We all knew that Windows 8 would be ARM compatible but up until now the details of exactly what the move might entail have been sketchy.

Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky has now come clean with all the official details, solving a few mysteries and confirming several ARM-based Windows murmurs.

The big news is that Windows on Arm (or WOA) will be treated as a separate entity, much like Windows Server, Windows Embedded or Windows Phone, but with the remit of being seamless across the Windows 8 experience.

This means that, out of the box, you'll be getting the same (at least on the front-end) experience that you would with a fully fledged Intel or AMD x86 Windows 8 PC. So that means access to the Metro style apps (apps can be written for dual architectures), hardware accelerated HTML 5 features, the full Windows desktop behind the tiles and the same desktop Office applications including Word, Excel and PowerPoint (codenamed Office 15).

Sinofsky says Microsoft has been working closely with the big ARM players including Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments. We've already seen Nvidia and Qualcomm demo Windows 8 tablets and the aim, according to the Windows bossman, is to have ARM Windows 8 products landing at the same time as PCs designed for Windows 8 on x86/64.

The public will be able to get their hands on Windows 8 on 29 February when the x86 Consumer Preview goes live. An invitation-only WOA limited test will be taking place between now and Windows 8 launch day as well.

"These devices will be running the same branch of Windows 8 on x86/64 as we release broadly at that time," said Sinofsky. "These are not samples or hints of forthcoming PCs, but tools for hardware and software engineers running WOA-specific hardware."

Over in Vegas at CES, Pocket-lint was given its strongest indication yet that Microsoft will launch Windows 8 in October. Janelle Poole, director of public relations of the Windows Business Group, told us:?"We haven't talked about the release date and we generally don't. We are talking milestone to milestone, so for us right now we're talking about the next milestone being the consumer preview happening in late February.?

"One of the things that I think is a good guideline though, is we've always said that Windows releases come round about every three years and this year will be three years in October since we launched Windows 7. So I think that's a good guideline to consider."

2012 is shaping up to be a very big year for Microsoft.

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Tags: Operating Systems Windows 8 ARM Microsoft Nvidia Qualcomm Texas Instruments Microsoft Office 15

Windows 8 on ARM officially detailed by Microsoft originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:41:00 +0000

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview, ie, the first time that Joe and Joanna Public will be able to take Microsoft's new baby for a spin, will go live on 29 February.

The launch date has been confirmed courtesy of a Mobile World Congress invite which is set for the leap-year extra day at 3pm Spanish time. Microsoft had promised a February launch for the platform and so it seems it will keep to its word.

Over in Vegas at CES, Pocket-lint was given its strongest indication yet that Microsoft will launch Windows 8 in October.

Discussing the launch time frame during a briefing and demo session of the next-gen OS, Janelle Poole, director of public relations of the Windows Business Group, said:?"We haven't talked about the release date and we generally don't. We are talking milestone to milestone, so for us right now we're talking about the next milestone being the consumer preview happening in late February.?

"One of the things that I think is a good guideline though, is we've always said that Windows releases come round about every three years and this year will be three years in October since we launched Windows 7. So I think that's a good guideline to consider."

October has long been touted as the month that the Metro UI-tastic platform will land, but this was the biggest hint that we had been given so far.

Pocket-lint will, of course, be out in Barcelona in force covering all the MWC news as it breaks so be sure to check back during the show for comprehensive coverage.

Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 8 Operating Systems

Windows 8 Consumer Preview goes live 29 February originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:36:00 +0000

OneNote for Android has finally arrived, following the iOS version launched last year.

The app, which is included in the Office Hub on Windows Phone 7, allows SkyDrive and desktop OneNote users to keep up-to-date with all their office-based shenanigans on the go. You'll be able to create your own notes with text, pictures, and bullets when you're out and about, make and manage to-do lists with checkboxes and keep everything in sync with the cloud using Microsoft SkyDrive online storage.

You'll need a Windows Live account as the point of OneNote is that you store your files remotely. You can then access and manipulate them through Office 2010 with OneNote installed on a PC or by using the app.

Obviously there are plenty of other scrapbook creation apps out there, with Evernote probably being the most high-profile of the bunch, but OneNote for Android will be incredibly useful for any fandroid who uses?Office 2010 on a PC.

The full list of features are....

•???????????? Text formatting, images, and bulleted lists in any note

•???????????? Checklists and To-Do lists

•???????????? Quick photo capture with a phone's camera

•???????????? Quick access to recent notes

•???????????? Store and access multiple OneNote notebooks

•???????????? Sync to your free SkyDrive? account for access anywhere

•???????????? Offline access to notes

•???????????? Option to sync notebooks only over a Wi-Fi connection

•???????????? Built-in spell checker

•???????????? Support for external hyperlinks

•???????????? Table editing

•???????????? Free technical support

OneNote for Android is free to download and use for up to 500 notes. Once you hit your 501st note you'll have to upgrade for a one-time fee of ?2.99 for unlimited use. It's in the Android Market now.

Tags: Apps Android apps Microsoft Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote lands on Android originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:25:00 +0000

Nokia?has announced that it will be making a white version of the Nokia Lumia 800 which will be going on sale at Phones 4 U in the UK in March and Pocket-lint was of course on hand to have a gander and snap a few shots ahead of the official release to the UK public.

The new version of the phone is identical to the black, cyan, and magenta versions of the Windows Phone 7 smartphone albeit with a glossy rather than matte shell.

That glossy shiny white look means that it will show up smudges a lot easier, but will also still sparkle when it catches the light - something the black, even the Lumia 800 Batman edition, fails to do.

Like the cyan, magenta and black Lumia 800s that are already available in the UK, the phone packs a 3.7-inch, WVGA 800x480 AMOLED display, an 8-megapixel camera boasting Carl Zeiss optics and a f2.2 aperture lens.

It is powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon processor with 512MB of RAM, and it has 16GB of storage (and 25GB of SkyDrive storage). The white finish is a result of its smoothly crafted polycarbonate unibody.

To celebrate the launch of the white Lumia 800, there's a new White selection on Nokia’s music service, Mix Radio, featuring music from the likes of White Stripes and Barry White.

Available to pre-order from Phones 4u now, the Nokia Lumia 800 in white will be available on contracts starting from ?20.50 a month. It will ship in March.

For American readers, although the Lumia 800 in UK only, the US only?Nokia Lumia 900 is also expected to be available in white?following a gaffe by Nokia on their Facebook page showing the new AT&T exclusive phone in white even though it hasn't been officially announced as yet.?

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Nokia Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone 7 Microsoft

White Nokia Lumia 800 pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:03:00 +0000

We played Kinect Star Wars back at E3 in 2011 and now LucasArts and Microsoft have given us a launch date and lined up what you can expect from the latest Star Wars game.

Launching on 3 April 2012, Kinect Star Wars will cost you ?39.99 and give you five gaming modes - Jedi Destiny: Dark Side Rising, Podracing, Rancor Rampage, Galactic Dance Off and Duels of Fate.

Jedi Destiny gives you the storyline to follow, pitching you against enemies, racing Speeder Bikes and battling iconic opponents like Darth Vadar on your quest to become a Jedi.

Podracing and Rancor Rampage sound pretty much cut and dry, and judging by the screens we have from Microsoft, it all looks like good, wholesome Kinect fun. Rancor Rampage sees you in the streets of Mos Eisley (or some other wretched hive of scum and villainy) and Podracing recreates those scenes from Phantom Menace.

We don't know too much about Duels of Fate, but it appears to be lightsaber battle action, which claims to "sharpen your Jedi skills".

Finally, you have the Galactic Dance Off. Sure, we know Dance Central has been a great hit for Kinect - but with a Star Wars theme? Oh go on then. Hopefully you can bust a groove to that catchy tune performed by Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes in the Mos Eisley Cantina.?

However, if you are lucky enough to have the Star Wars Special Edition Xbox 360 console, you'll get an exclusive C-3PO unlockable for the Dance Off, pictured above. Be sure to check-out our hands-on with the ultimate customised Star Wars console.?

No word on whether you'll get the chance to don Leia's gold bikini and dance for Jabba, but here's hoping...

Of course, we'll bring you a full review of Kinect Star Wars once we have our hands on it.

Tags: Gaming Star Wars Kinect Star Wars LucasArts Microsoft Xbox 360

Kinect Star Wars detailed, coming in April originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:08:00 +0000

Microsoft has once again teamed up with he Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) to release a version of IE9 that is safe for kids to use.

The browser has one-click access for Windows users to useful sites such as CEOP.police.uk?and thinkuknow.co.uk and makes use of the IE9 and Windows 7 integration to provide Jump Lists that make it easier for a parent to set their kids' age groups.

There's also a dedicated Thinkuknow and Bing homepage and protected Bookmarks and Favourites with safety information from CEOP.

"At Microsoft we always want to provide our customers with the tools to enjoy the web safely and securely," said Gabby Hegerty, Internet Explorer lead in the UK.

"The internet has become a central part of everyday life for adults and children, from learning and communicating to working and playing online. As the leading browser provider, it is important we make the appropriate safety information available and build in features to our software which provide families with peace of mind online."

Peter Davies, CEOP Chief Executive, added: "We have been happy to work with Microsoft to ensure that IE9 users can access advice and guidance in a way that is quick and easy. We welcome this approach and continue to work with service providers so that help and advice is available whenever it is needed."

The customised browser is available to download now, and is free.

Tags: Online Browsing Internet Explorer 9 IE9 Microsoft CEOP

Kid friendly IE9 browser lands for Safe Internet Day 2012 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:34:00 +0000

Star Wars fans, listen up, we've managed to use the Force to convince the powers that be to give us two tickets to an advance preview screening of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D at London's Empire, Leicester Square.?

Yep, that's right, thanks to Microsoft and the fact that Kinect Star Wars is coming in Spring 2012,?two lucky winners will be able to see the new version of the film next Wednesday (8 February) two days ahead of the official UK box office opening.

All you have to do is follow us on Twitter (@pocketlint) and retweet this or any other story on the site with the hashtag #starwarskinect?to be in with a chance of winning.

The competition will be ending this Sunday (5 February) so you've got to be quick. Tickets will be posted recorded delivery to the winner first thing Monday morning.

Just think, by this time next week you could have seen one of the must-see films of the year.

May the Force be with you!

UPDATE: This competition is now closed.?

Tags: Star Wars Home Cinema Competitions Microsoft Microsoft Kinect

Win Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace 3D preview tickets originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:06:00 +0000

A promotional video, starring Microsoft senior vice-president and Windows Phone product manager Joe Belfiore, has been leaked to the chaps at Pocketnow.com leaving them no choice but to tell us what the company supposedly has in store for Windows Phone 8.

The promotional video - supposedly aimed at Nokia employees to gee them up into an "awesome" frenzy for the next iteration of Windows Phone - has actually given us a fantastic insight, if true, into a host of new features we can expect in the next version of Windows Phone, the Windows Phone 8.

The new operating system update, to be dubbed Apollo, will supposedly see several hardware spec changes to the Microsoft?mobile operating system.

Those changes include support for multicore processors (think Qualcomm S4), four new screen resolutions presumably for the bigger screen phones like the HTC Titan and Titan II, and the ability to expand a Windows Phone's memory via removable microSD.

Other specs will include NFC support for contactless payment, with Belfiore reported to be "placing specific emphasis on 8's push into contactless payments".

The "wallet experience," as Pocketnow says he calls it, will have the "capability to be carrier-branded and controlled, either by a secure element on the SIM card or utilising hardware in the phone itself. In addition, tap-to-share capabilities will reportedly work across multiple platforms, allowing desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones to all share content."?

The video also supposedly details that Windows Phone 8 will include many of the same coding features as Windows 8 with developers being able to use most of their code when porting an app from desktop to phone.

If that's the case that is likely to be a big draw for programmers who are already developing apps and features for Windows 8. Either way, it is going to help Microsoft convince developers that developing for its platforms is going to be considerably easier than it is currently.

That move to a more symbiotic relationship will also stretch towards a more dedicated companion application to align with what is already available via the Mac Windows Phone connector software, or for older Windows Mobile users; the return of ActiveSync.

"The Xbox Companion app, currently found on Windows Phones, will see a partner client on Windows 8. Skydrive support promises seamless sharing of data between devices; Belfiore gives the example of instantly having one's music collection available on a newly purchased Windows Phone, without the need for a PC sync," reports the site. ?

Also improved, in the heavily detailed report by Pocketnow, is a reworking of the camera and photo elements of the operating system:

"Also mentioned is support for app-to-app communication, as well as a revamped Skype client that hooks directly into the OS, letting Skype calls behave almost identically to regular, non-VoIP telephony. The camera will now be based around so-called lens apps: Microsoft provides a basic camera interface that can either be skinned by OEMs or overlaid with viewfinders from third-parties. Belfiore gives the example of a lens app that combines burst mode with smile detection to capture a perfect portrait shot," says Pocketnow.com.?

Other elements include Windows Phone 8 actively attempting to give Wi-Fi connections precedence, going so far as to connect to carrier-owned WLANs automatically when in range.

Talking to other journalists in the industry, Pocket-lint has no reason to believe the video isn't legit. Sadly, Pocketnow hasn't posted the video for us to hear it from the horse's mouth.

Microsoft is expected to make an announcement on its future Windows Phone plans at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February. Pocket-lint will be in attendance at the show, to bring all the latest news, including any announcements from Microsoft, as it happens.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phones Microsoft Windows Phone 8 Windows Phone 7

Windows Phone 8 detailed by Joe Belfiore in leaked video originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:30:00 +0000

Just as Steve Ballmer promised when he mentioned a 1 February launch at CES, the Kinect for Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) is now officially available, alongside dedicated hardware for the motion gesture platform.

