Three UK takes legal action over NFC consortium
Three UK has filed a complaint with the EU over the proposed near field communications (NFC) payment consortium consisting of Vodafone, Everything Everywhere and O2.
The three major networks hope to develop a mobile wallet project that uses a pay as you go system on NFC chips that allow users to 'tap and pay' in shops and cafes.
Regulators are yet to give Vodafone, Everything Everywhere and O2 the go ahead, but Three isn't hanging around, having filed the legal action with the EU's antitrust authorities.
Cosy
Stephen Lerner, Three's general counsel, describes the networks' consortium as a "cosy collaboration" and said that the EU "should not allow this type of collaboration to go forward under any circumstances."Excluding the maverick raises serious competition concerns. It has serious implications for both consumers and wider business as the internet continues to move mobile."
NFC is on the cusp of taking off in a big way, with Google throwing its weight behind the technology and Apple rumoured to be including an NFC chip in the new iPhone 5; clearly the UK's mobile network operators want a slice of the NFC pie.
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Star Wars Blu-rays first to offer THX Media Director tech
The Star Wars Saga Blu-ray boxset, out on September 12, will be the first software release to feature THX's new Media Director 'smart content' technology.
Media Director enables your home entertainment hardware to automatically choose the most appropriate audio and video playback settings – meaning you'll always get what the director intended.
The technology works by having metadata encoded into the software, be it a Blu-ray, console game or CD. However, it requires Media Director-enabled hardware to work – a Blu-ray player or TV for instance – and at present no such technology exists.
Giveth and taketh away
That could change in the coming year, though. THX has announced at the CEDIA 2011 Expo that it has signed up electronics experts Analog Devices, Sigma Designs and Silicon Image to its cause, making it easier for products to be developed.So buyers of the Star Wars package can consider themselves futureproofed – and more Media Director-certified discs will appear in the coming months.
THX's Senior Vice President Rick Dean told TechRadar the thinking behind his company's innovation.
With Media Director, says Dean, 'You would always see the depth of contrast and intensity of colour which are part of the artistic intent, the emotional impact that is programmed into the look and feel of any movie. It would be like having the director personally tune your TV.'
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Android to overtake iPhone app downloads for first time
An analyst house is predicting that 2011 will see Android overtake iOS devices in app downloads for the first time.
Ovum has estimated that downloads from Android devices will hit 8.1 billion by the end of 2011, while iOS apps will languish at 6 billion downloads.
But it's not all devastating defeat for Apple – its iOS app downloads will have grown by almost three times compared to 2010 when it shifted only 2.7 billion downloads.
But the explosion of growth is all the greater for Android, which saw only 1.4 billion downloads in 2010.
Big figs
The total app downloads is predicted to come in at 18 billion by New Years' Eve – that's a massive leap from 2010's total app downloads which came in at a relatively paltry 7.4 billion.It's middling news for Microsoft's Windows Phone platform; Ovum predicts that the Windows Phone OS will overtake BlackBerry to take third place in both the number of app downloads and app revenues - but only by 2015.
Ovum's predictions tally with those of another analyst, Strategy Analytics, which predicts that the Android Market is set to surpass the Apple App Store by 2012.
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Review: BlackBerry Torch 9810
Overview, design and feel
This time last year, BlackBerry fans were salivating at the imminent release of the Torch 9800.For the first time, those who'd been demanding a touchscreen smartphone from RIM (without SurePress, which we'll just gloss over) were getting their way with the safety net of a keyboard below that slid out. On top of that was 3G, a 5MP camera and the brand spanking new OS. What wasn't to love?
And 12 months on we feel like we're experiencing a bit of deja-vu, because the Torch 9810 is now hitting shelves. And to look at it, not much has changed.
The only thing that you'll notice as being really different on the exterior is the material it's made from. The BlackBerry Torch 9810 has been given less a makeover and more a new jacket.
Gone is the black and dark chrome fascia, which looked serious but a little plain, and in its place is a brushed metal and black effect that looks slightly more demure.
The rear is no longer a stripy patterned affair, but is made up of a silver pseudo-mesh. It's just a pattern, but it catches the light well and makes the handset look a lot shinier than it was before.
The weight hasn't changed in the slightest – it's still 161g and feels like a bit of a beast in the hand. That's not necessarily a bad thing – the kind of person who'll buy this probably wants to look like they mean business anyway.
But as we said about the original Torch 9800, drop this on the floor and you'll know about it. As well as a few scuffs, we get the impression you could end up with your phone in pieces (two to be precise).
The size is exactly the same too, and the screen is still 3.2 inches. But when you turn it on, you'll notice the Torch 9810's resolution has been upped from HVGA 480 x 360 to VGA 640 x 480, giving us a crisper experience.
It feels closer to things you'll find with the 'retina' branding (probably because it's smaller than the iPhone 4), and as we mentioned in our recent Bold 9900 review of the new OS 7, black text on white now looks much sharper. Icons of the new operating system seem to almost float on the screen.
It's one of those things we can't get across via JPEGs, but you'll know exactly what we mean when you see it in person.
The buttons on the side are the same as before – a rubberised volume rocker is on the right, along with a convenience key further down and the Micro USB charging port on the left (but no left convenience key like we used to get from RIM).
Up top are both the mute and lock buttons and a rather impressive and dynamic speaker.
Again, as before, the buttons on the front are standard BlackBerry fare (no surprise there), and sliding the top up reveals the keyboard. This perhaps provides a safety net for those who want a touchscreen phone but are still just a little too nervous to go all out and get a touchscreen-only handset.
Inside, you'll find 8GB of internal storage (doubled from 4GB originally) and room for a MicroSD memory card. It's hot-swappable (yay!), but if you're planning on shoving a 32GB card in, you may not need to swap it too often, since you'll have 40GB on your person. Still, it's nice to have the option, and it's something we've hated not having in the past.
The BlackBerry Torch 9810's processor has also been given a turbo charge and now clocks in at 1.2GHz, which is double that of the previous model. And it really shows with a much zippier performance.
OK, so it's not dual core, which some people may feel a little short-changed by. Having said that, the tasks you'll be putting this handset through don't require a dual-core handset, and you won't miss that technology anywhere here.
RIM describes this as perfect for those "who require both form and function."
That's PR-speak for "those who want it to do the job but with a smile on its face." And that's something the BlackBerry Torch 9810 does offer, because the large screen lends itself well to consuming media as well as bashing out messages.
But the real competition for the Torch 9810 comes from within its own ranks. It'll probably be snapped up by those who think they're a little too grown up for the BlackBerry Curve 9360 but don't necessarily want to pay Bold 9900 prices.
Or by those upgrading from the original Torch, but – considering the 9800 only came out a year ago – most of those consumers will still be locked into lengthy contracts.
The Torch 9810 is still to be released and, as such, is only listed as 'Coming Soon' on SIM-free sites, with a late September estimated shipping date.
Offline, you'll be expected to pay around about £475, which puts it below the new flagship phone, the Bold 9900. But only just.
This is a top-end handset that falls between the statesman-like Bold and the salesman-like Curve ranges.
And as such, you'll be expected to pay a premium by the networks. In fact, we can't see you getting this for free on a contract below £35 a month – and probably on a 24 month deal too.
Interface
When the original BlackBerry Torch 9800 went on sale, it had the accolade of being the only handset running the new BlackBerry OS.
Unfortunately, it's lost that mantle this time, because the Bold 9900 was the launch device for BB's OS 7. But the BlackBerry Torch 9810 is one of the first to run OS 7, along with the Torch 9860.
Not that it needs to worry too much about being usurped. As we mentioned in our recent Bold 9900 review, it's such a poor excuse for a new operating system anyway (we think the term 'minor upgrade' is more appropriate), that it makes little difference.
OS 7 is very much similar to the look of the BlackBerry PlayBook, with a mishmash of icons devoid of uniformity and a rather busy look. But they're certainly clear. As we stated in the last section, you won't believe how much these icons feel like they jump off the screen at you.
Since the Torch 9810 has a portrait form over landscape, by default, you get your icons in rows of four.
Curiously though, when you turn the phone to landscape mode, rather than fitting more icons onto a line, it still just gives you rows of four but more space in between the icons to even them out.
It would have been nicer to make the rows fit more icons on when you turned the 9810 sideways, to take advantage of that real estate, but we assume there is method in RIM's madness somewhere.
Thankfully, you can also disable your various app drawers. Unveiled in OS 6, multiple app drawers probably seemed like a good idea at the time (enabling you to have areas labelled 'Frequent', 'Downloads', 'All', etc) but they became a pain for many users because you'd often overshoot when in one drawer and end up in another.
Forums were filled with people complaining about this, so it's nice to see that RIM has evidently listened to those who purchase its BlackBerry handsets.
Universal search is also on board – an inheritance from OS 6, which we think works exceptionally well on the BlackBerry range.
OS 7 was promised as a faster operating system than OS 6, and we agree that it is. Maybe it's the beefed up processor, or maybe it's the way it's coded that means this machine doesn't lag or treat us to the awful spinning wheel of death that we used to be all too familiar with.
That's not to say that the Torch 9810 is fast at everything, though. It still suffers from one of BlackBerry's worst Achilles' heels – the fact that it takes forever to start up.
From a cold boot (ie taking the battery out and putting it back in), the BlackBerry Torch 9810 took a few seconds shy of two minutes before we were able to use it. We can understand old BlackBerries having this issue, but this is really pathetic on a 2011 model.
To put it into context, our MacBook Pro started up in a fraction of that time. Yes, we know it obviously has a bigger processor because it's a computer, but it also has hundreds of gigabytes of storage and dozens of start-up programmes to wade through.
Luckily, once you're in, the BlackBerry Torch 9810's operating system is fairly intuitive. And, for those coming from previous BlackBerry handsets, OS 7 is still near enough to the old operating system for you to get to grips with fairly simply.
Contacts and calling
They say that the measure of a good servant is never noticing that he or she is there.
And that's how we feel about the contacts implementation on the BlackBerry Torch 9810.
You barely even notice it's there, and just use it on autopilot. It's exactly the same as the Torch 9800, which runs OS 6. And that's probably as good an endorsement the handset (and OS 7) could get, because we'd be the first to come out all guns blazing if it was bad.
We're not complaining though, or accusing RIM of laziness. Quite frankly, BlackBerry mobile phones have long had a decent contacts systems, and we're glad that they've left us with one that looks great and works well rather than changing it for the sake of it.
Firstly, getting contacts onto the phone is a piece of cake. Load them via the Windows or Mac sync software or use BIS (unless you have a BES handset provided by your employer.)
You can dial contacts direct from the home screen using the on-screen dialler, from the keyboard using smart dialling or from the voice recognition software just by speaking. And it all works.
Friends are listed with rounded square thumbnails that look pretty (or disorganised if you only have contact photos for some people) and you can put everything from phone numbers to trouser size to favourite colour in the contact fields.
As expected, call quality was typical BlackBerry fare – top notch. It was clear, succinct and a pleasure to use.
The Torch 9810 kept hold of signal for dear life, even where other handsets such as our iPhone 4 have previously failed, which was commendable.
