LG Optimus 3D gets earlier UK release date
LG and The Carphone Warehouse have announced that the LG Optimus 3D will be coming to the UK a week earlier than expected.
The new phone, which rivals the HTC Evo 3D in the forthcoming 3D phone war, was scheduled to go on sale from 8 July, but 20 Carphone Warehouse and four Best Buy stores will get stock a week earlier - with the rest of the nation now getting the phone from 6 July.
Pricey dimensions
The LG Optimus 3D will cost the princely sum of £35 a month on a two year contract - which is a long time if you're not heavily into exploiting the third dimension.
Or you can buy it off contract and SIM free for £499.95 if you're after something a little less committed - we're all about choice here.
We've got our full LG Optimus 3D review in the works to see what the fuss is really all about - or alternatively you can see our hands on preview for some lovely images of the chunky little beast.
 |  |
Read More ...
Windows Phone Tango update to follow Mango?
Microsoft's next Windows Phone update will be called Tango, according to inside sources.
Although Microsoft has yet to announce any details of what will come after its uber-update Mango, which brings such things multi-tasking, improved keyboard and Twitter and Linkedin integration, Digitimes believes that this will be superseded by Tango and this will eventually be ousted by an update called Apollo.
Mango, Tango, Quango?
Now, we know what you are thinking, why isn't Microsoft continuing with the rhyming update theme?
Google has done well in piquing our interest with calling its updates after food (alphabetically arranged food at that), Microsoft could easily have milked the rhyming thing some more, if it hadn't chosen a name that hardly anything else rhymes with.
Interestingly, Tango may be a new update but there have been some rumblings that Apollo will be another major update, which would lead us to believe that Tango would be something of an incremental one.
| |
Read More ...
Nokia releases updates older Symbian handsets
Nokia has launched some software updates for handsets running Symbian 3.2 and Symbian 5.0, including an upgraded browser and Ovi Maps.
Although Symbian^3 and its forthcoming Anna update are the most advanced of the Symbian crew, it's only available on newer phones like the Nokia N8; older phones are now getting a bit of update love.
The Symbian update brings with it the Nokia browser v7.3 which is the same web browsing software that will be coming to the Anna update. This means faster browsing, international domain name support and compatibility with other scripts like Arabic and Chinese.
What fun
Also en route to the aging handsets is an updated Ovi Maps app; Symbian 3.2 handsets, like the Nokia E72, Nokia E5 and Nokia C5-00, will get indoor positioning via Wi-Fi and location-based recommendations from Lonely Planet.
Symbian 5.0 phones, including the Nokia C6-00, Nokia X6 and Nokia N97 Mini, will enjoy Ovi Maps public transport info and social networking check-ins.
Oh, and all devices will be getting a new set of emoticons in case you want to communicate through MMS and text messages like it's 2001.
Nokia sure is putting a lot of effort into making Symbian users feel loved, now that it has cast the OS aside in favour of Windows Phone 7.
The staggered roll out will begin today, with Nokia C6-00 and 5230 first on the download schedule and the rest following over the coming weeks.
| |
Read More ...
Review: Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo
Sitting pretty in the hand, the small Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo smartphone and its 8.1-megapixel camera offer photographic skills far beyond what you'd expect for its 125g weight.
The 3.7-inch screen with multi-touch Reality display is nice and sharp, and benefits colour-wise from Mobile Bravia technology. However it fares poorly in direct sunlight, with us having to pull the ol' hand-as-a-sun-blocker move.
The phone is small enough to use comfortably with one hand, so it's not a huge problem, but essentially, with smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 carrying AMOLED and the Apple iPhone 4 with its Retina display technology, should we really be having problems with direct sunlight any more?
But, moving on, the (blue for us) semi-anodised finish, curved posterior and well-distributed weighting means it sits nicely in the hand at least.
The lock/power key, volume rocker, and – score! – a soft camera key all live on the silver right side of the 13mm-thick chassis. It's not the thinnest of phones, but the depth gives it a nice solid feel in the palm, and it's short enough (4.7 inches, or 116mm) to slip easily into pockets.
On the front we have the Home, Menu and Back buttons, plus up top the Xperia Neo squeezes in a front-facing camera, and proximity and light sensors.
On the back, of course, we have aforementioned 8.1-megapixel camera and a beast of a flash, with which we may have blinded some unsuspecting band members at gigs. Whoops.
Placed at the top are the mini-USB port, 3.5mm audio jack and – in keeping with the high megapixel camera – a mini-HDMI port.
All in, we're not faced with yet another black slab of a smartphone, which is good, we suppose. It's neat and ergonomic, but it's not the sexiest design ever and doesn't really push our aesthetics buttons.
Coming in SIM-free at around £369, it's a mid-range smartphone that fits a lot into its small frame. Running on Gingerbread 2.3, there's also the 8MP camera, mini-HDMI out should you enjoy seeing your videos on a big screen, and a multi-touch 3.7-inch screen.
The Xperia Neo definitely leans on its media offering, but for what it's worth, that's some pretty good stuff, and great if your smartphone is more for play than it is for work.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Interface
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo runs on Android Gingerbread 2.3, neatly aligning it with the Samsung Galaxy S2 and earmarking it as one of the few handsets to be launched with the updated OS. It offers a smooth navigation experience, with little-to-no juddering – in fact, the only stuttering we found was with internet browsing, but we'll get to that in a little while.For customisation fans, the little Xperia Neo offers a plethora of possibilities, with five Home screens, moveable widgets and shortcuts, and – hello to Apple's iOS – the ability to organise all of them into folders.
Diving into the menu delivers the apps, the ordering of which is easy. Click on the right-hand squares icon and it floats the apps, making it easy to sort into content panels. Or, click on the left-hand arrow icon and sort them alphabetically, by most used or by most recently installed.
The Android pull-down notifications tab is still around, something we like as a handy way of viewing your most recent messages/notifications.
And for your four key, most-used apps, there's a dock across the bottom of each screen to pin them on. By default these sit as media, messaging, contacts and phone dialer, but they too can be customised and changed around.
Plus, holding the Menu button momentarily will bring up a multitasking screen, which allows you to pick from the most recent widgets you've had open.
Altogether, a good operating system overlaid with a Sony Ericsson skin, making for an easy to navigate UI that you can make your own in many ways.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Contacts and calling
Accessing the contacts is, as previously stated, easily done through the floating dock, which sits on every Home screen. They're, naturally, presented in the usual list, with a nice dash of social networking integration.Syncing with your Twitter, Facebook and Google accounts will automatically populate your handset with imagery and the latest status update from whichever network your contacts happen to be connected to.
However, it had a couple of problems syncing contacts of ours, even when their names perfectly matched the spelling on their social networks – and we couldn't find a manual way of correcting that, which is a bit poor if you like everything to be neat and properly ordered.
Tapping a contact's name will bring up their profile page, displaying all their latest status updates, email addresses, and of course, phone number. From here you can make them a favourite, edit their info or shortcut to various messaging types (SMS, email, social networks etc).
However, if you want to skip all that, simply tap the image to the side of the name in the list view and up pops a handy row of shortcuts, including phone dialler, email, SMS, Facebook and Twitter.
You have to be quite precise in your tapping, however, because the list view keeps each contact defined to a thin strip, so there's a lot of room for error and might get irritating if you're larger of fingers.
Adding a contact is dead easy. Long-tap an incoming number, or just dive into the contacts list, and tap 'create new contact', or the + icon that sits at the top of the screen.
Calling-wise, the connection tends to be good and doesn't often drop, but one bugbear is the lack of smart dialling. Finding a number means either dipping into the contacts or going through the call log. All well and good, but it's nice to have that short cut of being able to tap in representative numbers and be presented with matching names.
The handset sits comfortably against the ear thanks to the curved form, and call quality is loud and clear. Knocking the volume up and down while talking can be a little difficult, since the volume rocker sits too close to the camera button to be able to feel the difference while talking. However, it's a minor fault. Having the call on speaker gives a decently loud sound.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Messaging
Tapping out messages on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo is adequate. The keypad itself is well spaced and should be easy to pick up speed on, however there are a couple of notable faults.There's a possibility whoever designed it has a problem with contractions, because the apostrophe button is irritatingly located in the symbols page, and typing in predictive text doesn't help either. For example, typing "where's" won't offer the amendment "where's"; instead you have to navigate out of the QWERTY pad and into the symbols, and only upon typing "where'" will you be offered the choice of "where's".
