Sony's PS Vita hasn't been out in Japan very long, launching in December 2011, however after a promising start its sales have plummeted, dropping to 18,361 in week five.

Although you'd expect a steady decline in sales after any big launch the week five figures constitute a 95 per cent drop on the very decent week one figures of 324,859. This is a serious bit of free fall for the console and sullies the PS Vita's 500,000 units-sold milestone.

To be fair all handheld consoles have taken a bit of a hit post-Christmas, namely the PSP and 3DS, however the Vita is lagging behind and when you consider its recent launch it doesn't make for good reading; the Nintendo 3DS coming in with 100,668 units sold and the PSP at 22,538, both ahead of the aforementioned Vita figure of 18,361.

Sony will certainly be hoping for better figures come the PS Vita's worldwide launch in February and with some top-game titles in the wings providing that all important sweetener for potential customers, it could be a very different story.

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Tags: Sony Gaming PS Vita Handhelds Biz Statistics

PS Vita sales crash in post holiday slump originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:44:45 +0000

As promised in December Nokia has started the rollout of its second update for the Lumia 800, which amongst other things fixes issues with the phone's battery, and should hopefully reach handsets across the world in the next 2 weeks.

This comes after Nokia responded to complaints regarding the battery life of Lumia 800 handsets in December 2011, admitting there were problems despite the first update just weeks before. Promising a fix in the early part of 2012, the company has stuck to its word.

The issue itself related to users being unable to access the full battery capacity of their Lumia 800, meaning it would never reach full charge capacity and rendering the handset brick-like within a few hours.

The update version is number 1600.2483.8106.11500, although admittedly a bit of a mouthful, along with the battery fix it brings with it the benefit of improved Wi-Fi. The Nokia conversations blog states that:

"The update will not be delivered to every Lumia 800 simultaneously, but rather will be staggered over the next two weeks through Microsoft’s standard update process. This helps each owner get the update without any hitches. Around half of owners will get the update in the next seven days, with the remainder over the following seven days."

Users are already reporting updates coming to their phones and it also looks like unlocked handset are having some joy. Smooth updates and fixes such as this will do no harm to Nokia's image and with the Lumia 900 ready to hit shops in the coming months the Finnish phone giant's fortunes could be on the up.

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Tags: Nokia Phones Nokia Lumia 800 Updates

Nokia Lumia 800 second update rolls out: Battery improvements incoming originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:56:41 +0000

After 17 years building up one of the largest web-based companies, co-founder of Yahoo, Jerry Yang is resigning from the board.

Yahoo was founded 1995 by Yang and David Filo, and for years saw huge growth as it came to dominate the web, however despite a revenue peak in 2007 things haven't been so rosy for the company in the post-Facebook era.

Yang's attempts to revitalise the company came to a head in 2008 when he refused a takeover bid by Microsoft worth £31 billion, a decision that has come to haunt the ex-chief executive as the company is now estimated to have a worth of £20 billion.

It has also been said that Yang has been instrumental in blocking a whole host of restructuring plans designed to get the, admittedly still huge, company firing on all cylinders; so although sad in some respects it could be the start of the revitalisation of Yahoo.

This revitalisation could possibly come from a new deal, or indeed, some much-needed restructuring. The resignation of such a key figure as Yang, who clearly has an emotional tie with the company, could spawn not only innovation but a degree of detachment and objectivity that is often required if a company is going to make sensible decisions.

In a statement Yang said that: "The time has come for me to pursue other interests outside of Yahoo!. As I leave the company I co-founded nearly 17 years ago, I am enthusiastic about the appointment of Scott Thompson as Chief Executive Officer and his ability, along with the entire Yahoo! leadership team, to guide Yahoo! into an exciting and successful future."

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Tags: Online Yahoo Jerry Yang Biz

Jerry Yang resigns from Yahoo: A positive move for the Internet giant? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:02:00 +0000

The new PanicGuard app is a way for you to ensure that you have the best possible chance of getting help in the event that you should find yourself in a dangerous or life-threatening situation.

Free to download and test, the PanicGuard app will activate a number of your phone's functions in order to deter  any would-be attacker as well as call for help.

