In Depth: Dell Streak: 10 things you need to know
The Dell Streak is available in the UK today, so we thought it was time to give you a full guide to the new Android-toting tablet cum smartphone.
So here's 10 things you simply must know about Dell's new mobile computing device, which boasts 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 3G, EDGE, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
1. It's a tablet
Dell and its partners are clearly positioning the Streak as a tablet device - not least because every single piece of advertising is using the 'T' word. But if there wasn't an iPad we're not sure it would be making this claim. The 16:9 WVGA 800 x 480 screen is 5-inches across, so while it's significantly bigger than the iPhone or HTC Desire, it certainly isn't a tablet in the traditional sense. It's still more of a 'larger smartphone' than a tablet in our book, since tablets are usually larger - the iPad clocks in with a 9.7-inch display, for example.
2. But it can make calls
So the Streak is a tablet, but it has a novel feature. You can also make telephone calls to people! You know, like we used to. The only problem with this function is that you'll look stupid. Holding up a Streak isn't that far off the concept of holding up an iPad to your ear. Thankfully, though, the Streak also packs stereo Bluetooth 2.1, so you can easily use a headset instead.
3. It runs Android
Dell first showed off the Streak in January at CES in Las Vegas. We were impressed with the look of it even then. Though we suspected it would run Android, we didn't know for sure. But Dell has certainly taken a big step with Android given its Windows-centric past. The Streak will ship with Android 1.6 with a couple of tweaks and widgets, but essentially giving you the standard Android experience - with full access to all the Android Market has to offer. That includes full turn-by-turn Google Maps Navigation, aided by the in-built GPS (which the basic Wi-Fi only Apple iPad doesn't have, of course). Dell says that later in the year we'll see the Streak get an Android 2.2 update with Adobe Flash Player 10.1.
4. It packs Snapdragon not Atom
Qualcomm's now well-known ARM-based 1GHz Snapdragon chip powers the Streak, something we're sure long-term Dell partner Intel is watching with interest. Intel has just announced the smartphone-orientated version of its Atom chip (though there are no handsets announced as yet) - it also supports Android.
5. It's a video-conferencing device
There's a front-facing VGA camera, while Dell has also promised "video chat applications and other software innovations" for later in the year. For normal photography there's a 5 MP camera on the back with autofocus and a dual LED flash, plus one-touch upload to the web.
6. It has Gorilla Glass
The display is tough. Really tough - check it out.
7. There's not a lot of on-board storage
2GB. That's a disappointing amount of storage for such an expensive device and, while it's enough for plenty of Android apps, you're hardly going to be able to store a huge amount of music or photos. However, there is support for microSD – up to 32GB – and a 16GB card is included.
8. It's packaged in Bamboo
We haven't seen this yet – as we've only seen a device in a little pouch rather than the box – but according to Dell, the Streak is "packaged with cushions made from 100 per cent sustainable, compostable bamboo". Errrrr.
9. It's available through O2 and the Carphone Warehouse
O2 has the initial exclusive on the handset, with its own stores and Carphone Warehouse selling it first. Dell's own site will start shifting Streaks later in the month. You can get it for £25 a month with no voice calls or text allowance, or £35 a month with a voice tariff.
10. Or you can pay £429
The Dell Streak is also available for £429 – the same price as a certain other tablet we've seen recently. That's quite a hefty amount when you consider what the iPad can do, its memory and the size of its screen.
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iTunes comes to Android with doubleTwist
One of the more popular media players, doubleTwist, has appeared on Android to offer a bridge to iTunes.
While users have been able to synchronise songs from their iTunes media player simply by dragging and dropping, the more intricate things like playlist transfer have been lacking.
The new application from doubleTwist aims to change this, by not only offering playlist support, but the other cool things you take from iTunes, like ratings and playcounts used to make more intuitive song choices.
Coming soon
Video and audio podcasts are also included, but doubleTwist has announced it will be adding in other features, such as a widget for the home screen.
There are of course other applications on the Android Market that allow you to do the same thing to a degree, but the addition of doubleTwist show that the larger players are now starting to see Android as a viable smartphone platform too.
If you want to check it out, search the App Market or head on over to doubleTwist's own application store and see it for yourself.
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HTC Hero Android 2.1 update released... in Taiwan
The anticipated launch of the HTC Hero Android 2.1 update could be coming to the UK in the near future.
The GSM version of the update, which is the same variant used on the UK models, has been launched in Taiwan according to the HTC Hero feed in Asia.
This means that it might not be too long before the UK gets the same treatment, giving HTC Hero users over here the likes of Live Wallpapers, a better Android App Market and more integrated messaging and social networking options.
Still just coming soon
TechRadar has spoken to HTC and sadly there's no official news about the update, with the UK release date still set as 'coming soon'.
HTC has already apologised about the delay, which has seen HTC Hero users stuck with an ageing OS that can't do any of the cool things its bigger brothers are showing off to the world
However, we can't imagine it will be that long now given it's appeared in the US on CDMA networks (rather than GSM) and in Taiwan - so hurry up HTC, get this to Orange and T-Mobile customers over here too!
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BBC opens up about its lack of Dolby Freeview HD support
The BBC has decided to explain the reasons why it is not using the Dolby format in its Freeview HD feeds, after it came under some criticism from audiophiles that it was supplying a Dolby feed on its satellite broadcasts but not its Freeview ones.
Forums like Digital Spy have been awash with users wondering why this is the case so this has prompted Phil Layton, part of the digital service development at the BBC, to explain all in a blog.
"The BBC is required to provide an audio description service on BBC HD," Layton notes.
"Typically there are two to three programmes everyday which are audio described. In order to achieve this we have to use the HE-AAC/AAC audio codec present in Freeview HD receivers."
Restrictions, restrictions
Layton goes on to explain that the Freeview HD receivers out can only decode one type of audio at any one time, so this means that the BBC with its audio description constraints has to stick with the AAC format.
As for sending out programmes without audio description in Dolby, this isn't going to happen because "the restriction around the ability only to have a single audio codec working at any one time means that changing audio codecs at programme junctions results in disruption to the decoded audio."
This doesn't mean that we won't ever hear Dolby (ie surround sound) on BBC programmes piped through on Freeview HD, as Layton does note that set-top box manufacturers are trying to remedy the situation.
As for Dolby and its carrying of audio description, Layton is hoping that the Dolby EAC3 format will be able to deliver receiver mix audio description in the future.
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TechRadar Choice: 45 best digital cameras in the world today
Our constantly updated list of all the best cameras available today
Which camera should I buy? Which is the best digital camera? Should I buy a compact or a DSLR? What is a Micro Four Thirds camera? Which company makes the best cameras?
Just a few of the most common questions people ask when it comes to buying a new digital camera. The fact is that trying to buy the best camera can be a confusing experience.
Everyone wants to buy the right camera for their budget, but it can be hard to out which make and model is for you.
With this in mind, we've put together a definitive list of all the best cameras on the planet. From the best compacts, to the best DSLRs and best Micro Four Thirds hybrids – they're all here, all in one place.
So if you're looking to buy a new camera this year, allow TechRadar to ensure you buy only the best.
- Top 8 best DSLR cameras money can buy
- Top 10 best DSLR cameras for under £1000
- Top 7 best Micro Four Thirds hybrid cameras
- Top 10 best compact cameras money can buy
- Top 10 best digital cameras under £200
Top 8 best DSLR cameras money can buy
If money's no object and you're in the market for the best DSLR, you're in for a treat.
High-end DSLRs have never offered such a compelling blend of straightforward image quality, performance, and low-light capabilities.
At this top end of the market you'll also be looking at cameras that will withstand some serious punishment - if you're spending serious money, expect an all-metal body, weather-sealing to keep out water and dust, and compatibility with a huge range of top-end, weather-sealed lenses.
HD video is a more recent addition to the market, and the best DSLRs are going to offer at least 720p video - some give you full HD 1080p, plus full-time manual controls.
Nikon D3s - £3,500
Sure, you could buy a second-hand car for this much money, but if you can spare it we can't imagine you regretting buying the Nikon D3s for a minute.
It's not just the shock-proof, fully-sealed body, or the incredibly quick 9fps continuous burst mode that impresses - the 12.1MP D3s is the fastest full-frame DSLR currently available.
What does that mean? Superlative amounts of detail at ISO levels that send other cameras heading for the hills. We were happy shooting at an amazing ISO 25,600, which is great news for anyone with few fast lenses and a penchant for rare or retiring wildlife.
Read: full Nikon D3s review
Canon EOS 5D MKII - £1,700
The 5D marque is one of Canon's more venerable, but the MKII improves considerably on the original.
It's still full-frame, which means excellent image quality in low light, but resolution has gone up to an incredible 21MP, and videographers also get a superb 1080p video mode.
The latter went fully-manual thanks to a recent firmware upgrade. It's also superbly built, with weather-sealing providing some peace of mind in the landscape photography situations this camera seems to have been custom-built for.
With a top-speed mode of 3.9fps it's not hugely quick, but time things right and there's a mere handful of cameras that produce this kind of image quality for the money.
Read: full Canon EOS 5D MKII review
Nikon D700 - £1,800
Nikon's lowest-priced full-frame DSLR costs almost exactly as much as the Canon 5D MKII, but photographers who have already chosen a platform should breathe a sigh of release - there's nothing here to convince Canon users to switch, and vice versa.
