Baby's first MP3 player
It's never too early to give Junior his or her very own digital audio system and P2P network.
Scientists at the Manoharbhai Patel Institute of Engineering & Technology in Gondia, India, have developed a MP3 creation and transmission device for unborn babies.
The potentially life-saving technology is actually a fetal heart monitor and alert system, all in one.
Listening womb
The device is based on two small acoustic sensors that monitor fetal heart rate and feed the information to a wave analyser in a bedside personal computer connected to the internet. The first microphone is attached to the mother's abdomen to pick up the sound of the fetus' heartbeat, the second is attached further away to pick up ambient and bodily noise.
Computer software then subtracts the "noise" channel from the fetal sound to produce a WAV file that can be further analysed for medical anomalies. Should a problem be detected the WAV file could be compressed to MP3 for rapid upload via the internet to a doctor's computer or to trigger a gentle warning to seek medical assistance.
The team points out that they have successfully tested their monitoring system on several women at various stages of pregnancy. They also emphasise that the system is a passive one, in which no energy enters the mother's womb at any point.
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In Depth: The complete guide to upgrading your PC
According to Microsoft, less than five per cent of end users of its operating systems open up their machines. Given that upgrading is one of the cornerstones of what has traditionally made the PC such an attractive platform, that's an amazing statistic.
Why aren't more of us extending the life of our machines with a simple upgrade? Has our throwaway society really reached the point where it's easier to replace the whole machine rather than keep it up to date by upgrading?
Perhaps people worry that their warranties will be invalidated, or think that swopping components around is more hassle than it's worth. Is Microsoft making upgrading desktop computers tougher than it should be?
That five per cent statistic surfaced in defence to Microsoft's policy on having to reactivate Windows when you change a significant number of components in your machine. Adding more memory or replacing the graphics card shouldn't incur the wrath of Redmond. But touch the motherboard or the main hard drive, and you'll probably need to reach for the phone.
Reactivating Windows is little more than an annoyance, though, so it's hardly a deterrent. Is the real reason simply that upgrading has become too complex and expensive? Over the next eight pages we'll look at the many different options available, what tricks you need to bear in mind when physically upgrading and what you need to look for when considering a prospective upgrade.
We'll also look at the performance advantages of some of the key components and the trends and big releases that will change the upgrading landscape in the coming months. Upgrading your machine isn't a dark art. So while delving into the depths of your PC case might sound scary, don't be frightened. Let us take you by the hand and ease you into getting started on making some essential upgrades to your system.
Motherboards
Picking a motherboard isn't like picking any other component in your machine – it's less of a component and more of an assertion of a choice of platform. How you pick a motherboard is more about everything else that's going to end up in your machine rather than which features you would like on it.
Your choice of motherboard can essentially be reduced to asking which of the two CPU manufacturers you want to patronise, as Intel and AMD haven't shared a common platform since the days of the 486. So only once you've picked your processor can you decide which motherboard you want to use in your system.
MOBO CHOICES: Don't spend more than you need to – pick a motherboard that has features that you'll actually use
The latest platforms from Intel and AMD represent a fundamental change in the role of the motherboard. Both Intel's Core i7 and all of AMD's Athlon/Phenom/Phenom II CPUs now feature integrated memory controllers. At the most basic level, this means that the raw performance that used to separate the various motherboard chipsets has vanished.
Nowadays, apart from additional logic and a better selection of voltage regulators and capacitors to assist overclocking the chips, there's little to separate motherboards in terms of data throughput. If you're looking to differentiate motherboards by way of features, you're going to need a magnifying glass, as the most essential features are now included across the board.
This isn't due to a malaise among the motherboard manufacturers, but rather a shift in where the features are integrated. Indeed, it isn't the motherboard manufacturers that offer up the core competencies these days – it's the chipset manufacturers. For instance, you no longer need to go out of your way in order to find a motherboard offering RAID support, because RAID 0/1/5 is now standard on all modern chipsets.
There aren't as many companies manufacturing motherboard chipsets at the moment either – Nvidia and AMD produce chipsets for AMD's CPUs, and Intel covers its own bases. Intel's Core i7, for instance, is currently only served by one motherboard chipset: Intel's own X58. Motherboard manufacturers have managed to tweak this situation to address a number of price points, but these are generally around the آ£200 mark (with one exception in the form of the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R, which can be picked up for آ£143).
The feature-sets are impressive, but the lack of a truly affordable motherboard has undoubtedly held the Core i7 back. Gigabyte managed the low price on the GA-EX58-UD3R by shaving off two memory slots, which capped the maximum memory offered by the motherboard – although realistically, four slots should be sufficient for the vast majority of users.
There are still a few differentiating features between motherboards, though, with audio support being a major selling point for most manufacturers. How many Gigabit Ethernet ports are included can also separate one board from the next, while those looking to attach FireWire peripherals will find themselves having to pay out a little more to find a motherboard that supports the technology.
Indeed, for many it may be worth buying a more affordable motherboard and a FireWire PCI card instead of one that offers support natively. A selection of premium motherboards fall under the 'enthusiast' banner, with those featuring overclocking options costing more than normal boards. A card with a back-up BIOS will set you back more, for instance, but it can save you time if you push an overclock too far.