Activated through tapping or shaking your mobile, the app will spring into life turning on any GPS functions and calling any emergency contacts you have stored in your phone. It also turns on video in the hope of recording any crime which can later be used to track down the perpetrator.

To top it off, a further shake of the phone will activate an earpiecing alarm which might go some way to deterring an attacker.

There are similar products around at the moment, however this is the first to get the backing of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and consequently it's been awarded Police Preferred Specification (PPS).

It's important to note that this doesn't actualy call 999 for you, but ensures someone can do it on your behalf through SMS, email, Facebook or Twitter.  Detective Chief Inspector, Martin Ford, head of the National Mobile Crime Unit said:

"The MPS is supportive of all responsible efforts to improve the personal safety of individuals within our communities. Integrated, well thought out solutions such 'PanicGuard' have the potential to contribute to the security of vulnerable persons by using new technologies to their best capacity."

The app is available now and although free to download, you will be stung with an ongoing security service cost of  £3.99 a month.

Tags: Apps Android apps iPhone apps PanicGuard

PanicGuard for iPhone/Android: World's first police preferred security app originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:55:21 +0000

Ultrabooks are set to make a big splash in 2012, the thin but powerful form factor clearly a huge advantage for those who need to remain portable. The one snag is the expense, however it has been suggested that AMD is looking to produce a powerful and light cheaper alternative that will launch this year in direct competition to Intel's Ultrabook.

According to a Digitimes report, the new super-light laptop from AMD will carry its new Trinity APU, as opposed to Ultrabooks which carry Intel's hardware. There is also suggestion that the AMD offering will be around 10 - 20 per cent cheaper than the Intel Ultrabook form factor.

On the whole AMD-powered hardware has been cheaper than the Intel equivalent so the news that it will be going down this road is no massive surprise, but what it could do is create some healthy competition within the market and so drive prices down sooner than you might expect.

There is also a suggestion that we could see these devices as soon as June this year; so if any of this report comes to fruition it should be a lively year for the laptop, especially considering the many new Ultrabook additions Pocket-lint saw at CES 2012.

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Tags: Intel Laptops Ultrabooks Chipsets AMD

AMD to offer cheap Intel Ultrabook alternative originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:04:00 +0000

In an unprecedented move, Wikipedia, the go-to web-based encyclopaedia, has decided to shut down its English-language website for 1 day on 18 January in protest against the US online piracy bill.

The decision to "go dark" came out of discussions between over 1800 Wikipedians during a 72-hour period, culminating in this protest action against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA).

According to the site, "This is by far the largest level of participation in a community discussion ever seen on Wikipedia, which illustrates the level of concern that Wikipedians feel about this proposed legislation."

This blackout protest is going ahead despite news that the White House has as good as halted the SOPA bill, but Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, said that it's important it goes ahead anyway, citing PIPA as a cause for concern.

"PIPA is still extremely dangerous,” said Wales. He continued: "Today Wikipedians from around the world have spoken about their opposition to this destructive legislation. This is an extraordinary action for our community to take - and while we regret having to prevent the world from having access to Wikipedia for even a second, we simply cannot ignore the fact that SOPA and PIPA endanger free speech both in the United States and abroad, and set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world."

There are, however, two sides to any argument and many supporters of the acts claim that the money lost through piracy is unacceptable to large media companies and artists alike.

Although it does seem that the legislation put forward is a somewhat sledgehammer approach as it doesn't look carefully enough at how it would affect censorship of the web. As with most things balance is key and if piracy is to be addressed then care needs to be taken to ensure the Internet remains as free and open as possible.

Other sites are set to join Wikipedia in the blackout, which will begin 5AM GMT on Wednesday until 5AM GMT on Thursday.

Tags: Online Wikipedia Piracy

Wikipedia blackout to mark protest against SOPA piracy bill originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:10:00 +0000

Apple could be about to launch a new platform for for digital textbooks, which it hopes will bring an innovative method for students to interact with the subject matter and all linked to the iTunes platform making it very easy to access. All to be revealed at this Thursday's Apple education event.

The WSJ mentions that Apple has been working with McGraw-Hill publishers for best part of a year in the lead up to the event.

