Channel 4 to offer up week of 3D programmes
Channel 4 will show a week of 3D programming, with special features including previously unseen footage of the Queen in her coronation year.
The UK public service broadcaster will be broadcasting in ColorCode3D – giving people the opportunity to don glasses and gain a dimension in their viewing.
The Queen in 3D features footage filmed decades ago, and it will be featured alongside Derren Brown's 3D Magic Spectacular and The Greatest Ever 3D Moments.
3D buzz
There will also be films screened in 3D, as part of the seven day spectacular.
3D is big news at the moment, with Sky indicating that it will launch a 3D channel in 2010 and James Cameron's Avatar set to change the face of 3D cinema.
So – if you want to participate then you need a pair of ColorCode amber and blue glasses to view the footage in 3D.
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Samsung's second Android phone leaks out
Samsung hasn't managed to release its i7500 Galaxy phone over in the UK just yet, but the next Android phone in line has already popped up.
The new InstinctQ has surfaced in pictures on Phandroid, showing a touchscreen handset with a full slide out QWERTY keyboard.
The model shown is running on Sprint in the US, where it has apparently already passed the necessary accreditation, and is probably to be marketed under the Samsung US Instinct brand.
It looks like it has a number of touch sensitive front 'Android buttons' to go with the slide out keyboard, and an optical pad instead of the easy-to-break trackball.
Variation - spice of life etc
Sadly we don't have all the specs on this one, nor any confirmation it will be heading to the UK. But while the Instinct range is solely for the US market, variations have made their way to our shores.
For instance, the original Instinct appeared to be very similar to the F490, which performed fairly well over here.
So given Samsung's clear intent to be the new Android boy on the block after HTC has flooded the market, it's not that unlikely that the InstinctQ will be re-branded and on our shores before the year is out.
That's assuming the phone isn't subject to delays, of course.
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JVC 32" super-slim LCD TV showcased
JVC revealed a number of new products to journalists today, choosing the Porsche Centre at Silverstone to preview what the company will be unveiling to the public at this year's IFA.
While we have to remain tight-lipped about JVC's new AV range, TechRadar did manage to spend some time with the company's super-slim WX50 LED side-lit LCD TV.
We gave you details of the WX50 (LT-32WX50EU is its full name) back in June, when it was shown of for the first time in CEDIA. And while we were impressed with what we saw then, as it was bolted to a wall, you couldn't quite get a feeling of just how skinny it is.
As the following pictures show, however, the TV is as close to OLED as you are likely to get size-wise, with the television measuring just 7.8mm wide.
Bigger sizes
The TV is unique in that it features colour space control for 90 per cent of Adobe's RGB colour space and comes with gamma adjustment.
Also on board is 3x HDMI slots, 20w sound, 100Hz CMDIII and 1x PC input and component slots.
Speaking to JVC, the company revealed to TechRadar is to have an expected retail price of آ£1,700 (though this is subject to change) and the TV will be out in September.
Also, a spokesperson for JVC hinted that there is more to come from the range in 2010 and beyond.
It seems likely that JVC is to try and get a 42-inch version of the set into the market-place sometime in 2010 and there's also a 50-inch set pencilled in for the future. Don't expect these TVs to be a skinny as the WX50, however, with them most likely to have a width of 10mm. Which, to be fair, is still super-thin.
Check out the TV for yourself, in the picture gallery below:
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In Depth: Best 'free laptop with broadband' deals
Following on from last week's piece where we rounded up the best deals to get free laptops with a mobile phone contract, we thought we'd look at the free laptop deals you can get when signing up to a mobile broadband contract
Here are the very best deals we've seen - that garner you either a free netbook or laptop. All of these deals are on 24-month contracts unless otherwise specified. Each of the deals also comes with a monthly usage allowance, usually 3GB or 5GB of data per month. That means these contracts are great for browsing and email, but not so good for watching iPlayer or downloading anything sizeable.
PC World has a wide choice of free laptops available on mobile broadband deals from Vodafone and 3 ranging from آ£30-آ£40 per month. The Vodafone contracts include either 3GB or 5GB of usage allowance, while the 3 deals include a whopping 15GB.
Pick of the offers includes آ£30 a month for a Dell 15.6-inch, Intel Celeron 3GB laptop with 3GB of usage allowance on Vodafone. For آ£40 a month this ups to 5GB of data allowance, while you can choose from 15.6-inch Dell, Packard Bell or HP laptops. A 17.3-inch Compaq is also available with the 3 deal.
PC World's sister site The Link also adds in T-Mobile deals, too.
Carphone Warehouse also has several free laptop-with-broadband offers on offer at the moment including a Dell Mini 10 for آ£20 a month on Vodafone. Only 1GB of data is included, though.
What about the networks?
From the networks themselves, Vodafone is offering a Free Samsung NC10 Netbook plus a 1GB mobile broadband deal for آ£25 a month. This includes access to Vodafone's 7.2Mbps mobile broadband network.
