While here on the Western side of the globe, Twitter's plans for profit include commercial accounts with a special layer of analytical access, in Japan, the micro-blogging site has revealed plans to charge consumers.

The paid-for, premium accounts will see a tiered payment model that will charge users to view tweets and related text, images and links of "certain premium Twitter accounts".

In Japan Twitter is a subsidiary, operated by Twitter investor Digital Garage, and operates separately from the main Twitter service we use in Europe and the US.

The paid subscription options are due to go live in Japan in January 2010 with pricing due to range from 100 yen (70p) to 1000 yen (?7), presumably on an access/time basis, with Twitter said to be taking a 30% cut.

It's almost certain we will not see a similar plan. Twitter has always maintained it will keep the site free for users, with the service's co-founder quoted just this month as stating: "Twitter will always be free to everyone whether it's commercial or personal".

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Tags: Software Websites Twitter Biz

Twitter to charge in Japan originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:46:48 +0000

Day 5 of our Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 nominees round-up and it's time for the growth area of tech that is software, services and apps.

This category has been blown wide open of late with some enormous releases in 2009 as well as the explosion of the mobile phone app. It's going to be a close one. So, before you head over to the voting page to mark your choices, here's a little run down of our pick of the crop for the year.

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Spotify

Type

Music streaming service

Price

Free

PL review rating

9/10

Aside the minor blip of accidentally exposing the user database to hackers, Spotify has done no wrong. The free streaming music player has rocketed to stardom in 2009 making just about every other service take a look at itself and rethink they way they're doing things. The catalogue is growing and growing, the social side is as fun, informative and strong as ever and there's even all sorts of blogs and sites out there full of playlists for us all to try.

Spotify's arrival on mobile phones is still just finding its feet but the main service has been so popular that the company has actually had to put it back into an invitation only beta state once again. If you're not using it by now, you should be - or you must be American.

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Windows 7 Ultimate

Type

Computer OS

Release date

22/10/09

Price

?166

PL review rating

9/10

With knives firmly plunged into Vista from all sides, it was everything Microsoft could do to bring out Windows 7 as fast as possible. Even though perhaps it's a lot more similar to its predecessor than many would think, it's seen one of the fastest uptakes of any OS so far in its short life. XP's increasing propensity for attack has meant even more users making the switch and already Windows 7 itself has a larger share than all of Apple's OS X platforms put together.

Somehow the second attempt at the Windows Aero design is much better placed. The taskbar has come to life with Jump Lists and Aero Peek and getting more flexibility out of windows by dragging them to different parts of the screen is an excellent addition. As a system, it's very secure, there's better support for laptops and SSDs and it's so much more intuitive than any other Windows OS so far. A worthy nominee.

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Tweetie 2 for iPhone

Type

iPhone app

Release date

12/10/09

Price

?1.79

PL review rating

9/10

Much ado about Twitter has meant the need for Twitter clients everywhere. There are plenty of good ones out there for desktop solutions but the one that shone out from all the rest was Tweetie 2 for the iPhone.

Once we got past the gripe that previous users will have to pay again if they wish to upgrade from the first version, we were really impressed. There's a whole pile of new features but the biggest is that it now has persistence (it remembers where you were when you switch it off), new message indicators, the ability to save draft tweets, speed boosts, cached tweets for offline reading and the ability to drag up to refresh - rather than hitting a refresh button. The result is an app that once again wins a place in our hearts.

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Dropbox

Type

Web/desktop service

Price

Free

PL review rating

9/10

A cult favourite in the software, service, app realm of 2009 has been online storage and file transfer solution known as Dropbox. It offers a standard 2GB of cloud space but its main functions are really that of syncing and sharing. The idea is that you have a Dropbox folder on the desktop of all your computers and any file you put into it on one machine can then be accessed from all the others. If you happen to be editing one of these files, it will also update those changes in all the other places automatically.

On the sharing side, it acts as a far simpler solution than the heavy geekery of FTP servers and rather demystifies the concept for the everyone else. You can make certain folders within your main Dropbox folder open to the public, which means that friends and colleagues with Dropbox can then access and download these files too. It's one thing to sit and explain it but go and try it for yourselves and you'll begin to discover its real genius.

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Sky Player for Xbox

Type

IPTV & VoD service

Release date

29/10/09

Price

Sky & Xbox Live Gold subs

PL review rating

9/10

It had a stutter and a start on its way out but the Sky Player has been a roaring success for those who can afford it. You get an excellent choice of both live Sky channels as well as a vault of on-demand content from the watchable to the ridiculous and more Ross Kemp programming than you could shake a stick at. The menus are designed into the style of Xbox Live and the integration is seamless offering intuitive control to get whatever it is you're after.

The major downside is that you need to fork out for both a Sky subscription and an Xbox Live Gold, neither of which comes particularly cheap, and it does limit the service to a minority of people. Perhaps not worth upgrading for but if you have the money you certainly get what you pay for.

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Related links:

• Feature - The low down: Best Laptop 2009
• Feature - The low down: Best Digital Camera 2009
• Feature - The low down: Best Car Gadget 2009

Tags: Software Online Spotify Microsoft Tweetie 2 Dropbox Sky Xbox 360 Pocket-lint Awards Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Features

The low down: Best Software, Service, App 2009 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:36:17 +0000

It's the last weekend of November. How's yours coming along?

The Pocket-Lint team are itching and scratching their way through the last few days, but the parade of facial hair is really something to behold.

But now it's time to get creative for that final flourish.

Choose your style gentlemen.

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

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY - love the mo originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

This isn't just video of the day. This could be video of the week, month or even year.

It's not just the time put into it (440 hours!) but the attention to detail, the production values and the total dedication.

We absolutely love this and if they ever make a full-length Lego Matrix movie, we'll be there on opening night.

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

Tags: Video Websites Software Online

VIDEO OF THE DAY - Lego Matrix originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Virgin Media is trialling a deep packet inspection system that will see 40% of the ISP's network being monitored for file sharing activity. The network plans not to inform customers that they're being monitored.

The system is called CView and is being provided by a subsidiary of BAE called Deltica, which?specialises in large volume data collection and processing and usually works with intelligence agencies across the world. It'll operate at the centre of Virgin's network, and only attempt to determine the?proportion of file sharing traffic that infringes copyright.

Customers are likely to be a little uncomfortable with Virgin Media handing over their emails and web browsing habits to a weapons manufacturer, but?Virgin Media has emphasised that it just wants to measure the overall level of illegal file sharing, not keep records on individual customers.

BT's controversial Phorm advertising system used the same kind of technology, and also didn't inform or get consent from subscribers to the network. That proved to be a hot potato and was heavily criticized by privacy advocates and the internet community.

Virgin is preparing to launch a legitimate download service in partnership with Universal Music.?"Understanding how consumer behaviour is changing will be an important requirement of Virgin Media's upcoming music offering and, should they become law, the Government's legislative proposals will also require measurement of the level of copyright infringement on ISPs' networks", said Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media.

If you're a Virgin Media subscriber, are you comfortable with this level of intrusion in your web browsing? Let us know in the comments.

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Tags: Software Online Filesharing P2P Virgin Media

Virgin Media to monitor filesharers originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:51:34 +0000

Mininova, one of the bigger Bittorrent filesharing sites on the Web, has shut down every single "infringing" torrent in its index and pledged to go legitimate. All torrents have been removed, except the ones that were uploaded through its content distribution service which allows artists to put their own content up.

The decision follows a court ruling after legal action from Dutch anti-piracy brigade BREIN. Mininova has always removed torrents pointing to copyrighted material on request, but the sheer weight of new torrents being uploaded made that difficult. The court ruled that Mininova wasn't liable for the infringement of its members, but that the site needed to implement a content filter.

A number of systems were trialled, but none proved 100% effective, so Mininova took the decision to remove almost every torrent in its index to avoid the threat of fines imposed by the court - 5 million euros.?It’s very unfortunate that we’re forced to take this action, but we saw no other option", Mininova co-founder Niek told TorrentFreak.

That leaves few major torrent sites still standing, but thanks to the increasingly decentralised infrastructure pioneered by the Pirate Bay after its own lawsuit, the filesharing community is still alive and well, and more difficult to tackle than ever.

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Tags: Software Websites Filesharing P2P Peter Mandelson Mininova

Mininova shuts down all illegal torrents originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:58:13 +0000

Remember the iPhone worm that spread an all-singing, all-dancing Rick Astley across jailbroken handsets? Well, the creator of the Ikee worm, as it's called, has been offered a job as an iPhone application developer by a company called Mogeneration.

