Sky?and LG?have formally announced they will be teaming up to launch Sky's 3D TV service when it launches on 1 October 2010.

The partnership, which will see the two brands embark on joint marketing as well as consumer awareness, education and demonstration activity, builds on a relationship that has already seen over a million people enjoy 3D TV in pubs and clubs nationwide.?

From 1 October Sky will start broadcasting its 3D channel to living rooms across the UK and Ireland, with live coverage of the Ryder Cup from Celtic Manor, and will promote LG’s extensive range of 3D TVs to the 2.9 million customers who already have a Sky+HD box and are therefore 3D-ready.?

“We believe in giving customers choice and as the only manufacturer so far committed to both active and passive TVs, we believe LG has the breadth of product to offer a 3D TV experience for all Sky customers.? We will work alongside LG in helping raise interest and awareness of 3D as we build up to and beyond the launch of Sky 3D,” Hilary Perchard, Sky’s Director of Product Management says.

LG and Sky will be providing exclusive offers to new and existing Sky customers, which will in turn encourage people to make 3D a reality in their living room.?

Details of exclusive Sky customer deals will be revealed shortly.

The news comes on the back of the launch of LG’s first 3D plasma TV (PX990) at IFA in Berlin, Germany.

The new model will sport active 3D technology and is the first 3D plasma TV in the world to receive 3D THX Certification.

The PX990 also sees the introduction of 2D to 3D picture conversion capability to LG’s 3D range as plasma screen technology - combined with LG’s 600hz technology for exceptional smooth motion on both 2D and 3D - presents the best possible quality conversion capabilities.

LG has also revealed a giant 180-inch plasma 3D TV prototype and a new 31-inch OLED TV screen, providing a glimpse of LG’s exciting products to come and continued leadership in technology development in home entertainment.

Tags: Home Cinema Televisions 3DTV LG Sky IFA2010

Sky: LG has best 3D TV originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:39:00 +0100

Skype?has released an update to Skype for Windows on Friday bringing with it a range of new features the company has confirmed.

"The second beta of Skype 5.0 brings a number of changes both outside and in – most importantly, you can now make group video calls with up to 10 people. It also welcomes in a fresh new look, as well as increased stability and better quality when making group video calls. Read on to find out more, ordownload it now," said Skype on its company blog.

PC users will now be able to make group video calls with up to 10 people at a time.?

The VoIP company has also said that the new version "is sleeker, neater and crisper than before," as well as adding something it is calling Skype Home a new feature that lets you follow your contacts' mood messages, set your profile picture and mood message, receive account notifications and learn more about using Skype.

Oh, and they claim it's now more stable than the previous version, although as it still has the beta tag to it you should still expect it to crash now and then. Thankfully if that's mid call the new version also includes automatic call recovery, which should help automatically reconnect Skype calls that are interrupted due to network problems.

Read

Tags: Software Skype Skype for WIndows

New Skype for Windows beta adds 10 people video calling originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:16:00 +0100

We've had 3D televisions, but now Philips is launching a 3D electric shaver the company has confirmed promising the uncut scruffy men of this world the "best shave yet".

In amongst the company's new televisions, MP3 players and iPad speaker docks, Philips has launched the SensoTouch 3D.

The shaver will come with a technology Philips are branding GyroFlex 3D that allows the shaver to perfectly follow the unique contours of the face and when combined with another buzz word Philips are using; UltraTrack mean you get smooth face every time.

The shaver head combines three specialized tracks to catch every hair with just a few strokes: slots for normal hair; channels for long or flat laying hair; and holes for the shortest stubbles.

If you're still up for more buzzwords, then the third element to the 3D shaver is Aquatec, an inbuilt seal that allows men the versatility to choose between a comfortable dry shave and a refreshing wet shave for those who prefer to use a gel.

Those wishing to go all out will be able to get a jet clean system that cleans, lubricates and charges the shaver for optimal shaving performance every day.

Tags: Gadgets Bathroom gadgets Philips Philips SensoTouch 3D Movember

Philips SensoTouch 3D shaver follows TVs with 3D performance originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:45:00 +0100

Mophie, the battery pack and case accessory maker, will launch an iPhone 4 verison of its popular Juice Pack case next week. Something that Pocket-lint has been informed by the company, ahead of an official announcement.

Coming in at around $80 in the US (no UK price as been set), the new accessory packs a 1500mAh battery giving iPhone 4 owners another days charge if they really can't get to a power socket.

The case, which slots around the phone top and bottom, will also come with a four light LED status bar at the base of the phone, that takes its design queues from Apple's own offering on its MacBook Pro range, and be charged via USB.

Mophie has opted for a matt finish rather than the previous glossy offering in previous models.

Tags: Phones iPhone accessories Mophie Mophie juice pack air IFA2010

Mophie iPhone 4 battery case charging your iPhone 4 soon originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:38:00 +0100

It's been over a year in the making, but Philips has used its IFA 2010 press conference to announce that it will be bringing a 3D version of its ultra-wide 21:9 Cinema television to the market, for the likes of you and I to buy.?

Philips has been showing off its 3D 21:9 Cinema display since IFA 2009, and at IFA 2010 it has finally made the breakthrough from concept to reality.

That's right, Philips has officially confirmed that it will be launching the TV in the UK by the end of the year and that it will cost ?3999.99, for those wanting to experience the extra wide widescreen television.

Those that do take the plunge will get the world’s first cinema proportion 3D TV with, as the name suggests, a 21:9 aspect ratio, so movies in the 2.39:1 format (think Star Wars and other greats) completely fill the screen without those black bars.

Introduced in 2009, this years’ Cinema 21:9 has received a powerful performance upgrade that includes all the picture quality innovations you would expect from the award winning Philips 9000 series, including Direct lit LED, 400Hz and Perfect Pixel HD Engine picture processing, packaged in an even larger 58-inch Full HD screen in 21:9 aspect ratio.

The TV will also come with three-sided Ambilight Spectra, which completely immerses you in the movie and delivers the ultimate home cinema experience.

?

Tags: Televisions Home Cinema Philips Philips Cinema 219 IFA2010

Philips 3D 21:9 Cinema TV: extra wide television goes three dimensional originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:18:00 +0100

We looked at everystockphoto.com a little while back in our 15 best free image websites on the Internet feature, and thought it could do with another mention - and Website of the Day seems the ideal platform.

The site culminates a variety of photos from other stock photo sites and profers the results for you viewing/downloading pleasure. With over 5 million professional shots and counting it makes for a great resource.

When on the site, you can check out the specifics, as well as the photo's all important license details, which will specify how you can use the photo and how you should credit.

There is a sign-up process, but for the amount of photos you'll be getting at your disposal that's surely not a lot to ask.

www.everystockphoto.com

Tags: Online Internet WebsiteOfTheDay Software

WEBSITE OF THE DAY - everystockphoto.com originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:00:00 +0100

As predicted, it’s tablet city at IFA 2010. Samsung swung in with the Android-running Samsung Galaxy Tab and that was one thing for the iPad to think about. Now, with Toshiba launching the Toshiba Folio 100, well, there’s some decisions tablet PC buyers out there are going to have make and make soon.

It’s easy enough if you're an Apple fanboy. You just pick the one with the OS to match the rest of your gear. However, given that both the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Toshiba Folio 100 both sport Google’s open mobile OS, which should the Android-ites be going for? The answer lies within these words...

Form

Winner: SamTab

91 x 120 x 12mm, 380g

Loser: Folio

281 x 181 x 14mm, 760g

You’re not exactly going to be fitting either of these tablets in your pocket. So, to some degree, the dimensions are a bit of a red herring. That said, it’s worth knowing that the SamTab is thinner and will feel a lot less weighty both in your hand an in your travel bag. While you get the bonus of a bigger screen on the Folio as a counterpoint, all the same, it is a little on the chunky side.

Display

Winner: SamTab

7in, 1024 x 600, multitouch

Loser: Folio

10.1in, 1024 x 600, multitouch

Even though the Folio has a bigger screen, it’s worth nothing as it has exactly the same resolution spread over a large area. In short, the pixel density is far better on the SamTab and you’re going to see much crisper pictures. Of course, the payback is that you might want to hold Samsung’s device a little closer to your eyes to get that same big screen effect as you do on the Toshiba Folio 100. The trouble is that you don’t get that choice to make the pixels denser with the Toshiba.

Engine Room

Winner: Folio

Nvidia Tegra 2

Loser: SamTab

Samsung Hummingbird

Both tablets run with the ever popular system on a chip solutions at their core and what the Hummingbird offers is almost identical to the iPad with an ARM Cortex A8 1.0GHz CPU and PowerVR SGX540 GPU combo. Toshiba has the edge though, even over what is already an impressive engine on the SamTab. There’s a dual Core 1GHz ARM 9 offering heavy mobile power as well as solid multi-operational processing plus there’s some hardcore Nvidia GPU action going on in there as well. For smoother video playback and better games performance, it has to be the Folio by a mile.

Software

Tie: SamTab

Android 2.2 (Froyo) + TouchWiz

Tie: Folio

Android 2.2 (Froyo)

Horses for courses in this department. Both devices are as up to date with Android as you can get right now and will happily cope with Android 3.0 and better as soon as they arrive. The only major difference is that the SamTab comes with Samsung’s TouchWiz custom UI on top. Now, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if Toshiba didn’t come out with some Brandroid of its own. If that did happen, one would expect it to be a less accomplished work than TouchWiz - simply because Toshiba has had less practice at it. However, for the time being, we’ll consider this one a draw.

NB: Both of these devices are marketed as coming with all sorts of bits of software such as Fring, Swype, Evernote and others already installed. Do remember that 99 per cent of these you can go and get yourself on the Android Market. That said, the Folio is stated to come with Documents to Go which is a paid for app, if the full version.

Imaging

Winner: SamTab

1.3MP front facing, 3MP rear facing

Loser: Folio

1.3MP front facing

Both manufacturers have added the all important webcam, clearly recognising that video calling is one of the killer apps of this gadget form. However, it’s only Samsung that has adorned its creation with a 3-megapixel camera plus LED flash to play with on the other side. You might not be buying a tablet to be able to shoot snaps or capture video, but it’s one of those things you’ll get annoyed with when you start looking to download augmented reality apps.

Storage

Winner: SamTab

16/32GB + SD

Loser: Folio

16GB + SD

Neither of these devices offer as much storage on board as the iPad but, with an upper end model available from Samsung, there’s a lot more room to keep all your HD videos, photos and whatever else one keeps on a tablet these days. Neither are terrible here given that you can buy big, fat SD cards in this day and age.

Price

SamTab

TBC

Folio

?329

For the minute, there’s no 3G version of the Folio, but we know that the Wi-Fi only will cost ?329 when it arrives in October. Whether the mobile broadband edition is more or less costly than the SamTab remains to be seen. Keep ‘em peeled on Pocket-lint and we’ll let you know as soon as the decision’s been made.

Battery

Winner: SamTab

7 hours video

Loser: Folio

Less

Toshiba’s power stats for the Folio are perfectly respectable. The headline is that you’ll get 7 hours of play, but only when split something like 65 per cent web browsing, 10 per cent video and 25 per cent standby. Whether it’s having to power a larger screen or not, that achievement has rather been blown out the water by Samsung who claims you can watch video for 7 hours straight on the Galaxy Tab. Significant when you’re talking about entertaining yourself on a long haul flight.

Connectivity

Tie: SamTab

Wi/3G/BT3.0/HDMI/DLNA

Tie: Folio

Wi/3G/BT2.1/HDMI/DLNA/USB

Although there are differences, we’re not going to be petty enough here to say that one device comes out over the other. The Galaxy Tab has Bluetooth 3.0 as well as the n-Wi-Fi, 3G and DLNA credentials, but there’s no USB port. Everything has to be done either by the 30-pin dock or removable SD cards.

On the other hand, strictly speaking, there isn’t actually a 3G version of the Folio available just now, but it does have USB 2.0 which might save a little bother when connecting peripheral devices.

Conclusions

The Toshiba Folio has only picked up one winner’s medal in this match up, but that doesn’t make it a bad device. It’s answered some very big questions with some very big answers and, on spec, anyone buying one is unlikely to be disappointed. If Tosh has tuned everything nicely - think a decent touchscreen interface - then you’ll get some seriously impressive grunt out of this larger tablet and that might pay dividends for those looking to run some more serious games.

All the same, we’re going with the Samsung Galaxy Tab as the better of the two. It’s a good size with a great screen, astounding battery life, plenty of guts, two cameras, just about all the connectivity you could ask for and it also happens to be a phone. Eat that, iPad.

Related links:

• PHOTOS - Samsung Galaxy Tab hands-on

Tags: Tablets Samsung Samsung Galaxy Tab Toshiba Folio 100 Toshiba Features Android IFA2010

Samsung Galaxy Tab vs Toshiba Folio 100 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:40:00 +0100

It’s one thing seeing images, leaked or otherwise, of a hot new product, it’s another entirely getting to fiddle about with one. And that was the case with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab as, while it looks good in the shots, and the specifications read well, it’s a different kettle of fish up close.

It’s better.

The first impression of the Tab is that it is the perfect size for a portable multimedia device. Its 16:9 7-inch screen is ideal for watching video content, text is still fully legible on both websites and ebooks, and it doesn’t suffer from the iPad’s cumbersome girth when trying to play action games. In short, it is the Galaxy Tab that will be a true game changer (pardon the pun).

Of course, it also offers way more, in terms of functionality, than Apple’s device. There’s cameras front and back for starters, and while the rear one is a mere 3 megapixels, that’s 3 megapixels more than the iPad. The memory storage is also upgradeable, being as it uses micro SD cards (up to 32GB), so you don’t have to choose between gradually more expensive options.

And there’s voice calling. This may be a little cumbersome to use, to be honest, and will certainly not replace a phone, but we could see that it would be ideal for conference calls, video or otherwise.

We’re also pleasantly surprised by the Tab’s chunkiness, it feels solid in the hand. That may not sound as exciting as some other company’s “slimmest tablet” claims, but it is reassuringly well-built, and that’s, perhaps, more important. Indeed, we saw someone drop one on the Samsung stand at IFA, Berlin, which clattered to the floor like a piano in a Laurel and Hardy film, but it was still fully operational and intact - thumbs up.

If there were any caveats, it would be that the swiping of a finger has a slight delay with on-screen motion, but we suspect that might be fixed in a later build of the firmware (and certainly before general release).

The other minor whinge is that there’s so many features that it’s impossible to have played with all of them in the brief time we had with the Tab at the show. Damn you Samsung and your fully-featured, wunderkind of a tablet.

We’ll just have to have a further fiddle another time.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab will be coming to the UK around October time (depending on the network providers) and price is unknown at present.

Tags: IFA2010 Samsung Galaxy Tab Tablets Samsung Photos

PHOTOS: Samsung Galaxy Tab hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:47:00 +0100

Logitech has launched a range of earphones, with so many pairs available that you're bound to find some to fit your taste or budget.

The Ultimate Ears range are "music genre" inspired and each model has its own unique features.

Starting with the cheapest option, the Ultimate Ears 100 offer 24dBs of noise cancelling and come in five different styles and colours.

Philippe Depallens, Logitech vice president explains:

"Many performing artists we work with enjoy putting personal artwork on their stage in-ear monitors as an additional form of self expression".

"Now, with the Ultimate Ears 100 collection, we’ve created a way for our retail customers to do the same - giving them five killer designs to choose from. Now you can feel a connection to the design of your earphones, as well as the music coming out of them".

Indeed.

Moving on, the top of the range pair are the Ultimate Ears 700 that have 26dBs of noise isolation and use "a custom-tuned dual-armature micro design that separates the high and low frequencies to deliver sound so full and detailed you’ll hear breaths in between lyrics".

Again, indeed.

These buds are compatible with your iPhone, Blackberry and other smartphones, and have an on the chord control panel for volume adjustment and so on.

In between the 100 and the 700 pairs, you've got four more options, the Ultimate Ears 200, 300, 400 and 600s. These all work with your phones as well (with the vi options) and include unique features that should cater for what you are after in your buds (the 300s have shape-able ear loops for example).

All Ultimate Ears sets include five pairs of soft ear cushions and a protective case for your buds.

Price wise you're looking at ?17.99 for the 100s, ?24.99 - ?34.99 for the 200s (depending on whether you go for the vi phone control option), ?44.99 - ?54.99 for the 300s, ?74.99 for the 400s, ?99.99 for the 600s and ?159.99 for the 700s.

All the sets will be hitting the shops in October, except for the Ultimate Ears 100 which should land during September.

Tags: Logitech Logitech Ultimate Ears Audio Earphones

Logitech hopes it's developed the Ultimate earphones originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:17:00 +0100

Today's app is more of a demo than an app to be fair, however you'll be so impressed by it you'll want to show all your friends. To us that makes it worthy of a download, especially when you don't even have to pay a penny.

Epic Citadel

Format

iPhone/iPod touch/iPad

Price

Free

Where

iTunes

Created by gaming company Epic, Epic Citadel is a demo allowing you to experience the company's Unreal Engine 3 running on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad in full glorious colour.

If that sounds like we've drunk the cool aid a bit too much, well that's because we have. The graphics are simply stunning, and while there is nobody in this fine city, the potential is massive.

As the blurb states: "From the circus bazaar on the outskirts of the castle grounds to the mysterious cathedral at the center of town, Epic Citadel will dazzle you with a visual parade of special effects that recreates a stunning and realistic world only imagined by Epic Games, and powered by the critically acclaimed and award winning Unreal Engine 3".

Strong words, but as you can tell from the screen shot it does look lovely.

The app lets you either sit back and enjoy the ride or explore for yourself, and a simple two finger navigation approach is very easy to pick up and master.

What are you waiting for? If you are an iOS owner, hit the download button now.

Tags: Mobile phone apps iPad apps iPhone apps Epic Epic Citadel App of the day

APP OF THE DAY - Epic Citadel (iPhone/iPad) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:00 +0100

One of the strengths of Nintendo's enviable character roster is that its heroes have always been ready for new styles and new interpretations. Mario is as comfortable in 3D as he was in 2D, and as at home in an RPG or golf game as in a straightforward platformer. Link, the hero of Legend of Zelda, can be a chirpy cartoon kid or troubled teen warrior, and we love him all the same. Why shouldn't the same be true of Metroid heroine, Samus Aran?

She's moved on from her 2D arcade adventure origins and found a place in the more deliberately paced, first-person Metroid Prime trilogy, yet she's never lost her mystique or her ability to thrill and surprise. And now she's back, with a new developer, Ninja Gaiden/Dead or Alive creator Team Ninja, and a whole new style. Surely it's time for another glorious chapter in the Metroid saga?

Well, Metroid: Other M has a way of surprising you. The first surprise is that Team Ninja has kept some of its worst excesses in check. Enormous bouncy breasts are conspicuous by their absence, and the grotesque gore and sadistic difficulty level that made the last two Ninja Gaiden games so frustrating has gone too. Other M shows sighting signs of a sensitive, contemplative nature not previously visible in Team Ninja's work. It even has a reasonably coherent plot!

Another surprise: from the early shots we had Other M down as a 2D retro exercise in the vein of New Super Mario Bros or Shadow Complex. In fact, it's more of a weird hybrid, switching at will between side-on 2D sections and more conventional third person 3D, all controlled, rather bizarrely, by the digital D pad and face buttons on the Wii remote. To make things even more confusing, pointing the remote towered the screen puts you in a Metroid Prime style first-person view from which you can aim missiles and scan the local area for clues (though with your feet seemingly stuck to the floor).?

The biggest surprise, however, is that Team Ninja has been able to create a Metroid game with it's own distinctive, action-focused feel, but that still looks and feels like a Metroid. The combat is more frequent and faster paced than it was in Metroid Prime, and the platforming elements are more demanding, and yet you’re regularly left in doubt that you're playing a descendent of Super Metroid and Metroid: Prime. There's that same sense of exploration, the same weird environments and even weirder creatures. Despite taking place inside a giant abandoned starship, Other M gives you a strange, beautiful and deeply alien world to explore.

Of course, Team Ninja has still excelled in the areas you would expect it to. Other M can boast some of the slickest graphics you've seen on the Wii, with some monsters and environments that wouldn't look out of place on the Xbox 360. The boss battles, meanwhile, come thick, fast and gruesome, punctuating the game with regular big set-pieces. Frankly, there are plenty of reasons why any self-respecting Metroid fan should love Metroid: Other M to death.

Unfortunately, the game falls flat in other ways that drag it down a notch or two. The first is storytelling. For some bizarre reason, Samus has now been given a spectacularly ropey back story and - worse - an annoying voice with which to tell you all about it, leaving you hankering for that mysterious, silent heroine of old. At times the combination of dialogue and delivery made us wince with horror - suddenly the worst bits of Final Fantasy XIII seem like high art.

More seriously, the gameplay doesn’t always hang together. The sudden shifts between 2D and 3D; the need to point the remote to get the first-person view; the fact that you can’t move while aiming in it; all of these things serve to get in the way between you and the game, and jolt you out of the experience. Other M also insists on making you scan the area for vital bits or hidden clues, but there’s no mechanism for alerting you to which bits of the screen might be important. As a result, you can find yourself spending hours wandering around, scanning various areas, in a desperate search for the one thing that will help you get on to the next area. It’s not big, clever, or fun, and the fact that Metroid Prime did this so much more successfully just makes it pretty much inexcusable.?

And one final niggle. While you’re wandering around trying to find the bit that will open up the next area, you’ll regularly come across portals and switches that can only be opened with specific weapons. Amazingly, you’re already carrying these weapons or, say, the armour upgrade needed to cross glowing lava, but you can’t and won’t use them unless authorised by your superior commander, out of respect for him. We know we were all getting tired of the "Samus loses all her suit abilities" routine, but couldn’t someone have come up with something vaguely more credible than this??

Verdict:

Metroid: Other M is a decent Wii action game, and Metroid fans with the persistence to get past its fiddly controls, poor dialogue and "pin the tail on the donkey" scanning will love the way it can still capture that old Super Metroid feel. All the same, this feels like a big step backwards from the mighty Metroid Prime trilogy, and a game that will probably go down in history as an oddball curio rather than a bona-fide Metroid classic.

?

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Wii Nintendo Team Ninja Metroid Other M

Metroid: Other M originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:34:53 +0100

Toshiba has shown some more love to its 3D laptop extraordinaire that is the Satellite A665. The manufacturer has added 3D Blu-ray disc support as well as the ability to upscale 2D video in real time to the kind that jumps out of the screen at you.

The 3D upscaling is taken care of by the proprietary Toshiba Video Player 3D software, which you cannot put onto other machines. On top of that, the company has also added 3D streaming over the HDMI port so that you can watch all of these goodies on your 3DTV if you get bored of the 15.6-inch TruBrite HD display with LED backlighting.

Those buying the Satellite A665 new will have all this as standard, but a firmware download is also available to already purchased models.?

?

?

Read

Tags: Laptops Nvidia 3D Toshiba Satellite A665 Toshiba IFA2010

Toshiba beefs up the 3D on the Satellite A665 laptop originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:24:00 +0100

Toshiba hit IFA with full force this year - going launch crazy at the Berlin expo.

Not only did the Japanese electronics giant get on board with both the tablet and the 3D TV revolutions, it also found time to unleash some new cameras, Blu-ray players and....a whole lot of TVs.

The pick of its non 3D TV bunch is the premium Regza VL range, which is Toshiba's thinnest LED TV to date, measuring in at just 28mm thick.

Available in 40 and 46-inches, the range has 100Hz processing and Wi-Fi connectivity (with an optional dongle, otherwise wired internet via Ethernet) meaning YouTube and BBC iPlayer in your living room. The range is, of course, full 1080p HD with Freeview HD built in.

