Updated: Hands on: LG Optimus review
LG has been a bit staid in the Android race so far - it promised so much but hasn't really delivered as yet.
The Optimus (which is the new name for the LG GT540) follows up the GW620 Intouch Max from the Koreans' Android stable - the latter might have been a nice device but it was a far cry from the feature-packed devices we're used to playing with these days.
But the LG Optimus has some nifty features to play with and what's more - it's set to come in at a pretty reasonable price point too.
The LG Optimus feels pretty premium for a phone that is essentially aimed at the mid-range market.
Its brushed aluminium-style outer body feels nice in the hand, and the 3.2-inch screen is vivid and bright.
However, LG has once again opted for a resistive display here - the stand bunny demonstrating the devices tried to convince us it was just as responsive as a capacitive screen, but we can't really agree with that - it's only any use if you have ridiculously long fingernails.
We were left on a number of occasions trying to make sure our touch input registered - something we're not used to doing on the higher end capacitive phones.
However, the Android system used on the Optimus is pretty good, taking the best bits of the GW620 Intouch Max and adding some touches of its own.
This means social networking from the likes of Facebook and Twitter can be accessed via a single SNS portal on the phone, as well as linking in the relevant accounts with people in your address book.
You can also choose between two 'types' of home screen - the vanilla Android experience or the LG customised one.
The latter offers you customisable icons at the bottom of each screen to let you access things like messaging whenever you want, and also portions off the drag-up menu between your regular programs and downloaded applications.
But the Optimus goes further with the Android experience - it allows you to not only choose the amount of home screens that you want to have to play with (between three and seven) but also lets you change the theme completely, from pink and bubbly (for the ladies we were told, somewhat stereotypically) to stern, grey and functional.
We're not sure if this feature is coming to the UK version though, as LG is trumpeting four home screens to play with. We're digging around to find out if this is the case, so watch out, multiple home screen lovers.
The keyboard was pretty good on the LG Optimus, although nothing mind blowing as we've come to expect on the HTC series. You can always download other applications to change this, but it's not a bad effort, with nicely spaced keys and a fairly responsive screen.
Multimedia was only average as well - the resolution of the screen is only HVGA, and the quality wasn't mind-blowing or anything.
It does have the 3D image and video gallery though, which helps make the phone that little bit cooler in our eyes. Music playback was adequate, and it used the vanilla Android music player too - which we're growing tired of.
The camera seemed to take alright pictures as well - the 3MP camera performed OK, but the fact it doesn't have a flash means you're not going to want to ditch the compact camera or anything just yet.
We had a quick play on the internet browser on the LG Optimus, and it wasn't the best rendition we've seen on an Android phone so far.
It struggled to display some images on websites at times, and took an age to load some up as well - although that often happens in hands on tests, so don't take it as read that this is a terrible browser.
The shape and form of the LG Optimus is interesting enough - if it comes in at around £250-£300 unsubsidised, we'll imagine it will do relatively well in the UK.
However, with the glut of Android phones spewing out the mobile woodwork these days, we're looking to LG to create something a little more special that just a normal Android device with some tweaks here and there.
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In Depth: The five-minute guide to media players
Digital entertainment has successfully stormed, conquered and had its way with our homes and is currently sat in the sofa with its feet up, smoking our cigars and drinking our whisky (we only keep the Scottish stuff).
From Freeview to DAB radio; even the most innocuous home devices have turned digital, but the PC remains the most versatile way of enjoying all forms of media. But how's this an excuse for every major media player to bolt on an internet store?
If you drop a music file on a player, it should play it. Not tag, catalogue, download album art and ask twenty questions about it. But that's the state of play we have, with many media players acting more like a strict librarian than anything else. As the old adage goes: use the right tool for the right job.
We like and use Windows Media Player, but we'd prefer something lighter and honed into our perfect player. It doesn't help when the 'big two' media-player moguls only want to support their own audio and video formats.
There's a gaggle of formats out there: some are there for legacy reasons; a few are proprietary ones thrust upon the world by their corporate evangelists; and others are community developed to circumvent licensing issues.
We're not for a second going to contemplate considering which one is best, but instead focus on the best ways of being able to play them all as easily as possible. Along the way you can identify issues when they occur and eliminate those that get between you and your entertainment.
It's a complicated area which, to be fair, the corporate players keep as simple as possible, while the open source solutions open it up to the harsh light of day. But whichever option you chose there are free ways to perfect your media enjoyment.
You can start with this question: what do you want from a media player? The most obvious answer is in the question itself; we want an application that plays all the media that we own.
It seems simple enough, so why have we ended up with gargantuan applications, such as iTunes that come with entire internet stores bolted on? What's the point of 'features' such as Home Share that actually limits and restricts how you share files over your home network, support for hardware you don't own, along with categories and applications you'll never want or use?
To its credit iTunes is a great media library and it's obviously essential for iPod and iPhone users, but it's wrapped inside a 90MB beast of an application. If only the media library section could be spun out on its own, then it would be the perfect solution. In fact, iPod and iPhone users might want to look up www.i-funbox.com and try it out as an alternative way to manage your files and media.
Similar allegations can be levelled at Windows Media Player, though we find its skinned mode to, at least, be happily minimalistic and all you need to do is just drag a file to its window and have it played.
Keep it simple
But it's this unnecessary feature-creep that plagues these big-two media players.
Right at the other end of the spectrum take Foobar2000, available for free from foobar2000.org. This is a lightweight, utterly configurable audio player that's only designed to play audio files. Frankly we've fallen in love with it, as it lets us relive our simpler WinAmp days, when media players were media players.
The modular design of this freeware player is so flexible it's going to be possible to have it extended beyond all recognition.
One of the key features of foobar2000 is that the interface is totally configurable, it's possible to have the available modules positioned and interact any way you like.
To recreate a basic WinAmp playlist choose View > Layout > Enable Layout Editing Mode. Right-click each element and choose 'Cut' to remove it, you may need to choose View > Layout > Cut on certain empty elements.
Once you're left with a blank container, click this and Choose 'Tabs'. Click inside the blank tab container and choose 'Playlist View', in the other two place 'Album List' and 'Album Art Viewer'. Rename the tabs and use the View > Layout menu to disable the editing mode.
It natively supports all the normal and abnormal audio formats you could want, as well as a host of more exotic options, such as AC3, ALAC and ADPCM. This is all thanks to the flexible component system, which can also add features such as Last.fm scrobble support and UPnP server features; making it as comprehensive as you want it to be.