The Kinect for Windows sensor looks just like its Xbox 360 brethren truth be told, but is described by the Redmond based tech giant as "a fully-tested and supported Kinect experience on Windows" that has been built for developers.

It offers advanced speech and audio capabilities with the latest Microsoft Speech components; a macro style "near mode" making its short sighted skills a darn site better than ours (as close as 40cm in front of the sensor), improved skeletal tracking for picking out individuals and "a commercial ready installer that makes it easy to install Kinect for Windows runtime and driver components for end-user deployments".

"It’s been just over a year since we launched Kinect for Xbox 360, and we’re only starting to scratch the surface of what’s possible with Kinect," said Craig Eisler, general manager for Kinect for Windows.

"By offering hardware and software that’s designed specifically for Windows applications, we hope to inspire visionaries around the world to create transformative breakthroughs with Kinect - taking its gesture and voice capabilities beyond the living room into other industries such as education, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail."

Microsoft is said to be working with more than 300 different companies to build applications for Windows that use Kinect and it looks as if this doesn't just mean with the additional Kinect sensor. The Kinect's sensor tech, it seems, can be incorporated directly into a device as we recently reported with the curious case of the Asus Kinect laptops.

For now though, the official channel suggests using the new sensor. It's available in the States for $249 and will be hitting Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom soon.

Tags: Hardware Kinect Microsoft Kinect Microsoft Kinect SDK Kinect for Windows Microsoft

Kinect for Windows goes live with new hardware originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:35:08 +0000

Sony and Microsoft were reportedly set to go head to head at the E3 games expo this June, with the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox 720 both purported to be given d?buts at the LA based show, but a couple of French directors from the companies have dampened rumours that the consoles would launch this year.

First up is a comment from Microsoft France's marketing director Cedrick Delmas, who told website LePoint.fr: "There will be nothing new in 2012".

"We are in an industry where it talks a lot, it likes to tell stories," he said. "I'm not convinced that things are happening this year. The cycle of the Xbox 360 is far from over. The proof we are not at all parties on the logic of price drop this year. Then what will happen at E3, it is still premature. What is certain is that there will be nothing new in 2012."

Microsoft famously beat Sony to the seventh generation console punch back in the last decade with the Xbox 360 getting a head start on the PS3. A start that led to a lead it has never let slip. However, it was Nintendo who won the war with sales of the Wii far eclipsing Sony and Microsoft's efforts.

And with the Wii U all set to launch in 2012 you might think the two companies were concerned about playing second and third fiddle again.

Not so though, according to Delmas. "We're not here to counter Nintendo and they're not here to fight the other manufacturers," he said. "Nintendo has put itself in a different cycle, it's going forward to its own rhythm, with success as we have seen with the Wii, and now it's their turn to present their innovation."

Sony France CEO Philippe Cardon also spoke with LePoint, stating: "The Wii is under time pressure because it's in decline. As far as we're concerned, we're under a lot less pressure. We were the last to release the PS3. We will probably be the last to announce something."

Despite the claims if there's not at least a teaser about new hardware from both Sony and Microsoft at E3 in June, we'll eat our control pad. Our six year-old control pad.

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Tags: Gaming Xbox 720 PS4 PlayStation 4 Sony Microsoft Rumours

Xbox 720 and PS4 not likely for 2012 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:38:52 +0000

How would you like to get your hands on (or rather keep them off) a laptop sporting a built-in Kinect sensor? It's more than just a hollow dream - Kinect packing laptops made by Asus, and Microsoft backed, are already in existence.

The Daily has seen a pair of the hybrid devices and has received word from Microsoft that they are indeed official prototypes of laptops featuring a Kinect sensor. Built by Asus, the laptops are running Windows 8 and feature a number of sensors above the screen and some LED lights below it.

Earlier this month Microsoft confirmed that it would release the Kinect for Windows SDK to developers on 1 February, meaning Kinect drivers and APIs will be available to the general public as well as developers.

Microsoft is said to be working with more than 200 different companies to build applications for Windows that use Kinect and it looks as if this doesn't just mean with an additional Kinect sensor. The Kinect's sensor tech, it seems, can be incorporated directly into a device.

We love the idea of a Windows 8 machine running with motion gesture controls. If not just for that fact that it will keep our laptop's display smudge free.

Tags: Gaming Laptops Asus Microsoft Windows 8 Microsoft Kinect Kinect

Kinect powererd Windows 8 laptops gesturing your way originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:36:00 +0000

Windows Phone 7.5 users rejoice - for multiple Google Calendar syncing is now available on your Mango handset.

That's right - after months of waiting and having to do complicated work-arounds, no longer will you forget to go to that important meeting / send your mum a birthday present (delete as appropriate, depending on what calendar you thought had preference; personal or business) as you can now see all your calendars in one place.

"Multiple Calendars is a feature that lets you select which of your Google Calendars are synced to your device," said Google's Li Yin from the Sync Team. "Just navigate to m.google.com/sync on your phone’s browser and configure the calendars you would like to see."

For people with incredibly busy lifestyles (or those suffering from a horrendous case of dissociative identity disorder) you can have up to 25 calendars on the go at any one time. Your calendars will all be displayed once your WP7.5 handset and Google's sync servers have cosied up - which is every half hour or so. Although you can manually push it by?synchronising?your Google account via the email and accounts page in settings if you can't wait that long.?

Google has also announced improved Gmail fun on Windows Phone too; with offline mail searching and better default mail options.

Happy Friday Windows Phone 7 fans....

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Tags: Apps Google Windows Phone 7 apps Google Calendar Windows Phone 7 Microsoft

Multiple Google Calendars available on Windows Phone 7.5 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:18:00 +0000

Could Microsoft be about to extend the wings of its online gaming platform, Xbox Live? If a quote from a Microsoft bod given to Forbes is anything to go by, then yes.

The business site has quoted a spokesperson from the tech company as saying:

"While the Xbox Live experiences and games always work best on the Windows platform, we understand that some Xbox fans may be using other types of devices. To satisfy that need, we are working to extend a few of our Xbox experiences and titles to other platforms."

Other platforms? We think we can probably rule out the PlayStation on this one but iOS, Android and even Mac OS X fun could be on the cards here.

At present, it is only Windows Phone users who are able to get their mobile Xbox Live game-on but, with Kinectimals recently hitting iOS, as well as the My Xbox Live app, the signs are definitely looking good.

The move would certainly increase the power of the Xbox brand, but would mean a compromise on one of Windows Phone 7's unique selling points. It will be fascinating to see if this one comes to fruition....

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Tags: Gaming Apps Xbox Live Xbox 360 Microsoft ios Android

Xbox Live landing on iOS and Android originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:44:06 +0000

The Q4 2011 tablet results are in and, despite Apple growing its global iPad shipments - increasing 111 per cent year on year - from 7.3 million to 15.4 million, there will be concern in the Cupertino board room that its market dominance is declining.

And that's because of the rise in status of the Android tab market share; increasing by 3.1 million units shipped in the last quarter of 2010 to 10.5 million units in the same period of 2011.

That means Apple's ascendancy has waned from 68.2 per cent to 57.6 per cent and Android's has grown by more than 10 per cent to sit at around the 39 per cent mark.

Still a huge lead for Apple, and all the more astonishing given that it is up against a slew of Android tablets in all shapes and sizes from multiple manufacturers but this is the first real sign that Android could become the dominant tablet OS.

Microsoft sits on a lowly 1.5 per cent share although this is sure to rise once the bevy of Windows 8 tablets hit the shops before the end of the year. There's no specific mention of BlackBerry, so we presume it's included in the 1.9 per cent share marked "others".

Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, said: "Dozens of Android models distributed across multiple countries by numerous brands such as Amazon, Samsung, Asus and others have been driving volumes. Android is so far proving relatively popular with tablet manufacturers despite nagging concerns about fragmentation of Android’s operating system, user-interface and app store ecosystem."

Overall, global tablet shipments hit 66.9 million units in 2011, a massive 260 per cent surge from 18.6 million in 2010.

Peter King, director at Strategy Analytics, said: "Global tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 26.8 million units in Q4 2011, surging 150 per cent from 10.7 million in Q4 2010. Demand for tablets among consumer, business and education users remains strong."

It's a tablet revolution, that's for sure, and with Ice Cream Sandwich devices expected to land by the bucket load, Windows 8 all set for an assault and the highly anticipated iPad 3 on the horizon, 2012 looks like being a bumper year.

Tags: Tablets Android Apple iPad Google Microsoft Windows 8

Apple doubles iPad shipments but Android gains ground originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

With a rumoured unveiling at E3 this year, speculation about Microsoft's successor to the Xbox 360 is ramping up big time. Sources are now saying that the, for want of a better name, Xbox 720 will even support Blu-ray, even though Microsoft has previously told Pocket-lint in the past that it has no interest in the disc format.

In fact, it was formerly suggested to us by senior Microsoft staff members that the next evolutionary step for a games console would be to distance it from physical media entirely, offering games either by download or cloud streaming exclusively - a business model Apple has adopted for its iDevices successfully.

However, gaming site Kotaku claims that its "games industry sources" say that the new Xbox will switch from regular DVDs to Blu-ray discs in order to make use of the greater storage capacity on offer. And that it will feature Kinect 2, which will come with "an on-board processor, a feature originally intended for the first Kinect".

While we, for the aforementioned reasons, dispute the first claim, the second seems more than feasible. We have heard from our own sources that Microsoft is working on a follow-up to Kinect; one that may even have a shorter throw distance than the current device, in order to cater for European and Japanese homes more effectively.

There is another claim from a different Kotaku "reliable source" that is, perhaps, the most worrying, however. The site states that its contact has informed it that Microsoft is implement a non-used game system, which would not allow you to buy or sell pre-owned titles as they will only work on your specific machine.

How such a system would work is unclear. When you load the game for the first time, perhaps its individual unlock code is then associated with your Xbox Live account permanently. But that seems a bit extreme from a company that expects to battle in the next generation console sector with a potential rival from Sony; the PlayStation 4.

Anyhow, if the Xbox 720 does go down the cloud/download route, preventing the market for pre-owned games is irrelevant. You can't buy or sell a digital copy.

A comment sent to Kotaku also hints that our initial thoughts are correct: "As an innovator we're always thinking about what is next and how we can push the boundaries of technology like we did with Kinect," the spokesperson said. "We believe the key to extending the lifespan of a console is not just about the console hardware, but about the games and entertainment experiences being delivered to consumers. Beyond that we don't comment on rumors or speculation."

Ah, that old chestnut!

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Tags: Gaming Microsoft Xbox 720 Blu-ray

Xbox 720 to introduce Kinect 2 and Blu-ray... eh? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:32:00 +0000

First up, a confession. I don't come into this experiment as a member of the anti-Apple brigade. Not completely.

I love my iPhone and, while it's not exactly essential, I have a good relationship with my original iPad too (although I should point out that I also have much love for my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1).

But I'm a PC. Not because I'm a nerdy looking chap like David Mitchell or John Hodgman (I am, but that's irrelevant) but because I settled down with Windows when I was young. I made a commitment and I've stayed faithful ever since. Windows was my first love and will always be an important part of my life.

But recently I've had longings. Longings and impure thoughts. I blame the new MacBook Airs with their svelte figures and their alluring aluminium finish. Or maybe it's the giant displays of the 27-inch iMacs glowing from the window of the Apple Store. Either way, confession (via Outlook email, of course) to his holiness Bill Gates hasn't stemmed my cravings or my desire to taste the forbidden fruit.

It may just be a mid-life OS crisis but I cannot be stopped. I need to try Mac OS X now, at least for 7 days, or I'll always wonder..."What if?"

Day 1

Instantly I regret my decision. As Ross commented when Rachel asked him in Friends whether he'd enjoyed his one night stand; “Nobody likes change”. It's all just so different. Sure, it looks swish and I seem to have stumbled on to a few motion gestures that will no doubt be useful but everything is just so....different.

Copying and pasting is a ball-ache, for example. I'd heard that the control key was relatively useless on a Mac and that you had to use the command key instead, but try explaining that to my ageing fingers and their muscle memory that have spent years mastering Windows short-cuts.

And where's the bloody hash-tag key? How am I supposed to keep my tens of Twitter followers entertained without a witty hash-tag? And I can't find the delete key either and the @ symbol and the speech mark symbols are the wrong way round. Arrrrggghh. This is all just wrong. And don't even get me started on my right-click troubles.

But I've done it now. I've strayed from the path of Microsoft and my beloved Windows. I've cheated and feel like I've been suckered in like a jet-lagged businessman after a drunken night with an exotic hooker.

Day 2

Okay, so I'm starting to come to terms with what I've done. And I don't feel so bad. Sure, I'd diverged from the Windows route but wasn't I entitled to? Didn't Windows owe me big time after remaining loyal, even through the Vista d?b-cle? Sure it did. If anything, years of neglect had pushed me into this.

And you know what? I'm starting to get a taste for it. The changes aren't so so hard to get used to. And the gestures, once I'd found the built-in video based tutorials, seem to be coming in incredibly handy. I know that there was uproar when Lion brought in natural scrolling but, as an iPhone and iPad user coming new to the game, I have to say it's incredibly intuitive.