Same for "I'm" and "I'd", and while it sounds like such a simple thing, it gets incredibly irritating after a while and drastically slows down responses.
That said everything else is set up in a good way. There's a portrait and a landscape QWERTY pad.
And, standard Android, the choice to reply in portrait while seeing the message history and a shortened form of your message.
Or to reply in landscape without the message view but with a full screen message.
Converting the SMS to MMS is handy, with a shortcut sitting next to the text input box that, when pressed, offers the chance to add media or even dive into camera mode and add a new snap.
The message history format is the now-standard bubble view, however, with both sides of the conversation displayed in the same colour of bubble, it can get a little difficult to tell who is who if the conversation goes on for a while.
Social networking isn't really integrated at all in the SMS inbox, and the choice has been made to keep email and SMS inboxes separate. Messages in the inbox are displayed in a list view, however, and contacts' pictures as synced with Facebook/Twitter are visible.
As for email, the phone comes pre-loaded with two different apps; Gmail, plus a generic email app. The standard app refuses to acknowledge the existence of inbox folders, so that's not particularly useful if you're a super-organised person. But if you're both organised and on Gmail, then you're absolutely set. It does, however, have a combined inbox, which lets you add several accounts at once.
Additionally, the screen feels a little crowded when in the email editor, especially in portrait QWERTY mode.
However, setting up your account is beautifully simple, as it always is these days: simply enter your details to the prompt screens and away you go.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Internet
With a decent Wi-Fi or 3G (HSDPA, 7.2Mbps) signal, using the browser of internet-reliant apps is pretty fast, taking around a minute to send an image to a Twitter client such as PicPlz, for example. Even image-heavy sites with Flash elements, such as TechRadar, were quick to load with a strong signal… otherwise, it's a couple of minutes wait to load a webpage or map.The browser supports text reflow and colours are bright, though not always very sharp, with images becoming pixelated when zoomed in to read text.
The Sony Ericcson Xperia Neo supports Flash 10.1 and videos can be watched inside the browser without having to navigate out to say, the YouTube app, which is pretty sweet, though standard for Android (*cough*c'mon iPhone*cough*).
Navigating the browser is dead easy thanks to the usual Android Menu button, which means you can switch between open windows, going to the bookmarks page or add a bookmark with ease. It's also easy to share the page you're reading with your social networks.
Bookmarking is as easy as navigating; just click the menu key, dip into Bookmarks and you'll find all your favourite sites ordered by thumbnail, most visited and the general browser history.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Camera
The cherry on the decently-specced cake of the Xperia Neo has to be the camera. It packs an eight-megapixel Exmor R sensor to help brighten low-light images (which it genuinely does).
There's a Camera button to shortcut into the camera mode or to take images with. You already know how much these please us. You can, if you prefer, use touchscreen capture, but we think a physical button reduces shaking, so we're always pleased to see one.
There are precious few modes to play with on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo, and only one shooting mode that will allow you to zoom (2MP, 16:9), which is pretty poor. Post-shot editing is limited too to a simple crop or rotate.
But if post processing is really your thing, there's usually an app for that, so head to the decently stocked Market.
Click here for full-size imageOUTDOORS: This snap of Brighton beach on a cloudy day is fairly true-to-life for colour, with a little saturation. The colour washes out slightly on the right towards the light source but is overall a great quality picture (taken at the highest resolution)
Click here for full-size imageLOW LIGHT: This picture of Brighton pier lit up at dusk is significantly helped by the Exmor R sensor technology, because the sky was much, much darker than it appears in the image. Colours keep a beautiful tone. Snapped at dusk without flash
Click here for full-size imageBLINDING: This image was taken in bright sunshine, and the camera doesn't fare very well when faced with a strong light source directly in front of it. The resulting image is almost black and white, drastically washed of colour and producing a silhouette effect
Click here for full-size imageDETAIL: This pic of the London Eye in strong daylight is much better, with no saturation and true colours. The detailing is excellent
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Video
With the Neo video options, oddly enough, there's a little more to tweak than there is with the camera mode. You can play with the exposure, pick different scenes such as Sports or Night mode and choose from three focus settings.It seems a little odd not to have these available for the camera too, but hey ho. A mini-HDMI port lets you connect to a big screen, but even watching the video playback on a laptop screen didn't wow us.
The footage is detailed to be sure, but it's not as sharp as the Nokia E7 and one of our examples shows that the microphone is susceptible to a noisy background. Shooting without the image stabiliser on also produces a somewhat jerky playback.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Media
With the HDMI port, 8MP camera and 3.7-inch screen with Bravia technology, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo is especially media and entertainment heavy for a mid-price handset.With an 8GB external memory card, it can hold a decent amount of media at a time and is easily swapped for a larger card without having to remove the battery. Supported file types are as standard: MP4, WMV, MP3, WMA, WAV and so on.
The music player widget can be placed on any Home screen, making it easy to reach. Any music playing will also leave a notification in the drop-down menu, which will take you to the full player.
There's no cool Cover Flow-esque display here either, with a simple list layout of tunes, whether in portrait or landscape.
The speaker slotted into the back cover towards the bottom is powerfully loud and impressively clear, but badly located and easy to cover with your fingers.
The sound quality is decent on the supplied earphones, but woe betide you if you think you're going to swap them for a different brand, more comfortable pair. Vocals are lost to the background, and even on the 'normal' setting, the sound seems to float towards you as if you're underwater, something the minimalistic equaliser presets do nothing to help.
A similar fate awaits you when watching videos – dialogue is completely lost to the ether.
The video player is easy to access from a Home screen gallery widget, and thanks to the curved form of the chassis, is nice and comfortable to hold while you watch.
The colours, despite the 'Bravia technology' touted by Sony Ericsson, are a little muted on the screen and somewhat grainy, occasionally even a little pixilated, which is disappointing when imagery taken with the camera itself displays so nicely.
The photo gallery is accessed by the same widget, displaying thumbnails to scroll through, with handy controls floating at the bottom of the screen. There's precious little you can do with them, however, in gallery mode. You can't organise into folders and you can't edit past a quick rotate or crop. A little rubbish really. But you can share any which way you like, from YouTube to Twitter to Facebook to email.
There's a vanilla FM radio – no interesting additions to the standard plug-in-and-listen format here.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Battery life
Battery performance is pretty basic. It'll last you about 8-10 hours with heavy usage (media playing, constant internet use, phone calls) and about 12-15 hours with more standard use. We definitely had to charge it every night however intensively we used the phone, so it doesn't stand up too well. If you're looking for a handset that doesn't need constant charger juice, then this isn't it.
Connectivity
The Xperia Neo gives good connectivity with HSDPA (7.2 Mbps), HSUPA (5.76 Mbps), WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, DLNA and Wi-Fi hotspot capability.
We found connecting by Mac a bit of a pain in the rhetorical, with the Mac refusing to recognize the connected phone. But after a little fussing and unplugging we were eventually offered the option to connect the memory card, which enabled both drag-and-drop and the Sony Ericsson Media Sync software to recognize the Neo.
Media Sync is an easy-to-use desktop client that allows you to search through the music/poscasts/video sitting in iTunes and add to the phone.
Still, simple as it is, drag-and-drop seemed the easier way to get to all the files on our hard drive that we wanted to transfer (ie films that were stored in other folders). Conversely, connecting by PC was a breeze, switching things around using drag-and-drop method.
Oddly the Xperia Neo didn't seem to enjoy connecting by Bluetooth, getting to the pairing stage but not actually connecting with the Mac and not even managing to find the PC to connect to at all.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Maps and apps
Google Maps software is obviously included, and there's nothing new here beyond what you usually get: directions, satellite view, Street View, and new 3D building hotness. The Xperia Neo GPS is quick to lock onto a location and the compass calibrates quickly. It definitely got us out of a lost spot or two.The layers can be pretty useful, detailing transit lines and 'Buzz'. Though, Google Buzz never seems to cache anything useful, so you're probably better off sticking with your own social networks to tell you what's happening round and about.
Apps
The Xperia Neo doesn't come pre-loaded with any stand-out apps, but that's okay given the extent of the Android Market app store.
