Those hoping for hundreds of pounds off a new iMac or MacBook from Apple in its UK Thanksgiving Black Friday sale will probably be disappointed.

Although not seen as a big deal in the UK due to the fact that the British don't celebrate Thanksgiving weekend, that hasn't stopped Apple discounting its products, something that it rarely does.

Although the company has yet to confirm its US offerings, that hasn't stopped its UK store from announcing its deals for citizens of the realm.

And the moment you've all been waiting for?

A rather paltry £71 off an iMac or MacBook Pro and just £7 off an iPod and £11 off an iPod touch or an Apple TV.

There are other deals in store and online from third party retailers, but it's a far cry from the initially rumoured 25% off.

Are you going to buy anything on Friday? Let us know in the comments. 

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Tags: Hardware Audio Apple Black Friday

Apple UK Black Friday deals likely to disappoint originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 04:04:38 +0000

Microsoft's latest software update that brought with it Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, the Zune Marketplace and Sky Player in the UK is turning their gamers into social butterflies according to the latest figures released by the company.

Microsoft has said that over 2 million Xbox gamers logged into their facebook profile on the console since the social network became available on the 17 November.

In a bevy of stats which suggest that gamers aren’t just gamers, Microsoft has said that users also made over 1 million Last.fm profiles, spending approximately 40 minutes using Last.fm on Xbox LIVE to discover music and customise radio stations, and have streamed more than 120 million minutes of music already.

Microsoft, who says it has around 20 million active members around the world also saw around 8% visit the new Zune video store, however they haven't stated how many actually watched anything.

They are still playing games though. More than 2.2 million unique gamers played "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" in one day on 10 November, the day of the launch, a new one-day record for Xbox LIVE the company says.

Related links:

• Link - Xbox.com

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Xbox Live Facebook Twitter Lastfm Microsoft Social networking

Xbox 360 gamers actually social butterflies originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:51:24 +0000

TiVo, the US equivalent of Sky Plus is coming to the UK following a deal with Virgin Media announced on Tuesday. 

The news, broken during the American company's earnings results will see a "long-term, strategic partnership with Virgin Media", says Tom Rogers, president and CEO of TiVo.

According to the two companies the deal will involve TiVo developing a converged television and broadband interactive interface to power Virgin Media's next generation, high definition set top boxes.

"TiVo will offer Virgin Media's nearly four million UK customers TiVo's advanced television software and user interface on both its traditional and DVR set-top boxes", confirmed Rogers.

Virgin Media currently anticipates its first TiVo co-branded product in 2010.

Related links:

• Link - TiVo

Tags: Home Cinema PVRs TiVo Virgin Media

TiVo heading to the UK originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:29:37 +0000

Amazon has bumped the battery life and added native PDF support for its 6-inch Kindle ebook reader on Tuesday via a firmware update following a 6 month firmware improvement and testing program.

The news means that the Kindle now has battery life of up to 7 days with wireless turned on, compared to 4 days. According to the company, battery life with wireless turned off can be up to 2 weeks.

Amazon has also announced that the 6-inch Kindle now has a built-in native PDF reader that enables Kindle customers to read their own documents, something other ebook readers have been able to do from the start.

To read their personal or professional documents, Kindle customers will have to email PDFs to their Kindle email address or move them over using a USB connection.

Customers that prefer to have their PDF documents converted to the Kindle format simply type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when sending documents to their “@kindle.com” address.

The firmware update, which will come as standard to all new Kindles will be sent out automatically via Whispernet wireless to models already in use.

However not all will get the Native PDF support, says Amazon.

"It will also be available for some earlier versions of Kindle via an automatic Whispernet wireless firmware update", the company said in a statement.

Related links:

• Shop - Amazon.com

Tags: Gadgets ebooks eBook readers Amazon Amazon Kindle Adobe

Amazon Kindle gets better battery and PDF support originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:26:39 +0000

Apple has confirmed that it will be offering Black Friday deals around the world on the 27 November although, as yet, has failed to inform consumers keen to pick up a new iPod or Mac of what those deals actually are. 

Shoppers getting ready for the biggest day in the American shopping calendar are instead told to head online or in store on the 27th. 

Last week rumours started circulating that Apple would slash prices by up to 25%, however experts believe that is highly unlikely. 

The latest rumour, this is Apple don't forget, suggests a more mediocre $50 to $100 off a MacBook in the US with around $30 to $50 off an iPod or iPod touch.