In fact, the signal seemed to be permanently displaying full bars, even in areas where reception is normally a little flaky. This made us feel sceptical, but calls did connect when we put the Torch 9810 to the test here.
The onboard speaker, fresh from delivering beautifully clear and bass-filled ringtones, turned its hand easily to providing a good speakerphone experience.
Yet, you'll only be making phone calls on this device, because that thing that looks suspiciously like a video camera on the front is actually just an LED for notifications. Bah.
And there's one thing we still miss – although this is a fault more of the operating system than the actual Torch 9810 itself – we still don't have full-screen caller photo ID.
The Torch 9810 has that amazing screen, and it's criminal that BlackBerry hasn't built this in STILL (we bemoaned it in our review of the original Torch 9800) yet other manufacturers do it with ease – even on budget models.
Messaging
This section of the review could really write itself. It's a no-brainer. Is the BlackBerry Torch 9810 a good messaging device? Is the Pope Catholic? Is Justin Bieber annoying? You know the answer.
The BlackBerry Torch 9810 is a truly fantastic communications device. It is, ultimately, what these phones are known for.
Multiple email accounts? Tick.
BIS and BES? Tick.
Easy to set up. Tick tick tick.
This is more down to the operating system than the handset so, as a result, you're getting standard BlackBerry fare here. It's the best messaging on a handset, bar none.
Your inbox very much is in your control. You can have everything fall into one box – not just email, but also SMS, MMS, BBM plus social feeds.
Or you can keep everything separate and, in theory, have six separate email boxes should you wish. It's all incredibly intuitive and you can tell RIM has been in this game a long time.
BlackBerry Messenger – one of RIM's big selling points – is present and accounted for and trundles along nicely. It's useful for everyone, but is targeted more at younger users who'll use it as a free alternative to texting.
These younger people aren't so much the target market for this handset, but if you know anyone with a BB and you're in regular contact with them, chances are that you'll be giving BBM a try.
If you use your BlackBerry for social networking, you'll be pleased to see there's a new Facebook client (well, new to OS 7 anyway).
The old client was starting to look tired, and this one gives us some new welcome additions, including Facebook Chat and Places. It also uses the grid formation that iPhone/Android users will be familiar with and that Facebook is pushing with its new Java app too.
A word of warning though – you do have to download the app, because the one pre-installed on our BlackBerry Torch 9810 handset was the old version. It's available for free in BlackBerry AppWorld.
The Twitter app has been given a lick of paint too. And it looks great on that screen because, set to small text with that large screen, you can fit loads of feeds onto it. Add in third-party apps such as WhatsApp, Google Talk, Windows Live and Foursquare and you have, in your mitts, a communications powerhouse!
Of course, you need to type for these communication methods to be any good, and that's one area where we're slightly divided.
You see, on the Torch 9800, we couldn't help feeling that the handset tried to do it all but failed a bit. The on-screen keyboard was fiddly and the hard keyboard wasn't 100% there. It's still tricky on the Torch 9810, but at least it's a bit better.
That's because the on-screen keyboard has been drastically improved. It still looks the same, but we found it a much easier to type on than the Torch 9810.
The keys are still tiny and you constantly miss what you're aiming for in portrait mode, but the operating system seems to expect this and corrects it. We made far fewer mistakes than we had in the past on our first go. Within days, we were bashing away like JK Rowling on her ninth espresso.
As for the physical keyboard, we're still not convinced.
It just isn't good enough. We know it's a personal thing and some will be fine with it, but the problem for us is that although it looks like the Bold 9700 /9780 keyboard, it is actually a little smaller and tricky for many digits to hit buttons comfortably.
Also, because the keys sit on a secondary slide-out plate, there's no real depth so the keys don't feel like they go too far in like they do on those older handsets.
It all feels a bit flimsy. Some people will get on with it with no problems. But we'd urge you to tap out a good few sentences on a display model first before you purchase a Torch 9810, to see if it works (tip: use a real handset, not a dummy, because they often feel different when it comes to the typing experience and if you've signed away two years of your life on a contract that you can't then cancel, that could be a big mistake.)
Internet
So, OS 7 has a much-improved web browser that's brought to the BlackBerry Torch 9810.
And here's the strange thing: Both the Bold 9900 and the Torch 9810 have a 1.2GHz processor. They both have a touchscreen. And they both have the same OS 7 browser.
Yet, despite our less-than-overjoyed response to the Bold 9900 browsing experience, we have to say that it was much better on the Torch 9810. Heaven knows why.
Pages loaded fast over Wi-Fi and 3G and, while you can't have true tabbed browsing, the multiple windows system works well enough.
It's definitely been worth the wait. BlackBerries have always suffered with poor browsers, and despite words such as 'WebKit' being banded about to whet our appetites, they still didn't get that much better on OS 6.
We felt that the Torch 9800 gave us the best browsing experience on a BlackBerry yet (mainly because of that portrait screen) but this is where the Torch 9810 takes over that mantle with grace.
Here, we have a browser that you can comfortably use without wanting to throw your BlackBerry under the nearest train.
OK, so it's no laptop replacement, but for light browsing the BlackBerry Torch 9810 hits the spot nicely. Pages look crisp thanks to that screen, tap to zoom works mostly as it should (although you may experience a slight delay when pages are loading and some text will be cropped at the sides) and, compared to the nightmare the Bold 9900 gave us, this felt like a breath of fresh air.
It was brilliant. In fact, the only criticism we had is that sometimes, when we zoomed in on text, it looked slightly blurry, as though the processor was still catching up. We waited for it to clarify itself, but it didn't.
Bookmarks are a cinch to use, and you configure your choice of search engine. On the whole it's all fine, and lessons have clearly been learned here.
Or at least some have.
Here we go again. We sound like a broken record, but WHERE ON EARTH IS FLASH SUPPORT?!!
Don't give us the baloney about it being too buggy, RIM, because HTC and Samsung have managed it easily for a while.
So what if HTML5 is being regarded as the way forward following the decree of Sir Steve of Jobs? We want it here.
It's not just an annoyance, but a crying shame really, because this is where RIM could have snuck Flash in and then touted it as something the iPhone doesn't have - which it does with the PlayBook vs the iPad.
A lost opportunity. In fact, a wasted opportunity.Poor show, RIM.
Camera
The BlackBerry Torch 9810 comes with a 5MP snapper on board.
We could have copied and pasted that line from the Torch 9800 review (we didn't though) because nothing has changed here in relation to resolutions.
It seems a bit of a poor show really, because you can't help feeling RIM isn't embracing the whole experience.
Yes, we know it's about quality not quantity, and processors and software etc are just as important as pixel counts, but it would be nice for it to have come with at least something that showed RIM was trying to be a little bit future-proof.
Anyway, we do the best with what we're dealt and, luckily, it's not too shabby an affair.
On launch, you'll see it's the same interface we had in the Torch 9800. It's straightforward and it does the job.
RIM gives you the luxury of several scene modes to pick from, and you can toggle geotagging on and off from the main camera screen.
Face detection is a nice addition, and we found it works OK, but the majority of people will leave it on Auto because in quick point-and-shoot instances, you don't have time to faff about with settings. Still, good on RIM for giving us some options.
And it is a responsive camera. As before, it starts up almost instantly on pressing the button, and that's a major plus because other phones can take much longer.
Plus, echoing the Torch 9800, there's a marked difference between what you see through the viewfinder and the photos you take on the BlackBerry Torch 9810. It's a good difference, though, because photos look so much richer and more vivid when viewed back than they appear during the actual act of photographing.
Autofocus on the Torch 9810 is a reasonable effort (we compare this to the Bold 9900, which was left wanting in our tests), although there's still no tap-to-focus, which is a shame.
Would it have hurt RIM too much to give us a little bit of leeway and decide where WE want the shot to be focused? With that big screen acting as a viewfinder, it's a feature you can't help but notice by its absence.
Image stabilisation is one of the selling points of the BlackBerry Torch 9810, and is even touched on by RIM in the literature it sends to reviewers.
At first we thought it was rubbish, until we realised that we hadn't enabled it in the options (but then again, will many others know that it needs to be flicked on to improve performance?).
And then, once we had enabled it, we had a great laugh testing it out.
We did our best drunk old man impressions and shook the phone as constantly as we could while we took photos of various inanimate objects.
And true to its word, the image stabilisation did kick in most of the time.
There is a trade off though, and that is that for stabilising the image, you end up with noise on the resulting pictures. It's not disgraceful, but it's noticeable, and looks a little bit like when you take a photograph in low light at night (even though our images were taken in full bright daylight).
The LED flash does a sterling job, and we can't complain about it at all.
It picks points out as directed in even the bleakest of conditions, and really puts its all into bathing your shots with white (not yellow, phew) light.
It's a really decent flash for a mobile phone – managing to illuminate a pitch dark room to take the required shot.
FLASH: Taken in pitch black, the light both illuminates and aids autofocus
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FAR-REACHING: The light illuminates a pitch black room enough for a decent snap
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NOISY: With image stabilisation enabled, you can't help but notice the extra noise
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SCREEN STRIPES: Image stabilisation mode enabled
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CLEARER: The same image with image stabilisation mode disabled
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COLOURFUL: In full daylight, the 5MP camera reproduces colours richly
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CLOSE-UP: Close up subjects are subject to slight blurring if they move
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Video
Fancy indulging in a little home movie making? (Not that kind!) Then you're in luck. The BlackBerry Torch 9810 comes with HD video recording on board (1280 x 720).
It's a nice addition, and makes us shudder when we think about how we used to get by with blocky old VGA on the previous model.
And it makes us feel ever so slightly smug when you read what we said about this in the original Torch 9800 review:
"With blocky pictures and tinny audio, it once again makes you feel in some ways that [RIM] hasn't thought this through. It's not awful, it's just not mind-blowing.The Torch could be very well capable of HD video recording, but this has been left out because of the smaller processor. We'll see what happens when the Torch 2 is released."
Well, it is here and it is much better. Fluid and crisp, we were really impressed. Of course, we are talking in a BlackBerry context, since it's no match for the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S2 and its HD video recording. But it's not a bad effort at all.
When you first fire up the Torch 9810's video camera app, you'll notice it quickly focuses. This is because it has a built in autofocus for the video recorder too (something we don't always see). And it continues to refocus as you move about, provided lighting conditions are good.
Not only that, but the image stabilisation is here too, along with more scene modes to pick from. It isn't as effective here, for the simple reason that it's not easy to keep an image stable when you're constantly on the move. We found it to be ineffective and couldn't work out why it's here, if truth be told.
The light, as with the stills camera app, is incredibly bright – less a Torch, more a floodlight.
We're not exaggerating – you don't want to shine this in anybody's eyes. We honourably tested it out on ourselves so you wouldn't have to worry, and it almost blinded us.
But that is, of course, once you get the light to come on. RIM doesn't make this task easy.
If you're filming something in the dark and decide to flick the light on quickly to illuminate your video, you're in for a nasty surprise because, goodness only knows why, RIM has buried the option to turn the light on and off way down in the menus.
By the time you've gone through them all and saved your choice, you'll have clicked six times. It's hardly an option that's easily at hand and we think RIM really has taken its eye off the ball here, which is a shame.