Onboard power and reset switches can also be useful if you like to tinker inside your machine, although again these tend to be available only on the higher end boards. If you're planning on running multiple graphics cards, one of the most impressive solutions currently available is Intel's X58 chipset.
This is the first time that a single motherboard chipset has been able to support both ATI's CrossFire and Nvidia's SLI technologies. We'll cover this in more detail when looking at graphics card upgrades, but for those who like the idea of multi-GPU graphics but don't have a particular allegiance, it certainly makes Core i7 a tempting platform.
Ultimate upgrade: If you're looking to get the full gamut of features, the Gigabyte GA-EX58-Extreme ticks all the right boxes, including FireWire support, HD Audio and up to 24GB of DDR3 RAM.
Price: آ£231 (آ£201 ex VAT)
Info: www.giga-byte.co.uk
Best bang for the buck: AMD's Phenom II processors may support DDR3 memory, but the difference over DDR2 is slight, making the likes of the Asus M4A78 a wise buy for those on a budget.
Price: آ£60 (آ£52 ex VAT)
Info: uk.asus.com
Hold on for: The release of Core i5 should produce a far more affordable (although annoyingly incompatible) platform compared to Core i7. Expect to see boards costing closer to the آ£100 to آ£150 mark.
CPU (Intel)
The launch of Intel's Core i7 has changed the CPU landscape considerably. Intel already had a lead on its old rival AMD thanks to the raw power of the Core 2 Duo. While these chips were somewhat inelegant, they delivered where it counted most: raw performance.
CORE I7: These are a good choice if you need a lot of power but you might do better waiting for Core i5
Core i7, however, has opened a gulf between the two companies and, thanks to the inclusion of a memory controller, meant that AMD's often-lauded memory throughput has finally been eclipsed. Intel has recently released new revisions of the Core i7, and the D0 stepping of the Core i7 920 has quickly become the most sought-after processors around, thanks in no small part to its overclocking potential.
However, while the chip itself isn't too expensive, you'll need the whole platform to make use of it, and that can cost a surprising amount of money when it's all added up. You'll need a socket 1366 motherboard to plug your processor into, enough memory to make sure the new processor has room to breathe (6GB has quickly become the norm) and of course the processor itself.
You're quickly looking at آ£500+ for such an upgrade, which is why AMD has managed to keep competitive.
Ultimate upgrade: The eight logical cores of the Core i7 represent the pinnacle of desktop computing. The new 920 D0 stepping offers stunning value for money, too, especially if you overclock it.
Price: آ£216 (آ£188 ex VAT)
Info: www.intel.com
Best bang for the buck: Multicore processors needn't cost the earth. The AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition isn't just an affordable processor, it's also the basis of an affordable platform that can still deliver big numbers.
Price: آ£109 (آ£95 ex VAT)
Info: www.amd.com
Hold on for: It's not going to trouble the Core i7, but Intel's Core i5 boasts a more mainstream pricing for the whole platform that could provide a knock-out blow to AMD's current value processors. Expected this Autumn.
RAM
There are four types of RAM currently in circulation, and they're defined by the support offered by your motherboard. The newest addition to the world of memory is DDR3, and it's an integral part of Intel's Core i7 and AMD's AM3 platforms.
However, older DDR2 RAM is still the most common memory standard (Core 2 Duo and Phenom both use it), and for good reason: it's affordable, well supported and has a proven track record. The third most popular type of memory is DDR, which could be the memory in your machine if you haven't upgraded in recent years.
TRIPLE CHANNEL: DDR3 demands you have three sticks of RAM, one for each slot on your mobo
If you've got a very old machine then you may still have basic SDRAM, in which case you'll find upgrading surprisingly expensive as it's now very much a niche technology. Whichever memory standard you're using, RAM sticks are defined by their speed and latency.
There are a few things to watch out for: you need to get the new sticks to match the memory that's already in your machine (or alternatively throw that away and start afresh), and you need to buy in multiple numbers that match the number of memory channels on your motherboard.
So if you're running a Core i7 rig, you'll need three DIMMs, because Core i7 boasts a triple-channel memory controller. If you've got an AM2+ Phenom II, then a pair of sticks is the order of the day.
Ultimate upgrade: You can get far more affordable 6GB kits, but the Corsair Dominator GT set boasts support for 2GHz bus speeds and 8-8-8-24 latencies for an impressive slice of memory performance – and it looks impressive too.
Price: آ£237 (آ£206 ex VAT)
Info: www.corsair.com
Best bang for the buck: If money is more of an issue, the OCZ Gold 6GB 10666 triple-channel kit makes for the perfect accompaniment to a Core i7, and with 9-9-9-20 latencies it's not sluggish either. Price: آ£63 (آ£55 ex VAT)
Info: www.ocztechnology.com
Hold on for: There are no major new memory technologies on the horizon, and DDR3 memory prices are finally at reasonable levels. Prices should continue to fall a little over time, but until Core i5 arrives and shake things up further, now is a good time to buy.