T-Mobile is offering various offers on its 4.5Mbps mobile broadband network, including an 8.9-inch Asus Eee PC on a 3GB, آ£20 a month deal. You can up this deal to 5GB of usage allowance to a 1GB 15.4-inch HP 6735s at آ£30 a month or a 3GB version of the same laptop for آ£35 a month.
3's 3.5Mbps network offers a آ£22.50 a month deal with a free Acer Aspire One 150b. Howvever, you do get that whopping 15GB a month usage allowance.
Orange has a free Asus Eee 1000H on offer, which you can get with 3GB of data allowance for آ£30. 1GB and 5GB packages are available, as well as slightly more expensive contracts that only tie you to 18-month contracts rather than 24. This is on the 3.6Mbps Orange network.
O2 has several Samsung netbooks and laptops available. The pick of which is the 10.2-inch Samsung NC10, available for آ£30 with 3GB of allowance. You can up this to 10GB for آ£40. Variants of the Samsung R510 are also available.
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Microsoft releases widescreen LifeCam Cinema
Microsoft has officially unveiled its LifeCam Cinema webcam – bringing widescreen 720p technology to its range of peripherals.
The new webcam offers a native 720p sensor, which Microsoft hope will tap into the growing desire of the public to post their videos online.
"When we started working on LifeCam Cinema almost a year ago, we were motivated by the fact that new computer displays were predominantly widescreen and top social networking sites were allowing widescreen video," said Stuart Milton, systems engineer for Microsoft Hardware.
Next gen
"LifeCam Cinema sets the stage for the next generation of webcam use: uploading widescreen videos with amazing quality to social networking sites and soon chatting live with friends and family in widescreen format," he added.
TechRadar has had a play with the new rather nice camera and Microsoft has also pushed out the LifeCam VX-800 and LifeChat LX-1000 as well.
The LifeCam Cinema is priced at آ£69.99, LifeCam VX-800 at آ£19.99 and LifeChat LX-1000 at آ£16.99.
But remember people, posting naked footage of yourself on the internet is neither big nor clever – especially in widescreen.
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Pirate Bay clone site surfaces
For those fearing that the death of Pirate Bay would bring the end of the massive archive of torrents, a complete replica of the site has been set up.
Pirate Bay's purchase has been met by dismay among the P2P community, especially when the new owners started to make noises about turning it into a pay service.
But, proof positive, if it was ever needed, that the death of one P2P facilitator will only cause the creation of a new one, btarena.net has now surfaced.
Special torrent
The site was formed with the information in a torrent that contained the entire Pirate Bay site.
Pirate Bay's popularity was as much to do with its ethos and reputation – so there's no guarantee that the new site, or any other, will replicate the success.
But P2P is unlikely to disappear just because its most famous propagators are changed or closed.
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MacFormat offers 200 Mac tips for download
MacFormat – part of the TechRadar network – has now relaunched online with a sparkly new website.
The monthly Apple bible has finally been given a long-awaited internet makeover and to celebrate that it has released a PDF version of its celebrated 200 unmissable Mac tips.
Graham Barlow, the editor of the magazine, says: "It's not just a lick of paint we've given the site, either; it's a ground-up rebuild, hosted on a proper, modern back-end that will let us grow and evolve the site in exciting ways over the next few years.
"Our homepage brings everything together. You'll see featured blog posts from the team – and some of our best contributing editors…"
You can check it out at http://www.macformat.co.uk/
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iTunes 9 to include Facebook support?
Screenshots of the next generation of iTunes have reportedly surfaced, showing new elements including Facebook integration.
The new shots show a setting whereby you're Facebook account is linked into Apple's media player, with the chosen playlist then shown on your FB page.
The presumption is that you could then view the collaborative playlist in iTunes, and probably less than subtle urgings to buy the songs from Apple.
Third party support?
The Boy Genius Report has also found (well, more was sent) pictures showing iTunes supporting a Samsung PMP, meaning Jobs' lot could have had a third party change of heart.
Obviously these screenshots have to be taken with a full shaker of salt, especially as it seems quite unlikely Apple would want to open up its media player.
That said, Jobs does like to spring the odd surprise once in a while, and multi-device support would probably attract even more users to start seeing iTunes as their primary media player.
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Ofcom publishes UK guide to phone numbers
Communications watchdog Ofcom has published a useful list of what UK numbers mean and how much each will cost to ring.
The sheer number of options for UK consumers makes it difficult to keep track of what costs national rate, local rate or premium rate.
So, Ofcom has responded by publishing its latest guide – explaining the difference between a 0800 number and an 03 prefix – and what you'll pay for those darn 0871 calls.
Confused?
"If you're confused by call charges or don't know your 03 from your 0845 numbers, then we have the perfect guide for you," say Ofcom.
"There are so many different types of phone number these days that it can be hard keeping tabs on how much they cost to call."