Importantly, this will also possibly be coupled with a new tool for creating educational ebooks. The tools available for doing this at present, in the form of iWork, at times being a rather clumsy application. The new software should make ebook creation far simpler and has been described as a Garageband for ebooks, according to Ars Technica.

In order to make this possible Apple has implemented the EPUB 3 standard, although the different standard may mean that sharing content between platforms is more difficult, it should make for an easier way for developers to create interesting interactive content for ebooks.

So the news could be two-fold: a new platform in which to access a huge variety of educational and highly interactive content; and a new, easy way of creating said content, which will ensure that there's a ready supply of developers willing to work on the new platform. This model has served Apple very well in the past.

This kind of interactive ebook learning could have some very positive effects on learning in the classroom and help bring otherwise stale subject matter to life. However, there are possibly a few concerns with this move.

The first is that when bringing any standard into the classroom we have to be aware that students will be learning through that particular standard, in this case through an Apple product, so it is important that they have other platforms to work with so they don't get locked into the Apple ecosystem - something Apple would no doubt want. Having your product in the classroom is a sure fire way to create brand loyalty when that person grows up. Just look at Windows.

Also, it's important to remember that it is the teacher's job to educate and create an environment in which students can be excited about a given topic, so over reliance on a tablet to do this for you isn't always a good thing.

We'll be bringing you all the news on Thursday.

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Tags: Apple ebooks iPad Software Rumours

Apple to digitise classroom with 'Garageband for ebooks' originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:18:00 +0000

Quite apart from anything else, a decent platformer, like the one featured in our App of the Day, goes a long way in banishing boredom during the cold winter months.

When you start adding an innovative, if characterful, design, multiple methods of level completion as well a nice sound, then you're surely onto a winner.

And that's if you're not a sheep fan; if you do have a soft spot for the friendly-four-legged-fleecy folk, then this is an absolute must. It is...

The Sheeps

Format

iPhone

Price

Free

Where

iTunes

The premise of The Sheeps is, indeed, a simple one: you have to get your three friends across the screen from point A to point B in one piece. However, as this is a puzzle game, your route will often be barred by many ingenious obstacles meaning you'll have to resort to the grey matter in order to achieve your goal.

Controls are simple enough with your sheep able to jump and walk around the screen. Controls are added on both sides of the screen enabling a degree of flexibility when moving the three sheeps around.

The sheep in question also have names: Katty, Justine and Samantha. But their names aren't the only thing that differentiate them, oh no; they are also different sizes. This gives them different attributes when it comes to crawling under objects, pushing things out of the way or jumping up over boxes, and as all of the sheep need to reach the end it will mean the three sheep working as a team.

If anyone has played the old PC game Head over Heels, it is similar in the way you have to team up to get past an obstacle - just on a smaller scale, thankfully.

The gameplay is good, and most of the puzzles are well thought out, although at times it feels as if your route to the end needs an element of luck to go with your well thought-out strategy - although this doesn't happen often.

There is a paid-for version available without the ads, although they're pretty unobtrusive. There are also tips to be had with the free version, although strangely require a purchase with the paid-for app. Still, it's entertaining and there's enough here to give your brain a good workout.

Tags: Apps iPhone apps App of the day Gaming

APP OF THE DAY: The Sheeps review (iPhone) originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:00:00 +0000

BabyPing has unveiled the latest in high security Wi-Fi baby monitors at CES 2012, which allows parents to to keep an eye and an ear on their little cherubs through their iOS device.

If a traditional baby monitor just doesn't cut it any more and you prefer the belt and braces approach to baby monitoring then this new device will keep you constantly informed by way of "double-layer security and alerts to inform the user if the baby cries, if the Wi-Fi connection has been broken or if the monitoring iOS device is out of range".

You'll also get full-colour video at 640 x 480 resolution, a high quality built-in microphone and superfast wireless Wi-Fi. The baby monitor's Smart Filter cuts out the background noise and static normally associated with baby monitors, while Constant-Connect "acts as a permanent tether between the app and monitor, instantly notifying the user when the baby is upset or if the connection is broken at any point, ensuring parents can put their trust in this new technology."

