Paid for PSN confirmed by Sony, details soon
Sony has confirmed that PlayStation Network is to get a paid-for spin-off, offering premium content and extra functionality.
Andrew House, Sony's European PlayStation boss, told CVG that Sony "was studying the possibility of introducing a subscription model, offering premium content and services, in addition to the current free services."
Although no set date was given, the rumour mill is churning out the possibility of an E3 launch, with House noting: "Kaz Hirai stated a few months ago that we were looking at a premium service to sit alongside the current free service and that objective has not changed. You'll learn more about it very soon."
Showing loyalty
Those PS3 owners panicking that they will get short-changed if they don't sign up needn't as House also added: "I can assure you that the current PSN as you know it will remain a free service.
"It is something that our competitors don't offer and something that shows our loyalty to the PlayStation Community."
'Something our competitors don't offer'. This just gets curiouser and curiouser.
CVG is betting big that the new service will be called PSN+. Details on pricing and what will actually be offered through the service, though, are sketchier than a night out with Kiefer Sutherland.
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Apple faces online music probe over exclusive content
Apple is facing an inquiry into how it deals with exclusive content, after it was alleged that the company asked music labels not to do pre-release deals with e-tailer Amazon.
Although details are sketchy, it is thought that the Justice Department in the US is looking into Apple's dominance in the online music market and the possibility that it asked music retailers to stop giving Amazon access to exclusive tracks.
Music matters
The New York Times is reporting that the allegations centre around an Amazon promotion called MP3 Daily Deal.
This deal, set up with the music labels, meant Amazon was selling tracks before they were released on any other download site, including iTunes.
Because of the situation, it seems that the antitrust division of the Justice Department is looking into Apple to see if its dominant market position is being used to snaffle any hope its rivals have in doing deals with labels.
Apple is currently the number one online music retailer in the world, selling 8.5 billion songs worldwide and housing 11 million tracks on its iTunes Store.
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Review: ADB i-CAN Easy HD 2851T
Most new brands dip a foot in the UK consumer market, but Advanced Digital Broadcast's (ADB) debut product is full-throttle Freeview HD – and with BBC iPlayer to boot, the i-CAN Easy HD 2851T is a mighty tempting piece of kit on paper.
Smaller and lighter than other Freeview HD boxes we've tested, the i-CAN also sports an unusual look; the typical black box is replaced by a rounded white fascia that's interrupted only by a smoked black plastic swatch that curves around the entire product, hiding a small display and a Common Interface slot.
The latter could be especially useful given Top-Up TV's ambitions to offer Sky Sports channels in the near future.
As well as being Pay TV-ready, the i-CAN pushes its 'hybrid box' claims by offering direct delivery of the BBC iPlayer. Come the end of 2010, most Freeview HD boxes will be able to offer iPlayer after a software upgrade (all of them have an Ethernet LAN port as standard), but ADB has developed its own swish and simple interface to put the i-CAN ahead of the curve.
Scanning though iPlayer's highlights is a gradual process, but otherwise the interface is relatively quick. It's all very familiar – you'll find the 'Home', 'TV', 'Radio' and 'Search' tabs up top – but what's impressive is the layout.
Large fonts and the pink, white and black graphics make for a breezy and classy interface that any idiot could use.
The best news, however, is that the i-CAN supports not just iPlayer, but iPlayer HD: choose BBC HD from its channel icons and you're presented with a list of all the high-definition programmes that have graced the BBC HD channel in the past week, as well as the usual 'most popular' tag.
The picture quality is decent, but not a patch on the live HD TV channels from the Freeview HD tuner; we know that on-demand HD material via the iPlayer is downscaled somewhat, and it shows – motion can cause the picture to stutter while there's a jot less detail than we'd like.
The iPlayer icon is, at present, all alone on the receiver's native 'interactive TV' menu, so expect more services in future – we're thinking ITV Player, 4OD and Sky Player.
While operating the iPlayer interface is a generally silky, if occasionally slow, experience, switching back into Freeview HD mode is troublesome; we found that the quickest way was to switch off the box and begin again, though its boots up with haste.
That said, the interface for Freeview HD – which maker ADB calls 'Carbo' – is yet again class leading. We're talking smooth, rounded and nuanced graphics and plenty of easy-to-use menus.
A simple, transparent channel list can be brought up to change channels (or to choose radio stations and interactive services), and by scanning downwards using the remote's central arrow buttons while watching live TV, it displays that evening's TV schedules.
The information you want is never far away, but kudos in particular goes to the i-CAN's eight-day EPG. Studded with the Freeview logo (though strangely not the Freeview HD logo), it presents nine channels and three hours of schedules simultaneously, with a programme synopsis box popping up over the channel you hover over.
It does lack a preview box; instead its transparent black/blue/red/white graphics float over whatever channel you're watching.
Freeview HD channels are sumptuously detailed, with plenty of subtle details in close-ups and a majestic depth to images, though the regular standard-def channels do disappoint – the i-CAN seems bereft of upscaling tech, which leaves the likes of BBC 1 and ITV sprinkled with blocking, digital noise and a low-resolution that causes jagged edges a-plenty.
It's the one lowlight on an otherwise comprehensive picture performance.
Oddly, the i-CAN at first refused to tune-in Freeview HD's hi-def channels, and even though it succeeded at the second time of asking, other normal Freeview channels suddenly lost their stability.
It does suggest that the i-CAN's DVB-T2 tuner isn't as sensitive as it could be (we had no problems with a variety of other Freeview HD boxes in the same testing location).
We also had problems with the BBC interactive service – pressing the red button brought up the menus only in the corner of the screen, and over-large and obscured, at that.
If it looks like a terrific product to you, the i-CAN is just that – but there are cracks. At this price, they're bound to be and for the money we think the i-CAN is something quite special.
We liked:
The separate interfaces for both the i-CAN's Freeview HD tuner and the BBC iPlayer are terrific – brilliantly designed and colourful, easy to use and impossible to dislike.
The option to play on-demand material from BBC HD via the iPlayer is hard to argue with at this price, while hi-def channels on Freeview HD have never looked better.
A Common Interface slot boost the i-CAN's versatility still further.
We disliked:
Intuitive though they are, the menus for iPlayer can be stodgy and the rudimentary remote, with its small buttons, doesn't help.
There are also question marks over the Freeview HD tuner's sensitivity, while standard definition channels on Freeview often look very average – the i-CAN could do with some decent upscaling circuitry.
Verdict:
Marred by Freeview picture quality, the i-CAN nevertheless makes a strong candidate for anyone wanting to upgrade their living room ahead of the World Cup. Sparkling HD channels are impressive, while the ability to watch iPlayer content at the touch of just a few buttons could prove irresistible to some.
OK, so it's got a few glitches, but with HD quality, interactive services and the promise of future upgrades, we think the unique i-CAN is on sale at a very competitive price.
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In Depth: Simple tips to make Windows boot faster
What we all want is a PC that is up and running as soon as you press the power button.
We're used to instant-on functionality from almost every other stratum of our entertainment lives: our stereos don't need a full minute before they can blow sounds out of their speakers; our televisions don't sit around twiddling their thumbs for an age before our eyes are assaulted with Hollyoaks, but our PCs still have to go through the same booting rigmarole every time and we've been putting up with it for years.
The problem is that our PCs are changing at such an incredible rate that every year we are demanding that they do more and more than did the previous year. Your stereo, for instance, isn't being asked to also deliver high definition video streams as well as music and your TV doesn't have to cope with having to be ready to drop in a brand new video adaptor every six months.