Common numbers
"Our guide looks at some of the common numbers in use today, what they are used for and how much it costs to call them from a BT landline," Ofcom continues
"You can then download the guide, print it off and keep it by your phone so that you've always got the facts at your fingertips."
You can check out the guide at http://www.ofcom.org.uk/files/2009/08/numbering.pdf but be aware that it's a PDF file.
Alternatively you can call 0845...
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LG's GD910 watchphone priced at 'only' آ£500
Orange has announced the price of the LG GD910 watchphone, the mobile it will be stocking exclusively in the UK.
It's 'only' آ£500 (which is a huge amount, but still cheaper than many were expecting), but that looks like it may only be a promotional price.
Starting 27 August, Orange will be offering the wrist-mobile on a first come, first served basis to those that desire the chance to chat to their arm.
There will also be a 'limited number' available via the Orange online shop too, should you be too lazy to wander into London in the wee small hours.
Cheaper than expected
We spoke to Orange, and it appears the آ£500 price point is on Pay As You Go, which is in stark contrast to the €899 cost of the GD910 in France (which appears to come with a contract as well... are we Brits getting a very good deal indeed or was something lost in translation?)
The news of the lower price is going to help the cause the GD910 greatly in the UK, as it was already being written off as an expensive novelty before it had even debuted here.
But now آ£500 puts it alongside other high end smartphones, which means it might gain a lot more acceptance than previously predicted.
If you're interested in being one of the first to pick up the LG GD910 in the UK, then pop on down to the flagship Bond Street Station store in London next Thursday - we'll be there to see how many people want to chat to their wrist, so don't forget to say hi!
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In Depth: 10 record-breaking achievements in tech
Fastest runner, tallest building, fattest man – who cares about any of that when there are world records of technology just waiting to be broken?
Some of these records have stood for eons, a few are broken just about every year.
The greatest tech advancements are all about faster speeds and higher capacities, proof that the highest accomplishments of man are often silicon-based.
1. Largest wireless internet provider
DoCoMo in Japan, with 45 million subscribers
Guinness World Record: Yes, in 2006
In 2006, DoCoMO in Japan set – and has kept – the record for the largest deployment of wireless internet with 45 million subscribers. The service is called i-Mode, and is similar to the US Sprint closed network system that enables users to access a set number of web sites and check their usage plans.
2. internet land speed record
Record stands at 7.67 Gbps
Guinness World Record: No
This record, set in 2007 by the University of Tokyo, is interesting because it essentially maxed out the limit of a 10 Gbps connection, running at a real-world speed of 7.67 Gbps. The test requires that the participants use standard TCP/IP and a single IP address sent to another single IP address, so no clusters are involved. Since there are no higher 40Gbps network interface controller cards available yet, the speed test is essentially on hold until new hardware is available.
3. Largest virtualization deployment
Userful and ThinNetworks' 356,800 thin clients in Brazil
Guinness World Record: No
At just آ£30 ($50) per seat, the Userful and ThinNetworks deployment of 356,800 clients – which will be used for rural schools in Brazil this year – involves 18,750 workstations running thousands of desktop instances. Each workstation will run ten different clients in a classroom setting, with ten students using a screen, keyboard and mouse connected to a single thin PC. The deployment will save about 170,000 tons of CO2 emissions as well, and reduce power consumption by about 80 per cent. Impressive.
4. Most viewed internet concert
Madonna webcast on MSN in 2000 with 11 million virtual attendees
Guinness World Record: Yes
Way back in 2000, an online concert for Madonna attracted 11 million simultaneous visitors, even if it didn't attract a hugely positive reaction. The video ran on both MSN.com and MSN.co.uk. Today, online concerts are rare – they tend to cause server outages, congestion problems with ISPs, and mean a lot of frustration for fans.
5. Fastest desktop processor
Intel Core i7
Guinness World Record: No
The current record-holder for fastest processor is the relatively new Intel Core i7, running at 3.20 GHz and setting a record score of 117 in the SPECint_base_rate2006 test. It's the first CPU to perform better than a score of 100, and is ranked about 40 per cent faster than previous Intel processors. It's also worth mentioning that AMD broke a world record for the fastest overclocked CPU, with the Phenom II X4 running at 6.5GHz, cooled by liquid nitrogen and liquid helium.
6. Largest data warehouse
Sybase IQ analytics server
Guinness World Record: Yes, in 2008
The largest data warehouse in the world is the Sybase IQ analytics server running on a Sun SPARC Enterprise M9000, which holds one petabyte of input data. The data warehouse fits into just three server cabinets and emits about 500 tons of CO2 per year, compared to conventional data warehouses, which fit in about 30 cabinets and emit 500 tons of CO2. The data warehouse holds six trillion rows of transitional data and 185 million documents.
7. Highest capacity media switch
The Steelbox, used for surveillance, supports 512 simultaneous video feeds.