We will keep you posted.  

In the meantime why not read our How to: Shop Black Friday guide that gives you some great tips and tricks to get the best bargains around. 

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Tags: Hardware Phones Audio Software Apple Black Friday

Apple Black Friday deals confirmed... originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:25:25 +0000

Fring, the combined messaging service for mobile phone platforms from the iPhone to Android, has launched a new version of its software that allows users to make video calls from their phone.

Fring users can now make and receive internet video calls from mobile devices (for free), picking up their fring and Skype video calls from the road, and seeing the person they’re talking to from their mobile phone.

Fring video is currently only available on Nokia touch devices such as the Nokia X6, N97mini, N97, 5800, N95, N95 8G and N82, however is promised for the iPhone, and Android handsets. Strange considering the iPhone doesn't sport a forward facing camera, and nor does any of the mainstream Android handsets like the HTC Hero or G1.

Currently the software, which is available for most mobile platforms, only allows you to text chat and talk with other contacts.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Fring Skype Symbian Nokia iPhone

Skype video calling comes to Nokia phones originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:20:05 +0000

The Nokia X6, the Finnish company's latest flagship model, will be hitting the UK on Friday 27 November according to the chaps at Nokia. The new handset will be a "Comes with Music" offering and be exclusively available through Phones4U.

Free, as the Brits do best, it will cost you £35 a month on Orange for the length of the contract. Hoping to lure in current Nokia upgraders you'll be able to get it for £25 a month if you hand in a Nseries phone.

It is also available today to pre-order from www.shop.nokia.co.uk at £449 SIM free.
 
The X6, first debuted at Nokia World in September, will offer 32GB of on-board memory, a 3.2-inch, 16:9 ratio capacitive touchscreen and a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Nokia Comes with music Nokia X6 Phones4U

Nokia X6 hits UK Friday originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:05:33 +0000

Adobe has made its Photoshop.com Mobile for Android app available outside the US allowing HTC Hero, Samsung i7500 and Motorola Cliq users, amongst others, the ability to edit their photos on the go.

The app, which is virtually identical to the Adobe Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone version, has been available in the US for some time on both the Apple iPhone and Android platform will let users around the globe quick access to their photos with easy editing and sharing.

The application features basic editing tools like crop and rotate, colour adjustments and a photo browser that makes it simple to manoeuvre through photos.

In addition, users have the ability to view their entire online collection of photos from Photoshop.com and share those images from their phone via email.

No word from Adobe on whether the iPhone version will be making it to the UK, however it is expected to be, presumably once the application passes the usual Apple app process. 

Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Android Adobe Photoshop Mobile for Android Photoshop Mobile for iPhone

Photoshop.com Mobile for Android hits UK... originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:50:09 +0000

Google has announced that all handsets running Android 1.6 will now be able to get Google Maps Navigation for free.

The news, which was announced on Monday, opens up the free GPS software beyond the Android 2.0 operating system and currently the only handset available, the Droid by Motorola.

The new release, which aims to take on services from TomTom, Garmin and Navigon will, as long as you have a data connection, let you route your way around the US using the same Google Maps functionality, however, with a more traditional style GPS experience.

The release also includes the new Layers feature, which lets you overlay geographical information on the map. View My Maps, transit lines, Wikipedia articles about places, and more says Google.

If you have a phone running Android 1.6, you can download an updated version of Google Maps from Android Market to use Navigation today.

Android 1.6 phones in the US currently include the T-Mobile mytouch 3G, the G1 and the HTC Tattoo, as well as the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. However handsets like the HTC Hero, Droid Eris, Samsung Moment and the Samsung Behold II all run Android 1.5 so won't be getting the new feature.

Google Maps Navigation is in beta and is currently available in the United States.

Some features of Android 2.0 are not available on Android 1.6, for example, the ability to use the "navigate to" voice command as shown in our demo video.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Android Google Google Maps Navigation GPS Samsung HTC T-Mobile mytouch 3G T-Mobile G1 with Google mobile phone Car And GPS Sony Ericsson Motorola

Google Maps Navigation comes to Android 1.6 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:58:52 +0000

The Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards are back, letting you know what the best products of 2009 really are.

Now in its sixth year, the Pocket-lint Awards, thought to be the longest running in the UK, pick the best gadgets and gizmos from the last year from around the world.