In the beginning of the Windows OS it took an age to get into your functional desktop, and things did indeed speed up with successive iterations. With Windows XP, system integrators were set a restriction on the length of time it took to boot by Microsoft; but that all changed moving on to the resource hog that was Vista though.
Restrictions were removed and we ended up with Vista installations that took a prohibitively long time to get into a functional operating system. Vista was trying to implement far too many changes without the necessary optimisation, which we are now seeing in the success of Windows 7.
Boot times in Microsoft's latest OS are, in general, quicker than the previous software, but you are still dangerously close to a full minute of waiting before you can use your machine. That said there are ways to pare that boot time down, some of them significant and some of them are, well, less tangible shall we say.
Whether it's a case of judicious software tweakery of packing in a little more up-to-date hardware there are ways to get your PC up and running quickly. It may not be instant on, but we'll get you as close as possible.
We've found that the biggest psychological hurdle when trying to cut your boot time is Microsoft's original claims that it could boot Windows 7 in only eleven seconds. Sitting here with a machine booting in over fifty seconds we could be forgiven for thinking that Microsoft had lied.
In reality, what the big M had done was to carefully select its components to tailor it to a significantly speedy boot time. Microsoft had also only measured the boot from the time the BIOS had handed over control of the PC to the operating system.
On our existing test rig the time from powering on to actually booting the OS took around thirteen seconds. Immediately that eleven second boast starts to look much more like twenty-four seconds in the real world.
But components are vital to a speedy boot and this is shown in Microsoft's initial demonstration. It used a reference design for Intel's Calpella mobile platform, a 1.7GHz Core i7 mobile chip and an 80GB Intel SSD. Mobile platforms are inherently quicker to boot than their desktop counterparts too, because of the more closed-down, optimised system there are less components to detect and power on.
Generally, your average modern laptop will skip past the POST stage in a little less than ten seconds. Still, first we wanted to see what we could do to an existing Windows 7 system without necessarily resorting to selecting brand new, and for the most part rather expensive, components.
Our current test rig is no slouch though, representing as it does the higher-end of the PC spectrum. The heart of the machine is a 2.93GHz Core i7 870 running on an MSI P55 Trinergy board. The Western Digital Caviar Black takes care of the storage, giving two terabytes of space and impressive performance results for a fixed platter drive.
So it's a decent, performance rig and our initial boot performance holds this up. From the outset, unoptimised, we had the machine blitzing through the POST screens in around 12.5 seconds hitting a functional desktop in around 46 seconds. That's not a bad boot time measured from the start of the POST until both an internet connection and Steam became available.
For us that's the time when we can categorically say that our machine is ready and running in the manner that we want – we can rock Cake Mania on Steam and have the entire R Kelly Hip-Hopera, Trapped in the Closet, streaming from the interweb tubes at the same time.
Set start-up processes
So now to start getting this boot lark optimised. The first port of call is the old favourite MSConfig. Type it into the search bar under the 'Start' button and you're away.
This handy little app is the simplest way to streamline the with. If you're sat staring at your desktop for an age before you actually get to use it then chances are you've got a whole host of unnecessary, and possibly unwholesome, applications set to launch on startup.
This is where MSConfig does its bit of magic; under the 'Startup' tab is a list of all the programs that are loaded when you get into Windows. It should be obvious what most of the apps are when you look through the list; if your machine has been up and running for a while then you'll probably have programs in the list referring to long-gone hardware or that link to programs you never even use.
There will be some, though, that you can't pin down simply by looking at the title and the command line and this is where good ol' Google is your best buddy. A quick search of the title online should tell you what it is, what it actually does (if anything) and whether you are going to need it on startup.
Essentially the best rule of thumb is to keep hold of any hardware specific software that you need, as without which some key peripherals may be rendered useless, and your chosen security software. By and large everything else is just window dressing.
Once you've chopped the startup list down to size 'okay' it and it will ask you whether you wish to restart now or later. You can safely carry on optimising without rebooting right now, unless you want to see immediately how much quicker you can get into your OS.
There are a couple of other parts to MSConfig that might make a slight difference depending on the power of your particular machine. Under the 'Boot' tab it will bring up some extra boot options. You can shave a few milliseconds off your boot time, depending on your CPU speed, by checking the 'No GUI boot' option, leaving you without the pretty pre-OS windows logo on startup.
If you've got a few PCI cards in your machine then hitting the 'Advanced' button on the 'Boot' tab will throw up the option to leave the BIOS to assign IO/IRQ resources to your cards, rather than Windows trying to dynamically assign them itself. Again, the improvement is quite intangible, but could give you a slight speed boost.
One thing to note here is you might have seen other speedy-boot type articles claiming that you can maximise the number of cores that are in operation at boot with MSConfig. It's lies. While you can specify the number of cores to enable at boot via the 'Advanced' boot options, that is purely for debugging your system if you think your CPU might be on the fritz. All CPU cores are enabled at boot as a default so this is all smoke and mirrors.
Does ReadyBoost work?
After all this messing around, though, things weren't looking a whole lot different in terms of boot times. That will be fairly dependent on your particular machine though. We generally like to stay on top of the programs that load at startup so we already had a fairly pared-down list, but if you haven't been keeping so trim, this app cull alone should net you a fair boost.
For our rig though we only shaved around a second off the eventual boot time. So what's the next piece of tweakery to consider? Well, since Vista graced our hard drives, like the leaden-footed elephant it is, we've had the option to use simple flash memory as an aide-mémoire.
Essentially, ReadyBoost creates a cache file in your speedy flash memory, so long as it sports access times of less than 1ms, which the operating system can access to speed up general Windows use. Unfortunately there is little evidence that ReadyBoost actually offers any benefit in terms of boot times.
In fact, in my testing it actually ended up being a bit of a resource hog. Having an extra USB device discoverable at the outset added almost an extra second to the POST times of our test machine. Still, if you're not blessed with masses of system RAM then ReadyBoost is still an eminently useful beast once you get into the OS.
It is worth remembering that flash memory has a very finite life span and the use of it as a disk cache could severely shorten the life of a particular flash drive. So be warned…
There is another feature in the latest Microsoft operating systems, Windows 7 and Vista, that is worth bearing in mind and that's the basic self-tuning routine, which decreases boot times on machines, which have had no changes made to them. Ten times through the boot-up routine is enough to make a difference to the boot times, so we did the necessary and lo and behold there we were shaving a comparatively massive three whole seconds off our boot times.
Unfortunately if you're anything like us then you're not realistically going to be able to rely on keeping those seconds off for very long, we're like a fat man who loses a couple of pounds giving up cakes for Lent then falls off the wagon. You see, we can't remember the last time we managed to go for ten boots without making at least one little change to our machines. And hell, we like cake.
Hardware speed improvements
So, it's all down to the hardware now then. With a modern machine on a fairly fresh installation there is actually very little effect you can have simply by playing around with the software tools available to you. We have noticed changes with slower processors, or with jammed up boot applications halting your progress, but if you're looking at a top-end PC you're going to have to spend a bit more money to get that boot speed down.
Luckily, if you've spent out on a modern Gigabyte motherboard with the Smart 6 feature-set, then you'll already have a board capable of speeding up your boot times. The QuickBoot feature these boards offer comes in two flavours: one which shortens the POST time and another that enables you to drop your rig into a hybrid sleep state.
This is a mixture between the traditional Sleep and Hibernate functions. This means that your session is stored in both RAM for a quick re-awakening and on the storage drive, if you lose power while the machine is in that hybrid state.