Guinness World Record: No
The Steelbox Digital Matrix Storage Switch 3000 can handle 512 simultaneous MPEG-4 video feeds at 1.5Gbps each – the device is used for video surveillance. The appliance, which fits in a data center cabinet, adjusts load balances automatically to make sure each stream stays smooth, handles multiple codecs, and can automatically change storage locations if a video feed taxes the appliance.
8. Fastest supercomputer
IBM Roadrunner
Guinness World Record: No
The fastest supercomputer in the world is part of the IBM Roadrunner project at the Los Alamos National Lab in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The supercomputer runs at 1.105 petaflops, or 444.9 megaflops per watt. For those keeping track of the top ten list, the Dawn supercomputer that went online this year at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab in Livermore, California, debuted at the ninth position. When the 20-petaflop supercomputer at Livermore goes online in 2012 it will likely take the number one spot. To understand how fast a petaflop is: it's the equivalent of having every human on the planet perform 150,000 calculations every second. At 20 petaflops, each human would do 3 million calculations.
10. Lightest mobile phone in the world
Modu (modumobile.com)
Guinness World Record: No
Forget the iPhone, which weighs a back-breaking 135 grams. The Moduphone weighs just 40 grams and measures only 72.1 mm (2.8 inches) x 37.6 mm (1.4 inches) x 7.8 mm – making it the world's smallest mobile phone as well. The device has 2GB of built-in flash memory and a 1.3-inch screen.
7. Largest communications satellite
TerreStar-1 satellite
Guinness World Record: Under review
The largest communications satellite ever deployed is the TerreStar-1, launched this year. It will be used mostly for delivering a mobile broadband network. The satellite weighs nearly 7000kg and has an 18-metre antenna that transmits a signal on the 2GHz spectrum. The TerreStar-1 is also the largest satellite launched into geosynchronous transfer orbit, beating the ICO G-1 satellite launched in 2008.
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Windows: The Official Magazine on TechRadar
Windows: The Official Magazine is the only computing title to be endorsed by Microsoft, and is available in 12 countries across the world.
The purpose of the magazine is to help people get more from their Windows PC, and covers all the main versions, as well as essentials additions to the Windows family, such as Windows Live and Windows Mobile.
Whether it's editing digital photos, creating a music playlist or streaming movies from the PC to the TV, Windows has a real focus on helping us use PCs to enhance our lives. And so we've created a PC magazine and web site with the same goal.
Whether you're using or thinking about buying a new Windows PC, we'll explain everything you need to know to get up and running and get the most from the new features and programs. We'll also help you to buy hardware and software to use with your PC.
Every month the magazine features the best news, features guides, reviews, hints, tips and hacks which help readers get more from their PC.
The readers are one of the most unique parts of Windows Magazine, and have helped make the magazine a success. The ever growing reader panel help with reader reviews and opinions.
Windows: The Official Magazine online
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Archos soft launches own Android app store
Archos has launched its own portal for Android applications as it prepares for the unveiling of its Android device.
The phone / mobile internet device (we're lost on what to call it any more) will be shown off in France on 15 September, but TechRadar was told by Archos last month that there will be a simultaneous launch in the UK.
The AppsLib from Archos says that it will be offering the applications developed for the Android platform on any compatible device, be it a phone, netbook or even a picture frame:
"If you wish that your application can be accessed by a large variety of users, on a large spectrum of devices, all you have to do is send us your app. It will be accessible by any Android device using the AppsLib application. This application store can be downloaded and used for free by any user of any Android device."
Coding for dummies
The portal offers advice on how to code for Android (and seems a little like 'Developing for Dummies', with hints on screen resolution and watching out for menu placement).
However, Archos is clearly pushing its own Android device (bizarrely called the Archos 5 Internet Tablet - we hope that's not the name as things will get very confusing with the 'normal' Archos 5) on the site, citing options like spewing out the application content onto a HD TV.
It's very much in soft launch at the moment, so check it out if you're a developer with an itch to code. And don't forget to check back for our in-depth coverage of the Archos launch, when we'll be getting a good hands on with the new Archos device.
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Review: Denon AVR-4310
In the Denon AVR-4310, we have yet another incarnation of Denon's 4300 series networked multichannel AV receiver. Like many of these annual AVRs, you may not notice much of a difference straightaway.
The name has changed, but the face is the same. However, in this case that's no bad thing as the AVR-4308 was a cracker. In fact, other than looking like two peas in a pod (er, black square peas...) there are a number of quite important changes going on beneath that menacing-looking hood.
Denon Link 4th Edition makes its first commercial appearance for better audio link-up with other Denon source products, there is a new Clock Jitter Reducer to improve audio from any HDMI or digital audio input, and you get all new High-Bit i/p scaling for all those ancient analogue video sources you are still hanging on to.
