Half the games in Windows Marketplace’s top ten games chart can’t be downloaded onto the Nokia Lumia 610.

After a Spanish Windows Phone blog revealed that along with Skype, both Angry Birds and football classic PES 2012 could not be installed on to the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango handset, Pocket-lint began investigating further.

To our surprise, a further three titles from the top ten games chart; Pac-Man Kart Rally, Monopoly and Sid Meiers Pirates, could not be downloaded to our Nokia Lumia 610 device.

What’s more, expand the parameters to the top 20 and again we were unable to install Plants vs. Zombies, Assassin’s Creed and NFS: Hot Pursuit. This means a total of 8 games in the current top 20 are not compatible with the Nokia Lumia 610.?

Other high profile apps we’ve noticed that aren’t compatible with the Nokia Lumia 610 are The Sims 3 and Tango, the free video calling app.

However, before we start hitting Windows Phone, Nokia, or both, with a proverbial stick, this situation is surely temporary and will change as app developers make the odd tweak here and there before resubmitting their apps to the Marketplace.

At least we hope so. The BBC recently confirmed to Pocket-lint that there were no plans to bring a native BBC iPlayer app to the Windows Phone platform, despite Nokia saying one was on its way.

Read

Tags: Apps Phones Nokia Nokia Lumia 610 Windows Marketplace Windows Phone games

Nokia Lumia 610: Five out of top 10 games won't work originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 17:25:00 +0100

Take That star and X Factor judge Gary Barlow can now be seen as a 3D augmented-reality figurine by pointing a mobile device at a special-edition Jubilee issue of Hello! magazine.?

The Hello! 3D app is free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play and is compatible with the iPhone, iPad and Android smartphones and tablet devices.

Once downloaded users can point their mobile camera towards the front cover before seeing the Take That front-man pop up as a 3D image - a feat achieved by using 42 Nikon digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras in a photo shoot.

Digicave - which has used Vuforia, Qualcomm Incorporated’s augmented reality platform for the 3D scanning technology - and Timeslice Films have put the app together.

Gary Barlow is not the first music star to have been given an augmented-reality makeover in recent months. Deceased rap star Tupac Shakur was brought back to life as a hologram to perform alongside fellow hip-hop star Snoop Dogg.

Tags: Apps Augmented Reality Magazines 3D

Hello! magazine features 3D Augmented Reality Gary Barlow front cover originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 15:52:00 +0100

Sometimes the best kind of apps are the ones you can just pick up and play. Instantaneous fun for the train, bus or any other boring situation, they are ideal time fillers to pull out of your pocket.

Consider these guys the iPhone classics - easy to play, hard to master and just as much fun whether being picked at for five minutes tor for over an hour. The other great thing is, they're usually cheap.?

Oh! Edo Towns

We are big fans of Kairosoft over at Pocket-lint, its uber-addictive formula of retro gameplay and graphics has had us wile away many an hour on one of its numerous apps.?Oh! Edo Towns puts you in charge of building villages in Japan. Think of it like a simplified version of Sim City, without all the complex building zone laying. You start off with a small plot of land and only a few residents to manage. Build on vacant lots and wait until people start arriving, from then on the game begins to get seriously fun.

Once you have a decent little collection of chappies enjoying the delights of your simple yet likely barren village, you're going to want to start building fields, shops and all other types of entertainments for your citizens. The usual emphasis on upgrading and researching is there, as in all Kairosoft titles.?You can boot straight into the gameplay, provided the app hasn't been killed, and it saves ands load very quickly. This makes it the perfect title to pick at while on the train and well worth the ?2.49 asking price. Read More

iTunes: Link

Price: ?2.49

Rating: 3/5

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Anthill: Tactical Trail Defense

This little gem combines real-time strategy and tower defence, merging the two, admittedly very similar genres, into one - and creating an excellent game in the process.?The plot is straightforward enough: you take control of a variety of friendly formicidae which all work together to gather food and destroy enemy bugs so that your anthill might be preserved. There are workers who collect the food, an army variety that gets stuck in hand-to-hand, and flying ants that bombard the opposition with green goo, among others.

As ever, it's a case of balancing the different varieties at your disposal; creating workers to forage for food and combat troops to defend them, if you're going to be successful. You can determine where each type of ant goes by creating a line on the screen which they'll follow to a target - the whole system working very well.?Where the real beauty lies is in the gameplay. Things can look pretty hectic at times, but because of the intuitive interface everything remains under your control. For a game that, somehow, feels quite fresh on the iOS platform, we have to say that it's a bargain. Read More

iTunes: Link

Price: ?1.99

Rating:?4/5

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The Nightjar

The Nightjar is a space adventure in which you play the last crew member of a spacecraft about to spiral into a black hole. As black holes and spacecraft (and pretty much anything for that matter) don't tend to mix, the aim of the game is to get the hell out of Dodge.

The storyline is all pretty straightforward sci-fi, but it's in the gameplay that things start to get interesting. Immersed in total darkness, it is by use of sound cues that you have to navigate your way off the doomed ship.?You also have a guide at hand in the form of Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who gives you hints on the task at hand.

This is a genuinely unnerving game, which increases the tension with subtle suggestions of other lifeforms on the ship - whether it's the gruesome chomping of a nearby lifeform dining on a fallen shipmate or the computer announcing that a party of complex lifeforms has just boarded: "one of which is human".?The game is brief but while it lasts every step and sound oozes quality; and the fact that it's a free download means that if you have the iDevice on hand it's a must. Read More

iTunes: Link

Price: Free

Rating: 3/5

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Paper Glider

Neon Play, known for Flick Football and Golf Putt Pro, couldn't buy the sort of publicity that it has been awarded by its Paper Glider being the 10 billionth application downloaded from the App Store. So it's incredibly heartening to note that it couldn't have happened to a nicer company or concept.?

Paper Glider is a mind-boggingly simple idea: guide a paper aeroplane as far as you can by an initial swipe and gentle gusts of wind. Yet it is fiendishly addictive and an ideal and welcome time-waster for any journey.

You can also post your scores to Twitter and Facebook or send an email. Simple, cunning and a prime example of a "just one more go" game.?Also, as the app is completely supported by advertising, it's free - you won't lose anything by giving it a try. Read More

iTunes: Link

Price: Free

Rating: 4/5

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Angry Birds Space

Space is the final frontier, as that fella on Star Trek says, and now, rather than heading down to Brazil in some movie tie-in, or finding yourself blasting pumpkins in some extra levels for Hallowe'en, Rovio's latest venture takes the angry birds and the green pigs out of this world.

What ensues are three?planetary?bodies, with 30 levels apiece and plenty of space pigs to kill.?The gameplay is as addictive as it always has been, and not too?dissimilar from the tried-and-tested formula of AB games past, so you'll know whether that means you are bored of it already or raring to go.?The key difference is that gravity has been added as a gameplay tool, and specifically the gravitational pull of planets and moons. They have an affect on the trajectory of your birds and that's something you now have to factor in. Read More

iTunes:?Link

Price: ?0.69

Rating: 4/5

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Where's My Water?

Where's My Water? revolves around our hero (in the loosest sense of the word) Swampy the Alligator. Swampy wants to take a shower, but someone has been messing with his water supply. We're sure you can guess how the game unfolds after that.?

Of course, the aim of the game is to get the water running out of Swampy's shower so the dirty 'gator can give himself a good scrub. But this isn't just a pipe game like Toobz, here you have a whole range of different environmental conditions to deal with.

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Along the way you'll have to clear earth to let the water through, move ramps, avoid weeds, divert acid, bounce water jets, navigate mazes, avoid mines and all manner of things to complete the level.?Levels are beautifully designed and we love the cartoon styling. Levels are easy enough to make good progress without getting frustrating, but there are moments when you'll need a little trial and error to figure out exactly what everything does. Read More

iTunes:?Link

Price: ?0.69

Rating: 4/5

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Cut the Rope: Experiments

Like the original Cut The Rope game, this involves getting as many sweets as possible into the mouth of your Om Nom. Rope-cutting is of course also central to the premise of the application, though there are now plenty more special items thrown into the mix to make feeding your Om Nom harder.

Things like the rope gun and suction cup holder now mean you can take more direct control over the path of your sweet. This doesn't mean things are any easier than they were. In fact all this new controllery makes the game a little bit tougher, which we definitely like. Read More

iTunes:?Link

Price: ?0.69

Rating: 4/5

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Temple Run

There's no great complexity to Temple Run, but it's within its simple gameplay that its genius lies. Its simple, twisted, evil genius - even more evil and tortured than the monster-monkeys that chase you throughout the entire experience.

For you see, as with any successful casual mobile game, the power of Temple Run is its addictiveness. The "one more go" lure that will see evenings, days and weeks lost, blurred into a hazy nightmare involving hollow trees, gold coins and, weirdly, an American footballer.

The premise is straightforward: your character (there are several protagonists who you can unlock) has escaped from a temple (hence the name) and is being chased incessantly by the aforementioned monster-monkeys.

You're not sure why you're running but run you shall. Run, turn, jump and slide. That's it. Avoid the trees, don't fall off the track and make sure you collect as many coins as you can along the way - presumably whatever your character has made off from the temple isn't enough for him or her.

iTunes:?Link

Price: Free

Rating:?4/5

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Flick Kick Football

There is one football app that, regardless of whether you follow the beautiful game, you'll be glued to as if it's Match of the Day and you don't know the result. The premise is simple. You've got to score as many goals as possible to carry on playing. Shooting at certain areas classed as the Skill Zone earns you lives or more time. Do well and you'll be on to a cracking score; crack under pressure and you'll be starting back from scratch.

Sounds easy, doesn't it? That is until you put moving goalies and players in the way. Then you've got the varying distances to cope with and the ability to curve the ball like you're David Beckham. Ten minutes in and like Paper Toss you'll find you're addicted. With smart graphics, some great nail-biting camera replays and gameplay that you'll enjoy and be infuriated by, this app is a winner. GOOOOOOAALLLLLLLLLLLLL. Read More

iTunes: Link

Price: 69p

Rating: 4/5

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Whale Trail

This highly stylised and polished game has clearly been influenced by previous successful iPhone games, such as Tiny Wings. This is not to say that it's not original - there are plenty of innovative ideas - but the simple gameplay, controls and sound are nothing if not reminiscent.

Game mechanics are simplicity itself: pressing and holding anywhere on the screen makes the whale rise, while releasing brings about a swooping action - the aim being to collect bubbles to fuel your flight.

As you move on through the levels, bubbles become more scarce and your flying skills will need to improve. Nice elements include frenzy mode which makes your whale invincible, enabling you to smash through the dark clouds - these suck away your bubble fuel in order to curtail your flight - and high-speed boosts that enable you to go where no whale has gone before.

iTunes:?Link

Price:?69p

Rating:?4/5

Tags: Apps iPhone iPhone 4 iPhone 4S iPhone apps iOS Features

Best iPhone gaming apps: casual originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 15:11:00 +0100

Pure is ten years old and is celebrating by giving away a patriotic Evoke Mio Union Jack emblazoned radio, complete with commemorative plaque.

The prize will be awarded to the owner of the oldest Pure Evoke-1 digital radio. Pure is asking owners to send in their stories of how they got hold of their radio, complete with photos and the serial number of the device.

Pure will then determine which radio is the oldest before announcing the winner of the prize. Throughout the 10-week search, Pure will also be giving away 10 Union Jack One Mini for the best stories and in situ pictures received.

Launched in 2002, the Pure Evoke-1 went on sale for ?100 and was one of the first digital radios available.

The competition is open now with entries being made through Pure’s Facebook page or by emailing social@pure.com. The competition closes at 10am on 6 August.?

Of course if you’re determined to get your hands on one of Pure’s Evoke Mio Union Jack radios, you can buy one for around ?149.99, though not before you’ve read our hands-on review of it.

Pure also recently added six new colours to its Evoke Mio range.

Tags: Pure Radio Pure Evoke Mio Audio

Pure is searching for owners of its first Evoke digital radios originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 15:09:00 +0100

The anticipation for the Samsung Galaxy S III has been unprecedented. Never before have we seen so much rumour and speculation heaped on one device, except, of course, for the Apple iPhone.

Rumours of changed launch dates and falling out of sync with the typical launch cycle of handsets have given Samsung a clean stage on which to launch. Competitor HTC has played its cards, setting up what is likely to be one of the fiercest handset rivalries we've seen.

The question of iPhone killers now becomes almost redundant. When you have phones of the calibre of the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S III on offer, who even has time to worry about Apple?

So what exactly makes the Samsung Galaxy S III tick and why is it so good? We've been living with the phone to find out.

Design and build

There is an elegance about the Samsung Galaxy S III that puts previous Samsung devices in the shade. The SGS2 looks pedestrian by comparison, the boxy design now looking rather dated.

We'll shelve the "designed for humans" statement that Samsung has slapped on the new phone - is any phone not designed for humans? Pigs perhaps? - but we have to say we like the look. There is a simplicity to the design that catches the eye, the flat face sandwiched into the curved band running around the sides.

Curved corners help give you a handset that doesn't seem to have any sharp edges, which is important for a device this size: no matter how large your hands, you'll be reaching across the display with your thumb on a regular basis and the last thing you'd want is an uncomfortable edge.

The phone itself measures 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.8mm so although large is still impressively slim. The dimensions leave it close to the HTC One X to which comparisons will always be inevitable. But at 133g it's impressively light.

When it comes to build quality, the Samsung Galaxy S III feels impressive. It doesn’t warp or creak as you manipulate it and that's important, because many, we're sure, will question Samsung's choice of materials.

We're not talking about premium unibody design or a fusion of alloys and glass. The thing that people will notice the most is the plastic back cover. The bitter irony here is that the SGS3 back cover is the same polycarbonate material as the HTC One X body.

But it's very different in terms of philosophy. The physical material might be the same, but in the case of the Samsung phone, it's very thin and flexible, rather than being a substantial block as used by HTC and Nokia for the Lumia 800 and 900).

The end result, however, doesn't really matter. Yes, we'd say the HTC phone has better build quality and feels more substantial, but we can't really fault Samsung's approach, because it doesn't really matter in daily use and, more significantly, allows you access to the internals more readily.

One thing you will notice, of course, is that the white version quickly attracts fingerprints across the glossy back, so you'll be forever wiping it clean. The blue version suffers less so and Samsung tell us that more colours will be appearing in the future, if you're looking for something else.

Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy S III punches hard at the top of the Android specs tree. If you're looking for a checklist of hardware specs, it takes just about every point.

It comes with Samsung's own Exynos 4 quad core processor clocked at 1.4GHz, backed by 1GB RAM, so matches other flagship releases. Samsung's own hardware might not have the Nvidia or Qualcomm machines behind them, but in real terms phone performance feels slick, fast and assured.

There are various options for internal user memory (16, 32 and soon 64GB) as well as a slot for microSD expansion. The latter is likely to be hugely popular, as many phones have moved away from this.It means if you have a card full of content in your current device, you can simply move it over, or expand the memory by up to 64GB.

You also get Dropbox preinstalled, along with an agreement to add an extra 48GB of cloud storage space (for two years) to your account when you sign into your new device. You'll need to be online to access this content, but it's a useful resource.

All the normal connectivity is in place, including NFC, which Samsung has adapted with its S Beam feature, expanding what the native Android Beam will do. HSPA+ is on offer if your network supports it, along with 4G options where relevant.

There is also a range of indicator LEDs which can be customised (supporting coloured alert options from within apps) and backlighting on the touch controls beneath the display.

The duration of the backlighting on these touch controls can also be altered: the default second is too short, as it will mean the controls flash on and off at you constantly when scrolling through something like Twitter; six seconds seemed much better suited.

Display

A massive 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display sits on the front with an impressive 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. This gives it a pixel density of 305ppi. It's a lovely looking display, but the choice of AMOLED rather than advanced LCD technology means it could be better.

AMOLED is characterised by deep blacks and nice vibrant colours, but things look over saturated - a common feature we associated with the technology. This doesn't matter too much, but set against the HTC One X, the latter phone exhibits better colour authenticity, with brighter, cleaner whites.

We suspect this is behind some of Samsung's UI decisions, as black backgrounds and simple bold icons suit this display better than the more detailed icons found in HTC Sense 4.

The colour fidelity isn't our greatest concern however: that goes to brightness. Auto brightness is in place, but at the top end it's not bright enough for us. Head outside on a sunny day and it doesn't cope quite as well as we'd like. It's not critical, because you can still do most things, but it was one of the most obvious and immediate things we noticed when using the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X together outdoors.

At least at the dimmest settings, the display doesn’t get as gravelly and mucky as the Galaxy Nexus.

To Samsung's credit, it has ensured that there is minimal wasted space between the actual surface of the display and the touch surface, so there is an obvious wow factor and impact when looking at it. This helps bring video and photos to life and both look excellent.

Controls

Placed around the body of the Samsung Galaxy S III you'll find all your typical controls, with a power/standby button on the right-hand side and the volume rocker on the left, as normal for the Samsung Galaxy S series. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top and a Micro-USB on the bottom.

But in terms of the main device controls, Samsung has bucked convention and this is one of the biggest differentiators for the new superphone.

The retention of a physical home button doesn't concern us, but the use of a menu button in the bottom touch controls means it doesn't toe the Android 4 line. Google outlined what Android should do, how apps should behave and lead the way with the Galaxy Nexus, but Samsung has decided to take its own route.

That's fine in a world where you have the freedom to do that you want, but if this is to be the biggest-selling device of 2012, a lot of people will experience Android 4 and Android 4 apps that don't work exactly as Google had originally intended. But it could be a really astute move from Samsung.

Where some apps - Facebook for example - have a bottom banner in Android 4 that offers the in-app menu button, it's not needed on the SGS3. The result is that in some Android 4-compliant apps, Samsung is giving you back some of the space that the native OS would want to take away.

It also means that in the three-button arrangement there is no dedicated "recent apps" button. Recent apps is Ice Cream Sandwich's approach to multitasking and here it is accessed via a long press on the home button, which works well enough.

Despite initial concerns that Samsung's decision to do its own thing would somehow detract from the Android experience when it came to control, we can't say it does. Recent apps is visually the same as Ice Cream Sandwich, despite the different access method.

Software and user interface

The small departure from native Android 4 runs through the SGS3 as Samsung has layered its own UI over the top, instantly recognisable from TouchWiz versions of the past.

Those who have owned the Samsung Galaxy S II, and there are a lot of you, will find it familiar and the tweaks and visual modifications that Samsung has made help continue that feeling that this is a Samsung experience, rather than just another Android phone.

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In some respects, the user interface is inoffensive, but in other regards, it doesn't look or feel as mature as HTC's Sense UI. We feel this is split down the middle. We prefer Samsung's menus, but we prefer HTC's home pages and apps tray. We'd happily live with either, but we feel there is still space to tweak and improve on both fronts.

The Samsung Galaxy S III offers you a run of customisable home screens, with a permanent launcher across the bottom. This has the apps tray button on the far right and you can't move it from this position. We'd rather it was central to better reflect the layout of native Android, but it's a minor point.

You can customise this launcher by dragging icons in and out to get the selection you want; you can't drag multiple icons on to each other in the launcher to create a folder, but you can create a folder of shortcuts on main area of the home screen and drag that into the launcher.

You get a wide range of lock screen options, including the ability to define unlock shortcut apps, as well as motion controls to instantly launch the camera, if you choose. All the normal security options are present as well as access to the drag down notifications bar.

We really like how Samsung has fleshed out notifications, now giving a huge run of hardware control shortcuts which let you get to the sorts of things you persistently need: Wi-Fi, GPS, mute, screen rotation lock, power saving mode toggle, notifications toggle, mobile data toggle, Bluetooth, driving mode and sync.

These shortcuts mean you can change everything on the fly with a swipe and a tap. Music controls also fall in here, along with the full goodness of Android 4's swipe away notifications.

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We mentioned motion control in relation to the shortcut camera launcher and motion control is somewhere that Samsung has gone into overload. New features are piled in to motion or gesture control which seems to form the backbone of a lot of what the Korean company sees as "natural interaction".

You can have alerts when you pick up the phone, motion controls to let you move shortcuts around the home screens and so on, but we can't help feeling that these get in the way of what you're likely trying to do. Personal choice, definitely, but we found it faster to have direct touch control: after all, that's already very good, as is the notifications system in Android, so many of the added extras feel superfluous.

We also suspect that the constant desire to detect motion adds to the battery drain, so we switched the whole lot off.

The app selection out of the box isn't over to top. You get things like Dropbox and Flipboard, as well as Samsung's AllShare Play and various media hubs, which we will deal with later, but otherwise the phone is surprisingly free of clutter. Samsung has tweaked the browser, contacts and calendar as you'd expect with some great results.

The browser is fast, with precise zooming and slick dragging of pages. It comes with all the ICS bells and whistles, offering desktop browsing, Flash support and so on. Another feature of the browser is its own brightness level, as the SGS2 had, so you might find you arrive at the browser and immediately have to open up the settings in order to see the thing.

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Multiple tabs are supported and easily accessed, with up to eight available at any one time. Incognito mode is offered too if you want to do something sneaky.

The latest keyboard is Samsung's tweaked version. The response is very good although the size of the keyboard in portrait might make it a struggle for some with smaller hands. We found it would accept a high rate of text entry, although the predictive system isn't as good as something like Swiftkey X, which we'd rather use.

Alternative characters are mostly hidden away, so it takes a little time to flit around and find everything you want.

Stability is always something we like to consider when examining a new phone and the Samsung Galaxy S III has been very reliable.

But there is one area of concern we found, which looks like a minor bug, and that's on device wake up:?We regularly found that it wouldn't respond to our unlock requests, so we couldn't get into the device. This seemed always to happen when the notification icons showed there was some data event occurring at the same time. On one occasion the phone crashed on the lock screen, requiring a battery pull, but otherwise the performance was universally slick and fast, aside from the occasional app crash.

S Voice: Talk that talk?

Samsung has moved to term everything with an "S". There's S Planner instead of calendar and S Suggest is the apps suggestion tool, which seems a little cumbersome, but fits with the naming for S Voice, Samsung's voice assistant.

It mirrors much of the functionality that Siri brought to the iPhone 4S and we suspect it will be used in much the same way: ignored by some, ridiculed by others and marginally useful elsewhere. S Voice is launched with a double press of the home button.

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S Voice will return some useful information, but will need a data connection to do so. Accessing things like the calendar, sorry S Planner, is useful as it will read the appointments back to you. We also managed to dictate SMS messages without too many issues, but navigating contacts with multiple numbers does seem to confuse it.

But S Voice won't always recognise what you are saying, especially with background noise. Trying to find a restaurant had us composing a message to "Alice". With time and patience it will do what you want it to, including launching apps, but like all voice control devices you'll have to work on your diction and stock phrases.

By contrast, we found that Google's own voice searching returned some faster and more accurate results than S Voice, especially when it came to local searching, so that's always worth remembering.

Media and entertainment

Samsung has chosen to group media into hubs, so you have a music hub (which doesn't work yet) and a video hub, as well as standalone players for each. The hubs are geared towards selling you content (at least Video Hub is) and in this world of Netflix and Google's own service, it might find itself redundant.

But the music and video players themselves are pretty good. We like the thumbnails of the videos and the fact that you can easily access media servers, although we found it struggled to access our home media server.? No matter, we turned to our perennial friend Skifta and had no problem finding and playing our video files.

Video playback looks fantastic and Samsung has introduced a clever new feature called Pop Up Play. This lets you play the video in a window so you can do something else - like read Twitter for example.

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On the music front you get easy access to change the equaliser settings to tailor the sound to your preference. The external speaker is reasonable, but sounds better facing up – remember that if the screen is awake and you flip the phone screen down as it will silence the music. Instead hit the standby button before you flip it. Plug in some decent headphones though and the SGS3 sounds fantastic.

There are wider options too: the Galaxy S III offers to share your content with connected devices, or with other Samsung users by using AllShare Cast and AllShare Play.

Cameras: Say cheese

There is an 8-megapixel camera on the rear of the SGS3 and a 1.9-megapixel unit on the front. You can easily swap between the two from within the camera app, if you want to take pictures of yourself.

But most of the action will come from using the rear camera, which includes a high degree of customisation to the camera interface. Samsung hasn't gone as far as HTC, and we think the minimalist HTC Sense camera interface is better, with less clutter on the display.

But there are heaps of options available, with fast autofocus and touch focusing, HDR (high dynamic range), panorama and other settings like Buddy Photo Share, which will detect faces and give you the option to share the pictures with the person included.

The results are decent too, with great natural colours. Focusing is well controlled and easy enough to tap on to a subject if standard autofocus isn't playing ball, so images stay sharp in good light. Image noise is apparent in low light, as is overall softening of shots, but that's to be expected. In summary, this is a camera that's better than average and we don't have much to complain about, particularly from a phone.

On the video front you get Full HD capture. Continuous autofocus and touch focus are again offered and the results are again decent, with plenty of detail. Focusing is much faster than the SGS2, so you'll get better video results from the new device than you did from the old one when filming moving subjects.

As an aside, we found some strange audio artefacts in video playback on a Mac, which weren't exhibited when the video was played on the device or after upload to YouTube - if you do experience this, don't panic, it might just be your computer.

Battery performance

The battery in a phone like the Samsung Galaxy S III is always going to be a hotly contested issue. Under that back cover you have a 2100mAh cell. That's a reasonable capacity, but obviously there is a huge display and lots of hardware drawing from it.

At first we were concerned that this would be a big stumbling point for the SGSIII and our early charges certainly seemed to reflect this. This isn't helped by our perception that the top 10 per cent of the charge seems to fall out of the phone within the first hour.

However, we managed to get the phone to see us through a full day of use without too much of a problem. On a busy business day out it survived with a short top up mid afternoon, seeing us through from 7am to 2am. It was a long day and we used it a lot.

However, an average weekend day saw the Galaxy S III through a Saturday and battery warnings only started just after 10pm. So battery is always going to depend on weight and type of usage to some degree.?

One of the key points here is the power-saving mode, which does seem to make a difference. This throttles the processor so you're not wasting power unnecessarily, as well as engaging a range of other features to make the device more efficient.

One is the dim power-saving view on the browser, which we're not huge fans of, but otherwise power saving doesn't detract from typical daily use. You might not want it on when playing a movie or when gaming, but for checking email and Twitter you won't lose out.

As mentioned, we also turned off a lot of the motion controls and things like Smart Stay, the latter which is supposed to detect eye movement to keep the screen on when you are reading - but we found it ineffective in our testing. Must be those crazy Pocket-Lint eyes.?

Unfortunately, Samsung's battery info doesn't seem to want to detail those apps that are drawing power significantly, which most other devices do.

So far from being a point of concern, we found the battery life to be almost reassuring. Yes, on a busy day it won't last, and yes, the screen takes a huge amount out of it but the best is yet to come: you can always carry a spare and you can't do that with the HTC One X. Or the iPhone. Or the Sony Xperia S. Or...

Verdict:

There is a lot to love about the Samsung Galaxy S III. As a premium flagship smartphone it has plenty going for it. The huge display, the power, the smooth and fast operation are all to its credit. Add to this the ability to change battery and expand storage and you've a very good package indeed.

Of course there are always areas that we might want an improvement: the display could be brighter for example, which is our biggest real gripe. We found some bugs with screen unlock and the Smart Stay feature designed to keep the screen on when reading never really worked for us.

In some areas, Samsung's user interface looks a little cartoony, but at the same time, when set it against the biggest rival, the HTC One X, there are things on both sides we'd change. Some of these are easy, because the Android app space is now matured and third party options for things like media servers or keyboards are easy to come by.

The Samsung Galaxy S III will undoubtedly do well and it deserves to: it's a fantastic phone. Android users should be smug: you have choices and whichever way your personal preference leads you, you'll get an excellent handset at the end of it.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III Android

Samsung Galaxy S III originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 14:28:00 +0100

Despite reports to the contrary, the BBC has told Pocket-lint that there are no plans to bring a BBC iPlayer app to Windows Phone.

The Inquirer had reported a Nokia spokesperson telling it that the app - which enables viewers to catch up on BBC shows they have missed as well as live TV - would shortly be arriving on the Windows Phone Marketplace.

However, when Pocket-lint spoke to the BBC its response suggested this was not the case at all.?

“BBC iPlayer is already on over 500 platforms and devices including Virgin Media, BT Vision, FreeSat, Freeview, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Wii, and hundreds of mobile phones, tablets and Internet-connected TVs,” said the BBC spokesman.??

“We are always looking at new and existing platforms to bring BBC iPlayer to, but have no plans to launch a BBC iPlayer native app in Windows Phone Marketplace in the immediate future.”

Microsoft has received criticism in the past for not having enough apps available on its platform.

News that an app that is already available on the iPhone, Android smartphones and BlackBerry devices, won’t be arriving on Windows Phone will only exacerbate the situation.