For social networkers, the Timescape app is fun and pretty but unless all you want to do is scan status updates, it's really rather pointless.
Clicking on anything will simply open the mobile site, and profile pictures are pixelated in the extreme, meaning it can be difficult to tell who's who. Stick with the original Android versions of networking apps. You can't flick through them like a Vegas dealer flipping cards, but you sure get better usability.
Viewing and organising apps in the menu is intuitively easy, as previously mentioned, with the options to order them in your favourite pages view, or by alphabetical list, most used or recently installed. You can also arrange the apps into organised folders, if you so wish, on the Home screen, giving you tidy and easy access to your favourite apps.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Hands-on gallery
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Official gallery
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Verdict
Overall, this mid-range Android offering from Sony Ericsson is actually pretty decent, and the specs are impressive. On closer inspection they didn't blow us away, but if you're looking for a reasonably priced, media-heavy phone with a screen size to rival the Apple iPhone 4, then this will stand you in good stead.
We liked
It was nice to see the lightly skinned Gingerbread 2.3 working swiftly without any juddering, and it copes admirably with battery-sucking apps.
The eight-megapixel camera turns out gorgeous photos, and all this is light enough to fit in your pocket. It's also got strong connectivity, and fast internet access.
We disliked
The design aesthetic wasn't to our tastes. Sorry Sony Ericsson, but the blue, slightly plasticky chassis doesn't really do it for us; kudos for trying to break the 'black slab' mentality of smartphones, though.
The fact that we couldn't really use it with our own headphones grated hugely. There's really no good reason this should be the case.
Verdict
With a slightly larger/better-lit screen, the media features of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo might have wowed us a little more. As it is, it's a functional little mite, with high usability and simple, one-handed navigation and operation.
| |
Read More ...
MySpace to be sold for just £18 million?
MySpace looks set to be sold this week, with the social networking site to be bought for a fraction of the $580 million News Corp paid for it back in 2005.
News Corp had been hoping to get around $100 million for the site, but All Things Digital is reporting that this is way off the number that is likely to be agreed, which will be between $20 to $30 million (£12 to £18 million).
There are two companies vying for MySpace. Specific Media and Golden Gate Capital – the former being an advertising network and the latter a private equity firm.
Deal soon
News Corp is hoping that the sale will be completed by Thursday and it is thought that MySpace Music will be what the eventual buyers will focus their sights on.
According to All Things Digital, there is also an outside chance that the co-founders of MySpace may be interested in giving the site a much-needed kiss of life.
Both Tom Anderson (remember him? He wanted to be your friend so badly) and Chris DeWolfe could well come in with a last-minute bid.
Whatever the outcome, it is likely that MySpace will shed more jobs (rumours are that 150 will go) and become a much more streamlined affair.
Looks like the My [___] logo introduced earlier this year was a sign of the cost-cutting to come.
| |
Read More ...
Exclusive: Nokia: there's still hope for MeeGo yet
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop's comments about the Nokia N9 being the last MeeGo phone may have been misinterpreted, according to a statement sent to TechRadar.
The Nokia N9 was recently announced with mostly positive first impressions, but according to Finnish site MTV3, Elop 'confirmed' that it would be the last MeeGo phone as the company looks to a new Windows Phone/Symbian era - although he was never directly quoted by the site.
Game over, or game on?
We spoke to Nokia to clarify the situation, and received the following response:
"Our primary smartphone platform will be Windows Phone – we have been very clear on this point – this is where we will be focusing our energies and resources as we go forward.
"Having said that, many of the innovations seen in the new N9 will be utilised in future Nokia products and we're excited about that and about what the N9 has brought us so far."
We realise that the statement is hugely open to interpretation - 'many of the innovations seen in the new N9' could range from the new MeeGo OS in its entirety to its triple homescreen layout or clever NFC Bluetooth pairing,
Whatever the plans are now, it's likely that Nokia won't give up on a strong consumer product if the N9 gets the traction the early signs are suggesting it might - so perhaps we haven't seen the last of MeeGo after all.
| |
Read More ...
First Picture: Virgin Media's TiVo iPad app
Virgin Media has sent us a sneak peek at its upcoming TiVo iPad app.
Sadly, the spoilsports won't tell us when the app will be released, exactly what it will do or any other handy hints about it at the moment.
We already know that the app will act as a massive remote control as well as a lap-based EPG.
Wild stabs in the dark
But looking at the first screen shot, it looks as though we can also look forward to multiroom DVR management, on-demand content on your iPad and some social features via the 'share' option.
We wouldn't be surprised to see some Facebook or Twitter integration here, and it'd be nice if it went a little bit deeper than simply tweeting what you're watching.
TiVo already has an iPad app out in the US, which, based on the picture Virgin Media sent us, doesn't look massively different to the upcoming UK one; but with Virgin on board, we're hoping for some nice little extras to sweeten the deal.
| |
Read More ...
3D gaming: what the future holds
Where next for stereoscopic 3D gaming? And, by extension, what is that first properly 3D game - that title that will be the benchmark for all the subsequent 3D games to follow - going to be like?
These are vital, timely questions for hardcore gamers and games developers alike, as a familiar haze of cynical disinterestedness settles over the first batch of 3D games on PC and PlayStation 3.
Indeed, a recent report claims that, despite the concerted push from the TV and display industry to leverage 3D as an added-value feature on your new telly or PC monitor, many users will still rarely watch or play with 3D content in future.
Informa Telecoms & Media claims that, despite 3D soon set to become a default feature on our TVs and PC monitors, 3D TV will not be a mainstream success, with less than half of the 11 million 3DTV-ready UK homes in 2016 set to be active, regular users of 3D TV.
"We do not share the view that 3D represents the obvious next evolutionary step for TV, in the same way that colour followed black and white, or HD is following SD," reads Informa's damning report on the future of 3D.
"Colour and HD offer noticeable enhancements to the technologies that preceded them. But 3D TV is less of an enhancement and rather more a new type of viewing experience - one that many people will enjoy, but some way from becoming ubiquitous."
3D gaming: our only hope
Yet while those types of findings may well trouble the likes of Sky or Virgin Media, many gamers and games creators argue that it is the latest developments in 3D PC and console gaming that are really set to drive uptake of 3D tech in the home. However, some detractors of 3D in the games industry are beginning to argue that the heavy PR focus on 3D gaming tech and content from the likes of Nvidia and Sony in recent years may well have been misplaced.
"I think for a large number of consumers, stereoscopic 3D (in its current technological implementation) will remain incidental to gaming," says games analyst Nick Gibson, from Games Investor Consulting, "a fun option to have but just that, an option not a gaming necessity. This may change gradually as 3D becomes more ubiquitous but I think it will take a different technological implementation of stereoscopic 3D to make it a widespread must-have for gaming."
Unphased by such criticism, Sony recently unveiled its own competitively-priced PlayStation-branded 3D monitor at E3 2011, following major 3D marketing campaigns surrounding recent PS3 titles such as MotorStorm: Apocalypse, Killzone 3 and Gran Turismo 5.
3D SCREEN: Sony introduced the latest hardware at E3 2011
Additionally, one leading British developer that begs to disagree with Informa's rather negative take on 3D content development is Andrew Oliver, CTO of Leamington-based Blitz Games Studios.
"Up to now there's been a real chicken-and-egg situation with the uptake of 3D in the home," argues the 3D gaming evangelist. "The TV manufacturers have been pushing the technology further and the price is starting to lower but the installed base won't increase until there's a good spread of 3D content available.
3D gaming starting to gain momentum
Oliver points out that the catch-22 for 3D gaming is the fact that entertainment companies won't bother investing in pushing out new 3D content until there's a big enough installed base of equipment to make it worth their while.
"I personally feel that this process is starting to gain some momentum now, though - more and more animated features are becoming available on 3D Blu-Ray, because they're being produced for the cinema anyway, and broadcasters are starting to commit to some 3D content too.
INVINCIBLE TIGER: Blitz Games' groundbreaking stereoscopic 3D console game
Out of all the major gaming console manufacturers, it is clearly Sony that has the most to gain from convincing gamers and TV-buyers that 3D is a viable tech for them to invest in right now.
