Back in the southern-hemisphere summer of 2003, a gang of Antipodean gents came up with the idea of growing a moustache for a month. Six years on and nearly a quarter of a million men around the globe are cultivating face fur on their upper lips all in the name of charity - well, and because it's kind of fun too. To tell us some more about the background of the annual event and where it's at today, Pocket-lint measured up mos with JC, the man in charge of Movember for Europe.

So, how much money have you guys managed to raise since you've been doing this?
It was about money to begin with. It was just to bring back the mo. Our dads and sporting heroes had them and we just wanted to have some fun. So there were just 30 of us in 2003 in Melbourne but then in 2004 there were 500 of us and we raised AUS$55,000. We wanted to do something for guys because we thought men's health was getting neglected. So, we researched into what the biggest killers for guys were and the single largest one turned out to be prostate cancer. The next year we got 9,000 mo bros together and raised AUS$1.1 million which the Australian government matched to give us AUS$2.2 million. That was amazing. We asked them to and they did.

And what about since Movember has gone global?
Well, we went global in 2007 by which time we'd managed to raise ?15million but last year with 173,000 registered mo bros worldwide we doubled the figure to ?30million - in a single year! This year we've got around 243,000 registered out there and I had a look at the current total and we're somewhere around ?8million for 2009 but we reckon each mo brings in around between ?100 - ?120 per head, so it's set to be another great year.

What do you think has been the key to the success of the event?
Men are inherently lazy. We're not asking guys to do a lot. Just grow a moustache. Actually, though, it's a lot more effort than it sounds having to shave around your mo for a month. I hardly take a razor to my face any other time of the year but it's our ribbon. That's how we look at it. It's also a lot of fun. We get people from all walks of life - lawyers, accountants, bar guys, sporting heroes, mechanics to milkmen, even a few mos in Parliament this year. There are hundreds of passionate people that really drive Movember. We just provide the bus. All you guys put the passion in and the fund raising just happens.

Do you ever hear of any problems for mo bros at work with companies who aren't happy about it?
We get that all the time. Some start off saying no but then the next year, you'll see mos from the CEO down. This year we've got companies like Sainsbury's, Tescos, M&S, PWC; we even had the Federal Police Authority in Australia all growing them last year. We're changing the face of men's health and the workplace too.

Out of all the mos you see, which are the ones that have impressed you the most?
The one that always gets me is a guy called David from Barcelona. He's amazing. Last year he grew a moustache that started with an M on his left cheek and went into an O on his right, so that his mo actually said MO. He's hilarious. He e-mailed us the first year he did it a couple of months after the event saying: "So how long are we supposed to keep these things for anyway?" From then on he just seems to keep them all year round and shaves again for the beginning of each Movember.

And how far do you expect Movember to go? What's the vision for you guys?
You'll see Obama with a mo. You'll see it. It's going to happen. Actually, we're going to Downing Street this year, so we'll have a chat with Gordon and see if we can get him to do one too. Really though, it's all about awareness. One man dies every hour from prostate cancer in this country alone and it's curable from early detection in 90% of the cases. The money we raise is great but go to a doctor. That's what we want you to do. There are key markers to look for at all age groups. We should all be going in for check ups.

How's your mo growing going this year?
It's great when it starts. I get on the Tube, you can see other mo bros with them starting to kick in and you get nods from each other. This year, I've got a handlebar going at the minute, just so as I have a canvass of something to work with later for the Gala party. The thing is though that you don't choose the mo. The mo chooses you when you look in the mirror and then your 30-day journey with you and your moustache begins.

Are there any particular mo growing products you recommend?
Dermalogica. They're actually sponsoring the even this year and, honestly, I'm not pushing the product. I'd never do that kind of thing. When we first got it in the office, I just thought, "yeah, another shaving balm" but it's amazing. We had Jackie Hughes growing a mo down at Mo's Emporium the other day. This is the guy who I like to think of as the love child of the Rolling Stones and Iggy Pop - and even he's standing there going "Dermalogica. How good is that stuff?".

Thanks for taking time for taking the time out to speak to Pocket-lint today, but before we let you go, we have to ask you the most important question. Who's the most inspiring mo bro out there for you?
It's got to be Magnum, hasn't it? We talk about this all the time. Jimi Hendrix is obviously another great one but you ask that question to everyone everywhere and they always say Magnum. He lives in a house Hawaii, he drives a Ferrari, he has ladies everywhere and he does it all in a Hawaiian shirt - and his best mate has a helicopter! That's hard to beat.

You can follow the Pocket-lint team's diary and even donate a little too.

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Tags: Gadgets Movember Bathroom gadgets Shavers Features Interviews

INTERVIEW: Just how big is Movember? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:04:34 +0000

Windows Live Messenger is now available via the Nokia Messaging Chat application straight from compatible phone's homescreens.

This first instalment of Windows Live Messenger for Nokia Messaging includes tabbed chat windows, the ability to call directly from the buddy list, and notifications of new messages that pop up while the application is in the background.

Features include an appear offline login option while grouped contacts, emoticons and sounds are also available. ?

The Nokia E72 is the first device that comes with support for Windows Live Messenger, but the Nokia E63, Nokia E71 and Nokia E75 are also good to go after a download of "Nokia Messaging for IM" from the Ovi Store.

Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Nokia Instant messaging Windows Live Messenger Ovi Store

Windows Live Messenger hits Nokia Messaging originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:32:43 +0000

Need another televisual tech phrase to add to the mix? Sure you do, and today's word comes from Philips with its new 9704 TV range that offers "LED Pro" technology.

Clearly better than just TVs marketed as LED sets, the "Pro" 9704 range offers "sensational black levels, brilliant whites and an incredible contrast level of 5,000,000:1 – while consuming up to 50% less power than conventional LCD TVs".

The LED Pro bits come in with the 224 LED segments, each of which can be independently dimmed or brightened - or even turned off completely - greatly improving contrast.
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A few more proprietary phrases to throw at you now, and there's also "Perfect Pixel HD engine", "200Hz Clear LCD technology", "Perfect Natural Motion system", "Perfect Colour" and "Colour Booster technology", all of which are said to add up to a fab viewing experience.

The TV also offers "Ambilight Spectra 3", another Philips tech, that projects lights from both sides and the top edge of the TV on to the rear wall for what's claimed to be a more immersive viewing experience.

Other features include a 1ms response time, 2x15W output into four speakers and DNLA-certified Wi-Fi for Philips' "NetTV" that means you can access t'intenet through telly and five HDMI 1.3a EasyLink sockets.

All of the above will cost you ?1799 for the 40-inch 40PFL9704 and ?2499 for the 46-inch 46PFL9704, both due on sale in December.

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Tags: Home Cinema Philips LCD televisions Televisions LED televisions

Philips announces 9704 range of "LED Pro" televisions originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:01:32 +0000

It seems strange to think that one-time MP3-player market leader and current "catch-up merchant" Creative has only just arrived with its first touchscreen player, but in an attempt to appeal to the tactile generation it has upgraded its impressive Zen X-Fi for just this purpose.

The X-Fi 2 ditches the keypad that used to sit alongside the display and now simply offers a "home" button to return to the main menu. The rest of the controls are?operated via the touchscreen interface and aside from a microSD card slot for expanding the generous internal storage (the X-Fi 2 is available at capacities from 8 to 32GB) there are no other notable external features.

Creative has gone the whole hog with touchscreen operation then, and it wasn’t long before we were cursing the lack of a dedicated volume adjustor to avoid the rigmarole of unlocking and trawling through menus. Unfortunately this isn’t too easy to do as this is far from the most responsive touchscreen on the market, paling in comparison to Apple’s (admittedly far more expensive) recent efforts.

While things do improve once you get used to the pressure and angle at which you need to browse the features and settings, it’s fair to say that we were a little let down by what should have been the headline feature of this new player.

Creative appears to have taken a rather token approach to the new operation, preferring to rely on its strengths – namely the X-Fi sound schemes and value for money – to appeal to the modern consumer. Luckily it certainly knows what it’s doing in this area, and the audio quality available by tweaking the range of different effects is excellent. We were also pleasantly surprised by the solid, well-rounded ear-buds supplied, which are far better than you would typically find on a portable player.

One advantage touchscreen adoption does bring is a larger display, and the 3-inch (400 x 240) LCD is certainly clear and colourful enough to do justice to video and photo content, being just about big enough to enjoy feature-length clips on the move.

File support is also very good here and the X-Fi 2 is able to handle a range of conventional formats as well as less common FLAC and AAC audio. There are also a healthy range of additional features that include an FM radio, clock, alarm, calendar, task and contacts list along with a voice recorder via the built-in microphone.

A decent battery life allows for around 20 hours of audio playback and just over 4 hours for video, and it’s fairly slim and light weighing in at 75g.

We were extremely impressed by the audio quality on offer with the X-Fi 2 and suitably comfortable with the large, colourful display, but it’s a shame that the touchscreen operation wasn’t given more attention, particularly as this (along with the slightly larger display) will be the main draw for most. Creative still offers a versatile, solid player at a very reasonable price but those who are expecting it to compete with Apple’s superbly responsive iPod touch from an operational point of view will have to accept this sacrifice for the admittedly substantial savings on offer.

Verdict:

Creative is up there with the best on the market in terms of audio quality with its X-Fi range, and this new model would certainly suit those who prioritise the viewing of video or photos on the move. These factors are its saving grace as the headline touchscreen isn’t great, and though this would have been forgivable if common operations such as adjusting volume were catered for using dedicated controls, we can’t help but think Creative missed a trick with its first ever touchscreen player, even if it is significantly cheaper than similar rivals.

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Tags: Audio MP3 players Creative Creative Zen X-Fi2

Creative Zen X-Fi 2 MP3 player originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:49:52 +0000

Asus has announced the launch of the world's first Nvidia 3D Vision notebook, the G51J, that offers a 3D experience on the small screen with the help of special glasses.

A niche offering to say the least, it's notable for offering a 120Hz 3D Vision-capable display for on-the-go 3D, although how much the bragging rights to owning that tech will cost when it goes on sale in December is still TBC.

The Nvidia 3D Vision set-up comprises of wireless glasses, a wide-range IR emitter, and what's said to be "advanced software that transforms hundreds of PC games into full stereoscopic 3D experiences".

Owners of the laptop can get boggle-eyed with more than 400 PC games that work out of the box with Nvidia system including such titles as Resident Evil 5, Borderlands, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Star Trek D-A-C.

Other features of the G51J, aside from its obvious USP, include an Intel Core i7 processor, 64-bit Windows 7 and Altec Lansing speakers.

Nvidia says it's also working with the likes of LG ad Samsung on 3D displays with both companies promising products coming soon, while in the wider 3D laptop market, Acer has gone down a different route with its Aspire 5738DG 3D notebook.

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Tags: Hardware Laptops Asus Nvidia 3D Nvidia 3D Vision Gaming

Asus G51J Nvidia 3D Vision notebook announced originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:26:18 +0000

Qualcomm has been showing off a bevy of devices called Smartbooks that the company thinks could be poised to swallow up the netbook market by outmanoeuvring them in their core strengths - the small-and-light and always-on-connectivity arenas.

The model pictured above and below is an Android-equipped device from Taiwanese manufacturers Quanta. It's packing a 1GHz Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm which means that it has smartphone-esque features and connectivity, but the power of a low-end notebook.

Qualcomm is betting on 3G connectivity within netbooks becoming as ubiquitous as Wi-Fi. The resulting smartbooks will be more portable, more connected and cheaper than the traditional netbook, and elbow them out of the market.

The company also demonstrated a wireless charging pad for gadgets, and a C-motech Mangrove tablet computer running Windows Mobile 6.5 on a Snapdragon processor. Pics of those can be found on the images tab above.

Tags: Hardware Smartbooks Qualcomm Quanta Lenovo Snapdragon Android

Qualcomm planning smartbook assault originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:13:38 +0000

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Welcome to day 3 of the Pocket-lint Christmas gift guide bonanza. So we've got photographers covered and laptop addicts, but today is the turn of the gift guide for the PC gamer in your life. If you can coax these people down and away from COD or their meaty World of Warcraft habit, then you might want to give them one of our suggestions for the perfect gifts for PC gamers. Do go easy on them though. They probably won't actually realise it's Christmas Day.

Novint Falcon & Pistol Grip

How do you make Left 4 Dead even better than it already is? The answer: play it with the Novint Falcon pistol grip mouse controller complete with authentic recoil action. There's a school of purists that don't believe these items can compete with a trusty mouse but then there's a whole load of added fun they're missing out on. The tricky part is that these things are really quite difficult to get hold of. You can get the standard Novint Falcon shipped over from the States for $190 but the $20 pistol grips are very often out of stock. Keep your eyes on eBay and one might just come up.

Logitech G9X/Razor Naga mouse

Failing the Falcon, or if indeed your gamer is not a first person shooter fan, then a high quality mouse can also be worth its weight in gold. The Logitech G9X is a solid classic but, if you really want to impress, buy the 80 euro Razor Naga which has been specially designed for MMORPGs. It's got a whopping 17 buttons - left and right click, scroll wheel, the regular forward and back buttons on the sides, and also a pad consisting of another twelve buttons on the left hand side.

Naga, in case you're wondering, is Sanskrit for "snake", and is also the name of a prominent group of baddies in World of Warcraft. Best of all, it comes with an add-on for WoW that shows a grid and allows you to dynamically pick which spells correspond to the side buttons.

Logitech G110 Keyboard

If they've already got the perfect mouse covered, then the next port of call is the keyboard. Again, the Logitech is a good way to go with the Logitech G110 gaming keyboard. It has media controls, illuminated keys and 12 macro buttons but it adds a number of features of its own, too.

There's an integrated USB audio device in the unit, which will allow you to use a headset that has 3.5mm jacks as a USB audio device, providing clearer sound. Many gamers find that the plugs in their cases will "buzz" due to electrical interference, but this should solve that issue. There's also an extra USB port on the rear of the keyboard, and a "gaming mode" toggle switch that will disable the windows and menu keys so that you don't accidentally press them while mid-match. Very useful. You can pick one up for ?70 and make any gamer's day.

Logitech G13 Advanced Gamepad

Without trying to sound too Logitech sponsored all of a sudden, the US peripherals expert does offer a combi solution in the shape of the Logitech G13 gamepad. It's got three game modes, 25 programmable keys and a programmable analogue stick with 87 ways for you to control your game. You can even set up custom button-profiles and create macros without having to pause the game. There's also a 160 x 43 pixel GamePanel LCD for live game stats and system info, and backlit keys, with hundreds of colours to choose from. Finally, they've also crammed in some onboard memory, which enables you to program up to five ready-to-play profiles, and pre-configured settings for all the PC gaming faves. Days of over-complicated fun for just ?51.

Acer V193WBb Monitor

Monitors are one of the major keys to the whole experience and as much as we might recommend the likes of the stunning LG W2353, it is rather on the expensive side at ?170. Instead, at around the ?90 mark you can still get something very decent indeed like the Acer V193WBb 19-inch TFT-LCD display. It's got a 5ms response time to cut down on ghosting, a 1440 x 900 resolution and a nice vibrant contrast of 10,000:1. If that's going to break the budget still, you can get smaller version for more like ?60, just remember to check resolution, contrast and response times and the rest should follow.

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Creative Inspire T6160 speakers

Soundwise, there's two options for excellence and this is one of them. The Creative Inspire T6160 speaker system is particularly aimed at gamers and movie fans, and offers vivid 5.1 cinematic surround sound. Creative has a very good name of late in the PC speaker department and, best of all, for such an impressive audio array, you only have to fork out ?55. Plenty of bang for your buck.

Sennheiser PC151 headset

Of course, if you happen to live with said PC gamer, you can actually spend around the same amount of money for your own personal peace and quiet. Sennheiser provides two, high quality level, on-ear, closed-cup headphones designed for gamers. Both sets are wired, for better and more reliable sound quality, and come with built-in booms for easy team talk. The PC151 you can pick up for as little as ?26 while the PC161, although definitely better, probably don't quite represent the same level of value at ?67. It all depends how much you love your gamer.

4GB DDR3 RAM

More memory. You can never have enough of the stuff. The good thing here is that you're already buying something that you know the other person has got and they'll still welcome it with open arms. The tricky part is getting the right stuff. If you buy any old RAM module for them, it simply isn't going to work. So, sneak into your friend/loved one's place in the dead of night and note down the make and model of their PC. Then head over to sites like this one and it'll tell you exactly what you need to go and get. DDR3 is the preferable choice at the moment.

Corsair H50-1 CPU Watercooler

Overheating is a serious issue for gamers, especially if they've started over stuffing their machines full of memory that they just got for Christmas. One excellent solution that's recently got a lot cheaper to get hold of is watercooler systems to keep your CPU temperature down. The added bonus is that they're a darn site quieter than the less efficient air cool fan systems too. Probably the best budget option is the Corsair H50-1 which delivers great performance at just under ?70.

Games!

Obvious one really but there have been so many good releases recently that there's a very good chance that your gamer isn't going to have them all. Ones we recommend include Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Borderlands, Batman Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age: Origins or even a few months subscription for WoW. While we're on the subject. A year's worth of a good gaming magazine might be nice as well.

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Or...

...of course, if you feel really flush and actually want to buy someone a computer - lucky old them - then take a look our Top Products section which will help guide you through to a suitable model and offer you only the best of the ones Pocket-lint's reviewed. And, as always, if you have any red hot tips for gift ideas of your own, then do let us know in the comments below. Good luck.

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Related links:

• Features - 101 life-saving Christmas shopping websites
• Features - 10 perfect Christmas presents for...photographers
• Features - 10 perfect Christmas presents for...laptop addicts

Tags: Gaming Christmas Features PC gaming PC games PC accessories Hardware

10 perfect Christmas presents for...PC gamers originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:09:41 +0000

Firebox has announced it is offering a new novelty kitchen appliance in the form of a peanut butter maker.

However, unless you chug the good stuff down on a daily basis, we think it's highly likely that this kitchen gadget will sit languishing in the back of a cupboard for the large majority of its life.