Tags: Apps Windows Phone BBC iPlayer

BBC iPlayer app on Windows Phone? Not according to the BBC originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 12:07:00 +0100

Ever wondered how the other half live? Well, today we got to find out, during a short acquaintance with Bentley’s newest car, the Mulsanne. A moment of context is needed here. Bentley’s sales have climbed from almost nothing in the past 15 years, thanks to the smaller Continental GT. The recently revised coupe, beloved of footballers (and their wives) the land over, gave the comfortably well-off easier access to the "flying B" than any of the large barges Bentley produced throughout the previous 70 years of its existence. At about ?100,000 the Conti GT’s combination of opulent luxury, comparative space, easy drive, power and badge cachet means they’ve flown out of the showroom.

The Mulsanne is the other, less well-known car in Bentley’s range. ?It's a car that, let’s just say, you’ll need to be doing rather better than the average Championship footballer to afford. It costs ?225,000 - well, we’ve rounded that up, but when you’re spending that much, what’s a few grand between friends?

This is a car you buy if you own land. You know, half of Scotland amounts of land – that kind of thing. And whereas the average Continental GT buyer might have a Range Rover alongside it in the garage, the person who buys the Mulsanne is likely to have a couple of other Bentleys, possibly a Ferrari or two, a garage full of classic cars and a yacht.

So how does it feel to live on the other side? Simply, like you’re king of all you survey. The whole experience of climbing aboard the Mulsanne is rather odd. Your eye sees a vast, luxury saloon car, but you almost step up, rather than in, to it. The seating position is half-way to SUV and from the driver’s seat you have an ocean-going liner’s worth of bonnet spread in front of you, with that flying B badge standing proud at its end.

Try not to be overawed by the vast expanses of stitched leather and walnut veneer inlays, because the reality is ?- though opulent - the Mulsanne’s not that intimidating to get going in. Just use the knurled aluminium knob to adjust the steering wheel to your chosen position, stab and hold the starter knob until the twin-turbo V8 whirs into life and then nudge the, totally normal, automatic gear shifter back into drive.Yet we actually think that "D" for drive on the gear knob’s somewhat mis-placed. You don’t "drive" a Mulsanne, you command it.

And it's commanding you’ll feel when you first prod the throttle fully into the shag-pile carpet. With a 6.7 litre, twin-turbo V8 under it, that huge bonnet rises its nose into the air with some alacrity. Give it the beans and suddenly 2.6-tonnes of Bentley is hurtling you toward the horizon at a quite obscene pace. The whole experience is slightly surreal and rather unlike anything else you normally experience in a car.

But we didn’t think it was fair to test this car properly without experiencing it as many owners will – from the back seat. Here, it eats the competition alive. Not only is there more room than you’ll find in a typical airline’s business class, there are all kinds of olde-worlde ashtray pots, mirrors and tables surrounding you. Gentleman’s club might be the clich? but behind the slabs of walnut in the centre console and seat back, you’ll discover your own heating and seat adjustment controls. In the centre console, you get two jacks for head phones, a bunch of SD card slots, a 12V port and a CD/DVD slot. It might be olde-worlde in appearance, but if you want your own back seat office hub, the Mulsanne’s clearly the place to provide it. And because the core tech looks like it’s come from Audi, it works very well and looks rather modern.

You might even be able to balance your netbook on the walnut table if it’s small enough. And when you’re done working, the back-of-headrest screens allow you to watch DVDs, listen to separate radio stations and different music from Perkins up front. It’s just a pity you have to control it with a remote that – although artfully stored in the cubby between the front seats - feels like the kind of thing that comes with a supermarket brand plasma screen.

Still, we reckon all that room out back’s wasted. If you ever get the chance, get in the driver’s seat of a Mulsanne and simply squeeze that giant milled throttle into the carpet and hold it there - we dare you. Because as that B-emblazoned nose barrels you towards the horizon, you’ll feel like king of the world, and everyone should experience that once in their life, even if it’s just for a day.

Tags: Car And GPS Bentley Bentley Mulsanne

Bentley Mulsanne pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 11:56:00 +0100

Clip the Sportiiiis heads up display to your glasses and you’ll be able to monitor your fitness levels as you work out.

Fitness fanatics will be able to monitor their?heart rate, speed (when running or cycling), power, cadence and pace with a visual display that sits right before their eyes at the bottom of the glasses lenses,?so you still have full vision of what’s in front of you.?

Should you begin to fall below your target or overexert yourself, the multi-coloured LED boom will change according to your BPM, flashing red if you're not trying hard enough, yellow if you're working too hard or settling on green when you’re in your designated “zone”.

With an audio feedback that can be accessed by simply tapping the side of the device, the Sportiiiis device provides runners and cyclists with a "personal coach" that helps them enhance their performance.

While it might not have the clout of Google’s augmented reality specs, Project Glass, the Sportiiiis (pronounced Sports-eyes) ?is available now, at a reduced rate of $149 from www.4iiii.com.

Tags: Sports Fitness Sports Fitness equipment Running Cycling

Sportiiiis glasses give visual feedback for fitness fanatics originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 11:28:00 +0100

LG has raised the smartphone display stakes by unveiling a 5-inch full-HD LCD panel that makes the iPhone 4S and the new Samsung Galaxy S3 look fuzzy by comparison.?

The new technology - which?has a 440ppi, if you are wondering - means LG’s display has more pixels per inch than both the iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S III on a screen bigger than both.?

The LCD panel uses Advanced High Performance In-Plane Switching (AH-IPS) technology with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. This equates to the kind of full-HDTV experience you get on a television, only on a 5-inch display smartphone.?

The likes of Samsung and Apple, which have enjoyed rave reviews for their HD Super AMOLED (Samsung Galaxy S III) and Retina Displays (iPhone 4S), will be paying particular attention to LG’s announcement.

The quality of a phone’s screen has become even more important as we consume more multimedia content through our devices and manufacturers are all slowly opting for bigger screens as a result. With LG leapfrogging them in terms of quality of displays, both Samsung and Apple are sure to be working on improving their own offerings.

For the time being it would appear LG is top dog when it comes to smartphone display bragging rights, even though the tech has yet to make it into one of the company's phones.

LG's 5-inch full-HD LCD display is scheduled to arrive in the second half of 2012.

Tags: Phones LG Displays Retina display Super AMOLED HD LCD

LG full HD LCD display promises bigger and crisper phone screens originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 10:34:00 +0100

Facebook has hired a number of former Apple employees to work on a new Facebook phone codenamed “Buffy”.

The New York Times says “more than half a dozen former Apple software and hardware engineers who worked on the iPhone, and one who worked on the iPad”, have been hired by Mark Zuckerberg to work on the project.?

According to one Facebook employee, Zuckerberg is concerned that by not producing a Facebook smartphone the social network will “simply become an app on other mobile platforms”. The company was previously said to be working closely with HTC over project "Buffy"?and though that collaboration may still happen, it now appears Facebook could also be looking at producing hardware itself.

Would a Facebook phone really be anything new? Both INQ and HTC have issued their own “Facebook” phones in the past in the shape of the INQ1 and HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa respectively.

What's more, with Facebook coming preinstalled as an app on nearly every smartphone it’s unclear as to what new attributes an actual Facebook phone would bring to the mix.

Perhaps a new Facebook phone ties in with the news that the company is looking to buy Opera Software, which could in turn create a new mobile platform exclusive to the handset.

Whatever the speculation as to what a Facebook phone may or may not mean, Zuckerberg is said to be aiming to bring project “Buffy” to fruition by 2013.

Read

Tags: Phones Facebook Mark Zuckerberg Social networks Opera

Facebook working on its own smartphone - out next year claims NY Times originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 09:44:00 +0100

The Olympic Games coming to London is a subject that has become a topic of conversation and consternation for may.

The hype, the expected inconvenience, the politics and the sheer cost are what get people most animated.

But none of that has dampened the excitement of people the length and breadth of the country, if the scenes shown at bbc.co.uk/torchrelay are anything to go by.

The Olympic Torch Relay is in Wales today, leaving the town of Aberystwyth and heading to Bangor.

Thousands of people are lining the streets to catch a glimpse of sporting history as those chosen to carry the flame pass through their streets.

Regardless of what you think of the Games themselves, and all that comes with them, you can't escape the sense of occasion as the historic flame heads takes it's meandering route to the nation's capital.

The 'torch cam' is well worth following to see just what a storm the relay is causing.

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: BBC Torch Cam originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 May 2012 01:00:00 +0100

Nokia has confirmed to Pocket-lint that it will be selling a limited-edition Nokia Lumia 900?at Phones4U in the UK very shortly.

The new phone, like the extremely limited-edition Batman Nokia Lumia 800, will come in black and have the Batman logo laser etched into the polycarbonate body of the Window Phone 7 handset.?

Nokia hasn't said how limited the new phone will be, but after a candid chat with the phone manufacturer on Friday afternoon, we get the impression that there won't be many ?- so if you are interested, you need to be quick.

Read our Nokia Lumia 900 review

The new phone will go on sale in the UK, Germany, France and a few other European destinations in the coming weeks.

Although not confirmed for the Lumia 900 version, the Batman Lumia 800 smartphone came?in a custom box, with the glossy Batman logo sitting on the matte background. We suspect the Batman Lumia 900 will get the same treatment.?Sadly we don't yet know pricing details.

We will keep you posted.

Tags: Phones Nokia Nokia Lumia 900 Nokia Lumia 800 Batman

Batman Nokia Lumia 900: Limited edition phone heading to UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 23:36:00 +0100

You've gone to work, but forgotten that crucial presentation, which is sitting on your home computer waiting to have its day in the spotlight, unaware that it will never come. Well, panic not, because with Wyse PocketCloud Remote, you can simply "dial" in to your home computer, from your Android phone or tablet, and send the file as an attachment.

It works with Windows - via Remote Desktop - and on Mac and Linux machines that have a VNC-based server installed. It might sound like mumbo jumbo, but if you've ever needed to get files off a computer, or access one remotely, it can be a lifesaver.

Wyse PocketCloud Remote

Format

Android

Price

Free (?9.99 for pro version)

Where

Google Play

Of course, the biggest problem with an remote desktop app is that you need the target machine to be turned on. There are some technologically advanced ways of doing this, but it's a lot easier if you leave your machine on. We do this, because our desktop PC acts as a media server in the evenings and is in use as a business computer for most of the day.

What Wyse PocketCloud does is allow you to access any Windows Vista or 7 machine that has the RDP server available. The bad news is, this only applies to Windows 7 Ultimate and some of the business versions of the OS. If you don't have RDP built-in, then there are VNC servers available that work nearly as well.

PocketCloud has been well-designed too. With other RDP apps we've tried it can be a very frustrating process getting the destination computer to do much. The keyboard is good enough, although on a phone, it fills the screen so much, seeing the desktop can be hard work.

Performance is brilliant over Wi-Fi, especially on the same network, but 3G speeds are tolerable and we've certainly had our computer do some pretty advanced stuff while we've been out and about on the road.

We love the custom navigation circle, which you can optionally turn on, because it allows you more accuracy than you'd normally get by stabbing at a touch screen, hoping to hit the right spot. It's much like using a traditional mouse and it's essential for making fine changes to important files, where you don't want to be ham-fisted.

Although this app is free, the limitations are pretty reasonable. You can add only one computer, so additional connections will mean you need to download the original. It's not a big deal for most home users, and business users or IT managers will want the extra security the "pro" version affords.

PocketCloud Remote won't appeal to all, but for those who need an app to control their computer from afar, this is by far the best app we've used.

Tags: App of the day Apps Android apps Wyse PocketCloud Remote

APP OF THE DAY: Wyse PocketCloud Remote (Android) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 20:36:00 +0100

After Nikon’s D90, it felt like the crown of video would go to that firm. But, surprisingly, it was Canon that swooped in, and hoovered up the newly established video-from-SLR market. The D90 was never able to produce video sufficient for professional use, but with the original 5D, Canon made incredible progress.

Movies and TV shows are frequently shot, at least in part, on Canon SLRs. Their use is common in certain areas - the TV series 24 made use of multiple SLRs mounted to cars. Footage from this is used for special effects shots, and dubbed on later via a green screen setup. The series House famously shot one season finale on a 5D II. The episode featured a lot of footage in cramped locations where a full-size camera just wouldn’t have been practical. So, it’s fair to say that Canon has made SLR-based video its own.

So, with this, most recent addition to the family – the 5D II remains a current model, at least for now – Canon has played it safe. There’s no ground-up redesign here, and that’s fine, because unlike Nikon, Canon already has video licked.

It's worthwhile mentioning that this is not at 5D vs D800 piece. Obviously though, comparisons between the two are inevitable, so you'll find quite a few in this review.

Design

In the timeless, and some might argue, tedious debate between Nikon and Canon, the layout is king. There are, for sure, some things that Canon does very well. We like, for example, the LCD info screen on the top right of the camera. There’s more room here than on Nikon’s D800, and it seems easier to read too.

Surrounding the LCD are buttons for adjusting some of the most common features. Canon, more than Nikon seems to live in this area with most of the camera’s important controls resting here. Canon has opted for only a single rotary dial for adjusting the various settings. Here, a series of clearly marked buttons allows you to select the adjustment you’d like to make. By default the top dial will adjust the shutter speed, while the rear dial, allows you to adjust the aperture. On our camera, the "star" button was mapped to allow the top dial to adjust the iris too, which worked well for us. This system is, in our view, less simple than on the D800. Nikon prefers to have dual dials, one of which adjusts the shutter, the other aperture. While we prefer the Nikon setup, the Canon method works fine, and it’s quite simple to train yourself to switch.

One of Canon's trademarks though, is the large dial wheel on the back of the camera. This is a brilliant way of navigating through photos and to some extent menus. We did find that when selecting things in the Canon's well-designed menu system it's not that logical. You can scroll through items in one menu, but you need to use the little clicker button next to it in order to move around.

One of the areas that Canon’s video emphasis comes through is via the large, widescreen LCD on the rear of the camera. A wide aspect ratio on a full-frame SLR is odd, but it works fine and we never really struggled with it, even for stills. Of course, it is better for video, but honestly, stills are better shot through the 5D’s beautiful, bright viewfinder, which boasts 100 per cent coverage.

Like Nikon, Canon has refused to provide an articulated screen on the 5D. This is frustrating, because for video work – and stills, in some circumstances – it’s useful to be able to move the screen. Pros don’t like articulated screens though, and are prepared to pay extra for HD monitors or electronic viewfinders. If you’re a low budget filmmaker, might find this annoying, but at least there’s HDMI out, which you can connect to a lot of external monitors.

We also lament the lack of built-in flash. A Canon spokesperson tells us that flash units make it harder to weather seal an SLR. We totally understand that, and we also understand that most professionals will never use a built-in flash. Our problem is, these things are incredibly helpful when you're out and about. Take a photo in bright sunlight, and the built-in flash can lift shadows out and make for a nice, balanced image. It can also help you get out of a tough position indoors, especially if you reduce the power and diffuse the light through a bit of paper or masking tape.

Low-light performance

There is no doubt in our mind on this one, the 5D III is the class leader in low light performance.

In high ISO photos at 3200 there is so little noise in images that it hardly needs to be mentioned. In our tests, we shot in a gloomy, underground garage and outside in the darkness of the south of France at midnight. Shots are superb, with plenty of detail, and dark regions are conspicuous for their lack of image noise. At no point were we able to confuse the camera into producing a bad low-light shot. In the Nikon D800, at times, we were able to produce photos that had overwhelming noise. This wasn't standard with that camera, but a couple of our shots were ruined by random noise.

Push the camera above ISO 3200 and you'll start to see some image noise, but the thing is, it's much nicer than the usual digital speckling. Here, there is a very film-esq grain to the photos shot at high ISO. This is very pleasing indeed, and sells us a lot more on this camera, if you're likely to use it a lot in low light.

Of course, this continues to be an emotive and long-running discussion. On the face of it, Canon has managed something remarkable here, but it has done so by not taking many sensor-related risks, but while enjoying the new faster image processor technology it is developing. That said, this is a new sensor, and it is clearly an?incredible?piece of technology.?

Image quality

First off, we have to say that the 5D is a superb camera, producing some utterly beautiful results.

We took a look at both raw and jpeg images, and compared how both perform. In our view, both have plenty of detail, accurate and powerful colour and pleasing contrast. Out of the camera, there were times when we felt that the processing on jpeg images wasn't perfect. Take, for example, this picture of a baby bird.

In the example above, you'll see that the image looks good, for the most part, but has had a lot of processing done to remove noise - which you can see in the raw version below - but in so doing, the camera has artificially sharpened the image, which has led to quite a bit of artifacting.

This isn't to say you'll see this on every photograph, as this demo shot was taken in quite a dark, shaded area, and so there's probably more noise creeping in than you'd expect for an outdoor shot. Even so, it's worth remembering this when you're choosing how to capture photographs.

Over the course of two weeks, we've shot more than 1000 photographs with the 5D, in a variety of locations and we honestly can't find any problems. Of course, we were supplied with some pretty high-end Canon lenses, so it's worth remembering the importance of good glass when you're setting aside money to buy this camera.?

Superb LCD screen

The 5D boasts one of the best LCD screen on any camera. It has well over 1 million pixels, and produces a good, bright image which is visible both indoors and out. It's interesting that, for video - where you are forced to use the screen - these extra pixels don't make a huge difference to focusing the camera manually. Auto focus, of course, works for both video and stills with the screen on, but in video mode it's too slow and hunts around too much.?

Continuous shooting, battery life and autofocus?

One of the striking things about the 5D is how responsive it feels. More so than almost any other SLR we've used, the combination of the six frames per second shooting speed, nippy auto focus and decent image buffer all make for a plesant shooting experience.?

As much as we loved using the D800, the write buffer was a bit of a bad joke. Those massive 36.6-megapixel images soon caused the camera to choke - when writing high-quality jpeg plus a raw file - and we spent a decent amount of time waiting for the camera to empty its buffer before we could do anything. The Canon needs to write less data, so it's faster. We never had a problem with it being so backed up that we couldn't carry on shooting. Something that happened a few times on the Nikon.

As you can imagine, focus speed is critical in a professional camera. Happily, the Canon is brilliant in this regard too. In fact, we'll stick our neck out and say in actual day-to-day use it beats pretty much every other SLR we've used. Getting the focus system to lock on happens incredibly quickly, and the 61-point system is more than enough for us

Battery life is also good, there's no real reason to worry about getting through a day's worth of photos, and some video. We used the camera loads over three weeks, but charged it quite?infrequently. Video will use more power, but it's still a pretty decent power supply. Intensive users will want to have a couple of spare batteries about, but these are hardly expensive in comparison with the camera.?

Video

Recording modes for video are fairly standard. If you need slow motion later, or want to record fast action, then you can put the camera in 720/50p (or 60p, if you’re shooting for a 60Hz country) and gain the ability to slow footage down by 50 per cent, to 25fps in post-production.

If you need full-on HD, then there are 1080p video modes of 24 and 25fps (or 30fps for 60Hz countries). While this will cover use for anything up to, and including, broadcast use, we do think it’s a shame that Canon hasn’t got some full HD at higher frame rates. A 1080/50p mode would really but the 5D over the D800.

Canon has radically changed its downscaling method too. Previously, this was accused of being a little rough around the edges, but in our tests we found video looked fantastic. Colour is perhaps the most impressive, because it's blessed with realistic tones. Detail is good too, although at times we felt that the image looked like it had been artificially sharped, this was noticeable on hard edges. Curiously, the overall image doesn't seem to be especially sharp.

It's also fair to say that based on purely subjective testing, we much preferred the quality of video out of the D800. That's not to say that that camera has problems, because it does, but in purely emotional terms, the video is slightly warmer from the D800, and has an overall sharpness that feels very natural.

And it is here, once again, that we accept that professional movie-makers may have very different feelings. And Canon has to be commended on consistency. As with low-light performance, there are times when the Nikon gets confused with colour balance in video. The Canon is far more consistent, and there for - presumably - far less work in post production to get a uniform colour grading.

We also need to take time to mention rolling shutter. This is the oft-mentioned problem, where vertical lines will appear to have a jelly-like constitution when you move the camera quickly from left to right.?

There are very few times when this will be a problem for most people. The biggest issue we've seen, is when shooting in strobe lighting, or with camera flashes en masse. If you shoot things that have flashing lights of this nature, then switch to a different camera - you'll get no joy from a CMOS-based SLR. For normal pans, rolling shutter is now a non-issue. In order to see it, you need to pan so rapidly, and generally back and forth, that you would never use that effect in any video. Here, it's really never noticeable unless you test the camera to see if it has rolling shutter. In those circumstances, you'll see it, of course. But with the limitations of 24 and 25fps progressive video, shooting things like that will give you unmanageable blur anyway, so rolling shutter is likely to be the least of your worries.

So, if you were worried about rolling shutter, stop. It's not a big deal.

What is a big deal, especially for TV and film production, is the lack of clean HDMI output from the 5D. This is used by professionals to bypass the camera's built in codec, and bitrate limitations, and feed video in to an external SSD or memory card. The D800 allows this - although you need to remove all the memory cards to get it to do 1080p - and it's therefore likely to be more suitable for TV production. This is because broadcasters like the BBC and Sky ask for 50MB/s data rates, and neither the 5D or D800 can capture at those rates internally. Mostly, they max-out at less than 30MB/s This is not a reflection on the Canon's codec though, which is very good, but rather a comment on using these cameras for as many and as diverse uses as possible.

Also helpful, is the inclusion of a microphone input and headphone jack. The headphone socket is perfect, and will help users ensure they are capturing the best sound. The microphone jack is fine, although for high-end use it would be preferable to have an XLR socket. Of course, on an SLR this is impossible because of size. Either way, these are two sockets you really want on a video-capable SLR, and here they both are.

Verdict:

As with the Nikon D800, there’s little bad to say about the latest 5D. This does feel like a camera aimed at the film-maker, but at no point does it ever feel that Canon has compromised on the quality of stills it produces. Indeed, our first instinct is to say that, for jpeg images, out of the camera, we prefer the Canon. There is, of course, more to the quality than just a first glance at the jpeg file though.

We think that the D800 produces nicer video out of the camera. Again though, professionals like the 5D. It has a quality that is very easy to work with in post production, and grade to the level of the rest of your material. Having said that, the 5D lacks a clean feed out of its HDMI socket. This is a bit of a problem, and Canon should really have addressed it by now. Of course, the firm now sells a video-only rig, the C300, which is more capable of producing video for pro markets.

We like the way the 5D handles, it's a well-built camera, and it's great to use. It's fast to shoot lots of frames in sequence, which puts it over the D800 with its more massive images. In terms of layout, and design, the only bit we really want to change is the lack of dedicated control for aperture control, two wheels would really have made our day here.

Tags: Cameras Canon Canon 5D mark III Canon 5D DSLR cameras

Canon EOS 5D MK III originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 18:41:00 +0100

Google has announced the launch of the latest version of Android: Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, in Hong Kong on Wednesday - and with it the shiny new Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

That’s all very well and good, but when is it coming to your Android smartphone? Will the smartphone in your hands be getting an upgrade to enjoy some of the new features such as Face Unlock and the new Roboto font?

Google on Ice Cream Sandwich

Hugo Barra, product management director of Android, has said that the aim is to get Nexus S running Android 4.0 shortly after the release of the Galaxy Nexus device but that the original Google-branded Nexus One is just too old to come to the party.

Samsung?on Ice Cream Sandwich

Samsung Italy has confirmed that the update is coming - but possibly not until Q2 2012. Ice Cream Sandwich will hit its high-end devices including the Galaxy S II, the Galaxy Note, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Galaxy Tab 8.9, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus at about the same time.

Samsung Norway has recently confirmed that the update for the Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note will be arriving by the end of Q1, so we make that March.

UPDATE: The Samsung Galaxy S won't be getting the Ice Cream Sandwich update

UPDATE 2: The Nexus S did get the Android 4.0 update, however shortly afterwards Google halted the rollout of the Android 4.0 update for the Nexus S as users started to report problems with the mobile phone's battery.

UPDATE 3:?Samsung Israel has revealed that Ice Cream Sandwich updates will begin next week on 15 March. Speaking via its Facebook page, it said:?"We promised that we are working about that. You have waited patiently. And it's coming in March 15: Android version 4, ICS, for tens of thousands of the Galaxy S2 owners that purchased it from the cellular company in Israel or directly from us. We are very excited in here towards the launch, hope that you too :)"

UPDATE 4: Samsung issued the following statement on its official blog: ?"The upgrade will begin in European countries including Poland, Hungary, Sweden, as well as Korea today and gradually roll out to other markets. Android 4.0 ICS software upgrade for Galaxy Note, Galaxy SII LTE, Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1 will follow soon."

UPDATE 5: In a specific statement to Pocket-lint Samsung has said:?“Samsung UK can confirm that the roll out of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) on Galaxy S II will be available from week commencing 19 March. However, the availability of software upgrades in the UK will be dependent upon each network’s own software approvals process.”

UPDATE 6:?The ICS update for the Samsung Galaxy S II has now started in the UK. Three customers should have it on their phone by now, Orange has issued the following statement:

"We know you're all looking forward to the ICS update. We can confirm that it is being worked on for the Galaxy SII but we don't have a release date at the moment.?We will tweet when we have more information or when we get information on other handset updates.?^Andy"

UPDATE 7: We've created a separate story detailing?the?Samsung Galaxy S II Ice Cream Sandwich Update.

UPDATE 8:?Reports came out on from the US and Germany on 10 May that Samsung Galaxy Notes were being updated to Android 4.0, but there's still no sign of Ice Cream Sandwich for the massive device in the UK.

HTC on Ice Cream Sandwich

The official line from HTC to Pocket-lint is:?"We are excited about the latest update for Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, and are currently reviewing its features and functionality to determine our upgrade plans. Our goal for Android updates is to give every customer an improved user experience, which means balancing each phone's unique hardware, HTC Sense experience and the Android kernel.

"While our goal is to upgrade as many of our recent devices as possible, we are committed to maintaining every phone's performance and usability first. Please stay tuned for more updates on specific device upgrade plans."

UPDATE: HTC has confirmed the following:?"HTC has been working hard to get its?Ice Cream Sandwich?upgrades ready, and we’re excited to announce that?our first round of ICS upgrades will roll out by the end of March for the HTC Sensation and?HTC Sensation XE, followed soon thereafter by the HTC Sensation XL."?

There is also hope for HTC EVO 3D,?HTC Incredible S,?HTC Desire S and HTC Desire HD owners, with the company confirming that although they won't be getting the ICS update in March, they will be getting the update at some point in 2012.

"In addition, we can confirm Ice Cream?Sandwich upgrades will be coming later this year to the?HTC EVO 3D,?HTC Incredible S,?HTC Desire S and HTC Desire HD. Stay tuned for more updates on Ice?Cream Sandwich releases in the coming weeks," adds HTC.

UPDATE 2: HTC has started its European trial of the?HTC Sensation XE Ice Cream Sandwich?update to a limited number of users before a wider rollout becomes available. Read our?HTC Sensation XE Ice Cream Sandwich pictures and hands-on.

UPDATE 3: The roll-out to Sensation and Sensation XE handsets has now begun, with many owners getting the upgrade over the next two weeks (from 14 March). HTC has also revealed that another UK handset to get the upgrade will be the HTC Ryhme.

UPDATE 4: We are getting early reports that the HTC Sensation XE update has hit the UK.

UPDATE 5: A time scale for the HTC smartphones that are still to be updated has now been revealed. It reveals that the HTC Desire S will get it between June and July; HTC Desire HD, July to August; HTC EVO 3D, June - July; HTC Incredible S, June - July; and the HTC Sensation XL, before the end of June.

The company has also admitted that all devices with a 512MB ROM will not be getting the update at all, including?the "HTC ChaCha, HTC Salsa, HTC Wildfire S, HTC Explorer, and others". HTC tablets will also remain on their current Android version (Honeycomb).

Sony Ericsson / Sony on Ice Cream Sandwich

The official line from Sony Ericsson to Pocket-lint is:?"Sony Ericsson is currently rolling out the upgrade to Gingerbread 2.3.4 across its entire 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio. This software upgrade will be available through a phased roll out in select markets. Beyond Gingerbread 2.3.4, we plan to upgrade our 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio to the next Android platform made available to us.

"Official Sony Ericsson communication regarding software upgrades will be published on http://blogs.sonyericsson.com."

UPDATE: Sony Ericsson has confirmed on 15 November 2011 that it will be bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to it's 2011 range.?

"There have been a few questions here on the blog and in our support forums regarding our upgrade plans beyond Gingerbread. We can today confirm that we plan to upgrade the entire 2011 Xperia portfolio to the next version of Android known as Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich," it said.

"We are working on merging our current Xperia experience with the new features in Android 4.0. More detailed information regarding this upgrade, timing and global availability will be communicated in due course here on the blog."