The company says that: "BabyPing only uses your home Wi-Fi network to transmit information, avoiding unnecessary web streaming and bandwidth costs, as well as ensuring instant alerts and updates from the monitor, without the long delay associated with other baby cameras. BabyPing is the only Wi-Fi baby monitor on the market with invisible infared night vision, offering round the clock visibility without disturbing the baby."

Not a bad solution for any would-be parents, and it should especially appeal to those first-timers, as after number one drops and number two arrives you tend to relax a bit.

The BabyPing Video Monitor will be available in the UK from February 2012 priced at £149.99 and available from Amazon, BabyPing.com and other select stockists.

Tags: Dad Baby monitors BabyPing Apps iPhone apps CES2012

BabyPing Wi-Fi Baby Monitor launches for iOS originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:36:00 +0000

Virgin Media has announced that it will be showing off the new Formula 1 Sky Sports channel, making the entire Formula 1 Grand Prix 2012 season available to Virgin Media customers.

Starting in March the new channel, Sky Sports F1, will be introduced onto Virgin Media's TV service, bringing comprehensive reporting of the world's most popular motorsport series, including live coverage of every race, practice, and qualifying session.

Martin Brundle, David Croft, Georgie Thompson, Ted Kravitz, Simon Lazenby and Steve Rider will bring viewers all the news, views and live action from the start of the new Formula 1 season.

If you are already a subscriber to the Sky Sports package on Virgin Media the new channel will be automatically added alongside Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports 2, Sky Sports 3 and Sky Sports 4.

Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment at Virgin Media, said: "We’re delighted to be able to offer this new channel right from the off as it’s certain to be an exciting Formula 1 season with a record number of races and six former or current world champions racing for the title."

Tags: Sky Virgin Media Formula 1 2012 Home Cinema

Sky Sports Formula 1 speeds onto Virgin Media originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:04:00 +0000

Lovefilm has announced a deal with Disney, which will enable it to stream a wide variety of ABC programming to its members, bringing access to some popular American TV, including Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives.

Beginning this month you'll be able to get a shed full of ABC content, this marking the latest TV content deal with a major studio to be announced by Lovefilm and joins previous deals with Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures.

Programming that becomes available with the new deal includes Castle, all six seasons of Lost, Ghost Whisperer and Happy Endings. All this, along with medical drama Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives.

Lovefilm says that: "Shows will be launched as full seasons after their first run on UK pay and/or free TV. Previous seasons of some series will even be available to members before the next season airs on UK television."

Lovefilm recently introduced an unlimited streaming-only package which provides access to Lovefilm Instant for an introductory price of £4.99 per month. A price that becomes more appealing as its library continues to grow.

This is also an important deal when you consider the recent launch of Netflix in the UK, and one which shows both businesses and customers that Amazon-owned Lovefilm is going all-out to secure the market.

Tags: Lovefilm Video on demand ABC Home Cinema

Lovefilm announces new Disney deal to stream ABC originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:11:00 +0000

Apple has revealed its list of suppliers in a bid to address criticism over the way it treats workers; there have also been moves made to increase the level and frequency of inspections carried out.

Previous criticism was levelled at Apple after employers at its Foxconn supplier committed suicide, this coming at a time when the tech giant kept all of its suppliers under wraps.

In the post, Apple says that: "In 2011, we conducted 229 audits throughout our supply chain - an 80 per cent increase over 2010 - including more than 100 first-time audits. We continue to expand our program to reach deeper into our supply base, and this year we added more detailed and specialised audits that focus on safety and the environment."

It also says it has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to child labour, which is nice, stating that: "In 2011, we broadened our age verification program and saw dramatic improvements in hiring practices by our suppliers."

All very admirable, but it is still a rather miserable state of affairs when it takes bad press coverage for a multi-billion dollar company to up its game in terms of work standards. The company found that five factories had employed under-age workers, and employees at 93 of its factories had exceeded working hours.

However, at least it seems Apple is attempting to improve standards, if only to get the press off its back. It makes you wonder how many other well-known companies working standards would appear under closer scrutiny.