Of course, there is WinAmp, not so much the full version but we'd recommend the Lite edition, which is hidden away towards the bottom of the download page. Make sure you untick all the 'extras' that are offered during the installation.
Winamp Lite retains the excellent core layout plus the extendable skin, DSP and visualisation system than WinAmp has always offered without the frivolous extras.
Audio is one thing, but it's in the area of video where things start to get messy. This is largely because a video file consists not only of an audio stream but a video stream.
How these two streams are packaged can be thought of as the file's format. To decode this you need the correct audio and video codec – that's coder-decoder – this can be a system-wide one or one that's internal to the player. We'll come back to codecs later on, at this point we just need to know they exist. But decoding the audio and video streams is just the beginning.
The audio has to be piped from your PC's sound card to your speakers system via your connection of choice. This could be anything from a mono-speaker through to eight channels of high-definition audio, including low-frequency effects for subwoofers via mini-jacks, HDMI, optical or S/PDIF connections. Additionally, you may want to apply normalisation, virtual surround and equaliser effects.
Equally, the video stream once decoded needs to be scaled to the correct size, colour corrected, have any post-processing applied to remove blocking artefacts and then have any subtitles added over the image. That's a lot of stuff to handle and if you've had a poke around iTunes or Windows Media Player you might have noticed there are not a lot of options in regards to any of these.
That's where two of our favourite media players come into play. Opinion is divided as to which is best, but there's no doubt you'll love either VLC from videolan.org or Media Player Classic Home Cinema from mpc-hc.sourceforge.net.
If we got into a stand-up shouting match we'd probably end up siding with VLC as it's better supported, but Media Player Classic does have a heap of advanced output options. Both of these are open source projects that provide streamlined media players with internal codecs that support the majority of audio and video file formats.
Alongside this basic feature-set, they also offer advanced playback options that can enable you to get more from your system; both in terms of image and audio quality, but also speed. This latter point can be invaluable if you're trying to play hi-def video on a low-power system or laptop.
Single core processors struggle and any help they can get is a real boon, but again we'll cover ways you can tackle this as we go along. At their most basic, both enable you to just drag files to them and play.
Unlike Windows Media Player they also support the obvious universal pause/play shortcut of pressing the [Space bar] rather than [Ctrl]+[P].
VLC really is the 'Wash & Go' option, it'll handle pretty much anything you throw at it, even damaged, partly completed or locked files.
Tweak it
When it comes to playback options it's hard to beat Media Player Classic. Select View > Options to see the true horror of everything that's available. The key elements to improving playback can be found under Playback > Output and Internal Filters > Audio Switcher.
The choice of 'Renderer under Output' influences performance, though it's a complex issue depending on the OS you're running and the format of the video you're playing. Technically, 'Overlay Mixer' is the fastest, however it'll force Vista and Win7 to use compatibility mode as it requires a 2D overlay.
We've found 'WMR9 (renderless)' to offer the best compatibility with slightly poorer performance. With Vista onwards you can use the 'EVR Custom Pres' option – your graphics card and drivers will need to be up to date to avoid issues – this supports hardware acceleration and enables you to select an enhanced resizer such as 'Bicubic' to ensure you get the best upscaling.
For audio the Audio Switcher provides a way to remap the internal channels to your external speakers. If you find your rear speakers have their channels the wrong way around, then this provides an easy way to switch the output without having to rewire anything.
Select the 'Enable Custom Channel Mapping' and select the correct number of channels. You then select which channels are outputted to which speakers. Additionally, Media Player Classic offers the ability to apply post processing to the video image, using the graphic card's shader-based filter operations. These will only work when the renderer is using a 3D surface, such as one of the VMR renderless or EVR options. Select Play > Shaders to see a full list.
On the face of it you can only apply a single one at a time. However, select the 'Combine Shaders…' option and it'll enable you to do just that. The Sharpen options can be tempting for SD content but you may find them a little harsh.
Older versions of Media Player Classic had a bug that caused blocking on red areas, the YV12 Chroma shader was a work around for this. Also certain display devices – mainly TVs and projectors – are optimised for an RGB range of 16 to 235. If you find your blacks are washed out try one of these to compress the output colour range.
Format confusion
Let's attempt an impossible job: make codecs sound something approaching interesting. For any media player to successfully play audio or video data they either need the correct internal or external codec.
The big issue is that there are so many different types available and it's not always clear which codec a file actually requires; more so for video than audio. When it comes to identifying the type of codec used, we recommend MediaInfo.
This is a longstanding media-file analyser that does a great job of spotting the format of your media. Open a file with it and it'll produce a lot of technical information about the file. Largely this information is going to state which audio codecs have been found, such as MP1-3, AC3, DTS, AAC or LPCM. There are also video codecs, such as MPEG-2, DivX, Xvid, h.264, x.264, MPEG-4, WMV and FLV.
To confuse matters you also have container formats such as AVI, OGM, MKV, MP4, FLV and TS. These effectively contain one or more video and audio streams potentially alongside multiple subtitles. If you had to individually support all of these it'd be a nightmare.
The best one-stop solution is to use a well-known codec pack. If this is the option you want to pursue, then we would recommend CCCP. This uses a collection of open source codecs and utilities to solve if not quite all, then most of your playback problems.
To start with it's based around Media Player Classic and includes all the major audio and video codecs required, along with container formats. It does this through the open source program, ffdshow which is an advanced audio and video decoder.
Along with this is a Haali 'media splitter' that takes container formats, such as MKV and splits the separate audio, video and subtitle streams off. Finally, there's VSFilter, which is an advanced subtitling program.
Once installed it's worth taking time to look at the options from each configuration program, stored in the Start > Programs folder > Combined Community Codec Pack. This single pack will solve 90 per cent of your playback issues in one fell swoop.
One thing it can't help with though is poor processor power. Single-core processors really struggle with HD material; you can try tweaking, but ultimately you need an optimised codec.
If you're prepared to pay $13 (£8) then we highly recommend CoreAVC from CoreCodec, which can even play HD video on Atom-based netbooks. HD snobs will say technically it does this by cutting corners on the decoding, but you'll never notice. The other brilliant feature for CoreAVC is that it supports Nvidia CUDA, so you'll get acceleration from compatible graphics cards on top.
