Panasonic brings Full HD 3D to Winter Olympics
Panasonic is to bring the Winter Olympics in 3D to a lucky few, with the company setting up two Full HD Theatres in LiveCity, Vancouver where the games are taking place.
Opening from 12 February the theatre will be packed with a 103-inch Full HD 3D and shots of the Opening Ceremony, highlights footage of the 2010 Winter Games and, bizarrely, Sarah Brightman performing Panasonic's song, Shall Be Done.
Yes, that's right, Miss Brightman is releasing a song which name-checks Panasonic on numerous occasions, with some choice lyrics being:
We share the same dream
With Panasonic
Panasonic shares the dream
With you
We're hoping the dream mentioned isn't the one featuring Cheryl Cole, champagne, fondue and Barry White's dulcet tones emanating from the stereo. As that – even in 3D – would just be wrong to share.
Anyway, enough digression, Panasonic says about the new Full HD Theatre: "This theatre is our way of sharing the passion of the 2010 Winter Games with Vancouver residents and visitors from around the world," says Takumi Kajisha, Managing Executive Officer, Panasonic Corporation.
"Panasonic believes 3D systems will greatly enhance at-home viewing of future Olympic Games, combining the enjoyment of watching the greatest sports event with the stereoscopic images of full HD 3D."
Panasonic isn't the only tech company to get in the Winter Olympics' act. Google recently unveiled its Street View service will be showcasing images from the event.
The Winter Olympics Event that is and not our own Cheryl Cole/Barry White dreamlike medley.
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In Depth: How to use encryption to secure your data
There was a time when all you really worried about was your laptop being stolen. But what about its contents? It's likely to be loaded with sensitive work, personal files, banking info, precious photos and irreplaceable videos.
Suddenly the laptop ceases to be the worry; now losing your data is what keeps you awake at night. And then there's the humble thumb drive – capacious yet oh so easy to lose.
The good news is that there's a simple solution to the danger of data loss: encryption. This involves encoding data using a mathematical process. These vary, but most use your password as a mathematical seed around which the code is built – if you don't know the password, you can't get to the data.
Most coding systems are somewhat vulnerable, but even the simplest will defeat most hackers. Given the availability of encryption systems, you've no excuse not to lock up your data.
We'll start with a look at BitLocker. This is the encryption system built into the Enterprise and Ultimate versions of Windows Vista and 7. If you don't use these OSes, don't worry – we'll check out some free alternatives.
BitLocker protection
BitLocker is a system designed to encrypt the entire Windows operating system volume on your hard disk. That all sounds pretty good. The problem is that BitLocker is notoriously difficult to set up on a PC already running Vista.
BitLocker needs two NTFS partitions – one for the system volume and one for the operating system volume. The split is needed because BitLocker's pre-startup authentication and system integrity verification must happen outside the encrypted operating system volume.
The unencrypted system volume should be at least 1.5GB. This means that there will be enough space for boot files and Windows' set-up programs. So if you're already running Vista then unfortunately you'll need to do some hefty repartitioning work before you begin installing the encryption system.
Thankfully, Microsoft released the BitLocker Drive Preparation Tool to help with all this. The tool comes as part of Vista Service Pack 1. If you're a Vista user, then there's a good chance you'll have it already. If you're a Windows 7 user, then the tool is integrated.
How to set up BitLocker
Now we can turn our attention to the Trusted Platform Module. This is a chip built into some motherboards that holds encryption keys. When you type in your password, Windows sends it to the TPM for validation. If your key is validated, BitLocker will carry out your request.
If your motherboard doesn't have a TPM chip, you can use a USB key. If you choose to go with the USB, the first step is to enable support for your flash drive as an alternative form of validation. Press [Windows]+[R], type gpedit.msc and press [Enter] to launch the Group Policy Editor. Next, browse to 'Computer Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components | BitLocker Drive Encryption'.
If you're running Windows 7, expand the Operating System Drives folder and double-click 'Require additional authentication at startup'; Vista users should simply double-click 'Control Panel Setup: Enable advanced startup option'. Finally, select 'Enabled', click 'OK' and then close the Group Policy Editor.