To add insult to injury, there's an icon there notifying you if the light is on or off, but you can't click it on the camera screen.
To transfer your videos, you can only really get them via Bluetooth, email or YouTube. HD videos are way too large for MMS, with a minute-long clip clocking in at 80MB.
Of course, you can set your BlackBerry Torch 9810's camera to VGA just in case, but you'll then have to go through all the menus to change it. Again, there are no on-screen toggles here to do that.
There is a rather useless one for changing the name of your video file though. We don't know who was responsible for these interface brainwaves, but RIM should probably hold back on their bonus this year.
Media
If ever a BlackBerry was made for consuming media, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 is it. It's no Samsung Galaxy S2 or Apple iPhone 4, but it's definitely a decent BlackBerry media experience.
You can sync with the official software and drag across iTunes playlists successfully using the cable, and it's fast enough, with full albums popping over in a few seconds.
Video can also be dragged across, although we found that using the drag and drop method was far quicker than the dedicated software, which took an age. And with 40GB potentially in your hand, this trumps even the top end handset from Cupertino for storage.
Music-wise, you're able to create playlists on the device without pain. But there is an issue with album art. For some reason, most of our albums came across with a Bonnie Tyler album cover on, despite us only actually owning one of her CDs (it was a present, OK?).
The same can't be said for the loudspeaker, though. Where it functions brilliantly for calls or ringtones, we found that when it came to playing music out loud, it wasn't ideal. In fact, it was rubbish.
We're comparing this to our recent test of the Bold 9900. Here's what we had to say there:
"Now, we promise you we haven't had a drink. Nor have we taken a knock to the head. But when we listened to certain songs, we actually heard bits of them we'd never heard before. It may sound odd – but it's true. For example, Bright Lights Big City by Cee Lo Green begins with quite a large orchestral piece.
"We've played that song hundreds of times through an iPhone and a home stereo but only when listening to it on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 did we notice some of the strings and layers we'd never clocked before. Whether it's the way the music is processed or recorded or whether it's just down to the equaliser is anybody's guess but it sounded amazing and we were sold. We loved it!"
So, we eagerly loaded up the same song on the BlackBerry Torch 9810 and prepared ourselves for some musical magic. But it didn't come.
In the end, poor Cee Lo sounded like he was singing underwater. In fact, the volume seemed to go up and down so much that it sounded as if the BlackBerry Torch 9810 was having some kind of fit.
Not that this will be a deal breaker for you, unless you're a 16 year old planning on playing your music loud on the bus to annoy pensioners. But to us, it was definitely a disappointment. Through headphones, it all sounded so much better.
Watching video back was a pleasure. Colours are rendered properly and the phone lends itself to watching videos in landscape.
Unfortunately, there's just no way of propping it up on its own, so unless you plan on holding the Torch 9810 with your hands for the entire duration of a movie, you may end up limiting video watching to short clips.
Pictures can be synced with the desktop software, and individual albums also copied across. They appear as they should in the BlackBerry Torch 9810, with no stray photos, which isn't what we expected.
Speaking of video, the YouTube icon is there (although it's actually just a bookmark to the mobile site) but there's no FM radio. We're disappointed about that, but not surprised. RIM has never included an FM radio in any of its handsets, despite the fact people still listen to the radio.
Battery life and connectivity
We were blown away with the battery life of the original BlackBerry Torch 9800. For a 1300mAh battery, it definitely had a lot of punch.And there's good and bad news with the BlackBerry Torch 9810.
The bad news is that for some unknown and vaguely ridiculous reason, RIM has equipped the Torch 9810 with the same battery as the older model. That's despite the fact that it has a much more vivid screen and double the processing power.
The good news is that, bizarrely, it doesn't make that much difference.
Yes, battery life isn't exceptional. Gone are the days when BlackBerry mobile phones could boast the most staying power. But, my, we've seen a lot worse.
We took it off charge at 6.30 on Monday morning. We played with it for about 45 minutes while we walked the dog (catching up on Twitter, a bit of browsing and filming a video). We made about 55 minutes worth of calls, sent and received a good 30 emails and 17 texts/Facebook messages, and by 6pm it was still saying it had 60% remaining.
So, we watched There's Something About Mary (well, we didn't actually watch the movie – we loaded it up, let it run and watched something else on a proper TV).
By the time the movie was about 1hr 30min in, the battery was down to 10%, and by just playing around we managed to get it to 5% by bedtime at 11pm. It was dead by morning when we rose.
The moral of the story is don't use the Torch 9810 to watch movies unless you have a date with your charger. But if you're just going to use it for traditional BlackBerry bits and bobs, you'll more likely than not be fine.
Connectivity-wise, all the bits that you'd expect are there – 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS.
The omission here is NFC. Not that we'll be crying into our cornflakes, since nobody uses it yet, but considering the Bold 9900 is touting it (plus the Curve 9360) as the future and comes with a big fat "I have NFC" smug face, we thought the Torch 9810 would follow suit. Evidently not.
Maps and apps
We've said this a million times but we'll say it again for the million and oneth time. Hopefully RIM is listening: WHY DO YOU STILL BOTHER WITH BLACKBERRY MAPS?It's the most underwhelming piece of software ever.
We're not going to go into the reasons that we hate it, because we'll end up in rehab again. But if you want any useful mapping software that's not slow, buggy and dreadfully poor at scanning around once you've buy a BlackBerry Torch 9810, immediately delete BB Maps, Download Google Maps and move on.
Anyway, speaking of GPS, it's a good chip. It locked on in under 20 seconds for the first time, and every time after that it was fairly responsive. We had no complaints.
App-wise, you're catered for quite well out of the box. Goodies include Documents To Go (We remember the day when all you got was a free trial!) and Compass (a new addition, but one we can't see many people using on a daily basis).
The usual suspects include MemoPad, Tasks, Password Keeper and BlackBerry's new BlackBerry Protect app, which brings the extreme corporate protection BES users benefit from to the many BIS users.
The inbuilt organiser is also standard BlackBerry fare, and if you use it for BES or something like Google Calendar, you'll have no complaints. We found it synced perfectly and did the job well.
BlackBerry's new Universal Voice Search is on board, but we don't think it's anything to write home about. Words were often misunderstood and you still have to press buttons, unless we were doing it wrong. It makes the whole point of a hands-free system fall flat on its face.
There are only two games on board the BlackBerry Torch 9810 (BrickBreaker and Wordmole), which seems a bit stingy compared to what we used to get from BlackBerry. But that's not really something we can complain about too much, since the AppWorld has lots more.
But AppWorld's still not the best software store, if we're honest. Apple, Android and Microsoft all have offerings that are far more fluid and aesthetically pleasing, have more apps and, crucially, are cheaper.
But let's not forget you're not limited to the AppWorld channel – places including Handmark are still in operation, and it will always serve you well to shop around for apps.
Hands-on gallery
Verdict
It's hard to see who the BlackBerry Torch 9810 is going to appeal to.
Younger users are likelier to flock towards the colourful Curve handsets, and serious users to the Bold 9900.
The Torch 9810 feels a little stuck out on its own, and while RIM has made some concessions and upgrades, we can't help feeling it's too little, too late. This is really what the Torch 9800 should have been a year ago. And while RIM may have caught up, we can't really afford it points merely for keeping up with the Joneses.
We can't quite work out if it's a youth phone, a media phone, a business phone or all three. We suspect the latter, but again RIM appears to be trying to service too many demographics in one go.
Don't get us wrong, the Torch 9810 does certain jobs valiantly, but it just doesn't feel exciting.
If it felt like a safe pair of hands, that would be one thing. But with some fairly minor but annoying gripes, it just doesn't feel... anything.
We liked
The BlackBerry Torch 9810 is an easy to navigate smartphone with a fantastic screen, fast processor and equally impressive battery life.
And of course, BlackBerry it is the world leader in messaging. Contacts are top-notch, and if you fancy a touchscreen keyboard but are scared to take the plunge, this could be the handset to ease you in gently.
We disliked
The BlackBerry Torch 9810 feels only like a minor update, and what the Torch 9800 should have been. No amount of marketing spin can paint this as a new model, and it shows.
Sure, the handset has a great processor that irons out the lag many users saw in the Torch 9800, but that's not enough.
OS 7 may be new but it's not a radical departure, and we can't help feeling a little bit cheated by the whole experience.
And lest we forget, it's still overly chunky and not in the same design league as the likes of the iPhone or latter day Android phones. It's too fat and doesn't leap off the shelves at you, which a top end BlackBerry has to these days if it has any hope of survival.
Final verdict
Years ago, we'd have been thrilled by an upgrade.
Going from Nokia's 3310 to 3330 because we got WAP, from 8910 to 8910i because of the colour screen, or even an N95 to an N95 8GB just for minor improvements.
But times have changed. We don't want updates – now, consumers demand massive changes, or else what's the point in signing up to a contract that will probably outlive you just to get your hands on the 'latest' handset?
The sad fact is that updates are yesterday's news, and this isn't a revolutionary product, merely an evolution ("evolution" being the word RIM uses itself on the marketing literature. That speaks volumes).
If you're obsessed with the BlackBerry Torch form factor, then we heartily recommend the BlackBerry Torch 9810 and wish you luck. But faced with the choice, we'd take the Bold 9900 anytime.
The only benefit we can see is that this now will make the original 9800 cheaper, so you could get that on a good deal.
Let's hope Mike Lazaridis and Co up their game by this time next year. Although at this rate, we'll not get too excited.
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Reports: Nintendo can't get Wii U to work
Nintendo is enduring serious problems with many 'core systems' on the forthcoming Wii U console, according to reports.
Sources for French site 01net says that the Wii U's current chipset lacks the power to make the console run as desired and could see the release date pushed back to next September.
The main problem appears to the the behemoth 6-inch touch-screen controller, claims the artice.
Nintendo is said to be having problems sending information wirelessly from the tablet-like controller to the console and is currently having to use a tethered connection.
Rushed
The report also reckons that the progress made by developers is also being held up as new software updates for the controller arrive almost every day.The source says problems have arisen because the design architecture was "rushed out the door."
Could it be really be back to the drawing board for Nintendo, with the Wii U less than a year away from the scheduled launch?
Following the sluggish start experienced by the 3DS, Nintendo can ill-afford to get this one wrong.
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Apples strikes new blow to Samsung in German court kerfuffle
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is officially banned in Germany.
In what is surely the most tiresome, baffling and ill-welcome tech story of the summer, a German court has upheld Apple's complaints and placed a ban on all Galaxy Tab sales in Germany until further notice.
The ruling follows a temporary injunction which was placed on Samsung's German arm in August, after Apple claimed that Samsung products were intentionally designed to look like its own.
Today, judge Johanna Brückner-Hofmann in Düsseldorf sided with Apple, and agreed that 'informed customers' were of the 'overall impression' that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was deliberately designed to look and feel like the iPad 2.
"The court is of the opinion that Apple's minimalist design is not the only technical solution to make a tablet computer," said Brückner-Hofmann at the hearing. "Other designs are possible."
