Don't forget the PlayBook! Tablet gets software bump, but it's not BB10
BlackBerry has released a new software update for its PlayBook tablet, but don't get too excited, it's not the promised BB10 upgrade just yet.
The much-maligned 7-inch tablet now has access to the rebranded BlackBerry World, the new name for the company's app store, thanks to the software update 2.1.0.1526, launched today.
Alongside the rebrand comes the ability for PlayBook owners to make in-app purchases from the store.
There's also a bunch of minor fixes and improvements to the browser and audio performance, as well as the ability to use SMS over bridge.
BB10 is coming
Long-suffering PlayBook owners shouldn't dispair too much as BlackBerry has promised to update the tablet with the new BB10 operating system, which will definitely give it a much-needed new lease of life. Rob Orr, BlackBerry's VP of product management told TechRadar in January: "At some point after the launch we'll bring BB10 to our PlayBooks, yes." Until then those souls persevering with the PlayBook will soldier on bravely.
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Apple reportedly loses 'iPhone' trademark in Brazil
There's only one i in "iPhone," and it doesn't belong to Apple in Brazil anymore, according to a reported ruling by the country's trademark regulators.
The Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) in Brazil told the BBC that, instead, it has awarded the name's exclusive rights to Gradient Eletronica, ironically an Android-handset maker.
Gradient Eletronica had trademarked the iPhone name back in 2000, well ahead of Apple's first iteration of the smartphone in 2007.
Apple has already begun to appeal the decision, the INPI told the BBC, arguing that Gradiente had not used the name until December 2012.
For Apple, it gets worse
Gradient Eletronica now has the right to sue Apple for using the iPhone trademark on handsets in Brazil. Worse, the Brazilian company launched an "iPhone" smartphone of its own this past December, and it runs rival mobile operating system, Android. Adding insult to infringe-ry, Gradient's "iPhone Neo One" has paltry some specs: a single-core 700MHz processor, a 5MP camera, and the outdated Android Gingerbread OS. Its low-resolution 3.7-inch screen at 320x480 pixels is far from a Retina display, and the phone has a meager 2GB of storage inside.Then slightly better
Not much of a consolation prize, Apple can still use "iPhone" on products besides handsets. The California company retains exclusive rights to the name on clothing, in software, and across publications. The good news for Apple is that it appears as if Gradient executives are keep their iPhone Neo Ones charged in case the company decides to call. "We're open to a dialogue for anything, anytime," said Eugenio Emilio Staub, chairman of Gradient parent company IGB, to Bloomberg this month. "We're not radicals." Staub said that Apple hadn't reached out to the company as of that Feb. 5 comment. TechRadar reached out to be Apple and Gradient Electronica for comment on the matter, both companies didn't respond to media requests today. Depending on how Apple's appeal process goes, however, Gradient may have a Cisco-style payday on its hands.
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Apple TV could destroy console gaming, Xbox founder claims
A game-enabled Apple HDTV or set-top box would be the death of console gaming as we know it, according to the man who co-founded Microsoft's Xbox.
In a post on his personal blog, entitled "Stupid, Stupid Xbox!" Nat Brown bemoaned the lack of opportunities for third-party game developers to make money in the console world, like they can on iOS and Android.
He says if Apple chooses to bring its App Store success to any forthcoming TV-related projects, developers would jump on board and it could wipe out the likes of Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft.
He said: "Apple, if it chooses to do so, will simply kill Playstation, Wii U, and Xbox by introducing an open 30 per cent cut app/game ecosystem for Apple TV," wrote Brown, who claims to have named the Xbox back in the day."
Ecosystem not growing
Brown added that Microsoft's biggest problem going forward is the lack of a developing ecosystem that allows devs to create games for Xbox with inexpensive equipment. "I will be the first to write apps for Apple TV when I can, and I know I'll make money. I would for Xbox if I could and I knew I would make money," he vowed. "Xbox's primary critical problem is the lack of a functional and growing platform ecosystem for small developers to sell digitally-/network-distributed (non-disc) content through to the installed base of Xbox customers, period. "Why can't I write a game for Xbox tomorrow using $100 worth of tools and my existing Windows laptop and test it on my home Xbox or at my friends' houses? Why can't I then distribute it digitally in a decent online store... like I can for Android or iPhone, or for iPad?" Brown pointed out that Microsoft charges console developers $10,000 a year to publish games on the platform and demands a ton of paperwork is filed alongside that massive chunk of wonga, virtually ruling small developers out of embracing the platform. Do you think Apple has the ability to take over our living room gaming activities even with the Xbox 720 and PS4 on the horizon? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Home button but no S-Pen planned for Galaxy S4, says report
With Mobile World Congress mere weeks away, there have been dozens of rumors rising up about successors to smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S3.
