Review: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8
Pitched at family snappers and travellers looking for a lot of power in a compact body, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 is the follow-up to the popular DMC-TZ6.
The svelte Lumix DMC-TZ8 offers a 12.1 megapixel sensor with a proper 12x optical zoom, along with the clever widgets we've come to expect from Panasonic.
As well as the latest iteration of Panasonic's image stabilisation technology, the Lumix DMC-TZ8 has intelligent exposure and AF modes, along with a flexible 25-300mm lens and HD movie mode.
At the same time, the Lumix DMC-TZ8 enables you to tweak exposure via a PASM dial on the top, but as we'll see later, this is not always as straightforward as it sounds.
Now priced at around £250, the Lumix DMC-TZ8 sits at the higher end of the compact range, and is going up against superzoom compacts such as the Canon SX20 IS (£300), the stylish Sony DSC-TX1 and the Nikon Coolpix S8000 – the latter also offering a quality wide-angle lens and 720p HD movie mode.
It's a fiercely fought-over end of the market, so the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 will need to offer something special to stand out from the herd.
To judge by all the stickers festooning our review sample, Panasonic is making the biggest noise about the 25mm wide angle lens, impressive zoom reach and intelligent widgets. Let's begin with build quality and lens.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 certainly feels and looks good. While not as chic as the Sony DSC-TX1, or as SLR-a-like as the Canon SX20 IS, it's a nice looking camera that weighs a mere 214g (with battery). The lens recesses smartly into the body and the dials and buttons are generally well laid out.
But that's not to say the ergonomics are perfect. It's great to be able to adjust aperture via the top PASM (Program, Aperture, Shutter Speed, Manual) dial on a camera at this price point, so why oh why is widening and narrowing the aperture so needlessly fiddly?
EXPOSURE CONTROL: You select aperture or shutter speed via the top dial, but then adjust it via this extra Exposure button – a clunky solution
Once you've selected A mode on the top dial, you then have to press a separate Exposure button on the back to let you adjust the aperture via the arrows on the rear dial. Forget to press Exposure and you'll end up changing flash settings by mistake! This convoluted process will soon frustrate SLR owners, for example, who are using the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 as a back-up compact.
The dial/button/arrow sequence is also needed to adjust shutter speed (and aperture/shutter speed in Manual mode), and it really slows you down when you need to adjust exposure modes on the fly. A dedicated dial for PASM, as found on higher-end cameras, is badly needed, and it wouldn't spoil the layout.
Fortunately, the lens soon has us back on board. While 25mm is not the widest angle you can get on a compact at this price, it's still a great effort, and the quality of the Leica-branded lens is really up there.
WIDE BOY: The 25mm wide angle lens is a godsend for holidaymakers trying to capture as much of an impressive scene as possible (Click here for high-res version)
Sure, you'd expect, and get, distortion at this price point, but it's well controlled, and generally, the lens is impressively sharp and unflappable.
If you need to squeeze even more into the scene, you can also choose 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Lens performance is also good at the telephoto end, and this, combined with the reasonably wide maximum aperture, makes it easy to get pleasing background blur on portraits, for instance.
WIDESCREEN: The 16:9 widescreen mode is also handy for capturing a big scene, and you can enjoy it later on your widescreen TV (Click here for high-res version)
Given our gripes about the fiddly process of changing exposure mode settings, how does the much-vaunted Intelligent Auto (iA) mode perform? After all, this is the mode that the less experienced photographers who'll tend to buy this camera are likely to stick with. The answer is, pretty well.
POINT AND SHOOT: 'Sonic Speed AF' is overselling it, but there's no doubt the AF features on this camera are fast and reliable (Click here for high-res version)
AF tracking is particularly effective - it just works – and the intelligent exposure modes generally do a good job, as our test shots reveal (note there is no manual focus option).
SENSE OF EXPOSURE: Select iA (Intelligent Auto) on the mode dial for a more consistent and sensitive auto exposure than you normally get on compacts at this price (Click here for high-res version)
We did notice the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 has a tendency to over expose and blow out highlights on a bright sunny day, but this can easily be rectified by adjusting exposure compensation (rather hidden away on the rear mode dial, if you're wondering where it is).
As for the intelligent ISO control, we couldn't see any real benefit – use auto ISO, or adjust it yourself for the most reliable results. Noise is acceptable to 800, but we wouldn't go this high that often, unless flash isn't an option. You do lose detail and edge sharpness.
ISO PERFORMANCE: At ISO 800, as here, you lose detail, but it's not too bad – and better a noisy shot than no shot at all when you can't use flash (Click here for high-res version)
While the camera has a 12.1 megapixel sensor, it's still a small sensor, and you will get bad speckling and colour smearing over 800. That said, it's certainly no worse than similarly priced competitors.
BENCHES ANONYMOUS: The metering generally copes well with more challenging lighting conditions though there is a tendency to blow out highlights, as with some of the benches here (Click here for high-res version)
The pop-up flash is a bit weedy, with limited options. As for the daftly named POWER O.I.S anti-shake technology, it works well, but is most effective when used with a firm grip when zooming right out – this camera is disarmingly light.
But this is not a major issue, and it's great that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 gives you the advantages of a relatively long zoom lens without it overpowering the camera and making it feel awkward and bulky.
Despite our gripes about the PASM adjustment, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 is easy to live with. The 2.7-inch rear LCD is bright and colourful, and the menus are mercifully uncluttered and easy to read.
SHARP LCD: The 2.7-inch LCD is easy to read, with clear and logical menus
Shooting 720p HD movies is also very easy – just select movie mode on the top dial and press the shutter release – and the movie quality is good, as our test footage shows.
Exposure and colours are accurate and there's minimal distortion during movement.
If you're looking for a neat compact with reliable auto exposure and AF performance, a quality lens and an easy-to-use HD movie mode, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 is a good choice, and reasonable value at £250.
