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Nintendo admits delay in supplying DVD Wii

2007-11-08T23:51:00.001-08:00

The half dozen or so Wii owners who don't already have a DVD player at home may be disappointed to hear that Nintendo has just admitted it can't make good on its promise to enable DVD playback on the console this year. The rest of us, however, might be curious about what exactly is going on.

The announcement - if we can call it that - came on a low-key FAQ section of Nintendo's Japanese Wii site and simply said that the promised DVD Wii wouldn't be possible this year due to the need to ensure sufficient supplies of the original Wii.

"No DVD for you" says Nintendo to its favourite son, the Wii.

Playing catch up

Although there was no denial of a new Wii sometime next year, this doesn't mean that a redesigned console is on the cards. What is most likely is that Nintendo will add DVD playback firmware to new consoles once its factories have caught up with retailer orders they already have.

After all, if Nintendo doesn't add the DVD solution from US firm Sonic that it has already made public, then it might just look a little silly. As for an all-new Version 2 of the Wii, there's no reason at all to suppose that anything is imminent - sorry to disappoint.

Phones get smaller as camera modules shrink

2007-11-08T23:45:00.001-08:00

Oki's new sensor module will give us smaller cameras in our phones.

The burgeoning feature list phone manufacturers need to pack into handsets just to compete these days means there are more than a few chunky models out there that could do with a trip to the gym, so we're pleased to hear of a breakthrough that should help them trim a few ounces.

Oki Electric of Japan has created a sensor module for mobile phones that will allow for cameras that are only half the size of those in current handsets. The W-CSP (Wafer level Chip Sized Package) relies on a new form of internal connection in the silicon substrate that leaves a smaller sensor with the same resolution.

Thinner and smaller

The company has also developed a more flush glass cover for the sensor, which results in a final camera module that is thinner as well as smaller in surface area.

On a slightly negative note, while we welcome more compact phones capable of doing what we all want, let's not forget that these smaller sensors are still dependent on the quality of the lens in front of them. As long as cameraphones rely on weak optics, there will always be a place for 'real' cameras, no matter how advanced phones become.

Sony updates PlayStation 3 firmware to 2.00

2007-11-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

Since it was launched in Japan last November, the PlayStation 3 has received - believe it or not - a massive 18 firmware updates. The latest of these arrives today and takes the system software up to version 2.00.

Anyone hoping for something as useful as the ability to play back a few more video formats will be disappointed, but there are several smaller additions that must be of benefit to someone out there.

Make it personal

Most obvious is a new function that lets users pick their own themes - something already available for the PSP. Theme creator software that runs on a PC allows the artistically inclined to change icons, wallpapers and fonts for a more personalised look to the PS3 menu.

Remote Start is an odd addition that Sony clearly thinks appeals to hardcore fans who like to manage their consoles from afar. It requires a PSP, from which a paired PS3 can be switched on for downloading content, such as future updates game add-ons, wherever the handheld and user may be. Saving 15 minutes on downloads probably isn't a priority for most PS3 owners, however.

After that, firmware 2.00 brings Information Board, a sub-RSS news feed that serves up Sony-selected news headlines in the XMB menu system, DualShock 3 controller support, music and photo playlists and support for a few more printers. Take it or leave it, but rest assured that the next update isn't far away.

Firmware 2.00 adds a few pretty graphics to the background and menu, but not much else.

Blackberry boss: 'Phones need keyboards'

2007-11-08T23:38:00.001-08:00

As nice as the Apple iPhone is, it poses a real challenge to its users. That's according to Research in Motion's Mike Lazaridis, who has said that real phones need real keyboards.

The RIM CEO told reporters: "Try typing a web key on a touchscreen on an Apple iPhone, that's a real challenge. You cannot see what you type".

He added that he's not too impressed with the Apple iPhone, and that it won't kill off the Blackberry, The Register reported. Blackberry has some 20 million users globally and is currently the eighth biggest phone maker in the world.

Severe limitations

"The Apple iPhone has severe limitations when it comes to effortless typing. Of course you have more screen space, with more artistic interactions, but that's not enough. We've seen this before when Palm tried virtual keyboards. When they launched the Treo they licensed our keyboard," Lazaridis said.

However, the launch of the Apple iPhone has meant increased sales for other smartphones too, something that Lazaridis is extremely grateful for.

"Apple undeniably accelerated the drive to smartphones. It educated the consumer to the benefits of these types of phones. We saw our sales go up with AT&T after the Apple iPhone came out."

Apple's archrival Microsoft isn't a great threat to the Blackberry either, according to RIM's co-CEO Jim Balsillie.

" Windows Mobile isn't that big a competitor," he said. "They are a modest force to RIM. Microsoft should be working at services, not at distributed PCs, which is what Windows Mobile actually still is."

iPhone: queue begins in London

2007-11-08T23:37:00.001-08:00

Apple's iPhone isn't due to launch officially until 6:02pm on 9
November, but it looks like a queue has already started forming
outside the flagship London Apple store.

There are currently two guys sat outside the Apple store (see photo) -
they wouldn't give us their names. The first, who revealed he was from
Manchester, said he had been queuing since 8.30am.

Both are sat in camping chairs that look brand new - probably from the
camping shop Blacks, which is just around the corner.

Toshiba Vardia records HD TV to standard DVDs

2007-10-31T19:49:00.001-07:00

Toshiba's RD-A301 could be the breakthrough that HD TV needs

High-definition video recorders, whatever their stripe, are all very well, but wouldn't it be nice if they could use good old cheap DVDs instead of the costly new HD DVD or Blu-ray disks? Well, dream no more - from tomorrow we'll be able to order Toshiba's new Vardia recorder that can do precisely that.

The ¥99,000 (£420) Vardia RD-A301 hits pre-order in Japan tomorrow and will ship there in mid-December. When it does, it will bring with it the handy ability to record broadcast HD TV onto a standard DVD-R.

Transcoding saves space

Using a transcoder that converts high-definition MPEG-2 broadcasts to the smaller MPEG-4 AVC format, the A301 can fit two hours of full quality HD TV on a conventional 4.7GB DVD. We've already seen the transcoding technique used by Panasonic in one of its Blu-ray machines, but that still requires the costly next-gen disk.

The recently industry-approved HD Rec function is flexible too, as it allows high- and standard-definition recordings to share a single disk and can be used to record to the built-in 300GB hard drive. At maximum compression, the drive can hold up to 159 hours of HD TV, while a single-layer HD DVD-R disk stretches to seven hours.

Other features of the A301 include dual HD tuners for recording simultaneous high-def broadcasts and the ability to transfer digital VHS recordings via a FireWire connection. Lastly, at just 69mm tall, the new recorder is considerably smaller than many of the next-generation machines it's likely to compete against.

Canon pulls faulty EOS-1D off the shelves

2007-10-31T19:48:00.001-07:00

into halting shipment of its high-end EOS-1D Mark III digital SLR.

Canon has asked dealers to return unsold stock after identifying a fault affecting the Mark III's autofocus system. The company will also repair units already sold, but will not be offering customers any exchange or return.

Product recall

In a letter to camera dealers dated 25 October, Canon claims that the fault is affecting only "a minority" of cameras, and that an official announcement will be made on its website by the weekend.

In the meantime, owners have been invited to contact Canon's technical help desk on 08705 143 723 for more information.

Canon's EOS 1D Mark III has been pulled from the shelves after the company identified a fault affecting the camera's autofocus system

Nokia's Music Store to threaten iTunes

2007-10-31T19:47:00.001-07:00

Nokia's new Music Store is set to take on Apple's all-conquering iTunes Store when it launches on Thursday. Nokia gave us a hands-on demo at an event in London's Soho last night.

You can browse the Nokia Music Store according to artist, genre, track, album etc.

When you've found the track you were looking for you can add it to your wishlist, play a 30-second clip, or download straight away

If you type in a band name for example, the most relevant results will be highlighted at the top of the search results, with other matches listed below

When you start the download process, your handset will automatically search for a connection...

... after which the download process will start

The service certainly looks impressive. It's fast and easy to use and has plenty of clever features. For example, you can add favourite tracks to a wishlist, buying them all immediately or downloading them later if you don't have sufficient Wi-Fi or 3G coverage.

You can download tracks to your PC or, like Apple's iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, pipe them straight to your mobile phone. Tracks will automatically sync between your mobile phone and your PC when you hook the devices up.

You can also transfer purchased songs via your PC to compatible Nokia devices, including the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic and Nokia 5610 XpressMusic.

Two million tracks baby

Some two million tracks will be available at launch, ranging from major artists from big labels such as EMI, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, to more independent and local artists. In comparison, the iTunes Store carries over six million songs.

We tested the content by suggesting some obscure artists and tracks, most of which were featured in the Nokia Music Store catalogue. Tracks are offered in high-quality 192kbps audio in Windows Media Audio (WMA) format.

Besides download tracks, you can also opt for the unlimited streaming service available to PC users, for which you'll pay £8 for a monthly subscription. This buys you as much track streaming as you like, all done through the Nokia Music Store's website.

There are plenty of exclusive playlists from various artists and celebrities, if you fancy getting inspired by your idols. The streaming service won't be available over mobile, at least not initially.

Muscling in on iTunes

We think the Nokia Music Store has the featured content and user interface to take on Apple's iTunes Store but cost is still a question mark for us.

Tracks are priced at 80p and albums cost £8, but you have to factor in the data charges from your operator too. With the Apple iPhone and its iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, you just pay for the tracks as the Wi-Fi is offered free of charge through Apple's deal with The Cloud.

The Nokia Music Store, part of Nokia's Ovi internet offering, will go live at 7am GMT on Thursday 2 November. So far it will only be available on the Nokia N95 8GB and the Nokia N81. The latter is apparently being touted by both Vodafone and O2, Nokia said.

40GB PlayStation 3 has 65nm chip

2007-10-31T19:35:00.001-07:00

The new cut-down 40GB version of the PlayStation 3 has the more efficient 65nm version of the Cell processor. That's according to Gamesindustry.biz which spotted the revelation on a German computing website.

The big advantage of this is the reduction in power the massive PS3 will suck from the National Grid. It thankfully also means a reduction in noise levels - useful for all the hundreds of Blu-ray movies you probably won't be watching on it.

A cooler, quieter PS3

The Computerbase.de website cites a 135W rating for the 65nm Cell chip, reduced from 200W as well as a halving of noise levels. Nice work if true, although the PS3 isn't the noisiest console on the block. That honour continues to go to Microsoft's Xbox 360, which can hum louder than a fridge.

The site is also reporting that, due to the change in processor, the console has a smaller heat pipe arrangement and modified motherboard. IBM currently makes the Cell processor and Sony has said that it plans to make further improvements by moving to a 45nm process in late 2008/early 2009.

The £299 40GB PS3 has already stormed the charts in the UK, while it is due for a North American release on Friday.

The 40GB PS3 uses less power and produces less noise

Google phone rumours: free VoIP calls

2007-10-31T19:34:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we reported that a Google Phone announcement is due within the next couple of weeks. Now, rumours have bubbled up naming a potential manufacturer of the device.

TheIndiaStreet.com reports that Chinese mobile handset manufacturer e28 is going to be a Google Phone handset manufacturer and also provide the software for the handset.

e28? Never heard of them

e28 is reportedly developing a wireless VoIP system that will reshape the entire mobile industry. If this is one of the foundations of Google's phone plans, it would make it a serious rival to the Apple iPhone.

E28 has been linked to Google's 'GPhone' project. Could the E2881 here be a contender?

Dig around on the e28 website and you'll see that the company already produces a roster of smartphones. Its quad-band R2821 handset is powered by Linux and features Wi-Fi (802.11b) and a digital camera. It's VoIP-capable and also features GPS functionality, which would be ideal for Google Maps.

The Blackberry-a-like E2881 is another option. Again, it's a Linux-fuelled phone. And while it's not as sexy as the iPhone, it's a quad-band handset, ups the Wi-Fi support to 802.11g and packs in a 2MP camera and that handy GPS.

E28 also produces a smaller handset, the R2821. Its GPS functionality would be ideal for Google Maps

VoIP is the next big thing

If these rumours have any truth to them it looks like making free or low-cost VoIP calls on your mobile phone (like the new 3 Skypephone, announced earlier this week) could well usher in a mobile revolution.

India Street also reported that an open Linux platform is likely to be added to the Google Phone. This would allow any programmer to develop add-on applications (such as the ones popping up on Facebook) and easily add those to the device.

The report states that e28 is unlikely to get the exclusive manufacturing rights, suggesting that the likes of LG and HTC are also in with a shot.

World's smallest HD TV set is just 22 inches

2007-10-29T18:56:00.001-07:00

Next time you go shopping for a second television set for the spare room or bedroom, chances are it might be one of a new breed of smaller full high-definition TVs, such as the new models introduced today by Sharp.

The latest Aquos LCDs from the Japanese company will go on sale there at the end of November and include the world's smallest full HD TV, which has a diagonal screen measurement of just 22 inches; far smaller than the 40-inch-plus displays common in the HD marketplace now.

1080p over HDMI

Two other sets - 26- and 32-inch models - were also announced, with all three of the 1920 x 1080 TVs sporting dual HDMI ports and capable of displaying full 1080p video. Aside from size, the main difference between the sets is the contrast ratio dropping from 2,000:1 on the 32-inch model to 1,200:1 on the smallest Aquos.

Sharp has also made all three televisions suitable for hooking up to a PC by including a range of analogue and digital connectors and a keyboard-stowage area on the base of the stand.

Although the prices - ¥180,000 (£768) for the 22-inch, ¥200,000 (£854) for the 26-inch and ¥240,000 (£1,025) for the 32-inch - are still in the realm of what most people would spend for a main TV set, competition in the small HD TV market is sure to drive them down quickly and hasten the high-definition spread.

HD TV on a 22-inch set seemed impossible just a year ago.

Will 3's Skypephone change mobiles forever?

2007-10-29T18:55:00.001-07:00

Free calls from your mobile phone are on the way as Skype and mobile operator 3 today launched the Skypephone. The move is likely to change the way mobile operators think and will change the mobile industry forever.

3 is unlikely to make vast amounts of money by adding Skype to its handsets. The mobile industry makes most of its calls from voice calls and text messages rather than handsets, which are often subsidised to attract customers. 3 thinks it's on to something much more important, however.

"It's all about customer loyalty towards the brand," Kevin Russell, CEO of 3 UK, told Tech.co.uk at this morning's 3 Skypephone launch in London.

The 3 Skypephone lets you call, IM, chat, or send text messages to your Skype contacts all over the world

Happy customers

"It doesn't cost us much to add Skype functionalities to our mobile handsets, but in return we get happy customers who are likely to stay with us, and spend money on other calls and services too. I think community-based services will be a big thing for mobiles in the future."

Skype said that it wants to add its services to handsets from other operators too, but that it has yet to convince operators that it is a good idea.

"Some operators we've spoken to have told us to go away, and that they're not interested in adding our software to their phones," Michael van Swaaij, acting CEO of Skype, told us.

The handset will go on sale this Friday and is available in black, or white with either a blue or a pink trim

One-button access

VoIP telephony on mobile phones has been a frustrating, complicated experience up until now. The 3 Skypephone, however, keeps you logged in from the moment you sign in, and there's just one button to press to access all your contacts, make calls, start chats, and so on.

There are no different accounts to access, no tedious signing in process, or switching between handsets to make free VoIP calls. To 3 and Skype's credit, VoIP becomes a seamless experience.

3's bold move could change the way the mobile industry views VoIP. Apple seems to have been thinking along the same lines when it announced free Wi-Fi for its iPhone in the UK. At the very least, 3's tie-in with Skype gets the publicity machine rolling at a time when everybody is talking about Apple.

We secured a review sample at this morning's launch and will give you the full low-down on the Skypephone in a few days.

7 things you won't like about Leopard

2007-10-29T18:54:00.001-07:00

Time Machine won't let you delete ancient files to free up some disk space. The solution? Buy another hard drive says Apple

We've been living with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard for 72 hours now and while there's undoubtedly a lot to love, there have been some annoyances too. Here they are in all their frustrating glory:

1. Safari, Mail and third-party plug-ins

If you've splurged on third party plug-ins for Mac apps like Mail and Safari, then you'll be in for a shock. Some plug-ins no longer work at all under Leopard - either because their developers haven't got around to issuing patches yet or because Apple doesn't want you to use them.

The latter is particularly true in the Safari web browser - plug-ins like Red Snapper and FLVR, which worked on Safari 2.0, don't work in version 3.0. Red Snapper and FLVR developer Tasty Apps has even gone so far as to remove the plug-ins from its website - so there are unlikely to be patches for those.

Developers who have found fixes for their plug-ins usually do so using workarounds. The Safari plug-in for SpeedDownload, for example, forces you to use the Unix command line using Terminal before it will install.

2. Stacks and Cover Flow

These new additions to the Mac OS X Finder looked great in the demo we saw at Apple's office off Regent Street. But maybe they're less useful in practice.

Looking at the Documents folder in either Stacks or Cover Flow on our Mac simply shows even more folders. You can't QuickLook into its contents, without repeatedly drilling into the file structure to pull up the documents and pictures that you'd like to see.

The answer we suppose is to trim your use of folders, but that seems counter-intuitive when the purpose of Stacks and Cover Flow is to help organise your Mac life.

We've already discussed Stacks' limited ability to show contents of folders resting in the Dock. If you have more than 10 or so items in a stack, then the stack will automatically switch from Fan view to Grid view, before kicking you over to the Finder.