Pocket-lint's vigorous vetting process means that all the gadgets up for nomination have to have been seen by a member of the Pocket-lint team (so far over 600) and have to have been available in the UK between December 2008 and December 2009.

The awards, voted by a panel of leading gadget journalists from around the world, including the staff from the Pocket-lint team, will decide the real must-have gadgets of the year, rather than those simply deemed cool or anticipated, being the definitive guide for consumers looking to buy gadgets.

Nominations for the award categories are being taken now and the final list of nominations (five per category) will be announced on Monday 16 November with the winners being announced at the awards party on 7 December 2009. 

 

 

TICKET DETAILS

You are welcome to buy as many tickets as you like, and can bring journalists and others from your company.

We will be providing drink and nibbles on the night.

Tickets will be on a first come first served basis.

So just to recap:

What: The 6th Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 
Where: The Light Bar, E1 
When: 7pm Monday 7th December 
Dress: Smart casual (not black tie) 
Price: £25 a ticket
Drinks/nibbles: Included 

Any queries etc give me a shout on email or phone.

Stuart

 

 

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards date confirmed and tickets on sale originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:13:14 +0000

Black Friday, the notorious shopping day from hell, is almost upon us. Akin to the first day of the January sales in the UK, it's the day where Americans across the land battle their way into the malls of America to get the best deals available from shops keen to kick start the holiday (read Christmas) shopping season.

Here is Louis Ramirez from Dealnews, a site that aims to bring you the best deals available on the hottest items on the Internet, 10 best tips to help you maximise your efforts when you hit the shops the day after Thanksgiving.

Start your Black Friday on Thursday

The "big-box" stores will have most of their Black Friday sales online on Thursday. Our number one Black Friday tip is to begin shopping online on Thursday, as early as possible (if you live on the West Coast, start Wednesday night at 9 pm).

Shop online on Black Friday too

Major online retailers like Amazon.com, Buy.com, and Overstock.com will have Black Friday sales. Expect to find aggressively-priced electronics from each store.

Don't buy Apple before you check Apple's sale        

Apple hardly ever slashes its prices, but if you're hoping to pick up a new iPod touch, look for the Apple Store's Black Friday sale, a tradition that's been running for several years. Apple typically offers discounts of 10% off iPods and 5% off Macs during its Black Friday sale.

Uncover the secret deals

Want to score a deal no one knows about? On Thanksgiving Day, retailers like Walmart and Best Buy are expected to advertise additional Black Friday deals that weren't in their circulars. These "secret" deals will only be found online (e.g., at BestBuy.com), so the trick is to uncover them on the Web on Thursday so you'll know about them when you get to the store on Friday.

Ask for gift receipts

Nothing is worse than giving a gift on Christmas morning and realizing it's the same sweater you gave them last year. In those cases it pays to have your receipts so you can exchange your gift for something your loved ones really want. Better yet, attach gift receipts with your presents so that they can return their gifts themselves while you kick back and relax at home.

Be wary of mail-in rebate hassles

If you never remember to fill out rebate forms in time, then that $1000 item with a $300 rebate costs $1000, not $700. Also be wary that some manufacturers and store chains are still struggling in this bad economy. If they go into bankruptcy, you won't get paid.

Buy highly-sought after items ahead of time

Afraid a product is going to sell out? Find out your store's return policy, and if they honour Black Friday prices and offer price matching, buy your item there before Black Friday. That way when Black Friday comes, you'll already have the item you want and can leisurely look for deals on that item (which, naturally, your store will have to match).

Do your homework

No one wants to sit in traffic on Black Friday, so make sure to map out the stores that you want to hit. Know when they open, when they close, and if applicable, what hours during the day their best sales will take place. Plan on buying a massive flat-panel TV? Make sure your car has the space you need to store it so that you don't waste time shuttling purchases back home.

Be first in line

Some stores will hand out first-in-line vouchers for shoppers who wake up at the crack of dawn and stand in line outside their store. These deals are typically substantial, but very limited. The only way to get them is getting up early so you can get a leg up on the competition. Hey, there's a reason we listed that sleeping bag/tent bundle last week.

Be wary of extended warranties & in-home installations

These services are a big source of profits for the stores. Add them, and you may spend much more than you initially bargained for. Don't be talked into buying a long, pricey warranty if you know a 1-year or 2-year plan will do the trick. And it's cheaper to buy a geeky friend dinner in exchange for help than paying for in-home setup.