But, if you are a big fan of the nut-themed spread, this is clearly the gadget for you and even caters to both fans of the smooth offering as well as those that inexplicably prefer the crunchy, bitty, horrid stuff. We're impartial, obviously.

The real magic comes in with the fact that all this machine needs to create yummtious butter of peanut is peanuts and that's it.

Stick your nuts in the top, flip the switch and soon warm, gooey beanut putter will be oozing out at you ready to be spread liberally on white, buttered bread and washed down with a glass of cold milk.

This making method also means you can experiment with other nut butters, although we'd steer clear of coconuts, doughnuts and Grape Nuts.

Mains-powered and measuring 25cm tall, the peanut butter maker is on sale now for ?29.99.

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Tags: Home And Kitchen Gadgets Kitchen gadgets Firebox

Firebox offers peanut butter maker originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:59:41 +0000

High-end home ent manufacturer Linn has announced it has taken the "dramatic decision" to stop making CD players.

Linn will cease production from the start of 2010 to focus on digital music streaming systems, sales of which have apparently outpaced those of CD players over the last year.

A real sign o' the times story, it seems this makes Linn the first manufacturer to make this landmark move.

Linn's MD, Gilad Tiefenbrun, says of the move: "Our customers have fast recognised the limitations of CD players and in the age of home networking, people now want better control of their music and the ability to enjoy it in any room of their home".

Tags: Audio CD Linn Media streaming Music Biz

Linn announces it's quitting the CD player market originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:21:32 +0000

In Japan, Sony has outlined basic plans for a new online store that, if the plans pan out, will manage to rival iTunes, Amazon, YouTube and Flickr - at least for Sony customers.

Sony Online Service, as it's been dubbed at this early stage, will offer digital content including music, movies, and books as well as other downloadable applications for Sony's entire range of products and will be based on Sony's popular PlayStation Network offering for the gaming side of its business.

A movie into this kind of software - if done well - is seen as a clever way for Sony to improve its fortunes: "Sony has been too focused on hardware", Tokai Tokyo Research Center analyst Osamu Hirose told BusinessWeek.

"It has to focus on networked products [and] delivering digital entertainment to consumers".

Sony will try one interesting way to try and differentiate its service from iTunes, or other such offerings, by giving users the chance to also upload media, such as home made video, photos and "other digital content " to their personal online accounts.

We will keep you posted on this one.

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Tags: Software Sony iTunes Audio YouTube Home Cinema Gaming Playstation Network Sony Online Service

Sony Online Service iTunes rival announced originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:44:02 +0000

At a recent shareholders meeting Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer told attendees that "Windows 7 is simply the best PC operating system that we or anyone else has ever built".

As part of his opening speech Ballmer stated that the new OS was off to a "fantastic start" revealing that Microsoft has "already sold twice as many units as any OS in a comparable time frame".

At the event, on the defence after a shareholder commented on the popularity of Mac among younger users, Ballmer noted that "96 times out of 100, worldwide, people choose a PC with Windows" before calling Macs "quite a bit more expensive", a theme of a recent Microsoft ad campaign.

Finally, responding to a question about the iPhone's challenge to the Windows Phone market, Ballmer said: "Certainly our objective is to have the leading position. I think we have a lot of opportunity to improve... Undoubtedly we've got our work cut out for us".

"We've got our heads down to do our best", Ballmer said of the smartphone market, revealing the company has a "a lot of smart people" working on the topic.

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Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 7 Steve Ballmer Phones

Ballmer says Windows 7 is "simply the best" originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:12:30 +0000

Dell has sneakily rolled out a new notebook in the States. The Studio 17 Touch, as it's called, has appeared on the company's US website and features a whopping great big 17-inch multitouch touchscreen.

It ships with a suite of touch-enabled applications, including a Dell photo browser, but other than that the design is pretty much the same as the regular Studio 17. It has a 2.1 speaker setup, along with a HDMI-out, and starts with a 2.1GHz dual-core Intel processor, 3GB of RAM, 250GB of hard disk space and integrated graphics.

That can be pumped up to a 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo, 1TB of disk storage, an ATI Mobility Radeon HD graphics card and a Blu-ray optical drive. That'll push the price up considerably from the basic $900 starting point, but if you want the best then it'll cost you.

Dell reckons that orders placed now should ship in early December. Just in time for Christmas.

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Tags: Hardware Laptops Dell Touchscreen Dell Studio 17 Touch

Dell quietly introduces Studio 17 Touch originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:09:02 +0000

A new Motorola handset has emerged from the mists of the Internet as an as-yet-unconfirmed coming-soon Android device.

The Motorola "Motus", said to be due an official announcement in early 2010, has been spotted in this oh-so-blurry spy shot sent into an Android fan site.

Looking a little like the new DEXT, or CLIQ depending on which side of the pond you're on, the Motus is said to offer a 3.1-inch HVGA screen, a 5-megapixel camera with flash, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS and run Android 1.5 with the Motoblur interface.

Design-wise the handset gets a reverse flip keyboard and a rear directional touchpad adding serious weight to CellPassion's speculation it could launch as the "Backflip" a name recently registered in the EU by Motorola.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phones Motorola Android Motorola Motus Motorola Backflip Rumours

Motorola Motus emerges originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:05:01 +0000

Today's tech deal brings you word of a deal being run by Quidco - apparently the UK's leading cashback website - and BT - the telecommunications behemoth.

Quidco is offering cashback over a wide range of BT's home products, with BT's broadband, phone and BT Vision package available with ?90 cashback. There's also 3 months free broadband to be had when switching you phone line or calls to BT.

In order to take advantage of the offer click through on this link that will take you to the Quidco offer, from then on it's all pretty self-explanatory and as long as you go to the BT site via Quidco you'll be entitled to the cashback.

Of course this will mean signing up to Quidco, but from what we can make out this is a relatively painless exercise and once completed you have until the 11 December to advantage of the offer.

Tags: Software Broadband Wi-Fi BT Quidco BT Total Broadband Daily Tech Deal

Daily Tech Deal: Quidco offers cashback on BT Total Broadband originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

They've kept this one quiet, but it seems Vodafone is offering free international texts all day today, so if you're a Vodafone customer and there's anyone overseas that you'd like to surprise with an SMS out of the blue, today is the day.

Vodafone customers can send free international texts from the UK to any international mobile phone number all day long today - Friday 20 November - apparently in honour of "World Hello Day".

There's no need to sign up - all customers will automatically get this offer with all texts sent from the UK to international mobile numbers today automatically free and not taking from a customers' bundle, if applicable. There's more info over at vodafone.co.uk/freefridays.

Tags: Phones Vodafone SMS

Vodafone offering free international texts all day today originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:31:59 +0000

Following on from recent additions on the theme of comics, nature and video gaming, Google is appealing to the foodie in all of us with new grub-themed iGoogle themes.

"We've partnered with a variety of top chefs and food industry experts to bring you some elegant new, food-focused iGoogle themes", says Google.

There's also new homepage gadgets that the online giant hopes will prove useful to cooks - especially considering the forthcoming Thanksgiving holiday in the States.

The new themes are available now from chefs such as Alton Brown and Paula Deen, "food artists" like Carl Warner and James Parker and famous bakeries like New York City's Crumbs Bake Shop and Magnolia Bakery.

Tags: Software Google Online iGoogle Home And Kitchen

iGoogle adds food themes originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:06:25 +0000

OCZ has unveiled an unnamed external SSD that it'll be showcasing at CES next year. It'll be the first to feature USB 3.0 connectivity, meaning that it should be able to theoretically reach 4.8Gb/s, though that'll sink to more like 1.6Gb/s in real-world situations.

The company appears to be crowdsourcing a name for the device before its launch. That launch will likely take place at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January, which Pocket-lint will be reporting live from.

There's no specs for the device yet, but the renders show a microUSB connector, as well as 8 memory modules. USB 3.0 should allow the SSD to fly at the speeds that it's capable of, unlike SSD drives that choke up on the elderly USB 2.0 connectivity.

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Tags: Hardware Storage SSD OCZ USB 3 Hard drives CES2010

OCZ introduces external USB 3.0 SSD originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:05:36 +0000

While Governer A. Schwarzenegger summons up all his legendary might and braces himself for battle with feisty eco-warriors over his inability to protect California’s salmon stock, the fate of the Terminator franchise now lies in the hands of bolshy method man Christian Bale and excitably trashy director McG and their reboot of the legendary spectacle factory.

Moving the battleground from the present to the future, Terminator Salvation find the adult John Connor (Bale) seeking an end to the war between man and machine, while seeking to ensure the time-travelling events of the previous movies aren’t halted, thus throwing a spanner in his whole saviour-of-mankind routine.

Into the mix comes Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a condemned man who gave his body over to the Skynet Corporation while on death row. Part-man, part-cyborg, Marcus seems to hold the key to the resolution of the war and the fate of John Connor – but can he be trusted?

The Terminator movies have rightly achieved iconic status. While being symptomatic of the puffed-up grandeur of the 80s, they also helped to shape the modern event movie – Terminator 2 set a high watermark for CGI that others followed. But as movie-making technology has accelerated in recent years, has it ironically left no room for the daddy of techno-futurism?

With James Cameron away from the project, Charlie’s Angels director McG calls the shots. While other music video director-turned film directors have shown an imaginative flair for storytelling – think of Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine and Spike Jonze’s Being John Malkovich – McG sadly only appears to have a propensity for highly glossy, well-framed visuals that mask a lack of depth or character.

This isn’t helped here by the casting – Bale’s now-legendary meme-inducing antics during the filming of this paint him as an unlikeable individual in real life, and on-screen his performances all seem to hover around the blandly sullen mark – here he goes for blandly sullen with a gruff voice.

Such is his tepid turn that he increasingly becomes an irrelevance throughout the film, marginalised by a showing from Worthington that grows as the movie progresses – he redeems the film by neatly giving nuance and a sense of depth to the angst-ridden manborg trapped between the warring factions.

With a story that lacks any mental depth beyond the logic conundrums that underpinned the originals, Terminator Salvation is reliant on its set-pieces for impact – and even here it falls sadly short. There’s a lack of dynamism to the pyrotechnics – the sole defining feature of the SFX here is often the size of them, not the impact of them. As monumental terminators and ships come crashing down, there’s little in the way of invention to sell them, you’ve seen it all done better elsewhere, from the Matrix right up to Transformers – in short, jaws will stay firmly in the upright, non-dropped position.

Verdict:

For all its flaws, Terminator Salvation is still a totally watchable actioner that clocks in under a comfortable 2 hours. But sadly, given the heritage, that’s not quite enough – in an era of CGI saturation, people like Peter Jackson and Sam Raimi have proved that blockbusters can be epic, spectacular and compelling, McG is not a man to handle anything bigger than the lightest of fluff, while Bale needs a time out to take stock of where he’s going.

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Rating: 12

Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington

Directed by: McG

Extras: Trailers

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Tags: Home Cinema DVD

Terminator Salvation - DVD originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Google has used its automatic speech recognition tech, as seen in Google Talk, to offer machine-generated automatic captions across all of its YouTube videos.

"The captions will not always be perfect", says Google, "but even when they're off, they can still be helpful - and the technology will continue to improve with time".

Google is also launching automatic caption timing that it says makes it "significantly easier" to create captions manually by creating a text file with all the words which then uses Google's ASR tech to figure out when the words are spoken and create captions for the video.

Both features are demoed in the official video above - hit play for the explanation.

Read

Tags: Software Google YouTube Video

VIDEO: YouTube gets automatic captions originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:34:10 +0000

If you think the proliferation of app stores among device manufacturers, mobile networks and just about any other company in the world was getting a little silly, you'll likely be alarmed to hear that Qualcomm is launching an initiative that could see any company set one up with the greatest of ease.

The white label service is called "Plaza" and represents an easily customisable app store (or "Mobile widgets" as Qualcomm is putting it) that can be as niche or mainstream as you like. "Any content, any network, any device" is apparently the company's motto for the project.

Qualcomm's EVP president of QIS & Europe told Pocket-lint that he thinks specialist boutique app stores that focus on one topic - sports and fitness, or music, for example - could prove as successful as device-centred app stores that have dominated the marketplace so far.

Qualcomm has an extensive website that details the options that it offers. What do you think - is the proliferation of app stores a good thing that'll create competition and drive down prices? Or will it just confuse consumers? Let us know in the comments.

Read

Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Qualcomm Plaza Biz

Qualcomm plans "Plaza" of white-label app stores originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:09:10 +0000

Twitter boss Biz Stone has unveiled more about the micro-blogging service's plans to make money revealing that paid-for commercial accounts will roll-out this year, in an interview with the BBC.

Stone insists Twitter will stay free for individuals, and for businesses too, stating "Twitter will always be free to everyone whether it's commercial or personal", but that paid-for commercial accounts will offer a "special layer of access" that will include analytics and feedback.

There's also the possibility of revenue from licensing and syndication possibilities, said Stone, such as the deals recently done with Google and Bing in order to see Twitter content show up in search results.

The interview comes as Twitter has changed its "what are you doing?" tagline above the box where users enter their tweets to "what's happening?"

In a blog post, Twitter explains the change is to reflect the changing way in which the service is used, with more companies tweeting rather than just individuals:

"People, organizations, and businesses quickly began leveraging the open nature of the network to share anything they wanted, completely ignoring the original question, seemingly on a quest to both ask and answer a different, more immediate question, 'What's happening?'"

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Read

Tags: Software Websites Twitter Biz

Twitter talks up commercial services originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:02:06 +0000

Thanks to its Intel Atom 330 dual core processor and Nvidia ION dedicated graphics with full HD media support, Asus is claiming unprecedented netbook performance for its new Eee PC 1201N multimedia netbook.

Said to be "breaking the boundaries of what is possible on the netbook platform", other features for the new Windows 7, 12.1-inch device include a LED-backlit, 1366 x768 WXGA display, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, webcam, HDMI port and a memory card reader.

Asus is claiming up to 5 hours battery life for the 120IN and it offers a 250GB hard drive plus 500GB online Eee storage, 2GB RAM, measures in at 296 x 208 x 27.3-33.3mm and weighs 1.46kg.

The Eee PC 1201N will be available in black or silver in the UK around mid January for ?399.

Tags: Hardware Netbooks Laptops Asus Eee Nvidia Intel Windows 7

Asus Eee PC 1201N multimedia netbook announced originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:21:39 +0000

A small startup from Poole has created an app that aims to make it easier to share your digital media collection between your various gadgets. It's called Skifta, and allows you to shift content between a number of devices with just one catch - they have to be DLNA enabled.

If you watch the more-than-a-little-cheesy intro video above, you'll see that it works with anything from televisions to radios to laptops to games consoles to digital photo frames. It turns your computer into a DLNA server, which can then pump pictures, music or video to any device in your home.

But that's not the clever bit. The clever bit is that you can connect that server with another computer anywhere in the world, and then stream from the new device to anything on that network - so if you go to a friend's house and connect then you can instantly stream your vintage Village People live album to his television or speakers. He'll love you for it.

What's more is that there are various "boosters" available for system. A Twitter one was demonstrated, which provides a live Twitter feed to your TV, or a digital photo frame, or other home gadget. You could also build boosters for Last.fm, Flickr, a Gmail checker, an RSS reader, or any other service. In time, third parties will also be able to build boosters.

The platform is live right now at skifta.com, and the team has a Twitter account - @skifta - too. It's free to sign up and use, so give it a go and let us know what you think in the comments.

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Read

Tags: Home Cinema Software Skifta Qualcomm PC software Mac software Linux P2P Music Movies Photos DLNA Video

VIDEO: Skifta offers media sharing app originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:18:16 +0000

In the States, AOL has announced it will be cutting its workforce by around a third after it gets spun off from Time Warner next month.

The job cuts - nicely timed for the "holidays" - will see both involuntary and voluntary redundancies for around 2500 members of staff.

The move is part of a cost-cutting programme as AOL prepares for its IPO and its return to the public markets with the goal to cut annual operating costs by around $300 million.

As part of the measures AOL's CEO Tim Armstrong will not get his 2009 bonus which was to be around the $4 million mark.

Read

Tags: Software AOL Time Warner Biz

AOL announces 2500 job cuts originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:48:06 +0000

Google has announced the launch of a "completely new" mobile Google News offering for iPhone, Android, and Palm Pre users.

This follows the availability of a mobile-optimised version of Google News for other phones, such as Blackberry, Windows Mobile, and S60, with the online giant promising "more improvements" for those versions in the near future.

The new iPhone/Android/Pre version claims to offer "the same richness and personalisation on your phone as Google News provides on desktop".

The new homepage displays more stories, sources, and images while there's access to see favourite sections, find articles and play videos "in fewer clicks".

Google News for mobile is now available in 29 languages and 70 editions and can be found at http://news.google.com on your mobile phone's browser.

Read

Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Google Google News iPhone Android Palm Pre Pre

Google News gets updated for iPhone, Android and Pre originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:13:53 +0000

We looked at the TomTom iPhone app a while ago and that application has just received an update to bring along a few more functions. But the elephant in the room is how you attach your iPhone to your car to use the application. Of course, the TomTom Car Kit for iPhone.

The Car Kit features a number of elements that make it appealing. First up is TomTom's EasyPort mount, so you just have to offer it up to your windscreen and twist and it is secured. You need to know this is going to stay put, as the last thing you want is to see your iPhone heading into the footwell when you hit the first speed bump. Fortunately, TomTom know what they are doing in this area.

You are then presented with a slidey-swively mount in which your iPhone will be held. This bracket means you can have your phone either in landscape or portrait, with the sliding aspect letting you adjust the position relative to the rest of your car, so you don't have to worry about the angle of the windscreen to the dashboard.

Connecting both pieces is a hinge so you can set the phone at the best angle for viewing.

It still sounds expensive for ?99 however. But the TomTom Car Kit for iPhone does bring a little bit extra. It's a Bluetooth device, so you'll need to pair it with your iPhone on first use. Once connected it will act as a handsfree kit with an onboard speaker, as well as giving commands using this speaker, rather than the iPhone's built-in one.