We should also touch upon subtitles. We've already mentioned these can be embedded within a container file such as an MKV. Depending on which player you use, then either the player itself – Media Player Classic, for example – will handle the rendering of the subtitles or an external decoder will be thrown into action.
It's fine when subtitles are embedded, but if you need your own, then these come in a variety of formats: SRT, UTF, IDX or SUB. Sites like www.opensubtitles.org try to catalogue these files. When you are using external subtitles put them in the same folder and name them the same as the video file. An external file will overrule an internal one.
To get subtitles working in ffdshow, access its Properties either from the Start menu or when its icon is displayed in the Notification Area, and locate the Subtitles section. Make sure the 'Heuristic' search option is ticked, as this will intelligently identify external subtitle files, usually in the same folder. The Text and Font section enable you to position and customise the look of the subtitles.
The often used alternative is DirectVobSub, which is the large green arrow that appears in the Notification Area. This requires almost no setting up, but you may want to tweak the font size and positioning.
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RIM demos finger-friendly BB OS 6.0
RIM has unveiled a few more tidbits of information over the new BlackBerry OS 6.0 - with a strong finger-friendly bias.
Although we're still a long way from finding out the full details about the new operating system, it's good to see that it centres around making jumping in and out of applications that much easier.
The main highlights appear to be a centralised hub for making it easy to switch between the home screen, phone, internet and other key functions (much like the task manager now) and also ease of switching between communication methods with your friends.
You and I love the UI
Extra little UI touches such as integrated thumbnails for bookmarks and swiping through a small pane in the home screen show that the new BB OS 6 is set up to be very finger friendly - meaning we're likely to get touchscreens even in phones that have a full QWERTY keyboard.
If you a) want to see the new OS in action, and b) want to see some people dancing a little too enthusiastically while interacting with the new platform, then check out the new video to see for yourselves.
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Toshiba trialling glasses-less 3DTVs
Toshiba has announced that it is looking into glasses-less 3D, with the unveiling of a 21-inch autostereoscopic display.
Even though Toshiba hasn't even officially announced the release its 3D TV in the UK yet – the beast that is Cell TV – the company is busy at work creating a display which does away with glasses and is viewable from a number of different angles.
Tosh has got round the viewing angle problem by implementing something called LTPS (low-temperature poly-silicon) technology and using a multi-parallax design.
As for the problem of picture darkening, this has been fixed too. According to Toshiba it has developed a "lens sheet to control reduction in surface luminance intensity, resulting in brightness comparable to standard 2D displays".
Parallax point
Toshiba isn't the only one using the multi-parallax approach. Sharp has developed a similar system and Nintendo is said to be using this display for its upcoming Nintendo 3DS. There are rumours that it will be using the same system created by Sharp.
This is the first time we have heard of the technology being used in such a big-screen display – which has a 1280 x 800 WXGA resolution – so it does look promising that glasses-less 3D in the future is very much a viable option.
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Review: Olympus PEN E-PL1
The PEN E-PL1 is Olympus' newest Micro Four Thirds camera and the third retro PEN offering.
Rather than an upgrade to the previous PEN EP-1 and PEN EP-2, the E-PL1 is actually a pared down version of the other two, which is aimed at the beginner end of the photography market and is much more competitively priced than the previous pricey PEN models.
With the previous PEN models, Olympus was targeting serious photographers looking for a stylish and viable alternative to a DSLR, but with the PEN E-PL1 it's targeting compact upgraders who find DSLRs too confusing, but who still want a camera capable of producing excellent images.
Price wise, the PEN EPL-1 carries a launch price of £524, which is considerably cheaper than the launch prices of the PEN EP-1 (£699) and PEN EP-2 (£900).
At this price point we'd be expecting a well-built camera cable of producing high quality images with a strong feature set. As it's aimed at photography novices we also expect to see an intuitive and clear user interface, and some fun features too.
Looking at the Micro Four Thirds camera's specs, it looks promising: it offers a 12.3MP Live MOS Sensor, built-in Image Stabilisation, ISO sensitivity up to 3200, integrated flash, HD movies, 25 shooting modes and 6 art filters. Let's see how it fares when it's put to the test…
The PEN EPL-1 is a good-looking camera, styled like a 60s rangefinder camera, but not to the extent of the previous PEN models.
The camera is a nice size and fits well in the hands, and as it is a Micro Four Thirds jobby (avoiding the need for a pentaprism) Olympus is able to make smaller bodies and lens mounts which offer the same creative flexibility as a DSLR, but with a decent portability factor too.
Build quality is reasonable for a beginner's camera, but we'd expect it to be better for the price – although the body panel is metal, the back is plastic, which is a real shame and some of the buttons feel a bit cheap.
For the same money you'd have your choice of high-end full metal-bodied compact cameras from the top manufacturers, which is why we're a bit disappointed at this.
The PEN EPL-1's body, lens, user interface and Image Stabilisation system are all pared down versions of those found in the earlier, and much pricier, PEN EP-2.
This isn't a knock on this camera though - its feature set is actually very respectable.
The built-in Image Stabilisation system (ma. 3 EV steps efficiency) works really well: the supplied kit lens, although plastic, is a decent bit of glass and provides bright, sharp images, and the 2.7-inch LCD screen is plenty big enough.
The user interface is clear and easy to navigate, comparable to that on a decent compact camera.
Although the majority of features are pared-down versions of what we see on the PEN EP-2, Olympus have equipped the PEN EPL-1 with a few nifty features that it foolishly omitted from the previous Pen models; namely an in-built flash, which works very well. The camera also boasts a revision of the powerful TruePix V image processor.
Undoubtedly the best thing about the PEN EPL-1's feature set is that Olympus has succeeded in making a camera that's just plain great fun to use.
Mode wise, as well as Manual Mode, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Program Mode, you get iAuto, which reads the scene and selects everything for you (in our test we found it pretty much guarantees accurately exposed pictures). There are also 19 scene modes which are easy to access and clearly labelled.
Setting the camera apart, though, are 6 different Art Filters: Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama and Gentle Sepia. These are all great, they give excellent effects, which don't look like they've been done via an in-camera effect mode – they look authentic, rather than tacky.
The filter effects get applied before you take the shot, so you can check you like the look on the 2.7-inch LCD before you shoot.
Furthermore, when using the Art Filters you can still change settings like white balance, which is great for those who are getting into photography a bit more. We found the Art Filters to be a massive draw on the EPL-1, something Olympus were obviously hoping for, as they get their own setting on the mode dial.