We liked:
The Leica 25-300mm lens is a beauty, delivering good wide angle performance.
The intelligent exposure and AF widgets make it very hard to take a bad picture with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 – it's so easy to use.
The metering system is also reliable, and noise is acceptable up to ISO 800.
The 720p HD movies are easy to record, and of a high standard.
We disliked:
Power compact it might be but it's still a compact – another £100 or so will get you a vastly more flexible D-SLR like the Canon EOS 1000D.
Adjusting aperture and shutter speed is needlessly fiddly.
Some intelligent features seem to make little difference in practice.
Verdict:
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 is a very likeable and stylish compact that bends over backwards to help you get good shots. The lens is a real winner. It's also very easy to record high quality HD movies. SLR users seeking a back-up compact might find its restrictions and usability quirks frustrating, though.
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China warns Google to obey or 'pay the consequences'
Google has been warned by China that it must follow the country's censorship rules or "pay the consequences".
The chilling message was given by Li Yizhong, Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, who was speaking at China's legislation session.
Giving the reasons why China needs strict censoring laws, he explained: "We need to preserve our nation's interest, our people's interest, we cannot be relaxed with any information that will cause harm to the stability of our society, to our system, and to the health of our under-age young people."
Abide and respect
When it comes to Google, Yizhong said that whether the company disband from China was "up to them" but if it did continue, then the country's laws must be obeyed.
"I hope that Google will abide and respect the Chinese government's laws and regulations," he noted.
"But, if you betray Chinese laws and regulations... it means that you are unfriendly, irresponsible, and you will have to pay the consequences."
It was back in January that Google announced its unease with China's censorship laws and that it was considering pulling out of the country all together.
Since then, companies like Microsoft have come out saying that they will continue to work in China under its rules, regardless of the outcome between the company and Google.
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Vodafone UK confirms HTC Legend and Desire
Vodafone UK has finally confirmed that it will be bringing the HTC Legend and HTC Desire to the UK.
The two phones will be offered on Vodafone's network, with the Legend an exclusive handset for the carrier.
Vodafone was on stage at the launch of the HTC duo at Mobile World Congress and stated that it was bringing the phones to Europe, but inexplicably Vodafone UK refused to admit it was bringing either to our shores.
The truth is out there
But now the truth is out, as we revealed earlier this week, and customers can start getting excited about getting the two hottest handsets of the year.
In our HTC Legend review, we saw a phone that we consider a real contender for phone of the year. And for our hands on HTC Desire review it also became clear that the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered phone is also going to be a real winner.
Both have been given a UK release date for April on Vodafone, and users can register their interest in the phones on the red network's site.
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Review: Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition
Build it and they will come. That, surely, is the thinking behind the launch of this new six-core monster from Intel. You almost definitely don't need it. You probably couldn't make proper use of it. But here it is all the same: the mighty new Core i7-980X Extreme Edition.
After all, it's not as if your average quad-core PC owner is crying out for more performance. Indeed, a cooking dual-core chip gets the job done for the vast majority of people, the vast majority of the time.
Nevertheless, a small cadre of enthusiasts and power users do demand more. It's this very group that Intel is targeting with this impossibly powerful and pointlessly expensive flagship chip.
Shrinking returns
Still, we have a feeling they'll be very happy with what Intel is giving them. Six cores is obviously the biggest news, a first for a desktop PC processor. But this is six cores à la Intel and that means two threads per core.
Fire up the Performance tab in Windows Task Manager, therefore, and you'll be greeted with no less than 12 graphs, one for each logical processor. In our best Quake III voice, that's IMPRESSIVE.
The 980X is also Intel's second chip with fancy new 32nm transistors. As ever, the benefits of this "process shrink" from Intel's existing 45nm node are several.
For starters, it allows Intel to pack in more features. In fact, the six-core 980X and its 1.17 billion transistors is actually smaller than any of Intel's quad-core processors. And that is despite the fact that Intel has upped the chip's shared cache memory to a mammoth 12MB.
Less is more
Smaller chips, of course, are typically cheaper chips. Inevitably, Intel is going to milk the 980X's six-core novelty status for a while. But more affordable models of the new six-core Gulftown core, as the chip is known internally at Intel, are expected later this year. For now, it's just this lone £800 Extreme Edition model.
Anyhow, smaller transistors also tend to use less power and hit higher clockspeeds. We'll come to the former in a moment. But as for the latter, the 980X is officially rated at 3.33GHz with a maximum of 3.6GHz available courtesy of Intel's auto-overclocking Turbo Boost function. Pretty much the same frequencies, in other words, as Intel's speediest quads, but with a couple more cores thrown in.
Nehalem redux
Elsewhere, there isn't all that much to report. Architecturally, Gulftown is pretty much a standard Nehalem class processor, the likes of which have been on sale for about 18 months. Not that this is a bad thing.
On the contrary, the Nehalem architecture remains cutting edge, replete as it is with an integrated triple-channel memory controller and all manner of 64-bit, virtualised and HyperThreaded goodness.
For the record, the 980X is another chip that only works with Intel's high-end LGA 1,366 CPU socket. For now, owners of PCs or motherboards with the LGA 1,156 socket are out of luck when it comes to six-core thrills.
Moreover, what the carry-over architecture does mean is that you shouldn't expect this new chip to do anything more than behave like a six-core Nehalem processor. There's no new magic under the hood.
Indeed, our benchmarks back this up. In single threaded tests, it performs precisely on a par with the identically clocked Core i7-975 Extreme Edition quad-core CPU.
But that isn't the point of the 980X. The point is multi-threaded mastery. It delivers. In our HD video encoding benchmark, for example, it's very nearly 50 per cent faster than the 975.