If you haven't already accumulated a stock of decent lenses, though, you're in for a tough decision. The 12.1MP D700 is at least as good as the 5D MKII when it comes to low light performance (some would argue it's better), and it's faster - 5fps out of the box, and 8fps if you buy the £250 battery grip.
The biggest missing feature is the lack of video: it's not that the D700 won't shoot true 1080p HD, it simply doesn't have the feature at all, making it a little less well-rounded than the 5D MKII.
Read: full Nikon D700 review
Canon EOS 7D - £1,200
One of the most interesting cameras in Canon's arsenal. The 7D has an 18MP APS-C sensor, which isn't hugely exciting, but will shoot an awesome 8fps in continuous mode.
That, coupled with the 1.6x multiplication factor of the smaller sensor means a 400mm lens becomes a massive 640mm lens, which means the 7D is perfect for wildlife photography.
It offers commanding performance when it comes to low-light photography, although it obviously falls a little short of full-frame competitors. Its 19-point autofocus system offers plenty of flexibility and precision.
A stone-cold bargain for serious amateurs or semi-professionals at less than £1,200.
Read: full Canon EOS 7D review
Sony Alpha A900 - £2,000
The A900 has an amazing feature list. 24.6 megapixels? Check. Full-frame 35mm sensor? Check.
Impressively, it also offers in-camera image stabilisation - a major plus when it comes to budgeting for lenses and the only full-frame camera to currently offer the feature. It's also nicely built.
There's not a bad word to say about image quality, and low-light performance is good, albeit rather restricted by the A900's maximum 6400 ISO setting. The 9-point autofocus system is also looking a little dated, particularly compared to the Nikon D700's.
An undeniably great camera if you can grab one for significantly less than its current street price, but as it is the D700 is the more tempting.
Read: full Sony Alpha A900 review
Nikon D300s - £1,200
A real conundrum - this or the Canon 7D? The 12.3MP D300s shoots at up to 7fps, offers a 51-point autofocus system (although its 15 cross type sensors are four fewer than the 7D's), and offers the same build-quality as the more expensive D700.
We can't argue with its superb image quality or high-ISO performance, or its compatibility with Nikon's legendary range of lenses.
Multimedia types will sniff at the lack of 1080p video - 720p is all you get - but that doesn't make the decision any easier for photographers. Our advice? Get both in your hands in your nearest photography shop and see which is most comfortable: you won't be disappointed by either.
Read: full Nikon D300s review
Canon EOS 1D MKIV - £3,700
The current king of Canon's DSLR tree, with the arguable exception of the £5,000 1DS MKIII.
The 1D MKIV's nearest competitor is the stunning Nikon D3s, and on paper at least, it beats it. You get full 1080p video shooting, as well as a four million pixel resolution increase to 16.1MP.
It even manages to be slightly faster, shooting 10fps in its fastest continuous mode. It also offers a 45-point autofocus system with 39 accurate cross-type sensors, which puts the D3s somewhat in the shade, although it's arguable photographers will discern a difference in use - both cameras receive virtually unanimous praise from the professional photographers who use them.
However, where the D3s offers a full-frame sensor, the MKIV offers a smaller capture area (although still significantly bigger than most DSLRs'), and doesn't offer quite the same breath-taking performance at very high (25,600 and higher) ISOs.
Read: full Canon EOS 1D MKIV review
Olympus E-30 - £1,100
An interesting one from Olympus - not quite a top-end camera, but not one for unambitious weekend snappers either.
The 12.3MP E-30 is extremely well-made, and its four-thirds sensor and lens system, while not the last word in DSLR quality, produces excellent quality shots, and at a claimed rate of 5fps.
There's a capable live-view mode, but this sadly isn't backed up by an HD movie mode. If you can find it for significantly less you're getting a lot of camera for the money, but at this price it makes more sense to opt for the faster, better Canon 7D or Nikon D300s.
Read: full Olympus E-30 review
Top 10 best DSLR cameras for less than £1000
Fancy buying one of the best DSLRs but don't want to spend well into four figures?
Never fear: DSLRs under £1000 are still sensationally powerful, take great pictures, and are compatible with a huge range of lenses, flashes and other accessories.
Indeed, for most jobs you won't miss the extra performance or features on tap from more expensive cameras: very high continuous speeds are mostly useful for sports or wildlife, while skyrocketing ISO performance is only necessary if you're shooting at dawn or dusk.
Lower-end cameras are also less spectacularly-built - we're talking tough plastic rather than magnesium alloy - but our experience is that a plastic camera will still take an amazing amount of punishment.
Canon EOS 550D - £580
It's no surprise that Canon and Nikon feature heavily in any list of the best cameras, but even so the 550D is a particularly strong contender.
It's basically a 7D-lite, offering nearly all the features but costing half as much. It's got the same 18MP resolution, and offers 1080p video recording. It takes superb images up to ISO 1600, with a little room for manoeuvre at even higher settings.
The bundled lens is a tad underwhelming but keen photographers will buy something different in 12 months, and when the rest of the camera is so good it's hard to complain about something that can be swopped in an instant.
A properly brilliant camera with loads of room for those constantly learning new tricks.
Read: full Canon EOS 550D review
Canon EOS 1000D - £330
Canon's most affordable DSLR, the 1000D sits a tad awkwardly alongside the Nikon D3000 - both cameras have to stave off stiff competition from a slew of small, cheap mirrorless cameras such as the Olympus E-PL1.
The 1000D is a beauty, though. Small and light, its 10.1MP sensor produces excellent images, and there are dedicated buttons on the body for ISO and white balance changes, which makes operation quick.
Its 3fps maximum burst speed isn't spectacular, but it's good enough for beginners - just avoid trying to shoot moving subjects with the slow, 1.5fps RAW mode.
Read: full Canon EOS 1000D review
Canon EOS 500D - £510
The 550D has some severe competition, not least from its 550D stable mate. There are only a few significant differences between the cameras, though.
The most obvious is the 550D's big 18MP resolution, versus the 15.1MP of the 500D. That's still more than sufficient, however, and the 500D still has headline features such as 1080p video recording, albeit at a less-than-silky 20fps.
Still, you get still capture at 3.5fps and a maximum ISO of 12,800, although it's hard to get usable shots at this setting. If you care deeply about HD video, the 550D is the camera to buy, as it offers 24, 25, or 30fps at 1080p. But for stills photographers, the 500D is an increasingly good bargain.
Read: full Canon EOS 500D review
Sony Alpha 330 - £369
The A330 has one of the best live-view modes we've seen on a DSLR.
Where most cameras will hunt to find the best focus (contrast detection), the A330 is virtually instant, thanks to an advanced focussing system. If you dislike using the optical viewfinder (and the A330's is rather small), the A330 is for you.
We also like the helpful guide system, and the Fn button, which allows you to make a number of changes to the shooting mode quickly. Add to that the fact that it's small and light, and you've got one of the most desirable sub-£500 cameras there is.
Read: full Sony Alpha 330 review
Nikon D90 - £630
Reviewed the better part of a year and a half ago, the D90 still holds its own against the marching tide of DSLRs. Why? Simply put, the king of Nikon's consumer DSLR range takes superb images.
The 12.3MP sensor captures stacks of detail, and the maximum ISO of 6400 means there's generally enough light to avoid using the pop-up flash.
The kit lens is stabilised, which is a plus, and naturally there's compatibility with Nikon's huge range of lenses. The 11-point AF system and 4.5fps continuous drive mode make it good for wildlife snappers, and while it's pricey, it's unlikely you'll find anyone who regrets buying one.
Read: full Nikon D90 review
Nikon D3000
What happens when a company that makes some of the world's most expensive and best DSLRs turns its hand to a budget model?
It's a tricky proposition. The 10.2MP D3000 - which looks as daunting as any DSLR - has to compete with top-end compact and bridge cameras that are designed for novices, and it's not surprising that the complexity of a DSLR is often what puts people off.
But the Guide mode is a genuine revelation, breaking down complex DSLR-speak into plain English. Want to get a picture with a blurry background?
The D3000 will help you do that without resorting to coded speak of f-stops and apertures. If you've never used a DSLR before, the D3000 will walk you through those first tricky months until you start delving into the manual modes.
At this price it's not surprising that you miss out on a movie mode, although the lack of live view is a tad disappointing. But image quality is up to Nikon's trademark standard; it handles beautifully, and is an absolute bargain.
Read: full Nikon D3000 review
Nikon D5000 - £480
The D5000 has a fold-out, 2.7in screen, which is incredibly useful if you like shooting at bizarre angles - being able to frame a shot while holding the camera over your head allows for a lot more precision.
Its 11-point autofocus system is hugely capable, and while there aren't as many controls on the body as on the larger D90 (which lacks the articulated screen), the £150 price difference means you should forgive it. Noise is well controlled below ISO 1600.
Owners of older Nikon gear should note that the D5000 will only autofocus with AF-S and AF-I lenses, but that still covers a vast amount of Nikon gear.
Just about the only serious downside is the movie mode, whose 720p, five-minute limit is eclipsed by the Canon 500D's 1080p mode.
Read: full Nikon D5000 review
Pentax K-x - £450
Want a DSLR and aren't bothered about committing to a platform with fewer lenses than Nikon or Canon's?
The K-x is a spectacularly good choice. Apart from its 12.4MP sensor, 12,800 maximum ISO and effective internal image stabilisation, the K-x has arguably the best kit lens we've seen.