The sales ban applies only to Samsung's German operation which means Samsung Germany is banned from distributing Galaxy Tab units to retailers anywhere in Europe. However, retailers in Germany who already have stock can continue to sell them.
The ruling does not have any impact on the UK or other European countries, although Apple has not yet given up on its mission to have all Samsung Galaxy products banned across the continent and in Japan.
Samsung has unsurprisingly vowed to appeal the new ruling, and a statement from the Korean firm said: "We are disappointed with this ruling and believe it severely limits consumer choice in Germany. We will take all available legal options including continuing to aggressively pursue Apple for its ongoing violation of Samsung's wireless technology patents around the world."
Tune in again soon for the next exciting episode of the Apple vs Samsung patent-off.
Link: Reuters
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Intel remains 'fully committed' to MeeGo
Intel has spoken out about rumours that it is ditching its MeeGo OS, originally developed in partnership with Nokia, stating that it is staying committed to the platform.
Rumours had surfaced earlier this week suggesting that Samsung was eyeing up MeeGo - while Doug Fisher, general manager of Intel's software division, wouldn't comment on the rumour, he did say:
"We're very open to other companies participating and helping us shape the next version of an open platform," while apparently alleging Intel's allegiance to the MeeGo software by stressing that it is "fully committed" to the OS.
This 'full commitment' may come as a surprise to the industry insiders who claim that Intel is on the verge of ditching the beleaguered OS.
Right, uh-huh
Fisher was speaking at an event intended to highlight Intel's soirees into the world of software, having bought McAfee and several smaller names earlier this year."Software companies are reshaping the industry today, " he said.
"We've recognized the critical need for software. The expectation is this will continue with further acquisitions around software."
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Nikon shares rise amid mirrorless speculation
Shares in Nikon have risen for the third day in a row after increased speculation about an impending launch of the company's first mirrorless camera.
A report in the Nikkei newspaper which claimed that the new Nikon compact system camera will be launched by the end of the year with a price of 70,000-100,000 yen (approximately £565-£800) with a kit lens seems to have been the major reason for the share price increase.
Nikon, along with its main rival, Canon, has yet to enter the mirrorless market, while Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Olympus and Pentax all have models on the market.
The launch of the new camera has been rumoured for some time, with many expecting it will be announced as soon as the end of the month.
Yesterday it was reported that Nikon and Canon were losing market share in their native Japan, while Sony had increased its share twofold. The reason for the 35% downturn has been cited as the lack of mirrorless models from either company.
Last month, Nikon said it expected sales of its digital SLR cameras to rise by 26% in the year to March 2012, selling 5.4 million units.
Nikon's shares ended yesterday 2.6% higher in a broader market which was down 0.6%. Over the past three days, the shares have risen about 10%. Canon meanwhile, is only around 1% up over the same period, and Sony has gained 2.3%.
Earlier today, Nikon posted a "news update" on its page, stating that there was in fact, no news.
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Motorola readying own Facebook phone
Motorola looks like it's going to be the next to join the Facebook phone race with the launch of a dedicated handset.
The snappily-named Motorola EX225 has been outed over on the Bluetooth accreditation site Bluetooth SIG, and shows a simple QWERTY-keyboarded device with a little blue Facebook key in the corner.
There aren't any Android buttons on show, so Motorola has either developed its own OS to power the device, or gone with something more widespread like Qualcomm's Brew - unless the company is still working out where to place the Android keys.
More of the same
If it's anything like the Vodafone 555 Blue, which also doesn't run Android, we can expect Facebook to be part of every element of the phone from photo uploading to music sharing - and this time even a spot of 3G.There's also a 2.4-inch screen (apparently non-touch) and is described as "a product for trendy generation who enjoy connecting to the world anytime, anywhere". Hyper-rad.
Another odd element: the phone will apparently come in a non-Facebook version, which helps us understand what Motorola is intending with this phone: a low-cost handset to service the rapidly-growing developing nations market that has an insatiable thirst for Facebook but limited access to the internet.
If it's passing through Bluetooth SIG now, we can probably expect the phone to land before Christmas, and our money's on this being at the cheaper end of the spectrum.
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Review: Buffalo MiniStation Plus
The Buffalo MiniStation Plus is a very impressive external hard drive, considering it has capacity to hold 1TB of data in such a small case. It might not be quite as slim as the Seagate GoFlex Slim, but it holds lots more files.
Although it's small, the reason why it isn't quite as tiny as its ultra-thin competitors is that it has a shock-proof chassis.
Due to its small size and large capacity, there's a good chance that you'll be carrying a lot of your important files and documents around on it, so its sturdy build quality is very welcome.
Unlike some USB 3.0 external hard drives, the Buffalo MiniStation Plus doesn't use a Solid State Drive, opting for a more old-fashioned 5,400RPM hard disk. This means that it lags quite a bit behind SSD-based external hard drives when it comes to speed, with write speeds of around 44MB/s in our tests.
The software that comes with the Buffalo MiniStation Plus promises to speed things up, but we found that it made little difference.
Verdict
In our tests, using a 5,400RPM hard disk fails to make the most of the USB 3.0 connection's potential.
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Buying Guide: Best iPhone Bluetooth headset: 5 compared
Best iPhone Bluetooth headset
Here's an amazing thing that you may not be aware of: your iPhone is not just a fully functioning internet device that can handle browsing the web and your email, as well as running any number of powerful apps. And, while it serves well as a handy portable repository for all the photos, video and audio you might want to carry around with you, it can do even more.Believe it or not, your iPhone can also be used to make and receive telephone calls! And it does it using the very same 3G network that you get your fancy internet connection from. Now, is that astonishing or what?
If you're planning on making a lot of calls with it, though, you might not want to be holding it against the side of your head for a long time. Ergonomically that sort of pose is bit of a non-starter. Plus, if you can't resist making phone calls when you're driving or performing delicate keyhole surgery, you're going to need some kind of extra headset. Perhaps one of those Bluetooth ones?
Now, we know what you're thinking. Bluetooth headsets? Aren't they the dominion of sales reps and estate agents and the sort of hipster type who just ran you off the pavement on one of their stupid fixie bikes? Well, maybe. But are you the sort of person to be put off getting something that you might find really useful just because of a small image problem, though? Of course you're not. You're a far better type of person.
With that in mind, we put five Bluetooth headsets together and tested them in ways that really matter - how they sound, how comfortable they are, and how they're designed - while making sure that no-one saw us doing it. Which one's for you? Read through our thorough reviews for the final verdict.
Aliph Jawbone Era - £74
Etymotic EtyBlu2 - £80
GameCom P90 - £16
Jabra Wave - £38
Nokia BH-609 - £40
iPhone Bluetooth headset reviews
Test one: Audio quality
When it comes to everyday indoor use, you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference between calls made on any of our five headsets. They all do their jobs perfectly well within the majority of the standard Bluetooth 10-metre range. You might want to think twice about putting a wall between yourself and your iPhone if you don't want your audio cutting out, but for the most part they're fine.
It's when you take them outside or into noisy environments that they show their various strengths. The GameCom P90, though, is meant to be used inside, and while it features a degree of noise reduction, it doesn't feature the advanced wind-silencing features of the other headsets.
Putting the P90 aside, the best of the bunch is undoubtedly the EtyBlu2. It's built with call quality in mind, from the flexible boom mic to the noise-isolating earpiece that, with the right eartip, blocks out an impressive amount of noise. If call clarity is your priority then read no further; nothing touches the EtyBlu2.
That said, the Jawbone Era isn't far off, with its military-grade noise reduction systems. NoiseAssassin 3.0 - its catchily named noise-cancellation tech - was developed for use by tank commanders and helicopter pilots, and it does a great job, so much so that the fiddly way of adjusting the earpiece volume doesn't bother us.
Both the Nokia BH-609 and Jabra Wave perform just as well in adverse conditions, each with their own special ways of dealing with unwanted noise. The Nokia packs two microphones for noise reduction, while the Wave has three-layer noise protection as well as digital signal processing.
The general upshot is that between these two and the Jawbone there's really not a lot to differentiate them, audio-wise, and unless you work with a pneumatic drill you're unlikely to run into situations where you can't hear or be heard.
Test results
Test two: Comfort
Comfort's such a subjective thing, isn't it? Thankfully, none of the headsets here actually hurts to wear, although the GameCom P90 is just a little on the snug side; we can envision chaffing after a long session.
Interestingly, the EtyBlu2 feels the least stable thanks to its long microphone boom; we wouldn't want to wear it without an earloop, and its deep in-ear fit is a little unsettling.
The Nokia similarly needs an earloop to avoid droop, while the Jabra Wave's over-the-ear design and rounded frame make it sit nicely around the ear.
However, the chunky but featherweight Jawbone Era wins out definitively here; we've found it to be the only one that can sit happily in the ear without earloop support and remain in place.
Test results
Test three: Design and features
The most striking of our five headsets is the EtyBlu2, with a functional, almost industrial design clearly aimed at sustained use.
Its most notable features are splendid examples of form following function; the long and flexible boom microphone serves to catch your voice more effectively, while the earphone is designed to be wedged right into your ear and block out background noise, and sounds accordingly great. Its one multi-function button (there are volume controls, too) feels a little stiff, but once you've taken a couple of seconds to learn how long to press it to do what, it works just fine.
The Jabra Wave has a similarly stand-out design; it's built to curve round your ear and, once there, it stays in quite happily. You do all your call-taking and hanging up functions with a squeeze of the button built into the microphone, while power and volume controls sit on the main body of the headset, behind the ear and easy to reach.
The other three headsets are similar compact earpiece designs. The GameCom P90 is by far the cheapest of the three and it shows. It's very plastic and feels flimsy, but remember that it's meant for teenagers calling each other unrepeatable names while playing Call of Duty online, not for CEOs putting in a call to head office on the way home because they forgot to fire Perkins. And despite feeling like something you might win in a cracker, the P90 works well, with a multi-function button and volume controls that click nicely.
The Nokia BH-609's a longer, more slimline design that doesn't feel especially solid; we have it marked down as the most likely to come to a crunchy end if you accidentally step on it. As well as the standard multi-function button, it also comes with an extra 'My own key' that you can load with up to three special functions; or at least you could if you were using it with a Nokia phone, so for our purposes it's dead weight.
Which leaves us with the Jawbone Era, the only one that you can look at and believe that someone made an effort to create something nice to look at. Its textured faceplate, its accelerometer-powered functionality (tap it to answer and hang up, shake it to pair it with your phone), its voice messages and its apps; none of it is strictly necessary but all of it works, resulting in a headset that even we're happy to show to people without any sense of shame. It's pretty and light and balanced and a bit mental as well. Hooray!
Test results
And the best iPhone Bluetooth headset is… Jawbone Era - £74
Look, we have this sneaking suspicion that technically the best bit of Bluetoothery in our round-up is the EtyBlu2. It's just so professional, with its flexible boom microphone and deep fitting. It features an intimidating horde of technologies aimed at delivering sound and eliminating noise and, frankly, it's boring.
Do a Google image search for 'professional' and you'll see a load of stock photography of the sort of person the EtyBlu2 is meant for. And that's all fine for them. If you are a serious business person along those lines, we thoroughly recommend it.