Hit the 80 icon limit on Grid though and Stacks suggests you kick on over to the Finder to see the rest too. Both of these limitations really only make Stacks useful for short projects and photo albums, rather than as an alternative method of organising your life. In some ways the old nested list view presented when you clicked on a Dock folder in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger is actually more useful.

3. Networking

Apple has given networking a much needed boost in Leopard - you can now see and access almost any computer (Mac or PC) on your home network. This is great if you want to grab some music and movie files from a desktop in your bedroom so you can look at them on a laptop in your lounge.

Unfortunately the Shared list in Finder also has a habit of showing up stuff you don't want to see and can't access. It displays these somewhat childishly, with an icon showing a bulky beige monitor and a Windows Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).

It's not true either - our locked Wi-Fi access point shows up with a BSOD icon, even though it's on an Apple Wi-Fi router. Fiddling around with the Shared places settings doesn't appear to hide the stuff you can't access either... so they sit in the Finder annoying you.

4. Back On My Mac

This new Leopard feature looks like a doozy. It enables you to grab files from a home Mac using a remote desktop or laptop. Great if you leave a presentation file on a Mac at home. The downside is that you access your home Mac using a .Mac login - and that means any other Leopard owner who knows it can also access your files.

5. Time Machine

Apple reckons that only 4 per cent of people religiously back up their computers, making Time Machine's automated backup system ideal. It really is a no-brainer. The problem comes when your backup hard disk drive starts getting full and you want to delete your oldest archives to free up space for some new ones. Well under Time Machine you can't. Editing and/or deleting simply isn't allowed.

The best suggestion anyone at Apple could come up with was to mothball the old drive and start afresh with a new one. We guess you could also just reformat the drive and start your archives again, but that rather defeats the object of Time Machine in the first place. So if your backup needs are any more than rudimentary, you'll need to look elsewhere for a backup solution.

We've also heard reports that Time Machine doesn't play nicely with the Vault backup tool in Aperture, Apple's pro photography application. This is because they both backup to secondary drives. Conflicts can and will occur.

6. The Finder Menu and the Dock

Apple invented the current vogue for translucent windows and other eye candy in operating systems and it's been scaling back some of its excesses ever since (hello Windows Vista!).

Translucency works best when it adds functionality, but without obscuring what that functionality is for - overlaying simple and temporary playback controls in Leopard's DVD player being a prime example. Where translucency sucks is when it's used for its own sake, like in the new translucent Finder Menu and Dock in Leopard.

Apple says it made the Finder menu translucent because it 'enhances and showcases' the custom desktops it says Mac users like to use. Ditto the new glass shelf design of the Dock. It's see-through and reflective: drag a picture, file or Finder window close to the Dock and its reflection appears on the Dock's surface.

They're both bad ideas. Why?

Because in both cases, the translucency gets in the way. Sometimes you can't tell whether the faint blue glow under an application icon in the Dock is showing because the application is open, or because it's a part of the background. The translucent Finder menu is messy for the same reason.

So too are the Finder's translucent drop-down menus. Drop them down over a document and you get a confusing mish-mash of menu and document. This can sometimes make it hard to pick the right menu item you want.

7. The Beach ball of Death

We haven't quite got to the bottom of this yet, but under Leopard even Apple's native apps sometimes seem to pause for an absolute age before they'll start to do something. Apple shows app bottlenecks like this as a spinning beach ball. You'll see the spinning beach ball a lot when you first start to use Leopard.

We're not quite sure what this random slowness is. It could be because Leopard is beavering away trying to generate thumbnail previews of all your files for you to gawp at in Cover Flow and Quick Look. It could be Spotlight doing its indexing thing. We'll let you know if this slowness slowly disappears. Some slowdown is also inevitable with some apps that aren't yet very Leopard-friendly.

We've certainly experienced lots of inexplicable slowdowns which have forced us to Force Quit applications, relaunch the Finder and even reboot the machine altogether. Even the old fixing File Permissions panacea (an OCD-like obsession for some Mac users) is slow.

We thought we'd give the File Permissions fix a stab in Disk Utility to see if it helped cut down the number of applications slowdowns... only to be greeted with a long 20 minute wait while Disk Utility thought about repairing permissions... and then a 40 minute wait while it actually did so.

This never used to happen in Tiger.

It's not all bad

Some of our gripes with Leopard are minor, others are more serious and will hopefully be addressed in future by Apple and Mac developers alike. Luckily there are still a lot of things that Leopard is good at. You'll be able to find out what those are in the next part of this article.

Apple adds new restrictions to iPhone sales

2007-10-29T18:52:00.003-07:00

The Apple iPhone has sold better than a lot of people thought it would

Punters in the US will no longer be able to buy more than two Apple iPhones at a time. And when they do, they won't be able to pay with cash: it's credit/debit card only from now on.

Apple says the idea is to stop people from buying up to five iPhones and trying to make a profit on them by flogging them on sites like eBay.

Apple against unlicensed resellers

"Customer response to the iPhone has been off the charts, and limiting iPhone sales to two per customer helps us ensure that there are enough iPhones for people who are shopping for themselves or buying a gift," Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris told the Associated Press.

"We're requiring a credit or debit card for payment to discourage unauthorized resellers."

Apple says that around 250,000 of the 1.4 million iPhones sold so far were bought by people who intended to unlock them. While Apple still makes money on every iPhone sold in its stores, it loses out on the extra revenue it gets from its network partners, i.e. AT&T.

It's been suggested that Apple makes a clear profit of $565 (£276) per phone over two years when a customer buys and activates an iPhone on AT&T. Read: Apple rolling in iPhone money? for more on this.

The Apple iPhone launches in the UK on 9 November. Check back with Tech.co.uk for full coverage.

What Intel's Core 2 refresh means for Apple

2007-10-29T18:52:00.001-07:00

Intel's official announcement of the first in its line of second-generation Core 2 chips will mean change among performance PCs. But what does it mean for Apple and its growing band of merry followers?

Firstly, it appears that Apple will take massive quantities of the new Penryn line of chips including the next-gen Xeon server silicon (set to debut alongside the Core 2 Extreme on 12 November).

Extreme Mac Pro

These Xeon chips will, predictably, end up in the Mac Pro. Rumours suggest these will include a 3.2GHz X5482 model. Originally codenamed Harpertown, these chips will also boast SSE4 and L2 cache enhancements of the QX9650 Core 2 Extreme and its mainstream counterparts.

Rumours have also been circling for some time that Apple will have first dibs on the top performing variants of the new chips.

As well as the MacPro refresh, the MacBook Pro series is also to get refreshed with the new Core 2 Duo line. We'll know more about these processors next month but they'll most likely be 2.6GHz and 2.5GHz chips offering 6MB of L2 cache, compared to the 3MB of L2 cache found on current MacBook Pro processors.

Apple's MacBook Pros will get the new version of the Core 2 Duo in the new year

Better battery life

As with all the Penryn chips, they'll be based on the 45nm manufacturing process. That will give better performance for much lower energy consumption. Intel is using new materials in the Penryn line for even better efficiency. Of course, with laptops, that means better battery life.

Apple's MacPros already use Santa Rosa, the latest generation mobile chipset that's also the foundation of Centrino PC laptops.

Nokia looks into its mobile crystal ball

2007-10-28T20:57:00.001-07:00

Nokia has revealed its view of our mobile future at an event at the Nokia Research Centre in Oulu, Finland.

Among the technologies that Nokia thinks will impact the future of connected mobility are more and improved mobile payments and e-banking using near field communications (NFC). We've previously looked at Orange's experiments with NFC.

Sustainable mobile energy sources

Nokia also says that greater emphasis will be placed on the use of more sustainable energy sources for mobiles and related technologies.

The emergence of smart connectivity and beefed up wireless broadband is high up on Nokia's agenda as well. Nokia said that web technologies will continue to drive innovation in the mobile industry forward.

The event, called The Way We Live Next, illustrated how Nokia is working with consumers, companies and research organisations to try out and fast-track new applications and services.

"The world of mobile communications is changing at an ever increasing pace," Tero Ojanperä, Nokia's CTO, said in his keynote speech

Nokia Mosh

Nokia also demonstrated some new concept technologies, including Nokia Mosh, a one-to-many distribution platform where you'll be able to download applications and content for your mobile phone.

Another new technology is Nokia Point & Find, which will help you discover more about your surroundings using the camera on your mobile phone. The handset will display relevant information about what you are looking at, whether it's a building, area, or another point of interest, fetching real-time information from Nokia's servers.

If you're away on holiday, the Shoot to Translate feature might also come in handy. It's a piece of software that translates written characters into another language. The original text is captured with the camera on your Nokia multimedia phone and the translation of the text happens in real time.

Virtual worlds

Nokia revealed how the line between virtual worlds and the real world is blurring, unveiling the first ever photographic exhibition taking place simultaneously in Second Life and the real world.

"The world of mobile communications is changing at an ever increasing pace," said Tero Ojanperä, Nokia's chief technology officer, in his keynote speech.

"At Nokia, we work with experts in the academic, scientific and developer communities, and increasingly importantly, directly in interaction with our customers. Innovation can come from anywhere, and we need to have the tools and flexibility to respond to that challenge."

Don't hold your breath for some of this stuff coming anytime soon. Nokia said its concept technologies are at least a few years away from being launched.

Facebook and RIM join forces on Blackberry

2007-10-28T20:56:00.003-07:00

While it has always been possible for Blackberry users to access the popular social networking site, Facebook, for the first time, users will have an integrated application that makes Facebook use much easier.

The two companies, which have been working in secret for the past six months, announced Wednesday that Blackberry smartphones and Facebook are now completely integrated. In fact, the Facebook application will come preloaded onto all T-Mobile Blackberry smartphones.

"By integrating Blackberry's push technology with Facebook's networking technology provides a real time social networking experience away from the desktop," RIM founder, Mike Lazaridis said.

According to Lazaridis, users can take pictures and without emailing them, can go directly to the Facebook mobile page, add captions, and even tag the images. Once complete, the user can upload the photos to the Facebook page with the click of a single button.

Blackberry joins Facebook on integrated app

Interestingly enough, both companies have also allowed Friends using the same integrated Blackberry/Facebook application to be notified immediately that a new picture has been added. Both companies announced that these alerts can be customized with unique sounds that can be assigned to different people. Lastly, the application is integrated into the Blackberry address book so that users can invite contacts to become Facebook friends.

"It's really exciting to see the business community using this communications platform," Facebook co-founder, Dustin Moskovitz said. "Opening the application to more users and developers is really the cornerstone of our growth."

LG Viewty is iPhone wannabe, coming to O2

2007-10-28T20:56:00.001-07:00

LG has confirmed that it's 'Apple iPhone killer' KU990, dubbed Viewty, is on its way to the UK. It will be available on O2 from next month.

The touchscreen LG Viewty KU990 handset features an advanced 5-megapixel camera and is the only cameraphone to offer a manual focus option.

Distinctly iPhoney

The LG Viewty KU990 records video at 120 frames per second. Videos can easily be edited and uploaded to YouTube and social networking websites thanks to the built-in 3G connectivity, LG said.

O2 will be offering the LG KU990 under its Viewty nickname. The handset will be available from free on some contracts.

The LG Viewty KU990 will be available from free on some O2 contracts

Xbox 360 finally makes money for Microsoft

2007-10-28T20:55:00.001-07:00

Following the news that Nintendo has been raking in cash and that Sony's PS3 division has been making huge losses, Microsoft has revealed that its Xbox arm is now in the black.

The Entertainment and Devices division over at Redmond has posted an operating income for the first quarter (to the end of September 2007), of $165m (£80m). That's in stark contrast to the same period last year when the numbers equated to a $142 (£69m) loss.

The Xbox is starting to make some serious money for the first time, and Microsoft will be hoping that continues

Thrashing PS3 in money-stakes

What's more, Microsoft is confident that its Xbox business will stay profitable for the entire fiscal year, something it has failed to do at all in the seven years since the launch of the original Xbox console.

While the Xbox franchise has made Microsoft $165m, Nintendo has made $1bn from the Wii and DS and Sony's PS3 division has made a thumping loss of $849m.

Microsoft last made a quarterly profit out of its games division three years ago when Halo 2 came out, but it failed to stay in the black for the whole year. It's no surprise that big Xbox games such as Halo 3 and Bioshock can be thanked for sparking renewed interest in the console.

Halo 3 saves the day

While Microsoft makes a loss on every Xbox 360 console it sells, it makes its money back from selling games. A business model which is now starting to pay off, it seems. Sony operates in the same way with the PS3, but unfortunately for Sony, the PS3 is yet to see any quality games on the same level as the likes of Bioshock.

Over all, in the last three months Microsoft made a revenue of $13.6bn (£6.6bn). To put that into perspective, $13.6bn over a three month period calculates to an income for Microsoft of around $1,700 per second. So in the time it's taken you to read this story, Microsoft has made $45,000. Alright for some, isn't it?

LG introduces a new handset to its Shine line

2007-10-28T20:53:00.001-07:00

LG has announced a new mobile handset for inclusion in its Shine product line, and judging by its design, it seems the company is looking to bring a more unique and stylish look to its lineup of products.

Dubbed the LG-LB2005H, the new handset is comprised on an entirely wood-like body and features metal accents to make the design even more stylish. LG explained that it was going for a "more natural look" with this handset, and promised the same feature set you expect from comparable products.

LG Wood Shine missing the wood?

LG Wood Shine sports a host of new features

Echoing that sentiment, the LG-LB2005H supports DMB TV, and includes a 2-megapixel camera, an MP3 player, Bluetooth, and an electronic dictionary.

Interestingly enough, LG's decision to call the handset the Wood Shine is a bit of a misnomer. According to the company, the device is not actually made of wood, but is comprised of a wood-like high-end design pattern that looks just like wood.

So far, LG has yet to announce any further details on the phone. Even worse, the company has yet to release any word on pricing or availability. But considering it was originally announced in Korea (LG's country of origin), the phone will probably hit shelves in that country first.

Mac OS X Leopard: from install to shutdown

2007-10-27T00:00:00.001-07:00

It's finally here! The eagerly-anticipated update to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard has arrived on our desks and will soon be installed on our Macs - a Power Mac G5 and a MacBook Pro. We're expecting all kinds of surprises - good and bad - so pop back often to see how we're getting on.

11.28am - UPS man at the door, with an incredibly small cardboard box. Leopard may be big on features, but it's very small on packaging. It's shiny too with a big silvery X on the front and a purple and black reflective starfield. Inside is the install DVD, a Welcome To Leopard guide and two Apple fanboy stickers. Do Windows Vista users get the same buzz? This is the moment we've been waiting for.

11.44am - Our Power Mac G5 has coincidentally just finished backing up. We started it at 8am this morning. Normally we'd do a clean install - reformat the hard drive, install all the apps afresh - but we feel like living dangerously today. We'll see how silly or not that is later. Our guess is that a lot of people will install Leopard this way.

12pm - Leopard installation is underway. As is usual with Mac OS X, it first prompts you with the language you'd like to use, whether you want to do a straight installation, archive your old files and then install or obliterate everything on your hard disk drive and install a completely fresh copy.

12.08pm - Leopard is checking the integrity of the install DVD before it starts pouring files on to the hard disk. It's now 40 per cent complete. Not much longer to wait.

12.30pm - The DVD check is complete and installation is under way. We have another 10 minutes to wait before the Leopard intro movie kicks in and we can get our hands on the OS. Newbies and upgraders will be pleased to hear that Leopard has relatively low system requirements.

System requirements

It can run on Macs equipped with PowerPC G4 and G5 processors, plus all flavours of Intel-powered Macs. There are some caveats however. PowerPC G4 Macs will need at least an 867MHz processor to run Leopard; others won't be able to take advantage of the full run of features. For example:

You'll need an Intel Core 2 Duo Mac to use the blue-screen style animated backgrounds in Photo Booth. All other Macs will need an iSight webcam or a DV camcorder equipped with FireWire.
Boot Camp - the program that enables you to run Windows XP or Windows Vista - obviously needs an Intel processor to run.
iChat Screen Sharing needs a 128kbps or higher internet connection.
Front Row needs a built-in infra-red port and an Apple Remote.
For the DVD player to run at its best, you'll need a 1.6GHz processor of any stripe.
The Time Machine automated backup tool requires an external hard drive. We upgraded to a 1TB model yesterday for our setup.

You can find full system requirement details on the Mac OS X Leopard - Tech specs page.

12.45pm - Leopard installation is nearly complete. Our Power Mac G5 has rebooted with something that looks suspiciously like a Blue Screen Of Death. It's probably just the Mac OS X updating itself with all the new features. Fingers crossed.

12.55pm - We obviously missed a restart message (or there wasn't one). Our Power Mac G5 has now been restarted.

At home with Leopard

1.03pm - Quick as a flash the Welcome to Leopard intro movie whizzed by and we're now in Mac OS X.

1.05pm - The first thing we're being asked to do is nominate a backup drive for Time Machine. The second we picked it, Time Machine switched itself on and a full system backup has started.

We also just checked the Spotlight desktop search application. The magnifying glass in a blue circle in the top-right corner has gone, and been replaced by a simple black outline on the Finder's menu bar. Spotlight is currently reindexing our Mac - it'll take around three hours for the 750GB's worth of hard drive space.