"Sony is best placed to progress both sides of this scenario, " says Oliver, "as they have a stake in TVs, projectors, Blu-Rays, games consoles and content creation - so if anyone can get this moving it's them! And as soon as glasses-free TVs become affordable too then we'll really start to see 3D hitting the domestic mass market in a big way."
Microsoft's 3D reticence
However, over in Redmond, Microsoft appears to still be "surprisingly reticent about actively embracing 3D," argues the Blitz CTO. "They've recently updated the Xbox 360 to include stereoscopic 3D as standard so that's a great leap forward but I'd personally like to see more of a commitment in the coming year or so."
NINTENDO 3DS: The latest auto-stereoscopic 3D gaming
Nintendo is currently leading the handheld 3D charge with the recently launched auto-stereoscopic 3DS, which Oliver thinks is "a great introduction to 3D for a lot of people, but the limited screen space and the nature of the glasses-free experience on the device has sadly put some people off.
"I think it's a great piece of kit, though, and when the content embraces 3D properly, the effects do look really cool on it - I hope that it ultimately helps people to see the potential of what 3D can bring to a gaming experience."
3D iPad gaming
The market for hardcore gaming is no longer all about the traditional three big console manufacturers, of course, with development of quality mobile and handheld gaming expanding and fragmenting at a phenomenal rate right now.
So what of the new movers and shakers in the handheld and mobile 3D gaming market? Specifically, will Apple soon embrace 3D on the iPad and iPhone?
3D IPAD 3? Apple could be the next gaming brand to push new 3D content
"Apple has been surprisingly quiet in this space and I'm actually a little surprised," says Oliver, "because they're always at the height of technology. Given there are already technologies that can display 3D with no comprise to 2D, it's surprising that they haven't exploited this yet.
"After all, an iPad that could display 3D movies perfectly, probably without glasses, would not only sell very well at a premium price, but would also sell a lot of premium-priced 3D content on the movie and app store too."
There has already been a number of 3D tablet devices announced for the consumer market, with the likes of the next Asus Eee Pad MeMo set to arrive with glasses-free 3D, which leads the Blitz Games CTO to speculate that "maybe Apple will join the fray with the iPad 3?"
Quality content and innovative design
The bottome line is this. While 3D gaming developers such as Andrew Oliver are impressed with the likes of Samsung's latest active shutter 3D TV tech and LG's latest passive polarisation offerings, he agrees that the real battle is to provide quality content and innovative 3D games design.
"It's very difficult to tell people why 3D will make such a difference to game design, although I really do believe it makes a big difference," he says.
"The problem we'll continue to face is that, until you've experienced 3D gaming done well, or good 3D content of any type, it's very easy to be dismissive of its impact. Just as when movies went into colour for the first time, 'non-believers' dismissed the new technology as unnecessary because they couldn't see what it would add to the overall consumer experience.
CONTENT IS KING: Quality content is still required
"I think people are now starting to see that it really does add something, though. Broadcasters such as Sky have realised that content such as sport can really benefit for the extra detail and clarity that 3D brings, just as they did when HD was first entering the mainstream.
"Likewise, in games, sports titles (including racing) could well be one of the genres that gets people more interested. Ultimately I think game designers will start to consider designing for 3D as just another technique in their toolbox and it will be factored into all types of games."
Oliver is still realistic about the fact that 3D will continue to have a lot of sceptics in the gaming market because of the many associated technical challenges and the costs, "although both of these will become less of an issue as time goes on."
In the Blitz CTO's opinion, the fact is that the hardware is finally coming now ("as people upgrade their TVs over the next few years, everyone will eventually have a 3D set whether they planned to or not") added to the fact that the console manufacturers are doing what they can to allow 3D content to appear on their machines means that, "it's now down to game developers and publishers to take the leap of faith, and the financial commitment, obviously, to make the content happen. However, I believe that it will start to become more prolific, and probably sooner than most people expect."
3D casual and social gaming
Elsewhere, in terms of 3D gaming in the thriving casual and social gaming markets, we spoke with Joe McCormack, CEO at Adotomi, who reminds us how the concept of 3D gaming has been all the rage since Avatar reignited the prospects for 3D in the entertainment marketplace.
"2010, especially, was supposed to be the year of 3D, with television makers rushing their 3D models to stores. 3D gaming was soon to follow, with Sony announcing early plans to support the technology, and Nintendo's 3DS acting as proof of concept, even wowing us along the way for the lack of accompanying glasses."
Neatly summing up the current state of 3D gaming, Adotomi's in-house analyst, Adam Taylor adds: "The question underlying all of this, and all the talk, is whether or not 3D gaming is simply a gimmick mixed with marketing hype, or whether or not it really is the future of gaming. We're of the opinion that while there's certainly gimmicky aspects to the technology, 3D will indeed be central to the future of gaming."
Immersion, immersion
In an increasingly mature and crowded marketplace, the big three console makers are looking for the next innovation to get their consumers excited, notes Adotomi's analyst. "The Wii's motion capabilities shook the marketplace, and Sony and Microsoft hustled to innovate alongside, producing the PlayStation Move and Xbox Kinect. Yet, for the core gamer, the heart of the gaming experience lies with one word: immersion.
"Core gamers want a more immersive game experience, and if you look at the industry's history, that's where the real exciting innovations have been - from better physics engines, to increased interaction and destruction of the game world, to increased persistence of online worlds. The future of gaming lies in the continued breaking down of the line between player and the gaming world of their choice. This is where 3D comes in, and why motion technologies will only ever be an adjunct to the industry, as opposed to its beating heart."
IMMERSION: The key to the future of 3D gaming tech and development
Still, Taylor is the first to accept that we're not quite there yet, arguing that there still needs to be a stronger penetration of 3D televisions in the marketplace, improved standards adoption between the various proprietary 3D technologies on offer and, most importantly, the current availability of quality 3D games.
"Some of the ones that we've seen have been fantastic," Taylor enthuses. "But again, they still occupy a niche role in the market. Money and resources in game studios are still flowing to mainstream 'tent-pole' games and with most gamers unequipped with a 3D-enabled TV, or otherwise not willing to wear cumbersome glasses once the novelty wears off, games publishers are going to be hesitant to throw the budgets into developing the 3D aspect."
3D graphics tech from Nvidia and AMD
Back in that place where most new hardcore gaming developments take shape, the PC gaming market, Dell's gaming subsidiary Alienware recently launched its first 3D gaming laptop, the M17X, with the company's manager for EMEA, Eoin Leyden, explaining the company's 3D strategy to TechRadar:
"In terms of the technology, Alienware is pretty much vendor agnostic when it comes to the specific technologies. So, for example, we don't necessarily have any preference for Nvidia over AMD when it comes to graphics. All we are about is trying to deliver the technology that people want.
"At the moment, on the 3D side, Nvidia has somewhat of a head start. AMD's solution right now is a little bit more complicated as it requires some middleware, which doesn't make it an ideal thing for us to offer directly. This is why all the 3D offerings in our portfolio are Nvidia-based, because that's just the way the market is at the moment.
ALIENWARE M17X: A powerful beast of a 3D gaming laptop
"In terms of demand, we have only just recently launched our first 17-inch 3D laptop and the uptake is pretty strong. However, remember that not all 3D monitors are being used by PC gamers for 3D content. Many of them are more interested in the fact that it is a 120Hz monitor, so you can get 120 frames per second - and for serious hardcore gamers and competitive players, it is ALL about frame-rate."
The Alienware exec thinks that most high-end monitors will all soon be 3D enabled, and that "the number of 3D capable PC systems is going to explode, but whether or not people actually use them for 3D content is a different thing altogether.
"The biggest challenge in all of this is that nobody likes to see competing technologies holding back adoption rates, as people are afraid to invest in hardware that might become obsolete very quickly. So that's the biggest negative to what's going on. Right now you have polarisation or you have active shutter, and they pretty much net out to the same thing, in terms of the experience."
CRYSIS 2: But will we look back and laugh in 10 years?
So far, it seems that 3D PC gaming has not had the same amount of media coverage in 2011 compared with the initial wave of hype and excitement back in 2009 and 2010.
"The nub of this whole conversation about 3D gaming is about content," says Leyden. "Games are effectively created in 3D. Yet, historically, the last step developers do is to then go and render that on a flat 2D surface, which is quite a bizarre way of doing things, really!