Like its 3D cousins in the WL range, the VL series also gives you access to your Windows 7 network, four HDMI options and two USB ports which playback a range of media file types directly on your telly-box, including JPEG, MP3 and DivX HD.

Toshiba is also talking up the sound on this range, stating:

"The Regza VL series also offers users rich, immersive audio, thanks to Dolby Volume and Toshiba SoundNavi technology. Dolby Volume keeps volume levels consistent across any channel or audio source, regardless of content, while SoundNavi provides even stronger sound projection, enabling users to optimise the integrated speakers for when the set is wall mounted".

As well as this premium range, Toshiba also used IFA as an opportunity to announce other new models such as the Regza 42SL738 - which it describes as its entry level large screen LED TV, but still has full 1080p HD, and a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio - and the smaller Regza SL series which has sets with 1366 x 768 resolutions in 19-, 22-, 26- and 32-inch sizes.

All the TVs announced should be available in October, although UK prices have still yet to be confirmed.

?

Related links:

• Toshiba @ IFA - Folio 100 gets official
• Toshiba @ IFA - Toshiba brings 3D to BD with BDX3100KB Blu-ray player
• Toshiba @ IFA - Toshiba Camileo S30 and P20 to take on pocket camcorder market
• Toshiba @ IFA - Toshiba joins the 3D revolution with first ever 3D TV

Tags: Home Cinema Toshiba Regza VL Toshiba Regza 42SL738 Toshiba Regza SL738 Toshiba Televisions IFA2010

Toshiba goes TV launch crazy at IFA originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:17:00 +0100

Toshiba has approached 3D at IFA2010 in exactly the same way that it didn't Blu-ray - quickly and with great gusto. The Toshiba?BDX3100KB 3D Blu-ray player is arriving in the UK in October and will allow anyone with a 3D TV to enjoy 3D Blu-ray movies as well at the Fullest of 1080p/24fps HD resolution.

There's a USB port for MP3, MKV, AVCHD, DivX and JPEG playback as well as a trusty old 3D compatible HDMI. The?Toshiba?BDX3100KB supports both of the top HD audio standards in the form of Dolby TruHD and DTS Master Audio Essential, and can offer up to 7.1 channels - provided you've got that many speakers, of course. All of that plus SD upscaling to 1080p and BD Live 2.0 for any added content that you might find out there on the intertubes.

If you don't have a 3D TV or just aren't interested, Tosh has also introduced an entry level player in the shape of the Toshiba?BDX1100KB. It has the same credentials as its bigger brother, minus the 3D aspect and unfortunately that USB slot as well. So, you can wave goodbye to all that digital file support. Doubtless it'll be reflected in the price come October just as soon as Toshiba tells us what it is.

Read

Tags: Home Cinema Blu-ray Blu-ray 3D Blu-ray players Toshiba IFA2010

Toshiba brings 3D to BD with BDX3100KB Blu-ray player originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:55:00 +0100

Well, well, well....what have we here then?

We get a lot of exciting invites popping through the Pocket-lint letter box (we're quite a big deal don't you know?) so it's often hard to cut the wheat from the chaff.

But one invite that did come our way, and straight away got the geek-juices in us flowing, was this one from LG regarding the Optimus.

Now, it's all very mysterious, with just the outline of either a smartphone or a tablet on show and the words, "Coming Soon".

Could it be the Optimus Pad, that has been leaked onto the web? Or could we be looking at the grand unveiling of LG's new Android and Windows Phone 7 range?

Who knows? We'll just have to wait until 14 September to find out.

Related links:

• News - LG Optimus Series: LG's new Android and Windows 7 range
• News - LG Optimus Pad to take on Samsung and Apple
• News - LG Optimus Z: Heavyweight Android handset launching in South Korea

Tags: LG LG Optimus LG Optimus Pad LG Optimus 7 Tablets Phones Mobile phones

LG Optimus to go live in September originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:43:00 +0100

Of all the devices that Apple refreshed at their September music event, it is the iPod nano that has had the most extreme makeover. Gone are the controls and the elongated screen, and in comes a square touchscreen design in its place. We got our hands on the new iPod nano at the launch event, and this is what we thought.

The iPod nano exhibits all the hallmarks of Apple's attention to detail. It is not only lovingly crafted from aluminium, but it looks and feels like a premium device. We're used to this sort of design and build quality from Apple, so this doesn't come as a surprise.

But we also loved the last iteration of the nano. The slender curving front and back nestled between the fingers, with a bright vibrant screen and those controls which made it easy to skip around the menus and find what you were looking for.

Gone now are those controls and that screen, to be replaced by a 1.54-inch, 240 x 240 pixel resolution display. Given the size of the display, the resolution makes things look nice and crisp, which is important, because this is going to be the interface that gives you all the text as well as all the images.

In terms of controls you now have volume controls on the top and single sleep button. Navigation of the touchscreen is simply a case of swiping your finger, with a back swipe letting you return to the last place you were. Although navigation is easy enough when standing playing with the device at a product expo, it changes the nature of the nano to a degree.

You won't just be able to tap the button to skip to a new track, or pause the music, although if you have a set of headphones that incorporate an Apple remote then this isn't such an issue. Apple have always put the nano forward as an ideal partner for sports and one of the great things was pressing the controls through a cover on an armband so it was weatherproof.

Something tells us that the new nano won't be quite as adept a sports partner as the old model. What you can do, though, is clip it on to your clothes. This is fine, but we suspect that for many they won't want to be seen wearing what looks like a badge showing their album art. At the same time, this being Apple, we wouldn't be surprised if this became something of cult fashion.

You can rotate the screen however, so it doesn't matter which way up it is clipped, and this is a practical consideration. The question is how much time you spend looking at something once it is clipped in place and whether control is as easy on the move once clipped in place.

Swiping through the various pages you basically have the same offering as previous nanos, but an obvious omission is the video camera that made an appearance last year. This wasn't mentioned at all by Apple, so we can only assume that as an experiment it didn't really work. Either that, or Apple wants you to move to the iPod touch for your video needs.

Sticking to music you are well catered for though, with playlists and Genius slotting into place and further navigation by song, artist, genre, etc, on offer. There is a radio too, which will be welcomed by commuters and those who like a little variety outside of their own music collection. You can also pause live radio for up to 15 minutes although we didn't get to test this out.

Getting back to the sports focus there is support for Nike+ and we also found a pedometer hiding in the menu, so you can set yourself a step goal across the day. You get to browse photos with slideshow functions, although obviously it is always going to be really small.

Overall dimensions of the new nano measure 40.9 x 37.5 x 8.78mm and it weighs just 21g. It will come in 8 or 16GB capacities and in a choice of colours.

Verdict:

Now the dust has settled from the announcement of what seemed like an extraordinary device, we can't help feeling there is something of a gap in Apple's MP3 player range. The shuffle is certainly more practical with the buttons added back on, but now we have a button-less nano and the nano had been sort of, well, ordinary.

From the way we've using the iPod nano as an MP3 player for running, we don't think it is going to be as practical to skip tracks with a fleeting press whilst on the go. But that's only one aspect of the nano's target audience and we're sure there will be plenty who like the new touch controls. We'll be giving the new iPod nano a thorough going over.

Tags: Audio Apple Apple iPod nano MP3 players First look

Apple iPod nano - First Look originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:39:59 +0100

Toshiba has sharpened its attack on the pocket camcorder market with the arrival of the next generation of Camileos at IFA2010. The Camileo S30 and P20 both shoot Full HD video at 30fps, but now feature a touchscreen 3-inch swivel display which used to be dead to the hand.

There's 10x digital zoom for any fool wishing to use it plus video stabilisation technology, as well as ports for HDMI, USB 2.0 and composite cables. Neither model has any on board storage. All of that you provide yourself with SD cards. Should you wish to use the bundled software, there's also one button YouTube and Picasa uploading too.

The difference between the two devices is that the ?139.99 Camileo S30 is marginally more premium with a thinner 59 x 106 x 19mm and lighter 141g frame and will snap 8MP shots. It's out in January 2011. The Camileo P20 only goes up to 5MP, weighs 151g and measures 74 x 11 x 22mm. You can pick that one up for ?119.99 from October.

Tags: Cameras IFA2010 Camcorders Toshiba Toshiba Camileo S30 Toshiba Camileo P20

Toshiba Camileo S30 and P20 to take on pocket camcorder market originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:21:00 +0100

It's taken a while, but Toshiba is now well and truly aboard the good ship 3D TV following its launch event over at IFA.

Amongst a barrage of product launches, the highlight, in terms of home cinema at least, was the arrival of the new Toshiba Regza WL 3D TV range.

The WL768 series comes in three sizes - 40-inch, 46-inch and 55-inch and all are full 1080p HD 3D LED displays with an impressive 7,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

They feature Toshiba's MetaBrain engine meaning "a range of advanced Toshiba picture enhancement technologies, including new and enhanced Resolution+ and Active Vision M200HD Pro picture processing".

The TVs have a 200Hz refresh rate and use active shutter tech for your 3D viewing. They also feature intelligent 3D tech which compensates for the lack of brightness and 3D Resolution+, which "analyses each single image and improves edge detail and texture in near-real time, generating a 3D image at near Full HD quality from a side-by-side input signal".

The Regza WL series have a built in DVB-T2 tuner, meaning Freeview HD is ready from the off. As well as four HDMI inputs, there are also two USB ports which allow for DivX HD, MKV, JPEG and MP3 playback.

The TVs are also Wi-Fi connected so you can get services like YouTube and, more excitingly, the BBC iPlayer piped straight to your set. The series is also compatible with Windows 7, meaning seamless streaming from your home network.

The Toshiba Regza series is out in October, with prices still to be confirmed.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, you'll get just the one pair of Toshiba 3D specs in the box - you better tell the missus that she's going to have to develop her own active shutter eyesight.

Tags: Toshiba IFA2010 Toshiba Regza Toshiba Regza WL Home Cinema

Toshiba joins the 3D revolution with first ever 3D TV originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:16:00 +0100

When the highly anticipated iPad was first unveiled to much fanfare, mostly from a certain Mr Jobs, there was a collective shrugging of the shoulders by many in the tech world. They wondered why on Earth anyone would need such a device, which appeared to be a cross between a netbook and smartphone but not really as good as either. Apple's smugometer went through the roof, when the public voted with their wallets and snapped the gadget up by the shedload. It seemed that although no one really needed an iPad, they still wanted one.

With such a successful gadget cropping up out of nowhere it was only a matter of time before rival manufacturers began to announce plans for their tablets. Samsung has just unveiled the Galaxy Tab at the IFA tech show in Berlin. This isn't just a tablet, but also offers full phone capabilities as well. Previously known as the P1000 and the Galaxy Tape, the device has been through more name changes than Prince, but can it contend with the reigning heavyweight champ? We put the two tablets together in the ring for a no-holds-barred scuffle to see who will emerge the victor. It's the iPad vs the Sam Tab.

Dimensions

Winner: Sam TAb

190.09 x 120.45 x 11.98mm, 380g

loser: ipad

242.8 x 189.7 x 13.4mm, 680g (Wi-Fi model), 730g (Wi-Fi + 3G model)

Tipping the scales at 380g, the Tab is much lighter than the iPad, and far better suited to one-handed operation and would easily fit into a handbag or manbag. You could say it's pocket-sized in the same way that the Pocket Oxford Dictionary is (i.e it wouldn't fit comfortably in any pocket we've ever seen). Also, if you've got dainty lady hands, then you might find it a bit of a struggle to support the Tab with one palm for any extended length of time. In comparison, and despite its svelte appearance, the iPad is surprisingly dense and a fair bit heavier than the Tab, and also weighs in at more than the Kindle or Sony reader ebooks. For that reason, we're giving Samsung the advantage in this round.

Display

winner: ipad

9.7 in, 1024 ? 768, LED-backlit IPS LCD

loser: Sam Tab

7in, 1024 x 600, Super TFT-LCD

What the iPad lacks in the featherweight division, it certainly makes up for with its impressive 9.7-inch screen. However, the backlit LCD panel is near-enough impossible to read if you're out in bright sunshine and viewing anything with a background that isn't predominantly white. While the Tab was rumoured to be getting an AMOLED screen, it actually has a 7-inch TFT-LCD panel which could also potentially suffer in bright light. It's also rumoured that there will be 5 and 10-inch versions available at a later date. We think that the iPad wins in terms of display, as the Tab's isn't that much bigger than a smartphone so you wouldn't really want to spend that long surfing around the web on it. Although the Tab's screen is relatively resilient, we'd recommend investing in a case straight away. We'd also advise the same for the iPad unless you want to make a teary-eyed trip to the Genius Bar to see if accidental scratches are covered under the warranty (they're not).

Engine Room

winner: sam tab

Cortex A8 1.0GHz Application Processor with PowerVR SGX540

loser: ipad

Cortex A8 1.0GHz Application Processor with PowerVR SGX535

The iPad is powered by the brand's own 1GHz Apple A4 chip, which is also found in the iPhone 4, while Samsung's Galaxy Tab is set to use a Cortex A8 1.0GHz Application Processor with PowerVR SGX540. As the Apple A4 consists of a Cortex A8 at 1GHz and a PowerVR SGX535, it would seem that the two are fairly evenly matched. But, we have to pick a winner and we think that the Tab just steals a victory thanks to its slightly higher spec GPU.

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Storage

winner: ipad

16GB, 32GB, or 64GB Flash memory

loser: sam tab

16GB, 32GB + 32GB more with memory card

Whereas Flash drives used to be an instant indicator that you'd be lucky to have more than 4GB of memory, they have come on in bounds over recent years. The iPad offers a choice of flash-based memory sizes - starting at a reasonable 16GB, through to a substantial 32GB and going up to an impressive 64GB. Meanwhile, the diminutive Tab only comes in 16 and 32GB variants, but it does also offer you the option of topping that up with a memory card. Based on the current upper limit on microSD cards, we'd have to say that the iPad has the edge in this particular tussle.

Battery

winner: ipad

10 hours video, 140 hours audio playback, one month standby

loser: sam Tab

7 hours video

When it comes to mobile devices, it's often the battery life that really separates the men from the boys. The iPad's battery life certainly seems impressive - we were able to get 2 days' worth of playtime with it before it looked like giving up, and it offers a claimed 10 hours of video. The iPad beats the Tab in this category, as the latter can only muster up 7 hours of video playback which, while impressive, doesn't quite match up to its arch rival.

Software

winner: ipad

iPhone OS v3.2 (iOS 4 expected soon)

Loser: sam tab

Android 2.2 (Froyo)

Using the same OS as the iPhone, it stands to reason that the experience of using the iPad is very similar to Apple's iconic device. You'll see the familiar layout of standard apps on the homepage, although you won't be able to multi-task until the iPad gets iOS 4, due in autumn 2010. Meanwhile, Android has offered multi-tasking a long time, although be warned - having several apps running in the background can play havoc with your battery life and can even lead to apps crashing and having to be restarted. The Tab also includes the Android Market for apps to compete with Apple's App Store.

The Galaxy Tab is equipped with Samsung's TouchWiz user interface which looks just as zippy as that of the iPad, if not more so. As with the iPad, probably the most important feature of the SamTab is the internet functionality which is brisk and simple and it also allows you to browse the web with Flash, which the iPad doesn't. On balance, although Android adds flexibility, features and customisation to the Tab, the iPad's iOS is smooth and simple and less likely to crash on a regular basis.

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Connectivity

winner: Sam tab

Wi/3G/Bluetooth 3.0

loser: ipad

Wi/BT, (Wi-Fi model) or Wi/BT/3G (Wi-Fi + 3G model)

There are currently six different versions of the iPad available - three with Wi-Fi capability and and three that can be used with both Wi-Fi and 3G. The inclusion of 3G connectivity makes these models a fair bit more expensive, and that's before you've coughed up for the data. The iPad doesn't have any hard ports, such as Ethernet, only the usual Apple dock for syncing with iTunes.

Meanwhile, Samsung's Galaxy Tab also offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3 connectivity for an easier handshake, and gets one up on Apple by also functioning as a mobile phone. Samsung has confirmed that the Tab will be launching on Vodafone in the UK, although no news yet on whether this is an exclusive deal. The Tab takes this round, thanks to its mobile phone capabilities.

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Features and usability

winner: Sam tab

Touchscreen, Video calling, HD video playback, Flash web browsing, mobile phone function etc

loser: ipad

Touchscreen, iTunes App Store, web browsing (no Flash)

The two devices appear to be fairly evenly matched when it comes to features. All of the usual suspects such as maps, calendar and contacts are also present on the iPad. Unless you want to go for the optional Bluetooth keyboard that seems to negate the purpose of the gadget's svelte design, the standard touchscreen QWERTY is a short-term fix for a few short emails, but you wouldn't want to be using it to draft any long reports.The keyboard can be used in either portrait or landscape mode, although it's not really possible to use the portrait mode one-handed as you would with an iPhone.

The Tab boasts Swype functionality, an ereader, HD video playback and video calling via a front-mounted 1.3-megapixel camera. There's also a 3-megapixel camera on the back for image and video capture. Supporting Flash Player 10.1, the Tab also enables full web browsing, unlike the pesky iPad. The Tab takes this round thanks to its mobile phone capability, voice calling and cameras.

?

Price

ipad

Wi-Fi: ?429/?499/?599, Wi-Fi + 3G: ?529/?599/?69

sam tab

?TBC

"How much?!" was the incredulous response to Apple's initial announcement about pricing. Even the cheapest model, at ?429, seems a little steep, while the all-singing and dancing Wi-Fi +3G 64GB model will set you back a staggering ?699, and that's not even counting the extra costs for data. While it remains prohibitively expensive for a great deal of population, there are more than enough Apple fanboys that can't wait to get their mitts on Apple's latest offering.

Although it's due for launch in mid-September, no pricing details have been released for the Tab. To a certain extent, the cost will depend on the mobile phone operators.

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Conclusions

Despite a lot of similarities between the two products, there are some obvious differences that stick out like a sore thumb. The Apple iPad towers over its opponent in terms of screen size, memory capacity and battery life. However, the Samsung Galaxy Tab gets a few crafty jabs in by way of its compact and lightweight design, its ability to function as a mobile phone and its camera and video calling capability.

Although not a definitive knockout, we have to declare the iPad the winner on points, as it trumps the Tab on so many scores. We're also not sure how much of a selling point the phone capabilities on the Tab are as, with a 7-inch screen, it's flipping massive in mobile phone terms. However, as with many things in life, the success or failure of the Tab will largely come down to pricing. We'll let you know as soon as we hear anything...

Related links:

• Review - Apple iPad tablet review
• Feature - Is the Apple iPad right for you?
• Feature - Apple iPad - a love/hate thing?
• Video and pics - Samsung Galaxy Tab gets official teaser video
• News - Samsung Galaxy Tab unveiled

Tags: Features Apple Apple iPad Apple iPads Samsung Samsung Galaxy Samsung Galaxy Tab Tablet Tablets

Apple iPad vs Samsung Galaxy Tab originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:07:00 +0100

Toshiba is the latest company to enter the tablet fray with the announcement that it is launching a new tablet called the Toshiba Folio 100.

The new device, which is actually the most powerful Android tablet on the market, pipping the new Samsung Tab in performance specs, will feature a 10.1-inch screen, run on top of Android 2.2 (Froyo) and be powered by Nvidia's Tegra 2 processor and cost just ?329 in the UK.

“Our FOLIO 100 media tablet offers a seamless, easy-to-use experience across entertainment, social networking and mobile internet – anytime and anywhere”, said Marco Perino, general manager Digital Life Products and Services.

The new model will come with an SD card slot, an HDMI connector, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

A Mobile Broadband (3G) ready version will follow soon.

Other specs to send a postcard home about are 16GB of onboard memory, DLNA compatibility, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, and a the promise of 7 hours (65 per cent web browsing, 10 per cent video playback, 25 per cent standby) battery life.

Those super keen to know everything will be happy to know that it weighs 760g and measures ?281x 181x 14mm.

Toshiba has said the Folio 100 will ship with a wide selection of applications pre- installed; amongst them Opera Mobile (web browser), FBReader (ebook reader), Document To Go (office suite), Evernote (notes), Adobe Flash 10.1 and Fring, and an app that in combination with the embedded webcam allows video calls with friends and family.

In the hand and it's big, slightly heavier than we would have expected, but still fairly nippy.

The?Folio 100 is available Q4 in EMEA, for ?329 inc VAT in UK, which is ?100 cheaper than the iPad.

Tags: Tablets Toshiba Toshiba Folio 100 IFA2010

Toshiba Folio 100 official, touts Tegra 2 processor originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:04:00 +0100

Tech fans with a penchant for X Factor must have felt that they have struck gold.

Not only did Pocket-lint recently bring you news of Gear4's X Factor Karaoke Party Box, we're now bringing you news of a new Ovi X Factor app for your Nokia handset.

It seems as if Simon Cowell has pulled his trousers up and got busy doing a few deals in the tech industry.

The app will bring you all the news and gossip from the show, along with competitions, exclusive video content and photo galleries, as well as a forum where you'll be able to interact with fellow X Factor fans and rate performances.

The X Factor app will also have integration with Facebook and Twitter so you can let the world know if you agree with the judges' (scripted, surely?) opinions.

Robert Marsh, head of Talkback Thames digital said: "An important part of our continuing strategy to evolve the X Factor brand is to build its presence across mutli-platforms to further enrich viewers’ enjoyment of the show".

"Phone apps are a key area of development for us when we look at the digital extension of our entertainment brands".

"We are always looking for new ways to deliver great content to fans, working alongside our partners such as ITV and Nokia, and The X Factor app puts all of this at their fingertips".

The app hits the Ovi Store on 3 September.

Related links:

• See also - Gear4 brings X Factor to your living room

Tags: Ovi Store X Factor Apps Mobile phone apps Nokia

Nokia X Factor app hits the Ovi Store originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:21:00 +0100

Call it the Man trying to be funny, call it just a marketing opportunity, it doesn't really matter. The fact remains that Microsoft has jumped onto what's been one of the biggest YouTube hits of the year with the most recent campaign for the Windows Live Gallery online service.

Of course, the real issue is that it's bloody difficult to get a rainbow to look good through a lens, let alone fit in a double that goes all the way across the sky, but the stitching function is a nice one nonetheless. For those that haven't seen the original or just fancy listening to the sounds of a grown man having some kind of religious experience out in the middle of the wilderness, then, what the hell, we'll stick that one in too. It's so intense.

Read

Tags: Internet Paul Bear Vasquez Microsoft Windows Live Photo Gallery Video Cameras Online

VIDEO: Microsoft talks up double rainbow for Windows Live Gallery originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:16:00 +0100

At IFA 2009, it was just a single extra yellow pixel that Sharp tried to wow the world with. Now, at IFA 2010, the company has plonked itself firmly on the 3DTV bandwagon with the Sharp Aquos LE925 Quattron LED TV. Quite a mouthful.

Fortunately, the company has put better thought into the technology than the naming process for this series which consists of two panel sizes - 60- and 46-inch models. Refresh speed is obviously the name of the game for a better LCD shutter glasses experience and Sharp has packed in both side LED scanning and a high speed LCD technology called FRED - Frame Rate Enhanced Driving. The claimed 1.8x better brightness than normal three primary colour set is said to reduce crosstalk 3D image separation even further.

Being side-lit, the TVs are a standard 3.9cm deep and there is the internet connected Aquos Net+ platform to enjoy as well as 2D to 3D footage conversion as well.