Autofocus
The EPL-1 has an 11-point contrast detection autofocus system, which increases to 25 points when you turn Face Detection on.
As well as single autofocus, continuous autofocus and manual focus, the E-PL1 has S-AF+MF (simultaneous use of single AF and MF mode) and C-AF+TR (continuous autofocus, plus autofocus tracking). This C-AF+TR mode works superbly and, as it takes any focusing effort out of photography, is ideal for beginners.
We particularly rate the zoom frame AF button, accessed by the zoom button on the back of the camera, which allows you to check your exact focus quickly and easily.
The PEN EPL-1 is able to record high-resolution HD 720p 120 x 720 movies in 16:9 aspect ratio and standard VGA 640 x 480 movies in the 4:3 aspect ratio, both using the AVI Motion JPEG format at 30 frames per second.
The video quality is impressive, exceptionally so for the camera's price point actually, and we really like that you can use the EPL-1's Art Filters for video, as well as stills. The microphone is mono, rather than stereo, but if this is important to you, you can connect an external mic, so this shouldn't be a deal breaker.
The camera's C-AF+TR autofocus mode is also present for video. Use this and you simply have to lock the autofocus on your main subject and the autofocus target will follow the subject as it moves around the frame.
As video is such a plus point of the PEN EPL-1, we like the fact the camera has a new one-touch Motion Picture button on the back of the camera, for instant recording, although you can of course use the Movie option on the mode dial (and then press the shutter button to start recording).
The PEN EPL-1's 12.3 megapixel LIVE MOS sensor and TruePic image processor have proved themselves to be an excellent duo.
The Micro Four Thirds camera produced consistently great shots throughout our test. Noise is handled very well indeed, and is excellent up to ISO 1600.
In fact, the noise perforance is comparable to that of its higher-end Pen siblings. White balance readings are accurate and the default colour (the EPL-1's default setting of Natural picture mode) is vivid, yet not unnaturally so.
All of our test shots were shake-free and the built-in Image Stabiliser proved itself to be a useful addition.
The images that come out of the PEN EPL-1 do require a bit of sharpening at edit stage as they are a tiny bit soft, but no more than average, so although it's not something to mark the camera down for, it's worth mentioning as it's not a plus point.
The Pen E-PL1 concept is fairly straightforward – it's a stripped down, easier-to-use version of a high-end camera which can be sold significantly cheaper.
It's not the sexiest camera ever, but it really works. Olympus has succeeded in streamlining the PEN E-P2's feature set, while still building a camera with a strong purpose in its own right, which produces excellent images and is fun to use and easy to get creative with.
The PEN E-PL1 isn't a cheaper alternative for anyone who wants an E-P2 though – serious photographers will find the compact camera style press happy interface frustrating and will most likely regret not forking out for the better feature set.
Compact upgraders who don't want to make the DSLR jump will love it though.
We liked:
It's worth getting an Olympus EPL-1 instead of a decent compact camera just because the image quality is really good, and as it's so much fun to use, it'll encourage you to take more pictures.
We love the different modes and creative options, especially the Art Filters, which make taking uber creative looking images a cinch.
The autofocus system is to be commended, on both stills and video, and the HD function itself is another great reason to buy this camera – you're getting a lot of video for your money with the E-PL1.
We disliked:
The toy-like buttons and cheap feeling (although robust) plastic let down the PEN E-PL1's aesthetics and feel, which is a shame as the other two PEN models are exceptionally high quality.
The price still seems a bit steep, when you consider you can get an entry-level DSLR cheaper too.
Final verdict:
If you want minimal effort, high quality, creative photographs from a portable camera with the option of interchangeable lenses, then you'll love the Olympus PEN. If you're a serious shooter who wants a PEN, don't buy it, you'll be frustrated with its clear beginner bias.
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TomTom reveals Urban Rider sat nav
TomTom has revealed its latest sat nav device which is made with bike riders in mind.
The TomTom Urban Rider is an update to the company's Rider range and allows those on a motorbike to use it without taking their gloves off. This is essentially means that it has just two massive buttons to press when you want to use it: 'Navigate to' and 'Browse map'.
To make it even more biker friendly, there's advanced lane guidance – so you know when it's the right time to whip into a space – and it will also make a revving noise so your engine will sound even more awesome than it does now.
We may have just made that last bit up. But it does have a beefed up battery, so you should get around six hours' use out of the device which is nothing to be sniffed at.
Pro version
For those who are very serious about using there sat nav on a bike, then TomTom is also releasing a Rider Pro version of the device.
This comes with a Bluetooth headset, so you can actually hear when you have to turn left and the like.
It also means that you can take phone calls hands-free if you so wish.
The TomTom Urban Rider has a UK release date of May and will cost £249.99 for UK/Republic of Ireland maps and £299.99 for European maps.
Pricing for the Pro version of the device is still to be announced.
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In Depth: Can you use the iPad as your only computer?
Those who hailed Apple's tablet, the iPad, as the future of computing seem to have forgotten about one little thing: the present.
While it's conceivable that it's the first example of a fundamental shift away from traditional computing towards a world in which we spend less time ministering to, and more time using our computers, Apple still positions the iPad as something that plugs into your PC or Mac.
But with all the talk of the iPhone OS that powers it being especially suitable for a mass-market audience, is it possible, right now, to use an iPad as your only computer?
After all, most people use their PCs just for email, browsing the web and knocking out the odd document; the iPad's pretty good at all of that. And the trickle of iPad-optimised applications from third-party developers, sure to turn into a torrent in the months to come, is already demonstrating that the strength of the iPad is its ability to turn into any one of a million different devices simply by dropping 59p or more on an app.
The simple and regrettable answer, however, is that the iPad just isn't ready yet to be the sole computer for almost anyone.
It starts as soon as you get it out of the box; it's useless until you plug it into a computer running iTunes. OK, you think; I'll just go round to a friend's house to complete that first stage and then I'll be on my way. Sadly, no. Here we'll discuss the limitations of the iPad as a primary computer, and show some ways in which those limitations can be minimised.
Storage capacity is a bit of a canard; sure, 16, 32 or 64GB – the iPad's three capacity options – doesn't sound like much to traditional computer users, but it might be perfectly adequate for those who would seek to depend solely on the iPad.
If all you're doing is email, browsing the web and interacting with cloud-based services such as Google Docs, Facebook and Twitter, you're barely using any local storage.