After having incredibly wild success with the S3, a new iteration is a no-brainer for Samsung, which is believed to be readying the Galaxy S4 for 2013.
Though Samsung hasn't officially announced any plans for such a device, that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning out bit after bit of supposed Galaxy S4 information.
Today we have a few more data points to add, though by no means is any of this confirmed. Samsung, like most mobile companies, likes to stay close-mouthed about its new products, but we may have a jump on what to expect from the S4 thanks to all these squeaky wheels.
Home is where the button is
The Galaxy S4 has reportedly been in production since late last year, and a great many reports share similar details about what the insides will look like. The Android-powered smartphone is routinely expected to include a 5-inch full HD screen with 440ppi, and feature the new 1.8GHz Octa processor. Oddly enough, even after some images of the S4 were leaked, people still can't seem to agree on whether or not there will be a home button on the smartphone. A new report from Korean news outlet D Daily seems confident the the Galaxy S4 will feature a home button like the S3, as well as touch keys. Though the supposed images of the S4 featured a streamlined front screen with no visible buttons, it's still quite possible that's what the smartphone will look like.Stylin' and profilin'
In January, it was reported Samsung made a $58.9 million (UK£37 million, AU$56.4 million) investment in Wacom, earning the company a 5 percent stake in the stylus maker. It was then believed future Samsung devices would include the company's proprietary S-Pen, including the rumored Galaxy S4. Sadly, the D Daily also indicated Samsung would be dropping the S-Pen stylus from the Galaxy S4, adding that the phone would still include "non-contact gesture." What that means is the phone may be able to recognize fingertips from a small distance away from the screen, allowing users to keep the display free of smudged fingerprints. There seems to be a lot of "fact or fiction" surrounding the Galaxy S4 at the moment, but we should discover very soon just what Samsung has in store for the next generation of the S series.
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Google Now widget wanders in with Search for Android update
Remember that slippery Google Now widget that appeared then vanished some 24 hours ago?
It's back, and this time for good. The G-team announced Wednesday the permanent arrival of the widget that brings all pertinent Now cards front and center on the home or lock screen of your mobile device. The widget, along with a few other additions, are part of an update for Google Search for Android.
While it's certainly a convenient addition to the Now crowd, it deflates speculation that such a feature would arrive with Android 5.0: Key Lime Pie. That's not to say there won't be further Now improvements whenever the new OS launches, just that the widget as we saw it yesterday has arrived.
Google, which made the widget announcement in an Android blog post, assured that Now is just getting started, so we're sure to see many more updates and improvements hit the pipeline before long.
How do you like me Now?
Mountain View wasn't content to leave it at the widget, also unleashing movie cards with Rotten Tomatoes ratings for flicks. When purchasing tickets through Fandango, Google Now will remind would-be moviegoers when they need to leave to make showtime. Plus, it will pull up tickets upon theater arrival.
In a less frivolous pursuit, Zillow has partnered with Google to provide house hunters nearby real estate listings and in-depth listing info.
Card by card, Now is really becoming a handy personal assistant. Take note, Siri.
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From WikiLeaks to Senate seat? Julian Assange could make the jump
Senator Assange? Julian might soon have a new title to add to his resume.
The WikiLeaks founder and current asylum seeker has taken steps to run for Senate in Victoria, Australia, The Age reported Wednesday. His father was among supporters that handed in his candidacy application.
In a masterful move of cross-promotion, Assange will run as the WikiLeaks Party lead candidate. The newly formed party isn't yet registered with the Australian Electoral Commission, but apparently has a 10-member national council made up of close Assange associates and WikiLeaks supporters.
The party's platform seems to center around "the promotion of openness and transparency in government and business," while Assange's candidacy is apparently part of a larger political push to require truthfulness from governments.