"However, that said, he problem with the current approach to creating a 3D effect by games developers is that it still tends to render the 3D into the screen. So the 3D effect goes into the screen as opposed to popping out of the screen at you."
3D gaming versus IMAX 3D
The Alienware rep compares this to the experience of going to an IMAX 3D cinema, where you feel like grabbing the virtual objects floating in front of you. "The challenge, of course, from a gaming perspective is that you cannot do that with the current types of 3D tricks that developers use. You almost have to direct the scene to create this 3D effect.
"These scenes in the cinema are very, very carefully orchestrated and directed. Within current gaming, that is something that is almost impossible to do. You can do it in cut scenes, or in a game where you are on the rails - where you lose that degree of control of your character - because otherwise the pop-out from the screen is unpredictable and you can get all sorts of artefacts and things like that.
IMAX 3D: Can home-based gaming ever beat the Hollywood blockbuster?
"So the problem today is that most of the 3D gaming content has basically been created by that first stage easy fix, which creates 3D into the screen as opposed to popping out, which is less compelling. And I think that is why the initial hype around 3D gaming has dampened down a little bit."
That being said, Leyton is also quick to remind us that there are still some titles already out that look fantastic in 3D. "Crysis 2, for example, especially if you can do multi-monitor 3D, looks the business. Yet it is still into the screen, not out of the screen. So at the moment, that is where we are a little bit stuck.
"The first big breakout 3D hit is going to be the first game that is actually going to target 3D as its platform of choice - instead of just creating a game, and offering 3D as an add-on, which is what is currently happening. So elements of the game will be designed specifically from a 3D standpoint, which will set the benchmark for the next wave of 3D games."
Let the 3D creatives run free!
Clearly, right now, we are still in the undecided phase of 3D game development, where the true creatives are not being given the free reign (or, crucially, the financial backing) to create 3D gaming experiences that will truly take the experience to the next level.
"It's the old chicken-and-egg situation," Leyton agrees, arguing that when the installed base gets bigger, because everybody has 3D, "then there will be a more compelling argument for the studios to put more effort into their 3D work - very much like the situation with affordable 'home theatre in a box' around ten years ago, when people started paying more attention to the audio on their DVDs. It's all about that installed base hitting critical mass."
What else might augment and improve our 3D gaming experience in the future? Might we see a move to 4D-style peripherals and add-ons offering wind and ambient-lighting effects in addition to flashy, fully-rendered 3D graphics that pop right out of the screen into your eyes?
"Ha! I think there is still an awful lot of work to be done on the basics, before we get into that stuff," laughs the Alienware exec.
Still scratching the surface of gaming
PC gaming has only been around for around 25 years, and Leyton thinks that "we are still scratching the surface in terms of what we need to be doing, we need to get the realism in the games, because all games still have that kind of cartoony feel to them, in the way that they are rendered. I've still to see a game that can convince me that it is anything other than a game.
"I mean, if you look at a good, pre-rendered 3D animated movie, like the recent Shrek, for example, that stuff is rendered on huge server farms to produce a very realistic-looking thing, modelling hair on characters on a strand-by-strand basis, or whatever. I mean, even to do that kind of thing on a PC, we would need hardware thousands of times faster than we have today.
"And even that, if you think about it, is just a cartoon! So what you really want is photorealistic rendering. You want ray-tracing. You want reflections and refractions of light. You want proper physics, at a particle level. You could go on forever on this…
"But if you look back at games from 10 or 15 years ago, you almost laugh at them and think how primitive they were. So 10 or 15 years from now, we will look back at laugh at Crysis 2 and say, "that was sooooo unsophisticated and naff-looking!
"10 or 15 years down the road, Crysis 2 is going to look like Pong looks to us now."
Kinect-controlled holodecks
Most excitingly, all the indications from the hardware experts and 3D gaming developers TechRadar has spoken with recently suggest that 3D-out-of-the-screen gaming is soon going to be technically possible in mass market game development.
When we eventually reach the point where developers start to marry that technology up with something like Xbox 360 Kinect, then, in theory, gamers will soon be able to realistically manipulate objects in front of them - reaching out and interacting with something in the game that appears in-between themselves and the screen.
"Theoretically, this is all possible," says Leyton. "And that would open up an awful lot of very interactive potential. You know, it's all there. Just that at the moment it is too hard to try and do it.
"But also, it first needs a mind-set change amongst developers. To figure out how to use the technology in a meaningful way that adds something to the experience, to really create something compelling out of it."
| |
Read More ...
Video: HTC Evo 3D coming soon to Vodafone
HTC might have announced the new Evo 3D, but now we have confirmation that it will be available from at least one UK network.
As usual, Vodafone has popped the soon-to-be-launched HTC phone on its coming soon page, which means no price or UK availability as yet.
However, this does mean the July/August UK release date (depending on whether you believe the press release or HTC's execs) still seems highly likely.
Is 3D enough?
The key features of the HTC Evo 3D (apart from the fact it looks like a cassette) are the 3D screen and powerful 1.2GHz dual core processor at its heart; while this is already on offer with the HTC Sensation, it will be interesting to see whether the extra 3D is enough to tempt consumers.
| |
Read More ...
Rumour: RIM cans rumoured 10in PlayBook
It's a RIM rumour overload as an anonymous tipster reveals that the BlackBerry maker has cancelled development of the never-confirmed 10-inch PlayBook tablet.
According to this source, the company has ditched the larger tablet in favour of cracking on with its first QNX-based superphone, which you'd think they'd have already been working on.
The source came up with some specs for the handset, too – a single-core 1.2GHz processor, 900+ resolution and a 4.3-inch touchscreen.
Facts like gold dust
Two rumours don't necessarily make a respectable supposition, but some of these specs do match up with what Carlo Chiarello, VP of the GSM business unit at RIM, told TechRadar back in May:
"That [QNX] experience is going to start to come in to our high tier products. I can't tell you when… But it's absolutely part and parcel of what we're working on now.
"I can tell you that it's going to come in to the higher tier value propositions first. It'll probably come into an all-touch first, more than likely."
As much as we'll concede that a 10-inch PlayBook would have been a sensible thing for RIM to consider and that focusing on its smartphones might be a better use of its time, we can't help but feel this particular set of rumours could have come from the land of mobile phone unicorns and dancing tablet nymphs.
| |
Read More ...
Sky Go isn't about the platform, it's about the content
Sky is readying itself for the launch of its new on-demand platform, Sky Go, which is set to offer up Sky content to those using an iOS device or a laptop.
Sky Go is a merging of Sky Player and Sky Mobile TV but it's not the platform that's important, according to Sky, but the content the platform delivers.
"Invariably, most of the headlines in our industry are reserved for sexy distribution stories like building fibre, new platforms like YouView, or this week's latest online darling, whether Hulu, Netflix or Amazon," said Mike Darcey, Chief Operating Officer, BSkyB at the IEA Future Of Broadcasting conference.
"That's a shame. And it's also a cause for concern. Because content is what consumers are really passionate about – and someone has to make it."
All about revenue
It seems that Sky is being pragmatic about its online venture, believing that it has to make new revenue out of it so that it can pipe this back into the programmes it makes.
"We've seen the rush to throw all your content online, in pursuit of 'uniques' and 'views', but little in the way of revenue.
"Now obviously it's fine for BBC to put everything online, as there are no revenue consequences. But is it right for commercial terrestrial broadcasters necessarily to follow suit?
"I guess that depends on whether they want to make online pay its way – you will have to ask them whether that is really working out."
Darcey continued: "For content owners, it's imperative that new distribution options support re-investment in content creation, rather than simply suck value from one part of the chain to another.
"In conclusion, the common thread that links many of these challenges is the need for a sensible balance to be struck between promoting investment in infrastructure and investment in content."
The Sky Go UK release date is 6 July.
| |
Read More ...
Tweet marks successful white space trial
Trials to use the "white space" frequencies to carry data have been successful in the UK, with Cambridge Consultants confirming that it has sent a tweet in the unused spectrum between TV channels.
The White Space frequency is seen as an area of the spectrum that can be tapped into to help in the struggle to provide rural areas with broadband coverage.
The trial was carried out in Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, and as well as showing that social media tools could run, also underlined that this kind of technology can be used without causing interference on television channels.