Graphics cards
The graphics card is the most likely of all modern PC components to start a heated debate. Why? Because anybody who has bought one of the latest and most likely expensive pixel-pushers will be keen to justify their purchase. However, when all the passions have been spent and the dust has settled, there is little separating the latest offerings from AMD and Nvidia.
As ever, though, the devil is in the detail. A fundamental shift has taken place between AMD and Nvidia's graphics cards recently, and it's to do with how the companies are approaching the highest end of the 3D market.
Nvidia has largely maintained the stance that it can keep improving and tweaking its cores to produce faster and faster GPUs, and to some extent it has succeeded. AMD, on the other hand, has concluded that multiple GPUs are the answer for high end products, and so it has been focusing more on the mainstream market, with high-end solutions made up of combinations of the mainstream chips. And again, the company has been successful to a degree.
What this means to us as upgraders is that there is a wide range of graphics cards available that can transform your gaming experience. Specifically because of the refocusing, an incredible amount of GPU power can be had at the more mainstream end of the scale, with cards costing between آ£100 and آ£150 now more than capable of driving a 20in or 22in screen at the native resolution with all the effects turned on.
You'll need a bigger screen in order to get the most from cards that cost close to آ£200, with the likes of the GeForce GTX 275 capable of running a 24in screen at the highest settings at a smooth 60fps. Indeed, it's only when you connect a machine to a 30in screen that you really push the current generation of cores, and it's then that you either have to select a single-card multi-GPU solution or go for an SLI or CrossFire card to drive the screen properly.
At this point you can easily spend a small fortune on a graphics subsystem (and the accompanying power requirements) for your system, but with good reason: the end results are usually extremely impressive.
An alternative way of using SLI and CrossFire is as an upgrade path in itself. Buy a card now, and then buy a second card later for a moderate performance boost. It's not a bad theory, but in practice finding a card a couple of years out of date is tricky, and stockists tend to charge roughly the same for older cards as they do for a more modern card.
The second-hand market can help you track down that second card, but there will be no reassurances that the card will work, so it can be risky. You're looking at roughly a 60 to 70 per cent performance improvement from the addition of that second card, so it may not transform your gaming the way that you were looking for anyway. And while driver support for such solutions has improved, it's still not perfect.
Essentially, we'd recommend caution when it comes to both SLI and CrossFire graphics cards, unless the card in question is so affordable that it becomes a risk worth taking. One thing you do need to be aware of when eyeing up a potential graphics card is that you'll not only need enough power to run the card, you'll also need the connectors to do so.
The more mainstream cards require just a single six-pin connector, but faster cards will require either a pair of these, or one six- and one eight-pin. You need to make sure that there's ample cooling in your machine too, as some of the cards (particularly dual-GPU solutions) can reach close to 100آ°C under full load.
Once you've decided what sort of price you can afford and selected the GPU you want driving your graphics card, things come down to the clockspeed of the GPU and RAM and the amount of RAM on each card. There's an economy of scale here, too – big manufacturers can afford to produce graphics cards that little bit cheaper. Keep an eye on recommendations in PC Plus for the latest and greatest cards that you should be considering for your rig.
Ultimate upgrade: If you're looking to drive a large screen, the Asus GTX 295 is an incredible piece of graphics kit. Capable of running all modern games smoothly, it's a stunning one-stop card.
Price: آ£360 (آ£313 ex VAT)
Info: uk.asus.com
Best bang for the buck: It's a close battle between AMD and Nvidia for best value, but the recent price battle makes the Sapphire HD 4870 1GB the best choice.
Price: آ£132 (آ£115 ex VAT)
Info: www.sapphiretech.com
Hold on for: Things should hot up once Intel enters the market with Larabee, and assuming that it's any good, we should see the price battle intensify even further. On paper it looks very interesting, so if you fancy giving it a try, hold your horses on the graphics card front for a bit.
Hard disks
Hard drives have maintained that unerring pace of progress that only computer components seem to achieve: the core technologies behind them are continuing to improve (leading to larger capacities and faster throughput), while the price tags just keep on dropping.
As a snapshot of the current state of the hard drive market, you can pick up a 1TB hard drive for as little as آ£60 to آ£70. The technological advances mean that such drives perform well too, with some managing read speeds as high as 80MB/s. If you want serious performance, though, there is a slightly more newsworthy addition to the storage market in the form of 'affordable' solid state drives (SSDs).
OLD FAITHFUL: Although SSD's offer much faster speeds, for cost you can't beat the humble harddrive
This technology has been rumbling along for years now, but the launch of the Intel X-25 pushed SSDs out from their niche to become a serious consideration for anyone looking for highperformance components. High-end SSDs offer read speeds of over 220MB/s, and much improved write performance.
Even if you can't afford a top-of-the range SSD, a low-end drive will generally give twice the performance of conventional platter-based drives. Ideally you want to set the SSD up as your main boot device, as it can as much as halve your boot time.
There are two significant downsides to SSDs, though: their capacities are tiny when compared to platter based drives, so you'll need one of those for your data anyway, and they're significantly more expensive than standard hard drives. If you can afford it, the best solution is to use an SSD as a boot drive and a conventional platter-based drive for your data.