The 18-55mm model that comes in the box has beautifully damped focus and zoom rings, and is gloriously sharp - another reason the K-x is a great camera for those who want to buy a camera they can simply use out of the box.
The upsides continue - excellent 720p video and stellar image quality round off the reasons this camera should be well and truly on your list.
Read: full Pentax K-x review
Olympus E-450 - £450
Four Thirds gets a rough time from camera reviewers. For instance, the 10MP sensor in the E-450 has around the half the area of the sensors found in the Pentax K-x or Nikon D5000, which means image quality isn't quite as superlative.
It's still better than the images you'll get from a compact, though, and the E-450's small size means it's a good choice for travellers.
The menu system is easily accessed and used, and the physical controls on the camera are perfectly weighted.
There's nothing major missing in terms of features - there might not be a video recording mode but you can at least use the camera in live view mode. An excellent alternative to a larger DSLR.
Read: full Olympus E-450 review
Pentax K-7 - £800
The K-7 is Pentax's second entry to the top ten, and a tempting one it is too. The 14.6MP K-7 will shot 720p video at 30fps, or at a slightly weird 3:2, 1,536 x 1,024 higher resolution.
Never mind the idiosyncrasies - the K-7 is a great camera. It shoots just over 5fps and takes excellent-quality images. The ISO can be expanded to as much as ISO 6400, and while the bulky looks might not be everyone's cup of tea, there's no doubt that the K-7 should be able to handle its fair share of knocks.
Read: full Pentax K-7 review
Top 6 Micro Four Thirds/hybrid cameras on the planet
It's quite possible that Electronic Viewfinder, Interchangeable Lens (EVIL), or Micro Four Thirds cameras are the next big thing in consumer technology.
Forget bulky digital SLRs, or lightweight, low-performance compacts and digital bridge cameras - these offer most of the advantages of DSLRs, while still being small and light enough to take virtually anywhere.
The lens system with EVIL cameras tends to be less advanced than with DSLRs, but simply making sure the camera you buy has a reasonable amount of support - a wide, fast lens and a telephoto lens, for instance - should see you through.
You won't get exactly the same image quality from an EVIL camera as you will from a DSLR, but it will be superior to a compact.
Samsung NX10 - £480
Samsung has been trying to claw market share from Canon and Nikon for years without a huge amount of success.
Could the mirrorless camera market be the place it changes everything? The 14.6MP sensor inside is APS-C format, which is the same as that of most consumer-grade DSLRs. It takes great pictures, and returns stacks of detail at most ISOs.
Handling is a bit of a downer - despite not having to use a full-size mirror box, the NX10 handles very similarly to a full-on DSLR and isn't significantly easier to handle.
Read: full Samsung NX10 review
Olympus PEN E-PL1 - £500
This is more like it. Olympus has given some serious thought to making the 12MP E-PL1 stand out from the crowd.
The smaller format allowed by a mirrorless camera has been exploited, and the result is a camera that even the coolest of Shoreditch-dwellers would be proud to have sitting on their mantel piece.
It's not lacking features elsewhere, though. 30fps 720p video and cracking image quality up to ISO 1600 mean you'll be able to get some good pictures in return for your £500 outlay.
The 11-point contrast-detection autofocus system works well, and there's a decent number of lenses available. Just steer clear of some of the more expensive accessories. £250 external electronic viewfinder, anyone?
Read: full Olympus PEN E-PL1 review
Ricoh GXR - £400 body only
Fascinating stuff from Ricoh. Where most mirrorless Micro Four Thirds cameras make do with allowing you to change the lens on the front, the GXR's lenses are built into the same units as their sensors.
That means you can use it as a camera with a standard lens and compact camera-sized sensor, or as a more complex (and expensive) camera with an expensive lens and a DSLR-sized sensor.
It returns decent results, but noise is an issue with the smaller sensor. The wheels really come off the wagon when you start pricing up those extra lens and sensor bundles. The 50mm f/2.8 macro unit with an APS-C sensor costs £600 - by which time you might as well have bought the E-PL1.
Read: full Ricoh GXR review
Panasonic Lumix GF1 - £550
Initially disappointingly expensive, the GF1 is now one of the most desirable EVIL cameras you can buy.
With 12.1 megapixels on tap and a gorgeous, nearly-pocketable design, the GF1 could well point the way forward. There's certainly nothing missing for consumers - 720p HD video, in both Motion-JPEG and AVCHD formats, for instance - and it takes great pictures.
Even with the ISO as high as 3200, our test shots were still more than usable - impressive for a camera with a relatively small sensor. It's also very fast to focus, and the option to focus on a subject and focus on it as it moves across the frame is useful for kids and motorsports.
Read: full Panasonic Lumix GF1 review
Olympus PEN E-P2 - £785
Yikes. We love the E-P2 more than we love the E-PL1. For one thing, it comes with an electronic viewfinder in the box, which is useful for both traditionalists and those who find the 3in review screen unreadable in bright sunlight.
There are other pluses - the 12.3MP resolution is more than adequate for printing those award-contending shots, and quality images up to ISO 1600.
But then you hit some pretty serious drawbacks. There's no flash, for one thing, and although ISO 1600 is generally a fair ceiling for most cameras, the lack of low light performance above ISO 1600 is annoying. Then there's the price.
Although the E-P2 is undeniably a decent contender for pocket camera of the year, it nearly hits the four-figure mark, and would have to be spectacular to be worth the money. If the price collapses, this is a great camera. Until then, look at something like the Panasonic GF1.
Read: full Olympus PEN E-P2 review
Panasonic Lumix GH1 - £1,000
If making movies is your thing, stop looking now and buy the GH-1, because it includes everything except the kitchen sink.
AVCHD and Motion-JPEG recording at 24fps and 1080p, plus the HDMI port, make it perfect for connecting to a TV post-shoot, and the integrated stereo microphone is another definite upside.
Spring for the £140 adapter and you can use a wide range of Four Thirds lenses with the GH-1 - a useful upside. Image quality is excellent - perhaps not as superlative as that from an equivalently-priced DSLR, but the GH-1 is considerably lighter than any DSLR at this price.
Read: full Panasonic Lumix GH1 review
Top 10 best compact cameras money can buy
DSLRs are great. But they're also huge, which makes them annoying to take around with you.
While no compact currently matches the image quality on offer from a DSLR, an awful lot of top-end models come incredibly close.
Full manual modes, HD video shooting and build quality that would make a Sherman tank blush, as well as the ability to be stuffed, worry-free, into a pocket, are all reasons to consider a smaller snapper.
Canon G11 - £400
By the time you've saved this much money you've got enough in the bank for a full-on DSLR, so the G11 has to be extremely good to justify the asking price.
Luckily the G11 brings it home in spectacular style. You can push the ISO as high as ISO 3200, with images staying reasonable well above ISO 1000.
Our favourite feature of Canon's 10MP compact king? The dials and controls scattered all over the tough magnesium alloy body. They might look daunting at first, but get to grips with them and you'll love being able to flick between ISO settings with a physical dial - a feature lacking on most consumer DSLRs. Pricey, but worth every penny for those who simply want a compact camera that does the lot.
Read: full Canon G11 review
Canon PowerShot SX210 - £260
Long lenses are tough things to build into compact cameras - getting all that glass into a small frame often results in slow lenses, chromatic aberrations, and a general sense that you'd have been better off settling for a shorter lens and cropping things in software later.
The 14MP SX210 defies expectations though. Its stabilised, 14x optical zoom lens doesn't mean the body is any bigger, but it will still take good sharp images.
There's also the full gamut of manual modes for controlling shutter speed and aperture size yourself, and an excellent 720p movie mode. A great buy for wildlife-bothering photographers.
Read: full Canon SX210 review
Nikon Coolpix S8000 - £200
It's not just Canon that makes the best long-lens compacts. Nikon's S8000 claims to be the world's slimmest 10x compact. And while some would rather trade straight image quality for size and weight, there's a lot to be said for being able to tuck a 30-300mm lens into a jacket pocket.
It's not the best piece of glass, as evidenced by a touch of chromatic aberration in our test images, but there's a lot of length available, as well as a 3fps top speed that puts some cheaper DSLRs to shame. Chuck in generally good image quality and a 24fps, 720p video mode, and the S8000 is a snip at £200.
Read: full Nikon Coolpix S8000 review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 - £230
Like the Nikon S8000 and Canon SX210, the 14.5MP TZ8 houses a massive lens in its small body - the 25-300mm Leica glass at the front of the camera is suited to almost all photographic assignments.
720p video and a full manual mode are other extremely good reasons for the TZ8 to be on your dream camera shortlist. Image quality is superb up to ISO 800, although you can expect to lose a little detail in your shots after that.
Our only complaint is that despite the manual mode, actually changing shooting settings can be more than a little fiddly.
Read: full Panasonic Lumix TZ8 review
Fuji FinePix Real 3D W1 - £430
And now for something completely different. 10MP sensor? Check. 3x optical zoom? Check. Two Fujinon lenses and a pair of sensors to allow you to create lenticular 3D images? Check.
If you're looking for a way for your photography to really stand out, the W1 is just about the weirdest camera you can get.
The lenses, which are set apart, take a pair of images at once, then combine it to create a 3D view. There's an accompanying 3D viewer as well as a printing service to make sure your perspective-toting shots are viewed as they were intended.