Pioneering
Richard Traherne, head of wireless at Cambridge Consultants, commented: "We believe that White Space, as a pioneering cognitive radio wireless technology, has the potential to change the way that people communicate, especially in rural areas.
"It has a wide range of applications, from healthcare to home working, and we expect to see these and other exciting applications emerge in the near future."
Apparently the village of Cottenham was picked because of a 'lack of wireless provision and availability of spectrum'.
"The network was tested using a range of social media tools, marking the first time White Space spectrum has been used in this way," added Cambridge Consultants' release.
| |
Read More ...
Android less secure than iOS, says Symantec
The Android operating system is less secure than Apple's iOS, according to a new in-depth evaluation conducted by security firm Symantec.
The good news is that both smartphone tribes are more secure than traditional PCs.
The bad news is that neither of is really that secure anyway, with Symantec seeming to conclude that businesses would be wise to keep their data off smartphones altogether.
Data rater
iOS is more robust because Apple's app vetting system is more rigorous, the company found – this means less malware can sneak into your iPhone or iPad via a rogue app.
Android, however, is more open and this means more open to attack, including network attacks, nasty malware and misplacing data if the handset is lost or stolen.
Both are also vulnerable when syncing with cloud-based services, which leaves data stored on devices in danger of being compromised.
Mixed bag
Symantec Fellow and chief architect Carey Nachenberg said, "Today's mobile devices are a mixed bag when it comes to security.
"While more secure than traditional PCs, these platforms are still vulnerable to many traditional attacks.
"Moreover, enterprise employees are increasingly using unmanaged, personal devices to access sensitive enterprise resources, and then connecting these devices to 3rd-party services outside of the governance of the enterprise, potentially exposing key assets to attackers."
Obviously this research is talking mainly to the super-paranoid, businesses and super-paranoid businesses – day to day users are probably going to be safe enough, as long as you don't download any dodgy-looking apps.
But with the rise of the mobile wallet and more financial details being stored on our smartphones, handset security is going to become more and more important.
| |
Read More ...
Review: Acer Aspire 5742G
Acer aims to balance price with performance and the Aspire series has been its mainstay for many years. With the Aspire 5742G, Acer has put everything you need in a starter laptop and wrapped it up in a great-looking package.
Right out of the box the Aspire has enough processing power to handle everything you want in a starter laptop, but on top of that it's also a pleasure to look at. The textured finish on both the lid and internal chassis feels comfortable and won't pick up the grubby fingerprints that curse more reflective designs.
The keyboard doesn't feel quite as sturdy as some (we noticed an obvious flex in the keyboard during typing), but the keys are well spaced and easy to type on. The Aspire 5742G sports Acer's favoured keyboard where keys appear to float above the chassis. This looks great, but you'll find it quickly traps debris underneath the keys.
Whilst not as comfortable as either the Sony or the Packard Bell, this style is certainly good enough for bashing out longer documents. There is also a full-sized numeric keypad, although no dedicated hotkeys. The touchpad is also comfortable to use.
The Acer is built around Intel's Core i3 processor, which provides plenty of power, and is backed up by the 4096MB of memory.
But what really sets the Aspire 5742G apart is the 1024MB of video memory provided by the dedicated Nvidia GeForce GT 520M graphics card. As you can see from our benchmark tests, this laptop will be fine running the current crop of gaming titles and will easily handle photo and HD video editing.
Similarly, the massive 620GB of hard drive storage will provide plenty of space for all the family's data.
Benchmarks
Battery life: 278 minutes
MobileMark 2007: 228
3DMark 2003: 11,991
Vibrant screen
The 15.5-inch screen provides a great level of detail and colour vibrancy. The screen is bright and watching movies or playing games is an impressive experience. The HDMI, VGA and three USB 2.0 ports mean you can also hook it up to your HD TV for big-screen viewing.
We achieved a very respectable 278 minutes from the battery during our benchmark tests and the chassis is sturdy enough to take a few bumps and knocks should you decide to take it on the road.
We liked the Acer Aspire 5742G. The higher asking price is a bit painful to swallow, but we feel it justifies this with the dedicated graphics card, large storage space and great battery life.
It's likely to future-proof better than some of the other laptops and would make for a worthwhile purchase.
| |
Read More ...
Video: Samsung's Smart View app turns Galaxy S2 into a TV
Samsung has announced that its Smart View app is now ready to download for the Samsung Galaxy S2.
The app allows you to watch TV content on your Samsung Galaxy S2, once you link it up to the Samsung Smart TV D7000 and D8000 series.
Samsung is no stranger to offering TV content through mobile devices.
Last year it launched the Samsung Remote which allowed you to view the same TV show on your remote as was being shown on your Samsung TV. The idea was that you didn't have to pause the show – just watch it wherever you are in the house on the remote.
With the launch of the new D7000 and D8000 series this idea has evolved into an app which will be available for a number of Samsung devices, but on the Galaxy S2 initially.
Instead of having to watch the same thing, however, you can watch a completely separate channel through the app.
Smart revolution
"Samsung Smart TV is leading the 'smart revolution' not only with the features of Smart TV itself – such as rich content, 2D and 3D picture quality, smart functions and design – but also with input devices using our Qwerty smart remote control, the Samsung Remote app, and now with Smart View," said Guy Kinnell, Marketing Director for TV, Samsung UK.
Although it is initially only available to Galaxy S2 users, the app will come to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Samsung Galaxy S later in the year.
The app is available from the Android Market now.
| |
Read More ...
Review: Toshiba Satellite L755-15R
Toshiba's latest Satellite L-Series is a collection of powerful multimedia laptops, designed to entertain as well as create. The Satellite L755-15R has many positives, including strong performance and a vibrant screen, and comes with a low price tag.
Intel's Core i5 Sandy Bridge processing technology is once more on board and it's used here to great effect. The Satellite scored high in our benchmarking tests, so if you need a powerful machine that can run loads of applications at once, this laptop will last you for years.
Sadly, the Satellite only has integrated graphics, which means the processor also handles images. Having said that, Intel's Sandy Bridge processors do a good job with rendering images, so you will have enough power to manipulate your high-resolution photos and pull together a DVD or two from your home movies.
However, if you want a laptop that can handle professional design packages, you should consider a laptop with a dedicated graphics card instead.
Benchmarks
Battery life: 356
MobileMark 2007: 303
3DMark 2003: 7114
The screen may lack the sharpness of the Lenovo W520 and Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch, but it's stunningly bright and produces rich, vivid colours. You also have VGA and HDMI outputs if you want to use an external display.
Audio playback isn't a strength sadly, with rather weak output compared to the HP Pavilion DV7-6002sa and Asus N53SV-SX303V.
If you're planning on shooting video, the built-in integrated camera does a decent job of capturing footage. When you're done you can quickly upload your clips to the internet with 802.11n Wi-Fi support, and there's plenty of space on the 640GB hard drive for storing your files and media.
Excellent battery
The Satellite is highly portable, making it a good choice if you want to stay creative on the move. Six hours of battery life is available and means you won't run out of charge during commutes and lengthy trips, while the bright red chassis is light enough at 2.5kg to comfortably carry all day.
While the Satellite's keyboard looks and feels a little plasticky, it does its job well. The keys are well sized, even with the inclusion of a numeric keypad, as they stretch the entire width of the chassis. We found our palms often brushed the touchpad when typing, which jerked the on-screen cursor, but the touchpad can easily be disabled if needed.
With terrific performance, long-lasting battery life and plenty of storage, the Toshiba is a great way of staying creative on the road. The lack of dedicated graphics means hardcore design suites will struggle, but it's hard complain at this reasonable price.
| |
Read More ...
Buying Guide: Best iPad stylus: 5 reviewed and rated
As children, all of us shared great delight in covering our tiny paws with various coloured pigments to create fridgebound masterpieces. As you grow and develop into an artist, you're taught to pick up a brush, pencil or charcoal stick, and a whole world of mark-making opens up.
Today, creating works of art is a single tap away with some mind-blowing iPad and iPhone art apps such as Brushes, ArtRage, SketchBook Pro and Penultimate, but for many artists, reverting to using a finger to paint is a huge step backwards.
We figured that it was time to make our apologies to Mr Jobs and recognise that for some iPad owners, a stylus is a vital part of their iOS experience.