If you're not bothered by all the stereoscopic nonsense, then Sharp has also announced LE924, LE824 and LE814 Quattron 2D LCD TVs featuring much of the same technology but without all the extra jazz. All the sets are out this month and we'll have prices for you as soon as they come in. Oh, and just in case you're concerned, the 3D LCD shutter glasses come in red, blue and silver. Interior decorating crisis over.

Read

Tags: Home Cinema Televisions Sharp IFA2010 Sharp Aquos LE925 3DTV 3D televisions

Sharp goes 3D with Aquos Quattron LE925 LED TV originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:42:00 +0100

Packard Bell, often thought of as the cheap alternative to the Acer family, has used IFA to announce a pretty impressive sounding notebook - the EasyNote LX86.

The LX86 (the LX stands for luxury, apparently) has a silver finish and has a full-size keyboard with the keys having metal-like keycaps.

On to the tech, and this is a 17.3-inch notebook, with a quad-core Intel i7 processor with Turbo Boost as well. It can have up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM and can be equipped with an ATI Mobility Radeon graphics chip of your choice, up to the HD 5850 with 2GB of dedicated memory.

You can also have dual hard-drives with a total storage capacity of 1.5TB. It has HDMI out for hooking up to your big screen TV and there's also Bluetooth 3.0 and 1.3-megapixel webcam for all your video calling needs.

Packard Bell is also proudly boasting about the LX86's social features:

"All you have to do is to press the Packard Bell Social Networks key on your keyboard and you will enter your favourite social networks directly: Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. There is no need to launch an Internet browser, you can post comments, play games, update your profile, view or share photos and videos, and manage your entire online social life directly from your desktop".

Very nice.

The Packard Bell EasyNote LX86 will be out soon with a starting price of around 849 euros.

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Related links:

• Review - Packard Bell EasyNote TM

Tags: Packard Bell EasyNote LX86 IFA2010 Laptops Packard Bell

Packard Bell EasyNote LX6 high end notebook unleashed originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:24:00 +0100

As Pocket-lint reported recently, Huawei is launching an affordable Android 2.2 mobile phone on Thursday, which will be known as the Ideos.

Ideos isn’t just a funky word plucked out of thin air, it actually derived from Industrial Design Evolution Operating System (IDEOS), which is something the Chinese company says the handset represents.

But we know that you aren't interested in etymology, you want to know the hardcore details.

The most significant point is that the Ideos is a "with Google" branded phone, so like the Nexus One, it is a raw Android device, unskinned. Huawei stressed that the Ideos had been co-developed with Google to ensure that it received over the air updates to Android with no delays.

As such, Huawei is claiming a world's first for the device, saying it is the first affordable "with Google" handset to come pre-installed with Android 2.2.

By affordable, Huawei suggests the retail price will be somewhere around ?99-129 on pay as you go, but this will of course be network dependent and they couldn't tell us what network it would be available on, just that it will be landing mid-October.

Internally you get a 528MHz processor befitting its budget status and a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display with a limited resolution of 320 x 240, the two points that might be the obvious drawback of the Ideos.

On the connectivity front you are well catered for however, with Wi-Fi n joining HSDPA for a speedy data connection. You also get the usual suspects of Bluetooth, GPS and a bunch of sensors to give you auto-rotation of the screen and so on.

Around the back is a 3.2-megapixel camera which comes with autofocus, but no flash.

Of course you get all the benefits of Android 2.2, which means storing apps on the microSD card (up to 16GB supported), you'll be able to make it into a 3G Wi-Fi hotspot to connect up to 8 devices, and you should get Flash support in the browser.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Android Huawei Huawei Ideos U8150 Huawei Ideos

Huawei Ideos wants to be Nexus One for the people originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0100

The Huawei Ideos has just been formally announced and Pocket-lint was on the scene to grab some shots of the new budget smartphone.

Packing in Android 2.2 and sporting the "with Google" logo on the rear, the design is interesting. It may be budget, but we like the feel of the 2.8-inch display device. The rear cover felt solid enough nestling in our hand.?

The front controls might not seem like they are in exactly the right order however, as we are used to finding the home button on the far left, rather than sandwiched in the middle. As well as touch controls for back, menu, home and search, you have a four-way controller beneath it. We didn't find we needed it in our brief play with the handset, but it does mean you can easily navigate menus, something the smaller screen will not be so adept at.

Elsewhere you get a 3.2-megapixel camera and all the benefits of Android 2.2 - that means you can turn it into a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot to use the HSDPA data connection on your other?mobile?devices.?

Operation seemed smooth enough, although obviously the screen is of a limited resolution so doesn't have the impact of some of the mid- and high-end handsets out there.

Huawei is claiming the Ideos as the first affordable Android 2.2 phone to be developed with Google, and carrying its branding, meaning it will benefit from instant upgrades to the Android operating system, although as we understand it, Android 3 will come with a range of minimum hardware specs, so it remains to be seen exactly how these updates will manifest themselves.

Launching mid-October prices are expected to be around ?99-129 as a pay as you go handset.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Photos Android Huawei Huawei Ideos

PHOTOS: Huawei Ideos originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0100

Gear4 has launched the The X Factor Karaoke Party Box, giving fans of the show the chance to belt out some of their favourite songs from the show.

The X Factor Karaoke Party Box plugs into your laptop and allows to to sing along with songs streamed from the X Factor Karaoke website.

The site has all the "classics" from the show (are there any?) and you can create playlists to try out with your buddies. The good news is that Simon Cowell won't turn up and tell you how awful you were.

It's all powered by Lucky Voice, the online karaoke specialist, and with a purchase of the setup you'll get a voucher for a month's access to the 7500 songs available.

The X Factor Karaoke Party Box is yours for ?69.99 - you'll find it at John Lewis, HMV, Argos or Currys Digital.

Related links:

• See also - Gear4 unleashes HouseParty5 iPod dock
• And - Gear4 Unity remote control iPhone app and IR device hands on

Tags: X Factor GEAR4 Audio Gadgets

Gear4 brings X Factor to your living room originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:53:00 +0100

ALK Technologies has introduced a real-time traffic update service to its CoPilot Live GPS navigation apps for smartphones and iPad in the US.

ActiveTraffic uses real-time traffic flow information to calculate the best route to avoid traffic congestion and offer an accurate ETA (estimated time of arrival).

As you drive, it continuously monitors your route for delays and lets you know if a quicker route is available. If there is a faster route available, then CoPilot Live will tell you the estimated time you'll save and let you preview the new route.

Sections where traffic is travelling freely are indicated in green while those with moderate congestion are shaded yellow and severe congestion in red.

CoPilot Live v8 Android, iPhone, iPad and Windows Mobile customers in the US will be able to try out ActiveTraffic on a free 14-day trial and then buy a 12-month subscription for $9.99, while current CoPilot Live v8 US Traffic subscribers will be upgraded to ActiveTraffic free of charge.

UK pricing and availability has yet to be announced.

Related links:

• Review - CoPilot Live 8 for iPhone
• News - CoPilot Live HD for iPad inbound
• News - CoPilot Live iPhone app updated
• News - CoPilot Live v8 available for Nexus One

Tags: Car And GPS GPS CoPilot CoPilot Live ActiveTraffic ALK Technologies

CoPilot Live adds ActiveTraffic originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:28:00 +0100

For anyone fed-up with nonsensical and misleading broadband advertising, fear not as Virgin Media has decided to become the self-proclaimed bastions of the campaign to stop the tall tales of super-fast speeds.

The news comes on the heels of an Ofcom report, which slammed into certain providers for not getting anywhere near their stated "up to" speeds.

According to figures coming from the market research company ICM, 9/10 people find current broadband advertising misleading, "with many internet service providers (ISPs) advertising speeds of “up to” 20Mb or 24Mb while delivering an average speed of just 5Mb".

Another figure being bandied around is that 67 per cent of consumers were frustrated with "ISPs who routinely fail to deliver on their promises".

So from now on it looks as though we can all expect a bit more straight talk from ISPs as we're sure it won't be long before other broadband providers come out with similar statements. As Jon James, executive director of broadband, at Virgin Media said:

"People are paying for faster and faster broadband but being ripped off by unscrupulous providers who can’t deliver their promised speeds to even a single customer. A change in advertising is urgently needed to build consumer confidence in super-fast broadband and the industry more generally. In the meantime, I hope other ISPs will quickly follow Virgin Media’s lead by disclosing their own monthly performance data so people can make an informed decision about how to spend their money".

This is good news for all concerned, and as long as said data is made easily accessible, Pocket-lint-lint is giving this initiative the thumbs up.

Related links:

• News - Ofcom: UK Broadband getting faster, but not as fast as advertised

Tags: Online Internet Virgin Media

Virgin Media aims to right the wrongs of broadband advertising originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:16:45 +0100

TomTom has told Pocket-lint that it is, "Definitely looking at" the massive boom in location based social networking services like Facebook Places, Foursquare and Twitter.

In an exclusive one to one interview with TomTom's GPS product manager, TomTom confirmed that there were lots of opportunities and that it would be "silly not to be looking at it".

TomTom already offers some forms of social networking via its TomTom Live services, allowing people to interact with the maps and share new updates to help others.

If TomTom were to embrace location social networking, the system could easily be used to share details of parties, favourite restaurants and even your house to save friends trying to punch in specific postcode data into the system.

In fact the idea isn't entirely new. Navman tried it with its NavPix offering, way before companies like Foursquare even existed. The idea was that you could take a picture using the device with a built-in camera and share that location with other users.

However, the system failed due to a lack of adoption in the UK.

Integrating a service like Foursquare or Facebook with its 500m users, shouldn't encounter the same problems.

Tags: TomTom Facebook Places Foursquare IFA2010 GPS Social networking Car And GPS

EXCLUSIVE: TomTom looking at social network location features originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:03:00 +0100

Not content with unleashing the world's biggest LED HD 3D TV at IFA (and not to mention the world's biggest smartphone), Samsung has re-affirmed its commitment to all things 3D with a barrage of new home cinema equipment, with 3D compatibility a consistent feature.

“With our expanded 3D total solution consumers can enjoy a personalized, immersive and fully connected experience”, said Boo-Keun Yoon, president of Samsung’s visual display business. “This is the promise of Smart TV and we are committed to delivering on that promise”.

Included in the launch are two new 3D plasma TVs with wider viewing angles and less power consumption.

The C680 and the C490 both have "vivid 3D stereoscopic images" and they offer a "superior picture quality with its Clear Image Panel technology".

Compared to last year's models, these bad boys are 40 per cent more energy efficient and, as such, have received the EU's ECO Flower certification.

They are both 50-inch displays and the main difference between the two is that the C680 allows you to hook up your TV with DLNA certified devices via Samsung's AllShare tech.

The C680 will set you back 1349 euros and the C490 1099 euros - and both are available now.

Next up is the HT-C9950W Blu-ray 3D home cinema system, which is a 7.1 channel, multi-dimensional surround sound setup, with a wireless LAN adaptor - meaning easy access to Samsung's App Store or other DLNA devices.

It's available now and will cost you a Euro short of 2000.

If you don't need a system, then you'll be interested to know that Samsung also announced a standalone 3D Blu-ray player - the BD-C8900.

The BD-C8900 has a 500GB HDD on board, allowing for 120 hours of HD recording, and it features digital broadcasting tuners for DVB-T/C or DVB-S2.

Like the HT-C9950W, it is wireless LAN enabled, so again, it could be your gateway to the Samsung App Store.

It's 699 euros and it should also be available now.

Finally, Samsung unleashed the SP-A8000, 3D home projector. According to Samsung, it offers:

"1,000 ANSI lumens (max) brightness, a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 1500-2000 hours of lamp time, an image size ranging from 40-250 inches and two HDMI inputs", and "allows for 3D viewing with original resolution and 3D realism with Active Shutter Glasses, without viewing angle restrictions".

It's capable of full 3D at 1080p and it will cost you 5500 euros. It hits the shops in late October.

Wow, that's a whole lotta 3D kit.

Related links:

• Samsung @ IFA - Samsung NF Netbook range goes dual core
• Samsung @ IFA - Samsung Galaxy Tab gets grand unveiling
• Samsung @ IFA - Samsung unveils HMX-T10 full HD camcorder

Tags: Home Cinema Samsung C8900 Samsung C9950W Samsung C680 Samsung C490 Samsung A8000 IFA2010 Samsung

Samsung underlines 3D vision at IFA with new home cinema kit originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:02:00 +0100

TomTom?has announced the launch of a new model and a whole new range at IFA, on Thursday.

The new model will be the TomTom Go Live 1005, while the new range will go under the moniker of the TomTom Via.

The TomTom Go 1005 will be virtually identical to the newly launched TomTom Go Live 1000, but before you panic, thinking that you've just bought an out of date model, it really just amounts to a screen bump to 5 inches.

The new model will come with the latest TomTom software, along with faster routing capabilities and aimed at the "Road warrior", according to the navigation company.

It will also come with 12 months of the brilliant HD Traffic service for free.

Meanwhile, the TomTom Via range will be aimed at "comfort drivers". What does that mean? Well, according to TomTom, you're a comfort driver if you are someone who wants the extra comfort a TomTom GPS could bring to a journey.

Although not directly replacing the company's XL range, it will sit in the middle offering something to this new "demographic"

But because it's not aimed at "Road warriors" doesn't mean it's not feature packed. TomTom says the new Via range will come with Bluetooth and a handsfree speaker; speech recognition, so you can give the device requests; and an accelerometer, so you can mount it on your windscreen or your dashboard - with the device automatically knowing which way is up.

Furthermore, to make things easier, the stand is built into the device, and don't worry it's still very thin.

No word on pricing, as yet, but we would expect it to cost around the same price as the XL which currently sells in the UK for around ?160 - just don't hold us to that.

Driving towards a car near you sometime before Christmas.

Tags: GPS TomTom TomTom Go Live 1005 TomTom Go Live 1000 TomTom Via IFA2010

TomTom Via range and Go Live 1005 drive onto the scene originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0100

Many of us of a certain age will remember the joys and wonder of playing with Transformers, as unlike the usual offerings created by toy manufacturers of the time - these were actually robots in disguise.

Yes, you heard that right, what could be better than a robot that turned into an every-day object; such as a fire engine or a car, and then after a yank here and a twist there turn back into its robot form? We'll tell you. This Optimus Prime steampunk edition.

Built by Encline Designs, this fully functioning boss-Transformer gets fully pimped and has the ability to turn into a very retro Steam Engine. Aesthetically its great, but we can't help feel that the necessity for Primey to move around on the rail network might place him at a disadvantage in the war against the Evil Decepticons.

Read

Tags: Online Internet Robots Transformers Toys Steampunk

Transformer gets steampunk makeover originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:52:51 +0100

If you thought the Viewsonic ViewPad looked like the iPad, wait 'till you get a look of the Elonex eTouch tablets, which to us at least, appear to be a dead ringer to Apple's iconic iPad.

The new range, launched at IFA 2010 in Berlin, will consist of nine new models ranging in both size and the amount of tech onboard.

Those keen to get their hands on the device, will be able to do so in a whole host of different sizes. These range from 5- to 10-inchers, whilst they'll also take onboard a variety of different Android operating systems ranging from version 1.6 to 2.1.

The good news is that it won't be priced like an Apple iPad, with the Elonex eTouch 7-inch costing ?99 and the 10-inch model ?159.

And before you ask, there will be a keyboard case accessory that connects into the new tablets via USB, giving you full QWERTY keyboard functionality and basically turning your new gizmo into a fully fledged laptop, albeit an Android one.

On the ebook side of things the two ranges will either use E Ink or a touch LCD display, powered by a custom built Linux OS.

Expect the new models to be coming to an online retailer near you soon.

Tags: Tablets eBook readers Apple Elonex

The Elonex eTouch tablets that want to be the iPad originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:40:00 +0100

Vodafone has revealed that it will be launching the Samsung Galaxy Tab in the UK in partnership with the Korean giant.

"Vodafone's aim is to offer all customers new and attractive ways to enjoy mobile data, on the move, across a variety of devices", said Patrick Chomet, group director of terminals at Vodafone.

"Adding tablets as part of our device range is a natural next step that gives customers an alternative way to enjoy great content and internet services".

"The Galaxy Tab is another showcase for Samsung's innovation capabilities and we’re pleased to be introducing this across a number of our markets".

DJ Lee, SVP of Samsung Electronics said:

"I am very excited to introduce Samsung Galaxy Tab with Vodafone. Thanks to Vodafone’s strong promotion and co-marketing with us, Samsung Galaxy Tab can be an outstanding smart media device to lead a new media revolution".

"With Galaxy Tab, users enjoy full web browsing with flash 10.1 support, reading eBooks, newspapers, or magazines, and watching HD videos on the large enough 7-inch display while on the move. Furthermore, it is still compact enough to carry everywhere".

The Galaxy Tab will go on sale in October, although it isn't yet clear if Vodafone has the exclusive rights, or merely first dibs.

Related links:

• News - Samsung confirms Galaxy Tab 2...and 3 and 4....
• News - Samsung Galaxy Tab gets grand unveiling

Tags: IFA2010 Samsung Galaxy Tab Tablets Vodafone

Samsung Galaxy Tab to launch with Vodafone in the UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:27:00 +0100

Samsung has revealed, during a Galaxy Tab question and answer session at IFA in Berlin, that it will be releasing more tablets in 2011, and that there will be a whole range of different models:

"Based on our market research, people have different desires, so we are definitely going to have different sizes of tablets", said DJ Lee, head of global sales and marketing, Samsung Mobile HQ.

"And there will be tablets at different price points too".

It was also reiterated by his boss, JK Shin:?"Next year, you will see a variety of different tablets from our company".

"There will be a?Honeycomb?tablet device", he stated. "There will be an entire tablet device portfolio".

Of course, the company is keen to stress that all efforts are being focused on the current Galaxy Tab, rather than future versions. And has stressed that the current device will be out in October, depending on network providers. Price will also be decided when the operators reveal further details.

The network providers will also have a say on the Tab's colour scheme, as it can be changed to suit (pink for T-Mobile, for example). The standard version comes in both black and white.

Related links:

• News - Samsung Galaxy Tab gets grand unveiling

Tags: IFA2010 Samsung Galaxy Tab Tablets Samsung

Samsung confirms Galaxy Tab 2...and 3 and 4.... originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:57:00 +0100

Samsung's new HMX-T10 full HD camcorder boasts an innovative 20-degree slanted lens that's been designed to make shooting videos more comfortable, so you can say goodbye to aching arms and wrists.

Part of the manufacturer's new line-up of compact digital camcorders, the HMX-T10 sports a slick, slim design and has the ability to capture 4.7-megapixel still images and high-definition video footage at the same time.

Equipped with a 2.7-inch LCD screen, the new model also features Optical Image Stabilisation to eliminate blurry images caused by shaky hands.

The HMX-T10 also includes an advanced BSI (Back Side Illuminated) CMOS sensor which, according to Samsung, provides twice the sensitivity of conventional CMOS sensors. This is intended to reduce image distortion to deliver clear footage and images, even if you're using it in low light conditions.

What's more, the camcorder comes with intelli-studio 2.0 software which enables you to manage and edit your video footage and pictures.

UK availability and pricing has yet to be announced.

Related links:

• Samsung @ IFA - Samsung shows off world's largest HD 3D TV
• Samsung @ IFA - Samsung Galaxy Tab gets grand unveiling
• Samsung @ IFA - Samsung NF Netbook range goes dual core

Tags: IFA2010 Samsung Samsung HMX-T10 Camcorders Cameras HD camcorders

Samsung unveils HMX-T10 full HD camcorder originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:45:00 +0100

If you thought that Samsung's 7-inch effort at IFA was going to be the show stealer then think again, because there's a 65-inch monster in town that's seeking the crown.

The Samsung LED C8000 is the world's largest full HD, LED, 3D television.

The Korean giant is claiming that it is ultra-slim and that it "provides superior picture quality with Samsung’s proprietary 3D processor".

It also has precision dimming technology on board, as well as an 800 CMR motion clarity.

The C8000 is also Wi-Fi enabled, meaning that you'll be able to access the fantastic range of Samsung TV apps as well.

If you fancy owning what is bound to be the best TV on your street (and your town most likely) then you're looking at quite a hefty price-tag - 5995 euros.

It will be available in October.

Related links:

• Samsung @ IFA - Samsung Galaxy Tab gets grand unveiling
• Samsung @ IFA - Samsung NF Netbook range goes dual core

Tags: Samsung LED C8000 IFA2010 3DTV Home Cinema Televisions LED televisions Samsung

Samsung shows off world's largest HD 3D LED TV originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:27:00 +0100

Sharp will use the company's IFA press conference to demo a new range of 3D, without glasses, screens in mobile devices ranging from 3 to 10 inches in size.

The flagship announcement will be an impressive iPhone 4/Samsung Galaxy S looking prototype that like the Fujifilm Real 3D W3 camera just announced weeks ago, features two cameras on the rear to shoot 3D footage.

The concept will, like the Nintendo 3DS, feature a lenticular lens that allows users to view the 3D shots without the need for cumbersome glasses.

When asked when we could expect such a device, a Sharp spokesman confirmed to Pocket-lint that it was planning on launching something before the year was out.

Our man wouldn't confirm whether that was to the UK, the US, or just Japan, but if you want your 3D on the go, you should be prepared to get very excited.

But Sharp isn't stopping at just 3 inches. The company is also using IFA to demo two prototype screens; one of 3.8 inches in size and the other 10.1 inches.

Neither will need glasses to enjoy the 3D experience.

No word on when we can expect those, however.

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Tags: Phones Sharp IFA2010 3DTV Tablets Mobile phones

EXCLUSIVE: Sharp's new 3D touting shooting phone camera says hello to IFA originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:19:00 +0100

Even with the wealth of online and multimedia entertainment options available to us via our televisions, computers, handsets and other gadgetry, there’s still something to be said for listening to the good old-fashioned wireless.

Thankfully though, what you listen to it on doesn’t have to be old-fashioned - there are a ton of great options out there. We’ve hand-picked five top-notch models that are available now, so if you’re in the market for the best DAB radio money can buy, or just interested to know what’s hot, then take a look through our choices below.

Monitor Audio AirStream 10 - ?225

Alarm

Yes

Tuners

DAB, FM

Line-in

Yes

Internet

Yes, Wi-Fi & Ethernet

Presets

4

The AirStream 10 from speaker makers Monitor Audio is a real looker, blending retro wood and chrome finishes with a contemporary split-level design while construction, and sound quality, is top notch.

With FM and DAB tuners, the AirStream 10 also boasts Internet connectivity for tuning into the thousands of online stations and via either an Ethernet cable or your home Wi-Fi network, which also means you can use it as a networked music streamer. Buy it here.

Pure Evoke-2S - ?130

Alarm

Yes

Tuners

DAB, FM

Line-in

Yes

Internet

No

Presets

100

Pure puts the Evoke-2S into its “luxury” bracket and it boasts a ton of functionality to make it appealing for anyone who likes their gadgets to have a few tricks up their sleeves, such as Intellitext and textSCAN and ReVu to pause and rewind live digital radio.

Looks-wise it’s the safe bet with a maple veneer and an inoffensive front, but the OLED display (which has automatic brightness controls) will pop out at you from any angle. Belying those bland looks, the award-winning Evoke-2S is a monster in the sound department, producing 30W RMS from two mid-range 3-inch drivers supported by two ?-inch tweeters. Buy it here.

Dualit Kitchen Radio - ?150

Alarm

Yes

Tuners

DAB, FM

Line-in

Yes

Internet

No

Presets

10

Shockingly overpriced, but achingly hip, you’re paying for that shiny, cast aluminium casing and the fact that the Dualit Kitchen Radio will look just right next to your other Dualit kitchen arsenal.