The results are much louder audio commands whilst you are driving, with the added advantage of being able to take calls whilst motoring. Incoming calls break through the TomTom app, although unfortunately they don't appear in landscape if that is how you happen to be using the phone.

There is also a rocker switch which can change the volume, although once your iPhone is mounted, it's tucked around the back and not within safe reach to use whilst driving.

The Car Kit is hiding another secret, which is its own SiRFstar III GPS receiver chipset, so you don't have to rely on the one built-in to the phone. This is designed to boost the performance and help clear up troubles encountered in built-up areas. This it certainly did in our tests, however performance will depend on a number of real world factors as it will with all satnav devices.

We found that it noticeably boosted the GPS reception staying in touch whilst in multi-storey car parks and the like, making it a much more seamless experience, avoiding the "Poor GPS reception" notification.

As the Car Kit contains these elements that need power, you'll have to plug it in to benefit from them. A Mini-USB on the bottom of the cradle arm connects to a 12V power supply in your car, cable provided. This sits next to a 3.5mm audio out jack, so you can connect to a car stereo, if you have a 3.5mm input that is. Unfortunately the Mini-USB only provides power and you can't use it to connect to any other devices, i.e., you can't sync or get access to your music through it.

Once connected you have the added benefit of your iPhone being connected to the power all the time, so you aren't depending on the iPhone's battery to run the show. Whether you are using the TomTom application or not doesn't matter, you still get a decent mount and charge for your phone.

Verdict:

Overall it is difficult to fault the TomTom Car Kit for iPhone on anything other than price. The TomTom application for iPhone is good too, except that it does come in rather too expensive. Once you've paid for the TomTom mount and the application, you feasibility could have purchased a standalone unit, so don't think that adding TomTom to your iPhone is a way to save money.

For those that must follow through with convergence, this does its part to overcome the GPS reception and small speaker problems that you encounter without it. But once you've parted with the cash, we'd have rather bought an independent TomTom unit with greater functionality.

Read our TomTom for iPhone review here.

Tags: Car And GPS GPS TomTom TomTom Car Kit TomTom for iPhone iPhone iPhone accessories Apple Mobile phone accessories

TomTom Car Kit for iPhone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

The music business ain’t no joke. Getting by is tough and getting started on the road to stardom isn’t all plain sailing. Even if you do get noticed and start to get your music out there for people to enjoy, the chances are that anybody selling it for you will be taking the lion’s share of the proceeds.

Textatrack is a little different. It’s aimed at independent artists and fans can download tracks and pay using their mobiles. Most of the cash then goes to the artist.

It’s a great new way of getting emerging talent’s stuff out there and we’ve already found quite a few acts we really like.

www.textatrack.co.uk

If you have a website that you want to tell us about email us via the feedback form.

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Textatrack originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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

It will be fast

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

It will be secure

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

It will be easy to use

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

There will be plenty of applications

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

There's going to be an API

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

It will be free

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

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

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

You'll only be able to run Web Apps

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

You'll be able to multitask

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

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

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

You'll need to be online most of the time

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

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

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

You will only be able to play Flash games

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

You'll be able to connect other devices

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

It's not coming till Christmas 2010

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

Will I be able to get it earlier?

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

Tags: Software Operating Systems Google Chrome OS Features

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

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

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

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

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

Tags: Software Operating Systems Google Chrome OS Video

VIDEO: Google explains Chrome OS originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:29:22 +0000

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Related links:

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

Tags: Software Operating Systems Google Chrome OS

Google Chrome OS detailed originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:56:27 +0000

Welcome to the second of our Pocket-lint guides on the perfect presents to buy this year. Yesterday we started the ball rolling with our perfect presents for photographers, but today we're talking laptops. Whether the person you're looking for has a notebook or a netbook that they simply won't put down, here are 10 excellent ideas of what you can buy to help feed their habit and bring a rosy-cheeked smile to their face on Christmas morning - at least until they bury it in their LCD and keyboard for the rest of the day.?

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picoStick TV tuner

Who said size doesn't matter? No one told PCTV Systems, part of Hauppauge Digital, who sell this tiny picoStick Freeview tuner. The minuscule USB DVB-T receiver simply has a USB connection on one end and a connection either for an aerial or a screw-in mini antenna at the other. Accompanying software will handle Teletext and EPG functions, as well as allowing pause or time shift functions and recording in MPEG1, 2, or DivX formats. Come and take a look to appreciate how small these things are and then fork out the ?37 while your jaw's still hung open.

Huawei E225 USB modem

The gift of mobile broadband is a wonderful thing and entirely necessary these days if you're? hooked on laptops. There are all sorts of contract deals out there but you can skip all the hassle by picking up an unlocked dongle, which you can put any SIM card into you like. One of the easier to find is the likes of the Huawei E225 which you can currently get for around ?30. Chances are that your giftee already has a decent data package on their mobile phone SIM which they can slot in at will or if not, you can often find good PAYG SIM only packages from the likes of 3 which offer free chunks of data for a nominal top up.

Laptop Sleeves

Come on, who doesn't want to out-sleeve the next man? These aren't new items but, like clothes, you can simply never have enough of the them. One amuser of late has been the Undercover Sleeve which you can pick up for ?20 but other beauties include the 9 to 5 from last year and the My Documents folder for ultimate geek chic. If you really want to get the perfect one, then head over to Etsy and knock yourself out and you might even find a crafter who'll make one to order.

CorePack Fly

Take the sleeve one step on you've got yourself a bag with cushioning for the portable number cruncher as well as space for all your other bits and pieces. Right now, the CorePack Fly from Spec is the pick of the crop for the frequent flier as it features a separate and removable section for the laptop so it can be scanned by those airport machines with minimal fuss. If the $89.95 price tag and trans-Atlantic postage are a sticking point them you can always go with something simple like the ?29 Canvas PC messenger bag from Muji.

Portable HDDs

The more portable the laptop, the less memory it's likely to have. Combine that with the computing equivalent of Parkinson's law such that states that your file library will expand to fill the memory allotted and you can see pretty quickly that just anyone with a notebook is going to need an external HDD. An SSD would be preferable but, frankly, who's going to spend the bucks on those right now? Fortunately, 2.5" travel friendly ones are remarkably reasonable. Some couple of goodies to suggest would be the Western Digital Passport Essential 250GB for ?48 and the HP SimpleSave 320GB HDD for ?69.

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Spare/Better laptop battery

What do you mean "that doesn't sound very exciting"? It is. It's one of the best presents money can buy. The person you give it to will bless your name every time their machine powers down en route to an important meeting/half way through the latest downloaded episode of Mad Men on a long haul flight. They'll promise great gifts back onto you when they reach inside their CorePack Fly and pull out a vastly superior, pre-charged 6/8/12-cell battery.

You'll need to sneak a look a at the make an model of the one they already have and then get yourself onto one of the usual online electrical e-tailers for the appropriate unit. Do not buy one second hand and cheaper non-brand options are not always as efficient as those from the original manufacture.

Logitech Comfort Lapdesk

There's a lot of things like these available for those who wish to compute on the sofa while giving both the notebook and their rapidly heating thighs enough air to breathe. Plenty have USB powered fans and some can get quite expensive but the only one we'd really recommend at the moment is the cheap, simple and, best of all, most comfortable, Logitech Comfort Lapdesk. The clue was in the name. You can pick them up for ?20. Very reasonable.

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Samsung SE-S084 Super WriteMaster

So you're friend or loved one has a netbook or very small notebook and, guess what, it doesn't come with a CD or DVD drive does it. What's the solution? Well, there's plenty out there to choose from but the Samsung SE-S084 Super WriteMaster Slim External DVD drive is certainly a strong contender. It's not "oh my god" small, but around the same size and thickness of a double CD case. More to the point, though, it performs all the necessary buring and reading tasks at an affordable price of ?39 and it looks pretty good too.

Kensington Flylight 2.0

Yes it's silly but only marginally so. Every now and then as a laptop user, you'll find yourself in dark place - usually a plane - and you're trying to type without a backlit keyboard. Worse still, your nice bright LCD screen is rendering any dark vision you might develop utterly useless. Along comes the Kensington Flylight 2.0 for its annual rescue and your USB power supplies all the illumination required. Fortunately, it's an LED lamp and so uses very little juice - less than 90 seconds of power per hour of normal use. Very tidy for ?8.69.

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iRock Foldable Speakers

The rest of the world might curse you for it but you giftee will enjoy these rather basic portable, foldable speakers from iRock. Yes, you do. For ?16.99 they come with a 3.5mm plug and can charge their Li-ion batter via USB at the same time. They also happen to have a little magnetic base which is great if you want to pretend they're police sirens and try to stick them to the roof of your car.

Or...

...of course, if you feel really flush and actually want to buy someone a laptop - lucky old them - then take a look our Top Products section which will help guide you through to a suitable model and offer you only the best of the ones Pocket-lint's reviewed. And, as always, if you get have any red hot tips for gift ideas of your own, then do let us know in the comments below. Good luck.

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Tags: Hardware Laptops Christmas Features Laptop accessories Storage

10 perfect Christmas presents for...laptop addicts originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:47:30 +0000

Want to know what's been hot in the world of technology and gadgets today? Of course you do. The news roundup always aims to bring you a nice mix of the stories from the last 24 hours and today is no exception as we have a myriad of news as well as a cheeky review creeping in there.

First up is the story that Sony Ericsson's Nexus Android skin - designed to give a? more graphical user interface - might be available on devices other than the Xperia X10. Keeping with the Xperia X10 theme, if you're keen to find out some initial thoughts on the new handset you'll want to check out our First-Look review.

There's also news that the Apple tablet has been delayed due to the introduction of an OLED screen, the Nokia N900 goes on sale in the US minus a carrier for $649 and the Sony Reader Daily Edition is now available for pre-order.? Here are the top stories from the last 24 hours:

• NEWS:Sony Ericsson's Nexus Android skin promised for more devices
• NEWS:Apple tablet delayed by late decision to add OLED display
• NEWS:Nokia N900 goes on sale in US
• NEWS:PS3 Remote Play for Android "makes sense"
• NEWS:MS Office 2010 beta now available
• REVIEW:Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mobile phone - First Look
• NEWS:TomTom for iPhone updated
• NEWS:Sony Reader Daily Edition available for pre-order
• NEWS:Want a big TV? Don't move to California
• NEWS:WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Fingertips

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Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness

Daily news roundup: Xperia X10, Apple tablet, Nokia N900 and more originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:29:22 +0000

Google's Chrome OS is about to be unveiled to the public, and the source code for the operating system has already made it out into the wilds of the Web.

At the moment, there's very little to show for it - just a login screen and one of the included wallpapers (hit the images tab along the top of the story to see it). Expect more to appear in the coming days, however, as coders compile the operating system and explore deeper into what Google has built.

We know so far that it's a lightweight Linux-based platform, built around Debian, which has a tonne of open-source software that powers it. It's built around the browser, positing that you don't need much else to have a useful operating system.

It'll be free to device manufacturers, but how well it takes off will depend on both the quality of the experience from Google, and whether the company manages to rope in any retail partners to pre-load the OS onto machines. We'll bring you more as we hear it.

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Tags: Software Google Chrome Chrome OS Browsers Operating Systems

Chrome OS source code available originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:08:41 +0000

Freeview HD will roll-out in the UK next year, with 50% of the population due to see the high def upgrade in time for next June's World Cup. The bad news is that it will require the purchase of a new set-top box.?

We don't have much to bring you on this other than a glimpse, but here's PVR expert Humax's next-gen Freeview HD box, due to be revealed at a press event in December.

First unveiled as a prototype at the IBC broadcasting trade event, the FOX-HD-T2 is due to launch in early 2010, so will likely be one of the first high def offerings to market.

We will bring you more on the new HD set-top offering as soon as we can prise it out of Humax, and we'll keep you informed of all Freeview HD developments in the mean time.

Tags: Home Cinema Humax Freeview HD

Humax's new Freeview HD player pictured originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:06:30 +0000

It is perhaps testament to the wacky world of Wii that we're not entirely sure if this is a spoof, or if it is in fact a new religion-themed game for Nintendo's games system due Easter next year - but if it is real and we've offended anyone in our confusion, we're sorry.

As you'll see from the video above "Mass: We Pray" is presented as a new family Wii game that brings the church experience to your living room with appropriately themed accessories such as a crucifix-shaped controller and a Kneeler accessory.

"A family shouldn't have to wait until Sunday to worship the Lord. Now you can go to church every day without leaving your home", says Prayer Works Interactive, supposedly a new game development company founded in Boston in 2007.

Too bonkers to be true? Or perfectly plausible for the American Bible Belt market? Have your say in the comments box below.

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Tags: Gaming Nintendo Wii Prayer Works Interactive Mass We Pray Video

VIDEO: Mass: We Pray brings the fun of church to the Wii originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:45:16 +0000

Microsoft has announced that its Xbox festival - Xtival - will be returning in late November. Running across 27 to 29 November - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - the festival is a celebration of gaming, movies and music that takes place on Xbox Live.

For the duration of the weekend, anyone with a free Xbox Live silver account will see it temporarily upgraded to the Gold version, so you can play with the recently launched Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Sky Player functionality. It'll also mean that you'll be able to play online games with other Xbox 360 owners.

On the music side, the Xtival will be showcasing a live gig from DJ Ti?sto, along with interviews and the chance to download excerpts from the forthcoming Metallica DVD. There'll be classic concerts from Run DMC and ZZ Top, as well as a video EP from the Prodigy.

And lastly on the cinema stage there'll be a 4-minute trailer from James Cameron's forthcoming "Avatar" available for 5 days. Alongside, there'll be various free downloads, competitions, and Xtival themed backgrounds and gamerpics.

Xtival runs from 27 to 29 November on Xbox Live.

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Tags: Gaming Microsoft Xbox 360 Xbox Live Xtival

Xbox 360's Xtival weekend returns originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:33:23 +0000

As well as announcing two new Stream radios that will be available for Christmas, Roberts has offered a sneak peak at a new model due next year.

The COLOURstream internet radio will offer a colour touchscreen that claims to give easy control over all functions of the sound system, including DAB/FM and Wi-Fi radio, as well as an iPod dock.

Boasting an acoustically tuned cabinet with a high gloss piano black finish, there's some appealing retro about this new model - we will keep you posted on a launch.

Tags: Audio Radios Roberts Internet radios

Roberts offers sneak peak at touchscreen radio due in 2010 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:29:28 +0000

From early in the next decade, it'll be mandatory for all cars in the EU to be fitted with a "black box" technology called eCall. This is an in-vehicle emergency call service which is used to contact the authorities in the case of an accident or other adverse situation.

The initiative has come out of the eSafety Forum, a group of car manufacturers, technology companies and representatives of various emergency services bought together by the EU. Qualcomm is responsible for the radio modem that uses existing emergency bands for communicating with the authorities.

If a car crashes, or if anyone in the car manually activates the eCall system, a message is immediately sent to the authorities with info about the time, location and type of vehicle involved in the incident. A voice call can also be initiated with the emergency services that plays over the car's entertainment system and uses an embedded microphone so you can converse with the operator.

It's not entirely clear exactly when the system will become mandatory. The UK, along with a few other countries, haven't signed the necessary legislation yet. Qualcomm predicts a timescale of "around 2012", whereas Wikipedia reckons 2014.

Still, this could prove a useful tool for alerting emergency services to accidents, and getting help to those who need it, as well as for recording more accurate data on road accidents.

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Tags: Car And GPS Car gadgets eCall Qualcomm EU

EU cars getting mandatory emergency system originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:20:50 +0000

Roberts has announced new internet radios into its range that will go on sale in the UK in time for the Christmas present buying frenzy.

The Wi-Fi range sees the addition of the new Last.fm-enabled Stream 83i Wi-Fi/DAB/FM RDS digital stereo radio offering access to over 10,000 internet radio stations from around the world as well as the ability to stream a personal music collection.

Priced at ?150, with a high gloss piano black finish, features include USB playback, 15 presets, multiple alarms, sleep and snooze timers and a three-way speaker system including a bass woofer housed in an acoustically tuned wooden cabinet.

There's also the new StreamTime Wi-Fi/FM RDS clock radio, specifically designed for the bedside cabinet that offers ten presets, dual alarms for weekday and weekend programming, Listen Again and the option to stream music from a PC. It goes on sale for ?119.99.

Related links:

• News - Roberts offers sneak peak at touchscreen radio due in 2010

Tags: Audio Internet radios Roberts DAB Radios Radios Media streaming Wi-Fi

Roberts launches two new Stream internet radios originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:14:31 +0000

Sky Player, Sky's online TV service is now available via the Windows Media Center programme in Windows 7 offering "a new and innovative way for people in the UK to watch live and on demand TV from Sky on a PC". ?

For existing Sky TV customers, Sky Player on Windows 7 offers another way to view their Sky TV, while for non-Sky TV customers, there's the option to view content based on monthly subscription packages.

Sky Player on Windows 7 lets users search for shows using keywords, browse programme galleries or scroll through the on screen guide, works with touchscreen PCs and with any Windows Media Center-enabled remote control.

To promote the launch, Sky and Microsoft are offering non-Sky TV customers 3 months of Sky Player for the price of 2 with any Windows 7 purchase.

Tags: Home Cinema Sky Software Windows 7 Windows Media Center Microsoft Video on demand Sky Player

Sky Player on Windows 7 available now originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:32:01 +0000

Mirasol, the team at Qualcomm responsible for its e-reader division, has been showing off a new set of eBook readers that are built on "interferometric modulation" display technology. In slightly less geeky language, that means that they can do colour, and they can do video - something that e-Reader devices can't currently do.

The tech is based on the natural principle that makes butterfly wings shimmer. Tiny membranes that can be controlled with electric charges are laid onto a mirrored surface. Light coming through the membranes gets refracted and the interference can produce colour. As a result, no backlight is required, and the experience is better - rather than worse - in direct sunlight.

That usage of natural light also extends the battery life of devices. The company says that devices with a regular e-ink display could last 20-40% longer if they were equipped with an interferometric display instead. It's possible to do colour and video on an e-ink display, but it ramps up the refresh rates so much that it slaughters the battery life.

