Avatar spurs on George Lucas' Star Wars 3D plans
Star Wars 3D has been given a new lease of life thanks to James Cameron's Avatar. According to Star Wars creator George Lucas, the project had been stalling but after seeing Avatar become such a success at the cinema, it has given him, ahem, a new hope to make the project a success.
"I'm happy it's so successful, and worked very well in 3D," Lucas explained to Access Hollywood about Avatar.
"I haven't been a big fan of 3D, but that movie definitely improves in [the field of] 3D."
Star Wars struggle
When prompted about his own 3D plans, he noted: "We've been looking for years and years and years of trying to take Star Wars and put it in 3D ... But, the technology hasn't been there.
"We've been struggling with it, but I think this will be a new impetus to make that happen."
Any Star Wars release has always brought with it a sense of occasion. When the Original Trilogy finally came to DVD there was much fanfare and we're expecting the same sort of response when they finally make it to Blu-ray.
There's not fixed date on Blu-ray plans but we expect plans to be announced soon, maybe at a similar time as when the 3D versions of the film are announced for cinemas.
Once that happens you can pretty much call the Star Wars franchise one cash cow that's been well and truly milked.
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Hands-on: Samsung ST70 camera review
Samsung is very determined to become the number one name in the camera market, with the company currently at number two and snipping at the heels of Canon who currently owns around 20 per cent market-share.
To achieve this, Samsung is offering up a whole host of different camera ranges to suit individual needs.
Top of the style pile is the Samsung ST70. Launched alongside its smaller brother the ST60, the super-slim snapper (just 16mm) is looking to capture the attention of the fashion crowd with its good looks.
Aside from looks, though, and the T70 is packing some great specs. On-board is a 14.2MP sensor and a 27.5mm wide-angle lens, which takes in a large amount of the scenery around you, relaying it into a nice and bright image.
To hold, the camera benefits from having a thin chassis, as it fits in the hand well but doesn't feel too flimsy.
Ergonomically, the camera is certainly set up for the frequent picture taker. When it comes to the T70, it's all about slants – both the bottom of the camera and the shutter button are slanted but for different reasons.
The shutter is slanted to make it easier to press when the camera is prostrate in your hand.
When it comes to the bottom of the camera, this is to help with taking self-portraits. Put it on to a flat surface and it will point at a welcoming seven degree angle, perfect for taking shots of yourself without a tripod.
Flip the camera over and you have a reasonable 2.7-inch screen. It's not the brightest we have seen and it's certainly not the biggest but it does look more than apt for shuffling through images and lining up shots.
To help with your picture-taking there's a number of new modes found within the camera's menus – the most standout being DeFog.
While we couldn't test the camera out in a foggy situation, Samsung assures us it makes it easier to see subject in poor visibility.
There may not be fog everyday to deal with, but when you realise you can use this mode to cut through the dry ice on a dance floor and the inclusion of the feature starts to make a bit more sense (if you're into chest rugs and glitter balls).
Available in a multitude of colours – including black, purple and turquoise – the Samsung ST 70 and ST60 cameras have a release date of February and will cost آ£179.99 (ST70) and آ£149.99 (ST60).
Go to www.samsungcamera.co.uk for more details.
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Hands-on: Samsung NX10 camera review
Samsung has come out all guns a-blazing with its rival to the Micro Four Thirds format, which Olympus and Sony is using to bring DSLR-like features to a more compact body.
The NX10 utilises Samsung's APS-C CMOS sensor, a chip which boasts bigger size, alleged better quality and a lower crop ratio than that of the Micro Four Thirds version.
What this boils down to for the consumer is a huge amount of image clarity from a camera that isn't much bigger than some compacts on the market.
The first thing you notice about the NX10 when you pick it up is just how in tune it is with your grip. Samsung must have spent a fair amount of its آ£6.8 billion R&D budget on ergonomics as the NX10 is more than a snug fit.
Making things as easy as possible for the user is what the NX10 is all about. This is not a camera for experts looking to dumb down but enthusiasts looking to make a step up.
In marketing speak, Samsung is calling this group of people the 'Wannabes' – which it believes is 15 per cent of the total camera market.
The majority of the back of the camera is taken up by the NX10's super-bright screen. Measuring 3.0-inches and made from AMOLED, the display is one of the brightest we have seen on a camera.
This is great for those shooting outdoors in bright sunlight (little reflection means you can still see what you are doing) and it also means that no matter what angle you are looking at the screen, you can see clearly what you are trying to take pictures of.
Samsung is also boasting of the 'low-power means better battery performance' aspect of AMOLED. As we didn't have nearly enough time with the camera to try this out, we can't comment but this is definitely one of OLED's big advantages.
As the NX10 has done away with mirrors to pack its entire camera tech into a small body, the viewfinder on board is digital, not optical. This is something which is becoming more and more common in DSLR-like machines and while optical viewfinders do have myriad benefits, with digital you can have more information about your shots on the screen.
While this can be a bit distracting at first, the idea that you can change settings and preview images instantly with the changes is a very good one.
Most of the controls you need are situated next to the screen, so there's no real need to delve too much into the many menu systems the camera possesses to change ISO and the like.
It all feels like that Samsung doesn't want to scare off amateurs with its DSLR-like concept.
The body of the camera is light, but it still feels and looks bigger than its Micro Four Thirds rivals. And this is the main problem with the NX10 – the APS-C sensor system is proprietary meaning you will have to buy a whole new lens setup rather than an adaptor as you would for Panasonic and Olympus' mini range.
The concept of Micro Four Thirds has been around for more than a year now, so Samsung's version of the format lacks the 'wow' factor it should.
Saying that, being second to something great is no bad thing and the extra size on the sensor will be lapped up by camera 'wannabes'.