But if we're going to nail our colours to the Bluetooth headset mast, we simply have to go for the Jawbone Era, because it's a perfectly decent headset and because it's utterly preposterous, from the very moment that it starts up and tells you that it's making a startup noise. Even if you only pair it the once, won't you feel better by shaking the Era rather than holding down a button for five seconds? Of course you will.
Same goes for answering and hanging up just by tapping on it. It's like being in Star Trek. It's also the only one that offers A2DP, meaning it'll handle audio other than phone calls, and while you'd be a fool to listen to music with it, it's brilliant as a little in-ear speaker for your iPhone, just right for when all you want is a little auditory feedback for games and don't really want to wear earphones.
Oh, and while all our headsets will gladly pair with an iPod touch or iPad, the Era's the only one that'll do anything at all once paired.
Crucially, it's really tiny, light and comfortable; we're not sure you'd ever forget that you're actually wearing it, but you're a lot more likely than with the other headsets.
The Jabra Wave comes close in that regard with its clever behind-the-ear design, and we have quite a soft spot for it. It's cheaper than both the Era and EtyBlu2, features decent audio technology and, appearance-wise, it's pleasantly understated and relaxed. If you go down the headset shop and they've run out of Jawbones, you won't feel bad about making do with the Jabra Wave.
The mostly great Nokia BH-609, with its super-special extra button that doesn't work on the iPhone, is simply not for us, we suspect.
And as for the GameCom P90… it's not brilliant, but then it's not designed to be an all-round Bluetooth headset; it's designed primarily to be used with a games console and it's £16. Honestly, if you're not sure that you actually need a Bluetooth headset, then £16 for the P90's a steal.
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LG planning 30% staff cuts in mobile division?
LG is reportedly planning to slash the workforce in its mobile phone division by 30 per cent after consistently poor results in the mobile space.
Reuters is reporting that the Korean giant is reacting by slashing the workforce to cut costs, but LG has come out and stated such a decision hasn't been reached as yet:
"We are always looking at opportunities to improve the performance of our mobile business but no decision has been made as to any job reductions," said an LG spokesperson.
Inevitable
Despite being one of the largest mobile phone manufacturers in the world, LG has been losing money from that sector - with losses of over £30 million in its recent financial results.Therefore it seems highly likely some cuts will be necessary in this segment, given the poor performance of some devices - the LG Optimus 3D is the company's latest top-end smartphone, and while it's a powerful beast, there's no sign the market is ready to fully embrace 3D on the go as yet.
We think LG needs to have a look back in time for the next big hitter - let's get another Watch Phone on the market... it will DEFINITELY work this time around.
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Carphone Warehouse reveals BlackBerry Curve 9360 UK price
Carphone Warehouse has opened pre-orders for the BlackBerry Curve 9360, simultaneously confirming its UK pricing.
The SIM-free Curve will set you back £330 at Carphone Warehouse; which seems like quite a lot when previous iterations of the Curve line-up are current coming in at about £120-£150.
Still, both Vodafone and Three are lining up to stock the Curve 9360, where we reckon it'll land at around £20 a month.
Wallet-busting
Carphone has also listed a release date of 19 September, so there shouldn't be too many more weeks to wait before you can get your mitts on the thing.At that point, you can revel in the Curve 9360's 2.4-inch screen, its traditional BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard and BlackBerry OS 7.
It's only rocking an 800MHz processor, but that seemed adequate when we spent a bit of time with the handset last month.
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Video: Video: Screen scribbling with the LG PenTouch TV
We were as surprised as you when LG unveiled its PenTouch TV range of televisions that you can write on with the special bundled pen.
Yes, all those years of teaching our kids and drunken pals not to write on the TV screen have been done away in one felll swoop; but rather than dwell, we decided to embrace the wackiness and get scribbling over at IFA 2011.
Resisting the urge to draw explicit pictures and write rude words, here's our video hands on with the LG PenTouch TV range:
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Waterstone's to release ereader in 2012
Waterstone's is set to launch an ereader in spring next year as it looks to take on the Amazon Kindle and its phenomenal ebook selling success.
Details of what company will make the hardware and exactly when the gadget will hit the shelves are few and far between, but the company's MD, James Daunt, told Radio 4 that the ereader project was "well down the planning line".
"We in Waterstone's need to offer you a digital reader which is at least as good, and preferably substantially better, than that of our internet rival, and you will have a much better buying experience purchasing your books through us," said Daunt.
Nook envy
He also explained that the company wants to emulate the success of Barnes & Noble's Nook in the US, which he reckons has managed to claw back book buyers from Amazon's all-encompassing Kindle by linking it with their physical stores.The Amazon Kindle has proven very popular with readers, and Amazon announced in May that it now sells more Kindle books through Amazon.com than print books.
But with the Kindle approaching its fourth generation – likely to take the form of a tablet rather than a pure ereader – has Waterstones left it too late to compete?
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Review: Q2 Internet Radio
The Q2 brings the content-rich world of internet radio into your home with style. And because this button-free 10cm cube incorporates a rechargeable Li-ion battery you can take it outside, too – as long as your Wi-Fi coverage matches your territorial ambitions.
It's easy to use, thanks to an accelerometer similar to that built into the Wii controller. Placing the cube onto one of four sides selects a different station. Tilting the radio up or down adjusts volume, while the face-down position shuts it up.
And from a single charge, you can expect to get over 10 hours of moderate-level listening.
There are no physical buttons to trap dust or malfunction. The only switch, on the rear panel, turns the thing off altogether.
Alongside this are a small bass-reflex port and an earphone socket. Behind the speaker grille lurk LEDs showing power and connection.
Sound quality is great for the size. The Q2 goes far louder than expected, without unacceptable levels of distortion. Its speaker's range is unexpectedly wide, too.
If you don't like the swirly floral motif decorating our review sample, there's a choice of other patterns and styles available including plain white, black, or green, and a floral pink. Lovely.
However, you only get an immediate choice of four stations or podcasts from a choice of thousands. To change them, you have to plug the Q2 into a computer via its USB port, and use downloadable software to assign new stations to these 'presets'.
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Buying Guide: Best iPad case: 38 iPad 1 and iPad 2 cases rated
iPad 1 back covers and folio cases
Whatever you're after, we've picked a selection of iPad and iPad 2 cases, sorted them by type and tested until we found the best out there.We've tested each iPad case and scored them out of five so you can see at a glance which ones we recommend.
We kick off with back covers for you iPad, so make sure you've got your iPad's back with one of these stylish shields.
Whether you're after a case for your original iPad or your iPad 2, we've got you (ahem) covered.
01. Cygnett Prism Soundscoop
Price: £11
URL: cygnett.com
Colours: Blue/Red/White
Unlike many other gel covers, this is tight around the edges and on the back, plus it aims the sound at you better and looks great to boot.
Verdict: 5/5
02. Otterbox Commuter Series
Price: £24
URL: otterbox.com
Colour: Black
It's a bit of a faff to get on and off, but the plastic back shell gives your iPad some added protection against bumps and knocks.
Verdict: 3/5
03. Incipio 1337
Price: £25
URL: myincipio.com
Colours: Blue/Red/Yellow
Designed for gamers, the pads on the back make your iPad comfier to grip for long periods, but it really needs more padding on the corners to stop them digging into your hands.
Verdict: 3/5
04. Ozaki iCoat Bubble
Price: £35
URL: ozaki.us/en
Colour: White
Protect your iPad without hiding its sleek lines from view. It hugs your tablet nice and tight, but it's pretty expensive compared to many of its competitors on test here.
Verdict: 3/5
05. Proporta Mizu Shell
Price: From £5
URL: proporta.com
Colours: Red/Black/Pink
A great-value translucent gel cover that fits snugly, let down slightly by the fact that the longer edges are a tad on the loose side.
Verdict: 4/5
06. Griffin Airstrap
Price: £15
URL: griffintechnology.com
Colour: Black
Why tire your hand out gripping your iPad when it can grip you? The elasticated strap on the back of this admittedly bulky case feels a bit tight after a while, but what a great idea!
Verdict: 3/5
Want a case that's going to protect your iPad and doubles as a stand? Look no further…
01. Orbyx Leather Folder Case Green
Price: £27
URL: orbyx.com
Colours: Black/Black and Green/Brown and Pink
Great build quality, relatively slim and can sit at a perfect angle for typing. It'll also stand for watching movies, though isn't that stable.
Verdict: 5/5
02. Tuff-Luv Bi-Axis Saddleback
Price: £36
URL: tuff-luv.com
Colours: Black/Pink/Red/Brown/Beige
This well-padded leather case is the only one here that'll stand your iPad in both portrait and landscape, but setting up the stand's a faff.
Verdict: 3/5
03. Mophie Workbook
Price: £36
URL: mophie.com
Colours: Various
It's a bit on the fat side, but it'll stand your iPad at just about any landscape angle for viewing, thanks to its easy-to-use velcro system. Not so great for typing, though.
Verdict: 4/5
04. Incipio Premium Kickstand
Price: £25
URL: myincipio.com
Colours: Black/Grey
If leather's not your thing, this case-cum-stand is made of nylon instead. Brilliant for watching video or giving presentations, but high for typing.
Verdict: 4/5
05. Scosche FoldIO
Price: £25
URL: scosche.com
Colours: Black/Black and Grey
Beautifully slimline and it grips your iPad like a vice. The foldIO comes in leather- or carbon fibre-texture finishes and will prop your tablet at three landscape viewing angles.
Verdict: 4/5
06. Proporta Recycled Leather Case
Price: £35
URL: proporta.com
Colour: Black/Beige
Where some cases leave the edges of your iPad a bit exposed, this gives great all-round protection, but the one-angle stand is nothing special.
Verdict: 3/5
iPad 2 back covers and Smart Cover add-ons
Keep your iPad 2 looking pristine without compromising on looks
01. iLuv Flex-Gel Case
Price: £11
URL: i-luv-uk.co.uk
Colours: Black/Blue/Grey/Pink/White
Take your pick from the five colours that this beautifully tight-fitting gel case comes in. Its matte finish means you have a nice amount of grip when you're holding your iPad 2.
Verdict: 5/5
02. Cygnett SecondSkin Ink
Price: £19
URL: cygnett.com
Colour: Black
This dark gel case looks great on the black iPad and we like the design on the back. Our only criticism is that the surface is a little bit slippery.
Verdict: 4/5
03. Case-Mate Pop!
Price: £25
URL: case-mate.com
Colours: Black and Grey/Pink and Grey/White and Grey
A smart gel case reinforced by a plastic shell. There's also a one-angle stand that feels reasonably firm. Like many gel cases, the design means the edges are little on the loose side.
Verdict: 3/5
04. Proporta Mizu Shell
Price: £25
URL: proporta.com
Colours: Grey/Red/White
We really like how the translucent material lets you see the Apple logo through the case, leaving your iPad to shine. Bit loose on the edges, mind.
Verdict: 4/5
05. Incipio Hive
Price: £21
URL: myincipio.com
Colours: Black/Grey/Red
While the Hive adds a fair bit of thickness to your slimline iPad, the hexagonal pattern gives plenty of protection. A shame the sides around the screen are so loose.