I also love the dock; the ease of personalising what apps are on quick offer and how folders are displayed. Although I'm not sure why every program that I minimise has to appear on it – where's a taskbar when you need one? I know that I could probably turn this setting off but I'm far too busy for that. And where do programs go when you click the X? Why don't they just bloomin' close?

The first port of call is syncing my Dropbox. I need my digital shizzle, you see? So a quick visit to the Dropbox website, an even quicker download, and I'm away. Or am I? I can't see anything happening once I double click the downloaded installation program. A check on the dock shows nothing. Is anything bloody happening here?

Finally, I remember Mission Control (three finger fun for a bird’s-eye view of all your open windows and apps)?and sure enough there's a Dropbox window open saying that I have to drag the icon to the Application folder to install. What the heck? I've already committed to a double click on the installation program icon, surely it knows what I want – it's taking me for a fool here.

And it's not the first time either. I searched around for ages to find the top level of my system's properties and devices. The kind of stuff you'd usually find under My Computer on a Windows PC. I just want to see the size of the hard-drive for Pete's sake. Finally, I found the folder options that allow me to see what I want to see – it's all turned off by default.

A Mac is idiot proof, that's for sure, and I'm no idiot. At least when it comes to computing. Sure, I'd been lured in by its pulchritudinous presentation and had been slightly shallow by thinking it was cooler, hipper and less embarrassing than Windows, but I am a man who has built a tower PC in the past from scratch and installed Linux on it. Linux! That makes me a certified geek in anyone's book and I demand Mac shows me some respect and stops hiding things from me.

Day 3

I'm too impatient to try and tame the Lion by myself. It took me years to perfect my Windows handling and I haven't got the time nor the energy to master another OS alone. So I sign up for an Apple Store One to One session. Kill me.

One to Ones are available for any new Mac purchaser who signs up for a ?79 membership when they first buy their new Apple toy. The amount of lessons you have is unlimited for a year, although the Geniuses in Store only really want to see your ugly mug once a day. They'll teach you anything from turning your Mac on, to advanced photo and video editing (on native Apple apps of course).

Adrian is my guide and I tell him exactly what I need. (i.e. to not look like a novice). Within about half an hour, I'm on fire. I'm gesturing like Tom Cruise in Minority Report, I'm creating new desktop spaces for different tasks and I'm basically falling in love. Not with Adrian, you understand (a fine looking chap nonetheless) but with Mac OS X. Adrian has shown me the geek respect I deserve and has taught me how to completely de-idiot proof my Mac; switching on all the admin settings I need to get tweaking. If I mess it up now, it will be of my own doing and I'm comfortable with that.

On the way home from the Apple Store, I decide to get busy trying to rename the home folder on my Mac (it had been in the hands of a colleague previously with a ridiculous name - you know the chap). I found I had to mess around with a Terminal and use command prompts. No wonder they idiot proof these things – it was like my Linux days all over again.

Day 4

Big meeting today in town to do some serious CES planning. And by serious I mean meeting up with the other Vegas bound Pocket-linters to discuss what parties to go to and that Dennys would be our breakfast meeting point.

The bossman, a devout Mac disciple, arrives first and sees me working away (checking Facebook) on my new Mac. What follows is an eye opening 10 minutes where he teaches me the ways of image editing in Mac OS X, or rather, the ways of sitting back and letting Mac OS X edit all your images for you. ImageWell and iPhoto are going to be lifesavers come show time in Vegas.

Day 5

On the plane for 11 hours without Wi-Fi, CES bound, so I decide to get to know the inner workings of my Mac even more closely. I find that all the usual Windows device and system management tools are there but often hidden in strange and mysterious places. I've given up on the home folder renaming, by the way. It's too much hassle.

One aspect I did enjoy while I was offline so long was the ability to check my emails using the Mail app. I'd synced it up when I was online at the airport and was able to breeze through the hundreds of invites to visit PR client's “brilliant” new innovations at CES. I know, I could have done this on a Windows PC using Outlook but, come on, have you ever actually used Outlook? It's horrific.

I also messed around with some of the media apps that don't require a web connection such as iPhoto, iMovie and iTunes. The latter is on a par with its Windows equivalent, i.e. horrible – but iPhoto and iMovie have some great features. It's also brilliant how seamlessly the native Apple apps interact with each other. It's almost as if Apple would rather you didn't leave its high-walled garden....

Day 6

Busy day at CES; Acer press conference and CES Unveiled. This means a tonne of pictures to edit and chuck into the Pocket-lint back-end. We shoot at maximum resolution to give us plenty of scope to crop pictures to highlight the new tech's features and that means a lot of editing before you see the final images on the site. Usually, I'd be on Photoshop or simply Paint.net on a Windows PC and, while I'm quite a well oiled machine with those applications after editing thousands of pictures for the site, I can honestly say that, on my first attempt at doing it on a Mac, it was much quicker.

Preview on a Mac, including the brilliant space-bar snap-up, is fantastic for getting rid of dodgy shots, as well as basic cropping; iPhoto is fantastic for auto-fixing (very handy given the artificial light that plagues CES) as well as resizing, dropping the exposure and sharpening, and ImageWell is brilliant for batch resizing.

To begin with, I must admit that I struggled with locating different programs, apps and folders that I needed open to work, but once I'd got in the swing of using Mission Control, multiple desktops and, crucially, hot-corners – there was no stopping me.

Day 7

Something big happened today. It may not sound like much but it could well be the final nail in the coffin for me and Windows. I turned off the right click option that I set originally and settled instead for a simple double finger tap for the extra options usually afforded by the starboard push. It just feels right.

If that makes me a fully fledged fanboy, then so be it. Nothing really feels weird or different anymore, it just feels easier.

Monday was a super-hectic day in Vegas (press day) and so that meant getting stories up quickly. Without doubt, I was able to work quicker on a Mac than I ever have done with a Windows PC – and I'm still a noob don't forget.?And yes, I'm also aware that I've now become one of those Mac bores that I used to loathe.

Final Cut

Although my Apple fling looks like turning into a full-blown relationship, there will always be room in my heart for my original, my first love, Windows.

I'll still see it at weekends (when I need to use dodgy East European software to run dodgy East European streams of the football) and maybe, if it dolls itself up nice and has a bit of work done then I may come crawling back. Windows 8 could be just the shot in the arm that our relationship needs to get us back on track. Something new to reignite the old spark.

Until then, I'm afraid I belong to Apple and have signed myself up for yet another arm of its ever expanding reach. It might have started as 7 days but this whirlwind romance has turned into something bigger than I'd expected, something more intense. I'm just not sure how to explain it to Windows...

Tags: Software Mac OS X Apple Apple MacBook Air Features 7 days Windows Microsoft

7 days living with....the other computer (Apple Mac OS X) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:03:00 +0000

The Nokia Lumia 710 is seems to be pitched as the poor man's Lumia 800, but can that be right?

We've been testing the two Windows Phone 7?powered Nokia phones together for the last two weeks to see how the 710 really lives up to the flagship Nokia smartphone, and whether you really are getting second best if you go for the Lumia 710.

Design

If you like the rounded edges of the Nokia Lumia 800, the one piece design, the overall "different" feel and approach to the Lumia 800 then although it hurts us to say this, but this isn't the phone for you. Get the Lumia 800 and be done with it. The 710 isn't in the same league when it comes to design. That's not to say it is an ugly phone, but it is more "traditional" in its approach.

Slightly bigger, although lighter than the 800, the 710 comes with the same size 3.7-inch screen that dominates the front of the smartphone.?Rather than touch-sensitive buttons, you now have one large physical button beneath the screen that is spilt into three buttons. The buttons are the standard Windows Phone offerings of back, home, and search.

The side features volume keys and a dedicated shutter button for the camera, while the top offers a power button, a micro USB socket - that isn't covered like it is on the Lumia 800 - and a headphone jack. The micro SIM slot can be found inside, something you can access along with the battery because the Lumia 710 has a removable back cover.

It's the removable back cover that will also appeal to those that like to customise the phone as, just like you did in the 90s, you can swap out the cover and change the colour of your phone on a daily basis, if that's your thing.

Our review unit came with black, however there are a range of other colours available and planned including magenta and cyan. We've also seen patterned designs as well.

The Lumia 710 is by no means striking, nor is it the worst phone we've ever seen. It's built well, is solid, and most importantly, comfortable to use.

Insides

Strangely, from a core spec point of view - the processor and memory - the Lumia 710 is identical to the only other Windows Phone available from?Nokia; the?Lumia 800. That means you get a 1.4Ghz processor and 512MB of RAM to power your Windows Phone 7 experience. In our tests and having used the Lumia 800 extensively for the last three months, this is more than enough to enjoy the operating system and all that you can throw at it.

Whether it is playing games, loading applications, or merely surfing the web (the browser is hardware optimised) there's a plenty of power to go around.?On the connectivity front you get Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS.

So where have the corners been cut? Well for starters you only get 8GB of storage rather than 16GB as found on the Lumia 800. Then there is the screen quality, LCD over AMOLED, and finally the 5-megapixel camera instead of the 8-megapixel model found on the Lumia 800.

All that gives sucks the standard days worth of battery on a single charge, while we had no complaints or out of the ordinary praise for call quality either. As a phone the Lumia 710 acts as you would expect.?

LCD vs AMOLED

The single biggest difference you'll spot instantly when looking at the Lumia 710 is that it uses an LCD screen rather than a AMOLED one. That takes away the stunning visual impact you get from the Lumia 800 and presents you with a screen that is rather flat in its colour. The viewing angle isn't as great and in both the white and black themes of WP7, unless you are looking at it straight-on, there is a tendency to believe that the screen colours are somewhat under-saturated. It certainly isn't as vibrant.

Again that's not to say the screen is bad, it's just not as good as other Windows Phone handsets like the Super LCD-touting HTC Radar. What is instantly noticeable, however, is that extra .2-inch over the iPhone 4 and 4S. It really does make the Apple smartphone screen look small.?

Camera time

The Lumia 710 might only have a 5-megapixel camera with single LED but we were very impressed with its performance. As long as you are able to hold the phone still at the moment you press the shutter, you'll get good results regardless of light available. Failing to do so results in softer images, but then that's normally the case with many smartphone cameras. Pictures are processed immediately with little or no lag.

The success of the camera is down to the f2.4 wide-angle (28mm) lens that gives you plenty of room to play with. There is a digital zoom, but we would advise against using it.

Sadly, unlike the HTC Windows Phone 7 smartphones you don't get additional features like panorama or the ability to apply effects, but you can get panoramic apps like Pano and PictureLabs that will fill those gaps.

You also get 720p HD video recording.

App time, or not?

It's fair to say that apps aren't the strongest part of the Windows Phone 7 platform at the moment. But don't panic, because not only are there plenty of apps coming, but interestingly WP7 isn't as app-focused as the iPhone or Android. There are plenty of features built into the phone's operating system that means you don't need thousands of apps to let you do anything.

Nokia understanding this give you Nokia Drive; a very good turn-by-turn satnav app that will easily get you from A to B, Nokia Music; A free music service that will have you listening to the latest songs in seconds, and Nokia Maps; which is really just a better version of the phone's Bing maps feature.

There is also the promise in the coming months of Nokia Transport; a public transport planning app, Nokia City Lens; an augmented reality app to tell you which direction restaurants are nearby, and Nokia Pulse; a BBM clone that needs a few more people to sign up to Nokia phones to get it really work.?

That's Nokia, but we also know that there are new apps coming from Skype, supposedly Instgram, and many others, meaning that it is a winning rather than losing battle.

But as we said there are many times that you won't need a flashy app. Windows Phone 7 has been designed around hubs and those hubs do a good job of covering your basic needs.?The People hub is exceptionally good for keeping track of everyone be it via your own contacts, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, while the office hub will sort out your document needs.

So who is the Lumia 710 for?

There are three Nokia Lumia models at the time of writing, and this is the model that will appeal to those looking for a cheap phone with low monthly costs.

What makes the Lumia 710 so appealing is that you get a phone that isn't sluggish, like the equivalent Android offerings. As well as one that comes with some great apps out of the box like satnav and music, without having to pay for extra apps. TomTom for iPhone is ?50, and while Drive isn't as featured, it will certainly do for most.?

That should mean that the 710 does well when it hits the shops in February, and one that might help Microsoft lure those BlackBerry users away from their BB Curve.?After all we suspect that they won't be able to afford an iPhone 4S and might struggle to understand or get frustrated by Android.

Verdict:

The Lumia 710 isn't as nice as the 800 but then we know that it isn't supposed to be. This is about making Windows Phone 7 affordable, and on that front the 710 is perfectly pitched.

With the Lumia 800 around the ?35 price point on contract, we suspect that you'll be able to get the Lumia 710 for around ?15 - ?20 a month with the handset "free". That's a good price in anyone's books.?

The Lumia 710 is perfect at showing that you don't need to have powerful expensive specs to still get a phone that is enjoyable to use day-in, day-out.?It might not be as durable as the metal clad HTC Radar, but you won't be disappointed.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Nokia Nokia Lumia 710 Windows Phone 7 Microsoft

Nokia Lumia 710 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:43:00 +0000

Nokia's CEO, Stephen Elop, has told Pocket-lint that the company has no plans to release a Nokia tablet just yet, but does hint that that might not always be the case.

"We haven't announced anything specifically about tablets. I say that over and over again," Elop told us in an interview at CES in Las Vegas. "But when you look at it and think about what people are expecting in their digital life, they are expecting some uniformity of experience across their phones, their tablets, their PCs, their automobiles, their gaming platforms."