The Finder's menu bar also doesn't look like the one in Windows Vista at all. The translucent effect has been scaled back massively - probably as a result of user protest - and is mainly white, but with a slight hint of background colour. The Apple Menu logo in the top left has also changed - it's now two-tone in appearance (black / dark grey) to make it look metallic.

Other obvious differences are the Dock (analogous to - but miles better than - the Windows Task Bar) which now has a 3D look when pegged to the bottom of the screen.

Finder menus now ape iTunes 7. Apple has cleared out the confused look introduced by previous Mac OS X updates - metallic, shiny plastic, etc - in favour of a simpler, cleaner, unified look. We're not yet convinced by the look of the new folder icons. Tiger's shiny Aqua folders have been replaced by flat blue versions.

You can see how the changes look on our desktop in pictures 5 and 6.

Next we'll be looking at one of the much-vaunted new features: Quick Look

Quick Look and Cover Flow

1.40pm - Quick Look is a new feature of the Mac OS X Finder than enables you to look at the contents of a file without actually having to open it in an application. This is handy if the file has an obscure name and you want to have a look at its contents. Or you can use it to find a photo you're looking for without having to boot up iPhoto, Aperture or Photoshop, and so on. Select multiple files and you can see all of their contents. You can even scroll through individual pages of a PDF without having to open Mac OS X's native PDF viewer Preview or Adobe Acrobat. To invoke Quick Look, just select the file you want to see and then press the space bar.

You can also use Quick Look in conjunction with Cover Flow - another rip from iTunes 7. This time instead of enabling you to flick through album art, Cover Flow in the Finder enables you to scroll through views of individual files - again handy for finding stuff quickly. We're not quite sure whether it's our Power Mac's fault, but the big, scrollable thumbnails in Cover Flow are very pixellated now. We suspect it's more to do with Spotlight and the fact that it hasn't finished indexing yet.

2.21pm - before we move on to Spaces... we think we've just hit our second glitch. It's relatively minor and it's to do with iCal synchronisation. Don't worry, we'll wake you up when it's all over. It looks like not doing a clean install is causing some conflicts between what iCal thinks should be in our calendar, and what our Mac does or even .mac does. There are 378 conflicts and clicking on 'resolve all similar conflicts using iCal' doesn't seem to work. That means we'll have to do them manually. Crap.

Spaces

2.41pm - We're now looking at Spaces - Leopard's virtual desktop system. This enables you to hive off separate parts of your life into different desktops so you don't get distracted by other applications, and can keep your desktop relatively clutter-free.

Of course, virtual desktops are nothing new, and there have even been versions available for the Mac and Windows before. So why now include it in Leopard?

Frankly on our old 17-inch Apple Studio Display it's easy to see why. There simply isn't enough screen real estate to go around all the apps we want open. By default Leopard enables you to create four different spaces, so you could use one for organising your life - pop open Mail, ICal and Safari, for example. Then pop open another for your music and movies, a third for work stuff - using Word, Excel ,etc - and a fourth for playing games.

The trick when you're busy is to remember which part of your digital life you've compartmentalised where. Once you've turned on Spaces in Leopard's System Preferences, all you need to do is Press F8 to invoke it, then the Up and Down keys or the mouse to pick the one you want. You can even drag applications and documents between spaces. Handy for when multi-tasking like this befuddles the brain.

At this early stage we can certainly say Spaces looks useful, whether it actually will be we'll be able to tell at a later stage once we've used it a few times. It could be one of those things - like Exposé and Dashboard - you simply forget is there after a while. Get into the habit of using it at first and you'll probably never want to go back to the old ways.

Stacks

3.22pm - Along with a much improved Finder, Stacks is another one of those Leopard features that promises to improve the end user experience. Click on any folder in the dock and Stacks presents you with thumbnail images of its contents - at least to a certain extent.

If the folder contains only a few items - such as downloaded files, for example - then Stacks will present the thumbnails in an arc (Apple calls it a Fan). If there are lots of images then you're presented with a Grid - a pop-up menu with a translucent backdrop that presents the thumbnails, erm, in a grid.

In Fan mode, the item nearest the Dock is always the most recent, although you can change the order if you wish. At the top of each stack is an arrow which kicks you over to the file's actual location in the Finder. The same goes for Grid mode too.

However as David Pogue at the New York Times has pointed out, even in Grid mode you can't see everything if there are too many files. It instead shows you a selection and then points you at the Finder view again. This kind of makes sense, but it'd also be good - if a little less aesthetically pleasing - to just see a written list you can scroll through.

Slow, slow, poor Front Row?

3.32pm - Just a quick word about Front Row before we sign off. Front Row is Leopard's Windows Media Center-alike that's been optional on new Macs for a while, but available for everyone. We've tried it here on our Power Mac G5 and it appears to be a little glitchy. Again this is probably because we're already asking the Mac to do too many things (it's still indexing files and backing up the entire contents of our hard drives remember).

Normally hovering over a title from your list of movies will show the title and length of the movie, along with a clip from the movie itself. Do that too quickly and the screen goes completely blank before reappearing again. This could also because we only have an ancient 128MB ATI Radeon card, so your mileage may vary.

UPDATE!!! We've solved it: All that messing around with Spaces earlier means we had way too many apps open. Goonishly blaming Front Row and Leopard was our bad. It's running peachily now.

Shut Down

3.39pm - We still have so much to see and do in Leopard that we can't possibly cover it all in one post, or even all in one day. We'll be familiarising outselves with it fully over the next couple of days so we can bring you the full review. We also plan to look again at some of Leopard's new features, core technologies and how it measures up against Vista.

Oh, and don't forget - we'll also be covering just a couple of the Leopard special events happening at Apple Stores across the country. Kick-off is around 6pm. See you there!

Click on a Docked folder in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and thumbnails showing its contents Fan out across the

However if there are too many files in a Docked folder, the thumbnails pop up in a Grid. You can also choose whether you're presented with a Grid or a Fan by right-clicking on the Docked folder

Spaces gives you access to a lot more apps that you'd ever be able to fit on a single screen - handy if your display is as modest as ours. You can easily move documents and applications between different different desktops too. This enables you to grab a photo from one space and email it using Mail, which is contained in another

Spaces is a virtual desktop system that's new to Leopard. It's not enabled by default, so switch it on in System Preferences if you want to try it

Quick Look makes it easy to see what an item actually is without having to open an application. It's especially useful for obscurely named files. Or pr0n. Whatever

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is here and fresh out of its shrink wrap

Inside the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard box are the install DVD, Welcome to Leopard guide and two Apple logo stickers

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard installation is underway on our Power Mac G5

Our shiny new Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard desktop, showing the System Preferences menu. There are lots of new features here, including Spaces - a virtualisation program that enables you to have multiple desktops filled with different apps. You can also see the new 3D dock... which is rather crowded with apps

Time Machine is one of Leopard's biggest new features - it provides automatic, routine backups of your system to an external hard disk drive. It works like Windows Shadow Copy, System Restore and Backup all in one - and is said to work better than all of them

iCal has found a problem it wants us to solve - should we choose iCal over .mac or iCal over Computer? Or either over iCal? Clicking the check box to resolve all conflicts doesn't do anything. Oops

Samsung debuts 'Knight Rider' printers!

2007-10-26T23:56:00.003-07:00

Someone at Samsung seems to have a penchant for The Hoff. Samsung's latest laser printers are clearly Knight Rider inspired, with a piano-black finish, 80s style displays and a lid that looks suspiciously like K.I.T.T.'s flickering nose light when the scanner is working.

The new models were demonstrated last night at a jazz-filled event at Ronnie Scott's in London (piano-black is the link, y'see).

Big bandwidth boost for next-gen Intel CPU

2007-10-26T23:56:00.001-07:00

More details of Nehalem, Intel's exciting new modular CPU architecture for 2008, have leaked. A massive boost in memory bandwidth, a new socket and a glimpse at the new QuickPath interconnect are the juiciest new titbits.

Due out in late 2008, Nehalem is Intel's next major CPU design following the Core 2 microarchitecture of 2006. As we reported previously, Intel revealed several key Nehalem features at its IDF conference in September.

New Intel roadmap?

The big news was an integrated memory controller, optional on-die graphics, the QuickPath interconnect and models with up to eight execution cores.

Now Japanese website PC Watch reckons it has got its hands on an Intel roadmap that dishes even more dirt. First up is a triple-channel memory controller with support for DDR3 memory at speeds up to 1,333MHz. Intel's current PC platforms are dual-channel.

Don't forget, that new memory controller is now on-chip rather than part of the motherboard chipset. With fully three channels, it should deliver a colossal leap in bandwith compared with existing Intel CPUs.

Hammering HyperTransport

The roadmap also provides the first details of Intel's HyperTransport-bashing Quickpath interconnect. In simple terms, QuickPath will be used to shuffle data in and out of the CPU and peripheral motherboard components.

It gets much more complicated from there. The site quotes a bandwidth of 6.4Gbps for each QuickPath link with each CPU sporting two links. That doesn't compare well with the headline aggregate rate of 41.6GB/s per link and up to three links per chip for the latest HyperTransport interconnect used by competitor AMD.

However, if that figure really refers to 6.4GT/s (or billion transfers per cycle) with each cycle transferring 32-bits, well, things look very different. In that scenario, QuickPath will pack 51.2GB/s per link.

A shedload of bandwidth

Put simply, that's a shed load of bandwidth. Combined with the big boost in memory bandwidth, a picture of a CPU and platform that can shunt an awful lot of data around is emerging. That's a very handy benefit for an architecture that is expected to scale to as many as eight cores.

It will also no doubt help the new dual-socket platform being cooked up to support Nehalem. Known as Tylersberg, PC Watch reckons the new chipset packs no less than four full 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 slots connected over QuickPath links via IOH bridge chips. Again, the implication is of immense bandwidth.

Hello HyperThreading

Elsewhere, the roadmap confirms several officially announced features including HyperThreading, which allows quad-core Nehalem processors to simultaneously crunch eight software threads.

Intriguingly, it also suggests that Intel's desktop chips will remain pegged in the 3-3.4GHz region for clockspeeds. That's very plausible given the 3GHz top speed of its recently-launched 45nm Penryn processors. More importantly, it means Nehalem chips will have to deliver a significant boost in clock-for-clock grunt if they are to crank out more performance overall.

For the record, Nehalem chips are codenamed Bloomfield in single-socket form and Gainstown in dual-socket trim. Both will reportedly use a new 1,366 LGA socket specification.

So what does Intel say?

When quizzed on the accuracy of the newly-emerged Nehalem specifications, Intel's UK representative remained cool. The usual "no comment on unannounced product" routine was as good as we got. Not that we blame him.

Official launch dates for Nehalem have not been divulged beyond a commitment to ship the new chip before the end of 2008. However, Intel has brought forward the launch of several recent processors. Don't be surprised if Nehalem rolls out before the end of summer '08.

Apple "Leopard" launch in pictures

2007-10-26T23:54:00.001-07:00

Apple opened its flagship Apple Store in London on Friday for the launch of its latest upgrade to Mac OS X - "Leopard". At least 1,500 people queued in the chill October air to get their hands on a copy. Check out our extensive picture gallery to see for yourself.

In comparison, for the launch of Microsoft's Windows Vista, PC World's Tottenham Court Road store opened its doors to a queue of around 30 or so people. Apple commands more attention. At the Apple Store, eager Mac owners queued right around the block, along Regent Street and down through Hanover Square.

Mac fans queue for 3 hours

The first people in the queue outside the Apple Store had been waiting there since just after 3pm. Just in case those at the front of the queue were entitled to any freebies. But anyone hoping that Apple's generosity would stretch to a free iMac or new iPod was disappointed. A T-Shirt was their only reward.

There was a palpable air of excitement before the doors opened; excitement not necessarily about the launch of Leopard, but about being part of the launch itself. Apple staff counted down to the opening and applauded the first customers as they muscled their way past security and into the store.

Most people tech.co.uk spoke to said that they'd be back for the UK iPhone launch on November 9. If this is any indication, the Regent Street Apple is the last place you want to queue for an iPhone.

Read Rob Mead's first impressions of Leopard here.

Samsung promises 128GB flash drives by 2009

2007-10-25T10:18:00.003-07:00

has announced that it's developed the world's first 64 Gigabit (Gb) multi level cell NAND flash memory chip. It's the eighth consecutive year that the density of flash memory has doubled, a feat that bodes well for portable devices like laptops and iPods.

By sandwiching together 16 of the new cells, Samsung says a 128GB memory card is now possible.

Flash to replace hard drives?

Currently, the capacity limitations of flash memory have hampered notebook manufacturers who want to use the technology instead of traditional hard discs. And one of the biggest criticisms of the current iPod touch is that 16GB-worth of storage just isn't enough.

Samsung's breakthrough NAND technology could lead to 128GB memory cards

Samsung's new chips could be the first step towards changing all that. Samsung says a maximum of sixteen of its 30nm flash devices can be combined. The result would be a 128GB memory card that could store 80 DVD resolution movies or 32,000 MP3 music files.

A 128GB card would also be big enough to replace the HDD in a notebook. Apple was linked with so-called Solid State Drives earlier this year. SSDs are not only lighter and faster than hard drives but they consume less power and are also considerably more robust as they have no moving parts.

Lighter, quieter laptops by 2009

These 128GB memory cards are likely to be very expensive, so the death knell isn't quite sounding on the traditional hard drive just yet.

Samsung expects to begin production of 30nm-class 64Gb flash devices in 2009. And according to Gartner Dataquest, the accumulated sales for 64Gb NAND flash and higher density devices could reach up to $20 billion by 2011.

By the end of 2009, iSuppli has predicted that 28 per cent of ultra-portable PCs will use some form of flash memory for storage.

tech.co.uk

Samsung F110 phone cuddles up to Adidas

2007-10-25T10:18:00.001-07:00

The Samsung F110 Adidas phone is finally on its way to the UK, according to reports this morning.

Aimed at fitness freaks, the F110 Adidas handset boasts functions such as a heartbeat monitor and a step counter, Newlaunches.com reports. They're the gimmicks in what's basically a 'ho-hum' specification, incorporating GPRS/EDGE connectivity, a 2-inch screen, a 2-megapixel camera and an FM radio tuner. There's also an MP3 player for tuning into your favourite tracks when you're out jogging or down the gym.

Reports out today claim the Samsung F110 Adidas phone is coming next month

What does branding add to a phone?

So why partner with Adidas? Why doesn't Samsung just call the F110 a 'sports phone'?

The addition of a top brand undoubtedly adds extra kudos or desirability to a phone. Especially if it's not advanced enough to sell on the strength of its feature-set alone.

LG's tie-up with Prada is a good example of this. Prada got to extend its luxury branding into the mobile phone market, enabling people who had an affinity with the Prada name to extend that to their phone. Got a Prada bag? Here's a slick-looking Prada phone that you can put in it. Simple and effective marketing.

For LG, its partnership with Prada helped boost the fortunes of a touchscreen phone that didn't have 3G, only had a 2MP camera and couldn't compete with Apple's arguably more stylish iPhone.

Getting more personal

The gadgets you own say something about the person you are. We're increasingly being defined by the colour of our iPods, the ringtones we download and the photo we have on our phone's desktop.

It's part of a wider trend towards the personalisation of technology. We've already seen the Levis phone hit the UK; an Audi phone looks like following. Where does the branding end? How long before we get a Harrods phone? Or a range of football club handsets that come with exclusive mobile TV deals?

The Samsung F110 Adidas phone looks like being released this month. No pricing details have been mentioned.

tech.co.uk

32-inch plasma TVs making a comeback

2007-10-25T10:17:00.001-07:00

On Monday, the flatscreen TV market stood up and watched with interest as LG introduced the world's only 32-inch Plasma TV. Despite the fact that it doesn't actually look very good, it's interesting to see that plasma technology is now being downscaled into smaller panels - the opposite of what we've seen happening with LCD technology.

And while plasma televisions are typically sized above 42 inches, we could be about to see an influx of smaller ones to join LG's 32-incher. The analysts at iSuppli predict that the global 34-inch and smaller PDP market will grow to 485,000 units by 2011.

LG's 32-inch plasma TV might just be the first of many at this size and price point

Small plasmas on the march?

Small potatoes, maybe, but this is a trend worth watching. iSuppli says they there's enough demand to justify the market reintroduction by LG and that other panel makers are likely to follow should LG succeed.

"LG, with support from numerous Chinese PDP set makers, sees an opportunity to re-enter the 32-inch panel segment after it was forced to exit the market," said Riddhi Patel, principal analyst for television systems at iSuppli.

"The main factor forcing LG out was the fact that PDPs could not compete in terms of price with LCD panels at this size. They also could not compete with the superior resolutions delivered by LCDs. But with the tightness affecting the LCD market, and with demand continuing to increase at this size, LG appears to be willing to take on this challenge again."

The problem with these smaller plasma panels is that they can only manage very small resolutions. The new 32-incher from LG has a resolution of 852 x 480, which is five times lower than the 1920 x 1080 resolutions of full-HD screens.

Far cheaper

The plus side is that small plasma panels can be sold far cheaper. iSuppli says the average selling price for plasma panels sized 34-inches and smaller will decline to $124 (£60) by 2011, down from $215 (£105) in 2007.

"Affordable pricing and an attractive form factor also are reasons why PDP system sales are still growing in the consumer market, although at a far more moderate pace than LCDs," said Patel.