Verdict: 3/5
We've got the Smart Cover, an alternative, plus a range of back covers to use with the Smart Cover
01. Apple Smart Cover
Price: £35/£59
URL: apple.com/uk
Colours: Various
Revolutionary on so many levels: the way it always snaps on perfectly, the automatic sleep/wake thing, the double-stand. But it is ridiculously costly, especially in leather.
Verdict: 4/5
02. Speck Pixelskin HD Wrap
Price: £32
URL: speckproducts.com
Colours: Black/Pink/Blue
A Smart Cover-like front and gel back. Best of both worlds, right? Wrong. The back bit's fine, but the front cover and stand are poor.
Verdict: 2/5
03. iLuv Smart Back Cover
Price: £25
URL: i-luv-uk.co.uk
Colours: Various
If you want the ultimate protection for the back and sides of your iPad against scrapes, look no further. It's slim and nicely finished, too.
Verdict: 4/5
04. Incipio Smart Feather
Price: £30
URL: myincipio.com
Colours: Various
Used with the Smart Cover, this ultra-slim and light back protector clips over the hinge, so you can't take the Smart Cover off that easily.
Verdict: 4/5
05. SGP Griff For iPad 2
Price: £40
URL: sgpstore.com
Colours: Various
It's stylish leather, but the red one here doesn't match the colour of the Smart Cover it's meant to work with, nor does it allow the left corners to sit snug to your tablet's screen.
Verdict: 3/5
06. Proporta Hard Shell Back Cover
Price: £20
URL: proporta.com
Colours: Black/White
Very thin and with a classy, slightly rubberised finish, Proporta's rear protector doesn't protect the top edge as well as the iLuv.
Verdict: 4/5
iPad 2 folio cases
01. Belkin Verve Folio Stand
Price: £30
URL: belkin.com
Colour: Black
It's stylish, folds into a stable stand that's perfect for watching movies, and it even automatically wakes up your iPad when you open the cover!
Verdict: 5/5
02. Booq BooqPad
Price: £49
URL: booqbags.com
Colours: Various
Expensive and chunky, yes, but it oozes quality from every pore of its leather finish. The built-in notebook makes it perfect for anyone who uses their iPad for work or study.
Verdict: 4/5
03. Pro/Tex Executive 03 iPad 2 Case
Price: £25
URL: kondor.co.uk
Colour: Black
Okay, so it can stand your iPad up in portrait as well as landscape. But it looks horribly cheap and constantly falls down. Don't waste your money.
Verdict: 1/5
04. Tuff-Luv Tri-Axis Stasis Series
Price: From £32
URL: tuff-luv.com
Colours: Various
This comes in several finishes – some leather. The stand's a faff to set up, but very stable in landscape, and it auto-wakes your iPad.
Verdict: 3/5
05. Cygnett Lavish Earth
Price: £31
URL: cygnett.com
Colours: Beige/Pink
A classy offering that auto-wakes the iPad and has an excellent stand. For other colours, check out the Lavish and Glam on Cygnett's site.
Verdict: 4/5
06. Speck Fitfolio
Price: £30
URL: speckproducts.com
Colours: Black/Red
This is both slimline and gorgeous, with the red version injecting some much-needed verve into a case genre that's dominated by dark colours. No auto on/off, though.
Verdict: 4/5
07. Cygnett Rotating Armour
Price: £37
URL: cygnett.com
Colours: Black and Grey/Black and Orange
Like the Pro/Tec, you can stand your iPad up and rotate it between portrait or landscape. But it's ridiculously unstable. Not good.
Verdict: 2/5
iPad 1 and 2 rugged cases and sleeves
For the times a regular case just won't be be enough, you need a rugged case
01. Incipio Destroyer
Price: £30
URL: myincipio.com
Colour: Black
Works with: iPad 1
Cases don't come much more solid than this: the sides actually bolt on! Okay, so it's weighty and the dock connector's not easy to get at, but if you need protection, get the best.
Verdict: 5/5
02. Gumdrop Drop Series For iPad 2
Price: £37
URL: gumdropcases.com
Colours: Various
Works with: iPad 2
A simple but effective design that incorporates covers for all the ports and switches to prevent unwanted debris getting in. Simple to fit, too.
Verdict: 4/5
03. Otterbox Defender For iPad
Price: £31
URL: otterbox.com
Colours: Various
Works with: iPad 1
Not as robust as the Incipio Destroyer, but provides reasonable bump protection nonetheless, and isn't bad in the looks department.
Verdict: 3/5
04. Otterbox Defender For iPad 2
Price: £42
URL: otterbox.com
Colour: Black
Works with: iPad 2
By no means the sturdiest here, and we've yet to come across a case that's as much faff to fit. A no-brainer to go for the cheaper Gumdrop Drop.
Verdict: 2/5
Sometimes, the simple things in life are best. Here's our pick of iPad sleeves
01. BE.EZ La Robe Club Edition
Price: £25
URL: be-ez.com
Colour: Black/Yellow
Works with: iPad 1, iPad 2
The Club's tough memory foam tightly hugs your iPad (and Smart Cover and back shell too, if you wish). Lovely looks and solid build.
Verdict: 4/5
02. Twelve South Bookbook
Price: £60
URL: twelvesouth.com
Colours: Beige and brown/Black and Red
Works with: iPad 1, iPad 2
Forget the price for a moment and just look at the sheer beauty of this leather iPad case-cum-stand that convincingly looks like a classic tome!
Verdict: 3/5
03. SGP Illuzion
Price: £45
URL: sgpstore.com
Colours: Various
Works with: iPad 1, iPad 2
A stylish leather glove for your iPad and Smart Cover. Nice and simple, even though the green one here isn't the same colour as the Smart Cover.
Verdict: 4/5
04. Knomo Leather Slim
Price: £13
URL: knomobags.com
Colour: Brown
Works with: iPad 1, iPad 2
An absolute bargain and it's made of real leather too! The fit's snug and you can register it with Knomo so that if someone finds it, you may get it back. But chunky as sleeves go.
Verdict: 3/5
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Buying Guide: Best iPad case: 38 iPad cases rated
iPad 1 back covers and folio cases
Whatever you're after, we've picked a selection of iPad and iPad 2 cases, sorted them by type and tested until we found the best out there.We've tested each iPad case and scored them out of five so you can see at a glance which ones we recommend.
We kick off with back covers for you iPad, so make sure you've got your iPad's back with one of these stylish shields.
Whether you're after a case for your original iPad or your iPad 2, we've got you (ahem) covered.
01. Cygnett Prism Soundscoop
Price: £11
URL: cygnett.com
Colours: Blue/Red/White
Unlike many other gel covers, this is tight around the edges and on the back, plus it aims the sound at you better and looks great to boot.
Verdict: 5/5
02. Otterbox Commuter Series
Price: £24
URL: otterbox.com
Colour: Black
It's a bit of a faff to get on and off, but the plastic back shell gives your iPad some added protection against bumps and knocks.
Verdict: 3/5
03. Incipio 1337
Price: £25
URL: myincipio.com
Colours: Blue/Red/Yellow
Designed for gamers, the pads on the back make your iPad comfier to grip for long periods, but it really needs more padding on the corners to stop them digging into your hands.
Verdict: 3/5
04. Ozaki iCoat Bubble
Price: £35
URL: ozaki.us/en
Colour: White
Protect your iPad without hiding its sleek lines from view. It hugs your tablet nice and tight, but it's pretty expensive compared to many of its competitors on test here.
Verdict: 3/5
05. Proporta Mizu Shell
Price: From £5
URL: proporta.com
Colours: Red/Black/Pink
A great-value translucent gel cover that fits snugly, let down slightly by the fact that the longer edges are a tad on the loose side.
Verdict: 4/5
06. Griffin Airstrap
Price: £15
URL: griffintechnology.com
Colour: Black
Why tire your hand out gripping your iPad when it can grip you? The elasticated strap on the back of this admittedly bulky case feels a bit tight after a while, but what a great idea!
Verdict: 3/5
Want a case that's going to protect your iPad and doubles as a stand? Look no further…
01. Orbyx Leather Folder Case Green
Price: £27
URL: orbyx.com
Colours: Black/Black and Green/Brown and Pink
Great build quality, relatively slim and can sit at a perfect angle for typing. It'll also stand for watching movies, though isn't that stable.
Verdict: 5/5
02. Tuff-Luv Bi-Axis Saddleback
Price: £36
URL: tuff-luv.com
Colours: Black/Pink/Red/Brown/Beige
This well-padded leather case is the only one here that'll stand your iPad in both portrait and landscape, but setting up the stand's a faff.
Verdict: 3/5
03. Mophie Workbook
Price: £36
URL: mophie.com
Colours: Various
It's a bit on the fat side, but it'll stand your iPad at just about any landscape angle for viewing, thanks to its easy-to-use velcro system. Not so great for typing, though.
Verdict: 4/5
04. Incipio Premium Kickstand
Price: £25
URL: myincipio.com
Colours: Black/Grey
If leather's not your thing, this case-cum-stand is made of nylon instead. Brilliant for watching video or giving presentations, but high for typing.
Verdict: 4/5
05. Scosche FoldIO
Price: £25
URL: scosche.com
Colours: Black/Black and Grey
Beautifully slimline and it grips your iPad like a vice. The foldIO comes in leather- or carbon fibre-texture finishes and will prop your tablet at three landscape viewing angles.
Verdict: 4/5
06. Proporta Recycled Leather Case
Price: £35
URL: proporta.com
Colour: Black/Beige
Where some cases leave the edges of your iPad a bit exposed, this gives great all-round protection, but the one-angle stand is nothing special.
Verdict: 3/5
iPad 2 back covers and Smart Cover add-ons
Keep your iPad 2 looking pristine without compromising on looks
01. iLuv Flex-Gel Case
Price: £11
URL: i-luv-uk.co.uk
Colours: Black/Blue/Grey/Pink/White
Take your pick from the five colours that this beautifully tight-fitting gel case comes in. Its matte finish means you have a nice amount of grip when you're holding your iPad 2.
Verdict: 5/5
02. Cygnett SecondSkin Ink
Price: £19
URL: cygnett.com
Colour: Black
This dark gel case looks great on the black iPad and we like the design on the back. Our only criticism is that the surface is a little bit slippery.
Verdict: 4/5
03. Case-Mate Pop!
Price: £25
URL: case-mate.com
Colours: Black and Grey/Pink and Grey/White and Grey
A smart gel case reinforced by a plastic shell. There's also a one-angle stand that feels reasonably firm. Like many gel cases, the design means the edges are little on the loose side.
Verdict: 3/5
04. Proporta Mizu Shell
Price: £25
URL: proporta.com
Colours: Grey/Red/White
We really like how the translucent material lets you see the Apple logo through the case, leaving your iPad to shine. Bit loose on the edges, mind.
Verdict: 4/5
05. Incipio Hive
Price: £21
URL: myincipio.com
Colours: Black/Grey/Red
While the Hive adds a fair bit of thickness to your slimline iPad, the hexagonal pattern gives plenty of protection. A shame the sides around the screen are so loose.
