Canon EOS 550D officially announced
Canon has finally unveiled its update to its EOS 500D range, the EOS 550D – a camera which Canon is saying "redefines the boundaries". Packing a newly-developed 18MP CMOS sensor, the EOS 550D uses Canon's DIGIC 4 image processor, which means it can shoot Full HD movies.
The 550D features a 9-point AF system, has 14-bit image processing and impresses with a 100 – 6400 (expandable to 12800) ISO rating.
Also on board is the ability to shoot 3.7 frames per second (fps), handy for any sports photographers out there.
HD movie making
As the EOS 550D has a Full HD movie mode, it also comes with a number of movie presets.
These include the ability to shoot 30, 25 and 24fps at 1920x1080p resolution or 720p video at 60 and 50fps. There's also an 3.5mm external microphone jack included to help with making movies.
Canon has also announced that it has developed a free EOS movie plug-in for Final Cut Pro, so it's easier to get your footage off of the camera and into the edit suite.
UK release
Flip the camera around and there's a 3:2 Clear View LCD screen, which is said to be anti-reflective and water repellent.
And like the 500D, buttons on the camera have been made bigger and there's the inclusion of a new button on the battery grip which allows for changing the aperture setting.
HDMI connectivity and the news that the camera is compatible with Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX series Speedlite flash units, rounds off an impressive launch from Canon.
The Canon EOS 550D (body only) has a UK release date of 24 February and is priced at a penny under آ£799.
Go to www.canon.co.uk for more details.
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Canon shows off PowerShot SX210 IS
Canon has announced the latest addition to its PowerShot range, with the PowerShot SX210 IS offering 14.1MP resolution and DIGIC 4 processing.
Canon is pitching the PowerShot SX210 IS for 'users seeking powerful performance in a highly compact body', featuring a 28mm wide-angle lens and 14x optical zoom.
The camera also boasts 720p HD video recording functionality with zoom and stereo sound.
More features
Plus the SX210 IS offers Canon's Scene Detection Technology, i-Contrast , Smart Flash Exposure, Motion Detection Technology and Face Detection Technology for up to 35 faces.
The PowerShot SX210 IS has a UK release date of March 2010 priced at آ£359.
Go to www.canon.co.uk for more details.
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95% of user generated content 'is spam'
Some startling web-based statistics have been unearthed in a new report, which shines a light on just how corrupt parts of the internet are.
According to Websence Security Labs the majority of what we see online and receive through email has links to spam and contains malicious code.
In fact, 95 per cent of user generated content is generally spam or dangerous links and 85 per cent of emails sent are no more than 419 scams cunningly disguised – or not so cunning if they begin: "dear friend".
Stat attack
In the findings, it was also noted that 71 per cent of websites which contain malicious material are legit sites which have been compromised. And of those attacks, 35 per cent will have a data-stealing code embedded.
There's definitely a significant rise in compromised websites, with Websence Security Labs reporting that there has been a 225 per cent rise in dangerous websites, when comparing the second half of 2009 to the second half of 2008.
It's obvious why Websence Security Labs is relaying these scary stats – which it mined from the ThreatSeeker Network – but the statistics are pretty revealing. But not enough that a little bit of common sense and being web-savvy couldn't remedy.
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BT would open ducts to other ISPs
BT has suggested that other internet service providers will be allowed access to its underground ducts to lay their own fibre-optic cable, heading off any potential complaints by a conservative government.
The opposition party, the Conservatives, had suggested that BT should be forced to open up its network of ducts to other ISPs, but Chief Executive Ian Livingstone insists that access had already been discussed with watchdog Ofcom.
Willing to provide access
"We told Ofcom last year we're willing to provide open access to our ducts... and we are working with them on how to achieve it," said Livingstone.
"Although it's unlikely to be the silver bullet to get fibre to every home, open access to all ducts, not just ours, might help BT and others extend coverage and so we would like to see a future government support such a move."
Use of the ducts would help cut the costs of rivals who currently have to either make their own excavations to lay cable – a crucial part of a next-generation infrastructure.
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In Depth: Why 2010 isn't the year for 3D in the home
It's easy to get caught up in the excitement surrounding 3D TV.
DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg proclaimed that: "2010 will be the year in which 3D is brought to the home." Stephen Gater, LG's Head of Marketing for Home Entertainment said: "we're witnessing the start of dramatic change in how we view TV."