That’s not to say this product isn’t without some nice features -- we particularly like the egg timer and kitchen alarm functionality that justifies say, ?4.95 of the price tag versus splashing out for separate products.

With aux-in for other audio devices, ten presets and the option to run it off the mains or the good-for-4-hours rechargeable battery, if you spend a lot of time in your kitchen and enjoy your music, this could be a worthwhile investment. Buy it here.

Pure Elan II - ?79.99

Alarm

Yes

Tuners

DAB, FM

Line-in

Yes

Internet

No

Presets

50

It’s no surprise we’re featuring two radios from Pure in this roundup, it is the leading consumer DAB radio company in the UK and mid-range products like the Pure Elan II have helped make it so.

You won’t get the sound quality of the Evoke 2-S with the Elan II, but then there’s not the price tag either. The Elan II does offer twin 3-inch drive units for quality stereo sound and still boasts nice extras like Intellitext, textSCAN and pause and rewind functionality with ReVu.

Compact and capable, the only question you have to ask yourself with the Elan II is whether you like those black satin-touch and anodised aluminium looks. We do. Buy it here.

Vita Audio R2i - ?249.99

Alarm

Yes

Tuners

DAB, DAB+, FM

Line-in

Yes, plus iPod dock

Internet

No

Presets

10

Classy British audio company Vita Audio has a champ on its hands with the R2i. That price tag reflects not just the added bonus of a built-in iPod dock, not just the amazing sound quality, but also the fact this product is future proofed with a DAB+ (as well as DAB and FM) tuner.

Specs-wise, the R2i offers two speakers with 3.5-inch drive units boasting 20W of power, a universal iPod dock which also charges a docked device, high-contrast clock display, RotoDial controls and a remote control. Buy it here.

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Related links:

• Feature - Best internet radios on the planet

Tags: Audio DAB Radios Features Radios Monitor Audio AirStream 10 Pure Elan II Pure Evoke-2S Dualit Vita Audio R2i

The Best DAB radios that money can buy originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:00:00 +0100

Toshiba will launch the Folio 100 at IFA 2010 along with a new music and video download service called Toshiba Places.

The tablet, which is already on display on the company's stand, shows the new offering in action and Pocket-lint just happened to be wandering by to grab a shot for you to see ahead of the official launch later on Thursday.

Toshiba Places, not to be confused with Facebook Places, looks to offer a similar service to that launched by Apple and Sony on Wednesday.

We will bring you more as we get it.

According to previous rumoured specs - there were none on the card on the booth - you'll get:

- OS:?Android 2.2

- Processor:?Nvidia Tegra 2

- Display: multitouch display 10.1-inch widescreen WSVGA (1024 x 600pixel)

- Audio: 2 stereo speakers and microphone 0.5 W

- Storage:?16GB?internal memory

- Networking: 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G

- Ports: HDMI, USB 2.0 standard, USB 2.0 mini audio jack

- Card reader: SD (up to 32GB) MMC

- Battery: 1020mAh, 3.7V, 22600mWh.?Up to 7 hours?of life with mixed use (web browsing and video playback)

- Internet: Opera Mobile Browser with Flash 1.10

- Productivity suite of office applications, PDF reader, ebook reader and RSS aggregator

- Multimedia: 1.3 MP Webcam

- Dimensions: 281 x 181 x 14mm

- Weight: 760 grams

- Accessories: IR transmitter and housing

Tags: Tablets Toshiba Toshiba Folio 100 Toshiba Places Video downloads IFA2010

EXCLUSIVE: Toshiba Folio 100 makes IFA appearance as Toshiba Places debuts originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:58:00 +0100

Well, we all knew it was coming, so it's hardly a surprise...but the Samsung Galaxy Tab has gone and got all official over at IFA.

The Froyo (Android 2.2) running device has a 7-inch, 1024 x 600, TFT-LCD display and, yes, it is a mahoosive phone.

That's right - this isn't a mere tablet that we're talking about here - it's a fully functional mobile phone with all of the usual features like texting and MMS on board.

"For voice telephony, the Samsung Galaxy Tab turns out to be a perfect speakerphone on the desk, or a mobile phone on the move via Bluetooth headset", says Samsung.

As well as the telephone features you're looking at a very smart tablet indeed.

"Powered by a Cortex A8 1GHz application processor, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is designed to deliver high performance whenever and wherever you are. At the same time, HD video content is supported by a wide range of multimedia formats (DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263, H.264 and more), which maximizes the joy of entertainment".

It has 512MB of RAM, 3G HSDPA connectivity, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0, as well as video conferencing and push email. There's a front facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video calling and there's also a 3-megapixel camera on the back for image and video capture.

Storage wise, there will be 16 and 32GB options, with up to 32GB more with a memory card extension. It has a 4000mAh battery giving you an impressive 7 hours of video playback.

It has a gyroscope sensor, geo-magnetic sensor, accelerometer and a light sensor all on board as well.

Samsung is also talking up the software on board, including its new Readers Hub, Media Hub and Music Hub which will be your one stop-shops for all your digital content.

Samsung is also keen to point out the "full web browsing" on the Galaxy Tab - with Flash 10.1 player support.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is out in mid-September. Pocket-lint will bring you price details as soon as we have them.

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Tags: Tablets Samsung Samsung Galaxy Tab IFA2010

Samsung Galaxy Tab gets grand unveiling originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:48:00 +0100

An Apple Special Event is always one of the biggest dates in the tech world calendar and, this week, Steve Jobs did not disappoint. Along with an entirely new lineup of iPods, he also unveiled a revamped version of Apple TV, along with iTunes 10, which includes a social network to rival MySpace. He also announced iOS 4.1 and even gave a sneak preview of iOS 4.2. Read on for a bite-size roundup of all the latest Apple news.

iOS 4.1 and 4.2

Due to land next week, this free software update boasts three major draws. HDR Photos takes three photos simultaneously, an over-exposed one, an under-exposed one and a normal one. It then combines them and gives you the option of which looks best. HD Video uploading has been introduced so that 720p footage can be uploaded automatically - a task that was not possible using the older software. Lastly, the Games Center social gaming platform has been taken out of its development stage and shown the limelight.

Attendees at the Apple event in San Francisco were also treated to a sneaky peek at iOS 4.2 for the iPad, iPhone and iPod, which is due to land in November. iPad owners will get "everything for iPad", meaning that they'll have access to some of the features that were introduced with iOS 4, such as the ability to create folders. Additional features include wireless printing and AirPlay - an updated version of AirTunes which enables streaming of music, video and photos over Wi-Fi.

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iPod Shuffle

Reports of the Shuffle's death have been greatly exaggerated, it seems, with the diminutive music player living to fight another day. A hybrid between the previous two incarnations, the new iPod Shuffle now has buttons again, along with a clickwheel and there's a handy clip to attach it to your jacket or bag or wherever else takes your fancy. It still includes playlists, with the added bonus of Genius and it offers 15 hours of playback. There are five different colours available and it's priced at ?39 for 2GB from next week.

iPod nano

The new nano looks considerably different thanks to a design overhaul which has added a touchscreen and made it 46 per cent smaller than the previous model. The square device has a clip on the back to make it just as portable as the Shuffle, and it also includes an FM radio and a clock, as well as a pedometer for sporty types. It's available in grey, pink, blue, green and orange and it'll set you back ?129 for the 8GB model and ?159 for the 16GB version.

Read our?Apple iPod nano - First Look review.

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iPod touch

We all knew it was coming, but that doesn't make the inclusion of FaceTime on the new iPod touch any less exciting. Benefiting from the new iOS 4.1 software, the device is equipped with a front facing camera for FaceTime calling, along with a camera that's capable of filming HD videos. The new iPod touch also sports a slimmed down design along with the same Retina Display as the iPhone 4, along with the same A4 chip and 3-axis gyroscope. Offering 40 hours of audio playback time, the new model is available in three sizes - 8GB (?189), 32GB (?249) and 64GB (?329).

Read our?Apple iPod touch 4G - First Look review.

?

iTunes 10

The latest version of Apple's downloadable iTunes software has several clever new features. It was only a matter of time before Apple got in on the social networking action, which appears on iTunes 10 in the form of Ping. Using the new feature, you can follow artists and friends and see what music your friends are listening to and then buy it for yourself, assuming that your friends have decent taste in music, that is. It also tells your friends whenever you buy a new song so that they can benefit in the same way.

If you're in the US, then you'll be able to rent HD TV shows for 99c, which you can then watch on your computer, iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. You get the programme for 30 days from the time you rent it and you have 48 hours to watch it. No news on UK availability yet.

Another new feature is AirPlay - an updated version of Air Tunes - which lets you stream music through your house wirelessly. The idea is that the new technology will be built into devices such as AV receivers and speaker docks. No products have been announced yet, but brands said to be signed up include Denon, Marantz, B&W, JBL and iHome.The new version of iTunes also includes support for the revamped Apple TV along with a new capacity bar that keeps you updated on your storage details in real time.

-?iTunes 10: What's new detailed and explained

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Apple TV

It's been around for a few years now, but hasn't really seen the same amount of success enjoyed by some of the brand's other products. That could be about to change with the revamped version of Apple TV, which is a quarter of the size of the original device and designed to stream all content in HD (where possible). It's equipped with just five ports - HDMI, mini-USB, power, optical audio and Ethernet - and is also Wi-Fi enabled. You can rent HD movies for ?4.49 and TV shows for 99c (only available in the US at present). Presently Fox and ABC are involved, but Jobs said that he hopes that others would be on board soon. Netflix subscribers will be able to stream Netflix films for free, while users will also have access to YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe. What's more, you can stream films from your computer or other Apple devices. It should be out by the end of September, priced at ?99.

Related links:

• Feature - iTunes 10 explained
• Photos - Apple iPod touch 3G
• Photos - Apple iPod Shuffle
• Photos - Apple iPod nano
• News - Apple unveils revamped Apple TV

Tags: Apple Apple iPod nano Apple iPod shuffle Apple iPod touch iPod iPod nano iPod shuffle iPod Touch iTunes iTunes 10 Ping Netflix Denon Marantz B&W JBL iHome iOS 4 iOS 4.1 iOS 4.2 Software Audio

Apple Special Event - everything you need to know originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:39:00 +0100

Samsung has used IFA 2010 as the platform to launch its latest line-up of notebooks - and they come in all shapes and sizes.

The most exciting announcement was of the Samsung NF310 netbook that is packing the next-generation Intel Atom N550, dual-core, chip.

This monster netbook also boasts a 1366 x 768 HD resolution, DDR3 RAM, and Windows 7.

Also in the netbook lineup is the NF210 and the NF110, that may not have the next-gen CPU of their bigger brother but still come wrapped in the sexy looking glossy exterior and boast incredible battery life - a whopping 14 hours for the NF210.

Samsung also announced the SF notebook range including the 13.3-inch SF310, the 14-inch SF410 and the 15.6-inch SF510.

These machines have Intel i3 or i5 dual-core processors, hybrid graphics (Intel for the less demanding and Nvidia for the good stuff) and also look just as cool as the NF range.

Seongwoo Nam, executive VP at Samsung Electronics, said: "Inspired and elegantly crafted, this new lineup is truly representative of our efforts to come up with a new style in mobile computers".

"I believe that Samsung’s new mobile computer designs are fresh and will drive design trends across the computer industry and satisfy style-conscious users".

The new PCs are due to hit Europe in October - no prices have yet been confirmed.

Related links:

• News - Next gen Intel Atom netbooks to hit shops

Tags: Laptops Samsung SF310 Samsung NF210 Samsung NF110 Samsung

Samsung NF Netbook range goes dual core originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:05:00 +0100

Steve Jobs said that $2.99 was too much for a TV show rental.

He thought that 99c was a much fairer price. The assembled hacks seemed to agree - they whooped and cheered in the obligatory Apple event way.

Pocket-lint was even impressed - 99c for a rental does seem very reasonable.

But what's this? Amazon is offering TV shows, to own, for 99c.

Amazon 1 Apple 0.

Amazon's line up includes Fox and ABC shows, just like the revamped Apple TV and, unlike Apple's new little magic box, the shows aren't restricted to one box.?

Amazon Video on Demand is available on a number of internet connected TVs (including sets from Sony, Panasonic and Samsung) as well as third party set-top boxes from the likes of Roku and TiVo.

Like the Apple TV rental offerings though, Amazon's service is only currently available in the US. Boo.

Related links:

• News - Apple unveils revamped Apple TV

Tags: Video on demand Home Cinema Amazon Apple TV

Amazon throws in 99c TV rentals as well originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:30:00 +0100

Philips?is to take an edgier approach to its headphones offering with the announcement at?IFA 2010?that it has teamed up with O'Neill the surfing and boarding company, to launch a range of headphones.

The new "premium line" headphones will be joint branded and go with the slogan "Tested on animals" to suggest they are ideal for the more adventurous music fan rather than those who like, well, animal testing.

"The high performance Philips/O’Neill headphones were tested on the toughest O’Neill team riders and specifically designed around the demands of those who live life to the fullest", says Philips.

The Philips/O’Neill headphone collection features four different styles:

The Stretch headphones will be the toughest in the new line-up and promise to be both impact and high stress-crack resistant.

Made of TR55LX, an ultra durable and temperature-resistant material, the surface hardness is six times greater than the polycarbonate commonly used in many headphones, which becomes brittle and breaks in subzero temperatures. All this means they are good up to -25 degrees C.

The Snug headphones will be flat-folding, while those looking for in-ear can opt for The Covert. Finally, The Specked is a range of three striking coloured in-ear buds, with tough yet stylish tangle-free cords for longer listening experiences.?

The new Philips/O’Neill headphones will be available at retail stores throughout Europe and the US from September 2010.

Oh, and they sound great too.

Tags: Audio Headphones Philips IFA2010

Philips O'Neill headphones for the hip amongst us originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:55:00 +0100

If you've been complaining that there isn't a good Twitter app for the iPad even though the tablet has been on the market 6 months then your prayers have been answered says Twitter, as the company launches the official Twitter for iPad app.

"Today we are bringing Tweets to a device that really lets content shine - the iPad", says Twitter in a blog post on the company's website.

"Twitter for iPad?takes advantage of the iPad’s fluid touch interface, letting you move lots of information around smoothly and quickly - without needing to open and close windows or click buttons".

The new app, which is free by the way, features a number of new offerings including "Panes"; a way of seeing a video, photo, or news story and "Gestures"; that let you pinch to open tweets.

If you haven't got a Twitter account don't worry, Twitter says that you don't even need to log in to start enjoying the app, although you will need to if you want to get the full benefit.

Twitter for iPad is available worldwide from the App Store.

Read

Tags: Tablets iPad apps Mobile phone apps Twitter Apple iPad Twitter for iPad Social networking

Twitter for iPad brings official Twitter app to your iPad originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:36:00 +0100

Life can be sometimes be rather tough a gruelling, and so, if possible, it's all the more important to take pleasure in the little moments/things/situations which occur on a day to day basis.

And this is where 1000 Awesome Things comes into play as it gathers up all that is...ehh, awesome. Yes it's been around for a while now, adding one awesome thing to the ever growing list every weekday since launch in July 2008, but it's always nice to revisit some of the feel good websites that populate the Internet and this is certainly one of them.

At the time of writing this there's 573 awesome things on the site, having counted down from #1000 to #427- "Blaming your fart on the dog" - so there's plenty of content for you to take a look at.

www.1000awesomethings.com

Tags: Online WebsiteOfTheDay Internet Websites Software

WEBSITE OF THE DAY - 1000 Awsome Things originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:00:00 +0100

Apple has updated its iTunes?software to version 10, and with it added a load of new features into the mix for you to enjoy and of course entice you to download. But before you bother, what's new with the new software package? We take a look at the new features so you can see whether you want to still bother downloading it or not.

iTunes Ping

iTunes has gone social. Now you can follow artists and friends as if you really are their number one fan/groupie. The concept is a simple one. Using the new feature, which is just a feature rather than a completely separate service, you can discover new music by seeing what your friends are listening to and then pressing the buy button to make Apple happy and at the same time your life complete.

"Ping automatically tells anyone that follows you whenever you purchase new music or write a review for an album. You'll also see which of your friends have purchased a song or written a review right from the album page on the iTunes Store", says Apple; so when signing up to the service be careful what you buy.

In a move to ape Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and every other social network you've heard of, you'll also be able to find out when and where artists and bands are on tour. No word on whether you'll be able to then order tickets direct from iTunes, but expect something like that once the service takes off.

TV show rentals

If you don't fancy paying $99/?99 for the new Apple TV, Apple will still let you rent TV shows and movies via iTunes as long as you are in the US (UK has yet to be announced). That means the ability to "watch what you want, when you want, without commercial interruptions, and in HD", so says Apple.

You can then watch the 99 cents downloads on your iPhone or iPod touch, iPad, the Apple TV, and of course your Mac or PC.?

You have 30 days from the moment you rent an episode to start watching, and 48 hours to finish it.

AirPlay

According to Apple, AirPlay lets you stream music throughout your entire house wirelessly, with the new tech being fully integrated into the speaker docks, AV receivers, and stereo systems of tomorrow from companies such as Bowers & Wilkins and Denon. It's Apple's attempt at expanding on its AirTunes system launched a number of years ago. No partner has announced any new devices as yet, but the list of those signed up are: Denon, Marantz, B&W, JBL and iHome.

Apple TV support

If you've slapped your name down for the new Apple TV (no, it's not called iTV) then you'll need to get iTunes 10 for the whole thing to work. Because the Apple TV doesn't have any storage it will need to stream from iTunes 10.

Improved Syncing

Nope, wireless syncing hasn't suddenly been enabled, but there is a new capacity bar that gives you storage details in real time (we know you are excited really).

Read

Tags: Software Audio iTunes Apple Ping Apple TV

iTunes 10: What's new detailed and explained originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:57:00 +0100

The launch of Microsoft's new mobile operating system Windows Phone 7?has edged a little bit closer following the news that the OS has gone gold.

"Today is the day that the Windows Phone team has been driving towards, and we’re very excited to say that we’ve reached the biggest milestone for our internal team - the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Phone 7!", said the Windows Phone 7 team on the company blog.

What does that mean exactly? Well it means the final build has gone to manufacturers like HTC, Samsung, Dell, LG, and Asus to start putting in their phones destined for launch and that the launch can't be that far away.

"While the final integration of Windows Phone 7 with our partners’ hardware, software, and networks is underway, the work of our internal engineering team is largely complete", Microsoft confirms.

According to Microsoft it's the company's most tested OS yet with "nearly ten thousand devices running automated tests daily, over a half million hours of?active?self-hosting use, over three and a half million hours of stress test passes, and eight and a half million hours of fully automated test passes".

Read

Tags: Phones Windows Phone 7 Dell HTC Samsung LG Asus Microsoft Operating Systems

Windows Phone 7 goes gold originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:23:00 +0100

If you play golf, chances are you've heard of the name Ping before and that's because the company has been making golf clubs since 1959, so you were probably surprised to hear that Apple had launched a new service on Wednesday called Ping.

Rather than sort out the details after the announcement as the company has done in the past with the likes of Cisco and the iPhone moniker, it turns out that Apple has already entered into an agreement with Ping under which Apple will use the Ping trademark in connection with Apple's innovative new social music discovery feature in iTunes.

"We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Apple," said?John Solheim, chairman and CEO of Karsten Manufacturing Corporation and Ping. ?"Like Ping, Apple carries a reputation for innovation and quality. I have always had great respect for companies that have changed and improved the ways things are done and I continue to model Ping along those lines. Apple is a truly great example of this kind of enterprise".

Founded in 1959, Ping is a famous premium brand that holds more than 1000 trademark registrations around the world, many related to golf equipment. The company also owns trademark rights in Ping for social networking and other online services. ?

Panic over, and before you ask we doubt Apple has any plans to launch a golfing range.

Tags: Audio Software Apple Ping iTunes

Apple licensed Ping name from Ping Golf originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:07:00 +0100

Sonos has announced that it is adding support for the Spotify music service to its multi-room music system by the end of September.

The update for Sonos customers will be via a free software update and will bring Spotify to those customers in the UK, as well as Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden.

You'll need to have a Spotify Premium account to get the service however, so although it is a free update there is a cost involved - ?9.99 a month - unless of course you already have a Premium account.

You'll then find that Spotify adds itself into your controller, be it on the iPhone or via the new iPad app, which is also coming later in September.

Spotify is a music streaming service and joins the likes of Last.fm in enabling Sonos owners to access music, be it local or online, and stream it through Sonos devices around the home, with support for up to 32 zones.

If you are an existing Sonos owner, all you have to do is sit and wait for the software version 3.3 update at the end of September and you are all set.

Tags: Audio Sonos Spotify Streaming IFA2010

Sonos adds Spotify support originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We knew it was coming and it didn't take a genius to figure out what was in store for the fourth generation of the Apple iPod touch. Having seen the changes to the iPhone 4, it was only natural to assume that the iPod touch would be getting the pick of the best parts. Pocket-lint was on-hand at the Apple launch and gave the new iPod touch a good going over during a hands-on session.

The star of the show, naturally, is the high resolution, 3.5-inch, 960 x 640 pixel resolution display. Staring into the sharp, vibrant, display, it reminded us of just how impressive the iPhone 4's screen is. If the iPhone can be praised for one thing in particular, it is that its success has brought great benefits to the iPod touch.

We'd expected a more drastic design shift to reflect the new design of the iPhone, but the design overall is fairly similar to before. You still have the stainless steel back, wonderfully curved to fit into your hand and simple clean lines that look elegant from every angle. It is marginally slimmer at 7.2mm (111 x 58.9 x 7.2mm overall, and weighing 101g), although it wasn't exactly fat in the first place, which means none of your existing covers will fit.

The most noticeable change to the design is around the edges of the screen, where the line between the screen and the metal back as been trimmed down even further. Again, it wasn't exactly fat in this area, but the tight new design makes the previous iteration look decidedly tired.

Steve Jobs said the iPod touch is "an iPhone without a phone. It's also an iPhone without a contract" and that's what appeals about the iPod touch in its previous and new guise: it gives you access to all the iPhone goodness without the ongoing cost.

And this means you get access to the App Store and all the joys it contains, from social apps, to games, to doing your grocery shopping online. One major omission in the past has been the lack of a camera to get to grips with all the photo apps.

This is a major change for the iPod touch with the inclusion of both a front a rear camera. We saw the slightly odd addition of a camera to the iPod nano last year (removed without even a mention in the latest version) that only offered video, but the new iPod touch gives you both a rear and front facing camera.

The iPod touch will now support HD video capture, but you'll also have iOS 4.1 in place, so you'll be able to upload HD content direct to YouTube and make FaceTime calls to other iPod touch users, or iPhone 4 users, if such a thing appeals to you. There is a mic included and from the demo we saw, it was the same experience as on the iPhone 4.

Although Apple doesn't declare what the resolution of these cameras is we suspect they are somewhere around 0.6 or 0.7 megapixels on the back, but this will depend on the aspect ratio of the video it captures. If it is a standard 1280 x 720 video (16:9 aspect) then it is more likely to be a 1-megapixel camera. Whatever the details are, we'll be looking closely at this in our full review and see if the step down means the still imaging suffers as a result.

All these things will have to wait until we have the iPod touch back for a full review. But exploring the devices Apple had on show, we were surprised how slick and fast everything felt. Again, just like the design, the old iPod touch is no slouch but the new touch is snappier. It moves around pages faster, it opens apps in a flash.