Empty seat
Assange and by extension WikiLeaks' efforts to publish what many - most significantly the U.S. government - considered confidential materials on everything from Scientology to the Afghan War Logs is well documented, as are his legal troubles with Sweden. He is currently holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, according to the Guardian, where he's sought asylum after losing a legal attempt to avoid extradition to the country where he faces sexual assault charges. His Senate run decision isn't unexpected: a WikiLeaks tweet from May 16, 2012 announced Assange's political ambitions. According to The Age, Assange can run for Senate since he left Australia within the last three years. If Assange wins and can't return to Australia to fill his senatorial seat, he is reportedly prepared to have another WikiLeaks Party nominee take the position. Federal elections are slated for Sept. 14.
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Is HP hounding Android for new Tegra 4 tablet?
Hewlett Packard is reportedly working on a new bid for the mobile marketplace, and is barking up the Android tree to do it.
ReadWrite reported Wednesday that HP has been developing a new Android-powered tablet since before last Thanksgiving (Nov. 22, 2012), and is preparing to unveil the device before long, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the plans.
HP is reportedly going all-out with its Android tablet, aiming for a high-end device of unspecified size that will make use of NVIDIA's impressive Tegra 4 chip.
While last year HP released the Envy x2 tablet/notebook hybrid with Windows 8, the company mostly shied away from pure tablets since the fall of webOS and its own TouchPad line.
Tablets first, smartphones later
The Verge also claims to have confirmation that HP has chosen Android to power some slates from its own anonymous source. HP on board with an Android tablet could be a big win for Google, after last year looked like the PC manufacturer was favoring Windows 8 for its future slates. Then again, HP is fairly late to the party where mobile devices are concerned, so it's questionable how much impact an HP Android tablet will actually have on the market. According to the report, HP's Android adoption also extends to the company's smartphone plans, though that includes the caveat that no HP smartphone will arrive before the end of the year. HP is reportedly holding some behind-the-scenes MWC 2013 meetings in just a few weeks, so you can be sure TechRadar will keep an ear to the ground for any Android tablet and smartphone news from the PC maker.
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HTC One branding at major football game isn't new handset
The HTC One name has hit the big stage after it popped up on advertising boards during the Real Madrid vs Manchester United football match.
Hype surrounding the Taiwanese firm's next flagship handset is building and the originally touted M7 name looks set to be usurped by the simpler HTC One handle, but that's not the reason behind the ad in question.
During the first half of the match we noticed the branding appear on the boards surrounding the pitch and it made us wonder if this was the beginning of what we'd expect to be a worldwide marketing campaign for the upcoming device.
Game on?
However having spoken to HTC, TechRadar can confirm that this particular advert is not connected to the firm's next flagship handset and is instead referring to the umbrella brand which covers the likes of the One X, One S and One V. The timing of this particular campaign is interesting though, considering the firm has an event lined up on February 19 where it will unveil its next flagship smartphone. Until then we're going to enjoy the second half and for those of you who are not one of the 200 million fans watching the game there's always a countdown timer to ogle.
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Australian carrier claims Motorola X Phone will be a 'game changer'
While Google and Motorola's rumored X Phone remains a mystery, it is already making waves by impressing Australian wireless carriers.
Hugh Bradlow, the chief technology officer for Australian carrier Telstra, is very enthusiastic about the new smartphone.
Reportedly Bradlow told senior mobile staff at the firm that X Phone is a "real breakthrough, a game changer that will put pressure on Samsung and Apple."
An anonymous Motorola source added while speaking to Smarthouse, "Google has been working on this device for a long time. It has software features and capabilities that are not available on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone or Apple iPhone. The software is really powerful and it pulls together Google services like no other manufacturer has done in the past."
X marks the spot
Concrete details are still scarce about the much-mentioned X Phone, which appears to be the handset's official codename thanks to a LinkedIn job listing. The X Phone's specs are said to include a debut for the Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie OS, along with a virtually bezel-less edge-to-edge 5-inch display. Rumors have also hinted at a new Nexus-like UI for the X Phone, which is said to bring new features to rival Samsung's S-Beam, S-Voice, and other UI enhancements. With the Google I/O conference coming up in May, the event could make a fitting unveiling for the mysterious X Phone. Motorola has been rather quiet since its buyout by Google in 2011, so TechRadar will keep a keen eye out for any developments on the firm's Google debut.