Now back to the hard disk setup. Assuming you're using Windows Vista and the BitLocker Drive Preparation Tool is present, creating the necessary split loading hard disk setup is simple.
Click 'Start | All Programs' and select 'Accessories'. Click' System Tools' followed by 'BitLocker' and then double-click the 'BitLocker Drive Preparation Tool'. When the tool has finished working its magic, restart the computer.
Finally, visit Control Panel and enable BitLocker. Help is available here.
Windows 7 users should follow exactly the same steps as those demanded by the BitLocker Drive Preparation Tool, complete with obligatory reboot. Then it's just a case of following a simple wizard from beginning to end.
The options you see will depend on whether or not you have a TPM installed. If necessary, insert a flash drive that you can save the required key to. You'll also be prompted to create a recovery key, which can be saved to a flash drive, as a file or printed out. You'll need this should BitLocker block access to the drive, so make a copy now (you can make additional copies through the Manage BitLocker utility later).
Once the drive is encrypted, you can encrypt more drives by right-clicking them and choosing 'Turn on BitLocker'.
NEVER FORGET: You'll need to enter your recovery key if BitLocker won't let you in
If you don't have access to BitLocker, don't worry. TrueCrypt is a free open-source alternative. It enables you to encrypt entire volumes, including your system partition and also flash drives. You can also use the tool to create encrypted containers, inside which you can store sensitive files and folders. You can even hide sensitive containers or partitions from view – the 'Hidden Drives' box on the previous page reveals more about this option.
Download and install the program from here. Launch TrueCrypt and click 'Create Volume'. To encrypt the partition containing Windows, select 'Encrypt the system partition or entire system drive' and then click 'Next'.
The wizard is straightforward to follow – step one gives you a choice between a normal or hidden operating system. You can then elect to encrypt the partition on which Windows resides or the entire physical drive that it resides on.
If you choose the latter, you'll be given the option of leaving any hidden data at the end of the drive unencrypted – this includes any recovery partition that might be present. You'll also be asked if the drive you're encrypting is a dual-boot setup.
TrueCrypt won't be able to encrypt entire drives containing two or more operating system partitions, so it will ask you questions to confirm this before refusing to go any further.
Next, choose your encryption method and then pick your password. You'll need to enter this every time you boot your PC, so make sure it's something only you know, but won't forget. The usual rules apply: try a mix of letters and numbers, and avoid words that feature in the dictionary.
If you can, create a password that's more than 20 characters long. The keys are then generated. The last step prior to actually encrypting your drive is to create a rescue CD, which you'll need should the drive or boot sector corrupt. (Be warned, though: this is no substitute for remembering your password.) You'll then be given an option to securely wipe free space for additional security.
Following that, a pre-test will happen. This verifies that the computer can be booted successfully before encryption takes place. Once this has completed, click 'Encrypt' and let TrueCrypt do its stuff.
The process for non-system partitions and drives (including flash drives) is similar – just select 'Encrypt a non-system partition/ drive' from the Volume Creation Wizard and follow the steps.
Encrypt your files
Encrypting your whole drive might seem like overkill if you only have a handful of sensitive files and folders to protect. Alternatively, you might feel that your data is still vulnerable – after all, when you're logged on, everything is accessible.
Once again, TrueCrypt rides to the rescue with encrypted containers. These are encrypted files inside which your data is stored on a special volume that's assigned its own drive letter when mounted in TrueCrypt, enabling you to use it like any other drive.
It adds an extra layer of security to your files in that you only mount it when you need to access it, and by remembering to unmount the drive when you've finished you can safely leave your PC on and logged in, secure in the knowledge that those files are inaccessible.
Secure your flash drive
Flash drives may have changed the way we transport data, but they're particularly vulnerable to data theft. That's why Microsoft developed BitLocker to Go, which enables you to encrypt your flash drive in the same way that you'd encrypt a drive in Windows.
Once done, you have to enter a password to use your drive. As BitLocker to Go is only available in Windows 7, Microsoft has developed a BitLocker to Go reader that enables you to read the drive's contents in Vista SP2 or XP SP3 – get it here.
BitLocker to Go isn't quite as portable as it could be, particularly if you're at someone else's computer and they don't want you cluttering up their drive. Once again, alternatives are available.