The 2011 Xperia Portfolio is the Xperia arc and arc S, Xperia PLAY, Xperia neo and neo V, Xperia mini and mini pro, Xperia pro, Xperia active, Xperia ray as well as Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman.

UPDATE 2: Pocket-lint has heard that the Sony Ericsson / Sony range will be getting the update in Q2. So that's basically between April and June (inclusive).

UPDATE 3: Sony has detailed the updates a little more, but still not nailed a date, other than to confirm that the roll-out for the Xperia Arc S, Neo V and Ray will be first in line, starting in mid-April.

Following this, the Xperia Arc, Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, Xperia Mini, Xperia Mini Pro, Xperia Pro, Xperia Active and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman will get their update around the end of May/beginning of June.

There is still no word on the update to Sony's newest phone, the Xperia S.

Sony has added that the updates will be via cable only, i.e., you'll have to plug your phone into your computer, rather than it being an OTA update.

UPDATE 4: Sony Ericsson has issued the following on its blog on the 13 April:

"Starting from today (13th April), we’re beginning the?Sony software upgrade?including the uplift to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for our 2011 Xperia smartphones.

"The software will initially be made available for Xperia arc S, Xperia neo V?and Xperia ray for consumers in Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Norway.

"Following on, Xperia arc, Xperia PLAY, Xperia neo, Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia pro, Xperia active and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman will receive their scoop starting from the end of May/early June."

No word on a UK or US release date for the update.

UPDATE 5: Although Sony officially said that its Xperia S handset should start getting Ice Cream Sandwich updates from late May, early June, it has been attributed to an over zealous employee. Unfortunately, its update won't be arriving until the latter part of Q2 - end of June at the earliest.

UPDATE 5: Sony Ericsson announced through its blog on 25 May that the?Xperia arc, Xperia neo, Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia pro, Xperia active and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman would all be receiving an update to Ice Cream Sandwich from the first week of June.

However, the Sony Xperia PLAY will not receive an update as Sony has "concluded that a consistent and stable experience, particularly with gaming, cannot be guaranteed for this smartphone on Ice Cream Sandwich."

Asus on Ice Cream Sandwich

"Asus Eee Pad Transformer will be getting update to ICS - but we can’t provide a schedule at this stage," Asus told Pocket-lint, making it the first Ice Cream Sandwich tablet. Asus has subsequently confirmed that Ice Cream Sandwich will be rolled out to the Eee Pad Transformer following the update to the Eee Pad Transformer Prime on 12 January 2012.

UPDATE: The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Asus Transformer is now out. On Asus's Facebook page the company says: "Many of our Eee Pad Transformer TF101 users have waited patiently for the promised Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update and we are delighted to announce that the first wave of FOTA updates for TF101 firmware v.9.2.1.11 started today in Taiwan. The update will FOTA in other regions soon after."

LG on Ice Cream Sandwich

The official statement to Pocket-lint from LG is:?"LG is committed to offering the best smartphone experience on our Android?Optimus phones. We are currently reviewing the latest Android OS release?and will be making a decision with our carrier partners on a rollout?schedule. Specific phone models and timing of updates will be posted on?relevant local websites or at www.lg.com."

Although Unofficial reports came in that LG would not be updating the LG Optimus 2X to Ice Cream Sandwich the company was keen to debunk these on Facebook, stating:?"LG firmly denies the rumours that claim LG will not be providing the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) OS update for the LG Optimus 2X. These rumours are NOT true.

"LG is currently in the process of planning the ICS OS update for the LG Optimus 2X as well as other LG high-end smartphones. Detailed information on the ICS OS update schedule for specific models will be announced, once the ICS OS is publicly released by Google. Please stay tuned for more updates from LG."

UPDATE:?According to LG's Facebook page, LG will begin rolling out the ICS Android 4.0 update between April and September 2012.

"LG will be offering the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) OS upgrade for a range of LG smartphones which were introduced this year," LG said via Facebook. "The global upgrade schedule will begin in the second and third quarters of 2012, which will be followed by a global roll out.

"During the second quarter of 2012 upgrades will begin for the following smartphone models: the LG Optimus LTE, Prada phone by LG 3.0, the LG Optimus 2X, the LG Optimus Sol, the LG my Touch Q and the LG Eclipse.

However owners of phones such as the Optimus Black and the Optimus 3D will have to wait until some time after July for the ICS update:

"These upgrades will be followed by upgrades for the following smartphone models during the third quarter of 2012: the LG Optimus 3D, the LG Optimus Black, the LG Optimus Big, the LG Optimus Q2 and the LG Optimus EX," the company said.

Motorola on Ice Cream Sandwich

Having introduced the new Android superphone to assembled European journalists, Alain Mutricy, senior vice-president portfolio and product management, candidly referred to Google's Hong Kong announcement in which Ice Cream Sandwich?was launched.?

Mutricy highlighted that although the Motorola RAZR had been designed for, and will be launching on, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the company has a plan in place to update the phone to Ice Cream Sandwich at the "start of 2012".

UPDATE: The company has now confirmed that the?Motorola RAZR and Xoom?among the Droid Bionic and US version of the RAZR will be getting the Ice Cream Sandwich update.?

UPDATE 2: Motorola has now said for UK readers, the first Motorola devices to get Ice Cream Sandwich will be the Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi-only, the Xoom Family Edition and the Motorola RAZR. Rollouts will begin sometime between March and May.

Then the wait begins.

For Motorola Xoom 2 customers, you'll have to wait until the summer to get your update. Motorola is saying the update is in development and that it is working to get it out for some time in Q3. That's June to August, for those who care.

After that it's anyone's guess of when or if you'll get the update. Devices in that pile for UK readers include the Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi and 3G model, The Motorola Atrix and even the newly announced MotoLuxe and Motorola Pro+.

Motorola has also confirmed that if you own a Defy Mini, a Defy+, Milestone 2, Milestone, Defy MB525, Charm, Flipout, Milestone XT720, Backflip or Dext you won't be getting any updates. The version of Android you currently have is the version you are stuck with.

Viewsonic on Ice Cream Sandwich

The official line from from Derek Wright, ViewSonic European marketing manage,r to Pocket-lint is: "Within ViewSonic we are committed to delivering a great out of box experience with our tablet and phone products.

"The V350, 7e, 10e are our latest products to be announced as value propositions, all featuring Viewscene 3D the visual aspect of Android does not alter so much for the different versions of Android. We are currently evaluating ICS features that overlap with Viewscene 3D and how we best continue to deliver this to consumers as soon as we can without compromising the experience to consumers,"

ZTE, Acer, Dell, Huawei, and the rest?on Ice Cream Sandwich

So far none of the companies has confirmed whether or not they will be bring Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) to their smartphones currently available on the market.

Tags: Phones Tablets Google Ice Cream Sandwich Motorola LG Samsung HTC Sony Ericsson ZTE Huawei Inq Dell Acer Viewsonic Features Sony

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich: When is it coming to my phone? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 18:32:54 +0100

We're offering Pocket-lint readers the chance to win a fantastic limited-edition Star Wars Kinect Xbox 360 bundle.

Become a true Jedi with the new Xbox 360 Limited Edition Kinect Star Wars console, featuring a custom design and sounds from R2-D2, a C-3PO inspired wireless controller, an all-white Kinect sensor, a copy of the Kinect Star Wars game and C-3PO downloadable content.

Kinect Star Wars allows fans physically to hone their Jedi skills, wield the power of the Force in their hands, pilot ships and vehicles, rampage as a vicious Rancor monster or even dance with iconic Star Wars characters.?

To enter simply head over to our dedicated competition page and answer one simple Star Wars-related question.

May the Force be with you!

Tags: Competitions Xbox 360 Star Wars Kinect

WIN: Limited Edition Star Wars Kinect Xbox 360 bundle originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 18:13:00 +0100

Google’s Project Glass eyewear has taken yet another step in becoming a reality after a video shot through the glasses was posted on the company’s Google+ account.

Before you get too excited, the video clip is only 15 seconds long and the type of technology we can expect from the augmented reality glasses is still limited to that advert Google released earlier in the year.?

However, it does suggest that the pair Google CEO Larry Page was recently photographed wearing could indeed have been a prototype pair rather than a mere dummy model.?

What we do know from the latest video clip is that it was recorded in 720P and that the person wearing the glasses is a dab hand at trampolining.

Larry Page is not the only Google employee to have been snapped wearing the glasses, with Sergey Brin posing for photos while wearing the glasses in April.

You can watch the video shot by Google’s Project Glass specs below.?

Read

Tags: Google Project Glass Google Augmented Reality Larry Page Sergey Brin

Google's Project Glass Augmented Reality specs in first video sample originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 17:50:00 +0100

Hot on the heals of its special Union Jack edition, Pure has further expanded its Evoke Mio DAB and FM radio range by introducing six new colour schemes. Already available in noir (black), teal, grape and cherry, the quality device will also soon be come in pepper, mustard, paprika, sage, rose and seagrass too.

Subtle and elegant, the colours have been chosen because they are "on-trend". Designers have already complimented the company for its choices. And Pocket-lint was particularly fond of the mustard version, which sported a biege/yellow front and back, when we got up close to it in a gorgeous coffee shop just off London's trendy Carnaby Street.

In terms of the technology inside, these new editions are identical to the others we've reviewed in the past. They will tune into and play all digital and FM radio stations, feature an auxilarary input for an MP3 player, iPod, iPhone or the like, and have a an alarm and kitchen timer mode.

The display is an auto-dimming OLED panel, and the radio can be programmed with up to 30 presets.

Out of the box, the Pure Evoke Mio comes with a power pack, plug and cable, but an optional ChargePAK is available for an extra ?34.99.

Each of the new collection will be available from June for ?129.99 a pop.

Tags: Pure Audio DAB Radios Pure Evoke Mio

Pure expands Evoke Mio range with 6 new colours (pictures) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 17:14:00 +0100

DFS is selling its Trophy Cuddler Audio Sofa for ?699, half it’s usual retail price, for a limited time only. Before you close this window thinking Pocket-lint has lost its mind, hear us out.

This is no ordinary sofa. No sir. With a built-in iPod and iPhone dock in the arm of the sofa and two embedded speakers and subwoofer, you and your partner can enjoy your music without ever needing to get up from the sofa.

It’s not just Apple products that can be played through the Trophy Cuddler Audio Sofa either. There’s also a USB port, auxiliary port, SD card slot and Bluetooth connectivity.

The "cuddlier" aspect refers to the fact that you can comfortably fit two people on the sofa, as long as you both share the same music taste, of course.

In a textbook sales pitch, DFS is offering the sofa for half price, ?699, until 2 July, or for ?14.56 a month for 48 months, while customers will also receive a 10-year guarantee.?

DFS Trophy Cuddler Audio Sofa is not the first musical sofa to be brought to our attention in recent months. The CSL Sound Sofa is available in various sofa and chair combinations starting from ?949.

Tags: Docking stations Music Furniture Home And Kitchen

DFS sofa with built-in iPod and MP3 dock originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 17:07:00 +0100

A couple of days of sunshine and we think we are all set for the summer, but if you plan to spend most of your time outside rather than inside what is the best phone for you to be able to see the screen in the sun?

We grabbed a handful of phones in the Pocket-lint office and headed outside to see which is the best.?

The Test

We set the phone's brightness setting to maximum, turned off auto brightness mode and headed out to find sunshine. The photos where taken in London around 1pm when the sun is at its highest and away from any shade. Our chief phone holder and our photographer stayed still while phones were switched in and out for the photograph (yes, it really did take the manpower of five of the team to do this). For all phones we chose the home screen. ?

The phones

There is nothing too scientific about the phones we chose. In the test we tried the iPhone 4S, the?Samsung Galaxy S II, the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Nokia Lumia 900, the HTC One X, and the Sony Xperia S. The lead picture, taken inside but with natural light, is arranged in level of brightness of the screen from left to right. We've also included this photo in black and white better to show the screen brightness without the clutter of the colour on the screen or the warm or cold tints the manufacturers use.?

The iPhone 4S?

Inside and the iPhone 4S?screen viewing the Pocket-lint homepage appears to be the brightest. It is also the whitest, with a very blue tinge to the white of the site compared to the warmer glow of the HTC One X. Outside and you can still see what is going on, perhaps helped by the colour icons on the home screen.?

The Samsung Galaxy S II

Not so bright. That's the verdict on the Samsung Galaxy S2. Even in our use inside the phones screen isn't that bright, and as anyone who uses a SGSII or knows someone who does, when it gets sunny, don't ask them anything that involves them using their phone.?

The Samsung Galaxy S III

It might have the biggest screen in our test, but that just seems to mean more to reflect. Like the Samsung Galaxy S II the S3 screen doesn't fare very well at all in the sunshine. And this is on full brightness, remember. Inside and compared to the others it's not much better. Find a dark room, however, and it's a very different story with the SGS3 screen looking great.?

The Nokia Lumia 900

The strong colours of the Windows Phone 7 operating system on the?Nokia Lumia 900?mean that it is great for use outdoors in the sun - who would have thought the geeks and Microsoft liked the beach? The simply Metro design really is clear to see and you would have no trouble using the phone by the pool.?

The HTC One X

The HTC One X?and its large LCD display does't fare too badly in the sun with the strong design of Sense coming through under bright light. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S3, you clearly pick out the icons and the features of the phone.

The Sony Xperia S?

We have a soft spot for the Sony Xperia S?at Pocket-lint and in yet another test with the phone we can see why. The screen really is good, and really copes well under the sun's harmful rays. We had no problems using the phone at all in direct sunlight.?

Conclusions

The screen on both the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Samsung Galaxy S3 came out bottom of our mini test, suggesting that while both are very good phones if you are planning on using them out and about this summer you might want to be prepared to cup your hand over the screen as a shade.?

Surprisingly the best experience was to be had with the Nokia Lumia 900 on account of the simple to see interface.

Tags: Phones Features Apple Samsung HTC Nokia Sony Sony Xperia S Samsung Galaxy S II Samsung Galaxy S III iPhone iPhone 4S Nokia Lumia 900 HTC One X

Which smartphone is best for the sun? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 16:56:00 +0100

Apple is now recommending new apps to download when users visit its iTunes and Apple App Store as well offering some paid-for apps for free.

This week’s “editors’ choice” includes the recently unveiled Facebook Camera, Extreme Skater, Air Mail and Sketchbook Ink, the last of which is also compatible on the iOS platform for the iPad and iPhone.

The addictive Cut the Rope: Experiments is the first paid-for app to be made available by Apple to coincide with the start of its “app of the week series”.?

It’s unclear how Apple determines what apps to include in its “editors’ choice” list. Perhaps Tim Cook is sitting in some darkened room saying: “That one. Not that one." Or maybe it’s just done on the latest “buzz” applications. Either way it’s a welcome feature in what’s already a daunting marketplace.?

To make sure you have the latest recommended apps of the week such as Facebook Camera, ensure that you are running the most current version of iTunes.

Despite recently purchasing Instagram for $1 billion, Facebook is adamant its Facebook Camera app will be its own entity. At least for the time being.

Read

Tags: Apps Apple iTunes App Store Facebook Camera

Facebook Camera is one of Apple's first ever Editors' Choice in App Store originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 15:41:00 +0100

According to George Lucas, special effects are "cool". A lot of directors rely on special effects to make things exciting on screen but how does adding new technology affect everyone else in the movie-making business?

Florence Carter?is a special effects artist responsible for the guts and gore in Spartacus, the make-up in the likes of the Woman in Black and The Da Vinci Code, and, more immediately, Intruders starring Clive Owen which is soon to hit on Blu-ray. We wanted to pick Carter's brains about the changes in the industry but the price, it seems, was that instead she would show us.

Intruders is a horror movie with a faceless being scaring the bejesus out of Owen and his daughter, eventually turning her into a quasi-faceless monster herself. Carter's fun for the day was to turn Pocket-lint into that monster.

We sit down in the make-up chair and a substance, which in any other context would have looked slightly suspect, is smoothed over our face. Very quickly the movie business seems a lot less glamourous.

Carter tells us that the rise of high-defintion content has posed all sorts of problems for movie make-up artists, particularly when it comes to silicone and producing the masks like the one sitting in front of us.?

“Special effects have had to improve with the unforgiving Hi-Def cameras. Silicone gels have become high quality and less expensive,” she says.

"The masks I made for this were Plat Gel 10 [by Mouldlife] a popular and versatile silicone that is translucent and fleshy and warms to body temperature, allowing the actor to talk and move under the prosthetic.”

Laid out in front of us is a selection of five faces, a bit like what we imagine Hannibal Lecter’s dinner table to look. We sit down and one of the masks is picked up and slapped on to our own visage. All around the make-up studio are all sorts of weird and wonderful goos and gunks. Most, we imagine, are for creating wounds and other gruesome effects, although there are some which would look more at home in a torture chamber than on a make-up artist’s table.

Normally a mould would be taken of our face before a mask is produced but in the interests of time here Carter has used a generic face shape. Putting one of these together is incredibly complex, requiring a lot of skill in terms of mixing latex and dyes as well as handling touches such as individually attached eyebrows. Attention to detail is crucial, or it just won’t look good on screen.

“3D means that all actors have to be perfect from all angles and lumps and bumps are easily spotted.” explains Carter.

“Actors who could hide behind thick makeup, low-resolution pictures and flattering lighting are now exposed with every pore and wrinkle visible. Makeup has to be effective but invisible, even powder can show up on HD.”

In its slapped-on form, the mask looks fairly unconvincing. It’s also incredibly claustrophobic. It blocks our eyes and nose entirely. As if blindness and the inability to breathe weren’t bad enough, the next thing we know, we feel fingers beginning to poke our face as the artist starts twisting the mask around to fit. On the plus side, once you relax into the experience it’s rather like a face massage - which is why we fell asleep.

When our eyes open we’re greeted by a terrifying sight. Sitting opposite us in the mirror is something that resembles the girl from the Ring crossed with that moment in the Matrix when Neo’s mouth closes over. All the same, our transformation is incomplete. The corners of the mouth, in particular, and the eyes are a dead giveaway. Carter then shifts into top gear as she works her magic blending the mask into our face.

The Matrix moment is what siliconework is all about. At the moment CGI is heavily used in movies, including Intruders, to create monsters and the like that would traditionally be put together using sfx make-up. So, for Carter, doing things that CGI just can’t do is vital.

“A lot of effects that used to be make-up are now often CG, putting SFX makeup artists out of a job! It can often be cheaper and save time to do it 'in post’ with varying results,” she explains.

“It is quite common to have an actor wearing a prosthetic which is then enhanced with CGI, particularly when a ‘negative space’ is required - like a bullet hole or a missing nose.

“I think it helps an actor’s performance to have a prosthetic to react to - I really enjoy being able to make wounds quickly and cheaply. On-skin Silicone [by Principality FX] can be applied directly on to the skin and sculpted into cuts and wounds with blended edges that don’t show up - even in HD.”

While blending we ask Carter what her toughest job in special effects has been. She describes an as yet to be released movie (sorry we can’t share) in which she had to transform an entire elderly man’s body into an alien. It took her nearly a day to do and months of preparation. Just getting the person to sit still was problematic but then with things like changing light and different shooting climates, it just gets harder and harder.

We get the impression that this is where the real skill lies as it was the longest part of the whole process. Minute strokes with an airbrush across our cheeks help bring form to the mask as does a Blade Runner-style make up job on our eyes.

“Airbrushing is increasingly popular as the atomised makeup creates a fine layer of tiny dots on the skin that are less visible on screen. Airbrushing has been popular for special effects makeup for many years for colouring, shading and used with stencils,” says Carter, while nearly blinding us with a blast of make-up to the face.

Black rings and plenty of what we can only describe as smudging bring the whole shebang together. A brief wig adjustment and that’s it, we have become a terrifying teenage girl. ?What is most bizarre about wearing the mask is that it almost tricks your own brain. We have the same clothes on yet, looking at ourselves, it feels like an entirely different person. Another side effect is that the silicone begins to warm up to your body temperature so you can’t even feel it on your own face, and that makes it truly surreal.

Now to the peeling off. Imagine bikini waxing your face and you will get a good idea. Thankfully the shave we had in the morning helped. Grabbing the corner of the mask at our neck it’s slowly removed while inflicting the minimum amount of pain - but pain it is, nonetheless, thanks to the sticky silicone. Think of it like a Mission Impossible moment or a painful episode of Scooby Doo.

Mask hanging half off our face and looking like a slightly melted plastic surgery balls-up, we take a brief respite from the pulling pain. Then back to the final grab and the mask is off. The result is us returning to normality after just a few brief minutes of being a girl. It’s not a look we miss, if we're honest. Carter then tells us she might have to do this 10 or 20 times a day on a film set. Think of all those sore faces.

The real amazing thing from the whole experience is just how quick the transformation is. In just an hour we were turned into a very convincing character from Intruders which even under close scrutiny is just as good as the CGI work in the movie. After a brief but enjoyable lesson in the ways of the movie make-up masters, we left the studio looking slightly red faced but altogether masculine again.

For those interested in seeing a the Hollow Face ghost in real life Intruders is out on DVD and Blu-ray now. For those looking to add some production quality to their low budget films, then follow Carter's make-up and SFX advice.

Tags: Movies Films Blu-ray DVD Features

The changing face of movie special effects originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 15:08:00 +0100

Samsung has introduced an innovative gesture for the Samsung Galaxy S III that will give you a screenshot with the swipe of your hand.

There is no need for multiple button presses or anything else, you simply swipe the side of your hand across the display and it will be captured and saved.

Screenshots are an in-built feature of Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich, but typically it requires a press of the power and volume buttons, often leading to, you guessed it, changing the volume or switching off your phone if your timing isn't perfect.?

However, Samsung hasn't done away with the button screenshot feature. But it has been changed to a simultaneous press of the home and power buttons, the same as the iPhone.

The setting for the palm swipe gesture can be found in the "motion" section of the settings menu. Here you'll also find settings for the other motion controls the phone offers, like tilt zooming, shake to update and flip to mute.?

So, if you have your eyes on a new Samsung Galaxy S III when it launches next week, you'll have not one but two options for capturing a shot of the glorious display to send to your jealous friends.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Samsung Samsung Galaxy S III

How do you take a screenshot on the Samsung Galaxy S III? Just swipe your palm across the screen (video) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 14:59:00 +0100

Facebook has launched another companion iPhone app today that focuses on picture-taking and sharing: Facebook Camera. It's free and downloadable now from iTunes.

However, while this has prompted many to believe that the new app is directly linked to the company's $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, announced in April, it is more likely that the new application was built as a direct rival to the hugely popular photo filter and sharing software.

For starters, the Instagram deal won't be completed until both companies receive approval by the Federal Trade Commission in the US and, as evidenced by the Google/Motorola buyout, that could take many months, if not a year. Until then, Instagram remains a separate entity.

Second, the average development time for a feature-rich application such as Facebook Camera would almost certainly suggest that the social network would have started the project before the Instagram acquisition was a reality.

That's not to say that Facebook Camera won't borrow key elements and technologies or merge with Instagram when the buyout is completed, just that, for now, the new application is a different thing entirely.

If anything, it's a bigger rival to social network Path, as Pocket-lint has illustrated elsewhere on the site.

Tags: Facebook Apps Phones Facebook Camera Instagram

Facebook Camera iPhone app is not part of $1 billion Instagram buyout originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 14:57:00 +0100

There's no doubt that Draw Something had us all hooked for a while, but we're a fickle bunch and must admit that it's allure isn't quite so great when the sun is glaring and the outside beckons. However, there's a new reason to hundle around your iPhone and iPod touch (or iPad in sim mode), but preferably not in a public place. Sing Something has hit the iTunes App Store like an X-Factor or American Idol-inscribed bullet.

Borrowing heavily from its art-based chum, developer Cuketa's Sing Something asks you to sign up through Facebook or email and play the turn based game with your chums.

But, whereas Draw Something asked you to sketch a picture for your compatriot to guess, Sing Something requests that you warble, hum or play (on a musical instrument) one of three suggested songs which it records and sends to the other player. Your friend then has to guess what it is using a hangman style interface.

Again, like its OMGPop (now Zynga) crafted inspiration, you earn coins with correct answers for you and your pal, and those can be spent on bombs to swap out the song suggestions for others you may prefer.

In practice, it's hilarious. There's a wide range of songs that pop up.

Even on Pocket-lint's brief test, we had Christina Aguilera's Beautiful, Prodigy's Firestarter and The Verve's Bitter Sweet Symphony, along with a Justin Bieber number none of us would ever admit to knowing. And as no lyrics are provided in game, the end results can be even funnier than expected. There are video hints - using YouTube - that you can check out to make sure you get the melody right, for example.

Like with Draw Something, we suspect there'll be plenty of cheating, with lyric websites being used heavily, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

Sing Something is completely free and we would put our hats on it being the next massive app sensation, if we had any. You have to download it right now!

Tags: Apps iPhone apps Draw Something Zynga Sing Something

Move over Draw Something, Sing Something has arrived for budding Justin Biebers originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 14:47:00 +0100

A Facebook browser that would allow you keep up to date with your social life from in-built plug-ins and features on the menu bar could be on the cards. Pocket-lint has heard from one of its trusted sources that the social networking giant is looking to buy Opera Software, the company behind the Opera?web browser.

According to our man in the know, the company could be about to expand into the browser space to take on the likes of Google, Apple, Microsoft, Mozilla and now even Yahoo, who has recently launched its own browser.

The move - which would no doubt send shivers of panic through Google - although unlikely to affect Chrome's continued growth in the short term, would see the two tech giants battle it out on your desktop and mobile for web surfing as well as social networking.

Opera?already has a very good mobile browser, which has seen strong growth in the two years it has been available. And Facebook's buying the company would save it having to build a browser from scratch.

Since the Facebook IPO, which netted the company over $16 billion, Mark Zuckerberg's organisation has plenty of cash to expand. It has also left us in no doubt that it wants to get into the mobile sector more and more. Owning its own browser to market data from users regardless of whether or not they are actually on the Facebook website would be one such way of doing that.?

Opera claims to have around 200 million users across all of its platforms.

Tags: Facebook Social networking Online Opera Google Yahoo

Is Facebook about to buy Opera to create own Facebook browser? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 13:47:00 +0100

Drivers of the new BMW 5-Series can now choose from four different designs as to how their instrument panel looks.

The four different modes all feature the same four circular gauges, with additional information sitting between the two larger ones, but drivers can decide on what information each dial forecasts.

Alongside the standard mode, drivers of the BMW 5-Series can choose from Comfort mode, Eco Pro and Sport. Each mode has it’s own style while all four modes sit on top of BMW’s Black Panel technology display.

Sport mode, for example, displays the speed digitally in the centre of the left-hand gauge as you look at it, while the gear you’re using is in view in the middle of the rev counter on the right-hand side.

However, switch into Eco Pro mode and the rev counter becomes an EfficientDynamics display that monitors how economically the car is being driven.

?

Read

Tags: Cars BMW BMW 5-Series

BMW lets drivers customise their 5-Series driving panel originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 13:38:00 +0100

The Porsche 911 is a Marmite car. Before reading any of the words we put down on this page, you’re going into this article either believing that the 911 is the best sports car in the world. Or that it’s some stupid, anachronistic development of the Beetle that’s typically driven by fools. In this vein, we should declare that we're 911 fans.

But that means we approach this new, 991-era 911 with some trepidation. Because rumours abound that - whisper it - the new 911 has lost some of the nameplate’s magic.

So what’s it like? Well, bigger and lower for a start - 911s have always had a surprising compact-ness in the metal, but that’s less apparent with the new car. It seems long; it is longer than the car it replaces. Annoying then that there’s little more luggage or leg room. Yet, it does look better. It’s wider, the roof line is lower and as it moves down the road – especially on 20-inch wheels – as it it looks: exceptionally well resolved and premium.

Inside, there’s a greater sense of change between this new car and the one it’s replacing. Material use and trim in here is now particularly fine. You drop super low into the seat, making you feel very much like you’re in - rather than sitting on - the car.

Between you and the passenger there’s a new centre console which will be familiar to anyone who knows the Panamera saloon or Cayenne SUV. Festooned with buttons, it’s a bit old school compared to many modern car interiors – where the march of the touchscreen interface has been cleaning up cockpits and removing buttons for some time. Problem is, those settings and menus in the touchscreen systems can be annoyingly slow to respond and almost impossible to access on the move. Porsche, on the other hand, has always been about the drive and the driver - so it makes total sense to give you buttons for the dampers settings, sport suspension, traction control and fruity exhaust close to your hand.

Key in the ignition - it is, and seems likely always to be, a key in a Porsche - twist, hold, listen to the starter motor chunter away for a second behind your head before the straight catches with a flare of revs and settles to that slightly uneven sounding Porsche idle. We drove a PDK gearbox-equipped car. That’s Porsche speak for a twin-clutch auto gearbox, with seven gears. It can be controlled by a pair of meaty paddles behind the steering wheel which respond with an immediacy that most other manufacturers don’t get close to.