He went on to tell us:

"We can't do all of those things. We can partner on some of them, but in other areas there are cases where perhaps we should be doing some work that extends our footprint."

And of the Metro design, now so shouted about by Microsoft?

"We are very interested in the Metro user interface and Metro is clearly the big bet for Microsoft. We know that because we are working on the insides and all that, but they came out publically so strongly [at CES] stating 'look Metro is here' and clearly, clearly, that helps us a lot.

"Instead of me thinking how to introduce people to Live Tiles - which is today's challenge - 100s of millions of people will be working with Live Tiles on their PCs as a result of the Windows 8 work, and we see an opportunity to take advantage of that synergy."

However, just as he may have dropped the actual bombshell, Elop was quick to close the door once again:

"But again, no specific announcements ... but [it is] something we are interested in."

Tags: Tablets Windows 8 Nokia Microsoft Windows Phone 7

Nokia interested in future tablet, looks to Metro design to help its cause originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:33:00 +0000

"As I look forward, right now the conversation is about beginning of momentum. We have a range of devices, we've got some unique applications, the developers are moving in our direction, we are seeing this accelerating momentum, and that is all good."

Those are the calm words of Stephen Elop, Nokia CEO, to Pocket-lint at this year's CES in Las Vegas when we convinced him to squeeze a 30-minute interview into in his ludicrously busy schedule.

This time last year most pundits had written off Nokia. While hugely successful in the emerging markets, there was trouble at the top. The company's flagship phones weren't selling, stock was down, and Stephen Elop, the new CEO installed in September 2010, was probably wondering why he'd left Microsoft?at all.

Then came the, now famous, leaked "burning platform" memo that highlighted just how dire those straights were that the once great phone maker was in, and, if they didn't do something about it, that the company would be in some serious trouble indeed.?Elop had been parachuted in to save Nokia, to turn it around, to bring it kicking and screaming into the new era - the new ear that now sees fierce competition from Apple, Samsung and HTC.

Nokia's old sparing partners are all but dried up. Sony Ericsson has become just Sony, Motorola has been bought by Google and Palm has finally been closed. Not that that phases Elop.

"A year from now, I want the story to be a bit more about, OK, this third eco-system, it's in play, this is happening. There will be a big raging debate about it, but having a more balanced perspective that there is a third contender that clearly is in the game."

That's possible, Elop believes, because of the devices they are producing and releasing, and the products he knows they've got coming up. That and some help from a certain mobile OS with a certain large player in the tech world behind it.

Stephen Elop presents his vision at the Qualcomm keynote at CES

"Right now my senses tell me that people look at the devices and look at the ecosystem and say 'OK we see it, we understand it, we can now visualise what it means and we're impressed.' I am hearing that a lot, and I am pleased with that. We now need to go to the next step which is 'OK, we are seeing it built, seeing the growth in it,' and that's what we should be talking about a year from now. And of course I hope to be talking about the next wave of this, and the new products for that, and new services, so innovation constantly, we'll be talking about a year from now."

The products that will allow him to do that are the Nokia Lumia 800, already on sale in the UK, the Nokia Lumia 710, on sale in the US and due in the UK at the start of February, and the Nokia Nokia Lumia 900?announced at the show and set for launch in the US in March.

"We have not announced the 900 in other countries. One of the things you should notice though is that we clearly have a pattern of this rolling thunder of announcements one after another and what we are doing more and more is making sure that we are targeting specific devices and specific price points for specific markets."

This laser focus is something it seems Nokia followers should expect more of.

"For example," Elop tells us as the crash of a waiter emptying a large ice bucket in the hospitality suite next door breaks the conversation. Oddly?embarrassed?by the?interruption, as if it is his fault, he apologises and carries on. "In the US, one of the things that was actually one of the most important things we did with the?Lumia 900?was LTE support. LTE support costs. It costs in terms money for the radio, extra battery life requirement and so forth. LTE in Europe is not so important. It will be, but not today. We haven't announced anything specific, but clearly there is going to be a steady pattern of new devices and a full portfolio of capabilities in Europe and around the world. There is lots more to watch."

But it isn't just about launching new products and hoping that is enough. Elop believes, for Nokia to be successful, it will have to prove that it is very different from what is already on the market.

"Our first priority, always, always, is to differentiate our experience from Android and iPhone. That is job one, two and three quite frankly."

But what about Samsung, HTC, LG and others that also make phones? While the rumours continue that Elop is a mole for Microsoft and that the company is about to be bought by the creator of Windows Phone 7, in reality, for the time being, those remain just rumours and, with such strong guidelines, how can Nokia stand apart from the other companies that also use Windows Phone 7?

Nokia Drive, exclusive to Nokia Lumia phones is leading the app charge for the company

Elop believes services like the Nokia Drive app is a great start allowing them to stand apart from what is offered elsewhere in the market and the WP7 ecosystem.?

"With a Lumia you have access to the Nokia Drive application for free as part of the device. Whereas others have mapping and some other things, that full personal navigation device experience is something that is unique in our platform."

You'll note that Nokia Drive is an app, not an embedded feature and that's important to Elop, clearly worried that by tinkering too much with the OS will cause fragmentation. He believes he has it covered.

"I pick that example because it is one where there is a common platform for mapping on a Windows Phone device that everyone shares and we are actually contributing to that for everybody, but we still have the ability to build more on top. We want to be very careful that we don't do something that makes an application that someone else has built work on our devices but not on others."

Elop adds:

"We don't want that fragmentation introduced into Windows Phone because we are beginning to see how in a certain other ecosystem that fragmentation becomes a problem," Elop says knowing that we know exactly who he is taking about.

Of course it's not all just about apps, Nokia has said that it believes design will also help them stand out from the crowd - it is the first to launch a bright cyan and pink phone in the UK in a long time, although it's not a move it's opted for in the US with the launch of the Lumia 900.

"We work with our operator partner, in this case AT&T, and jointly there is an assessment done as to which colours will move initially and which ones won't," Elop says after a chuckle when caught off guard by our slightly fatuous question of why no Magenta (pink) Lumia 900 in the US.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we saw other colours at other times."

Elop turns his 900, cyan in case you're wondering, over and over in his palm between waving it around like a proud school kid. You like the cyan we ask?

"I do, actually. I like all the colours. One of the advantages of testing devices is that I get to see these crazy colours that the market hasn't seen yet, which is fun."

Stephen Elop carries three phones with him; the Lumia 900, the Lumia 800, and a competitor's device

It's the last he says on the colours, but it bodes well, especially if you are looking for something a little more exciting than black or white, the industry favourites.

But Elop also likes the black Nokia Lumia 800?as well - he carries both - and a third competitor handset so he can "learn". He might be the CEO of Nokia, but that doesn't mean he wants to isolate himself too much, it seems.?It's also a handy way for him to fend off our next question. Will those that bought the Lumia 800 feel cheated that the 900, a better spec'ed model, is about to come out less than 6 months later?

"No," is the quick response before Elop adds, "I will absolutely continue to carry an 800 because it is a beautiful device and I like the form factor and the size. The 800 is going to continue to sell in markets around the world for a great deal of time to come, so I think people should be very proud of the device they have because in itself it is a unique experience."

Consider yourself told.

Those perhaps more fickle will likely be excited by the news that, although initial sales of the 900 will be through AT&T with a contract, there "are there going to be successor devices, different shapes, sizes, different configurations, of course."

That, to us, reading between the lines, suggests that we will be seeing a 900 variant for other parts of the world in due course. The Americans don't get to have all the fun, just like the Brits didn't with the 800.

"As much as I don't like a customer saying 'hey I want that phone that's over there' I kind of like the fact that it was just a few weeks ago that people in the United States were writing me emails saying 'Why can't I get the 800 in the US?' Well, now you've got the 900, and people in the UK are going to ask 'Why can't I get the 900?' so a bit of excitement helps as well.

"The message we are trying to deliver is: 710, 800, 900, and there is going to be more."

The conversation moves on from phones to apps and the one sticking point opponents always bring up when compared to Apple and Android. The lack of them.?There might be 50,000 and counting but the operating system is still missing plenty of big names, like Skype.

Skype for WP7 was announced at Mix'11 but as yet to land on the OS - Image credit Long Zheng

Rumours are abound that we shouldn't have to wait long (our guess is MWC at the end of February) and it's something that doesn't seem to worry Elop either.

"I worry a bit less about that one, because I can imagine that the work is going to get done," Elop tells Pocket-lint as he fixes his stare on the Microsoft logo, but he doesn't slip off the hook so easily when we ask him to detail the app he most enjoys, and the app that he most wants.

"It's not an app but something that I love about Windows Phone. I am trying not to make this the sales pitch, but it is a sales pitch. It's the fact that I can hit 'Me' and all of my kids Facebook information, all the Twitter feeds, good, bad, different, whatever they are, it's all there. Similarly around People hub, 'hey Susan, let's have dinner, look at Susan, boom I've got it' and there, I'm not using an app, I'm not using Twitter, and Facebook, and LinkedIn, and email, or SMS, but it is all packaged for me. I truly do enjoy that integrated experience.

"Only occasionally do I go as far going into the Facebook app or the Twitter app, because generally I don't need to. Now, in terms of apps that I enjoy, I am enjoying the new ESPN app, I am following my favourite sports teams to see what they are doing. I am all over the world in crazy time zones, so to be able to get access to that video feed or whatever is really good."

And the app that he most wants?

"This is a personal answer. I am a pilot, there are certain applications that have been popularised on the Apple platforms for pilots, both on the iPad and the iPhone that have really affected how people fly airplanes. Those apps aren't yet available on Windows Phone but, you know, I have a personal interest. We'll see how we do."

But Elop acknowledges that app choices aren't always easy to please.

"Who else in this room wants the pilot app? No one. Who else within the radius of our meeting room wants the pilot app? Probably no one. It's one of the long tail apps. Clearly we've got a huge focus on the ones that count for the majority of the interest and downloads and so forth. That's a place where both Nokia and Microsoft together, and in a co-ordinated way, are going after the applications to come to Windows Phone."

There is no doubting that Elop is a charismatic guy. Not as outwardly exacting as Jobs, nor openly as excitable as Ballmer, but still holds a presence in the room and one that you can see rubs off on to all those that he talks to, but charm only gets you so far. The cold reality of sales is what a CEO gets judged for at the end of the day. So, how well Nokia is actually doing at shifting the Lumia 800? As we suspected, we don't get the figures; just the vibes, and a little ducking of the question.

Ms Kao Nai Xiang in Taiwan becomes the first person in the world to buy the Nokia Lumia 710

"The first thing we look at, because this is more important than anything else, is how are the products being received by consumers? When they put them in their hand, when they begin to use them, how are they rating the experience; because, if we don't have the product right, then everything else is more difficult.

"We are very pleased with the reception we are seeing broadly. We look at something in particular called the net promoter score (NPS), which is essentially a person's willingness to recommend a Lumia product to a friend. It sounds like a very simple question, but actually many companies use it in a very scientific way. Because instead of asking do you like the colour, do you like the buttons, do you like the applications, would you recommend it to a friend, it tends to be an overarching measure of the quality of the experience and we have some good NPS scores that we are seeing from our early consumers."

Elop might not be talking sales figures or shipments, but he is on a roll detailing how all these factors have shown the problems ahead and how they can resolve that.

"Our primary challenge is to make sure that a consumer is aware of the products, understands how the user experience with the Live Tiles works and everything that makes Windows Phone what it is. We have to help them understand that and we have to get the devices in their hands. Everything we are doing is focused on reducing the friction in that process.

"The point is, we are educating consumers about the tiles, about that experience, because what is out there in the industry today, people are most familiar with, is a grid of applications and icons that don't do anything. They aren't used to things that are scrolling, that are alive, that are presenting information. So as we introduce them to that, we are confident then that we will see some good momentum. But it is still very early days."

If it sounds tough, that's because it is going to be. Samsung and Apple are both enjoying the same momentum, and, for Nokia to crack that, it's not going to be an easy journey. Will there be a tipping point in Nokia and Microsoft's favour? Will the company ever be able to rest once more at the top of the mobile tree? Elop isn't so sure.

"I don't think that day ever comes," he replies in a firm reminder.

"The minute we believe that we don't need to do that, I think that history would show that that's the minute that you then fail. I think that it is going to be constantly very aggressive in terms of marketing and positioning. Most importantly, very aggressive in the brilliance of the products we deliver, in the innovation. Already there is a tonne of work going on in Nokia to take everything we do several big steps further and we will keep doing that."

Tags: Phones Nokia Stephen Elop CES2012 Windows Phone 7 Microsoft Features Interviews Nokia Lumia 800 Nokia Lumia 900 Nokia Lumia 710

Nokia CEO, Stephen Elop, talks the competition and the future originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:57:00 +0000

Nokia CEO, Stephen Elop, has told Pocket-lint that we shall soon be seeing the Nokia brand name within other devices and not just the company's own phones.

"You'll starting seeing the word 'Nokia' on a map that you get from Microsoft properties over a period of time," Elop explained to Pocket-lint in an interview behind closed doors at CES in Las Vegas. "Even if you are on a BlackBerry device, who recently said they were going to start using Bing Maps."

The news will probably come as a shock to companies involved with Bing, such as Research In Motion who makes the popular BlackBerry smartphones.

"Part of the relationship we established with Microsoft is that we are clearly placing a bet on the Windows Phone platform. [In return] they are placing a bet on our location-based platform: mapping, navigation and so forth," said Elop.