While a bullish Samsung laid out its plans at CES. "Just as we created the LED market last year, we will lead the industry in the 3D market this year," boasted its US president Tim Baxter.
Although 3D telly prototypes have been knocking around at tech shows for the past few years, 2010 is being hailed as the year that the resurrected format finally becomes a commercial reality. And this time it will be more than a gimmick with cardboard red/cyan glasses.
2010 will be the year of the first Blu-ray 3D disc, the first commercially available '3D Ready' TVs, and the UK's first dedicated 3D TV channel from Sky.
No brainer?
So we'll have 3D-capable hardware and 3D content to watch on it. But do all these firsts really mark a tipping point for 3D TV and herald a bold new era of bespectacled home entertainment?
2009 was certainly a pivotal year for 3D cinema. Films such as Coraline, My Bloody Valentine and Up all played to packed crowds happily to wear thick-rimmed polarised glasses.
But it's James Cameron's Avatar that's become the poster child for the 3D revolution. The sci-fi spectacular has clawed in over $1.86 billion dollars at the global box office. Hollywood has subsequently embraced 3D.
3D MOVIES HERE TO STAY: James Cameron's Avatar has pushed 3D cinema into the mainstream
Over 50 3D films are due for release in the next few years and many more will be re-released in a new 3D version. Bringing the 3D experience into your living room seems like a no-brainer.
2012 "more likely"
But when you look closer it seems ambitious to suggest that 2010 will be the 'year of 3D TV'.
Although the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) guesstimates that 2.2 million 3D-capable TV sets will be sold this year, Sony Electronics' chief marketing officer Mike Fasulo pegs 2012 as a more likely timeframe for mass market 3D adoption.
Futuresource Consulting has predicted that 45 per cent of US homes will have a 3D TV by 2014 and DisplaySearch forecasts that consumers will spend $17 billion on 3D TVs by 2018.
Consider how long it has already taken HD to gain a foothold in the UK telly market. The satellite broadcaster Euro1080 launched Europe's first dedicated HD channel (HD1) back in 2004. Sky launched its own HD service two years later.
Yet by the start of 2010, Sky HD subscriptions have only just surpassed two million households. While that's a good built-in audience for Sky's forthcoming 3D channel, how many of these subscribers will want to splash out on a new 3D-ready HD TV so they can watch it?
One of the biggest sticking points to rapid 3D adoption is price. If you've just bought an HD TV, you're unlikely to buy another one just to watch a smattering of 3D TV content. On his blog, Forrester analyst James McQuivey puts things neatly into perspective.
TOO SOON FOR HOME 3D? The 3D revolution has arrived during the middle of the HD revolution. Consumers won't upgrade again so soon
"Between 2007 and 2009, over 40 million HD TVs were sold in the US," he explains, "most of them close to or below $1,000... Now we're going to ask those same people to spend between $2,000 and $4,000 to get a good 3D TV set with just two sets of active shutter glasses? Sorry, the credit card is going to stay in the wallet for this one."
Content the key - as ever
Another potential pitfall is 3D content. Not the availability of the content per se. But our attitude to it. For example, Sky recently showed the Arsenal vs Manchester United Premiership clash on 3D TVs in selected pubs across the UK. Eight rigs with 16 cameras captured all of the action at the Emirates. What impressed most?
According to Darren Long, Sky Sports' director of operations: "sport is all about emotion, and seeing it in 3D adds to the experience." But according to Dublin football fan John Cormican: "the best bit was when the players came out of the tunnel – it was amazing, they looked like they were running right past you."
GRAY AND KEYS: Sky's 3D football demo was considered a success, although only the low camera angles were most effective
As The Guardian points out in the same piece: "if you love football, the technology is irrelevant." The gimmicky approach to 3D is another problem. Movie plotting has often suffered under a deluge of special effects. Hello, Star Wars prequels. We're looking at you.
There's a danger that the craze for using 3D technology could also detract from the core elements of a good film – storytelling, believable characterisation and emotional engagement. For example, the #1-rated movie on IMDb is The Shawshank Redemption. Would filming it in 3D have made it any better? Would you enjoy it even more if it was converted to 3D by a Toshiba Cell TV? Just because you can add an extra dimension doesn't mean that you should.