We've touched on how TrueCrypt can be used to encrypt your flash drive – the downside is that this can then only be used on a PC running TrueCrypt. So if you want to be able to access the drive from any computer without having to install TrueCrypt, we suggest going down the encrypted container route.
This means leaving enough free space on the drive to install a portable version of TrueCrypt (use the same set-up file you used to install it on your PC). You can then access the container on any PC without having to install TrueCrypt on that machine.
There's one drawback to using TrueCrypt in this way. It only works in administrator accounts, so if you think you'll need access to the drive while logged on as a standard user, take a look at Rohos Mini Drive instead.
The free version only supports up to 2GB file containers, but it works perfectly in standard user accounts. Get it from here. The set-up wizard does all the work for you, but note that it only creates a 500MB drive by default, so be sure to change this setting when prompted.
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LaCie unveils Rugged eSATA mobile HDD
LaCie has released its latest mobile hard disk drive from tech slumber – the Rugged eSATA.
The drive has the enviable boast of being the only portable, bus-powered eSATA solution on the market – offering up fast data speeds and a chassis that's more rugged than Gerard Butler with a week's stubble.
Protect me not
The case protects the innards so much that you should be able to drop it from a height of 2.2 metres without your hokey collection of Entourage episodes becoming corrupted.
This is because the case has been constructed out of scratch-free aluminium wrapped in rubber. Transfer times are a superb 90Mbps.
The Rugged eSATA will be available in just one capacious flavour (500GB) and can be yours for the not-too-shabby price of آ£130.
Go to www.lacie.com/uk for more details.
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PS3 to get 3D firmware upgrade this summer
Sony is to bring 3D to the PlayStation 3 this summer, according to John Koller, Director of Hardware Marketing for Sony.
In an interview Koller revealed that the console's 3D plans were on track for a summer release, in time for the company's 3D TV range to hit shops.
"3D is a major part of our initiatives in 2010 and we're currently developing 3D stereoscopic games to come in conjunction with the launch of Sony's 3D compatible Bravia LCD TV in summer 2010," Koller explained.
PS3 3D
He continued: "The amazing thing about the PS3's technology is that all PS3 units that exist in homes and markets will be able to play 3D stereoscopic games as well as 3D BD movies through separate firmware upgrades - something that other platforms are unable to do."
The firmware upgrade seems to be happening at the same time for all of Sony's web-connected home cinema range.
Just this week the company unveiled that its latest home cinema setups will also be 3D compatible.
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MWC 2010: 10 things to look forward to at Mobile World Congress 2010
Just when you finally sit down after the fun of CES, Mobile World Congress in Barcelona pops up with a plethora of releases.
But what's coming? We've heard a million rumours, been told a thousand 'facts' about releases and come to some conclusions on our own, too - so we've distilled them down to bring you information on the coolest announcements we think we'll be seeing in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress 2010.
HTC releasing the Bravo, Legend... and Obsession?
HTC is very likely to be the big winner at MWC2010, as it looks to release not one, not two, but three (and maybe even four) devices in Barcelona.
The rumour mill has cranked into overdrive with the HTC Legend (which seems to bear more than a passing resemblance to the Hero) and the sheer amount of pictures, specs and stats about the device means it's pretty much nailed on to appear.
The same thing with the Bravo - outlets like the Swedish version of 3 have 'confirmed' they'll be bringing the phone to their shores, so it's likely a 3.7-inch OLED screened Nexus One clone will be appearing too.
And of course, don't forget HTC's Windows Mobile heritage - that surely can't be left behind either. The Obsession has been mooted for a number of weeks as a possible successor to the Diamond2 - and also packing a 3.7-inch screen with WVGA resolution and HD video recording.
Windows Mobile 7 unveiled by Ballmer
Come on, we all know it's going to appear - Windows Mobile 7 is so nailed on for Mobile World Congress 2010 it's not even true.
We were told there was 'something big' being announced by Microsoft at MWC this year, and while the software giant does have a reputation of bigging up small changes (Windows Mobile 6.5/Windows Phone coming to mind) the sheer groundswell of Windows Mobile 7 information says otherwise.