The Australian 21-year-old, Ashley Towns, revealed the news on his Twitter feed, saying: "yey, i got the job! i'm now an iPhone application developer!". Mogeneration have a number of apps, including Lingopal, Xumii and Moo Shake!

Despite infecting approximately 100 phones with his rickrolling virus and admitting the creation of the worm, Towns hasn't been contacted by the law authorities. His attack was relatively trivial but it did lay the foundation for another, more malicious, virus that targeted ING customers.

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Tags: Phones iPhone apps Viruses And Malware Software

iPhone worm creator gets developer job originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:25:48 +0000

Utilising the Internet Explorer 8 Web Slice feature, Microsoft and eBay have teamed up to give real-time updates from eBay's daily deals.

"Customers will receive continuing updates and detailed information about these Daily Deals for eBay, all within the Favorites Bar in Internet Explorer 8", says Microsoft.

As part of this promotion Microsoft is also lauding IE8's built-in security and privacy features, and cites a study by NSS Labs showing "that Internet Explorer is the leading modern browser in malware and phishing protection".

This claim, however, should be treated with a pinch of salt as other browsers such as Firefox, Opera, Chrome and Safari also offer a wide range of add-ons and features which improve their protection - especially through layered security. Basically, do a little bit of homework before choosing.

You can get the Web Slice here and if you have an opinion on whether IE8 gives better security over other browsers make sure you let us know in the comments below.

Tags: Software Microsoft IE8 eBay Browsers Viruses And Malware

Internet Explorer 8 and eBay join forces for "secure" Christmas shopping originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:24:12 +0000

Orange has announced two new "connected laptops", the Asus 1005HGO and the Compaq CQ61 and two new mobile broadband dongles.

The 10.1-inch Asus 1005HGO with embedded SIM card is an Orange exclusive. Offering Windows 7 starter and weighing 1.27kg, it's angled as the on-the-go option.

The 15.6-inch Compaq CQ61 is bundled with an Orange e1752 dongle and comes with Windows 7 Home Premium.

The Asus netbook will cost from ?25 to ?35 a month on 18-month and 24-month mobile broadband contracts with 1GB, 3GB and 5GB options available.

The Compaq laptop is offered on the same contracts but also requires an upfront pay-out of between ?65 and ?130 depending on which contract is taken, although it is free on a 5GB, ?35 per month, 24-month contract.

As far as dongles go, the new Orange e1752 dongle will be bundled with mobile broadband packages while the Option 515M, which will come with a free 8GB Micro SD memory card, will be charged at around ?20.

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Tags: Hardware Phones Orange Laptops Mobile broadband USB modems Tariffs Asus Compaq Netbooks Software Asus 1005HGO Compaq CQ61

Orange offers two new "connected laptops" originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:34:14 +0000

We all love a driving game, don't we? But no matter how much you spend on a gaming seat and steering wheel set up (and you can spend a lot of money if you want to), there's always that feeling that you're still sitting in your living room in front of your telly.

This simulator from Toyota is nothing like that.

Yes, I know it's not a game, but in the not too distant future it just might be. For now it's where Toyota test the next generation of car safety features.

But just imagine Need for Speed Shift in this little beauty.

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

Tags: Video Websites Software Online

VIDEO OF THE DAY - Toyota simulator originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Google's doing a bit of testing on a new Google.com homepage that is possible to access and take a poke around. If you're feeling adventurous, then head over to Google.com (not .co.uk or any other regional site), log out of your Google account if you have one and paste the following into the address bar:

javascript:void(document.cookie="PREF=ID=20b6e4c2f44943bb:U=4bf292d46faad806:TM=1249677602:LM=1257919388:S=odm0Ys-53ZueXfZG;path=/; domain=.google.com");

If all goes well, you can then reload the page and you'll get an image a bit like the one at the top of the page. It has a new logo, with much less shadowing, as well as the option to skip the results page if it includes a result that the vast majority of people click on.

There's also a permanent sidebar on the left that allows you to pick what kind of content you're searching for, some related searches, and other search options to help narrow down exactly what it is you're looking for.

What do you think?

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Tags: Software Online Websites Google Search engines

Test out Google's prototype homepage originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:50:45 +0000

It appears as if Microsoft's advertising deal with Family Guy is back on again, after the software giant officially announced the plans and then changed its corporate mind deeming the grown-up cartoon not family friendly enough and opting for Warner Bros instead.

A selection of Windows 7 themed Family Guy clips have just showed up on Microsoft's official YouTube channel, but whether they are previews of what American viewers can expect to see soon, or the dumped ads filed for posterity, we don't know.

Tags: Software Windows 7 Video Microsoft Advertising

VIDEO: Family Guy promos Windows 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:27:15 +0000

What we love about this site is that we've all had ideas just like these. We've all sat round many a pub table and sketched winning ideas onto a beer mat and then spent the rest of the evening dreaming of how to spend the untold millions that are sure to pour in when we get our glow-in-the-dark rollerskates for cats onto the market. (No joy yet, but we're working on it...)

Anyway, Hamburger Blender lists all those amazing products that have been dreamt up and never quite put into production.

Shame really, this lot would seriously sort out the Christmas shopping round these parts.

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

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Hamburger Blender originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

If you're a hardened eBay fiend, then you'll know the value of watching your auctions like a hawk. If you're desperate to bag that multipack of pipe cleaners in rare colours, or R2D2 pencil sharpener, or sample of Chuck Norris' nostril hair, then you have to be there when the auction finishes to sneak in a last minute bid.

Well, now BlackBerry owners have something else to obsessively check along with their email, as eBay has rolled out a BlackBerry App World application for the auction site. It lets users search for, track, and buy an item from their handset.?It accepts PayPal payments, and will notify you of your bidding status, as well as place reminders in your BlackBerry's calendar.

The app could prove dangerous for some - we have a friend who once bought a DVD box set of all the episodes of Saved By The Bell ever following a drunken night out. Imagine the carnage if he had that access on his phone. Thankfully it was just the original series, not "The College Years" or "The New Class".

The app is free and available now.

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Tags: Software Mobile phone apps eBay BlackBerry App World

eBay unveils BlackBerry auction app originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:25:33 +0000

BT Openzone's wireless internet access will soon be available in 4500 more hotel bedrooms, thanks to a just-done deal.

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts has signed up to the BT scheme and will offer the Wi-Fi in all its properties across the UK by the end of 2009.

This means BT's 4.8 million broadband customers including those with inclusive BT FON Wi-Fi minutes, as well as BT Openzone users, O2 iPhone users, and customers from iPass, Boingo and other BT Openzone roaming partners will be able to use the service.

In addition, Macdonald Hotels will be flogging BT Openzone vouchers for a pay and play way to get online.

BT customers can now get online at more than 650,000 UK and Ireland hotspots. If you're tempted, there's more at www.btopenzone.com.

Tags: Software Broadband Wi-Fi hotspots BT Openzone

BT Openzone to be available in 4500 more hotel bedrooms originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:32:32 +0000

Some people are said to be born lucky. Others make their own luck.

This lot are certainly in the first group. You'd like to think that they all went on to savour every moment and live long, productive lives. But we reckon at least some of them will have been removed from the gene pool by now.

An astonishing collection of lucky escapes that will leave you marvelling at the fickle finger of fate.

You'll want to watch this one a few times. We have.

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

Tags: Video Websites Software Online

VIDEO OF THE DAY - one chance in life originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0000

LogMeIn has launched a new product in beta called LogMeIn Express. The idea is to create a quick, simple to use, screen sharing solution that you can use to demonstrate something to a remote colleague or use for troubleshooting purposes.

To share a screen, you'll need to download a small application which installs very quietly on your PC. It'll pop up a window with a twelve-digit code that you give to the person, or people, that you want to view your screen. They put that code in on the website and get a flash window with access to your desktop on it.

In our testing we found it to be a little on the slow side, but definitely usable and handy for fixing little software problems for your technophobic parents and relatives. Or to broadcast a presentation for up to 100 people across your company.

What other handy uses can you think of for this tool? Let us know in the comments.

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Tags: Software Online Websites LogMeIn LogMeIn Express

LogMeIn offers beta of express version originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:31:32 +0000

Microsoft has teamed up with New York department megastore Saks for a big Christmas promotion, that, as well as a special sales area inside, includes Windows 7 powering the store's infamous Christmas windows displays.

