Nokia outs new X10, running Symbian^3?
The new phone has shown up in a YouTube video, and seems likely to be running the latest version of Symbian^3, a significant finger friendly upgrade to handsets running the OS.
The X10 looks set to be a real big hitter in the Nokia stable, despite having a chassis that looks a little bit like the maligned X6.
The X10 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, multiple homescreens thanks to Symbian^3 and a 600MHz CPU from ARM.
New territory for Nokia
It will also apparently be rocking a 3.2-OLED screen with capacitive touch technology - which would be a real upgrade from Nokia phones on the market today.
Other little more Nokia-like specs could include: 32GB of memory, 25gMB of RAM and a 5MP camera with flash.
The video shows the documentation for said handset, which is why we're still a little sceptical - it's not the hardest thing to photoshop a phone together, let alone draw it.
We'll be interested to see what sort of time frame this phone is supposed to be released in, but the sooner the Symbian range gets upgraded, the better.
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Exclusive: LoveFilm and BBC iPlayer Samsung TV app gets UK release date
Samsung had its European launch of its new TV range in Vienna this week, and TechRadar was on-hand to see the company unveil some new apps for the range - LoveFilm store for TVs and BBC iPlayer app.
The LoveFilm app will allow users to check out LoveFilm's online library, purchase a movie to rent and stream that movie.
There's also some nifty convergence with LoveFilm's plain-old disc rental service, in that you can view your existing account without having to log into a computer and add DVDs or Blu-rays to the list to be delivered to your door.
UK release date
While Samsunng was coy about UK pricing – we are guessing it is on a par with LoveFilm's current online service – the company did announce a European and UK release date , which is April.
Samsung is very much into applications at the moment and recently announced that its app store is open to third-party manufacturers to use – unlike the proprietary nonsense Apple and the like seem happy to maintain at the moment.
Another TV app announced for the UK was for the BBC iPlayer. There was no news as to how the iPlayer app will look on a TV screen, but we reckon it will look like the PS3 version of the iPlayer.
The BBC iPlayer app for Samsung's new range of web-connected TVs also has an April UK release date.
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Exclusive: World's first 3D Blu-ray disc gets UK release date
Monsters Vs Aliens was outed as the world's first 3D Blu-ray disc at CES 2010 and now it has an official European release date.
The 3D Blu-ray is only available when you purchase a new Samsung TV or Blu-ray player and will have a UK release date of March 2010.
At Samsung's European press conference in Vienna, with TechRadar in attendance, the company announced that it is going head-first into 3D, being the first to market a 3D ecosystem which includes its U7000 televisions and its 3D blu-ray player, the BDP6900.
Not a novelty or niche
"3D is not a niche or novelty product for Samsung, that is why we have 20 3D TVs at launch and why we are first to market," said Samsung's Michael Zoller about Samsung's 3D plans.
Some were predicting/hoping that Avatar would be the first 3D Blu-ray, aping its success at the cinema for the home market.
While Monsters Vs Aliens doesn't have the draw of Avatar, it is great to see 3D Blu-rays coming to homes so soon, even if the technology to watch them is very much in its infancy,
Samsung's U7000, U8000 and U9000 series of 3D TVs use active-shutter technology. Samsung is also offering 3D in plasma form, with its PDP7000 range.
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Opinion: Are sexy spammers stalking you on Twitter?
Like seemingly everyone else who spends inordinate amounts of time in the Twittersphere, I'm always on the hunt for more followers.
I'm quite used to receiving messages telling me that a stranger is now following me on Twitter, and normally I presume they're doing it to keep up with the latest security news or the latest internet threat that we are analysing inside our labs.
However, occasionally my followers have no interest in information security, but lots of interest in naughtiness.
Take the case of my latest follower, for example. She has quite an unusual name, "Numbers Anacker", and stands out for never having posted a single tweet. Well, I guess she could be new on the site, and her profile photograph shows that she has a friendly face, with her handbag casually tossed across her shoulder, so why should I be so suspicious?
As the following YouTube video demonstrates, "Numbers Anacker" is not your typical Twitter user. In fact, she has no interest in the content I post on Twitter - what this is is an attempt to trick people into signing-up for a website that offers to find adults new sexual partners.
One of the things that's really cunning about this particular lure is that the sex partner website you are taken to pretends that the cute girl is in your area, by doing a GEO-IP look-up on your computer's rough location. In other words, if you click on the link from Bognor you'll be told the alluring woman is in Bognor, click from Paris she'll appear to be from Paris, and so on.
So, what's the lesson to be learnt here? Maybe you would be wise to check out the profiles of strangers who begin to follow you on Twitter. It's possible that they could be a spammer, or planning to commit some other kind of cybercrime.
Twitter makes it easy to report profiles for unusual behaviour - make the most of the feature to help make Twitter safer for yourself and your fellow Twitter users.
You can follow me on Twitter at @gcluley, but watch out if you're a cybercriminal - I eat spammers for breakfast.
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Sony unveils new stylish headphone range
Sony has announced its latest range of style headphones, with the MDR-570, MDR-370 and MDR-EX77LP and MDR-EX57.
The 'murder' range – as we've decided to call them due to their unfortunate letter selection – is all about the looks.
"Add a splash of colour to your favourite music with this season's new collection of great value headphones from Sony," says the company.
'Whether you're listening to your favourite downloads, catching up on the latest podcasts or gaming in private with your handheld console, you'll enjoy sensational sound plus fresh, attention-grabbing looks.'
The closed back 'colourful' 570 range offers a 30mm Neodymium driver and a gold-plated stereo plug and is a 'perfect upgrade for your MP3 players supplied headphones'.
And the rest
The 370 range has a headband that is, and we quote, 'designed to fit youthful teenage music fans' and is available in four 'cute' colours: pink, blue, green and white.