A number of sources have confirmed the WinMo 7 launch to TechRadar, so we're sure it's coming - the only question is when the UK release date will be, this year or next?
The rumours are that the phones will have a minimum resolution level and some applications might not be compatible because of it - we're hoping that's not the case, but Microsoft is likely to be trying to unify the standards in the next WinMo release, so this has a tinge of truth about it.
Other scary thoughts are there will be no Flash support on board as standard, but the phone will be multi-touch throughout. This is something we're looking forward to finding out, if Steve Ballmer makes it to the stage at MWC 2010.
Samsung showing off its first Bada smartphone
Samsung has dropped a huge hint that it will be showing off a phone running Bada in Barcelona - the clues on its website couldn't be any more obvious.
The smartphone platform has divided opinion so far, with most being heavily confused about what Samsung is going to do with the platform. We think that it's probably going to be a way to move its feature phones into the growing smartphone segment - and a way to make its app portal open to everyone.
... and also the Galaxy 2
But that won't be the only launch - as it seems possible that the next Samsung Android phone - the Galaxy 2 - will be turning up as well.
You know the normal stats such rumours reel off these days: 4-inch OLED screen, Snapdragon 1GHz processor and the latest version of Android in 2.1.
We doubt that it will have all of that, but it sounds pretty promising for the launch - we know Samsung loves to keep up with the Android lot, but we're also wondering whether such a launch would overshadow the Bada unveiling, something Samsung has been carefully crafting for months.
LG promoting its social networking handsets
LG has kind of ruined things a little bit in terms of surprises - not only will it not be at the main MWC event (with it taking a venue nearby, forcing all the journalists to trip-trap on a little journey to go and find it) but it's already told us what's going to be there.
The LG Mini GD880, the LG GW990 and the LG GT450 will all be present and correct - we're particularly excited to see the latter, as it's going to be LG's newest Android phone - we loved the Intouch Max GW620, so it's nice to see that we're getting the next instalment already.
Nokia announcing C series and a 12MP Symbian^3 phone
We were annoyed that Nokia refused to have its press conferences at the MWC venue last year, preferring to shuttle journalists miles away to show off its new E-Series handsets.
The Finnish firm has gone one better this year, as it's not even taking a stand at the event (as in a large booth, not a political stance).
But that doesn't mean there aren't strong rumours of a raft of new devices coming from the firm, ranging from the basic to the frankly ludicrously powerful.
The C-Series, which we first heard word of last year, seems like it will finally be making its debut, with a couple of spy pictures already leaked. And while this will be more about servicing the budget end of the spectrum, Nokia apparently also has plans for a 12MP device too - the N8.
This little wonder will not only pack the best specs, but also be running the next generation of Symbian (version^3) - but there's a decent chance that something this good would be announced by Nokia itself at its Nokia World shindig - sadly this isn't going to be until much later in the year.
Nokia does have a press conference with Intel lined up though before its main 'phone release' event - so perhaps we're in for more of a treat than previously thought?
Qualcomm debuting the 1.3GHz Snapdragon chip
On a more positive note, Qualcomm is getting all excited about the future of mobile connectivity, and its new mobile chip is hopefully going to be shown off at this year's event.
The 1.3GHz Snapdragon is apparently 'in the pipeline', so we're hoping we may even get wind of which devices will be using it this year at MWC 2010.
Given that Qualcomm has heavily talked up the prowess of its 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon (which will allow your mobile device to pump out 1080p content to a larger screen) we'd hope the next gen chip might be shown off at MWC.
Sony Ericsson to show off Xperia X10 and Vivaz
Sony Ericsson had something of an annus horribilis in 2009, what with the under performing Xperia X1, the lack of UK release for the X2 and the problems with the much-vaunted Satio and Aino.
But with every new year, comes a new dawn, and 2010 holds much promise for the Japanese Swedish alliance - the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is tipped to be one of the best Android phones of the year, with a Snapdragon processor and a cool overlay to sync your life into one place.
We had a hands-on with it earlier in 2009, but it was very much a work in progress then - we want to know if the real thing lives up to the early promise, so look forward to a detailed hands on.