Apple today pointed out that iPod touch is the most successful portable gaming platform available, outselling portable offerings from Nintendo and Sony. They showed off a demo of Project Sword from Epic Games (the people behind Unreal Tournament and Gears of War), taking advantage of Apple's new Game Center which will be part of iOS 4.1. It's difficult to deny the uptake of gaming that the iPod touch has seen and with the extra power from the A4 processor and the higher resolution, that success is set to continue.

Verdict:

Our first impressions of the new iPod touch are extremely positive. It remains to be seen whether the camera delivers the performance we saw on the iPhone, and if it doesn't, is it an acceptable middle ground?

But we can't help being impressed with Apple's high resolution display again. With apps updating to take advantage of the sharper display, the experience is going to be great for gaming, watching video and browsing photos.

The price is a little high, but you do get a lot for your money and we can't wait to put the iPod touch through its paces in a full review.

Tags: Audio Apple iPod iPod touch 4G iPod Touch First look PMPs Apple iPod touch

Apple iPod touch 4G - First Look originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:01:02 +0100

Apple's hotly anticipated event covered a wide range of new products and, as we predicted here at Pocket-lint, not only did Steve Jobs take to the stage wearing his black crew neck and New Balance footwear combo but Apple also announced an updated version of the iPod nano complete with touchscreen.

But, is it worthy your hard-earned cash? And if you've already got an iPod nano, should you be thinking about upgrading? Read on to find out.

Form

5th gen

91 x 38 x 6.1mm, 36.3g

6th gen

37.5 x 40.9 x 8.78mm, 21.1g

Chalk and cheese here. One is a long, thin, oval cross section of a flattened cigar and the other is a postage stamp. The 5th generation iPod nano wasn’t exactly big but the new one is not only pocketable but the sort of thing you’ll forget you have on you altogether. Just in case 36g was a bit of a strain, it’s now dropped to approaching half of that. More significant is the inclusion of a clip which will help for those looking to use the new nano as a sports companion.

Display

5th gen

2.2”, 240 x 376px, LCD

6th gen

1.54”, 240 x 240px touchscreen

Hard to imagine being able to get a thumb and forefinger onto a 1.54-inch display for multitouch play, but Jobs seemed to manage it okay in the demos. More than anything though, it’s probably the addition of the accelerometer you’d notice. It seems largely a matter of aesthetic design but it’s also going to be quite useful if it’s clipped to your clothes. The resolution is pretty similar on paper, but the 220ppi pixel density on the 6th generation iPod nano is a little better than the 201ppi you’ll enjoy on the older model.

Imaging

5th gen

VGA camcorder

6th gen

Nothing

Um, yeah. Funny but in all the propaganda about these iPods being “the best we’ve ever made” Uncle Steve forgot to mention that Apple had decided to ditch the rather snazzy camcorder we saw on the 5th generation iPod nano. Oh well.

Form

5th gen

8/16GB

6th gen

8/16GB

No change here. The iPod nano remains a device to fit a fair whack of music onto without being a mobile library of everything you own. Minus the video function, you’ll probably be able to eke that added space out to a few more albums at any one time.

Battery

5th gen

24hrs audio, 5hrs video

6th gen

24hrs audio

As you were on the battery front as well. Whether it’s the same power unit or not is far too dull a question to answer. The fact remains that an iPod nano will last you one complete spin of the Earth of pumping your music. So, unless you walk around with headphones in all the time, that’s quite a few days between charges.

FM Radio

5th gen

Present and with RDS

6th gen

RDS + live pause

While it’s debatable as to who listens to FM radio any more, those that do will be rather chuffed with the live pause function added to the 6th generation iPod nano. It’s not designed as flash recorder but can pause and rewind for up to 15 minutes which should be enough to shoe away that person interrupting your life.

Extras

5th gen

Nike+iPod Support, Genius

6th gen

Nike+iPod Support, Genius

Despite all the chat and aesthetic differences, there’s nothing much you can’t do on the 5th gen that you can on the 6th - just the live pause on the radio, really. Both devices will keep you fit - so long as you do your part - with the Nike+ app and both, of course, do Genius playlists as well.

Conclusion

What’s interesting here is that Apple hasn’t really upgraded the iPod nano. Steve Jobs and co have just decided to reposition it instead. What was a light version of an MP3 player - with a cool little camera - has become, well, the iPod shuffle really. It’s been stripped down to where the screen has become virtually irrelevant, despite its gesture control and the way it obeys gravity, and reduced to a clip size least likely to get in the way while exercising.

The 6th generation iPod nano is a sports media player and Apple has decided that the light MP3 player space isn’t worth catering for any more because that’s basically what the mobile phone is nowadays. So, those that love their 5th gen nanos need not feel threatened and those who’ve always wanted a screen on their shuffle can rejoice. Unfortunately, the news isn’t so good for 3rd generation iPod touch owners.

Related links:

• PHOTOS - Apple iPod touch 4G
• PHOTOS - Apple iPod shuffle

Tags: Apple Audio MP3 players iPod Nano touch iPod nano Features

iPod nano 5th gen vs iPod nano 6th gen originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:18:00 +0100

Steve Jobs informed gathered journalists that the iPod touch is the most successful portable gaming platform, outselling both Nintendo and Sony portable gaming devices combined.

And the iPod touch has just received a redesign as it becomes a fourth generation device. Not only will it come with the newly announced iOS 4.1 (updating to iOS 4.2 in November), but it now also gets 960 x 640 pixel?Retina Display from the iPhone 4, meaning it is going to be great for watching HD video captured from the camera.

The case is now slimmer and the inclusion of a front and rear camera means you'll be able to snap pictures and video on the move - perhaps even using the new HDR feature - as well as have FaceTime calls if such a thing tickles your fancy. Of course, you'll need to be connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Elsewhere you have the 30-pin dock connector, external speaker, 3.5mm headphone jack and volume controls as previously.

You'll also get access to all the App Store goodness, making the new iPod touch an even hotter prospect than the previous version.

The new iPod touch will cost ?189 for the 8GB model, ?249 for the 32GB model and ?329 for the 64GB model.

Tags: Audio Apple iPod Photos MP3 players PMPs

PHOTOS: Apple iPod touch 4G hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:38:00 +0100

The iPod shuffle has been given its buttons back by Apple, as the smallest iPod model was updated. As always, Pocket-lint was on hand to bring you all the details, and all the pictures of the new iPod.

The previous iPod shuffle brought with it voice over, but now you have voice over as well as the traditional clickwheel controls.

Crafted from aluminium, even though it is tiny, it displays all the hallmarks of an Apple device, lovingly put together. As previously there is a clip on the back for easy attachment when out and about.

Hitting stores next week, the Apple iPod shuffle will cost you ?39 for 2GB of storage and it even comes in a range of pretty colours.

Tags: Audio Apple iPod iPod shuffle Photos

PHOTOS: Apple iPod shuffle hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:26:00 +0100

Of all the updates made by Apple to the iPod range, it is the nano that is the most dramatic. From the bar with click wheel, to a square with a compact touchscreen interface, the nano really does live up to its name in its new form.

The tiny device nestles neatly in the centre of your hand, but still packs in a whole load of functionality. You still get all your music options, as well as Genius, and you get the likes of Nike+ and a pedometer, as well as an FM radio.

The screen is bright and the colours punchy, showing off your album artwork. With a clip on the back like the old (and new) shuffle, you can also rotate the entire screen so it doesn’t matter how and where you clip it, as you'll be able to view things the right way round.

As always, Pocket-lint was at the front of the action, waiting to bring you our hands-on gallery with the new iPod nano.

Hitting stores next week, the 8GB version can be yours for ?129 and the 16GB will set you back ?159.

Tags: Audio iPod Apple Photos Apple iPod nano

PHOTOS: Apple iPod nano hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:12:00 +0100

Apple's hotly anticipated event covered a wide range of new products and, as we predicted here at Pocket-lint, not only did Steve Jobs take to the stage wearing his black crew neck and New Balance footwear combo, but Apple also announced an updated version of the iPod touch.

But, is it worthy of your hand-earned cash? And if you've already got an iPod touch, is it worth upgrading? Read on to find out.

Battery

3rd gen

30hrs audio, 6hrs video

4th gen

40hrs audio, 7hrs video

It may not seem like a big change here, but think about it for a moment and a whole 10 hours of audio playback or an extra 60 minutes of video time is actually pretty significant. If you're using the iPod touch both as a gaming device, a media player and, as we'll see, a camera as well, it's an excellent addition.

CPU

3rd gen

833MHz ARM A8

4th gen

Apple A4 Chip

The upgrade to the Apple A4 system-on-a-chip solution on the iPod touch is the first big clue as to the core of what this media player refresh is all about. The CPU portion is another ARM A8 that should make it up to 1GHz clock speed, provided it's not been limited, of course. On its own it might not make all the difference in the world but considering the 3rd gen is underclocked to 600MHz, it's a bigger step than it looks.

Storage

3rd gen

8GB/32GB/64GB

4th gen

8GB/32GB/64GB

Storage-wise, you're looking at the same creature. Both line-ups are available in the three sizes from 8-64GB, depending on how much money you have to burn. Given both a thinner chassis and the fact that the catalogue-sized iPod classic is still out there, it's really of no surprise that it wasn't bumped up.

Memory

3rd gen

256MB

4th gen

512MB?

Apple has never been one for talking RAM specs, so we'll have to have a guess here until the teardowns hit the web. However, given that the 4th gen touch has got the A4 chip and was seen running some seriously impressive stuff at the keynote, we're willing to bet there's the same 512MB payload as you'd find in the iPhone 4.

Display

3rd gen

320x480, 3.5” LCD

4th gen

960x640px, LED backlit

Possibly the most important upgrade between the the two models is the addition of the Retina Display as seen first, once again, on the iPhone 4. We know that the jump from 163ppi to 326ppi is pretty damn astonishing and it's the kind of category that's going to make all the difference if you're a heavy video user. Throw in the lower power drain and the IPS for a better viewing angle and it becomes the place where the 3rd gen owners will turn green with envy if they don't make the switch.

Connectivity

3rd gen

Wi-Fi b/g, USB 2.0, Bluetooth

4th gen

Wi-Fi b/g/n, USB 2.0, Bluetooth

Not a lot of difference at first glance here but there is one letter that's a welcome addition. Yes, the iPod touch 4th generation model now has the further reaching and faster n-wireless standard. Very nice for a bit of browsing at home - unless you already have an iPad that is.

Graphics

3rd gen

PowerVR SGX 535

4th gen

PowerVR SGX 535

Both generations have the same GPU inside, so you'll get decent gaming power on either the old or new model - a sigh of relief for those looking to keep up with the apps on the 3rd gen. One could argue that the integration of the graphics unit on the Apple A4 in the 4th gen is going to be more efficient and a little tighter but, essentially, you'll get a similar performance.

Form

3rd gen

110 x 61 x 8.4mm, 115g

4th gen

110 x 59 x 7.2mm, 101g

It's become a matter of shaving slivers of metal off this thing each and every time now, largely because it's really thin already. This time the 4th gen is even thinner, of course. The bezel has been cut down on the width as well, but the big stat is probably the drop in weight. It's not drastic but it makes the 3rd gen look a little out of shape

Imaging

3rd gen

Nothing

4th gen

Front & rear facing camera

Well, not much you can say here in the defence of not upgrading to the 4th gen iPod touch. Two cameras - one to take pictures with and one to FaceTime video call over Wi-Fi with - or, er, none.

The rear facing camera is not much of a stills operator though. While you can use it record a very impressive 720p HD video at 30fps, the stills only come in at 960x640 which is equivalent to 0.6 megapixels. You're probably best off extracting the shots from video in post production.?The front facing glasswear is up to VGA levels for both FaceTime chats and single snaps.

Conclusion

Well, there's no two ways about it, there's barely even one - the iPod touch 4th generation is just much, much better than the 3rd generation unit. Despite still being a decent device in its own right, it just looks like an old duffer next to the younger model. The 4G is thinner, lighter, more powerful, it has a far, far better screen and it's now become a camera and camcorder as well. Just stop reading and start saving your money. Sorry but that's just a year in technology for you.

Related links:

• Review - Apple iPod touch (3rd Gen)
• Review - Apple iPod touch (2nd Gen)
• Feature - Apple Special Event predictions

Tags: Apple Apple iPod touch Audio Features MP3 players iOS 4 iPod iPod Touch iPod touch 4G PMPs

iPod touch 3rd Gen vs iPod touch 4th Gen originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:47:00 +0100

Watching a 3D Blu-ray movie on your 50-inch Bravia TV is one thing, but what if you are serious about your movies and want to create the 3D experience at home?

Don't panic, Sony has announced, at its IFA press conference in Berlin, Germany, on Wednesday, that it has you covered.

It has confirmed it will be launching a 3D projector for the living room that is 3D ready, and as you might expect Pocket-lint was eyes-on to witness it in all its glory. ?

The VPL-VW90ES will offer a dynamic contract of 150,000:1, work with Sony's active glasses technology as found in the company's Bravia television range and alongside a dedicated amp lets you create that 3D experience in your home as if you were in the deluxe seats at the local cinema (theatre).

Eric Kingdom, a product specialist at Sony, gave us a first hand look at the new offering and we have to say we were impressed. Sod paying ?15 for a cinema ticket, if you are a movie fan this is very cool, as long as you've got the cash.

The 3D element will work up to 300 inches in size and you'll need to mount a small sensor (it looks like the Sony Eye camera) above your screen to work in tandem with the glasses.

The projector offers Full?HD?1080p 3D projection, and can also do 2D to 3D conversion.

We watched a clip from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - the bit with the glass fish bowl - and although it's fair to say that it's animation rather than live action, we were very impressed.

Yours for around ?6000 when it launches in October in the UK, meaning by the time you add in the amp and some speakers you'll have change from ?8000.

A steep price, but just think of the money you'll save on popcorn.

Tags: Home Cinema Projectors Sony Sony VPL-VW90ES 3DTV IFA2010

Sony VPL-VW90ES 3D home projector eyes-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:41:00 +0100

Sony has previewed a prototype 3D-Ready laptop that it hopes to release to the general public in the springtime at its keynote speech at IFA in Berlin, Germany.

The new laptop, which currently doesn't have a name other than the "Sony 3D laptop prototype" will allow users to switch between 2D and 3D at the touch of a button.

Although neither the design or technology is final, in fact the spokesperson Pocket-lint spoke to at Sony's booth said the end result would look vastly different from a hardware point of view, that didn't stop Sony getting excited enough to show what was possible.

The new 3D laptop will use the company's 3D active shutter glasses.

Stay tuned.?

Tags: Laptops Sony 3DTV IFA2010

Sony 3D laptop prototype shown originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:27:00 +0100

Well, it's not really a surprise, but that doesn't make it any less exciting - the next generation of Apple TV is here and it's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

Steve Jobs was keen to point out that Apple had learned from the "hobby" project of the original Apple TV and had discerned exactly what TV fans were after.

He pointed out that people wanted Hollywood movies and TV shows, everything to be in HD, lower prices for content, no need to have a computer hooked up, no storage management, no syncing and something that is "silent, cool and small".

So, that's exactly what the Cupertino contingent has come up with.

The second-gen Apple TV is a quarter the size of the original device, has just five ports for simplicity (HDMI, mini-USB, power, optical audio and Ethernet), is Wi-Fi 802.11 connected and comes with a shiny aluminium remote.

All content is available in HD (where possible) and there's no storage issues as everything is streamed.

It's purely rental based with HD movies costing ?4.49 and TV shows for just 99c (only in the US at present, unfortunately). At the moment just Fox and ABC are on board but Jobs said: "We're hoping that the other networks see the light and get on board with us".

If you're a Netflix subscriber you'll also be able to stream your Netflix content for free as well. YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe content is also all gettable via Apple TV and you can stream movies and the like from your computer as well.

There's also brilliant connectivity with your other iOS devices, whereby you can pick up movies from where you left off, or stream your pictures between your Apple toys.

It's out in around 4 weeks time - so hopefully the end of September and it will cost ?99 ($99 in the States). Pre-order now.

Tags: Home Cinema Apple Apple TV

Apple unveils revamped Apple TV originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:22:00 +0100

Apple has announced an all new iTunes which incorporates Ping into the mix, making for a whole new "social" experience.

In an attempt to show that the old iteration was not a failure Jobs gave a couple of? download stats for old iTunes, which included 11.7 billion songs, 450 million TV shows and 100 million movies.

In fact Steve Jobs described iTunes as the "number one online media store in the world".

New additions for iTunes 10 include an all new "Hybrid View" and an "elegant and simple" design. However its the introduction of a new social theme based around discovery an, as Jobs describes it: Facebook and Twitter meets iTunes", which marks the real step-up.

Ping will aid in this new social iTunes and will not only be available through your PC, but will get seamless integration with your iPhone and iPod touch straight from the iTunes Store.

You'll be able to follow artists and friends to discover the music they listen to and find out concerts nearby, as well as viewing a custom chart auto-generated just for you.

Privacy is taken care of through a variety of opt-out/opt-in option where you can be as "private or as public as you want".

Anyone who thinks Apple has arrived a little late to the social networking space should take into account that Ping is starting with a user base of 160 million iTunes users across 23 countries.

And in view of the social-music angle, this news perhaps won't scare Twitter and Facebook, but MySpace - which has developed itself into a social platform for bands and music lovers - could well be looking over its shoulder.

The new iTunes 10 software is available to download from Wednesday 1 September.

Tags: Software Audio iTunes iTunes 10 Apple

Apple goes social with Ping for iTunes 10 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:05:00 +0100

The worst kept secret leading up to the Apple event over in San Francisco was that the iPod touch would be getting FaceTime.

And, Steve Jobs has confirmed what we all suspected.

The Apple boss also stated that the new iPod touch would be thinner, have the same retina display as the iPhone 4, and the same A4 chip, as well as the 3-axis gyroscope. It will come loaded with the new iOS 4.1 software.

The new iPod touch will have the front facing camera for your FaceTime calls as well as a camera on the front capable of filming HD videos.

The fourth generation iPod touch will be capable of 40 hours of audio playback and will be available in three different sizes - 8GB (?189), 32GB (?249) and 64GB (?329).

Like the new iPod shuffle and the new iPod nano touch, the device will be available next week - with pre-orders open now.

Related links:

• Feature - iPod touch 3rd Gen vs iPod touch 4th Gen

Tags: iPod Touch FaceTime Audio Apple iPod PMPs

iPod touch gets FaceTime originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:44:00 +0100

At the Apple "Special Event" in San Francisco Apple has revealed it is to update its entire iPod range in time for the lucrative "Holidays" season.

Steve Jobs says that the iPod nano has always been "super popular" but Apple wanted to make it smaller. Jobs stated the only way they could achieve this was to lose the buttons and give it a multi-touch touchscreen.

The new device is tiny - basically just a square touchscreen with a clip on the back, making it as portable and gym-friendly as the shuffle. The new nano boasts an FM radio, pedometer and a clock.

To place its size reduction into context the new iPod nano is 46 per cent smaller and 42 per cent lighter than the previous model, with colours coming in grey, pink, blue, green and orange.

Prices will come in at $149 for the 8GB and $179 for the 16GB and should be available next week in the States but no word on a UK release.

UPDATE: The iPod nano will have a UK price of ?129 for the 8GB model and ?159 for the 16GB version.

Tags: Audio iPod Apple Apple iPod nano MP3 players

New tiny iPod nano gets touchscreen originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:40:00 +0100

Some people predicted that the iPod shuffle would be scrapped at the Apple event over in San Fran.

Not so, it's had a revamp that makes it more like a hybrid between the previous two versions.

That means a clickwheel, as well as voice over. And, being a shuffle - it's super tiny.

There's playlists on board still - with Genius being added and it has a clip so you can stick it on your being when you're jogging (or sitting - but we don't think that's the point).

It has 15 hours of playback and will cost you just $49 for a 2GB version. There's five different colour options available.

That means a UK price of ?40-ish most likely.

The new iPod shuffle hits the Apple Store next week - with pre-orders open now.

UPDATE: the new iPod shuffle will cost ?39 for 2GB.

Tags: Apple iPod shuffle iPod MP3 players

Apple event: iPod shuffle - now with buttons... again originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:30:00 +0100

At the Apple special event in San Francisco Apple announced details of iOS 4.1 for the iPhone and iPod touch that will be available next week, however CEO Steve Jobs also offered a sneak peak of iOS 4.2, which will be released for the iPad, iPhone and iPod.

iPad owners can look forward to "everything for iPad" bringing some of the recent iOS 4 features such as the ability to create folders to the tablet platform.

This basically means that while iPod and iPhone users get to play with 4.1, iPad owners will have to wait.

Features include wireless printing, AirPlay, an update of AirTunes which will bring the ability to stream audio, video and view photos over Wi-Fi.

The update is due out in November for all iOS devices and will be available as a free download via iTunes.

Tags: Tablets Software iOS 4.2 Apple

Steve Jobs offers sneak peak of iOS 4.2 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:29:00 +0100

Apple's first announcement over in San Francisco was that iOS 4.1 is going live.

Rather than being a simple 0.1 update this revamp brings some pretty nifty features with it, including:

HDR Photos: This takes three photos, an over exposed one, an under exposed one and a normal one. It then combines the three and gives you the option as to what one looks best.

HD Video uploading: This one was a bit of a no-brainer - why would Apple provide a device that films 720p video, but then doesn't let you automatically upload it? Well, it did - but gladly this has been rectified.

Game Center - This social gaming platform finally comes out of the development blocks and into the real world.

It will also fix some bugs to do with Bluetooth, the proximity sensors and UI on the iPhone 3G.

It's coming out next week and it will be free via iTunes.

Tags: iOS 4.1 Software Apple iPhone

Apple event: iOS 4.1 goes live originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:17:00 +0100

Sony has joined forces with satnav specialist TomTom to introduce the Xplod range of in-car navigation devices. Both the snappily titled XNV-L77BT and the XNV-L66BT will comprise Sony’s AV head unit and TomTom’s navigation module, offering full access to TomTom Live services including HD Traffic, Local Search with Google and Safety Alerts.

HD Traffic is updated every three minutes to keep drivers updated on road incidenets and delays, while Safety Alerts gives advance warning of safety cameras and dangerous areas. TomTom's MapShare means that you can keep your maps up to date by correcting them and benefit from the changes made by other drivers via your computer and the brand's free Home software.

Built on the same platform as Sony's award-winning XAV-70BT, the new range also benefits from Local Search with Google which lets you seach for local shops, restaurants and other businesses using Google Map. You can even call to book a table right from the search page.

The devices incorporate a virtual speaker right in the middle of the dashboard to recreate a 5.1 channel surround sound effect, while another handy feature adjusts the timing of the sound from the different channels depending on the driver's position.

The XNV-L77BT sports a 7-inch widescreen touch screen, while the slightly more compact XNV-L66BT offers a 6.1-inch widescreen display. Both models are equipped with Sony's Zappin and SensMe technology which let you easily select your music and can be connected to a wide range of digital music players including Walkman, iPod, iPhone and USB memory drives. They also boast integrated Bluetooth for hand-free phone calls and streaming music wirelessly from a mobile phone.

The Xplod range will be available in the UK from October, with pricing yet to be announced.

Tags: Car And GPS Cars GPS software GPS TomTom Sony Sony XNV-L77BT Sony XNV-L66BT IFA2010

Sony unveils Xplod with TomTom technology originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:09:00 +0100

Here at Pocket-lint we're always on the lookout for a new game to play on the go, and there is an ever-increasing selection on the iTunes App Store covering everything from the highly addictive Angry Birds through to classics such as Tetris and the thinking man's game, Sudoku. But if you're after something a bit different for your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, then look no further than this simple and somewhat unsettling app, based on Spielberg's classic bloodthirsty monster movie of the same name.