Ultimate upgrade: It's not cheap and it's not particularly big, but it's incredibly fast – Intel's X25-E has made SSDs a real consideration for those looking for performance. It may hold only 32GB, but the X25-E will leave your existing hard drive looking pathetically slow.
Price: آ£325 (آ£283 ex VAT)
Info: www.intel.com
Best bang for the buck: The perfect accompaniment to an SSD or indeed as a main drive for the more cost conscious upgrader, the Hitachi Deskstar boasts a 16MB cache, 7,200rpm spindle speed and a cool 1TB of storage for a paltry sum.
Price: آ£59 (آ£51 ex VAT)
Info: www.hitachigst.com
Hold on for: The SSD market is still growing, but expect prices to settle a little over the coming year, thanks in part to improved support from Windows 7. Hybrid drives may off er the best of both worlds, so keep an eye out for them.
Power supplies
While it would be reassuring to think that the massive success of netbooks means that low-powered computing is infiltrating every aspect of our computing lives, the truth is that performance computing continues to increase the demand placed on our power supplies.
While we used to get by with the 250W PSUs that came bundled with PC cases, if you mean business then you're looking at making a separate purchase these days, and one that can set you back a tidy sum.
BFG: Remember to leave a little bit extra power with your PSU in case you need to upgrade again
It's not all bad news for the environment, though, as manufacturers are taking efficiency seriously – a lot of PSUs already offer 80 per cent efficiencies, but 85 per cent and 90 per cent models are on the way too. The hardest part about picking a power supply is working out how much power your machine needs.
Thankfully there are freely available tools to help you work this out, ranging from the simple to the exhaustive. Once you know how much power your system (or your potentially upgraded system) needs, give yourself a little room for further upgrades (50 to 100W) and you're done.
Ultimate upgrade: It's undoubtedly overkill for the vast majority of machines, but at least with the CoolerMaster Real Power 1,250W PSU you know that you won't be caught short on the power front, even if you fill your machine with all the best kit.
Price: آ£150 (آ£130 ex VAT)
Info: www.coolermaster.com
Best bang for the buck: Realistically your PSU needs are going to be quite modest, and a 500W model should really be more than enough. If you don't fancy shelling out too much dosh, the OCZ StealthXStream 500W Silent should have you covered for an upgrade or two.
Price: آ£43 (آ£37 ex VAT)
Info: www.ocztechnology.com
Hold on for: More efficient PSUs that can hit 90 per cent efficiency at high load are on their way, and while they may be more expensive to buy initially, they'll save you money over time.
One essential upgrade...
Sometimes you just can't afford to upgrade your whole system. If you can afford one upgrade, and only one, then how you spend your money should be dependent on what you use your machine for. Gamers have it easy – a new graphics card is generally the way to go as long as the processor isn't more than a couple of generations old.
If you move a lot of data around then a new hard drive makes sense. For heavy application use, the difference having an SSD as the main drive can make is simply incredible. However, for general day-to-day use, and for a more rounded upgrade for your money, we'd have to cheat a little and recommend that the move to the new Core i7 platform is the best upgrade you can make.
Intel has done a sterling job of shattering many of the bottlenecks of previous generations: the memory throughput is stunning, and the raw power of Core i7 makes light work of traditionally intensive tasks. It's not without its downsides, of course – and in the case of Core i7 the downside is very much financial – but if you need the power, there's nothing quite like it.
At least for now. It could easily turn out that the biggest threat to Core i7 is its soon-to-be-released sibling, Core i5.
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Review: A2B Multibox 6T
With analogue switchover well under way in the UK, the Multibox offers a convenient way of converting an entire building's TVs to receive digital broadcasts.
The Multibox 6T by A2B Electronics is made to go in an attic or cupboard rather than be on show. The box connects to the main roof aerial of any building and when first activated it auto-tunes six built-in digital tuners to a pre-set list of channels: BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1, Channel 4, Five and CBBC.
There is a single RF output socket to which you can attach a splitter and distribute to a maximum of about 10 TVs, VCRs or other recorders through conventional UHF coaxial cabling. Additional devices would need signal amplifiers. Any TVs on this network can then get those six digital channels without using a Freeview tuner.
Many properties – retirement homes or houses divided into flats – already have this kind of wiring. To upgrade every TV may not be feasible in all cases. At several hundred pounds, the Multibox isn't cheap, but it may be cheaper than buying stacks of new hardware.
The Multibox replaces the current analogue channels with their digital equivalents and with little disruption, though each TV involved needs retuning. If analogue channels are still being broadcast the Multibox's six channels will appear after them in an automatic search, or the TVs can be retuned manually to put the 'new' channels in place of the old ones. An indicator can be overlaid temporarily onscreen to help retune all of the TVs correctly. It's possible to change the line-up, although the product is most likely to be used to upgrade non-digital TVs and keep the current main channels on screen.
With only six tuners, it does not provide the whole Freeview package in one go, but the unit does pass on all digital signals so anyone can add Freeview boxes or new TVs for the full range of channels in individual rooms. In theory, more than one Multibox could be daisy-chained together if output frequencies are kept apart. The biggest cause of debate will be what should be on channel six instead of the default CBBC.