You can check out more Black Friday deals at Dealnews's Black Friday homepage 

Tags: Gadgets Home Cinema Audio Gaming Black Friday Features

How to: Shop Black Friday originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

You've probably only just got used to your brand new "official" version of Windows 7, but now you can look forward to Windows 8 if you're already getting itchy feet.

Based on the usual subjective guessing that Apple fans usual partake in, msftkitchen.com, a site that describes itself as "serving up some seriously tasty Microsoft" is putting two and two together and making four (and a bit).

Based on historical assumptions, and previous quotes from the boys and girls at Microsoft, the author of the article, Stephen Chapman is predicting

"Windows 8 being released around a time frame of 2012".

How has Chapman come to this conclusion? It's all based on the timeline for Microsoft's Windows Server OS, which serves as the backbone to Microsoft's consumer based OS launches.  As the flowchart shows, it's had a release every 4 to 5 years.

We will keep you posted.

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Tags: Software Operating Systems Microsoft Windows 8 Rumours

Roadmap says we should expect Windows 8 in 2012 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:10:16 +0000

Smoking is not only bad for you, but it's bad for your Apple Macbook according to Apple.

Consumerist, a blog that tries to look out for consumers in the US, is reporting that Apple has refused to repair two unrelated broken Apple laptops because their owners smoke.

"Two readers in different parts of the country claim that their Applecare warranties were voided due to secondhand smoke. Both lost", reports the site.

According to letters of reply from the owners of the laptops, Apple claims the smoke from the smokers "voided the warranty" before saying that it wouldn't work on the machine due to "health risks of second hand smoke".

However, according to experts, cigarette smoke could easily kill a laptop by covering the insides with a sticky tar like goo.

"Electronics are hot, and naturally create an environment for dust to collect around its circuitry. What makes cigarette smoke the worse kind of "dust" is that it isn't dry. The smoke carries moisture with it", Ryan's Computer Consulting Services says."So in time, the smoke and all of its by-products attach themselves to the computers fans, heatsinks, capacitors, and anything else that has heat".

The company recommends "using compressed air, cotton swabs, and rubbing alcohol 70% or 90% (90% is better)", if you are going to attempt to clean the computer out yourself.

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Tags: Hardware Laptops Apple

Smoking kills your Mac too originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:49:57 +0000

Rumours are surfacing once again on the Internet that Apple's iPod touch will get a camera in spring 2010.

According to unnamed "inside sources", news website examiner.com says the "iPod Touch 3G with camera had actually been planned for release this past September, but had problems passing quality control".

The article goes on to state that the "iPod Touch 3G with camera will allegedly have the same camera as the updated iPod Nano, which shoots video, but not still pictures".

Pointing out the obvious, just another rumour, or do you think it's really true? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Tags: Audio iPod MP3 players Apple iPod Touch

iPod touch getting camera after all... originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:41:16 +0000

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is expected to be hitting AT&T in the US when it eventually launches in February, if the spec sheet is to be believed.

According to Android news site, Phandroid, the specs for the Sony Ericsson first Android powered handset suggest that it will be going to the US mobile phone operator who also has the iPhone based on the radio bands the handset will offer.

According to the tech specs, the phone will come with GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS/HSPA 800/850/900/1700/1900/2100, however will not offer UMTS HSPA 900/1700 for phones sold in the Americas.

While to most that will mean very little, it means AT&T will be the only carrier in the US who is able to support the handset.

There is currently no official word from either AT&T or Sony Ericsson.

We will keep you posted, but in the meantime check out our First Look review.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phones Sony Ericsson Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Android AT and T

Sony Ericsson X10 destined for AT&T originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:24:43 +0000

Casio has released its second rugged handset in the US on Verizon hoping to appeal to the more adventurous phone user.

The Casio G'zOne Rock is a clamshell handset that looks like it could take a beating. On the inside there is a 2.1-inch colour screen, standard keypad (not QWERTY), Bluetooth, while the outside offers a 2-megapixel camera with LED flash. 

The phone hits the MIL-STD 810F standard meaning you can drop it down the toilet, throw it on the floor and generally go most places on the planet (read building site) without fear of it breaking.

Those who do adventure out into the wilds can be safe in the knowledge that the handset also offers a digital compass, walking counter, thermometer, daily tidal graphs, sunrise and sunset times and a moon calendar.