Professional rendering is another showcase application for the 980X's multi-threading talents with the 980X shaving fully 50 per cent off the 975's 43 second time-to-complete for CineBench R10.
Of course, you won't always see performance balloon in line with the core count, even in multi-threaded applications. Not all applications are coded to scale in an efficient and linear fashion as cores are added.
Moreover, some are limited by factors such as data bandwidth, a metric by which the 980X does nothing to move the game on. It supports precisely the same 1,066MHz DDR3 memory in triple-channel configuration as existing high-end Core i7 processors.
Still, just as impressive as the increased performance is the fact that the 980X does it while consuming less power than the old 975 quad-core processor. And not just a little less. Our test system peaks at 275 watts with the 975 installed but just 245 watts courtesy of the new 980X. More performance for less power in other words.
Punitive pricing
Regarding downsides, there are few. As we have come to expect, Turbo Mode disappoints. Whether the workload is single or multi-threaded, the 980X runs at 3.45GHz. Frankly, the whole Turbo Mode thing feels more and more like a gimmick. Note to Intel: decide what speed the thing runs at and stick that on the label, umm-kay.
That said, the real killer is pricing. £800 makes this a luxurious irrelevancy for all but a few well-heeled enthusiasts. In the context of chips like the new Core i7 930, a 2.8GHz quad-core processor that sells for about £220, making a business case for the 980X is basically impossible. It doesn't come close to delivering four times the performance.
Verdict
The PC industry has bet all its chips on multi-core. Hence, the full potential of this new six-core specimen from Intel will surely be unleashed in time. But for now, and at this price point, it doesn't add up for a typical PC user.
However, the knowledge that cheaper versions of Intel's new hexa-core architecture are on the way gives us something to look forward to. Until then, that quad you're currently running will do just fine.
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Sky adds ITV HD, Hallmark HD and Sky Sports 4 HD
Sky has announced another raft of new HD channels – with the announcement of ITV1 HD, Hallmark Channel HD and Sky Sports 4 HD pushing the tally to 40.
The Sky platform has the edge over its rivals in sheer volume of HD channels, and it appears this gap will not be reduced any time soon, with the satellite broadcaster aiming for another 10 by the end of 2010.
Sky News HD is poised to arrive in the coming months, and the addition of ITV 1 HD on April 2 means that Sky subscribers will be able to get all World Cup matches in HD.
Virgin Media has also announced the addition of ITV1 HD to its channel line-up.
Hallmark and Sky Sports 4 HD
Hallmark Channel HD will join the Sky platform on June 28 and April 29 will see the addition of Sky Sports 4 HD.
Hilary Perchard, Sky's Director of Product Management, comments: "It's great news for customers that we are making our HD channel pack even better value with more high quality channels.
"We're seeing record demand for HD, both in terms of the number of customers signing up for Sky+HD and the amount of HD programmes they are watching.
"While other TV platforms are only now recognising the growing demand for HD, we're excited to extend our leadership even further by offering more choice to our customers. We look forward to reaching our next milestone, of 50 HD channels, by Christmas."
So UK HD fans are having a really great day.
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Apple iPad pre-ordering for US goes live
Apple is now taking pre-orders for the Apple iPad, with the gadget now available from $499 in the US.
The announcement was made after Apple posted its usual We'll Be Back Shortly message on its website – which is always a thinly veiled hint that some new release is coming to the store.
While the message was also posted on the UK version of the store, there is still no iPad pre-ordering facility available. And, what's worse, we are still no closer to finding out the price.
April UK release
The Apple iPad was announced by Steve Jobs back in January. The tablet device should be winging its way to the UK late April, but there is still no confirmation on who will be the data carriers for the 3G version.
In fact, there are already a trickle of sites who are offering the iPad, with BundleBox claiming it will bring the iPad to the UK £30 cheaper than whatever the official price is and it will ship it to arrive within three days of the 3 April US release date.
Currently, Orange, Vodafone and O2 are the three being hotly tipped to bring the device to the UK.
There are also some strong suggestions that the Apple iPad will be coming to the UK with a pricing structure that seems to directly swap dollars for pound – so $499 in the States will be £499 in the UK.
For now, though, we'll have to keep waiting till the company come 'back soon' with official confirmation.
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Valve's Newell hits out at DRM on games
Valve's Gabe Newell has slammed copy protection on computer games – accusing some digital right management of 'wrapping negatives' around a user's experience.
Valve are one of the leading lights in gaming, and Newell's comments at GDC follow Ubisoft's decision to install a copy protection that requires an always on internet connection for the games to run.
"One thing that you hear us talk a lot about is entertainment as a service," said Newell.
"It's an attitude that says 'what have I done for my customers today?'
"It informs all the decisions we make, and once you get into that mindset it helps you avoid things like some of the Digital Rights Management problems that actually make your entertainment products worth less by wrapping those negatives around them."
Portal 2
Newell also made some bold claims around Portal 2 – stating that this is Valves' best game ever.
The original Portal was a massive critical success, introducing one of computing gaming's most memorable characters in GLaDOS and a fiendishly addictive series of puzzles.
"Portal really seemed to resonate," explained Newell.
"We got the signals that we wanted - this is what people liked; this is what people didn't like.
"And to us, it was like, 'Okay now we know how to take this big,' so that's what we're going to do with Portal 2."
Portal, Newell added, was "pretty clear, just internally" the best ever Valve game – and when the back catalogue includes legendary titles like Half Life, Half Life 2 and Left4Dead that's a pretty major statement.
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Android 2.1 upgrade coming for HTC Tattoo
HTC has confirmed it is working on an upgrade to Android 2.1 for the HTC Tattoo.
According to an oddly-translated statement from FrAndroid, the company says that coding the new 2.1 upgrade with is Sense UI is taking time.