It's clever stuff, if rather fiddly to get right. The price doesn't make the W1 terribly appealing for more traditional photographers, but gadget nerds and those with an eye on the future will love it.
Read: full Fuji FinePix Real 3D review
Nikon Coolpix S1000pj - £310
The 12.1MP S1000pj is a little bulkier than most cameras, but it hides an awesome secret - a 10 lumens projector nestled in the middle of the front fascia.
The projector isn't amazingly bright, but it's effective in enough light to be practical, and people's reaction to it defies its lowly specification. The rest of the camera is no great shakes - decent by Nikon's normally great standards, if prone to softness at higher ISOs - and it can be rather tricky to use.
But the projector is genuinely useful - if there's a party wrapping up, you'll be called on for an on-site recap.
Read: full Nikon Coolpix S1000pj review
Canon PowerShot S90 - £280
One of our favourite and best compacts of all time. Ignore the spec sheet - the 10MP sensor and 3.8x optical zoom - the S90's image quality has to be seen to be believed.
Shots are detailed well into ISO settings that are no-go areas on similar compacts. There's also a full manual mode - and you can adjust settings using both the dial on the back panel and the clever lens ring on the front, which means changing your shooting speeds is much faster than on other cameras.
Throw in the magnesium alloy body and superb build quality, and the S90 actually feels like a bit of a bargain. The lack of an HD video mode is about the only drawback.
Read: full Canon S90 review
Sigma DP2 - £470
The DP2 is a fascinating camera. Beautifully made, it's the only compact in this list to offer an APS-C sensor - the same sized component as in DSLRs right up to the Canon 7D.
That means image quality is correspondingly higher. There are other eccentric features too - the 14.1MP Foveon X3 sensor claims to improve image quality versus standard sensors, while the DP2 is just about the only compact we can think of to offer a prime (i.e. non-zoomable) 41mm lens.
That's a mixed blessing - purists might like it, but more general snappers will want something that allows them to zoom in or out without moving their feet.
Read: full Sigma DP2 review
Olympus Mju Tough 6010 - £150
Shock-proof to 10 feet, waterproof, dust-proof and freezer-proof, the 12MP 6010 presents a reassuring weight in your pocket.
If you're heading to the beach, the arctic, or simply have a track record of destroying good electronic equipment, the 6010 could be for you - it's virtually indestructible.
The rest of its features are practical - the 28-102mm lens covers just about all the bases in terms of everyday photography. ISO performance is the weak link - things are fine up to ISO 400, but go much further and you start trading detail for shutter speed.
Read: full Olympus Mju Tough 6010 review
Canon PowerShot D10 - £240
The 12.1MP D10 is an unusual-looking camera, but then, to be waterproof to depths of up to 10m, and freeze proof as at temperatures as low as minus ten, it would have to be.
Almost everything about the D10 is designed to be outdoor-friendly - the screen is around twice as bright as most compacts', and its shockproof design means you really can take it anywhere.
Image quality is superb as well, with top-end gimmicks such face tracking make it easy to use. If you're the outdoorsy type, the D10 is a definite contender.
Read: full Canon D10 review
Top 10 digital cameras under £200
If a camera is the kind of incidental thing you carry around with you, rather than forming a key hobby, you don't want to spend well into three figures on the latest, all-singing, all-dancing model.
But you do still want the best for the money you spend. Luckily, the lower end of the compact camera market is a spectacular place, full of cameras that will take great pictures with no effort, even if they don't offer manual modes, all-metal bodies or HD video recording.
Which is the best digital camera under £200? Read on to see which one is right for you.
Canon PowerShot A490 - £100
Astonishingly good value for money, the 10MP A490 uses the same DIGIC III image processor as you'll find in some high-end DSLRs such as the 40D.
Crucially, it takes great pictures - you might not be able to exercise any manual control yourself, but for a take-anywhere camera the A490 acquits itself flawlessly. ISO performance is decent - things get muddy from ISO 800 upwards, but the good on-board flash takes care of that.
Inevitably, the A490's build quality doesn't feel bombproof, but it should stand up to most of what will be thrown at it. The AA batteries - as opposed to a rechargeable Lithium-Ion - are a bit retro, but do at least mean you'll be able to power the camera from any corner store on Earth.
Read: full Canon A490 review
Canon Ixus 105 - £145
Sleek design, a selection of cool paint jobs, and an all-metal body: the Ixus 105 feels like it should cost significantly more than its £145.
The core specifications are good too. The 12.1MP resolution is plenty, and the 28-112mm lens is entirely practical, if perhaps just a tad short in some situations. The 9-point autofocus is effective and fast, and, unsurprisingly for a camera in Canon's Ixus range, image quality is excellent.
As ever, the top-end of the ISO range is hard to get good pictures with, but otherwise you're unlikely to have many complaints. The lack of either a manual mode or HD video mode are more serious gripes.
Read: full Canon IXUS 105 review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS30 - £165
With its 14.1MP sensor, the FS30 is one of the highest-resolution compacts you can buy. But don't let that sway you either way - there's not use grabbing loads of data if the lens in front of the sensor can't resolve it.
Luckily the FS30 did splendidly in our image quality tests, and the image stabilisation works well - useful in a camera with a maximum focal length of 224mm. There are a few annoyances - with a long lens it would be useful to have control over the camera's speed settings, so the lack of a manual mode is frustrating.
But the long lens, excellent build quality and high resolution are all good reasons for this to be on the shortlist.
Read: full Panasonic FS30 review
Samsung ST1000 - £170
At £170 the ST1000 is near the very top of what we'd consider a mainstream compact camera, but when it offers such a huge number of features it's impossible to leave it out.
It's got a clever touchscreen, for a start, as well as some decent headline features such as the 12.2MP sensor. But it's the GPS module that really sets it off - give it a few minutes to get a fix on your location and it will record where you were when it takes the picture.
It's very impressive, particularly when used in conjunction with location-aware software such as iPhoto, Aperture or Photoshop Elements.
Read: full Samsung ST1000 review
Fuji FinePix Z33WP - £100
A waterproof camera for under a ton? The Z33WP might only be capable of handling depths as low as 3m (10 feet), but for larking around at the seaside that's plenty.
Elsewhere, there's a 10MP sensor and a 3x optical zoom lens. Image quality isn't going to blow anyone away, but if you're looking for a camera to accompany you and the family everywhere you go, and would prefer not to shell out three figures for something that might end up stuffed into the DVD player, the Z33WP doesn't have any drawbacks that would make us caution casual photographers against buying it.
Read: full Fuji Finepix Z33WP review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1 - £150
12.1MP, a non-extending 4.6x optical zoom, and waterproofing to 3m (10ft), the FT1 is a surprisingly tough camera for the bargain price of £150. It even worked after a spell in the freezer. We're not fans of the rather fiddly controls, but the 720p mini AVCHD video mode is a definite upside. Image quality is decent, and the zoom starts at a good and wide 28mm. It's also shockproof, making it a good upmarket choice if you were already considering the £100 Fuji FinePix Z33WP.
Read: full Panasonic FT1 review
Fuji FinePix F200EXR - £140
A spectacularly advanced compact when it came out in 2009, and not exactly old news a year later. The key to the "advanced" claim?
The F200EXR's 12MP Super CCD EXR sensor. This can be used to grab a straightforward 12MP image, or the resolution can be halved and the pixels can be "teamed up" to gather more light at once and produce better images at higher ISOs. It doesn't work quite as well as Fuji would have you believe, but image quality is still excellent.
Alternatively, the excellent Wide Dynamic Range mode, which grabs a pair of 6MP images, then merges them into a single exposure which does a good job of retaining detail in both highlights and low lights.
Read: full Fuji Finepix 200EXR review
Canon PowerShot A1100 - £100
The A1100's very low price tag buys you a surprising amount - a 12.1MP sensor, DIGIC IV image processing, and an excellent layout of dials and buttons on the body that make changing the settings a snap.
The lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 35-140mm, which while not the widest is still going to be enough to cover family get-togethers and the odd portrait. Sadly, there's no manual mode, but that's just about the only thing missing on this cracking little camera.
It feels well-built, but the bulky styling is decidedly 1980s, but when a camera takes such good pictures for such little money, it's unlikely you'll care.
Canon PowerShot A3100 IS - £120
The A3100 has some interesting features for a camera costing less than 150 beans. For instance, it has one of the best, brightest 2.7in review screens we've ever seen.
We also love the face detection feature: it won't just focus and meter for individual faces in the frame; you can set it to start the countdown when a new face enters the frame, potentially consigning undignified sprints to join a crowd of posing relatives to history.
ISO performance is good as well - use the A3100 IS outdoors and you'll have no complaints about image quality. Just about the only serious drawback is the lack of a high-def video mode, but at this price those keener on stills than video won't care.
Read: full Canon A3100 IS review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 - £120
A really slick little number, finished in brushed aluminium - we bet you wouldn't be able to accurately guess the FS15's price just by looking at it.
But £120 for such a stonking camera is a great deal: a 12MP sensor, a practical 29-145mm Leica lens, and a huge number of scene modes to allow you to make the most of whatever scene's in front of you. It will also capture shots, at 3MP, at a highly respectable 5.5fps - perfect for nabbing a few decent shots of the next sports day or trip to the zoo.
The only thing to worry about is the frankly rather random movie mode (840 x 480 widescreen VGA mode, anyone?), but for stills the FS15 is well worth a look.