"The 50-inch PDPs are available for less than $2,000 and 42-inch models can be bought for a steal for $1,000 to $1,500. These prices are highly attractive to anyone who is looking at competing LCD technology. The pricing factor has bolstered PDP sales, despite the recent price reductions and higher resolutions for LCDs."

tech.co.uk

Why mobile TV isn't working in the UK

2007-10-25T10:16:00.001-07:00

At the recent 'Mobile TV - hit or miss?' forum in London, representatives from the government, the mobile TV industry and technology experts banded together to find out why mobile TV is failing to set the world on fire?' forum in London, representatives from the government, the mobile TV industry and technology experts banded together to find out why mobile TV is failing to set the world on fire.

There's obvious optimism about mobile TV in Europe. "Mobile TV is a great option for catching up on the latest news and your favourite TV shows when you're waiting at train stations and airport," said Christophe Forax, a spokesperson for the European Commission.

But there's also an admission that mobile TV is still a niche offering and far from compelling for consumers. Don't expect a revolution just yet. Juniper Research suggests that "the UK is not expected to relaunch mobile broadcast TV services until 2010 at the very earliest, well behind most of its European neighbours."

Nevertheless, Christophe Forax used the Mobile TV forum to say that he believes it isn't a case of "if mobile TV will take off in Europe, but when". Better, faster technologies are required and more on-demand content is needed to make it a significantly better experience.

Mobile TV has great potential...

Bruce Renny, group marketing director of mobile TV provider ROK, agreed about the great potential for mobile TV. "With three billion handsets currently in use around the world, there are more mobile screens than every TV, computer and cinema screen put together."

UK operators such as T-Mobile, Vodafone and Orange already offer their own mobile TV packages, a mix of streaming services and video downloads. The newest initiative, 24/7 Football, is a cross-operator subscription service (£5 per month) backed by Sky Sports, The Sun and the News of the World.

These are baby steps and Renny acknowledges that it's still too expensive and complicated to tune into mobile TV. "People tend to watch TV on their mobiles for just a few minutes compared to hours on a standard TV screen. People don't want to pay to see just a few minutes worth of clips but if broadcast is free as part of a bundle, they will adapt to it."

... but nobody wants to pay for it

The business model so far in the UK is wrong, said Hyacinth Nwana, managing director of mobile media solutions at broadcast firm Arqiva. Mobile TV offerings in the UK are dominated by subscription services and pay-as-you-watch downloads. That needs to change.

"In South Korea, where mobile TV has been very successful, most of the programming is free-to-air broadcasts. Why would you pay for that?" Nwana asked. "If you're on the train home and you can watch EastEnders free on your home TV when you get home, then why would you pay to watch it [on your mobile]?"

People are only prepared for services if they can see a value in them, agreed Barry Flynn, principal consultant at TV technology consultancy Farncombe Technology. "People spend on average around £200 per year on their mobile phone. That includes the subscription cost, voice calls, SMS text messages, data usage etc. Last on the scale comes mobile TV."

The problem, according to Flynn, is that whereas people value all the other functions provided by their mobile phones, they currently see no value in mobile TV. "Even among the people who are aware of mobile TV the uptake is very low," he said.

tech.co.uk

Apple sold over 1m iPhones last quarter

2007-10-23T19:32:00.001-07:00

The headlines of Apple's quarterly results make impressive reading.

Mac sales up 400,000; a 17 per cent revenue boost for iPods; 1.1 million iPhones and over 10 million iPods out the door. Somehow the near-70 per cent rise in quarterly profit of $904 million (£446.2m) is somewhat overshadowed by the sheer number of boxes shifted.

iPhone: a nice little earner

Perhaps Apple's best news? Over 1.4 million iPhones have been sold over the 2007 financial year. It's estimated that 250,000 of these are running unlocked on non-AT&T networks.

The resurgence of the Mac is also clear to see. Apple said it had shipped 2.16 million Macs over the quarter, a new record.

"We're looking forward to a strong December quarter as we enter the holiday season with Apple's best products ever," said Steve Jobs skipping through the meadow of his company's success.

Shareholders wouldn't mind giving him a quick foot rub afterwards, either; Apple's shares have gone up around 6 per cent as a result of the news.

Apple also sold a record number of Macs

Only the beginning

Revenue was posted at $6.22 billion (£3.07bn). But Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO, is already eyes forward. "Looking ahead to the first quarter of fiscal 2008, we expect revenue of about $9.2 billion."

Non-US sales accounted for 40 percent of the quarter's revenue. Apple's yearly profit is somewhere in the region of $3.5bn.

tech.co.uk

Sony begs developers to make games for PS3

2007-10-23T19:31:00.001-07:00

Third-party devs preferring Wii and Xbox 360

Poor sales of the PS3 are apparently causing developers to turn their backs on the console in favour of producing cheaper Nintendo Wii games

Sony apparently had to beg third-party games developers to make games for the under-selling PlayStation 3 platform instead of migrating over to the successful Wii and Xbox 360 ones. That's according to Dean Takahashi at Mercury News in the US.

PS3 has hidden depths

"One piece of news that came out this week was that Sony pleaded with third-party developers not to abandon its struggling platform," Takahashi wrote on his blog. "The argument is that the PS3 will show its strength as developers learn how to make games for it.

"But developers know they can staff four or five Wii teams with the same number of people it takes to make one PS3 game. We may have a glut of Wii games soon, but that's not as bad as not having enough games on the PS3."

In September, both the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii broke through the 500,000 sales barrier in the US, while the PS3 could only manage 119,400 sales. The PS3 is starting to make a comeback, however. The latest figures suggest that Sony's console has overtaken the Xbox 360 for the first time.

tech.co.uk

Panasonic Toughbooks don't mind getting wet

2007-10-23T19:30:00.001-07:00

If you like to pour water on your laptop then drop it on the ground (from a reasonable height), there's only one product for you.

Panasonic's robust Toughbook range already has a unique place in the market. But the new 7 series of Toughbook mobile laptops goes one step further: they're sold as drop resistant up to 76cm, and are now fully splashproof right across the range.

Panasonic gets tougher

There are three new models in the Toughbook 7 series, which replaces the existing 5 series across Europe. It's headed up by the 14.1-inch Y7, which is powered by a 1.60GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor.

Alongside it, the W7 and T7 are both 12.1-inch 1.06GHz models, the latter with a touchscreen. At the product launch in Cologne this morning, Panasonic product manager Jan Urban poured a jug of water over a Y7, then dropped it on the ground to prove that the word 'ruggedised' is more than just a label.

The Toughbook range has an oustanding track record. Spashproof is one thing, but Panasonic's hard-assed laptops have also been known to stop bullets.

The new Toughbook Y7 is splashproof and can survive a drop of nearly a metre

Don't believe Panasonic's splashproof claims? Witness one laptop and one jug of water

The Toughbook T7 model features a 12.1-inch touch-senstive display

The W7 Toughbook model is suprisingly lightweight - it tips the scales at 1.28Kg

Bulky? Far from it

A strong laptop with a good specification and performance inevitably means lower battery life and an increased weight. Panasonic has sought the middle ground here, so the use of strong, lightweight components is tempered by a lower ultimate specification.

A 0.3mm glass panel, thin magnesium alloy cabinet and 45.9g optical drive mechanism help keep the weight down, to the extent that even the Y7 comes in at just over 1.5kg.

The 7 series will be available in November from Micro Anvica in the UK, with local pricing details yet to be announced. Key specifications released by Panasonic today are as follows:

Panasonic Toughbook CF-Y7: 14.1-inch SXGA display, Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 80GB hard drive, DVD multi drive, 5 hours battery life, 1.55kg.

Panasonic Toughbook CF-T7: 12.1-inch XGA display with touchscreen, Intel Core 2 Duo 1.06GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 80GB hard drive, 7 hours battery life, 1.385kg

Panasonic Toughbook CF-W7: 12.1in XGA display, Intel Core 2 Duo 1.06GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 80GB hard drive, DVD multi drive, 7 hours battery life, 1.28kg

tech.co.uk

DTX: AMD's vision for living room PCs

2007-10-23T19:29:00.001-07:00

Remember that we talked before about DTX? AMD's new form factor for small PCs? Thought not. We'd also wiped it from our memory banks. Yet this morning we discovered a post over at Hot Hardware running the rule over a DTX prototype.

The idea is that AMD wants to standardise manufacturing of SFF (Small Form Factor) PCs in much the same way as practically every manufacturer has adhered to the ATX standard for desktop PCs (for as long as we can remember).

Isn't this another BTX?

AMD does have a point. Most SFF designs are proprietary with only the PC's components designed to be interchanged.

AMD wants the DTX standard to be widely adopted

DTX would ensure a standard component design across different manufacturer's products, making systems easier to upgrade. And AMD not only wants to pimp its processors for the format, it also wants to make DTX an open standard. Just like Intel wanted to do with the oft-forgotten BTX. Ah, those weren't the days eh?

The prototype system with Hot Hardware is powered by a low-power AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350 processor teamed with a DTX AMD mobo based on the 690G series chipset - that's the one with Radeon X1250 graphics on board.

tech.co.uk

DivX Connected: streaming tech that works

2007-10-23T19:28:00.001-07:00

You name it; in terms of media streamers we've tried it. In fact, we seem to have been talking up media streaming for longer than we'd want to remember.

The notion of taking media from your PC and transferring it across to the family-friendly television over Wi-Fi still has huge appeal, yet the level of participation remains poor. Enter DivX Connected, a branded streaming tech that manufacturers can simply drop into their hardware.

Not so dodgy DivX

DMA (Digital Media Adapter) sales are low. And there's no real evidence to suggest that the Xbox 360 is used to its full Media Center Extender capacity in a significant number of homes. With its fans whirring non-stop, it's far too noisy.

Yet, for our money, using a DMA is the path to follow. Media Center PCs still don't cut the mustard, while a solution like the Xbox simply doesn't support the breath of formats you've probably got on your PC - unless you use on-the-fly re-encoding software.

So can DivX really make a go of it in this market? After a good few days using the first shelf-bound product, the £130 D-Link DSM-330 HD Media Player, the answer looks to be a resounding "yes".

Excellent format support

DivX is a name that's well-known among those who often download content from the internet. Surely we can't delude ourselves that most content watched through these devices is legal? As a technology provider, DivX will surely ensure attention is directed towards boxes such as the DSM-330, not least because of the exemplary support for the kind of formats that go hand in hand with torrents.

The question over format support has always been whether DivX and XviD are supported - and that's obviously not a problem here.

What is impressive about the DivX tech is not so much what it can do - most of the functionality has been seen elsewhere - but the way it does it.

The wireless menu navigation doesn't match a wired experience, but it stays refreshingly quick. Not something you can say of most of the face-twistingly unpleasant DMAs we've looked at previously. It's not that they're short on function, they're chronically short on usability - absolutely crucial for a living room device.

It's an open platform

As well as enabling you to stream music, photos and video, DivX has given Connected some more interesting titbits for us to talk about. Firstly, you're able to stream content directly from the internet. This currently works with DivX's Stage 6 video upload site but other applets will be added soon. Some buffering is to be expected, but the experience works just like a video on your network - you can forward, rewind and pause the content whenever you want to.

And, since the platform is open, anyone can design plug-ins for DivX Connected using its open source SDK. It uses the Gecko rendering engine; the framework behind Firefox.

Yet DivX Connected isn't without its flaws. It needs server software to be operational on a PC unlike, say the Buffalo LinkTheater that can pull it from a network drive. That's a serious problem in our book - if your media is on the network anyway, why should you have to switch on a PC to share it?

D-Link's application of the DivX Connected technology is the DSM-330 - front and back views shown

The DivX Connected interface takes its cue from Windows Media Center

The look and feel is clean and pictures are shown on the interface with little impact on speed

Getting it going

So what's it like to set up? Again, surprisingly comprehensive. While setting up this box, a warning appeared on the screen, telling us the network channel of our wireless network was busy. It advised us to change it. A nice touch.

The interface is clear and crisp and pulls down images for your media from the net. If there is no image (say, for example, for some illegitimate content) a snipped frame from the footage will be displayed instead.

One of the nattier features is the ability to resume from the point last played, as if it were a DVD. The rewind and pause functions work. That's not to say they're exceptional, but if you'd used some of the DMAs on the market, you'd be amazed at how often such basics don't work properly.

Otherwise, the setup goes through a simple diagnostic process depending on the way it's connected to your TV (HDMI, SCART, S-Video, Composite and component are all possibilities) and depending on whether you want it on the wired or wireless network. Like the Apple TV, 720p HD is catered for, but unlike the Apple TV there is no integrated hard drive or iTunes/AAC support.

But that isn't what the DSM-330 is designed for. Instead, what you have here is a box that contrasts with every other example of the genre. And, what's more, it keeps improving - since we set it up, there have been two firmware updates. The price isn't too shabby either.

Key features:

£130
720p HD support
HDMI, SCART, Composite, S-Video and Component video outputs
RCA, S/PDIF, Optical audio outputs
Video Formats: DivX, XviD with MP3 or PCM, WMV9 (transcoded on PC)
Audio Formats: MP3 (Up to 360 kbps), WMA (transcoded on PC)
Supported Image Formats: JPEG, JPEG 2000, BMP
802.11g Wi-Fi or Wired Ethernet connection

tech.co.uk

New LG TVs first with Freeview Playback

2007-08-12T10:15:00.001-07:00

Need a TV with a built-in PVR? Don't want to pay for a Sky+ box? LG announced today that it's adding Freeview Playback functionality to its upcoming Time Machine LCD and plasma TV ranges.

LG's HD-Ready LT75 LCD series (available with 32-, 37- and 42-inch screens) will feature the system in October. As will the company's new PT85 plasma models (available in 42- and 50-inch sizes).

LG's LT75 HD-ready TV hosts a 160GB hard disk drive and Freeview Playback PVR technology

Freeview Playback vs Sky+

Freeview Playback brings standardised 'time shifting' to the digital terrestrial platform. Like Sky+ and TiVo before it, Freeview Playback technology relies on an integrated hard disk drive to constantly record the TV channel you're watching.

Thanks to this constant recording, Freeview Playback gives you the ability to pause live TV and rewind it.

The talents of Freeview Playback don't end there. Intelligent features supported under the Group 2 certification include 'schedule tracking' and 'auto-buffering'. These ensure that any changes in the TV schedule caused by breaking news or overrunning programmes do not cause recordings to be missed.

By the October launch, the Freeview Playback specification should also offer a comprehensive Series LInk or Season Pass option - this will enable you to auto-record every episode in a series. A TiVo-style programme recommendation feature is also promised.

Twin Freeview tuners

The LT75 LCDs and PT85 plasmas will feature twin Freeview tuners, so one channel can be recorded whilst watching another. Each TV will incorporate a 160 GB hard drive that can hold up to 80 hours of programmes.

"As consumer lifestyle becomes more and more hectic, our new range of Freeview Playback certified Time Machine TVs ensures that favourite programmes will never be missed," said James Atkins, marketing manager for LG brown goods.

"[Freeview Playback] allows you to fit TV around your life, whether you press record when you go out on the town, or pause a live game whilst getting a beer, you'll never have to miss a thing."

tech.co.uk

Wireless fitness tracker from Garmin

2007-08-12T10:14:00.003-07:00

Fitness fans can keep track of their performance and download information wirelessly to a PC with Garmin's new Forerunner 50 sports watch.

The Garmin Forerunner 50 sports watch is able to record training information for runners, cyclists and walkers. It can interface with a heart rate monitor or foot pod to record speed and distance travelled, with data automatically stored in the device.

The Forerunner 50 system also comes with a wireless ANT USB stick that can be used with a PC to synchronise data from the Forerunner 50 watch automatically when it's in close proximity to the USB stick.

It can record up to 7 hours and 100 laps of detailed exercise data. Users can also pair the Forerunner 50 system with the Garmin Connect training site to log workouts and share information with teammates, coach or friends.

The Garmin Forerunner 50 sports watch can keep track of your training regime and help analyse performance

The Forerunner 50 is due for release in October. The package with a heart rate monitor included will cost £69, while the pack with a foot pod track will sell for £99. A Forerunner 50 with both heart rate monitor and foot pod will cost £119.

tech.co.uk

Nokia MOSH brings mobile social networking

2007-08-12T10:14:00.001-07:00

Nokia is getting into social networking with the introduction of its own cross-platform social networking and content sharing site, MOSH.

Nokia's MOSH site has been developed for mobile phones and desktop PCs. It enables mobile users to upload games, applications, photos and videos, organise content and share it with other users.

MOSH users can browse through other accounts, bookmark files for viewing later and collect stuff to download to your mobile.

MOSH has been designed to give users a consistent experience whether they're using a desktop PC or mobile device. Nokia opened the Beta of MOSH yesterday. Would-be users can register at mosh.nokia.com, while there's also a .mobi mobile phone-optimised site created for MOSH users at mosh.nokia.mobi.

More details of how to test drive MOSH can be found at Intomobile .

Nokia has introduced the Beta of its MOSH social networking site that's designed for mobile phone and desktop cross-platform operation

Hot 1080p projectors land from InFocus

2007-08-12T10:13:00.003-07:00

Don't play small, 'play big'. This is the catchy angle that InFocus is taking as it lines up two new full HD 1080p projectors for their UK debuts.

First, there's the InFocus Play Big IN82 (£2999). Armed with the latest DLP DarkChip3 technology, the IN82 full HD 1080p projector offers a native 4000:1 contrast ratio.