As part of the window displays, Microsoft has set up a screen displaying a live Twitter stream, with posts hashtagged HolidayWindows automatically showing up on the display.

What Microsoft perhaps didn't account for though, is Apple-loving Twitter users taking advantage of the stream to promote their own pro-Apple and/or anti-Microsoft messages.

A quick glance at the #HolidayWindows stream sees it chock-full of such pro-Apple pithy missives as the brief "Get a Mac" that appears multiple times.

There's also the likes of "Get a Mac! Just follow the masses down to the Apple store. The one that looks like the Windows store... only way cooler", "Avoid viruses - get a Mac", and "Ignore Microsoft, you're not a PC, you are a human being. Get a Mac and feel human again".

As @mooseblaster says, this cannot end well.

UPDATE: It seems the whole stunt was masterminded by Mac fan site MacDailyNews, but appears to have taken on a life on its own now with pro-Mac tweets coming thick and fast, way outnumbering any Windows fans who have attempted to mobilise with a counter-tweet attack.

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Tags: Software Twitter Windows 7 Video Microsoft shopping Apple Saks

VIDEO: Apple fans heckle Windows-powered Twitter stream in Saks' Christmas window originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:05:23 +0000

So, have you upgraded to Windows 7 yet?

No? What’s putting you off? It’s not like it was for Vista, we can assure you of that, if nothing else.

Maybe it’s all the hassle of reinstalling all your favourite apps that’s putting you off.

Stop right there if it is, ‘cos Ninite is the one-stop-shop for a whole smorgasbord of favourite software and widgets for PC users.

Select what you want, click on the installer and Ninite does the rest for you.

It’s what the PC world has been waiting for.

www.ninite.com

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

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Ninite originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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

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

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

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

We will keep you posted. ?

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

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Tags: Hardware Phones Audio Software Apple Black Friday

Apple Black Friday deals confirmed... originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:25:25 +0000

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has re-iterated the wish to keep hold of the micro-blogging site, rather than sell out wholesale, but has said an initial public offering could be on the cards for the future.

"We are definitely not interested in selling the company", Reuters quotes Stone as saying at an Oxford University event.

"If an IPO's the only thing, then sure. But if there is some other way then that would be great too. Maybe some other new way will emerge".

With Twitter funding from investors said to have hit the $100 million mark, valuing the company at $1 billion, the pressure will soon be on for the site to turn a profit, plans for which were recently revealed as advanced, paid-for accounts for businesses.

"2010 is really going to be the revenue year. I don't know if we're going to be profitable, but we have plenty of time", Stone said.

In addition, Twitter could introduce advertising in 2010, but Stone hinted it would take a different tack from traditional display ads, stating: "Everyone's going to love it. It's going to be amazing".

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Tags: Software Twitter Websites Online Biz Biz Stone

Twitter's Biz Stone talks IPO, advertising originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:00:09 +0000

It warms the cockles of this journalist's heart to see that there are still people out there who just want to go faster and faster, just because they can. I'm not talking about boy racers in their Citroen Saxos making a nuisance of themselves on British roads though.

Meet Bloodhound. This latest British effort to break the land speed record is all about the numbers:

135,000 horsepower.

3 engines.

3G - the forces experienced by its driver, Wing Commander Andy Green.

Oh and 1000mph.

Crikey.

But what's best about this project is that there is a point to it, beyond just saying that it's the fastest car that's ever been made. The Bloodhound project will share its technical research with over 25,000 UK schools already enrolled in its education programme. That means those numbers will have a real relevance and might just inspire the next generation of engineers.

www.bloodhoundssc.com

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

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Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Bloodhound SSC originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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

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

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

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

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

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TICKET DETAILS

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

We will be providing drink and nibbles on the night.

Tickets will be on a first come first served basis.

So just to recap:

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

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

Stuart

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

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

Those clued up on the 2009 tech scene will grasp this concept straight away as it's just so very "now".

Using augmented reality, the new WorkSnug iPhone app, created in conjunction with Plantronics, lets iPhone owners see at a glance suitable perching locations in their vicinity for a quick log-on and a coffee or somewhere to work the day away.

Rating the locations - which could vary from coffee shop chains to greasy spoons to official pay-for-a-desk type work locations - on power provision, atmosphere and noise levels, it should give an idea of what a place is all about and users can add their own reviews too.

Currently launching for the London metro area, WorkSnug will soon also be available for the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Berlin and Madrid with a website planned to launch in the future.

The WorkSnug iPhone app is available now absolutely gratis from the iTunes App Store.

Tags: Phones iPhone apps WorkSnug Wi-Fi hotspots Biz Software Augmented Reality Plantronics Video

VIDEO: WorkSnug workplace-finding iPhone app launches originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:52:57 +0000

Every child's dream has finally come true. Now you can have your very own magic wand, courtesy of Kymera.

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Not surprisingly, this gadget is selling like crazy as kids big and small fall over themselves to be able to wave a wand and control everything in their homes. I say everything, but it's only a replacement for your bog standard infrared remotes. You won't be changing your irritating little brother into a ferret just yet, or levitating the neighbour's cat out of your prized flower beds.

Fingers crossed for an upgrade soon though, eh?

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

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Tags: Video Websites Software Online

VIDEO OF THE DAY - Magic Wand originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

The Rupert Murdoch saga over Google making News Corp content widely available for people to "steal" has taken an interesting turn according to recent insider reports, suggesting Microsoft has been invited to enter talks with the media giant on the topic.

The reports suggest that Microsoft, with an opportunity to get one over on search behemoth Google, could offer to pay News Corp to "de-index" its news websites from Google, therefore making Microsoft's search offering Bing the place to go for News Corp news content.

While in the UK this could mean content from the The Times and The Sun no longer appearing on Google News, The Financial Times states that Microsoft has also suggested the payment plan to other big online publishers as an incentive to get them to remove their sites from Google's search engine too.

Murdoch has already threatened to remove News Corp content from Google, so this scheme, financed by Microsoft's large coffers, could offer the perfect solution for Murdoch - if not for the consumer.

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Tags: Software Search engines Microsoft News Corp Google Rumours Biz Google News Bing

Microsoft offers money for News Corp to de-Google its content originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:42:08 +0000

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

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

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

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

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

We will keep you posted.

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Tags: Software Operating Systems Microsoft Windows 8 Rumours

Roadmap says we should expect Windows 8 in 2012 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:10:16 +0000

It was with a certain amount of trepidation that I went searching for this one. It's not normally the sort of thing I'd type into Google.

I'd like to believe that the people behind this site didn't think about the sniggers and smirks that their URL might generate, but I reckon in this day and age there was a knowing smile from all concerned when they set it up.

Anyway, if you've ventured into a pet shop in recent years you'll have seen that accessories and clothing for dogs has become big business.

My dog is never happier than when she's wearing a head to paw covering of mud (or sometimes worse) so I find it hard to believe that there's much of a market for this stuff.

But there is and this site caters for the most discerning of canine tastes.

www.doggiestylestore.com

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

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Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Doggie Style Store originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Google has dropped the source code of Chrome OS into the wild, so we thought we'd take a look and see if it lives up to the lofty hype that's been placed upon it. Depending on who you believe, Chrome OS could either sink without trace or obliterate Microsoft, Apple and Linux wholesale.

The truth, as always, is neither. Well, not just yet anyway. Chrome is still at a very early stage. It runs, but there's not a whole lot you can do when it's running - other than log in, browse the web, check your battery status, and turn network adaptors on and off.

When you first boot up the OS you'll be faced with a login screen. Put your Google address and password in and it'll confirm them and let you enter the operating system. You'll then be faced with a browser window showing your GMail, and Google Calendar. These work exactly how they do in any other OS's browser window.

Up in the top right, there is a couple of icons that let you access the browser menus, see your network connectivity status (turning on and off wireless or Ethernet, for example) and monitor your battery. These seem to work mostly as advertised, but a few of the menu items - like "options" - are duplicated in the browser.

There's a Start Menu-esque icon in the top left that takes you to a page inviting you to sign into Google Short Links. This didn't recognise our username and password, so we couldn't get any further on this page. It doesn't appear to be treated as a regular browser window, though - we couldn't close or unpin it like we could with the mail and calendar tabs.