We're also going to be nabbing some time with the new Vivaz (HD video recording and an 8MP camera) as well as whatever else Sony Ericsson releases from its 14 February press conference (our significant others were THRILLED to hear about that event).
Motorola announcing the Zeppelin, unveiling BackFlip UK release date
Motorola - it saw the Android bandwagon HTC was riding on into the sunset, and it thought 'we want some of that!'
Not content with the Dext, the Milestone, the Devour and the Backflip, Moto is apparently working on another Android device - the Zeppelin.
However, this one is going to be more of a budget phone, with all the power of the Dext (MotoBlur overlay with social networking capabilities) but no QWERTY keyboard and a slightly smaller screen, according to the leaks.
We've also heard this might be a Latin America only version of an Android device, but we're hopeful of a European release.
And there's a lot more we're waiting for from Motorola in terms of European information - such as when we're getting our hands on the Devour, the Motoroi and the Backflip, three devices we're pretty keen to get our hands on.
Nothing from Palm... nothing at all
You remember the Palm Pre? The phone that got everyone all excited in 2009? Well, its release in January was apparently the high point.
After taking 10 months to bring the Pre to the UK, the company released the Pixi to the US - and, well, that's it.
Palm isn't even going to have a booth at this year's event, nor will it be staging a press conference - we're sad to hear that from a company we had high hopes would create a range of phones to rival the likes of the HTC Hero and the iPhone.
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Sony adds 3D playback to home cinema range
Sony has revealed its latest batch of home cinema setups which bring Full HD 3D compatibility to the home.
Ever since IFA 2009, Sony has pledged its allegiance to 3D and this latest range proves this, with the technology integrated into five new Blu-ray systems.
First up is the 2.1-channel setup BDV-F500. This is being positioned at those who watch movies but have little space.
The speakers available are wall mountable but they can also be used on the desktop.
Monolithic design
The 5.21-channel BDV-E370, BDV-E670W, BDV-E870, and BDV-IZ1000W all house 3D compatibility, a monolithic design so they can paired up to Sony's new range of TVs and they have DLNA connectivity.
Couple this with Bravia Internet Video and it looks like Sony is covering all the bases content-wise.
Two standalone Blu-ray players have also been announced – the BDP-S770 and BDP-S470. Both models support 3D and also have web connectivity.
Although the majority of the systems have a UK release date of this month, the 3D tech won't be switched on until a firmware upgrade this summer - just in time for the launch of the company's 3D TVs.
Go to sony.co.uk for more details and pricing.
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Review: Sony Bravia KDL-40S5500
Sony finally got its LCD act together with the latest range of Bravia TVs. We found ourselves won over by the W5500, V5500 and recent Freeview Z5800 models in particular – but there were still some occasional niggles with models being let down by a recurring inconsistent backlight problem.
But what about the Japanese giant's entry-level S5500 range? Can the quality still shine through when the bells and whistles have been stripped away?
Aesthetically, the 40-inch 40S5500 is rather confusing. From certain angles it looks attractive with its unusual two-tiered bezel and glinting black finish. From other angles, though, the design looks bitty, messy, and overly reflective.
The 40S5500 does what it needs to with its connections without really going any further. Which is to say, you get highlights of three HDMIs and just a JPEG/MP3-enabled USB port and D-Sub PC jack for multimedia use. There's no sign of the Ethernet port sported by the step-up V5500 and W5500 models, via which you could access a DLNA PC or Sony's AppliCast online service.
The compromises Sony has made to the 40S5500's picture technologies are more concerning, though. There's no 100Hz for boosting motion, for starters – though this is arguably fair enough on an entry-level TV. Rather more surprising is the fact that the 40S5500 uses Bravia Engine 2 processing rather than the BE3 engine found inside Sony's higher-specced models.
Given how much we've raved about the advances in picture quality ushered in by BE3, it's fair to say that the decision to leave the 40S5500 with BE2 hasn't gone down too well here. Our concerns prove well founded, too.
Right away, it's obvious that the 40S5500's picture lacks the finesse, sharpness and, for want of a better word, sparkle of Sony's other LCD ranges.