A video-optimised brightness of 1,500 ANSI lumens makes The IN82 nearly twice as bright as most other home theatre projectors. In fact, InFocus claims that this projector is bright enough to deliver film-standard, D65K colour accuracy in nearly any home cinema setup.

The Big Play IN81 (£2499) dials down the wow factor a tad. This model boasts a DarkChip2 chipset, 3000:1 contrast ratio and has a video-optimised brightness level of 1,400 ANSI lumens.

The InFocus Big Play IN82 offers a compelling argument for skipping an HD TV

The ultimate in HD TV?

Both projectors, however, feature extra image enhancement courtesy of integrated Pixelworks DNX 10-bit video processing technology.

The Pixelworks magic consists of a number of techniques - noise reduction, standard and high definition video format motion adaptive deinterlacing, 10-bit color processing, advanced scaling, dynamic edge enhancement, and low-angle line smoothing technology.

The IN82 and IN81 also boast two HDMI 1.3 inputs, and ship with a 2 metre HDMI cable and M1-to-HDMI adapter. An optional anamorphic lens attachment, says InFocus, allows 2.35:1 movies to be shown in full 1920 x 1080 resolution. Nice.

For more information about the InFocus Play Big line, point your browser towards www.csesolutions.co.uk .

tech.co.uk

New iPhone ads appear

2007-08-12T10:13:00.001-07:00

New adverts for the Apple iPhone have been posted on Apple's website, giving would-be iPhone users in Europe even more reasons to covet the device.

The ads, titled "Instead" and "Amazing" point out some of the reasons you might want to own an iPhone (as if any more persuasion was really necessary).

The two ads simply restate the elements that are in the iPhone - the "instead" ad suggests that rather than carrying an iPod and a phone, why not just carry an iPhone?

The "Amazing" ad lists some of the headline grabbing applications on the iPhone - from email to video and YouTube - whilst also pointing out that it's still a phone.

They're simple, straightforward and short but, sadly, still tell us nothing about when we can expect them in Europe...

tech.co.uk

BenQ shows off 10MP designer E1000 digicam

2007-08-03T10:12:00.003-07:00

BenQ has added the sleek-looking BenQ E1000 to its Elegant range of digital cameras.

The BenQ E1000 features a 10-megapixel CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom and a 3-inch LCD screen. It has ISO1600 light sensitivity. And it includes 24 scene presets with unusual modes such as Oil Painting and Sketch, all crammed into a black finish housing.

The E1000 also includes Face Recognition technology that enables the camera to automatically detect up to nine people in a scene. It then optimises the camera's settings to capture them at their best.

The E1000 has two image stabilisation options. The first is an anti-shake key next to the shutter that enables you to access the camera's image stabilisation functions. The second is Super Anti-Shake, a feature that optimises the camera settings for shooting in low-light conditions with minimum blurring.

Anti-shake modes

The E1000 also sports two different anti-shake modes, one manual and one automatic. In the manual version, a button automatically controls the ISO settings and reduces the shutter speed when needed. In the automatic version, software settings on the camera's menus introduce a dynamic anti-shake mode that adjusts ISO and shutter speed instantly depending on the conditions.

The BenQ E1000 will go on sale in China later this month, with the rest of the world following after that. BenQ could not confirm a UK launch date at this stage.

Pioneer PDP-508XD

2007-08-03T10:12:00.001-07:00

Price

£2,700.00

Spec

Click here for full specification

For

Revolutionary black levels
Excellent coolour fidelity
Design

Against

Not a Full HD resolution panel

Verdict

It's time to start believing the hype - Pioneer's latest-generation plasmas really do take image quality to a whole new level

When the wraps finally came off Pioneer's 8th-generation plasma screens, the world gasped. Even though still in prototype form, attendees at the 2007 CES in Las Vegas were stunned at the impenetrable black level and astounding vibrancy of its colours.

The images looked every bit as good as Toshiba's (then upcoming) SED tech. We weren't too surprised, though: we'd already had a sneak preview months before in Pioneer's R&D labs in Tokyo.

But would the power of these prototypes make it to production reality? In a nutshell, the answer is an emphatic 'yes'.

Interestingly, the 50-inch PDP 508XD does not use a 1920 x 1080 panel (these are coming later this year). Actual resolution is 1365 x 768, but if ever there was an argument that pixels alone do not make for a great picture, then this set is it.

What really sets this screen apart from ever other plasma we've ever seen is the unyielding solidity of its blacks.

Take, for instance, the opening space battle of Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith recorded in HD from Sky. The space backdrop to the action has never looked more convincingly, cinematically emphatically ebony than it does on the 508XD. Even Panasonic's best efforts can't match it. And there really is no overstating just what a dramatic impact this has on the dynamism of the picture you're watching.

But its not a fake, dull black: the pictures contain endless amounts of tonal and detail subtleties, ensuring that they look like natural, fully-integrated parts of the picture rather than gaping black holes ripped out of it (a phenomenon seen with many rival screens).

Don't imagine that the 508XD's black level is the only thing it's got going for it. Also stunning is the set's colour fidelity. It's a simple TV picture law that without a proper black level, a TV can't produce a truly natural colour palette. So by advancing the black level, it follows that the 508XD's colours should look richer, more dynamic and more believable. And so it proves.

From the lush digitised colours of Forza 2 on the Xbox 360 right down to the slightly subdued, naturalistic tones of EastEnders, the 508XD constantly gets colours looking exactly right. Even the rich reds of the Sky News channel actually look red, making all previous plasma attempts at showing them look, well, orange.

Pioneer claim an outrageous contrast ratio of 16000:1 - our Tech labs real-world test reveals it to be 1300:1 after calibration, which is blisteringly good.

Four elements aid this revolutionary black level: Pioneer's deeply encased 'waffle rib' plasma cell structure reduces the chance of light and colour seepage between neighbouring pixels; Ultra Black Crystal Layer wizardry increases the efficiency of the cells so that they charge and discharge at triple speed; a Direct Colour Filter soaks up ambient reflections from your room, allowing dark scenes to look much more punchy; finally its image processing engine responds differently to dark scenes than it does to bright ones.

You might also gain some extra black level benefit if you take advantage of the 508XD's facility for having its pictures optimised professionally by a qualified Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) engineer.

To reduce horizontal juddering, there's a 'Smooth' mode, but I felt that while it sharpened moving objects, it actually introduced too much stuttering for comfort.

With the Advance mode engaged during 1080/24p viewing, courtesy of Pioneer's BDP-LX70 Blu-ray player, the clarity and smoothness of the motion handling improves significantly.

Even though the screen has a native resolution of 1365 x 768, its HD images contain absolutely stunning amounts of fine detail information. During close-ups of Daniel Craig's face in Casino Royale Blu-ray, I felt strangely reassured to see tiny blemishes in his complexion that I'd never really noticed before.

Only some of this sharpness is down to sheer pixel-precise detail presentation, though. There's no doubt that this TV's extra subtlety with colour, extra clarity from 1080p/24fps handling, and extra contrast all also play a part in bringing even the tiniest image elements to life.

Yes, that's right: the set's three HDMI inputs are all capable of accepting 1080p in its 50Hz, 60Hz and 24fps incarnations. The 24fps compatibility is particularly significant in Pioneer's case, as it makes the screen able to take the 'source direct', 1080/24p feeds from the brand's BDP-LX70 Blu-ray player. What's more, the 508XD has a 72Hz 'Advance' PureCinema refresh mode designed to work with the player's 1080/24p mode.

The real deal

Advertisement

It would be easy to dismiss Pioneer's hype over these new screens. But the reality is the brand really has reinvented plasma to a substantial degree. The set is darker, more dynamic than any previous Pioneer plasma and delivers a knock-out blow to comparably sized LCDs. It simply demands to be auditioned.

Home Cinema Choice

First 8cm Blu-ray discs for HD camcorder

2007-08-03T10:09:00.001-07:00

After yesterday's launch of the world's first Blu-ray camcorders , we have the inevitable news of how much it's going to cost to create a home-video library of the new 8cm discs.

Mitsubishi was first off the block with a choice of either Blu-ray Disc Recordable (BD-R) or Blu-ray Disc Rewritable (BD-RE) formats. Both hold 7.5GB of data, which is enough for an hour of HD TV in the Hitachi camcorders.

Pricey at first

As expected, the new media are far from cheap - a single BD-R costs ¥2,500 (£10), while one BD-RE will sell for ¥3,500 (£14) when they arrive in the shops on 10 August.

Any worries about media degradation seem to have been addressed by Mitsubishi, which has added a hardened protective layer and used several other techniques to ensure longevity.

Of course, if HD DVD becomes the de-facto standard in future, disk durability won't matter when there's nothing to play them in.

Nokia N81: countdown to launch

2007-08-03T10:08:00.001-07:00

The Nokia N81 8GB-packed music phone is likely to be one of the new multimedia phones introduced by Nokia at its London launch on 29 August.

The Nokia N81 hasn't been officially announced by Nokia yet. But a viral advertising campaign is underway which features what appears to be the N81 with a countdown timer onscreen counting down to 9am on 29 August. That's the time of Nokia's UK press launch (Tech.co.uk will of course be reporting from the launch).

The 29 August launch event, with an evening bash at the Ministry of Sound, has also fuelled speculation that Nokia may be about to announce a music download service to take on Apple's iTunes Store.

The Nokia N81 is rumoured to be an 8GB music phone, the successor to the Nokia N91 music mobile. According to previous reports , the Nokia N81 is expected to be a 3G HSDPA sliderphone featuring a 2-megapixel camera and secondary video call camera.

N-Gage gaming platform

It will feature extensive music player functionality, and is also thought to be one of the first wave of new Symbian S60 smartphones to feature Nokia's new N-Gage gaming platform.

The viral ad involves a moody black screen with moving shapes and swooping coloured spotlights moving around apparently randomly, occasionally forming the shape of a phone.

Information on how to make sense of the ad has been posted by Intomobile.com . By clicking a pause icon in the centre of the screen when the phone shape appears, you get broken images and sound coming onscreen. After dong this several times, eventually a message: "I'll be seeing you in the next episode" is revealed, followed by the countdown timer.

New Bluetooth tech makes it easy

2007-08-03T10:07:00.001-07:00

Bluetooth Version 2.1 EDR gets approval, makes pairing easy

Phil Lattimore

03 Aug 2007 11:19

Bluetooth devices will become easier to pair with each other and use, now that the latest version of the wireless communication specification has been given the green light.

The latest version of the Bluetooth standard (Bluetooth Core Specification Version 2.1 EDR), approved by the Bluetooth SIG, will deliver a much easier and quicker process for pairing Bluetooth devices. Instead of many different (and often complicated) pairing procedures, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR will use a much simpler, more standardized approach to pairing implementation. This will include more straightforward menu options - using user-friendly language rather than tech-speak - and automatic pairing procedures for some devices, such as Bluetooth headsets.

The new Bluetooth 2.1 EDR standard can also support NFC (Near Field Communication) technology - similar to the Oyster Card technology used on the London Underground - so that devices could be paired simply by putting two devices close together.

Bluetooth 2.1 EDR will also deliver significant power-saving benefits to Bluetooth-enabled devices. The Bluetooth SIG claims current battery life could be increased by up to 5 times by the new technology.

The first devices featuring Bluetooth 2.1 EDR technology should be available early in 2008. You can view a video demo of Bluetooth 2.1 EDR devices here .

iPod is getting cheaper; new iPod nano due?

2007-08-01T21:16:00.001-07:00

We've already told you about the Apple event next Tuesday ; new Apple Macs are on the way - and possibly also a new Apple iPod nano model...

Plenty of Apple iPod rumours have circulated in the past few months but this time they're giving us a bit more detail. Apple is reportedly developing a 2-inch-square flash-based Apple iPod that may be called the Apple iPod Touch. The device is going to play back video, and cost $299 and $399 (£147 and £196) for the 4GB and 8GB models, 9 to 5 Mac has reported.

The new Apple iPod Touch would essentially be an Apple iPhone minus the phone capabilities, which is what Apple is expected to announce at some point. A sixth-generation Apple iPod with a 16:9 widescreen and a touchscreen interface is also expected later this autumn.

The fifth-generation Apple iPod is getting cheaper ahead of the possible release of an updated model. Various online US retailers, including Amazon.com , have slashed Apple iPod 5.5G prices by around $20 (£9.84), applicable to both 30GB and 80GB versions.

Apple share price falls on rumours

Apple's shares fell nearly 7 per cent to $131.76 (£64.83) yesterday - the lowest close since early July - following speculation of production cuts of the Apple iPhone and Apple iPod, Reuters has reported. The rumours have subsequently turned out to be unsubstantiated, based on false reports of analyst research notes.

"There are occasional rumours on Apple, often unconfirmed. A lot of them end up being wrong or short-term," Shaw Wu, an analyst with American Technology Research, told the news agency.

We'll bring you the latest from the Apple event, to be held at the firm's headquarters in Cupertino, CA, as it happens next Tuesday, 7 August.

Official: iPhone software update released

2007-08-01T21:15:00.003-07:00

Apple has released the first software update for the iPhone . Version 1.0.1 of Apple's iPhone software has been made available at the same time as a raft of patches for Mac OS X.

The first Apple's iPhone software update is automatically available to iPhone users when they connect up their iPhone to iTunes via their PC or Mac. The iPhone patches are believed to mainly address security issues and fix software bugs. The patch addresses some Safari vulnerability issues, according to reports from early iPhone updaters, but version 1.0.1 doesn't activate any additional "hidden" iPhone applications that some iPhone users have speculated about .

According to a report on TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog), the software update wipes any unofficial iPhone modifications off the device. Other than that, there don't appear to be any major

Nvidia outselling AMD by over 50% on graphics

2007-08-01T21:15:00.001-07:00

More bad news for AMD and its ATI graphics subsidiary. New figures from John Peddie Research indicate it has fallen well behind Nvidia for graphics market share. The latest statistics for the second quarter of 2007 give Nvidia 32.6 per cent of the PC graphics market with AMD/ATI languishing at 19.5 per cent. Exactly one year ago, those roles were reversed. AMD/ATI owned 26.7 per cent while Nvidia was back on 19.7 per cent.

That's an enormous turn around in just 12 months. For the record, Intel slipped slightly from 40.4% to 37.6 per cent during the same time period. However, it should be noted that Intel's graphics market share is exclusively in the low-margin integrated segment. Nvidia and AMD/ATI are the only serious players in the much more profitable discreet graphics market represented by add-in 3D cards.

Much of the explanation must lie with AMD's failure to launch its DirectX 10-compatible Radeon HD 2000 series on time. That allowed Nvidia to score a series of PR victories starting with the launch of the award winning GeForce 8800 series in November last year.

Making matters worse, when AMD finally managed to launch the Radeon HD 2000 family in May, it delivered disappointing performance. In the near future, it's unlikely the situation will improved. AMD is stuck with the HD 2000 until at least mid-2007 when its successor, codenamed R700, is due to appear.

According to several reports, AMD has chosen a radical modular design for R700. Unlike current graphics processors which are composed of a single silicon die or chip, it's thought R700 will be made from multiple dies.

On paper, this will allow AMD to add or remove dies and deliver a wide range of functionality and performance levels. Time will tell whether this novel approach will be enough to win back market share from Nvidia. The GeForce 8000 series continues to dominate the market

Mio shows off new GPS PDA phone

2007-08-01T21:14:00.001-07:00

Mio Technology today announced the multi-function A501 device - a mobile phone, GPS handset, and Windows Mobile 5.0 PDA crammed into one device.

The sleek Mio A501 is a handy choice if you're off on your holidays as it combines smartphone features with satellite navigation and a fully functional PDA in one device, saving you to take lots of units with you.

The Mio A501 features a SiRFstar III GPS receiver for accurate positioning and an intuitive interface for route planning. Combined with Mio's own navigation software, you'll have access to thousands of points of interest, speed cameras and maps of 22 European countries.

Its PDA function uses quad-band GSM/GPRS with EDGE technology to transmit data. The transfer speed approaches 3G, providing better bandwidth experience for internet applications. The Mio A501 is powered by Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, and also offers push email. There's also a 2-megapixel camera and Bluetooth connectivity.

"The Mio A501 offers audiences the best in design, compactness and functionality" said Paul Notteboom, president of Mio Technology. "But the important factor with this product is that due to its price level, Mio Technology is opening up the GPS PDA phone market to the ordinary user."

The Mio A501 is available from a selection of online stores - including Mio Technology , Easy Devices , and Expansys - now, priced at £340.

Griffen iPod speakers for home and away

2007-08-01T21:13:00.001-07:00

Two new iPod speaker systems have been released by iPod accessory maker Griffin - a smart-looking home system and a compact portable set-up.

The Griffin Amplifi 2.1 Tabletop Sound System is a neat-looking iPod home stereo speaker system that is designed to look like a high quality hi-fi amplifier. The Amplifi has two 2.75-inch speakers built into the cabinet, which has a wood-based construction. The Amplifi has an iPod dock on top that will adapt to any type of iPod. It also supports other MP3 players through a 3.5mm audio input jack. It also comes with a remote control.

The Griffin Journi Personal Mobile Sound System is a portable unit that has a self contained sturdy "Wrapstand" case that folds and converts into a stand for the speakers. The clever design incorporates stereo speakers, plus there's a magnetically attached remote control supplied in the case. As with the Amplifi, the Journi can hold any iPod model and works with any alternative audio source via a 3.5mm jack input.