The Multibox's initial tuning is automatic, making installation easy. As well as the selection of Freeview channels, output frequencies can be changed manually in case of interference. By default the remodulated BBC One is on 591.25MHz (E36), which is close to Five in the London area and caused us some picture disturbance.
The unit provides an onscreen menu for retuning, changing the channel choices, specifying subtitle preferences and output frequencies. You'll need a TV within reach of the box to see the menu.
Anamorphic widescreen is supported so that 16:9 TVs get a proper picture, while 4:3 sets show a letterboxed version. The Multibox encodes the Freeview stereo soundtrack into Nicam for TVs that are compatible.
Picture quality is not as good as connecting a Freeview box to a TV via RGB Scart or HDMI. There is dot crawl on saturated colours and despite altering settings we still ended up with a sheen of interference on some channels. But the Multibox's digital decoding appears robust.
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Review: MSI 790FX-GD70
The recent CPU wars have caused somewhat of a war for motherboard manufacturers, each releasing their new socket mobos to coincide with the release of the top spec processors. We have got our grubby mitts on a review sample of the new mobo from MSI, sporting the latest AMD 790FX chipset for the new Phenom II processors, the surprisingly named 790FX-GD70.
Despite the relentless majesty of Intel's recent CPU releases, we still have something of a soft spot for AMD's chippery. For the most part, that's because AMD bends over backwards to make life easy for us enthusiasts when it comes to socket and CPU compatibility.
Backwards, forwards, up or down, AMD has ensured that all of its AM2, AM2+ and AM3 products, both sockets and CPUs, play nicely with each other. It takes all the uncertainty out of the whole rig building process.
With that in mind, however, you have to think very carefully about unloading a lot of money on an AMD compatible motherboard. Whatever chip you have, there are an awful lot of options and many of them eminently affordable.
In that context, at آ£130 MSI's 790FX-GD70 has a fight on its hands for relevancy. Sure, it sports AMD's top 790FX chipset, four-way CrossfireX multi-GPU support and plenty of fringe benefits including memory profiles up to DDR3 2,133MHz and an on-board switch for BIOS-free overclocking larks.
And make no mistake, the extra bandwidth of DDR3 memory does deliver a measurable performance boost compared with the DDR2 technology of AM2 and AM2+ boards. But let's be brutally honest. You'll get 95% of the fun this high-end board delivers from a bargain basement item costing half the price.
That said, the future proofing provided by the AM3 socket and support for high frequency memory might just swing it if you harbour hopes of dropping in an example of AMD's inevitable six-core chip somewhere down the road.
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Opinion: Why we need to call time on long mobile contracts
Speaking as a happy iPhone user, I don't think my annoyance at not yet being able to upgrade to the new iPhone 3GS has anything to do with entitlement.
It's simply the first step towards what should already be the case – widespread annoyance at the status quo foisted on us by mobile phone companies.
Seriously, let's recap. They want you to sign contracts of up to two years, at usually phenomenal monthly costs, under the expectation that you'll still be happy with the handset that you pretty much just bought sight-unseen.
Do you know what you'll want or be doing in two years? Nor do I.
In that time, you have pretty much no comeback if the service degrades, if you move somewhere that the network doesn't cover, or anything else that a sane system would allow for.
Never mind the march of technology, never mind the growth of new services and uses for the things, nor the simple fact that you might want a change and don't consider your phone a direct manifestation of your soul.
Right to complain
How in the seven hells did they persuade anyone that all this was a good idea? Worse, how did we reach the point where anyone complaining about this miserable treatment is accused of being a whiner?
Is it whining to point out the obvious: that on a product with a yearly release cycle, the stupidity is on the part of the company that wanted everyone to sign up for 18-month contracts this time last year, when it graciously let everyone give it more money to upgrade on time?
The whole mobile phone industry needs to be put in its place. As far as I'm concerned, a phone is just a tool. They're not lifestyle devices, they're not fashion accessories, they're not reflections of our innermost souls; they're devices to make calls, receive calls, access the internet and take a few pictures on the move.
If I had my way, the whole system would be completely overhauled. Forget heavily subsidised handsets, at least as the default business model. Enough of nonsense like 'Sign up with us for two years and we'll give you a PS3/netbook/ingot of solid gold'.
Perfect world
In my perfect world, every phone would be bought like any other piece of kit: right off the shelf. Pick up a new device, pop in your SIM card – Pay As You Go or contract as you choose – and enjoy.
As for the networks, they would no longer be the sole guardians of the mystical technology. Instead, their only responsibility would be making sure those handsets connected properly and, if they must, flogging some ringtones.
But wait! What about the extra cost in paying for the handset up front? Well, that's simple. If you can't afford the latest, shiniest piece of techno-love, that's too bad. Welcome to Real Life.
On the plus side, this system would make it so much easier for you to buy a cheap handset now, still getting the benefits of being on contract rather than PAYG, while letting you upgrade without any fuss later.
Isn't that better than the current system, where you usually end up having to settle for some plastic rubbish you don't really want for the next year, or being locked in over some gimmicky feature that turns out to be pretty useless once the shine has worn off it?