Jaws

Format

iPhone/iPod touch/iPad

Price

?2.37

Where

iTunes

The second you fire up Jaws you'll be greeted with the chillingly familiar theme music, which you can turn off - along with the sound effects - but we'd recommend keeping it on to get the full, nail-biting effect. Your task in the game is to take on the role of Amity Island top copper, Chief Brody, and to guide the swimmers to safety before they end up in the belly of the killer shark. Once you've guided all of the swimmers to safety by flicking them across the screen and onto the beach, and probably left a few of the unlucky ones to get eaten, you'll move on to the next level. Each level is relatively similar, and requires you to save as many floundering proles as possible by helping them to shore or onto boats and guiding the boats to safety. In the last round you'll come face to face with Jaws himself.

Athough there are probably better gaming options available in the App Store that won't cost you a penny, we couldn't resist this one's addictive gameplay, attractive graphics, and heart-pounding music. Although we probably wouldn't get a job in the Amity Island PD, thanks to an embarassingly high body count. Shark 1, Pocket-lint 0.

Related links:

• APP OF THE DAY - Lonely Planet London Compass (Android)
• APP OF THE DAY - Sky Sports News (iPhone & iPad)
• APP OF THE DAY - ESPN Goals (iPhone)

Tags: App of the day Apps Apple iPad Apple iPhone Apple iPod touch

APP OF THE DAY: Jaws (iPhone/iPod touch/iPad) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:00:00 +0100

The PlayStation Move arrives in the UK on 17 September and with it an enormous frenzy to pick up as many games that’ll work with Sony’s motion detection system as possible. Described as an HD version of the Wii, the claim is that it’ll bring more hardcore titles to consoles rather than softer family approach taken by Nintendo's gesture controlled playables. Bold words, but whether the titles themselves look like they’ll deliver is your call. Here is the full list of PlayStation Move games as approaching and slated at launch.

First Out

• Sports Champion (17/9/2010) - Multiplayer, mulit-discipline olympics-type title
• The Shoot (17/9/2010) - FPS movie-themed arcade shooter
• Start the Party (17/9/2010) - Multiplayer party game. ‘Fun’ for all the family.
• Kung Fu Riders (17/9/2010) - Office chair kung fu adventure
• R.U.S.E. (10/9/2010) - World War II strategy sim
• Flight Control HD (17/9/2010) - Souped up version of air-traffic control mini game
• EyePet (17/9/2010) - AR virtual pet game/Geordie for affirmative
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (17/9/2010) - Club swinging golf franchise (extramarital bonus games not included)
• Resident Evil: Gold (10/9/2010) - Move edition of adventure horror classic
• Buzz!: The Ultimate Music Quiz (15/10/2010) - As described on the tin
• The Fight: Lights Out (22/10/10) - Rough, tough illegal underground fighting sim
• TV SuperStars (29/10/2010) - Social party game. Take a picture of your head and put it on TV.
• EA Create (19/11/2010) - Scene creator sandbox puzzle game
• Heavy Rain (8/11/2010) - Film noir-style interactive drama video game
• Killzone 3 (Feb 2011) - Epic first person tactical shooter with 3D cinematic experience
• Sorcery (29/1/2011) - Monsters and mages action adventure

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Coming Soon

• Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest (9/2010?) - Cartoon look Orc slayer with tales from the Shire
• Time Crisis Razing Storm (10/2010?) - Return of the rail shooter
• LittleBigPlanet 2 (11/2010) - highly acclaimed 2.5D puzzle platformer
• SingStar Dance (11/2010?) - Karaoke game plus much needed motion modern twist
• Under Siege (Q4 2010?) - Real-time tactics battle title, Segal not included
• Ape Escape Fury! Fury! (Q3/4 2010?) - Cartoon primate platform fun
• Beat Sketch! (Q4 2010?) - Sony’s answer to Mario Paint
• Socom 4 (Q1 2011?) - Third person Navy Seal tactical shooter back for another mission
• No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise (2011) - Manga-style hack and slash arcade action adventure
• Heroes on the Move (2011) - Action adventure with Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter and Sly Cooper
• Virtual Tennis 4 (2011) - More tennis
• Infamous 2 (2011) - Action adventure in sci-fi city as once again you take on The Beast
• Brunswick Pro Bowling - 10 pin action, as found on the Wii
• Dance Dance Revolution - Rhythm game original from Konami
• Dead Space: Extraction - Survival rail shooter horror, as found on the Wii
• Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos - Alaskan King Crab catcher video game
• Dungeon Defenders - Tower Defense meets action/RPG cartoon look title
• Echochrome II - Mind-bending light and shadow puzzle game
• Grand Slam Tennis 11 - Virtual racket swinger/living room ornament wrecker
• John Daly's ProStroke Golf - Club swinger from over the hill big hitter, this time
• Michael Jackson: The Experience - music/dance rhythm game featuring just Jacko’s tunes
• NBA 2K11 - Basketball sim with all your NBA faves - Jordan included
• Sesame Street - Unknown style game more than likely with child element based on Big Bird and buddies
• The Sly Collection - Sly Cooper classics remastered and bundled
• Tron Evolution - Action adventure video game tie-in for upcoming Disney film
• Raquet Sports - Another room smasher sports sim featuring five different racket games
• Tumble - Block balancer party game with good use of graphics and Move controls
• Zumba - Latin music based dance fitness title
• Yoostar2 - Insert yourself into movie scenes and play them out yourself
• Flower - Control the wind, guide petals through the air, hug trees (downloadable patch)
• High Velocity Bowling - More 10 pin arm waving action (downloadable patch)
• Hustle Kings - Pool player sim, like bowling but not (downloadable patch)
• MAG - Massive Action Game, need we say more? Oh. All multiplayer FPS
• Little League World Series 2010 - Baseball sim. More swinging, less tennis.
• Pain - Rather bizarre ragdoll and background smasher. Mind your real body. (downloadable patch)
• Planet Mini Golf - More golf, less swing. (downloadable patch)
• Resident Evil 5: Alternate Edition - More zombie blasting fun
• Toy Story 3: The video game - Move version of well-received sandbox play game

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Related links:

• Feature - Pimp up your PlayStation Move

Tags: Gaming Playstation Move Features Sony

PlayStation Move - all the games originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:50:04 +0100

Sony has read the collective Pocket-lint mind, as we were all just saying how the world could do with another couple of high power zoom camcorders; and what drops into the collective Pocket-lint inbox? Just that.

The two new additions are the Handycam DCR-SX15E and the Handycam DCR-SR15E, both standard def efforts, but they should make decent video quality accessible as they are reported to be "great value".?

Both offer high-power 50x optical zoom lenses, whilst SteadyShot image stabilisation keeps things crisp and clear, reducing the effects of camera shake when you’re shooting handheld. If you’re shooting portraits of friends and family, Face Detection automatically fine-tunes exposure for more natural looking faces.

Menus and settings are adjusted via a thumb-operated joystick next to the flip-out 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD, and there’s also an Auto mode that switches the video light on when natural light levels are low.

Where the two very similar offerings differ is in the memory department as the Handycam DCR-SX15E will require a Memory Stick or SD card as it doesn't get an internal memory. The Handycam DCR-SR15E on the other hand can store up to 61 hours of Standard Definition video on its 80GB built-in hard disk drive.

No word on price, but both the Handycam DCR-SX15E and the Handycam DCR-SR15E will be available from October 2010.

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Tags: Cameras Camcorders Sony Handycam DCR-SX15E Handycam DCR-SR15E

Sony gets zoomy with a couple of "value" Handycams originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:43:28 +0100

With all the exciting launches taking place over at Sony's press conference at IFA, it would be easy to dismiss the launch of a new range of digital photo frames as being non-newsworthy.

But seeing as the Japanese giant is claiming to have the world's first HD video photo frame, we thought it was only fair we gave it a write-up.

The flagship model of the revamped S-Frame range includes the 10.2-inch XR100, which is capable of ACVHD video playback and boasts Sony's TruBlack technology for a clearer picture.

It also has a viewing angle of 160 x 160 degrees and also has stereo sound speakers for a full video experience.

As well as the XR100, Sony also announced the arrival of five other digital photo frames including the D830L, which is battery powered so you can take it out with you to show off your snaps, and the DPP-F800 which has a mini-colour printer built in.

The new S-Frame range hits the shops in October.

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Related links:

• Sony at IFA - Sony Bloggie Touch: HD shooting and 360-degree panoramas
• Sony at IFA - Sony Reader Pocket Edition and Sony Reader Touch Edition refreshed
• Sony at IFA - Sony: PS3 will be 3D Blu-ray ready by October
• Sony at IFA - Qriocity: Sony's Cloud based music and video service

Tags: Sony S-Frame XR100 Gadgets Printers Sony

Sony unveils first ever HD photo frames originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:41:00 +0100

Looking to appeal to those who lead a tough life is the just-announced Motorola Defy, claiming to be "life proof". Motorola were keen to point out that this isn't a rugged phone as such, just one that offers a little extra protection against day-to-day hazards, like puddles, pints and parties.

Conforming to IP67 standards - meaning complete protection against dust ingress and water immersion up to 1 metre - much of this protection comes down to design. The tough looks will appeal to some, with exposed screws on the outside making the phone look every bit as tough as its rating suggests.

But this isn't a Sonim smash-me-against-the-wall phone, as the 3.7-inch edge-to-edge capacitive touchscreen display on the front shows. Although it may be finished in Gorilla Glass, too much rough and tumble will see the screen taking the damage.

To protect the ports you'll find rubber plugs that fit over the Micro-USB and 3.5mm headphone jack. These may be a little fiddly if you spend a lot of time opening and closing to attach headphones, for example, but at least it will stop pocket-lint ingression into every opening of the device.

On one of the devices we found that it no longer accepted the rubber plug, which kept coming out and we've seen this on tough devices in the past. This might be down to the sample we saw being a pre-production sample and having passed through the hands of many admiring execs and journos, but it's something to consider if you're thinking of getting the Defy as your daily work phone in a dirty environment.

The finish is in tough plastics and we've seen two different colour schemes, in black and white. It looks attractive enough, although it perhaps won't get as many admiring glances as your average high-end handset. It also is reasonably compact despite its level of protection, measuring 59 x 107 x 13.4mm. It feels solid in the hand too, with the curved edges making it comfortable to hold.

Around the body of the handset you have typical controls, a power/standby button, volume controls, but no dedicated button for the 5-megapixel camera on the back. There is an LED flash, if you find such things useful for your mobile snapping, but you could always use it as an emergency torch should you take the Defy camping.

We took a look at the camera interface, but weren't able to test it during our hands-on session with the Defy. We did note that it only supports 640 x 480 resolution video capture, putting it behind the top phones which offer HD video.

Across the bottom of the screen are typical and familiar controls for Motorola fans, offering menu, home, back and search. These buttons are touch sensitive and provide easy navigation around the device.

Sitting at the core you'll find an 800MHz processor with 2GB of memory, although you'll be able to expand on this with a microSD card. These specs put the Defy in the mid-range, even if the 3.7-inch screen is generous; it isn't the brightest we've seen, but seemed vibrant enough at first glance.

Running Android 2.1, you also don't get all the bells and whistles that the Milestone 2 - launched at the same time - gets. You'll miss out on proper Flash video integration, for example. What you do get, though, is Motoblur?

Motoblur integrates your social networks to keep you connected and bring all these happenings into your phone. This gives you a rich interactive experience, with contacts collating their relevant updates and so on.? Add this to Android's existing uber-connectivity and you'll always be in the picture.

Elsewhere you get all the hardware connectivity you'd expect, including HSDPA, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. It also supports DLNA, so you'll be able to easily share your captured content with compatible devices when you return from your wild adventures. You can also turn your phone into a mobile hotspot, with Motorola boasting about how good the aerials are in its devices.

The home screen presents you with customisable displays (up to 7) and you'll be able to configure these with the usual shortcuts and widgets, including Motorola's Motoblur widgets. Swiping from side-to-side was slick with no sign of lag on the device that we saw.

You also get a proximity sensor, light sensor and accelerometer, in addition to the GPS, giving you Google Maps Navigation for free, so you'll never get lost on your intrepid adventures.

We found the keyboard to be nice and responsive when we bashed out a few test messages and the phone comes preloaded with Swype for those who prefer not to get into a tapping frenzy.?

Verdict:

Our first impressions of the Motorola Defy are good. It may be a little chunkier than some of its rivals, like the HTC Legend, and it doesn't have the headline specs of the Milestone 2, the HTC Desire of the Samsung Galaxy S, but it's a fun looking and feeling phone, that won't care if it has the odd pint spilt on it.

In our brief time using the phone it seemed fast enough to respond when navigating the operating system and the on-screen keyboard was nice and fast for entering text.

We'll have to see if it really does stand up to a little abuse, and how things like the battery and camera perform when we take a long hard look at the Defy in a full review.

For oodles more photos, check out our Motorola Defy photo gallery.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Motorola Motorola Defy Android First look

Motorola Defy - First Look originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:30:33 +0100

With the absolute mass of HD pocket cams being announced in the last few weeks, we kind of guessed that Sony would be updating its own range.

And now, it has done just that, announcing the Sony Bloggie Touch over at IFA.

The Bloggie Touch is a compact little cam (15.2 x 107.0 x 52.0 mm) that is capable of shooting 1080p HD video, as well as boasting an impressive 12.8-megapixel stills camera and 4x digital zoom.

It has a 3-inch LCD touchscreen and 8GB of internal memory that can store four hours of 720p video at 30fps.

Sony states: "The sensitive Exmor CMOS Sensor captures sparkling Full HD videos and crisply-detailed still photos. Picture quality is enhanced further by the bright, high quality lens with F2.8 maximum aperture for clear, low noise images – even when you’re shooting on an overcast day."

The Bloggie Touch can also record 360-degree panoramic videos and photos with a supplied lens adaptor with video quality being twice the resolution of previous-generation Bloggie.

It has, of course, a flip-out USB arm and also has HDMI output for watching your HD videos on a large screen TV.

The included Bloggie software means that you are just a drag and drop away from getting your vids onto your favourite social sites.

The? Bloggie Touch MHS-TS20K mobile HD snap camera (to give it its full title) will be available in November 2010, with price details still to be confirmed.

Tags: Camcorders IFA2010 Sony Bloggie Touch

Sony Bloggie Touch: HD shooting and 360-degree panoramas originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:25:00 +0100

As we recently reported, the long-awaited PlayStation Move from Sony is due to hit UK shores on 17 September. Set to go head to head with Nintendo's phenomenally successful Wii and Microsoft's Kinect, the Move is the latest in a series of motion-based gaming systems to be launched. We've put together a hit list of the top accessories available for pre-order, so that you can get your PS3 pimped and ready.

PlayStation Move starter pack

?44.91

This handy starter pack has everything you need to get moving (apart from the actual PS3, that is). It contains a PlayStation Move controller, a PlayStation Eye camera and a demo disc showing you exactly how to set it all up.

PlayStation Move controller

?29.99

This rechargable handset is your main weapon when it comes to your PlayStation Move arsenal. The layout of the buttons should be familiar to PS3 users, and there's also a colour-changing orb on the end to provide visual playback during gameplay. What's more, you can use up to four of them with your console for multiplayer games. Obviously the controller won't work on its own - you'll need to make sure that you already have a PlayStation Eye camera set up.

PlayStation Move Navigation Controller

?17.99

If you want to beef up your Move experience, then this supplementary controller is the one for you. It has been designed to use with games that require navigating a character, as it echos the control features found on the left side of the DualShock 3 controller. You'll find an analogue stick, directional buttons and two face buttons.

PlayStation Move Charging Station

?17.99

Nothing too exciting here, but this charging station can accomodate up to two controllers at a time, making sure that you're always ready for action. It plugs into the wall to keep you PS3 looking pristine and free from extra messy cables.

PlayStation Move Gun Attachment

?12.99

There are several gun attachments soon to be available for the PlayStation Move, but this is Sony's own version, so it has been designed with the brand's inside knowledge of the product. The lightweight design means that it won't make your arms hurt, even after prolonged periods of pretending to be Dirty Harry.

Crown PlayStation Move Eye Camera Clip

?4.99

This thrifty little piece of kit is for those that have wall-mounted TVs, with no cabinet on which to rest the Eye camera. It can be attached to either the lower or upper part of the screen and can be adjusted to find the perfect angle.

Crown PlayStation Move Controller Dual Silicon Skin

?5.99

No doubt we'll soon be hearing plenty of stories about Move controllers flying out of people's hands and into the TV screen, just like we did with the Wii. Aside from a wrist strap, a good line of defence against this happening is to invest in a grippy case for controllers. Not only will these protect the handsets from damage, they will also hopefully stop you from lobbing them through your TV screen.

Crown PlayStation Move Boxing Glove Set

?13.99

Intended primarily for use with beat 'em up games, these gloves have built-in holders for Move controllers. This means that they're not really doing much that you couldn't do just by holding the controllers in your hands. They might make you like a bit of a plum, but at least you can pretend you're Rocky, or something...
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Related links:

• News - Sony PlayStation Move priced and dated
• First Look review - Sony PlayStation Move
• Feature - Microsoft Kinect vs PlayStation Move vs Nintendo Wii
• Video - PlayStation Move first TV advert in Japan

Tags: Gaming Gaming accessories Sony Sony PS3 Sony PlayStation Move Features PlayStation Move starter pack PlayStation Move controller PlayStation Move Navigation Controller PlayStation Move Charging Station PlayStation Move Gun Crown PlayStation Move Eye Camera Clip Attachment Crown PlayStation Move Controller Dual Silicon Skin Crown PlayStation Move Boxing Glove Set

Pimp up your PlayStation Move originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:16:58 +0100

Sports Champions is a somewhat predictable title for the PlayStation Move, taking Sony's new motion controller and pitching in with a snackable title that showcases the variety of ways the Move can be employed. In some ways it is the ultimate demo of the "new" technology, but we can't help feeling that it struggles to raise itself above that demo feeling.

The game is broken down into six sports: Disc Golf, Gladiator, Archery, Volley Ball, Bocce and Table Tennis. Some of these might seem a little odd as there is an obvious omission of standard tennis and 10-pin bowling, which would have seen this title line-up against Wii Sports.

But Wii Sports this is not. First of all, you never really get the sense that the game wants you to play it. There is no character customisation and even if you don't like the bobble-headed Mii characters of the Nintendo Wii, at least they provide a degree of personalisation. Throughout Sports Champions you have the choice of 10 characters to pick and in the vein of Tekken, these are various types of uber-humans - the large breasted babe, the hulking muscle jock, etc.

It leads to a sense of detachment - there is no engagement with these characters, they are ultimately meaningless and that partly sets the tone for Sports Champions as a whole. The game relies on you being blown away with the motion control, rather than trying to engage you in any other manner: there is almost no music, sound effects are basic and even the graphics look dated. As a showcase for Sony's latest hot toy, we can't help feeling a little underwhelmed.

Diving into the games themselves, they provide various levels of multi-player, and each comes with a tutorial so you can see the technique required. This is really what Sports Champions is about - learning that the PS Move is an incredibly sensitive piece of gaming equipment. Some of the games (Gladiator, Archery) let you go to town with two controllers.

Disc Golf is essentially Frisbee on a golf course. You throw the disc down the fairway looking for par by getting the disc into the cage which represents the hole. Usual golf rules apply, so if you "drive" it into each of the cages, your other player might get a couple of throws to catch up. It isn't all about distance though, as the courses are varied across terrains, with various bits of landscaping to add variety.

You soon learn that technique is everything when throwing the disc, just as it is in real life. You can throw in different ways (basically a sweeping action and releasing the trigger) to send your disc flying. You can curve it around obstacles and it bounces realistically when it hits something.

But you can't help noticing that some of the graphics are shocking here. The forest floor lacks texture - it looks like leafy carpet; the shadows show really jagged edges - an introduction to the PlayStation Move this might be, but at ?29.99 we’d expect some degree of refinement.

Gladiators is basically duelling and is the first real glimpse at where we suspect many gamers will want Move to go. You get in the ring and fight with sword and shield and is best played with two controllers - one for each arm. There are various moves you can pull off, with the tutorial walking you through what is on offer. Swinging the Move naturally sees you swing the weapon, although at times we'd find ourselves flailing around without getting the desired response, raising an important question: how do you account for fatigue and damage in a fighter, when the player doesn't experience this?

The shield too is an effective weapon, not only blocking strikes (as long as you have it in the right place) but you can also use it you push your opponent, knock them off balance and taking the advantage to strike. There are also jump strikes that you can pull off, ground strikes and if you get to the edge of the arena, you can push your opponent out and win the round.

But again, it doesn't deliver the seamless ferocity you might want. Okay, so perhaps it is aimed at family gaming rather than those looking for a gore fest, but we expected a little more action. As it is, it feels rather disjointed, a little slow, and never particularly challenging.

Archery is a more compelling experience however. Again putting two controllers to the task, one holding the bow and the other for the string. Various targets are presented for you to shoot, with it becoming immediately obvious that positioning is all important. Archery was also the game where we realised that PlayStation Move does like a little more space than we'd given it, as we found that drawing the string back would see it lose sight of the rear controller. Give yourself plenty of space for the best experience.?

Volley Ball is as it sounds, and is one of the games we found more fun. You get to double up on controllers to give you a wide range of moves to pull off. It is surprisingly accurate too, so you can easily place a shot wherever you like in the opponents court and there is something very natural about swinging the controller over your head to smash the ball over the net. You don't have to put up with stinging wrists either.?

Bocce, or boules as continental folk might call it, sees you throw out the jack and then try to get your boules in the vicinity. The courses vary from traditional bowling green to urban park, but the game is essentially the same. Holding down the trigger, you sweep forward, release the trigger and off goes your boule. There is little to master here, but minute adjustments of the controller do make a difference and some of the more exciting courses give you a chance to get some great deflections off surrounding objects.

Finally you have table tennis, which is exactly as it sounds. The thing that is impressive is that if you drop the controller, you see the bat drop on the screen. Again, there is a natural feeling to the experience as you hit the ball back and forth.

But across all these game there is the same problem. The whole thing feels utterly soulless. As a showcase of what the PlayStation Move can do we've established that there is plenty of potential, but this isn't a proof of concept - it's an actual game. We've spent hours bashing away at Wii Sports tennis because it is fun and Sports Champions is missing that vital ingredient: it isn't fun to play.

Yes, there are glimpses of interest here and there, but once you've got past the novelty of controlling the game with motion controllers there is little to make you actually want to complete any of the challenges.

Verdict:

Overall Sports Champions isn't really a champion game. It shows what can be done with PlayStation Move and would be better bundled as a title or as a cheap PSN download, but as a game? No, we can't really recommend it.

But it's early days for PlayStation Move and Sports Champions demonstrates just how important it will be to have good developers working to incorporate the new control system. There are some Move compatible titles in the works that have us excited, but as a starting point, Sports Champions is a bit of a lacklustre flop.

Tags: Gaming PS3 Playstation Move Sports Champions Sony

Sports Champions originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:00:00 +0100

When Microsoft announced the simple Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000v2 back in July, many commentators, this very site included, were quick to point out the poor timing of such a device - it came just a day after Apple had unveiled the Magic Trackpad.

We joked that the mouse was dead and that touch gesture pads were the future.

Well, Microsoft's response has been swift and it's been effective. How could anybody fail to be impressed by its Arc Touch Mouse?

The Arc Touch is much more than a simple mouse. Not only does it lay flat for compactness when pressed (an action that also turns it off) it supports motion gestures such as flicking.