And despite being a "non S", basic Carrera car, this new 911 still feels fast: 0-60 takes less than 5 seconds. Pressing on, you’re still aware of the mass of that engine behind the rear axle, which likes to have a little bit of input into your trajectory if you’re silly with the car. It’s all very engaging, very quick and everything (brakes, steering, pedals, buttons) has a uniform weighting and feel which makes the 911 feel like the kind of precision German machine you might expect.

On a closed race track, we couldn’t get a feel for the functioning of the navigation and other media systems, so we’ll wait to assess that in our review story, once we’ve spent some more time in the car, in a couple of months time.

But it’s clear that the reasons that for so long have made the 911 the sport car of choice, still stand. Namely, this is a brilliant machine to drive fast, but you can also easily drive it 365 days of the year or have one as your only car. It’ll always start, slog across Europe for hours on the go, look after you and cosset you when you’re not in the mood and you can squeeze two kids in the back and a decent amount of luggage in the front boot.

That might sound like the kind of thing any car should do, but it’s surprising how - up at this price point and in this market - so many other manufacturers get the basics wrong and make their cars a pain to put up with when you’re not in the mood for driving like your pants are on fire.

Porsche has always been different; it’s why you see 911s everywhere. This latest car, on first impressions at least, guilds the lily. It takes the ‘have your cake and eat it’ qualities to a whole new level. Don’t believe the hype. The 911’s still got it.

Tags: Car And GPS Porsche Porsche 911

Porsche 911 Carrera (991) 2012 pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 13:26:00 +0100

Bus passengers in Cambridge can now use their mobile phone to pay for journeys, in a trial that could be extended to the rest of the UK.

The scheme sees Everything Everywhere partnering with Stagecoach bus network and enables passengers to purchase tickets on their NFC-enabled mobile device before simply tapping their phone on the bus's smartcard reader.

If successful the trial could lead to a nationwide roll out of NFC contactless travel payments for both bus and rail services throughout 2013.

The handsets used for the trial will all need to be NFC enabled or - as Orange is dubbing its Near-Field Communications technology, “Quick Tap” - and will be kitted out with an app that makes the phone compatible with Stagecoach buses.

The trial is already under way in Cambridge and Everything Everywhere told Pocket-lint that “around about 40 people” will be using the NFC contactless ticketing payment scheme throughout.

What is NFC?

Tags: NFC Everything Everywhere Orange

NFC contactless bus tickets trialled by Everything Everywhere and Stagecoach originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 12:43:00 +0100

Google has now made it possible for app developers to create subscription-based applications for the Play Store.

The move could have a significant effect on the way consumers purchase games, TVs and magazines in particular, with a monthly subscription payment providing access to the latest title, programmes or issue.

The cost of each subscription-based app will be down to the developers themselves, as posted on the Android developer's blog, as will how regularly a payment mud be made - monthly or annually. However, once those boundaries have been set, Google will take care of the rest.?

Of course in order for a subscription-based app to be successful, the price will need to be reduced so as to appeal to the consumer, but it’s an interesting way of providing updated content.

App developers can begin implementing subscriptions now and can check out the terms and conditions by reading the In-App Billing Document here.

Tags: Apps Google Play Applications Android

Google Play introduces In-App Subscriptions for Android applications originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 12:01:00 +0100

Facebook has launched yet another service in its bulging platter of offerings, this time aimed squarely at the mobile end of its equation.

Facebook Camera is for those who just want the pictures. Whether that’s cruising those of your friends or uploading some of your own is the user’s choice, but what you won't find are the status updates, quizzes, polls and extraneous apps that can get in the way of the main desktop experience.

For some, the idea of Facebook coming up with an app where you can take a photo; apply a nice 35mm-look digital filter and upload it to its social network seems to be a little bit strange. After all, this is the same company that is in the process of buying Instagram - a service that does exactly the same - for the princely sum of $1 billion in cash and stock (not that the stock is worth quite as much these days). So, why bother with all the man hours and cost on top of that to create something more or less identical?

Well, Facebook would argue that Facebook Camera is different from Instagram. The ability to browse just the snaps and comments of your friends from the comfort of your mobile screen is not something that Instagram does quite as well or, certainly, is less well known for - but what’s more pertinent is that there is another cult and rapidly growing social network that does.

Path - as we reported some time ago on Pocket-lint - is a mostly mobile-based social network start up which began life fairly quietly in November 2010 posing little threat to anyone. But just one year, a serious injection of funding and relaunch later saw the app's user base rocket from 30,000 members to 300,000 within the space of a month.

Just like Facebook Camera, Path lets you take pictures, apply digital filters and upload them to your stream where your friends can comment and like and all the other things that social folk enjoy doing. At the same time, you can flick your way through your buddies’ paths and see what they’ve been up to as well. In fact, the only difference really worth noting - and of little surprise that Facebook didn’t choose to ape it - is that you can only follow a maximum of 50 people. The idea behind that is that you have a close circle of friends to encourage users to share on a more intimate level.

It might not be that Facebook brought out something identical to this potential competitor in order to drive it out of business. Path’s numbers are impressive but they’re a drop in the ocean compared to the 900 million or so active on Facebook and, more importantly, they pale still further when compared to the 30 million that Instagram could boast at the time of the purchase.

With more of a focus on social networking than the camera filters, Path might not have been something that could be as easily assimilated and repurposed. What’s more, after the $1billion just laid out on a prime piece of purchase, creating Facebook Camera seems a lot cheaper and more effective, especially now that it has Instagram's far larger user base along with the technology, and rights to ideas and design.

What is clear is that Path has had its toes well and truly trodden on by the biggest feet on the block, and it's not the first time Facebook has done it either. In similar move, the company launched Facebook Places back in August 2010 neatly adding an interesting service and wiping out Foursquare’s unique selling point in one fell swoop.

The good news for Path is that Foursquare is still going and has 20 million users on its books. Doubtless, that number would be considerably higher if Places, and the might of Facebook behind it, had never come along but perhaps the bigger blow is that such an operation is much harder to sell when a huge competitor steps into the ring.

So, the moral of the story? Don’t try to start a social network? No. Start one. Just cash it in before you’re big enough for anyone to take notice.

Tags: Facebook Facebook Camera Path Social networks Features Facebook Places Foursquare

Facebook Camera: Another social network swallowed whole originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 11:47:00 +0100

Every year display technology tags an extra medal to its trophy. Since HD went mainstream we’ve seen 3D, faster refresh rates and a variety of display technologies that have added to the upward curve of what’s possible in the home.

For 2012 it looks as though OLED is making its first major break, or at least certainly having a bash at it. Both LG and Samsung showed off OLED televisions at the Consumer Electronics Show back in January and, we should add, got a lot of praise and attention for it.

Organic Light Emitting Diode, to give its acronym name the full dues, offers distinct advantages over its LCD cousins: a better contrast ratio, faster refresh rates, wider angles of view, lower power consumption and brighter colours. As OLED doesn’t require backlighting, unlike LCD or LED displays, the overall thickness of the screen can also be squeezed down to new levels of tininess.

Sounds like nobody can lose, right? Well, with an earmarked price tag of ?9,000 upon launch the 55-inch LG 55EM9600 OLED TV is way out of most people's price range. LG knows it just as well as anyone else. And it’s a big hurdle that most won’t get past – at least not for the next three years or so when the development costs decline.

So is OLED worth such a premium? Having spent more time with the 55-inch LG OLED 55EM9600 screen we can’t deny it is impressive.

It’s the black levels that are particularly stand out. Presented in a dimly-lit room the blacks were real deeeep; deep like the Mariana Trench. LG's chosen venue, the Salle des Etoiles in Monaco, had its own tricks too: the huge mechanical roof opened up and even in daylight – and we’re not talking a predictable display room here, this is out in the open and exposed to the Mediterranian sun kind of stuff – the sets on display still?looked awesome. ?9,000 awesome? Well that depends on how much of a home cinema geek you are.

The design, too, means the 55EM9600 ought to look ace mounted on a wall. The screen’s 4mm thickness should be less obtrusive than a (huge) picture frame. The use of carbon fibre reinforced plastics also means the 55-inch screen is a mere 10kgs in weight. All sounds rather show-off, yet the understated design isn’t pulling any punches – it’s a functional, small-bezel, unfussy set that lets the screen do the talking.

The viewing angle is also significant: we’re talking almost any degree of horizontal or vertical view and the picture, right down to the black levels and colour vibrancy, looks just the same as front-on viewing. That’s one area where OLED really does shine. Though, from a practical point of view, that may be irrelevant to many who won’t stand side-on to watch their TV.

That’s not to say it doesn’t pose one or two concerns: the showreel that LG has adopted is all about vivid, bright colours that look hyper-real. It’s all just a bit too?much at times. Without further footage available to take a look at, it’s difficult to assess how OLED’s colour accuracy and vibrancy will be for movie playback and the like.

LG claims its WRGB technology – which adds a white subpixel layer to the existing red, green and blue array – will “perfect the colour output” and, in combination with the Colour Refiner technology, is said to enhance the image to be the most “vibrant, natural and comfortable to the human eye”.

However, Pocket-lint's own TV guru, Mr Ian Morris, still has some concerns:

"Seeing these TVs with manufacturer-chosen demo material is all well and good, but until I see an episode of Neighbours on the thing, it's impossible to tell if it's actually producing a good picture, or just one that numbs the brain with bright colours."

And as LG won't release product to the press until availability later in the year (Q4) we'll just have to wait and see. Of course the 55EM9600 will come with all manner of picture adjustment tools to cater for all types of media, so we hope it can output a more muted, natural palette too.

Gamers have plenty to be excited about too. The 0.02s response time is said to be “100 times faster” than the current best LCD TVs. And judging from the showreel’s dancer twirling around on the screen there’s no doubt it is super smooth. Still, without faster panning or subjects flying by at pace there’s no way to yet assess just how impressive the overall experience will be. The same goes for 3D.

Despite all this good stuff, we have to ask: does anyone really care? Screen tech, certainly at the current top end, is already at an impressive level.

As much as OLED sets out to improve on current standards there’s still the old argument that a decent plasma screen may deliver all that’s necessary for an avid home cinema fan. The price of the long-since abandoned Pioneer Kuro range on eBay is part testament to that. ?

LG has its own ideas. The 55-inch sets out to impress, and it's knowledgeable, high-end users that will be most keen. But there’s more around the corner for a broader audience too: larger screens and a “full range” will follow in the next couple of years.

George Mead, LG’s Head of Consumer Marketing: Home Entertainment, says that OLED technology is, “without a doubt the future”, adding that it had taken the company “six years to perfect”.

And with the likes of Panasonic suffering financial woes in its televisual department for 2011-2012 and Sony all but ceasing its OLED telly line, it’s looking like a Korean OLED race.

Samsung is LG’s only main OLED competitor, though Mead adds that LG is “more than confident with the WRGB technology to give the very best picture”.

From what we’ve seen we can’t say he’s wrong either – the LG 55EM9600 delivers great picture and motion and will, despite its hefty price, light up the eyes of those in the market for a high-end set.

For the rest of us on more slender budgets, or for those who can’t tell the difference between LCD and our ABCs, the OLED movement might have less to no significant impact.

Samsung: it’s your move…

Tags: Televisions LG OLED televisions OLED LG 55EM9600

LG OLED: The future of television? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 11:17:00 +0100

Dell’s first Windows 8 tablet will be called the Dell Latitude 10 and will house a 10.1-inch display, according to specs leaked on to the internet.

Dell has been quite open about its plans to produce Windows 8 devices, but until now how those plans would materialise was unknown.

The specs, complete with image, were leaked to Neowin.net and show that the device powered by an Intel Clover Trail Atom dual-core processor, be 10.5mm thick and have built-in Intel Integrated Graphics.

In terms of resolution, we’re looking at a 1366 x 768 display, with 2GB of RAM on board and an SSD storage that can support cards of up to a whopping 128GB.

Based on the leak, it also appears there will be two swappable batteries, a 30 WHr and 60 WHr, the first of which will offer 6-8 hours of battery life and the latter 10-12 hours.

No word on when we might be seeing the Dell Latitude 10, if indeed the name is not merely a working title, but with Windows 8 set to arrive around October or November time, we’d guestimate around then.

Read

Tags: Tablets Windows 8 Dell Dell Latitude 10 Microsoft

Dell Windows 8 tablet specs revealed originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 11:07:00 +0100

An 80-inch touchscreen Windows 8 tablet already hangs on the wall of Microsoft CEO’s Steve Ballmer - and it could soon be made available to the public.

This is according to Frank Shaw, Microsoft vice-president, who said of Ballmer’s giant tablet added:?“He’s got rid of his phone, he’s got rid of his notepaper. It’s [the tablet)] his whiteboard, his email machine, and it’s a device we’re going to sell.”

Interestingly the current version of the device - the one that hangs on Ballmer’s wall - runs on Windows 8 it but is actually made by a different manufacturer.

With the current big-hitters of the tablet world – the Toshiba Excite 13 - sporting displays that measure a comparatively meagre 13.3-inchs, an 80-incher is quite literally a huge leap. It’s certainly not going to be something you lug around with you.?

Which explains why Microsoft won’t be targeting the consumer, initially at least, seeing it serving more as a corporate functioning device. However, make no mistake, Microsoft sees this technology as the future.

"The idea that there should be a screen that's not a computer, we'll laugh at that in two years. Every screen should be touch, every screen should be a computer and should be able to see out as well as see in. That is the way the world is heading [and] those screens are going to be big, small, wall-sized and desk-sized."

Microsoft was unwilling to provide an arrival date on the 80-inch tablet device, though we’ll at least get to feast on what Windows 8 has in store when a release preview arrives in early June.

Read

Tags: Tablets Windows 8 Microsoft Steve Ballmer

80-inch Windows 8 tablet already exists - in Microsoft CEO's office originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 10:18:00 +0100

Bing Maps is to receive a welcome boost courtesy of Nokia, as the latter’s traffic information and geocoding algorithms are integrated into the mapping service.?

For those who don’t know, geocoding is a series of algorithms that are created by taking latitude and longitude information and then pinpointing a more accurate address for improved routes and directions.?

Yet the big story here is Nokia Maps' live traffic information being added to Bing Maps, which will alert drivers to any accidents or road works that might have occurred on their route. Should they experience any of the above, Bing Maps - using Nokia’s technology - will suggest alternative routes, allowing you to avoid avoiding any potentially time-consuming traffic jam.

Bing’s integration of Nokia Maps' live traffic information and geocoding is the part of Nokia’s Where Platform program. Along with building and improving apps on its own mapping service, Nokia will also provide functionalities and features to third-party location-based services.

Tags: Nokia Bing Nokia Maps Bing Maps Satnavs

Nokia improves Bing Maps with live traffic information and geocoding originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 09:36:00 +0100

It's podcast time again and the team discusses what Apple's next big thing could be after head of design Sir Jony Ive admitted that the product he's working on now is the one he'd most like to be remembered for.

Plus, in a related chat, we look at the possible increase in screen size and resolution of the iPhone 5, and wonder if it'll be enough to compete in a market dominated by?monstrous?handsets. The Linters also wonder what consoles we may see launched at the forthcoming E3 videogames convention in LA. We know the Wii U will be properly unveiled, but what about the Xbox 720 and PS4?

Chatting about these things and more are former Gamesmaster presenter and editor of news Rik Henderson, editor of features and BBC radio pundit Dan Sung, and contributing editor and roving reporter Hunter Skipworth.

Ensure that you listen below or subscribe via iTunes in order to get your all new and improved Pocket-lint Podcast hit from every Friday morning at 8.30am...

Hear the podcast

iTunes

http://itunes.apple.com/

RSS

http://www.pocket-lint.com/podcasts/pocketlintpodcast.xml

Download podcast (right click and save)

Listen (mp3)

Listen (acc)

Tags: Pocket-lint Podcast Podcasts Online podcast Apple Jonathan Ive Microsoft Socl E32012

Pocket-lint Podcast #86 - Sir Jony Ive, Apple's next big thing and Microsoft So.cl originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 08:30:00 +0100

They used to say that money made the world go round. Alas, nobody has any money any more so it must be something else.

We reckon it could well be the opposing forces of differing opinions that keep the world on an even keel.

How dull would it be if we all agreed on everything all the time?

What if we all thought the Jubilee was the most amazing celebration ever and that we should all be very proud of our Liz’s 60 years in power? And what if we all thought that the Olympics were worth every single penny of the projected ?24billion they might end up costing?

See? Dull.

If you want to see the art of arguing being practised by two of the best in the business, then look no further than luvandhat.tumblr.com.

Here, two writers of some note discuss the issues that really matter, but from polar opposite points of view.

These are hugely entertaining exchanges and will keep you company if you’re stuck in the office on this last day of the week.

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Luv and Hat originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 25 May 2012 01:00:00 +0100

A staple of gaming over the years, war, whether past, present or future, has provided countless hours of gleeful entertainment for hordes of improbable soldiers. It has also provided Tom Clancy with a decent living, and he again lends his name to the long-dormant Ghost Recon franchise, although it’s doubtful that his involvement extends to little more than banking the cheque.

If you can cast your graphics-frazzled mind back five years, you may recall that the previous proper Ghost Recon outing was a tactical affair that put you in charge of a group of four operatives in a series of highly dangerous scenarios. It’s a similar sketch here, featuring muscle-bound hulks with names like Pepper and 30K trading witless macho banter that mocks the proximity of brutal pointless death. The key difference is that they can think for themselves, instantly adopting positions of cover and showing a proportionate level of self-preservation.

This will irk the purists who took great delight in the meticulous tactical approach of the series, and there will be inevitable accusations of dumbing down, with the game dismissed as little more than a third-person Call Of Duty. As is often the case, the purists are wrong. Whereas previous instalments bristled with authenticity and endeavour, all but the most committed would quite rapidly lose the will to live. Conversely, Future Soldier is a taut affair that sucks you into its lengthy campaign and provides some genuinely thrilling moments. As for the CoD comparisons, the settings are near-identical but the cover-based gameplay owes a lot more to Gears of War.

Future Tense

The "future" tag frees up the need for ultra-authenticity and results in a number of neat gadgets that almost makes killing people for a living seem an appealing prospect.

Amid the obligatory augmented reality and an underused lumbering mechanical dog, the pick of the bunch is the drone, which is essentially a military version of one of those ridiculous iPhone-controlled hover toys for adult babies with too much money. In this instance the camera can be used to tag hidden enemies, whom your team-mates will then terminate with extreme prejudice. It’s quite literally a lifesaver, and often enables you to hang back from the action, giving orders almost in a quarterback role.

It can also be used to set up the game’s showpiece, the synchronised shot, whereby up to all four soldiers get a bead on an enemy each and simultaneously and silently pop their heads open: an immeasurably satisfying experience.

The story is of course the obligatory convoluted Neo-Con nonsense, but it does at least take you to some varied locations, from the jungles of Nigeria to the streets of Russia. There’s a reasonable balance between skulking in the shadows and all-out attack: the stealth sections are genuinely wet-the-bed tense, and when that excrement hits the rotating thing it’s a desperate life-or-death business.

Ubisoft may have opted for a more dynamic cinematic experience, but it can’t be accused of making it too easy. The enemy can be a devious beast, flanking you intelligently and utilising their own gadgets such as the invisibility cloak. You really do have to get it right, combining solid approach play with the ability to think on your feet in the midst of a fire-fight, with even the occasional "on-rails" section requiring a swift trigger finger.

Worse With Kinect

Weirdly, on the graphical front it looks like an even older game than its predecessor, hampered by some spartan textures and myopic draw distances. We’re not sure what happened there, but ultimately ye olde gameplay wins out over visuals.

There’s also a fairly desperate attempt to shoehorn in Kinect compatibility, as you’re theoretically able to customise a weapon by standing in the middle of your living room and grabbing at thin air. There are allegedly thousands of combinations, but the good news is that Kinect is entirely optional, and as in almost all aspects of life you can get by with everything set to default.

Despite the lengthy campaign mode, a lot of people will be buying it for the multiplayer. It would be harsh to damn it at this nascent stage, but our cursory run-out with Americans revealed some inevitable teething problems. Given time it should bed in, however, and features the usual thinly-veiled staples including a poor man’s Counterstrike with no respawning. Elsewhere, for Guerilla (read Horde) mode , with wave after wave of enemies coming at you, either alone or with some pretend online friends.

Verdict:

Despite several years in development hell, Ubisoft has surprisingly turned round a taut, often thrilling addition to the modern warfare genre. It looks a bit ropey, the story is twaddle, but the action is edge of the seat stuff, and it’s rare to find such a compelling and extensive single player campaign.

It may no longer be the tactical powerhouse of yore, but if you want tactics go and play chess.

Tags: Gaming games Ghost Recon Future Soldier Ubisoft

Tom Clancy?s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 19:27:00 +0100

Sports. There's a lot of 'em. Most people follow just one or two but then there are the true sports aficionados who need to know everything from baseball, football and Formula One. This is what ScoreMobile's app is for.?

Or at least that is what it says it can do. A lot of applications promise more sporting gossip and stats than you can shake a stick at but not many deliver. Does ScoreMobile?

ScoreMobile

Platform

iPhone

Price

Free

Where

iTunes

Once downloaded ScoreMobile will ask for your current location. Hand that over and you are pretty much ready to go. The app is very easy to use, operating on a sort of left-to-right swipe approach. Going right will take you forward a day to see fixtures; going left will show games in the past and the relevant scores.?

At the top of the app is a list of every sport it supports. We won't list them all here because there are just too many, but the big ones like the Premiership and Formula One are there, as are things such as the NFL and Ice hockey.?

On top of scores there are four other stats tabs you can pick: standings, news and settings. Most do what they say on the tin, but it's the extra bits of data that make the app worth the download. Say you like a particularly sports player, you can select them and have updates pushed out to your phone specifically related to them.?

The news list, while being just a sports-related RSS reader, offers all you would really want in terms of basic coverage of any sport. There is a lot to get stuck into here for an application that costs nothing. The ability to favourite entire teams also makes it a nice replacement for those looking at one of the more expensive football-related applications. Worth a download.

Tags: Apps Football Formula One iOS iPhone iPad

APP OF THE DAY: ScoreMobile review (iPhone) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 18:16:00 +0100

A new website, launching at the end of May, will measure the behaviour of 1.5 billion social network users before aggregating the results into popularity charts.?

Starcount is affiliated with 11 different social networks worldwide as it measures who and what people are talking about. Users can, in effect, see who the most popular person in the world is at any given moment -albeit according to the social media stratosphere.?

Pocket-lint met ?Starcount’s CEO, Drew Thomson, who told us the way in which trends and topics are measured has changed.

“Social media has become the primary medium for consumption for our generation," said Thomson. "Regular ways of charting (ie, through sales) are no longer accurate as it doesn't actually reflect what’s happening in the market. Social Media is the only real global measurement.”

Thomson may have a point, with illegal downloads, for example, affecting the accuracy of the music singles chart. Starcount’s charts can be broken down into specific categories and regions though all results are aggregated from the 11 affiliated global social networks.

These networks are Facebook, RenRen, Twitter, Tencent Weibo, Sina Weibo, YouTube. YouKu, mixi Vkontakte, Google+ and Orkut. If you haven’t heard of some of these networks, rest assured - they’re a big deal in other countries. Tencent Weibo for example is a Chinese blog that boasts more than 330 million users.

Starcount uses a weighting process to score topics through popularity and engagement, so should David Beckham be selected for the Olympics expect his name to rocket up the charts, before being replaced the next day by Eminem as he releases his latest album.

As well as monitoring trending topics, it’s hoped Starcount users will also use the service to discover new things. For example, a gamer in Scotland could access the worldwide gaming charts and discover a new title that has taken Japan by storm. What's more, if you are someone with a big online social media presence you can monitor your own popularity, though you may want to lower the parameters (this particular journalist is the seventh most popular writer in Bethnal Green. Not really he's actually eleventh).

Of course if statistics are your bag, there’s plenty to get your teeth into, with each subject broken down into specifics relating to each social network, such as the number of YouTube views, number of Facebook fans or Twitter followers.

There’s plenty of scope for marketing companies, too, with Starcount adding new charts accordingly as long as a brand has a social media presence.

“We can build bespoke charts and send them directly to you. These charts will then automatically be updated on a daily basis while you can choose to share the results or keep them to yourselves,” said Thomson.

Starcount hopes to add more social networks to its aggregated feed, “so long as they have credibility and multiple reach”, so expect the results to become even more globalised.

Thomson is keen to point out that Starcount is not trying to replace the likes of Facebook - in fact, just the opposite.?

“Starcount is not trying to become a social network. We are celebrating social networks. We hope Starcount creates conversations within social networks by sharing information. We want to get people from all around the world talking to each other.”?

Starcount’s website, www.starcount.com goes live on Thursday 31 May.

Tags: Social networks Starcount Facebook Twitter Charts

Starcount: The ultimate chart to what's being discussed on social networks around the world originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 18:01:00 +0100

Everything Everywhere and AGA Rangemaster have partnered to introduce the AGA iTotal Control oven that can be turned on remotely from your phone.

Utilising an Orange SIM card, users can decide in advance when they want to start cooking, even if they’re not at home, via text message. For example, send the message, “baking oven on” and you’ve got yourself a preheating oven. Send “all ovens off”.... well you get the idea.

However, that’s just the start. Applications can be downloaded to Apple and Android smartphones and tablets which visualise the AGA iTotal Control oven that can in turn be controlled via touchscreen. The ovens can also be controlled via a PC or laptop through a designated web portal.?

Though Everything Everywhere, the umbrella company of both T-Mobile and Orange, announced the scheme the SIM used to control the AGA iTotal Control oven remotely with be of the fruity flavour. However, anybody can text the oven from their own phones, regardless of network, of course.?

250 Orange SIM cards compatible with iTotal Control AGA ovens will initially be made available from 1 June with more to follow.

While Pocket-lint applauds advancements in technology such as this we do wonder what AGA’s founder Gustaf Dalen would have made of an oven that can be controlled remotely. You see the AGA was created to be always on so he didn't have to worry about whether or not he had tuned it off.?

The iTotal Control AGA will be available from 1 June 2012, and will cost ?10,090.

Tags: Orange AGA Ovens Home And Kitchen Everything Everywhere

Text your oven: AGA iTotal Control with Orange SIM lets you cook while you are out originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 15:58:00 +0100

An image (albeit blurry) and specs of an LG phone have emerged with what’s clearly a slide-out Qwerty keyboard.

The phone is said to be the LG LS860, which is being referred to within LG’s inner circle as the “Cayenne”, and sports a 5-row Qwerty keyboard.?

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen an LG sliding Qwerty device, with it now concentrating on the more fashionable touchscreen models, though the design used to be a mainstay in the Korean manufacturer’s portfolio – remember the LG KS360??

The specs are few and far between, but what we can decipher is that it will run on Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich and will house a 4-inch WVGA touch display.

Powering proceedings is said to be a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and will offer 4G LTE support, so expect the phone to be US bound, if at all, before we see it this side of the pond.

Pocket-lint for one would like to see some more Qwerty keyboard devices, especially after HTC effectively said that they were distancing themselves from the form factor.

Read

Tags: Phones LG Qwerty Keyboards Ice Cream Sandwich

LG to resurrect the slide-out Qwerty with LS860 Cayenne handset originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 13:04:00 +0100

Microsoft is rumoured to be considering opening its full Office suite to both the Apple iPad and Google Android tablets, enabling users to create and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.

A source has told Boy Genius Report that they have seen Microsoft Office running on an iPad and that Microsoft is gearing towards a November arrival for both the iOS and Android platforms.

What’s more, the version the source claims to have seen apparently said “office for iOS”, suggesting it won’t just be the iPad, but iPhones too which will be able to download the software.?

Microsoft has previously shown no sign of making its Office suite available to rival operating systems, flatly ruling any such move out earlier this year.?

However, with an influx of Android-powered tablets and Apple’s iPad continuing to dominate the market, perhaps Microsoft has decided that it’s missing a trick by not allowing its software to be purchased on these platforms.

Read

Tags: Tablets Microsoft Office Apple Android

Microsoft Office coming to iPad and Android tablets this November originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 12:36:00 +0100

Toshiba has unveiled a quad-core powered tablet that may pack a punch, but also -?the manufacturer hopes - won't look out of place at Paris Fashion Week.?

The Toshiba AT300 boasts a 10.1-inch LED backlit display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels, with 10-finger multi-touch support, should you need it. The screen itself is Corning Gorilla Glass, which should ensure it stays scratch free for the foreseeable.

Launched with Android’s 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, as Google has so far refused to upgrade its tablet-optimised Honeycomb OS, bar the odd tweak, this is the best we could hope for.