Hitting the new tab button, or using the Ctrl-T shortcut, brings you to Chrome's default new tab page complete with "quick-dial" shortcuts to your most-viewed web pages. There's links to themes from a wide range of artists that can skin the OS, though the Google ones are almost universally more attractive than the artist-created ones.

There's also a link to the extensions gallery, though this isn't working at the time of writing - just giving a "Coming soon..." message. By the time the Chrome OS makes it into a full release, there'll likely be a host of extensions to choose from that'll offer a bunch of additional functionality that isn't built in to the platform by default.

We did find a few bugs. Going into the bookmarks manager got us stuck until we created a new bookmark and double-clicked it. That took us back to the browser window. Also, unpinning the mail and calendar tabs with a right-click and closing them took us to a blank desktop that we couldn't access anything from. Only a reboot of our virtual machine fixed that.?

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Verdict:

For the moment, Chrome OS is pretty much just a browser in a Linux shell. That isn't going to set the world on fire, free or not. It's fast - it boots in just 7 seconds - but it's not exactly functional. Overall performance was difficult to judge, due to running it in a virtual machine, but it didn't seem too painful.

Chrome OS has potential because Google may well be making a play into netbooks and smartbooks in the same way that it has with Android and smartphones. If that's the case, then the fruits of the project could be some way away - Android is only just starting to make waves, more than a year after its release.

Chrome OS is one to watch, but we wouldn't recommend you switch to it as your primary operating system just yet.

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Related links:

• Feature - Google Chrome OS: What you will and won't be able to do

Tags: Software Operating Systems Google Chrome OS

Google Chrome OS - First Look originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:45:43 +0000

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

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

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

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

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

We will keep you posted on this one.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 7 Steve Ballmer Phones

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tags: Software Google Online iGoogle Home And Kitchen

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: Software Google YouTube Video

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: Software Websites Twitter Biz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: Software AOL Time Warner Biz

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

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

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

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

www.textatrack.co.uk

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

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

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

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

It will be fast

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

It will be secure

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

It will be easy to use

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

There will be plenty of applications

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

There's going to be an API

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

It will be free

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

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

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

You'll only be able to run Web Apps

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

You'll be able to multitask

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

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

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

You'll need to be online most of the time

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

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

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

You will only be able to play Flash games

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

You'll be able to connect other devices

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

It's not coming till Christmas 2010

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

Will I be able to get it earlier?

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

Tags: Software Operating Systems Google Chrome OS Features

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

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

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

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

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

Tags: Software Operating Systems Google Chrome OS Video

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Related links:

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

Tags: Software Operating Systems Google Chrome OS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: Software Google Chrome Chrome OS Browsers Operating Systems

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Vodafone Twitter Software Online SMS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: Software Twitter Statistics YouGov

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

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

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

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

Want one. Just for a day, mind you.

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

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Tags: Video Websites Software Online

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related links:

• Livescribe smartpen - best gadget 2009 nomination

Tags: Gadgets Livescribe Software

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

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

The "Starter Edition" is free

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

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

You can stream the software

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

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

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

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

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

You can sync your documents to SkyDrive?

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

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

When you finally buy it, you get a scratchcard?

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

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

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

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

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

Better performance

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

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

Better printing experience

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

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

Photo & video editing?

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

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

Embed web videos

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

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

Conclusions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The only thing I miss is the Sudoku,

www.fingertips.net?

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

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

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

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

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

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

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

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

1) Join their networks

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

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

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

2) Education

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

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

3) Consider limiting internet use

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

4) Monitoring software

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

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

5) Look for the signs

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

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

7) Involve the Police

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

8) Video bullying

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

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

9) Be supportive and seek outside help

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

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

For further reading and advice, please visit BeatBullying.

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Related links:

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

Tags: Software Online Facebook Bebo Cyberbullying Social Networks Features

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you know what they all mean?

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Tags: Software Dictionaries Facebook Twitter Social networking OUP

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

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

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

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

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Tags: Software PC software Office software Microsoft Microsoft Office 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: Software Audio Music Online Websites Spotify Pandora

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tags: Audio Video TechVi Comment Phones Software

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Related links:

• Link - Apple

Tags: Gaming Apple iPhones Phones Hardware iPad iTablet Rumours Software

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: Software Websites Mapping Software Ordnance Survey Politics

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

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

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

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

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

Tags: Software Broadband BT Wi-Fi hotspots BT Openzone

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

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

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

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

You might be surprised at the outcome…

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

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Tags: Video Websites Software Online

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: Software Microsoft Azure Cloud computing Online

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: Software Online Google Google Image Swirl Search engines

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

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

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

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

Digital Living

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

Apple

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

eBook readers

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

3D

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

Netbooks

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

Green

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read

Tags: Software Operating Systems Chrome OS Google Rumours

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

Email extinction could be a reality in the next 10 years, says TalkTalk, proclaiming the younger generation has no need for such long-winded communication.

No doubt echoing similar studies from 10 years ago that predicted the absolute death of snail mail, this most recent effort suggests the "young digerati" prefer "one and done-style messages" such as tweets and IM.

Backed by a social anthropologist from the University of Kent, the research states that Britain has over 2 million "First Lifers", defined as those in their late teens or early Twenties who are tech savvy but don't like being stuck at a desk with just 51% regularly using email.

Older generations are now more likely to use email with the stats coming in at 98% of people aged 65-plus, 96% of 45- to 64-year-olds leading TalkTalk to conclude that email is turning into "grey mail".

Tags: Software Email Survey Social networking Instant messaging SMS Twitter TalkTalk

Email extinction predicted in 10 years originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:38:02 +0000

As?Twitter?continues to gain popularity with brands and people alike, how should you go about using it as a tool for communicating rather than a way of telling the world what you just had for lunch?

We sat down to watch the "Mayor" of Twitter, Chris Brogan, at Web 2.0 expo in New York to find out his top three tips for using Twitter to grow your social knowledge and reputation.

According to his bio, Chris Brogan advises businesses, organizations and individuals on how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value.

1. Use Twitter search

According to Brogan, Twitter search is a key tool here. "There is so much value not what your friends are saying, but what people are saying on Twitter, that you should use the search", affirms Brogan. ?

Before you jump in expecting to use it to find a new pair of shoes on Zappos, use it not as you would use Google, but rather to see stories develop and move in real time. "You should be listening more than saying", says Brogan.

2. Engage don't just shout

If you're like most, you use Twitter as a gloat machine, shouting about your achievements. This is bad says Brogan:

"Spend 12 times more talking about other people as you do talking about yourself. The more you talk about other people, the more you will gain respect, reputation, and trust", says the social media expert.

3. Use your mentions more than you are now

It's one of the biggest errors a Twitter newbie can make, just sucking up the noise.

"80% of my tweets are responses to other people", comments Brogan. "The result is that "I see you" and you are seen".

The concept here is that engaging in the conversation allows you to be a part of it, rather than just feeding information out into the masses without any purpose.

Photo by?James Duncan Davidson

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Related links:

• Link - Chris Brogan

Tags: Software Online Twitter Social networking Features

Three ways to get the most out of Twitter originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:29:58 +0000

So. You want to see what the latest trends are on Twitter. And you want to know what they are in a particular location. And you want to see the related tweets arrive in real time. But you don’t want to see tweets from, let’s say people called Derek. But you do want to see them arrive in a waterfall style animation and you do want to be able to change the searches you’re doing at any time. And as long as they refer to Lady Gaga and spaghetti, you’ll be happy.

Does this sound like you?

If you've answered 'yes' then Twitterfall is for you. Who ever you are.

Enjoy.

www.twitterfall.com

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

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Twitterfall originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Digg's founder and its CEO have said that they would like to offer location aware homepages, however the technology isn't there to offer that just yet.

Talking at the web 2.0 expo, the duo suggested that users will in the future would be able to see a localised version of the Digg homepage whether they were in India or Chicago.

"The noise out there is extreme" claimed a rather shy looking Kevin Rose before suggesting that a way to filter that could be to localise the content to you.

"I'm really interested in location based services," said Rose later in the fireside chat admitting that he had invested in FourSquare.

The social networking site is hoping that future changes, just as Digg Trends, will allow the site to grow from 40 million users a month to 100m, although the pair failed to give a time frame for when this will be achieved.

As for when or how they plan to make money Rose suggested a novel advertising idea:

"If you have a crappy advert advertisers should pay more"

No word on when that one will be rolling out.