Finally, for 'when style is as important as premium sound' come the MDR-EX77LP and MDR-EX57 ranges.
That means a 9mm neodymium driver, carry case and cord adjuster.
The new MDR-570, MDR-370, MDR-EX77 and MDR-EX57 headphones by Sony have a UK release date of April 2010.
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Samsung shoots out ultra-mini HMX-U20 and U15 camcorders
Samsung has announced a couple of new additions to its hip HMX line of camcorders: the HMX-U20 and HMX-U15.
The former is the bigger brother of the two in terms of hardware, with the HMX-U20 bringing a 3x optical zoom to the table.
Both the HMX-U20 and HMX-U15 come with 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensors to capture 1920x1080 full HD resolution video at 30p, using the H.264 codec.
The two new camcorders both offer still photography as well, with the HMX-U20 coming with a 10MP sensor, and the HMX-U15 bringing a whopping 14MP to the camcorder table.
Lazy shooting
Sammy has also stuffed some extra features into the HMX-U20 and HMX-U15's chassis, such as time lapse recording, allowing users to program the camcorder to record at a pre-set interval of one image every one, five, 10 or 30 seconds.
Both camcorders have a 'built-in, swing-out style USB connection' for easy uploading of your hilarious footage without the need for a separate lead, much like the Flip Mino HD, as well as an HDMI port too.
We've got no word on a UK release date or price for these palm-sized wonders, but we'll let you know when we do.
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Samsung unveils flagship EX1 camera
Samsung has announced two new digital cameras with the WB2000 allowing dual capture of both pictures and video and the high-end EX1 boasting a bright ultra-wide F1.8 lens which becomes the company's flagship compact.
Samsung's EX1 is billed as a high-end compact digital camera 'designed specifically for todays [sic] advanced and enthusiast photographers.'
The camera comes complete with a Schneider KREUZNACH, F1.8. 24mm ultra-wide angle lens - an impressive inclusion on a compact camera.
"With the EX1, Samsung further differentiates its lineup from the competition and achieves yet another milestone in the industry," said Mr. SangJin Park, CEO of Samsung Digital Imaging Company.
"With ultra-wide angle capability and unparalleled speed, the EX1's lens offers a new level of versatility allowing the user to be more creative and take better pictures."
Add in RAW support and a 3 inch OLED screen and you can see that this is going to be a desirable piece of kit.
Samsung WB2000
The WB2000 is a 10MP compact camera offering 1080p full-HD video recording, up to 1,000 fps of capture and a burst mode capable of capturing 10 full size still a second.
"The WB2000 takes high-speed imaging to a new level for today's consumer," asserts Samsung's release.
But it is the dual capture that will take the headlines offering the ability to shoot video and take stills at the same time – surely some kind of witchcraft.
"The WB2000 is representative of Samsung's strategy to lead the digital imaging industry through product innovation," said Park.
"Consumers have expressed frustration with having to choose between shooting video or taking digital stills with their camera. With the WB2000, Samsung has addressed this unmet consumer need, and now gives consumers the ability to do both simultaneously."
The Samsung EX1 has a UK release date of April 2010 and the WB2000 is pegged to Spring 2010, with no prices yet announced.
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Samsung 3D LED TV gets March UK release date
Samsung has announced a UK release date for its new line of 3D TVs and Blu-ray player.
The new line will be landing in the UK in March (as we previously reported), in plenty of time for the 3D explosion at the end of 2010.
The LED 8 Series, 7 Series the LCD 7 Series TVs, along with the BD-C6900 Blu-ray player, will be the first 3D models will roll out in the UK from March.
These will be followed up in the UK by LED 9 series TVs, the Plasma 7 Series and the HT-C6930W home theatre system a few months later.
All of the 3D TVs will feature built-in Ethernet connection, wireless capabilities, and Internet@TV, offering access to the TV platform application store, Samsung Apps.
3D when you want it
For the TVs, Samsung has included in its 3D processor an auto-conversion technology to switch 2D content into 3D in real time, allowing users to add a level of depth to a live programming.
"The success of recent 3D movie titles is building anticipation from people who want to enjoy the richness of 3D content from the comfort of their living room," said BooKeun Yoon, President of Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics.
"We are confident that by being first to market [with 3D technology] with the best integrated technology and approach, we have the best opportunity to capitalize on the market anticipation and continue to strengthen our leadership in 2010.
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Samsung shows off P580 laptop
Samsung has extended its P-Series of notebooks, with the 15.6 inch P580 notebook pitched squarely at the more serious pro market.
The P-series boasts either Core i5 or i3 processors, can come with Nvidia GT 330M graphics and an LED backlit display.
Samsung has also chucked in what it describes as the borderline oxymoronic 'heightened industry-standard security'.
"Trusted business partners"
"Samsung's new 15.6" P580 notebook has been designed to be the perfect 'trusted business partners' for individuals who need the reassurance and performance of a powerful desktop PC, packaged in a highly durable, tactile, sleek and lightweight chassis that makes remote or mobile working easy and pleasurable," says the company's release.
As you may imagine, the machine comes with Windows 7, full size keyboard and numeric keypad and Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and USB 2.0.
The P580 notebook has a UK release date of April, and is updatable from a Core i3 330M to Core i5 520M and from 2GB to 4GB of RAM with prices not yet published.
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Guide: 10 quick and easy ways to boost your Wi-Fi
It might have taken the best part of a decade to ratify but the 802.11n wireless standard was worth the wait.
It also helps that we've all been able to enjoy the benefits for the last few years while t's were crossed and i's were dotted.
But that's not to say we all get a perfect wireless experience even with the immense cleverness of MIMO. So no matter if you're running a wireless network new or old here are our top tips for tweaking more out of your signal.