Great product design is about creating something instinctive and intuitive to use, so that it quickly becomes a natural extension of a person. In the case of a stylus, the basic requirements are a pen-like handle and tip, but take a look at the Nomad Brush and the AluPen and you see that both have aimed to tap into the artist's experience, evoking the familiar by emulating their real-world art tools.
Art apps make the perfect testing ground for putting these iPad styluses through their paces. You're more likely to spend prolonged periods of time holding a stylus when taking your iPad to a life-drawing session or for some plein-air painting.
If you're looking for an iPad stylus to perform basic navigation, you might not agree with our final result, but then your fingers really are up that task! Creative types should read on…
How we selected our iPad styluses
Because we are focussing on styluses for creative tasks here, we've thrown our net a little wider than straight utilitarian styluses such as the Pogo - though, as the most venerable stylus, we've included that as well. That means chunky crayons, brushes and little nubs that slot in the dock!
Just Mobile AluPen - £14
Nomad Brush - $24
Ozaki iStroke S - £9
PenGo TouchPen - $15
Ten One Design Pogo Stylus - £11
Test one: Ergonomics
From our selection, the Nomad Brush makes for the tool that's most comparable to traditional art equipment - nothing feels more like a brush than, well, a brush. The 190mm wood handle makes this the longest stylus of the bunch, which is a plus for the simple reason that the further away your hand is from the screen, the more of your image is visible. At a weight of 5.6g, the Nomad also won't become a chore to use during a life-drawing session.
The Just Mobile AluPen is clearly styled on a pencil, with its hexagonal body, but its super-size makes it feel closer to a graphite stick. The weight is pretty close and even the matt metal finish feels the same - the only things missing are the smudges on your fingers.
Both of these styluses are so good at evoking traditional art tools that you can't help using them in a certain way. The AluPen, for example, isn't for detailing: it's about bolder, blocking marks. This makes it the perfect tool for oil work in an app such as ArtRage.
Once we started using the Nomad Brush, we instinctively varied the pressure in our strokes, even though we knew it made no difference to the opacity of the brush mark.
The two more conventional styluses in the pack couldn't be more different. The Ten One Design Pogo Stylus is far too light - and when you consider that the tip foam is prone to misfiring, a little more downforce could certainly help matters. Add to this its short, thin shaft and the Pogo definitely feels like a data input device and not something you'd want to draw with. This gives it quite a disposable feel - which is appropriate, really, because that's how we'd be tempted to treat it.
We wouldn't, however, throw away the PenGo TouchPen. This is another stylus that's clearly been designed by someone who draws. It's long enough to rest comfortably between your thumb and index finger, and the pronounced tip makes for a clearer line of sight, so your marks appear where you expect them to. Like the AluPen, the metal body has a matt finish, which is great for grip. Its size and weighting make it comparable to a fine-liner pen, so if you like drawing comics or are already using a digital art tablet, taking up the TouchPen will feel like a natural progression.
It would be harsh to criticise the iStroke S for being small, because form is taking a backseat to function. Making a stylus that fits into the dock connector is a nice touch, - since it means that you never need to go rummaging around for it when inspiration strikes - but its size does bring about a problem unique to drawing on the iPad. Your hand is closer to the surface, and once a stray finger becomes another contact point, you've stopped drawing and now you're moving the canvas. It's so darn cute, though, that we couldn't stay mad at it.
Results
Test two: The tip
With three out of five on test sharing the rubber tip common to most brands, you'd think we'd be hard pushed to find differences, but we were surprised how much the nuances matter.
The TouchPen should, by design, perform the best. With its narrow, more prominent tip, we expected greater accuracy, but the smaller the surface area, the more prone you are to losing surface connection - only problematic when holding it at an acute angle.
The AluPen's tip is helped by being wider, but is also aided by the stylus's weight - even when you drag it lightly across the iPad, the weight helps to keep the tip in contact with the surface.
The biggest surprise was the Nomad Brush: with its fine, sable-like bristles, the deftest of strokes still created a constant line.
Results
Test three: Build quality
Four out of five of these styluses have very few issues in terms of their build quality - and then there's the Pogo Stylus. As the foam tip eventually works itself away from its anaemic metal captor to freedom, you can look forward to scratching the end of the shaft along your favourite device's lovely display.
The iStroke S is without question the ugly duckling of the bunch, although being small in this instance equates to a robust build.
For a quality finish, though, we have to give back the Nomad Brush the same amount of love that went into making it. The walnut and carbon handle is finished with a soft grip, and the attention to detail is exemplified by the embossed logo. It's just a shame that wood is weak - a good argument for a strong case.
Results
And the best iPad stylus is… Just Mobile AluPen £14
Choosing between three very strong contenders was like asking us to pick our favourite film, ice-cream or child. The Pogo was one of the first styluses available for iPhone users, and it's never claimed to be anything other than a means to navigate your iPhone or iPad, so judging it as an artists' tool could be seen as unfair.
That said, what really disappoints us about it is the poor build quality; we just couldn't feel inspired about drawing with it.
The Ozaki iStroke S, on the other hand, is manufactured well, but it's just too small. Drawing with it will make you nostalgic for your days as an art student, when you'd use every last pencil down to a nub. Housing it in the iPad dock connector is a great idea, but with your fingers millimetres away from the screen, the experience is too close to using Apple's preferred stylus, your fingers - and it's kind of difficult to misplace them. Ozaki does, however, make a few other models; investigate.
The Nomad Brush sits firmly in the middle of our selection. What first appears to be a simple novelty quickly turns into a painting pleasure. The bristles are very responsive, but more than that they remove the synthetic feel of rubber across glass, which is a welcome and refreshing change. The design is also spot-on - the Nomad looks lovingly crafted, justifying its $24 price tag. The only problem we have with it is that you don't always want that brush experience - for instance, it feels odd when line drawing. We want a Nomad Pencil, and we want it now!
We had to give the TouchPen the silver award. PenGo understands what artists are looking for, and has tailored its stylus to meet a broad audience. It clearly has digital artists and designers in mind; all the dimensions make for a comfortable fit, and the smaller, pronounced tip is a design detail that comes about from wishing to improve the iPad painting experience.
What the chunky, crayonlike AluPen does is take what we liked about the TouchPen and the Nomad Brush and combine them in a stylus that performs well but also feels familiar. The 30g weight isn't an issue, but an advantage: it ensures good tip connection, so you can apply the same light hold you'd use when sketching with a pencil or painting with a brush. Add to this the perfectly reasonable price tag and it becomes our winner.
But we can't leave it there. Go and open your art bin, and what do you see? Various tools to create various marks. What we suggest is that if you're serious about using your iPad as a digital sketchbook to produce a wide range of work, using a wide range of art apps, then maybe you need more than one iPad stylus to hand. An art kit for the iPad - now there's a thing.
| |
Read More ...
Review: HP Pavilion dv7-6002sa
In terms of features, the HP Pavilion DV7-6002sa is a winner. Bulging with loads of fantastic extras, this laptop offers a lot to the creative professional, although performance lags behind its rivals.
If you have top-secret files and don't want unauthorised persons accessing them, the fingerprint scanner is a good feature. You can use it to log on to the laptop and even gain access to online accounts.
Your data is also protected if you drop this device, as the hard drive locks to lower the risk of damage.
Most laptops can burn DVDs, so you can create films from your home movies or simply burn treasured photos on to disc. However, the HP can also burn labels on to discs using LightScribe technology.
A 750GB hard drive offers excellent storage, easily enough for most multimedia collections.
The 17.3-inch screen is the biggest here and boasts strong viewing angles, producing vibrant images. The HP also has the best sound system here, using its patented Beats Technology to output incredible sound, while the HD webcam allows you to shoot high-definition video.
The HP is powered by an AMD Phenom II chip. It lags behind the best in our benchmarking tests, but still provides enough power to run all of your applications at once.
The HP also uses basic integrated graphics, meaning the processor handles image rendering instead of a dedicated graphics card. Multimedia performance therefore isn't as strong as the Acer, Asus and Lenovo. You can still watch HD video and edit your home movies, but if you're hoping to play games in your downtime, try one of the others.
Benchmarks
Battery life: 191 minutes
Mobilemark 2007: 202
3DMark 2003: 11,833
Poor portability
This is also a laptop best left at home, with a bulky build that tops 3.1kg. Portability is further hampered by the three-hour battery life. Regular travellers will prefer the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch or Toshiba Satellite L755-15R.