Read: full Panasonic FS15 review
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Scientists create their very own 'black hole'
Scientists in China have created a device which acts like a black hole, absorbing 99 per cent of electromagnetic waves without any bounce back.
The device essentially simulates the behaviour of a black hole, with Physorg saying about the absorber: "This is the first experimental demonstration of an omnidirectional electromagnetic absorber in the microwave frequency region.
"To build the absorber, the researchers used the unique properties of metamaterials to manipulate light waves and achieve the wave trapping and absorbing properties."
Got that? Good.
Electro dreams
The cylindrical device is made up of 60 copper-coated rings of metamaterial (material which reverses the direction of light and can possibly make objects invisible) and, well that's it.
We would have hoped some sticky back plastic was involved but it wasn't, so don't expect Blue Peter to be showing how to make your very own 'omnidirectional electromagnetic absorber' anytime soon.
Once the waves entered the object, the scientists found that they couldn't escape – the waves, not the scientists.
The experiment means that the device could be used as a source of thermal emission or the collecting of microwaves in free space.
No word yet if it can be used by a Bond villain to take over the world.
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In depth: Sky's purchase of Virgin Media TV - what does it mean?
Sky's acquisition of VMtv is a major announcement for British television – but what will it mean for cable and satellite customers and some of our most familiar digital television brands?
Virgin Media TV or VMtv is the collection of television channels that Virgin Media owned including LIVING, LIVINGit, Challenge, Challenge Jackpot, Bravo, Bravo 2 and Virgin1. By selling VMtv, Virgin Media is no longer a content producer, but is concentrating on being a platform for other people's content.
In essence, Virgin Media customers look set to benefit hugely from the deal – which has helped to push through some long term negotiations over HD channels, on demand and wholesale pricing.
They will get more channels, more HD options, more on-demand television and more red button interactivity.
Sky customers will get new HD channels to enhance their already impressive high definition line-up. Sky's purchase means that they no longer need to pay a 'carriage fee' to provide the VMtv channels – which could free up investment in the future.
1. Sky customers will get Bravo and Living HD
Already dominant in terms of HD channel offerings, Sky will now be able to offer two of the key HD channels that it didn't previously have – with Bravo and Living, homes to programmes like Spartacus Blood and Sand and Ghost Whisperer, now set to appear on the satellite platform.
2. Basic Sky Sports HD and Movie HD channels to appear on Virgin Media
"Virgin Media will, for the first time, have the option of carrying any of Sky's basic HD channels, Sky Sports HD 1 and Sky Sports HD 2, and all Sky Movies HD channels," says the release.
Virgin Media cable customers will not get all of the Sky HD channels, but will get more of them – including the opportunity to subscribe to HD Premiership football.
3. All the VMtv channels will still be on cable
"New carriage agreements will secure wholesale distribution of …the newly acquired VMtv channels, on Virgin Media's cable TV service."
So, you won't be losing Bravo, Living or Virgin 1 (or whatever it is rebranded to) if you are a cable subscriber.
4. New carriage deals done for Sky basic channels for cable.
"New carriage agreements will secure wholesale distribution of Sky's basic channel line-up, including Sky1 and Sky Arts."
So, deals have been done as part of the purchase that will make sure that Sky basic channels are still available on the cable platform.
5. More on demand content for Virgin Media customers
"Virgin Media will make available through its on-demand TV service a range of content from Sky's basic and premium channels, including the newly acquired VMtv channels."
The success of Virgin's on demand service has been proven by a constant increase in consumer use - this deal will only make that offering even better and help more people understand the value of VoD.
6. Red button interactive sports for Virgin Media customers
"Virgin Media will also have access to red button interactive sports coverage…"
Which could potentially mean access to all of the live Sky-covered Champions League matches that aren't the main feature and are normally only accessible through the Sky red button, as well as things like Fanzone, highlights and a whole host of interactive goodies.
7. Internet television offerings from Virgin Media
"Virgin Media will also have…the opportunity to deliver selected standard definition programming over the internet."
So the long-awaited Virgin Media internet catchup and choice television platform will still have some content.
8. Sky's basic HD channels to arrive on Virgin
Sky One HD and a few more will now be coming to Virgin Media - although the company has not yet finalised what the pricing will be or what TV packages will get the channels.
9. Virgin One to be rebranded
Sky now owns Virgin One and all of its content, but not the Virgin branding, which means that Virgin One will be rebranded. Sky 4 anyone?
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Breaking: Sky buys Virgin Media's TV channels
Sky have paid £160 million for Virgin Media's television channels - including Living, Bravo and Virgin 1 - with Virgin Media's cable service getting HD Sky channels as part of the deal.
Sky will acquire VMtv - consisting of LIVING, LIVINGit, Challenge, Challenge Jackpot, Bravo, Bravo 2 and Virgin1 for £105 million, with £55 million to be paid following the regulatory content.
As part of the deal 'basic' Sky HD channels will now be available for the first time on Virgin Media's cable offering. New carriage agreements have been sealed to keep the VMtv channels and Sky's other channels - including sports and movies - on the cable service as well.
Attractive investment
Jeremy Darroch, CEO, BSkyB, said: "VMtv is an attractive investment opportunity which complements our existing content business and delivers strategic and financial benefits.
"We are pleased that, through commercial negotiation, we have been able to ensure wide distribution of our channels to a growing pay TV universe."
Neil Berkett, CEO, Virgin Media, said: "The sale of our channels business has generated substantial value.
"Together with the new commercial agreements we've announced today, it will allow us to focus more closely on our strategy of exploiting Virgin Media's super-fast connectivity to offer our customers a range of the very best content through a highly versatile next generation entertainment application."
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Virgin Media next to unveil Samsung Wave
Virgin Media has announced it will be stocking the Samsung Wave, making it the second network to bring the first Bada phone.
The Samsung Wave, which features all manner of high-end tech like a Super AMOLED screen and HD video recording, is available now from Virgin.
It also doesn't feature a microSD card in the box, so there's no chance of it picking up that pesky virus some of the Waves have been shipping with.
Cheaper for Virgins
Virgin Media's existing customers get a better deal, with the ability to get £5 off per month compared to the deals offered to others.
This means instead of paying £25 a month of a two year deal, customers can get the phone for free with 200 minutes, rather than having to pay £129.99.
Virgin Media is also offering up the Nokia 6303i Classic as well, with the stainless steel phone for £79.99 on pay as you go.
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Review: Grundig GU22DVDBLK
The Grundig GU22DVDBLK 22-inch HD Ready LCD TV is a decidedly no-frills affair, with a somewhat dated design and flimsy looking speaker grille making its budget status all too obvious.
Inevitably, the glossy black bezel was covered in fingerprints within minutes of being unpacked.
The unconventional 16:10 screen ratio makes the panel a tad squashed looking, and gives off the definite whiff of a computer monitor that's been repurposed as a TV. However, the inclusion of a built-in DVD player might just give this pint-sized TV the boost it needs.
Both the onscreen menus and the EPG are basic, but responsive and easy to use. There's no 'page down' button, though, so you have to scroll somewhat laboriously through all the programme schedules.
The layout of the remote control is slightly haphazard and many of the most frequently used buttons are illogically placed.
Performance
Unsurprisingly, Freeview pictures are very soft. Even considering the relatively low quality of the original broadcasts, these pictures seem to be below average. What's more, the backlight is distinctly visible at the edges of the screen, which can prove distracting.
Using the built-in DVD player is simple – you just have to switch from TV to DVD mode using the dedicated button on the remote.
It does seem to take a while to load and pictures are okay on the whole, but black levels are unimpressive, with dark scenes deteriorating into an impenetrable void. Colour reproduction is also slightly below par, with tones tending to appear either dull or unrealistically gaudy.
Viewing discs played on an external upscaling deck offers a marked improvement in picture quality. The level of detail receives a welcome boost, and colours also look good, if still a little overcooked.
However, black levels see little improvement, and there is a lot of colour banding and haloing around light objects on dark backgrounds. There's also a significant amount of image blur, even on relatively slow-paced movement.
There are several sound modes, including a pseudo-surround setting, that's unconvincing, especially via the rather weak speakers.
If you're after a compact set with a built-in DVD player and you're on a tight budget then this isn't a bad buy, but the picture niggles make it difficult to recommend fully.
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3DRadar.co.uk launches
Catch up on all the biggest 3D news, including film reviews, the latest technology and gaming with 3DRadar.co.uk, which has launched on the TechRadar network.
3DRadar.co.uk is piled high with all the latest 3D news, features and reviews from TechRadar, as well as content from the likes of Home Cinema Choice, T3, Total Film and Future's gaming websites.
This should bring you everything you need to know about the exciting world of 3D, and its steady rise as part of the next generation of home entertainment.
Panasonic
Panasonic, one of the leading names in 3D and home entertainment, is the launch partner for the new site.
"This is an appealing site for both enthusiasts hungry for knowledge, and commercial partners with products to sell," said Future's Pat Egginton.
"With key brands now launching their 3D TV ranges, new 3D content announced daily and consumer interest growing, the time was right to launch 3DRadar."
You can get to 3DRadar at http://www.3dradar.co.uk
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Review: Sony KDL-32NX503
We wouldn't say Sony has entirely lost its way in design terms, but it hasn't been setting the aesthetic pace quite as it used to. The KDL-32NX503 LCD TV marks a deliberate attempt to change that, courtesy of a new 'Monolithic' design that's gone down well at recent technology shows.