But let's cut right to the chase here – the big news is the world's first implementation of Audyssey's Dynamic Sound eXpansion processing, otherwise known as Audyssey DSX. Forget those rear-back speakers driven by channels six and seven. Implement DSX and enjoy a wider or higher front soundstage with additional speakers up front instead.
If the Audyssey way doesn't float your boat, then the AVR-4310 also offers Dolby's latest Pro-Logic IIz – likewise featuring height-channels as opposed to rear-backs. Not only are both touted as better-sounding than a standard 7.1 set-up, for all those AV aficionados with a doorway, window or opening behind the sofa negating rear-back speakers, this is big news.
Get into the familiar and rather slick Denon GUI and there are a few nice new touches here, too. Most helpful is a new subwoofer level matching routine that engages before the main speaker-by-speaker calibration.
Having bitched regularly about the length of time Denon set-up takes, only to find your sub is set too high and you have to start all over again, this gets a real vote of thanks from me. You get to choose standard 7.1, 5.1 plus Width speakers, or 5.1 plus Height speakers.
The rest of the Audyssey auto set-up is standard fare. Interestingly, the final calculation seems to take a whole lot longer than on previous models – presumably due to do all the number crunching for Audyssey DSX.
Power house
There is plenty of power (130W, claimed) to all channels, of course, plus a comprehensive gamut of HD audio processing and a refreshed, if not radically new, pair of remote controls. I could go on about the ease of network set-up, USB iPod access, the vTuner web-radio server and even the new feature for direct access to your Napster account, but all that is just icing on a really rather fine cake.
The sound of the AVR-4310, straight out of the crate, is great. Not just okay or good in parts, but bona fide great. There's some guy in Japan responsible for tuning Denon's receivers of late, and he has got all the audio desires nailed. Put on any action movie (Iron Man was to hand), and the sound is huge, potent and powerful with stupendous bass.
Yet at the same time the 4310 can be as agile and subtle as a really good stereo hi-fi amplifier. Having only just disconnected Yamaha's similarly-priced DSP Z7, the Denon kicks it up the speaker terminals in quite a few areas of auditory delight.
Perhaps if I wanted a little more simplicity in the set-up, a few less tweaks and tricks and perhaps a little more grunt over refinement, I would have a peek at the Z7… then quickly run back to the AVR-4310 to revel in its dynamic dexterity and detailing.
And then there is its Dolby Pro-Logic IIz and Audyssey DSX trickery. Well, Dolby Pro-Logic IIz is an absolute triumph – but not for its use with two-channel matrix sources. The format's real magic is processing height channel information out of all Dolby and DTS formats – even those of an HD persuasion.
And, wow, what a difference. Tony Stark's quick-fire dialogue in Dolby TrueHD is immediately lifted up into the centre of the screen and the whole front soundstage gains a mass of solidity and scale. As he burst out of his captors' cave in the original Iron Man armour, the entire front of the room exploded with three-dimensional sound like I've never heard before. Put it this way, once you have tried TrueHD or DTS HD with added IIz Height, rear-back channels will be a thing of the past.
OUTPUT: Sound goes in, magic comes out
Casting my mind back to Yamaha's DSP amplifiers with their added 'presence' height channels, the difference is a world apart. These modes have always seemed to induce a feint layer of hash and vaguely phasey edge to the front soundstage, and I confess I expected exactly the same from Dolby's version.
By comparison, IIz Height, when added to DD and DTS sound, is rock-solid, precisely-focused and builds beautifully on the whole front-of-stage atmosphere. Through actions, dramas, animated movies and even my growing collection of multichannel BD music discs, I preferred the added IIz height to rear-back channels every single time.
This also goes a long way to justify Audyssey's reasoning behind DSX, suggesting that added channels at the front are a whole lot better for the immersive effect of a film than more at the rear. And Audyssey DSX Height mode is every bit as clean and refined as Dolby IIz Height, and you can adjust the height effect in 10 per cent increments.
I settled for the absolute mid-way setting which offered the best compromise between the additional soundstage height and the front end becoming a little dislocated. But just like IIz Height, when DSX Height is added to TrueHD or DTS-HD soundtracks, the effect is uniformly positive and better overall than a standard configuration 7.1 channel set-up. Now that's already two revelations in one review.
Swapping speakers to reconfigure for Audyssey DSX Width mode is an unfortunate faff. It involves a complete re-set of the receiver from scratch, including re-measuring all the seating positions. And you can't store multiple configurations – so if you want to go back to Height set-up afterwards – it's another re-set job.
Audyssey DSX Width is just as impressive as DSX Height – albeit in a completely different way (well, dimension). Imagine moving your main speakers out about ten feet in either direction, which if your room is anything like mine would be in the garden, and then filling the void between those and the centre speaker with more main L/R sound. Having already had my flabber well and truly gasted by IIz and DSX Height, the DSX Width is another revelation. That's three in a day – too much for a man of my age.