While the same is already on the HTC Legend and HTC Desire, the HTC Tattoo is a cheaper phone, with a smaller, resistive screen, so work has to be undertaken to bring Android 2.1 to it.
"Kindly note we understand that now that a phone running Android OS 2.1 is available that you are excited to get an update for your Tattoo.
Coming to its Senses
"We are still working hard to building Sense for this new version but we expect to have the upgrade finished and ready to go soon.
"Please understand that it takes time to customize any Android version to ensure you have the intuitive experience Sense provides, and we hope you can be patient for just a little while longer."
So good news for Tattoo users - you could be getting all the spicy Android goodness currently enjoyed by the Legend and Desire in the near future.
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Harrods and Currys lay claim to UK's first 3D TVs
The Sony Bravia HX903 is now available for pre-order in the UK, with both Harrods and Currys proclaiming they are the first retailers in the country to stock the 3D television.
Harrods is stocking it in the Sony Centre section of its store, with Sam Zaku, Business Manager for Sound & Vision at Harrods saying about the TV: "We're really excited to be able to offer our customers the opportunity to see 3D TV first hand as seeing the technology in action is out of this world.
"3D is continuing to dominate the headlines and once more, our Sound & Vision department is at the forefront of cutting edge technology. We are delighted to offer our customers the chance to demo the first 3D TV in store today."
Currys, on the other hand, is also excited that it too can offer pre-orders for the telly – in store as of now and online after 4pm today – with the HX903 flagship megastore in New Malden, South London.
Pre-order price
Huw Crwys Williams, Category Director at Currys, has this to say about the TV: "To launch the UK's first 3D TV at Currys is fantastic.
"Customers already understand 3D technology so we expect interest levels to be high and as the 3D TVs are more affordable than might be expected for a new ground-breaking technology, it won't be long before 3D glasses are considered de rigueur.''
Currently it is only the HX903 which is available for pre-order for the princely sum of £2,500. 46-inch up to 60-inch versions will also be available at a later date.
Annoyingly, although the TV is primed to receive 3D content, in its current form it is not actually 3D enabled. To do this, you need to buy a separate transmitter, which will cost around £50.
The Sony Bravia HX903 should be ready to take home sometime in June.
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iPhone 4.0 to finally offer multi-tasking
Good news for those frustrated by the single track mind of the iPhone - it seems multi-tasking is finally on its way.
According to Apple Insider, "people with a proven track record in predicting Apple's technological advances" have managed to dig out this little nugget about the next iPhone 4.0 update.
The sources state that Apple has managed to tweak things to the point where it can manage battery life and memory resources, meaning no substantial loss in performance.
Not ready yet
However, the firmware update is not ready as yet, as it apparently has a 'long way to go' before it's ready to be shot out to all the iPhones.
The debate over why Apple is unable to put features in its phones that every other manufacturer has managed with aplomb for yonks is an old one - it seems likely that Jobs is just looking to keep things back to make new iPhones seem even swishier.
Going on the usual release dates, we'd imagine we'll see the new iPhone 4.0 firmware release date in the next couple of months - with the next iPhone (which probably won't be called the iPhone 4G, although that's the codename doing the rounds) announced in June.
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ITV HD coming to Virgin Media on 2 April
Virgin Media has officially announced that ITV1 HD will be coming to the platform from April 2, allowing subscribers to watch all World Cup matches in high definition.
With the summer's World Cup looming, and the likes of Freesat and Freeview HD offering a high-definition option for footy fans on BBC HD and ITV HD, it is no surprise that Virgin Media have done a deal with Britain's second broadcaster.
ITV1 HD is the forth hi-def channel to be announced by the cable giants this year, as HD becomes an increasingly important offering to consumers.
Growing line-up
Cindy Rose, Executive Director of Digital Entertainment at Virgin Media, said: "ITV offers some of the UK's most loved programmes and we're delighted to add them to our growing HD channel line-up.
"This year's World Cup promises some unforgettable games and Virgin Media TV viewers will be able to enjoy every nail-biting, heart-stopping, breath-taking moment in stunning High Definition."
Interestingly, Virgin also revealed that some of ITV1's HD content will also be available on demand via ITV Net Player on Virgin Media's TV platform.
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In Depth: The tech tricks behind the world's greatest racing games
From the arcade heyday of titles such as Atari's Pole Position and Yu Suzuki's sublime OutRun for Sega back in the 1980s, driving games have always been a mainstay genre in the videogame business.
2010 is certainly set to be a golden year for petrolhead gamers and fans of virtual racing, with Polyphony Digital's epic PS3 title Gran Turismo 5 finally moving into view later this year. Bizarre Creations (of Project Gotham Racing fame) is currently putting the final touches to its intriguing arcade battle driving game Blur (due later this summer) and superbike fans are being treated to the latest critically-acclaimed MotoGP 09/10 from Capcom later this month.
MOTO GP 09/10: Realistic track creation is at the heart of Capcom's latest racing game
TechRadar spoke with a number of the leading developers in the genre, including Gateshead-based Eutechnyx (most recently known for last year's SuperCar Challenge) and some of those name-checked above, to find out more about the latest technologies and development tricks and techniques that go into making ever-more realistic circuits and track-side environments.
Capcom's new Moto GP title features highly advanced dynamic lighting and some incredible post processing effects. They really do make you feel that you're sat astride a superbike tooling around ultra-realistic tracks at breakneck speed.
The game was also designed using a technique called dynamic colour saturation, something generally used in the best first person shooter games, which slightly intensifies the palette when you overtake a bike.
"If you're in first place, it will conversely desaturate when you're overtaken," explains Capcom's Harvey Parker, the Art Director of the new game. "It's subtle, but added up; these visual tricks create a more immersive experience for the player."