Music and movies
For most of us, the stuff that eats up space is music and videos, which brings us to the next problem. In order to get existing media onto an iPad, you have to sync it from an iTunes library; there's no way to copy a CD onto it directly, for example.
This might not be a problem for someone who has never owned a computer before – they could simply choose to purchase music, audiobooks, TV shows and movies, and subscribe to podcasts, directly from the iTunes Store on the iPad – but don't buy an iPad thinking you'll be able to transfer your existing collection of physical media.
Buying stuff directly onto your iPad raises another concern, however. Every time you sync an iPad with a PC or a Mac, its configuration and contents are backed up to that host computer, but if you try to use an iPad stand-alone, there's no way to back it up; if you damage it or it gets stolen, you'll lose all the media you've bought.
iPad for office tasks
The iPad's actually pretty good at office tasks, thanks to Apple's iWork suite of apps. Keynote, Pages and Numbers – $9.99 each, currently only available in the US store – are genuinely competent applications, but there are two major problems.
The first is that it's tricky to get files onto and off the iPad; files aren't synced from your PC or Mac as you might expect, and you have to instead copy and convert going each way through a clumsy iTunes interface. It's possible to open attachments from emails at least, though not all file types and apps are supported yet.
You can email documents from these apps, but only Pages allows you to convert its documents to Microsoft Office-compatible files as you do so, which could prove problematic when collaborating. And because there's no central file system, you can't move files – with the exception of images stored in the Photos app – between different applications.
Worse, there's no system-level framework for printing from the iPad. Some printer manufacturers have created apps for the platform that let you print pictures from the Photos app to some of their higher-end, networked printers, but Apple doesn't currently let third parties access the documents held in other apps. You can't just plug a printer in; you need a PC or Mac to print from.
iPad peripherals?
Indeed, you can't really plug in any peripherals. Apple does make adaptors that let you connect cameras to copy your photos, but that's it. (Actually, some have reported that the USB version will let you use a keyboard or USB headset, but officially, the only other peripheral that Apple supports is a Bluetooth keyboard.) There's no built-in webcam, and no support to add an external one.
The iPad is even compromised in some of the things it claims to do well. Though it's a phenomenal web browser, its lack of support for many media plug-ins, most notably Flash, means you will miss out on some web content.
Most sites delivering video are transitioning to offering different players for their content, and the iPad even has a YouTube app, but that still leaves some sites that will break.
Short of remotely controlling a PC or Mac on the iPad's screen, there's just no way round this; happily, future developments with HTML5, and the burgeoning adoption of the iPhone OS platform, is likely to coerce sites into reducing their dependence on Flash.
You need to apply iPad system updates through iTunes on a PC or Mac, too.
There's no doubt that the iPad has tremendous potential, and it does most of what the majority of us want from a computer. As it stands, though, it's most definitely a peripheral, not a computer in its own right.
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LG releases top-end Android phone - the LG Optimus
LG has decided the time is finally right to unleash its second Android phone to the UK - the LG Optimus.
It's a lot more feature-rich than its first effort (the LG Intouch Max GW620) with DivX and Xvid support right out the box and a 3-inch screen.
The camera is only a 3MP effort, but does come with geo-tagging and automatic face tagging to make it easy to sort through the snaps of your friends.
The usual suspects
As usual with Android phones, we're treated to Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 and a 3.5mm headphone jack - but the LG Optimus is primed with another home screen to play, bringing the quota up to four.
We had some good hands on time with the LG Optimus at Mobile World Congress earlier this year when it was simply called the LG GT540.
While the phone itself wasn't too bad, offering in some cool Android extras, the resistive screen was a little bit of a let down.
But with a UK release date of 1 May, we shouldn't have to wait to long to see how much this phone will cost - we're hoping it's a little cheaper than the top-dollar superphones we're seeing these days.
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Google brings 3D Earth view to the web
Google has announced that it has finally taken off the training wheels of its Google Earth plug-in and merged the application with its Maps service.
Released originally as a standalone app, Google Earth brings a 3D view to the world, allowing you to zoom across countries and see famous landmarks and terrain close up and personal.
Google has now launched Google Earth as a plug-in to its Maps service, offering a more detailed view of the world around us.
Earth view
In a blog post, Google said about the new plug-in: "If you're one of the hundreds of millions of people who use Maps worldwide, you can now explore the world in luxuriantly-detailed, data-rich 3D imagery and terrain from Google Earth.
"If you've already downloaded the Google Earth Plug-in, you should be able to see Earth view in Maps right away. Otherwise, you can just install the Plug-in to enjoy a Maps experience that includes angled Earth views, 3D buildings, smooth panning and zooming and a great introductory showcase of places to visit and things to see."
To make the service as easy as possible to access, Google has integrated an Earth button on its Maps page, so you can toggle between the satellite, Maps and 3D view.
Google is actually a little late to the party with its 3D plug-in – Microsoft has been has been offering the same sort of functionality for over a month now on its Bing Maps service.
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First Symbian^3 phone announced: the Nokia N8
The first phone running the new Symbian^3 OS has emerged blinking into the sunlight in the shape of the Nokia N8.
The phone, which is to be the new flagship model from Nokia take over from the N97, is packing some serious tech as well as the new OS.
There's a 12MP camera, HD video recording and multi-touch on the massive glass screen, which looks to be around 3.5-3.8 inches in size.
The Nokia N8 also packs an HDMI slot, 16GB of inbuilt memory as well as a microSD slot to expand things up to 48GB.
Not all sunshine and rainbows in NokTown
Basically, it's the all-singing, all-dancing flagship phone we've been waiting for from Nokia, but there's trouble on the horizon.
Some websites have managed to snag some alone time with the device in an early form, and the Symbian^3 OS has got far from rave reviews.
It's been called nothing more than a flashy makeover of the creaking Symbian^1 system that has plagued early Nokia handsets, although it's far too early to make a judgement on it until we get the N8 in our hands to play with.
The good news is this phone won't be too expensive: UK pricing seems set for £320 before tax and subsidies.
The rumours about a later launch weren't unfounded it seems either, with a UK release date set for the third quarter of this year.
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Android Market hits 50,000 apps milestone
Google's Android Market has hit a significant milestone, sailing past the 50,000 apps mark.
According to the unofficial but rather switched on Android blog AndroLib, Google has hit the 50,000 app mark just a week after it officially confirmed it has 38,000 applications available on its Market service.