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Tags: Biz Apple

Apple reveals supplier details to quell worker mistreatment allegations originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:12:00 +0000

Ever since Skype was taken over by Microsoft back in October 2011, a Skype app for its Windows Phone 7 operating system has been on the cards. And now it looks as though it's nearly here after vice president of Skype division, Rick Osterloh, said: "we're working on a Windows Phone product that will be coming out soon," during an interview at CES 2012.

The news that Skype will be heading to Windows Phone 7 has been hanging around for some time now as it was initially thought that Microsoft would be launching the Skype app a little earlier, possibly by the end of 2011. However it was not to be, so this "coming soon" CES 2012 quote is very timely.

In actual fact, the term "coming soon" could mean anything from the next few months, to within the year; it is suitably vague and very subjective.

There are, however, further reports coming in that Skype will be released in the first half of 2012, Paul Thurrott's blog suggesting this after delving deeply into some Microsoft "documentation".

What is certain, is that any Skype for WP7 release will be dependent on the rollout of the various versions of the Microsoft operating system, with both Tango and Apollo versions looking to be launched this year.

As Tango will come with video calling integration already, and acts as a good test-bed for hardware specific phones like the Lumia 900, we may not see a launch until later in the year when Apollo makes an appearance.

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Tags: Windows Phone 7 apps Apps Skype Microsoft

Skype for Windows Phone 7 nears release originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:21:00 +0000

The Nokia Lumia 900 could be launching March 2012 according to a Nokia developer newsletter which was posted recently, it also suggests the phone will be available on AT&T.

The news comes after the Lumia 900's official unveiling at CES 2012, with the post stating that: "it will become available exclusively through AT&T in March".

There is, however, no word on any UK launch date. If the phone did arrive on UK shores it would join the Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710, the 710 coming to the UK 1 February, as the third handset in Nokia's smartphone fightback; each features Microsoft's Windows Phone OS. The Lumia 900 has been pitched as US-only so far.

The Lumia 900 is quite similar in looks and functionality to its smaller brother, the lumia 800, which has been very well received, but it gets a few boosts with a bigger 4.3-inch AMOLED screen and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.

Tags: Nokia Phones Mobile phones Nokia Lumia 900 Rumours Windows Phone 7

Nokia Lumia 900 set for possible US March launch originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:47:00 +0000

Skype has announced its 5.5 beta update for Mac which delivers a few new features as well as a host of tweaks.

These include improvements to the call UI and tweaks to the call quality; Skype also says that its looked into the stabilisation of its service and it should now be nice and steady.

A video call option has also been added, whereby on receiving a call you can decide whether to accept incoming calls with or without video. Skype says that the improvements made to its Skype Call, "allows Mac users to easily mute their microphone, send video, share their screen, send files and even add more people during a call".

Frequent users are encouraged to make the the download before feeding back to Skype on any room for improvement. Any issues can be fed back to Support Network or on Skype's public issue tracker.

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Tags: Skype VoIP Skype for Mac Software Updates

Skype for Mac 5.5 beta update brings calling UI improvements originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:50:00 +0000

Monster, in partnership with Diesel, has announced the Vektr series of headphones and earphones, which claim to offer a "premium-quality listening solution that expertly blends the worlds of fashion and great sound."

Sadly within the press release there wasn't an awful lot of information on exactly what is going to make these cans such a great listening experience, and so we'll just have to rely on Monster to deliver up its usual high standard.

There is, however, an awful lot of spiel on the Diesel design, which consists of comments like: "a trendsetting personal listening solution that dramatically breaks conventional headphone style".

And to an extent this is true, they should indeed make your tunes personal by blocking out the noise of your music to outsiders - the public - as is usuallt the case with headphones.. However they only break headphone style to the extent that they have a distinct diamond-cut pattern on the outside coated in different shades of black and grey. The design remains pretty conventional in that you'll get two comfortable earcups attached to a band that fits around the top of your head.

There are also in-ear 'phones available which thankfully, for comfort's sake, lack the diamond-cut style in favour of a "jet black appearance with a single bold yellow accent and a prominent Diesel logo".

The Vektr headphones will set you back around $250, whilst the earphones should be on shelves for around $150.

Tags: Headphones Monster Monster Vektr Diesel Earphones CES2012

Monster Vektr headphones announced with Diesel design originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:40:41 +0000

Kindle has announced its new "Send to Kindle" software for the PC which attempts to make it super-easy to send PC files to your Kindle.