It's more of a hybrid mouse/trackpad if anything. It has capacitive sensing techniques and sensors on board so you can scroll quickly or slowly and there are also three tap buttons allowing you to browse pages up and down as well as a pre-programmable middle button for your own specific habits.

"Switching from a scroll wheel to a touch strip is made easier with haptics, a vibration technology that simulates the bumps users would feel while using a traditional scroll wheel", says Microsoft.?

"The Arc Touch Mouse is equipped with BlueTrack Technology, letting consumers track on virtually any surface, and a tiny magnetic snap-in Nano transceiver stores conveniently on the bottom of the mouse".

It all sounds pretty cool to us, we have to say. (If a mouse can, in fact, be classified as cool).

The Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse should hit the shops in January 2011, and will cost $70-ish in the US. UK prices are yet to be confirmed.

Tags: Mouse Microsoft Hardware microsoft Arc Touch Mouse

Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse: The humble pointer lives on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:58:00 +0100

Sony has confirmed the launch of new Sony readers in the UK and the US at its keynote speech at IFA in Berlin, Germany.

The new Reader Pocket Edition and Reader Touch Edition digital readers will come with a new tweaked design and technology enhancements, such as touch screen control and more memory.

Sony has restyled both devices, reduced their size and weight, and made its responsive touch screens available across both lines. Both models come with 2GB of onboard memory, which allows you to carry up to 1200 books.

The new Reader line also offers users the ability to look up words and phrases with the built-in Oxford Dictionary of English, as well as 10 translation dictionaries to and from English in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch.

Wordsmiths can also now create “word logs” to track the words they’ve looked up in both chronological and book order while quickly switching between dictionaries.

Both devices utilise E Ink as before.

The new Reader Pocket Edition PRS-350 sports a 5-inch, full touch screen, while the new Reader Touch Edition PRS-650 features a 6-inch full touch screen. Furthermore the Touch Edition offers expansion slots for up to 32GB of additional memory, enabling the storage of tens of thousands of ebooks and the ability to play MP3 and AAC audio files. It is available in black and silver. ??

The new Reader Pocket and Touch Editions will be available in the UK from 17 September from Sony Centres, sony.co.uk, Waterstone’s, WH Smith and other high street retailers.

Tags: Gadgets Sony Sony Reader Pocket Edition Sony Reader Touch Edition eBook readers IFA2010

Sony Reader Pocket Edition and Sony Reader Touch Edition refreshed originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:52:00 +0100

First it was summer, then it was September, and now Sony CEO Howard Stringer has - at a keynote speech at IFA - confirmed that the PS3 will be getting the ability to play 3D Blu-ray disks by the end of October.

Bigging up 3D for the majority of the company's press conference - even the massive projection at the back of the stage was shown in 3D - the company dazzled journalists with examples of golf and football and music in 3D, as it makes 3D the focus of its efforts over the coming year.

Sony's Stringer wouldn't give a specific date for the final roll out, but if you've got a 3D-Ready TV you'll be able to enjoy movies like Avatar, Men in Black and other Sony titles in time for Christmas with granny.

But it wasn't all about 3D, Sony also confirmed the launch of a Google TV powered device before the end of the year in the US. Stinger refrained from going into further detail, saying that would come at another time.

Tags: Home Cinema Gaming PS3 Blu-ray 3D Blu-ray Sony

Sony: PS3 will be 3D Blu-ray ready by October originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:42:00 +0100

Today at the IFA 2010 show in Berlin, Sony announced that “Video On Demand powered by Qriocity”, a premium streaming video service, will be available this autumn in five European countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K.

According to Sony, customers can choose from hundreds of box office hits from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), NBC Universal International Television Distribution, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros.

Users will rent the movies for up to 14-days with unrestricted viewing in that time.

“We are excited to offer our customers high quality, cloud-based entertainment experiences across many of Sony’s network-enabled devices”, said Kazuo Hirai, president of Networked Products & Services Group, Sony Corporation. “Services ‘powered by Qriocity’ will revolutionise the way that users play, listen, watch, share, communicate, learn, discover and create their digital entertainment content”.

Movies and shows will be available in HD and SD, and all can be rented at the touch of a button on Sony’s 2010 models of network-enabled BRAVIA TVs and Blu-ray Disc players, and Blu-ray Home Theatre systems.

But it's not just about video, Sony has said that it will also launch a music cloud base service too.

Available by year’s end, “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity” will give music lovers access to millions of songs stored and synchronised through the cloud. “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity” will initially be available across Sony’s 2010 models of network-enabled BRAVIA TVs, Blu-ray Disc players, Blu-ray Home Theatre systems, as well as PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems and VAIOs and other personal computers, and will become increasingly available on a range of Sony’s portable devices.

Tags: Audio Online Sony IFA2010 Video on demand

Qriocity: Sony's Cloud based music and video service originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:39:00 +0100

We were the first to bring you the official press shots of the new Viewsonic Viewpad 7 last week and now we are one of the first to bring you hands-on of the new 2.2 Android powered tablet that plans to take on Samsung and Apple in the coming months.?

In the hand the ViewPad 7 is smaller, and probably chunkier than you would have thought giving a fairly solid feel to the device and something that is certainly smaller and thicker than Apple's iPad offering.?

In action and the device will have a 600Mhz processor, but still feels nippy with the 3G working fast to download web pages quickly.?

Yes, you get multi-touch, and yes you get SD card and microSD card support, although you won't be getting Flash Player 10.1 - it's just not fast enough.?

The new tablet will be available in October. No price in the UK has been set as yet.?

Tags: Tablets Viewsonic Viewsonic Viewpad 7 IFA2010 Photos

PHOTOS: Viewsonic ViewPad 7 hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:14:00 +0100

Samsung has officially announced the arrival of the second Bada handset, the Samsung Wave 723, following leaked images of the device hitting the web on the weekend.

We knew that the device would be coming after Samsung released a statement following the leak, but now we've got detailed spec of the Bada device.

The Wave 723 has a 3.2-inch, WQVGA, TFT-LCD touchscreen and has connectivity via 3G (WCDMA/HSDPA: 900/2100 MHz), Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR and it also has a high speed USB port.

Its camera is a 5-megapixel one with an LED Flash, auto-focus and you can also geo-tag and edit your shots on board. Videos are QVGA (encoded MPEG H.263, H.264).

It has the TouchWiz 3.0 UI with integrated phonebook and there's 90MB of memory on board - although you can chuck in a microSD to expand this tiny amount.

Simon Stanford, head of Samsung Mobile UK & Ireland, said: "The launch of this device clearly underlines our commitment to smartphone products on different platforms and forms part of our strategy to deliver a wide range of handsets designed to suit a multitude of users.

"It’s also the latest handset to support our open platform, bada, which gives developers new opportunities for the creation of apps".

The Samsung Wave 723 is out in mainland Europe during September, but we'll have to wait until later on in the year to get it here in the UK.

Tags: Samsung Wave 723 Phones Mobile phones Samsung

Samsung Wave 723: Bada handset gets official originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:59:00 +0100

Just minutes after landing in Berlin for the IFA tech show, and we've already bagged our first hands-on with the Viewsonic dual boot Windows 7/Android tablet.

The next model is the extremely intriguing Intel based 10-inch tablet (no confirmed name yet, but we'd hazard a guess at the ViewPad 10) has not only Windows 7 on it with full touch capability, but also Google's Android (1.6) if you are happy to turn it off and reboot.

The tablet, which will hopefully be available in the UK before Christmas, sports a 16:9 widescreen ratio screen, fully multi-touch support in both operating systems and plenty of ways to connect.

We especially like the fact that you'll be able to plug in a standard USB keyboard and treat the tablet like a slimline netbook when in Windows 7 mode.

As for the Android side of things, unfortunately those looking for the latest version will be disappointed. Why the move to a lower pay grade Android OS? Supposedly, according to a Viewsonic spokesman, Google isn't yet supporting the new OS for devices like Viewsonic is offering.

If you want to switch between the two operating systems it will require a reboot, Viewsonic has told us, and for the moment that isn't a pretty looking system, however the company assure us that this will change in time for launch.

There's no more details at present, but potentially Windows and Android both on the same device? Did someone say "iPad?killer"?

Stay tuned to Pocket-lint during IFA where we'll be bringing you all the news as it happens live from the event.

Tags: Tablets Viewsonic Viewsonic Viewpad 10 IFA2010 Photos

PHOTOS: Viewsonic ViewPad 10 hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:54:00 +0100

The Nokia N8's release has had more delays than a Circle Line train during rush hour, but it seems as if Nokia itself has spilled the beans on its official release date with a Google Ad Word space detailing its availability.

NokNok, a Nokia based blog, has got hold of a screenshot showing that the flagship Nokia phone will be available in the UK, directly from the Finnish phone giant on 23 September - with the advert saying this is a week ahead of a general release.

There's no price details unfortunately, but independent sites like Play.com have the device listed for around ?420 - ?480 unlocked.

The Nokia N8 has a 3.5-inch, 640 x 360, capacitive touchscreen, is capable of 3G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, has 16GB on board storage which is expandable by microSD and also has a Micro-USB socket

It also boasts a whopping 12 megapixels, with Carl Zeiss lens, auto-focus and Xenon flash. It's also capable of shooting 25fps 720p video, encoded to H.264.

The N8 is a Symbian^3 device and Nokia will hope that it is the device that gets it back on track in the smartphone market.

Read

Related links:

• First look - Nokia N8

Tags: Phones Nokia Nokia N8 Mobile phones

Nokia N8: Available from 23 September originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:38:00 +0100

With gamers demanding ever more immersive ways of playing, and Blu-ray making pin-sharp pictures possible even on 100-inch+ screens, home cinema projectors are in pole position. The follow-up to last year’s successful batch of beamers, the R4000 sits atop Epson’s new 2010 range with a giddying price tag - but there’s a good reason for that.

The flagship model not just for Epson, but also for its own 3LCD technology, the R4000 - which goes on sale in November - has been tweaked to near perfection.

We say tweaked; the 3LCD chip that drives this behemoth has been completely redesigned. Criticisms of 3LCD projectors in the past from us at Pocket-lint have tended to concentrate on their blur and slight lack of contrast, meaning dark movies such as Batman Begins or The Matrix have featured a washed-out grey colour where jet black should reign. The engineers at Epson have obviously been listening hard because they’ve completely re-thought the chip’s design. Instead of light being sent through the tiny Full HD 3LCD panels, it now reflects off the back, meaning less light leakage.

This Reflective 3LCD technology, as it’s known, is a belter. We’re talking seriously black blacks that, for the most part, are totally convincing. As the "auto iris" does its thing, there’s a slight lack of detail in some dark areas of the image, though little trace of "false" or forced blacks. Epson claims that contrast ratio reaches 1,000,000:1, and though such huge figures are common in the display market, there’s no doubting the inky blacks in front of us are reference-level.

One slight downside of the R4000’s design is that the brightness is lowered (to 1200 lumens) compared to last year’s models, though arguably that’s a positive for watching movies in a blackout. If you do want to use a projector before dusk, this isn’t for you. Aside from the boost in contrast, the upside is a relatively quiet operation.

A run through of Batman Begins reveals some serious realism, with the dark streets of Gotham sprinkled with detail, though there’s more going on than just tight light.

The R4000 also comes equipped with a frame interpolation feature whereby its video processor inserts frames of video to create a smoother picture. It’s changed little from last year’s models, but it’s somehow more impressive when combined with the new 3LCD system. With this feature on "mid" setting, scenes from Blu-ray discs are fluent and graceful with few side effects, though on "high" you’ll see an occasional flicker around quick-moving objects and actor’s hand movements. On "mid" it’s so engaging that even purists who hate video processing should check it out, though there’s little motion sickness even when it’s turned off - the new Reflective 3LCD tech puts pixels closer together.

Switch the R4000 on and it defaults to Cinema mode, which is where it should stay, though various colour tweaks (to ISF calibration standards, no less) are possible. Although colours are generally as vivid and well saturated as you would expect, skin tones can appear a touch ripe and do need a little attention.

Close-ups of actors otherwise impress thanks to this PJ’s "super resolution" tech. It’s designed to get the best from DVD - something it does exceptionally well, albeit with the occasional jagged edge - though we put it to work on some still Blu-ray images from Hancock. As we increased the level from one to five, more and more fine detail becomes visible in city landscapes and character close-ups alike, even down to individual pores, scars and hairs. Scary stuff.

We’ve tried hard to concentrate on the picture prowess, but we’re pretty shallow here at Pocket-lint; our favourite feature on the R4000 is its motorised lens shift and focus. Being able to control these straight from the remote appeals to our lazy side, but it also lends this Epson a high-end feel - and at this price that’s a must. Although the system is fairly exacting and various positions and aspect ratios can be saved, it should include some indication of the lens’ position, or the parameters available; shifting the lens in particular still has a suck-it-and-see feel.

That lens shift does mean that the R4000 can be set-up just about anywhere - it doesn’t have to be at the centre of a room. What’s more, a side effect of the new Reflective 3LCD tech is actually a smaller optical engine, and the design puts the essential cooling vents solely on the front of the unit. Finding a bookshelf big enough to house the R4000 against a wall might be tricky, but it’s now possible to do without the thing overheating.

Add a streamlined remote that’s stuffed with clearly labelled shortcuts to its key features - including buttons to control an attached Blu-ray player - and some nifty network functions (the projector can email you when the bulb starts to run out!), and this gloss black beamer is a screamer.

Verdict:

An impressive amount of redesigning has gone on at Epson to produce a projector a notch better than last year’s belters. And while it’s contrast-heavy and smooth picture is significantly better than its forbears, this debut Reflective 3LCD projector’s motorised lens and versatile design are just as important in earning the R4000 high-end status. Awesome with Blu-ray and DVD alike, this is a serious PJ for serious home cinemas.

?

Tags: Home Cinema Projectors Epson Epson R4000

Epson R4000 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:36:16 +0100

Panasonic has gone 3D crazy over in Germany.

The Japanese electronics giant has announced a whole host of new 3D kit that it will be showing off at the massive Berlin-based expo.

First up there are three new 3D plasma TVs - the Viera 42VT20, the Viera 46VT20 and the TX-P42GT20.?

The Viera models use Panasonic's NeoPDP technology and the manufacturer is promising better image quality and lower power consumption than previous models.

There's also some pretty nifty new features on board including a 600Hz Sub-field Drive, 24p Smooth Film tech that "eliminates typical cinema judder by increasing the number of the original 24 frames", and 2D to 3D upscaling should you get bored of watching EastEnders in only two-dimensions.

You'll get two pairs of active shutter glasses with the VT20 models, and Panasonic will also be showing off three new models of eye-wear including the world's lightest pair at just 38g.

And from one extreme to the other, Panasonic will also be demoing its monster 152-inch full HD 3D plasma display which has a 4k x 2k definition.

Back to kit that you might actually be able to afford, Panasonic has announced two new 5.1 channel full HD 3D Blu-ray home cinema systems - the SC-BTT755 and SC-BTT350 - as well as a Blu-ray wall-mountable soundbar that also acts as a fully functional Blu-ray player (the BFT800).

Finally, Panasonic has also revealed that its partnership with Acetrax will be getting the 3D treatment in 2011.

Tags: Panasonic Viera 42VT20 Panasonic Viera 46VT20 IFA2010 Home Cinema 3DTV Panasonic Blu-ray players Televisions

Panasonic targets 3D boom with launches originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:02:00 +0100

Each year, for the best part of a week, Berlin becomes the focus of the entire consumer electronics industry as the city hosts one of the world’s largest trade shows on the planet. That is this thing they call IFA.

Pronounced ee-fa by most who know her, the acronym stands for Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin, which roughly translated comes out as The Berlin Radio Show - how the show first began life in 1926.

And IFA 2010 is now underway with the technology media, including a strong Pocket-lint contingent, arriving in Germany for the press events ahead of the big show.

We'll be furiously treading the tarmac of the 21,000 square metres of floor space devoted to over 1000 exhibitors at the Messe Berlin, bringing you all the news as it breaks and getting our grubby paws on all of the new kit so we can let you guys know what's what.

It's all set to be a tablet-tastic event with Samsung, Toshiba, Archos, Elonex and Hannspree amongst the manufacturers all set to unveil their own answers to the iPad.

But there will be plenty more going on if you're not a tablet fan - IFA has seen some pretty huge launches in the past, so expect the unexpected.

All of the big boys are here - we've already heard rumours of what Sony might be announcing, but expect to hear news from the likes of Panasonic, Sharp, Philips and LG as well.

During IFA week, be sure to check our dedicated IFA site for all of the coverage and make sure you've read all of the stories below to catch up on what we know so far about the event.

LG Smart TV gets IFA unveiling

Sony iTunes rival set for IFA launch

Elonex ebook: The next chapter in ebook readers and tablets?

Related links:

• See also - Best 5 gadgets ever launched at the show
• And - Top 5 weird gadgets ever seen at IFA
• And - Top 5 "Where are they now?" gadgets

Tags: Gadgets Home Cinema Laptops Tablets IFA2010

Live from IFA 2010: Pocket-lint touches down in Germany originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:19:00 +0100

Due in the UK by the end of the year, the Motorola Defy has been designed to withstand even the most careless of users. Conforming to IP67 standards, the phone promises to be scratch, water and dust resistant. What's more, it's equipped with a 3.7-inch touchscreen display and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. But, is it any good? We take a look at exactly what you can and can't do with the Motorola Defy.

Cans

You can use your phone on the beach
As glorious as a bank holiday day trip to the beach sounds, we all know that the reality involves spending the next year uncovering remnants of sand from every object that got even a whiff of sea air. With the Defy, you can be confident that your phone won't end up full of sand, thanks to the number 6 in the IP code which refers to the highest level of protection against "foreign objects", meaning that no dust or sand whatsoever can get into the phone.

You can drop your phone down the toilet
We've all done it. And those that have been victim of this kind of incident know the feeling of helplessness as your beloved mobile phone slips slowly out of your pocket and into the toilet bowl, or is simply dropped from a drunken and shaky hand. This is followed by the inevitable red-faced trip to the mobile phone shop mumbling something about "condensation" when asked why the phone is dripping with water. The 7 in the Defy's IP code means that, although the phone doesn't have the highest protection against water getting in (that would be a rating of 8), it can withstand short-term immersion of up to 1m, thus saving your blushes. Sadly, it won't do anything about the smell.

You can browse the web in full
There's nothing more annoying than trying to look something up on the web on a device that doesn't support Flash, only to be thwarted by a fancy Flash-based website that you can't actually view. However, thanks to the inclusion of Adobe Flash Lite - a "diet" version of Adobe Flash Player - you can use the Defy's 3.7-inch WVGA screen to view more of the web than standard browsers, including the all important multimedia content.

You can put your phone in your pocket with you keys
Buying a slick new mobile and then having to swaddle the poor blighter in layers of rubber casings and screen protectors really ruins the flashy aesthetics that you're probably paying through the nose for. But it's either that or it put it, unprotected, in your pocket or bag with your seemingly innocent house keys and see it coming out covered in nasty scratches. Motorola is combating the problem by using Corning's high-strength Gorilla Glass which, in case you were wondering, is an environmentally friendly alkali-aluminosilicate thin sheet glass. Not only is it thin yet protective, but it also enables capacitive touchscreen capability.

You can hold a conversation in a noisy place without shouting like a fool
Wherever you go nowadays, there's always some idiot bellowing into their mobile phone without a second thought for the people around them or the poor sod on the other end of the phone. That's why Motorola has included CrystalTalk PLUS which uses two microphones to filter out background noise and amplify your voice so that you don't have to shout like a moron.

?

Can'ts

You can't drop it from a great height
As phones go, this one is pretty tough, but that's not to say that it's indestructible. While it laughs in the face of dust and water, it's likely to change its tune if it was, for example, dropped into a canyon or run over by a steamroller. While we realise that these are things that generally only happen in cartoons, what we're saying is - don't get too cocky. It might be durable, but it's not invincible.

You can't take it for a swim
It's not rocket science, but it might need pointing out to some, that although the Defy is highly resistant to water, it's only good for depths of up to 1m for very short periods. And even that's obviously a limit, not a target. We wouldn't recommend doing anything daft like taking it into a swimming pool or using it as your loofah. It will end in tears.

You can't upgrade it to Android 3.0
The Defy runs on Android 2.1 (Eclair) which is fine and dandy, but you probably will have heard that version 3.0 (Gingerbread) will be launched soon, set to go head to head with the first Window Phone 7 handsets. Therefore, as Android 3.0 has been designed for more high-end mobiles, it's unlikely that the Defy's CPU will be up to the job.

You can't record HD video
Despite the presence of a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, and a screen resolution of 854 x 480, the phone only offers video capture at a decidedly non-HD-ready 640 x 480.

You can't get away from your "friends"
It seems impossible to buy anything or sign up for any sort of service nowadays without being asked if you want to somehow sync it with one or all of your social networking sites.The Defy sports Motoblur 1.5 which automatically delivers messages and status updates so you'll be able to keep up to speed with what your 500 closest friends are up to every single minute of the day. The multi-talented Motoblur function can also manage your battery and or locate and wipe your phone if it's ever lost or stolen, but you can read more about that over here.

Related links:

• News - Motorola Defy defies nature
• Photos - Motorola Defy

Tags: Mobile phones Motorola Motorola Defy Android Android 2.1 Phones Features

Cans and can'ts of the Motorola Defy originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:57:00 +0100

If this video doesn't make your inner-geek sick with jealousy then you're either one of two things; totally heartless, or a loyal Sega heathen.

We at Pocket-lint love the pudgy little plumber and only wish we had the dedication of 11-year-old Oscar Brown, who has collected over 1000 pieces of Mario-related memorabilia.

What's annoying is that when Oscar was born, Mario and the gang were already making appearances on the N64 - a full 14 years after the NES release of Super Mario Bros, and a staggering 18 years since we first saw Mario in the Donkey Kong Arcade game (although he was then known simply as Jumpman).

Way to make us feel old.

Anyway, back to young Oscar's collection - there are a number of highlights. But if we had to choose a favourite we'd go for the Mario and Luigi dungaree DS cases. How very cute.

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Related links:

• Video - Super Mario Blinkers
• Video - Mario Android live wallpaper

Tags: Super Mario Bros Gaming Video

VIDEO: Mammoth Mario collection montage originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:56:00 +0100

The modestly named Cedars School of Excellence in Greenock, Scotland, has become the world's first iSchool - where pupils have no requirement for a pen and paper as they've all been given an iPad.

The 105 children at the school, aged between 5 and 15, do all of their work at school on Apple's magic tablet - and then take them home to do their homework as well (and presumably kill a few baddies on Zombie Infection HD).

The move was the idea of IT teacher Fraser Speirs who explained to The Daily Record that the school carried out extensive research beforehand, in order to give the pupils the best equipment available.

"Each of the children will have their own iPad, which is hooked into the school's wireless network and from there they will use the computers for learning in different subjects", he said.

"They will obviously be able to use the internet for research but we've found that it solves major problems for us - especially in science subjects as now they can watch experiments that would be too dangerous to do in class on YouTube.

"They will also be able to look at pre-approved websites for lessons in English, maths, languages and history".

In Pocket-lint's school-days you were lucky if you got to use a Casio calculator, never mind a multimedia, hi-tech piece of equipment like an iPad. Our school's idea of hi-tech equipment was rolling out the solitary BBC Micro.

Kids these days eh?

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Tags: Tablets Apple iPad

iSchool: iPad for every pupil originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:30:00 +0100

Motorola has pulled the covers off the not-too-surprising Milestone 2 and Pocket-lint were on hand to give the new phone a good going over. We knew what was coming, however, thanks to a leaked promo video, and the specs of the Droid 2 - which is essentially a sister product.