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Tags: Software Online digg

Digg location aware homepage promised originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:58:34 +0000

Web visionary, Tim O'Reilly, has suggested that we could be heading into an "ugly time" on the Internet possibly mirroring the browser wars of the nineties.

Talking at the Web 2.0 expo in New York, O'Reilly warned that a number of moves by big organisations like Apple, Google, Facebook and Digg could make the Web a closed system.

O'Reilly believes that things like the Digg bar, Facebook warning you about going out into the Web, and the possibility of News Corp signing a specific deal with Bing over Google could all damage the way the Web works.

"Take the mobile phone industry for example. Apple decides who gets to put an app up, decides how it works. That's not how the web works," says O'Reilly.

Suggesting that we are going to see a showdown, O'Reilly believes that "exclusive" features for specific browsers or mobile phone operators will end in a "one ring to rule them all" scenario.

Offering advice to Google, O'Reilly says that they should be committed to being rigorous in ensuring that the user benefits rather than trying to "eat other companies' lunch" like launching Knol, Checkout, and Froogle.

Praising Microsoft for its embracing of the Wolfram Alpha and Twitter results, O'Reilly?quotes Jeff Jarvis of CUNY saying that companies should "Do what you do best. Link to the rest".

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Tags: Software Online Google Microsoft Apple Facebook Twitter

O'Reilly: Ugly times ahead for the Internet originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:36:44 +0000

With Twitter all the rage as a marketing tool, Stephen Fry gave a stern warning this morning to businesses not to turn the mirco-blogging service into something of their own. The actor, writer and self-proclaimed "twillionaire" was speaking at the 140 Conference today at the O2 in Greenwich, attended by a large number from the corporate world and those looking to start-up businesses when he said:

"So many of you are here to talk about your strategy and your selling and so it's up to you to understand the nature of the phenomenon [Twitter]. It is human shaped, not business shaped. It's up to you to remember the shape of it, not for Twitter to shift for business. If this happens the great buzz of Twitter will be removed".

In a speech which compared the power of the social network to the huge impact on politics of the first magazines when the printing press was invented, Mr Fry emphasised the need for Twitter to remain about the conversation, the prattle, the idle chat for it to continue.

"These first publications, many of which still continue, had names like the Idler, Rambler, Tattler, Spectator".

"We are human beings. We shouldn't have to justify something by what function it has. It is simply a way of getting people to babble inconsequentially to each other. It's called Twitter. Not Serious Debate or Marketing Tool. If you forget that, you forget the purpose of it".

Only a matter of weeks since Mr Fry threatened to quit the service after some negative remarks about his tweets being boring, the national treasure also took the time to highlight Twitter's darkside as much as a reflection of the Internet as a whole, describing the online world as a city.

"Just like a city it has its art galleries and museums but it also has its slums and its red light districts. It has an anarchy and a liberty and sometimes we don't want to be in these cities anymore, but cities aren't places that we allow corporations like Apple and Microsoft to come into and redesign at will".

Mr Fry also took the time to outline his distaste for the section of the press he described as "dead wood journalists" making reference to those comment columnists who originally slated Twitter and now use it to push their stories. He also described a shift in power away from the hacks who no longer sit as the gate keepers to PR. With so many followers, who needs to give interviews to promote their books any more?

Interestingly the epilogue to the speech was delivered by the subsequent speaker, Andrew Keen, long after the awkward moment when Mr Fry was crowned king of Twitter live on stage with a very real, or unreal as it were, plastic crown.

Keen pointed out that the new order may have cut out the power of the companies who cannot stop their customers talking to one another and the power of the journalists as Mr Fry demonstrated, but it's not as if that power has gone. In fact it's only shifted and condensed in a more potentially dangerous way by being handed over to the twillionaires like Stephen Fry who can trash products such as Vista Vaios and the BlackBerry Storm or anything else with a single phrase of less than 140 characters.

Fortunately, there's no doubt that Mr Fry is a thoroughly honourable man but it's an interesting by-product of Twitter to be pointed out. One can only hope that someone who would abuse such a position would not be the kind of person to attract so many followers in the first place.

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Related links:

• News - Stephen Fry attacks copyright
• News - Orange debuts MMS Twitter updates

Tags: Software Twitter Stephen Fry Social networking

Stephen Fry: "Twitter is people-shaped, not business-shaped" originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:18:54 +0000

Google appears to be about to bring support for extensions into Chrome. In developer editions of the browser, there's a jigsaw puzzle area in the lower right corner of the new tab screen that links through to https://chrome.google.com/extensions - which isn't yet live.

That space used to be occupied by the themes gallery, but in the newest versions of Chrome and Chromium on Mac, Windows and Linux the jigsaw pattern appears instead. A couple of sample extensions, built by Google, are already working - a Google Mail Checker and BuildBot Monitor.

To install an extension, you just click an install link, download a file, click to run it, approve the installation and it's done. You don't have to restart the browser, like you do in Firefox. It remains to be seen if extensions will slow down Chrome in the same way they have with Firefox.

Given how many people we've heard refuse to switch over to Chrome because of the lack of extension support, this feature could prove popular. However, it'll depend on whether developers rush to support the platform in the same way they have with Firefox. We'll keep you posted.

Read

Tags: Software Browsers Chrome Google

Chrome extensions approach release originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:09:47 +0000

The Pirate Bay has shut down its tracker in an unprecedented move that will see the filesharing network take a more decentralised stance. Despite the tracker closing, the site itself will stay online and active - using both trackerless solutions and the unaffiliated OpenBitTorrent tracker.

The site said in a blog post: "TPB has decided that there is no need to run a tracker anymore, so it will remain down! It's the end of an era, but the era is no longer up2date. We have put a server in a museum already, and now the tracking can be put there as well".

Magnet links have also popped up all over the site, which is a way of downloading torrents without having to download a .torrent file first. Most modern clients support these links. Modern clients should also support DHT and PEX protocols that can be used to find peers to download from without a central tracker pointing the way.

It's not clear yet what this means for the legal departments of content companies who've spent the last few years trying to get these trackers shut down. Now that the sites are shutting down their own trackers with no adverse affect on filesharers, will the assault against individuals begin once more?

Or will it all be rendered obsolete by an improved licensing regime and more legitimate services? Let us know what you think will happen in the comments.

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Tags: Software Online Websites P2P Pirate Bay Filesharing

Pirate Bay tracker shuts down originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:24:25 +0000

Swindon has just become a property hotspot - quite literally - as it's been announced it will be the first town in the UK to offer free public Wi-Fi access to its entire population.

The forward thinking members of Swindon Borough Council have revealed plans for all 186,000 citizens to enjoy blanket "Wi-Fi mesh" coverage by April 2010, reports the BBC.

Run by Digital City UK Ltd, the "Signal" service, as it's being dubbed, will be completely free, although residents can chose to pay extra for 20Mb upgrades, although it's said the cost will be less than operators charge.

On the hardware side of things, the service will see around 1400 secure access points fitted around the town.

Tags: Software Broadband Wi-Fi hotspots Swindon

Swindon announces free Wi-Fi for all originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:10:28 +0000

The latest episode of Pocket-lint's Tech Week In View has hit the small screen as a moustachioed Stuart Miles brings his unique take on the big tech stories of the last week or so.

Miles considers Rupert Murdoch's threat to build a pay-wall for News Corp's online content to stop everyone "stealing" it and there's the old faithful of the debate over violent video games as Modern Warfare 2 heads to the top of the charts.

Future tech also goes briefly under the microscope as Miles muses the technology he's seen of late and its implications for the near future.

Finally, has the Twitter bubble burst? An 8% dip in Twitter use in the States during October has seen nay-sayers suggesting that the micro-blogging site has peaked. Hit play on the video above to see Stuart's take on all this.

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

VIDEO: Tech Week in View - Murdoch, violent games and the Twitter bubble bursting originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:18:15 +0000

Smartphones really are something aren’t they? You can leave the house with just one gadget that does it all now. And it does it all well.

But one thing that has been known to take the shine off many a smartphone's performance is the fact that opening up too many apps can just cripple them.

Nokia claims to have cracked that problem with the N900 and this little exploration seems to show it off nicely. Just how well it will work in the real world we’ll have to wait and see what the masses make of it.

And, as anybody who lives in a glass house will tell you: windows aren’t everything.