There's also the fact that Samsung has seen to delay the UK release date of the NX10 to March, meaning it loses even more ground to its Micro Four Thirds rivals.
The Samsung NX10 will be released with a variety of lens packages. Price-wise, you are looking at a reasonable آ£599 for an 18-55mm lens and the camera; with a 30mm pancake lens the camera will cost آ£649; an 18-55mm and 50-200mm lens package with camera will set you back آ£699; and a double package of an 18-55mm and pancake lens will retail for آ£749.
Go to www.samsungcamera.co.uk for more details.
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Bill Gates joins Twitter, may have broken it
Bill Gates, the world's richest man and the co-founder of Microsoft, is finally catching up with the world of social media. He's opened a Twitter account and set up a Facebook fan page.
Gates sent his first Tweet last night, stating "Hello World. Hard at work on my foundation letter — publishing on 1/25." The foundation is his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest non-profit. He followed that with a message to Ryan Seacrest, the American TV and radio host, regarding money raised for Haiti.
On Twitter, the philanthropist and Windows maven is following a total of 40 accounts, including the Economist, The New York Times, Barack Obama, Queen Rania of Jordan…and Ashley Tisdale, the actress from High School Musical. In the first six hours alone he accumulated over 70,000 followers. He can be found @billgates on Twitter, or www.twitter.com/billgates.
Currently he has in the region of 170,000 followers but this is going up by the minute.
Earlier today Twitter went down due to being over capacity, provoking media reports that Gates' joining may have had something to do with it.
Considering Twitter is being used to keep people up to date with the tragic goings-on in Haiti, however, this may have much more to do with the micro-blogging service being temporarily out of action.
Back on Facebook, too
Gates is obviously taking a very serious plunge into social media, since he's also back on Facebook after closing last summer. Back then he claimed then that he felt overwhelmed when more than 10,000 people wanted to friend him on the site.
Now he has fan page on Facebook that lists over 55,000 fans and includes photos of his Indian trip, and of his high school, Lakeside School in Seattle.
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Google's China dilemma affecting free music
In the wake of Google's shattering announcement that it might pull out of China, its music partner there, Orca Digital Inc, has been wondering just what the future holds.
Orca Digital operates the site Top100.cn, which distributes free music, obtaining its money from advertising, and has been seen as the answer to the music piracy that affects the country. It has a partnership with Google, which drives traffic to the site and has also brokered the its biggest ad deals.
Top100 has licensed some five million tracks in all, not only from Chinese stars, but also from the big four Western record companies. Around six million tracks a day are downloaded or streamed from the site.
Dazed and confused
Gary Chen, Orca Digital's Chief Executive, stated that Google has not been in touch with him since it made its announcement, although advertisers have been calling him daily. Google is said to have the collaboration under review.
Chen has been taking a neutral stance on the fight between Google and the Chinese government.
"I love Google, and I love China," he said.
Top100 hasn't moved into the black yet, although it took in $732,000 in ad revenue in the last four months of 2009. It had hoped to go into profit this year, but at the moment, of course, everything is in limbo.
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Skype now biggest international phone carrier
VoIP telephone service Skype has leapt ahead of traditional carriers to become the biggest provider of cross-border phone service, according to research firm TeleGeography.
Skype's traffic rose a staggering 51 per cent in 2008 and is expected to have rocket by 63 per cent for last year, up to 54 billion minutes.
By comparison, international telephone call volume has only risen by eight per cent.
520 million users
The big advantage to Skype is that it lets customers call other users, anywhere in the world, without charge, using voice, video, or text. Users can also call non-users at a low cost.
The software is available as a free download, and Skype is now also on mobiles phones. The service, one of the first to take advantage of Voice over Internet Protocol technology, has 520 million registered users globally.
According to TeleGeography analyst Stephen Beckert: "Skype is now the largest provider of cross border communications in the world, by far," adding that "the volume of traffic routed via Skype is tremendous."
Skype might be big in Japan – and everywhere else – but its revenues haven't reflected its popularity. In 2008 it took in around $551 million, although it aims to hit the $1 billion mark in the next two years.
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YouTube boosts live streaming with Twenty20 cricket matches
Google has announced a partnership with the Indian Premier League to live-stream upcoming cricket matches on YouTube.
This isn't the first time YouTube has delved into the live-streaming arena but it is the first sport event.
Most of the site's live shows have been music based - late last year it announced it was showing a U2 gig live and its first-ever live-streamed event was aptly called YouTube Live – a concert which featured music from Katy Perry, Will.i.am and Joe Satriani.
Open platform
"We are thrilled to have the IPL as our global partner," explained Shailesh Rao, a Senior Manager of Google India, in a statement.
"YouTube offers an open platform for sports and entertainment companies to take their content to a global audience and a great opportunity for advertisers."
The online content will start 12 March and run to 25 April, covering a Twenty20 tournament, and YouTube will have the exclusive online rights to the footage for two years.
There will be a dedicated channel to the cricket action, which you can find at: www.youtube.com/ipl.
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Gary Marshall: 10 ways to make iPhone OS 4.0 damn near perfect
We love our iPhones, but we'd love them even more if Apple changed a few key things - not in the hardware, but in the software.
The iPhone OS has some idiosyncrasies that make us mad, some omissions that make us angry and in Notes, a typeface that makes us feel physically ill.
We've come up with 10 ways that Apple could make iPhone OS 4.0 damn near perfect. Have we missed any? Tell us in the comments.
1. An off switch for orientation
Sometimes you want to read email in bed, or look at a photo that's the "wrong" way round. Doing that on the iPhone is insanely annoying, because its orientation sensor spots that you're tilting the device and promptly rotates the screen. It'd be nice to disable that on a per-app basis - and if we can't have that, then at the very least we'd like a global off switch.