"In the time ahead, what you will see is, across all the Microsoft properties including Bing maps, more and more work will be done by Nokia."

Elop also told Pocket-lint that Nokia's deal to help Microsoft improve its navigation services is a way to protect the Finnish company and make sure the agreement wasn't as one sided as perhaps people currently perceive:

"We did that for important reasons as we had the better mapping assets so it made sense. But it also creates some balance in the relationship with Microsoft," he said.

-?Nokia CEO, Stephen Elop, talks the competition and the future

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Nokia Bing Microsoft BlackBerry RIM CES2012

Bing Maps to get Nokia branding on all devices - including rivals' originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:49:00 +0000

Stephen Elop has told Pocket-lint that he thinks Google's Android operating system is too fragmented, a pitfall he wants to avoid with Windows Phone 7 and Nokia in the future.

Talking to Pocket-lint at CES in Las Vegas, the Nokia CEO said:

"We don't want fragmentation being introduced into Windows Phone because we are beginning to see how in a certain other eco-system that fragmentation becomes a problem."

Elop promised that although the company was looking to add exclusive features to its Lumia series of Windows Phone 7 devices, it would always make sure the shared apps still worked. The CEO, who famously wrote a memo describing Nokia as standing on a "Burning Platform", went on to tell us that the company's number one, two and three priorities at the moment are to differentiate itself from Android and iPhone.

"Our first priority, always, always, is to differentiate our experience from Android and iPhone. That is job one, two and three quite frankly," he said in the 30-minute interview.

How does Nokia plan to do that??"Our primary challenge is to make sure that a consumer is aware of the products, understands the user experience with the Live Tiles and everything that makes Windows Phone what it is," Elop said.

"We have to help them understand that and we have to get the devices in their hands. Everything we are doing is focused on reducing the friction in that process. The point is, we are educating consumers about the tiles, about that experience; because what is out there in the industry today, people are most familiar with a grid of applications icons that don't do anything. They aren't used to things that are scrolling, that are alive, that are presenting information. So as we introduce them to that we are confident that we will see some good momentum."

You can catch the full interview with the?Nokia CEO, Stephen Elop,as he talks the competition and the future.

.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Nokia Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Google Apple Android CES2012 Stephen Elop

Nokia CEO: Android is too fragmented originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

ZTE has announced the Tania, its first Windows Phone 7 powered handset. The manufacturer is known for its value for money Android phones and the Tania is the beginning of attempts at cheap WP7 offerings.?

Inside the Tania is a Qualcomm MSM 8255 1GHz Snapdragon processor, alongside 4GB of built-in memory and 512MB of RAM, all of which, from what we played with, makes for quite a snappy Windows Phone experience. The benefits of using Microsoft's operating system over Android on less powerful hardware become immediately apparent, as the whole setup feels slicker than the usual ZTE experience.

Build-wise, sat on the back of the Tania is a matte plastic cover, which feels good in the hand, as does the phone's weight which gives it a good stirdy quality. The handset is also nice and thin at 10.7mm deep, which whilst not being quite Samsung Galaxy S II territory, is enough for it to be extremely pocketable.?

Also slapped on the back of the Tania is a 5-megapixel camera. This is where the value approach to things becomes more apparent, as it doesn't cope quite as well with low light as some of the top end smartphones. The resolution is also slightly lacking. Without a proper play however we can't say too much more on the Tania's camera.?

The Tania's display is a particular highlight. The more we see WP7, the more we like it. Sure the Nokia Lumia 800 spoilt us with its rich blacks and excellent contrast, but the Tania is not far behind. At 4.3-inches there is plenty of size to get stuck into and the 800 x 480-pixel resolution is a nice touch too. The ambient light sensor sat on the front of the phone behaved as it should, which is nice as often on cheaper phones the screen can go all sorts of crazy under different lighting conditions.

The touch sensitive buttons below the display reacted nicely to our?incessant?tapping, as did all the physical keys sat on the side of the phone. In fact the whole design of the Tania is pleasing and doesn't really give away much to say that the phone is a budget offering.?

A single Micro-USB slot sits on the side of the phone, with the 3.5mm headphone jack placed on the top. It stops clutter and helps prevent confusion as to which button you are pressing on either side.?

Not much else we can say about the ZTE Tania other than that its nice to see a cheap Windows Phone 7 handset done so well. We think the OS is primed and ready to take on the budget Android market and phones like the Tania mean it deserves to do well.?

Tags: Phones Mobile phones ZTE ZTE Tania Photos Windows Phones 7 Microsoft

ZTE Tania pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:50:00 +0000

ZTE is launching its ZTE Tania Windows Phone 7 handset in the UK, looking to appeal to those who want to go Windows Phone without spending a packet.

The ZTE Tania was announced in China back in September 2011, but now joins the likes of Nokia, Samsung, HTC, LG and possibly Acer, in offering a Windows Phone in the UK.?

The Tania offers a respectable 4.3-inch touchscreen with the standard 800 x 480-pixel resolution. But it comes in a slim body, only 10.7mm thick. There is a 1GHz processor sitting at the core and we'd expect an experience like most other Windows Phones.

It only offers 4GB of internal storage however, an as Windows Phone 7 won't let you expand this via external card like you can on Android, that's your lot, as they say.

Otherwise you'll find the ZTE Tania equipped with the latest version of Windows Phone 7, offering a refreshing smartphone experience and gaining popularity for it's clean and simple lines.?

The ZTE Tania will be available on contract at between ?10-20 we’re told, with Virgin Media and Go Mobile listed as retailers, along with a third unnamed "specialist" party.

Leila Martine, director of Windows Phone UK, said: "Having ZTE join the Windows Phone family is great news. Their expertise will be crucial in delivering Windows Phone to new and different customers. We look forward to continuing and developing our relationship with ZTE in the future".

ZTE should have more handsets to peek at during MWC next month, no specifics yet but we imagine another WP7 is on the cards. You can follow all the MWC 2012 action on our dedicated page.

Check-out our hands-on ZTE Tania preview right here.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones ZTE ZTE Tania Windows Phone 7 Microsoft

ZTE Tania brings budget Windows Phone 7 to UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:48:00 +0000

If you've already got a Windows Phone 7 smartphone, or know someone that uses it, you'll no doubt already know about the really handy app by Microsoft called Local Scout.

Nokia?knows about it too, but feels it can do a better job than the people that have created the operating system by adding an extra twist:?Augmented Reality. Nokia City Lens, as the name suggest, will allow Nokia Windows Phone 7?smartphone users to use their phone's camera and the app to find the nearest 64 places based on the search they have done.

Users will either be able to search specifically for types of business or pick pre-suggested categories like fun or dining.

Those 64 places could be just around the corner or some distance away depending on where you are, but they pop up on your screen as you move around showing you how far away they are and in what direction so you can head off toward them.

Once you've found the place you are trying to get to, the app works in a very similar way to Local Scout giving you information, contact details and reviews so you can determine whether you want to go there or not.

Sadly the Nokia spokesperson we spoke to on the Nokia stand at CES had no exact idea as to when Nokia would be launching the Nokia City Lens app. We suspect it might be in March to coincide with the US launch of the new Nokia Lumia 900.

We will keep you posted.

Tags: Phones Apps Windows Phone 7 apps Windows Phone 7 Nokia Microsoft Augmented Reality

Nokia City Lens adds Augmented Reality to Local Scout on Windows Phone 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:27:00 +0000

Toshiba hasn't officially announced the Toshiba Portege M930, but that didn't stop Microsoft showing off the new sliding laptop on its stand at CES over in Las Vegas.

The new mystery model sports a similar design to the Asus Eee Pad Slider released last year and the Sony Vaio laptop concept, also on display at the show.

While specs are limited we do know a couple of things aside from the rather unusual hinge design that sees the screen face outwards or inwards when closed.

The screen itself, when it is the viewing position, sits in a trough stopping it moving and bringing the screen considerably closer to you, meaning that you lose the usual glass trackpad as found on most laptops in favour of a small nubbin on the right hand side of the keyboard.

According to Microsoft the Toshiba Portege M930 will feature an Intel Core i5 processor, come with 4GB of RAM and have a 256GB hard drive.

Graphics power is provided by an Intel HD Graphics 3000 chip and that screen size, if you were wondering, is a 13.3-inch display with a 1280 x 800 resolution. Weight is 1.9kg and it is 27mm thick.

There's a stylus too for writing on the screen. At the moment you can't use your fingers, but we suspect this would change if the laptop was upgraded to Windows 8.

No word on when, if ever, Toshiba?plans to launch the Toshiba Portege M930 sliding laptop. We will keep you posted.?

Tags: Laptops Toshiba Toshiba Portege M930 Microsoft CES2012

Toshiba Portege M930 slider laptop caught ahead of release originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:40:00 +0000

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read

Tags: Windows Phone 7 apps Apps Skype Microsoft

Skype for Windows Phone 7 nears release originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:21:00 +0000

Over in Vegas at CES, Pocket-lint has been given its strongest indication yet that Microsoft will launch Windows 8 in October 2012.

Discussing the launch time frame during a briefing and demo session of the next-gen OS Janelle Poole, director of public relations of the Windows Business Group, said:

"We haven't talked about the release date and we generally don't. We are talking milestone to milestone, so for us right now we're talking about the next milestone being the consumer preview happening in late February.?

"One of the things that I think is a good guideline though is we've always said that Windows releases come round about every three years and this year will be three years in October since we launched Windows 7. So I think that's a good guideline to consider."

October has long been touted as the month that the Metro UI-tastic platform will land, but this is the biggest hint that we've been given so far.

You'll remember that, at the Microsoft Developer Forum in Tokyo in May last year, Microsoft CEO?Steve Ballmer?announced that the next version of Windows would be released the following year.

“And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there's a whole lot more coming," he said.?

During the?Acer press conference at the Vegas expo, its CEO J.T. Wang?stated that Windows 8 machines would be landing later on this year. "When the next generation of Windows launches, in the second half [of 2012], we will launch another wave of Ultrabook products," he said.

Exciting stuff from Microsoft then with plenty to look forward too.

Tags: Software Windows 8 Microsoft CES2012

Windows 8 set for October 2012 launch originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:08:00 +0000

Qualcomm has demoed, for the first time, a Windows 8 tablet running on the company's new Snapdragon S4 processor highlighting a future world where your computer doesn't just run on computers powered by Intel or AMD.

Showcasing the new capabilities of the Microsoft operating system, Qualcomm Chairman and CEO, Paul Jacobs, demoed the new offering at the company's keynote at the CES trade show in Las Vegas.

"Windows 8 is a great match for Snapdragon because we build our processors from the ground up," Jacobs told attendees. "Windows 8 ARM support is a game changer."

Jacobs demoed Windows 8 using the company's new Snapdragon M8960 processor. The chip goes into product due out in mid 2012 however as yet hasn't been selected to be used on any Windows 8 devices headed to market.?

The move, first announced by Microsoft last year, has meant that traditional mobile phone chip companies like Qualcomm and Nvidia have been able to offer their latest chipsets to PC makers for the first time as a viable alternative to Intel.

And it is something the company is keen to push. Enrico Salvatore, Qualcomm Europe's senior vice president, agrees with his boss telling Pocket-lint that the company was best placed to take advantage of its 25 year history in mobile devices when compared to the competition.?

In an informal chat on the company's stand at CES after the keynote, Salvatore explained to Pocket-lint that the company felt it was a lot easier to scale up performance having already mastered many features like battery and connectivity than to downgrade chips that have been previously designed for less efficient devices like laptops.

Qualcomm believe that this strength in power efficiency and connectivity will mean that it has the leading edge when devices start to appear later in the year.?

Back on stage at the keynote and Jacobs boasts Qualcomm easily managed built in LTE support, a lack of fan for cooling, and the promise of thinner and lighter devices in the future.

The battle lines have been drawn.?

Tags: Tablets Laptops Qualcomm Intel Windows 8 Microsoft CES2012

Qualcomm demos Windows 8 on Snapdragon, ready to take the fight to Intel originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:37:00 +0000

Microsoft is to release the Kinect for Windows SDK to developers on the 1 February. It means sample code, Kinect drivers and APIs will be available to the general public and should spur on the beginning of Kinect software development for the Windows platform.

Microsoft is currently working with more than 200 different companies to build applications for Windows that use Kinect. Microsoft's Steve Balmer announced the release date at the Microsoft conference at this year's CES, but unfortunately didn't go into any major application or?functionality?specifics.?

As it stands Kinect has shifted more than 18 million units, a significant number given its short lifespan compared to the Xbox 360, which has sold 66 million units to date.?

The Kinect for Windows functionality will work on both Windows 8 and Windows 7, the former also due to arrive in a test version next month according to Microsoft's chief marketing officer Tami Reller.?

One thing worth noting is that later Kinect hardware will only maintain functionality with one of the two platforms, either Windows or the Xbox 360.?

We will have more on Kinect for Windows as further details are announced. Those who want to give the SDK a try can download it free here.

Tags: Microsoft Microsoft Kinect Windows Windows 7 Windows 8 CES2012

Kinect for Windows to land in February originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:06:00 +0000

OnLive has branched out from its usual cloud gaming setup to bring Windows to tablets. Plans for an OnLive Desktop app that will let you take advantage of Windows Office applications like Word and PowerPoint has been announced.?