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

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Tags: Video Websites Software Online

VIDEO OF THE DAY ? N900 multi-tasking originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Google has given its much-loved Translate service a lick of paint and a bucket of useful new features. The service can translate between 51 different languages - meaning 2550 language pairs - which Google claims represents over 98% of internet users in the world today.

There's a new layout, but the real stars of the show are the instant translation, phonetic input and text-to-speech engine, all of which are shown in the video above. The first allows you to see a translation of your text as you type it - in the same way as Google can display results before you finish typing a query.

The third means that you can hear translations spoken by clicking a little speaker icon. But the second one is the biggy - for Arabic, Persian and Hindi you can type words as they sound to convert them to native script in that language. That could be pretty useful if you're not packing a native keyboard.

Google says "We hope these improvements will make reading, learning and communicating in foreign languages easier and more fun". Do you agree? Tell us in the comments.

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Tags: Software Websites Online Google translate

VIDEO: Google Translate gets substantial update originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:58:16 +0000

Facebook's European director of public policy, Richard Allan, has written a blog post to address the slowly growing problem of cyberbullying on the service. It coincides with National Anti-Bullying Week in the UK, and?BBC Radio 1, BBC 1Xtra, and websites like Bebo, Habbo, MSN, MySpace and YouTube have teamed up to try and deal with the issue.

For its part, Allan has offered five tips to users to prevent them from being a victim of aggressive wall posts and chats. Firstly, only accept friend requests from people who are your friends. Secondly, use the Block feature to deal with people who you don't want seeing your profile.

Thirdly, Allan recommends that you report any abusive behaviour to administrators, and also says that you should customise your privacy settings so that you're in control of your info, and just delete posts you don't like - because bullies often just want a reaction.

Oh, and if there's someone posting messages to you that you don't like, Allan says that "you should consider removing the sender from your friends list". Seems simple enough, but could easily be forgotten in the heat of the moment.

Have you had a cyberbullying issue that you've successfully resolved? Share your tips for combating online bullies in the comments below.

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Tags: Software Online Websites Facebook Social Networks

Facebook offers cyberbullying prevention advice originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:37:07 +0000

Rather than go down the Pizza Hut route of offering a full fledged iPhone app, Dominos has taken the Papa John's path by offering an optimised version of its site for those with iPhones.

Said to be "specially made for the phone" Domino's iPhone option is accessed online from www.dominos.co.uk or www.dominos.ie and offers all of the features of the main site, but "optimised into a bite sized form".

The "app", created by Vexed, went live on 13 November and is said to have already seen "thousands of orders" from mobile pizza fans across the UK and Ireland.? ?

Sales and marketing director for Domino's in the UK and Ireland, Robin Auld, said: "The translation of our site onto the iPhone has already proved popular with our customers".

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Tags: Phones Dominos iPhone apps Online Software Vexed

Dominos claims to offer iPhone app originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:10:20 +0000

We may not know much about art (it’s been said before, after all), but we do know we like this site.

Vetika sells limited edition art, prints and photography from some of the best emerging talent around. And at prices that won’t break the bank.

The perfect Christmas present awaits here and there’s nothing quite as special as being given a piece of art – it shows that somebody has spent time and effort choosing something just for you.

The site itself looks gorgeous too.

www.vetika.com

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

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Vetika originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Here is the full list of nominations for The Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009.

The following products were chosen because we feel they represent the best of the best in the category, and ones that given the money we would recommend you buy or at least try. All have gone on sale in the last 12 months that are available in the UK.?

The nominations are:

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Best Music Gadget 2009

Sonos S5 ZonePlayer

Monitor Audio Airstream 10

Etymotic/ACS hf2 custom fit headphones

Griffin myPhones headphones

Apple iPod touch 3G

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Best Car Gadget 2009

TomTom XL Live

CoPilot for iPhone

Navigon 8410

Jabra SP700

TomTom One IQ

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Best Digital Camera 2009

Olympus Pen E-P1

Canon PowerShot S90

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1?

Nikon D5000

FujiFilm FinePix F200EXR

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Best Laptop 2009

Apple MacBook Pro

Sony VAIO VGN-Z21ZN/X

Dell Adamo XPS

HP Envy

Toshiba NB200

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Best Software, Service, or App 2009

Spotify

Windows 7

Tweetie 2

Dropbox

Sky Player for Xbox

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Best Video Game 2009

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Guitar Hero 5

Battlefield 1943

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

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Best Home Cinema Device 2009

Philips 56PFL9954H Cinema 21:9 television

Panasonic DMR-BS850 Freesat Blu-ray recorder

LG 37LH7000 television

Sony PlayStation 3 Slim console

Humax Freesat+ FOXSAT-HDR recorder

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Best Mobile Phone 2009

HTC Hero

iPhone 3GS

Palm Pre

BlackBerry Bold 9700

HTC HD2

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Best Gadget 2009

Dyson Air Multiplier

Eye-Fi

Livescribe pen

Logitech Wireless Guitar

Sony Reader Pocket Edition

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Product of the year 2009

HTC Hero mobile phone

Spotify

Apple Mac Book Pro

Eytmotics HF2 Custom Fit headphones

Canon PowerShot S90 digital camera

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Now in its 6th year, the Pocket-lint Gadget Awards, thought to be the longest running in the UK, pick the best gadgets and gizmos from the last year released in the UK.

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

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

Winners will be announced at an Awards evening in London on Monday 7 December.

If you would like to order tickets to the event please visit our awards event page.

Public voting will start on Wednesday 18 November.

Related links:

• Link - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009

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

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Nominations in full originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Here are the nominations for the Product of the Year in The Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009.

The following products were chosen because we feel they represent the best of the best, and ones that given the money we would recommend you buy or at least try. All have gone on sale in the last 12 months and are available in the UK.

The nominations are:

HTC Hero mobile phone

Spotify

Apple Mac Book Pro

Etymotic/ACS hf2 custom fit headphones

Canon PowerShot S90 digital camera

Now in its 6th year, the Pocket-lint Gadget Awards, thought to be the longest running in the UK, pick the best gadgets and gizmos from the last year released in the UK.

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

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

Winners will be announced at an Awards evening in London on Monday 7 December.

If you would like to order tickets to the event please visit our awards event page.

Public voting will start on Wednesday 18 November.

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Related links:

• Link - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009

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

Product of the Year 2009 nominations originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:00:00 +0000

A survey of 2000 internet users in the UK from GfK NOP has found that iTunes still remains by far the most popular music service, but that new entrant Spotify is shooting rapidly up the charts, despite having only just celebrated its 1st birthday.

The survey asked participants which music services they used, and 11% said Spotify. That puts it in fourth place behind Real Player (13%), Amazon (24%) and iTunes sitting at the top with 50% approval rating. Spotify sits ahead of the slightly older Last.fm (7%), MP3.com (5%) and Napster (4%). 60% of users stream music direct from the Web.

In the navigation arena, Google Maps dominates with 72% of those surveyed saying they used it. The AA came in second place with 40% and Multimap was third with 35%. Behind that came Mapquest (7%), MSN Maps (4%), Yahoo Maps (4%) and Streetmap (3%).

When it comes to social networking, new boy Twitter draws for second place with MySpace - but both only have 4% of people who use them as their main social network. Bebo is even lower with 2%, but Facebook romps home with over 74% of users picking it as their favourite.

IM is similarly dominated by one provider - Windows Live Messenger. 50% picked it as their main provider, with 16% going for Facebook chat, Yahoo IM coming in third with 8%, Skype at 6%, AIM at 5% and Google Talk coming in at just 2%.

Webmail is closer - 33% opt for Hotmail, but Yahoo Mail was chosen by 14%, 10% picked their own ISP's service, and only 6% have "Gone Google" and picked up a Gmail account. Interestingly, a further 6% said they used email provided by a social network - is this MySpace mail?

Lastly, Skype wins out when it comes to VoIP - 60% of respondents picked it as their favourite online voice-calling app. Google Talk was second with 13%, and VoIP.com and Gizmo came in third with 3% each.

Of course, while the best provider is winning the day in some categories, others are dominated by bloated former giants commanding the attention of people who are too lazy to make a change. Which would you pick as your favourite in each category? Let us know in the comments below.

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Tags: Software Online Websites Music IM Mapping Software Social Networks Email iTunes Spotify MySpace Twitter Facebook Amazon Lastfm Gmail Hotmail Skype Yahoo Microsoft Google Statistics

iTunes still most popular music service by far originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:41:43 +0000

Get out your bunting - Get Safe Online week 2009 has officially begun. Get Safe Online is an initiative between the government, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and various private sector partners which aims to educate individuals and small businesses on how to keep safe online.