Verdict: 3/5
We've got the Smart Cover, an alternative, plus a range of back covers to use with the Smart Cover
01. Apple Smart Cover
Price: £35/£59
URL: apple.com/uk
Colours: Various
Revolutionary on so many levels: the way it always snaps on perfectly, the automatic sleep/wake thing, the double-stand. But it is ridiculously costly, especially in leather.
Verdict: 4/5
02. Speck Pixelskin HD Wrap
Price: £32
URL: speckproducts.com
Colours: Black/Pink/Blue
A Smart Cover-like front and gel back. Best of both worlds, right? Wrong. The back bit's fine, but the front cover and stand are poor.
Verdict: 2/5
03. iLuv Smart Back Cover
Price: £25
URL: i-luv-uk.co.uk
Colours: Various
If you want the ultimate protection for the back and sides of your iPad against scrapes, look no further. It's slim and nicely finished, too.
Verdict: 4/5
04. Incipio Smart Feather
Price: £30
URL: myincipio.com
Colours: Various
Used with the Smart Cover, this ultra-slim and light back protector clips over the hinge, so you can't take the Smart Cover off that easily.
Verdict: 4/5
05. SGP Griff For iPad 2
Price: £40
URL: sgpstore.com
Colours: Various
It's stylish leather, but the red one here doesn't match the colour of the Smart Cover it's meant to work with, nor does it allow the left corners to sit snug to your tablet's screen.
Verdict: 3/5
06. Proporta Hard Shell Back Cover
Price: £20
URL: proporta.com
Colours: Black/White
Very thin and with a classy, slightly rubberised finish, Proporta's rear protector doesn't protect the top edge as well as the iLuv.
Verdict: 4/5
iPad 2 folio cases
01. Belkin Verve Folio Stand
Price: £30
URL: belkin.com
Colour: Black
It's stylish, folds into a stable stand that's perfect for watching movies, and it even automatically wakes up your iPad when you open the cover!
Verdict: 5/5
02. Booq BooqPad
Price: £49
URL: booqbags.com
Colours: Various
Expensive and chunky, yes, but it oozes quality from every pore of its leather finish. The built-in notebook makes it perfect for anyone who uses their iPad for work or study.
Verdict: 4/5
03. Pro/Tex Executive 03 iPad 2 Case
Price: £25
URL: kondor.co.uk
Colour: Black
Okay, so it can stand your iPad up in portrait as well as landscape. But it looks horribly cheap and constantly falls down. Don't waste your money.
Verdict: 1/5
04. Tuff-Luv Tri-Axis Stasis Series
Price: From £32
URL: tuff-luv.com
Colours: Various
This comes in several finishes – some leather. The stand's a faff to set up, but very stable in landscape, and it auto-wakes your iPad.
Verdict: 3/5
05. Cygnett Lavish Earth
Price: £31
URL: cygnett.com
Colours: Beige/Pink
A classy offering that auto-wakes the iPad and has an excellent stand. For other colours, check out the Lavish and Glam on Cygnett's site.
Verdict: 4/5
06. Speck Fitfolio
Price: £30
URL: speckproducts.com
Colours: Black/Red
This is both slimline and gorgeous, with the red version injecting some much-needed verve into a case genre that's dominated by dark colours. No auto on/off, though.
Verdict: 4/5
07. Cygnett Rotating Armour
Price: £37
URL: cygnett.com
Colours: Black and Grey/Black and Orange
Like the Pro/Tec, you can stand your iPad up and rotate it between portrait or landscape. But it's ridiculously unstable. Not good.
Verdict: 2/5
iPad 1 and 2 rugged cases and sleeves
For the times a regular case just won't be be enough, you need a rugged case
01. Incipio Destroyer
Price: £30
URL: myincipio.com
Colour: Black
Works with: iPad 1
Cases don't come much more solid than this: the sides actually bolt on! Okay, so it's weighty and the dock connector's not easy to get at, but if you need protection, get the best.
Verdict: 5/5
02. Gumdrop Drop Series For iPad 2
Price: £37
URL: gumdropcases.com
Colours: Various
Works with: iPad 2
A simple but effective design that incorporates covers for all the ports and switches to prevent unwanted debris getting in. Simple to fit, too.
Verdict: 4/5
03. Otterbox Defender For iPad
Price: £31
URL: otterbox.com
Colours: Various
Works with: iPad 1
Not as robust as the Incipio Destroyer, but provides reasonable bump protection nonetheless, and isn't bad in the looks department.
Verdict: 3/5
04. Otterbox Defender For iPad 2
Price: £42
URL: otterbox.com
Colour: Black
Works with: iPad 2
By no means the sturdiest here, and we've yet to come across a case that's as much faff to fit. A no-brainer to go for the cheaper Gumdrop Drop.
Verdict: 2/5
Sometimes, the simple things in life are best. Here's our pick of iPad sleeves
01. BE.EZ La Robe Club Edition
Price: £25
URL: be-ez.com
Colour: Black/Yellow
Works with: iPad 1, iPad 2
The Club's tough memory foam tightly hugs your iPad (and Smart Cover and back shell too, if you wish). Lovely looks and solid build.
Verdict: 4/5
02. Twelve South Bookbook
Price: £60
URL: twelvesouth.com
Colours: Beige and brown/Black and Red
Works with: iPad 1, iPad 2
Forget the price for a moment and just look at the sheer beauty of this leather iPad case-cum-stand that convincingly looks like a classic tome!
Verdict: 3/5
03. SGP Illuzion
Price: £45
URL: sgpstore.com
Colours: Various
Works with: iPad 1, iPad 2
A stylish leather glove for your iPad and Smart Cover. Nice and simple, even though the green one here isn't the same colour as the Smart Cover.
Verdict: 4/5
04. Knomo Leather Slim
Price: £13
URL: knomobags.com
Colour: Brown
Works with: iPad 1, iPad 2
An absolute bargain and it's made of real leather too! The fit's snug and you can register it with Knomo so that if someone finds it, you may get it back. But chunky as sleeves go.
Verdict: 3/5
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Super fast Windows 8 boot time demoed
Microsoft has revealed that Windows 8 will boot in just 8 short seconds and to prove it, the company has posted a video of the upcoming OS doing just that.
In a lengthy blog post explaining the whys and wherefores of how Microsoft teased the software into an 8 second boot-up, Gabe Aul explains that the new solution is "a fast start-up mode which is a hybrid of traditional cold boot and resuming from hibernate."
It's all down to hibernating the kernel session rather than closing it down completely and starting it back up again.
Hibernate that kernel
In addition, the development team added a new feature that uses all the cores in a multi-core system in parallel; this splits the work of reading the hibernating kernel file and decompressing the contents - so both can be done at once, hence a faster load time.Aul addes, "Another important thing to note about Windows 8's fast startup mode is that, while we don't do a full "Plug & Play" enumeration of all drivers, we still do initialize drivers in this mode.
"Those of you who like to cold boot in order to "freshen up" drivers and devices will be glad to know that is still effective in this new mode, even if not an identical process to a cold boot."
Want to see the mega speedy boot up with your own fair eyes? Check out the video below (we assume Microsoft wouldn't be so sneaky as to cut a few frames out…).
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Review: LG D2342P Cinema 3D Monitor
The LG D2342P 23-inch LED backlight display has an FPR (Film Pattern Retarder) filter, which means it can be used with low-cost, passive 3D glasses that appear flicker-free.
This is important considering most PC monitors are used in environments with a high level of ambient light, usually from a multitude of different sources. What's more, the loss of 3D resolution characteristic of an FPR screen matters far less here than on a large screen TV, because it's harder to perceive.
The screen looks much like any other widescreen PC monitor. It has a thin, glossy black bezel and is just 5.7cm deep (although it bulges at the rear). There are no speakers, but you do get a headphone jack.
This PC Cinema 3D screen works rather well. Tron: Legacy is a challenging 3D Blu-ray, yet this LG does a grand job of giving it depth. The caveat is that there is a very narrow sweet spot available to enjoy crosstalk free 3D. Move off axis, particularly vertically, and double imaging spills across the picture.
The D2342P may lack a TV tuner, but it does sport an HDMI input, as well as PC D-Sub and DVI-D inputs, making it easy to use with 3D Blu-ray players and games consoles.
The passive 3D glasses used with this set are lightweight and comfortable. LG includes a pair of polarising clip-ons for spectacle wearers. These can literally be pinched onto any regular prescription glasses.
It's worth noting that the D2342P's panel has a static resolution of 1080 lines, but its motion resolution is rather less, topping out at around 650 lines. There's no fast frame-rate tech on board to cure this subjective drop. That said, blur wasn't deemed a problem during gaming sessions.
Greyscale tracking is not a strong suite and the screen struggles to deliver a rich, deep black level.
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Twitter hits 100 million active users
Twitter has announced that it has reached 100 million global active users on Twitter, accessing it via Twitter.com, official Twitter apps and third-party apps too.
In a very un-Twitter-like move, the social network has also revealed a veritable cornucopia of stats about its users, no doubt hoping to lure in new advertisers and actually make some money for a change.
So, we now know that those 100 million tweeters are averaging around 230 million tweets a day, which amounts to a lot of pithy commentary on current events.
What's more, 400 million monthly unique browsers access Twitter.com; that's up 70 per cent from the start of the year (!). Meanwhile, 55 per cent of the 100 million active users are hitting Twitter from a mobile device.
Sir Tweetalot
Twitter also thinks it's going to sign up another 26 million users by January 2012 – but even if it does, its user base is still a drop in the ocean compared to Facebook's, which reports over 750 million active users, of which 50 per cent log on to the social network each day.But, with Twitter users' propensity to get involved in current events and the ever present possibility of celebrities getting drunk and tweeting things they probably shouldn't, Twitter users are clearly on the up and up, while Facebook is likely to be entering a bit of a plateau.
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Review: Samsung ST95
Overview
The ST95 is one of the better looking cameras in Samsung's line-up, featuring an individual design, a touchscreen and a small body.In fact, the 3 inch touchscreen on the ST95's back looks bigger due to the body's smaller size.
There's only two buttons on the back of the camera for accessing the playback menu and the home menu, which makes the camera look more streamlined. The home button provides access to the many shooting modes such as program, smart auto, scenes and video.
There's three pages of options in the home-button menu, isn't in any logical order that we can see, and some of them might be better placed in the scene mode options such as Magazine, Night, Close-up, Beauty shot, Vignetting and Photo filter.
The main menu is opened up using the touch-screen and ages are navigated by finger-swipes, much like on a smartphone.
Build quality and handling
The Samsung ST95 is a solid little camera. It feels a little weighty, which is nice, and the controls are all placed well for easy access. You may find that your thumb will stray onto the screen without you noticing from time to time especially if you have large hands though.
Moveable parts such as the lens and battery door have a little play in them, but they're not weak. The latter also has a lock on it so it doesn't get opened accidentally.
The ST95 takes a dedicated lithium ion battery that comes supplied in the box with a charging cable and plug. Charging is internal so the camera will charge from a computer (or mains) while it's downloading the pictures.
With the standard menu layout, coupled with the spacious area on the back and touchscreen, the ST95 is a very easy camera to use. The ST95 comes with a touchscreen stylus for precise use of the screen and it's advisable to use it. We found that using using a finger led to random modes being accessed and trying to scroll through the menu is more difficult without it.