A good start
I hate to splash around words like 'utopia', but this wouldn't be a bad start. Try the chocolate fountain while you're here. You'll find some marshmallows under the pile of murdered bankers, next to the Pepsi river.
I appreciate that this 'no more free ride' policy might sound harsh, but let's be honest – it wouldn't be as big a deal as some people would love us to think.
The cost of mobile phones would drop pretty damn fast if the companies making them were competing on the open market, instead of selling to the networks and throwing us a bone if we're willing to drop hundreds and hundreds of pounds on some unlocked one. Just look at Apple.
The iPod touch and iPhone aren't physically identical, but are we really meant to believe that there's some آ£300 technical difference between them? No, of course not.
The difference between them is that the iPod resides in a market where people actually buy their hardware, and the iPhone lives in a land where the provider wields all the power in the business relationship. That situation has to change.
Apple has brought us a model where people want to upgrade on a yearly basis and where the mobile phone's status as a platform makes the idea of hanging onto the same outdated kit for years nothing short of ridiculous. Never mind what your contract says. Never mind if iPhone owners are asking for more than you currently get.
That's not the problem. What we need to be asking is how we deserve to be treated, and on this one, we iPhone users are correct. Victory here is a victory for everyone. But especially us, because our phone is best.
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New Linux-free PS3 part of cost-cutting drive
While a fair chunk of the gaming world is rejoicing at the news of a new slim PlayStation 3 and its lower price, the hardcore Linux-loving PS3 fans out there are likely crying over their Fedora CDs.
That's because, as we know, the new PS3 doesn't include the option to run Linux under the previous 'Install Other OS' option.
Hardcore clusters bucked
It may seem as trivial as the loss of backwards compatibility with PS2 games (assuming you don't have a PS2 library, that is), but the disappearance of Linux could have a real-world impact few had foreseen.
That's because some research labs and companies have been using the old PS3 running Linux as part of a powerful Cell processor cluster. Even the fat PS3 price was much cheaper than buying specialist hardware.
Cost cutting
According to The Register, a now-deleted forum post on the official Linux for PlayStation website pointed out that the move was intended to save the cost of developing Linux drivers for the new, cheaper PS3 hardware.
However, there's also the suggestion that Sony was unhappy with anyone buying its loss-leading console and then never buying games. Hence, the chop for Linux.
Whatever the truth, we predict the market for original PS3s will see an uptick before long, with the fat console selling for more than its list price.
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In Depth: Streamline Windows services for a faster PC
When it comes to improving the performance of Windows, there are a number of techniques which should help to reduce demand on the processor and generally speed up Windows 7, Vista and XP.
Programs that start automatically with Windows are the most well-known culprits leading to longer boot times, unnecessary memory use and a general reduction in performance; while these are fairly easily to manage, if you want to fully gain control of your rig, you're going to have to delve a little deeper.
Whether you're working with Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7, there are likely to be a number of services which are simply not needed and by disabling them, or at least taking control of them, you can help to speed up your PC.
It may not be immediately obvious just how many programs are running on your computer at any given time - you may think that there are only a few, but the chances are that there are several more lurking in the background. To get an idea, right-click an empty section of the Taskbar and select the Task Manager option from the menu that appears.
Move to the Processes tab to view a list of everything that is currently running; the Services tab displays even more. Add together everything contained in both of these lists, and it's little wonder that Windows can seem sluggish at times.
Spend a little time ensuring that only essential services and programs are running, and you can reap the benefits of a faster, more stable machine.
Services can be viewed in much the same way as software you may choose to install - some are useful and serve a purpose, while others are not applicable and are a waste of time and resources. Just as unnecessary software would be disabled or uninstalled by most people, the same attitude should be adopted towards services.
But before getting started, it is important to understand a little more about these services. The first thing to do when it comes to optimising services is to take a look at the services that exist and see which are currently enabled.
BACK-UP: Ensure you have backed-up your registry before making any changes so you can always rescue any mistakes
All versions of Windows include a tool, which can be used to manage services and this can be accessed by pressing [Windows] and [R] simultaneously, typing 'services.msc' and then pressing [Enter]. The window that is displays lists all of the services that are currently installed; select one to view a description.
While the description shown at this point can sometimes help to identify the purposes of a service, they are often written in such impenetrable and obtuse language that it makes them mostly difficult to decipher. However, using the information in this article you should be able to determine which are needed and which you can safely live without.
In addition to the Description column and pane, it's worth taking note of two other columns. The Status column indicates whether a particular service has been activated or not, while the Startup Type column shows whether a service has been configured to start automatically when Windows boots up, whether it starts only when it's needed or whether the service is completely disabled.
Before making any changes to service settings, it is important to have an appropriate backup in place just in case something goes awry. With these precautions out of the way, it's time to start working with services.
Trimming the fat
For the average home user, there are a number of services that can be disabled. Start with the Distributed Link Tracking Client. This maintains links between files and shortcuts on large networks and is not required in a home networking environment.
Double-click the entry for this item in the Services list and click the 'Stop' button in the centre of the dialog to terminate it. To prevent it from running in future, select 'Disable' from the 'Startup Type' drop down menu and then hit [OK].