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Microsoft follows Apple's lead in producing hard-to-repair devices
Microsoft's Surface Pro has been given the teardown treatment, and according to the screwdriver-wielders over at iFixit, it's just as hard to repair as a MacBook Pro.
The Surface Pro was awarded 1 out of 10, with 10 being the easiest to fix. Looks like Microsoft is following Apple's lead in making devices mere mortals can't repair.
Break out the hair dryer
iFixit claims the Surface Pro contains more than 90 screws, and that the battery and screen are held in place by great splodges of adhesive that feels like tar. In order to open it up in the first place, you need to warm it with a heat gun until the adhesive softens enough. Once inside it's relatively plain sailing. iFixit notes the battery is a doozy ("the Cadillac of batteries from LG"), though even that can't keep the device going for more than five hours. Even opening up the tablet at all will most likely see you shear through one of the four cables surrounding the screen. Microsoft's Surface Pro went on sale this week, and promptly sold out. It will be back in stock soon in the US and Canada though, according to Microsoft. Just make sure you take it to a specialist if it needs fixing. Via iFixit
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Android 4.2.2 hits open source, en route to Jelly Bean devices
There's a new Jelly Bean in town, and it's on its way to an Android device near you - but first, a quick stop at the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
Android Community reported Tuesday that the latest flavor of Android Jelly Bean is now rolling out to users everywhere in the form of version 4.2.2.
As part of the rollout, the minor Android 4.2: Jelly Bean update has been pushed to AOSP as build number JDQ39, with files tagged as "android-4.2.2_r1."
Don't be too surprised if your device isn't seeing the update yet - history has shown that such updates often take time, but if you're impatient, you can manually check for Android 4.2.2 via the Settings page on your device.
Update in motion
Android 4.2.2 is a modest update for improved performance and stability, but the custom ROM community appears eager to get their hands on it regardless. Now that the update has landed on the Android Open Source Project, developers like CyanogenMod and AOKP can get to work tweaking their ROMs to support the latest and greatest version Google has to offer. Android enthusiasts are also eagerly awaiting a post from Android's chief release engineer, Jean-Baptiste Quéru, which is typically posted to the Android Building Google Group shortly after a release hits AOSP. Finally, a full changelog for the Android 4.2.2 release is also expected, which could detail any small revisions that early adopters might not have noticed.
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Review: HP Officejet 150 Mobile
Introduction
We've seen portable printers and mobile scanners before, but according to HP, the Officejet 150 Mobile All-in-One is the world's first portable all-in-one device, enabling you to print, scan and photocopy on the move. It could be of real interest to business travellers who spend a lot of time in hotels, away from the company laser printer or their home office all-in-one inkjet printer. The HP Officejet 150 Mobile can be powered from the mains electricity or by using a supplied rechargeable lithium-ion battery that's good for around 500 prints. It connects to your Mac or PC over USB or Bluetooth, but if you opt for the wireless protocol, you can only print - scanning is only possible on a USB connection.
There's no support for Wi-Fi or Ethernet networking, so don't expect features that rely on a network or internet connection such as Google Cloud Print or AirPrint.
You can print, scan and copy from the 6cm/2.36-inch colour touchscreen, and scan to your computer, USB flash drive or memory card.
The paper feeder - which doubles as the lid when the printer's not in use - can hold up to 50 sheets, but you have to feed your pages one at a time into the scanner. Because it's a sheet-feed rather than flatbed scanner, it's not much use for scanning books or magazines unless you're prepared to destroy the original.
The HP Officejet 150 Mobile is portable enough to slip into your suitcase for that business conference or research field trip, but since it measures 35 x 17.1 x 9cm (13.98 x 6.95 x 3.52 inches) and weighs 3.1kg/6.8lbs with the optional battery fitted, it's too big and heavy to casually slip into your briefcase or notebook bag.
It's not to be taken lightly as a financial investment either. With a full price of £269/US$399.99/AU$449 it's considerably more expensive than most multi-function inkjet printers.