2. Proper multitasking
Yes, it kills battery life. So what? It's our phone. Let us decide whether we want to sacrifice a bit of battery life for always-on apps.
3. A delete button on Stocks
We don't use it. We don't want it. We shouldn't need to create a special Apps Page of Doom to hide it. We understand why you can't delete Mail, Phone or Safari, but forcing us to keep Stocks and Weather is just control freakery.
4. A proper home screen with widgets on it
This is something even Windows Mobile does better than the iPhone: its home screen shows your unread email count and other key data without making you unlock your phone. Yes, home screens can be cluttered, but only if they're badly designed in the first place. If HTC can manage it we're sure Apple can, too.
5. A proper font for Notes
Okay, it's not quite Comic Sans - it's Marker Felt - but the Notes font is jarring on an otherwise classy device. It's like an Apple Store selling three pairs of socks for a pound.
6. Somewhere to stick - and sync - our stuff
Sticking a Documents folder in the iPhone and enabling us to sync with a desktop folder (and attach the files to new messages in Mail) would be a real boon. Right now we're using a combination of third-party apps and emailing documents to ourselves.
7. Filters in Mail
Mail's lack of filtering and junk filtering can be a real pain. It's possible to work around it by sticking your mail through Google Mail and then accessing that, but we'd rather not rely on third parties. Can we have filters in our phone, please?
8. Touchable wireless icons
Why can't we turn Wi-Fi on and off, or Airplane Mode on and off, by hitting the network icons at the top?
9. Tweetie 2's refresh mechanism
We'll never tire of Tweetie 2's superb "pull down and let go" mechanism for refreshing the screen. This should be in everything. Everything!
10. An equaliser in the iPod app
This has been annoying us for years: why can't we create our own equaliser curves in the iPod app? It's an example of Apple simplicity being just a little too simple: none of the presets are quite right, so we're stuck with sound that isn't quite what we want. It's a glaring omission Apple could and should have solved ages ago. By all means ignore our other suggestions, Apple, but please fix this one.
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Motorola Motoroi Android phone coming soon
Motorola looks set to release its Motoroi Android device to other markets, meaning a HD video camera and huge multi-touch screen.
The Motoroi is set to pack a 720p video camera, 8MP camera with 'proper' Xenon flash and be able to output content via HDMI.
It will also have a 3.7-inch screen with the aforementioned multi-touch, and the cool MotoBlur overlay - giving direct access to your Facebook, MySpace and Twitter pages.
First Korea - then the world!
We brought you early spy pics of this phone last year - it seems the Motoroi has been in development from Motorola for quite some time, so it's good to see it make it out into the big wide world.
The phone is going to be released in Korea first, but Rick Wolochatiuk from Motorola said that the device will be coming to other markets around the world soon, so we're looking forward to a UK release in the near future, although probably under a pretty different guise.
Check out the videos below if you want to see more - the first is a promotional movie, and the second a pretty detailed hands-on.
But, remember, this is the Korean version and there may be some changes before we get our own UK flavour.
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Microsoft issuing Internet Explorer patch
Microsoft is issuing an emergency patch to block the security hole in its Internet Explorer browser that was responsible for the Chinese cyberattacks last month on Google.
Microsoft normally releases patches on the second Tuesday of each month, but considers the issue so serious that it will release this patch out of band. The company has admitted that IE was the "weak link" in the Google attacks, which also hit more than 30 other firms.
The attack generated a great deal of publicity, and in its wake both the German and French governments advised their citizens to use alternate browsers. All this has been a massive public relations blow to Microsoft, forcing it to take action now, rather than wait.
George Stathakopoulos, General Manager of Microsoft's trustworthy Computing Security Group, said: "Given the significant level of attention this issue has generated, confusion about what customers can do to protect themselves and the escalating threat environment Microsoft will release a security update out-of-band for this vulnerability."
He stated that the only successful attacks have been against Internet Explorer version 6.
Firefox gains
Microsoft's woes have been a boon for the Firefox browser. Despite Microsoft's plea that changing browsers is the wrong thing to do, in the past four days alone it's enjoyed another 300,000 downloads in Germany alone, as well as increased traffic from France.
Web analytics company StatCounter says Firefox now has 40 per cent of the European browser market, just 5 per cent behind IE.
The Opera browser has also enjoyed a surge from this, with downloads in Germany more than doubling.
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In Depth: Mac browser showdown: which is best for OS X?
Most app genres have what's become almost a default option that is Microsoft Word for word processing, Adobe Photoshop for high-end image editing, and so on.
When apps are preinstalled, their position is even more secure, as with Apple's web browser, Safari. It's on every Mac, it's pretty smart, and so why should you consider using anything else?
This group test investigates that. We examine five of Safari's fiercest rivals, from cross-platform big-hitters Firefox and Opera to Mac-only efforts Camino, iCab and OmniWeb. Gone are the days when website compatibility was a major factor in considering which browser to use.
Today, it's all about speed and features. Every browser is aiming to become the fastest and most responsive as online sites and applications become increasingly complex and demanding under the hood; and each one is playing its own little game of one-upmanship, offering new features to entice users to ditch a rival.
Our main concern in this group test is to discover which application is the most robust, usable web browser for general surfing, with features that make your online life easier, rather than baffling with complexity. We'll look at ease of use, accessing content, bookmarking and Mac integration.
Also, all tests will be done with the browser in its default setup – many browsers can be improved via plugins, but we're interested in how strong the foundation is.
Setup, interface and how easy the browser is to use
Although some of the browsers on test are quite complex, all are usable.
Safari sets the benchmark – Apple's clean, efficient interface, strong design and attention to detail makes the browser a joy to use. Cover Flow within History is a mildly irksome gloss, but the Top Sites page beats Opera's equivalent, and tab management works brilliantly.