It's the BIOS QuickBoot that we're really interested in and it works in a similar way to Windows' self-tuning routine we've mentioned already. With this enabled you will notice no difference in the first boot as the POST process will go through its usual system checks. On subsequent boots however, so long as the hardware hasn't been changed in anyway in between, the POST process will only check critical components, which could shave up to another three seconds off your POST time alone.
Solid state drives
Three seconds isn't much of an improvement, especially if you've had to buy a new motherboard to achieve it. If you genuinely want to see a difference to operating system boot times, the place to spend your money is in solid state drives.
Unfortunately the SSD market is about as clear as Marmite in terms of where to spend that cash. We thought we had it licked with Kingston's impressive 40GB version of Intel's X-18 drive, then we discovered Intel had held back the TRIM command from Kingston's firmware, rendering it fairly useless in the long term.
Still, there are ways to get around this and if you can find one of its drives, you can re-enable the TRIM command and it was this hardware that really made the difference to Windows' ability to get going quickly.
Or you can bite the bullet and fork out the cash on an Intel-branded SSD, either way simply by dropping a speedy SSD in as a boot drive and installing Windows 7 on it, we had the whole system booting in a little over thirty seconds. It even shaved a little off the POST time too, dropping down from over twelve seconds to a little over eleven.
To put that into context once we had tried all the tweakery we could manage at a software/BIOS level we had the HDD version booting in 45.5 seconds, with the same levels of tweaking we had the SSD-based OS booting in 31.8 seconds.
No boot heaven
Take off the POST time and you're looking at an actual Windows 7 boot time of just 20.2 seconds. That's still almost twice Microsoft's original eleven second boot boast, and still a fair way away from the nirvana of the instant on operating system, but a fully functional Windows OS in just over thirty seconds is nothing to sniff at.
We've spent a lot of time with our rigs, and if you've dropped in a new SSD you've also spent a lot of cash in trying to get your machine out of the blocks a little bit faster. But there is one big elephant in the room which we've only mentioned in passing and that's the environmentally unfriendly (and not to mention fuel bill costly) idea of effectively leaving your machine on standby.
Now, in these more ecologically aware times of ours, the idea of leaving your machine in even the Hybrid Sleep mode can fill your head with images of melting ice caps and baby polar bears drowning in the briny depths. But that is actually what Microsoft recommends that you do.
On the MSDN Blog Microsoft engineer, Michael Fortin says that: "resume from sleep time is approximately two seconds, achieving a nearly instant on experience. We do encourage our users to choose sleep as an alternative to boot."
Unless you habitually switch your PC off at the plug then you're not going to be killing any more polar bears by using the Hybrid Sleep mode. As normal your PC will use around 3 to 4 watts when 'off' and about the same in sleep mode; so if you want an instant OS that's looking like your best bet.
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Microsoft: we won't use search engines in 2020
"Why are we searching at all?" That's the question posed by Microsoft Business Division President Stephen Elop at an event attended by TechRadar today. "Why is all the relevant material not presented to me if I write an email to my boss? It should all be there in front of you."
Elop was speaking at a Microsoft event in Amsterdam, where the launch of Office 2010 was marked by a look at how the way we work will change – and the role of the cloud and Project Natal-style gesture interfaces.
"The search engines will be searching forever, it's how we interact with [the results] that will change," stated Elop before joking: "I know all of you are using Bing, you might occasionally stumble over our competitors' product, we understand that."
Elop was speaking after we were shown a typically glossy Microsoft video (Silverlight required) which featured various workers using gestures to interact with different screens and communication devices as well as a video conferencing wall where children from different parts of the world drew pictures and words, translated in real time.
There was also a newspaper where the reader was able to swipe between stories, as well as drag an image onto the newspaper from a message received on a wall display.
"Everything you see in the video is something we're working on... it's not a Hollywood video," promised Elop. "We believe it will happen over the next 10 years. I often get challenged about that newspaper, but we already have flexible displays you can roll up.
"The gentleman [in the video] moving his hands to control his workspace using gestures... this will rapidly evolve." Elop cited Project Natal as evidence of this. "If you put your hands up you can steer the car," he said of Natal. "Why not just do this instead of fumbling with a remote control [in a presentation]."
Different ways of communicating
"[We're] bringing things together in a far more seamless way. [What's happening] with video conferencing is interesting... we saw language and cultural translation. There's so much we can do to enhance the connections between people."
The video also showed a man and woman in a meeting room at an airport, using a Microsoft Surface-style table. "They synchronised with a surface and all their communication history was there in front of them."
Elop suggested that one of the key trends over the next few years will be the "millennial generation" entering the workplace and how social networking and other ways of communication will have to be taken seriously. "They are used to new ways of interacting. [My son] communicates via Facebook, Twitter and text messaging. As he enters the workplace, somehow some common ground will have to be found."
"The arrival of a generation of workers who expect to communicate in a different way – it's a significant trend.
"We spend a lot of time thinking about the new ways of working. The world really is changing. The trend that is the most significant, the most disruptive, is the advent of cloud computing. I'd like to compare it to the arrival of GUI, or the internet arriving through the browser... all of a sudden we're seeing customers en masse [adopting] cloud computing.
"Virtualisation technologies have enabled companies like Microsoft to build hugely scalable data centres. Because of the massive scale we can do things [cheaper] – so what we're seeing is the very largest of customers... realising they can save 10-40 per cent by having Microsoft do [things for them]."
"I've just gone through a furtive experience at Microsoft, the launch of Office 2010 and Sharepoint 2010," concluded Elop. "The launch of these products is staggeringly realised. "We absolutely have to gauge... whether we're hitting the mark or not. We've near half a billion people using our software every day.
"8.6 million people had taken the time to download the new products in beta. That's three times as many people as did the same with Office 2007."
"70 per cent of Microsoft engineers are working on something to do with the cloud," added Elop, saying it would rise to 90 per cent in a couple of years. "We're all in," he said.
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England players banned from Twitter & Facebook during World Cup
The entire England squad will be banned from using Twitter, Facebook or any other social-networking during the World Cup, with the FA noting that they will only air their thoughts via official channels.
It seems that Fabio Capello's team will have to focus on football instead of procrastinating on social sites, which will mean that the players won't be able to keep their myriad Twitter followers informed with what's going on within the England camp.
Express yourself
Twitter has already got some footballers into hot water with the PFA. Darren Bent, who was prolific on the site until recently, used the micro-blogging service to hit out at Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
He even had his Twitter tag sewn into his boots, but his page has now been closed down.
Back in January, Man Utd reportedly issued a similar ban on its players, with all official comment channelled to its website.
According to the BBC, it is not just England who are banned from Twitter and the like, Spain has also done the same banning players from using the sites pre-tournament and while the World Cup is on.
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England players banned from Twitter & Facebook during World Cup
The entire England squad will be banned from using Twitter, Facebook or any other social-networking during the World Cup, with the FA noting that they will only air their thoughts via official channels.
It seems that Fabio Capello's team will have to focus on football instead of procrastinating on social sites, which will mean that the players won't be able to keep their myriad Twitter followers informed with what's going on within the England camp.
Express yourself
Twitter has already got some footballers into hot water with the PFA. Darren Bent, who was prolific on the site until recently, used the micro-blogging service to hit out at Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
He even had his Twitter tag sewn into his boots, but his page has now been closed down.
Back in January, Man Utd reportedly issued a similar ban on its players, with all official comment channelled to its website.
According to the BBC, it is not just England who are banned from Twitter and the like, Spain has also done the same banning players from using the sites pre-tournament and while the World Cup is on.