The application is due to go live in the App Store on Thursday and will be free with 2GB of secure cloud storage at launch. Using a combination of multitouch gestures and single digit taps you will be able to enjoy a near standard Windows experience on your iPad. Windows keyboard and handwriting recognition is also built into the application, hopefully making the word processing experience a lot easier on a tablet.

Unlike the OnLive gaming app, which is yet to be released in the App Store, OnLive says the Desktop app will launch on Thursday. OnLive however is stating that even PC games are able to run using the app which takes advantage of powerful PC hardware back on OnLive's servers. This could mean the possibility of the likes of Crysis and Battlefield running on your iPad, but we will have to wait and see what happens at launch as OnLive haven't gone into specifics.?

The Windows desktop app is set to spread out across OnLive's entire product infrastructure. It is due out on the likes of Android and even your television or monitor using the OnLive microconsole. This alone could make for the cheapest possible PC money can buy.?

A pro version of the app will also launch soon allowing for 50GB of storage priced in at $9.99 per month. The conventional OnLive Desktop app will arrive on Thursday in the US with no specific launch date for the UK.?

Those who want to find out more about OnLive gaming can read our review here.?

Tags: Tablets iPad OnLive Windows Microsoft Windows 7 Apps iPad apps

OnLive to bring Windows to the iPad originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:43:00 +0000

You may have read earlier this week that Internet Explorer, so long the undisputed king of the browser world, is under serious threat from Google's Chrome for the no.1 crown.

Pocket-lint asked Gabby?Hegerty, the new Internet Explorer Lead in the UK, what she thought of the threat and how Microsoft is reacting to such heavy fire from its tech rivals.

"Obviously it's a massive challenge to us because we need to protect our position and that is much harder than what Chrome has to do, to chase after our users essentially," she said.

"We were able to be quite complacent because we had no competition so we didn't really go and shout about all the great things about us, but Chrome came along and they did. You're at risk of becoming a bit complacent if you don't have good, healthy competition."

Hegerty stated how the situation had changed within a short time scale and how Chrome poses a far greater threat than Mozilla ever did with Firefox.

"The landscape is changing and we're in a much more competitive position that we were two years ago," she admitted. "Two years ago it was just us and Firefox. We had the mainstream and Firefox had the developers and the techy audiences and we happily co-existed without anyone getting in the other's way.

"Chrome has obviously come along and has appealed to the techies and the consumers. That's created a totally different landscape for us.

"But the good thing about that is that the product engineers in Redmond have responded, because they had to, and [Internet Explorer] is now in a much better place. For the consumer and for developers as well, the product is now much better because we've been forced into really re-looking at it to try and be better than the competition.

"IE9 is very much the first version where we've taken on people's feedback. That's why it's very much stripped away, is faster and there's a whole load of other elements, such as pinning, in there that are based on consumer behaviour."

Microsoft has recently been keen to show off the HTML5 skills of its browser, and has teamed up with a number of key online partners for rich and interactive showcases, such as the recent Last.fm hook-up which use both the browser and the operating system to get the best experience.

Hegerty admitted that this was an attempt to keep users within Microsoft's boundaries, but stated that it's an objective that also benefits the end-user.

"If you've got Windows 7 by far the best browser for you is IE9, rather than Chrome, because it's been built for Windows 7," she said.

It's the same message that Apple bleats regarding Safari and Mac OS X and one that, at present, web surfers seem to ignore. 2012 is likely to be the year that Chrome takes top spot but is also going to be the year that Windows 8 lands.

Can the biggest shake up in Windows history be enough to bring Internet Explorer back from the brink? We're not so sure, but it looks as if Microsoft hasn't given up the fight yet.

Tags: Online Browsers HTML5 Internet Explorer Internet Explorer 9 Google Microsoft Google Chrome Chrome

Internet Explorer boss: Chrome 'massive challenge' originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:15:00 +0000

Just as it did when it tuned in Last.fm for HTML5 scrobbling, Microsoft is flexing its IE9 HTML5 muscles again - this time by bringing Cut The Rope to the browser, as shown by CEO Steve Ballmer during his keynote presentation.

That's right Om Nom lovers, your favourite little green, er, thing is back with 25 levels of online fun - including 7 brand spanking new ones never seen on any other platform before.

This isn't an attempt by Microsoft to launch a Google+ or Facebook rivalling online gaming platform though, merely another attempt to demo the HTML5 skills of its latest Internet Explorer browser. Cut the Rope, Gabby?Hegerty, Internet Explorer's lead in the UK, told Pocket-lint is "as close to the original as possible" but "fast" as a result of tweaks such as GPU hardware acceleration.

The game is a result of a partnership between IE9 engineers and developers from both ZeptoLab and? Pixel Lab. And whilst the game will work on any modern browser packing HTML5 power, you'll only get the complete experience on IE9.

And that's because, as well as the 18 familiar levels, the 7 new ones are only activated once you pin an IE9 version of the game to your Windows 7 taskbar. As well as the 7 new levels you'll also be treated to some cute Cut The Rope cursors and buttons as well if you do this.

Also, if you're killing time playing at work and don't want the bossman to catch you, you can switch off the music and even play a SD version of the game if your work-based PC is struggling with the HD one.

It's free to play and is available now at www.cuttherope.ie. There's also a wealth of info available regarding the technical side of the browser conversion for any budding developers out there.

Tags: Online Gaming HTML5 Cut The Rope Microsoft Browsers Internet Explorer 9

Microsoft gets its IE9 HTML5 game on with Cut the Rope originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:03:00 +0000

Nokia's CEO, Stephen Elop, says that the company is looking at ways of improving storage options on Nokia Windows Phone 7 phones without having to worry about ensuring their phones have big internal storage drives.

"We are looking at offering live cloud support so don't have to have large internal storage in the future," said Stephen Elop at the Nokia press conference while detailing possible options for the Windows Phone platform in the future.

Elop outlined a possible future scenario whereby a user takes a photo and the photo is automatically uploaded to services like Microsoft Sky Drive without even having to be stored locally.

Based on the way Elop was talking it seems that this one of the company's wish lists rather than something that they will be launching in the next couple of weeks, still we can still dream.

We will keep you posted.

Tags: Phones Windows Phone 7 Microsoft Nokia

Nokia outlines possible future instant Cloud storage for Windows Phones originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:40:00 +0000

The International CES 2012 is now upon us and Pocket-lint is on the ground in Las Vegas, ready and poised to bring you all the action as it happens. But what will be at the biggest consumer electronics trade show this year to get us all excited about the months ahead in the gadget arena?

Pocket-lint will be covering the event live from the city of sin for the next week bringing you around the clock coverage of all the latest news, our impressions of the latest gadgets, interviews, features, photos, and everything in between.

So what can you expect from Pocket-lint?

All the latest announcements from the world of consumer electronics, live coverage of all the keynotes on Monday, photo galleries and First Look reviews, exclusive stories and the low down on what's what as it's happening from all the exhibitors at the show right through to Friday.

You can follow all the news from in a number of ways - via our dedicated?CES 2012 page, via our CES 2012 RSS, and finally the whole site via Twitter.

Here are the products that we know or expect will be at the show in Las Vegas:

Phones

CES isn't traditionally a platform for launching a new smartphone, with the mobile phone industry preferring Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February as the place to launch their flagship devices, however that won't stop some companies launching handsets either destined for Europe or the US.

This year we are expecting the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD, an update to the Arc launched at CES last year, as well as a handful of other smartphones too from the company. We also get to find out whether the company opts to launch them under the Sony, or Sony Ericsson?moniker.

But it is not just Sony (Ericsson) launching phones. Nokia?will be at CES too with the company expected to announce the launch of the Nokia Lumia 900?for the US market. It, if leaked specs are to be believed, a 4.3-inch AMOLED screen version of the Nokia Lumia 800?launched in the UK in November. Our sources suggest this won't however be coming to the UK anytime soon with Nokia focusing efforts on the 900 in the USA first.

Samsung?is bound to have a bevy of new phones littered around its stand and rumours suggest the US will finally be getting the Samsung Galaxy Note supposedly on AT&T.

Elsewhere we are expecting new phones from LG, Huawei, and?HTC, as well as an array of current models sporting Google's new Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich?operating system.

Tablets

You may just think that there is only one tablet to concern yourself with, but that's not what the rest of the industry thinks, and it will continue to show the love for the form factor at this year's CES 2012?in the usual style.

At CES?in 2011 we counted over 26 tablet launches and that was just from the major manufacturers we wanted to tell you about. You can expect the same level of confusion this year around with everyone trying to tweak their offering.

The ones to look out for will be from Acer - the Acer Iconia Tab A200 (and possibly the A700 as well), and?Asus?with?the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime with Ice Cream Sandwich. Asus?might also possibly be showing a 7-inch Asus Transformer Prime Mini?too.

We are also expecting a Toshiba tablet, new models from Viewsonic and an array of developer devices from?Nvidia?(Tegra 3) and Qualcomm?(S4). Both will be showing off the next-generation of what is possible even if the actual devices themselves aren't ready for showing.

Laptops

CES?used to stand for the Consumer Electronics Show (according to the organisers it is now just CES) and that means laptops too. This year LG has already confirmed that it will be launching a new ultrabook model - the?LG Z330 and Z430 Ultrabook duo?- as well as some more boring "work" models too boot.

But LG isn't the only company looking to change the way we work. Asus, HP, Samsung, and?Dell?are all promising new models as well. Expect everything to be thin, expect everything to be deemed an ultrabook even if it isn't, and expect you to look at your current model, or worse the one you got for Christmas, with the usual disdain that you'll see on any kid has seen a better version of the toy they already have.

Powering it all will be Microsoft?and we suspect that most stands, be it on the show floor or behind closed doors, will be showing off what their devices look like with Windows 8?due out later in the year.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be delivering a keynote at the show and all the money is on him detailing Windows 8 ahead of the public beta expected in February. It's the last time Microsoft is attending?CES?so expect it to want to go out with a bang.

Cameras

The world of cameras used to have their moment in the sun later in the year at an event called PMA. No longer. Last year the organisers of PMA decided that there wasn't enough product launches at CES to be lost in the battle for centre stage so decided to merge their event in with CES. The result is that we'll see lots of camera launches at CES, or as we've been told by the organisers the 2012 International CES.

The ones we know about include launches from Panasonic, Olympus, Samsung, Sony, and Fujifilm. We also expect Casio to be announcing a new camera or cameras and would have thought Kodak would be on that list too, but given the recent issues it is having (bankruptcy) we now very much doubt it.

Televisions

When CES first started the main focus was around televisions and while TVs still play a big part in the show the focus has moved away somewhat to the greater gadget good.

Still that doesn't mean there won't be new TVs vying for attention in the hot halls of the Las Vegas Convention Centre.

LG has already confirmed that it will be showing off its shiny 55-inch OLED television that is just 5mm thick as well as a 4K screen and its LG Google TV?set top box that will be launching in the US in 2012 and the UK in 2013.

Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and Toshiba are also expected to have new models at the show offering all the latest whizz-bangs, 3D, 4K, and streaming services galore.

Roku, a company that makes streaming boxes, has a different idea to how we should be consuming television and has launched a set top box in a USB stick that you stick into your TV to stream a number of services like Netflix.

Everything else

Aside from the major categories we expect there to be plenty of everything else in between. Whether that is cube shaped mice from Logitech, crazy iPhone docks from all on sundry and bizarre Android powered beer openers or iPad cases you just know that buried in a booth somewhere at the back of the Las Vegas Convention Centre will be the gadget you think you've always wanted, but in reality would never get it out of the box.?

Tags: CES2012 Phones Tablets Laptops Televisions Home Cinema Sony LG Samsung Apple Google HTC Sony Ericsson Lenovo HP Toshiba Asus Acer Nokia Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD Nokia Lumia 900 Viewsonic Nvidia Qualcomm Dell Microsoft Windows 8 Fujifilm Nikon Olympus Canon Kodak Casio roku Features

CES 2012 preview: we're here originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:32:00 +0000

Call of Duty: Black Ops was the most played game on the Xbox 360 based on Unique Users that connected to Xbox LIVE in 2011 to play the game according figures released by Microsoft on Friday.

Although the company hasn't said how many gamers opted to play the first person shooter, it has listed the top twenty games played over the last year.?

The list is dominated by Call of Duty, Battlefield, and other first person shooters suggesting Xbox gamers like to kill stuff more than anything else.

But the top 20 list also highlights just how popular Skyrim has been. The game ranked 6th overall even though it was only released in November.

Another November title that has performed well is the box office smash hit Call of Duty: Modern Warefare 3 which placed second behind the older title Call of Duty: Black Ops.?

Implying that is isn't just Americans trying to kill things, sports titles like FIFA 12, and Madden NFL 12 are also in the top charts.

The full list is as follows:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops

2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

3. Call of Duy: Modern Warfare 2

4. Halo: Reach

5. Battlefield 3

6. Skyrim

7. Gears of War 3

8. FIFA 12

9. FIFA Soccer 11

10. Madden NFL 12

11. GTA IV

12. NBA 2K11

13. Battlefield: Bad Co. 2?

14. Call of Duty 4

15. Battlefield 3 Beta?

16. Halo 3

17. Gears of War 2

18. Forza Motorsport 4

19. Red Dead Redemption

20. Call of Duty: WaW

The top 20 story is very different for Windows Phone 7 users. They have stuck to big puzzle games rather than "murder, death, kill".

Again late arriver Angry Birds is the most played game in the Marketplace according to Microsoft, beating Fruit Ninja and Plants vs Zombies to the top spot.