Of course, 3D is already out of date in Korea, where 4D movie showings are all the rage. According to Variety.com, "the 4D screening [of Avatar] uses more than 30 effects during the 3D film's 162 minute run, including moving seats, smells of explosives, sprinkling water, laser lights and wind." Let's see Sony try and transfer that experience into your living room.
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Denon S-5BD 'Cara' Blu-ray player announced
Denon has announced the arrival of its latest all-in-one Blu-ray system, the S-5BD.
The Denon S-5BD, or Cara as it is more affectionately known, is Denon's attempt at making its high-end AV kit more affordable.
Combining an 5.1-channel surround sound amplifier with a Blu-ray player, Denon has managed to snaffle some of the technology used in its آ£4,500 DVD-A1UD Blu-ray player, combine it with an amplifier which pipes out nearly 400W of sound.
Also on-board is a Compressed Audio Restorer, which promises to get better sound out of your MP3s and support for Dolby Pro Logic IIz and Dolby TrueHD/DTSHD Master Audio.
The system is Profile 2.0 and HDMI 1.4 compatible, so you will be able to spin those 3D-Ready Blu-ray discs when they make an appearance later in the year.
Price-wise, it's going to retail for آ£1,999. Yes, it's expensive but compared to some of the kit released by Denon, it's a bit of a steal.
Got to www.denon.co.uk for more information.
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HTC Incredible packs top-end Android specs
HTC's latest Android phone has been shown off, and looks to be called the HTC Incredible.
What's incredible about it? Well, for starters it's massive – rumoured specs have it between 3.5-inch and 3.7-inch in terms of screen size – but judging by the pics from website Pocketnow we'd assume the latter.
A 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5MP camera with dual LED flash and optical trackpad are also included, along with that whopping screen offering WVGA resolution on an OLED display.
How incredible is incredible?
The phone pictured is supposed to be coming to Verizon in the US, but very rarely does a phone from HTC land in the US and not make it over here – and one that's running Android 2.1 and HTC's Sense UI simply must land in the UK – else we'll be pretty angry.
The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that the HTC Incredible's stats bear a striking resemblance to the forthcoming HTC Bravo – so it's likely what we're seeing here is the US version of that.
However, the UK Bravo is still likely to have a UK release date of around March or April, so it won't be long until we find out.
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In Depth: Key trends for the next 12 months in web design
We enter 2010 in turbulent times. The worst of the economic crisis is over, but recovery will be fragile. To an extent, the industry has weathered the storm, enabling clients to take advantage of the web's efficiency and modularity, and this will continue in 2010 – if agencies and designers pitch accordingly.
"I see budgets at the lower end of the market remaining tight," says Andy Budd, MD of Clearleft. "Marketing microsites and vanity games projects will be scaled back, and larger clients will focus on the effectiveness of their spend."
He reckons that although large companies might capitalise on the upturn and invest in full redesigns of their sites, most will explore improving core usability, in a bid to increase conversions and customer retention. Consolidation will affect the industry in various ways.
Dan Mall, senior designer at Big Spaceship, sees the web becoming a "more critical part of advertising and content delivery," with companies shifting from considering the internet secondary to traditional media to "using it as the primary source for spreading a message".
Although that could mean more work for designers, Happy Cog founder Jeffrey Zeldman says it won't lead to a resurgence of mega-agencies:
"As in advertising's creative revolution of the 1960s, we'll see smaller teams doing more via real, creative collaboration – no more sliding wireframes under the designer's door or mailing comps to the code guy. Designers will have to take a more holistic approach – be content-aware, and user- and usability- focused."
He predicts many designers frustrated by regimented workflow will be liberated in 2010, enjoying their work more, and that a "publication-and application-savvy generation of web designers will enrich and deepen the medium. The emerging web needs our insight and creativity, not just our skills."
Functionality
Sandi Wassmer, MD of Copious hopes the evolving industry will lead to designers asking more often whether something is needed: "I hope designers will take a greater interest in what functionality does in terms of end-user experience, and inform a client they don't need all the latest gadgets and gizmos," she says.
Wassmer predicts that with mobile's increasing importance, "designers will simplify and streamline websites for mobile platforms, resulting in sites with greater usability and apps that give users greater control over their personal experience online."
Additionally, sites should become more purposeful, increasingly restricting self-hosted content to the strictly relevant and utilising third-party services where necessary. "You visit YouTube to see videos, but wouldn't go to a corporate site to see a chairman's conference speech," she says. "You'd expect a company to have a YouTube channel, rather than their site taking forever to download due to large A/V files."