Mirasol reckons that when combined with a touchscreen, interferometric modulation?could be a powerful display tech for the next generation of tablet PCs and mobile phones, as well as e-readers. Scrolling and animation effects are possible, unlike with current e-reader displays. We saw a very small 5cm display in action with video, however the pictures you see above were a static display, "locked" in a lab and?unchangeable.

It'll be interesting to see if Qualcomm can build Mirasol's display tech into something that can be bulk-produced, and then roll it out over a wide range of devices. The company already has a gaming controller prototyped. At the moment the quality of the screen still needs a bit of work, if the prototypes are anything to go by, but early versions of a commercial product of some sort are due on the market by late 2010.

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Tags: Gadgets eBook readers Qualcomm Mirasol

Mirasol shows off colour E-reader displays originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:22:47 +0000

Swallowable pills that contain sensors could be just around the corner. A company called Proteus Biomedical is working with Qualcomm to build both pills and patches that can monitor your vital signs and send them to a mobile device.

The idea is that those with chronic health problems can be kept an eye on - these "smart" pills can tell if you're taking your medication or not, and notify either you or your doctor/nurse. However, the pills and patches can also be used as more of a preventative option - one of the first signs of cardiac arrest is a buildup of body liquid and the sensors embedded inside can detect this.

The sensors contained in the pills and patches can monitor temperature, motion, respiration and your heart rate. The pills have a "wet battery" that's activated when it hits your stomach, and the patch contains an external battery. Both connect wirelessly to an external unit, like a mobile phone, which then uploads your data to a private database on the Web.

The company says that it's seeing interest from healthcare organisations across the world, but that the UK's NHS was yet to bite. Developing countries like China are expected to be the first to try out these new technologies, as they don't have the established infrastructure of more developed nations.

Would you take a "smart pill" that monitors your vitals? Or is that a little too creepy? Tell us in the comments box below.

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Tags: Sports Fitness Health Medical Proteus Qualcomm Wireless

Swallowable e-pill sensors coming soon originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:57:02 +0000

MediaFLO television, which launched in the United States, could be coming to the UK in time for the 2012 Olympic Games. The company's head of business development EMEA, Chem Assayag, dropped several hints to Pocket-lint, saying that 2012 is an "important year", adding that large sporting events are always good timing for broadcast products to launch due to the increased demand for viewing platforms.

The MediaFLO service, which uses a more traditional broadcast system than IPTV services, can be accessed on 10 different mobile phone handsets in the United States, available through Verizon and AT&T. It's also accessible on a recently-released 4GB standalone device, and the company showed us prototypes of dongles and wireless accessories that could connect up to any handset, including an iPhone (pictured above), not just one with Qualcomm's MediaFLO chip in.

In Britain, the company has bought up a suitable chunk of L-band spectrum that would support a mobile broadcast network. Back in May, the company announced it had won an auction for 40MHz of bandwidth to use to "bring a variety of innovative wireless technologies to the UK market".

UK content partners could include Sky, the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV, and it's likely that phone networks like O2, Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile and 3 would also be involved - to provide the handsets to customers. As well as television, MediaFLO can also integrate other apps - we saw proof-of-concept of Twitter and Facebook integration that would allow you to chat with other people watching the same broadcast.

The technology can support up to 30 channels running at 25 to 30fps at QVGA resolution. That's tiny compared to a TV, and even a little on the small side for a laptop, but would suit the small screens of mobile devices very well. MediaFLO is working with LG, Samsung, Motorola and HTC right now, but chips could easily be integrated into any handset, so keep your eyes peeled in the next year or so.

As soon as there's anything more concrete about the launch of MediaFLO in the UK, we'll let you know.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone TV Qualcomm MediaFLO FLO TV

Mobile TV could be in UK in time for Olympics originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:56:34 +0000

Vodafone has expanded its Twitter options in the UK by offering a new service that allows Twitter users to retweet messages via SMS.

Vodafone customers can already send and receive SMS Twitter updates and now they can use the same number to retweet the most recent interesting posts from the people they are following.

Now available to Vodafone customers in the UK, to use the service, customers should send "RT twitter username" to 86444.

As an example, to retweet the most recent message from @VodafoneUK, you would type "RT VodafoneUK" which keeps it simple as it only works with the latest tweet from the Twitter account.

Sent texts will be charged at the standard network rate, or taken from the customer's SMS bundle where appropriate, says Vodafone.

After sending their message, customers will receive a free SMS notification confirming the message that they have just retweeted to their followers.

Vodafone customers will continue to receive SMS updates from Twitter free of charge.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Vodafone Twitter Software Online SMS

Vodafone offers paid-for SMS retweet option originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:48:55 +0000

The BBC and commercial radio companies have unveiled the new online radio player we brought you news of recently, that "aims to offer the output of every licensed UK radio station and to let users search this content by subject, musical style, or even song title".

The UK Radioplayer, due for launch early next year, is described as a pop-up console which will be open to stream more than 400 licensed national, local, community and student radio stations.

The BBC says it will offer "a unique, constantly-updated live and on-demand audio service" and users will be able to store their favourite stations on pre-set buttons.

Official terms for the project have now been signed by the BBC, RadioCentre, Global Radio and Guardian Media Group but the service will be made available to all Ofcom-licensed networks.

Initially due to be available through computers, the Beeb says later versions are planned for smartphones and other internet-connected devices. We will keep you posted.

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Tags: Audio Radio BBC Internet radio Websites Online RadioCentre Global Radio Guardian Media Group Biz UK Radioplayer

Online UK Radioplayer plans revealed originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:20:50 +0000

Need to make a loud noise in a public toilet? Yes, you guessed it, there's an app for that too with the launch of "Cover Up".

The app creates more socially acceptable noises than the ones you're likely to make during a trip to the loo, such as running water or a hand drier, saving your embarrassment as you exit the cubicle.

We're guessing from its make-up compact looks, and the promo vid above it's aimed at the gentler sex, who can download it now from the App Store for 99 cents.

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Tags: Phones iPhone apps App Store Cover Up Audio Video

VIDEO: Cover Up iPhone app masks toilet noises originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:49:20 +0000

In a paradoxical twist, the as-yet-unconfirmed Apple tablet has apparently suffered a major delay.

A recent report suggests the launch of the multimedia tablet - dubbed the iPad or iTablet - has been pushed back from early 2010 to the second half of the year.

The reason for the delay is said to be the late decision from Apple to add a 9.7-inch OLED display to the device.

There's also now said to be a 10.6-inch model in the iTablet range, although this is said to offer a more bog-standard LCD panel.

The OLED display is said to come from LG, DigiTimes quotes sources from component makers as stating, with Foxconn, Quanta and Pegatron pegged as manufacturers.

OLED is an expensive technology, with current prices for a 9.7-inch panel said to come in at around the $500 mark.

This has led to fresh estimates that suggest the OLED iTablet could cost as much as $2000 to the consumer, with the larger LCD model tipped to be priced between $800 and $1000.

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Tags: Hardware Apple iPad iTablet Rumours OLED

Apple tablet delayed by late decision to add OLED display originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:09:47 +0000

Like it or not, it's mid November and we're already having Christmas thrust upon us, and if you're one of the many who are planning on centring their Christmas around the tradition of Christmas telly as opposed to the birth of Jesus, then this could be the tech deal for you.

Tesco direct is pushing its Sky+HD boxes by offering one free when you purchase a TV and join the Sky+HD service, admittedly it means shelling out quite a bit of cash but if you're in the market anyway it might be something to consider.

If you join before 24 December you'll also receive a ?50 Tesco Gift Card - as long as you're a new customer. Bear in mind, however, that charges for the Sky+ service range from ?28-?58.50 and minimum sign-up is for 12 months, along with the fact that the Sky+ functionality is rather dependent on your subscription and therefore may become redundant if you decide not to renew.

If you're up for it though it seems like a good offer as you'll be able to store around 30 hours of high-def TV on the unit and Tesco has a decent selection of TVs to choose from, ranging from 14-inchers to 47-inch+ monsters.

This link will take you to Tesco direct where everything is laid out for you and don't forget to read the terms and conditions tucked away neatly at the bottom of the page.

Tags: Home Cinema Tesco Sky PVRs Daily Tech Deal

Daily Tech Deal: Free Sky+HD box at Tesco originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

A study into Britain's Twitter users has yielded some interesting results enabling a general profile of the average user to be revealed.

Here in the UK there are around 5.5 million people that use the micro-blogging service and it seems a typical user is under 35, less likely to vote Conservative and are more liberal in outlook that the majority of the population.

UK Twitterers are also more likely to come from a lower social class, more likely to live in London, and "defensive of civil liberties", reports The Telegraph.

The study, conducted by YouGov and published in Prospect magazine, surveyed 2024 adults and then compared the Twitter users' traits against the non-users in the group.

The Twitter users polled find the service either "very worthwhile" or "mildly useful" - but 39% said that it "dumbs down" the way people communicate.

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Tags: Software Twitter Statistics YouGov

UK Twitter users profiled originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:31:01 +0000

The official availability maybe some time off, however that hasn't stopped us from getting a hands-on with the Android sporting Xperia X10 for a second time (this time in New York) so we can bring you a First Look (over two sittings) of the new handset from Sony Ericsson. Will it be a game changer that will bring the company back into the spotlight? Read on to find out.

On the surface the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is another Android 1.6 handset with a large screen and yet another user interface or User Experience (UX) as Sony Ericsson calls it, promising to improve the usability stakes over everything else.

The hardware sees you get a 4-inch touchscreen display that dominates proceedings. Beneath this there are three additional buttons that allow you to access menus, the home screen, and skip back a step, and in between this there is even two white tiny LEDs that give you notifications as to what is going on although you will no doubt loose track over time. A dedicated camera button and volume controls pepper the side.

For the Droid or G1 fans out there, there is no slide-out keyboard. Get over it.

Around the back you'll get an 8.1-megapixel digital camera top centre and beneath that a flash - something not present on the HTC Hero or Apple iPhone.

Although impressive, specs are nothing out of the ordinary, certainly not for your top-of-the-range model and that means you get virtually every tech acronym you can think of including HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, DLNA, A-GPS, 3.5mm jack and Qualcomm's 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Storage is provided by an 8GB microSD card in the box and connects to your computer/charger via Micro-USB on the top. Unfortunately we weren't able to confirm what the storage allocation for applications is, but let's hope it is more than 256MB as with the Motorola Droid.

It is large, comparable to the Apple iPhone, but not as big as the HTC HD2. Underneath all that User Experience you get Android 1.6. Sony Ericsson are currently sending out mixed messages as to whether or not the handset will sport Android 2.0 when it eventually launches in February, with some spokespeople for the company saying it will and others not so sure.

What this means is that you will miss out on some features, like the ability to search the contents of your phone at the press of a button and Google Maps Navigation (US only). With a strong integrated interface in the guise of what Sony Ericsson is calling Nexus, you get, like the Sense UI from HTC, a lot more friendly functionality than Google offers as standard.

Of course you do get that "standard" approach. The Nexus UX Platform sits on top of Android 1.6 meaning you can run all the standard Android apps as well as apps designed for the phone and UX.?Unlike Motorola and HTC, both of whom have also decided to customise the Android experience, Sony Ericsson is hoping for further development by releasing a WebSDK.

The move means that developers will be able to develop applications specifically for Sony Ericsson handsets (the X10 is the first of many) that work only for Sony Ericsson. It's a brave move and one that will be interesting to watch. As a developer are you really going to be bothered to develop an app for an as yet unproven smartphone when you've got Apple, Android, Palm's WebOS, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Samsung's Bada and BlackBerry to develop for as well?

Either way in reality it seems that Sony Ericsson are playing the "you can play with us too" card and regardless of this forging on with their own apps to impress and improve on the Android OS.

In steps Timescape and Mediascape. Timescape is a communications app, which aggregates email,?Facebook, Twitter, IM, and SMS into one big lifestream that you can navigate through. Each "event" is represented by a tile, which you can tap to view in more detail, or long-press to get a preview of. The experience is very "Aero" from Windows Vista and in practice not the easiest thing to read.

Each tile has a button marked with an "oo" infinity symbol. Hitting that will take you to related content - which could be content from the person in question, or it could be web content related to whatever is on the tile. It's a bit like HTC's contacts feature that shows you all the contact you've had with that person, however it's no Xobni. The list can be filtered by medium, and you can reply to individual messages within the application.

Mediascape is the other "signature" application. It's built around music, video and images and organises all three on your device. It incorporates players for all three, too, and can hook into various bits of online content. YouTube was named explicitly, but we'd expect Last.fm and perhaps Flickr to show up here too with talk of Spotify being banded around at our briefing (something that might be harder to do than Sony Ericsson realizes thanks to Spotify's poor API).

Items in Mediascape also have an infinity button and pressing this will again summon related content. For a band, that could be songs on your device, YouTube videos, or even other artists that are similar to whatever you're listening to. The overlaid controls of this section looked quite similar to the Zune HD's UI, though that's only a good thing.

Then there is the image viewer in Mediascape that supports facial recognition. What this means is that you can tag up to five people in a photo and then the handset will attempt to identify those people in other images too - the more you tag, the more accurate it is, very much like Apple's face recognition feature in iPhoto. The feature can also hook in with your contacts list - you can tap a person in a photo to call them, for instance, however won't talk to Facebook or Flickr.

Those apps, and others for the Nexus UX, will be available from the PlayNow store.

Elsewhere and it's pretty standard Android fare for the handset. The software is, and acts, as you would expect for an Android 1.6 handset, however for some reason, one that continues to baffle us, is no multi-touch support.?With a touchscreen so large with no keyboard we think it's a catastrophic move, but then hey, what do we know?

As for performance? Well it's a little too early to say. The models we looked at both in London and New York have all been pre-production, and early builds at that. It certainly wasn't as zippy as we would have hoped, certainly for a device with a Snapdragon chipset, but then its too early to tell whether this is just because it's early code, or because Sony Ericsson has baked in so many graphical, almost PS3-like niceties, that it's buckled under the weight. We expect it's the former.

Verdict:

So is this going to be the Android handset that you wish you waited for? At the moment it's too hard to say as the software wasn't (we hope) working at full speed. That said on the hardware front it really is just a screen with some buttons and every acronym you can think of, looks good and has the potential to perform well.

We get the feeling though, that as soon as HTC announce an HD2 with Android, probably called the HD3, that shininess – i.e., the 4-inch screen - will soon disappear.

So how can Sony Ericsson hope to win your hearts? By getting developers to embrace the Nexus UX platform or for Sony to roll out as many apps as it can including dedicated apps like a PlayNow store, PSP emulator and PS3 Remote Play. Now wouldn't that be nice?

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is expected to be available in February 2010.

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Related links:

• Photos - Sony Ericsson Experia X10 hands on

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Sony Ericsson Android First look Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mobile phone - First Look originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Ever wondered what it would be like to be a dog? Let’s face it, your average pampered pooch doesn’t have too much to worry about. Fed, watered and entertained by their loving owners and all they have to do is occasionally wag their tail and pretend they’re glad to see you.

Now we can sample a little bit of what that might be like thanks to this innovative (and clearly very bored) gamer.

Makes moving Mario and Sonic around their new winter wonderland seem positively mundane.

Want one. Just for a day, mind you.

If you've seen a video online that you want to tell us about email us? via the feed back form.

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Tags: Video Websites Software Online

VIDEO OF THE DAY ? Mood tail originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

In news that its customers will be happy to hear, O2 has revealed plans for a big upgrade to its UK network, with ?500 million investment over the last 2 years.

The operator - which currently offers data-happy phones such as the Apple iPhone and the Palm Pre - is looking to improve its data handling capabilities.

As part of the plans, London will see around 40 new mobile data hotspots in the city by the end of the year, with another 160 following on in the next year.

Meanwhile the rest of the country will see another 1500 new locations to boost service across the UK.

Derek McManus, chief technology officer at O2 UK, said that the company predicts a surge in data usage over the next year and is working to improve its network capacity for the future.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone industry O2

O2 promises network improvements originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:39:08 +0000

If you're the type of person that thinks the presence of a few cats would spice up any photo, then there's an app for that.

CatPaint, just launched for the iPhone and iPod touch, adds a touch of puss to any pic with the option to drag and drop feline imagery into any photograph.

That's pretty much the extent of the app, but for $1, we're sure feline fanciers can't go wrong.

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Tags: Phones iPhone apps CatPaint

CatPaint iPhone app adds cats originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:55:23 +0000

Livescribe has announced the beta launch of an online application store, taking the craze for apps further than the world of the mobile phone.

The store offers over 30 paid-for and free applications ranging from productivity and reference tools to games and entertainment to travel and education.

Applications include language translations, "fun" facts on a variety of topics, a "sexy oracle", games such as? Blackjack and Hangman and even the option for users to "play a guitar - right from the 'pentip' of their Pulse smartpen".

Coinciding with the launch, Livescribe has released 2.0 software upgrades for both the smartpen and the Livescribe Desktop software - which allows consumers to save, organise and share their notes and recordings from their computer, as well as now download and install the apps.

The store can be found at www.livescribe.com/store or can be accessed through the Livescribe Desktop software.

Related links:

• Livescribe smartpen - best gadget 2009 nomination

Tags: Gadgets Livescribe Software

Livescribe launches app store originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:30:50 +0000

American mobile phone operator AT&T has hit back at rival Verizon using the secret weapon of Luke Wilson.

The new ad, which supposedly compares the two operators' 3G offerings side by side, is a direct response to Verizon's current map-themed campaign which makes it appear as if AT&T has very little coverage across the United States.

AT&T was refused its initial legal request for an injunction to stop Verizon showing the adverts which AT&T deemed "misleading", so for now it seems a tit for tat battle will ensue until AT&T gets a second chance in court on 16 December.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone industry Advertising AT and T Verizon Video

VIDEO: AT&T fires back at Verizon in ad war originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:07:05 +0000

Microsoft Office 2010 has now entered its public beta phase, and it's already looking like a pretty substantial upgrade to the 2007 version, and a huge improvement on earlier editions of the omnipresent Office app suite. Here's ten reasons why you should give it a try.