With its quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, Toshiba is championing the AT300’s multimedia credentials, in particular with regards to gaming and HD video playback. Well, we say quad-core -Toshiba has actually squeezed in a fifth engine that deals with more run-of-the-mill tasks. The manufacturer says this will help extend the battery life to 10 hours.?

Available as 16GB or 32GB variant (there’s also multimedia card support) ?the AT300 tablet is kitted out with a 5-megapixel camera on the rear and a 2-megapixel front-facing snapper for video calls, with an LED flash for both.

Though the AT300 will of course have access to Android apps via Google Play, the tablet will also come pre-installed with Toshiba Places, which is an alternative store for music, movies and eBooks.?With a micro-HDMI port any content, be it games, videos or photos, can be played on a bigger screen.

All this and Toshiba has managed to squeeze it all in a device that measures just 8.8mm thick and weighs 590g.

There’s no word on pricing from Toshiba just yet, but with the AT300 set to arrive before the end of June we should have that info very soon.

UPDATE? Pocket-lint has spoken to Toshiba, which confirmed that the 16GB version of the AT300 will be available for ?329 (the same price as a 16GB iPad 2 incidentally) while the 32GB version will cost ?379.

Tags: Tablets Toshiba Toshiba AT300 Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Toshiba AT300: The quad-core 10.1-inch ICS Android tablet originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 11:46:00 +0100

With Wimbledon just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to start practising that backhand volley of yours. Virtually speaking, of course.

Sega’s gaming classic Virtua Tennis Challenge has arrived on Apple’s iTunes and can be downloaded to the iPad, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s for ?2.99. Not bad when you consider how much it used to cost to play as an arcade machine.?

It’s the first time the tennis game franchise has been available on the mobile platform but follows the same format, as you look to build your tennis career by acing, slicing and lobbying opponents around the world.

Players can participate in both singles and doubles tournaments, competing on grass, clay, hard and even indoor courts. Connect to another device via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth also enables you to play your friends online.

There are a total of 50 opponents to beat and 18 stadiums around the world to in which to compete.

Virtua Tennis Challenge is available to download now from iTunes.

Tags: games Apple Sega iPad iPhone

Sega serves up Virtua Tennis Challenge on the iPad and iPhone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 10:21:00 +0100

Yahoo has introduced a new web browsing tool as it looks to regain control of dwindling internet traffic.

Yahoo’s Axis integrates searching and browsing the web into one experience, using a split-screen facility that puts search results directly above the webpage a user is currently visiting.

Search results are displayed as visual thumbnails so web surfers can get a better insight into what they’ll get before clicking on a link. The search bar will automatically make suggestions as you type and, once logged in, Axis will remember the last page you visited no matter which of your devices you are using - be it your iPad, computer or iPhone.

Axis is available now as a downloadable app on the Apple iOS platform as well as a plug-in for most desktop browsers, including Google Chrome. Yahoo has said that it is already working on an Axis app for other mobile platforms.

Yahoo has been losing search traffic steadily?over the past five years with the likes of Bing and, in particular, Google stealing a march on their rival.

The introduction of Yahoo Axis comes on the back of Google’s own split-screen search tool, Knowledge Graph.

Yahoo’s Axis is available to download now from the Apple App Store.

Read

Tags: Yahoo Internet Axis Web browsers Google Google Chrome

Yahoo enters the browser business, targets your iPhone, iPad and desktop originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 09:56:00 +0100

The Pentax Optio WG-2 is a waterproof compact camera that stands out from the crowd. It comes in two variants: here we're reviewing the model without the GPS.

The waterproof compact camera market is now well populated, providing plenty of choice for those who want a camera that will take the odd knock, go swimming with you, or just get plain messy.?

But does Pentax's take on a waterproof compact offer anything different, or does the quirky design get in the way of practical application?

Design

As soon as you look at the Pentax Optio WG-2 it stands out from the crowd. It's a distinct shape and style. Where most rugged compacts look like, well, slightly bloated compact cameras, the WG-2 looks more like something you'd find clipped to Batman's belt.?

There's a range of interesting colours available, we had the all black model to review. It's angular lines offer up a rubberised finish and although slightly whacky, there is plenty of grip on offer.

But in running with a quirky design, there come some slight oddities. The 16:9 display on the rear is slightly unconventional and you get the feeling that this is part of what dictates the 61.5 x 122.5 x 29.5mm frame.?Testing on a sunny day, we found that we couldn't make out much detail on the rear of the camera. Composing shots is generally fine, but once you've got sunscreen smeared on the rear and the sun reflecting off it, you really can't preview your photos very well.

However, the design also means that the lens sits in the centre of the front of the camera, rather than in a corner. This has some advantages, namely that it's easier to keep clear when gripping the camera with gloves, although that logic doesn't quite follow through to the controls, which are really too small, particularly for use with cold weather gloves.

The central location of the lens also means that lining up self-portraits seemed to take a little more effort - the point and hope principle returned less well-framed shots than we get from a regular compact, but this is probably something you can adjust to.

There is another oddity with the design and that's the location of the screw thread for a tripod or mount. This is located on the far right of the underside, meaning that the full weight of the camera is then working against you.?It weighs 194g loaded with card and battery.

For conventional tripod mounting this makes no difference, but when we came to mount put the camera on a handlebar mount, it meant more bouncing added to the equation. It's not a point that will effect everyone, but worth considering.

The body is well sealed, with catches to secure the battery/SD card slot on the bottom and to keep the HDMI port closed on the end of the camera. It lacks the double locking mechanism of something like the Panasonic Lumix FT4, but we gave the Pentax Optio WG-2 plenty of rough treatment and didn't have a problem with the arrangement.

And yes, this camera sinks, so if you're in deep water, clip it on or buy a float.

Controls and features

The top of the WG-2 offers the power and shutter button. Both are rubberised like the surrounding area and feel a little spongy, so need a firmer press than you might first expect to take the shot. Unlike many rivals, there isn't an instant video capture button.

However, the WG-2 does have a green customisable button that you can set to video mode, although this is video toggle, rather than instant capture. Still, that gives you video with two button presses, rather than having to use the mode selector.

As mentioned, the controls in general are a little small. The zoom lever and playback button feel a little crammed in because of the slightly unconventional shape of the body. Compare this to the larger controls of something like the Fujifilm Finepix XP150 and the Pentax seems to be at a slight disadvantage.

Control of the shooting functions is split between major controls on that four-way button on the back, allowing flash, self timer and macro toggles, with face detection options cycling through on it's own button.

The shooting modes covers everything from auto shooting through program to bespoke scene modes for underwater use, including video. Additional settings can then be accessed through the menu button, for example if you want to tweak conventional photo features like ISO, white balance or saturation.?

It sounds slightly more confusing than it actually is, because in reality, the modes work pretty well and switching modes (particularly for underwater use) is fast enough not to present a problem. The settings menu offers you enough freedom to make a range of changes too, like limiting the auto ISO range, for example, but doesn't extend to proper manual control.?

Performance

There is a 16-megapixel sensor at the heart of the camera, with the 5x lens offering 28-140mm (in 35mm terms). As with other waterproof models, the lens is housed internally. The zoom is fast enough, although as we mentioned, the small controls meant we had a tendency not to use it and it isn't available during video.

We found that focusing was usually accurate, with various focusing mode controls available if you can't get it to snap on to exactly what you want. In general we didn't have a problem with it, although it's not fantastic with moving subjects, a little too slow to focus and shoot, so isn't so great for real action shots. It means the camera feels a little slow, that spongy shutter button exacerbated by the delay in capture.

One area we were impressed with focusing was in the underwater modes, which returned some very impressive results. We took the Pentax Optio WG-2 to Hampton Open Air pool (thanks guys!) to see how it performed in the water and the results speak for themselves.

It's worth noting that the underwater modes change the colour balance of shots, so things will appear over-saturated at the red end out of the water - something to bear in mind when you climb out.?

And out of the water the Pentax Optio WG-2 performs well too, offering up some great, typical, holiday snaps. It performs well in bright conditions, although like most compacts, you'll find fringing on high contrast scenes: a roof edge against the sky for example.

As the light drops and the ISO rises, you'll find that shots get softer and noisier, which could be a problem for anyone wanting to print larger images, but isn't uncommon for this type of camera. The same applies to video, with the Full HD mode offering great results in good light and becoming less impressive when things get gloomy.?

You also get only digital stabilisation, which doesn't help in lower light conditions and the lack of any real controls (like aperture) for example, means you're at the mercy of whatever the camera wants to do, up to a point.

The battery gives you about 260 shots, which isn't a huge number, so you'll need to keep a charger handy or find a spare on long days out.

Verdict:

If you're looking for top-notch photos, with the option of getting wet too, then you'll find that buying a cover for a better compact camera will garner you the best results.

However, there is still a lot going for the Pentax Optio WG-2. With the exception of the somewhat slow capture, some of the results we've achieved have been impressive and the underwater results are really good, perfect for those looking for holiday snaps without the hassle.?

The design may instantly turn people off, however. To some extent it is practical, like the central lens, but in others awkward, like the small controls. Like so many things, considering how you are likely to use the WG-2 will aid you in your decision. For us, we found that we prefer a more regular design, like that from Fuji or Panasonic.

Overall, if you're in the market for a waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, crushproof camera, it's certainly worth considering, but you might want something slightly less quirky and with slightly faster capture.

Thanks to Hampton Pool?for letting us shoot in its open air pool, if you're in the area, it's well worth a visit.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Pentax Pentax Optio WG-2 18 megapixels

Pentax Optio WG-2 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 09:55:00 +0100

The chaps at SwiftKey have teamed up with Pocket-lint to give three readers a chance to win a tablet of their choice, be it a shiny new iPad or the latest Samsung offering.

All you've got to do is complete a quick survey telling us what kind of phone you use and what you use it for.

Complete the survey now

You've got until 6 June to do it, and three lucky winners will win a phone or tablet of their choice worth up to $800 (?500).

You can choose any phone or tablet whatsoever, it doesn’t have to be on Android, just as long as it is available to buy in your country (without contract).

The survey is open to everyone aged over 18, all over the world, who owns a smartphone or a tablet computer. The survey closes at midnight PDT on Wednesday, 6 June.

What are you waiting for?

Read

Tags: Phones Tablets Android iPhone Swiftkey Competitions

Win a tablet with Swiftkey originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 09:45:00 +0100

The Samsung Hope Relay app for Android, iPhone and Samsung Wave phones allows users to record a distance they travel and will translate each mile into ?1, which the Korean company will donate to charity. You can run, walk, cycle or wheel yourself along - as long as you don't go over 25 miles per hour, it will be registered.

Alternatively, you can do what adventurer and Samsung Ambassador Kenton Cool has done to record his first mile: vertically... up Mount Everest.

Armed with a Samsung Galaxy Note with the app pre-loaded (there's not that many internet caf?s on the slopes of Everest, surprisingly), Cool plans to climb to the peak of the mountain and will document his progress using the phone, including some exclusive pictures he sent Pocket-lint yesterday (23 May).

He has also made a documentary video of his first Samsung Hope Relay mile, which we also present to you exclusively. He's faced some extreme weather conditions on the way, and you can see in the clip that his mile could well be one of the hardest faced.

The Samsung Hope Relay is active in the UK now and will end on 12 August. It will also be available in a further 17 countries soon. All monies raised will be distributed to charities including the?London-based Kids Company, London 2012's international sports legacy programme, International Inspiration and an IOC-designated charity.

To find out more, check out Samsung's dedicated webpage or download the app from Google Play?(for Android), iTunes (iOS) or Samsung Apps?(Wave, Wave II and Wave 3). It's free and you can even help donate even when going to work.

Tags: Samsung Apps Phones Samsung Galaxy Note Samsung Hope Relay Kenton Cool Mount Everest

Adventurer Kenton Cool climbs Everest for his Samsung Hope Relay (video) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 09:01:00 +0100

When we first saw the LG 55EM9600?- back in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas - we were more than impressed. At its European launch tonight LG has given more insight into the telly, including its price and availability.

Touted as the world's largest OLED screen, this 55-inch wonder is also the thinnest (at 4mm), lightest, fastest and, so it would seem, priciest of its kind.

Showroom TVs will be in select stores from this July, with pre-orders being taken for what LG promises will be "pre-Christmas 2012" delivery. But at what cost? Around €9000 is the initial estimate. Eek.

It may not be cheap, but LG is aware that this high-flying, high-spec set is as much about showing what the company is capable of as it is about sales. Of the 250-million TV sales a year, LG anticipates a share of the estimated 50,000 OLED sales in 2013. That may sound like small fish in a big pond for now, but we're looking at the technology of the future - right here, right now.

From what Pocket-lint has seen at both CES and the European, launch this may have the OLED naysayers eating their words. It's an impressive looking bit of kit and we're hungry to get hold of a set as soon as we can.

Tags: Televisions LG OLED televisions OLED 55-inch TV LG 55EM9600

LG 55-inch OLED TV: Price and availability originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 03:30:00 +0100

The way we’re carrying on as a species, you’d think there was another Earth sitting around somewhere, still in its bubble wrap, waiting for the time when we’ve finished wrecking this planet and need a new one.

This probably won’t come as news to most of you, but there isn’t. (We’ve checked).

Regardless of what you think about global warming and its causes, we are still using up this little green planet’s natural resources with voracious glee and an almost wilful disregard for what might happen next.

With earthbook2012.org, the World Wildlife Fund is asking us to stop for even just a moment, take a look around and enjoy what we have. And then they want us to tell them our stories of how we all interact with nature.

It’s all set to coincide with Earth Summit on 20 June, where WWF will present their Living Planet report. It makes sobering reading: “We are using 50 per cent more resources than the earth can provide and by 2025 even two planets will not be enough…”

So have a think about your little bit of the world and maybe take a few moments to become part of Earth Book 2012.

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Earth Book originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 24 May 2012 01:00:00 +0100

Top-down racers are a thing of beauty and today’s App of the Day on Pocket-lint is another great in a long line of classics. So, if you’re a fan of Supersprint, Badlands, Micro Machines, Reckless Racing and the like, then it’s time to get your wallet out and get downloading.

Mini Motor

Platform

Android/iPhone/iPad

Price

?1.25/?1.49/?2.49

Where

Play/iTunes/iTunes

Mini Motor is a familiar kind of game. It’s a top-down, non-realistic, lap racer with all the usual power-ups, car upgrades and track, cup and vehicle unlocks. A quick glance at all the padlocks on the menus is a good sign that there’s plenty of gameplay to get through; certainly enough for your ?1.50 outlay or thereabouts, anyway. What’s also interesting to note is that, even though there is an iPad-friendly HD version, it plays just as well on a smartphone.

Generally the game is pretty standard fare. You choose your car, you choose your track, you get behind the wheel and you get racing. The only real choice is your method of control and, if you can manage the default steering wheel option, then you’re a better (wo)man than we are.

What really sets Mini Motor apart - and, ultimately, makes it worth downloading - is the stunning graphics and smooth way that the game is put together. It’s a treat to watch each menu roll seamlessly into the next and, once you get driving, it’s as much a pleasure to enjoy the sights and sounds of the environments as it is to screech, skid, boost and bump your way around the bends.

Perhaps the only real shames, so far, that we’ve discovered are that, first, it’s possible to unlock everything by the means of in-app payments, and that’s just a bit nasty. Of course, that’s totally understandable. Developers want to get paid and fair enough, but it does leave a nasty taste in your mouth and might just make a difference when it comes to the multiplay mode - and that, incidentally, is the second pity.

Multiplay is a great idea. You enter you handle and then wait to join a game or, indeed, select options like cars, tracks and laps and host one all of your own. The trouble is that we couldn’t actually find enough players online to get a multiplay game going. Hopefully that’s something that will improve once the app gains traction, so to speak.

In all, if you like this kind of title, then Mini Motor is a must. Sure, it’s derivative but it’s derived so well that it would be a real shame not to.

Tags: Apps App of the day Mini Motor Android apps iPhone apps Gaming Racing games Driving games iPad apps

APP OF THE DAY: Mini Motor review (Android, iPhone and iPad) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 18:00:00 +0100

Anyone who fancies himself or herself as an Angry Birds expert can now put their claims to the test, as Rovio announces a new competitive edge to proceedings.

Angry Birds Friends enables Facebook users to compete against each in weekly tournaments. Power-ups and gold trophies are achieved by beating your social networking buddies.?Rovio has also announced that new levels will be added to Angry Birds Friends on a weekly basis.

Rovio made the announcement of Angry Birds Friends with an official video trailer, while the game itself is now available to play as an application through Facebook.

According to Rovio 20 million people already play Angry Birds via Facebook a popularity that has culminated in a theme park opening in Finland on 8 June.

Rovio recently made it possible for websites to embed Angry Birds levels into their sites allowing visitors to try and beat the top score.

However, Angry Birds Friends is the first time gamers will be able to compete directly with one another.

The Angry Birds Friends application for Facebook can be downloaded by clicking here.

Tags: Angry Birds Rovio Facebook Angry Birds Friends Apps

Angry Birds Friends brings a competitive edge via Facebook originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 17:31:00 +0100

Fujifilm’s bombardment of the travel zoom market continues with its fourth F-series release in a12-month period, the FinePix F770EXR.

Unlike its recent predecessors, it’s not a small update: this latest model cranks up the specification by squeezing a 20x optical zoom lens into the small-bodied design.

But with so many releases in such a short period of time, and in a highly competitive market space, has the Fujifilm FinePix F770EXR finally cracked not only Fuji’s formula, but the travel zoom formula as a whole?

Powerful zoom

Among the F770EXR’s biggest draws is its formidable 20x optical zoom lens. This brings the Fujifilm brand up to speed with the likes of the Panasonic TZ30, Sony HX20V and Canon SX260 HS, and offers a considerably longer focal length than its 15x zoom F660EXR predecessor.

The F770EXR’s 25-500mm equivalent means wide-angle group shots or far-and-away subjects are right at your fingertips. The f/3.5-5.3 maximum aperture - that’s the most light the lens can let in at its respective widest and longest focal lengths - may sound standard, but is slightly brighter at the 500mm setting than its nearest competitors.

As per its predecessors, and despite being a new lens, the F770EXR still has some issues with lens flare. It depends on the shooting conditions, but prominent light sources can generate large flare that tends to show as transparent "shapes" within an image.

Irrespective of its pros and cons, the lens does have size on its side. This camera is truly pocketable, and the lens itself disappears inside the body when the camera is switched off. Ideal for on-the-go portability.

Familiar design

The F770EXR’s design is familiar fare, though an angled mode dial on the rear of the camera gives it a bit of added personality.

It’s possible to select from variety of shooting options: there is an auto mode as well as the usual array of manual modes, but it’s EXR mode that will be of most interest to most – we’ll cover that in more detail later.

Rather than lens-based image stabilisation technology to help counteract handshake, the F770EXR opts for a sensor-based version. While it is a capable enough system it means a far more juddery experience in preview, compared to its lens-based competitors, which can be a particular issue at the longest focal lengths. Better to have than nothing at all, but with a 20x zoom lens this really ought to be a better technology.

When light isn’t as plentiful the camera also offers an AF assist lamp which sends out a near-daylight coloured beam. And, if you need it, there’s a pop-up flash to light up dark scenes.

EXR extras

Like the F660EXR, the F770EXR has a 1/2-inch EXR CMOS II sensor. The important part of that is the “II” element in the title: this sensor is more advanced compared to its first generation and is said to deliver a 30 per cent improvement when it comes to low-light performance and overall image noise.

But image quality isn’t all that. Even though the sensor is ever so slightly larger than most of its competitors, the full-resolution 16-megapixel shots can be a little soft, lacking in detail and over-processed into painterly-like scenes on some occasions.

This is where EXR can come to the rescue. The setting, which is marked as "EXR" on the mode dial, will auto select a between wide dynamic range or high sensitivity, low noise (SN) modes. The half-resolution (8-megapixel) output is down to the sensor using two sensor-level pixels for one on-screen pixel, but this gives the camera double the data to work with for an improved picture. It does really work too, though it can improve results only by a limited amount.

If we’re talking ISO sensitivity then the F770EXR offers ISO 100-3200 as standard and reduced resolution ISO 6400-12,800 settings. The lower resolution files don’t cut it in terms of detail, colour or resolution, so it’s down to the standard ISO range to rule in our book.

ISO 100-200 produce decent enough results, though processing can make shots a little soft. ISO 400 already shows considerable detail breakdown, particularly in fine detail areas. ISO 800 is further smeared, while ISO 1600-3200 lose yet more detail and colour wanes into a more washed-out palette.

That may not sound like a sparkling review of its abilities, but it’s pretty standard stuff for a compact camera. We were hoping for more.?

However the F770EXR does have an added trick up its sleeve. The ability to shoot raw is a powerful tool that most other compact cameras fail to include, and something that gives this model a different angle of appeal.

Performance

When it comes to autofocus we have few qualms about the F770EXR’s performance. Whether in close-up macro mode or focusing on a far-away subjects the system performs well.

It also comes in a variety of flavours: centre, multi, continuous and tracking. The centre and the auto-selecting multi are both quick off the mark, while tracking is fast to recognise the selected (central) subject, but the lag to then focus and fire the shutter might not get the shot you were hoping for. The tracking system is more sensitive and better at keeping up with subjects than many other compacts though.

However, and just like its other Fujifilm cousins, there’s a "cut out" issue whereby the image preview ceases to show in real time while the autofocus is acquired at longer focal lengths. This "pause" in motion is long enough of a lag for the subject to wander off and leave you with an empty frame. It’s been present in generations of Fujifilm cameras now, and could really do with a fix.

Other features come aplenty and make the features list look appealing. There’s GPS (global positioning satellite) technology to track and tag where shots are taken; a 360-degree panorama mode; a 1080p HD movie mode where the lens and full time autofocus can be used to their full; and a speedy eight frames per second (8fps) bust mode.?

If anything does lack by today’s standards then it’s a touchscreen and the aforementioned lens-based stabilisation system.?

Verdict:

Even though the Fujifilm FinePix F770EXR is a more budget travel zoom camera than much of the recent competition it has a load of features on offer. Really decent features too: GPS, raw shooting, EXR modes, and we could go on.

But we’d really like to see a lens-based image stabilisation system in the next incarnation and, despite "sensor improvements" the overall image quality won’t cut it when it comes to fine detail work. The EXR output modes go some way to delivering better quality, but it has its limits - also take into account the overall exposure, occasionally problematic lens flare, live preview "pause" when focusing at longer focal lengths and there are some issues to be had.?

There have been a lot of F-series cameras in the past year, and although each has added subtle improvements it's taken the F770EXR to amp up the lens capability. But without lens-based stabilisation and some higher spec features, it's difficult for this compact to truly shine.?

The F770EXR is small, pocketable and affordable - although it's not that much cheaper than the competition. This is a travel zoom with some audible fizz, but it just doesn't quite have that explosive bang.

Tags: Cameras Fujifilm FinePix F770EXR FinePix Compact cameras

Fujifilm FinePix F770EXR originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 17:05:00 +0100

Those of you who aren't particularly into football should look away now. For everybody else, the winners of the Football Manager Awards 2011/12 have now been announced. Pocket-lint was one of partners of this year's jamboree, and we can now reveal that ex-Huddersfield manager Lee Clark is the proud recipient of the By Mutual Consent Award.

Beating Simon Grayson, Gary Megson,?Antoine Kombouare and?Sean O'Driscoll, Clark garnered a staggering 42 per cent of the public vote, naming his sacking by Huddersfield,?just weeks after setting a Football League record of 43 matches unbeaten, as the most baffling of managerial dismissals.

Manager of the Year is Newcastle's Alan Pardew, who also walked away with the Most Successful Transfer gong for his capture of?Papiss Cisse. And the other recipient of two awards is Jose Mourihno, scooping both?Great Motivator and?Technical Area Theatrics.

Young Manager of the Year is Swansea manager and Liverpool on/off target Brendan Rodgers. Youth Team Manager of the Year goes to Oscar Garcia Junyent for his role in shaping the Barcelona team's future.

Sir Alex Ferguson gets?Managerial Masterstroke for coaxing Paul Scholes out of retirement, while his Manchester rival Roberto Mancini wins?War of the Words along with the Premier League itself.

Outgoing Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola takes the Fashion Icon honours, and Champions League and FA Cup winner Roberto Di Matteo walks away with the?Triumph over Adversity Award if not the Chelsea job full-time.

You can check out a full round down of the award winners and the voting breakdown at www.sigames.com.

Roll on next season.

Tags: Sports Fitness Gaming Football Manager Football Manager Awards Sports Interactive

Football Manager Awards 2012 winners announced, in association with Pocket-lint originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 16:38:00 +0100

Eric Schmidt, Google’s chairman, has taken to the stage at Google’s Big Tent conference to outline the company’s plans for the recently acquired Motorola Mobility.

Google finally completed the purchase of Motorola for $12.5 billion and Schmidt has said that the company has big plans for the hardware outfit:

“As part of that we're going to announce the things we're going to do, but for your purposes there will be more investment in Motorola devices under the Motorola brand and a lot more investment in Android.”?

The last point in this statement is particularly poignant, as it would suggest that Google has no plans to distance itself from other manufacturers despite acquiring its own hardware outlet.

There had been some debate as to what Google’s acquisition of Motorola would mean in terms of future Android updates being rolled out to other handset devices.

Yet it would appear that not only will Motorola be reaping the benefits, but other manufactures that produce Android devices will too, with early updates being dished out to all.

Read

Tags: Google Motorola Android Eric Schmidt

Google's purchase of Motorola won't damage other Android devices originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 16:27:00 +0100

With all the rumours and hubbub around the next iPhone, the question we constantly get asked here at Pocket-lint is when is the iPhone 5 coming out and should I wait?

iPhone 5 release date

According to rrumours circulating the web, the next?Apple?iPhone?is expected to be announced and launched in October 2012 after the launch of Apple's next version of iOS - iOS 6 - in June this year.

The current iPhone, the iPhone 4S, was announced on the 4 October 2011, going on pre-order just 3 days later on 7 October. It eventually went on sale in the UK, America, Japan, France and Germany on the 14 October - seven days later and in plenty of time to put it on your Christmas list.

Based on previous iPhone release dates, that have so far come annually, we can expect the new iPhone as we expect it to be called - note not the iPhone 5?- to be launched around the same time.

The company used to release the iPhone in June at its WWDC event in San Francisco but switched to October for the iPhone 4S, the latest iPhone in the range.

In previous years Apple used the "Fall" timeframe to update its iPod range of devices, while the iPad has enjoyed a Spring launch schedule.

Rumours suggest the iPhone 5 will have a 4-inch windscreen display

Should you wait?

Now that you've got a rough idea of when the iPhone 5 could be coming out, the next question you have to ask, is should you wait? Current rumours suggest that the iPhone 5 will feature a bigger widescreen ratio screen, meaning it could fit in the same size form factor as the iPhone 4S. It is also likely to feature a faster processor and NFC technology to let you pay for things with your mobile, although it is worth emphasising nothing has been confirmed.

If you signed up for a two-year contract with the iPhone 4 the moment it came out in the UK,your contract will be up for renewal in June 2012. If you are happy with the phone, for the sake of an additional four months you would probably be better to wait for the new iPhone 5 if you want to make sure you have the latest and greatest Apple iPhone smartphone.

If you have an iPhone 3GS that can be upgraded now and want to stay Apple, you might be better off opting for the iPhone 4S. Doing so on an 18-month contract would mean you would be in the perfect position to upgrade to an iPhone 6, if Apple sticks with the 12-month release cycle, in 2013.

That might seem like a long way off, but if you want to maximise your Apple iPhone enjoyment it is always better to plan ahead.?

Tags: Phones iPhone Apple iPhone 5 iPhone 4S

When is the new iPhone, the iPhone 5, coming out? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 16:21:00 +0100

GREE, the largest social network in Japan, is coming to Europe and has just launched in Open Beta mode for developers to get a taste of what it can offer. The service, when fully live, will allow iOS and Android gamers to interact online, and be a worldwide community for mobile gamers.

It's a bit like Apple's Game Center, but cross-platform and run by an independent company. It promises a greater variety of social interaction features too.

Game application developers are now urged to download the new?platform SDK (3.0.0?) and build into their software the social tools required to work on the network. It also takes into account the OpenFeint infrastructure the company acquired in the past year.

When launched for the consumer, GREE will have more than 60 compatible games available to download and play. It will be accessible in English and Japanese, with 14 other languages to follow. It currently has a user base of 230 million gamers, but that is expected to rise rapidly.

There's no indication as to when the final version will be available to iPhone and Android smartphone users, but the second wave of languages is scheduled for September, so the initial launch will be before then.

Tags: Gaming Apps iPhone apps iPad apps Android apps GREE

GREE, the social mobile gaming platform for iOS and Android, to launch in UK - goes open beta originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 15:50:00 +0100

With the first episode from Sir David Attenborough’s Kingdom of Plants 3D series?airing on Sky 3D this weekend,?Pocket-lint got to meet the living legend in person, and to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the programme was recorded in 3D.