1. Switch channels
You might think that with up to 14 channels available there'd be plenty of free ones for everyone. Unfortunately physics is a harsh master: the channels are only allocated 5MHz apart and cross-channel interference can affect up to 11MHz either side.
This effectively means only channels 1, 6 and 11 are adequately separated, though depending on your environmental situations interim channels might be optimal. For instance is all are taken but 1 and 6 are less powerful, then channel 3 would be best.
2. The fat channel
As part of the 802.11n specification there's the option for 40MHz channels. Idealistically this is designed for 5GHz systems as this region has far more available channels, however it can be activated at the 2.4GHz level but it's pretty much guaranteed to interfere with anything else nearby taking up the majority of available channels. We'll leave it up to your conscience but most routers enable you to force 40MHz channels.
3. Go 'N' only
The 802.11n standard is very sympathetic to older standards. It maintains a lot of backwards compatibility and anti-interference features so as not to disrupt 802.11b/g networks. This is rubbish! If you're lucky enough, switch your router to 802.11n only, plus opt to use WPA2 security with AES encryption.
WPA2 with AES offers the best encryption option, though it may not be supported by older routers as it requires additional hardware. Similarly once switched to 'N mode' you may find an Extra Wireless Protection mode - turn this off as it's about reducing interference to 802.11b networks.
4. Check your adaptor's power settings
A lot of the time your wireless adaptor will, rightly so, adjust itself to your laptop or PC's power settings. This is fine but what if you're in a poor reception situation? Windows 7 and Vista offer controls via the Control Panel > Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings > Wireless Adapter Settings.
You might want to go straight to the horse's mouth and directly adjust power settings via the Device Manager: select Start > Run > type devmgmt.msc and click OK. Locate your wireless adaptor under Network adapters, double click it and select the Advanced tab.
5. Avoid interference
The majority of us are running 2.4GHz equipment - it's a noisy place to live and it's a frequency that's absorbed and reflected by specific things. Ideally, avoid brick walls - going through wood floors or interior drywalls is much more preferable.
Water is an issue, it absorbs this spectrum hence why microwave ovens run at the same frequency. If you have water tanks, avoid them. Microwaves are also a dead zone, as their shielding will block signals.
Mirrors are also an issue, along with radiators that are metal and full of water. DECT phones in Europe operate at 1.9GHz, but in the US there are three bands of 900MHz, 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz. So it's best to opt for the higher or lower models in that territory.
6. Angle your dipoles
The antennae that ship with most routers are called dipoles - they produce a circular 'omni' signal in the shape of a 3D doughnut, with the strongest segment of signal on the same plane as the router. This means is you're above or below the router, it's best to angle the antenna towards your position, so they're perpendicular.
7. Make a paper antenna
It's been around for years but we love this. The geniuses at freeantennas.com have a paper-craft template for a directional parabolic antenna. Just print it out and with some scissors and glue you'll soon have a signal booster for your router or adaptor.
We found putting a USB adaptor in the centre worked, as well as mounted on a dipole antenna. It's cheap, easy, doesn't require any modification to your hardware and works.
8. Make a cantenna
The paper antenna is a great quick-fix but surely something involving maths and metal would do a better job? Well, you're right - enter the cantenna, made from a 10cm diameter smooth can it hugely boost your reception.
The maths bit is that a 31mm copper antenna is installed 44mm from the sealed end for optimal signal strength. This site has a calculator for different size. The main problem is you need to buy or build a 'pigtail' connector, so you can connect it to the reverse polarity SMA connector used by routers and adaptors.
9. Get a high-gain antenna
If all of that man-crafting sounds like too much like hard work, splash out on a directional or high-gain antenna. These are designed to push the power output closer to the 20dB EU legal limit, usually from 2dBi up to 7dBi.
Great for you, not so great for any Wi-Fi neighbours, as it increases interference. An increase of 3dBi equates to a doubling in output power. If you're using 5GHz equipment you'll need compatible antennas, as most are designed for 2.4GHz equipment.
10. Update firmware and drivers
It's an oldie but goodie. At this stage all wireless kit should offer good interoperability without real issues. But in the past we have had serious connection issues fixed by either a router firmware update or adaptor driver update. So if you're buying older adaptors or routers this might be the case. It's similar to the advice about buying equipment form the same manufacturer, although thankfully this is less of an issue today.
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Review: Updated: Olympus PEN E-P2
Olympus has a history of making mesmerising ad campaigns, but its latest for its Olympus PEN E-P2 camera is probably the most memorable since the "Who do you think you are? David Bailey?" ads from the 1980s.
The new pitch, fronted by Hollywood superstar Kevin Spacey, is more thought provoking.
It urges the current generation of digital photographers to get more serious with their picture-taking. "I don't want to take 300,000 same-old pictures that break my hard drive," says Spacey. "I want to take three that break my heart." But can the PEN live up to this creative promise?
The second-generation version of the camera certainly comes a lot closer to this lofty ideal.
The new E-P2 is, in many ways, a simple update to the original E-P1 – and much of the camera stays the same. But the new black and silver affair is 10 times closer to allowing you to be a serious photographer, and less like a tourist, than the original.
The big change is that the camera kit now comes with a clip-on electronic viewfinder (EVF) that enables you to use the PEN at eye level, rather than forcing you to use the large LCD screen at the back.
This not only pays dividends in bright light, where the three-inch display is unusable, but you can concentrate better on the wealth of exposure information the camera provides you with.
The VF-2 viewfinder attachment slots into the hotshoe, creating a large bulge on top of the otherwise old-fashioned looking camera.
You can take it off to make the PEN smaller, but for those who want to pursue Spacey's promise, it is essential to leave it on. You can switch to the larger screen with just one press of a button, and the eye-level finder can tilt up through 90آ° for shooting subjects at awkward angles.