The "Starter Edition" is free

Remember the hilariously-titled Microsoft Works? It never did, and the company got a whole lot of stick for that one, so it's dumping it entirely. Installed on new PCs in its place will be Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition - a free, ad supported, feature-limited version of Word and Excel.

But feature-limited doesn't mean you won't be able to do anything useful. Microsoft has tuned the functionality so that an average user who wants nothing more than to write a letter, or an invoice, or perhaps an essay, will still be able to do that with no problems. It's more hardcore stuff like macros and change-tracking in Word, or pivot tables and data analysis in Excel, that you'll have to pay for.

You can stream the software

If you decide you want to give the fuller version a try, but aren't ready to pay for it yet, then you can stream a trial version of the full software from the Web. Seriously. A 2-meg download will get you a "wrapper" that'll let you start up any of the apps within less than 2 minutes. From there, you can use the software as normal while the rest of the functionality downloads in the background.

Microsoft says the experience will be a bit slower than a downloaded version, but it can work out what you're doing and pre-emptively pull down any functions that might be shortly called-upon. The only time you'll see egg-timers is if you dart wildly between unrelated functionality like a Tasmanian Devil. Oh, and once it's downloaded, it stays cached, so you won't need to download again next time.

There's online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote

A third option for cheapskates is to use the brand new, completely free, web app versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. They work in conjunction with SkyDrive (which we'll come to in a minute) to allow you to access and edit documents, spreadsheets, presentations and notebooks from anywhere in the world without a hefty software install.

They're multiplatform and don't have quite the same full functionality as the desktop versions - limited in the same way as the starter edition - but should give the basic user the vast majority of what they need to get stuff done from anywhere in the world, as well as fighting back against Google Docs.

You can sync your documents to SkyDrive?

Another handy feature, which is related to the last point, is the tie-in with Microsoft's SkyDrive feature. This, if you're not aware, is a 25GB online storage space provided free by Microsoft to anyone with a Windows Live account. It's accessible anywhere on the Web and handily you can save your documents in Office 2010 to it.

From then on, anytime you save that document, it'll save straight to SkyDrive - not your local PC. You can also access the Office 2010 web apps through Skydrive, so you can edit to your heart's content even when you're not on a computer with a version of Office installed.

When you finally buy it, you get a scratchcard?

So you've read the above, and decided that you do actually need to shell out money for the Office suite. Perhaps you need a pivot table, or a fancy transition in PowerPoint. Perhaps you need access to Access, or to Outlook or Publisher. In that case, you can go into a shop and buy a scratchcard.

That card has a product key on it, which you put in on a website and you'll get a download of the software that arrives in the same way as the trial version above - streaming to your computer. You'll be able to start using it within minutes while the rest of the suite downloads in the background.

Docs look identical across the desktop, the web, and the mobile phone

One of the irritations of using Office alternatives like Google Docs and OpenOffice is that you can never be sure that the document that you've lovingly laid out in those apps will open the same in Microsoft's version. A crucial essay submission could be rejected if it doesn't match the style rules.

So Microsoft has put a lot of work into making sure its documents look identical across the "three screens" - the desktop app, the web app, and the mobile phone version of the software, available on Windows Mobile. No more double-checking page breaks, margins and cell formatting.

Better performance

We've been testing a pre-release version of Office 2010 for a week now, and gosh it's fast. Older versions of Office crawled along, but if the final release is as zippity as this, then we'll be impressed. The most used Office apps seem to load within a second, with the less used, heftier ones, taking not much longer.

Within the apps, too, things seem to move about a little more responsively. There appears to have been a decent bit of background optimization, as well as the removal of the little bits of Office that sit in your taskbar and degrade your general computer performance.

Better printing experience

Among the various UI improvements, we wanted to highlight one in particular. While the whole "file" menu has been revamped, one of the best bits is the new print experience. Now, rather than having to remember to hit "print preview" before hitting ctrl-P, the two functions are integrated.

That means no more panicking when you're half-way through a vast printout that you forgot to switch it to 6-slides-a-page, or off full quality colour. A full preview of exactly what'll be flying out of your printer is displayed on screen, and easy to customise.

Photo & video editing?

This is a subtle one, but it could have wide-ranging implications. Microsoft has integrated basic photo and video editing tools into Office - allowing you to crop, trim, apply filters, correct for brightness and contrast, and add pretty borders. The functionality is pretty powerful, especially when it comes to video.

Could this eat into sales of dedicated photo and video editors? It's entirely possible - most people won't need much more than these tools to include video and pretty images into their next slideshow.

Embed web videos

Lastly, one of the niftiest new features is the ability to stick YouTube videos, or other embeddable web videos, into your documents. Grab the embed code from the site and paste it into a handy text box, and you'll see it appear in your presentation or notebook, complete with controls.

Then, when you're doing your big presentation, you can just hit play on the screen - rather than having to alt-tab to a browser, displaying your bright pink taskbar and Buffy the Vampire Slayer wallpaper.

Conclusions

Office 2010 has some pretty nifty features, and includes a whole host of improvements that should make your documents, spreadsheets, presentations, notebooks and everything else look considerably sparklier.

But we'd love to hear what your favourite features are. See that comment box down there? Go download Office 2010 and fill it up with your thoughts.

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Tags: Software PC software Office software Microsoft Microsoft Office 2010 Features

Ten reasons to try out Microsoft Office 2010 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

HP have finally bitten the bullet and made what many have been waiting an age for: a MacBook clone. It's been in the back of consumer's minds for a while. Why can't PC manufacturers follow through with the design leads laid down by Apple? Why redesign the wheel? We've seen many models that pick up some Mac-alike elements, but the Envy perhaps goes further than most. In fact, the Envy adds detailing that brings some interest where the Mac is just a little too minimalist for some.

The Envy 15, as the name suggests features a 15.6-inch widescreen display. The resolution stands at?1366 x 768 so it qualifies for the HD tag, but not the Full HD variety, unlike the US versions, which do get a higher quality screen (as well as more RAM in their models). However, the LED backlit HD display looks glorious as it is, with nice bright colours. It doesn't have the same wow factor as the Mac's edge-to-edge panel and the black plastic bezel around the screen is perhaps the only part of the notebook design that we'd criticise. It has a gloss finish which is great for movies at home, but suffers reflections if you sit near a window or are out and about.

It is a compact notebook for its size, measuring 38 x 24.4 x 2.65cm and weighing in at only 2.35kg.

The substantial hinge on the screen lets it drop over the back of the body of the notebook, so it will fit into cramped spaces, although unlike the Envy 13 little brother, it is probably a little too large for Economy Class tray tables on planes or trains. There is a small amount of flex in the screen, but the solid construction means it is well protected from the rear. A light sensor to adjust the brightness of the monitor, the webcam and mic sit in the bezel of the screen too.

The Envy gets a great premium look thanks to liberal use of aluminium in its construction, with the keyboard keys neatly poking through their holes, the same, ahem, as a MacBook. The etching on the back of the screen and on the palm rests might not be for some, but we liked this little addition, giving something of a tactile feel whilst you sit and drum your fingers. The trackpad is larger than you'd normally find on a PC, with HP offering some multi-touch functions -? the pinch zooming works well enough, but the scrolling is a little hit and miss. This is one area where they can't quite match the MacBook Pro. At the bottom of the trackpad are two built-in button sections in lieu of real hard buttons. We like this move as they are still perfectly functional, but give a smoother, cleaner finish, and allow you to move the cursor on-screen across the entire area of the trackpad.

The keyboard is a definite strong point of the Envy. There is no sign of flex at any point, and the travel and response of the keys was very good - we were soon typing up to full speed. There is a full complement of keys however, including shortcut keys down the left and function keys across the top which offer various media controls. We're pleased to see that HP has not resorted to dubious touch controls for these media functions. Unfortunately there is no backlit keyboard option.

Ominously missing from the Envy is a optical drive, although an external USB 8x DVD rewriter is supplied in the box. Opinion is divided on whether this is an acceptable omission on a notebook of this size, but by bundling a drive in the box, you can at least install software or play movies at your desk, but it's an extra lump to carry around on your travels. The drive worked perfectly well for use, but can be a little noisy when spinning. With a 320GB hard drive inside, you've a fair amount of space to store your content, perhaps even a few movies.

Around the body of the Envy you'll find all the connections are located on the right-hand side. You get Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, 2x USB 2.0, a shared eSATA/USB port and a 3.5mm jack which is both an audio input and output. The leading edge features an SD card slot, with a little hinging door, giving a neat finish. When a card is inserted it slots in flush too, so you can stick in a card and leave it in there without worrying about it getting caught on things. The Envy 15 comes with a 2GB SD card containing the user guide.

Of course these are all merely external trimmings. Sitting at the heart of the Envy 15 is the Intel Core i7-720QM, running at 1.6GHz and backed by 4GB RAM (expandable up to 16GB), making this a veritable powerhouse indeed. Our review model came running Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) which ran very smoothly. Dedicated graphics are handled by the ATi Mobility Radeon HD 4830, giving you 1GB of dedicated graphics memory.

The results are impressive. Switching between documents and everyday computing tasks are handled in a flash. Movie playback is fantastic too, with Full HD content playing smoothly both on the screen or output via HDMI onto a larger display. You also have the power on hand to play most modern games and we found that Crysis ran smoothly on medium settings. Sound quality from the onboard speakers is a little on the tinny side, but we've heard much worse. There is plenty of volume on offer to provide the sound FX for your gaming or movie watching needs, or merely to keep you in touch with colleagues via Skype or similar.

One thing that is noticeable is the cooling fan located on the left-hand side of the Envy. When going gets tough, it will spin up to life to cool things down. The Envy doesn't get too hot to be used on the lap, but you'll feel a noticable warmth throughout the notebook when in use. Ventilation holes are liberally spread around the edges, but this does seem to be an issue.?

Unfortunately the battery life isn't too impressive. If you plan on stepping away from the mains for any longer than about 1 hour 20 minutes, which we found to be the average battery performance for general office tasks, you might want to look at getting an extra battery, or the accessory "slice" battery, which claims to extend the life up to 7 hours. The limited battery life does push the Envy 15 towards the desktop replacement end of the notebook market, rather than being a truely portable powerhouse.

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Verdict:

The HP Envy 15 has some real strengths: the design is sensational, the keyboard is excellent and the power on offer makes this a really versatile machine. This has to be balanced against the lack of internal drive and poor battery life, which means that this is a PC that will complement your plush office or home better than it will accompany you on your travels. There is no doubting the style on offer however and it will look good wherever you put it and whatever competitor you sit it next to.

It is a bit of a gripe that the UK version of the Envy doesn't get the same specs as the US market, something to bear in mind when it comes to purchase.

We love what HP have done from a design perspective and the time and effort they have put into creating a great looking notebook will appeal to some users, who will be happy to pay the premium price this notebook commands. For some though, the asking price might just be too high.

Related links:

• Link - HP Envy homepage

Tags: Hardware Laptops HP HP Envy 15

HP Envy 15 1060ea notebook review originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:56:22 +0000

If you want to add a little regality to your iPhone then look no further than Ultra Case's Luxury Edition Royal Crown iPhone case.

"With heart shaped artificial crystal surrounded by Swarovski Crystals, it is the ultimate in chic and elegance", says the purveyors.

We thought it was the ultimate in something else, but if you agree with Ultra Case's assessment you should know it's on sale now for ?119.99.

Read

Tags: Phones Cases iPhone accessories Ultra Case

Luxury Edition Royal Crown iPhone case revealed originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:54:01 +0000

Conde Nast has revealed it is prepping a digital version of its tech mag Wired for Apple's rumoured tablet device, even though it says Apple is "not talking to anyone openly" about the rumoured hardware.

It seems the publisher is so certain of Apple's plans for a large touchscreen device it's getting the digi-tablet version of Wired ready for a mid-2010 launch and plans to make similar versions of its 18 titles available too.

Conde Nast says "it's confident that we'll soon see multiple versions of machines featuring large colour touchscreens and wireless connections", reports D: All Things Digital.

On the hardware front the publisher is working with HP and with Adobe on software, with the latter creating a new digital magazine publishing tool for the new format, that will be a Conde Nast exclusive at launch, although will be offered to other companies next year.

Recently the executive editor of the New York Times referred to the Apple tablet in a speech as the "impending Apple slate", adding fuel to the rumour fire.

Read

Tags: Hardware Apple iPad iTablet Conde Nast Rumours

Conde Nast prepping magazine format for the Apple tablet originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:36:48 +0000

With wireless charging being the current crazy, its no surprise to see GEAR4 putting forward a solution for the iPhone.

The unit consists for two elements, the first is the inductive charging pad, on which you'll have to place you iPhone. The second element is a case into which you'll have to place your iPhone. Put one on the other and you have wireless charging.

The case is needed because the iPhone doesn't contain the necessary technology to support wireless charging. The case has a rubberised effect on what is otherwise a plastic body, which splits into two pieces. The top removes so you can slide your iPhone into the case, connecting with a dock connector at the bottom, which is how it makes contact with the battery.

Adding the dock connector does extend the length of your phone, with the rest of the case adding bulk – although you do have the added benefit of the protection that the case brings. The case measures approx 127mm in length (compared to 115.5mm) and is 19mm thick (compared to the iPhone's 12.3mm).

It doesn't contain a battery of its own, so it won't extend the battery life of your iPhone.

The PowerPad itself is constructed from plastic with a depressed matte area where you place the phone. It is otherwise finished in black gloss and looks minimalist enough. The power pack plugs in around the side and four rubber feet on the bottom stop it from sliding around.

GEAR4 claim that the PowerPad will charge your iPhone at the same rate as a regular charger and we found this to be true. You simply place your iPhone onto the correct place on the pad and off it goes.

A blue LED illuminates showing that the charger is working, but you won't necessarily need that LED, because of the noise. Yes, the PowerPad might be wireless, but it isn't silent.

Place your iPhone on the PowerPad and you'll hear and excited chirping coming from the pad, which then slows down into a regular chirping about 4 times a second. If you have the PowerPad on your desk in a quiet office it may well drive you mad.

We tested the PowerPad initially in the kitchen and it could be heard over the sound of the fridge. Then set on a desk next to a Mac and it was a distraction. If you was going to put this in the hallway and not spend much time near it, then fair enough, but for us, the noise was irritating.

And that's not all. We also found it clicking away, albeit faintly, whilst there was nothing on the pad. A handy reminder to turn it off at the wall.

Verdict:

The PowerPad is an effective wireless charge if you happy with the increased size that the case brings to your iPhone. The case will also give you a degree of protection, but it would have been nice to see options over the standard black plastic.

But the noise that comes with this charging solution might be too much to bear. In a noisy environment, like an office with aircon, heaps of computers, phones ringing, or even music, it won't be much of a problem. But in a quiet home office, or next to the bed a night, and it might just be too irritating.

Tags: Gadgets Phones Chargers iPhone Apple GEAR4 Gear4 PowerPad

GEAR4 PowerPad wireless iPhone charger originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TomTom for iPhone updated originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:21:38 +0000

The?Nokia N900?has gone on sale in the US on Wednesday for a $649 unsubsidised after the mobile phone manufacturer failed to find a carrier to offer the handset.?

Not deterred by the lack of interest from the likes of Verizon or AT&T, Nokia has opted to go it alone:

"Consumers from every segment of the population are looking for more out of their mobile device - more power, more ability, more connectivity", said Alessandro Lamanna, vice president, Retail Sales, Nokia - hoping people would quickly jump at the opportunity to buy the new handset.

The Nokia N900, which is the first from the Finnish company to sport the new?Maemo?operating system, is available in a black finish and will retail for ?649 through Nokia flagship stores in New York and Chicago, nokiausa.com and various independent retailers and e-tailers including Amazon.com.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Nokia Nokia N900

Nokia N900 goes on sale in US originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:06:57 +0000

Sony?has put the?Sony Reader Daily Edition?up for pre-order in the US on its SonyStyle website, hoping to maximise on the current appetite for digital readers (ebooks) in the run up to Christmas.

Costing $399.99 and available on or around the 18 December, the Sony Reader Daily Edition, as it is known, will offer a 7-inch screen, come with 3G connectivity for downloading books and take the top of the pile mantle above the Pocket and Touch Editions from Sony.

However some are worried that the late December date means many could miss out on Christmas deliveries if the postal service doesn't deliver in time for the 25th.

"Leaving it to the 18th is cutting it terribly fine", one expert we talked to commented.

The ebook market, which has seen a price reduction from Amazon and the Barnes & Noble Nook launch imminent, is current booming as book sellers try to convince bookworms that they need to go digital.

However, with the promise of more ebook readers at?CES 2010?and Qualcomm this week showing a colour screen ebook reader, which is promised for next year, the consumer has plenty of choices ahead of them, something Sony hopes won't deter them from signing up to its Reader in the mean time.

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Read

Tags: Gadgets ebooks eBook readers Sony Sony Reader Daily Edition

Sony Reader Daily Edition available for pre-order originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:36:18 +0000

It's the home of the big screen, but it seems California doesn't want people to take that big screen experience into their homes with a new bill that bans power-hungry televisions.

In a bill passed on Wednesday, the California Energy Commission has voted to adopt an energy efficiency standard for televisions that forces manufacturers to abandon non green-performing televisions.?

"When these standards are implemented in 2011, new TVs sold in California will be the most energy efficient in the nation. After ten years, the commission estimates the regulations will save $8.1 billion in energy costs and save enough energy to power 864,000 single-family homes", the commission said in a statement.

According to the California Energy Commission, the new technology neutral standards mandate states that new televisions sold in California should consume 33% less electricity by 2011 and 49% less electricity by 2013.

The standards affect only those TVs with a screen size 58 inches or smaller. For example, a 42-inch screen would consume 183 watts or less by 2011 and 115 watts or less by 2013.

Pacific Gas & Electric estimates that over a decade the standards will reduce CO2 emissions by 3 million metric tons.

However, consumer electronics groups are worried that the move will force them to be less adventurous in the models they create.