As Sir David told us, shooting plants in 3D was far easier than capturing plants, ?because they don’t move as much. But that’s not to say that it didn’t come without its own challenges.

“We wanted to go where the human eye doesn’t go,” explained Anthony Geffen, executive producer and CEO of Atlantic Productions.

This involved shooting in periscopic 3D, something Geffen claims not to have been done before, and one particularly impressive feat that involved a remote-controlled helicopter that filmed 3D footage from the view of a flying insect.

“We wanted to push the boundaries. We tried to break a lot of new ground, to get the most from something that hasn’t been done before.”

Geffen admits this resulted in a lot of footage that was simply thrown away, but is not ashamed of this trial by error approach.

“We hope the viewer drops into the 3D world, lives in it, before coming out at the end,” he says.

It’s a mindset that appears to be working. Avatar director and 3D pioneer James Cameron was so impressed that there’s talk about a future collaboration between him and Atlantic Productions.

But before all that, Sky 3D will be showing all three episodes of Kingdom of Plants with David Attenborough on consecutive Saturdays from 6pm on 26 May. The series will also be broadcast simultaneously in 2D on Sky Atlantic, while a 40-minute IMAX film will be out later in the year.?

Attenborough and Atlantic Productions are already filming another 3D series, this time set in the Galapagos Islands.

Sir David Attenborough: 3D is better suited to plants than animals

Tags: 3D Sky 3D James Cameron Television Sky David Attenborough

Kingdom of Plants 3D with David Attenborough: The secrets behind the series originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 15:23:00 +0100

Sir Jony Ive, the head of design at Apple who was?knighted in this year's New Year's Honours List?and received the honour in London today, has revealed that the product he and his team are currently working on in Cupertino is the best they've done yet. And, from the man who designed the iPod, iPhone and iPad, that's some claim.

Interviewed by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, Ive was asked which of all the products he had designed for Apple over the years would he most like to be remembered for.

He replied: "A lot does seem to come back to the fact that what we’re working on now feels like the most important and the best work we’ve done, and so it would be what we’re working on right now, which of course I can’t tell you about."

Sadly, there isn't even a hint of what that product might be, whether it's a brand new device or an upgrade to an existing one - the iPhone 5, for example.

What is sure is that Ive claims not to be influenced by what rivals, such as Samsung, are doing, what is selling best in the market at the time, or even tight schedules.

"What preoccupies us is that sense of care, and what our products will not speak to is a schedule; what our products will not speak to is trying to respond to some corporate or competitive agenda," he said.

"We’re very genuinely designing the best products that we can for people."

Read

Tags: Apple Phones Tablets Audio Jonathan Ive iPad iPhone iPod

Jony Ive: Next Apple product is our most important and best work yet originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 14:03:00 +0100

Recent times have seen some gamers forget about why they started playing games in the first place. Cutting-edge graphics and over-the-top set pieces, as well as a tendency toward the quicktime event, have meant gameplay itself has suffered.

Some might argue that in order for a game to be fun, it needs to look great. We think differently. Titles like Super Smash Bros Melee spring to mind: easily one of the most fun games to play with friends this console generation, but about a generation behind in terms of looks. Then there is Dragon's Dogma, Capcom's first attempt at a Western-style role-playing game. Glitchy as anything with a drab colour scheme, it is also one of the most enjoyable RPGs we have played since Skyrim.

Gameplay

Dragon's Dogma has clearly taken a big chunk of its gameplay style from other Capcom games. This is most definitely not a bad thing. Forget the clunky hack and slash approach of Skyrim or the clicking obsessed Diablo III, this is a game all about top-quality animations and fluid combat.

Choosing from one of three different character classes - "mage", "strider" or "fighter" - you are given entirely different combat styles to play with. Take the strider, for example: he can hang back and do all sorts of damage with a multitude of bow attacks. Over time he will, of course, get better at using his bow, but rather than just a simple damage multiplier you can unlock tons of different attack styles, ranging from dropping a hail of arrows from above to firing three in a shotgun-style spread from one bow.

The mage is particularly enjoyable towards the latter end of his game as his attacks become increasingly over-the-top and outlandish. Firing screen-filling blobs of ice or causing full-blown earthquakes is definitely impressive to watch and helps add to the sense of accomplishment once you have played enough to gain your character the necessary skills.

The crux of the Dragon's Dogma combat comes from the "pawn" system. As in most RPGs, they form your in-game party. You start with one pawn who will stay with you throughout the game and can be customised to the same degree as your own player. On top of that there is a sort of pawn Facebook, accessible from in-game rune stones. Once inside other players' pawns - or randomly generated ones, depending on whether you are connected to the internet or not - will appear for you to recruit. You can even share pawn creations through Facebook and Twitter.

The pawn system would fall flat on its face, if ?Dragon's Dogma wasn't so damn hard. Having a balanced party is absolutely vital, otherwise you will find yourself being culled by even the puniest of enemies. Pawns aren't stupid either - they will fill their role as either a fighting frontman or ranged strider.

The story

We haven't mentioned Dragon's Dogma's story yet for a good reason. With such a great gameplay setup we didn't want to distract from the game. Sadly though Dragon's Dogma doesn't fare anywhere near as well when it comes to story.

A sort of amalgamation of Western RPG cliches, the story in Dragon's Dogma is fairly forgettable from the outset. After a battle with a dragon, the game's lead character Arisen has his heart yanked out. The dragon then challenges you, essentially, to get it back. What follows is a romp across countryside and castle peppered with characters boasting slightly cringeworthy accents and spurting hammy dialogue.

Apart from sounding fairly stupid and repeating themselves frequently, the game's pawns are the story highlight. They constantly natter about things in the world around them - things like, "I have been here before" or "tackle this enemy with fire". Useful stuff that adds life and flavour to setting.

Some facial animations do a particularly good job of making the story sound slightly stupid. Characters have the usual video game eye issues and lip synching could be better but it's mostly forgivable.

The looks

We've already mentioned that Dragon's Dogma has a few issues with the way it looks. First, you are going to want this game on PS3 because the Xbox version is laggy with fairly nasty frame-rate drops at random moments. Second, we found ourselves turning the brightness up high because at "night" you can see virtually nothing.

This is an intended gameplay effect, clearly, and does add to a lot to the atmosphere of the game. This is also when the game is at its best in terms of looks, with a clever lighting engine that casts all sorts of shadows and colours.

Animations are truly stellar and some of the best we have seen in a RPG, as are a lot of the enemy models. It's possible to scale some of the larger enemies in Dragon's Dogma, resulting in a Shadow of the Colossus style battle. These baddies look great with detailed and inventive designs. Armour choices later in the game and the more powerful attacks are also incredible when you first pull them off.

?

Verdict:

Dragon's Dogma is so much fun that we can forgive the majority of its shortcomings. We sighed when we fired the game up and some bad Japanese rock began playing. Our fears that it might be yet another game full of silly character names and androgynous looking leads were soon put to rest. Lag can cause issues with a near-flawless combat system, but not enough to be a genuine irritation.

This is a title with a refreshing sense of adventure. Setting off into the night not knowing whether your band of pawns will make it back to the safety of the castle is just as rewarding as taking on the likes of Dark Souls. In fact, we would consider putting Dragon's Dogma on the same level if it were just that bit more polished. A step in the right direction, and a game with so much potential, it makes us excited about a sequel.?

Tags: Gaming games Dragon's Dogma Xbox 360 PS3

Dragon's Dogma originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 13:39:00 +0100

Mexico City is trialling an innovative way of giving free Wi-Fi to conscientious dog walkers, by exchanging it for their pet’s “mess”.?

That’s right, dog poo for Wi-Fi. Walkers are encouraged to place bags filled with dog turds into designated boxes, which will weigh the deposit before calculating how many free Wi-Fi minutes your “gift” warrants.

This would seemingly put owners of a small Chihuahua, for example, at a disadvantage to say a large Doberman - but we applaud the idea, which comes from Mexican internet portal Terra and ad agency DDB.

Each deposit box is marshalled by a team of hostesses who are on hand to provide doggie bags (not the ones you’d find in a restaurant). They’ll even turn a blind eye if it’s just a bag of rubbish you want to exchange for some free minutes. It's all about tidying up these streets.

It’s certainly one way of trying to rid public parks of dog mess while increasing the number of Wi-Fi hotspots.

You can see the scheme in action in the video below (in Spanish).

Read

Tags: Wi-Fi hotspots Internet

Free Wi-Fi? Then give us your dog poo originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 12:29:00 +0100

Windows Phone devices must now be running on the latest 7.5 Mango software in order to download, buy, update or review applications from Microsoft’s Marketplace.

Microsoft warned us in April that it was making some fundamental changes to the way apps could be purchased, including making it no longer possible to get apps via Zune.

These changes have now been implemented, with users needing to upgrade to Windows Phone 7.5 Mango if they wish to continue accessing what apps are available.

Anyone who tries to download an app or update an existing one they purchased from the Marketplace will now receive an error message. Microsoft has said it may take a couple of days for the update to become a prerequisite on all devices but ?- if you haven’t already - you’ll want that update sharpish?

To update your Windows Phone to Mango 7.5 simply plug your device into your computer.

Tags: Windows Phone 7.5 Mango Microsoft Apps Zune

Windows Phone 7.5 update now a must if you want to download apps originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Facebook is testing a new design for its Timeline header, with overlayed text and a tidied up icon bar making more use of the space available.

Some users are already seeing changes to their Timelines, including TPM reporter Carl Franzen, although the redesign is not expected to be rolled out globally yet. In fact, the social network hasn't stated whether the lick of paint will actually be a permanent change at all. It may never make it beyond the testing phase.

The new design moves the user information up on to the Cover strap and, as the text is shown in white, it will restrict what type of picture a user can place up there. Anything too white or bright, and the text may never show up.

The current Facebook Timeline

Interestingly, and perhaps most impactful, it seems that "Likes" has been changed to "Favorites" (sic). If this is adopted for real, it'll certainly irk the couple who called their baby daughter Like after the thumbs-up icon last year.

Maybe they could have another baby and call it "Favorite"... Or "Plummeting share prices".

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Tags: Facebook Online Social networks Facebook Timeline

Facebook tests new Timeline design originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 11:56:00 +0100

It didn’t take long after the iPad arrived to see that young children could use them. In fact, so simple and so compelling is that large, glass, iOS interface that even small pets were getting in on the action. So, while games have been the first big battleground for the app developers, it’s not hard to see why there’s been a boom in the education section - especially those aimed at little ones.

With tablets just as good for learning as they are keeping the younglings entertained, people are prepared to pay for the privilege, so anyone who can really deliver on the promise of the combination of the two is in for some big business.

One such company trying its hand in the sector is Mindshapes. Based in the UK, it's made up of a team of teachers, educators, linguists and scholars who worked at Sony, Sega, CBeebies, Sesame Workshop, HarperCollins and the social games company Playfish. Its mission lies in the game-ification of learning.

“It’s not the easiest of spaces to play in,” admits David Begg,?Mindshapes CEO.

“Lots have tried and failed but, if 5-10 per cent of users are there not to learn but to play, then we’ve succeeded. That way we’ll know it’s fun, irrespective, and that’s one of the goals.”

The game in question is the first from Mindshapes known as Magic Town. Magic Town is a web - and soon to be tablet iPad and iPhone - application aimed at the 2 to 6-year-old age group with literacy the focus.

The town in question is a virtual countryside populated by a choice of different houses that the children can visit at the click of a mouse or tap of a finger, and each of these houses represents a different series of stories from popular publishers. So, you’ll find a patchwork residence to represent Elmer the Elephant, a pink castle for the Little Princess and so on. Once inside, there are books to read as well as games to play. Some carefully designed characters guide your children through it all and even provide a call to action to get out of the virtual world and into the real one.

As Begg explains:?“Every game is a learning-based game but we have games that take place in the real world too. The idea is to have an hour on-screen and an hour off-screen, so you might find yourself hunting for objects in the woods.”

As a resource for parents, the all round offering sounds undeniably compelling but it’s the Livebook - the core of the experience - on which Magic Town will almost certainly be judged.

The Livebook is the interactive, animated eBook structure on which each storybook is presented and it works in four different ways. The first mode "Watch" is a simple automatic playback of the pages in animated style with the words read out; the second "Play" provides some interaction on top of that; "Explore" offers back questions and games based on the books; and ?in "Read" the child and parent can read together.

“It’s all centred around typical pre-seven things to learn to set children up for life - morals, creativity, linguistics, problem solving," Says Begg. ?"These are most effectively told and taught through stories; through a character and explained with a moral context and society and social situation.”

Of course, if this is the case, if stories are of such importance and if, as Begg says continually throughout our meeting, "reading is sacrosanct to the process", then is Magic Town, and the subscription paid to be part of it, really necessary beyond over pure, simple books?

“Books are great,” Begg concedes, “but we need more. Cartoons are enjoyable but too linear and exclusive, and apps are interactive but the narrative is broken. We sit in the middle of these.”

While Mindshapes aims at a deeper engagement, the company doesn't stretch so far as to measure levels of learning or, indeed, promise that you'll see educational benefits of any sort. Nonetheless, sitting down in front of the PC with 2-year-old Toddler-lint, there’s certainly some appeal as far as the target audience goes.

Turning the pages with clicks of the mouse and activating the odd tractor to roll its way across the virtual page is an obvious source of enjoyment but it still seems very early days for Magic Town just yet with the experience, so far, not feeling quite what it's been promised to be.

Its chance to really come to life will be when the application is brought to the iPad, which overlaps the niche of a book far better than something anchored to a desk, keyboard and mouse. The second crucial factor is going to be expanding the library of titles so that every children's favourite can be accessed at the touch of a screen.

“We have 100 hours of content from launch with 42 titles and we’re looking to add a further 10-15 per month,” says Begg.

The likes of Winnie the Witch, Aliens Love Underpants, World of Happy and Elmer the Elephant are certainly a good start, but there’s a whole heap of classic gaps to plug.

“We’ve spoken to all the publishers and they’re very excited,” Begg says and perhaps that’s not so hard to imagine, given the ?7.95 a month subscription that the parents need to stump up for unlimited access to all that Magic Town has to offer. With plans to come to the Kindle Fire when it hits the UK as well as a pay-as-you-read payment system, Mindshapes has certainly got it all heading in the right direction. And, if this system does take off, will that be the end of children's books as we know them? Apparently that's not what Mindshapes has got in its sights.

"We're not here to replace books or even TV," Begg reassures. "That said, if we do end up stealing from TV, perhaps that's not such a bad thing."

Tags: Apps Books ebooks Dad iPad apps Magic Town Mindshapes Features Interviews

Magic Town: the app aiming to bring children's books to life originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 11:49:00 +0100

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says there could potentially be 500 million users of the software giant's forthcoming operating system, Windows 8, by the end of 2013 as that's the number of Windows 7 devices that could be upgraded.

He has also revealed that the company sees the new software as a "rebirth of MS Windows", not just an upgrade.

Speaking at the?Seoul Digital Forum in South Korea, Ballmer called Windows 8, the "deepest, broadest and most impactful" Windows experience yet, and and said he believed its SkyDrive cloud computing integration would keep it as one of very few operating systems adopted by PC users.

Discounting Google Chrome, Ballmer predicts Windows will be among a small handful of cloud-connected operating systems that developers will want to support. "The number of core [cloud] platforms, around which software developers will do their innovation, is not ever-broadening," he said.

"It's really a quite smaller and focused number - Windows, various forms of Linux, the Apple ecosystem.

"There will be just a few ecosystems that really can get the critical mass."

Windows 8 is expected to be released in Autumn this year, with a preview build being made available in June.

At the forum, Ballmer also revealed that?Skype powered by Windows 8 will be launched soon, now that the video calling service is owned by Microsoft.

Read

Tags: Windows Microsoft Software Tablets PCs Windows 8 Steve Ballmer

Microsoft: Windows 8 will be the rebirth of MS Windows originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 10:50:00 +0100

Today's Google doodle is simply astounding in its complexity and execution. Designed to celebrate the 78th birthday of inventor Dr Robert Moog, it is a fully interactive simulator of one of his eponymous electronic synthesisers.

The Moog synthesiser was a strange, interesting electronic musical instrument that was unleashed in the mid-1960s and subsequently used by many of the forward-thinking bands of the time, including The Doors and The Beatles.

It creates an otherworldly, science-fiction style noise that is unique to the modular voltage-controlled analogue system and is still used today by many composers and artists. Now you can have a go yourself on Google's online version and for free - even a Minimoog these days costs around ?4,000.

The doodle itself shares more than just an audio effect or two with its real-life counterpart. As Dr Moog's instruments featured a coming together of electronic components to create different sounds, Google too has used several different web tools to create its virtual version.

"When experienced withGoogle Chrome, sound is generated natively using the?Web Audio API - a doodle first (for other browsers the Flash plugin is used)," it posts on its own blog.

"This doodle also takes advantage of JavaScript,?Closure libraries,?CSS3?and tools like?Google Web Fonts, the?Google+ API, the?Google URL Shortener?and?App Engine."

Oh, and the company has slapped a virtual four-track tape recorder on to the side, so you can record, play back and share songs via short links or Google+. It'll be interesting to hear what fruits the Google doodle will bear.

Tags: Google Online Google doodles Music Audio

Robert Moog Google doodle best yet, even better than Les Paul originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 09:52:00 +0100

If you’re a big, globe-spanning corporate, how do you use social media? In the traditional set-up, you’ll probably have an account on all of the major networks to promote your products and services. You might even employ somebody to keep an eye on your reputation. It’s possible that you employ somebody else to interact with your customers, and maybe even your detractors, through social media.

But, in the traditional set-up, what you probably don’t do is actively encourage your thousands of employees to go out into the various social streams to see what they can find. You can't have all your people running around having fun now, can you?

That is, unless you’re Intel.

At iq.intel.com you can see what happens when one of the biggest companies on the planet takes employee engagement into a new era, with an online magazine curated by its workers, with a large proportion of the content coming from Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the all the others.

This really is a new approach, and is a template that many other big businesses might look to emulate.

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: IQ by Intel originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 23 May 2012 01:00:00 +0100

Talking to the Mazda team, it's interesting to hear how the company views itself, and even more interesting to hear how the firm is introducing some pretty interesting engineering techniques to make its cars better, and its production lines even more efficient.

The CX5 is the first in a line of many cars that have new engines, and a new way of thinking. The car, which sits in the "crossover" category - between a normal compact car and a full-blown SUV - is intended to appeal to drivers who love driving, rather than people who are content with a Eurobox laden with equipment and storage space, but devoid of driving personality.

Design

The CX5 is a grower, thankfully. Our first glance at it was pleasing, but as we spent more time with the car we became more enamoured with its interesting looks. Front-on, it's striking. There's a big grille, which dominates, along with some stylish lights with a slightly pinched design.

Side-on, the car has a familiar SUV styling. The rear windows are smallish, but in the front there's a lot of glass, and as a result a very reasonable view of the road around you. The taillights are especially unusual, and from the side give the car a pretty funky look. This is no Nissan Juke, but you could argue that's no bad thing - it's certainly more conventional, and much less likely to scare children.

Inside, and we see a new approach for Mazda, which admits that it hasn't always had the most inspiring quality when it comes to the cabin. Things here are good, though. The dashboard is neatly designed. The rev counter and speedometer are traditional dials, while on the right is a digital display and graphical fuel gauge.

Things do fall apart a little when you come to the centre console. Here, there's a bit of a mix of old and new. In our test car, the TomTom gives a high-tech highlight with a multi-function touchscreen, which also doubles as a radio and CD player display. This works well, and is actually quite clearly laid out.

Below this though, there are the climate controls. There's nothing at all wrong here, but the colour of the displays - orange - doesn't fit at all with the darker and more modern style of the dashboard. We'd have like to have seen everything match, and it just doesn't. It all works fine, and the climate control is easier to use than Audi's dreadful "clicker" model used on the current A3. Here, you dial in the temperature you want and there's the option to turn dual-zone on, or off, at the press of a button. This is very useful, and it's missing on other cars.

Upholstery is well-designed too, there are cloth and leather options, and our car had a delightful red stitching that you possibly wouldn't expect to find on this sort of car. It might seem like a small thing, but we really liked it. The driver's seat of our car was also fully electric and allowed us to get into a comfortable driving position very easily. Once set up, we stayed comfortable all day. This car is incredibly pleasant to drive.

The height gives you a good vantage point, but the car never feels too big for British roads. The suspension is hard enough to make the car feel stable, but not so hard as to rattle your bones out through your mouth.

On-wheel controls mean easy access to cruise control and the stereo without having to reach over to play with the touchscreen interface. There is also a physical dial, set near the handbrake. This offers another navigation method, but it's pointless with the touchscreen and more likely to distract than an on-dash system.

Engine choices

Mazda offers a 2-litre petrol engine, and a 2.2-litre diesel in either two-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive configurations.

The more powerful AWD Sports version is a hoot. Low down the rev range, it's not all that inspiring, but drive it hard, up toward the red line, and it becomes a very different beast. There's loads of torque and while this is a large vehicle, it often feels more sprightly than a smaller car.

Even on tight, windy roads in the Scottish Highlands, the CX5 felt solid and well-planted. This is obviously not a sports car, but it also doesn't feel like an SUV when you're hurtling around at 60mph on single-track roads that stretch off into the mountains ahead.

The lower power 2.2 litre engine is, however, the one to chose. It's not significantly less fun than the bigger engine, and you still need to drive it high up the revs to have a good time, but it's cheaper to buy, gets better fuel economy when driven sensibly and comes in on a lower tax bracket.

You might prefer the security of the all-wheel-drive car too, but we'd suggest sticking to the two-wheel-drive model. You're unlikely to need the extra wheels driving, and it reduces fuel economy and won't help you actually to go off-road - this car really isn't designed for that.

Mazda is also proud of its short-shift gearbox, which it says pushes this car in the direction of the MX5. We have to say, its gearbox is actually very pleasant indeed to use, and when shifting around, it does feel responsive, and it's never too easy to flick the stick into the wrong gear. It's certainly more fun than you'll have in most vehicles in this class.

Plenty of technology

We really must insist, if you're buying a CX5, please make sure you take the TomTom option. it's very well integrated, gives you incredibly slick maps, with access to TomTom Live, if you're prepared to pay for it, and it has nice features such as lane guidance. If you get the CX5 now, Mazda is throwing the satnav in for free, but it's only ?400 more if you miss this offer.

Other options include metallic paint for ?500 and, on the AWD sport model, lane departure warning and rear vehicle monitoring. The sport model also has an improved Bose sound system, should music be your weapon of choice against screaming toddlers. Plus, there's a reversing camera too, which comes in handy when you consider that there's not a lot of rear visibility on this car.

One feature we do love, is the Smart City Breaking. Here, if you're moving at less than 20mph, and the car detects that you're about to crash into the back of someone, it will automatically apply the brakes, and bring you to an alarming, but swift halt. If you've ever had "that" accident at a junction, you'll, no doubt, be pleased by the inclusion of this feature.

There's also a lane departure warning, which sounds a loud and slightly flatulent noise if you stray from the lane in which you are supposed to be driving. This should stop drivers from falling asleep at the wheel, but it should also help those who sometimes drift out of their lane suddenly, and nearly cause an accident.

Skyactiv technology

While we usually avoid talk of engine design and spec here, we do want to mention Mazda's Skyactiv briefly.

These new engines are important to the company, which says that there is no point building hybrid cars, unless your underlying technology is as efficient as possible first. It is therefore making its engines lighter and simpler, and aiming to increase efficiency by 30 per cent over the next couple of years.

The net result of this is that the engine is 10 per cent lighter in this car, has 15 per cent better fuel consumption and 15 per cent more torque. Those are all just numbers, but in the time we spent with the car, it is certainly one of the most impressive diesel powered vehicles we've used.

And best of all, because the engines in the petrol and diesel models are so close to each other in size and weight, it's far easier for the cars to be assembled on the same lines. That means reduced costs, which can hopefully be passed on to us, the consumers.

Verdict:

The Mazda CX5 is certainly one of the more fun SUVs you can buy. It's very likely to appeal to parents who have a couple of ankle-biters, but still want a car that feels like it's driver-oriented, rather than family-oriented. It is, therefore, possible to have a lot of fun in the diesel CX5. Far more fun than you'd think actually.

When it comes to practicalities though, there are some issues. There aren't as many seats as you can get in some Euro SUVs from the likes of Citroen, Renault and VW. There are also not as many storage areas as the cubby-hole obsessed French cars offer. It has a decent-sized boot, but it's not enormous once you've chucked a pushchair and a suitcase in and if you're also ferrying a big dog too, it's not quite large enough.

But for day-to-day driving it's one of the most quiet and refined diesel engines we've seen. The new production method has produced a diesel engine that's far lighter than any which has gone before it. This brings all manner of cost savings, and helps this to achieve one of the best economy ratings of all its SUV brethren.

We didn't expect to be, but when it comes to the CX5, 2WD 2.2 diesel. We're utterly sold.

Tags: Car And GPS Mazda Mazda CX5 2.2 TDI AWD

Mazda CX5 2.2 TDI AWD originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 18:22:50 +0100

If you live anywhere but the UK, you might not know that the skies over our green and pleasant lands have been grey and full of more unpleasant moisture than an AC/DC mosh pit. Summer may have started, but we wouldn't have known over here.

However, in the last day or two the sun has come out, children are skipping gaily in the streets, and the average Brit is complaining that it's too hot. Never mind, it's bound to change soon enough so we'll have to keep our raincoats on standby. Thank the heavens we'll have plenty of pre-warning now that there's an updated version of....

The Weather Channel

Format

iPhone, iPod touch

Price

Free

Where

iTunes

The Weather Channel iPhone application has been around for a while, having even made it into Pocket-lint's "best weather apps for iPhone" feature back in 2010. However, it has just had an update that is far more than an aesthetic lick of varnish - The Weather Channel v5.0 is almost a completely new beast altogether.

Naturally, its core is the same. It takes the weather information found on weather.com and presents it in a format best suited to a mobile device. But it is the presentation and the integration of social networking features that improves the experience no end.

You can now choose several different locations to keep track of, including a home location. Plus, the app chooses your current location using its TruPoint local forecasting technology. You can then swipe through all of the different areas and forecasts, which is really handy if you are travelling around.

There are also massive improvements to the way icons and buttons are laid out. The settings button is now on all screens throughout the app so that you can chop and change as you go, without having to return to the root screen.

You can take your own photos to be used as backgrounds for different weather overlays, and the detailed weather data can be collapsed to make the screen less cluttered.

The biggest change, though, is the way that you can now relay your own weather circumstances through a variety of social sharing sites. You can take a picture and share it, including the current weather details, on Twitter, Facebook and through iWitness. You can also record video to post on to iWitness too, or view those posted by other users.

In fact, reading the simple weather forecast is probably only a small fraction of what you'd use The Weather Channel for.

There's only one small gripe. In order to keep the app free, it has an advertising bar that runs across the top of the screen, which looks clumsy. But hey, what would you rather have? A one-off payment, or a perpetually free service?

We thoroughly welcome this new version of our favourite weather application. If you haven't tried it out yet, or tried it before and didn't like it, give it a whirl.

Tags: Apps iPhone apps iPod Touch apps App of the day The Weather Channel

APP OF THE DAY: The Weather Channel review (iPhone / iPod touch) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 18:00:00 +0100

Anything Google’s Sergey Brin can do, co-founder Larry Page can do too, after he joined his colleague in being photographed wearing Google’s Augmented Reality glasses.?

Page was snapped wearing the Project Glass Augmented Reality specs in London by a fellow Google employee who then posted the pic on Google +.

Sergey Brin was photographed wearing the glasses in April and judging by the pair Page was wearing little has changed in terms of design, suggesting it’s still in prototype mode.

A video of the Project Glass Augmented Reality specs was unveiled in April demonstrating the kind of things the technology might bring, such as reading text messages, viewing your social networks or accessing weather reports, all directly in front of your eyes.

It’s also thought that you’ll be able to take snaps with the glasses as well as make and receive calls, while some suggest the glasses could even be with us before the end of the year.

With both Brin and Page allowing themselves to be photographed wearing them, that’s becoming an increasingly likely (augmented) reality.

Read

Tags: Google Augmented Reality Larry Page Project Glass

Now Larry Page has been spotted wearing Google's augmented reality glasses originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 17:54:00 +0100

A pint glass that reveals a QR code when filled up with Guinness has been unveiled by the iconic brewery.

Designed by BBDO New York, once topped up, the black stout liquid fills out the code that has been crafted into the glass container. The QR code can then be scanned with a mobile device, which will in turn unlock content.?

This can be in the form of downloadable coupons, promotions and other exclusive Guinness news and merchandise, while the code will also tweet what you’re doing, update your Facebook status and check you in via Foursquare.