Visual trends
How much impact a depressed market will have on the visual appearance of sites in 2010 remains to be seen, but a trend of enabling people to rapidly access information should persevere. "We'll see the continued rise of the grid system, influenced strongly by print," predicts TweetDeck UX & UI architect James Whittaker.
"Big, bold typefaces will form the centrepiece of many designs, although I hope there'll be a move away from Web 2.0 clichأ©s and a fresher approach, with plenty of white space to enhance visuals." Many predict that colour will make a return, partly to cheer people up, partly because of the influence of retro designs.
Budd suggests that sites like that of the travel game gowalla.com will become more common: "That site signalled a renewed trend towards bright, simple, colourful interfaces," he says. "I suspect this has much to do with an emerging iPhone app style. In fact, many sites will take their design and user experience lead from their mobile apps, rather than the other way round."
Brendan Dawes of magneticNorth reckons mobile will affect desktop designs in other ways, too: "Gesture based interactions will become more prevalent, opening up a world of possibilities," he says, noting the popularity of feature-rich trackpads and multitouch devices such as Wacom's Bamboo.
Interaction
Paul Dawson of EMC Consulting reckons that interfaces in general will become simplified and easier for people to use. "2010 will see a move away from meaningless visual animation and towards beautiful interaction styles that look great and add something to the ease and pleasure of using a site," he predicts.
However, he worries that any trend towards richer interfaces might see a marked return of Flash-only sites: "They've steadily crept back in over the past two years, as clients and agencies push towards animated interfaces, but lack the skills to realise them in a cross-browser, accessible manner."
Yet it was heartening to note that of those we spoke to, few believed Flash would be a major concern in 2010, and those interested in the technology were primarily excited about Flash CS5 in relation to deploying iPhone apps.
Instead, JavaScript increasingly catches the imagination. "JavaScript libraries will be utilised more and more," says Mall, although he warns that the technology will experience growing pains, in the manner Flash had to deal with in the early 2000s:
"How does a developer intelligently handle a method that breaks the full-page reload method? What happens when the amount of code in a page makes it slow? Will we require JavaScript preloaders? When the dust settles, there'll be a clear distinction regarding the roles of JavaScript and Flash, but it'll be quite a journey to get there."
These concerns are shared by JavaScript advocate and An Event Apart co-founder Eric Meyer, who thinks 2010 will find designers having to dedicate more time and thought to using JavaScript in ways that make the web better for everyone, not worse: "It'll occupy a minority of their attention, but that minority is growing. And there'll be the incessant need to ask if a site works without JavaScript, if the content is where Google can find it, and if the disabled can navigate it."
Web standards
Meyer reckons the key to moving forward is solid standards-oriented design, but designers will have to exercise skills more than ever to ensure they don't build creaky shanties on top of that foundation. Similarly, take-up of CSS3 should be more apparent in 2010, but designers must again be mindful of anyone using browsers that don't support cutting-edge technologies.
Christoph Helzle of Fi New York hopes "graceful degradation becomes accepted, so things like text columns, drop-shadows and rounded corners look great in modern browsers and 'merely' good in older ones."
Inevitably, advances in utilisable technology – with the exception of proprietary plug-ins like Flash – rest with browser vendors. Levels of support for open standards will dictate the evolution of web design in 2010.
"Firefox will continue to be developed, as will Safari, Chrome and Opera, although I doubt we'll see major changes. But hopefully there'll be speed increases and added support for CSS3, HTML5 and the nascent WOFF font format," says Richard Rutter of Clearleft. "I also hope Windows 7 will be massively popular, and big corporates hanging on to Windows XP will upgrade, relegating Internet Explorer 6 to the history books."
Meyer believes "JavaScript libraries will graft support for HTML5 and CSS3 into older browsers," citing the spread of downloadable fonts as an example: "Some browsers natively support @fontface, and others act like they do with a little help."
He thinks JavaScript will be the key technology over the coming year, especially O3D and similar frameworks that enable native 3D in browsers.
Mall is more pessimistic, noting that: "The browser landscape has always been slow to evolve". He reckons that unless browser makers have something radical hidden from view, "we'll see little change other than small updates for CSS3 support".
Zeldman also doesn't picture an entirely rosy 2010 regarding browsers, commenting that although "Firefox, Safari and Chrome will continue to win converts, pressuring Microsoft to support @font-face without requiring EOT, the browser market will continue to fragment".