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Huggers: BBC still wants iPlayer on Xbox
Erik Huggers - the man behind the iPlayer at the BBC - has told TechRadar that he is still keen to roll the iPlayer out onto the Xbox 360 console.
Speaking exclusively to TechRadar at the launch of the next generation of BBC iPlayer, Huggers insisted that there had been no change of heart from the BBC, which has continually insisted that it wants to see the iPlayer up and running through Microsoft's Xbox 360.
"We are still very, very keen to get the iPlayer on the Xbox 360," said Huggers.
Although neither party will go on record to admit it, reports have suggested that it is Microsoft which is currently holding up the arrival of the popular service on its flagship console.
Campaign
TechRadar is currently running a campaign to persuade the two companies to hurry things along - with a Facebook campaign already attracting more than 1,000 followers.
While both of its rivals in the console market - Sony's PS3 and Nintendo's Wii - have the iPlayer service, Microsoft currently has stuck with the subscription-only Sky Player.
You can join the campaign at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bring-BBC-iPlayer-to-Xbox-Live/
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Samsung Galaxy S goes on sale in Germany
The most powerful and highly-specified Android phone yet - the Samsung Galaxy S - has gone on sale in Germany.
The phone is being offered on Amazon.de for the princely sum of €649 (£555) which makes it one of the most expensive smartphones on the market, discounting those made with liquid rubies or something.
The reason behind the high price is apparent when you see the spec list of the Samsung Galaxy S - it seems to have the best of everything.
There's the now-standard 1GHz processor (although Samsung's own Hummingbird, based on Arm Cortex A8 rather than Qualcomm's Snapdragon), a 5MP camera with 720p video capture and a massive 4-inch display with WVGA resolution.
Massive and media-friendly
All that basically means it's a media marvel - take pictures or movies, play them back on a huge and high-res screen and (hopefully) without judder.
The Android 2.1 system is there too, with a likely upgrade to 2.2 Froyo coming in the near future given the Samsung Galaxy S doesn't have a nasty overlay to worry about converting.
Vodafone is showing this phone as 'coming soon' for the UK, and although German site is showing a price, there's no date for delivery just yet, so we're still in the dark about a UK release date.
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Nokia updates N900 to include Facebook chat
Nokia has finally upgraded the N900 to include a large number of updates that helps turn the internet behemoth into a more mainstream phone.
Among the highlights of the 1.2 rollout is the integration of Facebook chat to the Nokia N900, meaning you can talk to your buddies easily without having to enter the main Facebook page.
Skype Video calling has also been added, joining the ability to call your friends over VOIP and perhaps helping better quality video calling become mainstream (after all, Apple is doing it...)
One handed fun
Portrait browsing is also possible, meaning you don't have to hold the phone in two hands all the time - something that really marked it out against its smartphone peers.
Email and calendar functionality has been improved to include enhanced search, better copy and paste and the ability to accept calendar invitations in emails.
But in our view the biggest upgrade is to the Ovi Store - those of you out there playing Angry Birds Level One but finding themselves unable to buy more packs will find that the world is now a brighter place thanks to Nokia fixing the Ovi Store.
Sadly those of you using older versions of the Maemo OS won't be able to access the Ovi Store any more, as Nokia looks to force through this upgrade to everyone - but for Angry Birds alone we think it should be checked out.
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Google TV prevents advert skipping
Google unveiled its hybrid internet/television service this month, with the onus very much on 'TV meets the web. Web meets TV'.
This may be an enticing prospect but it seems that Google TV will bring with it some of the more annoying aspects of web video, including adverts that cannot be skipped.
Speaking at the search giant's I/O briefing in Sydney, Australia, Google TV product manager Rishi Chandra said about the issue: "It's much harder with an on demand system for users to skip the ads because they are being streamed in real time."
No skip to the end
This will come as a surprise to those who are used to fast-forwarding television advertising, but relief to advertisers who actually want their ads seen.
Both Sony and Logitech have announced that they will be offering the Google TV service, in association with Intel, on their products and Google hopes that its platform will offer a lean-back experience for web content on TV.
The lack of ad skipping has pleased some, Daniel Leesong, chief executive of Australia's peak advertising body, the Communications Council, spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald about the news saying: "From our perspective it's a very good thing. Ad skipping is an acknowledged issue in the advertising industry."
We wonder if consumers will be thinking the same thing.
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Hands on: new BBC iPlayer 3 review
The BBC's iPlayer is one of the smartest two-and-a-half-year-olds we know, and with today's launch of a brand new beta it's smarter than ever.
There's a redesigned interface, improved navigation and a whole bunch of new features to play with, but they're all there for one reason: to help you find interesting things to watch and listen to.
The new, somewhat iPhone-esque interface is a big improvement over the existing one. It's more welcoming and considerably less confusing than before, with an excellent TV/radio listings widget that makes it easy to see what's on now and what's on later across the main TV and radio channels. It's customisable too, so if you want to get shot of Radio 1 and replace it with Radio Scotland you can.
NEW LOOK: The iPlayer's cluttered interface has been given a brand new look, which reminds us of a certain smartphone. It's a big improvement
The iPlayer home page now has four columns at the top: Featured, which details the BBC's current pick of its output; For You, which is based on what you've been watching; Most Popular, which is self-explanatory; and Friends. That's the iPlayer's new social network integration, and you'll need to sign up for a BBC ID to take advantage of it.
Once you've done that you can hook into Facebook and Twitter, viewing your Facebook friends in iPlayer, seeing what programmes they've recommended and posting status updates or tweets whenever you recommend something. In the longer term it'll involve other social networks too. It doesn't bring in your entire social network, though, just those contacts who have also signed up for a BBC ID.
GETTING SOCIAL: You can now connect the iPlayer to Facebook and Twitter to let other people know what programmes you liked. Other social networks are coming
Basic navigation has been improved - TV and Radio have been separated and categories now have sub-categories for much faster browsing - and you'll see there's a new "favourites" link above the four main columns.
This makes it easy to stay on top of your favourite programmes: click on the star below a TV show or radio show and iPlayer keeps an eye on it. Links next to the Favourites link alert you whenever there's a new episode of a Favourite, or when one of them is about to expire.
IPLAYER FAVOURITES: When you add a programme to your favourites it's stored in a drop-down panel above the main player
You can also subscribe to programmes, so for example if you like episode one you can subscribe to the rest of the series and the iPlayer desktop will automatically download them for you.
Waiting for the download links is taking forever today, though, presumably because the beta launch means the BBC's servers are taking a hammering.
Clicking on TV Favourites or Radio Favourites itself brings up a panel of thumbnails that take you straight to the programmes you've previously bookmarked. It's simple, blazingly fast and very handy, and your Favourites feed into the For You selection, too. Your BBC ID enables you to access your Favourites and recommendations from any other iPlayer-capable computer.
RECOMMENDED VIEWING: The For You panel is based on what you've been watching and suggests other programs the BBC thinks you might like
It's impressive stuff, but there's even more to come. The BBC has hooked up with Microsoft to bring Windows Live Messenger into iPlayer, enabling users to invite their friends to watch programmes and chat along, and we'll see that this summer; we'll also see links to other broadcasters' services, so for example if you search for an ITV or Channel 4 programme you'll get links to the ITV Player or 4oD.
We're always wary when we're promised new features - it's all too easy for once-useful applications to become too big and too bloated - but despite all the new stuff iPlayer is actually easier and faster to use than before.
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Mobile phone number discontinued after users keep dying
A mobile phone number has been suspended after the three people it was allocated to have all died.
The number 0888 888 888 was first issued to the CEO of Mobitel - Vladimir Grashnov - in Bulgaria.