It’s a novel way of letting your friends know you’re enjoying a pint of the black stuff and scanning the code will even invite them down to join you.?

The specially designed QR code pint glasses only work with Guinness, so there’s no point in trying it with any of your lagers or bitters.?

Of course if you’re after a crafty pint after work before going home to the wife and kids, you might want to refrain from giving the game away by opting for a more traditional glass.

Read

Tags: Social networks Guinness QR codes Apps

Pint of Guinness reveals scannable QR code originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 17:14:00 +0100

Orange and T-Mobile customers are set to reap the rewards from the final phase of Everything Everywhere’s "big switch-on".

Both networks will have a wider access to a 3G connection, be it on a smartphone, tablet or dongle, by alternating between each other. Should a device begin to lose its 3G connection on the T-Mobile network for example, the Smart Signal Share facility means the device will automatically locate a 3G signal from Orange, and vice versa.

Though the two networks have previously shared 3G connections, the transfer between the two has had teething troubles, with some reports of calls dropping. With the final phase of Everything Everywhere’s "big switch-on" this transfer will now be both seamless and offer more 3G hotspots around the country.?

Where no 3G connections are available on either network, a device will rely on 2G before reverting back to 3G as soon as it becomes available, be it on Orange or T-Mobile.

Smart Signal Sharing is available to all Orange and T-Mobile customers automatically and call charges and data rates will remain the same no matter what network signal is used.

Everything Everywhere has also been speaking about its desire to proceed with 4G.

Tags: Everything Everywhere Orange T-Mobile Networks Operators 3G

Everything Everywhere 'big switch-on' means better 3G for Orange and T-Mobile customers originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 16:12:00 +0100

Google has finally signed on the bottom line and finalised the deal that sees the internet giant purchase Motorola Mobility.

The deal is believed to be worth a whopping $12.5 billion and is the first time Google has owned a mobile hardware company.

Google has made clear that it intends to continue running Motorola Mobility as a separate entity, but it will mean that Google won’t have to rely on third-party manufacturers to produce the hardware for future Android products - as was the case with the HTC built Google Nexus One and Google Nexus S, designed by Samsung.?

The move sees Motorola’s Sanjay Jha step down as CEO, to be replaced by Google’s own Dennis Woodside.

Larry Page, Google CEO, said of the deal: “I’m happy to announce the deal has closed. Motorola is a great American tech company, with a track record of over 80 years of innovation. It’s a great time to be in the mobile business, and I’m confident that the team at Motorola will be creating the next generation of mobile devices that will improve lives for years to come.”

Rival manufacturers have expressed some concern as to what Google’s takeover of Motorola Mobility will mean for future rollouts of Android. However, Google is in fact said to be considering a wider launch of new Android updates across an array of devices as it looks to tackle Apple.

Tags: Google Motorola Phones Android Tablets

Google finally buys Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 15:22:00 +0100

I may come as no surprise, considering a staggering nine million of them have been pre-ordered worldwide, but the Samsung Galaxy S III is breaking pre-order records in the UK too.

Actual figures are being kept closely to chests but both Carphone Warehouse and Vodafone have revealed to Pocket-lint that the new handset, due out on 29 May, is the most sought after phone in 2012. "Thousands" were pre-ordered by Carphone Warehouse customers in just 24 hours, while Vodafone tells us that it is "now officially the most popular Android device we've ever put on pre-order".

Carphone Warehouse also claims that it's the?largest distributor of the phone in the UK and the only retailer to offer deals with all major UK mobile networks. It will be placing stock in its 800 plus stores up and down the country on launch day.

Pre-order customers will be able to pick up their handsets from 7pm on 29 May, others will have to wait until the Galaxy S III goes on general sale on 30 May.

"The Galaxy SIII is without a doubt the fastest-selling pre-order of 2012 so far," said ?Graham Stapleton, the retailer's chief commercial officer.

"We're gearing up for an exceptionally busy launch day at the end of the month as the handset lands on shelves at our stores across the UK."

Neither Carphone Warehouse nor Vodafone would tell us whether the Samsung Galaxy S III has beaten the iPhone 4S on pre-order numbers.

Tags: Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Carphone Warehouse Vodafone Android

Samsung Galaxy S III UK's most pre-ordered phone too originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 15:21:00 +0100

Mio has announced a new line of bike computers which draws on the company's experience in the satnav arena. We've managed to get our hands on the Mio Cyclo 305 following its announcement yesterday.

The Cyclo 305 is a complete package for your bike, including the main computer itself, a heart rate strap, cadence and wheel sensors. The system works wirelessly, so it's just a question of strapping all the parts to your bike and you're good to go.

It took us about 15 mins to get it all in place on the bike and thankfully we found that the device recognised the sensors without any problems.

The 305 attaches to the handbars by clipping into a mount. This uses a rotation-style lock and feels pretty secure once in place. The large screen means you have plenty of space to tap your way through the user interface.

It's a resistive touchscreen, so while it doesn't offer the sort of resolution, response or experience that you'll get on a smartphone, that doesn’t really matter.?We've yet to see how the display performs in bright sunshine or rain, but the icons all appear large enough to get to what you want.

The heart rate strap is also nice and comfortable, fastening with conventional press studs at the front. It's a great addition to the package, putting it on a par with some of the bespoke cycling systems from Polar or Garmin.

Of course the Cyclo 305 isn't pitched as a "training" accessory per se like the some rivals are, even though many of those functions are supported.

Using the workout section, you can set up an instant ride, plugging in what you want from it, the distance you want to cover and the average speed, and it will give you the duration and the option for a "surprise me" route.?

Surprise me is a nice function (from what we've seen so far) because it will plot routes and present you with three options. It's great for adding variety to rides and means you don't have to scratch your head wondering where to go.

The GPS mapping is really interesting, because you get both bike and car navigation options. We're yet to really explore the presentation of maps and routes, but so far it's been easy to find addresses by postcode and plot road routes.?

Of course, with this being an IPX7 certified device, we fully intend on putting it through it's paces both on the road and in the wilds, where we'll get a better sense of just how well all these functions work.

We'll be drumming up a full review over the next few weeks, so check back for all the details once we've hit the trails.

Tags: Cycling Bike computers Car And GPS Mio Mio Cyclo 305 Photos

Mio Cyclo 305 HC pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 14:57:00 +0100

Perhaps inspired by the roaring success of the Avengers Assemble movie doing the rounds in cinemas worldwide, British Gas has gathered six of Britain's finest swimming stars to pose as a superhero team on the eve of one of their most glorious challenges yet.

It's a natural fit. After all, swimmers and superheroes share a few traits: they're both revered by an adoring public; they both exhibit superhuman feats of?athleticism; and they both walk about in their underwear. Jobs a good'un.

The medal hopefuls who took part in the shoot include swimmer?Rebecca Adlington, open water swimmer Keri-anne Payne, diver Tom Daley, water polo captain Fran Leighton, Paralympic swimmer Sascha Kindred and synchronised swimmer Katie Dawkins. A viral video has also been made to show how the montage photo was put together.

British Gas gathered the aquatic team together in order to promote its Free Swims for Britain campaign which runs until 30 August this year. Head over to the dedicated website, www.britishgas.co.uk/freeswimming, input a few details, including your local pool, and bob's your uncle, a free swim voucher for one adult and up to two children.

Tags: Sports Fitness Dad London 2012 British Gas Olympics

British Gas turns Team GB swimming stars into superheroes originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 14:49:00 +0100

Sonos?has announced the launch of the Sonos Sub, a new a wireless subwoofer that will be available from 19 June to add plenty of bass to your Sonos music experience and opening up the possibility of turning your Sonos music system into a fully fledged home cinema experience. ?

Those ready to embrace the new sound will be able to place it anywhere in a room, plug it into a power source, press a button and follow some simple prompts on the controller, says the company.

The subwoofer itself includes two force-cancelling speakers positioned face-to-face meaning all the sound and energy from the music comes through loud and clear, and none of it is lost in cabinet buzz or rattle.

However, those worrying about finding a place in their living room, bedroom, boat, or wherever, shouldn't, according to Sonos: "The Sub’s unique design and smart wireless signal allows you to place it anywhere you want in the room - even lying flat under a sofa or bed - without any loss in sound or performance."

The Syb works with all Sonos amplified components: Connect:AMP/ZonePlayer 120/ZonePlayer 100; Play:5; Pkay:3. However it does not work with the non-amplified Sonos Connect/ZP90/ZP80.

It will be controlled via the usual array of apps created by the company.

We can see its main appeal to further extend the capabilities of the wireless music system and make it a viable solution for home cinema fans looking to boost their movie watching experience. Users of two Play:3 or Play:5 devices can already pair the speakers to create a stereo sound; adding this new component would complete the package.

Those looking to get the new Sonos Sub will be able to in a high-gloss black lacquer finish for ?599 from 19 June in the UK.

If that sounds a little a rich, a cheaper black matte finish version will be available in October 2012 for ?499.

No word on whether there will be a white model to match the white speaker range from Sonos.

Tags: Audio Sonos Sonos Sub

Sonos Sub ups the bass, now you really can create that wireless home cinema setup originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 14:00:00 +0100

Sony has made its Music Unlimited streaming service available on both the iPhone and iPod touch, as it looks to take the fight to the likes of Spotify.

The app is currently available only on the iOS platform in the US, though a UK arrival seems imminent. The app itself is free though with a subscription charge that starts at $3.99 a month, while early birds can enjoy a free 30-day trial of the premium service.

Sony’s Music Unlimited service has a library of more than 15 million songs and playback features, having already been available on the Android platform as well as on Sony products such as the PlayStation 3 and Blu-ray players.?

The premium service, once your free 30-day trial is up, will cost you $10 a month but will enable you to play music offline, create playlists, view chart lists and access new releases which are added on a weekly basis.?

Though Sony’s Music Unlimited app will work on the Apple iPad, there’s no optimised version for that specific platform, something Spotify has now addressed.

UPDATE ?Sony has now announced that its Music Unlimited App will be available to UK users from the Apple App Store from Friday 25 May. A basic subscription will cost ?3.99 a month where as the premium will be ?9.99.

Read

Tags: Apps Music streaming Sony Spotify

Sony takes on Spotify with Music Unlimited iPhone app originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 13:54:00 +0100

With compact cameras slimming down, folding optics becoming more sophisticated and prices dropping, more and more waterproof models are appearing. Nikon's first waterproof Coolpix is the AW100.

But facing tough competition from stalwarts Olympus and Panasonic, as well as just about everyone else these days, should you be looking to the Nikon Coolpix AW100 when snapping on your adventures??

Design and control

The Nikon Coolpix AW100 looks tough. We reviewed the matte black version which, when set alongside some of the bright colours of rivals, looks serious but rather more normal at the same time. But Nikon still gives you exposed screwheads and a chunky side lock, leaving you in no doubt that this is a camera that can take some abuse.

The layout of controls is all rather conventional for a Nikon compact camera, with the shutter button on the top and the rest of the controls sitting to the right of the 3-inch 460k-dot display on the rear. These controls are all pretty small, so if you're looking to take your AW100 on the slopes, you might have to peel off a glove to make any substantial changes.?

There is, however, a side button offering instant access to either the GPS map or "action controls" - as determined by the menu selection. Engage the action controls and you'll be able to cycle through various shooting options. It takes some practice and it works after a fashion, but unless you're in extenuating circumstances, taking your glove off will probably be preferable.?

Keeping things watertight there is a clever push-and-rotate lock on the end of the camera, sealing the battery and SD card away from damage.

Shooting on the move

As we mentioned, the AW100 has an integrated GPS. This will let you geotag your position, writing this information into the EXIF data, as well as offering a range of other functions.?As a result, you'll be able to pull up a map and trace your route when not taking photos and you get the option of a digital compass, so you can see which way you are pointing.

This of course, all has an impact on battery life, so you're probably best to use the GPS sparingly if you're not carrying a spare battery or near a charger. The GPS settings options are also available only from the GPS map view accessed via the action button, which can mean a bit of fiddling around to get to them to turn the GPS on or off.

There is a wide range of scene modes on offer, with those pertinent to outdoors activities (underwater, snow, etc) easily accessible if you are using the action button motion control. Otherwise you have the normal combination of auto and "easy auto" modes, as well as face detection and a couple of photo effects, but nothing too wild.

This is, first and foremost, a camera designed to be used as a full auto snapper, although you can make a number of useful adjustments, such as limiting the range of the auto ISO, tweaking the focusing modes and so on. There are a range of continuous shooting modes too.

Movie capture is offered instantly via the button on the back, with capture at up to 1920 x 1080/30p, via just about every option, including iFrame and slow motion, and the option to swap from 240fps slow-mo to regular 30fps in the same movie (accepting a low resolution), useful for capturing those perfect action moments.

Performance

Focusing is pretty fast, but will slow down as the light drops and it isn’t so keen on focusing when there is a lot of movement, resulting in several blurred action shots. Shooting in auto modes, the AW100 copes well with fairly close shots.

Although the specs give a 50cm minimum distance, we found it worked down to about 20cm without complaint and there is a macro mode if you want to get closer.

The 5x Nikkor zoom lens (28-140mm in 35mm terms) is smooth enough to zoom from one end to the other and is mostly distortion free, although there is some edge softness evident in shots at the wider angle. However it offers a max aperture of only f/3.9 limiting low-light and creative potential to some degree.?

The ISO range runs from 100-3200, but at the top end, noise destroys the pictures so it's difficult to recommend using, unless the shot is desperately critical. Noise appears even at low ISOs, although it's probably acceptable until you reach ISO 800, where it's difficult to ignore.?

Overexposed shots with washed-out highlights were relatively common, as the AW100 struggles to cope with high contrast or bright conditions, leading to purple fringing around edges.

The result is that the final image quality isn't so good, most likely because of the compact lens and high number of pixels on the sensor. Of course, some compromises have to be accepted when it comes to creating a rugged compact, but we'd be on the verge of wanting a "normal" camera to get better shots.

Video performance is pretty good, but it's worth bearing in mind that if it's a dedicated "action cam" you're after for video, then something like the GoPro will be a better option for you. Straight video capture is detailed enough however, but we couldn't resist strapping the camera to the front of a bike to see how it coped.

The design doesn't completely help here either, on a practical level. The surface of the lens isn't as large as on some models, so if you find yourself having to wipe it clean with the corner of your T-shirt, it's pretty tricky. Sure, it might be better protected, but wiping mud away takes more effort than on some other tough cameras.

Verdict:

The Nikon AW100 offers a tough build that will keep shooting in all conditions. It will survive water down to a depth 10m, drops from 1.5m and temperatures down to -10 degrees celcius, meaning you're well protected whether on the beach or from that pint glass of wine that always gets knocked over.?

But the image quality and the results we've achieved don't really speak volumes for the Coolpix AW100. It's managed to get the shots, but along the way, we've had to delete a large number of over-exposed pictures as it struggles with bright conditions.?

However, there are a huge range of features on offer in the AW100, from the GPS to the additional accessory filters you can attach to the front using an adapter. Perhaps not the most exciting tough camera on the market and it is priced towards the top end. But if you can get it at a good price, it will survive the vigour of the outdoors life.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Nikon Nikon AW100 16 megapixels

Nikon Coolpix AW100 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 13:30:00 +0100

We know what you are thinking, it's a big plug, and what the devil is Pocket-lint doing covering plugs now. That's just so boring.?You are right, plugs are boring, but this plug has a hidden secret, it comes with its own SIM card slot so you can text it instructions.

Load in a PAYG SIM card, plug it in to a standard three-pin socket, plug something into the Energenie, and then run through some very quick and easy to understand instructions on your phone.

Hey presto you can now turn the plug on or off via your mobile phone wherever you are in the world as long as you and it are in coverage and have the ability to text it.

In practice and the Energenie works just as it says it does. You can give up to four other friends or family members access to send in text messages as well, and you always get a text message reply letting you know that your text has got through.

Beyond the texting functionality of the GSM power socket there is a temperature gauge that can be used to control the switch and there is a daily timer feature as well meaning you can set it to come on or off on a Tuesday, but not a Thursday for example.?You can override the timer settings at any point with another text message.

The temperature feature is more than just "if it gets to 21F turn on", but a fully programmable temperature range. It offers features such as if the room temperature is lower than 10F degrees the output power to the device will automatically turn on but when it has reached 20F ?the output will be turned off automatically. That's handy if you want to control the temperature of a room, but don't want to have to rely on a standard heater on a standard timer regardless.

Likewise you can use it for cooling a room, perhaps with a fan or A/C unit whereby if the temperature is higher than 30F the output is on but when it reaches 20F it will be turned off.

All these status updates automatically get pinged to your phone, including when you lose power, or someone has unplugged a device connected to the Energenie.

All sound fantastic, and in reality it is. We've had great fun in the office turning a lamp off and on from various places around the UK and even further afield.

The question however is what could you really use it for in daily life that would justify the ?150 price tag and the PAYG you go SIM card to go with it?

Putting the question to Pocket-lint readers via Twitter and the answers are varied, but a few suggestions kept on cropping up.

The main ones were the ability to turn a light on or off while you are on holiday to make it look like you are still in, while many women suggested it would be fantastic to make sure they really had turned their hair straighteners off.

Other more random suggestions where to pre-heat the oven or slow cooker before you got home, or to be able to reset your Sky box if it had crashed while using services like Slingbox from another country, or turning off a device in a kids' bedroom after lights out.

Business suggestions included the ability to reset the office server without having to go into the office or to inform you you'd had a power cut - handy if you've got food in freezers.

Whatever you decide you need the Energenie for, it does work, and works well.

Tags: Gadgets

Text your plug: Energenie GSM power socket pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 12:36:00 +0100

Everything Everywhere has again emphasised its desire to bring a 4G network to the UK,?following successful trials.

The operator, a joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile, told Pocket-lint that it is extremely confident Ofcom won’t stand in its way in rolling out 4G before rival operators, despite objections it could lead to a monopoly of the market.

“I would personally find it very strange for our government to stand up and say no you can’t have the next generation of mobile broadband when they have been championing the rollout for years,” argued David Salam, head of Network Strategy and Architecture at Everything Everywhere.?

“O2 and Vodafone have had their opportunities to do the same, but they have chosen not to champion 4G. It’s a choice. We have many proof points of how they could have used their existing spectrum to bring a 4G service to the UK.”?

A 4G network has been described by Everything Everywhere as a real “game changer”, enabling seamless TV streaming, easier access to cloud content including gaming services and better video calling on mobile devices all without the need of a Wi-Fi connection.

The operator says it hopes it will be allowed to begin rolling out 4G on a small scale later this year, with existing wholesale agreements with the likes of Three as well as MVNO Virgin Mobile, meaning they too could be using 4G before the end of 2012.

“I would like to drive 4G hard,” added Salam. “The country’s ready. The country wants it.”

UPDATE:?O2 has contacted Pocket-lint to tell us:?"Everything Everywhere has asked the Government for a change to its licence to run 4G services on their existing 2G network band, so they can launch up to a year early, something the other operators are not in a position to do.

"It would seem that this is about the interests of one business rather than for the benefit of all UK customers and to deliver on the promise of making Britain digital.

"Everything Everywhere say we can ask to liberalise our own 900 spectrum for 4G but, as they know, there are no devices compatible with 4G on that band. There is so little 900 spectrum in Europe that it doesn’t make commercial sense for the manufacturers to build the handsets to support it. And that is not going to change.

"The mobile market in the UK offers customers value and quality because we have the most competitive landscape in Europe. We are interested in acting openly in the interests of all UK customers. Our preparations have involved the UK’s first London 4G trial network, which is used and exploited by our 4G superfans. Our efforts have demonstrated the very real need for, and benefit of, 4G in the UK."

This looks like a debate that shows no signs of cooling down anytime soon.

Tags: 4G Networks Everything Everywhere O2 Vodafone Operators

Everything Everywhere: UK's ready for 4G and Ofcom won't stand in our way originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 12:24:00 +0100

Apple is reportedly testing a number of different prototype devices in order to settle on what to release as the iPhone 5, and two of those feature a 3.95-inch screen. More excitingly, it is believed that the display has a 1136 x 640 resolution, which means it's near 16:9 (1.775:1). Welcome to widescreen, Apple fanboys.

According to 9to5Mac, it's sources have said that the prototype handsets in the PreEVT stage of development. They are codenamed N41AP and N42AP, and both feature the same larger, higher resolution display.

The current iPhone 4S has a 3.5-inch touchscreen with a 960 x 640 resolution (3:2), so the new version will be a massive step up and, for the first time for Apple, would play movies and TV shows in their native aspect ratios without the need for black bars top and bottom. There's no indication yet though on whether the screen will sport a Retina display or whether Apple will rely on the extra pixels for clarity.

There's also no word on what this would mean for a future iPad either. Would the iPad 4 (or new new iPad) equally adopt a 16:9 screen?

9to5Mac has also heard that, should these prototypes be indicative of the final phone, the iPhone 5 will definitely still feature a home button and will be the first Apple device to use the company's smaller dock connector.

Read

Tags: Apple Phones iPhone iPhone 5

Apple testing 3.95-inch iPhone 5, with 16:9 display originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 12:13:00 +0100

Nikon UK, as an official licensee of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games, has released a London 2012 edition of it Nikon Sportster EX binoculars.

With the London 2012 logo emblazoned on the body in pink, the binoculars are compact and portable, so you can easily slip them into a pocket or bag to help you get a little closer to the action on track.

They are sturdily built, with rubberised barrels that feel nice and secure in the hands and a smooth focusing ring, operating the central roof prism.

They are equipped with extendible eyecups to cater for those wearing glasses (or not), as well as offering the usual dioptre adjustment for those that need to tweak the focusing to cater for eye differences.

They measure 103 x 114mm and weigh 300g. There is a neck strap provided in the box, as well as caps to keep the ocular lenses clean and a padded case.

The Sportstar EX are also waterproof, so won't mind the odd splash of rain either, happy to withstand immersion in 2m of water for up to 5 mins.

In use, the Sportstar EX 10x25DCF binoculars are easy to set-up and use, providing a nice bright and clear image, giving you 10x magnification, with a 25mm objective lens.

The Nikon Sportstar EX 10x25DCF binoculars will cost you ?120 and are available now.

Tags: Binoculars Nikon London 2012

Nikon Sportstar EX binoculars pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 11:52:00 +0100

Win tickets to Ibiza Rocks to see Maverick Sabre and Labrinth live!

Courtesy of our friends over at Sony we have a great competition up for grabs. After a wet start to the summer we’ve got a great way to turn it into a scorcher - you and a friend could win a trip to Ibiza to enjoy the sea, sand and sounds of Maverick Sabre and Labrinth at Ibiza Rocks.

To celebrate the launch of the new Sony MDR-V55 headphones?- which landed our much lauded "Hot Product" award - Sony has teamed up with Ibiza Rocks to give music fans the opportunity to bask in the sun of the party island and enjoy the best music that Ibiza has to offer.

The prize includes:
- A pair of the new Sony MDR-V55 headphones
- Flights and accommodation at the Ibiza Rocks Hotel for the winner and a guest (fly out on Wednesday 13 June from London and return on Saturday 16 June)
- Hotel transfers in Ibiza
- A pair of tickets to Ibiza Rocks on Wednesday 13 June (featuring Maverick Sabre and Labrinth)
- Entry into Ibiza Rocks Official Afterparty at Es Paradis on Wednesday 13 June
- A pair of tickets to Ibiza Kicks on Friday 15 June (screening of the England v Sweden Euro 2012 match) followed by a DJ set from Kissy Sell Out

To be in with a chance of winning:
All you have to do is follow both @Pocketlint and @SonyUK on Twitter and retweet any Pocket-lint story of your choice. Be sure to include the hashtag #PLSonyIbizaRocks otherwise you’ll slip through the radar.

But be quick! The competition will close at 5pm, 25 May, after which time we will draw the winner and inform him or her via Twitter.

Please ensure that you read Pocket-lint's terms and conditions, and we must point out that this competition in open only to entrants aged 18 and over, that hold a UK or Irish passport, and can commit to the outlined travel dates.

You’ll also need to get yourself to and from the airport on the London side and take your own spending money. We also advise taking out travel insurance as Pocket-Lint and Sony UK are not liable for your wellbeing during the trip.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED: We'll announce a winner in due course

Tags: Sony Sony MDR-V55 Competitions Headphones

WIN: Tickets to Ibiza Rocks to see Maverick Sabre and Labrinth live originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 11:48:00 +0100

Halo developer Bungie's next game, a MMO first-person shooter called Destiny, will be released in Autumn 2013 for Xbox 360 and, dum dum dum, the Xbox 720.

The contract between the studio and publisher Activision has been made public as part of?Activision Blizzard's lawsuit against former Call of Duty developers Jason West and Vincent Zampella, and it covers a launch version for the "next Xbox".

In addition, it refers to Microsoft's next generation console as the Xbox 720 - not Durango. However, as the contract was drawn up two years ago, the Durango name wasn't used at that time. What is more interesting, however, is that Activision had clearly been under the impression that the new machine would be out in 2013. It is unlikely that it would commission a version of a game that it couldn't release.

The contract also reveals that Bungie is to make four "sci-fantasy,?action?shooter games", covering three sequels. And that although the first Destiny game will be an Xbox 360 and Xbox 720 exclusive for 2013, a PS3 version is to be developed and released a year later in "Fall 2014".

Finally, the Bungie Activision agreement also covers the PlayStation 4, but not until Destiny 2. The first sequel is to be available for Xbox 360, Xbox 720 and PS4.

So, does this all mean that we're about to get a major unveiling at E3, specifically by Microsoft? Pocket-lint's sources continually say not. E3 2013 is a far better bet for a Xbox 720 launch, perhaps with a quick turnaround to get it into shops by Autumn 2013. After all, there have already been reports that the console has entered the early stages of production.

Read

Tags: Xbox 720 Gaming Microsoft Xbox 360 Activision Bungie Destiny Durango E32012

Bungie Destiny contract reveals Xbox 720 will arrive in 2013 - E3 announcement? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 10:23:00 +0100

When Simon Wheatcroft says to his wife that he is going for a run, it's not the kind of run that you or I would take lightly. Blind by the age of 17, the 29-year-old student who classes himself an ultra-runner, trains solo with only the help of his iPhone to guide him, but how? Pocket-lint went to Doncaster, where he lives, to run with Wheatcroft to find out how he uses his iPhone to see.

Wheatcroft is able to achieve this feat by using Runkeeper, a popular iPhone running app that lets him gauge where he is on his route. The app itself isn't designed specifically for blind people, but has a feature that allows runners to set it to give pace details every minute. Wheatcroft uses that feature combined with sensory clues in the camber of the path to determine instantly where he is on the route without anyone's help.

"And here we are at the first turn," says Wheatcroft, confirming what we already know at the point of our first turn about a mile into the run. Considering he can only just about make out shadows, we are impressed. We turn the corner and carry on at a pace. Wheatcroft explains that he uses a number of clues to plot his course learning through practice where and where not to run.?On our outing with him and it's clear that he doesn't need any help, even though he can't see where he's going.

Wheatcroft has been running this route for more than two years but not without the odd mishap, including running into road signs and falling into bushes.

He first started running on a nearby football pitch but tells us he found it too crowded with dog walkers believing he would step out of the way - he didn't.

"It sounded like a really safe idea," explains the runner. "But unfortunately people didn't realise I couldn't see them so it became unsafe for me and them."

When it was clear that wasn't going to work, he moved on to a piece of disused road by Robin Hood airport in Doncaster. Three loops equalled a mile, but doing 30 laps a time soon became incredibly boring.

"Around the same time, I started using Runkeeper and its audio distance makers and I thought, 'Maybe I can pair all the elements of the technology, learning the road and route together?' So that's what I did. I stepped out on to the dual carriageway and started running."

The Runkeeper app might give him pacing details but he still has to navigate the road in front of him including cars when he comes to crossing the road - frightening we know.

That's where the app serves another function too, allowing his wife and friends to track him via the Runkeeper Live service. A subscription based add-on to the app, it means anyone can track where our athlete is running in real-time. Handy, Wheatcroft admits, if people are worried about him.

But it's not just about using Runkeeper. Wheatcroft uses the iPhone, iPad, and iMac in his daily life too allowing him to complete tasks that most of us take for granted.

"I love that the accessibility tools are the same across the entire line of the hardware. So, something that I've learnt on my iPad translates to the iPhone," says Wheatcroft and, ultimately, that means less for him to learn.

A self-confessed Apple fan, Siri - Apple's personal assistant feature on the iPhone and iPad - is also a favourite. It helps him when it comes to writing and reading his emails, although Wheatcroft admits it's not really of much use when it has to read out messages from friends who can't spell.