Even though these stats are unofficial, it does show that the popularity of applications for Android phones is increasing at an incredible rate.
We should know just how popular Android really is for app developers when Google hits the stage at its I/O conference 19 May.
App, app and away
Currently, the iPhone has around 185,000 applications on its App Store. Although Google is some way off achieving this, at its current rate we should see this sort of number of app on the Android Market come September.
Add to this Apple's extremely stringent approval process and it's not unrealistic that Google will have more apps available for Android than Apple does for the iPhone.
While quantity can never replace quality, it is great to see Android users finally getting some choice when it comes to the applications they can download for their handsets.
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Hands on: Samsung Lapfit LD220Z review
Windows 7 makes multi-touch worth having but only a handful of notebooks come with it.
And nice as a notebook is, sometimes you want a bigger screen to spread out on (whether you're ploughing through a spreadsheet or watching the Word Cup on one screen and catching up on email on the other).
Samsung's Lapfit LD220Z screen takes its usual bright, vivid and frankly gorgeous panels and put them in a design that's meant to fit better alongside a laptop.
FACE ON: The Samsung Lapfit LD220Z multi-touch screen – with hidden controls
Instead of the usual screen base, the Lapfit has a simple leg stand that pulls out from the back. It adjusts between 10 and 40 degrees so you can get it quite close to the angle of your laptop screen; a rubber-covered roller makes the stand move smoothly but the hinge is firm and combined with the two large rubber feet on the base of the display that means the screen stays at the angle you choose and doesn't slide around on the table.
There's a large hole in the stand to run cables through to keep them out of the way; that's nice but as many laptops have USB and VGA or HDMI sockets on the side you may still have a tangle of cables - to use the touchscreen you need both the VGI/HDI and the USB connection.
REAR VIEW: The support arm lets you change the angle of the screen so it matches your laptop and the cable tidy is handy
STAND UP: Rollers and rubber feet keep the stand stable
Although you can't connect the screen by USB only, you can daisychain other USB-connected monitors from the ports on the back and really spread out.
Samsung calls this the Lapfit not because it will fit in your lap but because it's designed to fit next to your laptop; losing the usual base helps but unless you have a laptop so large you hardly need a second screen the 21.5" LD220Z is going to be a couple of inches higher than the top of your screen.
That's not really a problem - Windows 7 is pretty good at adjusting window sizes when you drag things from screen to screen - and it's being able to spread out your windows so you can see several things at once that's the real advantage of a second screen. That, and being able to touch it.
You have to make the touchscreen your main monitor and put the Windows taskbar on it; that means you get the advantage of launching aps by tapping and flicking your finger for jumplists.
The Windows 7 Touch Pack is available for everyone now, not just system builders, so you can play some fun games and enjoy the handful of touch-aware apps already on the market (including scrolling through web pages in Internet Explorer and Windows Live Photo gallery, which has two-finger zoom); touch is also perfect for using the Lapfit as the main screen for Windows Media Center or the Zune software, if you want to sit that close. And kids are going to love it.
CABLE MESS: The cable tidy in the support arm only keeps things tidy if your USB and video port are on the back of your laptop
Samsung includes a chunky stylus that lets you write and draw on the optical touchscreen (which uses the same technology as HP's TouchSmart PCs); it's like writing with a crayon and you can get much the same effect with one finger, but as more touch software comes out it may become more useful.
Touch in Windows 7 is fast and intuitive – the main disadvantage is that you'll find yourself tapping your laptop screen as well. Yes, it does put fingerprints on the screen, but you don't notice them, even on this glossy screen, until it's off – and Samsung gives you a polishing cloth.
TOUCH SET-UP: Touch only works with Windows 7, which lets you calibrate the screen
The list price of £299 is a little on the high side but not that much more than other touchscreens on the market and it is a little more comfortable to have a monitor that sits at about the same height as your laptop screen.
We're not so keen on the hidden control buttons that only appear when you touch them, but like other Samsung displays this is a beautiful screen.
EASY: Touch gestures like flicking up with your finger to open a jump list work very smoothly
TOUCH AND GO: Touch gives you all the features you'd get with a mouse; touch the icon of a running app to see thumbnails
MORE SCREENS: You can't connect the LD220Z just by USB, but you can daiychain more monitors from the USB ports on the back
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Updated: 11 things to know about the next-gen Spotify
Until today Spotify was just a music-streaming service, albeit a very good one.
But this morning's announcement of an enhanced player (Spotify calls it "an evolution") should really start to take the fight to iTunes.
So here's some stuff you need to know before downloading the app.
1. It will import from iTunes
You can add tracks from anywhere on your computer and, crucially, this means your music library and playlists from iTunes. Then you can browse the combined library. But it's just a catalogue of what's already there (rather than actually importing the files as such) and uses Gracenote to iron all the name-wrinkles out.
2. But there's something missing
While you can sync playlists and your local music to your Spotify mobile app (and wirelessly too), you won't be able to sync your music directly with the iTunes apps on an iPod or iPhone. So you'll still need iTunes, kids – well until iPhone 4.0 enables multitasking at least.
3. There's a people column
You can connect up Facebook to share playlists and tracks with friends as well as Tweet what you're listening to (although you could Tweet track links previously). Music your friends have posted on Facebook will be visible in the Feed section. All of this builds up your Music Profile.
4. Your Music what?
There's a Spotify Music Profile. It acts like a control centre for your sharing, and enables you to build your profile using your friends. You can also post a link to your Spotify Music Profile anywhere on the web or post it to your Facebook page, blog or site. Your weekly top six tracks and artists can also be published. So where does this leave Last.fm?
5. It auto-shares playlists
Connecting up your friends means all your Spotify and imported iTunes playlists are automatically shared. Although you can turn them off, it's something to bear in mind, especially if you have playlists you wouldn't want everybody to see by default.
6. You can star your tracks
Every track or album on Spotify can now be starred, so you can tag and sort your favourites into a special sub-folder.
7. Add Spotify users
You can add other Spotify users to your Music Profile by simply searching for them by username. For example, searching under 'spotify:user:username' will bring up their profile (if it's published, of course).
8. Send tracks to friends
As well as the social sharing bits, you can also drag and drop a track or album over a friend's name and it will appear in their Inbox.
9. See how popular you are
Playlists you've posted will display how many times they've been added by your friends. Clicking on the number brings up the names of the people that have added them.