The full list is as follows:

1. Angry Birds

2. Fruit Ninja

3. PvZ

4. Need for Speed Undercover

5. Full House Poker

6. MONOPOLY

7. Doodle Jump

8. Bejeweled LIVE

9. Rise Of Glory

10. geoDefense

11. ilomilo

12. Assassin’s Creed – Alta?r’s Chronicles HD

13. Sonic 4 Episode I

14. Tetris

15. Fable: Coin Golf

16. Hydro Thunder GO

17. The Harvest

18. Uno

19. Tentacles

20. The Sims 3

Read

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Microsoft Angry Birds Windows Phone 7 Call of Duty Black Ops Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

Call of Duty: Black Ops most played Xbox 360 LIVE game of 2011, Angry Birds wins Windows Phone 7 choice originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:35:00 +0000

Sony and Microsoft are set to go head to head at the E3 games expo this June, with the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox 720 both purportedly to be given d?buts at the LA based show.

That's the low-down according to gaming site MCV, who claims to have confirmed the details with "third-party publishing sources" who state that Microsoft had "signalled to partners" that it was all set and Sony would "not be left behind this time".

Microsoft famously beat Sony to the 7th generation console punch back in the mid-noughties with the Xbox 360 getting a head start on the PS3. A start that led to a lead it has never let slip.

This isn't the first E3 launch murmurs for the two consoles either. Back in November an Edge report stated that Ubisoft Montreal (the development team behind Assassin's Creed Revelations) is "hard at work on target boxes?based on the intended specifications of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 successor" using PCs stacked with off-the-shelf components supplied by Microsoft itself with a view to an E3 showcase.

And, later that month Jim Ryan, PlayStation Europe's big cheese, said that it would be "undesirable" for the PS4 launch to lag too far behind the competition. Nintendo's Wii U is all set to hot shops this year, don't forget.

And if you think we're being presumptuous with our Xbox 720 moniker, you'll do well to remember that Microsoft itself has already revealed the name....sort of. In the Real Steel movie, which is set in the near-future, the logo can be spotted on advertising hoardings at the "Bing Arena" (alongside one for Virgin Galactic).

Pocket-lint reached out for comment from both Sony and Microsoft regarding the latest rumour. Unsurprisingly, they are both keeping tight-lipped on any future developments.

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Tags: Gaming Sony Microsoft E3 PS4 PlayStation 4 Xbox Xbox 720

Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 to go head to head in June originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:37:00 +0000

Microsoft has announced that it has resurrected its flight simulator franchise in the guise of Microsoft Flight, a new PC game that "lets players jump into the challenge, fun and freedom of flight."

However, if you're expecting a mega worldwide flying experience - then don't. "Microsoft Flight" will be available as a free download this spring, but restricted to allowing you to fly the skies over Hawaii.

Still, while the flying arena might not be as big as you'd hoped, you shouldn't let it dampen your spirits.?There will be a variety of exciting missions, the chance to test your skills in flying challenges and find hidden aero-caches on the island.

According to Microsoft:

"Players [will] view the world from above in a visually stunning and realistic representation of the earth, complete with region-specific weather patterns, foliage, terrain and landmarks. Players can choose to take the helm using?highly rendered, accurate cockpits and authentic piloting procedures, or simply use their mouse and keyboard to control the plane in an exterior view."

More experienced players?can tailor?the?flight controls to match their skill level.

While the initial experience will be free, players will be able to expand the game excessively soon afterwards. Players who sign in to their Games for Windows Live, for example, will automatically receive additional free content, including a Boeing Stearman plane, supplementary missions and access to achievements and an Online Pilot Profile.

Those looking to deepen their experience can purchase and download additional content that adds new aircraft, regions and customisation options.

There also looks to be daily aerocache challenges and updates promised too.

In a further attempt to lure would-be pilots, you'll also be able to fly the new ICON A5 before real-world production starts at the end of 2012.

Designed by the aeronautical engineers behind the Voyager spaceship, X-Prize winning SpaceShipOne, and Virgin Galatic’s SpaceShipTwo, the ICON A5 is the “jet ski for the skies,” a high-wing amphibious monoplane with a carbon fibre airframe and a comfortable, automobile-inspired cockpit with space for two.

The ICON A5 will be the first aircraft available to players for free in Microsoft Flight.

The game is out in the spring. Those who can't wait that long can sign up for the closed beta here.?

Tags: Gaming PC games Microsoft Microsoft Flight Simulation games

Microsoft Flight takes, erm, flight originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:41:00 +0000

Microsoft is suing UK electronics and PC retailer Comet for allegedly counterfeiting thousands of copies of Windows Vista and Windows XP. The shop is accused of pirating 94,000 recovery discs without the permission of the software giant.

It is claimed that Comet copied the discs at a factory in Hampshire and then bundled them with new PCs as recovery discs, even though they weren't official and, presumably, didn't carry Microsoft's hologram.

David Finn, associate general counsel, Worldwide Anti-Piracy and Anti-Counterfeiting at Microsoft inferred that the counterfeit copies did not meet the publisher's high standards: "As detailed in the complaint filed today, Comet produced and sold thousands of counterfeit Windows CDs to unsuspecting customers in the United Kingdom," he said.

“Comet’s actions were unfair to customers. We expect better from retailers of Microsoft products — and our customers deserve better, too."

A spokesperson for Comet said to British newspaper The Daily Mirror that its copying of the recovery discs was not in breach of Microsoft's copyright, and that it undertook the measures when Microsoft stopped the supply of Vista and XP discs itself: "We note that proceedings have been issued by Microsoft Corporation against Comet relating to the creation of recovery discs by Comet on behalf of its customers," she countered.

"Comet has sought and received legal advice from leading counsel to support its view that the production of recovery discs did not infringe Microsoft’s intellectual property.

"Comet firmly believes that it acted in the very best interests of its customers.?It believes its customers had been adversely affected by the decision to stop supplying recovery discs with each new Microsoft Operating System based computer.

“Accordingly Comet is satisfied that it has a good defence to the claim and will defend its position vigorously."

Not once did she utter the words "Aah, Jim lad!" or stand on one leg, holding an upside-down broom.

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Tags: Microsoft Piracy Windows Comet PCs Windows Vista Windows XP

Microsoft sues Comet for Windows piracy originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:47:00 +0000

The start of a new year means the chance to get excited about another batch of gadgets that will come our way over the next 12 months.

There will be hundreds of gadgets, loads of phones and tablets, and even more cameras to tickle our interest. This time next year you might have a completely different phone than you do now, a new games console, or even a new computer.

While some are still hidden from us waiting to appear like a jack-in-the-box we already know some that will be gracing the shop shelves in the coming months ahead.

Here at the start of the year are the ones we are waiting for:

PlayStation Vita

Due out in February in the UK and the US, the PlayStation Vita will be Sony's return to the handheld space in an attempt to fend off the continual rise of the smartphone and the tablet. But will a dedicated 5-inch handheld gaming console be enough to tackle the Samsung Galaxy devices and Apple iPads of this world? Sony certainly hopes so and we get to find out in a month's time.?

Read more on the PlayStation Vita

iPhone 5

iPhone gossip dominated 2011 and there is nothing to suggest that it won't dominate proceedings until Apple reveals an iPhone 5, possibly in September 2012 - the rumours have already started.

If the fanboys felt cheated out of the new device with the reveal of the iPhone 4S, imagine how they will feel if Apple skips 2012 altogether. Remember there was a 16-month launch cycle between the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Ouch.

Read more on the iPhone 5

iPad 3

The iPad 2 was launched at the start of 2011 and the year before saw the launch of the iPad in 2010. Taking that launch pattern as gospel, we should see an iPad 3 launched and in shops in the first couple of months of 2012.

In reality Apple has, of course, said nothing, confirmed nothing, and acknowledged nothing.

Still, that hasn't stopped rumours flowing out of "those familiar with the matter" and "sources close to the product" as if it was champagne at a New Year's Eve party.

If you are to believe all the gossip, Apple will launch a third iPad, called the iPad 3, that will have a faster processor and higher resolution. If you really believe everything you read, and we recommend you don't, there will also be a 7-inch version too.

Read more on the iPad 3

Samsung Galaxy S III

The Samsung Galaxy S II was one of the biggest phones of 2011 winning numerous awards, including Phone of the Year in the 8th Pocket-lint Gadget Awards, and ending up in many people's pockets.

Since then Samsung has launched the more powerful Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Google. That combined with the launch of Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, means that the Samsung Galaxy S II is now looking old. Rumours have it that the SGS III will be faster, quicker, and more powerful than you can possibly imagine.?

Expect a February Mobile World Congress 2012 reveal.

Read more on the Samsung Galaxy S III

Ultrabooks

Intel is throwing a lot of weight behind the MacBook Air challenger and with plenty of support from Asus, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo and others like LG and HP. Expect there to be plenty of Ultrabook announcements over the next 12 months. Your next laptop is going to be thin.

Read more on Ultrabooks

Apple TV

Not that Apple TV, but the other one, currently dubbed iTV. If that doesn't make it even more confusing then here is the lowdown.

Apple is, if rumours become true, expected to launch a television that has the power of its Apple TV set top box within, which should revolutionise the television industry the same way it changed the mobile phone market. The bonus, however, is that Apple already has an army of users with devices (iPhones and iPads) eager to connect via AirPlay.

The TVs, currently rumoured to be 32 or 37 inches in size, might also have Siri support so you can talk to your TV, with it possibly moving into your kitchen before gunning for your living room in 2013.

Read more on Apple TV

Nintendo Wii U

Shown off at the E3 gaming trade show in LA in June 2011, The Wii U is the follow-up to the hugely successful Wii console and hopes to revitalise Nintendo's fortunes in 2012.

The console promises to be more powerful than the current Xbox 360 and PS3 as well as include a tablet-like controller.?Nintendo has said that the Wii U will be launched some time in 2012.?

Read more on the Nintendo Wii U

Windows 8

Expected at the tail end of 2012, Windows 8 will promise a wrath of new features and excitement for Windows users on their PC.

From the early public preview, that has already been made available, expect a two-pronged computer and tablet attack. 2012 is the year Microsoft tries to crack the tablet market once again.

Read more on Windows 8

Windows Phone 8 (Apollo)

We've already started to hear rumblings of Windows Phone 8 and the new features it will add. If, like other product life-cycles, Microsoft follows suit with updates to its mobile phone operating system, we will see an announcement in February with a roll out of the new features to the general public in October 2012.

Even better, with a new OS will come new phones from the likes of Nokia, Samsung, LG, and HTC hopefully.

Read more on Windows Phone 8

Kindle Fire in the UK

The Kindle Fire has already launched in the US, but could 2012 see the launch of the colour tablet from Amazon in the UK? Rumours suggest so, but it is also worth bearing in mind that Amazon took over 2 years to get the Kindle from the US to the UK.

Sadly, Amazon hasn't officially said when or if it will be launching the Kindle Fire internationally.

Read more on the Amazon Kindle Fire

Asus Transformer Prime

Due to go on sale in the next couple of weeks, if not days, the Asus Transformer Prime is the follow up to the Transformer Prime launched in 2011.?

The Honeycomb (Asus have promised it will be getting an Ice Cream Sandwich update) tablet packs a powerful punch with its Nvidia quad-core processor and means it will dominate proceedings for the rest of the year when it comes to Android tablet competitors.?

You can read our review of the new Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime?when we got to play with it extensively in 2011.?

Tags: Phones Tablets Televisions Samsung Apple Amazon Nintendo Nintendo Wii U Amazon Kindle Fire PS Vita Sony iPhone 5 iPad 3 Samsung Galaxy S III Apple TV Ultrabooks Windows 8 Windows Phone 8 Microsoft Intel Features Asus Asus Transformer Prime

11 hottest gadgets to look forward to in 2012 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:25:00 +0000

Of all the stories that broke in August the one that really got people talking was that tech superstar Steve Jobs would be resigning from Apple, to be replaced by CEO Tim Cook. It was one of the most important stories to break this year apart from of course his death.?

August was also a rather significant month for the mobile, with the usual iPhone rumours being backed up with leaks from the likes of HTC and of course the awesome TouchPad fire sale from HP.

Year in Review:

?