Camino, once Safari's equal, no longer impresses as much; its honed-down interface is starting to date in key areas. Still, it's not bad.
Despite sharing Safari's guts, OmniWeb and iCab feel a bit clever for their own good, offering more features than Safari, but lacking some of its niceties.
As for both of the ports, Firefox is ugly and alien in terms of its interface, but easy to get to grips with;Opera has a striking new interface, and usefully buries many advanced features out of harm's way (a bonus as far as newcomers are concerned), although its tab management leaves a little to be desired.
Test results
Snappiness, responsiveness and resource-sapping
For general use, it's tricky to differentiate between the browsers on test.
All performed acceptably on a range of websites. Also, all browsers, when new, tend to feel faster than ones bogged down with your browsing history.
Typically (but not always), the WebKit browsers (iCab, Safari, OmniWeb) feel a little snappier and Opera a little slothful. Firefox generally suffers the most over-extended use, slowing up after a few months.
In terms of resources, Safari is the heaviest browser regarding RAM usage, followed by iCab. None should tax a relatively modern Mac, however, unless you have dozens of Flash-oriented pages chugging away in the background.
When it comes to benchmarking tests, Camino's dated guts are lacking regarding compatibility with modern web standards and scripting speed.
Opera and Firefox also suffer somewhat during JavaScript benchmarking compared to the WebKit browsers; and of that trio, iCab edged Safari on every test we tried, with OmniWeb a short distance behind.
Test results
Global, in-page search and previous content Aside from Safari, all browsers on test offer search engines, enabling you to switch the Google box for an alternative.
Safari makes up for that omission with a decent suggestions drop-down (with recent searches) from the search box, a trait it shares with Firefox.
Safari fares much better with in-page search – the browser clearly highlights all instances of a term. Opera matches Safari here for functionality, if not aesthetics, and Firefox provides useful type-ahead search, but only highlights one instance of your term.
All browsers make address bar suggestions from browsing history and/or bookmarks, and three stand out:
Safari provides a clear list showing a top hit and results from your History and Bookmarks; Opera doesn't categorise its list, but does take into account page content, making it possible to search via keywords within web pages along with site names or domains; and Firefox just finds stuff with almost uncanny accuracy – doubly so if you use its tagging system.
Test results
Obstructing advertising and harmful phishing
Two content types need regular barring: phishing sites and online ads.
With the latter, Safari fares poorly, only being able to block pop-ups. Firefox additionally enables specific-image blocking, and Opera goes further, enabling any content to be optionally blocked. Said block list is later editable.
The most impressive ad-blocking features belong to OmniWeb, iCab and Camino. OmniWeb's offers loads of control, enabling default block settings to be over-ridden on a per-site basis. Ad slots can also be clicked to reveal their content.
iCab provides filters, and an example filters file bundled with the disk image removes ads from most sites.
Camino offers similar results, via a Block web advertising option in its Web Features preferences. A pity, then, that these three browsers seem oblivious when it comes to detecting phishing sites.
By comparison, Safari, Opera and Firefox all blocked a number of dodgy sites they were pointed at.
Test results
Storing and managing shortcuts to sites and services
Modern web browsers should enable bookmarks, sorting and tab sets, and all apps on test don't disappoint. Therefore, points are largely scored for going above and beyond expected basics.
Safari and Camino both impress with their integration with Mac technologies, enabling automated bookmarks menus based on Address Book content or websites being shared via Bonjour; Camino also enables any bookmarks folder to be accessed from the Dock, while Safari bungs some Cover Flow gloss into the mix.
OmniWeb and iCab provide the means for subscribing to websites, and the former enables site-specific preferences to be set for many criteria.
Firefox beats all comers, though, via its robust and flexible tagging system. You're encouraged to tag rather than file bookmarks, subsequently typing tags in the address bar to access favourite sites.
Usefully, the address bar displays a star icon if you've bookmarked the active site.
Test results
Working with or against your Mac and Mac OS X With Opera and Firefox being ports, they have a tendency to favour proprietary technology.
Therefore, instead of using Keychain and your Mac's built-in spelling dictionary, they have their own equivalents.
Firefox is also far from a good Mac citizen, and although Opera's interface impresses and feels at home on the Mac, its cross-platform roots are betrayed somewhat when you start digging.
As a Mac-only browser, iCab behaves much as you'd expect, and its tab exposأ© is a nice touch, but the general interface is ugly, often making the browser feel almost as alien as Firefox.
Safari, being an Apple app, integrates flawlessly with other technology in Mac OS X; and although Camino shares a layout engine with Firefox, it mostly feels as native as Safari, utilising Address Book, Keychain and Bonjour.
OmniWeb is also generally a good Mac app, although its drawer-based tabs and tiny preferences content feel like a relic from a bygone Mac age.
Test results
It's always good to see a lack of poor products on test. However, in terms of recommendation, iCab falls first. It's fast and feature-rich, but ugly, a little dated, and has a price tag. We can't justify paying for a browser when free, superior alternatives exist.
OmniWeb and Camino are also out of the running, due to being dated. OmniWeb's in a holding pattern and doesn't look likely to make strides forward any time soon, but we're hopeful Camino 2 (when it appears) could revitalise that browser's fortunes.
That leaves Opera, Firefox and Safari – the big-hitters. The problem with both Opera and Firefox is they obviously feel like ports, often betraying their cross-platform roots. We want something truly Mac-like.
Therefore, the prize goes to Safari, which combines usability and Macness with decent features for accessing content. The lack of content blocking and keyboard shortcut tools is annoying, however. For those who want more than just browsing, Firefox is a worthy, feature-rich, extensible runner-up.
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'80s king Bigtrak makes a comeback
While the '80s may be best remembered for things that should never make a comeback – spandex, hair metal and bum-bags – some things need resurrecting for nostalgia stakes, and this includes the Bigtrak.