Flexible lens mount
Unlike other high-end compacts, the advantage of the PEN is that the lenses are interchangeable.
It uses the Micro Four Thirds lens mount – also used by several popular Panasonic models. The available range of lenses for this camera is growing fast and, thanks to adaptors, the PEN can be used with a surprisingly large number of lenses from other manufacturers, too.
The E-P2 kit comes with a 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens, which gives the angle of view of an old-fashioned 28-85mm (thanks to the 2x crop factor).
This lens's party trick is that it concertinas down to half its working length when you've finished using it, keeping the camera looking as sleek and miniature as possible.
Although it shares similarities, the PEN is not technically an SLR – there's no mirror mechanism.
The eye-level viewfinder provides a video feed, rather than an optical view through the lens. This is similar to the system used on the Panasonic G1 and GH1, but here the viewfinder is not built-in, so the basic body is significantly smaller and lighter.
The changes introduced in the updated PEN have, no doubt, been influenced by the introduction of a third Panasonic model, the GF1, which brought about the concept of the clip-on electronic viewfinder.
This viewfinder proves particularly useful when using one of the manual focus modes. As soon as you turn the focus ring, the display zooms into the centre of the image, allowing you to adjust the sharpness accurately.
The focus is servo-assisted, so isn't particularly quick to use. However, as the camera's autofocus system isn't especially fast or accurate, this is a godsend for telephoto or macro shots.
As mentioned, the Micro Four Thirds system works in a different way to a conventional SLR.
The system avoids the need for a mirror and pentaprism, so Olympus can get away with smaller camera bodies and smaller lens mounts – so this camera immediately scores points for combining portability with flexibility.
Another big advance from last year's PEN is the inclusion of an electronic viewfinder (EVF).
So, you can frame the image at eye level rather than having to do everything via the rear LCD, as you would with a cheap compact. The new EVF is really good, crisp and clear, and a massive help in poor light, where it's really hard to see the rear screen. The EVF also really helps when shooting with one of the manual focus modes.
Turn the focus ring and the display zooms right into the centre of the image, enabling you to focus accurately.
Decent ISO performance
ISO performance is good under 1600, though cynics would argue it has to be, seeing as flash doesn't come as standard.
The basic setup means you even lose the ability to add flash to fill in the shadows. In terms of features and handling, however, the E-P2 compares extremely well to most budget digital SLRs – you get the full range of exposure and focusing modes.
Use Aperture Priority, for instance, and you get a clear readout of aperture and shutter speed in the viewfinder, and a scrollwheel for changing settings that falls conveniently for your thumb.
Exposure Compensation is also easily reached and controlled; what's more you can see when it's needed thanks to a small histogram that can be constantly displayed in the viewfinder.
Other key creative overrides can also be found without any major handling problems.
And, if you delve into the menu, the camera allows you to customise more features than most; you can control the range of settings available when using Auto ISO, for instance, or decide whether the focus ring is turned clockwise or anti-clockwise to make distant objects look sharp.
We've been impressed by the quality of Micro Four Thirds-system lens, and the 14-42mm glass supplied with our Olympus PEN E-P2 is a great performer.
While not as fast and bright as the alternative 17mm pancake lens, its maximum aperture of f/3.5 is very handy in dodgy light, or just for blurring the background on portraits.
WIDESCREEN: the 16:9 aspect ratio option enables you to take shots for viewing on a widescreen TV, but note there is some distortion of vertical lines
Lens distortion is kept to the minimum, and despite our gripes about the locking system, being able to concertina the lens back into the camera helps portability. Image stabilization is built into the camera, rather than the lens, but this is still good glass.
The Olympus PEN E-P2 has a similarly sized sensor to the similarly specced Panasonic Lumix GF1, so image performance is comparable.
POP ART: rather than cheesy Warhol effects, we used the Pop Art filter to really boost primary colours on everyday shots, and it works well
The Olympus PEN E-P2's metering system is nigh foolproof, and JPEGs out of the camera are nice and sharp. So far so good, but we didn't find the AF as fast and reliable as the AF system on the Panasonic Lumix GF1.
It's not so much that the AF is sluggish and 'hunts', rather that it doesn't always focus in the most logical place – going for the foreground rather than the horizon or middleground in a big landscape for instance.
FILM GRAIN: the black and white film grain filter is also great for moody monochromes
Fortunately, the range of image options and widgets more than compensates for the slightly eccentric AF. A big selling point of the Olympus PEN E-P2 is the range of art effects.
In-camera image tweaks are hardly a new thing on compacts, but Olympus eschews the usual daft options (soft-focus food, anyone?) in favour of Cross Process, Diorama, Pop Art and other handy tweaks.
PORTRAIT: while the reasonably bright f/3.5 14-42mm is useful for portraits, the Auto White Balance sometimes struggles with accurate skin tones
As with the Panasonic Lumix GF-1 you can adjust the aspect ratio of the image, shooting in 16:9 ratio in order to display your shots on a widescreen TV.
Returning to exposure controls, you need to watch the Auto White Balance. It struggles to deliver consistently accurate skin tones, so we'd recommend adjusting it each time according the lighting conditions. The bespoke modes are reliable enough.
METERING: the metering system is really reliable, delivering well exposed shots in a variety of conditions. The 14-42mm lens maintains sharpness and detail when zoomed out
Other useful features on the Olympus PEN E-P2 include a dust-reduction mode, an Face Detection and Shadow Adjustment Technology. And as you'd expect in a camera of this price and calibre, you can shoot in RAW for maximum image detail and tonal felicity.
There's a lot to like about the Olympus PEN E-P2. It's stylish, well built, relatively easy to use and takes great pictures out of the box, thanks to its Micro Four Thirds technology and quality lenses.