"CEA is extremely disappointed in the CEC’s decision to regulate TV energy use. Simply put, this is bad policy—dangerous for the California economy, dangerous for technology innovation and dangerous for consumer freedom", said Jason Oxman, CEA’s senior vice president of Industry Affairs at the Consumer Electronics Association. "Instead of allowing customers to choose the products they want, the Commission has decided to impose arbitrary standards that will hamper innovation and limit consumer choice. It will result in higher prices for consumers, job losses for Californians, and lost tax revenue for the state".

The Energy Commission claims however, that "More than 1000 TV models on the market today already meet the 2011 standards and cost no more than less-efficient sets".

The regulations do not affect existing televisions that consumers already own or the TVs currently on retail store shelves, the commission has said.

California buys around 10% of all televisions in the US suggesting that manufacturers, rather than creating different models for the state, will simply adopt the new energy standards throughout the States.

The CEA, who hold the annual CES technology convention each year in Las Vegas, has said it will “continue to pursue legislative and legal solutions to ensure that California citizens will not suffer the consequences of this misguided policy".

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Tags: Home Cinema Televisions CES2010

Want a big TV? Don't move to California originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:10:48 +0000

Seen the news lately? There’s a little bit of everything going on at the moment, don’t you think?

Political skulduggery, celebrity gossip, industrial intrigue. Keeping track is an epic undertaking.

If only there was somewhere you could go to get just the news you want, from the sources you trust.

Voila! Fingertips puts the news you want at your, er fingertips, by collating stories from the myriad news sources out there.

It makes reading the morning papers seem quite laborious once you’ve set this up.

The only thing I miss is the Sudoku,

www.fingertips.net?

If you have a website that you want to tell us about email us via the feedback form.

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Fingertips originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Sony Ericsson has hinted that it could launch a "PS3" app similar to that found on the Sony Ericsson Aino handset launched earlier in the year for the Android OS, when the company's new?Xperia X10?handset launches in February.

"It makes a lot of sense for it to be on other handsets", said Christopher David, head of developer and partner engagement at Sony Ericsson, before backing up that statement with an "it should be expected".

It is not certain at this time whether an app, if developed, would be restricted to the X10 and Nexus UX platform or be available to all?Android?handsets, but could mean that phone users opting for devices sporting the Google Android OS could access their PlayStation 3 and stream content to their phone from around the world, in a similar way to the Sony Ericsson phone or the PSP console.

The phone, which packs the same DLNA and wireless connectivity as the Aino, before building on the specs with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset and 4-inch screen, would be a perfect hardware device for such an app, something that David acknowledges.

"For it to work you would need wireless and DLNA connectivity," said David, after we tried to lure more than an "it's possible" answer from the man, when asked to engage in the new Sony Ericsson Nexus UX platform for the X10.

As for other apps to expect in the future? David was keeping quiet, however we did get a chuckle and acknowledgement of a "good question asked" as to whether Sony Ericsson's Play Now store, that allows users to download movies and music, would get an Android app of its own.

"You never know", was the official response with a wry smile.?

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Tags: Gaming Phones Mobile phones Mobile phone apps Sony Android PS3 Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

PS3 Remote Play for Android "makes sense" originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:23:13 +0000

Sony Ericsson?has implied that it may bring its new?Android?skin destined for the?Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, the Nexus UX platform, to other devices.

"Nexus has been developed with a broader focus in mind", said Steve Walker, head of portfolio planning and communications for Sony Ericsson, following a question in an informal journalist briefing on whether we would see the new UI on other devices.

Although not going into specific details about specific products, Walker hinted in a further conversation with Pocket-lint that the new Nexus interface had been developed for devices of "all shapes and sizes".

The news comes as Sony Ericsson announces further details for its latest handset, the Xperia X10, which is due out in February 2010.

Working in what appears to be a similar way to HTC's Sense UI, Sony Ericsson will create a new "skin" for Android and Symbian OSes called the Nexus UX platform that offers a more graphical interface for users to get involved in.

Creating a dedicated WebSDK to accompany the new "skin", Sony Ericsson is hoping that by allowing developers to create apps specifically for Sony Ericsson handsets, it will help it gain the edge over other Android based handsets from Motorola or HTC.

"It is more than a UI skin", Christopher David, the man in charge of pushing the SDK to developers told us in a one to one interview. "The WebSDK, announced today allows developers to develop applications specifically for our phones and be sold in the PlayNow store".

Sony Ericsson will start the ball rolling with two applications, Timescape and Mediascape with the promise of many more over time.

Timescape will promise to manage all your communication with one person in one place, allowing you to browse through your conversations on Facebook, Twitter, photos, emails, and texts all in one go. Mediascape will focus on the multimedia elements to the handset, allowing you to search your phone for music, photos and videos as well as access interactive services like YouTube or PlayNow.

"We expect to have around a couple of hundred apps and plug-ins for Nexus at launch", David confirmed.

Other features of the new OS overlay include a feature that links faces with contact details at the touch of a button from within the phone on the fly.?

Sony Ericsson says that users will be able to download dedicated Sony Ericsson Android apps created using its WebSDK via its Play Now store rather than in Android Marketplace, however users will be able to access standard Android Marketplace as you would normally.?

The Xperia X10 is the first of many handsets that will use the platform, says Sony Ericsson, with the new handset acting as the flagship model when it hits stores in February.?

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Tags: Phones Mobile phones Mobile phone apps Sony Ericsson Android Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

Sony Ericsson's Nexus Android skin promised for more devices originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:52:03 +0000

Stephen Fry reflected yesterday that the Internet is like a city with all the same cultural joys and societal problems of the physical world. So, in many ways, it's of little surprise that bullying is as much a feature of the world wide web as it is of the playground.

In fact, according to statistics gathered by Beatbullying, whose Anti-Bullying Week currently runs until 22 November, almost a third of all cyberbullying begins offline. The Internet and mobile phones have just become an extension of that arena - further tools for the tormentors to wreak the abuse.

For parents, of course, it's a double bind. As with the playground itself, there are both positive and negative sides to the Internet. It's an enriching experience and a potentially harmful one too, in indirect ways - as with unsuitable sites - and directly with exposure to bullying and abuse.

The frightening difference is that although there is supervision - as with the teacher in the playground - in the online world, the numbers are just too many to monitor. Social networks like, Bebo, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all have people to whom you can report abuse except, unlike teachers, they're not actively watching. Worse, is with that IM services and mobile phones, there's nobody watching at all.

This week, the world and the online community is banding together to draw focus to the growing problem and to bring government legislation and a duty to the owners of these virtual playgrounds to help rapidly reduce bullying online, as it has been in our schools since the 70s and 80s. While it's impossible to completely shield children from the chance of cyberbullying at the moment, there are a few tips for parents to help with the problem.

1) Join their networks

To prevent your children from taking part in Facebook, Twitter, Bebo and others is equivalent to some kind of social death for them. Banning from these sites or the the Internet altogether is only going to make you the focus of their frustrations. It will not help bring in the sense of trust which children would need to confide in you to let you know that they're having the problems in the first place, be it online or in school.

Instead a sensible approach, that we heard from one parent, is to make a deal whereby your children can join social networks so long as you can befriend or follow them too. That way, you'll be able to see the way they're behaving towards the rest of the world and whether their responses might suggest that they are being bullied. Equally, you'll be able to see if they are the bullies themselves.

At the same time, you have to respect what it is they might say outside of this realm. You're not going to build trust by picking them up on their every word. It might also be advisable not to be active on their network either. It may well cause some embarrassment and open them up to ridicule.

2) Education

Make sure your children understand how to protect their data on a basic level when online. Be sure that passwords are not told to people outside the family. One classic bullying attack is for someone to post under your profile pretending to be you. It's not uncommon for fall-outs between best friends, so make sure that these passwords are kept as safe as they should be. For the same reasons, teach your children to log out of their profiles when they leave a computer - particularly important when using public machines.

Finally, teach them how to deal with abuse if it does come their way. The best ways to manage hurtful comments is to delete and ignore them and to block the attacker from interacting with you again. Each site has its own privacy settings and ways by which you can achieve this.

3) Consider limiting internet use

This is a tricky one as ostensibly there's nothing wrong with people sitting on the Internet all day. In fact, many Pocket-lint readers would be quite happy if their children wired themselves into their desktops. That said, some people may wish to limit the amount of time their children spend online. If you are going to, then make sure the deal is equitable. If your child is being bullied it may be that it's near impossible to get them off the computer and is something worth looking out for.

4) Monitoring software

This is not for everyone and Pocket-lint is not here to tell you whether it's a good idea or not but monitoring software is an option. Company's like Symantech offer complete solutions for tracking any computer and internet use on the machine on which it's installed, and if you want to know exactly what your children are doing on line then this is a sure way of finding out. It also might circumvent the desire to place a limit on their time online.

The obvious things to remember, though, are that people do not appreciate being spied upon and that obsessively trawling through transcripts of conversations is just as dangerous for parents. What's more, the younger generations are almost always more tech savvy and they will know that this software is running if you're not careful.

5) Look for the signs

Children and particularly teenagers do tend towards all sorts of mood swings anyway but some of the signs suggested by the anti-bullying agencies are worth looking out for. They may become obsessed with being online at all times or opt for a total avoidance of it whatsoever. As with all kinds of bullying, they may fear going to school more than usual. They more also withdraw from their social circles or exhibit increased anxiety, depression or anger. If your child is showing some of these signs then they might be being bullied, but there's just as good a chance that they're not.
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6) Report abuse

As we said before, social networks may not be actively watching, but they will listen if users report abuse. Facebook promises to get back these e-mails within 72 hours and sites like Bebo, which itself was the forum for 30% of the cyberbullying attacks as uncovered by Beatbullying, has dedicated buttons for reporting these problems. In some cases, the bullies may be kicked off the networks but, if you're not satisfied with how they deal with your issue then you can always take it beyond them for action.

7) Involve the Police

Harassment and defamation online is illegal, as are malicious or threatening phone calls, emails or text messages. The police will take these incidents seriously. Make sure to keep a log of abusive phone calls or IM conversations as they happen as well as screen grabs of social networking abuse to present as evidence if necessary. Without proof that it's happening, there is little the police can do.

8) Video bullying

There are many well documented cases of cyberbullying on video websites, like Happy Slapping attacks. This is, of course, illegal and YouTube and others will immediately remove these videos. From your perspective, make sure to take a look at the user account of the person who posted the footage. There may be clues as to their identity - other videos or profile details - and it may also be possible to get help in tracking them down by their IP details.

Capturing a copy of the footage might also help for when presenting to the police. Do make sure to be discrete about this though. Remember that this evidence might be painful to see again for those bullied.

9) Be supportive and seek outside help

It takes a great deal of courage for anyone to admit they're being bullied, whether you're a child, teen or adult, so make sure that you are supportive as a parent, if you're lucky enough for your child to come to you for help. According to the survey, 69% of young people who have been cyberbullied would take advice from their peers online whereas not as many would go to an adult. BeatBullying runs a CyberMentor service where victims of bullying and abuse can talk via IM online with trained young people aged between 11-25. If you suspect someone of being bullied online, it might be a good idea to point them to CyberMentor in as subtle a way as possible.

The important thing in all of this is to make sure you take action of some sort if you do think that your child, or anyone you know, is being bullied online. Remember that the victims far outnumber the bullies and the more those affected speak up, the more this issue is brought to light. The Internet is still young and it's taking time to learn how best to regulate it and for it to regulate itself. It will take time for the authorities to work out how best to deal with online attacks but so long as the bullied, and those who witness it, don't stand for the abuse, then the problem will be halted.

For further reading and advice, please visit BeatBullying.

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Related links:

• News - Facebook offers cyberbullying prevention advice
• News - WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Parentline Plus

Tags: Software Online Facebook Bebo Cyberbullying Social Networks Features

Help for parents on cyberbullying originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:05:29 +0000

As do other such companies, the New Oxford American Dictionary has revealed the new words it is considering for inclusion, and revealed its choice of "Word of the Year" for 2009.

The 2009 Word of the Year has been named as "unfriend" with the definition reading "unfriend – verb – to remove someone as a 'friend' on a social networking site such as Facebook".

"It has both currency and potential longevity", says Christine Lindberg, senior lexicographer for Oxford's US dictionary program.

"In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year. Most 'un-' prefixed words are adjectives (unacceptable, unpleasant), and there are certainly some familiar 'un-' verbs (uncap, unpack), but 'unfriend' is different from the norm. It assumes a verb sense of 'friend' that is really not used (at least not since maybe the 17th century!). Unfriend has real lex-appeal".

Other words that were considered are heavily influenced by another social networking site - Twitter - with "hashtag" high on the list, while "Notable Word Clusters for 2009" include the following:

Tweeps, Tweetup, Twitt, Twitterati, Twitterature, Twitterverse/sphere, Retweet, Twibe, Sweeple, Tweepish, Tweetaholic, Twittermob and Twitterhea.

Do you know what they all mean?

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Tags: Software Dictionaries Facebook Twitter Social networking OUP

"Unfriend" named Word of the Year by OUP originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:04:26 +0000

Microsoft has revealed that the 2010 edition of its phenomenally successful Office suite has now entered beta. The software can be downloaded directly from Microsoft.com/office/2010.

The new version has a whole host of improvements, many of which will be familiar to those who have been following the progress of the Technical Preview. There's now web versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote, an ad-supported "starter edition" that replaces Microsoft Works, a "backstage" view for your apps and a bazillion bug fixes and performance improvements.

We'll bring you a full review in time, but for now go grab the beta, install it, and let us know what you think of Microsoft's new Office suite in the comments box below. We rather like it so far, but will bring you a full First Look shortly, and review when it's released.

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Tags: Software PC software Office software Microsoft Microsoft Office 2010

MS Office 2010 beta now available originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Cisco will launch a new Wi-Fi-enabled Flip digital camcorder to go on sale in the early half of 2010, Pocket-lint has learnt.

The new model will be the first to leverage Cisco's networking technology since it bought Pure Digital in a multi-million dollar deal in early 2009.

Details are thin on the ground at the moment, but we've been informed by a Cisco spokesperson that the new model will feature "a large screen that slides to reveal the record and menu buttons underneath" allowing users to see what is going on when they are recording video.

The screen itself won't be touchscreen however, presumably in an attempt to keep costs down.

Owners of the new pocket video camcorder will be able to record video footage and then upload it straight from the camcorder over Wi-Fi networks both private and public, a feature currently being offered in some DSLRs.

We will keep you posted.

Tags: Cameras Camcorders Cisco Wi-Fi Pure Digital Flip

Next-gen Flip camcorder to boast Wi-Fi originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:55:11 +0000

While we doubt Apple's voiceover guy will be highlighting this offering in any forthcoming advert ("you want your iPhone to blow? There's an app for that) the Blower - Real Air app appears to do just that.

By abusing the phone's speaker by producing low frequencies it appears that the app can create a tiny stream of air from the speaker - enough at least to blow out birthday candles - which is a pretty impressive trick, although not quite magic.

It's no Airblade, granted, but does go some way to show what a clever mind can come up with - even if the ultimate result falls somewhat flat in the land of pointless.

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Related links:

• Shop - iTunes

Tags: Phones iPhone apps Video

VIDEO: New iPhone app blows... originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:07:09 +0000

You might be familiar, if you're a hardcore Spotify user, with @Spotibot - a Twitter bot that recommends bands that are similar to other bands, as well as the Better Spotify Links project. Well, the coder behind it - Andy Smith - has just completed his latest app - an automatic playlist generator for Spotify.

To make it work, all you have to do is put in a band or artist name, and pick how long you want the playlist to be. It'll generate the list, which you can then edit and extend, and once you're set you just click a button and paste the whole list into your Spotify play queue. Very simple, very easy, and very powerful.

The data comes mainly from Last.fm - a service that can establish links between bands by seeing which songs are often played next to each other. Last.fm does provide a discovery system like this one, but gives no way of skipping around within a track, pausing, or going back to a previous song. It only lets you skip forward to the next song.

It's a little bit like iTunes' Genius playlists too - however those will only play songs that you've purchased or otherwise acquired in MP3 format - and you're not very likely to have paid for content that you don't yet know, so its usefulness as a music discovery tool is limited.

Instead, Spotibot's automatic playlist generation is most like Pandora - a US-based music streaming service that also generates playlists from bands. However, Pandora no longer allows UK users to access its site, citing prohibitively high licensing costs as the reason for ceasing the service in Britain.

Spotibot brings an important music discovery feature to Spotify that has been missing since the app launched. It's still a beta - so you might get the occasional odd result, but give it a try, and let us know what you think in the comments box below.

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Tags: Software Audio Music Online Websites Spotify Pandora

Spotify gets Pandora-style recommendations originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:38:15 +0000

Casio is offering a tough-as-old-boots camera to rival the likes of Olympus and Pentax with the launch of the Exilim G EX-G1.

Aimed at "life adventurers" and launching with such claims as the fact it offers "endurance engineering as its cornerstone", we think we'd better skip to the specs in order to keep on track.

The 12.1-megapixel EX-G1 takes microSD cards, is resistent to shock, dirt, humidity, snow, temperature and water to varying degrees, gets a 2.5-inch LCD and a 3x zoom lens.

For those that value pocket space, the big sell is that it apparently boasts the world's thinnest profile of 0.78-inch (19.9 mm) (apart from sticky-out bits) in a shock resistant digital camera.

It will go on sale in the States for $299.99 in December, while UK pricing is ?279 and it's due to touchdown here in January.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Digital cameras Casio Waterproof Casio Exilim G EX-G1

Casio Exilim G EX-G1 rugged snapper launches in the States originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:26:37 +0000

Italian coffee giants Lavazza have thrown their hat in the coffee pod ring to compete with the likes of Tassimo and the current champions Nespresso, but will the A Moda Mio serve up a quality crema or just leave a bitter taste in the mouth?

At just 20.5cm wide the Mio is pretty dinky for a fully featured espresso maker, especially as it features a steam arm for milk heating, 1-litre water tank and decent size used pod holder and drip tray.