On the positive side, he reckons people's positive experiences with iPhone and Android might accelerate adoption of Safari and Chrome, helping people realise "a web experience can be richer and more beautiful". The mobile platforms Zeldman mentions and their browsers will be more important in 2010, due to smartphones becoming mass market.
Chris Garrett of Substrakt Bristol hopes we'll see standardisation – "WebKit's been adopted by Nokia, Android and iPhone. We just need straggling platforms like Blackberry to do the same for a truly rich mobile development environment."
Regarding strategy, Jakob Nielsen of Nielsen Norman Group argues you've three options: ignore mobile, adapt your website "so it'll suck less on mobile devices," or make a dedicated site or app. "All three strategies are valid, depending on the nature of the site," he says.
Rutter is unconvinced mobile-specific sites are necessary: "The beauty of iPhone's Safari is you don't need a 'mobile version' of a site – the only time you need go further is when making use of mobile features such as location-awareness."
Whittaker agrees: "Whereas people were all thinking about taking sites from the desktop to mobile, apps changed perceptions and expectations," he points out. For him, it's apps that will continue being hot in 2010, "providing quick, usable solutions for people on the go".
Of course, the impact of location awareness will be felt beyond mobile. "It'll become integral on the desktop," predicts Garrett. "Now Google Gears offers a JavaScript API for accessing a user's location, we can reliably set a geographical context, enhancing the user experience with services such as localised search, without relying on user input."
Rutter's colleague Paul Annett also advocates location-awareness: "In fact, an early Clearleft client was mobile game Locomatrix, where you collected virtual items in real-world locations via GPS. The lack of geo-aware mobiles at the time meant it didn't take off, but we're now seeing sites like Gowalla and Foursquare emerge with similar interactivity.
"This market will mature and develop with useful tools, where we share genuinely useful items such as virtual discount vouchers. The boundaries between activity online and in the physical world are beginning to blur."
New skills
Approaches to standards and platforms are only part of the equation for success in 2010. Any shift in attitude must also encourage flexibility and a fresh burst of innovation, believes Michael Stratton of Fi New York.
He sums up 2009 as "a year of repetitive iPhone designs, IA layouts and repetitive modularisation" and insists that "in 2010, designers must be more expressive and rekindle their passion for creativity, to make the web beautiful and intuitive".
New skills will also be important. "Designers who don't know about type need to get up to speed fast," argues Zeldman. Jonathan Green of Franki&Jonny recommends Flash specialists "start thinking about open standards, because Flash will become increasingly niche".
And the ability to manipulate output by getting your hands dirty will be essential, says Dawes: "With the iPhone, it's mostly software – it's so generic as an object that it could be anything, and through software it does indeed become anything. This is incredibly exciting for anyone who designs with code – they're now 'mutators of hardware'. If you're a designer who doesn't know how to code, you should learn – now."
It's also important to ensure your focus extends beyond the browser. Mike Kus of Carsonified finds it amazing that "there's been amazing print design around for decades, but only a handful of web designers take inspiration from it."
He hopes a new breed, perhaps from an offline background, might break into web design in 2010 to shake things up. Sidebar Creative's Dan Rubin also suggests getting away from the screen: "Stop wasting time on trends and find ways to play – to stretch yourself as a designer," he advises.
"Build something with your hands. Pick up a camera and learn to see the world in a different way. Above all, if you enjoy what you do and are passionate about it, you'll be successful."
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FBI wants two-year website visitor log retention
The FBI wants ISPs to keep information for two years on what sites users visit.
The agency believes this action could help in the investigation of crimes, including child pornography.
For the last four years, FBI director Robert Mueller has been advocating that ISPs retain this data, including "origin and destination information," and two years ago asked Congress to make it into law, stating: "From the perspective of an investigator, having that backlog of records would be tremendously important if someone comes up on your screen now.
"If those records are only kept 15 days or 30 days, you may lose the information you may need to bring that person to justice."
However, it was only at a meeting of the Online Safety and Technology Working Group (OSTWG) that Greg Motta, the chief of the FBI's digital evidence section, came up with the two-year figure. The OSTWG is "tasked with evaluating industry efforts to promote a safe online environment for children."