This has been possible previously using your Send-to-Kindle email address, but that involves a little messing around. 

The Send to Kindle plugin solves this by offering quick file transfers. On its blog, Amazon says that: "From Windows Explorer, simply right-click on one or more documents and choose Send to Kindle. From any other Windows application that can print, select Print and choose Send to Kindle" making it really simple to move those files to your portable device for reading later.

You'll also get the usual benefits that the Kindle brings, so you can archive documents and download them to your device when you need them. You'll also get syncing, just as you do with Kindle books: "Your last page read along with bookmarks, notes and highlights are automatically synchronised for your documents (with the exception of PDFs) across your Kindle devices and supported Kindle reading apps."

Supported document formats include: DOC, DOCX, TXT, RTF, JPEG, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP and PDF.

You can download the new Send to Kindle plugin here on Amazon.com. 

As mentioned there is no Mac support yet, but expect it to come along soon enough.

Tags: Software eBook readers Kindle Amazon Kindle

New 'Send to Kindle': Non-book PC files to your Amazon ereader originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:59:00 +0000

Casio has announced its new flagship compact in the form of the Exilim EX-ZR200 camera, coming with Casio's Rapid Shutter feature which gives it the ability to shoot 30fps at full resolution.

Looking at the ZR200's list of features, it's clear that Casio has the aim of making it as simple as possible to shoot decent photos, taking as much of the fuss away as possible.

The 16-megapixel camera not only has the Rapid Shutter tech, which will mean you have the best chance of capturing a great image from the multitude taken, but there are also other features which will make sure of some good shots.

First up is the Premium Auto Pro function which, as you'd hope, automatically analyses the shooting scene in order to choose the best settings and perform any relevant image processing. However, it also combines images from high-speed continuous shooting according to the conditions, which should increase the number of usable images.

The HDR (high dynamic range) feature also steps in to look after your snaps, combining continuous shots with differing exposures and performing highly precise image analysis to change levels of contrast and colour saturation. This also works when shooting video.

There's a wide-angle 24mm, 12.5x optical zoom lens onboard which claims to offer zoom performance equivalent to a maximum of 25x optical zoom; this is done with Casio's Multi Frame SR Zoom, which "combines a number of still images to maintain the image quality needed for high-resolution photography".

The Casio Exilim EX-ZR200 is due to hit the shelves in April.

Tags: Casio Cameras Casio Exilim EX-ZR200 Compact cameras 16 megapixels CES2012

Casio Exilim EX-ZR200 high-speed snapper announced originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:50:00 +0000

Kodak has had its fair share of troubles of late, but that hasn't stopped it announcing a few gems at CES 2012 in las Vegas. One of which is the Kodak Playfull Dual camera, which can not only shoot Full HD video but also snap 12-megapixel stills.

However, the real grab is the Wi-Fi capability which means that any pics or video you take can be wirelessly uploaded to your computer via the Share button. The in-camera UI will allow you to choose where you'd like to send your footage - all the usual suspects like Facebook and YouTube are present - and then it's simply a case of connecting.

The camera can shoot in Full HD a 60fps and there's also a high-speed capture mode which shoots at  up to 240fps at 720p resolution for slow-mo movies. You'll allso get an external microphone jack, built-in Xenon flash, micro-HDMI and an SDHC card slot.

The Kodak PlayFull Dual Video Camera will be available in black and white and should be in the UK for spring priced at £159.99.

Tags: Cameras Camcorders Kodak Kodak Playfull Dual CES2012

Kodak Playfull Dual Wi-Fi camera combines 12MP stills and HD video originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 07:57:25 +0000

Parrot has revealed its new Zik headphones designed by Phillipe Starck, which bring together a massive amount of audio technology in smooth, standout styling.

And when we say packed with cutting edge tech, we mean it. First off, the Zik headphones are touch activated so there are no obtrusive buttons ruining the design, swiping the panel vertically will set the volume, or swiping it horizontally will skip music forward/rewind.