"Siri is great because there have been a few occasions where something has gone wrong on a run and I wanted to quickly call my wife, I was able to do that. It meant I wasn't panicking trying to search through the phone book to find the number. I understand why it can be seen as very gimmicky. For most people it might make a tiny difference in everyday use, in my situation it makes a huge difference."

Other iPhone features utilised include Find my iPhone; not to find his phone, mind you, but for people to find him.

On the iPhone there are other apps that he and his friends use to help them turn the iPhone from a phone into a useful seeing tool.

Apps include a lux meter to work out if the lights in the room are on or off, or a colour-identifying app (color identifier) that lets his blind friends know what colour clothes they are wearing - for the record Wheatcroft says he doesn't care what colour his T-shirt is.?

On the Mac, Wheatcroft uses Apple's built-in contrast tool to help him see things on screen. The feature turns black to white and means that if a website or an application uses contrasting colours already, he can just about see it. If the site uses muted shades, it's no good.

"I used to use Facebook a lot, but they've broken voice-over with it, which is really frustrating," Wheatcroft remarks, before pointing out that the social networks' constant urge to change the user interfaces mean he can't learn where features are on their apps either.

To help him find the mouse he uses Mouse Expose, originally designed as a presentation aid to show where on the screen the mouse pointer is for audiences watching, but Wheatcroft has adapted it to suit his needs.

But it's not Apple devices that givesWheatcroft a sense of freedom from a life that he admits can be "very boring" at times.?Another gadget that gives Wheatcroft freedom is his Nordic treadmill with iFit.

By connecting it to his Wi-Fi network, managed by an accompanying website, our runner is able to load pre-programmed running routes from around the world into the treadmill to then be able to run in real-life with the treadmill replicating the incline of the chosen route, so it feels like you are actually running up that tough hill, for example.

When we visited, the ultra-marathon runner - who incidentally runs between 50 and 70 miles a week - was doing hill training in San Francisco. The system can even be plugged into a monitor so you get a Street View of the route as well, not that he needs it, Wheatcroft jokes.

The next race? A marathon sandwich on 27 May in Sheffield.

The race will see Wheatcroft run a 13-mile half-marathon, followed by a full marathon, followed by another half-marathon all back to back and all for charity.

For this race, he will have a guide but still plans to use the Runkeeper app to track his performance.

Two and half miles into our run and we come to the airport. Wheatcroft knows exactly where we are.

"I've run around 2000 miles on this piece of road," he tell us. You can see the memories of all those miles filling his mind. The endless loops that eventually became boring enough to push him on to the road. We stop and chat. Chat about his studies - he is doing psychology - about how he wants to complete his degree and then help other people in similar situations, about a life beyond being just another blind man with a guide dog - he is just about to get his first dog but has been told he isn't allowed to take it running.?

Wheatcroft isn't one to give up easily it seems. Some photos of where it all began done, we get back on the road. We've still another four miles to go.

We carry on talking, running at a fairly brisk pace of around 9-minute miles - a speed even Wheatcroft is pleasantly surprised by.

So how does the blind community take to his efforts?

"It shows that anything is possible," says Wheatcroft. "And some don't like that."

As we near the end of our run, we both go silent, finishing off the long straight final mile towards the end. The run hasn't been the most picturesque. Yes, there are some green fields to look at and the airport that looms up in the distance getting ever closer gives you a midway focus but, for Wheatcroft, that doesn't matter. This is his little bit of escapism, his feeling "normal" as he puts it.

Do you ever get the urge to just keep going, we ask? The response from such an impulsive man is perhaps to be expected.

"I did once," Wheatcroft starts to explain before telling us how he wondered whether he could read the road as he ran it. Half a mile later and he quickly realised that it wasn't such a good idea. He didn't have Siri or Find my iPhone at that point and, without a way of contacting support, realised that he was very much alone on a road with no help at all.

Luckily, he was able to make it back to where he started, and now realises more than ever before ?the dangers that he takes every time he puts his trainers on and steps out for a run on his own.

With many more races planned, Wheatcroft's ultimate goal is to be the fastest blind man to finish Badwater?-?a 135-mile non-stop race from Death Valley to Mount. Whitney, in California, in temperatures up to 55C.

For us, our run is over. Runkeeper tells us we've done six miles in just under an hour. We've stopped and chatted, snapped a few photos, and Wheatcroft is happy with the time.

As we cool down, we ask him what gadget he wants most of all that he doesn't currently have.

"A driverless car," is the response; not so he can be lazy and never have to run again but so he can be driven to the next race without having to bother his friends and family.

Tags: Sports Fitness RunKeeper Apple Phones iPhone Interviews Features

Running blind: How Simon Wheatcroft uses his iPhone to see originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 10:08:00 +0100

An image has appeared on a developer's Twitter feed that reveals the final Wii U controller, to be publicly unveiled during Nintendo's press conference at E3 on 5 June. It has several changes to the one Pocket-lint played with at last year's event.

The picture, leaked by a quality assurance tester at Lego videogames developer TT Games, shows that the thumbsticks of what is believed to be the consumer version of the controller are different - they're convex rather than concave.

In addition, the button array at the bottom of the screen is altered and the whole device is more rounded than before, giving a softer, more welcoming, family appeal. There's also a Wii U logo that's appeared on the bottom left of the controller.

The original tweet has now been removed by the user, which is understandable considering that third-party developers are under strict non-disclosure agreements. Needless to say, we now fully expect a Lego game to come to the new console after its launch.

Along with the final version of the console itself, we expect several games to be announced at E3, including a Mario title - something creator?Shigeru Miyamoto has previously revealed.

Pocket-lint will be at E3, the enormous videogames conference in Los Angeles, from 2 June to bring you all the biggest news as it happens, with the Sony press conference on 4 June being the first major event.

Read

Tags: Nintendo Gaming Nintendo Wii U E32012

Wii U controller redesigned - thumbsticks changed and more originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 09:38:00 +0100

David Beckham, footballer and English institution, is Samsung's Olympic Games ambassador so Samsung has used his primary skill set - the art of kicking a football accurately - crossed with a giant drum machine in order to promote the Samsung Galaxy Note.

Where does the larger-than-life Android device come in? Well, the director uses it to show the ex-England captain (and, hopefully, captain of Team GB, in our opinion) which drums to kick in what order so that they play Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

Naturally, it's been cut together and edited, but there's still more than enough there for Beckham, Beethoven and oversized mobile phones to enjoy.

Incidentally, Pocket-lint met David Beckham last year when he helped launch Samsung's Olympic Games tech strategy and he's a thoroughly nice chap. Just thought we'd throw an enormous name drop there.

Tags: Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy Note David Beckham London 2012 Olympics

David Beckham uses football skills and Samsung Galaxy Note to play Ode to Joy (video) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 09:09:00 +0100

Before we start, here’s your style pointer for the day: go to where you keep your coats. Pick up your waterproof jacket. Put it on. Zip it up all the way. Resume reading.

Yes, dear readers, we are going on a journey to where only the true gaming anorak can go – the deepest darkest corners of gaming trivia, with our able guides at didyouknowgaming.com.

Here you will find some of the quirkiest snippets of gaming folklore, perfect for when you find yourself in a pub quiz (if you ever leave the house, of course) or when you are in that natural home of geek street cred and one-upmanship – the online forum.

We love this simple, yet informative Tumblr blog, and it’s even taught our resident gaming experts a thing or two (although they won’t admit it).

Early days for this one, but if you want to out-geek the true gamers, it’s worth a bookmark now.

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Did You Know Gaming? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 22 May 2012 01:00:00 +0100

The Pentax Optio LS465 continues the trend of offering owners the chance to customise their compact camera.

Like last year's Pentax Optio RS1500, the Optio LS465 features a clear removable front cover, so you can change the front design of the camera to suit your mood. Ten designs come in the box to get you started.?

The LS465 is very compact, measuring 102 x 46 x 18mm and weighing only 104g, so will slip into any pocket or bag with ease. It comes in black, pink and purple base colours.?

On the technical side, the Pentax Optio LS465 packs in a 5x optical zoom (28-140mm in 35mm terms) lens into that frame, with a 16-megapixel sensor.

This is every inch a point-and-shoot camera, offering a range of auto picture modes and creative filters for those essential retro and miniature effects. You also get normal features such as face detection and smile capture.?

On the movie front, the Optio LS465 doesn't quite hit the full-HD highs, offering 1280 x 720 capture at 30fps, although there is an instant capture button on the back of the camera, so you'll be shooting movies in a flash.?

Around the back of the camera is a 2.7-inch a 230k-dot resolution display, the low resolution reflected in the very affordable ?89.99 price tag.

It can be yours from mid-June 2012. We say go purple.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Pentax Pentax Optio LS465

Pentax Optio LS465 camera offers compact customisability, at little cost originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:00 +0100

Pentax is expanding its line-up of DSLR cameras, with the introduction of the mid-level Pentax K-30.

The Pentax K-30 will offer photographers a compact and lightweight DSLR with the benefit of weather proofing, as seen on the existing K-5 and K-7 models. Featuring 81 seals, the K-30 promises to be dust and cold proof, happy down to temperatures of -10C.?

It features a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor (23.7 x 15.7mm, so APS-C format) which features Pentax's sensor shift type Shake Reduction.

Not only does this give you assistance in lower light or at long zooms, but the SR mechanism also allows for features such as horizon correction and an Astrotracer mode to aid you when shooting stars with the accessory O-GPS1 unit.

Boosting the Pentax K-30's credentials are a glass prism finder, offering near 100 per cent FOV, 11-point (9 cross-type) autofocusing, as well as, Pentax claim, a new AF algorithm with a select-area function which will track a moving object as it moves out of a pre-selected focus area.

You'll be able to shoot JPEG images at up to six frames a second, with a max shutter speed of 1/6000 sec. The Prime M imaging engine will offer a normal ISO shooting range of ISO 100 to ISO 12800, expandable up to 25600, with Pentax claiming low noise imaging, something we'll have to test when we review this new camera.

Full-HD video capture is offered, at 30fps, along with a range of auto and scene modes to help you get the shot you want, as well as a range of digital filters for several quirky shooting options.?Live view is offered via the 3-inch 921k-dot display around the rear.

The Pentax K-30 will be available in three colours, Crystal White, Crystal Blue and the traditional Classic Black. We've got to say, the black model looks a little bland alongside the blue and white models.?

Hitting stores from the end of June 2012, pricing is yet to be announced, but we'll update as soon as we find out.

UPDATE: Pentax has now confirmed the pricing on the K-30. The body-only price is ?599.99 (all colours) and there will be various kit deals available, the standard DA L 18-55mm kit at ?649.99 with various options thereafter.

Tags: Cameras DSLR cameras Pentax Pentax K-30 16 megapixels

Pentax K-30: 16-megapixel weather-proofed mid-level DSLR originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:00 +0100

Smartphones are great for keeping in touch, be that with friends, family or colleagues. It really doesn't matter what device you have, there are plenty of options available to you.

SMS and MMS messaging is great, but sometimes you want something more immediate, you want to have a discussion, and importantly, you don't want to run up charges for messaging, especially if you're roaming.

There are a number of data-based solutions and today we're looking at an app that's proved it's worth and has plenty of users. If you've never heard of WhatsApp, it might be something you should consider.

WhatsApp

Format

Android (version tested), iPhone, BlackBerry, WP7, Symbian

Price

Free

Where

Google Play

WhatsApp is a cross-platform messaging app, which will let you send instant messages to your contacts. In this it is nothing unique: iMessage, BBM, Skype, GTalk, Facebook Messenger and so on, also offer the same sort of functions, but as a standalone app, WhatsApp has a lot going for it.

The first important point is that it is cross platform. This means you can, for example, contact people on iPhone or BlackBerry from your Android device. It isn't constrained like device specific services - BlackBerry Messenger or iMessage for example.

This makes it great in the real world where the people you know all have a different type of phone. Sure, services like Skype offer a similar experience, but WhatsApp has a lighter footprint: it doesn't use much data and it doesn't draw heavily on the battery either (if the stats from our test HTC One X are typical).

Of course, BlackBerry users will argue that BBM is better and perhaps they're right; Apple users are right to like iMessage, but in a world where simplicity in communication makes it easier for everyone, WhatsApp has a very valid place.

When it comes to use, we've been testing WhatsApp across devices, but this review is written principally of the Android version.

?

As soon as you register your phone number within the app, you'll see those contacts that have WhatsApp. It's great, because you're able to get started without any messing around - as long as you have the right phone numbers for people.?

WhatsApp is a messenger app, so it doesn't go as far as offering voice or video calling, but it will let you send various types of additional content as well as words and the all-essential emoticons.

Tapping the attachment icon will let you include pictures or video (either from the Gallery, or captured for the purpose there and then), audio (music or recorded voice), your map location or a contact card. Other apps play in here too, so if you use Google Music, for example, that will be offered as a source of music.

As such, there is a lot you can do with it. Of course, sending messages uses very little data, but if you start flicking video back and forth, it's going to cost you unless you're sitting on Wi-Fi, which WhatsApp is happy to do.

Everything works smoothly and the messaging process is fast enough to be able to have a coherent conversation, so long as both parties have a data connection. We get the feeling that BBM copes better with lesser reception, which seems to be an inherent BlackBerry trait, but otherwise we're impressed with the performance.

You also get nice options, such as groups, so you can have a specific group of friends in one chat, perfect for coordinating people. We also like that you can drop a shortcut for a contact, so if you regularly chat to a particular individual, you can have them with a tap of the finger. Naturally, this being Android, WhatsApp will be integrated into your contacts and sharing options too.

You can also broadcast messages, letting you send a message to a selection of people you choose off your contact list, for example, that important "It's a boy!" announcement, or "I'm single again!".

Notifications are also nice and customisable on the Android version, so you choose how you are alerted, with different settings for groups, if you want them.

WhatsApp is also free and we've found that it has been very stable, with the somewhat cumbersome approach that something like Skype comes with.

If you're interested in messaging, coordinating groups, or just staying in touch whilst away from your PC, then WhatsApp is well worth trying out.

Tags: Apps Android apps BlackBerry apps iPhone apps WP7 apps WhatsApp

APP OF THE DAY: WhatsApp review (Android) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 20:07:00 +0100

The mouse has to be without doubt one of the most boring pieces of technology available. It might be as useful an invention as the car or the railways, but rarely will we be doing backflips over a new piece of mouse-related hardware. Thanks to Diablo III, this has all just changed.

Diablo transforms the mouse into a potent instrument of death. With a simple left or right click you can unleash a vast flurry of attacks and dish out huge amounts of damage to hordes of on-screen enemies. The mouse is the driving force behind all of Diablo III’s genius; delightful simple and easy to grasp, yet infinite in its possibilities.

What is Diablo?

So here’s something a bit naughty. Diablo III is the first title in the series we have ever played. The lack of a decent computer, combined with the fact we were simply too young to play the earlier games, means it isn’t until now that Diablo has been on our radar. This is one of the reasons our Diablo III review is coming slightly late, simply because there has just been so much game for us to get stuck in to.

At its core Diablo is about clicking. Click to move, click to attack and hit a few keys in between to switch attacks. This might seem far too simple to be an enjoyable experience, but the near-infinite level of customisation coupled with a super-addictive gameplay style makes Diablo III watertight.

Starting out with Diablo III, you are given the choice of a few very simple character classes. Players pick between a witch doctor, monk, barbarian, wizard and demon hunter. All are fairly different in the way they play, which we will be looking at later. The initial decision between characters is very easy and streamlined compared to other games of this type. It is seriously refreshing to just pick a character and get going, free from the worry that a decision made now could have a detrimental affect to the game 20 hours in.

Once you have a character picked, Diablo III sets you out on a straightforward quest. Forget vastly complex and branching story arcs, this is about using a story to drive the gameplay on and keep the fun coming. Set 20 years after Diablo II, your character is given the task of investigating a fallen star at the village of Tristram, which is causing all sorts of beasties and creatures to come out of the woodwork.

Without giving away too much, Diablo III’s story will see you adventuring through all sorts of environments, including towns, inns, graveyards, cities and of course dungeons and crypts. The latter, like any click-orientated dungeon crawler, form the backbone of Diablo III’s combat sections.

How does it play?

Depending on which character class you have picked, Diablo III will play fundamentally in one of two ways. It is a very quick game in terms of combat, which makes some characters rely on lots of small less-powerful attacks, with others being about few attacks that are very powerful. Every character class is fundamentally aggressive, although some will have more emphasis on healing or defence moves.

We chose the monk to play through the game. A character that is all about rapid-fire attacks and secondary powerful attacks. These require spirit, which is regenerated by attacking. The result is a clever balance between going mad with the left click or using the right to inflict maximum damage. Other character classes such as the witch doctor do things slightly differently. This character uses mana, which regenerates very slowly, entirely changing the way in which you tackle enemies.

The end result of this, particularly when playing with friends, is that some characters do best rushing in, others better holding back and doing damage from a far. As always ?with Blizzard titles, it is perfectly balanced.

How does it look?

It has been a long time since Diablo last graced our PCs. Graphics have changed a lot since then and most demand impressive looks from any title. Skyrim springs to mind as does the likes of Battlefield 3, both looking swish in different ways.

Maxed out, Diablo III certainly is a nice looking title. It isn’t going to blow any minds but the rich colours and decent lighting engine make it an enjoyable experience for the eyes. Change the settings down though, and the game rather predictably starts looking a lot worse. Crucial to all this is that Diablo III will run on absolutely everything. Even a rather retro PC will be a able to run the game on lower settings at a decent clip.

This is important because Diablo III is all about accessibility. Running on any machine means that just about everyone can enjoy playing it ?- and, quite frankly, the graphical jump between lowest settings and max is small enough. The game is still hugely enjoyable anyway, as its core experience is all about gameplay.

Loooooongevity

Don’t expect to tackle Diablo III overnight. This is a game that is going to suck away your life more than any other RPG you might have played before. We found ourselves permanently thinking “just another 20 minutes”. This 20 ?minutes then turns into an hour and before you know it, it’s dark outside.

Diablo III is almost mockingly aware of its own addictive nature, even adding a permanent in-game clock to the top right corner, so you can see just how long you have been playing. Loot being absolutely everywhere and in everything also means that it is easy to build up a bit of a collecting obsession. We found ourselves constantly warping from dungeon to merchant after picking up what is practically worthless weaponry, just because they were lying out in front of our character temptingly.

Online, Diablo III becomes an even more addictive beast. Playing non-ranked PVP matches, despite having no sort of Call of Duty-style points system, is just addictive because it is incredibly fun. As with a lot of Blizzard games, expect to get quite a hiding from other players.

Verdict:

We could go on writing about all that makes Diablo III so much fun, but we want to get back to playing it. This is a standout PC-only title and a game that any PC player should own. It is absurdly addictive, to the point where you will need genuine giving up smoking levels of self control to draw yourself away from the computer screen.

Polished, playable and easy for anyone to get into, Diablo III has been more than worth the wait.

Tags: Gaming PC gaming Diablo III

Diablo III originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 17:01:00 +0100

Navigation expert?Mio has launched two new Mio Cyclo devices, aiming to keep riders informed both of their performance and their whereabouts.

The Mio Cyclo 300 and Mio Cyclo 305 HC will help cyclists find their way from A to B with the most direct route, thanks to Open Street Map and TeleAtlas coming preinstalled on the device.

However, choose the “Surprise Me” mode and both the Mio Cyclo 300 and Mio Cyclo 305 HC will suggest three different routes based on how long and how far you wish to cycle. It should make for a more varied biking experience and would be a great way to explore a new area.

Both devices feature a 3-inch anti-glare touchscreen and come encased in a waterproof protective case. Each version promises up to 12 hours battery life, while the more advanced 305 HC has an ANT+ sensor that enables you to connect the in-boxed heart rate monitor and cadence and wheel sensor.?

Once you’ve finished your bike ride, you’ll be able to check your speed, distance covered, how long it took and how many calories you’ve burnt, all through the Mio Share desktop application. You can also share bike routes with other Mio users.?

The Mio Cyclo 300 with regional maps will be available for ?259.99 while the Mio Cyclo 305 HC will cost ?309.99 for the regional version and ?349.99 for the Western-Europe Maps variant.

All three devices will be available from selected retailers from 6 June.

Tags: Bikes Mio Cyclo 305 Mio Cyclo 300 Bicycles Satnavs

Mio Cyclo satnav devices adds variety with 'Surprise Me' bike routes originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 16:58:00 +0100

Apple’s production line looks set to be expanded, with Foxconn said to be ready to invest $210 million in a new manufacturing plant.?

The China Daily newspaper has reported that Foxconn’s new plant will be based in Huai’an city, China, and will cover 40,000 square metres and employ 35,800 workers.?

If true this would mean the Huai’an city plant would be smaller than Foxconn’s other plants, yet it would suggest that Apple is gearing up to crank the manufacturing wheel up a notch.

The report stops short of naming what products will be built in the plant and the fact that construction won't start until October this year suggests we won’t be seeing anything anytime soon. However, once up and running the target output for the plant is between $949 million and $1.1 billion every year.

Foxconn is Apple’s main supplier with factories in China and Brazil manufacturing both iPhones and iPads.

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Tags: Apple Foxconn iPhone iPad

What's Apple building? Invests $210 million in new plant originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 16:18:00 +0100

It's the Chelsea Flower Show in London at the moment and while the arrangements and gardens involved are stunning, they always seem like a bit too much hard work for us here at Pocket-lint. We may have yearnings to be green fingered, but would rather use them to swipe across a smartphone screen.

That's where Koubachi comes in with its Wi-Fi Plant Sensor. It's a device that you stick into the pot of one of your plants to measure the soil moisture, temperature and light levels of the room. It then talks to the cloud and, through a free iPhone or web application, let's you explore exactly what care your greenery needs and when, based on scientific care models.

Thanks to some clever jiggery-pokery, the one sensor can also be used to monitor all of your plants from just the one pot. You give the app information on the types of plants you own and it creates a detailed plan.

From the application, a user can find out how much water to give a plant, what temperature is most suitable (and whether your environment is too hot or cold), the light intensity, whether you should fertilise and if you should mist that particular species.

"The Koubachi Wi-Fi Plant Sensor is the first device ever that enables real-time monitoring of a plant’s vitality," said Philipp Bolliger, CEO and inventor of Koubachi.

He named it after the Tamagotchi electronic pets that were extremely popular in the mid-nineties. Hopefully, it'll help plants end up in a better shape than our Tamagotchis, which, we found out, die if you stamp on them repeatedly.

The Koubachi Wi-Fi Plant Sensor is available for ?99 and includes a?lifelong free subscription to the Koubachi system, including regular updates of the apps and the plant library. It is available from www.koubachi.com.

Tags: Home And Kitchen Koubachi Koubachi Wi-Fi Planet Sensor Apps iPhone apps iPhone accessories

Koubachi Wi-Fi Plant Sensor hits UK in time for Chelsea Flower Show originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 15:52:00 +0100

It may forever be associated with Back to the Future, but that hasn’t stopped DeLorean turning its attention away from time-travelling cars to good old-fashioned bicycles.

The road bike has been constructed from Italian-made Columbus XCR stainless steel tubing and, like the car, the flux capacitor is again topped up with weapons-grade plutonium.

Okay, that last bit is made up, but the bike certainly lives up to DeLorean’s reputation for producing eye-catching vehicles.

The DeLorean DMC-12 was the first and only car to come from the DeLorean Motor Company but received notoriety after being used as the time-travelling vehicle in The Back to the Future trilogy.?

In the films, Marty McFly, the film’s protagonist, jumped forwards and back in time once he got the car up to 88mph.

No word on what happens when that speed is reached with the DeLorean bike, though it would give you an opportunity to test out how effective the brakes are.

The DeLorean Anyday bicycle can be ordered from www.deloreanbicycle.com and will set you back $5,495, with a further two bikes, the DeLorean Speed and DeLorean Cruise, also in the pipeline.

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Tags: Bikes Bicycles DeLorean Back to the Future

DeLorean goes back to basics rather than the future with bicycle originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 15:20:00 +0100

What does it take to be a man? Bob Dylan would argue that it involves a lot of walking, Westlife never really managed to answer the question and the Vikings seemed to think it involved drinking mead from horns, getting tattoos and battering each other over the head with lumps of steel.

To celebrate the launch of Dragon’s Dogma, Pocket-lint was invited to try things the medieval way. So, armed with a sword and buckler and accompanied by a team of Hollywood stunt men, we headed off to the deep dark woods to learn more about our masculinity.

Dumped in a muddy field somewhere, we were left to search for a group of beardy muscle-bound men hulked around a fire. Stumbling across what looked something like the barbarian horde from Gladiator, we were immediately taken aback by the size of our tattooed friends.??

Out from the treeline wondered a friendly gentleman looking like the real-life incarnation of Thor. He was carrying a tree trunk practically one handed and dumping it on to a fire. Ee asked him why they needed it, given it was a sunny afternoon.?“You always need fire,” was the reply.

We got the impression these guys have campfires in their own living rooms rather than central heating. Either way, it was time to get clobbered up.

We were to play the role of a pawn, a sort of ever-subservient accessory to the Dragon's Dogma lead character. The pawn is a multi-purpose muscle machine for smashing up anything that gets in its way. Naturally we were thrilled that this character had been chosen for us. This was to change rapidly once our training started.?

Being a pawn meant that every single person who attacked us would be doing so with the full force of their strength, or at least it felt that way. Our trainer was to be the rather unexcitingly named Phil. Or to reveal his full title, Phil the Jarl of the International Brotherhood of Jomsvikings.?

Phil got us suited and booted, selecting a rather nice lightweight single-handed sword, which we draped over our shoulder, and a fetching belt that completed the outfit. For a moment it all felt surprisingly light and flexible. That was until a huge chainmail helmet got dumped on our head. Imagine trying to run the 100 metres with a breeze block Sellotaped to your face. That is what it felt like.?

At this point we were introduced to the rest of the Jomsvikings, most of whom couldn’t stop laughing at the jaunty angle of our helmet. Described us as a pretty boy, our trainer then proceeded to try and knock out whatever prettiness there was left by battering us with a sword. Doing what was called "fives", we learnt how to strike and then defend in such a way that it wasn’t dangerous - or at least that was what the medieval warriors told us. We imagine a full swing of one of those axes to our head wouldn’t exactly be safe.

Learning fives was vital, as you move in such a way that it is clear to your opponent how you are going to attack him and vice versa. This stops any nasty accidents when getting a good scrap on. A buckler was then handed to us and we learnt how to defend with both sword and shield. It’s actually a lot easier than you would think, although we were doing very basic moves.?

Next it was time to choreograph our fight sequence. This was when Pocket-lint’s rather hopeless coordination came into play. In order for a movie sequence to flow, the stunt needs to be rehearsed in sections and then put into one single shot. It meant remembering every single strike and parry with three separate opponents. Despite the scene lasting only a minute or so, we were, quite frankly, hopeless.?

Then to filming. The fight itself saw us get attacked by a fairly big but short opponent in heavy armour. This was both good and bad. Good because we knew we could really give him a proper whack but bad because he would do the same to us. A few swings, a parry and then a punch to the face with a buckler left our opponent startled. We managed to slash open his back and the give him a hefty boot to the backside.

Next up we had to tackle an axe-wielding maniac with a shield. The choreography was particularly tough here because of a kick and head chop move we had to pull off, the end result leaving me lined up perfectly to slit his throat and then gut a man running at us with a two-handed sword.

So how did this audition for a stunt man in the next fantasy adventure go? Quite frankly, rubbish. Our puny structure and less than adept sword skills left us wondering how the final cut would turn out. God knows how they did it, but clearly the cinema screen is quite forgiving.

Dragon's Dogma launches on 25 May.

Tags: Gaming Xbox Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 Features

Dragon?s Dogma for real: Pocket-lint becomes a medieval warrior for the day originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 15:07:00 +0100

A new secure mobile phone network has been introduced that enables parents to monitor whom their child speaks to, and when.?Bemilo hopes to offer parents peace of mind in terms of eliminating potential cyber-bullying while ensuring they can remain in contact with their child at all times.?

According to a survey conducted by Bemilo, 85 pr cent of ?UK children aged between seven and 16 own a mobile phone, with one in four claiming to have experienced some kind of virtual bullying, be it through social networks or text messages.?

Bemilo allows the bill payer (ie, mum and dad) to review all calls and SMS messages, blocking anyone they deem unsuitable and even presetting when their child can browse the web.?

Parents can also put a limit on how much children spend on their mobile while ensuring their child can always get hold of them even if they run out of credit.

All Bemilo account information is available through an external web page that can be accessed at any time via a computer or mobile.?

Calls will cost 10p per minute to landlines and other mobile phones, as will a text message, while browsing the web will be charged at 25p per MB.?

Bemilo’s tariff will be available to purchase from both bernilo.com and from The Carphone Warehouse from 28 May.

Tags: Phones Networks Operators Security Bemilo

Bemilo, the mobile network designed for kids originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 21 May 2012 15:02:00 +0100