What they don't want
Motto emphasised that the FBI wasn't asking for retention of data content. He said: "The question at least for the bureau has been about non-content transactional data to be preserved: transmission records, non-content records...addressing, routing, signalling of the communication."
Implementing all this would be a mammoth task, and the FBI hasn't yet been specific in stating what how much information it wants.
But the chances are the Big Brother will soon be watching your online activity.
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Bungie promises 'last hoorah' for Xbox Live send-off
News last week that the original Xbox Live service is to be switched off in April has been met with some sadness by Bungie, makers of the Halo franchise.
In an emotional blog, the company remarks on Xbopx Live's proposed closure by saying: We're all saddened at the realisation that an era is coming to an end but looking back, we're incredibly fortunate to have had such a great run and such strong support from our fans.
"Halo 2 has been at or near the top of the Xbox Live charts for original games since it launched over five years ago.
Humpday losses
The blog goes on to say: "We're extremely thankful to everyone who has played, enjoyed and supported Halo 2 over Xbox Live. We've had some great fun together, including far too many humpday losses to even recount."
Bungie has decided to celebrate rather than commiserate and has proposed as massive send-off for Halo on the Live service, explaining: "Mark your calendars now – on 14 April let's all rally to go online for one last hoorah.
"One final farewell and one final opportunity for all of you to kick our asses at Halo 2."
Master Chief would approve.
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Major Microsoft security patch equals biggest ever
Microsoft is planning a bumper Patch Tuesday tomorrow, with a total of 13 fixes. One of these will close a loophole that's existed since the days of DOS.
In a blog posting, Jerry Bryant, Microsoft Senior Security Communications Manager, announced the 13 fixes will address a total 26 vulnerabilities. Five of the patches are deemed critical, seven important, and one moderate. 11 affect Windows, with the remaining two covering Office.
Bryant stated: "We are not aware of any attacks on these vulnerabilities and continue to encourage customers to implement the mitigations and workarounds outlined in the advisories."
Old bugs
The old bug which is being fixed involves a utility that allows newer versions of Windows to run very old programs. It first appeared 17 years ago in Windows NT 3.1, and has been in every version of Windows since.
The vulnerability was discovered last month by Google security researcher Tavis Ormandy. He found the utility could be exploited in, XP, Vista, and Windows 7, as well as in Windows Servers 2003 and 2008.
Just last month Microsoft released and "out of band" patch for an Internet Explorer vulnerability that was believed to be the cause of the Google China hack. Last week yet another IE vulnerability was discovered that could let attackers view the files on a machine. Microsoft will get to grips with that one in the future, although there's no evidence that it's currently being exploited.
Yet, that is.
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Google adds a little love to the Superbowl
Google's increasing profile continued with a major advertising spot in the most sought after ad breaks in global television – with the search giant paying for a slot during the American Superbowl.
The Superbowl is traditionally one of the most sought after advertising events of the year, and Google was so excited with the web reaction to its slightly twee Parisian Love promo that it plumped for a prime TV spot.
"If you watched the Super Bowl this evening you'll have seen a video from Google called Parisian Love. In fact you might have watched it before, because it's been on YouTube for over three months, said the company CEO Eric Schmidt on the Google blog.
Interaction
"We didn't set out to do a Super Bowl ad, or even a TV ad for search. Our goal was simply to create a series of short online videos about our products and our users, and how they interact," he added.
"But we liked this video so much, and it's had such a positive reaction on YouTube, that we decided to share it with a wider audience."
Will it bring a tear to your eye? Not if you're as cynical as we are, but I'm sure that a few bowls of popcorn were that little saltier on other side of the pond.
And at a price estimated at in excess of $3 million, probably a few tears were shed by Google's bank manager as well.
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Review: Corner-A PhotoStyler 2.2
Many photo enhancement apps exist for the iPhone, but relatively few similar standalone pieces of software do for the Mac. However, things are changing.
Last month we reviewed the impressive CameraBag; that app was elegant, but it felt restrictive in use. By comparison, PhotoStyler almost offers the opposite experience: there’s plenty of functionality, but everything’s wrapped up in an awkward interface.
First impressions weren’t great – PhotoStyler’s â€کdrop photo here to process’ work area resolutely ignored drags from Finder and iPhoto, but on loading photos directly, the app’s power soon became clear.
Panels provide access to presets, effects and the effects chain. Effects within the chain can be rearranged by drag and drop, and effects parameters are accessed by a double-click. User defined chains can be saved as templates.