We liked:
The ISO performance is impressive, which is just as well considering the lack of flash.
The metering system nigh foolproof, and the new art effects, such as Cross Process and Diorama, are genuinely useful. This is a great looking camera and the lenses are of high quality.
We disliked:
The price – for what you actually get, it's pretty expensive at آ£899 with the 14-42mm lens.
For the same money you can get a mid-range SLR from Canon or Nikon; the absence of flash as standard on the Olympus PEN E-P2 rubs salt into the wound, too. The retractable lens mechanism can be infuriating until you get used to it.
Verdict:
To sidestep the major pricing issue, Olympus has also brought out an 'affordable', simplified version called the E-PL1 (thought it'll still cost you آ£500).
The E-PL1 actually comes with flash, and although it has less advanced controls than the Olympus PEN E-P2, it's still based on Micro Four Thirds, and still shoots HD video.
So if you're looking for an SLR backup, but are keen to keep costs down while gaining benefits of a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, this seems a wiser buy.
For people happy to pay top dollar for the full range of features on the Olympus PEN E-P2, the question is whether you buy this camera or the rival Panasonic Lumix GF1.
While we like the PEN, we'd probably go for the Panny. It's آ£200 cheaper, comes with flash, has a smarter AF and takes equally good shots (especially if you buy it with the wonderfully fast and bright pancake lens).
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Competition: WIN! Xbox 360 Elite and Alien Vs Predator
Some things just go together. Ant and Dec, strawberries and ice cream, Mitchell And Webb… but none can compete with the awesomeness that is Alien Vs Predator.
Made by the same team responsible for the original 1999 classic, Alien Vs Predator is an all-out action game with a difference.
You can choose three different ways to play the game: as marine, alien or predator. Not only does this mean that you get some brilliant intertwining story arcs, but there's a three-way online multiplayer option available.
And, to add a little bit of movie magic to proceedings, Lance Henriksen reprises his role as Bishop so those who love the Alien movies are going to love this first-person monster mash.
To celebrate this almighty videogaming clash of the monster titans, TechRadar is happy to announce that it has an Xbox 360 Elite to give away, alongside an Xbox LIVE 12 month Gold subscription and a copy of Alien Vs Predator to give away to one lucky reader.
Not only that, five runners-up will get a copy of Alien Vs Predator on the Xbox 360 too.
Just click here to enter the compo.
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Please note that this competition is only open to UK residents over 18 years of age.
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Competition: WIN! Xbox 360 Elite and Alien Vs Predator
Some things just go together. Ant and Dec, strawberries and ice cream, Mitchell And Webb… but none can compete with the awesomeness that is Alien Vs Predator.
Made by the same team responsible for the original 1999 classic, Alien Vs Predator is an all-out action game with a difference.
You can choose three different ways to play the game: as marine, alien or predator. Not only does this mean that you get some brilliant intertwining story arcs, but there's a three-way online multiplayer option available.
And, to add a little bit of movie magic to proceedings, Lance Henriksen reprises his role as Bishop so those who love the Alien movies are going to love this first-person monster mash.
To celebrate this almighty videogaming clash of the monster titans, TechRadar is happy to announce that it has an Xbox 360 Elite to give away, alongside an Xbox LIVE 12 month Gold subscription and a copy of Alien Vs Predator to give away to one lucky reader.
Not only that, five runners-up will get a copy of Alien Vs Predator on the Xbox 360 too.
Just click here to enter the compo.
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Please note that this competition is only open to UK residents over 18 years of age.
Enter more TechRadar competitions
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iPhone 4G set to finally offer video chatting
Those of you fed up with having to only talk to your pals via the iPhone could be in for a treat - video chatting could be on its way.
The 3.2 SDK for the iPhone and iPad has revealed new icons and commands relating to video chatting, meaning that Apple is clearly having a think about adding the functionality to its systems.
9to5 Mac raises the entirely likely possibility that some of the 'iChat' related code could just be some residual programming from a port from the Mac platform.
But the presence of icons means that it's much more plausible that the new iPhone (and subsequent versions of the iPad) will have some sort of video calling capability.
Front row seats
This would most probably present itself as a front facing camera, although Apple's penchant for third party add ons could mean a special dock that lets you video conference too.
Of course, some readers might remember that these rumours have been circulating since the rumours of the iPhone 3G emerged - we've been disappointed twice already, so there's not reason to think it won't happen a third time.
Although if we're honest, we can't imagine many people would be that bothered about having the facility to video chat - it's seen some pretty slow take-up over the years, and we'd much rather Jobs just put a better camera in the next iPhone or something.
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Couple marry at Apple Store in New York
An Apple 'obsessed' American couple were married at the company's New York store on Valentine's Day.
Josh and Ting Li are self-described 'obsessive' Apple fans and are the first to marry inside an Apple Store.
They actually met at the same store while shopping for an iPhone.
The priest was dressed as Steve Jobs, sporting a cheap black turtleneck, and the couple read out their vows from their iPhones. The wedding rings were tied to a ribbon wrapped around a first gen iPod.
The dots will connect
The vows included the following passage read out from the pretend Apple CEO: "You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down."
An Apple Store employee tweeted about the unauthorised wedding, thus alerting the world's tech press!
"We got to know each other because Ting was looking to buy an iPod…and I managed to strike up a conversation that way," the blushing bridegroom, dressed in a suit and a pink tie, told Entertainment Weekly.
"I used to joke that the Apple Store is my church because I am not religious, and I loved everything Apple."
You can see a video of the wedding that has been posted on YouTube.
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Review: A-Data EX93 SSD enclosure
We've seen these sort of things before, but coming under the bracket of 2.5-inch notebook drive adaptors.