The Amplifi and Journi are both released this month. The Amplifi costs £129.99 while the Journi is selling for £99.99.

LG to develop iPod washing machine

2007-07-31T00:13:00.001-07:00

LG recently introduced the HDTV Refrigerator, and now it looks like the MP3 washing machine is next

First came internet fridge; now MP3 appliances

Anna Lagerkvist

30 Jul 2007 13:33

Sorting out your dirty clothes, chucking them in the washing machine and waiting for its spin cycle to finish isn't exactly the height of fun. LG wants to change all that with a new washing machine featuring a built-in MP3 player - at least then you'll be able to listen to your favourite tracks while doing your chores.

LG Electronics , which has previously developed the internet-enabled fridge, has filed a patent application to introduce consumer electronics to white-goods.

Patent application US 2007/0118862 A1 describes a "home appliance with an MP3 player comprising the MP3 player adapted for storing contents; and a washing device for washing or drying clothes, the washing device being connectable with the MP3 player and having a communication function with the MP3 player to play back the contents stored in the MP3 player," according to a ComputerWorld.com report.

In other words, LG wants to develop the first washing machine and/or dryer with a built-in MP3 player.

Has convergence gone too far?

Analysts didn't seem too impressed. "I don't think that there is any ongoing trend involving the addition of MP3 players to everything that doesn't move," said Kurt Scherf, principal analyst at research firm Parks Associates.

"On the other hand, it's not too far-fetched to think that someone might want to listen to their music while participating in a mundane chore, such as doing the laundry. But, honestly, I don't get it - why not just crank up the stereo or clip your Apple iPod to your belt?"

"To me, it doesn't make a world of sense," agreed Tom Dair, president of international design, product development and brand communications firm Smart Design. "Whistling while you work is helpful, but having the complexity of an MP3 player in your washing machine seems like a mismatch. If you love music, you probably have a wireless system set up in your home, so why bring in this device, which is probably located in a small room?

"Another disconnect is that a washer/dryer is not a portable item," Dair added. "An MP3 player makes sense if you're walking down the street, but I'm not seeing many people on the street with a washer/dryer. You're adding a mobile feature to a product that is anchored to the ground in a specific place where you don't spend a lot of time relaxing, or even sitting. But if it makes your clothes come out cleaner, that would be great."

Internet fridge flop

LG has previously added internet and TV capabilities to its fridges. The LG Internet Refrigerator , launched in Korea and the US, was a massive flop. That didn't stop the electronics firm from releasing the $3,999 (£1,976) LG HDTV Refrigerator in May this year though - the first fridge in the world with a high-definition screen.

The LG HDTV Refrigerator unit features a 15-inch high-definition LCD screen and FM radio with remote control, a cable connection and a DVD connection. An additional 4-inch screen can display local weather forecasts, a recipe bank and various organisational tools and reminders. It will also display your family pictures downloaded via a USB port.

AMD plots 16-core super-CPU for 2009

2007-07-31T00:12:00.001-07:00

Bulldozer is AMD's first all-new CPU since the K7 Athlon in 1999

AMD is preparing an all-new PC processor with up to 16 execution cores. Due out in the first half of 2009, the new architecture is codenamed Bulldozer. In an official announcement, AMD said Bulldozer will be its first substantially new CPU core since the original Athlon 64 processor of 2003. And it'll be the first ground up architectural redesign since the K7 Athlon of 1999.

In that context, it's likely the Bulldozer architecture will provide the foundations of AMD CPUs for many years to come. In other words, the architecture is rather important. The news is the latest in a flurry of announcements from AMD's PR machine in the past week. AMD has already revealed plans for a second-gen quad-core processor known as Shanghai and demoed its upcoming Phenom quad-core desktop chip running at 3GHz.

Meanwhile, the world is still waiting for Barcelona, AMD's first generation quad-core CPU , to appear. AMD has promised that Barcelona will launch later this August.

Bulldozer is the name, crushing Intel is the game

But what about Bulldozer? The big news is that it will form the basis of AMD's first massively multi-core PC processor with up to 16 execution cores. Bulldozer will also be fully compatible with AMD's so-called M-SPACE modular CPU design.

Along with traditional PC processors, therefore, expect to see AMD Fusion CPUs powered by Bulldozer cores but also offering a range of specialised processing units. Think graphics processing cores and high-definition video decoding engines and you'll get an idea of the sort of additional functionality Bulldozer-based Fusion processors will deliver.

As for the main execution cores themselves, they retain the same basic out-of-order superscalar design as AMD's existing PC processors. However, Bulldozer will utilise a deeper instruction pipeline. That's a measure traditionally introduced to allow higher clockspeeds. However, deeper pipelines typically also reduce clock-for-clock performance.

Bulldozer also receives a range of new instructions designed to accelerate media processing and performance in high performance computer clusters. With as many as 16 cores humming away, keeping Barcelona fed with data will obviously be a tough task. In response, AMD says the chip will benefit from "highly scalable memory and I/O performance".

Specifically, that means a new version of AMD's Direct Connect technology along with four HyperTransport 3.0 links per processor. Support for ultra fast DDR3 memory as well as AMD's G3MX memory extender technology will further boost the data and bandwidth available to Bulldozer. AMD's G3MX technology is designed to allow increased system memory without resorting to Intel 's power-hungry FBDIMM approach.

How fast is she, mister?

It all sounds pretty impressive on paper. But how fast will this 16-core chip be in practice? Well, according to AMD, Bulldozer is designed to be nothing less than "the highest performing single and multi-threaded compute core in history".

If AMD is to be believed, Bulldozer will improve upon every metric of CPU performance. From performance per watt to outright multi-threaded performance and old school single-threaded oomph, it's promised Bulldozer will be the new king.

Of course, by 2009 Intel will be shipping some fairly exotic kit of its own. A major revision of Intel's Core architecture, complete with an integrated memory controller and HyperTransport-bashing Common Serial Interface, is pencilled in for 2008 with a further revised variant in 2009.

What's more, with that longer instruction pipeline in mind, it will be interesting to see how Bulldozer pulls off improved single-threaded performance. Rumours are currently circulating that Bulldozer may be capable of thread-fusing or using multiple cores to compute a single thread. Thread fusing is one of the holy grails of PC processing. If Bulldozer is indeed capable of such a feat, the future could be very bright indeed for AMD.

3GHz desktop quad-core processor shown by AMD

2007-07-31T00:11:00.001-07:00

AMD has demonstrated its upcoming Phenom X4 quad-core desktop CPU running at 3GHz to journalists in the US. AMD showed the Phenom X4 CPU operating at 3GHz courtesy of a standard AMD heatsink. The move was clearly designed to distract attention from the success of Intel's new 3GHz quad-core desktop chip. AMD's key rival Intel released its first 3GHz quad-core desktop processor earlier this month.

However, the jury remains out on exactly how well Phenom will perform. The demo did not include benchmarks or comparative performance figures.

AMD recently announced that its first quad-core server and workstation CPU, known as Barcelona , will only hit 2GHz at launch later in August. It's therefore likely the demonstration was also intended to reassure journalists and investors that AMD's quad-core processor will eventually be capable of scaling to more competitive clockspeeds.

3.0GHz Phenom processors

But it's also worth noting that the first Phenom chips will not hit 3GHz when they appear towards the end of 2007. In fact, the latest leaked AMD roadmaps suggest Phenom is expected to be released with a maximum frequency of 2.4GHz.

3.0GHz Phenom processors, meanwhile, are not due to arrive until mid 2008. By then Intel will no doubt have raised the bar even further.

The Phenom CPU is based on essentially the same 65nm quad-core CPU die as AMD's long-awaited Barcelona server and workstation chip. It therefore boasts a similarly enhanced feature set, including 2MB of shared cache memory, a big boost in floating point performance and improved power management.

Phenom X4 processors will be backwards compatible with many existing Socket AM2 PC motherboards.

iPhone interface for Windows Mobile phones

2007-07-31T00:10:00.001-07:00

An iPhone-style interface on a Windows Mobile device - that's the aim of WhoNeedsAniPhone.com

How do you fancy having an iPhone interface on your Windows Mobile smartphone? You could be enjoying something similar pretty soon - with an iPhone-style launcher already available to download and other applications currently under development.

WhoNeedsAniPhone.com is blog project to develop an iPhone-style interface for Windows Mobile devices, piece by piece using Adobe Flash CS3. Details of the first alpha version of the launcher page have been posted and a beta version of a weather widget is already available to download. Other iPhone-alike pages are under development.

WhoNeedsAniPhone.com has versions of iPhone-style launcher and weather apps available to download

Plenty of like-minded Windows Mobile fans are joining in the online development project. It's run by self-confessed iPhone lovers who want to bring a similar level of functionality to the Windows Mobile platform.

O2, Carphone Warehouse to sell iPhone?

2007-07-31T00:09:00.001-07:00

Leaked source code puts O2 as iPhone frontrunner

Anna Lagerkvist

30 Jul 2007 13:43

Will O2 finally be picked as the Apple iPhone operator in the UK?

Rumours suggesting that O2 was mentioned in the source code on a Carphone Warehouse web page (which has since been removed) indicate so.

The Carphone Warehouse website already has a blank page ready which is reportedly intended as a teaser ad for the Apple iPhone. That's according to The Inquirer which has been searching the website for clues about the forthcoming device.

Viewing the now-removed web page's source code apparently exposed the words 'Apple' and 'iPhone'. It also revealed the ability to ask Carphone Warehouse to email you when the product becomes available. The word 'O2' also appeared in the source code, again raising the question of whether O2 is to get the coveted Apple iPhone contract in the UK.

Previous reports suggest that Apple has been in talks with O2 , Vodafone , T-Mobile and Orange about making its Apple iPhone available in Europe.

Different mobile networks have different strengths in different European markets, so it's likely that Apple won't go for one single operator, as it has done in the US. Choosing a retailer like Carphone Warehouse would also ensure a wide distribution of the Apple iPhone in the UK.

Samsung i85: not just another camera

2007-07-31T00:08:00.001-07:00

The 8.1-megapixel Samsung i85 is only 20mm thick and features a built-in media player

Samsung has gone convergence mad with a new digital camera that plays music and video clips, and even comes with a built-in tour guide.

The 8.1-megapixel shooter has all the usual camera functions like a 5x optical zoom, ASR image stabilisation, ISO1600 sensitivity and a maximum shutter speed of 1/2000sec. But it's the secondary features that really take the cake.

The first of these is the built-in digital audio player which plays back WMA and MP3 files. The Samsung i85 even has built-in speakers and a 2.5mm headphone jack so you can groove while you shoot.

Better yet, you can also shoot and playback video. Capturing video is carried out using the MPEG-4 format. Playback is the same, so if you want to watch an MPEG, AVI, MOV, WMV or ASF on the camera, you'll have to convert it using the supplied software first. The i85 comes with a 3-inch LCD for viewing your clips.

The i85's 3-inch display is easily big enough for watching movie clips on

Built-in tour guide

But best of all, the Samsung i85 also includes a tour guide with built-in travel information for over 2,600 regions in 30 countries - so you'll always know where the fun stuff is taking place.

Of course having all these music, movie and photo files will take up quite a chunk of memory. Luckily the i85 comes with 450MB built-in, and you have the option to add more via external SDHC cards. All this and the camera's only 20mm thick. Isn't technology marvellous?

The Samsung i85 goes on sale at the end of August, price £299. It's joined by three other touchscreen cameras , which were also launched today.

iPhone set to change smartphones forever

2007-07-31T00:07:00.001-07:00

Consumer-oriented smart mobiles will overtake business ones

Rob Mead

30 Jul 2007 07:45

Smartphones are about to go mass market - and it's all thanks to Apple's iPhone. That's the message from research group Infonetics , which also says that Wi-Fi mobiles will boom.

"To date, smartphone purchasers have been largely business power-users, but the launch of Apple's iPhone and Samsung's BlackJack - media-playing smartphones that appeal to consumers - is giving the smartphone segment a boost, and could change the dynamics of the mobile phone market.

"Vendors will design more consumer-oriented smartphones, and cause fierce competition among incumbent players," says Richard Webb at Infonetics Research.

Infonetics points to figures in its Mobile and Wi-Fi and Subscribers report , which show increasing mobile use in the developing world, and increased smartphone use in the developed world.
nfonetics said smartphone revenue was up 10 per cent in the first three months of 2007, partly driven by the wider availability of 3G networks.

Fixed Mobile Convergence

Infonetics also said having a Wi-Fi / mobile phone combo is becoming ever more important. It says demand for them will grow by an average of 31 per cent per year between now and 2010.

It also says that seamless handover FMC (Fixed Mobile Convergence) phones will make up 35 per cent of the Wi-Fi / mobile phone market - they're currently pegged at 3 per cent.

Google brings Gmail to mobile phones in Japan

2007-07-30T02:18:00.001-07:00

Rebranded mail service to leverage Google image for KDDI

J. Mark Lytle

30 Jul 2007 07:45

As Google continues its bid for domination of the internet, particularly in the expanding mobile arena, we hear word from Japan of the US company offering a customised version of its Gmail email service to phone users there .

From September, subscribers to KDDI 's au network will be able to use a rebranded version of Gmail on both handsets and PCs. While Gmail can already be used on multiple platforms, the new service will be known as 'au one mail' and will come free of charge.

Familiar look

The Japanese-language interface shown by KDDI is similar to the normal Gmail look, with the only difference being an orange logo at the top of each screen.

As the networks in Japan already allow users to access their mobile mail through a PC website, the value of the new deal is likely to be in the perceived value of the Google name to Japanese customers. Typical users are either unaware of the PC interface or prefer to use their phones anyway.

The au network is the second largest in Japan, with almost 30 per cent of the market there. Google and au previously collaborated when the carrier started offering Google searches on its mobile homepage last summer.

Explosive mixi SNS does a Facebook in Japan

2007-07-30T02:17:00.001-07:00

Japanese networking site draws 1 in 7 internet users there

J. Mark Lytle

30 Jul 2007 07:55

Unless you've been - in internet terms at least - hiding under a rock the last few months, you'll be well aware of the amazing growth of Facebook , the social-networking site (SNS) that reaches people who never thought they'd fall for an SNS.

While the success and appeal of Facebook are well documented it is, of course, not the only SNS out there. Of the many hundreds of variants available around the world, one of the most popular is Japan's mixi .

Millions on mixi

Although the publicly listed mixi has a mere 10 million users (compared to Facebook's 26 million in the US alone), that represents one in seven of all internet users in Japan. On top of that mixi users currently spend 1.2 billion minutes a month on the site - a figure that dwarfs the 726 million minutes YouTube attracts there or the 292 million racked up by Google in Japan.

Those statistics are doubly impressive when you consider that membership is by invitation only and that most users access the site exclusively by mobile phone.

Information flow

As described in more detail in this excellent piece at Network World , among the many reasons for the success of mixi, one of the most significant has been the ability of users to control who sees their personal information within communities.

Given that this very close guard applied to user data is big part of why Facebook has been so successful, perhaps the flotation of mixi on the Tokyo Stock Exchange last year and the instant enrichment of founder Kenji Kasahara points the way ahead for Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg - if he gets through the current litigation , of course.

Satnav from iriver doubles as media player

2007-07-30T02:16:00.001-07:00

Multi-function GPS unit plays music and videos on the cheap

J. Mark Lytle

30 Jul 2007 08:15

The latest shiny bauble to come from iriver Japan is not the usual well-designed audio player, but a stylish car GPS system that happens to double up as a media player.

The ¥39,800 (£166) Siren PN100 comes with a 2GB SD card that holds maps of Japan along with a database of addresses and details of restaurants and other likely driving destinations.

The screen is a 3.5-inch touch-sensitive number that is operated with the included stylus. Although a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels might make for a little too much squinting at the maps.

Although the 178g PN100 has no memory of its own, there's still 512MB left over on the SD card once the navigation data is factored in. And, of course, other SD cards can be used when the satnav isn't needed. At those times, it can handle JPEG, MOV, AVI, MP3/4, 3GPP, ASF, WMA and WAV files, but not anything with DRM included.

With a 1.5W speaker, a cigar-lighter connection for power and a sucker arm for connecting it to the car's dashboard, we can think of plenty of reasons that make the PN100 a fun starter navigation system. If you're in Japan.

tech.co.uk

BitTorrent comes to mobile phones

2007-07-29T20:33:00.001-07:00

Control your downloads remotely using mobile phone

Anna Lagerkvist

27 Jul 2007 11:20

Peer-to-peer downloading software BitTorrent is now available for mobile phones.

The mobile µTorrent mUI interface enables you to control your torrent downloads remotely, using phones like the Sony Ericsson K750 and Nokia N70. You can also pause or discontinue downloads. You can't add torrents to the BitTorrent interface yet, but this capability may be added in the future, Slyck News reports.

Remotely controlling a P2P application via the web is nothing new but it is the first time that BitTorrent downloads can be managed from a mobile phone. Various services, including eMule , µTorrent and Azureus have previously introduced the concept to the BitTorrent community.

tech.co.uk

Mobile calls abroad cheaper with Jajah

2007-07-29T20:31:00.001-07:00

VoIP service can connect mobiles at low rates

Phil Lattimore

27 Jul 2007 14:00

Using your mobile abroad could be even cheaper than the EC's new capped roaming charges with VoIP carrier Jajah's new Roam Home international calling service.