He died of cancer in 2001, although The Telegraph says there are rumours he was poisoned by a business rival.
Number of doom
The number went to Konstantin Dimitrov, a man suspected of owning a massive drug smuggling empire, was gunned down in 2003 when out eating with his girlfriend, allegedly by Russian mafia.
The number then went to estate agent Konstantin Dishliev, who ran a £130 million drug trafficking operation that was intercepted just before his death in 2005.
Like Dimitrov, he was also shot whilst dining out, this time in Sofia - and after that the number was left dormant. Presumably because assassins were able to phone and ask where their target was?
Even so, when your numbers up...
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In Depth: 9 technologies we need to take outside and shoot
One of the great things about tech is that it's always changing. New and exciting ideas become products in no time, and yesterday's impossible ideas are today's everyday items.
But not all tech is like that. Some ideas don't know when it's time to go, and they hang around like a bad smell or unpopular politician.
If these technologies were horses, they'd be glue by now.
1. QWERTY keyboards
The whole point of a QWERTY keyboard is to slow you down: it was developed to stop fast typists from jamming their typewriters. It takes ages to learn, it's implicated in RSI and it's downright painful when it turns up on small devices.
BAD IDEA: QWERTY was designed for typewriters. Why on earth do we have it in tiny devices such as mobiles?
2. Cigar lighter sockets in cars
This isn't an anti-smoking thing; it's an anti-daft thing. The cigar lighter has long been used as a power supply, and many devices now depend on it - and yet we're still stuffing the power supplies for sat-navs, phone chargers and DVD players into endless adaptors because car firms haven't replaced the lighter with a proper plug socket. Smokers carry lighters anyway!
MORE USB: Wouldn't a proper plug socket or a bunch of USB ports built into the dashboard make more sense?
3. Proprietary chargers
We have two Sony cameras, a big one and a little one. Both use rechargeable batteries. The chargers are completely different. That's just daft. The EU is getting mobile phone firms to standardise on Micro USB, but why can't the uber-charger be extended to all our rechargeable gadgets, too?
STANDARDS ARE GOOD: For portable gadgets, standardising on USB - or better still, Micro USB - would save a great deal of cable clutter and waste [Image credit: Wikimedia]
4. Remote controls
We've got remote controls for our laptops, for our TV, for the set-top box, for the DVD, for the stereo… we've even got a remote control for a storage heater. Why can't we just have remotes that we can easily program to control all our stuff as standard?
SENSIBLE: Firms such as Sony make universal remotes. Why can't we have them as standard?
5. Normal batteries
Have you ever seen anyone using those battery recycling bins in supermarkets? No, we haven't either. Battery technology is good enough - and chargers fast enough - to make the use of disposable ones an environmental crime. Every time you put in another set of Duracells you're metaphorically punching a polar bear in the face.
LESS WASTE: We're dumping millions of batteries into landfill, and yet rechargeables are cheap to buy and quick to charge
6. Incandescent light bulbs
Early energy saving bulbs often made your house look like the toilet blocks from Doom 3, casting a harsh blue glow so bright that it could stun unsuspecting visitors. Now, though, energy saving bulbs can be just as soft as incandescent ones, and they're no longer the size of King Kong's fist. Normal bulbs are just wasting energy for the sake of it.
IMPROVED: Energy saving bulbs needn't mean horrible, harsh light. Bulbs such as Philips' "softone" range won't illuminate your internal organs
7. Colour inkjet printers
They cost a fortune to run, the cartridges are good for about three pages and the one time you actually need to print in colour you'll discover that you've used all the cyan. Printing photos? Supermarkets do a better job for less cash.
PRINT FAIL: Printer ink always seems to run out when you need it most
8. http://www in the address bar
For 99% of web browsing it's redundant, and Google Chrome dropped the http:// prefix in developer versions of its browser. OS News recommends simple icons instead. Sounds good to us.
DELETE: For most web browsing, the http://www bit is redundant. So why bother with it?
9. DRM
It doesn't stop piracy but it does stop you backing up your Peppa Pig DVD collection. Madness.
NO PROTECTION: A popular internet site, yesterday. If DRM worked it wouldn't exist
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Review: Packard Bell Easynote LM86
Packard Bell has experienced something of a renaissance since being acquired by Acer in 2008, and has produced a number of highly impressive machines at very competitive prices.
Unfortunately, the EasyNote LM86-GN- 005UK isn't one of its best - while it is a competent and comfortable machine, we expected more.
The main problem lies in the fact that, because both the Samsung R580 and Sony VAIO VPC-EB1Z0E/B are more expensive, they offer a lot more for the money.
Both feature powerful Core i5 processors, more memory and, consequently, much greater performance, giving you greater flexibility when carrying out tasks ranging from word processing to browsing the internet.
Integrated graphics
Similarly, this laptop has an integrated Intel graphics card which provides even less graphical power than the HP ProBook 6440b, meaning you won't be able to carry out anything but very basic multimedia tasks, and gaming is also largely out of the question.
The hard drive is one of the least capacious at only 320GB. While that would be fine for a business laptop where the majority of data held is made up of office documents, this laptop is likely to spend most of its life on your desk due to its size and weight, to be used by the whole family. In which case the 320GB is likely to fill up rapidly with MP3s, photos and movies.
Also, while there is an optical drive for burning photos to discs, or listening to music, it doesn't boast the Blu-ray functionality of the Sony, so you won't be enjoying films in high definition (HD).
Large screen
It's not all bad, however, as this is a very comfortable laptop to use. The 17.3-inch screen boasts a sharp 1600 x 900-pixel resolution which makes images very detailed, and it's a great laptop for watching films with or viewing your photos on.
The keyboard is great to use and features a unique social networking button for all the Facebook addicts out there. A dedicated numeric keypad makes doing your tax returns a pleasure and, while we did notice the mouse buttons aren't as responsive as we would like, the touchpad itself is a pleasure to use.
Ultimately, the Packard Bell EasyNote LM86-GN-005UK isn't a bad laptop. The great screen, decent usability and innovative social networking button means there's certainly a market for it.
It's just that the Sony – even taking into consideration the increased cost – offers so much more in terms of power, performance and features that it makes recommending this machine quite difficult.
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In Depth: BBC iPlayer 3: new features explained
The BBC showed of the latest iteration of its iPlayer service today, dubbed iPlayer 3, promising better streaming capabilities, social integration and a general simplification of the service.
At the launch event, with TechRadar in attendance, the BBC's Anthony Rose called the iPlayer "more of an application than a website" and explained the many new features that make the iPlayer a more personalised service.
Below we highlight the main new bits of iPlayer 3 – bearing in mind that it is still in beta – which are set to make your VoD viewing experience that little bit more enjoyable.
New user interface
The new user interface is cleaner and is brought into the present with a TV listings page that tells you what's on now.
There is also new 'sliding drawers' options: Features, For You, Most Popular and Friends.
Live channel hopping
There is now a one-click window between channels, which means that you can essentially channel hop the iPlayer's live TV content.
To help you do this there will be quick links in the viewing window.
TV and Radio separate
The BBC has decided to make TV and Radio into separate things so that it is easier to browse through the categories.
Confusingly, Eric Huggers from the BBC says that they will be "separate but intermingled".
Twitter and Facebook connectivity
The social web has been integrated into the iPlayer, with partnerships with Twitter and Facebook announced.
This allows for some audience interaction when watching programmes, all within what the BBC is calling "a clean and intuitive user experience".
Friends recommendations
If you fancy taking a look at what your friends have been watching you can now do this through the Friends Recommendations section of iPlayer.