The last one I had a play with was in horrendous beige-box stylings with not a hint of brushed aluminium in sight. This enclosure from A-data though is far more stylish, with shiny black plastic and the requisite black, brushed aluminium accompaniment.
Unfortunately though that's about as good as it gets. This is as cut-back as a 2.5-inch drive enclosure can be; the only real plus point for it over having two brackets for the SSDs in your rig is the fact you only need one SATA power cable.
No RAID?
If something like this offers the opportunity to house twin SSDs in the same 3.5-inch bay you would expect it to have the RAID options that have been available on 2.5-inch enclosures for years.
Going back to the beige box sample I checked out years ago that had both RAID 0 and RAID 1, and only used one SATA cable for both power and data.
I'm aware that A-data has a version with RAID capabilities available too, but I just can't see the relevance in having this stripped-bare version out there as well.
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In Depth: Could Spotify's business model work for ebooks?
If the record industry had come up with Spotify a decade ago, it might not be in the mess it's in today.
The free, ad-supported version could have kept people away from the pirate networks, and while the paid-for numbers aren't huge (250,000 paying subscribers at the beginning of 2010, compared to 7 million users in total) Spotify is still persuading them to pay for music - something that's eluded plenty of other legal services.
So could the same kind of service work for books, bringing novels to the massed ranks of Kindle, Nook, Reader and iPad owners?
It's not as bizarre as it sounds, because we have real-world equivalents for both its free and subscriber services. Libraries give books away for nothing - or seem to; in reality authors get a little bit of money in the form of Public Lending Right (PLR) royalties, a gap that online ad revenues could easily plug - while book clubs have offered heavily discounted prices to subscribers for decades.
Could similar ideas work online? Sara Lloyd is Digital Director at Pan Macmillan, one of the world's biggest publishers. "I think both could work for consumers and the trick will be in developing a commercial model that works for authors and publishers, too," she says.
PRINT TO SCREEN: Traditional publishers certainly aren't ignoring the internet. Blogs such as Macmillan's Digitalist attempt to make sense of publishing's future
The commercial model may be the hard bit. Earlier this month Warner Music Group announced that it would no longer licence its music to free streaming services because, from its perspective, there simply isn't enough money in it.
"The 'get all your music you want for free, and then maybe with a few bells and whistles we can move you to a premium price' strategy is not the kind of approach to business that we will be supporting in the future," CEO Edgar Bronfman told the BBC. "Free streaming services are clearly not net positive for the industry."
Similar noises are coming from the print industry, particularly in newspapers and magazines. Rupert Murdoch closed his free newspaper The London Paper late last year and intends to put his newspapers behind paywalls.
The reality is that there's only so much advertising money to go round, and for every Metro - an enormous global operation that manages to make money from free content - there's a London Paper bleeding red ink.
Backers need patience
No matter what business model ebook services adopt, the backers will need to be patient. As digital media expert Mark Mulligan of Forrester Research points out, the music and book markets are different - so it'll take much longer for any book-related service to take off.
"The diversity of experience between the digital and analogue experiences of books and recorded music are highly different," he says.
"For music the physical component is the delivery vehicle, not the content itself - artwork aside. For books the physical media is the experience itself. Added to this, music aficionados skew younger than book aficionados. So the audience less geared towards digital than music. With that caveat considered, a book subscription could absolutely make sense. We have the proven success of libraries and to a lesser degree, book clubs, to demonstrate the interest."
There's one area where subscriptions may be essential. "Subscription offerings are a must for the academic sector," Mulligan says. "Without them a P2P sector will flourish." Persuading students to pay for subscriptions could be a problem, though. "It makes sense [that] the cost of a subscription [is] bundled into tuition fees."
Spotify isn't just about streaming music: it's a social service, too, enabling people to publish playlists or collaborate on group playlists.
That's a powerful sales tool, so of course publishers are paying attention. "I think there has been some excitement amongst the bigger publishers about what potential there might be in social networks based around books," Lloyd says.
"There have been various experiments in that area, such as HarperCollins' Book Army or Random House's Readers' Place. My own view is that generic, 'book lover'-based social network sites are strategically uninteresting, because 'book readers' are not part of a self-defined niche who are itching to interact and share with each other online just within the 'box' of reading and books."
SHARED TASTES: One of Spotify's best features is its collaborative playlists, which enable you to enjoy or mess with other people's musical ideas
So a Facebook for books probably won't work - but that doesn't mean book-focused social networking is a bad idea. "What can work, though, is online communities around particular genre-based niches," Lloyd says. "For example, Macmillan's Tor.com is a SFF [Sci-Fi/Fantasy] category site. It's publisher neutral and features original content created specifically for the site as well as blog content from authors. It's been a huge success."
The combination of such a network and a subscription service could be amazing. Your favourite authors could create book 'playlists' of their influences or recommendations, enabling you to download the books immediately - and helping publishers to sell older titles.
The trick is to keep computers out of it as much as possible. "I think that person to person recommendation is powerful and more interesting than automated recommendation engines, which ultimately tend to offer you more stuff like the stuff you've already tried rather than challenging you to try something new, so a streaming service that is primarily about accessing/purchasing the content but [that] has social networking features built in is attractive from that perspective."
Back to serialisation?
It's been suggested that ebooks could also herald the return of serialisation, with books published in regular instalments just as they were in Dickens' day.
However, as horror master Stephen King has found out the hard way, online audiences don't seem too keen. Perhaps the problem was simply one of payment: when King wrote The Plant in 2000, he vowed to stop if fewer than 75% of readers paid for it. Fewer than 75% paid for it. He stopped.