But how does the design hold up in the living room? And does the 'Network' TV marketing badge actually mean anything?
Features
The all-important design certainly is striking, thanks in particular to the sheer, single-layer fascia, boldly chunky black surround and the way the screen tilts back slightly on its stand.
However, the impact of the 'monolith' is reduced by the TV's surprisingly ample rear end. The single glass top sheet of the screen fascia reflects a lot of light and objects, which can become quite distracting.
The 32NX503's other big selling point, its networkability, kicks in with its connections. For alongside four HDMIs you will find an Ethernet port and a USB input, both capable of multiple talents.
The Ethernet provides access to future interactive features that may come from the set's built-in Freeview HD tuner. It also enables you to access files on a DLNA PC and Sony's new Bravia Internet Video service.
The volume of optimised services available via this platform is outstanding, with dozens of video streaming services including LoveFilm, Demand Five, YouTube and Eurosport video news.
The video streaming system is also impressively stable, even using a simple 2MB broadband connection, and with the set also supporting the sending of video links directly from your PC to the TV, the 32NX502 really does live up to its Network TV billing.
Elsewhere, the set carries Sony's latest Bravia Engine 3 video processor and Live Colour processing for richer saturations, and a mode for boosting whites.
The 32NX503's only significant feature shortcoming is its lack of any 100Hz processing.
Ease of use
The 32NX503's remote control is superbly designed; tactile, comfortable, responsive and well laid out except, perhaps, for a slightly misjudged 'concentric circle' button arrangement at its heart.
Disappointingly, the onscreen menu is rather less immediately appealing, with its 'cross-axis' arrangement initially feeling slightly convoluted. But it only takes a little time familiarising yourself with how the system works for it to start to feel pretty natural.
Picture
The first thing we sadly have to say is that we seriously considered only awarding the 32NX503 a score of three for picture quality. There are two main reasons for this.
First, colours strangely lack the sort of vigour and vibrancy we're used to seeing on LCD TVs now – including many of Sony's own models. This additionally means that colours occasionally don't look completely natural in tone.
Secondly, the picture looks slightly soft, even when watching in high definition – something that's mostly down, we suspect, to some slight, but consistent, motion blur/response time issues.
HD images still manage to look detailed and engaging, though, despite their slightly soft tone, and the Bravia Engine processing guides standard-def images up to the screen's full HD resolution without making them look noisy or bitty.
The set's black level response is mostly very good, too. During dark scenes, we were really struck by how grey-free black colours look, and by the almost complete absence of the sort of backlight inconsistency issues that have blighted so many recent Sony TVs.
Admittedly, the set has to sacrifice quite a bit of brightness to make these black levels happen, but it's a sacrifice we generally felt prepared to make. Though if you have a particularly light living room, you might not feel the same.
Colours compensate for their occasional tonal issues, meanwhile, with subtle blends and expressively fine shifts, and while motion might not be entirely crisp, at least there's no sign of the overt smearing noted with some of Sony's previous relatively budget models.
Sound
The 32NX503's strongest audio point, its talent at bringing out treble detail in a mix, is also its biggest problem.
For with precious little bass on hand to provide a counterpoint to all the trebly stuff, the soundstage can sound rather tinny, especially when the speakers are being driven hard.
Although it doesn't quite have the performance power to rate as a real bargain, the 32NX503's multimedia features are unusually comprehensive for a £700 TV, if that sort of thing is your bag.
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Panasonic latest HD DVD recorder unveiled
Panasonic has announced the arrival of its latest DVD recorder, which boasts Freeview+HD functionality.
Called the DMR-XW380 – where do they get these snappy titles from? – the recorder packs twin HD tuners, 5.1 surround sound and it also comes equipped with a memory card slot.
This is so you can port all your fancy photographs on to the system's hard drive, ready for playback on your TV.
As for that hard drive, that's got a capacity of 250GB so plenty of room for hi-def goodness.
Extra funtions
Other features include Viera link and DLNA functionality. Having Viera Link on board means that you can watch videos on YouTube and check your stocks and shares, if you are that way inclined.
And you can also playback AVCHD files – so anything you record on your HD camcorder can be played back.
Price-wise, you are looking at £499.99. If you want to see how well the recorder works, then head over to T3 where they have a review.
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Panasonic unveils Freeview+HD Blu-ray recorders
Panasonic has unveiled two Freeview+HD Blu-ray recorders – with the DMR-BW880 and BW780 both bringing dual tuners, hard drive storage and 5.1 channel surround sound.
The need for mass storage is enhanced by the arrival of Freeview HD, with the higher definition pictures needing more space.
Panasonic's two new arrivals allow recording to dual-layer Blu-ray discs and come with an SD memory card slot for AVCHD camcorder footage and photographs.
Full HD
"Both Blu-ray disc Recorders feature twin HD terrestrial tuners or satellite tuners, which enable customers to record digital broadcasts in full-HD quality," adds Panasonic.
"Besides their ability to record two digital broadcasts at the same time, the twin HD tuners also allow users without a digital TV to watch a digital broadcast and record it simultaneously.
"5.1-channel surround sound (Dolby Digital or Dolby Digital Plus) signal and subtitles that are included in digital broadcasts can also be recorded, allowing users to enjoy surround sound and subtitles during playback."
The DMR-BW880EBK has a 500GB hard drive and the 780 has a smaller 250GB hard drive.
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Weird Tech: Dolphin frustrated by lack of Flash support
An international space crew has just embarked upon a 520 day mission to Mars. There's just one catch - it's only a pretend mission. They're playing at space.
According to MSNBC, six people have agreed to lock themselves into a fake spacecraft for 520 days, in order to be experimented on, with the aim of seeing if it's possible for a group of men to tolerate each other's company for the time needed to get to Mars.
The enormous experiment, which is being organised by a Russian team with help from the European and Chinese space agencies, will mimic a 250 day trip to Mars, a 30 day jaunt around its rocky surface, then the 240 day return to earth - all happening in real-time in a 550 cubic meter facility in Moscow.
And to make things even more unbearable, their internet connection to earth will be delayed and occasionally interrupted, to copy the harsh realities of trying to use Twitter in space.
Monkey brain training
Our traditional look at the many and varied ways scientists waste their time and our money takes in both monkeys and robots this week, with news that a group of scientists have taught a monkey how to mess around with a robot arm - using the power of thought alone.
MONKEY DO: We're working on getting a monkey trained-up to write Weird Tech. It's just learning about possessive apostrophes and will soon be ready
This tells us a couple of things - monkeys are more intelligent than we may have previously thought, and scientists really ought to stop mucking about and get on to proper things that will benefit all of mankind, like phone batteries that last - not drunken party tricks involving Meccano and chimps.
iPod
The two cutest and most popular things known to man have come together, with another group of animal-bothering scientists teaching a dolphin how to communicate - using one of Apple's beloved new iPads to ensure they get on the news.
The dolphin, called Merlin, has been using a waterproofed version of the fashionable touchscreen device to learn how to "associate symbols with objects" according to PopSci, with the eventual aim being to teach Merlin so many of the nuances of language he'll be able to learn a "symbolic language" and start chatting away. Merlin is currently poking his nose at a blue brick with a question mark on it and wondering what it signifies. It's hard to explain that to a dolphin.
oBese
Last of all, if you're wondering if it's worth saying 'To hell with it' and giving up restraining yourself in the crisps aisle at lunch time, here's a way to see what you'd look like super-sized and enormously obese - iPhone app Fatbooth.
WARP FACTORY: Now, what would I look like ginger and covered in Vaseline?
Created by the same team responsible for the AgingBooth app, FatBooth does a similarly impressive job of warping your features - this time by piling a whole extra person's worth of weight onto your face. The Daily Mail pulled off an uncharacteristically amusing series of celebrity comparisons, ending with a fat-warped photo of John Prescott - which it remarked "showed little difference".
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Review: LG 42LE7900
It's big, it's purple and it's only wafer thin. LG's latest boundary pushing screen, the 42LE7900, with its subtly plum-tinged frame and improbable profile, is jaw-droppingly lovely to look at and comes packed full of some the most exciting spec of any telly available today.
Features
This set has every gadget you could possibly need and then a few more sprinkled on top for good measure.
Most excitingly, it has Freeview HD brains built in, which means you won't need a digibox ever again. It also sports LG's NetCast web-browsing 'widgets', wireless capability for use with various media files or cord-free headphones and four HDMI inputs.
It's also lit with LEDs, which, aside from enabling that miraculously slender chassis, provide much more efficient illumination than standard (CCFL) units.
It is, of course, full HD, features 100Hz digital scanning and has no fewer than two USB inputs for enjoying video or photos from external sources.
Ease of use
LG's tile-based design is still our favourite operating system, with an effortlessly intuitive architecture enabling setup and tweaking to be as quick and superficial or as painstakingly exacting as you prefer.
The picture settings 'wizard' is particularly helpful for anyone disinclined to spend afternoons fiddling with gamma or black stretch.
The remote, while not too pretty, is sensibly arranged and sits comfortably in the hand.
Picture
Video performance is a fairly straight split between the outstanding and the disappointingly ordinary.
From the former category you'll enjoy some of the best colours on any LCD television currently available, exacting detail from hi-def sources, an impressive sense of depth and scope and decent scaling.
These are counterbalanced, regrettably, by so-so black levels and surprisingly amateurish motion handling.