Jajah's service allows users to set up mobile or landline calls from Europe that can cost from 1.7p a minute - with calls to other Jajah users free. The Jajah VoIP service operates by enabling users to set up calls online - via the Jajah.com website , the Jajah mobile internet site at mobile.jajah.com or by using a downloadable Jajah app on a Symbian smartphone.

Using the online option, the user can tap in the caller and recipient number and the service calls up both to connect them. The smartphone application provides a seamless version of this, where the user is only required to select the caller number.

With Jajah Roam Home, users need to have some sort of internet connection before initiating the call, which could bump up the overall charge. Once connected though, either via a mobile, hotel room phone or other landline, call charges back home are minimal compared to typical international roaming call charges. And outside the EC, where new roaming cap regulations don't apply, roaming savings can be more considerable.

tech.co.uk

BBC disappoints iPlayer registrants

2007-07-29T20:30:00.001-07:00

Nobody posting on the BBC forums seems to have login details

Daniel Grabham

27 Jul 2007 15:49

The BBC may have launched its iPlayer this morning, but the same question seems to be on the lips of many who have registered for the service - "where are my login details?"

The service has around 15,000 established users from an earlier beta, while the Beeb says it will gradually introduce more to the service to "manage the increase in numbers". Fair enough, but nobody posting on the official BBC iPlayer forums seems to have received a login since the public beta was launched last night.

Eskimo 48 says: "Unlike what they have been saying on the website, the iPlayer is not launched yet, only [the] application to join [has been] launched". The BBC's press releases have made it clear that this is an open beta phase. But few news outlets have made it clear that signups are heavily phased - and some of the BBC's news stories today both on and offline haven't helped.

"The BBC presented [the iPlayer] in [its] news article as being released to the public today and now they go back on their word," says Ctsttom. "I missed Jekyll last week and was really looking forward to being able to catch up." This has left many disappointed - many are complaining that an open beta would be just that.

According to the BBC's Jonathan posting on the forum, publicity has been limited: "We have chosen initially not to market or publish widely the availability of the service as we wanted to see what the initial demand would be - and interest so far has been extremely strong.

Lack of log-on details

"We will of course begin by activating those users who registered their interest first. We have begun this activation process already... The necessity to be cautious initially means that not everybody will be able to be admitted to the system straightaway. We understand their eagerness but hope they will be patient."

Despite Jonathan's comments, nobody posting on the forum has received any login details. "Comments on other forums back up the fact that no one that registered (last night or today) has received any notification about log-on details as of yet," says Lee Richards. "Clearly it's not the end of the world, but it may be quite embarrassing to the BBC if after all the hype nothing actually happens today.

"I'd be very surprised if out of all those that were successful, not one of them has posted about it here or elsewhere."

Blog: DRM only barrier to BBC iPlayer's supremacy

Feature: BBC iPlayer will change your viewing forever

tech.co.uk

iPhone definitely coming in time for Xmas

2007-07-29T05:08:00.002-07:00

Now on display at Computer Warehouse

Anna Lagerkvist

27 Jul 2007 10:34

Apple has confirmed that we will definitely be getting the Apple iPhone in time for Christmas.

In its financial results conference call yesterday, Apple confirmed that it will ship the Apple iPhone to a few major countries by the end of 2007. By then, some 1 million Apple iPhones will have been sold, according to Apple's estimates.

The UK, France and Germany are likely to be among the first countries to get the coveted Apple iPhone. The rest of Europe and Asia will have to wait until sometime next year

If you want to get a sneaky peak of the Apple iPhone ahead of the UK launch, head over to Apple reseller Computer Warehouse . The UK-based firm said on its website that it has an 8GB Apple iPhone on display at its showroom in Brentford , London.

Apple also mentioned it will announce carriers (plural) in the coming months. It's possible that Apple will sell the Apple iPhone through Apple Authorised Resellers such as Computer Warehouse. That's rather than relying exclusively upon its own retail locations and those of its European partners, such as the case with AT&T in the US.

tech.co.uk

Blu-ray and HD DVD set for big sales boom

2007-07-29T05:08:00.001-07:00

s consumers begin to embrace more high-definition products and services, next-generation disc players are poised to experience significant growth over the next five years. That's according to a new report from Parks Associates titled Next Generation DVD Players: Will History Repeat?

The new report estimates that, with set-top box models and game consoles combined, more than 32 million Blu-ray and HD DVD players will be sold in United States by 2011. That's an 85 per cent increase from the 4.9 million units expected to be sold in 2007.

"Purchasing or renting DVDs will continue to be a dominant way for consumers to view content," stated Chris Roden, Research Analyst at Parks Associates. "What has yet to be determined is which format will become the standard, HD DVD or Blu-ray?"

According to the report, consumer confusion is still prevalent with less than 10 per cent of U.S. consumers stating that they are familiar with the HD DVD or Blu-ray formats. "However, we are starting to see the pendulum swing slowly in one direction," said Roden. "Recent retail developments, support from major Hollywood studios, and inclusion of the format in the PlayStation 3 puts the Blu-ray format in the lead."

HD sales boom

It's good to see that more people are going to embrace HD, but really, who couldn't have predicted that the next five years would see a big boom in sales?

tech.co.uk

7 great iPod holiday speakers

2007-07-29T05:07:00.001-07:00

Going away? Well don't starve yourself of sounds, take these

tech.co.uk staff

27 Jul 2007 16:20

Passport? Yes. Suntan lotion? Yes. Tunes? Hell, yes - your entire music collection stuffed into a pocket-sized party box for easy transportation, your ever-faithful iPod . But nobody ever got a party started with headphones. So when you're off on your hols you'll need some space-efficient, preferably loud and battery-powered speakers. There are of course a squillion varieties of speakers out there designed specifically for your pocket pal, but we've pulled together some of the best for your pre-flight perusal...

Logic3 i-Station IS10 iPod clock radio (£70)

The best ideas are usually simple ones, and this alarm clock radio designed specifically for the iPod is most definitely one of them. It's a simple little box, with no extrusions that can snag and no extra plug-ins that can get lost. And it'll wake you up in time for the tour bus with whatever sounds you want.

It comes with a universal dock that will fit any size of iPod, plus there's an AM/FM radio on board. The IS10 also packs in 2.1-channel sound too, thanks to the twin stereo drivers and diminutive subwoofer pumping out 14 watts of power. The LCD's brightness can be adjusted, from snooze-enhancingly dim to retina-burning bright and it comes with its own remote control.

Available in black or white, the IS10's only problem is the chunky and ugly power supply, which won't do much for your luggage allowance, though you also get a battery.

Altec Lansing iM9 (£120)

ome iPod docks might be great for the hotel room, but they wouldn't last five minutes in rougher climes. Altec Lansing 's rugged little iM9 is different. Your iPod fits snugly into the speaker - no danger of knocking it and damaging the connector - and it will accept any iPod with the exception of the iPod shuffle.

The speakers are surrounded by a shock-resistant, rubberised coating for extra protection against bumps and splashes and it promises around 24 hours of uninterrupted sounds from four C size batteries. It's nicely compact at 280x76x198mm, weighs just 1.8kg and it even comes with its own backpack.

iStuff Companion Speakers (£10)

At the other end of the scale these dinky little speakers will just about fit in your pocket, with the added bonus that they require NO BATTERIES. They take their power directly from your iPod, which means you won't get quite as much music on a single charge, but no batteries means one less thing to carry.

The iStuff Companion Speakers connect to your iPod (or any MP3 player) via the supplied 3.5mm headphone jack. But you won't get much of a party going with them, since the sound from the flat 5cm stereo speakers isn't that loud, and there's no bass to speak of. That said, the sound is okay considering their size, and it's worth a tenner to free yourself from your headphones in your hotel room or apartment.

iRhythms A-460 (£37)

makes all sorts of iPod docks, but this is the one you'd want to take away with you. The universal dock will take any manner of iPod (except the iPod shuffle) and the twin 5cm neodymium speakers can handle 6W of power between them. There's also a 3.5mm jack for other players.

It will go decently loud but won't take up much of your precious luggage allowance and it's available in black or white to match or contrast your iPod. It will run on four AA batteries or the mains and it will charge your iPod while you play.

Grundig PSW 5000 Wireless Speaker (£100)

A bit chunky for the suitcase perhaps at 42cm x 23cm x 21cm (about the size of a small wastebasket). But if you're heading for the festivals or fancy a picnic, Grundig's noisy style statement could be the master blaster for you.

It pumps out 20W of power at 360 degrees through its downward-firing 127mm main driver and 25mm tweeter. Plus it has the advantage of being weather-resistant, so a splash of rain needn't kill the beach party. And there's an extremely funky blue ambient light to add ambience to any night-time boogie behaviour. It runs off eight size D batteries and Grundig claims it offers good sound at up to 50m.

Travel Tripod Mini MP3 Speakers (£15)

The Travel Tripod definitely has a distinctive look, but it's practical too. The tripod flattens into a single tube measuring a compact 40 x 150mm and comes with a protective cap to defend the 3.5mm jack plug against unwelcome knocks when it's stowed in your pack.

The downside of that skyward-pointing jack is that you'll need to plug in a larger iPod upside down, although it's ideal for the nano, which has its headphone plug on the bottom. It claims ten hours playback from two AAA batteries, though it can also be powered by USB link to PC or from the mains with a USB adapter. And speaking of the nano, it's also available in shocking pink, if you're that way inclined. You can pick one up from Go Planet Go .

Ixos XMM238 iPod Speaker Cube (£18)

This dinky little cube is ideal for stashing away in the bottom of your holdall or suitcase. It measures just 7cm each way, weighs 130g and offers a respectable 2W of sound from its speaker. Don't expect much in the way of bass from a speaker this small, but the cute quotient is off the scale.

The Ixos XMM238 connects to your iPod via 3.5mm jack, claims eight hours of iPod playback from four AA batteries. And it will also play from your computer via USB connection, or the mains, though you'll need a USB adapter for this. It comes in white, or a rather tasteful pastel pink.

Dave Oliver and Rob Mead

New high-end CD players from Audia and Roksan

2007-07-29T05:03:00.001-07:00

D systems make music sound good again

James Rivington

27 Jul 2007 16:39

Henley Designs has unveiled two new high-end CD players: one from Audia and one from Roksan . The systems were launched at a Christmas-in-July event, held in London yesterday.

The first new CD player comes in the form of the Audia Flight CD-Two. Virtually unknown outside the rarefied world of high-end hi-fidelity, Audia's products are generally recognised for their design quality and performance.

Incorporating a brand new design and "the highest quality parts", the Audia Flight CD-Two apparently presents a captivating sonic picture of the original performance. That's some claim.

It has a super rigid chassis to prevent reverberation, 24 bit/192KHz upsampling converter and an ultra precision reference clock to ensure a highly detailed presentation with no digital harshness.

Audia and Roksan

It's powered by two silent toroidal transformers and they, combined with discrete Class A full balanced analog output section, result in maximum dynamic range.

Audia says the Flight CD-Two is a reference compact disc player that puts the listener "bang in the middle of the musical performance with resolution, realism and pure passion that has to be heard to be believed".

The Audia Flight CD-Two is available now for £2,000.

Second CD Player

Joining the Audia Flight CD-Two, is the new M-series Caspian CD player from Roksan. It features Roksan's latest CD transport, motherboard, control PCB (printed circuit board) and a new digital-to-analogue converter. The mechanisms are all individually selected as you'd expect, to ensure a superb performance and, presumably, a great sound.

Every component has been "meticulously chosen to enhance performance and reliability" says Roksan. The M-series Caspian CD Player has even tighter and better defined bass, life-like open and detailed mid-range with much extended yet smoother and clearer top end.

The Roksan M-Series Caspian costs £1,100.

Panasonic TX-26LMD70 - Consumer and critic favourite produces another cracker

2007-07-27T02:25:00.001-07:00

Price

£660.00

Compare Prices

Spec

Click here for full specification

For

Easy to use
Great pictures across the board

Against

Average audio

Verdict

Another table topping performance from one of the best names in LCD

In the LCD TV Premiership, Panasonic is undoubtedly the champion. Loved by the public and critics alike, its flatpanel TVs consistently finish at the top of the table when it comes to picture quality and feature lists.

In a bid to defend its title, the company has added a new member to the 2007 squad - In-Plane Switching Alpha (or IPS-A for short). This new panel technology increases the LCD viewing angle to 178 degrees, which (theoretically) keeps the picture looking solid whether you're wide on the wings or sat in the centre.

IPS-A is joined on the TX-26LMD70's team sheet by V-Real 2, Panasonic's proprietary processing engine, which tackles every aspect of the picture and boosts contrast ratio to a whopping 7000:1.

As for the socket line-up, Panasonic plays four at the back - two HDMIs and two RGB-capable Scarts - with component, PC and a common interface slot for terrestrial pay-TV on the bench.

The TX-26LMD70 also boasts Viera Link, which allows you to hook up other Viera Link-enabled components using the HDMIs (such as AV receivers or DVD recorders) and control them all from one remote.

TV reception comes courtesy of a built-in Freeview tuner with a 7-day EPG, and the digital TV operating system is immaculately presented and well thought out. The terrific remote offers large, clearly signposted buttons that make this set an absolute dream to use.

Standard setter

Things get even better when it comes to performance. Kicking off with Children of Men on HD DVD, the TX-26LMD70 does a fantastic job with the movie's consistently tricky images.

Right from the opening shot of a group of people stood in a coffee shop, the TV smacks you round the chops with superb reproduction of fine detail. Facial features, clothing textures, even the minute text on the TV screens - all of it is rendered with supreme sharpness.

The excellent contrast level not only helps convey this detail with real conviction, but it also makes black areas of the picture look solid. Subtle shadow detail can be made out within dark objects like Theo's suit jacket during his trip to Ark of the Arts.

Finally, colour reproduction is fiery and forceful when need be, but suitably restrained with subtler tones, giving pictures a realistic, natural and well-balanced feel.

The TX-26LMD70 laps up hi-def but also does a grand job with standard-def pictures from the digital tuner. And a thorough investigation of the horizontal viewing angle reveals that IPS-A is more than just bluster - it actually works, delivering strong contrast and colour from a wide seating position. The vertical viewing angle is still narrow though, so make sure the screen is positioned at eye level.

If the TX-26LMD70 has a weakness, it's the audio. The speakers' performance is no disaster - dialogue is clear over busy action scenes and some bass does manage to poke its way through. But for the most part it feels flat and undynamic, not doing justice to the fabulous visuals on screen.

Top of the game

So at the final whistle, picture quality is superb and despite the average audio there's enough raw talent and stylish design to justify its price tag.

What Plasma

Apple iPhone to get Japanese manga delivery

2007-07-27T02:22:00.000-07:00

Japan's comics coming digitally through iPhone service

J. Mark Lytle

27 Jul 2007 07:20

As if Apple's iPhone didn't already have enough geek appeal, a Japanese company has announced a deal to bring manga comics to the wonderphone later this year.

At the Red Herring Japan 2007 conference held this week in Kyoto, telecoms software specialist Voice Bank detailed a deal [PDF link] with the Digital Manga Association Japan ( DMAJ ) to format Japan's famous comic books specifically for the iPhone.

Made for iPhone

Voice Bank has developed a converter that shrinks manga pages created for viewing on PC screens to iPhone size, claiming it made the move because the phone's touch-sensitive screen is perfect for the panel-based graphic medium. It is now looking for a distribution partner in the US.

Japanese comics like this will soon be delivered by subscription to iPhones in the US.

Cynics might say that Voice Bank is hoping to piggyback on Apple's success in the knowledge that anything connected to the iPhone will get extensive press coverage. We, on the other hand, prefer to remind readers that manga are actually pretty interesting artworks made for grown-ups, not kids.

Incidentally, did you know that the chairman of the DMAJ is known as Monkey Punch ?

Pioneer BDP-LX70 - The finest Blu-ray picture performance yet

2007-07-26T23:03:00.001-07:00

Price

£1,000.00

Compare Prices

Spec

Click here for full specification

For

Amazing 1080/24p pictures
Superb upscaling performance
Great sound

Against

Only HDMI 1.2, not 1.3
Not BD Profile 1.1 compliant

Verdict

If you've got the cash and the right plasma screen, we guarantee you'll be basking in hi-def picture heaven.

With a price tag of £1,000, it's just as well that Pioneer's debut Blu-ray player, the BDP-LX70, has some pretty high-end tricks up its sleeve.

One key factor is 1080/24p, the 1080-line progressive scan 24Hz format most movies are encoded in when they're put on Blu-ray discs.

The BDP-LX70 not only outputs pictures in this pure 1080/24p form for compatible TVs, but most of Pioneer's plasmas from generation six onwards not only take 1080p/24Hz, but also use 72Hz scanning. Since 72 is an exact multiple of 24 there's no chance of judder being introduced. In other words, Pioneer has a compelling HD story to tell.

Media mogul

More innovation comes from the BDP-LX70's Home Media Gallery functionality, which permits streaming of most video, photo and audio file formats from an Ethernet-connected PC.

Plus you get upscaling to 1080p of standard DVDs; CD playback; support for the Dolby TrueHD lossless audio format; and CEC compliancy on the HDMI for one-remote control of the BDP-LX70 and a compatible TV.

Your £1,000 doesn't get you an immaculate feature count, though. For instance, the HDMI socket is only a 1.2 affair, not HDMI 1.3, denying you 1.3 features like digital output for next-gen HD audio formats, the Deep Colour extended colour palette, and auto lip synching.