Driven to distraction
The biggest single cause for concern is the amount of motion smearing in the picture, which can be quite distracting at times. The picture also looks noisy and 'bitty', even when watching HD, reminding us of just what an improvement Bravia Engine 3 delivers in this key area.
It has to be said, too, that the 40S5500 falls short of Sony's higher-spec sets in the contrast department, producing quite noticeable greyness over dark scenes – as well as some evidence of the dreaded backlight inconsistency issue mentioned earlier.
In fact, we spotted four or five quite pronounced pools of brightness inconsistency while watching dark scenes on the 40S5500, even using the backlight-limiting Cinema preset. Most distracting.
Even the 40S5500's sound is nothing to write home about, courtesy of a rather unhelpful tendency for the speakers to distort or at least sound overloaded when pushed hard by a half-decent action scene.
There are some areas where the 40S5500 gets its house in order. Its picture is generally very bright and punchy, with vivid, well-saturated colours and crisp peak whites. HD images look quite detailed, too – except when impacted by motion blur.
Standard-def pictures don't actually look bad when considered against the standards of the affordable LCD market as a whole rather than Sony's own higher-spec models.
It is the bad points that linger in the mind the longest, though, and in doing so make the 40S5500's آ£700 price tag also look a bit steep.
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In Depth: 10 best free iPhone games on the planet
It's safe to say that Apple's given the gaming industry a square kick in the tender regions.
Despite their bluster, dismissing Apple in every way possible, Sony and Nintendo are both clearly concerned by the meteoric rise of iPod touch and iPhone as handheld gaming devices.
Although great games are the driving force behind the success of Apple gaming, low prices have also helped. Most 'premium' titles cost six quid or less, and many developers end up in a race to 59p, thereby providing games that'd cost 20 quid on a rival platform for the price of a Kit-Kat.
But what if you've spent your last penny on your shiny Apple object of desire? Can you get great games for nothing at all, or is the 'free' section of the App Store full of the kind of games that would make a ZX81 blush?
The answer is, of course, both, and the trick is finding the gems amongst the dross. What follows is our pick of the bunch - our favourite 10 free iPod touch and iPhone games.
1. Dropship
This wonderful ngmoco title used to cost a few quid, but Dropship is now free and is one of the App Store's biggest bargains. The game is a modern take on Gravitar or Thrust, with your ship battling gravity and shooting gun emplacements while searching complex vector-based cave formations for marooned allies.
The 'touch anywhere' dual-thumb controls take some getting used to, but the game feels fluid and exciting once they're mastered.
2. Dr. Awesome Plus
Another ngmoco game, Dr. Awesome uses a hateful forced Plus+ account sign-up, but get past that and you find a compulsive title that smashes together ancient arcade classic Qix and surgery game Trauma Centre. Dr. Awesome's gameplay centres around removing viruses by tilting your device to 'cut out' infections.
Gameplay is fast and furious and, oddly, your Address Book contacts are used for patient names, so you can always choose to sacrifice your high score and off your boss in the virtual world.
3. Flood-It! 2
Flood-It! 2 meets the rules of great puzzlers: keep things simple, but make the game so challenging that your brains start to dribble out of your ears. In Flood-It!, you tap colours to 'flood' the board from the top-left, aiming to make the entire board one colour using a limited number of taps.
This release offers additional modes over the original Flood-It! (timers, obstacles, finishing with a defined colour), and offers schemes for colour-blind players.
4. Sol Free Solitaire
Although it's essentially a chunk of Solebon Solitaire (آ£1.19), Sol Free Solitaire is nonetheless a stunning example of a standalone solitaire game.
From the moment you first launch the game, the level of polish and attention to detail is obvious. In all of the six included games, the graphics are clean and clear, the controls are intuitive and responsive, and the built-in help is informative.
5. Cube Runner
The accelerometers in Apple handhelds have driven development of myriad tilt-based racing games, but tilt controls can be finicky. Cube Runner, however, feels just right as you pilot your craft left and right through cube-littered landscapes, aiming to survive for as long as possible.
The game doesn't look like much, but it plays well, and longevity is extended by Cube Runner enabling you to create and download new levels.