A standard black ink cartridge costs £20.99/US$25.99/AU$31 and the tri-colour cartridge is £22.99/US$31.99/AU$40.99. The black cartridge lasts for approximately 423 prints and the colour for 330 prints, giving an ink cost per page of 5p and 7p respectively, in the UK. Again, this is more than you'd pay for a regular inkjet multi-function printer.
Given its running costs and its lack of network connectivity, the HP Officejet 150 Mobile is best used as a supplementary printer to use on the move rather than a main, at-home device you can also take away with you.
Performance
As a printer, the Officejet 150 Mobile puts in a performance that belies its small size. It certainly makes few compromises in quality. Text printing, the heart of an Officejet's remit, is clear and vivid. Maybe it's not quite as sharp as a desktop Officejet, but the difference is slight. It printed our 20-page text document in just under four minutes. Again, a desktop HP Officejet is likely to prove faster, but for a mobile printer, it's an acceptable speed. HP's promise of 'lab quality' photo prints is a little too optimistic. The colours are slightly artificial and could do with being a little more vibrant. Even so, our A4 (US letter) sized, highest-quality photo test printout on photo paper looked pleasingly sharp and consistent. Colour ramps are smooth, if slightly speckled, and details are well realised.
It took 6 minutes 40 seconds to print, which isn't great, but you wouldn't really expect a portable Officejet printer to deliver speedy high-quality photo printing.
Given the nature of the printer, you're far more likely to use it for plain paper documents than quality photo printouts. Thankfully, it puts in a solid performance here too. Printing a text and graphic information sheet, colours were strong, text clear and images well reproduced. There was very little banding too, which is something that often curses lesser inkjet printers.
But it wasn't perfect. The colours were a little too strong and images a trifle speckled in places, but you wouldn't be embarrassed to hand it out at a meeting. Just don't expect the same quality you get from the office laser printer.
Plain paper, default-quality photo prints aren't as strong, since speckling becomes far more apparent.
Unfortunately, the Officejet 150 Mobile All-in-One is less successful as a scanner. It's slow, taking 1 minute 20 seconds to scan an A4 (US letter) sized page. You can't scan over a Bluetooth connection, either.
Images can look speckled, though blacks are strong and white space blemish-free. It's a sheet feed scanner, so you can't scan anything thicker than heavy paper, but in our tests it handled a glossy magazine cover OK.
The bottom of a page can get stretched too, which is problematic if the image goes all the way to the foot of the paper. It certainly can't replace your trusty flatbed for serious scanning.
Photocopies are surprisingly good, lacking much of the speckling that affected image scans. There were a few horizontal imperfections caused by an inconsistent feed, but overall, they were good.
One thing that certainly can't be faulted is the printer's build quality. It's an incredible piece of engineering, cramming so much into such a small piece of kit without anything looking tagged on.
Verdict
The HP Officejet 150 Mobile portable printer, scanner and photocopier brings the mobile office one step closer. At last, you can take your multi-function device on the road with your notebook. It's not quite light and portable enough to drop into your everyday bag, but it fits nicely in your suitcase.We liked
It's an incredible piece of engineering, with outstanding build quality and an excellent use of space. Print quality is very good, although not quite up to the standards of a desktop Officejet. You can power it from the mains or the supplied rechargeable battery, and it connects through Bluetooth or USB.We disliked
The HP Officejet 150 Mobile is expensive to buy, and costs more than average to run. Scanning quality is a mixed bag; it's serviceable, but not up to the same standards as the print quality. It's not the speediest of printers either. Text-print speeds are acceptable for a mobile device, but photo printing speeds are slow.Final verdict
HP's Officejet 150 Mobile All-in-One portable printer is a useful device for the business traveller or researcher who spends a lot of time away from home or the office. Due to its high running costs and lack of networking connectivity, it's best used as a supplement to rather than a replacement for your regular MFD, but if you often find yourself in a hotel room wishing you had a printer and scanner with you, it's definitely worth your consideration.
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Updated: iPad 5 release date, news and rumors
Though Apple fans were surprised by the announcement of the iPad 4 during Apple's October 2012 event, one expert soon predicted that the company would turn around and release a thinner, lighter iPad 5 in early 2013.
During the October 2012 event, Apple announced a host of new products, including an iPad mini along with the fourth generation full-sized iPad. But according to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst for KGI Securities, that might not be enough to fend off Microsoft's new Surface tablet.