This six-wheeled robotic toy was a mainstay for any Eighties child, managing to remember numerous commands and fire fricking lasers from its phaser canon (well, in our head anyway).
Robo spy
To bring it right up to date with the Tenties (or whatever we are calling 2010 nowadays), its maker Dubreq has added a few new features to the device, including 'cool new accessories' – a new memory save feature and mooncrater obstacle course – and a digital camera so you can turn your Bigtrak into a remote spy robot.
So far, the company has only announced that it will be releasing a Bigtrak Jr, which is half the size of a normal Bigtrak. We are hoping that an original-sized version will be in the works at some point, however.
Go to www.bigtrakisback.com for more details.
With a UK release date of summer 2010, the Bigtrak will retail for آ£29.99 - which means it might even be cheaper by Christmas.
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Jagex brings new browser game to Europe
Browser gaming specialist Jagex is set to bring an English-language version of its popular Asian game War of Legends to the European market.
Jagex is now the largest independent games developer in the UK and launches its historical military conquest game this month.
War of Legends was originally developed by a Chinese developer and launched as World of Feng Sheng in China.
Runescape, put it down!
As with other Jagex games such as the massively popular Runescape the game is free to play at first, but players can start to spend real money buying virtual goods in the game should they wish.
Runescape is also free to play, but players need to pay a $5.95 monthly subscription to access all areas and territories within this massive game.
War of Legends is a departure for Jagex as it will be the company's first game made by a third party.
Runescape currently has over a million paying subscribers and over 6 million players in total. Jagex is also working on a highly-anticipated new MMO called MechScape.
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Review: Albatron OTM 21.5" Touchscreen monitor
When Microsoft was first touting Windows 7, much was made about the operating system's touchscreen capabilities. The problem remains that few of us have, or have any interest in, touchscreen displays.
Most of this current malaise comes from the fact that a decent size touchscreen monitor generally costs a small fortune. Stepping in with optical technology to avoid the need for pricey reactive screens comes Albatron.
At its most basic, the optical technology employed by Albatron's Optical Touch Monitor is designed so it adds only a small premium onto the manufacturing costs of a standard flatscreen display.
It uses a combination of infrared light, optical sensors and reflective bars embedded in the fairly substantial bezel around the outside of the screen to track your fingers on the display.
Traditionally, the barrier to large multi-touch displays has been the proportional cost of creating large expanses of sensitive material. With the only expense being the sensors surrounding the screen, there's little extra cost to ramping up the scale. Indeed, Albatron has also got a 42-inch version going.
Touch of class
I first saw the technology at Nvidia's Nvision conference last year and again at this year's Computex, and only now is it actually making an appearance.
This display is currently available in Taiwan, but should be hitting the western world soon, either via Albatron or HP Compaq in the guise of the L2105tm. The best thing is: it works.
We picked up the soon-to-be released Touch Pack for Windows 7 from our friends at Microsoft, which contains some interesting multi-touch applications, such as Surface Collage and Surface Globe. These show off Windows 7's touchy-feely capabilities, as well as the performance of the Albatron OTM. Suddenly it's responsive and tactile, which is all you can really ask.
Before installing the pack, it was tough to really get a feeling for the screen. General Windows icons and navigation buttons are simply too small to cope with my fat fingers, and only Internet Explorer had any touchscreen gimmicks to show off. But this is almost all that a standard desktop multi-touch monitor is: a gimmick.
Trying to use a touchscreen panel on your desk is just asking for a new kind of RSI. It's utterly counter-intuitive stretching out across your keyboard to tap a tiny icon a few times to get it to register.
So what's the usage model? We can see the value in all-in-one machines, and maybe if you're hiding the mouse and keyboard of a PC you've stuck in your kitchen, but on the desktop it's a waste. That said, Albatron's optical tech means that the cost of picking up a multi-touch monitor isn't actually much more than a standard screen.
So doesn't it make sense to go for the one with the wider feature set? It's a valid argument, and the quality of the screen almost makes it ring true. Unfortunately, the idea of having such a highly reflective screen for gaming is inadvisable.
Hit a dark area of a map and you'll find you're just looking yourself in the eye while you die. Still, it's a great, low-cost implementation of futuristic technology, though still only a gimmick for now.
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Lords propose integrated FM and digital radio EPG
A new integrated FM and digital radio station guide is set to be integrated into new digital radios, according to proposals put to the House of Lords this week.
The House of Lords Select Committee is meeting to discuss the various issues surrounding the TV and radio digital switchover.
The latest proposals for a guide that covers all FM and digital stations – both commercial stations and BBC local and national stations – will enable older listeners to easily switch between their familiar FM stations and the (at first confusing) morass of new-fangled digital stations.
In-car digital radio
Radio manufacturers such as Pure, Sony and Roberts will work with the industry in order to design and develop the new electronic programme guide (EPG).
The radio industry is also looking to develop in-car digital radios with a number of major car manufacturers, which would also use the new EPG.
Ford Ennals, chief executive of Digital Radio UK, is set to propose the new EPG plan to the House of Lords Select Committee this week.
The current proposed target date for radio's digital switchover is 2015, at which time FM will still be used, but only for community and a limited number of local radio stations.
Sion Simon, the Minister for the Creative Industries, said in the House of Commons this month: "The current generation of DAB sets has tended to make that move [to a new platform] a rather sharp distinction, which has led to the fear that FM will end up being a second-class ghetto tier.
"To avoid that, we are committed to ensuring the implementation of a combined station guide, which is similar to an electronic programme guide, that will allow listeners to access all stations by name, irrespective of the platform."
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Blu-ray key to web TV explosion
The AV world is set to be overrun with web-enabled devices in 2010, with Blu-ray looking to be vital to creating a connected home.