6. Spider: Hornet Smash
Tiger Style's Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor is an App Store classic, combining arcade adventuring and platforming action, with you playing the role of a roaming arachnid.
Hornet Smash includes a level from that game, but its main draw is the frenetic arcade minigame. Still controlling our eight-legged hero, the aim is to fend off attacks by swarms of angry hornets, while weaving webs and munching tasty lacewings for health boosts. Three environments are included in this compelling and innovative title.
7. Real Racing GTi
Firemint's Real Racing is one of the best racing games for Apple handhelds, but it's also demanding, requiring a lot of time investment. Real Racing GTi dispenses with much of the depth, but retains its parent's fun gameplay, user-friendly controls and great graphics.
Three modes are on offer - time trial, quick race, and a cup championship over three tracks—ensuring this game is the best free arcade racer on the App Store.
8. MazeFinger Plus
Again, the forced Plus+ account sign-up is hateful, but it's worth persevering to get to this addictive game, where you "unleash the awesome power of your finger," according to the App Store blurb.
The aim is to drag your finger from the start to the finish of each simple maze. The problem is you're against the clock and obstacles litter your path. Great graphics and 200 levels of compelling gameplay ensure you'll be glued to your screen.
9. Dactyl
Almost entirely lacking in depth, Dactyl is nonetheless one of the most furiously addictive games on the App Store. A gloriously demented Whack-A-Mole-style effort, Dactyl merely tasks you with tapping red bombs to stop them exploding.
Almost immediately, though, red bombs arrive thick and fast, forcing you to keep track and tap them in order, to avoid the inevitable 'game over'.
10. Trace
Trace is a sweet, inventive platform game which has you navigating hand-drawn obstacles to reach the star-shaped exit. The twist is that you can draw and erase your own platforms, to assist your progress.
With an emphasis on time-based scores rather than lives and the ability to skip levels, Trace is very much a 'casual' platform game, but it's none the worse because of it.
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User feedback builds a better Google Buzz
Google Buzz isn't even out of nappies yet and already Google has improved many of the social-networking service's features.
Google has filtered out all the feedback/criticism it has had since launching Buzz and tweaked the way it does things.
In a blog post, the internet giant has outlined a number of new additions to the service, explaining: "We designed Buzz to make it easy to connect with others and have conversations about things that interest you, and it's great to see millions of you doing this already.
"It's still early, and we have a long list of improvements on the way… we will continue to improve the Buzz experience with user transparency and control top of mind."
Some of the new features are listed below:
- More control Improvements include the ability to control who sees who you follow – a bugbear for many. All that's been included is a little tick box, but this does mean you can hide your lists from public view.
- Block people Just like Twitter, you can now block a person from following you. This is easily done by clicking on the new block button on your follower list.
- Public and private There's now better clarity in seeing which people who are following you have a public profile. It is only when they create a public profile will they be added to your followers list.
The tweaks made are minor but will appease the majority of those who are using the service. And there are a lot of you – with Google noting that 9 million posts and comments have been made, with 200 posts a minute happening from mobiles all over the world.
That's one big data cloud for the Google bots to mine.
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Weird Tech: Poirot 'not required' thanks to vigilant phone
Burglar Lee Gadsby suffered two inconveniences in Nottingham recently - he lost his mobile phone and was then arrested for burglary. The two events are extremely well related, thanks to the not-great Gadsby dropping his mobile at the scene of a burglary he was doing, only for police to recover the handset and identify its owner from the photos on it. The photos of Lee.
"If you are going to burgle and take your mobile phone with your photo on it, it doesn't take Poirot to work out who did the burglary" said Judge Michael Stokes QC. This is quite fortunate seeing as Poirot is a fictional character created by someone who's dead so wouldn't have been able to offer any meaningful assistance in the case anyway.
DON'T LIST: And don't take your laptop to the pub if you're planning on having more than seven or eight [Image credit: The Telegraph]
We are unsure what make and model of phone it was, although the resolution suggests something entry-level from Nokia in the mid-2000s. He probably nicked that, too.