This is another social enhancement to the site, which obviously wants you to view as much content as possible.
Enhanced browsing
The browsing feature on the iPlayer has been significantly enhanced in a bid to make navigation of the service better.
You can now browse by popularity (there's a top-ten programme chart) and take a look at not only genres but sub genres too.
Windows Live Messenger integration
This announcement is a biggie for the BBC (so much so that they left it till last). Essentially using the new iteration of Windows Live Messenger, you will be able to synchronise watching shows with your friends wherever they are (through an on-screen minutes and seconds counter so you can see how far through the programme you both are) and live chat about the programme.
It sounds an awful lot like the Twitter and Facebook connectivity but a whole lot more intuitive.
Series downloading
Instead of just downloading specific episodes, users will now be able to batch record series, meaning that you won't miss any of your favourite shows again.
Third-party VoD love
The BBC has decided that it is to become a hub for VoD content from other broadcasters. Essentially on its BBC online homepage it will offer links to ITV Player, 4OD, Click, Demand Five and SeeSaw.
This is a significant step for the UK, offering a space on the web which houses all the significant long-form VoD content you need. Although it will just link out, it is a great move.
This also sounds achingly similar to what Project Canvas will be offering, albeit through set-top boxes in the future.
iPlayer 3 is currently in beta, with a full rollout happening in July. Because of this, some of the social-networking capabilities are not yet available.
If you want to try it out for yourself, go to http://beta.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/.
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BBC announces 'simple and connected' iPlayer
The BBC has overhauled its iPlayer service to add in a whole host of new functionality, including improved quality and integrated social networking.
The UI has been revamped to make content easier to find and personalise - much like the main BBC website, with recommended content and shows your friends like all highlighted.
Twitter and Facebook support has also been added to let you post content to your wall or in your feed, as well as the ability to share and recommend content within the iPlayer itself.
An in-channel viewer has also been added to make it easier to channel hop whilst watching live streaming, so you always know what you want to see.
You can also set your favourite programmes to download ahead of time, with smart series linking making sure you can stay on top of your BBC favourites, with mobile remote recording on the way too.
Chat and watch
You can forward links to your friends while on Windows Live Messenger, allowing you to watch on demand programmes with your friends - with a time counter displayed to show where you both are in the show.
The BBC has promised that it will not be partnering with others in this venture, nor licensing out the technology either - however it will pushing viewers onto other on-demand services for shows.
So if you decide you like a Channel 4 programme you can add it to your favourites and when it turns up you'll get an alert from the BBC and then be sent off to the 4OD platform.
The new service is now live in beta form from a banner within the site, and will be available to all from late June or Early July.
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BBC announces 'simple and connected' iPlayer
The BBC has overhauled its iPlayer service to add in a whole host of new functionality, including improved quality and integrated social networking.
The UI has been revamped to make content easier to find and personalise - much like the main BBC website, with recommended content and shows your friends like all highlighted.
Twitter and Facebook support has also been added to let you post content to your wall or in your feed, as well as the ability to share and recommend content within the iPlayer itself.
An in-channel viewer has also been added to make it easier to channel hop whilst watching live streaming, so you always know what you want to see.
You can also set your favourite programmes to download ahead of time, with smart series linking making sure you can stay on top of your BBC favourites, with mobile remote recording on the way too.
Chat and watch
You can forward links to your friends while on Windows Live Messenger, allowing you to watch on demand programmes with your friends - with a time counter displayed to show where you both are in the show.
The BBC has promised that it will not be partnering with others in this venture, nor licensing out the technology either - however it will pushing viewers onto other on-demand services for shows.
So if you decide you like a Channel 4 programme you can add it to your favourites and when it turns up you'll get an alert from the BBC and then be sent off to the 4OD platform.
The new service is now live in beta form from a banner within the site, and will be available to all from late June or Early July.
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Review: HP ProBook 6440b
The HP ProBook series is targeted chiefly at small and medium-sized businesses, and although the ProBook 6440b may not boast some of the bells and whistles of some other laptops, it's still a solid choice for the business-minded user.
This is thanks to the various business features the laptop boasts. HP's 3D DriveGuard technology provides enhanced protection for your data, so that if you're carrying around vital business files and folders, you can relax safe in the knowledge that they will survive the odd bash and bump on the road.
The 14-inch TFT screen features a matt screen coating. This means you won't have to worry about distracting reflections in bright light.
Portable performer
The laptop also boasts a good battery life of 324 minutes. This means that you won't have to worry about running out of power mid-presentation, and also saves you lugging the charger around. The battery life is even more impressive considering the power on offer.
This laptop may only feature 2GB of RAM, but the Intel Core i3 processor provides decent enough power for all business tasks, and also for multimedia use.
Unfortunately, the integrated graphics card will limit you to pretty basic photo and video editing.
The 320GB hard drive offers average storage for your files and folders, but spins at 7200rpm, providing you with very fast access to your data and therefore decent performance.
An optical drive is also included, and features HP's LightScribe technology.
Solid build
Build quality is excellent, and we were especially impressed by the laptop's rock-solid keyboard. There is no dedicated numeric keypad, which may put off the serious number-crunchers, but the board is spill-resistant and liquid spilt on the keys is safely drained from a hole in the back of a machine.
As you would expect for a business laptop, connectivity is top-notch, but this machine does not feature an HDMI port. Instead, HP has included a DisplayPort – an alternative to HDMI.
Unfortunately, it's not as common as the latter and will give you less flexibility when connecting to TVs and monitors.
In conclusion, we like the HP ProBook 6440b a lot. It may not be as flash as the Asus UL50VT, Sony VAIO VPC-EB1Z0E/B or Samsung R580 but, as a business machine, it is a solid choice and second to none here.
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Review: Asus UL50VT
Asus's UL50 range is targeted at those with usability and portability in mind, and by and large the UL50VT provides just that.
What the machine may lack in raw processing power, it makes up for in portability and while there may be some usability niggles, this remains a very accomplished machine with the best battery life available.
This is the only laptop in this test not to feature a processor from Intel's new Core family and, as a result, processing power can't match the competition.
However, to combat this Asus has included a technology it has called Turbo 33. When activated at the push of a hotkey the processor is overclocked to give you, the company claims, a 33% average performance increase.
During testing we found the feature boosted processing power by 21.4%, which while not quite 33% represents a significant improvement in performance. As a result, you'll be able to run most applications with ease, although multitasking with resource-intensive programs won't be as smooth or as fast as with other laptops.
Nine-hour battery
The laptop also features two graphics cards, an integrated Intel chip and a dedicated Nvidia offering. Dedicated cards are very resource-intensive on a laptop's battery, so the idea is to switch – with the touch of a button – to the Intel chip when you're after the maximum battery life.
In this mode we squeezed a formidable 556 minutes from the battery, offering over nine hours of power. This is an excellent result, meaning if you're after portability this is the machine for you.
The 2.4kg the laptop weighs is also the lightest here and is impressive considering its 15.6-inch screen size. Incidentally, we also noticed that the Turbo 33 technology provides an increase in graphical performance of around 1.8%, which will make photo and video editing slightly quicker if you need more power.
The laptop looks great, with the brushed-aluminium lid providing a high-end feel, and the large screen is a joy to work on.
The keyboard is decent, but quite spongy. It's not uncomfortable to use, but doesn't feel as solid or as well built as the likes of the HP Probook or Sony VAIO.
Asus' ExpressGate software feature is also present, alongside top-notch connectivity, which means you will be able to connect to wireless or wired networks at the fastest speeds currently available.