BIT BY BIT: Stephen King's 2000 attempt at ebook serialisation wasn't a success - but a subscription service might give authors a way to make money in instalments
"I'm still not convinced by the serial idea, and I think maybe it is more a cultural than a technical issue… maybe around certain niches this would work," Lloyd says.
"It's like the way everyone says digital will bring back the short story. I don't agree with that either because I think short stories - in our markets at least - are generally not satisfying enough for the majority of consumers. But if you asked Harlequin, who are romance publishers whose business has moved online massively, their digital shorts at a really low price sell very well.
"That's because in the case of that market, generally female romance readers, the ease and convenience of a short online story appeals to them, either as something to read at their desk in their lunch break or on their mobile or PDA while they sit at the kid's soccer match, for example."
"This is a really good example of using digital to deliver to a particular market in a way that fits in with their lifestyle. But it wouldn't work for every market; it's a case of ensuring you don't do things just because digital enables it -- you need to customise the delivery and the experience to suit the market."
Mark Mulligan believes that the move to digital will split the book market in two. "Uptake will polarize book audiences," he predicts. "Aficionados with densely stacked booked shelves will cling onto the physical form factor longer than music aficionados have clung onto the CD (though perhaps equal to vinyl fans). Those who skew more towards best sellers will be low hanging fruit for a subscription offering."
Lloyd agrees that in ebook publishing, one size definitely does not fit all. "I think like all interesting and emerging digital media markets it'll be a mixture," she says.
"People will test out different ways of accessing and consuming ebooks and then either settle on their preferred method or go for different modes for different aspects of their book reading. For example, with music, some people use Spotify like the radio, to test out new stuff, but download from iTunes the stuff they're really interested in 'owning' or keeping long term."
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Review: Kensington Orbit Trackball
The idea, according to the simple, multilingual marketing spiel on the front of the Orbit Trackball box, is 'comfort meeting control'.
Having only ever used a trackball in abortive attempts to enjoy the odd Missile Command cabinet, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I've actually been pleasantly surprised.
Now I'm not about to ditch my wireless li'l Sidewinder for this glossy-balled pretender, but I was far more comfortable using the Orbit than I expected. It's responsive and the optical sensors are set at a high enough dpi rating that even on a 1,920 x 1,080 desktop I wasn't hammering the ball just to get across the other side of the screen.
It is actually comfortable to use as well, so long as you ditch the rubber codpiece-looking, wrist-rest.
Once the expected mouse-related RSI really takes hold I'll switch to the trackball, but I don't expect the trackball's wrist-rest to offer up yet another strain…
The button placement and scrollwheel encompassing the ball itself though are all neat, responsive and functional; in fact the only real problem I had came down to the really fine movements.
Despite the fact the sensors are indeed optical they still rely on the smooth movement of the ball itself; and if that ball ain't shiny as Darth Vader's dome, hitting a small target with the mouse pointer is a devilish exercise in frustration.
Still there's always the age-old problem for us gamers; you're always going to have to switch back to a mouse for any twitch-based gaming. That said I did manage a five kill streak in a MW2 Hardcore Team Deathmatch…
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Insect-inspired tech leads to spiderman gloves
If you have never dreamed of being a real-life Spiderman, then it is likely that you might not be interested a new technology that promises gloves that will let you climb up walls.
However, the fact that you are still reading confirms that you have. So here is what you need to know.
A new device that is inspired by a beetle has allowed engineers to use the adhesive power of water to create gloves that will let you climb up glass, wood or brick walls.
The team of engineers at Cornell University, in New York - funded by the US military - have invented a palm-size device that creates a reversible adhesive bond, inspired by the Palmetto tortoise beetle from Florida.
Professor Paul Steen, a biomolecular engineer at Cornell University, made this latest amazing discovery by pumping small droplets of water – around 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair - through microscopic holes in a flat plate, finding that the surface tension of the water enabled him to glue the plate to another surface.
The plate can then be immediately switched to becoming 'unstuck' by changing an electric field around it.
3-inch wide pad holds 20-stone man
Steen believes it is now possible to create a 3 inch wide pad that could hold up to 20 stone, telling The Telegraph: "What we have is the ability to make strong but reversible bonds and this idea of creating clothing that can give a Spiderman type ability comes from that.
"At the moment the only way it is possible to climb up the side of buildings is to use suction cups which require ungainly and heavy vacuum pumps and a lot of power. We are exploiting the cohesion of water rather than having to create the suction ourselves.
"Epoxy-strength adhesive that is switchable doesn't exist, but we realised the beetle was showing us the way. Our inspiration comes from the beetle, but our control of the "bond" is quite different."
The Professor added: "At the moment we don't know what DARPA [Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency] envisages the end use of our research will be, but having the ability to stick and release a load easily could have a number of uses."
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Konami adds 3D head-tracking glasses to Metal Gear
Konami has added 3D head-tracking glasses to Metal Gear Arcade.
For those not aware, Metal Gear Arcade is based on Metal Gear Online, with the addition of this new 3D and head-tracking tech to the overall sneak-em-up experience.
In addition to the 3D specs, Konami has also thrown in a gun controller and 5.1 surround sound into its sit-down Metal Gear Arcade cabinets.
AUO Arcade Expo
The latest version of Hideo Kojima's masterpiece will be on show for Japanese fans and industry pundits at the AUO Expo in Japan this week.
For more on Metal Gear Arcade head over to the website for Japan's AOU Expo this week.
Konami has released a trailer of its latest arcade outing on the game's website – claiming that the 3D glasses enable an "Integral Vision" effect. So basically wherever you move your head, Snake does the same in the game. Metal Gear Arcade also has a mic for voice chat.
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Review: CoolerMaster NotePal U2 Notebook Cooler
I've long been a fan of notebook coolers like this CoolerMaster NotePal U2 ever since my first modern notebook came harbouring an Athlon 2200+, which turned out to have the thermal dynamics of a very, very fat man.