PLAYSTATION 3'S FINEST: Polyphony Digital's much-awaited Gran Turismo 5 is due soon
Studios increasingly have to meet the high expectations of today's players, who crave the most immersive and realistic driving experiences possible. "In a current project we are focusing a lot on the surface of a track, giving multiple areas of the tarmac specific and unique surface properties," says Eutechnyx's Lead Designer, Gareth Wright.
"This enables players to experience every bump and crack in the road surface. If players drive over even the thinnest join in the tarmac, they will feel it."
Developers can now also assign specific sounds to different surfaces and coloured tarmac on the track, as well as flag certain areas to offer more or less traction, which can differ even more depending on the track's current temperature and the weather conditions in the race.
For the Eutechnyx man, the ultimate objective is to make the player "feel like a real driver, with the ability to learn the best lines around every track, through sight, sound and feel."
How to make the best in-game tracks
"The first thing we do when creating a new track is to liaise with Dorna - the licence holders and organizers of MotoGP," says Capcom's Parker. "It will send us any plans and maps that not only show the topology, but the safety features and race event logistics. As you can imagine, these are an essential first step for the artists, for accuracy of scale and object placement – such as TV cameras and team trucks."
ATTENTION TO DETAIL: Capcom's art teams visit every single track digitised
After that, the next step is for the team to visit the track during a race weekend, when Capcom sends a couple of artists down to the circuit to get an overall feel for the location.
The final rendering is based on thousands of photos of the track, along with helicopter aerial shots of the tracks provided by Dorna. "These are very useful in obtaining an overall direction of palette, geographical scaring and also things like crowd congregation," notes Parker.
WHEELIE! Don't try this at home kids...
Capcom's Pune studio in India recreates each object and building in 3D Studio MAX, while an artist in the team's Manchester or Nottingham studios will work on the track itself, creating a spline of the track that is then raced on and improved by the design team until it is pin point accurate.
After rigorous testing and once the track terrain and objects and buildings are ready, the circuit is handed over to the team's lighting expert, "who bakes in Lightmaps in MAX and sets the sun, light scattering, bloom, bounce lights etc, all within our game engine, live on the console."
Many studios prefer to develop their own in-house, proprietary middleware to help them create tracks. One such team is Gateshead-based Ferrari Challenge and SuperCar Challenge developers, Eutechnyx. It uses its own in-house 3D package named Mapper 2 to create its racing tracks. Lead Designer Gareth Wright explains.
"Within Mapper 2 our artists can use a spline-based track generation tool called Track-Gen to draw a basic circuit shape and create a template very quickly. This feature eliminates the need to 'hand-map' the initial track template and saves a lot of time."
REALITY MASH-UP: Bizarre Creations' Blur mashes up a number of real-world locations
Eutechnyx's Mapper 2 software is constantly evolving and provides the developer's art team with a lot more freedom to quickly create the initial layout of a new track. It also contains time-saving features such as auto generation of walls and barriers, lane creation, and auto base texturing, which, Wright notes, "allows the base template of even the most complex circuit to be completed accurately in around a week."
The key benefit here is that the game's designers and car artists can access the track very early on in the production process, getting their early car models driving around it to test out vehicle handling, as well as setting up AI paths and developing basic environment effects.
The tracks are then developed using data based on track plans, architectural blueprints, satellite imagery and thousands of ground-level and 3D photographs taken by the track team – all of which helps to create the detail and accuracy of a track (camber, height data, corner angles, road width, undulations in the road surface and so on) from the initial template.
The difference a decade makes
"After all the various objects have been built, textured and placed accurately, the track is lit, shadows are burnt in and any post-processing effects are implemented," says Wright. "Layers of tools are in place allowing the level designs to alter the mood of the track with lighting, temperature, and atmospheric effects."
Memory is also saved by using the lower LODs (Levels Of Detail) for sections of the track that are out of view or in the distance. As the player approaches such areas, higher LOD's are smoothly drawn in around them, giving the gamer the illusion of being surrounded by the highest level of detail all the time. Overall, it will take a team of four to six artists anything up to eight weeks to fully complete a track.
BIRD'S EYE: Hockenheim, as seen from the air in SuperCar Challenge
"Ten years ago there was not a lot of difference in the time taken - tracks used to take much longer to create but on the flipside did not need to - and due to constraints - were incapable of being anywhere near as impressive as they are today," notes the Eutechnyx man. "Trees were sprites, walls re-used the same repetitive texture, and blocks of crowds were a single cut-out shape with no animation."
Digital photos, laser scans and fan feedback
The biggest tech breakthrough in the last ten years in track digitisation has been the advent of affordable digital photography. "In the past we'd have to send films away to develop and await their return with fingers crossed, hoping we'd have all the reference we desired," Wright recalls.
"Nowadays this initial part of track recreation is much easier, with the ability to capture thousands of images, knowing that you have exactly what you need, and upload them immediately to our 3D guys in the UK and China."
SUPERCAR CHALLENGE: Eutechynx uses its own in-house track creation tools
The latest tech that racing game studios are now exploring is laser scanning. "We're yet to conduct our first circuit scan," says Capcom's Harvey Parker, "but the 'stars are in alignment' and this should be happening soon. For me, this is as exciting and progressive as digital photography was back in the day. From these scans, we are looking to obtain cloud data accurate to 3mm…it just doesn't get better than that!"
LASER SCANNING: The next big tech development in track creation
Eutechnyx also makes use of the feedback from its very dedicated and vocal following of players who discuss all aspects of their favourite tracks in our own racing games and others. "This information – such as what players like and don't like, how players of varied skills like to race, and the tracks and conditions they prefer is invaluable to us," says Wright.
Additionally, the team uses the guys in the forums to beta test new tracks alongside the in-house QA team. "Players on the forums relish the opportunity to race the new tracks and in turn help us see areas of a circuit where players may be able to cut corners, or sections that newcomers find too difficult."