PhotoStyler’s predefined templates and individual effects are almost universally impressive; the only drawback is in effects updates not being done in real time – making changes can be time-consuming and a stop-start process.
The general interface also feels awkward and not terribly Mac-like. The toolbar buttons aren’t obvious, and standard zoom keyboard shortcuts are omitted. PhotoStyler falls a little short of being a must-have app for amateur photo enthusiasts.
But if you can deal with its interface, there’s plenty of power under PhotoStyler’s hood.
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Review: Google Chrome 4 (Beta)
Google's dominance of the internet is worryingly reminiscent of Microsoft's command of the desktop market, and with Chrome being a big component of the Chrome operating system, it's clear this app is more than just a browser.
However, if 2012 sees us with Google chips implanted in our skulls, things won't be so bad as long as the company takes the same level of care as it has with Chrome for Mac.
Google claims the browser's been built from the ground up, which explains why it's taken so long to arrive. There's still the occasional iffy design decision – tabs have close boxes at the right and become small and fiddly when many are open, for example, and the toolbar drag area above the tabs is too small.
Elsewhere, though, it's clear this isn't a lazy Firefox-style port – Chrome utilises Mac OS X's Dictionary and Keychain; it also offers subtle Mac-like animations when opening tabs and panels.
The browser's fast, sleek and stable (in part due to each tab being an individual process – if one crashes, the others don't), almost making Safari feel cluttered and fussy by comparison. However, Chrome's also unfinished – this beta lacks extensions support, bookmarks and cookies management, as well as inline PDF display and a standalone app mode.
There's also no session restoration, although you can at least reopen closed tabs from the current session. Gripes aside, it's clear Google might have the Mac's leading browser – once it's finished.
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Review: Cheetah3D 5.1
For anyone wanting to learn the art and craft of 3D modelling and animation, there are few better starting points than CheetaD.
Developed exclusively for Mac OS X, it features a friendly if prosaic user interface, which conceals some powerful tools. The toolset enables you to model, texture, pose, animate and render your models, from characters to environments.
It also has decent import capabilities if you use other 3D packages, with 3DS, LWO and OBJ among the industry standard formats it supports.
New tools since version 4 include a revamped materials system, which enables you to define surface properties directly. The system's node editor lets you get right under the skin of a material.
Rendering is perhaps the area that's received the most attention, though: it's up to ten times faster than in previous releases, thanks to finely tuned hyperthreading and multi-core support. However, there's no marquee render to enable you to preview one section of your scene.
CheetaD still lacks features you would get in flagship 3D packages such as Cinema 4D or modo. But the most obvious absences are addressed with each passing update, and CheetaD is a fraction of the price.
The powerful render system means that professional 3D artists should consider it. The animation system is more limited, but accessible for newcomers. If you find the open-source Blender too confusing, try this instead.
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Sony making smaller loss on every PS3?
Sony's plan to make the PS3 more popular seems to have worked, except it's still apparently making a loss on every console it sells.
According to the WSJ, Sony loses around six cents in every dollar when selling a PS3 – although this is down from around 13 cents in the dollar when the console was originally launched.
Sony Chief Financial Officer Nobuyuki Oneda has stated that the company is working on reducing the production costs of the PS3 by 15 per cent in the next financial year, meaning that Sony might finally have a chance of turning a profit on PlayStation sales.
On the up
At least there was better news in other areas of the company – Sony posted a small profit for the third quarter of last year, as well as a rise of 44% for overall PlayStation sales, thanks mainly to a price drop for its costly console.
Last December, an iSuppli breakdown of parts used in the PS3 showed that there was still a loss of آ£23 per unit sold – so either cost projections have altered, or Sony is getting the parts cheaper than iSuppli's estimates.
Oneda said that with the constant restructuring promised for the PlayStation 3, the company hopes to benefit to the tune of "tens of billions of yen".
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Thawing in Amazon Macmillan ebook row
Amazon has begun selling physical books published by Macmillan again, suggesting the beginning of a resolution in the battle over ebook pricing between the publisher and the retailer.
It all began a week and a half ago, when Macmillan, whose imprints include Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Henry Holt and Co., demanded that Amazon charged more than the standard $9.99 for its titles that were sold as ebook titles for the Kindle reader. Macmillan wanted more control over the prices charged.