Bluetooth connectivity, noise cancellation and DSP (Digital Signal Processing) are par for the course - the DSP giving a "Parrot Concert Hall" effect, with the music coming in front of you.

The introduction of NFC into the headset is further evidence of the innovation that's gone into the device as, to our knowledge, it's the first time the tech has been used in headphones. Basically all you need to do to connect your NFC-phone is to tap it to one of the ear pieces - that's it. Admittedly the tech isn't ubiquitous on all phones, by any means, but it's a nice touch nonetheless.

Further innovation comes in the form of a noise cancelling sensor that monitors your jaw's movements making your voice that little bit clearer for the person on the other end of a call, whilst there's also a sensor for pausing your tunes when you remove the headphones from your ears; replacing them and the music springs back to life.

These could really be a big hit, if punters are prepared to take a hit on their wallet, come launch sometime in 2012.

Tags: Audio Headphones Parrot Parrot Zik NFC CES2012

Parrot Starck-designed Zik headphones bring NFC to your ears originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:13:00 +0000

A new set of wireless scales have been launched which allows you to share and upload information about your weight to the web, whilst also dishing out virtual motivational badges along the way.

Called the Fitbit Aria, it also measures your BMI and body fat percentage so you can have a clear idea of just how unfit you are.

Clearly you don't have to share all this information, but if you have a mind you can either decide to upload information to the Fitbit site; this will crunch your data, bringing up all manner of graphs and tools to help you reach your target.

Sharing info with Fitbit will also earn you virtual badges, meaning you'll have even more motivation to reach your target. Fitbit is obviously hoping to build up a bit of a community on its site, and so create an online version of Weight Watchers, which could well suit some.

The Fitbit can also sense who is using it so the whole family can get involved in the fitness drive, and as the unit is buttonless all settings need to be accessed through your computer.

Fitbit Aria comes in both black and white and should be available in April in the UK for around £99.

Tags: Sports Fitness Fitbit Fitbit Aria Scales CES2012

Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi scale shares weight with the web: Foursquare for fatties originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:49:00 +0000

Griffin has launched a couple of iPhone/iPad accessories that should appeal to iOS music makers, as its MidiConnect and StudioConnect should bring flexibility to any musician working with the OS and its GarageBand software.

MIDIConnect joins Griffin's GuitarConnect Pro in providing compact, input solutions for iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. StudioConnect is basically a tracking, editing and overdubbing companion for GarageBand. The desktop unit serves as an all-in-one interface for audio, MIDI-In and MIDI-Out as well as a charging dock for the iPad device.

 "GarageBand has put powerful audio production tools within reach of any musician with an idea and an iPad," said Mark Rowan, president of Griffin Technology. "We've made it easy to connect your real instruments with GarageBand and control every aspect of your project."

The multipurpose StudioConnect for iPad combines both audio and MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) recording into one compact device that also simultaneously charges the iPad. StudioConnect should make recording music on the iPad more of a pain-free process, and in Griffin's words: "give aspiring musicians a chance to produce professional sounding recordings".

MIDIConnect will be available this spring for $79.99. StudioConnect will be available in February for $149.99

Tags: Audio Griffin Griffin StudioConnect Griffin MidiConnect iPhone accessories GarageBand CES2012

Griffin StudioConnect and MidiConnect for iPhone play well with GarageBand originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:04:01 +0000

Pure has revealed its update to the Sensia; coming in the guise of the Sensia 200D Connect, this followup should deliver some upgraded performance on the older model which Pocket-lint found to be just a little off the mark.

In short, the radio uses Wi-Fi to allow users to stream a wide range of audio including a shed load of songs through Pure Music; music stored on a home computer or network storage device, as well as internet radio stations and digital and FM content.

And there should be an  improvement in performance over the older model, which, we hope, will come from the processor which ups the power and should make things that little bit zippier. This is especially important as the user interface, once a slightly clumsy affair, has been redesigned which will hopefully make accessing the radios online features easier. This coupled with the power boost should give the Sensia 200D Connect the edge it needs.

In terms of sound quality, the Sensia 200D Delivers 30W RMS of digital sound via DSP tuned high efficiency class-D amplifiers and in-house custom designed full-range speakers. And all, or most, of the radios main functions can be controlled through a bundles remote.