Hewlett Packard - tough, northern, not wearing a coat
HP has found a clever way to keep its data centre servers cold - site them in the north-east of England. The company's recently completed Wynyard data facility, which is conveniently located equidistant between Hartlepool and Sunderland, may be a PR disaster for the north-east region, but it's an "eco" win for HP - which claims it'll save millions every year from cheaper cooling costs thanks to the cold, windswept nature of Wynyard.
COLD CHIPS: Blowing on them actually works
According to PC World, the site is ideal thanks to the outside temperature in blustery Wynyard only rising above 24 degrees for around 20 hours a year, so the outside air simply has to be wafted in with some big fans. There's a backup air conditioning system to cover Wynyard's rare 20-hour heatwave.
Chicken-flavoured meaty chunks AGAIN :(
Japanese mobile company Index Corp has revealed plans to bring a dog translation device to the iPhone, with the BowLingual dog bark interpretation tool set to arrive this summer.
WOOF WOOF SNIFFLE: It's currently following Stephen Fry, Charlie Brooker and Ashton Kutcher, even though it doesn't really know who Ashton Kutcher is
Better, or perhaps worse still, the iPhone version of the translator will feature built-in Twitter support, letting your dog, should your dog be trusted with your iPhone or have an iPhone contract all of its own, upload its own tweets. The tweets of a dog won't be very interesting, though - it has the same thing for dinner every single day.
This is a generic request for attention
A woman was overjoyed to find the relationship get-out excuse she'd been looking for, in the form of pre-loaded "sexy text" messages supplied on her Canadian partner's mobile phone. The phone's owner, known as "Darren P", was supposedly dumped by his partner after she found pre-installed "sexy" message templates on his Samsung mobile, messages such as "Booty call" and "Be there soon" she assumed to be genuine proof of his cheating.
Mr P took his Virgin Mobile-supplied handset to a local phone shop, wherein the staff members pretended to be shocked that the messages were also pre-loaded on all similar Samsung models. Darren's asking for the phones to be recalled, to save other men from getting dumped by women who've been looking for an excuse for months.
I LOVE YOU THIS MUCH: "And the photo of my genitals was just me testing the macro mode" [Image credit: AVING]
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Chelsea vs Cardiff to be streamed live by the FA
The FA has announced it is to stream Saturday's FA Cup clash between Chelsea vs Cardiff on it website, marking the first time a match including one of the so-called Big Four has been made available live on the web.
So far, seven FA Cup matches have been streamed through the FAtv website but this one is being seen as a watershed moment for the technology.
Single most viewed
Speaking about the occasion, FA chief executive Ian Watmore said: "This is another important step in the delivery of FAtv as a premium streaming service, and we fully expect this weekend's webcast to be one of the single most viewed football matches on the internet."
If this is to be the case, the match will have to viewed by more people than World Cup qualifier England vs Ukraine, which was shown back in October.
There is a decent chance that this will be the case, however, as the Chelsea match will be streamed for free.
In the presenting booth will be Jim Rosenthal whose pre-match build-up will start at 11.40am. Kick-off is set for 12:00.
Go to www.thefa.com/fatv for more details.
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Google denies digital books plan is illegal
Google has launched a defence of its revamped plan to digitise out of print books, after criticism from a number of parties.
The US Justice Department is recommending that an agreement reached by Google with the Authors Guild be rejected, as it may break antitrust and copyright laws.
However, Google has stated this is not the case, arguing it has sought a new deal that satisfies nearly all the Justice Department's recommendations from last year in a new amended settlement agreement (ASA).
The one exception is it won't be seeking out every author that wants to opt out, as it would negate the point of the new settlement.
Beneficial
"The ASA will enable the parties to make available to people throughout the country millions of out-of-print books," Google said. "This is precisely the kind of beneficial innovation that the antitrust laws are intended to encourage, not to frustrate."
The search giant also stated that it will not benefit from arrangement financially, as the books are all out of print or copyright.
But its opponents from the Open Book Alliance disagree, telling Reuters that Google is set to benefit significantly:
"Despite the spin from Google's attorneys, the amended settlement will still offer the search and online advertising giant exclusive access to books it has illegally scanned to the detriment of consumers, authors and competition," the OBA said.
A hearing for the settlement is scheduled for 18 February, so perhaps this matter will draw nearer to a close soon.
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