10. Your offline playlists can now be online
Providing your iTunes tracks match tracks within Spotify, your iTunes playlists can be shared online with friends. If it uses music which isn't in the Spotify catalogue, then you won't be able to play it.
11. It's a bit clunky
Time will tell, but it's still beta software (it's only gone from version 0.3 to 0.4) and the new features are a bit unintuitive - MP3 integration doesn't work as well as we'd like. Download it now and tell us what you think.
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UK launches cyber security competition
A new initiative launches this week in order to find Britain's best (as-yet undiscovered) cyber security experts.
A national public competition called the 'Cyber Security Challenge' aims to find the best programming talent in the country.
Web games test skill
The competition is set to use web-based games and challenges, encouraging those that manage to complete all of the games to pursue a career in computer security.
The games focus on eight key skill areas including digital forensics, network analysis and logical thinking.
"We are increasingly dependent on networks and computer systems," said Judy Baker, director of the Cyber Security Challenge (CSC). "The whole digital economy and society is structured around them."
The initiative is part of an attempt to address the talent shortage and brain drain in Britain's computer security industry.
The competition is backed by a number of organisations, including the Cabinet Office, the Metropolitan Police, Qinetiq, Royal Holloway college and the Institute of Information Security Professionals.
Fancy your chances? The CSC officially starts on 27 April and to take part you have to be aged 16 or over.
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Intel launches new tablet-netbook Classmate PC hybrid
Intel has introduced the latest design of its low-cost, education-focused Classmate PC this week, with the emphasis on developing an ecosystem around the needs of younger children in primary education.
Intel's new Classmate PC hardware features an updated version of the Atom processor series, an Atom N450 at 1.66GHz, with optional GPS, Bluetooth, 3G and WiMax connectivity.
The new Classmate PC will be branded as the FizzbookSpin in the UK.
Tristan Wilkinson, Head of Public Sector, Intel EMEA, said of the new machine: "The new classmate PC design is based on extensive research from over 30 pilot classrooms around the world looking at how students learn, how they use and engage with technology, and how teaching has evolved. The new classmate PC is durable and lightweight, with additional ergonomic features such as rubberized surface for easy grip and a comfortable, low-profile handle that supports a variety of holding and carrying positions.
"Equipping students with the best learning tools from an early age will open up opportunities for them in life and work. We are committed to providing comprehensive technology solutions, which both support teachers in the classroom and provide the best learning environment for students."
Touch-sensitive tablet PC
The new Classmate hardware comes with hard drives up to 160GB and also features a touch-sensitive 1366x768 10.1-inch screen.
Interestingly the screen can also rotate or lie flat, effectively turning the new Classmate into a tablet PC. The device also comes with an accelerometer that ensures what is showing on the screen is in line with the screen's orientation.
Intel claims are that users should get 8.5 hours of operation on a full charge of the Classmate's battery.
Intel clearly sees the primary education sector in emerging markets as a huge potential growth area for its low-cost Classmate technology.
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PlayStation Move is 'a step up from Wii'
Developers are starting to get to grips with PlayStation Move motion control games, with initial reports that the tech is a 'step up' from Wii and 'incredibly accurate.'
The comments come from Lol Scagg, CEO of Dundee based developer Cohort Studios, who are creating one of the devices first titles.
Fantastic feel
Speaking to Develop, Lol Scagg said PlayStation Move, "has a fantastic feel to it and it's incredibly accurate. We've had no issues with it, and the hardware and the libraries have come on well.
"I understand that, if you read any of the forums, you'll [see] people state they don't need motion control," Scagg continued. "But that's because they've likened motion control to the Wii.
"Having used both controllers a lot, I'd say it was clear that the Move controller is so much more accurate [than the Wii]. And it's not just across the X and Y-axis either, the Z axis is really accurate as well."
Motion control is clearly going to be one of the big stories coming out of this year's E3 this coming June, with Microsoft set to unveil a raft of Project Natal based games to rival Sony's Move games.
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New 40nm graphics chip means cheaper PS3s
Sony's new model of the PlayStation 3 is cheaper for the company to manufacture.
The latest model of the PlayStation 3, code-named CECH-2100A, features a 40nm graphics chip and is also cheaper for the gamer, as it sucks up less power.
Smaller graphics chip
The PS3's graphics processing unit has been cut down in size from 65nm to 40nm, which also means that the unit is going to be far less likely to overheat than previous models.
The new 40nm graphics chip joins the current 45nm Cell processor. Here is the latest redesign — introducing the CECH-2100A:
The CECH-2100A's heatsink has been simplified in comparison to the previous CECH-2000A model (the PS3 Slim with the 65nm RSX) and the new power supply weighs 30g less at 412g.
To put this in some kind of context, the original 60GB PS3's power supply weighed 815g.
The new PS3 tear-down was carried out by Japanese site PocketNews
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Next-gen Spotify arrives with Facebook revamp
Spotify has finally unveiled a new revamp that sees it bring Facebook integration and take a step closer to replacing iTunes on your computer.
The first major change is the addition of Spotify Social, which uses Facebook from within the music program to let you share your track choices with buddies.
The obvious benefit of this is that people can easily discover what their friends are looking at and listening too, as well as 'subscribing' to the people that you think have the greatest taste (you can easily spot these people: they're wearing sunglasses in their profile picture).
You got the power
Friends online with Facebook and using Spotify Social will be listed at the side of the screen, and clicking in will let you see their profile picture and track listings for easy music stalkage.
Spotify founder Daniel Ek spoke at SXSW earlier this year about the forthcoming social network integration, highlighting how it will make music more available to all users:
"We are looking at integrating some parts of the social aspect," he says. "If you think about the problem of how do you browse music – most people approach the problem by looking at genres. I could probably come up with 200 different genres, but I don't really know what 'neoclassical pop' is. What classifies neo-rock or neo-pop?
"Spotify is approaching 10 million tracks - how do you browse through 10 million tracks? Searching is one solution but it's not an optimum way of discovering new music. A social aspect is."
The other big feature with the new update is the option to import your music files from your computer to the Spotify interface, thus making it much easier to listen to the tracks you want to without having to search for them time and time again.
The new update will hit your computer later this week, but if you simply can't wait to try it out, head over to www.spotify.com/download and have a look-see for yourselves.
Check out the video below to see for yourselves how it all works:
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Gizmodo editor's computers seized by police
Police broke into a Gizmodo editor's home in search of information about (and photographs of) a prototype next gen Apple iPhone this week.