Fun, frolics and developer jollies
While it is clear that effective track digitisation involves thousands of hours of hardcore attention-to-detail design work, there is still some fun to be had along the way and plenty of battle stories to tell the mates back home in the pub.
"We were held up by gun toting police on our way to the Nelson Piquet circuit in Rio…our hire car full of equipment and the only English the 'law' appeared to know was the word 'money'", recalls Capcom's Harvey Parker.
"I also asked Rossi if he would swap bikes with me in Motegi Japan. I was astride a rather fetching mini fold up Japanese push bike at the time. Suffice to say I got my bike signed, but Rossi continued the season on the back of his Yamaha."
SWAP YOU: Want to swap your superbike for my pushbike?
Most motorsports developers, unsurprisingly, share a passion for cars and bikes and racing games.
"We like to think of ourselves as an extension of the sport," is how the Capcom man describes it. Rather coolly, Capcom has been able to create a number of tracks that are yet to be built in the real world - even being able to alert the construction workers to possible glitches in the track design before they are even built.
Taking those thousands of reference photos while out on location can also draw attention from passers-by, recalls Chris Downey, Lead Environment Artist at Bizarre Creations.
"We often get strange looks as we are photographing a streetlamp or trash can," says the Blur artist. "But the funniest thing ever to happen was during a trip to LA to gather research for the game's locations. On this particular occasion we were photographing various sections of the LA River and we received a little more attention than we could have possibly imagined."
BIZARRE BLUR: The Project Gotham Racing devs ran into a spot of bother in L.A.
"While we were on a bridge taking pictures of the river below, we were unaware that next to the bridge there was a police HQ from which helicopters were taking off and landing. After a while, we noticed that one of the helicopters had been circling above us for quite some time at first from a distance but as time went on it circled closer and closer. By the time we had realised that it was us they were focusing on, three police cars came screeching up to us with their sirens blazing.
"We were then kept at the road side for around two hours while we waited for a big scary detective they had called to the scene. When he arrived we were all questioned individually. Luckily the police were eventually persuaded that we were just some people wanting to make a videogame rather than terrorists, but for some time we were worried about how it was going to unfold!"
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Facebook 'not ruling out' Daily Mail legal action
Facebook has contacted TechRadar with regards to the Daily Mail's recent report accusing the site of lax security measures for younger users, explaining that it is "not ruling out legal action" over the article.
Earlier this week, the Daily Mail published an article titled 'I posed as a girl of 14 on Facebook. What followed will sicken you' which outlined how easy it was for underage members of the site to get chatting to complete strangers.
After the article was published both online and in the paper, the person who wrote the piece, Mark William-Thomas – a retired policeman and now criminologist – claimed that he never once said the site he outlined in the piece was Facebook, but another unnamed social network. The addition of the Facebook brand name was in fact inserted by the Daily Mail.
This is something that, for obvious reasons, Facebook isn't happy with.
Extremely concerned
"We are extremely concerned by the behaviour of the Daily Mail, who have since corrected the story somewhat and made some clarifying statements," a spokesperson for Facebook told TechRadar.
But it's not just the fact that Facebook were wrongly name-checked but the site who really does let underage users vulnerable to online abuse has not been outed.
"We should all be concerned that their refusal to name the network they did use for the experiment is not helping to expose the real places where people are vulnerable online," notes Facebook, also explaining "we are in discussions with them and have not ruled out legal action."
Push the button
Facebook is no stranger to controversy, with the site criticised last year for not adding a CEOP report button for young people to click if they get into problems online.
This is despite the company already offering myriad ways to report problems on its site.
The Daily Mail saga highlights a problem which brands like Hoover have had in the past. Facebook is so successful it is now synonymous with social networking.
Because of this it is in real danger of becoming a catch-all term and, in turn, demonised when social-networking anywhere on the web turns nasty.
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Google uses mobiles to check local shop stock
Google has announced the full launch of its stock-checking service, where mobile phone users can see if their desired item is available.
If you're searching for a product or price comparing items, you can then click on the blue dot below telling you it's 'In Stock Nearby'.
The list of shops in your vicinity will be displayed - this will tell you whether the item is In Stock or subject to Limited Availability.
Shopping - now ridiculously easy
If you're using an iPhone, Android-enabled mobile or a Palm Pre or Pixi, the web browser will use your aGPS to work out your location (or you can manually enter it yourself).
However, this service is only available for shops like Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, or West Elm - yep, you've got it right: only in the US for now.
But Google has offered to discuss the service with any other retailers as well - so there's every chance we could see this rolled out to the UK as well.
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Weird Tech: Depressed and marginalised? There's an app for that
Thanks to Apple it's now a little bit cooler to be on the scrap heap by 34 - courtesy of the UK's Job Centre Plus, which has launched an iPhone app to help people find minimum wage employment in various meat production facilities across the country.
The government announcement says the app lets users search for jobs by location, and will soon be enhanced to automatically notify you when a meat-separating opportunity that matches your search criteria and skillset becomes available.
NOT WANTED: Employees who stare at their phones all day need not apply
The BBC, quoting Employment Minister Jim Knight, says the job-seeking app is currently being ported to other mobile phone systems, so if you managed to keep hold of your company BlackBerry when they made you redundant last year, your luck will soon be in.
Out-classed
There was a marginally famous internet video doing the rounds last week, which allegedly showed a student's laptop being dissolved in acid by an angry lecturer. We dismissed it at the time as a fake - surely no government employee would take his career into his hands in such a away?
True or not, we're now seeing the tide turn against laptops for students, with the Times reporting that US lecturer Allan Rubin has risked having his car tyres slashed by banning computers from his studies - after spotting students playing games.
"I know from teaching assistants who were wandering around when the laptops were open that they were surfing the web. They were playing poker with each other," he said, his professional dignity clearly insulted.