Use of the machine for any length of time and, no matter what material it was made out of, the area which used to be directly underneath the CPU would be only so much molten slag. More disturbing still if you actually happened to use it literally as a laptop…
With a cooler though it was possible to use the machine without melting holes in things and without the processor throttling back to such an extent that it was hardly worth switching the damned thing on in the first place.
The NotePal U2 is such a cooler, with the now-traditional mesh-finish and exterior fans to blow soothing air of your hot bits. The difference here though is that it has some innovations.
The main one being the fact that the twin underslung fans are able to be completely re-positioned to cope with different laptop cooling designs. Not all machines have their intake fans in the same position but now you can match that location with the external fans of the cooling tray, giving far more efficient cooling.
The whole thing acts as a neat little suit of armour for your laptop. Remove the two fans and you slot your notebook into the wireframe giving extra protection for your screen and making the NotePal U2 easy to store and travel with.
The NotePal U2 is a simple little thing, but only if your laptop is generating enough heat to keep your house warm in the winter time.
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Review: Keysonic KSK 8001 UEL
You want a sleek, black keyboard don't you? You want one where all the keys light up and there's all kinds of media-type buttons on it, don't you? But you really don't want to pay آ£80 just because someone's tagged on a suitably gamer-orientated name and thinks that's an excuse to commit grand larceny of the wallet.
Well, you may just be in luck because German peripheral posse Keysonic has come up with a slightly frilly, media-centric keyboard for a no-frills price tag, the KeySonic KSK 8001 UEL.
It's black, the plastic isn't that flimsy and comes in three (count 'em) different finishes, including brushed aluminium, and it's got back-lit keys.
It's even got a big dial on it, though sadly unlike the Sidewinder keyboard this doesn't control the volume, as you may have hoped, but just the brightness of the LED backlight. Classy. But that LED backlight comes in two colours; blue and red.
To be honest, like the Razor Lycosa before it, the backlighting is an absolute pain in the eyeball, unless your PC is in a perpetually dark room. In this fairly well lit, human-sized laboratory experiment we call an office, it doesn't matter whether it's blue or red, the lighting hardly shows up and you have to strain to see which key you're pressing.
One plus point to the Keysonic is that it works directly out of the box with no setup required on our part, and that means all the media and browser shortcut buttons function, and that's got to be a good thing.
It is a fairly cheap gaming keyboard, and the slightly dead action to the keys supports this view, but it's always functional, yet sleek, black and back-lit look will fit in well on most gamers' desktop setups.
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FarmVille now has 80 million Facebook users
Zynga's Facebook game FarmVille now has an impressive 80 million users on the social networking site, according to AllFacebook's Application Statistics study.
FarmVille is growing at an incredible rate, with the game's monthly active users having grown by ten million in one month.
Exponential growth
The popular animal husbandry game currently has in the region of 31 million daily active users, up from 27 million daily active users that were reported back on Feb 2, 2009. The weekly active user figure is now at 54 million up from 49 million on February 2.
The latest FarmVille user stats show that Zynga's game has attracted four million daily active users in under two weeks – an incredible rate of 35 per cent growth.
Zynga opened its first non-US studio in Bangalore, India, recently to focus on game and infrastructure development.
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Nintendo patent filing details DS force feedback
Online rumour and speculation surrounding Nintendo's future plans for its immensely popular DS handheld is on the increase, as the games industry looks towards two of its biggest trade events in the coming months – the Games Developers Conference in San Francisco in March and E3 in Los Angeles in June.
The latest speculation focuses on the news that Nintendo has filed a patent in January 2010 for a force feedback system, that would deliver a vibration to the users hand via the DS's pen-style stylus.
Broke My Controller unearthed the latest patent – which you can see in full here – which would require the user to push the stylus into the screen to execute an attack or some other move, with the user feeling the vibration back through their hand via the stylus to confirm the move.
Push harder
The latest Nintendo patent is an add-on to a previously filed 2005 patent. It contains the following pertinent information:
"A game apparatus includes an LCD, and a touch panel is placed on a top surface of the LCD. A player instructs an enemy character displayed on the LCD by use of a stick to attack the enemy character. For example, in a case that the enemy character exists at a depth of a game screen, little damage is applied to the enemy character, and a weak vibration is applied to the game apparatus.
"Conversely, in a case that the enemy character exists at a front of the game screen, much damage is applied to the character, and a strong vibration is applied to the game apparatus. In either case, the vibrations are transmitted to the fingers or hands of the payer via the stick."
Nintendo's new DSi XL finally arrives in the UK early next month. On 5th March, to be exact.
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Google: Buzz NOT a rival to Facebook and Twitter
Google's Bradley Horowitz has insisted that Google Buzz is not a direct competitor for the likes of Facebook and Twitter, but that it fills a niche 'not currently met by market'.
Although it has suffered a controversial birth, the company believes that the combination of various Google functionality and the third-party support will win out.
When asked by eWeek whether Buzz was a competitor to Twitter and Facebook Horowitz stated "Absolutely not."
A new category of communication
"…this is creating a new category of communication. It's filling a niche which is currently not met in the market," he added.
"I think something unique is happening on Buzz that will continue to evolve.
"It's hard to create a trend line or extrapolate too much from six days of use, but certainly conversation and the conversational Web is a place where Buzz has excelled. I think it is unique and offers a compelling interesting experience."
Question mark
There are still major question marks over Buzz, especially with some features still not working as fluidly as Google will have hoped, but the potential behind a social network from the internet giant is clear.
The controversy around Google's old enemy – privacy – has certainly dealt damage to Buzz in the crucial early fight for leverage, but after speedy changes the company will be hoping that its latest service can battle back.
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