This is according to a study by Brit-based firm IMS Research, who found that by 2015, more than 473 million homes will have internet-connected devices in their living rooms – such as games consoles, set-top boxes and connected TV sets.
But the biggest growth will initially be in the Blu-ray sector, where web-enabled Blu-ray players are set to top 28 million units in 2011.
Compelling purchase
Speaking about the findings, Rebecca Kurlak, analyst with IMS Research, said: "With nearly all Blu-ray players manufactured with IP connectivity enabling access to video-on-demand streaming libraries like Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, and CinemaNow, Blu-ray players are more compelling for purchase consideration than they have been since their market debut.
"With the Blu-ray Disc Association releasing the Blu-ray 3D specification a month ago, and the continued decline in the device category's average selling price, [we expect] consumers to welcome Blu-ray players into their homes."
If CES 2010 is anything to go by, BD players will face some stiff competition from web-enabled TVs.
The likes of Panasonic and LG are pushing the web capabilities of their TV sets, with new applications like Skype becoming accessible through your television without the need of a PC.
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Apple iPhone 4.0 OS outlined already
True to the spirit of the Apple iPhone rumour game, information about the iPhone 4.0 OS has already leaked out.
Boy Genius Report has picked up some tasty morsels on the new operating system, giving yet more hints that there's a new iTablet in the works.
The new iPhone 4.0 OS will offer more universal multi-touch gestures, which we're widely expecting for the new iTablet when it's (likely) announced at the end of the month.
There will also be some UI improvements, although we doubt this will be anything earth shattering, as Apple has always preferred simplicity and continuity in its iPhone design - we'd imagine something like a swipe upwards to offer speedier access to certain elements of the iPhone (in the same way as Spotlight search).
Apparently there will also be some new changes to let multiple applications run at once - but again, we find it hard to believe Apple will offer genuine multi-tasking on the iPhone 4.0 OS, instead we'd imagine it's just key applications that can run together.
Super computers
And interestingly, the source states the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS will also be taking advantage of the upgrade, stating it will "put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers".
This must mean some pretty decent extra functionality as well as some hardcore hardware optimisation - seeing as the 3G is looking pretty dated, with it being nearly two years old.
Anyway, we're looking forward to finding out about the new iPhone 4.0 OS, which we're anticipating being launched on 27 January - keep your browser pointed to TechRadar to find out all the news.
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Review: Logitech G27
There's no other way to play a top racing game with any vague sense of realism than with a wheel bolted securely to your desk and a set of pedals sat on the mess of wires under your feet.
The difference in satisfaction and visual realism is immediate; so much so that you'll never want to race without a wheel again. But how much will you pay for the privilege?
That's a question that Logitech is asking again with its new top-of-the-line racing wheel, the G27.
Sure, it's tricky to get the hang of hurtling around in-game with a steering wheel when you're used to the mouse/keyboard combo or the analogue sticks of your favourite gamepad, but when you manage to drift around a corner with just the right amount of throttle and opposite lock to make you look like a Finn you'll be grinning like a loon. Which will make you look even more like a Finnish rally driver…
DiRT 2 is the perfect example – I can't imagine playing the game on a gamepad having reviewed it using a wheel. But what do you really need in a decent racing controller?
Force feedback is the most essential thing and here Logitech and the G27 rule. With good force feedback you can actually feel the way the car is handling, enabling you to react much faster than if you had to rely on visual cues alone.
Need for speed
But do you need a proper six-speed gear shift to get the most out of your wheel? If you want the ultimate in race-driving realism then the answer is probably yes, but then you also need a racing seat and one of those frames you can build a PC and screen into to make you feel like you're in a proper simulator.
And if you want all that then it's going to cost you a couple of grand anyway, so you might as well get a آ£330 steering wheel…
This is definitely a wheel for the enthusiast; the casual racer isn't going to get enough out of this leather, plastic and metal monster to justify the outlay.
The problem here, though, is that the previous Logitech beastie, the G25, is available for about آ£160 if you shop around – half the price of this latest wheel.
So what do you miss out on with the older model? Strangely, all you seem to lose are six programmable buttons. That said, the G25 has a switch to change the gated gear shift to a simple sequential shift, which the G27 oddly lacks.
I'd hoped that the G27's finish would be better and the clamps more secure, but it's still disturbingly easy to wrench either the shift or the wheel from the desk on a tight turn, and the gear stick is as lightweight as ever.
The G25, then, is still a fantastic racing wheel and at آ£160 it's a bargain for such a serious simulator setup. By comparison, the G27 brings little to the table for its somewhat crazy price tag.
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Texting children 'are better spellers and readers'
A new study indicates that children who use text messages frequently can prove to be better spellers and readers, have higher scores in verbal reasoning tests, and are more aware of rhyming words.
The study, conducted by Dr Clare Wood, a reader in development psychology at Coventry University, and published by the British Academy, was conducted among a group of eight to 12-year-olds. It found that the kids who texted regularly were unlikely to be among the problem readers or spellers in their class. In fact, those using "phonologically based textisms" often proved to be the best at spelling.
Texting as communication
The use of text speak has worried many guardians of the English language, and examiners have voiced concern over it cropping up in the answers students give on papers.
However, said Dr Wood: "We began studying in this area initially to see if there was any evidence of association between text abbreviation use and literacy skills at all after such a negative portrayal of the activity in the media.
"We were surprised to learn that not only was the association strong but that textism use was actually driving the development of phonological awareness and reading skill in children."
She also advocated texting as a good use of written English, since it allows them to practice both spelling and reading skills daily.
Which is gr8, innit?
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Updated: Apple Tablet rumour round-up
For something that doesn't officially exist yet, the Apple iTablet is generating an awful lot of coverage - but this time there appears to be fire inside all the smoke.