Amazon responded by suspending all Macmillan ebook titles from sale, and followed that up a week ago by removing all Macmillan titles from its site – something that was bound to have an impact, since Amazon is the world's largest book retailer.
Physical titles back on sale
Now that the dust has settled and tempers have cooled a little, Amazon has begun re-selling Macmillan titles. Macmillan ebooks are still not available, though, and the Amazon site is displaying a message for those want electronic versions: "Tell the publisher! I'd like to read this book on the Kindle."
Macmillan wants to be able to charge $12.99 to $14.99 for its ebook titles. Other publishers have also complained about the low prices Amazon is charging for ebooks. In a letter to authors, Macmillan Sargent wrote: "I want to assure you that Amazon has been working very, very hard and always in good faith to find a way forward with us."
Quite whose way that will be remains to be seen.
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Sonic the Hedgehog 4 coming to the iPhone?
Sonic the Hedgehog 4, the title that's got nostalgic gaming juices running the world over, could be coming to a new platform.
The game has been officially announced for the PS3, Xbox and Wii so far, but a curious fourth platform (which is pleasingly 'locked' on the official page) is set to appear.
Kotaku is stating that this is going to be the iPhone, and given the hardware specs needed for such a release, we reckon the iPhone and iPod touch could handle a bit of speedy hedgehog action.
It's-a me, Sonic!
Elements of the source code have already been discovered for the game, with coloured blocks and hints about the length of episodes leaked (which some have posited might even show the presence of Mario – which shows how crazy rumours can get).
Either way, we're still excited that Sonic has returned to his roots of 2D running-very-fast, so the more ways we can get to play this, the better.
Although we're not sure an iPhone could out-last a Game Gear – that's a challenger waiting to happen.
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iTablet finally launched – but not by Apple
UK company X2 has revealed the iTablet – but this one is nothing to do with Apple.
The new device is running Windows Mobile 7 and is powered by an Intel Atom processor, similar to the ones used in most netbooks.
It also has 250GB of storage, a 12.1-inch multi-touch capacitive display, and more tellingly, the ability to multi-task and run Flash video.
Thick 'n' chips
There will also be a front 1.3MP web cam for video chatting, USB ports and an HDMI-out connection for sending your content to larger screens.
However, this OC is 35mm thick – which makes sense given X2's background is in providing rugged mobile PCs to the likes of the military. However, it's not going to compete on aesthetics with Apple's 13.4mm iPad.
A number of firms are expected to release tablet PCs in the coming months as they seek to capitalise on the interest wrought by Apple and HP with their iPad and slate respectively, so it's likely we'll hear a lot of companies extolling the virtues of their device over Apple's.
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Google readying speech translator phone
Google is preparing new smartphone translator software that it say will be able to hear speech and translate it instantly.
The software would take the information learned from the company's text translation software, and voice recognition, a feature Google is putting in many smartphones.
It would obviously be basic at first, analysing small segments of speech before translation, but Google believes it would soon be refined with many users, according to Franz Och, Google's head of translation services.
High speed
"We think speech-to-speech translation should be possible and work reasonably well in a few years' time," he said.
"Clearly, for it to work smoothly, you need a combination of high-accuracy machine translation and high-accuracy voice recognition, and that's what we're working on.
"If you look at the progress in machine translation and corresponding advances in voice recognition, there has been huge progress recently."
The challenges of voice pitch and accent are the biggest that those working on instant voice translation have encountered, but with Google's vast user base and profile there's a good chance it could be the brand to achieve it.
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Competition: WIN! A Powermat and iPhone receiver case
Powermat is a product most people reading this will have heard of. For those of you who don't know, it's a wireless charging mat that can charge up to 4 devices at a time.
The mat plugs into the wall, and then you place your devices (such as your mobile phone or iPod) onto the mat, and it will charge them.
It effectively cuts out the need for all those wires trailing everywhere, and looks really stylish and sleek.
You simply need to put a receiver onto your device (either a case or a new battery door), and the Powermat will charge it.
Furthermore, once the device is fully charged, the mat will 'power down' meaning you aren't wasting unnecessary electricity.
The mat costs from آ£69.99 and the receivers from آ£29.99 (depending on device) and are available from John Lewis, Carphone Warehouse and Amazon.co.uk.
We're offering one reader the chance to win a Home/Office Powermat and an iPhone 3G receiver case to go with it. Just click here to enter the compo.
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