To start with the good stuff, though, the palette is a treat. It's bright and cheerful by nature, but reins itself in where required to produce one of the most rounded displays of colour reproduction you'll see this side of plasma. Whether it's the lower reaches of digital television or the most demanding Blu-ray movie, everything is rendered with a degree of naturalism and accuracy that is utterly immersive.
Witness the summery meadows at the beginning of Inglourious Basterds, for example and compare the woozy evening sunlight therein to the convincingly begrimed tones of the titular outlaws' woodland hangout a few scenes later; both are handled with a fidelity that would do a cinema credit.
The tonal authenticity is supported by a degree of detail that manages to work inadvertently against the film's carefully contrived 'vintage' feel, making some of the action seem too real.
Cheap digital broadcasts are scaled neatly; they don't look anything like HD, but the images are stretched out to 42in without much in the way of artefacting.
It's a shame, then, that the blacks aren't terribly persuasive. The edge-mounted LEDs are all too visible in scenes of near or total darkness and undermine whatever contrast or profundity might otherwise have been achieved.
Movement is also disappointingly clumsy. Whether you're watching broadcast, DVD or Blu-ray, there is discernible noise around anything that moves, particularly during camera pans.
Sound
The sound produced by this unfeasibly slender display is probably marginally better than you'll be expecting.
All the usual flatscreen caveats (lack of bass, unconvincing pseudo-surround modes) apply to the usual extent, but there is a surprising amount of volume at your disposal, with 'low geared' adjustment (represented by a neat wheel in the bottom right hand corner) providing gentle incremental increases, rather then the usual inaudible/acceptable/hideous din progression usually found on LCDs.
Crank it too far, though and things become shouty and unpleasant and the sound image tends to be rather flat in nature, which is fine for television, but a bit cramped for movies.
Anything in excess of a grand is big money for a 42in screen these days, but the relatively high price must be set against the LE7900's wealth of features, almost watertight futureproofing and radically lovely styling.
This isn't a set for true videophiles, though: the underwhelming black levels and occasionally substandard motion handling cost the set a fifth star and an unreserved recommendation.
One for well-heeled and forwardlooking gadget fans who prefer style over technical finesse.
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Exclusive: Microsoft: IE9 will prove that hardware matters
Microsoft's Ryan Gavin believes that Chrome OS' focus on the software rather than the hardware misses the larger point – and says that as browsers start to take advantage of our devices, they become even more important to our experience.
When asked about Chrome OS and cloud computing Gavin, who heads up the Internet Explorer division, insisted to TechRadar that the arrival of HTML5 in modern browsers, including IE9, shows that the hardware does matter and not just the operating system.
"I won't opine on Google's strategy, but if you think about Chrome OS you can ask 'why would they do that?' Well maybe it's because the device matters, maybe it's because you actually need some of that capability," Gavin said.
No huge delta
"I don't think about this huge delta between something like Office [in Windows] and a rich web application.
"I think that's where the future lies – when people get binary on it I think they miss the larger point."
Gavin points to the flying windows demo used to showcase the graphics capability of IE9, and says that the future still depends on devices that have some hardware oomph.
"For things like that flying windows demo you actually need to take advantage of the computing power of whatever machine you're on," he adds.
"That's important and for those experiences to persist off the web where a developer can write across several platforms - you need the same markup."
Office 2010 model
Gavin believes that the interoperability of Office 2010 and its web apps is a decent model for the future.
"Certainly on our part what we hear from customers is that the experience is what matters - what it can do and the capabilities of it.
"If I'm an Office user, the fact that I have this great Office application on my PC and when I'm on the road the fact I have this rich functionality of a web app [means] all those experiences become intertwined and it becomes part of my Office experience."
Exciting times
Gavin is aware that IE9 has to deliver as a modern web browser, and points to Microsoft's backing for HTML5 and presence on the web standards committees as evidence that the software giant is changing.
"I am more excited about where IE is than I have ever been over last 5 years," he added.
"It's positioned at a truly incredibly important inflection point not only for Microsoft but for the web.
"There is truly an expectation that developers and consumer have in terms of what the web is capable of."
"It's really defining what I think is a new version of the modern web; it doesn't feel like limited content, limited navigation, limited graphics, it feels like a rich application in many respects."
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Review: Panasonic Lumix G2
A lot's happened in the camera market in the 18 months or so since the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 arrived, and this upgrade of the original Micro Four Thirds hybrid is eagerly awaited.
The Panasonic Lumix G2 inherits many of the virtues of its predecessor – compact size, powerful optics, ease of use – but also brings some genuinely exciting new extras to the party.
As well as shooting HD movies in the economical AVCHD format at 720p, the Lumix G2 makes brilliant use of the latest must-have in gadget land, namely touchscreen technology.
Touchscreen widgets in themselves are no big deal these days, as anyone who owns a modern phone will testify, but here comes the zinger – on the Lumix G2 you can use touchscreen to tell the camera where to focus, adjust camera settings or even take the picture.
Oh, and you can scroll through all your existing shots, too.
Like many usability breakthroughs it sounds a bit banal and gimmicky until you actually use it – and then you wonder why nobody has implemented touchscreen technology in this way on cameras before.
To set the focus point, for instance, you literally point to where you want the camera to focus on the articulated rear screen and up pops the relevant AF crosshairs. It's certainly more intuitive than manipulating AF points via a dial or button, as other camera makers expect you to do.
Multiple AF points can be selected in this way, too. And, recognising the innate conservatism of camera buyers, compared to, say, the style-phone crowd, Panasonic has kept all the conventional controls on the G2. So, there's a conventional PASM dial sitting next to less familiar buttons like Intelligent Auto (a souped-up auto everything mode).
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 is cleverly positioned to appeal to two quite distinct markets. Its light weight and the ease of use of its touchscreen will appeal to nervous compact owners eager to try something more powerful without being overwhelmed.
Meanwhile the decent optical performance, manual controls and ability to shoot HD video will appeal to more experienced photographers or people looking for a lighter, more convenient SLR replacement.
As mentioned, Panasonic might have had the Micro Four Thirds party to itself back in 2008, but the Lumix G2 now faces some stiff competition.
With a street price of around £650 with the 14-42mm kit lens, it's up against attractive hybrids like the Olympus Pen series and the Samsung NX10, not to mention other products in the Panasonic range, like the well-regarded Lumix GF1 and the G10.
Seven hundred quid will also buy you a very nice DSLR with 1080p HD video recording, such as the Canon EOS 550D. The Lumix DMC-G2 certainly isn't an impulse buy, so how compelling are its new features?
Panasonic has opted to keep the same 12.1 megapixel count as the G1, GF1 and other models in its range.
While the similarly priced Canon 550D SLR weighs in with a 14MP sensor, the disparity doesn't make much difference in practice.
The layout is conventional enough, with a top PASM dial and an extra 'iA' button, standing for Intelligent Auto.
We're not sure why Panasonic gave a dedicated button to this hand-holding auto mode, as some beginners might not even realise it's there if they haven't read the manual – but still, it's a useful setting for complete novices. iA works cleverly with the touchscreen AF – so if you're taking a portrait and touch somebody's face to set the focus point, the iA automatically switches to Portrait mode.
As with the Canon 550D, there are a lot of icons squeezed onto the top dial, including the scene modes (exposure pre-sets for a range of shooting conditions) and the My Color range of picture styles.
The My Color icon on the top PASM dials enables you to choose a range of options, from Pure to Retro to Dynamic Art, via Elegant. They're fun to play with, and can help boost the colours in JPEGs, but don't get carried away and use them as a replacement for proper camera technique.
Another big selling point of the Lumix DMC-G2 is the articulated three-inch screen which can be rotated through 270 degrees. It's well engineered, but could be easier to read – try and use the touchscreen to set the AF point in very bright sunshine and you have to duck into the shadows.
The menus themselves look a bit cheap compared to Canon's, but they're easy enough to use.
As well as being simple to use, the Lumix DMC-G2 is fairly fast. although the limited choice of lenses means this camera is unlikely to appeal to sports photographers, it can fire off 3.2 frames per second in continuous shooting mode.
The electronic viewfinder is of a very high quality and enables you to check exposure and colour settings as you frame the shot. It also makes manual focusing a lot easier than on comparatively priced DSLRs. Being able to call up a grid is a big help with composition and keeping horizons straight.
The electronic viewfinder gives plenty of information about settings too, so it's really one of this camera's strong points.
The Lumix DMC-G2 enables you to shoot in JPEG or RAW, and although the supplied RAW-editing software won't give Adobe any sleepless nights it does the job (and works on Macs, too). In common with other hybrid cameras, the Lumix DMC-G2 offers a wide-range of in-camera image tweaks.
There's a good choice of cropping options too; as well as the conventional 4:3 ratio, you can go for the 3.2 aspect ratio used by most DSLRs or even choose 1:1 or 16:9 (widescreen crops).
As mentioned, the camera comes with a reasonably sized 12.1megapixel MOS sensor and the new Venus Engine II image processor.
Both deliver smooth, well exposed images from the box. There's a slight tendency to underexpose but this is easily tweaked via exposure compensation, and anyway, better slightly underexposed shots than blown-out ones.
CREATIVE ART MODE: The My Color presets are fun to try and handy for boosting colours for creative effect
ISO performance is acceptable for the money, though noise is more noticeable at higher settings than the Canon 550D, for example. It's certainly very usable up to ISO 800, however.