After years of rumours it seems that the Apple iTablet will break cover in a matter of days.
So what do we really know about the most anticipated bit of technology since the USB lava lamp? Come with us as we filter the River of Rumour for the Shiny Nuggets of Truth.
1. The Apple Tablet is called the Apple iSlate
Apple definitely bought the domain name iSlate.com two years ago, and the Apple iSlate may run software called iGuide. Then again, Boy Genius Report reckons that the final name will be iTablet - but many people prefer iBook. As Apple doesn't make iBooks any more, the name would be perfect for an ebook-media-internet-thingummy.
2. The Apple iSlate release date is in March, or April, or maybe later than that
The Apple iSlate release date appears to be rather cloudy: while everyone agrees that the iSlate will finally be unveiled this month, it won't ship until March, or maybe April, or maybe later than that. As for a first look at the Apple iSlate - there's an Apple event on 27 January where it's expected that Steve Jobs will show off the tablet.
3. The Apple iSlate will be an ebook reader
The iGuide's trademark description specifically mentions books, magazines, newsletters and journals, so the Apple iSlate will be pitched at least partly as an ebook reader.
According to Silicon Alley Insider Apple has already approached key iPhone developers and asked them to scale their apps for a bigger screen, and if that's true then the Apple iSlate will be running a variant of the iPhone OS complete with App Store.
4. The Apple iSlate will have 3G and Wi-Fi, or maybe just Wi-Fi
Depending on how you interpret the responses in a recent interview given by Orange France's Stephane Richard there will be a 3G Apple iSlate with an integrated webcam. If there is a 3G version we'd expect a Wi-Fi-only version, too, in much the same way that the iPod is an iPhone without the phone bit.
Then again, Orange says Richard's remarks were taken out of context and mistranslated, and Steve Jobs has had him shot.
Maybe it's just the webcam bit that Richard got wrong, though. The Guardian reports that Apple has been talking to UK mobile operators to find a network partner for its tablet.
5. The Apple iSlate will have a virtual keyboard and maybe 3D
So what user interface will the Apple iSlate have? MacRumors' discovery of an old Fingerworks press release - yes, the same Apple-owned Fingerworks whose site Apple mysteriously shuttered mere moments ago - describes a virtual keyboard "that serves as mouse, standard keyboard, and powerful multi-finger gesture interpreter". This suggests that the user interface will be a cross between an iPhone and a Macbook's trackpad. The New York Times quotes a former Apple designer who claims the firm has created a multi-touch version of iWork.
Apple has also patented a 3D user interface that may or may not end up in the tablet. Whether it's 3D or 2D, the New York Times says "you will be very surprised how you interact with the new tablet."
6. The Apple iSlate will be a gaming machine
Apple has invited leading videogame journalists to its 27 January event in the US, with Kotaku reporting that it has received its invite to the launch. "We have been anticipating a major move from Apple in the games market for some time," said CVG editor Tim Ingham. "This could well be it."
7. The Apple iSlate will be 10 inches
How big will it be? For months we've heard that the size of the Apple iSlate would be seven inches or nine inches, but somebody close to Apple has deliberately leaked key details to the Wall Street Journal including a "10 to 11-inch touchscreen".
We'd certainly trust the WSJ ahead of Phonearena.com, which claims to have a leaked Apple spec sheet detailing a 7.1" tablet running "clouded Leopard". Hmmm.
As we put it in December, "we're looking at a device that is essentially a super-sized iPod touch".
GROWING UP: "A super-sized iPod touch" is exactly what the Apple iSlate is likely to be. Are you excited yet?
8. The Apple iSlate used to be seven inches
It's possible that the smaller sizes were Apple iSlate prototypes, as an anonymous designer has told TG Daily that it's almost impossible to get hold of 10.1" LCD or OLED screens from any Asian manufacturer as Apple's bought the lot. LCD and OLED suggests either multiple models or a twin-screen Apple iSlate, with the former much more likely than the latter.
It's likely that TG Daily has been misinformed, however: Ars Technica spoke to the OLED Association and discovered that "there's no real production of 10.1-inch panels" for anyone to hoard.
9. The Apple iSlate will cost around $1,000 and sell squillions
The WSJ says that the Apple iSlate will cost around $1,000, which sounds about right: that's one and a bit iPhone 3GSes. Even at that price, Reuters reckons it's going to sell shedloads.
If the Guardian is correct, mobile phone firms may subsidise that price - although of course that means committing to a two-year contract when it's entirely possible the second generation tablet will ship next summer.
Ultimately, though, there's only one thing you need to know about the tablet: Steve Jobs is "extremely happy" with it. If it's good enough for Jobs, we're sure it's good enough for us.
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Review: YoYoTech Warbird i750
Another month and we've got another Core i5 machine questing for the crown of the top sub-آ£1000 PC.
But in this YOYOTech Warbird i750 there is something different; thanks to the drought that's surrounded the launch of AMD's latest 5-series graphics cards this is actually the first full rig that's crossed our test benches sporting a DX11 GPU.
This all came about because of an unreported fault at the TSMC factories, the people responsible for manufacturing the actual silicon make up at the heart of the AMD graphics cards. Up until now the 5-series has, to all intents and purposes, been purely a paper launch.
Pretty much every e-tailer in the land has been out of stock of the latest graphics cards, meaning that anyone wanting a DX11 card to go along with their DX11 operating system has either had to have been on the pre-order list or has had quite a long wait.
All the chips
So the 5850 is the stand out part of this PC build then, but the now-gaming-standard of the Core i5-750 is also making a starring appearance here.
We've seen a couple of other rigs offering the CPU with an impressive overclock, such as the systems we've seen from Scan and Advancetec, but this is the first that's come out of the box sporting a 4GHz clockspeed. Considering the chip's got a standard rating of 2.66GHz that's quite a boost.