Kuo wrote in a note to investors, reported by AppleInsider, that Apple may feel pressured to launch a 9.7-inch iPad 5 to cement its lead in the tablet business.
"Though the iPad mini is expected to be successful, we think launching the lighter, thinner 9.7-inch iPad as quickly as possible matters more for Apple strategically," Kuo wrote.
iPad 5 release date
On 19 November 2012, Digitimes reported that the iPad 5 release date would be "around the middle of 2013", and on 24 December 2012, an "inside source" talking to Japanese site Macotakara, pegged the iPad 5 release date as March 2013. On 12 January 2012, the March release date was repeated by Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets. White cited industry insiders at the CES expo in Las Vegas, while also writing in a note to investors that Apple is moving to a bi-annual iPad refresh schedule. However, on 25 January 2013, iLounge editor-in-chief Jeremy Horwitz, who claims to have seen the iPad 5, wrote that the fifth-gen iPad would not go on sale until October. Horwitz also said that the iPad mini 2 would be launched in the same month.iPad 5 features
Considering the current iPad is the same weight, thickness and price point as its predecessor, it's very possible Apple is looking to produce a slimmed-down version. Apple did give the iPad 4 a new A6X processor system-on-a-chip, which it claims to be twice as fast as the last iPad. It also gained the new lightning connector and better LTE support. But that's all the new features iPad fans got with the fourth-gen tablet. Kuo expects Apple to pack "GF DITO" (or GF2) touchscreen technology into the speculative iPad 5. GF2 is already used in the new iPad mini, which helps to make it 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than its bigger brother. On 14 December, Macworld cited a report in Digitimes that claims that one way Apple will reduce the weight of the new iPad will be by using one LED light bar instead of the two that are found in the current iPad (and that were first introduced in the iPad 3). Macworld points out that this would also mean that the iPad 5 would consume less power and could therefore run on a smaller, thinner battery. Brian White, who reckons that there will now be a new iPad every six months, added that the iPad 5 would feature an improved A6X processor. iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz claimed in January 2013 that the iPad 5 has virtually no left or right bezels in portrait mode, with just enough space above and below the display for the home button, sensors and front camera.iPad 5 mockups
Federico Ciccarese of CiccareseDesign has produced some renders for MacRumors showing how the iPad 5 might look, with its smaller bezel allowing a shrunken case with the same screen size as the current iPad. The mockups were based on leaked images of a supposed iPad 5 shell which were posted to 9to5Mac on 28 January 2013.
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Review: Verbatim Store 'n' Go Ultra Slim Portable Hard Drive
The Verbatim Store 'n' Go Ultra Slim Portable Hard Drive with USB 3.0 is a decent product for easily carrying around large amounts of data. While on the outside it looks slim, the unit we tested held a hefty 500GB capacity, making the drive an excellent choice for photos, music and films.
The drive's casing is so thin and light that it can easily fit in a pocket, or be carried around in a laptop or tablet bag. It's a great way of expanding a laptop or tablet's capacity, since you'll hardly notice you're carrying it around with you.
The downside of such a thin case is that it offers very little protection from knocks and bumps, and the case itself feels rather plastic and brittle. This isn't a hard drive that you could drop, unlike the ioSafe Rugged Portable Hard Drive. However, external hard drives of this capacity don't come much more portable.
Verbatim has included software on the disk that adds some value to the hard drive. Nero BackItUp is a decent piece of software for backing up your files, though it's not usually our first choice of backup software.
A program designed to reduce the power consumption of the drive and software that makes formatting the drive easy are also included. Extra software is always nice to see, but neither are particularly useful.
The Verbatim Store 'n' Go Ultra Slim Portable Hard Drive has a USB 3.0 interface, so we were expecting fast results in our tests. Our benchmarks recorded a 79.07 MB/s average write speed, along with a 105.56 MB/s read speed, which are very good, though not the fastest speeds we've seen. We were able to copy over a 1.36GB test file in just 22 seconds.
Verdict
Overall the Verbatim Store 'n' Go Ultra Slim Portable Hard Drive is an excellent portable hard drive, which is small and light enough to carry around, but with a capacity and transfer speeds that really makes this hard drive worth buying. Our only reservation is the flimsy casing, which is a trade-off for such a small size and weight.