The Milestone 2 has much of the same hardware as the Droid 2 (although on the GSM network rather than CDMA), but also now comes with Motoblur, which the original Milestone didn't.

The biggest hardware change is in the alteration of the keyboard, resulting in a keyboard much more like the Motorola Dext, removing the navipad and replacing it with conventional cursor keys.

Being an Android 2.2 device it comes packed with the latest features, including Flash support, and we gave it a try on some advertising in the margins of Pocket-lint, which played in-browser without a hitch.

The hardware feels good quality in the hand and the screen is certainly bright, if not quite having the impact of the Samsung Galaxy S.

The Milestone 2 will be landing in Europe in Q4, so not long to wait until we have all the details of how much it will cost you and where you can get one from.?

We will keep you posted.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Motorola Motorola Milestone 2 Android Photos

PHOTOS: Motorola Milestone 2 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:12:00 +0100

HP has pimped up its Envy 14 and Envy 17 notebooks by throwing in Beats Audio technology and 3D features.

The HP Envy 14 Beats Edition adds the sound technology, which was formed by HP, Dr. Dre, and chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records Jimmy Lovine, to "offer power and performance along with state-of-the-art audio technology making it ideal for serious work and serious fun".

The special edition notebook will now be shipped with some Beats Solo headphones from Monster.

The notebook, which features a black and red design with a red backlit keyboard comes with Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 and Adobe Premiere Elements 8 built in.

It is an Intel Core machine with ATI Mobility Radeon HD(1) 5650 graphics and 1GB of dedicated memory.

The HP Envy 17 with 3D also has the Beats Audio tech on board, and claims to offer the "best stereoscopic 3D visual experience without compromising 2D content".

It comes with HP active shutter glasses and you'll be able to watch full 1080p 3D video via the 17.3-inch HP 3D Ultra BrightView display.

The HP Envy 17 with 3D boasts quad-core Intel chips as well as ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 discrete graphics and up to 2TB of storage.

The souped up Envy machines will be available from October. The Envy 14 Beats Edition has an RRP of ?1339 and the HP Envy 17 with 3D should cost around ?1559.

Tags: HP Laptops

HP beats up Envy range with sound and 3D originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:57:00 +0100

Panasonic has released an update to its 2009 Freesat built-in TV models (V10/G15) that allows you to get iPlayer directly through your telly.

The update isn't via the signal satellite route that you'd normally use for Freesat updates - you'll have to go directly through your VieraCast platform.

Luckily, Join Freesat has published a handy step-by-step guide:

"To update, connect your television to your broadband router (network cable), then access by pressing the VieraCast function button on your remote which should prompt you to update the software; click ‘yes’ and the software will download via your internet connection".

Et voila, you'll be presented with version 2.303 of the software and you'll be able to access the iPlayer by pressing the red button on BBC1.

Lovely stuff.

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Tags: Home Cinema Panasonic Freesat iPlayer

BBC iPlayer now on your Panasonic TV originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:29:00 +0100

LG is showing off its new Smart TV concept over in Berlin at IFA with the promise of making internet-enabled TV viewing "Easy, Fun, More and Better". And to think, it probably paid some lucky marketing-guru a big pile of cash to come up with that slogan.

The LG Smart TV will feature a dashboard UI where all the apps will be displayed on one screen. To choose an app the viewer can use the Wii-style Magic Motion Remote Control to point and click on what they want.

LG has detailed a Yoga app, a first-aid app and a colouring-book app so far - we know, it's hardly pushing the boundaries of technological innovation.

There are more exciting apps like Facebook, Picasa, YouTube and the like on board as well though.

What is more exciting is LG mentioning that the Smart TV will feature Media Link - which, according to the press blurb means:

"Instant access to online videos and images, users can easily upload things they’ve created themselves. And with a smartphone, leaving the house doesn’t mean missing one’s favourite programme because content can be delivered wirelessly. Whether connecting to an iPad, PCs, personal media players or home theatre systems, LG is expanding the reach of entertainment to every part of people’s lives".

The LG Smart TV will launch in early 2011.

Tags: LG LG Smart TV IFA2010 Home Cinema

LG Smart TV gets IFA unveiling originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:00:00 +0100

The Motorola Defy has just been outed and fortunately Pocket-lint were in attendance to give the phone the normal photographic treatment.

Set at a lower spec than the Milestone 2, also launched today, the Defy comes with a 3.7-inch display and a hardened body to withstand dust, water and scratches.

Relatively compact in the hand, the Defy's stepdown comes in the form of a lower spec processor clocked at 800MHz and video capture at 640 x 480 pixel resolution.

But you do get Android 2.1 and Motoblur, so you'll easily be able to keep track of social happenings from your networks and enjoy the freedoms of most of what Android has to offer.

Environmental resistance comes in the form of rubber flaps which plug into the micro-USB and 3.5mm headphone jack although we're not sure if they will stand the duration of your contract.

Networks are yet to be announced, but it is expected to land in Q4, in a choice of black or white, both pictured here.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Motorola Motorola Defy Android Photoshop Photos

PHOTOS: Motorola Defy originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:38:00 +0100

Just hours before Apple's Special Event (which starts at 6pm today - Wednesday 1 September), multiple sources are coming out of the woodwork thick and fast to pre-confirm as to what the Cupertino based company will launch.

Will it be iTV (much to the chagrin of the UK television broadcaster of the same name)? Will it be a new cloud-based streaming service? Or, how about a new iPod or a new version of Garage Band? We've scoured the web for you, and here are the products that, if all the sources are true to their word, will be announced at the event.

New iPod nano touch

The rumours for the iPod nano touch?centre around a 1.7-inch touchscreen panel that surfaced some weeks back. It is, therefore, expected to bring the iPod nano, the company's smaller iPod device, into the touch fold.

Sources here claim that while it will be announced at the event it won't be available straight away.

The good news, however, is that, if ?true, it will cost the same as the current models and, although no-one has seen a final version of the device for a spy shot, there have been plenty of screen leaks.

Expect a wrist band accessory to be available from day one and heavy integration of the Nike Plus system.

Probability rating: 9/10

iPod Shuffle stays unchanged

Some rumours are suggesting that it's not the iPod nano getting a refresh, it's the iPod shuffle that will be beefing up. However, conflicting sources to different publications suggest that this isn't likely to happen. Apple needs an entry-level gift device and the iPod shuffle without a screen fulfils this job.

Probability rating: 9/10

New iPod Touch

This is pretty much where all the rumour stories first began and with the iPod touch getting an update every year "sources" from around the web are very confident that a new model will be launched at the Special Event - why break the habit after all.

Virtually all the reports of the supposed device focus on a forward facing camera and the inclusion of FaceTime - Apple's video calling service. It is also expected to feature a similar design to the iPhone 4, get the Retina screen, and possibly even a camera.

Probability rating: 9/10

Apple rebrands and relaunches Apple TV as Apple iTV

Apple followers will know it was originally called the Apple iTV anyway, but now sources suggest that Apple will return to this name. There is mixed feeling about whether or not the Apple TV, to be called iTV, will be getting a look in at the event, although a series of other rumours around streaming services could mean the Special Event is used as a launch pad for the new device.

Rumours so far say that it will be smaller, and run iOS 4 (the same operating system as the iPhone) so you'll be able to download apps to your TV, as well as allow it to talk to your iPhone or iPad, effectively turning them into remote controls.

Probability rating: 7/10

Apple launches streaming music service

Having bought a streaming music service earlier in the year only to shut it down, sources claim that Apple will use the music-focused event - there was a guitar on the invite after all - to launch?iTunes in the cloud allowing you to access music anywhere, as long as you have internet connectivity. Furthermore, sources "familiar with the matter" claim that the iTunes preview time for tracks you are about to buy will be doubled from 30 to 60 seconds.

Probability rating:?8/10

Apple launches streaming video service

The latest rumour to enter the fray is that Apple has signed a deal with both ABC and Fox TV channels to stream TV shows and movies to its devices, be it the iPad or the iTV. As late as Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal states: "As part of the Apple event Wednesday, News Corp.’s Fox and Walt Disney’s ABC networks are slated to be announced as offering 99-cent rentals of television shows through the iTunes store, according to people familiar with the matter".

Probability rating:?8/10

Netflix streaming direct to Apple devices

But wait, there's more. Apple has also, according to Bloomberg, done a deal with Netflix?in the US, in order to allow its users to stream content on Apple devices.

Add all of these to the fact that Apple, for the first time in around 7 years, has decided to stream the event (if only to Apple devices) and you've got yourself a rumour that is full of conspiracy theories.

Probability rating:?8/10

Garage Band

Garage Band on the iPad for music making on the go, or just an update to its iLife software, are both born of the fact that the invite featured a guitar - the icon for Garage Band. The software is due an update and although it's probably the least exciting of all the rumours and gossip floating around, it's still something that is floating around.

Probability rating:?7/10

250,000 apps now available

Every Apple event starts with a bunch of statistics from Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, who loves to tell the world how well Apple has done since the last one. With Apple passing the 250,000 apps available in the iTunes store last month, it's a dead cert that Apple will want the world to know.

Probability rating: 10/10

iPad goes iOS 4

It was promised at the launch of iOS 4 earlier this year, and the event seems to be the perfect place to announce when the iPad will be getting multitasking.

Probability rating:?10/10

Related links:

• News - The Special Event: Tune in for Pocket-lint's live coverage
• News - Apple special event: Streaming live to fanboys
• News - Mexican carrier claims new iPhone 4 for October
• Feature - Five greatest Apple successes
• Feature - Team Pocket-lint's Apple Special Event predictions

Tags: Audio iPod iPod touch nano Apple Fox iPod Touch iPod shuffle iPod shuffle touch Apple TV Apple iTV Netflix ABC

Apple Special Event: what sources say is coming originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:02:00 +0100

According to a report in the Financial Times, Sony is all set to launch an iTunes competitor over in Berlin at its IFA press conference.

The subscription based music and video service is reportedly on course for a 2011 launch, with deals with the major record labels and studios all in the pipeline.

The service, which would take over from the defunct Sony Connect music store that closed in 2008, would use the PlayStation 3 as its hub, and would work across all of Sony's entertainment range including Walkmans, Vaio computers, Bravia TVs and Blu-ray players as well as Sony Ericsson mobiles.

The Financial Times report points towards a statement made by Howard Stringer, president of Sony, last year when he said that 90 per cent of all Sony products would connect to each other and the web by 2011.

Pocket-lint has long thought that Sony would resurrect Connect in some way. It seems an obvious move when you consider the amount of web-enabled devices in Sony's armoury and the fact that they are are media-friendly, in terms of playback at least.

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Tags: iTunes IFA2010 Software Audio Home Cinema Sony

Sony iTunes rival set for IFA launch originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:46:00 +0100

Usually when Apple puts on one of its launch events three things happen:

1. The crowd whoops and cheers everything Jobs and the gang say, no matter how mundane (the iPhone launch was on par with how a religious crowd would react to the Second Coming).

2. A number of tech-blogs and websites liveblog from the event, posting pictures and quotes as soon as they can get them uploaded.

3. The keynote is then packaged into a nice little QuickTime movie that hits the Apple website in the following days.

But things are due for a shake up this time (whooping will still be included, don't worry), with Apple confirming that it will be streaming the event live.

But there is a catch. The event will only be available on Apple devices.

You could argue that only people with Apple devices in the first place would be interested in the event, but it's still a crafty little idea from the Cupertino collective to omit non-fanboys from watching live.

The event will be available via HTTP Live Streaming, and you'll need a Mac running Safari on Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard, an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 3.0 or higher, or an iPad.

The action kicks off at 6PM UK time and you can watch via www.apple.com.

Related links:

• Predictions - What team Pocket-lint think will happen at the event
• Rumour - Mexican carrier claims new iPhone 4 for October

Tags: Apple mac Software iPod Touch iPhone iPad

Apple special event: Streaming live to fanboys originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:19:00 +0100

Motorola has launched a tough phone which conforms to IP67 standards, promising to be scratch, water and dust resistant, and known as the Motorola Defy.

From a design point of view the phone looks tough, but it isn't designed to be a "rugged" handset, more for those who find themselves dropping, scratching or damaging their phone all too frequently.

The Defy has a 854 x 480 pixel resolution capacitive touchscreen display measuring 3.7 inches which is finished in Gorilla Glass, again promising to be resistant to scratches.

The phone will come running Android 2.1 and Motoblur, but you will find Adobe Flash Lite included, so you'll be able to view some online videos on the move. Swype is also included for fast text entry.

Around the back is a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash, but it only offers video capture at 640 x 480 resolution. The phone will come with an 800MHz processor with 2GB of onboard memory

The Motorola Defy will be available in Q4 in the UK, again we don't have details of which networks it will be on at this time.

?

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Motorola Motorola Defy Android

Motorola Defy defies nature originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:18:00 +0100

The Acer Stream is the company's latest flagship handset, following on from the Liquid and Liquid E before it. Acer isn't a company with a great history in mobile devices and so far has enjoyed limited success. It's clear that Acer is committed to this agenda, but has it hit the right notes with the Stream?

On paper the Stream looks impressive. A 3.7-inch 800 x 480 capacitive AMOLED display puts it in HTC Desire territory. The 5-megapixel autofocus camera, offering 720p video capture squares up against the Samsung Galaxy S. The micro HDMI out puts it in the game with the HTC Evo. But does it compete with these hero handsets?

We've seen how the Android battleground is drawn up. With most phones offering similar, if not the same, hardware components and the same core operating system, the difference between a good phone and a bad phone often comes down to two things - the design and what the company does to it, which govern the user?experience.

Okay, it isn't quite that simple. The screen makes a big difference when the touch response isn't right, but often that is not the fault of the hardware - especially when it comes to a capacitive touchscreen AMOLED display, but how the manufacturer presents the operating system beneath it.

Starting with the design, Acer doesn't do itself any favours. There is a hint of the beTouch range around the back, with a matte black cover shaped as though it has come off the same design line. It's a simple clip on affair and whilst this doesn't make it a bad phone, it doesn't have the impact in the hand that the glorious unibody design of the HTC Desire has, or the premium materials of the iPhone 4.

Around the front there is just a little too much bordering on that display. It feels like the prize asset is hidden away, with the design bringing in a screen frame, that again sits in the body of the phone. It feels a little chunky, lacking consumer refinement and wow factor in the hand. It doesn’t exhibit the clean and sophisticated lines you want from your daily handset.

The buttons too, raise an eyebrow. The side volume, camera and lock/power buttons seem a little too thin to be comfortable to use, but are functional enough. Other controls join the fray, with the regular assembly of touch controls across the bottom of the display (search, back, menu), with the home button in line being a proper hard button.

Beneath this there are further buttons which outline what Acer thinks this phone should be and they are play/pause and forward and back controls for watching video. We say watching video, because we found that was all they controlled - not music as well - which was a bit of a surprise. More interestingly pressing one of these shortcut buttons whilst in the music player would see it exit and return to the home screen.

Power the phone on and you are greeted with Acer's custom user interface, sitting on the top of Android 2.1. This adaption of Android goes further than Acer has gone before. We previously saw a 3-page side-swiping home screen with a couple of widgets, but this version (Acer UI 4.0) takes things to a whole new level.

In doing so it makes quite a departure from conventional Android norms. You lose the top drag-down status bar for example, which means that is isn't as familiar as you might want it to be. We like that fact that Android offers such versatility, be we are also from the school of thought that says if something works, stick with it.

The Acer interface instead splits the screen, with the bottom of the screen showing you the top eight application icons from your menu. To customise which icons are seen, you simply have to rearrange your menu to get your important apps to the top - rather like the BlackBerry UI. You can drag the whole lot up to access the rest of the menu, which then preserves your "top eight" and scrolls the rest of the menu left and right beneath this to get to your other apps. It means that you can always access your favourites.

The status bar, then, finds itself nestling across the top of these icons. Tapping it will pop-up another menu system centred on your alerts (emails, missed calls, downloaded apps, etc). This menu again swipes left and right to access other object on the status bar - the clock and alarms - as well as all your connectivity options and battery status, and additions such as music when the music player is running. Why Acer couldn't have integrated the same system at the top of the page we don't know.

But that's not all it offers. Swipe left from the main page and you'll enter the history of your device. This lets you swipe from page to page, so if you were doing something and want to return to, you'll find it logged here - be it Facebook, emails, fiddling with the settings or whatever. It's a nice touch and as a widget, something we can see coming in handy on devices where you have multiple home pages begging to be filled.

Swipe to the right and you'll enter the media area. Remembering that the Stream is pitched as a media handset this is a key area to the phone's lofty aims. We find it harbouring a similar media widget to the Acer Liquid, offering photos, music and videos that you can thumb through, and tap to enter the respective media browser. It works well enough, but if you have a lot of content it can be a little unyielding.

The downside of what seems like a considered offering is that you get no customisation options of your own. You can't deploy extra widgets or drop shortcuts to files, people or anything else - not in the usual Android sense. The customisation options will let you remove the media browser or history, but not replace it with anything else - you just lose the page. Basically you are stuck with what Acer thinks is the best approach.

That is until you find the Widgets app hiding in the menu which effectively opens up a widget layer, into which you can dump all your useful widgets. This you could put in the top layer of your menu for one-touch access to all your widgets, but once running, it also takes over your standby screen. This is a smart implementation by Acer, as not only do you get your music controls, but you can also flash a glance at your agenda, the weather, or any other widgets you have running. You can't drop application shortcuts, but it is a pretty neat solution, as is the peel-back unlock, which reminds us, once again, of the Samsung unlock screen.

If you find the Acer UI really offensive, you can return to what the phone calls "Android UI" which is essentially the same as we saw on the Liquid, with a more conventional arrangement of customisable pages and widgets. Ultimately this view offers you greater freedom, but you lose some of the hard work that Acer put in elsewhere, so there isn't really an ideal balance.

Social networking isn't as prominent on the agenda as it is in rival devices. Of course you can download anything from the Android Market to customise the experience and bring your networks to your phone. The basics are covered with installed applications, so you'll find Facebook and Twidroid in place, but other alternatives are easy to come by, with Android offering a great deal of integration present at a basic level, so the lack of bespoke integration isn't a great loss.

Because this is an Android phone you get the niceties of integration with Google's services and you'll see Gmail, contacts and calendar fall into place, with support for multiple account syncing on this version of Android. You don't get the same emphasis on "friends" that HTC offers, and you don't get the hardcore tracking of social networks like Motoblur offers, but for some people that's just fine.

In terms of hardware connectivity you have HSDPA providing the mobile data, and Wi-Fi b/g/n picking up the slack when you are on a friendly network. You also get Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and AGPS. All this sits on the familiar 1GHz processor, with 512MB RAM and 2GB of internal memory.

The Stream is packed with sensors too, with the accelerometer switching aspect as you move the phone around (when aspect switching is supported) and the usual suspects of the light sensor, proximity sensor and digital compass rounding out the package.

With video performance firmly in the sights of the Stream, some might be surprised that it isn't the most capable video player out of the box, stumbling with some of the test videos that the Samsung Galaxy S had no problem with. It will handle 720p HD content but there are some omissions from the codecs supported and we found some files wouldn't play, even though purportedly supported; Acer states that the phone supports MPEG4, H.264, H.263, WMV9 and Xvid, although downloading other free media players will make other formats available to you if preferred.

There is also a media server app, although this isn't as comprehensive as Samsung's AllShare app which makes sharing content really easy. Instead you enable sharing so you can pick-up content from other connected devices. The included micro HDMI connection will let you hook-up the Stream to your TV and watch your HD content and although the spec sheet claimed there was a cable in the box to do so, we found there wasn't. With micro HDMI appearing on more devices, it's probably time you bought one anyway.

On connecting an HDMI cable the Stream will detect it and offer to output video via HDMI. You can select the resolution manually and our 720p setting was confirmed by the TV. Playing HD content didn't look that good and we found that an HD movie lost audio sync. SD content fares better.

So the Stream probably isn't quite the video superstar that Acer wants it to be, but we found it enjoyable to watch video content on the device via a microSDHC card under the back cover. The screen may be set a little too deep into the casing, but it was capable enough at displaying our HD content.

There is another bonus packed into the Stream in the form of Dolby Mobile, which provides a range of enhancements to the audio so you can tweak the settings to your liking. It's a shame that Acer hasn't followed up this audio offering with a decent set of headphones, so as always, a decent set of third-party 'phones should be high on your shopping list. The onboard speaker isn't especially good, but is loud enough to show off a little video and watch unencumbered by wires. You'll also find an FM radio on-board, requiring connected headphones to pick up a signal.

As we've seen in previous devices, Acer has rolled out the XT9 predictive text system. This suggests words as you type on Acer's slightly customised keyboard. It is a system that takes some getting used to, as it will often throw in random words if you aren't careful and doesn't seem as adept as HTC's Sense keyboard. We are not the greatest fans of the changes made to the keyboard as the keys seem smaller than the default Android offering. Overall the keyboard experience wasn't as fast as some rivals, but it was easy enough to get to grips with.

When it comes to making a receiving calls, you'll find the top edge of the Acer Stream is a hard line that hurts your ear after a few minutes of chatting. In this it is not alone as it is an affliction that many smartphones suffer.

The 5-megapixel camera is par for the smartphone course at present, with Android offering plenty of easy ways to share the images you capture. There is no flash on this phone (although they are often of very limited use) but the camera is a capable snapper for daylight use. It is autofocus too so can capture some sharp images.?

The camera ultimately suffers with detail over distance, as all phone cameras do, but some close shots come out well. One obvious problem is the colour balance, with greens looking a little yellow. None of this is disastrous, but we also found that the AF reticule would show green (i.e., in focus) when it really wasn't.

The headline video capture at 720p also leaves a little to be desired. The captured 3GP file isn't of the best quality we've seen and the frame rates did vary, between 20 and 24fps, at times looking a little jerky.

GPS performance is typical, finding us quickly, with Google Maps Navigation in place providing free rudimentary in-car navigation for those who want it. You do get multi-touch in maps and the browser, however. The browser is the standard Android browser, which handles pages capably, with double-tap zooming and pinch resizing. There isn't any Flash support, but embedded YouTube videos can be viewed using the YouTube application.

Battery life, as expected, isn't anything to get excited about and like other handsets of this type, you'll need to charge every day with regular use.

Verdict:

Overall we found navigation to be fast, with little sign of lag anywhere in the device. Applications loaded with pace and executed their functions without problems. For all the changes that Acer has brought in, we found the Stream to run the UI without any problems. It also worked just the same when this UI was switched off. The keyboard was improved by turning off the haptic feedback on presses, which allowed a faster rate of text entry.

So what we have from Acer is something of a surprise. Their customisation adds some interesting ideas to the Android mix. There are nice elements we'd like to see in other devices, like the scrolling history and the active standby wallpaper, but there is a level of confusion here, with multiple routes and multiple players offering similar versions of the same thing from the get go.

The biggest failing we feel is in the design, which isn't ambitious enough from the outside and a little over-reaching in the custom UI. The three shortcut keys don't really give you much of a benefit in daily use - is it too much hassle to use the on-screen controls when watching video? The overall look doesn't shine like rivals and this could be easily corrected.

Whilst the Acer Stream doesn't quite reach the heights that other handsets have, Acer is starting to get close. We've found the Stream to be capable, if not as desirable as others, and we can't help feeling that with a little more work, Acer could start to attract a lot more interest.

The Acer Stream is available online, SIM free for ?399.99.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Acer acer stream Android

Acer Stream originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100