The chunky Coolermaster chip-chiller sitting on top of the CPU does have to work overtime when all four cores are loaded up, making a lot of extra noise, but in general use it's a decibel-friendly setup. After all, it's going to be quite rare that you'll actually be pushing the CPU to its limits since few games or apps are multi-threaded enough to max all four cores.
Despite the extreme overclock though it's not going to melt a hole through your floor after a few hours of use. At idle it runs at around 38آ°C and tops out at 72آ°C under 100% load. One of the cores though ran significantly hotter than the rest and that topped out at just over 80آ°C. Still, that's short of the thermal cut-off point of the chip, but might need watching.
Oh no, no OS
The other thing to remember with this setup though is that it's shipping without an operating system. Because of the DX11 graphics you'll be wanting Windows 7, and with the 4GB of installed RAM you'll also be wanting to hit the 64-bit versions.
Factoring all that in you're looking at close to آ£900 on a final price for a fully functional rig out of the box. But it's quick and that 5850 easily bests the GTX275 that's become the standard for sub- آ£1000 machines. We've seen a lot of machines floating around the آ£1000 mark and the Warbird i750 has knocked them all into a cocked hat.
The lack of OS and no bundled screen does still make the original Achilles a tempting proposal, but this is the new king. The rest of the componentry happily supports the standout parts, though the 500GB HDD might seem a little miserly.
But it'll take a while to fill that up anyway, and in the mean time you'll have clocked up many hours of satisfyingly hi-res, high-fidelity gaming.
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Microsoft Bing to replace Google as Apple iPhone default search?
Microsoft and Apple are in negotiation to bring the Bing search engine to the iPhone, according to latest reports.
Talks have apparently been underway for "weeks", with the suggestion of a growing rift between Apple and Google in which "Microsoft is… a pawn in that battle".
Google to be dropped?
BusinessWeek's sources claim that the two computing giants have been discussing the possibility of dropping Google as iPhone's default search engine.
"Apple and Google know the other is their primary enemy," says one of the unnamed sources in the report.
If Apple and Microsoft can reach an agreement, Businessweek notes that this may just be a time buying move by Apple, with the Cupertino-based computing company reportedly working on their own 'skunk works' search tech.
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Gamers rush to get in Star Trek Online beta
The developer of the new Star Trek Online game, Cryptic Studios, has been overwhelmed by the response of gamers to the launch of its new game's beta test.
The combination of the winning sci-fi brand and an MMO developer with a known heritage in making quality games has surely already started to pay off.
"We have seen more signups and players than we ever imagined," said a Cryptic rep. "The actual numbers crushed our predictions."
An amazing first week
"The first week of Open Beta has been amazing," Cryptic added in an online update. "So very many people have shown interest in Star Trek Online and logged in to play that we've actually had to scramble to support everyone. Our core engineers are this very second working like crazed technology wielding madmen to improve performance and stability across the board."
Cryptic continued, "We looked at numbers from Closed Beta, numbers from games we've worked on in the past, and some numbers that float around the games industry.
"Based on those numbers, we predicted that about 65 per cent of the keys we generated would eventually turn into active players (some keys never get delivered, others are lost in spam boxes, some are never redeemed, etc). And, we predicted about 1/6 of those redeemed keys would turn into players that game at the same time. It's what we call our concurrent users or CCU, for short."
If you want to know more about Star Trek Online head over to the game's website.
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Sony confirms launch for 'PS3 Arc'
Sony has confirmed PlayStation 3 motion control will be launching later this autumn, with some gamers disappointed that the rumoured-to-be-called 'PS3 Arc' will not make a spring/Easter launch.
The launch of Sony's new motion controller coincides with the planned launch of Microsoft's Project Natal motion control tech, so it is already shaping up to be an interesting Christmas in 2010 (or, if you work in the games industry, an 'interesting Q4').
Sony promises an "extensive line-up" of motion-controlled games to coincide with the launch.
Hirai on Motion
"We have decided to release the Motion Controller in fall 2010 when we will be able to offer an exciting and varied line-up of software titles that will deliver the new entertainment experience to PS3 users," said Kaz Hirai, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment.
Hirai added: "We will continue to work to have a comprehensive portfolio of attractive and innovative games for the Motion Controller, not only from SCE Worldwide Studios but also from the third-party developers and publishers, whom we have been working closely with.
"We look forward to soon unveiling the exciting software line-up that further expand and define the PS3 platform as the ultimate entertainment system for the home."
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Namco launches new digital delivery service
Namco Bandai Networks Europe has announced a new digital delivery channel for its mobile and casual games.
The new service is called Namco Arcade, with the company first making the announcement to its fans on Facebook.
Namco Arcade lets users try out mobile games on Facebook before they decide whether or not they want to buy. Then when they do buy the game it is sent directly to their mobile.
Perfect mobile marketing
It is the perfect way of marketing casual and mobile games to an eager fanbase and Namco's latest venture is in partnership with social network discovery firm, Mplayit.
Titles confirmed to date include such crackers as Pac-Man CE, Katamari, Namco Arcade Golf, Pac-Man Pinball 2 and Time Crisis Elite.
The Namco drift-driving classic Ridge Racer Drift will be launching at some point in the future, with a date still to be confirmed.
"Namco Arcade is a great way for us to complement the traditional carrier channels of our distribution partners with an alternative channel for users to try and buy our games," said Barry O'Neill, President of Namco Bandai Networks Europe.
He added: "Integrating social networks into our distribution channels was an obvious move. Facebook has a user base of 350 million, many of whom love casual gaming. Namco Arcade is a great way for us to reach a whole new audience, and allows us to reduce the overall cost to customers, while offering a new level of service and interactivity.
"The ability to discover and share games easily will be a key driver for the mobile games market in the future."
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