We're very impressed by the UL50VT. The battery life is phenomenal, while the Turbo 33 technology boosts performance to decent levels. While it still can't compete on power with the likes of the Sony, it is still a great laptop.
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Exclusive: Sky still not ruling out place on Canvas platform
Despite some fairly public objections to Project Canvas, Sky will not rule out taking advantage of the platform with its Sky Player should the BBC-led IPTV scheme prove a success.
Talking to TechRadar, Griff Parry – director of on-demand and the man behind the successful Sky Player – explained that there was no blanket refusal to become part of Canvas.
"I said publicly that I wouldn't rule it out," said Parry. "[Sky's] main concern was more to do with the part that the BBC plays.
Not hostile
"We're not hostile to connected devices, and we are keen to embrace opportunity," he added
"That's what the Sky Player program is about, and it has always been clear that we see Canvas as one of a number of platforms in this area.
"There's been a lot of Canvas rhetoric suggesting that it will be the only solution but it's becoming clear that that's not going to happen.
"Canvas…are one of several platforms in a space where so much is going on so it's about prioritising the right things."
Problems
Parry points to some key problems with Canvas, not least with the still hugely controversial decision that the user interface should be created and set by the partners rather than by manufacturers of the equipment or software.
"We have worries that Canvas isn't a particularly attractive platform to distribute on," concludes Parry.
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Review: Acer Aspire 5740G-434G64Mn
Acer is on a roll at the moment, producing a stream of award winning laptops that regularly put other manufacturers in the shade. The Aspire 5740G-434G64Mn continues this good run of form and, although it doesn't boast the number of features of some others, it remains a very usable machine.
As with many Acer laptops in the past, build quality is excellent and this is a laptop built to survive life on the road. The shiny blue lid may attract dust and dirt quickly, but the thickness of the design means good protection for the panel inside.
Similarly, the solid plastics the chassis is built from provide excellent protection for the components within. There are a number of hotkeys above the keyboard for fast access to the likes of Bluetooth and a handy back-up assistant, making it easy to save your files and folders to an external drive. There's also a large programmable button whose function you can designate yourself.
The keyboard features Acer's unique style, whereby the keys stand up from the board. It's a clever design which makes for an intuitive typing action, but it also means there's an empty space beneath the keys for dust and grime to fall into, so regular cleaning will be required.
The 15.6-inch screen isn't as sharp or detailed as the Packard Bell or Sony's in this group, but it still features a 1366 x 768 pixel high-definition (HD) resolution.
The optical drive is not Blu-ray compatible, however, so you will have to download any HD content you want to watch.
Core i5 heart
Performance-wise the Acer impresses, and its use of an Intel Core i5 processor back up with 4GB or RAM means you'll be able to run resource intensive applications with very little issue.
Multimedia tasks will also run with ease, thanks to the powerful ATi graphics card included, although as with all the laptops here you'll struggle to run the latest games with maximum settings.
Storage is superb, with the 640GB hard drive providing more than enough space for large photo, music and movie libraries.
Heavy weight
Unfortunately, portability isn't as good as we would have liked. This laptop is quite heavy and the 176-minute battery life is fairly poor, as we expect a minimum of three hours from a modern laptop. This greatly restricts travel use, making this a machine better suited to desktop use at home.
In conclusion, we were suitably impressed by all the Acer Aspire 5740G-434G64Mn has to offer.
True, portability is an issue which may put some off, but we feel the power, durability and usability of the machine successfully compensate for this.
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In Depth: 5 problems and pitfalls with shooting 3D
The Discovery Channel announced at CES back in January that it was throwing its hat into the 3D ring, offering a 3D channel – in association with Sony and IMAX – which would broadcast 24 hours a day, bringing the format one step closer to the mainstream.
The Discovery Channel doing 3D is something which shouldn't be underestimated. With 140 million subscribers worldwide it generates content that both educates and awes – which explains why its programmes are used to great effect in both schools and the home.
When it comes to shooting in 3D, John Honeycutt, executive vice president, media technology and operations at Discovery, is refreshingly candid about what the issues the format brings, explaining that it's not as easy to adapt to 3D as it was to HD.
"Sports and natural history were the main long-form drivers of HD and they are what will drive 3D," explains Honeycutt, speaking at the IPTV World Forum in London.
"At Discovery, innovation is part of our DNA. We did it with HD, so we will do it with 3D. There would be a big hole in our catalogue if we didn't.
"But honestly, 3D is hard and you have to think about storytelling. Storytelling made our business and we need to figure out how to do this effectively with 3D."
So why exactly is creating 3D content that hard? Below, Honeycutt gives his five reasons that explain it all...
1 Not all programmes suit 3D
In 2009, we sent out 47 HD cameras on The Deadliest Catch and none came back. This is why we use small HDV cameras to create this content.
Deadliest Catch wouldn't work in 3D, not only I the loss of 3D cameras not cost-effective, it would make you sick watching it.
And then you have to think about the safety of the cameramen. Using a 3D camera rig would make you effectively blind in one eye, something that isn't good when working with waves.
2 It's an added expense
In 3D, so much of the experience is about where you put the cameras, what is the position. This drives up the expense.
Unlike HD, where the cost was predominately technology, that is not going to happen with 3D – it's more about the production. So we have to find a middle ground. The sport guys are hearing the same thing. Originally, they would do separate productions, now they are looking at what can be shared.
3 New equipment, new problems
We are not going to use a massive rig to shoot the kind of stuff we do for the Discovery Channel. 98 per cent of 3D you see is scripted content.
Our stuff is not, we are constantly moving, so we have been working with Sony and Panasonic and have been using Element Technica rigs to shoot the content – you can move with it and it can give smooth images.
The great thing about the 3D Sony camera is it has interchangeable lenses – this is a big thing for us.
4 It puts a strain on editors
Even things like editing have to be taken into consideration. Editing 3D content is tiring, so you have to consider editors doing shifts.
Old jobs look to making a comeback because of this: assistant editors coming back to help out with 3D editing, digitisers returning to tell the difference between good and bad 3D.
We are looking at ways to manipulate 3D in the post production process , especially for things like our CGI shows, like our dinosaur shows.
5 Full HD 3D isn't viable
From a business point of view, Full HD 3D is a non-starter, you can't feasibly change all set-top boxes to bring that content.
It is an ideal, but we have to work with what we have got. We are looking at ways to do 3D that is cost effective and speed effective.
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Breaking: Live blog: Latest version of BBC iPlayer
The BBC is showing off the new version of its iPlayer service at a press event in London.
Major new features will be announced for the popular video on demand service.
iPlayer chief Erik Huggers has already told TechRadar that he is "excited" at the raft of changes to one of the world's most popular internet television services.
Live updates (hit F5 to refresh page)
9:15: Anthony Rose and Erik Huggers are presenting
9:16: Huggers talking about iPlayer history; "when I looked back at what it looked like in launch, I think it's already changed a great deal."
9:19: Huggers - "The service has done a phenomenal job."
9:20: "We're just scratching the surface of video on demand." Huggers believes that there is a huge increase in audience coming for VOD.
9:23: "We were probably the first that really got [online VOD] right," says Huggers.
9:24: A look at 2010 strategy - for Future media and technology focus is on putting quality first, says Huggers.
9:25: TV confined by spectrum, says Huggers, "On the internet if you buy a new server suddenly you have a new service." Talks about unlimited shelf space of internet.
9:26: "Internet is at heart of BBC's future," an important point from Huggers.
9:28: New iPlayer details coming, Film running to showcase new details.