Gizmodo paid $5000 last week for the prototype next gen iPhone, which was found in a Silicon Valley bar after being carelessly left there by a drunk Apple engineer.
Police raided Gizmodo editor Jason Chen's house this week and seized all of his computers in order to find out further information about the Apple device.
Computers and iPad seized
San Mateo police seized four computers, two servers, an iPad, and a number of other devices from Chen's house, while he was out at dinner with his partner.
Stephen Wagstaffe, spokesman for San Mateo County District Attorney's office, confirmed that Apple had contacted his office to report the crime.
"The allegation was that there was a reasonable cause that a felony theft had occurred," said the police spokesman. "This is the beginning of the investigation."
Apple has not commented on the raid.
Gawker's Chief Operating Officer and legal counsel Gaby Darbyshire claims that the police search and seizure was illegal under California law.
Gizmodo has posted the search warrant which claims Chen's computers may contain photographs of Apple's "prototype 4G iPhone," in addition to emails relating to its purchase, call records, and research on Apple engineer Gray Powell.
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Exclusive: BlackBerry Pearl 3G not coming until summer
The BlackBerry Pearl 3G looks likely to be given a later UK release date than previously thought.
The official communication from RIM over the new BlackBerry for us Brits says that it will be debuting during May, but this is apparently a global date.
TechRadar has been told that the new phone has been given a tentative UK release date of 'early summer' for launch, meaning we'll have to wistfully look on as other parts of the world get to play with the new BB tech.
Less buttons for Britain
And there's more disappointment to be had - if you're a fan of the two-letter-per-key QWERTY keyboard layout on the BlackBerry Pearl range.
At the moment there don't seem to be any plans to bring that version (the Blackberry Pearl 3G 9100) to the UK, so we're only going to get to the alphanumeric 9105 model instead.
It's not a bad thing, we just love choice for the UK BB users - although the Pearl 3G 9105 is a pretty nifty device on its own.
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Opinion: Why Avatar's success is a bad thing for Blu-ray
Today marks the biggest day ever in the UK home entertainment calendar, as it sees the launch of Avatar on Blu-ray.
Retailers are crossing all their fingers and toes that the launch of Avatar's Blu-ray launch will catapult the format into the stratosphere, kick-starting a buying spree which won't stop until the 'next big' format hits the shops and then… well, the whole format fight starts all over again.
There's no doubt that Avatar will be a success in the home, considering it's already broken all records in the US, proving to be far more popular than the other Cameron who is a big supporter of all things blue.
And there is no denying that Avatar is a supernova of a film, something the box office will not likely see again for another 10 years. But its arrival on Blu-ray can only be seen as a cynical attempt to cash in on the film's unbridled success in the cinema.
Not that the likes of Tescos, Asda and HMV would tell you this. If press releases are to be believed, stores opened at midnight to cope with the Avatar madness, staff learned Na'vi to promote the movie and Asda cringingly told the press that it "expects customers will be literally turning blue to get their hands on a copy".
Ratio ga-ga
Retailers want Avatar to ape the success of The Matrix on DVD some 10 years ago – a moment that pushed DVD in the mainstream, where it remains today.
Cut beneath the hyperbole, though, and you will see that the launch of Avatar on Blu-ray is a vanilla one, in that there are no extras of note on the disc. All you get is the movie and it's the 2D version at that.
Watching Avatar in 2D is doing the film a massive disservice. There has been a lot of rumblings that films not shot specifically for 3D don't actually look that great in the third dimension – we're looking at you Alice In Wonderland and Clash of the Titans – but Avatar is meant to be seen in 3D, as it was built from the ground up to cater for the technology.
The problem is that the home is just not ready for 3D just yet. Yes, there's a smattering of 3D ready TVs and 3D Blu-ray players are also trickling out. But if Twentieth Century Fox waited for 3D in the home to be mainstream until it launched Avatar in this format then, well, we may never see the film come out in the UK at all.
Fox knows this and that is why we are seeing this release now, but the signs are all there that this is one film that just doesn't sit well in the home environment.
And it's not just the lack of 3D. Cameron in an interview last year announced his dislike (in a roundabout way) of the 1.78:1 aspect ratio for 2D movies.
Speaking at a preview snippet of Avatar at the Santa Monica Aero Theatre (and noted by SlashFilm) he said: "I'm actually going back on years of kind of eschewing the kind of 1.85 format, now saying 1.85 - or actually, it's 1.78:1 - actually works really well in 3D. But only in 3D."
A quick look at the release of Avatar in 2D shows that the movie is presented in 1.78:1 for the Blu-ray release.
Cameron cannot be a happy bunny.
Big ideas
James Cameron has said himself that Avatar belongs on the big screen, saying that when you watch the movie in the home but when you do you should: "Go big. Get the biggest set you can, and then sit as close as you can stand. That's my advice. Get the coffee table out of the way and slide the couch over, right in front of the TV."
The annoying thing is Cameron is an advocate for Blu-ray.
He's obviously eager to get the movie into homes in its 3D version but Fox has sniffed that there is money to be made and that's why we have this barebones release now.
If you really want to see Avatar in the home, then our advice is to wait till November when a special edition DVD and Blu-ray 3D release will arrive in the shops - a version that shows off the true potential of Blu-ray and isn't a cynical money spinner.
Unless you are "literally turning blue" to see the film, then we suggest you go and see a doctor.
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RIM overhauls BlackBerry keyboard with Pearl 3G
RIM has announced a new BlackBerry device with a radically different keyboard - the Pearl 3G.
Set for a May UK release date on various networks, the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G will come in two separate flavours.
The Pearl 3G 9105 features an alphanumeric keyboard - 14 keys set out in the 'traditional' layout of three letters per key.
The 9100 will be more conventional for BlackBerry users: using two letters per key, although both use the SureType system (similar to T9 predictive text) for speedy messaging.
Pocket friendly
Both models feature a 360x400 resolution display, and have a 624MHz processor with 256MB internal memory, and both only weigh 93g.
There's also a 3.2MP camera popped on the back, with digital zoom, autofocus and a flash - with dedicated media buttons proving the Pearl 3G is designed to be a consumer-oriented phone.
It's also the first BlackBerry to feature support for the superfast 802.11n Wi-Fi connection, helping future-proof the phone against the oncoming tidal wave of tech innovation.
Sadly, there's no mention of the Bold 9650 coming to the UK - despite supporting the GSM frequencies, it seems this is a UK only model for now.
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