Throughout Iron Man the whole front end soundstage is wider and more enveloping, but never spreads so far that it upsets the critical front end focus. Dialogue remains centre-centre but seems better-projected with more body, and the sheer number of speakers up front adds a greater sense of scale and dynamic impact. This just begs for even more gratuitous use of the volume knob and the Denon rises to the challenge without even a flinch.
Can't get what you want
But for all the flag waving and tooting trumpets, there's one huge snag: I don't want either IIz Height/DSX Height or DSX Width – I want both at the same time. Okay, the AVR-4310 clearly has no power amp modules left for nine-channel sound but a simple line-level output would have let you add an extra stereo power amplifier for the full DSX 9.1 experience. Ultimately, I would choose Dolby IIz Height with Audyssey DSX Width and rear-back channels as well. But I'm greedy.
The AVR-4310 is the best sub آ£2k home cinema receiver on the market and, if more than seven speakers in the lounge is impractical or outlawed chez vous, it's a no-brainer. But should those of us with spare speakers and tolerant partners wait? Perhaps until next year, when I am guessing that the AVR-4311 might have nine channels to elicit the full-fat Audyssey DSX experience.
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Opinion: Playing videogames makes you fat and sad
We've known for ages that the average videogame player is in his or her thirties, but new research gives a more detailed picture: gamers are fat and miserable, too.
The study, which will be printed in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that gamers were more likely to be couch potatoes and that they had "a greater number of poor mental health days" than non-gamers.
We're not surprised, because gaming can be a pretty depressing business. Just think: thousands of people have spent nearly fifty quid on things such as Transformers 2 or bought those Wii games that you only ever see in supermarkets. They're enough to send anybody over the edge.
Even half-decent games can drive you crazy. You buy the latest shooter, rip off the packaging, fire it up for the first time and end up hurling the controller across the room when you discover that the designers ran out of ideas halfway through and decided just to copy Halo again.
Or you're making progress, getting right into the story, and for no good reason the difficulty level goes into orbit and you're facing the Endlessly and Pointlessly Respawning Boss Monster That Isn't Fun To Kill The First Time Let Alone The Fiftieth Oh And By The Way Every Time You Die You Have To Replay The Twenty Minutes Leading Up To The Boss Fight Because The Designers Hate You.
pwned online
If that wasn't depressing enough, there's online gaming, too. You spend ages playing the single-player campaign until you know every weapon inside out and can kill anything with a single shot, and you go online to face your peers.
Thirty seconds later you've been shot in the face and can only watch as a ten-year-old teabags your twitching corpse.
Or maybe that's not it at all. Maybe it's not that games make us sad; it's that we play games when life gets us down.
According to the study, women gamers in particular may use games as a form of self-medication - that is, when they're feeling grumpy or generally fed up they vent their frustration by bashing zombies in the face with hammers.
It's possible that that can become addictive - "habitual use of video games as a coping response may provided a genesis for obsessive-compulsive video-game playing, if not video-game addiction" - but bashing villains on the TV sounds a damn sight healthier to us than stuffing your face with chocolate while guzzling a bottle of wine and weeping.
So does the study say that games are bad? Not exactly: it's hardly a surprise that there's a correlation between gaming and sedentary lifestyles, and there are of course positive aspects to gaming, too.
It seems that the answer, strangely enough, may be Microsoft's Project Natal and Nintendo's Wii. According to Brian A Primack of the University of Pittsburgh, games such as "hide and seek" and "freeze tag" are "still probably what we need most" - and motion-sensing games deliver pretty similar experiences. Halo: Hide And Seek, anyone?
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Official Wikipedia iPhone app arrives
An official Wikipedia app for iPhone has been launched – bringing the online encyclopedia even closer to your fingertips.
Although accessing Wikipedia is not hard through an iPhone, and there have been past apps to accomplish such a thing, but this is the first official foray into the iTunes App store from Wikimedia – the company behind Wikipedia.
Spread free knowledge
"Our mission is to spread free knowledge; we want to do everything we can to meet and embrace that audience," Jay Walsh told AFP.
"Everybody recognizes with the growth of mobile tools globally that this is how people access information."
Wikimedia insists that its pared down functionality is to keep things speedy and simple – rather than bringing oodles of option that you rarely use.
The application, as you may expect, is free – and available now for those who have burning questions that you need answering (unless its about who's dead and who is alive).
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Review: Moblin Beta
At the core of the Moblin desktop is Myzone, the Intel equivalent to iGoogle. It's a dynamic homepage that pulls data from various Moblin components.
There's a thumbnail list of recently viewed web pages, upcoming appointments and a quick launch toolbar. The desktop includes standard Linux applications, all bound together by a scrolling toolbar.
The entire windowing system is full of fluid transitions and smooth scrolling thanks to a technology called Clutter. This has also tamed virtual desktops, transforming them into something Moblin calls 'zones'.