It's out on Verizon very soon.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Casio Verizon Casio GzOne Rock

Casio G'zOne Rock phone plays it tough originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:40:58 +0000

Seesmic, the Twitter client for the Mac, and recently PC, has announced that it is going mobile with BlackBerry and Android apps.

Leaving out the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android users will be able to get their Twitter feeds on their phone from Friday.

"Seesmic for BlackBerry groups all your Twitter timelines into a simple and clean interface", says Seesmic, with features for both apps including the ability to create and view saved searches, view Twitter lists that you've created on twitter.com, shorten urls and send photos, and configure notification alerts for Direct Messages and @Replies.

The news follows an earlier announcement this week that the company was launching a Windows 7 version.

The preview version, which is free, of Seesmic for Windows supposedly "combines the best features from our ever-popular social application and provides it to you in a native Windows environment".

Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Android BlackBerry Seesmic Desktop

Seesmic BlackBerry and Android apps released originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:10:00 +0000

You probably don't use the picture in picture feature much on your television, but what if you could watch up to 64 channels at once on your television at home?

If 64 isn't enough, what about four times that much? (You would need four TVs, of course.) That's what one company has done here in an attempt to show off the fact that it can optimize its servers to work with multiple streams.  

How is it working? If you really must know, it's 64 HD VLC media windows tiled to run at once per television rather than on live TV (your bandwidth probably wouldn't cope). The bad news is that you aren't really likely to see this in your home any time soon. Still, it made us do a double take when we walked past it at the web 2.0 expo in New York.

Tags: Home Cinema Televisions

Picture in Picture TV goes into overdrive, 64 picture overdrive originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:45:58 +0000

Sony's latest advert for the PlayStation 3 Slim will push its Blu-ray credentials in the US by telling consumers, possibly looking to buy the console, that really you're paying for the gaming bits and the Blu-ray player is free.

"You get the best Blu-ray player around built in for free", says the Sony man to some punk ass whiny teenager complaining that his grandma is watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

In December, consumers will have access to the first ever hybrid disc that will feature Sony Pictures' District 9 movie and a demo of God of War 3.

The ad airs in the US next week. 

Tags: Gaming PS3 Adverts Sony PS3 slim Blu-ray Video

Sony: "PS3 Blu-ray built in for free" originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:12:59 +0000

Announced in early November, we've managed to score a photo gallery and ears on with the new Bowers and Wilkins MM-1 PC speakers that according to the company will "revolutionise the experience" of music, video and games.

The speakers, which as you can see from the pictures look like two large towers, are stylishly designed, bringing with them some of the styling found on the B&W Zeppelin and the Zeppelin Mini.

It's to be expected. After all the product has been built by the same team behind the company's Zeppelin iPod speaker, and each channel contains a full range, active, near field monitor with two drive units that include an aluminium dome tweeter for snazzier treble.

Bass output shouldn't be too much of a problem either, says the company, thanks to various proprietary DSP techs that have been crammed in.

There's a headphone jack in there so you can switch over to quiet mode while at your desk and the whole system connects to your PC or Mac via a USB socket, so it can do the audio encoding and processing itself rather than letting your computer do it.

Sound wise, we heard a very early pre-production model (we actually saw them a day after the announcement, but they were empty shells) and are happy to report that they produce a very mellow sound that would happily fill your desk with sweet music. We were subjected to Seal, Razorback, and Pink, not a great choice admittedly, but the speakers coped well even though B&W were keen to point out a lot of work was still to be done. It would be interesting to see how they perform with some Dylan for vocals and Crystal Method or The Prodigy when turned up loud. 

We will wait for the final thing before giving a verdict, but from what we've heard so far, if you're looking for PC speakers with good sound and great style, this might just be the thing.

We will keep you posted.

Tags: Audio Speakers PC speakers Bowers and Wilkins Bowers and Wilkins MM-1 Photos

PHOTOS: Bowers and Wilkins MM-1 ears on originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:01:19 +0000

Ebook fans hoping to get one for Christmas in the US are seeing their options dwindle by the day as Barnes & Noble announced that it has sold out of the Nook, which hits shops at the end of the month.

"The hottest gift of the season may be sold out, but with our elegant nook holiday certificate you can still let loved ones know it’s coming", said the company to prospective customers looking to pre-order the dual screen ebook on their website.

The news comes as Sony announced earlier in the week that its 7-inch 3G sporting Sony eReader Daily Edition wouldn't ship until 18 December, or possibly after.