The deck also won't play CD-R/RWs. Finally it isn't made to the BD Profile 1.1 specification becoming mandatory from October, meaning it may not play BD Java-driven features on future Blu-ray discs. The 35 seconds the discs take to load is also irritating - it's over a minute if you're turning the deck on from cold.

The good news, though, is that the BDP-LX70's AV performance is dazzling. We played our Casino Royale Blu-ray test disc in the 1080/24p format into both 7th and 8th generation Pioneer plasma TVs set to 72Hz, and in both cases found ourselves staring at the finest Blu-ray performance yet.

The colours of the bright Bahamas sequences of Casino Royale are astonishingly vivid and realistic. We've never seen so much detail before during heavily textured scenes like those in Uganda at the film's start: motion is delivered with unprecedented clarity and smoothness during the opening credits. There's practically no video noise at all.

Switching to a different TV without pure 1080/24p support and 72Hz scanning finds more noise in the picture, but the results are still outstanding.

Upscaling new heights

The BDP-LX70 is also unusually good at upscaling standard DVDs, and finally delivers some gorgeous sonics from movie discs and CDs alike.

Despite all the performance glories, the high price and lack of HDMI 1.3 and BD Profile 1.1 prevent us from giving the BDP-LX70 an unreserved recommendation.

Still, if you want the best-performing Blu-ray player out there - especially if you have a recent Pioneer plasma - and can't wait for Pioneer's next Blu-ray offering, then your premium buck stops here.

HP's touchscreen PC: Radical or redundant?

2007-07-26T08:34:00.001-07:00

Tech.co.uk experiences life with the TouchSmart IQ770

tech.co.uk staff

26 Jul 2007 11:51

A battery of benchmarks is all very well. But when it comes to a PC that attempts to unceremoniously defenestrate the tried and tested mouse 'n keyboard interface, there's no substitute for seat time.

And HP 's brave new IQ770 touchscreen system is one such system. In the interests of science and the human condition, therefore, an IQ770 was installed in the Tech.co.uk family kitchen. We have lived and breathed the touchscreen experience for several weeks. And we now bring you our conclusions.

Single-box solution

For the uninitiated, the IQ770 is a single-box PC designed to be a communal media and internet PC for all the family. Think of it as a one stop digital shop for internet, TV, radio, movies, music and general entertainment.

Processing punch is provided by AMD's Turion dual-core mobile chip in TL-52 1.6GHz trim. As for graphics, Nvidia's GeForce Go 7600 is on hand, while storage takes the form of a 320GB hard disk. Oh, and there's 2GB of system memory.

Rounding out the media centre spec list is a multi-format DVD burner with HP's disk-printing Lightscribe tech and both analogue and DVB-T TV tuners.

But the really interesting bit is the 19-inch touch-enabled LCD panel. Cleverly, HP has implemented touch functionality courtesy of a battery of IR sensors around the screen bezel. There's no film or mesh covering the surface and distorting image quality.

Intriguingly, thanks to the IR sensors, it isn't actually necessary to touch the surface of the screen to register an input gesture. You need only prod the air just above the screen. Well, that's the theory, anyway.

Anywho, to give you something to poke at, HP preinstalls the IQ770 with a suite of touch-optimised applications. A calendar and organiser-come-virtual noteboard application and a photo management app head the list. And the whole thing is tied together by SmartCenter, a touch-optimised menu system integrated into Vista's Media Center alternative interface.

Of course, Windows Vista isn't designed for finger control. So, HP has also provided applets which, again on paper, reconfigure the Windows Vista interface in general and applications like Internet Explorer in particular for easier manual manipulation. Think bigger buttons and larger fonts and you'll get the idea.

Great, but does it work?

That's the IQ770 in a nutshell. But is it any good? Well, at first it's a pretty funky experience - the touch interface is both responsive and accurate.

Application-wise, SmartCalendar is probably the showcase example. It's a digital work surface which combines virtual post-it notes (of the small squares of coloured paper variety) with a calendar and organiser.

The notes can be made of typed text, your own hand-scrawled hieroglyphics, voice recordings or any combination thereof you fancy. Following which you can splatter them across the virtual work surface at your whim.

Pretty quickly, however, you begin to bump up against the limitations of the application. Part of the problem is unrealistic expectations of what a really modern touchscreen interface might be capable of. The obvious temptation is to envisage a fancy arm-flapping big screen interface as seen in the movie Minority Report.

More recently, the Apple iPhone has recalibrated real-world expectations regarding touch interfaces. In that context, the IQ770 seems rather rudimentary.

After a few days of exposure to the IQ770, for instance, we longed to use a two-finger gesture to expand or contract those fixed-sized notes in Smart Calendar. Or to prod at a webpage and have the interface intuitively know that we wanted to zoom in on a part of the page. If you've seen the BumpTop desktop interface demoed at TedTalk earlier this year, you'll know what we're talking about.

Finger on the future

It's all rather unfair, of course, but what the IQ770 really does is give a glimpse of what's possible and leaves you desperately wanting more. The longer you use it, the less satisfying it is. There's also no getting away from the fact that Windows Vista simply wasn't designed for touch control.

Worse than that, however, is its rather pitiful all-round performance. The general flakiness and resource-intensiveness of Windows Vista is no doubt partly to blame. But painful lagginess, glacial application load and boot times and the fairly frequent errors, hangs and stalls really spoil the experience. Having the audio driver bail out on a desktop PC is a mild annoyance. But on a device that's standing in for your kitchen TV, it's a serious pain.

Indeed, why HP didn't use an Intel Core 2 processor is rather baffling. The applications the system is designed to run are actually pretty demanding and the AMD mobile hardware it's based on simply isn't up to the job.

And the fact that the IR remote control units appear to be unable to function correctly in a room soaked in lots of natural light (like many kitchens!) only makes matters worse.

All of which may leave you thinking we didn't like the IQ770. That's not actually the case. It's a very attractive machine and an awfully welcome effort at a new interface paradigm. It's just not ready for the prime time. We await the second generation device with optimism!

Read our HP Touchsmart review

The original launch report

tech.co.uk

PS3 flop cost Sony £100 million last quarter (Massive gaming losses as PS2 sales grind PS3 into dust)

2007-07-26T08:28:00.001-07:00

J. Mark Lytle

26 Jul 2007 08:20

As was widely expected, Sony 's latest financial results (Japanese link) show that the ailing giant lost over £100 million from its games division in Japan over the last quarter. The loss is being attributed to poor sales of the PlayStation 3 console, which was even outsold many times over by its elderly predecessor, the PS2.

The ¥29 billion (£118 million) deficit at the games division comes on the back of sales of just over 700,000 PS3s in Japan between April and June. In contrast, the PlayStation 2 sold 2.7 million in the same period. However, the PlayStation Portable managed a respectable rise to just over 2 million sales in the quarter.

Overall profit

Given the success of Nintendo based on the popularity of its Wii and DS Lite, Sony will clearly be seeking some comfort in the fact that it nevertheless managed to turn an overall profit of just under ¥100 billion (£405 million).

The Tokyo company's main money-spinners during the quoted period were its digital cameras, camcorders and chip-making business. Its Bravia line of televisions continued to lose money.

tech.co.uk

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Sony unleashes world's first HD video Walkman (7-inch LCD monitor, HDMI out, more colour support)

2007-07-26T08:19:00.001-07:00

Anna Lagerkvist26 Jul 2007 13:59
Sony has just made it a whole lot easier to check those
video shots taken with your HDV or DV camcorder when you're away on holiday or
on the move.
The comapny today announced the world's first high-definition video
Walkman. The Sony GV-HD700E plays HDV 1080i as well as miniDV tapes (SP and
LP). It can also record HDV1080i/DV signals from an external source.
The

Sony GV-HD700E video Walkman is equipped with a high-quality
7-inch widescreen (16:9) LCD monitor with 800 x 480 resolution. It has plenty of
versatile interfaces, including i.LINK and HDMI out to allow high-definition
viewing on any connected HD-ready TV or monitor. The GV-HD700E's screen folds down when not
in use to make it more portable.
The Sony GV-HD700E is also the first video Walkman to
support x.v.Colour, which almost doubles the range of colours that can be
displayed on screen. The player runs on InfoLITHIUM L and M Series batteries,
or from the mains.

Supplied accessories include an AC mains adaptor, wireless remote
controller, component cable and AV Multi Cable (without S-video). The

Sony
GV-HD700E will be available from September; pricing has yet to be confirmed.
Sony GV-HD700E key features:Format: HDV / DV SP / DV LP LCD panel: 7 inches (16:9 widescreen) Panel resolution: 1,152K dots 800 x 480 x 3RGB All-scan function User-assignable LCD setup profiles: 6 (settings for
brightness, colour level, contrast, sharpness, colour, phase) Inputs: i.LINK (HDV/DV), Video (RCA x1), Audio (RCA x2), S-Video Outputs: HDMI, i.LINK (HDV/DV), Component HD/SD (Special D), Video/Audio/S Video (AV Multi-connector) USB Memory Stick Slot Headphone jack Stereo speaker Battery: InfoLITHIUM L / M
series

DC power in tech.co.uk

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Samsung LE-52M87BD

2007-07-26T01:33:00.000-07:00

Wonderful looking, with beauty that's more than skin deep

The bigger Samsung's design gets, the more we like it

zoom

Price

£2,700.00

Compare Prices

Spec

Click here for full specification

For

Looks superb
Great features and connections
Superb black levels for an LCD
Great colours

Against

Motion handling flaws
Some noise with standard-def footage

Verdict

Jaw-dropping pictures and an outstanding features count to match

If you're looking for a TV with style as one of your primary concerns, your short-list will have to include at least one offering from Samsung. And what better than the brand's new flagship LCD TV, the 52-inch LE-52M87BD?

Happily, Samsung's trademark gloss black finish and taste for subtle curves extends to 52-inch extremely well. In fact, the bigger this design gets, the more we like it.

But the LE-52M87BD isn't trading on looks alone. It's choc-a-bloc with connections, including three HDMIs, a PC VGA port, Scarts, a component video input, and a digital audio output for shunting on digital soundtracks received by the HDMIs.

Then there's its extensive feature count. As well as a digital tuner it carries a 1920 x 1080 'full HD' screen, backed up by 1080p compatibility, and a 1:1 pixel mode that shows 1080-line sources with no overscanning, for extra clarity.

The LE-52M87BD's HDMIs, meanwhile, are compatible with the CEC industry standard, meaning you can use the TV's remote to control any CEC-compatible sources connected to them.

Even better, the HDMIs are also v1.3 in specification, making this the first TV we've seen with the potential to deliver HDMI 1.3 benefits such as the Deep Colour extended colour palette (from discs that support it) and automatic lip synch correction.

On board to improve picture quality are Samsung's Digital Natural Image engine processing, and a Movie Plus mode which tackles LCD's problems showing motion without losing resolution using an enhanced 3:2 pull-down progressive scan technology that inserts extra image frames.

The TV also claims a contrast ratio of 15000:1 - the highest yet from an LCD TV, raising hopes that we might finally have an LCD with black levels to rival plasma.

Power of the dark

The opening space battle of Revenge of the Sith does enjoys remarkable black levels by LCD standards. There's practically none of LCD's greyness and, even better, dark scenes contain loads of scale-giving detail.

Providing an exceptional counterpoint to these revolutionary LCD black levels is Samsung's best colour performance yet. The saturations during colour-rich scenes like those on Mustafa's volcanic surface are extreme, yet the set also retains a generally natural tone with subtle fare like skin tones.

The LE-52M87BD also uses its full HD resolution and size to deliver exceptional sharpness. You can actually make out the texture in R2-D2's metallic surface.

The 52M87BD suffers a couple of weaknesses, though. First, its motion handling is hit and miss. Without the Movie Plus mode active, the fight between Obi-Wan and General Grievous suffers from movement looking rather ill-defined. But with Movie Plus activated, a quirk of the processing can cause flickering around the edges of moving objects and an overall slightly unnatural look to proceedings.

The picture's aggression regarding colour and brightness can also lead it to slightly emphasise noise in standard-def sources - but this is true of many other LCD sets too.

Good, not great

What Plasma

The best summary of the LE52M87BD's performance is 'mostly spectacular but occasionally flawed'. With its sumptuous looks and its extra cost over similar-sized plasma screens being mostly justified by its resolution and features, it's a TV that has to find a way onto your shortlist.

External links:

Samsung Website

Full Specification

Supported Format (Progressive)	1080p
Remote Control	Yes
Power Consumption (Operational)	310 W
Power Consumption (Standby)	1 W
Connectivity	3.5mm Headphone Jack RF Antenna Input S-video Composite Video PC Input
No of Component Inputs	1
No of Composite Inputs	1
No of S-video Inputs	1
No of Scart Connectors	2
PC Connectivity	HDMI
MPN	LE52M87BD
Price at Launch	2700 GBP
Sound Output Modes	SRS
Speakers	2 x 10W Hidden
No of HDMI Inputs	3
Brightness	550 cd/m2
Full HD	Yes
HD Ready	Yes
Multi-Window Options	Picture in Picture
Progressive Scan	Yes
Colour	Black
Dimensions	1257 x 111 x 800 mm (w x h x d)
Weight (kg)	35.2 kg
Alarm Modes	On Timer Sleep Off Timer Clock
Accessories	Power Cable
No of Scart Sockets	3
Aspect Ratio	16:9
Contrast Ratio	15000:1
Display Size	52 inches
Display Type	LCD
Native Resolution	1920 x 1080
Pixel Response Time	8 ms
Screen Size	52 inches
Viewing Angle (Horizontal)	178 Degrees (180 if CRT)
Viewing Angle (Vertical)	178 Degrees
Clock	Yes
Auto-tune	Yes
CI Slot	Yes
Comb Filter	3D Digital
Features	Super Clear / Movie Plus / Wide Colour Enhancer / Auto Volume Leveller / Auto Power Off
Teletext	Yes
Wall Mount	Yes
Widescreen	Yes

Apple sold 270K iPhones in first 30 hours

2007-07-25T22:14:00.001-07:00

Official figures revealed, on target to sell 1m by September

Rob Mead

25 Jul 2007 22:33

Apple has announced its best ever quarter with the iPhone chalking up 270,000 sales in its first 30 hours on sale at the end of June. The company is confident that it will sell one million of the devices by the end of September - a figure it took the iPod two years to achieve.

The company also revealed that it is spending a great deal of energy on preparing for the European launch of the iPhone. Apple also says it will announce partnerships with European mobile operators in due course.

Other key numbers from its third quarter financial results, detailed today, include 1.764 million Mac sales, the best ever quarterly sales in the company's history. It also says it sold 330,000 Macs in its Apple retail stores and that 50 per cent of its sales there were to people who were new to the Mac platform.

iPod sales unaffected by iPhone

Apple also said it sold 9.8 million iPods , and that it believed - based on initial sales - that there was no evidence of cannibalisation by the iPhone. In other words, the iPhone is either an additional purchase or that sales of the iPhone are to new customers who haven't bought an iPod before.

The company said some users had experienced problems with activating their iPhones initially, but that these problems have largely been resolved. This helps explain the 160,000 activations AT&T reported earlier in the week - a figure that caused Apple shares to drop by five per cent after the numbers were announced.

Apple remains confident of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008, by which time the so-called JesusPhone will have been launched in Asia as well as the USA and Europe.

The future of the Mac

Apple also hinted at new products in the run up to Christmas, but wouldn't go into specifics.

Commenting on the results, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said:

"We're thrilled to report the highest June quarter revenue and profit in Apple's history, along with the highest quarterly Mac sales ever. "iPhone is off to a great start - we hope to sell our one-millionth iPhone by the end of its first full quarter of sales - and our new product pipeline is very strong."

tech.co.uk

Intel 3-Series Chips Hit the Market

2007-07-25T20:50:00.001-07:00

The first 3-series chips sets, codenamed Bearlake, are now available.

Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service

Motherboards that use Intel Corp.'s 3-series chipsets, codenamed
Bearlake, seem to be everywhere at the Computex exhibition --
signalling they will soon find their way to store shelves and hardware
makers around the world.
Intel took advantage of the Taiwanese
hardware show, which started Tuesday, to announce that the first
chipsets from the series -- the P35 and G33 -- are now available. And
more will come later this year, including the G35 and X38, which Intel
plans to start shipping within 90 days.
Based on the large number
of 3-series motherboard designs developed, Intel expects the new
chipsets to catch on quickly and lay the foundation for future
processor advances. "They're all going to be able to support quad core
from entry-level motherboards on up," said Sean Maloney, executive vice
president and general manager of Intel's sales and marketing group.
Intel
is billing the 3 series as the prelude to its planned launch of the
Penryn family of 45-nanometer processors later this year. The new
chipsets, which also support the company's existing chips, are needed
because Intel has changed the voltage used with Penryn's front-side
bus, which connects the chipset to main memory, said Steve Peterson,
director of chipset and graphics marketing at Intel.
The 3-series
chipsets, which all support quad-core processors, are labelled to
reflect their respective capabilities. The models labeled with the
prefix G include an integrated graphics core, while the P models do
not. The X model is the top-of-the-line model and includes the ability
to decode Blu-ray and HD-DVD movies.
At the low end of the
lineup, the G31 is designed specifically for emerging markets. This
chipset is basically the same as the G33, but Intel has removed the
ability to play high-definition movies, allowing it to reduce the
chipset's price.

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