The same technique can be used to change the default behaviour of a number of activities, although some are best switched to manual mode, rather than being disabled altogether. IP Helper, for instance, is only relevant to networks which make use of the latest internet protocol, IPv6 protocol and as the vast majority of us are still using IPv4, this can be safely deactivated.
Remote Registry allows for registry editing from another computer. Aside from being a security concern, it's also unnecessary and can be disabled without any worries. Unless you use a special smart card to access your computer, the Smart Card service is also not really needed, and the same goes for Smart Card Removal Policy.
Other likely candidates to disable include Tablet PC Input Service, Windows Search and WebClient, but check to ensure that you genuinely don't need them. If you want further information about services, a great source of information is the Black Viper website. There you'll find services details for all versions of Windows, as well as registry files that can be used to quickly disable a large number of services for Vista in one fell swoop.
MSCONFIG: Use the System Configuration utility to test whether startup programs can be disabled
This option should be used with caution as it is possible to make incorrect selections. Pay a visit to the Windows Vista Custom Services Registry File Tool page on Black Viper and click the link that corresponds with the version of Vista you have installed. Use the radio buttons to choose between 'Automatic', 'Manual' and 'Disabled' settings for each of the services that is listed and then click the 'Create File' button.
Copy and paste the code that's displayed into a new Notepad document, click File > Save As, make sure that 'All Files' is selected from the drop down menu and save the file with a suitable name, ensuring that the .reg extension is added.
This file can then be double-clicked to merge the data it contains into the Registry. It also serves as a great services backup tool, so the same tweaks can be quickly applied should Windows ever have to be reinstalled.
Tweaking tools
This sort of manual tweaking is all well and good if you enjoy messing about, but it's not for everyone. If you're looking for a quick fix, try using Vista Services Optimizer. This free program can be downloaded from Smart PC Utilities: and can be used to edit service settings very easily.
It can be put to work in one of three ways: Launch the program and click the 'Services Diagnostics' button to the left of the window. By answering a few simply questions, Vista Services Optimizer will be able to provide advice about a number of services that can be disabled. This can be done using the tool built into Windows as described earlier, or by heading to the Manual TuneUp section of the program.
The Manual section provides the second means of using the program, making it possible to quickly and easily enable and disable services as required. The advantage of this method over navigating Windows Services is that the descriptions of services are far easier to understand, so it's much, much clear what each service does.
The final option is to take advantage of Vista Services Optimizer's Automatic TuneUp option. This is a quick and dirty route to services optimisation which requires no knowledge of services whatsoever.
AUTO-TUNE: Answering a few simple questions is all that is required to optimise Vista's services
Simply use the selection boxes and radio button to indicate the type of computer you are using, the type of hardware that's connected to your machine, and how the computer is going to be used. After clicking 'Apply Changes', any services which the tool deems as redundant will be automatically disabled.
But services are far from the end of the story; Windows has numerous other ways to waste resources. Programs that run automatically at system startup may be useful, but as more and more software is installed over time it is likely that a number of virtually useless additions have been made. Prime examples include programs that automatically check for software updates.
Program culling
One of the easiest ways to check what is running at startup is to open up the All Programs section of the Start menu and look in the Startup group. Any shortcut that is listed here relates to a program which is configured to start automatically with Windows.
If there's anything here which you feel you can live without, simply right-click the shortcut and select 'Delete' from the context menu that's displayed. However, even after unwanted programs have been removed from the Startup group, it is likely that there are still a number of hidden autorun programs enabled.
There are various ways to access them, but by far the easiest method is to make use of the Registry directly. Launch the Registry Editor using the method outlined earlier, expand the keys displayed in the left-hand pane and navigate to 'HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run'.
In the right-hand pane you should see a number of programs listed and all of these will run automatically when the current user logs in. This is not all that starts with Windows and if you navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run', you'll find a list of programs which will start automatically for all user accounts.
Delving into the Reg Some of these programs can be easily identified by the name that appears in the first column, but this is not always the case. The information listed in the Data column provides details about the location of the program which the entry refers to, and the names included in this path can further aid identification.
In addition to program update checkers, here you are also likely to find entries that relate to anti-virus software as well as tools relating to graphics cards and other third-party tools. While it may be tempting to jump in and simply delete everything, it is likely that at least some of the entries should be left well alone. Anti-virus software, for example, is essential while other entries may relate to features of particular programs you use frequently.
Another way to control startup programs is to make use of the System Configuration Utility. This can be launched from the Run box by typing 'msconfig' and pressing [Enter]. Although it is not a good idea to disable services from here, the Startup tab can be used to control startup items. After unticking the box next to any programs you feel you can live without, click 'OK' and restart Windows.
At the next boot, a message will be displayed indicating that Startup items have been changed, but Windows can be used as normal. If there are any undesirable side effects stemming from disabling a particular item, System Configuration can be used to re-enable items with a few clicks, although programs that don't cause any problems can then be fully disabled via the Registry as described above.
Scheduled tasks can also serve to slow down your computer. Open the Task Scheduler from the Start menu to view a list of all the programs which are configured to run on a regular basis, such as defragmentation tools, virus scans and so on, and delete anything which is not needed.