MOBLIN ZONES: Zones are the Moblin equivalent of virtual desktops
New applications can be added to a new or old zone, complete with [Alt]+[Tab] previews. But there are omissions. We'd like to see a single pervasive search and an official method of adding new applications.
The toolbar also gets in the way when you close applications. But all of this can be fixed, and Moblin still represents a significant step forward for Linux on netbooks.
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RIM planning full Flash support for BlackBerry
RIM will apparently announce Flash and Silverlight support for its BlackBerry range in the next year.
According to The Boy Genius Report, which has been 'gathering information' on the subject for the last few months, the company is planning to debut Flash-enabled devices in time for next summer.
The reason for the delay is apparently RIM needs to strengthen the browsers on its devices, as well as preparing them for increased speeds.
Paradigm shift
The idea will represent something of a paradigm shift for RIM, which has traditionally eschewed 3G connections on most of its handsets (the Bold and the Storm excepted).
But including Flash will need a whizzy fast connection, and apparently RIM has been testing its devices up to 10Mbps in an effort to ready its troops for the switch.
The timing of the device launch is interesting too, as it's generally around the same time Apple announces a new iPhone. While we're loathe to compare everything to Apple's mobile, the lack of Flash on the device has been noticeable.
We wouldn't be surprised if Apple announced the next version of the iPhone with a level of Flash compatibility, thus levelling the score between it and RIM.
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Review: Firefox 3.5
We've been living with the new Firefox for some time, testing it in beta. Along the way, Mozilla renamed this release 3.5, from the working designation of 3.1. Is it justified? Very much so.
Users benefit from the addition of Private Browsing in Firefox 3.5. This has been present in the beta version from the first release and stops the browser recording your history or permanently caching files.
There are improvements to tabs as well: Firefox now opens with a second tab active and you can 'tear off' tabs into their own separate windows.
Speed is an increasingly hot topic, and 3.5 performs well in benchmark tests against previous versions. In our tests, it was nearly four times as fast as IE8 using the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark. The real progress is for developers.
HTML 5 enhancements dominate but, more importantly, XUL improvements make it easier to build add-ons. With an eye on mobile uses, geolocation is supported, enabling regionalised application development.
As always, Firefox defines the state-of-the-art.
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Tech myths exploded
Proof that even some of the most self-proclaimed techies can be caught out by so-called tech truths, we've dug out some distorted tales in tech, revealing those which carry an element of truth, and the ones which are as false as your grandmother's teeth.
Launch the gallery to see our greatest tech myths exploded.
Via T3.com
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Review: Firefox 3.5
We've been living with the new Firefox for some time, testing it in beta. Along the way, Mozilla renamed this release 3.5, from the working designation of 3.1. Is it justified? Very much so.
Users benefit from the addition of Private Browsing in Firefox 3.5. This has been present in the beta version from the first release and stops the browser recording your history or permanently caching files.
There are improvements to tabs as well: Firefox now opens with a second tab active and you can 'tear off' tabs into their own separate windows.
Speed is an increasingly hot topic, and 3.5 performs well in benchmark tests against previous versions. In our tests, it was nearly four times as fast as IE8 using the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark. The real progress is for developers.
HTML 5 enhancements dominate but, more importantly, XUL improvements make it easier to build add-ons. With an eye on mobile uses, geolocation is supported, enabling regionalised application development.
As always, Firefox defines the state-of-the-art.
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Review: VPI Scout
Of VPI's seven-strong range of turntables, the Scout is the New Jersey-based manufacturer's most affordable offering: with a price of under آ£1,600, it must be the least expensive US made turntable on the market.
But, what it lacks in price, the Scout makes up for in size, being easily the widest turntable in the group, although it just about fits on a standard width equipment support.
Furnished with a solid plinth design with a separate freestanding motor block, the Scout's only means of keeping stand-bound resonance at bay are Sorbothane mountings above each of the conical feet. The latter are tipped with a ball, rather than a spike, that will be a lot kinder to supporting surfaces.
The plinth is composed of MDF atop a steel plate, while the platter is a 34mm slab of acrylic that sits on an inverted bearing with a Teflon thrust pad and a case-hardened shaft.
The motor sits in a steel box that accepts a kettle lead, but cleverly hides this junction underneath the turntable. What you do see is a switch sticking out that turns it on and off. Drive is via a round section peripheral belt and speed change is a matter of flipping the belt onto the lower pulley for 45rpm.
The JMW9 tonearm is a unipivot design that's beautifully finished but a pain to set-up, thanks to the wobbly nature of the genre. It has a sharp tip that acts as the bearing point and a rather ineffectual arm clamp that does little to hold it in place.
One unusual aspect is that the arm wire, which plugs into the terminal block at the rear, acts as the sole means of anti-skating. No interconnects are supplied with the turntable, so we used some of The Chord Company's Chameleon leads for the review. While relatively affordable at آ£90, these leads are of significantly better quality than found on the other arms in this test.