White balance, meanwhile, is impressively accurate, and comes with a full range of options. The 14-42mm lens is workmanlike without being spectacular, and surprisingly light and compact compared to a similarly-specced kit lens from a DSLR. Image stabilisation is built into the camera, rather than the lens, so you need to delve into the menu to activate it.
AUTO FOCUS: Being able to quickly set the AF point via the touchscreen LCD is a big help when shooting pets or kids
Considering the camera and lens are quite light, it's definitely worth doing this. The lens itself is certainly up to the standard of a basic kit lens you get with a comparatively priced DSLR, and we noticed minimal lens distortion and aberration.
Shooting movies is very straightforward, and although it's a shame you don't get full HD, the 720p HD performance is good. Again, we noticed a slight tendency to underexposure, but colour and detail are captured well. The stereo microphone is sensitive, and there's a useful Wind Cut option to reduce extraneous noise.
MACRO: The flexible AF options are also good for flower close ups
Our only slight query concerns the ease of adjusting exposure controls in movie mode. The only way we could adjust aperture, for instance, was to set the aperture in A mode on the top dial, then hit the red movie record button to the right of the dial.
It's easy enough when you work it out, but not that obvious when you first use the Lumix DMC-G2, so this is something that could confuse less experienced users.
SKIN TONES: The camera has a slight tendency to underexpose on default settings, but skin tones are accurate and pleasing
Once you have figured out how to adjust exposure controls when shooting movies, the results are very good – colours are clear and motion is captured smoothly. There's a choice of standard motion JPEG recording or Panasonic's proprietary AVCHD Lite format.
ZOOM: While the 14-42mm kit lens is respectable rather than revolutionary, telephoto performance is reasonable, with minimal distortion
While AVCHD Lite is an economical and efficient format, it doesn't work with every video-editing program (or older versions of software) so check before you shoot.
It would have been embarrassing for Micro Four Thirds-pioneer Panasonic to drop the ball with the Lumix DMC-G2, so the company has worked hard to deliver a real high scorer.
While it may seem expensive at first glance, you get a lot of innovative camera for your money, and it is worth getting just for the touchscreen wizardry, intelligent auto modes and quality HD movies.
We liked:
The Lumix DMC-G2 is a very well made and generally well-thought out camera. The plethora of buttons and dials can look a bit intimidating at first, but this camera bends over backwards to be helpful.
Touchscreen AF-point selection is a truly impressive innovation, one that many less experienced photographers will find makes a huge difference to the quality of their photographs. The electronic viewfinder is excellent too, as is the articulated screen (though it could be easier to read in sunlight).
We disliked:
Obviously it would be nice to shoot HD movie at the 1920 x 1080p level offered by Canon 550D DSLR, but there are always some compromises with Micro Four Thirds hybrids.
Apart from a few usability niggles, which you soon get used to anyway, the biggest problem with the Lumix DMC-G2 is the relatively narrow choice of lenses and accessories.
Compared to a similarly priced DSLRs, there's a limited choice of glass, and using different types and makes of lenses via lens adaptors is a clunky and expensive solution. The supplied 14-42mm lens is fine for the money, but it'll soon feel restrictive.
Verdict:
If you're looking for a real do-it-all camera and aren't too worried about building up an extensive collection of lenses in the short term, the Lumix DMC-G2 is an excellent buy. It packs in lots of features for the price and the quality electronics deliver impressive still and video images.
In a nutshell, the Lumix DMC-G2 is one of the best Micro Four Thirds-cameras to date, and throws the gauntlet down to Olympus and other hybrid competitors.
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Review: Panasonic TX-L37S20B
Freeview HD IS about to explode. The World Cup is set to kick off subscription-free, hi-def broadcasting in earnest, and the amount of content on the platform will increase exponentially over the next few years. So having the brains to decode it, plus a 1080p panel on which to display it, makes the Panasonic TX-L37S20B about as future-proof as it's possible to be.
Features
Aside from that tuner, and in the absence of any built-in internet widgetry, 3D capability or LED backlighting, the only other attribute likely to generate any serious excitement is Panasonic's own V-real Pro 4 processing engine, a sophisticated suite of picture tweaks widely regarded as one of the better examples of its kind currently on the market.
The socket count is disappointing in terms of HDMIs (of which there are just three), but it's redeemed slightly by the inclusion of an SD card slot for enjoying multimedia files either from the internet or from your personal computer.
On top of that you'll find the usual sprinkling of component video, two Scarts (both RGB) and an optical digital audio jack for sending the sound to external amplification.
The most avid spec-sheet scanners, meanwhile, will notice the intriguingly named CATS, or Contrast Automatic Tracking System, which on closer inspection reveals itself to be nothing more thrilling than a slightly fudged acronym (ACTS being the logical, if less seductive arrangement) for one of those now almost obligatory gadgets that monitor ambient light levels and adjust the screen's output to correspond.
Ease of use
This is a company that tends to pursue its own single-minded agenda rather than instinctively hop aboard whichever bandwagon happens to be passing. This mentality is reflected in its obstinate persistence with plasma and also here in its choice of user interface.
While other manufacturers are flocking to more graphical, icon-based styles in the wake of LG and Philips, Panasonic has stuck stubbornly to a more traditional method based on text and tables.
And when it works as well as this, there's little reason to change anything, particularly when it's linked to a more or less perfectly laid out remote control with large, clearly labelled keys that operate with a pleasingly firm action.
Picture
Video performance is fine, if you're careful what you feed this set.
Colour is impressive most of the time, with a wide, natural palette able to capture the trickiest tones more or less perfectly. Flesh tone are accurate, real world shades, such as grass or sky are spot on: a BBC HD preview for a programme involving Michael Portillo travelling up and down the country on railways captures the former MP's distinctive pallor perfectly, while the greens, browns and greys of the almost incessantly overcast scenery rolling by, will be instantly familiar to anyone who has ever stared out of a train window.
Black levels aren't bad, although our test disc of the frequently nocturnal The Day the Earth Stood Still did test the Panasonic's ability to breaking point.
The picture is on the noisy side, whatever the source quality, with Freeview occasionally, looking positively pixellated, while Die Another Day on Blu-ray was grainy enough to look far older than its 10 or so years.
Motion handling is really rather scrappy, 100Hz or no. Natural, deliberate movement, such as an actor walking across the screen, or a smooth pan across a field containing straight lines, is distinctly glitchy and there is often a visible haze around whatever is moving, particularly with standard-definition stuff.
Sound
Panasonic usually puts a bit more thought into its flatscreen audio than most of its rivals and the TX-L37S20B is a typically robust effort.
Its chunkier than usual chassis and a pair of relatively large drivers help it deliver a soundfield that is surprisingly airy and spacious. The volume tends to peter out towards the top end and the bass is far from bottomless, but it's a welcome change from the tinny, two-dimensional disappointment delivered by most modern wafer thin models.
This isn't the cheapest or best 37in set on sale at the moment by a long chalk. Panasonic rarely makes anything really duff and the TX-L37S20B definitely has its moments, but it exists in a slightly awkward limbo where it lacks the high-end chops required to impress dedicated videophiles but is perhaps too pricey to tempt buyers on a budget.
The Freeview HD tuner does count for quite a lot, but we're not entirely persuaded that it's enough in itself to warrant that fourth star.
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IE9 taking a leaf out of the Windows 7 book
Microsoft has taken a leaf out of Windows 7's book in the development of Internet Explorer 9 – with the software giant opening things up early in order to give this community the chance to shape the next generation of its browser.
With Internet Explorer's market share slipping, but adoption of IE8 still encouraging for the company, Microsoft is keen to apply the lessons it learned in the positive buzz created by the open Windows 7 Beta in the increasingly competitive world of browsers.
Speaking to TechRadar, senior director of Internet Explorer, Ryan Gavin, explained that early glimpses into IE9 are keeping him happy.
"One of the things we did at [Microsoft developer conference] MIX is release the platform preview of Internet Explorer 9," said Gavin.
"That's the first time we've done it in the history of Internet Explorer. It's not the not full browser but it's just the underlying components."
Early adoption
"It is basically allowing developers to see the standards we are adopting, some of the new capability that is coming like the new JavaScript engine and really start to do some early testing.
"This change of approach is something that we started with MIX with the first release – we committed to updating it every eight weeks and the feedback on this change of approach has been amazing."
Much has been made of early speed tests, which show Microsoft closing in, but still slower than its main rivals in the fames SunSpider Javascript test, but Gavin is confident that in real browsing performance IE9 will have the edge without surrendering the strong message around security that underpinned the messaging around its predecessor.
"You can expect our focus and leadership on privacy to accelerate – especially as we push on with IE9," said Gavin.
"It's incredibly important but as we think about IE9 you layer on top of that foundation the set of new experiences developers build and then make the choice not just compelling but incredibly compelling because you're building on a professional base."
Three vital things for IE9
"Developers tell us three things; one that performance is incredibly important when you think about those Office web applications and new class of experiences and it's really all round performance and not just speed," adds Gavin.
"The second is interoperability and here there is this notion of same markup; writing your code once and having it work across the web, another very important area that we're looking at.
"And then the third area is to push for a new class of experience on the web with things like hardware acceleration.
"HTML5 really is on the cusp of delivering new experiences on the web – and all of this is underpinned a difference in approach for how we build IE9."
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