9:29: New iPlayer is simpler, more personalised, better connected
9:30: There's definitely social networking built in, and Friends recommendations and mention of 'having programmes ready for you'.
9:31: Anthony Rose - in his last appearance before he heads off to be CTO of Project Canvas - is going to talk through the new features.
9:32: Rose: It's more of an application than a website. Home page is customisable. Modules can be moved around and this will be remembered. Recommendation system learns what you like with a 'for you' personal reccomendations.
9:34: 'Most popular' is staying and being enhanced. Facebook and Twitter will be brought into BBC iPlayer - you can have recommendations from your social contacts.
9:35: Inbox style view with favourite programmes and an update of your favourites and which are expiring. You can add favourites and it will remember between series. Nice function. Very TiVo.
9:36: You can favourite by genre - add an entire category for your favourites.
9:36: TV and Radio will be separated 'separate but intermingled' says Rose.
9:37: Improvements to live streaming. Adapted bitrate system will use latest tech that will check connection every few seconds - should get better quality says Rose. Also a higher top bitrate added. Cool
9:38: You can add favourites from mobile - remote record 'coming in a few weeks'
9:39: You can add comments, like etc to shows - BBC ID will be linked up to Facebook and Twitter - you can see the recommendations of your friends from within the iPlayer 'a complete social ecosystem'
9:41: Series downloads coming to an all new desktop iPlayer version - you can also click to download future programmes when assets are available.
9:43: Look at new desktop - live TV and Radio both added - available in 2 weeks time.
9:45: most exciting til last says Rose - it's integration of Windows Live messenger. You can see what your friends are watching and what minute you are watching so that you can sync and have live chat about the programme.
9:46: Chat and live TV integration 'the Holy Grail' says Rose. Feature coming in a few weeks.
9:47: Huggers - "There's more" BBC going to be sending consumers to other long-form content (later in the year) Module on home page of TV section of BBC Online to ITV Player, 4OD, Clic, Demand Five and SeeSaw.
9:48: "No sharing of technology, no syndication of content" just meta data - hear that Competition Commission? Huggers keen to surface other people's content. We send user to website where it gets consumed.
9:50: iPlayer is going live NOW in beta. There's a promotional banner to take you through to the beta - formal launch is end of June, early July
9:51: Huggers says Sky are considering being included in the module. Huggers believes search will be improved even further. Partners will appear on EPG module.
9:54: Live Messenger chose because it was the largest, will be rolled out to other chats. 'A toe in the water,' says Huggers.
9:56: "If you do like a Channel 4 programme - you can add to favourites and it will then alert you and send you off to 4OD when you click on it" Huggers says. Nice functionality.
9:56: BBC "doesn't need its own social network," says Huggers. "We integrate and link through to 3rd party so we don't have to build it."
9:58: Downloaded content details: rules stay same - 30 days storage, once you start 7 days to watch it, download is that computer only.
10:00: "BBC Global iPlayer is still a priority," says Huggers.
10:01: Google TV "An interesting new product that shows level of competition in the marketplace," says Huggers. "I welcome Google TV personally, I see Google TV as a fantastic receiver for iPlayer. Our goal and mission is very clear - we want to make our services available on a platform neutral basis."
10:03: BBC ID has been modernised and improved, and you can link it to Facebook and Twitter.
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Breaking: Live blog: Latest version of BBC iPlayer
The BBC is showing off the new version of its iPlayer service at a press event in London.
Major new features will be announced for the popular video on demand service.
iPlayer chief Erik Huggers has already told TechRadar that he is "excited" at the raft of changes to one of the world's most popular internet television services.
Live updates (hit F5 to refresh page)
9:15: Anthony Rose and Erik Huggers are presenting
9:16: Huggers talking about iPlayer history; "when I looked back at what it looked like in launch, I think it's already changed a great deal."
9:19: Huggers - "The service has done a phenomenal job."
9:20: "We're just scratching the surface of video on demand." Huggers believes that there is a huge increase in audience coming for VOD.
9:23: "We were probably the first that really got [online VOD] right," says Huggers.
9:24: A look at 2010 strategy - for Future media and technology focus is on putting quality first, says Huggers.
9:25: TV confined by spectrum, says Huggers, "On the internet if you buy a new server suddenly you have a new service." Talks about unlimited shelf space of internet.
9:26: "Internet is at heart of BBC's future," an important point from Huggers.
9:28: New iPlayer details coming, Film running to showcase new details.
9:29: New iPlayer is simpler, more personalised, better connected
9:30: There's definitely social networking built in, and Friends recommendations and mention of 'having programmes ready for you'.
9:31: Anthony Rose - in his last appearance before he heads off to be CTO of Project Canvas - is going to talk through the new features.
9:32: Rose: It's more of an application than a website. Home page is customisable. Modules can be moved around and this will be remembered. Recommendation system learns what you like with a 'for you' personal reccomendations.
9:34: 'Most popular' is staying and being enhanced. Facebook and Twitter will be brought into BBC iPlayer - you can have recommendations from your social contacts.
9:35: Inbox style view with favourite programmes and an update of your favourites and which are expiring. You can add favourites and it will remember between series. Nice function. Very TiVo.
9:36: You can favourite by genre - add an entire category for your favourites.
9:36: TV and Radio will be separated 'separate but intermingled' says Rose.
9:37: Improvements to live streaming. Adapted bitrate system will use latest tech that will check connection every few seconds - should get better quality says Rose. Also a higher top bitrate added. Cool
9:38: You can add favourites from mobile - remote record 'coming in a few weeks'
9:39: You can add comments, like etc to shows - BBC ID will be linked up to Facebook and Twitter - you can see the recommendations of your friends from within the iPlayer 'a complete social ecosystem'
9:41: Series downloads coming to an all new desktop iPlayer version - you can also click to download future programmes when assets are available.
9:43: Look at new desktop - live TV and Radio both added - available in 2 weeks time.
9:45: most exciting til last says Rose - it's integration of Windows Live messenger. You can see what your friends are watching and what minute you are watching so that you can sync and have live chat about the programme.
9:46: Chat and live TV integration 'the Holy Grail' says Rose. Feature coming in a few weeks.
9:47: Huggers - "There's more" BBC going to be sending consumers to other long-form content (later in the year) Module on home page of TV section of BBC Online to ITV Player, 4OD, Clic, Demand Five and SeeSaw.
9:48: "No sharing of technology, no syndication of content" just meta data - hear that Competition Commission? Huggers keen to surface other people's content. We send user to website where it gets consumed.
9:50: iPlayer is going live NOW in beta. There's a promotional banner to take you through to the beta - formal launch is end of June, early July
9:51: Huggers says Sky are considering being included in the module. Huggers believes search will be improved even further. Partners will appear on EPG module.
9:54: Live Messenger chose because it was the largest, will be rolled out to other chats. 'A toe in the water,' says Huggers.
9:56: "If you do like a Channel 4 programme - you can add to favourites and it will then alert you and send you off to 4OD when you click on it" Huggers says. Nice functionality.
9:56: BBC "doesn't need its own social network," says Huggers. "We integrate and link through to 3rd party so we don't have to build it."
9:58: Downloaded content details: rules stay same - 30 days storage, once you start 7 days to watch it, download is that computer only.
10:00: "BBC Global iPlayer is still a priority," says Huggers.
10:01: Google TV "An interesting new product that shows level of competition in the marketplace," says Huggers. "I welcome Google TV personally, I see Google TV as a fantastic receiver for iPlayer. Our goal and mission is very clear - we want to make our services available on a platform neutral basis."
10:03: BBC ID has been modernised and improved, and you can link it to Facebook and Twitter.
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