BANNED: And pens make writing too easy. Bring back chalk
Poker might be acceptable in maths if they're researching probability or doing some remedial adding practise, but not in Rubin's geosciences classes. There's nothing location specific about Texas Hold 'Em.
Blagger's Paradise
Recently redundant US talk show host Conan O'Brien has been issuing his own unique form of help via the internet, thanks to his decision to "follow" a lady on Twitter. Conan went from zero to over 600,000 followers on Twitter in the space of a week after leaving his US talk show, but he opted to only follow one other account - that of Sarah Killen.
After being picked out - at random - by O'Brien, Sarah is now being flooded with offers to help pay for her upcoming wedding.
FREE TWEET: Dreams can come true, if you win the celebrity-follower Twitter lottery
As reported by US news site Good Morning America, when Sarah tweeted that her and her partner had only managed to save a brave-but-pitiful $30 for their wedding, numerous companies leapt in and offered to help pay for the special day. No doubt in return for a thank-you Tweet endorsement to her new 20,000 plus followers.
Rude Tube
And finally, one more tool from the weird world of Apple Apps - TubeRefund. Designed to help you automatically complain when your train's delayed and you're stuck standing in a stinking carriage with numerous hungover, angry businessmen, the iPhone app stores your details and lets you quickly fire off angry stock refund requests before you've even left the station premises.
MONEY BACK: Also, can we have 50p off every time we have to stand up?
Clearly excited about the financial possibilities offered by any forthcoming tube strikes, the maker of TubeRefund, which costs 59p, claims it is "almost guaranteed that the app would have paid for itself within the first two weeks". Clever use of the non-legally-binding word "almost" there.
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Twitter rolls out 'tweet with your location' feature
Twitter has finally rolled out its location feature to all its users, offering the chance to tell the online world where they are tweeting from.
The micro-blogging site has decided to jump on the location-sharing bandwagon and offer the feature as an optional extra to users.
Twitter announced the feature on its blog, explaining that "a recent burst of interest in location sharing applications, games, and services has many Twitter users excited about appending geographic data to some of their tweets.
"Not everyone wants to add their current location to a tweet so this feature is off by default and must be activated to use."
Twitter, happier, more productive
If you want to turn on the feature, then you have to go to your account setting and tick the 'Add location information to my tweets' box.
Once you have done this, at the bottom of your tweets your location will be announced to the world.
For some this won't be a new feature. A lot of Twitter applications already allow you to geo-tag your tweets.
So it will be interesting what the Twitter crowd will think of this version – considering Twitter's official retweet function was roundly criticised.
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Review: Elonex Sliver
The Sliver is an ultraportable laptop that offers the great style, but compromises have been made to achieve its tiny size.
This is a visually pleasing laptop and the machine looks fantastic from all angles. The small form factor also makes it a very portable machine, ideal for those needing to work on the move a lot.
The portability of the machine however is slightly let down by the very average battery life, at only 143 minutes you'll need to carry the charger around with you on long trips. Those after an excellent battery life should consider the Acer Aspire 1410-74G25n instead.
Mixed performance
Had this laptop been powered by a CULV (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage) processor similar to the Acer's, both battery and everyday performance would be much better. As it stands, an Intel Atom processor – normally found in netbooks – has been employed, and its benchmark performance shows it's better suited to office apps.
However, this is the only machine to feature the Windows XP operating system, which is much lighter to run than the newer Windows Vista and 7 operating systems and, despite the results mentioned above, we found the laptop to be fast in running basic programs such as email clients and spreadsheets.
The laptop's 12-inch screen is excellent and, although it shares the same 1366 x 768-pixel resolution as all the other machines at this price point, it provides sharper and brighter images than most, helping photos and films look great.
The machine is well built and doesn't attract the fingerprints that plague its shiny peers, although it isn't as strong as the Acer Aspire 1410-74G25n here. Dust does quickly show on its white surfaces, however.
The keyboard provides average performance, with the keys being quite stiff to press. To save space some of them have also been reduced in size, which feels cramped and takes a little getting used to.
While 802.11g Wi-Fi is fairly standard across the group – the Acer being the exception – this is the only machine here with no Ethernet port, meaning you can only connect to networks wirelessly, which won't suit everyone.
As with the Lenovo G550, there is no media card reader and only an HDMI out, which is bad news for those with older monitors with VGA connections.
The Elonex Sliver is a mixed bag, but while it does have its issues, if you're after an attractive machine for browsing the web and writing the odd email, this is a great option. Those after more bang for their buck, however, would do better opting for the Acer Aspire 1410-74G25n.
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Review: Acer Aspire 1410-74G25n
Acer's Aspire laptops represent the company's consumer range, and the Aspire 1410-74G25n is a CULV (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage) laptop that offers fantastic value for money.
Performance isn't this laptop's strong point, but it isn't meant to be – the laptop offers superb portability instead. At only 1.4kg, it's a pleasure to carry around. The small form factor makes it very easy to fit into almost any bag, but if you're after the slimmest machine possible, go for the Elonex Sliver instead.
Where this laptop really impresses is battery life, offering a phenomenal 428 minutes between charges. This almost doubles that of the Lenovo G550, the nearest competition. Acer has achieved this by employing various components which are resource-light on the laptop's battery.
Most importantly, a CULV Intel processor is in place, giving over seven hours of juice. However, CULV processors seriously limit power, and you'll be limited to running everyday office applications, with more demanding programs causing the laptop to show serious signs of lag.
Surprisingly, graphical power isn't too bad – considerably better than the Elonex at any rate – and you'll be able to carry out basic photo editing without any problems.
The 11.6-inch screen is bright, crisp and clear, although not as colourful as the Elonex's. Also the screen is LED-backlit, which is again resource-light on the battery.