While some scheduled tasks are useful, many can be manually launched when required, and by disabling the tasks themselves, you can regain control over how your computer is used. This means that gaming can continue without fear of slowdown or interruption from processor-hogging activities. As well as gaming, there are other computing activities which should not be interrupted, such as watching films.
When playing a DVD or video, the lack of keyboard presses and mouse movements can lead Windows to believe that the computer is not being used and the screensaver may be displayed or the computer may even go into hibernation or sleep mode. One way to avoid this is to disable the screensaver altogether, but another option is to make use of Caffe1ne.
This tiny program can be downloaded from here, and when it's running it will automatically simulate the [Shift] key being pressed every minute or so. Just configure the program to autorun and enable it whenever it's required, or opt to launch it manually before starting a film. It is also a good idea to disable sleep mode, and this can be achieved through the Power Options Control Panel.
Playing with Processes
We have already mentioned that Windows' Task Manager can be used to view a list of everything that is currently running on your computer. If you move to the Processes tab you are likely to find that there are several instance of svchost.exe running.
This is not really a program in its own right and should not be terminated as it an essential process. Svchost.exe is called into action whenever a service that is launched from a DLL (Dynamic Linked Library). By default, there is no way of knowing which service has caused the appearance of a particular instance of svchost.exe, so it is best left alone until further investigations have been carried out.
One of the easiest ways to do a little detective work into this process is to install Process Explorer from TechNet. Once the download is complete, extract the files and launch the program. Under the services.exe section you should see a series of entries for svchost.exe. Just hover your cursor over one of the names and the details of which service it's associated with will be displayed.
In the vast majority of cases, it is advisable to leave these processes running, but after determining their reason for running they can be stopped by right-clicking an entry and selecting the 'Kill Process' option. Generally speaking, the best way to reduce the number of instances of svchost.exe which run, is to disable the service which is associated with it, providing it is not actually needed.
As with any form of tweaking, particularly bearing mind that editing the Registry is involved, backing up data is essential. Be certain that you have safeguarded any important personal documents just in case something goes wrong.
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LG to announce world's biggest OLED TV set
Almost two years on from the arrival of the world's first commercial OLED TV set, a second model will join Sony's XEL-1, this time from LG Electronics.
The Korean firm says it will beat Sony's groundbreaker by launching a 15-inch OLED TV at a trade show in September. The XEL-1, while innovative, measures a mere 11 inches on the diagonal.
Berlin debut
LG's new television will make its debut at the IFA 2009 event in Berlin between 4 and 9 September, so we'll be sure to bring you all the details when the Asian giant reveals all next week.
As for pricing, nothing is official yet, but we'd say there's a strong possibility of the LG set coming in well under the آ£3,500 cost of the XEL-1.
More to come
That's a safe bet simply because the company has said it fully intends to build a whole range of OLED tellies that it will clearly need to sell in bulk to make financial sense. Sony's XEL-1 was always seen as something of a proof of concept with the price tag of a luxury item.
And, intriguingly, Reuters is quoting an LG exec as aiming even higher with OLED. "We are planning to unveil a 40-inch grade (OLED) product in a not too distant future," he told the newswire.
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How long do you need to work to buy an iPod?
Everyone knows those regular 'most expensive city' surveys that crop up every few months are very much open to manipulation, so it's with a glad heart that we welcome the new UBS analysis and its handy use of consumer electronics as a yardstick.
The banking group's findings aren't unusual - Tokyo, New York City and the like are at the top of the charts - but we like the appearance of Apple's iPod on the list of measures.
Get your iPod on
According to the 2009 'Price and Earnings' report, New Yorkers have to work only around a day to buy an iPod nano, while people in India's commercial centre have to graft far longer.
"An average wage-earner in Zurich and New York can buy an iPod nano from an Apple store after nine hours of work. At the other end of the spectrum, workers in Mumbai need to work 20 nine-hour days, roughly the equivalent of one month's salary," says the UBS report.
Cheapest cities
If you're curious about the non-tech aspects of the report, the cheapest cities to live in are Kuala Lumpur and Manila, while the places where people work the shortest hours each year are both in France - Lyon and Paris.
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Apple's App Store takes millions every month
It's well documented that the iPhone App Store has been a roaring success since it opened in 2008, but the sheer numbers being rung up on Apple's till are worth closer inspection.
According to analysts at AdMob, the iTunes-based software outlet is currently taking almost آ£123 million a month, or nearly آ£1.5 billion a year.
Coining it in
Put another way, that means the market for iPhone games, add-ons and utilities sucks in a staggering آ£2,850 each and every second of the day.
As with many things connected to Apple, the numbers are certainly not official, but we can have confidence in AdMob's findings, as the methodology is laid out for all to see.
Add-ons are popular
The company breaks the data down further to reveal the surprising finding that iPod touch users actually spend slightly more at the App Store than do iPhone owners, however the fact that over 40 per cent of people with either device spend money on apps is impressive.
By comparison, AdMob says only 19 per cent of Android phone owners pay for new software, although that is likely to grow when more phones come out and the amount of software available increases too.
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