Still, it's a reassuringly tough build with no annoying flex. The dark, brushed-metal finish looks good and hides scuff marks well.
A firm isolation-style keyboard is perfect for touch-typing, with the keys well separated, and the touchpad has a subtle glow around its edges which adds extra style.
While the Pavilion DV7's performance is beaten by other laptops at this price point, there's no denying it's an excellent media machine. If you want to get creative at home, the vibrant screen and powerful audio system, along with the excellent range of features, make this a laptop worth a look.
| |
Read More ...
Video: Apple iPhone 5 - what we want to see
TechRadar has been following the iPhone 5 rumours for some time now, and it's fairly clear that we are only going to get a selection of the things that we are hoping for in the next Apple handset.
However, that's not stopped us from assembling a video wish list of the things that we desire in the iPhone 5, including the likes of NFC and the odds-on inclusion of the A5 chip that has wowed us on the iPad 2.
So, check out what TechRadar is looking for in the new iPhone 5, and feel free to drop us a line telling us what you would like to see in the next-gen Apple handset in the comments below.
| |
Read More ...
Angry Birds arrives for Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7 users can now buy perhaps the most famous mobile game, with Angry Birds making its debut for the operating system.
Microsoft is desperate to show that its Windows Phone 7 can attract the quality of apps that proliferate on Android Marketplace and Apple's App Store, despite starting significantly later than its rivals.
Angry Birds represents a key arrival, as one of the most popular all-time hits for mobile, and a chart topper on both Android and iOS.
Hunker down
"At last. Angry Birds is now available in the Windows Phone Marketplace—a few hours ahead of schedule and so fresh it hasn't even been rated yet," blogged Microsoft's Michael Stroh a few hours ago.
"Be the first—or just hunker down with your phone and get dem pigs. The game, the last in Xbox'sMust have Game series for Windows Phone, is free to try and $2.99 to buy."
The Must have Game series is Microsoft's attempt to highlight the key offerings for mobile gaming, and includes other hits such as Doodle Jump Plants v Zombies and Sonic the Hedgehog.
| |
Read More ...
Nikon shows off four concept cameras
Nikon has shown off its ideas of future cameras, with the camera giant showing off four prototypes at the French 'Hello Tomorrow' show.
Although concept designs are a common sight in the automative industry, a glimpse into the wacky minds of tech RnD labs is rarer - presumably because of the fear of giving the best ideas to competitors.
However that hasn't stopped Nikon from showing off four designs at the show, including an i-Ball (see what they did) and the multi-ball.
Atmospheric
The latter, with its multiple lenses offers "multi-views that can capture the atmosphere of a scene," whilst the i-Ball's only explanation is that it's shaped like a rugby ball (and, an eye, obviously.)
Of the other two designs, one comes with a big viewing screen and two adjustable handles, perhaps so you can play some ARG X-wing in between shoots and last but not least is a camera on a stand with a joystick that the rumour-mongers are already suggesting could be for panorama shots.
Of course, there's no guarantee that any of these prototypes will be coming to market, but we reckon Nikon will now be feverishly working on its 'ball of rugby' concept as we speak.
| |
Read More ...
Video: Google+ project explained
Google has this week revealed that it is to try and crack the fickle social network market once more, with the launch of its Google+ project.
Part Facebook competitor, part instant messenger, part social hangout, the service is still shrouded in some mystery, given that it is currently in the midst of a 'limited field test'.
The good news is, that Google has created a number of videos to try and explain just what Google+ and its +you button actually does.
As these are Google-made videos, however, don't expect to understand fully what Google+ is about, as some of the logic has been replaced with whimsy. The videos do give a fair idea of just what to expect if you decide to bring Google+ into your already packed online social life.
Google will be hoping that Google+ captures people's attention more so than its ill-fated Buzz service, which unsuccesfully merged social networking with IM.
Google+ Circles
Google+ Hangout
Google+ Sparks
Google+ Huddle
| |
Read More ...
Google+ project goes after Facebook
Google has announced it is taking another leap into the social space, with Google+. This new project is a social network of sorts, which allows you to hook up with other people from around the web and share information with them.
Google has already tried once to get in the lucrative social game. Buzz ultimately failed in bringing social networking to IM, but Google+ is quite a bit different.
In a blog post, Google has tried its hardest to explain just what the Google+ Project is and believes it takes the awkwardness out of online sharing.
"Today, the connections between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of our online tools," said the blog post.
"In this basic, human way, online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And we aim to fix it."
+you and +you too
So, how does this 'social net' work? Well, Google has broken Google+ into four interlinking 'projects'. These are: Circles, Sparks, Hangouts and mobile.
Circles allows for you to put your online friends into a number of 'circles' and then you simply choose what circles you want to share information with.
Sparks is a place where you can share content quickly and easily. The way Google explains this part of Google+ is that it's "kind of like nerding out and exploring a subject together". From the brief look we have had at the service it is a convenient and quick way to share links, images, videos with your Circle friends.
This brings us on to Hangouts. This is where you can link one to one or as a group with friends from your Circles collective, and speak to them through web cam. As you can do group video conferencing, this is definitely a feature that has Skype and MSN Messenger in its sights but looks to take the awkwardness out of instant messenger and add the "subtlety".
Deep mobile integration
This is all rounded off with mobile. Google has tried to make all of the above as mobile friendly as possible and this is perhaps the key to Google+, as it wants to perfect social networking on the go.
If you allow Google+ to, then every picture you take on your mobile will be uploaded to a cloud server, so your images are instantly available to your Circle clique. Things like location awareness and also something called Huddle, which is a group messaging service that links into Google+.
Google is admitting that its new leap into social networking is a little rough around the edges but the service has been made available as a limited field trial, so if you want to try it out, then go to https://plus.google.com and wait for an email to say that you have been invited to the social party.
Although Buzz was a massive disappointment for Google, it will be hoping that Google+ will be the true rival to social networks like Facebook.
| |
Read More ...
BlackBerry Bold Touch UK release date revealed
Three and Carphone Warehouse have both estimated BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 UK release dates, suggesting that the touchscreen BlackBerry will arrive this summer.
Three has listed the hybrid QWERTY handset as arriving in September, while Carphone Warehouse is a bit more optimistic, expecting the Bold Touch to land in August.
RIM is yet to release a smartphone into the market this year, concentrating its efforts on the QNX-running BlackBerry PlayBook tablet instead.
Potential
The company's fortunes have not fared too well in the meantime, with its stock dropping like a lead balloon after poor financial results and the threat of job cuts imminent.
The BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900, though, is not a bad little handset, with the small-but-crisp touchscreen and physical QWERTY combo proving a bit of a winner.
We'd like to see the handset land a little bit sooner, if we're honest – and while we're making demands, where's that BlackBerry Torch 2, eh RIM?
| |
Read More ...
Vodafone nabs exclusive red Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo
Vodafone is set to be the only network to offer the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo in fetching cherry red.
The handset, unveiled by Sony Ericsson at Mobile World Congress 2011 in February, will be available on other networks in blue and is yet to receive its official UK release date, with Vodafone simply listing it as 'coming soon'.
Not soon enough
That means there's still a bit of a wait ahead for fans of the Xperia Neo, which seemed likely to go on sale way back in April.
Unfortunately, supplies have been restricted by manufacturing delays caused by the earthquake in Japan earlier this year, and the Neo is yet to launch in the UK.
The Android 2.3-running Neo shares a lot of specifications with its stablemate, the Xperia Arc – 1Ghz Snapdragon processor, 4-inch reality display and HDMI-out, so it'll be interesting to see how the UK pricing of the two handsets differ.
We've already spent a bit of QT with the red-hued handset, marvelling at how it's not blue like the original model, with which we also nabbed an early hands on.
| |
Read More ...
Available Tags:LG , 3D , UK , Windows Phone , Windows , Nokia , Sony Ericsson , Sony , MeeGo , iPad , HTC , Android , Symantec , Acer , Galaxy , TV , Toshiba , HP , iPhone 5 , Apple , iPhone , Windows Phone , Nikon , Facebook , BlackBerry , Sony Ericsson ,
No comments:
Post a Comment