Barnes & Noble says customers ordering a Nook will receive their devices the week starting 4 Jan.

Amazon, having sorted out stock issues it experienced last year, is saying it has plenty of stock.

However with more ebook readers confirmed for January at CES 2010 and Qualcomm showing off a colour ereader, out sometime in 2010, it might be the reason you need to get them something else in the meantime. 

Tags: Gadgets ebooks eBook readers Barnes and Noble Nook Barnes and Noble Amazon Sony

Barnes & Noble Nook sold out originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:47:27 +0000

Google has officially announced Google Chrome OS, its operating system it hopes will allow it to get more people on the web, while at the same time offering an alternative to Microsoft's Windows 7 and Apple's Snow Leopard OS. But what does it offer, should you be getting ready to ditch your OS now and when will it be available? Here is what you need to know:

It will be fast

Really fast in fact. Google are promising a nippy boot time of currently just 10 seconds with the promise that it will get faster as the launch approaches. That's done by cutting out everything they can think of that you don't really need. It won't, for example, check to see if you've got a floppy disk drive, it just assumes you won't. Nor will it show you a splash screen. Hardware requirements within the OS state that the device must have a Solid State Drive.

It will be secure

Trying to get around the concept of viruses wiping out your machine (just like Apple's OSX) the system will require you to install nothing on devices with the OS running. Instead everything, applications and all will be stored in the "cloud" allowing Google to run daily security checks making sure nothing is out of sync. While the search giant isn't promising that the OS will be virus or malware free, it does say that it will be able to track and fix issues and threats as they happen, patching the software and applications as needed.

It will be easy to use

As easy as using a browser in fact because that's pretty much what it is: a glorified browser with a few nifty features, fast boot times and the promise of greater security. If you can use a browser (and chances are that means the one you are using to access this site), then you'll be fine when it comes to Google Chrome OS.

There will be plenty of applications

Any application that is coded for the web will work on the Chrome OS. That means anything from Google Maps, Google Docs, Facebook, Twitter, Google's Reader, Lala, Flash-based games, you name it, it will work.

There's going to be an API

Google is keen to get this rolling and let everyone get in and play. That means the code has been made open source for all to tinker with and there will be an extensive range of APIs so developers can get the most out of the system.

It will be free

In keeping with Google's free mantra the OS won't come with a price. It will be free.

You won't be able to buy for your current computer

It might be free, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to download it and install it on your current computer. The Chrome OS will only work on devices launched and approved by Google very much in the same way that the company offers the Android operating system. Does that mean will see Dell and HP doing the same custom skins a la HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson? Time will tell.

You'll only be able to run Web Apps

If you're wondering whether Adobe or Microsoft will be releasing a Chrome OS version of Photoshop or Office stop. The only way those applications will get on the OS is via the web, so in that case for both of those you should be fine.

You'll be able to multitask

The OS will run like a browser allowing you to run multiple tabs with programmes running in each one. You'll also be able to run persistent windows either at the bottom or to the side that allow you to chat or stream music.

You won't be able to save anything to a Chrome OS device

Whatever apps you do run, don't expect to save them to your new computer to access on a rainy day. You won't be able to. The OS doesn't allow you to save anything locally instead insisting that you save it all to the cloud.

You'll need to be online most of the time

With no local storage options (it's not certain at this time whether you'll be able to save to an external hard drive) you'll have to be online all the time either via a 3G connection or Wi-Fi. This isn't going to be the OS for you if you spend most of the time out of the loop from the connected world.

There won't be a hard drive in sight, just SSD

That's right. Hard drives that whirr and floppy disk support is out of the window. It's flash drives (SSD) and nothing else. Cry in horror? Only if you are a hard drive manufacturer.

You will only be able to play Flash games

Games will be offered but only via the web, meaning Google isn't hoping this will be the next big games challenger, unless of course someone works out how to pump state of the art games down the intertubes.

You'll be able to connect other devices

Cameras, mice, keyboards and printers will work we are told, however only so you can access the content on the device rather than store to it. Details are sketchy how printers will actually work (you mean you still print?) but promise more details on their innovative approach in 2010.

It's not coming till Christmas 2010

It might have just been announced, but you won't be able to start using the official Google OS until November 2010. Hardware is expected to be announced mid-2010 to whet your appetite with actual devices expected in time for the Christmas gift guides.