You won't have long to wait for this one: it should be on shelves within first quarter of 2012 and will come in black and white finishes for £249.99.

Tags: Audio Pure Pure Sensia 200D Radios Internet radios CES2012

Pure Sensia 200D Connect: The second coming originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:36:00 +0000

Lenovo has decided to mix up the laptop form-factor with the IdeaPad Yoga, a multi-mode Ultrabook, which introduces an intuitive design that optimises the user experience of both a 13.3-inch Ultrabook and tablet across four different usage modes.

These modes include a notebook, tablet, stand and tent - yes, a tent. This is achieved through a patented 360-degree dual-hinge flip design which apparently brings stability whilst keeping the overall design both thin and light. The Yoga measures in at 16.9mm and weighs in at 1.47kg.

However its diminutive dimensions belie its powerful innards as the laptopwill get a choice of Intel Core processors with a Windows 8 operating system - all very cutting edge.

In terms of the Ultrabook's different modes we'll leave it up to Lenovo to explain: "As a multi-mode notebook, IdeaPad Yoga delivers a comfortable and natural user interaction when using it in any position. To enjoy multi-player touch-based gaming and social media on-the-go, the user simply folds back Yoga’s screen for a portable 13.1-inch HD+ (1600 x 900) tablet with 10-point capacitive touch. For entertainment, reading, and web browsing, users can flip the Yoga’s screen panel into a convenient stand or tent mode that saves space and brings the screen closer to the user."

The stand and tent mode sound very similar though, so we reckon the claim of four different modes is a bit of a stretch.

However, you have to hand it to Lenovo as this laptop not only brings the the new powerful Intel Ultrabook form-factor that is going to be seriously popular this year, but also has a go at some innovation as the touchscreen will make excellent use of the Windows 8 operating system.

If you haven't seen it yet, it is a major departure from Microsoft's traditional UI, incorporating a home page which draws heavily from Windows Phone 7, with the Metro UI using similar live tiles to that of Microsoft's phone OS.

The IdeaPad Yoga multimode notebook will be available in the UK in the second half of 2012 with an estimated starting retail price of £1,199.

Tags: Laptops Lenovo Lenovo Yoga CES2012 Ultrabooks

Lenovo Yoga Ultrabook pulls some shapes: Turns into touchscreen tablet originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:30:23 +0000

Griffin and Crayola have teamed up to bring the next iteration of MyPhones headphones and colouring apps, which have been specifically designed to allow your children to get the most out of their (or most likely your) iPad.

We've looked at both the Griffin Crayola MyPhone headphones and ColorStudio HD iPad app before and thought both were excellent, so we'll be keen to see what the new batch brings in 2012.

First off, the MyPhones are headphones which allow your young ones to personalise by way of colouring stickers which can fit on the back. They are designed to fit over the ears, so nothing enters the ear canal and come in pink/purple and blue/green.

The new addition are the earbuds which comes with its own carrying case shaped like a Crayola crayon, that opens to reveal the earbuds and 3 sizes of soft silicone ear cushions. Colours are typically child-like with names like purple pizzazz, cotton candy, caribbean green and blue berry.

Both styles have built-in volume-limiting circuitry that keeps the sound pressure down to levels recommended safe for young ears.

The new app comes in the form of Crayola Lights, Camera, Color! HD and turns photos taken on an iOS device into personalised digital colouring pages. The app then drains the colour from the picture and morphs into a colouring page, awaiting your child's embellishments. Children can also put their face to a colouring page with Crayola Silly Face Swaps HD, and then each colouring page character has a cut-out where they can place a photo of their face, a friend’s face, or even a pet’s.

All works of art can then be sent off and emailed, Facebooked or printed so friends and family can admire as well.

The MyPhones headphones will be available in spring and priced at $24.99, whilst the earbuds will be priced at $14.99. The Crayola Lights, Camera, Color! HD is now available on the iTunes App Store for $1.99, with Crayola Silly Face Swaps HD coming later int he spring.

Tags: iPad apps Apps Griffin Crayola Dad CES2012

Griffin draws on Crayola's expertise: New kid's MyPhones and iPad apps originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:44:08 +0000