Sound quality
The Scout is clearly a capable turntable. It might be initially disconcerting wielding its wobbly unipivot arm, but the results make for good listening. One listener even wondered if it might be the Rock 7.
In practice, it's not quite as revealing as that design, but it delivers the fluidity that is the quintessence of vinyl. It doesn't have the greatest imaging skills, but it can deliver impressive tonal shading in the context of an energetic and lively overall sound.
Some listeners found it a little too forward, mentioning that ambience was lost or overshadowed by the more forthright instruments in a mix – the guitars on Joni Mitchell's Overture-Cotton Avenue having too much attack, for example.
Stereo imaging, although lacking precision, is not short on scale and while timing does not appear to be a strongpoint, it is easily on a par with most of the competition. In fact, one listener considered it to be fast and together, but the overall consensus was more considered. The treble is a little smoothed off, but the bass is well-defined and it has a degree of composure that suggests highly engaging long-term listening.
The Scout does most things better than average and its good quality finish and build combine with this to make for an attractive package. The unipivot JMW9 is easily the most impressively built tonearm in this group and, for those who like using alternative cartridges, it offers the easiest means to swap the things over if you buy a second arm wand.
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MySpace nabs iLike to halt Facebook charge
iLike, the popular music discovery service, has been bought by MySpace for an undisclosed sum (thought to be in the region of $20 million / آ£12 million).
MySpace has nabbed the company in a bid to arrest its accelerating decline in the face of Facebook popularity, and in doing so now owns one of the most popular apps on the rival site.
It's not currently known whether the deal will mean the iLike app being pulled from Facebook, but given a vast numbers of the estimated user base comes from the site it's unlikely.
However, it's possible Facebook could be unwilling to host a service from its main rival and could sacrifice users in order to maintain that stance.
MySpace, not MySpace music
iLike founders Ali and Hadi Partovi and Nat Brown will take unconfirmed roles within MySpace as part of the deal.
It's important to note that it's the main MySpace site that's picked up the deal, and not MySpace Music, which is a separately run venture in collaboration with the big record labels.
The move to buy iLike means that MySpace is helping to enrich the band pages it currently hosts (and is the number one site still for bands) to help users discover new music.
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Hours left to download Windows 7 RC
Microsoft will turn off downloads of the Windows 7 RC in a matter of hours – after allowing millions of users to download a trial version of its forthcoming operating system.
Microsoft's Windows 7 RC was made available to the public for download in May and the cut-off date was eventually pinned to August 20 - at about 4pm BST.
For those that have a copy of the RC on disc but have not yet obtained a key to use it, Microsoft has suggested that they will still be offering this service.
Those who have grabbed a version will be able to use it fully until March 1, 2010 when the system will shut down every two hours until June 10 when it will not boot – with the full retail Windows release date October 22.
Brave decision
The decision to release the RC to the public was a brave one by Microsoft, but it has been ratified by the wealth of positive feedback about the successor to Vista.
TechRadar's Microsoft expert Mary Branscombe gave the operating system five stars in our extensive Windows 7 review, suggesting that the OS was 'the best version of Windows yet'.
Pre-sales of the Operating System left Microsoft 'overwhelmed' and the company is now looking forward to the full release in October.
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World of Warcraft magazine launched
World of Warcraft is getting its very own magazine, with Blizzard signing a deal with Future Publishing to bring out a quarterly look into the world of Azeroth.
WoW has revolutionised gaming and MMOs since its arrival in 2004, with more than 11.5 million subscribers forking over a monthly fee to participate in the rolling fantasy adventure.
The level of enthusiasm for the world and its inhabitants is still sky high – and that has now brought about a global quarterly magazine – from the same publishers who bring you TechRadar.
Paul Sams, Chief Operating Officer of Blizzard Entertainment, said: "Future produces some of the most respected gaming magazines in the industry, and we're pleased to be working closely with them to make World of Warcraft: The Magazine a true standout product.
"Together, we look forward to offering World of Warcraft players a great mix of entertaining and insightful content in every issue."
Multi-language
Launching simultaneously in English, French, German, and Spanish editions, the new magazine will be available via subscription only, sold through World of Warcraft Account Management or direct from www.worldofwarcraftthemagazine.com (which launches at 9.00PST/17.00GMT on August 21).
The magazine is available as a one or two-year subscription, pricing for one year is $39.95 in the US and €34.95 or آ£29.95 in Europe- two year subscription packages cost $69.95 in the US, €61.25 or آ£52.50.
Julian Rignall, Editorial Director of World of Warcraft: The Magazine, added: "We're bringing together an international team of player-writer experts to create in-depth articles about World of Warcraft's design, art, lore and community, as well as all aspects of its gameplay.
"It's really important that our magazine articulates multiple player perspectives, so that the editorial offers balanced – and sometimes even opposing – points of view on winning strategies and tactics."
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