The scheme has been running for 5 years or so and is headquartered at GetSafeOnline.org. In the past, the focus has been on topics like identity theft and phishing, but this year the main thrust has been to educate people about the dangers of becoming a "mule".

As explained in the video above, a "mule" is a person whose bank account is used to launder money. You sign up (usually through a job ad) with your bank details, you receive cash, and then forward it on to other people via wire transfer. They want you because your account has been clean for years, you have good credit history, and as a result you're less likely to get caught.

If you are caught, though, you're implicated in a web of crime, liable for all those transfers, likely in lots of debt (because the cash that appeared in your account is confiscated) and your credit history will be ruined. Not a good idea.

So next time you spot one of those appealing-looking job ads, or someone contacts you out-of-the-blue with a job offer for a vague-looking company, it's probably best to ignore it. Be safe out there.

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Tags: Software Online Websites Security Viruses And Malware Viruses And Malware Get Safe Online Video

VIDEO: Get Safe Online Week 2009 begins originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:06:19 +0000

For the geeky, sharing files with the world or other devices is all done via the FTP that you've got for your website or blog. It involves a stack of complicated codes, faffing around with FTP software and generally an interest in computers and the way the Internet works to get it to go.?For the rest of us, there is dropbox.

Available for the Mac and PC (the iPhone has an app, and access though a mobile page is also offered) the concept is that it is a centralised folder that you have on all your computers or devices that allows you to automatically see what is in that folder be it on your work or home computer.

Sign up for an account, install the software and you can then instantly share documents, photos -pretty much all files - as long as they are in the that Dropbox folder.?Within the folder itself can be further folders and better still you can give public or selected access to those folders if you want.

What it means for example is that if you save all your documents to that folder whenever you make a change and then save it, it is automatically updated on all your computers rather than just the one you are working on. In turn this means the hassle of transferring it to a USB drive or CD to then take home or in to the office doesn't exist.

Clever huh?

On the Mac the whole system is as if it isn't there. In fact the only way you'll know you've got it installed is the appearance of a Dropbox icon on the menu bar at the top of the screen and a folder that you can drop stuff into on your desktop.

Clicking on the icon in the menu bar gives you direct access to your Dropbox folder, tells you how much storage you've got left (in percentage form) and what the recently changed files are. Unfortunately it doesn't change colour to show you that a file has been changed - something that would have been nice if you were working with others on a number of files - but it's no deal breaker.

While the system is likely to help you if work from home or need to share photos with the family across different computers, where we can really see the success is in the ability to share folders with others.

A quick invite to a folder and companies could easy share work projects without having to email large files around. In our tests we were able to share large (100MB +) documents within the team easily and quickly (based on internet connection).

If you aren't fussed about private access to certain people you've invited there is a "Public" folder that allows you to dump files in and then dish out a URL to anyone. (As an aside, PR reading this review, this is a perfect way to share pictures and press releases with journalists.)

As we mentioned there is an iPhone app as well that allows you to access all the files on the system. We had no trouble viewing word documents or images and you can upload from the iPhone as well, handy if you need to share a picture without docking or emailing the photo.

Of course you might not be at your iPhone or your computer with the software installed. Don't panic, Dropbox appears to have thought of that too.?Connected to the whole system is a simple website that once logged in allows you to view files you've got stored, view recent activity, and organise your sharing options.

It's basic, but it does mean that if you are at a random computer, be it in an internet caf? or someone's office you can still access the files.

It's free, so how can the company survive??

Well it comes down to the amount of storage you want. The basic or standard package, which is free, gives you 2GB of storage.?That storage is upgradable either via paying cash or signing up friends (although that will only give you a maximum further 1GB).

The quickest way to get more storage space is to pay. Part with $8.99 a month and you can upgrade that storage quota to 50GB, opt for $19.99 a month and it jumps to the Pro 100 account that gives you, you guessed it 100GB of online storage to store your stuff, more than enough for most people.

Verdict:

Dropbox is a very clever, but incredibly simple, sharing solution that we can see saving a lot of time for those that use multiple computers or just have the need to access certain files from anywhere without having to carry a USB thumb drive around.

Yes you've worked out how to set up a network storage drive on your home Wi-Fi network a system like this isn't that useful (around the home) but your Time Capsule or NAS drive isn't going to let your work computer play or your iPhone for that matter.

The free 2GB threshold is likely to be more than enough for basic file transfer and we would have no issue recommending this to you and everyone you know.

Storage and sharing files might be boring, but this makes it incredibly easy.

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Tags: Software Online Storage Dropbox Mac software PC software iPhone apps Mobile phone apps

Dropbox originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:37:27 +0000

Here are the nominations for Best Software, Service, or App in The Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009.

The following products were chosen because we feel they represent the best software, service or app on sale in the last 12 months that are available in the UK.

The nominations are:

Spotify

Windows 7

Tweetie 2

Dropbox

Sky Player for Xbox

A notable commendation should also go to Snow Leopard from Apple.

Now in its 6th year, the Pocket-lint Gadget Awards, thought to be the longest running in the UK, pick the best gadgets and gizmos from the last year released in the UK.

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

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

Winners will be announced at an Awards evening in London on Monday 7 December.

If you would like to order tickets to the event please visit our awards event page.

Public voting will start on Wednesday 18 November.

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Related links:

• Link - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009

Tags: Software Online Spotify Microsoft Tweetie 2 Dropbox Sky Xbox 360 Pocket-lint Awards Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009

Best Software, Service, or App 2009 nominations originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Apple has introduced a new iTunes feature called iTunes Preview that lets those without the application, or those that don't want to launch the software in full, view some content.

Currently limited to music, it's a big change from Apple's previous way of dealing with iTunes links where those without the app would get a blank page informing the person only that they would have to install iTunes to view the content.

Links to an iTunes Preview page can be generated through the iTunes Store "Copy Link" feature while the iTunes Preview page allows browsing of artists and albums including artist biographies, similar acts suggestions and prices.

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Tags: Software Apple Audio iTunes Music software

Apple intros online iTunes Preview originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:29:05 +0000

It's not the first time that Clarkson & Co. have whipped out their iPhones, but last night the Top Gear team used the Apple handset twice over in their feature on the grand tourer super cars.

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Bluetooth

The first tech trial for the three TV motor journos was to pair their mobiles with their in-car stereos. Mercifully, the iPhone plugged that particular spec gap nearly 2 years ago now but, sadly, Richard Hammond's Ferrari voice activation seemed to have a mind of its own - just in case that's the kind of thing that might put you off buying a Ferrari California. While you're at it, you might want to check that the pattern of the tyre treads is pretty enough for you too.

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Satnavs

The next tech test for the cars was with their in-built satnav's. Both the Ferrari's system and the Aston Martin's seemed to work just fine despite Clarkson's initial concern with the Volvo model featured in the latter of the two vehicles. However, there were some issues with the Audi-built unit in James May's Lamborghini which didn't seem to recognise the existence of Romania whatsoever. Another thing to look out for if you're in that small subset of people who both own one of these luxury vehicles and also happens to be holidaying in Bucharest too.

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Decibel iPhone app

The star of the show though, and the one you'll only need 59p/99c to road test, is the sound measuring app called, simply enough, Decibel. Currently in version 1.2, the 0.2MB app measures noise levels through the iPhone microphone and displays the readings both as a digital counter and an analogue needle. The three separate figures show the current decibel count, the maximum reading since recording began and the peak which is more of a current indicator of the maximum.

It is available for both the iPod touch and the iPhone, but beware that the touch has no built-in microphone, so you'll need a headset of some sort to get a reading with it. Another thing to look out for is that the iPhone mic clips at 100-105 decibels, meaning you're not going to be able to measure any sounds above a loud shout, so you can forget about trying it out at gigs.

That said, one use apart from measuring the sound of a super car's engine in an ex-Romanian dictator's secret network of underground road tunnels, might be if you happen to be complaining to your local council or constabulary about some noisy neighbours. They'll often ask for a measurement and it'll save the tedium of them having to send round a team to record it, by which time next door's banging might well have stopped. Perhaps not the cheeriest of uses but a use nonetheless.

