more.

Logitech Cube is a mouse shaped like a brick

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 03:02 AM PST

You know what else really needs reinventing aside from the wheel? The mouse. Good job Logitech's on hand then, with its curious quadrangular Logitech Cube.

Instead of easy, straightforward buttons, the Cube comes with touchscreen tech, which should prove handy for free-flowing scrolling, and you can magically transform the mouse into a presenter simply by picking it up.

Rather than keep it al desko, the Logitech Cube is intended to be taken with you wherever you go, hence why it comes with a tiny receiver which you can keep plugged into your laptop all the time. So all you need do is pop the Cube in your pocket and head for the hills or Starbucks or wherever.

It's not really a cube though, is it

You can pair the Cube to up to six devices and work up to 25 metres away from the computer if that's how you roll, plus the visual battery meter lets you know when the mouse is running low on juice.

Obviously we'll reserve final judgement until we can try the Cube out for ourselves, but we can't imagine wanting to use the brick-like mouse for extended periods of time. It doesn't look exactly ergonomic, if you see what we mean.

But if it tickles your fancy, the Logitech Cube will be showcased at CES 2012 with a UK release date set for January 2012 when you'll be able to pick it up for £59.99.

Also on show at CES 2012 will be the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920, a full HD video camera complete with Carl Zeiss lens, autofocus and H.264 compression.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Techradar

Techradar

Traditional

Nikon introduces D4

Video capability

Teleconverter power

New format

Nikon D4 key specifications:

Classic

1. Redesigned 16.2 MP sensor

2. Autofocus "in the dark"

3. Full HD video recording with new movie modes

4. Redesigned ergonomics

5. New screen

6. Improved autofocus performance

7. New card format

8. iPhone/iPad resolution shooting

9. It's made in Tokyo

10. Availability and price

Ergonomics

Ergonomics

Screen

Autofocus and video

Video

IPhone and iPad

Conclusion

Long delays

BB10 'confirmed' for MWC

Who owns Thunderbolt?

Symbolic gesture

Symbolic gesture

Raising the bar

Marvell-ous

You're in luxe

Battery up

Double hybrid

Supercalifragilisticexpialiultrabook

Overview, design and feel

Interface

Contacts and calling

Messaging

Internet

Camera

Video

Media

Battery life and connectivity

Maps and apps

Verdict

Overview, design and feel

Interface

Contacts and calling

Messaging

Internet

Camera

Video

Media

Battery life and connectivity

Maps and apps

Verdict

CES 2012: Home Entertainment

Home entertainment

OLED

3D, 4K and Smart TV

Gaming

CES 2012: Computing

CES 2012: Mobile phones and tablets

HTC

Acer

Samsung and LG

Sony Ericsson

Nokia

CES 2012: Cameras

Canon

Nikon

Sony

Compact system cameras

Nok on wood

Tablets all round

Windows 8 security and passwords