Sky Go launches in trolley form

Sky Go, the tablet friendly version of everyones favourite Murdoch powered tv empire, made an appearance in supermarket trolleys across the country. Sainsbury's teamed up with Sky to bring iPads and the app to a selection of its shopping trolleys. More a PR stunt than anything, but we didn't mind, anything to keep the weekly shop more exciting.?Read More

Stephen Fry doesn't place the iPhone as his favourite gadget

Apple obsessed Fry hosted a show this year called 100 greatest gadgets which you would have expected the iPhone to top. It didn't, instead Fry rather strangely chose the lighter as the most important piece of gadgetry in history. It might not have made sense at first but after his explanation it became clear the all knowing Fryster knew what he was talking about.?Read More

Gamer goes for 1 million Xbox points

Even beginning to comprehend how many hours you would need to pour into Xbox gaming in order to acquire this number of points hurts our head. 1 million Xbox points would require a platinum trophy on just about every title available on the console. Or to be more precise, 900 complete play throughs.?Read More

iTunes Match arrives in iOS 5

iTunes Match made its first appearance for iOS 5 developers in August. Acting like a clean slate for piracy fans and a cheap mans answer to Spotify, the ?21 per year service was set to revolutionise the way people used iTunes.?Read More

HP TouchPad has a fire sale

The little tablet that never quite was, the HP TouchPad, went on sale for just ?89 in August. The resultant rush for tablet buying had even the Pocket-lint gang arguing over who got what. Websites crashed, stock flew off the shelves and eBay immediately filled with TouchPads picked up by crafty shoppers.?Read More

HTC Vigor leaked pics

HTC picked up Beats Audio licensing this year which left audio fans waiting for a new handset with the headphones included. This was eventually to arrive in the form of the Sensation XE and XL, but rumour town kept us excited with the HTC Vigor.?Read More

LG announces 2D to 3D app converter

The LG Optimus 3D might have initially seemed like a bit of a gimmick, especially given the lack of apps optimised for glasses free 3D. LG hoped to change all this with its clever 2D to 3D app converter, which could turn conventional gaming into the third?dimension.?Read More

Schmidt says Google TV is coming to UK

Despite practically falling flat on its face at launch, Google's Eric Schmidt continued to insist that Google TV would launch in the UK. Yet to truly materialise over on British shores, the service keeps on getting cheaper in the US.?Read More

Samsung leaks Galaxy Nexus

The Galaxy Nexus we now know as the the flagship Android handset available. It was however just an apple in Samsung's eye at this point, small enough for them to accidentally leak it out to the general public. Oops thought Samsung and immediately tried to keep things quiet, it was however too late, the Android fans had rallied and the seeds of excitement were sown.?Read More

Steve Jobs resigns

In what would be the prelude to the story of the year, Steve Jobs, an icon in the technology world, stepped down as CEO of Apple. Replaced by Tim Cook, who would later appear at the iPhone 4S launch, Jobs resigning left many worried what direction Apple would take.?Read More

Tron made with duct tape

Tron Legacy re-ignited our love of the lightcycle. It was however nothing on the original, which at least featured proper light trails. Thankfully advertisers recreated the joys of the original, in an ad campaign that was surely destined to go viral.?Read More

Sony Nex-7 and Nex-5n cameras land

The original Sony NEX was a bit of a misnomer in the camera world, being thinner than a compact but with a proper interchangeable lens system. It just didn't quite perform or feel right in the hand. Thankfully Sony nailed it second time round with the NEX-5n and NEX-7, both of which would outperform most other cameras in its category.?Read More

8GB iPhone 4 coming soon?

A cheaper iPhone 4 would make sense, particularly given the now more powerful iPhone 4S has been released. Dropping memory would also reduce cost, hence the 8GB iPhone 4 rumours, which had everyone who couldn't quite afford the Apple hardware in August convinced they would be getting a cheaper one soon.?Read More

HP dumps WebOS

As quick as the TouchPad went on sale and HP's brand new product line up dropped in price, the company dropped WebOS. Massively underrated, it just came too late and into a market that was just too competitive. Shame, as WebOS deserved to succeed.?Read More

Minecraft Pocket Edition hits Android Market

Minecraft, the king of indie games, arrived on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play as an exclusive. It was for a while strictly reserved for Play owners. Eventually the app hit the Android Market and the rest of us could enjoy the delights of its cube-based world.?Read More

Samsung Galaxy Tab banned in OZ

The lawsuits continued between Samsung, Apple and chums. The majority of the time it was Cupertino that emerged victorious and in this case, they even managed to get a sale ban on the Galaxy Tab in Australia.?Read More

Apple biggest company in the world

Apple managed to top even the likes of Exxon-Mobil as the biggest company in the world. Despite retaining a minority share of the smartphone market, its iPhone, iPad and Mac computers ensured that the company would become the financial king of the tech world.?Read More

Nokia N9 gets a UK release

The great smartphone inbetweener, the Nokia N9, went on general release in the UK. Powered by MeeGo, the OS that never was, it signalled the end for Nokia and its non WP7 handsets.?Read More

Anonymous threatens to close down Facebook

Remember what Zuckerberg said in The Social Network? "We don't break down ... ever". Well Anonymous appeared to think differently and threatened to close down the website. They didn't ...?Read More

Tags: Sky Sky Go Tablets Apple iPad Samsung Samsung Galaxy Tab Anonymous HTC HP TouchPad Xbox Microsoft Xbox 360 iPhone 4 LG Galaxy Nexus Sony Sony NEX-7 Sony NEX-5N Features Year in Review

Year in review 2011: August originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Windows Phone 7 Apollo, the next major update to the mobile operating system, will be coming in Q4 2012, according to a roadmap that website WMPoweruser claims to have got its hands-on.

Detailed in its brief layout are the launch dates and targeted areas for the forthcoming Tango and Apollo updates, with the former now seemingly focused on bringing a Windows Phone experience to cheap, low-end devices. Therefore, Windows Phone 7 users who are looking for a more feature-rich upgrade from Mango (which, itself, only arrived in the tail end of 2011) will have to wait until the end of next year.

According to the roadmap, Microsoft also believes that Apollo will coincide with a better range of handsets. It states that it will be released with "Competitive Smartphones" and that there will be an "Increase in Volume".

The software giant will also be looking to target the business sector in a greater fashion, perhaps?fuelled?by speculation that Research in Motion and its BlackBerry handset business is under threat. Indeed, there have even been rumours that Microsoft, in partnership with Nokia, was looking to buy RIM outright, but this move would seemingly put an end?to such an idea.

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Tags: Microsoft WP7 Windows Phone 7 Apollo Windows Phone 7 Windows Phone 7 Tango Phones

Leaked Windows Phone roadmap shows WP7 Apollo coming 2012 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:09:32 +0000

Microsoft is taking a leaf out of Apple's book in that it will no longer be attending or making a keynote at the consumer electronics show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The show, that launches at the beginning of January, is a way for companies to show off all their latest product launches for the year to come, however it turns out that Microsoft will not be attending in anything like the same way it has in the past, which as well as the keynote means no MS booths either.

Frank Shaw, vice president corporate comms, stated that: "We’ll continue to participate in CES as a great place to connect with partners and customers across the PC, phone and entertainment industries, but we won’t have a keynote or booth after this year because our product news milestones generally don’t align with the show’s January timing."

As for this year's CES, it's doubtful we'll see any big announcements although with what has, on the whole, been a very good year for Microsoft we're sure it'll be going over some of its past glories in the phone and gaming areas, along with a few hints at what's to come.

After being at the show for nearly 20 years it seems like a bold decision to stop now, just when it looks as though Microsoft are riding a bit of a wave. However, it actually shows how confident the company are feeling about the future; focusing on its own events, like MIX and BUILD, could begin to add a little kudos to a company that has struggled with its image in the past.

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Tags: Microsoft CES2012 Biz

Microsoft CES 2012: Last major appearance originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:07:00 +0000

With RIM's stock at an all time low, it is no surprise that sharks look to be circling the mobile phone and tablet maker. However the interest, it seems, is coming from those you wouldn't, perhaps, expect. They're some of the biggest fish around.

According to two separate articles on Wednesday, by Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, those sharks include Amazon, Nokia and Microsoft.

Reuters is claiming that "people with knowledge of the situation" have told them that Amazon - yes, the online retailer - even fancied seeing what it could do with the ailing smartphone maker.

"Research In Motion Ltd has turned down takeover overtures from Amazon.com Inc and other potential buyers because the BlackBerry maker prefers to fix its problems on its own, according to people with knowledge of the situation," writes the news agency.

According to the article, Amazon even hired an investment bank to look into a potential merger, but an offer wasn't forthcoming.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Nokia and Microsoft looked to join forces in order to buy RIM. It claims that sources have told them that the organisations "flirted with the idea of making a joint bid for Research In Motion Ltd" and even entered into discussions with the company. However, the results of those talks are unclear.

RIM's market value has plunged 77 per cent in the last 12 months.

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Tags: Biz Microsoft Nokia Amazon Mergers BlackBerry

Nokia, Amazon and Microsoft circle RIM - is a takeover on the cards? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:40:00 +0000

Nokia has announced the Nokia Lumia 710?will launch in the US on T-Mobile on 11 January 2012 for just $50.

The new Windows Phone 7 smartphone, first announced in the UK in October at Nokia World promises to bring Windows Phone 7 to the masses with aggressive pricing as the Finnish company and Microsoft look to fight the large array of Android smartphones and the Apple’s iPhone.

Nokia is hoping that the Lumia 710 will appeal to the nearly 150 million Americans who haven't purchased their first smartphones, the Nokia Lumia 710, capable of running on T-Mobile's 4G network.

Like the Lumia 800 available in the UK the Nokia Lumia 710 will come with Nokia Drive, and Nokia Maps, but add US centric apps like Netflix and T-Mobile TV with mobile HD

"Our research shows nearly everybody in the US wants a smartphone, but many believe they can't afford it," said Cole Brodman, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA on the launch. "This is the perfect first Nokia Lumia experience and the start of our re-entry into the U.S. smartphone market."

Nokia has opted to start its US battle with an entry-level phone rather than a flagship device as it has in the UK with the Lumia 800 model.

Available in a black or white finish, the Nokia Lumia 710 features a 3.7-inch ClearBlack WVGA scratch-resistant display for outstanding outdoor viewing and a Qualcomm 1.4 GHz Snapdragon processor. It also features a 5-megapixel camera.

The Nokia Lumia 710 is expected to be available at T-Mobile starting 11 January 2012.

The Nokia Lumia 710 is expected to cost $49.99 after a USD 50 mail-in-rebate card, with a two-year service contract.

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Tags: Phones Nokia Nokia Lumia 710 Windows Phone 7 Microsoft Mobile phones T-Mobile

T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 710 says good morning America on 11 Jan 2012 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:14:00 +0000

Pocket-lint has teamed up with Xbox UK to bring you the chance of winning an Gears of War 3 Xbox 360 as part of our Pocket-lint Xmas Spectacular.

Xbox 360 offers the best blockbuster games and exclusives, and you can win the biggest console exclusive of the year with the Gears of War 3 Limited Edition 320GB console. It features a custom design, sounds from the game and two customised wireless controllers. Additionally, you’ll score the Epic Edition of the game, which includes a Limited Edition Marcus Fenix Statue, expertly crafted by the artisans at Triforce.

All you have to do is follow Pocket-lint (@Pocketlint) and Xbox (@tweetbox360) on Twitter and then retweet this or any story with the hashtag #plxmas. The competition will last just 24 hours after which a winner will be drawn 15 December at 11am. The winner will be announced on Twitter.

So what are you waiting for? By this time tomorrow you could be the proud owner a new Gears of War 3 Xbox 360 console.

This competition is now closed.

Congratulations to @BigDaveHaze for winning a Gears of War 3 Xbox 360 console.

Tags: Microsoft Consoles Xbox 360 Competitions Gaming Gears of War 3

The Pocket-lint Xmas Spectacular - Day 9: Win a Gears of War 3 Xbox 360 console originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Microsoft has teamed up with music streaming radio service Last.fm for a new online portal to its "three million up and coming unsigned artists."

Pocket-lint was invited to a demo of the HTML5-powered site at the tech giant's offices in London and we have to say that we were mightily impressed. The UI is a green and hilly virtual land (Teletubbies-esque but with more edge) where the you can zoom in and out and easily travel between different hills representing artists, genres and the like.

Once a radio station is chosen the control options appear on a bar along the bottom, along with a handy mixtape maker. This playlist option is also saved when you close the browser.

When running on IE9 and using a Windows 7 machine it is possible to turn the webpage and browser into an app-like experience, complete with themed browser buttons and extra commands when the site is pinned to the taskbar. It's also possible to control playback in the preview pane by just hovering over the icon.

"What we want is to see more and more websites using as much of HTML5 as possible and one of the reasons for that is we want websites to be more like apps in the way they feel," explained Ian Moulster, Microsoft product manager.

"It kind of goes with the philosophy with what IE9 is trying to do - it's trying to make the browser disappear and the website shine."

Moulster stressed though that, even though Microsoft worked in tandem with Last.fm for the platform, the HTML5 site isn't exclusive to Internet Explorer. It does add to the experience if you use the Redmond company's browser though.

"Other browsers that support HTML5 - it will work and will work perfectly fine but it won't be quite as slick and smooth as it is with Windows and IE9," he said.

"What we don't want to do is lock other browsers out. We want it to be standard HTML5... but we do want to make sure that when you run it with IE9 on a Windows system you're getting the absolute best and making the most of the extra integration and features."

The HTML5-tastic Last.fm site is available now at Last.fm/discover. Happy scrobbling.

Tags: Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 HTML5 Lastfm

Microsoft tunes in Last.fm for IE9 HTML5 scrobbling originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Microsoft has announced the launch of SkyDrive for iPhone and Windows Phone 7, bringing some serious cloud-based control over all types of digital files.

The new SkyDrive app will allow users to search through all of their content and share whatever they like using the "Get a link" method before emailing it off - it also allows you to choose whether you would like the recipient to be able to edit or just view the document.

As this looks to be primarily a sharing tool, it won't replace the native OneNote system on Windows Phones as that will remain the place where you create and work on documents.

However what is useful is the way you can organise your SkyDrive; easy creation and deletion of content goes a long way in terms of managing, so if you've got more than a couple of dozen folders lurking around this could be a really useful little app.

Some may question the wisdom of Microsoft dishing out so much of its software to iOS as it may give mobile users a reason to stick with the iPhone rather than make the move to WP7, however as more software is made available on an increasing number of different platforms it is quality hardware that might end up being the difference.

Tags: iPhone apps WP7 apps Apps Microsoft Microsoft SkyDrive

Microsoft SkyDrive app for iPhone and Windows Phone 7 launches originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:59:00 +0000