Since its release, Decibel has been one of the top paid apps across Europe and doubtless Tomas Matuschek, the Swedish software architect behind the product, will be rather happy to note a slightly bigger cheque from Apple this month. If you want to give it a go on your iPhone, then you can find Decibel, as featured on Top Gear, here.

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Related links:

• News - Pay-per-view iPlayer to launch in the States
• News - Top Gear going high def from November
• News - Play.com offers 8GB Memory Stig

Tags: Software Top Gear iPhone 3GS iPhone Decibel iPhone apps Features

TV Tech: Top Gear iPhone app originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:32:13 +0000

So, here it is. The much talked about Space Chair ad from Toshiba.?

It's really quite something when you see what they had to go through to make this work and the results are sure to receive some kind of awards.

Toshiba have been running various competitions to win stuff by asking how high you think the chair has gone and where it will land. Check out their Twitter feeds to see what's what and if you're quick you might be in with a shot of taking away some new Toshiba gadgets.

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

Tags: Video Websites Software Online

VIDEO OF THE DAY - Space Chair originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

The world is changing at an alarming rate. Technology is making our lives faster, better and easier to manage and most of us can’t imagine where we’d be without a mobile phone and an internet connection.

But, as always, there’s a price to pay.

Bullying isn’t about the bigger kids grabbing the little kids by the scruff of the neck and shaking them until their dinner money falls out of their pockets any more.

These days, cowards who use any means necessary to inflict anguish on their victims can subject people to prolonged campaigns of intimidation and humiliation. SMS, email, social networking, YouTube – they’re all used to devastating effect by bullies, and it’s time to do something about it.

This week is Anti-Bullying Week and this is one site that every parent should bookmark. It gives loads of great advice on spotting signs of bullying and what to do about it.

www.besomeonetotell.org.uk?

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

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Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY ? Parentline Plus originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Could Google's web-based "Chrome OS" operating system be close to launch? TechCrunch is quoting a "reliable" source who reckons that it could be here within a week.

The operating system will likely be initially rather rickety, due to the demands of creating a whopping great big pile of drivers. It's likely that all but the most common hardware will initially be unsupported. One rumour suggests that Google is creating its own hardware drivers, while another says that the company will leave it to manufacturers to make their devices work.

Google has said that Chrome OS is due to launch "in the Fall", so we're just about within that timescale still. Expect Chrome OS, if it is about to arrive, to be very firmly still a "beta", and not a Microsoft/Apple/Linux destroying monster. Yet.

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Tags: Software Operating Systems Google Chrome OS Rumours

Is Chrome OS approaching launch? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:33:59 +0000

Windows 7 may be about to get branded themes from advertisers, in an extension of the marketing options that Microsoft currently offers companies across its web properties.

Companies like Coca-Cola, Ducati, Infiniti, 20th Century Fox and Ferrari have appeared in screenshots, as well as the movie Avatar and the video game Gears of War. Microsoft has announced that it's begun to plan test pilots with those companies, with the results being known as the "Windows Theme Experience" and "Windows Personalization Gallery".

Brands will be able to stick their logos on IE8 add-ons, Windows 7 and Vista gadgets, Windows 7 backgrounds and borders, and "audio elements". However, before you get too upset, these will be opt-in for customers, who'll have to download the packs off an external site.

"These new themes are intended for the brand's most passionate fans and allows for a deeper engagement by letting consumers embed their favourite brand into their PC experience", says Microsoft.

The trial is due to take place in October 2010.

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Tags: Software Operating Systems Windows 7 Advertising

Windows 7 to get branded themes originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:23:56 +0000

Since we announced the Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards, nominations have been flying in to Pocket-lint headquarters at a rate of knots.

With a lot of lists, flow charts, pie graphs, copious amounts of coffee and a fair few, shall we say, heated discussions, we're almost ready to reveal the final lists for each category.

The numerous nominations have been narrowed down to five products in each of the categories, which will then see the sparks really start fly as our panel of judges whittle those down to the one winner from each.

Check back on Monday when we will reveal the five finalists for each of the nine categories, one from each which will ultimately be crowned best of 2009.

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

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards nominations to be revealed on Monday 16 November originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:49:33 +0000

Yahoo's Flickr has announced it is teaming up with HP's Snapfish to give Flickr members worldwide a range of photo printing options direct from the photo sharing site.

The Snapfish partnership will now mean Flickr members can transfer, organise, and print photos, as well as create "unique photo gifts" using their Flickr photostream, say the companies.

Flickr and Snapfish have developed what's said to be "an integrated and intuitive experience" that sees the printing options show up on member's pages in the photo sharing site.

In a blog post, Flickr says: "Now, all Flickr members can create photo prints, books, collages, calendars and more and get them shipped to most anywhere in the world. We're thrilled that Snapfish has direct local facilities in 22 countries for fast, simple and affordable printing".

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Tags: Software Flickr Snapfish Cameras Photo sharing websites Biz

Flickr and Snapfish announce online printing deal originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:41:29 +0000

Did you know that water floats? In water? Serious question.?

It might seem daft to say that, but it's true.

In fact, water goes beyond floating - it actually bounces, as these amazing super slo-mo pictures prove.

I can't wrap my head around the maths of it all, but it's the effect that makes rain drops drop-shaped and allows insects to walk on the surface of ponds.

Regardless of the science, it's amazing to watch.

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

Tags: Video Websites Software Online

VIDEO OF THE DAY - water bouncing originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Google has introduced a couple of small changes to how its communication platform Wave behaves, in response to public demand. After users complained that public waves were clogging up inboxes, Google has tweaked the functionality so that waves are now "followed", and it's possible to "unfollow" a wave.

The new "unfollow" option replaces the old "mute" one. A Wave that's been unfollowed, however, can still be found through a search or if you've put it in a folder or saved search. The waves don't disappear, so don't worry about losing one.

The language is straight out of rival communications platform Twitter, which allows users to "follow" and "unfollow" each other. It's interesting to see Google employ that language in what it's pushing as a totally new, built-from-the-ground-up, communications platform.

Intriguingly, Google ends its blog post saying: "We're also thinking of expanding the following concept to let you follow people, groups, and searches" - could Wave be about to become more of a full on Twitter competitor? We'll keep you posted.

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Tags: Software Online Google Google Wave Twitter

Google makes Wave a little more Twittery originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:08:59 +0000

Google has a bit of a thing about speed. After releasing Chrome - probably the fastest browser around, if a little bare-bones - and minimizing page load times for its search engine, Google has now announced a research project called SPDY (and pronounced "speedy") that it hopes will further double the speed of getting around the Web.

SPDY is, in layman's terms, a way of getting browsers and the servers that deliver websites to talk to each other faster. Or, as Google says in less simple terms: "SPDY is at its core an application-layer protocol for transporting content over the web. It is designed specifically for minimizing latency through features such as multiplexed streams, request prioritization and HTTP header compression".

At the moment, browsers and web servers use HTTP to chat. HTTP arrived in 1996 as a standard, and since then has served as the foundation of the Internet. But Google's now looking at new, faster, ways of that chat occurring, and has built a web server and Chrome client that supports the SPDY protocol.

A pair of Google's software engineers, Mike Belshe and Roberto Peon, say that in lab conditions the top 25 websites loaded up to 55% faster when accessed over simulated home network conditions. However, performance in real-world conditions hasn't yet been investigated.

If you want to take a peek at what the team's been up? to, then you can check out the documentation and code for the project. If you're not feeling up to sifting through browser protocols, then sit back and await what Google reckons could become a significant turbo boost for the Web.

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Tags: Software Websites Online Google SPDY Chrome

Google announces SPDY project originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:16:05 +0000

Google has announced that its YouTube video-sharing site is going 1080p. It's available to test right now on some videos, but will be going live for all users at some point next week. Until then, you can see some 1080p content by appending "&fmt=37" to the end of the URL.

Google says: "As resolution of consumer cameras increases, we want to make sure YouTube is the best home on the web to showcase your content. For viewers with big monitors and a fast computer, try switching to 1080p to get the most out of the fullscreen experience".

YouTube has accepted 1080p uploads for some time, but downscales them to 720p in the processing phase of the upload. Luckily, however, the originals are stored, so YouTube will be re-encoding and converting any existing 1080p videos in its database.

When the feature goes live for all users, we'll update this post.

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Tags: Software Websites Online YouTube Google HD Video streaming Video

VIDEO: YouTube gets 1080p HD functionality originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:31:15 +0000