Durable chassis
The laptop is put together well, and will provide good durability on the road. The shiny screen lid does quickly attract fingerprints and grime, but the mock brushed-aluminium palmrest inside doesn't, and looks and feels great.
The keyboard is very firm, but is also flat and therefore easy to get lost on when typing at speed. Unfortunately, the proximity of the touchpad to the keyboard makes it all too easy to brush against it while typing, causing irritating and erratic cursor behaviour.
This is the only laptop in this group test to boast the latest 802.11n high-speed wireless networking technology – making it well suited to connecting to a router or hotspot at home or in a cafe – and it's also the only laptop here to boast both VGA and HDMI out ports, offering good flexibility when connecting to external analogue and digital monitors.
The Acer Aspire 1410-74G25n sets a very high bar for the other laptops on test, and the excellent battery life will be a clincher for many buyers. If you're after power, however, we suggest you check out the Lenovo G550.
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'Genuine' iPhone 4G pictures leak out
New 'photos' of the iPhone 4G have supposedly leaked out via an internet forum.
We say supposedly as we really can't believe that these are real - not least because the phone is called an iPhone 4G, which we really don't think will be Jobs' moniker of choice come April.
But the sheer graft gone into creating the range of images is magnificent - we're seeing docks, different colour chassis - heck, the 'spy shot grabbers' have even designed new internal packaging.
Spec-less
As you can imagine, there's no specs to go along with this very-likely-made-up photoshoot (which is authentically set up in some dodgy warehouse - realistic).
But hey, we love to see people trying - and it at least adds credence to the notion that the next iPhone will come in a range of colours.
And we're fully prepared to massively apologise to the Spazio Cellulare forum if it turns out this photoshoot was bang on the money - just don't hold your breath.
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Review: BenQ G2220HD
The BenQ G2220HD is quite an old monitor which is reflected in its aggressive price, but also rather average connections. With a viewable screen of 21.5 inches, it's not that large but good enough for general computing.
Thankfully, it packs in a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution, so you'll be able to watch Full HD content on this screen with ease.
The widescreen panel is finished in glossy black plastic and the thin bezel around the screen is accented in the right-hand corner by a small drop that houses the function and menu keys. The buttons are on the base of the unit with icons on the front of the screen.
The monitor is supplied with a good sized stand and you simply slot the screen into it. While the stand offers a reasonable amount of tilt you won't be able to raise the screen, so budgeting for a screen raiser may need to be an option.
Simple setup
We found setting up the screen very easy. Simply plugging in the connection lead was enough for the monitor to immediately source and auto-configure itself.
When it comes to connections, the BenQ is starting to show its age, as you'll only find a D-Sub (VGA) for connecting your laptop, along with a DVI port for creating a digital signal between laptop and screen, should your laptop have DVI fitted.
During testing we found this a bright screen with a fine level of detail. The 300cd/m² brightness rating is average for a monitor of this size and price. The colour balance is great for editing images and the contrast ratio helps to make colours look rich and warm.
Our video test was also satisfactory, with only the minimal amount of pixelation on show. Where this screen tends to show its entry-level price is in the limited viewing angle.
We found that sitting in front of the panel was fine, but move to the side and you'll soon see ghosting on the screen.
The BenQ G2220hd monitor is a decent screen for the price, but is starting to look very much like last year's technology in terms of size and connections.
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Sony limits PlayStation Move's four-player support
PlayStations recently announced Move motion controller may have wowed audiences at this year's Games Developers' Conference, but already there seems to be limits to the peripheral.
It seems that only two fully fledged Move setups (which is the motion controller and sub-controller) will be able to be connected to the PS3 at any one time.
This means that you will be able to have four controllers, without nunchuck, connected which will limit the moves of the controller somewhat.
Move any mountain
PlayStation Move is Sony's big move into the family friendly gaming territory of the Wii and the news that four-player games won't harness the full potential of the Move control system will be a bugbear for some – especially as the tech is mean to be played in groups.
Unless you don't mind wielding a Move controller like a lightsaber in your home on your own.
The reason for the limitation is because the PS3's uses Bluetooth to connect peripherals and this is limited to seven controllers at any one time.
It doesn't explain why three fully fledged Move setups can't be used at once. Maybe the thought of a Move ménage à trois is too much for Sony to handle.
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Review: Acer S243HL
One look at the Acer S243HL and you'll know that Acer isn't interested in a conventional design. This 24-inch LED monitor has a look and feel all of its own.
The super-slim panel sits on an integrated stand, to which you simply add the balancing arm. The monitor stand allows for a degree of tilt, but you won't find any height lifter on this screen. That said, the monitor is already quite high, so you may not need to budget for an additional monitor stand.
The menu controls and connection ports are mounted on the stand for easy access. There is a blue LED strip light behind the power switch and menu controls. Fortunately, in daily use the buttons largely obscure this, so all you'll notice is a slight banding of light.
Connected
The connections supplied suggest Acer is looking at a new market for this monitor, as you won't find a DVI port in sight. Instead, you'll find two HDMI ports for connecting with HD sources.
However, older laptop users have not been ignored, as you'll find an analogue VGA (or D-Sub) port for hooking up to your laptop.
We found the S243HL instantly synced with our test laptop and images looked sharp and bright. With a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution and a claimed 2ms (millisecond) refresh rate, this screen is ideal for Full HD movies. We also didn't notice any pixelation when running video.
We did find that when using the S243HL to view documents, the white balance wasn't as sharp as we would have liked, with the screen having a slight tinge to it.
However, this was only really noticeable when comparing it to our test laptop or the other monitors here, so it shouldn't be an issue in daily use. However, if sharp whites are key, it's worth bearing in mind.
The Acer S243HL is a striking monitor that has a fresh look and feel to it. It may not have the whitest of screens, but for movies and everyday use we found it pleasing to use.
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