As for styling the Mio is undoubtedly retro, but the cute curves, high-gloss two-tone finish in silver with red, black or white mean it will sit happily in the sleekest of modern kitchens. The plastic body construction isn’t the best – the Nespresso models we’ve tried feel substantially more robust – but it's sturdy enough not to look cheap.

Once filled with water and turned on it takes about 40 seconds to heat up ready for use. Pop your chosen coffee flavour in the flip-top slot, pull down the silver lever and push the button. A double espresso will take around 35 seconds, longer than both the Tassimo and Nespresso systems, and be warned, we only wanted a single shot, but the espresso button is manual, so it’s up to you how much coffee you want in the cup.

Sluggish speed aside the espresso tastes fantastic; rich, smooth, and equally as good as the Nespresso and on a par with the best restaurants have to offer.

While Tassimo and Nespresso both boast an impressive range of drinks and coffee flavours, the Lavazza has only four basic blends to choose from – light, medium, dark and decaf - all 100% Arabica beans.

But there’s more to the Moda than just espresso, you can also knock up a macchiato or cappuccino using the handy steamer. Usually the Achilles heel of budget coffee makers this steam arm was surprisingly simple to use and heated/frothed milk with a satisfying whoosh and gurgle. Our only niggle with the steamer is that the arm is about 2 inches too short and as a result most standard mugs were awkward to use, while the classic espresso cup fitted perfectly it didn’t hold enough milk for a latte or cappuccino.

The steam is controlled via a dial on the side of the machine, that can also be used to produce hot water for tea, but the water flow comes through such a narrow opening it’d be far quicker just to boil the kettle.

The Mio is easy to keep clean, the used pods fall automatically into a container and the excess water drains through into a separate drip tray. The whole unit pulls out as one making trips to the sink drip proof.

Coffee pods cost ?3.59 for 16 from Waitrose, Tesco or www.lavazzamodomio.co.uk, that’s 22p per cup and, while not as cheap as a vat of Mellow Birds, you really do get what you pay for.

Verdict:

We’re chuffed with the Lavazza coffee machine. For under ?120 it punches well above its weight in both looks and performance. The coffee is of seriously high quality, and if you consider the steam arm as an added bonus to a really good espresso maker you can’t fail to be impressed.

We admit that the casing it a touch plasticy and the machine lacks the clunk-click of more luxury machines, but the fact that the pods are available in supermarkets (unlike Nespresso) and the machine is child’s play to use (and clean) should mean more people get to enjoy proper coffee at home without unnecessary mess, fuss or expense.

Tags: Home And Kitchen Kitchen gadgets Coffee machines Lavazza Lavazza A Modo Mio

Lavazza A Modo Mio coffee machine originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Nokia appears to be preparing to lose the Symbian operating system on its N-series range of top-end smartphones. ?In its place will be Maemo - the Linux-based operating system that powers the forthcoming N900 handset.

The claim was made by Maemo's marketing team during a London-based N900 event. If correct, it would see the company phase Symbian out gradually - some devices that use it are currently in development and they'll be released as planned. However, no new devices with Symbian on will be created.

Nokia was apparently "surprised" at the level of enthusiasm shown towards the N900 and Maemo by the development community. Symbian won't be dumped entirely - it'll still be used on the X-series and E-series range of devices. However Nokia has no doubt been stung by the fact that many reviewers, including Pocket-lint, criticised Nokia's current flagship handset - the N97 - for its interface and software.

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Tags: Mobile phones Nokia Symbian Maemo Nokia N900 Software Operating Systems Rumours

Nokia to dump Symbian from N-series? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:36:35 +0000

Pocket-lint has teamed up with video news site TechVi to bring you a weekly show analysing the biggest stories of the week.

Hosted by Randall Bennett and featuring members of the Pocket-lint team, this week Duncan gives us a lesson in all things Pirate Bay and shares his love of Spotify.

The Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 also gets a plug while the trio discuss the trend for "mini" versions of popular phones.

Hit the play button above, or for a more interactive video, where the web page jumps around the web as the stories are discussed, head over to TechVi.com.

Tags: Audio Video TechVi Comment Phones Software

Pocket-lint on TechVi: Mini phones, Pirate Bay changes and awards season originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:33:18 +0000

A new Apple job advert is leading to all kinds of speculation around the Web as to what the consumer electronics giant is up to.

The Cupertino-based company is currently recruiting for a "Game/Media Software Engineer", a full-time position based at its Californian headquarters.

Apple wants the new staff member to work on "interactive multimedia experiences on the iPhone and iPod touch".

With being a "passionate gamer" a must, Apple is requesting that the candidate have experience of working on at least one "AAA title".

Is Apple about to branch wholesale into games development for its iPhone platform?

This seems unlikely considering the wealth of top quality games available from developers happy to do the hard work for a lucrative slot in the App Store.

Wilder speculation suggests the company needs an in-house bod to develop games for the much-rumoured iPad for its on-stage demo debut, as tasking a third party with such a job would leave the famously secretive company's future plans open to a leak.

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Related links:

• Link - Apple

Tags: Gaming Apple iPhones Phones Hardware iPad iTablet Rumours Software

Apple advertises for mystery games engineer originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:15:40 +0000

A startup called RidRx has created an adaptor that'll allow you to mod an old stethoscope into a fully-functioning iPhone or iPod touch-enabled version of the heartbeat detector. It comes with a phone dock/holder and an app that will record and analyse the audio you capture.

It's called the iStethoscope Pro, and can't be sold for anything other than recreational use thanks to the US regulators. However, it could prove useful - if only for kids who want to prove an irregular heartbeat to their PE teachers so they're able to get out of rugby practice on a cold November morning.

The adaptor kit costs $30, but you'll need to provide your own stethoscope - which will likely set you back the best part of $100 too, unless you know a friendly Doctor. The app itself costs 99 cents and is available now on the iPhone App Store.

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Tags: Phones iPhone apps Mobile phone apps iPhone Medical Health Sports Fitness Video

VIDEO: iPhone gets stethoscope adaptor originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:02:28 +0000

The Vodafone Pocket-lint Awards 2009 public vote is now live, letting you - our valued readers - have your say in which gadgets you think should be crowned top for 2009.

As you will see over on the voting page, each of the nine categories has five products that have been nominated as the best of the year.

We need your help to narrow the five down to one overall winner for each category, the result of which will be announced at our Awards ceremony on 7 December.

The public vote will count towards 10% of the overall scores, with the other 90% weighting from the official Pocket-lint judges (a panel of industry professionals from around the globe) so your vote will make a real difference to the final winners.

Head over to the voting page now where there's simple instructions on how to cast your vote and stay tuned for the results on 7 December.

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

Vodafone Pocket-lint Awards 2009 public vote is now live originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:30:29 +0000

Pocket-lint has teamed up with Eye-Fi to celebrate the launch of its cards in the UK,and subsequently are giving away 10 Eye-Fi Share Cards with an RRP of ?69.99 each.

The company states that you can "say goodbye to cables with Eye-Fi, the first wireless memory card that automatically sends your memories from your camera to your computer and the web. Eye-Fi has landed in the UK just in time for Christmas and provides the perfect stocking filler for anyone from simple snappers to photography enthusiasts".

To get started, all you do is plug the card reader and Eye-Fi card into your PC or Mac for configuration. All the software is on-board for both Windows and Mac users, meaning there is no fiddling around finding the right software. Configuration is simply a case of setting your network details and defining your preferences.

The competition for the Eye-Fi share card, which, incidentally, has also been nominated for Best Gadget 2009, will last for for 2 weeks and all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is click through on this link to the competition page, where you'll be required to answer one simple question. Before you do however you might want to check out Pocket-lint's full review,
?as well as 10 perfect Christmas presents for photographers.

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Tags: Cameras Camera accessories Eye-Fi Memory cards Competitions

Win one of ten Eye-Fi Share Cards originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:41:26 +0000

Just over a year after the application's launch, Google has announced an update for Google Earth for the iPhone and iPod touch.

With the original at one point the second most-downloaded free application overall, it's an update that will likely be downloaded by a fair few users.

Version 2.0 of Google Earth for iPhone adds the ability to view maps created or saved on a desktop computer on an iPhone via the MyMaps settings, improved icon selection and performance and the availability of the app in new languages.

The app will be rolling out around the world over the next day or so, available to download for free from the iTunes App Store.

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Tags: Phones iPhone apps Google Google Earth Car And GPS Software updates Software

Google Earth hits version 2.0 for iPhone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:14:15 +0000

Today's tech deal points you in the direction of an 11% discount on every order made at GadgetsUK.com, offering a wide selection of electronic novelty items and niknaks.

In order to take advantage of the discount you will have to head over to MyVoucherCodes.co.uk first, where you can pick up the relevant code to use when you place your order.

If you're already a member, fine, if not it'll involve embarking on a relatively painless sign-up process. To take the sting out of having to sign up, MyVoucherCodes.co.uk is also starting a huge give away, which will run from 18 November for 30 days. This involves earning tickets by being involved with the website and thereby being entered into a prize draw.

Prizes are daily with a minimum value of ?500 and you'll be notified immediately if you've won. There's also an obscenely large give away at the end of the 30-day period where one person will win ?1500 worth of prizes.

This link will take you through to MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, where you'll be able to sign up and take advantage of the discount at GadgetsUK.com and hopefully win something to boot.

Tags: Gadgets MVC GadgetsUK Daily Tech Deal

Daily Tech Deal: MVC's big prize giveaway and discount at GadgetsUK.com originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

MSI has announced the UK launch of the "cutely compact, feature rich and ultra stylish" MSI Wind 12 U200 mini notebook.

Offering Windows 7 and a 12.1-inch, 16.9 ratio, LED backlit frameless screen, the 1.5kg U200 boasts 6.5-hours of battery life.

Measuring in at 297mm by 190mm the mini notebook offers MSI's "Ergonomics De-Stress" keyboard that claims to increase comfort by its 51% larger (than what we're not sure) surface area.

Specs include a 1.4GHz Intel CULV processor, 2GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, webcam, card reader, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, three USB ports, HDMI port and built-in speakers.

Priced at ?399 the U200 is available in piano black and pearl white in shops this month.

Tags: Hardware Netbooks Laptops MSI Windows 7

MSI Wind 12 U200 mini notebook launches originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:58:39 +0000

The government has said that it will "explore ways" of making the Ordnance Survey's maps of the UK freely available on the web from April 2010.?Gordon Brown?announced the change at an event also attended by web pioneer Tim Berners-Lee who is now the UK's?information tsar, advising on the handing over of private government data to the public.

The government has apparently been impressed by the successes of handing over crime data to the public, which has led to various user-created maps that?help citizens assess the safety of particular areas.

In the new year, Brown has promised to fully publish?2000 sets of data. That could include all legislation, as well as road-traffic data over the past 8 years, property prices yield, and motoring offences with types of offence and the numbers, by county, for the top six offences.

Previously mapping data was available, but only to companies who wanted to pay a fee of ?5000 per usage. When that price is combined with the ease-of-access of the Web, it makes any internet application employing the maps prohibitively expensive.

However, Ordnance Survey staff aren't happy. They said, earlier in the year,?that moving to a free model would cost the UK between ?500m and ?1bn over the next 5 years. A treasury study put the price at more like ?12m, with a net gain of ?156m to the UK economy. The staff said that Brown's move was in "complete contradiction with the OS's own plans to explore commercial opportunities and find new ways of raising revenue".

Still, given that many believe that Brown will be exiting Downing Street at the next election, what does he have to lose? Especially as the Conservatives support the data-sharing initiative, too.

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Tags: Software Websites Mapping Software Ordnance Survey Politics

Ordnance Survey maps to be issued free originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:43:59 +0000

Welcome and merry Christmas, in that November kind of way, to the first of our Pocket-lint guides on the perfect presents to buy this year. Yesterday we started the ball rolling with our 101 superb online stores but if that didn't cause any inspiration, or if you just don't have the time to go digging, then today is the day we start to get specific.

The idea of this series is to come up with the best suggestions from our team on what you can buy the people in your lives who already have everything. If you happen to know a keen photographer, you might not fancy buying them a camera. Firstly, they'll already have one; secondly, they'll have a better idea of which they want next and, thirdly, cameras are really expensive. So, instead here are 10 ideas for gifts or camera accessories for them to enjoy.

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Eye-Fi

The Eye-Fi card allow users to wirelessly upload photos and videos to their computer and the web when in range of a Wi-Fi network. They work with any camera that takes an SD card and require no extra software or anything more complicated. In the States, where the cards debuted in 2007, the range is larger and includes a geo-tagging option as well as access to hotpsots where you can upload too. Fingers crossed that'll come to our shores eventually but, for now, the Eye-Fi is still a good tool if you're takng a lot of shots in a studio or any kind of venue with a wireless network.

The 4GB Eye-Fi cards range between ?49.99 to ?119.00 depending upon how generous you're feeling and are either the Eye-Fi Home Video, the Eye-Fi Share Video and the Eye-Fi Pro each with slightly more functionality. As it happens we're all also running a competition to win one of 10 Eye-Fi Shares, so you've also got the chance of getting hold of them for free.

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Camera cuff links

Sadly only really for the male photographer but these camera cuff links will make you the beau of the shutter bug ball. They're made of highly polished rhodium plate and come with a bullet-back toggle for on/off ease. They're a fairly reasonable ?40 and you can get them shipped from the US without a hitch. Do make sure your donee has an appropriate shirt or perhaps you could bu him one for next year.

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Printing credits

Many of us spend so much taking snapping away and uploading that we never actually get round to printing our photos out. The sad truth of it is that it's all to easy for digital shots to get lost if not backed up orsimply forgotten about. So, one easy gift is to buy someone credit with one of the many online printing services. They can then choose to have individual prints in all sorts of sizes, buy frames or even have albums made up. Try any of Photobox, Snapfish, Kodak or even Cafe Press or Photo-Canvas for something a little different. Digital is great but hard copies look even better.

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Lens filters

They may not sound like the world's most fascinating gift but they're cheap and they make excellent stocking fillers. You'd also be surprised how many keen DSLR owners don't actually have them. UV filters can be excellent for adding sharpness to shots by eliminating that part of the spectrum and you can also get filters to add warmth, blur, colour or even star effects too. You'll need to take a sneak at the giftee's camera to find out what size you need but once you've got that, head over to somewhere like PicStop and Bob's your auntie's live in lover.

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Camera Cube

Constantly taking that are a little skewy without intending to, and then being forced to blame it on artistic license? We've got a nifty solution for you. The Camera Cube snaps into your flash mount and contains a pair of spirit levels, which you can line up to make sure that you're on the same plane as the rest of the world. It's best for when you're using a tripod or your shaky hands will neutralize any of the good it's doing. It also relies on whatever you're taking a photo of being straight in the first place. Great for landscapes but not necessarily wall hangings. It's $15 in the US only but look into postal forwarding services if you're interested.

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Roll Film Clock

The last of the Kodak Gold may have gone out of production but you can still enjoy the 35mm format and look like you was there back in the 80s with the Roll Film Clock. It measures 208 x 172 x 96mm, weighs 390g, props itself up on a table and is powered by an AC adaptor. It looks rather good and will tell you the date and time - down to the second - on a very fitting red digital read-out. You can pick on up for $62 and worldwide shipping is available.

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Pet's Eye View

For a slightly different methodology of capturing those magic moments, how about the Pet's Eye View camera? It's an automatic snapper that has enoughonboard memory for 40 shots at 640 x 480 resolution. The idea is that you strap it onto your pet's collar and set it to go off at either 1, 5 or 15 minutes intervals and you can see what your fury friend gets up to while your out. It's USB connected, has a rechargeable battery and an LED light to make sure that the shots come out even in dark conditions. Just make sure you don't get upset when your dog takes better photos than you do. ?39.95 from Firebox.

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T-shirts & badges

Not for everyone but definitely worth a look over at Zazzle's selection of photography inspired t-shirts, badges and the odd bag as well. It's up to you as to which you think your loved one would appreciate most butsome of the highlights for us were t-shirt prints that included phrases "Kiss me I'm a photographer" and "Can I shoot you with my Canon?" amongst some retro look mugs andkey-rings with pictures of Polaroids, Bolex cameras and the odd Rollei too. They start anywhere from a couple of pounds and will ship to the UK and Europe for free with orders over ?25.

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Seattle Solo Bag

If you're going to buy someone a camera bag - you'll know they need one by the tell tale cursing when they're trying to change lenses - then you may as well get them all protecting waterproof one. Photography equipment is expensive, after all. The Seattle Solo from Camera Armour provides watertight transport for your DSLR camera body with the lens attached, and will protect against dirt, dust, sand and water. Its adjustable shoulder strap is padded for comfort as is the back of the bag to ensure comfortable hip carrying, but there is also a carrying handle if you prefer. Your to give away with a smile from a very reasonable ?46.

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Gorilla Pod/Smartpod

Whichever you go for both of these portable tripod solutions are a real winner. The provide sturdy grips on random objects while out and about and offer structures that you can literally bend to your will. They'll take any weight of camera from compact to DSLR and mean that you can grab steady or hard to reach shots wherever you are without either the hassle of having to carry around something bigger or the need of a flat surface to shoot from. They start at around ?25 - Gorillapod; Smartpod.

Of course, if you feel really flush and actually want to buy someone a camera than take a look our Top Products section which will hepl guide you through to a suitable model and offer you only the best of the ones Pocket-lint has review. And, as always, if you get have any red hot tips for gift ideas of your own, then do let us know in the commentc below. Good luck.

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Related links:

• Features - 101 life-saving Christmas shopping websites

Tags: Cameras Camera accessories Camera bags Features Christmas Eye-Fi

10 perfect Christmas presents for...photographers originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:34:01 +0000

BT has announced its Openzone customers now have an extra 11,000 Wi-Fi locations to choose from with the addition of a host of new providers to the service across the globe.

Beeline WiFi, ChungHwa, eService Bar, Monzoon, Wireless G and WAYPORT EMEA have all come onboard the BT scheme, bringing the Openzone sites to a grand total of 65,000.