Performance
When the ST95 is faced with mid range tones, it produces very nice pictures. They're well exposed, sharp and noise-levels are low. However, the camera suffers from a low dynamic range and on some occasions highlights burn out. Where this happens, high contrast edges and chromatic aberration appear.
Noise is handled well in natural light and even better in controlled light. In fact, in studio conditions and at low sensitivty settings (ISO), the pictures are sharp, clean and pretty noise free. Changes start to take effect at ISO200, but that's only noticeable when images are viewed at 100% on screen. Viewing the pictures at 'normal' size doesn't show the changes.
There's a slight colour shift in darker areas at ISO800, but the change is more noticeable at ISO1600 with shadows taking on a purple cast. Edge definition breaks down too and image details are lost as the camera's noise reduction system goes into overdrive.
Despite the high levels of noise at ISO3200, the picture does at least remain at full resolution, there are cameras in the Samsung range that will reduce it to 3 megapixels.
Colours are recorded nicely on the Samsung ST95. Primary colours are rich, but not to a garish degree and while more difficult colours are realistic. Skin tones are realised nicely and if there's a medley of different colours in the frame, there's no colour bleed.
We've had better picture quality from other Samsung cameras that we've tested, which is a shame for the ST95 as its otherwise a nice little camera. The narrow dynamic range left us feeling deflated. However, there's little noise in images captured in controlled light sources.
Image quality and resolution
As part of our image quality testing for the Samsung ST95, we've shot our resolution chartIf you view our crops of the resolution chart's central section at 100% (or Actual Pixels) you will see that, for example, at ISO 100 the Samsung ST95 is capable of resolving up to around 18 (line widths per picture height x100) in its highest quality JPEG files.
Examining images of the chart taken at each sensitivity setting reveals the following resolution scores in line widths per picture height x100:
ISO 80, score: 18 (see full image)
ISO 100, score: 18 (see full image)
ISO 200, score: 16 (see full image)
ISO 400, score: 12 (see full image)
ISO 800, score: 12 (see full image)
ISO 1600, score: n/a (see full image)
ISO 3200, score: n/a (see full image)
Noise and dynamic range
These graphs were produced using data generated by DXO Analyzer.We shoot a specially designed chart in carefully controlled conditions and the resulting images are analysed using the DXO software.
Signal to noise ratio
A high signal to noise ratio (SNR) indicates a cleaner and better quality image.
JPEG images from the Samsung ST95 show that whilst the Signal to Noise ratio is better than the Nikon Coolpix S3100, results across the sensitivity range areconsistentlylower than both the Canon Powershot A3300 IS and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS18
Dynamic range
Sample photos
The ST95 balances the exposure well when the scene has an even mix of light and dark tones
Click here to see the high res version.
Even with a bright subject in the centre, the metering has worked the exposure well.
Click here to see the high res version.
Bright areas such as clouds can be burnt out
Click here to see the high res version.
Colours are generally recorded well, but some can be a little over-vibrant
Click here to see the high res version.
With mid-range tones, exposures are spot on.
Click here to see the high res version.
Close ups look great from the ST95
Click here to see the high res version.
Sensitivty and noise
ISO 80
Click here to see the high res version
ISO 100
Click here to see the high res version
ISO 200
Click here to see the high res version
ISO 400
Click here to see the high res version
ISO 800
Click here to see the high res version
ISO 1600
Click here to see the high res version
ISO 3200
Click here to see the high res version
Samsung ST95: Specifications
Sensor
16 megapixel CCD
Lens
5x optical zoom, f/3.3
Memory
Internal, MicroSD, MicroSDHC
Viewfinder
No
LCD Screen
3 inch TFT LCD touch-screen
Video resolution
1280 x 720
ISO range
ISO80 - 3200
Focus modes
Centre AF, Multi AF, Face detection AF, One touch AF, Smart touch AF
Shutter speeds
1sec – 1/2000sec (8sec in night mode)
Weight
106.9g
Dimensions
91.9 x 53.1 x 17mm
Power supply
Lithium Ion battery
Samsung ST95: Verdict
The Samsung ST95 is a neat little camera for going out on the town with. The large barrel on the front gives it a unique look that will catch people's attention, while the touch screen and smart phone inspired user interface gives it a slick look.However, it is let down by its image quality in low light.
We liked
The interesting design that will appeal to younger people while the small size makes it an easy travel companion. The touchscreen adds to the appeal and the similar user interface to a smart phone gives it a familiar edge with current phone users.We disliked
We'd like to see a touchscreen that works without the provided stylus. Remembering to get it out when making changes for a candid shot is frustrating. Dynamic range is too narrow compared to other compact cameras.Verdict
The ST95's build quality is good and is an upgrade on from the ST90 with additional features such as the touchscreen, the lock on the battery door and a better looking lens cover. While the touchscreen is responsive, it works best with the provided stylus. The screen can be difficult to see in very bright light even when it's shaded.Because of its attractive design and dinky size the ST95 will appeal to the type of person that likes to take a camera out in the evening. The price point makes it accessible to more people and less of a worry if it needs replacing.
However, the camera has a tendency to burn out highlights and images are best when there are no bright light or very dark areas in the shot. The camera also struggles to record detail at the higher sensitivity values.
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Week in Tech: Brilliant new tech that's just around the corner
We've spent a lot of time in Deus Ex: Human Revolution lately, and we reckon its vision of a yellow-hued dystopian future is way off the mark. This week we've seen the future of everything, and it's all brilliant.
First up there's Ice Cream Sandwich, the next generation of Android. It's an important release because it unifies the codebase - no longer will there be one Android for smartphones and another for tablets - and you won't have to wait much longer to get your paws on it.
According to Google's Eric Schmidt, it's coming in late October or early November - and there will be a new Google phone to go with it, the Google Nexus Prime.
Ice Cream Sandwich isn't the only new OS on the horizon. There's Windows 8, too, which of course we've covered in great detail.
The latest news on Microsoft's 2012 OS is that it may run Windows Phone apps - or at least, that's what Nvidia boss Jen-Hsun Huang reckons.
As Kate Solomon notes, it's an interesting idea: "it would solve problems for Windows developers who are torn between developing apps for tablet-friendly Windows 8 or smartphone-focused Windows Phone 7."
Bulldozer ships
We already know that Windows 8 will support ARM processors for devices such as tablets, but the battle isn't just between ARM and Intel. AMD's new Bulldozer chips are finally shipping, albeit only to manufacturers so far.Should we care? Jeremy Laird says we should, because Bulldozer is no minor upgrade.
Here comes the science bit. "Instead of conventional CPU cores, Bulldozer has modules," Laird says. "Each module contains a pair of integer engines and a shared floating engine. The overall goal is to create a unit that delivers the performance of two conventional cores using die space closer to a single core. That should mean more performance for less money." It also means a marketing war, because AMD will be flogging eight-core desktop CPUs while Intel's next desktop chips will have six.
TV heaven
We haven't just seen the future of phones and PCs: we've had a glimpse of the living room's future, too. Tivo's just unveiled "the word's most advanced set-top box", boasting four tuners and a 2TB hard drive - big enough for 300 hours of HD content and smart enough to record four programmes while you watch a fifth. Does it have THX certification? It does. Can it output 1080p? It can. Is it compatible with home automation kit? It is. Can you get one? You cannot.
When we asked Virgin Media if quaddy the quad-tuner tellybox was coming to the UK in the next generation of Virgin Media boxes, they gave us a bunch of PR bumph: "continues to evolve... range of exciting new features... enhance the service... viewing experience." So that's a maybe, then.
The new Tivo may be the future of personal video, but what about the future of TV? We've seen that too, in the form of Samsung's £4,299 UE60D8000. It's a sixty-inch, 3D-capable, Smart TV-enabled flatscreen, and we reckon that "no other TV on the UK market can match it for sheer wow factor"; it's "dangerously seductive", with "mindblowing bigscreen images, mesmerising design and class-leading smart functionality". It sounds like just the thing to play Deus Ex on.
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Review: HPR-Solutions Longtime Exposure Calculator
Long-exposure photography fanatics will know that an ND filter can be essential when it comes to extending exposure time for those all-important open shutter shots.
Longtime Exposure Calculator by HPR-Solutions is a free iPhone, iPad and iPod touch app that enables you to dial in a projected shutter speed to one column and then 'add' an ND filter as graded in both f/stops and filter names (eg 3 stop or ND8) in the other column. The app then calculates the adjusted exposure.
While it is, in part, possible to TTL meter with an ND filter attached to the front of a camera's lens, the results won't always be accurate, and there's a point where things get so dark that it's not possible - especially with in-vogue super-dense filters. Having an off-camera calculation method such as this makes it quick and easy to figure out exposures without so much as needing to put those brain cells into overdrive while scrawling workings-out on paper.
The Longtime Exposure Calculator app has exposure in-put values that range from 30 seconds to 1/8,000th of a second, which encompasses the range of even a professional DSLR.
The ND filters list is detailed too, covering from ND2 (1 stop) all the way down to ND1,000,000 (20 stops) and even puts in useful references for filter stacking, such as '2x ND8' or 'ND2 + ND3' to enhance that connection with reality.
A variety of filter types that could be dragged and dropped to create customised user stacks would improve the app, although this could complicate things for the more casual user.
On the downside, this app isn't going to be particularly helpful to film users, because it doesn't take into account film types or reciprocity failure (which varies depending on which film you're using).
The app also resets when it's exited (even with iOS 4), which means you'll have to remember the given exposure value. And, seeing as that can range from 1/8,000th of a second all the way up to a year, there could be a lot to remember if you have a lot of filters.
Verdict
Hey, it's a free app, so it's hard to complain. Longtime Exposure Calculator performs a calculation task, and it does it well.
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Nike finally makes Back to the Future trainers
For over 20 years the Nike Mag trainers worn by Marty McFly in Back to the Future II have been the most sought after piece of footwear never to exist.
Now, a version of the self-tightening, light-up shoes McFly procured on his journey to the year 2015, will be made available by Nike with all sale proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox foundation for Parkinson's disease.
Nike has manufactured just 1,500 pairs of 2011 Nike Mag trainers with 150 pairs a day being auctioned off on auction site eBay for the next ten days.
Precise replica
"The 2011 Nike Mag shoe was designed to be a precise replica of the original from Back to the Future II," says Nike."The aesthetic is an exact match, down to the contours of the upper, the glowing LED panel and the electroluminescent Nike in the strap
"The 2011 Nike Mag illuminates with the pinch of the "ear" of the high top, glowing for five hours per charge."
As aesthetically accurate as the replicas are, naturally, self-tightening functionality is not built-in to each pair. We have to assume that won't be invented until 2015.
Auctions began at 4:30am UK time on Friday morning and will run through to September 18th. Rest assured TechRadar will be lurking and ready to snipe you with two seconds left to go.
UPDATE: Well, maybe we won't be bidding after all. After less than an hour, a pair of size 11 Nike Mags are already up to $75,100. Great Scott!
Link: Nike (via Gizmodo)
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