Will I be able to get it earlier?

Like Chromium, the Chrome-based browser for the Mac, you'll probably be able to get Chromium OS ahead of the official Google launch. The Chromium homepage is already calling for developers to get involved. 

Tags: Software Operating Systems Google Chrome OS Features

Google Chrome OS: What you will and won't be able to do originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:16:31 +0000

Google has today unveiled its plans for its new OS, Google Chrome OS. The cloud based OS promises to fundamentally change the way people work on the go when it launches next year. 

Based on the Chrome Browser, Google has said that it will focus on three things, speed, security, and simplicity. 

Google says they expect to have device manufacturers announce devices, such as netbooks and "smartbooks" in the middle on next year with the new OS expected to be launched around November 2010. 

To stay up to date with the latest news with the new Chrome OS check out our Chrome OS homepage.

Tags: Software Operating Systems Google Chrome OS Video

VIDEO: Google explains Chrome OS originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:29:22 +0000

Google has announced details of its new operating system, Google Chrome OS on Wednesday outlining what the new OS will offer.

Focusing on speed, simplicity and security, Google aims to appeal to those looking for a lightweight operating system by being fast and clean, rather than checking for things that slow the system down for users keen to work on the Web.

"If you take the number of interesting applications you've used over the last 5 years it will have been web based", said Sundar Pichai, vice president of Product Management at Google before outlining the new features.

With no conventional applications saved on the device you are using, the new OS is a dramatic shift away from the way Apple's Snow Leopard and Microsoft's Windows 7 operating systems work currently. Data will be saved and stored in the "Cloud" rather than locally.

"You will not have to install anything. Every application will be a link to a web application", said Pichai.

The move means that google will be able to not only control what software is available for the system, but insure that it will be incredibly secure.

"If I loose my Chrome OS machine I should be able to log in and get it all back", says Pichai.

It also means that any application that works for the Web, will work on the browser:

"Anyone who writes an app for the web, writes an app for the Chrome OS... it's a browser with a few modifications".

Those web apps, which will range from Google docs, to music services, to flash based games, ebook readers and of course twitter will automatically be checked against a central server to ensure the system is kept secure. It also means Google will be able to roll out daily updates to any application without the user having to do anything as nothing is stored locally.

The lack of applications means that the system will be able to be considerably faster in its performance. In a demo of the new OS at the company's HQ, Pichai showed a laptop running Chrome OS took just 7 seconds to boot with a further 3 seconds to get through login process.

As for the look and feel of the new OS, the device will look very similar to the current Chrome browser available for PC. Users will have a number of favourite tabs that will allow them to access their favourite apps. Additionally there will be a panel, similar to the company's Android platform.

Further to the tabs system, there will be a persistent panel that appears in the bottom right hand corner that allows users to run further applications like chat or music services.

"Almost everyone knows how to use a browser", said Pichai on the user interface. "Lots of the UI will change - it won't be exactly the same as you see today, however the core concept is there".

However, Google isn't expecting the new operating system to be for everyone. Users who have to edit documents or pictures will struggle as you won't be able to save data locally. 

"We are expecting this to be a secondary computer".

Google is expected to launch the operating system at the end of 2010 with device announcements coming mid 2010. 

Related links:

• Feature - Google Chrome OS- what you need to know

Tags: Software Operating Systems Google Chrome OS

Google Chrome OS detailed originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:56:27 +0000

The TomTom for iPhone app has received an update on Wednesday bringing with it a number of promised features and a couple of new ones too.

New to the mix is compatibility for the original iPhone and iPod touch (all models), meaning that owners of the iPod touch, with the help of the TomTom Car Kit can get in on the TomTom for iPhone GPS action too.

Aside from that, features are as expected so that means advanced lane guidance for difficult junctions in both landscape and portrait mode, and text-to-speech functionality that will see street names and places read aloud as part of the spoken instructions.

In addition, TomTom's "Help Me" emergency feature from its in-car satnavs will be ported to the mobile platform, there'll be options to customise audio warnings, while maps and safety camera databases will see an update.

Finally the app will catch up with other offerings like CoPilot on the market by adding iPod player control "ensuring drivers can conveniently control their music from within the application".

The update is free to all those who have already downloaded the application. 

Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps TomTom iPhone apps iPhone GPS Car And GPS TomTom for iPhone

TomTom for iPhone updated originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:21:38 +0000