The new spots are as far afield as Greenland, Russia, South Africa and Taiwan, as well as a little closer to home in Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

Chris Bruce, general manager, BT Openzone, said: "We're bringing wireless internet access to even more people travelling the globe in high demand locations including airports, hotels and cafes. This is great news for business and leisure travellers looking to stay in touch overseas".

Tags: Software Broadband BT Wi-Fi hotspots BT Openzone

BT Openzone adds 11,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the globe originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:10:01 +0000

What happens when you take several grands’ worth of state-of-the-art gaming gear, including three Xbox consoles wired together, put it in the hands of a self-confessed uber geek and pit the whole kaboodle against one the best drivers in the world behind the wheel of a ?130,000 supercar?

Channel Five’s The Gadget Show set out to find out.

One lap of the Grand Prix circuit of Silverstone with the game version of the Porsche 911 RS2 going head to head with the real thing.

You might be surprised at the outcome…

If you've seen a video online that you want to tell us about email us? via the feed back form.

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Tags: Video Websites Software Online

VIDEO OF THE DAY ? Forza v Porsche originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

If you've ever been on a long journey with kids in the back of the car you'll know that after a while your kids will get restless and that means your journey quickly descends into a nightmare.?Qualcomm, the company behind most of the chipsets in smartphones around the world, believe it has the answer with the?FLO TV, a spin off from the technology it's already dabbled with in mobile phones from companies like LG and HTC.

The concept is that you get a small portable dedicated device for watching television on without having to plug-in aerials (it's a mobile signal that is transmitted digitally over UHF channel 55), worrying about tuning-in stations or not having anything stored to watch.

The Flo TV device sports a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, a built-in speaker, 3.5mm headphone jack, and flip-out stand so you can perch it on your desk.?Made by HTC, the design of the device is fairly simple. Buttons are kept to a minimum (volume, mute, EPG and battery status) with the main control coming in the guise of that touchscreen display.

The quickest way to access stations to watch is either via the EPG (electronic programme guide) or simply by flicking your finger from top to bottom or bottom to top of the screen. Doing so loads up the next channel for you to watch with the system letting you see what is on (via an EPG message) so you can keep scrolling if you don't fancy the station.

Each programme, just like the EPG on your cable box at home, has information about it and the channels available include full-length simulcast and time-shifted programming from Adult Swim Mobile, CBS Mobile, CNBC, Comedy Central, FOX News Channel, MSNBC, MTV, NBC 2Go and Nickelodeon. ?

The stations aren't actually exact copies of the actual stations, a legal wrangle thing we're told, and certain stations aren't running all the time (Adult Swim only comes on from 10pm till 6am for example).

That's the theory and in practice the device quickly lets you watch television on the go, lets you switch through channels easily and lets you quickly shut the kids up with Nickelodeon in the back of the car. The in-built speaker is surprisingly good, if not a little tinny, and will fill a room allowing you to treat this as a radio in your hotel room (there aren't actually any radio stations available).

However, it's not all high fives. The quality isn't as good as we would have liked with the screen resolution somewhat lacking.?Then there is the inability to record any programmes, meaning that while you've got used to your PVR and time shifting television in your home you won't be able to do that on the road.

You can set reminders in the EPG, however you've got to have the device on to let it remind you.?We are sure it's a legal thing stopping the recording aspect rather than?Qualcomm?making that decision, but we can't say we wouldn't have wanted this feature.

The final grumble is that while the channel selection is okay it's not amazing, especially considering the Flo TV comes with up to $14.99 monthly subscription on top of the $250 purchase price (you do get the first 6 months free).

The 12 or so channels are a start (Qualcomm promises there will be up to 20 in the future) but for a device aimed at keeping the kids quiet in the back of the car we would have expected more content aimed at children. Nickelodeon is good, but where is Nick Jr, PBS Kids, and all the other crazy channels allowing you to get your fix of Wonder Pets every waking minute of the day?

As for the battery life we managed to get around 5 hours without changing channels too much, pretty much what Qualcomm claims.

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Verdict:

Remember that scene in Wall Street where Michael Douglas is watching TV on a small black and white portable? Well that's what this will enable you to do, but in colour and without the big aerial.

If that's what you want to do, then the Flo TV will be right up your street. Everyone we showed, that wasn't a technology journalist, was impressed. However most did comment on the lack of quality on the 320 x 240 resolution screen.

From a hardware perspective it works, and works well. However while the technology looks and sounds promising, the execution for us isn't there just yet.

A bigger screen, better resolution and more channels are all on our wish list for version 2. For now, take this as a first attempt that could easily be bettered with more content and a higher resolution.

Tags: Home Cinema Qualcomm FLO TV Televisions

Flo TV portable television originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Microsoft has finally launched its Azure cloud computing platform, more than a year after it was originally announced. The software, which promises an operating system in the cloud, will be a "community technical preview" until the end of the year, and then go live for paying customers on 1 January.

The idea behind the system, which competes with Amazon's elastic computing service, is that developers will be able to build web apps on the service, and consumers will be able to store data that'll be accessible from any web connection.?The first month of the service will be free, and billing will start in February, said Microsoft's Ray Ozzie.

He added: "Customers want choice and flexibility in how they develop and deploy applications. We're moving into an era of solutions that are experienced by users across PCs, phones and the Web, and that are delivered from datacenters we refer to as private clouds and public clouds".

Azure will be priced from $0.12 to $0.96 per service hour depending on how much power you need. All virtual machines come with 1.75Gb of memory.

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Tags: Software Microsoft Azure Cloud computing Online

Microsoft's Azure cloud platform now available originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:45:42 +0000

Magellan has joined the iPhone navigation party with the news it is to launch not just the RoadMate GPS application, but like TomTom and Navigon before it, a tailor-made car kit.

Magellan's offering is more of a rival to TomTom's system as it too claims to offer enhanced signal with a built-in GPS receiver, noise-cancelling speakerphone functionality, boasts in-car charging and can rotate for landscape and portrait use.

As far as the software goes, the Magellan offering looks fairly comprehensive with the navigation offering spoke street names, lane assist, 3D landmarks and address book integration.

Extras include in-app music control from the get-go, find your car functionality, a pedestrian mode and a "OneTouch" favourites menu.

Touch owners should note that when combined with the car kit - and its built-in GPS receiver - the set-up can turn the iPod into a navigation device too.

The app is available in the States now for $79.99, while pricing for the car kit (due late 2009) is $129.99, UK/Europe details are TBC.

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Tags: Phones iPhone apps Magellan GPS software Car And GPS Car gadgets

Magellan launches iPhone app and car kit originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:33:46 +0000

Google has launched a new product to its experimental "labs" offerings called Image Swirl. It's an interface for sifting through the piles of pictures that appear when you conduct an image search and aims to group similar pictures together.

Google says that Image Swirl "builds on new computer vision research to cluster similar images into representative groups in a fun, exploratory interface". That interface consists of a number of stacks of photos that expand when you click on them into spider diagrams. It's a little bit like the Wonder Wheel that Google is experimenting with for search results.

For the moment Image Swirl will only work with 200,000 or so queries - not everything. That should increase over time and begin to include more obscure content. The search field auto-updates as you type, so you'll be able to see relatively quickly if what you're looking for is in there or not.

What do you think? Useful tool, or pointless flashy interface? Let us know in the comments.

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Tags: Software Online Google Google Image Swirl Search engines

Google lanches Image Swirl experiment originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:20:46 +0000

Due to be unveiled at January's CES show, Innovative Converged Devices, or ICD, has announced the launch of a range of "kitchen-friendly" Android tablets.

The "Vega" line is described as "low priced, full featured high definition entertainment and information devices that feature 3G connectivity, a Tegra processor, full streaming media, and a touch interface".

The 7-inch, 11-inch and 15-inch devices are due to be available in the first half of 2010 and boast Android 2.0, a 1.3MP webcam, microSD slot, Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio jack, Wi-Fi, an accelerometer, a light sensor and magnetic docking.

It's likely that we'll see the Vega as badged goods from other manufacturers or even operators rather than sold direct - we will keep you posted.

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Tags: Hardware Tablet PCs ICD Android 2.0 Kitchen gadgets

"Kitchen-friendly" Android tablets due in 2010 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:08:59 +0000

The countdown to?CES 2010, the biggest electronics trade show on the planet, has begun, but what can we expect from the show, and what should we start to get excited about? Here are six areas that are going to dominate the news come January.

Don't forget, Pocket-lint will be bringing you all the news, reviews, comment, photos and video as it happens in the run up to CES and live from Las Vegas for the duration of the show.

You can bookmark our CES coverage at pocket-lint.com/CES2010

Digital Living

Technology has gone mainstream supposedly, so that means the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center will be filled with technology launches that embrace all of us rather than just a select few. In real terms that means everything from gadgets for kids, gadgets for mums and dads that look after kids, and gadgets for the silver surfer. Expect new toys for health, parenting and higher education.

Apple

Don't get too excited,?Apple isn't attending CES, regardless of how many rumours you hear, but that doesn't mean companies that work in the Apple eco-system aren't going to be in Vegas launching new gadgets. With a whole area dedicated to the iPod,?iPhone?and Macs, expect a fair share of iPod speakers, cables to connect to something else in your life and the usual array of cases to protect it all.

eBook readers

If you're planning on getting an ebook reader for Christmas you might want to think again. The ebook market has exploded in the US with Amazon,?Barnes & Noble?and?Sony?all fighting over each other to offer you the digital reader you supposedly need. Plastic Logic has already confirmed that it will be launching a new ebook at CES and there is bound to be other manufacturers like?Spring Design?and iRex offering new models.

3D

Riding on the wave of euphoria that Avatar will no doubt give the industry, consumer electronics manufacturers like?Sony, Toshiba, LG?and?Samsung?will be likely to be pushing?3D TV?hard at CES 2010. IFA 2009 already showed us the concepts, CES will show us the reality. Expect new televisions, announcements from the Blu-ray Disc Association, television makers, graphics card companies like Nvidia and movie companies all trying to get in on the action.

Netbooks

While most people have surely moved on from the popularity of netbooks, CES organisers CEA believe netbooks are going to still be big news at CES 2010. What that means is a barrage of computers that don't do much but let you surf the Web and write the odd document. Of course manufacturers will be trying to tell us otherwise with improved graphics courtesy of Nvidia and ATI. You should also probably expect a barrage of tablet devices with touchscreens allowing you to surf the Web around the home.

Green

With the economy making a comeback, manufacturers can once again turn their eyes to saving the planet. Although the idea of being green for green's sake is still very niche, generally manufacturers will be trying to tell you to ignore the thousands they are spending on lighting their booths and the sheer carbon emissions the show creates, by concentrating instead on how they've made advancements in the glass they use or the boxes your favourite gadgets go into. At least you can sleep at night knowing that we haven't had to chop down any trees to let you read this.

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Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness CES2010 ebooks Televisions Netbooks Sony LG Samsung Toshiba Apple iPod iPhone 3DTV Laptops Eco Amazon Barnes and Noble Spring Design

CES 2010: What new gadgets will be announced? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Dell's super model thin Adamo XPS has gone on pre-order in the States, with a super slim chance of delivery in time for Christmas.

Santa might struggle to get the machines distributed on time with the "preliminary" ship date of 23 December sounding like it's only one for under the tree if you're the type that likes to fly by the seat of your pants.

The $1799 price tag converts directly to around a grand, and for that you'll get 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD and Windows 7 Home Premium.

The Adamo XPS boasts a 13.4-inch HD display, 2MP webcam, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, weighs in at 1.44kg and measures just 9.99mm at its skinniest point.

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Tags: Hardware Laptops Dell Dell Adamo XPS

Dell Adamo XPS up for pre-order in the States originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:39:05 +0000

Adobe has announced that beta versions of Adobe AIR 2 and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 are now available from Adobe Labs for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.

Flash Player 10.1 is also available for x86-based netbooks, and Adobe says it's expected to be available across a "broad spectrum" of smartphones and other internet-connected devices in 2010.

New Adobe AIR 2 features include enhanced support for mass storage devices and native application processes, as well as peer-to-peer and UDP networking.

Flash Player 10.1 meanwhile, as part of the Open Screen Project, will enable "uncompromised web browsing of high definition videos across the desktop and devices", says the software company, offering hardware decoding of H.264 video on Windows PCs, netbooks and mobile devices.

Adobe AIR 2 and Flash Player 10.1 also brings support for multi-touch points and gestures on touchscreen devices.

Tags: Software Adobe Adobe AIR Adobe Flash Player Open Screen Project Software updates

Adobe announces AIR 2 and Flash Player 10.1 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:22:18 +0000

Video-on-demand (VOD) is all the rage in TV and games. The BBC’s Project Canvas should initiate open platform set-top boxes in 2010 with elements of IPTV and video on demand streaming services. Sky needs a plan.

Similarly, Xbox bosses desperately need to combat the PlayStation 3 upcoming movie on-demand service that will sit alongside its existing BBC iPlayer interface. It’s expected to include streaming and downloading of 2000+ movies and many more TV shows.

Step forward the ultimate solution: Sky Player on Xbox 360. You’ll find it in the Video Marketplace on your Xbox 360. Once downloaded and various subs paid, (though it will let you watch a random live TV channel as a demo), the interface works in exactly the same way as its host’s dashboard.

That is, quite brilliantly. Spacious and uncluttered, ducking between the live TV channel slots and those for on-demand content is so easy, and so familiar. There’s rarely any delay, save for an occasional wait for the movies homepage to load.

As for live TV, if you pay your subs and go for the entertainment and sports packages, respectively, you’ll get Sky Screen 1 and Sky Screen 2, and ESPN, ESPN Classic, Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 and Xtra.

However, it’s unlikely viewers of the basic package will make much use of the live channels provided; iPlayer-envy is sure to set in. Sky channels include only Sky Real Lives, Sky Arts 1, Sky News and Sky Sports News (so no Sky One), plus third-party channels – GOLD, MTV, Eurosport UK, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, History, Eden, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr and the Disney Channel.

The video on demand library is just as easy to navigate, and includes material from Sky One. As usual with Sky, content goes from the sublime to the ridiculous. On one hand there’s exclusive Premiership football and rugby aplenty – as on-demand re-runs, too – while a few flicks away are a stack of Gladiators episodes that cost 98p each. And a lifetime’s worth of Ross Kemp-related material.

For live TV only, it’s possible to watch in a virtual living room. Your avatar, along with your friends’ avatars (if you’ve invited them), sit together on a huge couch staring up at a bigscreen that shows the action. Get a headset and you can talk to your chums, or just click the Emote and you can make your feelings known, albeit in a rudimentary way; for sports TV your avatar can wave, shout, clap or remonstrate over a bad decision, while for movies can express love, fear, or even boredom. Pointless, yes, but fun.

The service works well on a 2Mbps broadband line, though if others are using the bandwidth live channels and VOD do buffer and cut out. There is an option to watch in medium or low quality too if your broadband line is shaky, but this is a last resort; make sure your broadband line is well over 2Mbps meg – 3Mbps should be fine – before considering Sky Player on the Xbox.

Content-wise, Sky subscribers get a similar service to their satellite feed, plus VOD. And if you’ve no Sky subs, there’s a taster trial before you commit to paying a considerable sum: for ?29.99 you an get a Sky Player retail bundle pack that includes a month’s access to Sky Sports, a media remote and a 3 month Xbox LIVE Gold membership card.

Verdict:

For non-Sky converts, you get what you pay for; an expensive though an excellent IPTV solution that fits seamlessly into the Xbox experience. For existing Sky subscribers, it’s a must-have no-brainer; grab yourself Sky in the bedroom, or even in another property, for the cost of Xbox LIVE Gold.

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Tags: Gaming Home Cinema Sky Microsoft Sky Player Xbox 360

Sky Player on Xbox 360 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:16:03 +0000

Further to reports that Chrome OS is close to launch, we now have more confirmation that the platform isn't too far off - Google is apparently going to hold an event on 19 November that will reveal all about current progress of the OS, a broad overview of its features, and show a few demos.

Sundar Pichai, Google’s VP of product management and Matthew Papakipos, Google engineering director for Google Chrome OS will be speaking at the event, but it seems like the original rumours that the platform could launch this week were a little premature - Google says the platform will instead be launching next year.

However, it's entirely possible that some preview code will be made available so that developers can begin to explore the platform and possibility of porting their applications to it. If Chrome OS is to succeed, it'll need to have at least a little software support - however much of that is web-based.

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Tags: Software Operating Systems Chrome OS Google Rumours

Google's Chrome OS plans to be detailed originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:08:25 +0000

In the UK, IT workers are least likely to lead a healthy lifestyle, a recent study suggests, with those in fields such as website design, software development and tech support owning up to exercising the least and having a poor diet.

Fewer than one in five IT workers get the recommended half hour a day of exercise five days a week. As far as diet goes, just 14% claim to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables throughout the day, whilst their caffeine intake is the highest nationwide - on average, IT workers chug down around 10 cups of coffee a day.

Receptionists are the second most inactive group while sales people come in third, followed by checkout operators and then those that work in marketing.

The study looked at 1734 working Brits and reveals that 63% are failing to meet the exercise guidelines as the average person in the UK is active for just 1 hour 30 minutes a week.

Survey backer and weight loss expert Rich Leigh of www.fatfreefitness.co.uk says, "There is clearly a correlation between sitting at a desk or wheel all day and how active you're likely to be".

Tags: Sports Fitness Biz Statistics Survey

IT workers most unhealthy in the UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:05:01 +0000

T-Mobile has admitted guilt in recent news that an unnamed mobile phone operator had been caught selling personal data about customers to competitors.?

Staff apparently passed on millions of records from thousands of customers to third party brokers, who then cold-called people who were near the ends of their contracts. The issue was discovered after customers complained about those very calls.?A T-Mobile spokesman said the data had been sold "without our knowledge".

The network faces large fines from the Information Commissioner, who also took the unusual step of calling for?the staff members responsible to be handed a prison sentence instead of the ordinary ?5000 fine that comes with a violation of Britain’s Data Protection Act.?

Are you a T-Mobile customer? How does this make you feel? Let us know in the comments.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone industry Biz Information Commissioner

Personal data sold by T-Mobile originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:43:30 +0000