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Updated: Samsung Galaxy Fame and Galaxy Young launched with UK in sight
The Samsung Galaxy Fame and Samsung Galaxy Young have been announced in South Korea and the budget devices will be heading to the UK.
Update: Three has confirmed it will be offering the Samsung Galaxy Fame, although the network was unable to give us a release date or price with "coming soon" the only thing we have to go off.
It was initially thought that the Galaxy Fame would be unveiled at MWC 2013 in Barcelona, but Samsung clearly couldn't wait until then.
Design wise, both handsets borrow heavily from the Samsung Galaxy S3, as do all the new Galaxy handsets - probably in an attempt to get away from any potential law suits with Apple.
The Galaxy Fame sports slightly better features than the Young with a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 display, 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB internal storage, 5MP camera, VGA front snapper, NFC, 1,300mAh battery and Android Jelly Bean (version 4.1).
Jelly Bean for all
Probably coming in slightly cheaper than the Frame, the Samsung Galaxy Young has a smaller 3.27-inch display, the same 1GHz processor and Jelly Bean OS - but surprisingly more RAM at 768MB. NFC doesn't feature on the handset and you only get a 3MP camera round the back, while the Bluetooth technology is version 3.0 instead of the Galaxy Frame's 4.0 offering. TechRadar spoke to Samsung regarding pricing and availability of the Galaxy Fame and Galaxy Young, with the manufacturer confirming that "availability for the UK will be week commencing March 25." Both handsets will likely be knocking around MWC 2013 at the end of February, and we'll be there to get hands on with both of them, so stay tuned for our early findings.
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PS4 controller to have touchpad but no Share button, source says
The PS4 controller will feature a touchpad similar to that on the back of the PS Vita, but won't have the much-rumoured Share button, according to a source.
The source told VG247 that the controller is "more or less" the same shape as the PS3's DualShock, but the touchpad will be in place of the Start, Select and PlayStation buttons. These will be moved, though the source didn't say where to.
The L2 and R2 buttons are also said to have been remodelled for the PS4 control.
Share and share alike
A couple of weeks ago, a source told Edge about the Share button, which was said to send screenshots and videos online to be viewed by friends. It was also suggested that it would capture your last 15 minutes of gaming activity, to broadcast on the web. If Sony hasn't included it, maybe it's not as keen on adding a social aspect to the console as rumours made out. Or it could have another method up its sleeve. The touchpad could work similarly to the one on the back of the PS Vita, though it might not be as intuitive because of its positioning. Sony has sent out invites to "see the future" on February 20, which is hotly tipped to be the unveiling of the PS4. So we've not long to wait to find out what Sony has in store. Via VG247
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HTC One countdown teases metallic body and large lens
The HTC One is almost upon us as a teasing countdown has appeared on the Taiwanese firm's website, complete with candid flashes of its new flagship device.
Originally rumoured as the HTC M7 it's looking ever more likely that the handset will launch under the moniker HTC One at a special event on February 19.
Give the HTC homepage a couple of seconds to properly load and you'll notice short video clips will begin to play behind the timer, offering up the briefest of looks of the HTC One.
It's the final countdown
There's little to be gained from these snapshots, with HTC going heavy on the flare effect to conceal the majority of the handset. What you do see is a rather imposing camera lens, rumoured to support new ultrapixels technology, and various flashes of a curved chassis and the metallic HTC logo on the back of the white One. TechRadar will be present at the event on Febraury 19 where we expect to see the flagship device officially unveiled, so keep a look out for our hands on HTC One review.
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In Depth: Apple iWatch release date, news and rumours
Wearable computing, we're told, is the next big thing - and if anyone can make a truly desirable wearable device, it's Apple.
Rumours are flying about an Apple iWatch, the missing link between the iPhone and Flavor Flav's clock - but which rumours seem most likely? Let's find out what time it is.
The iWatch is a big project
According to Bloomberg, Apple has a team of around 100 designers working on "a wristwatch-like device that may perform some of the tasks now handled by the iPhone and iPad". That's based on conversations with "two people familiar with the company's plans". The team includes people from all parts of Apple: not just iPad and iPhone engineers but software developers, managers and marketers too.The iWatch release date is unknown and the iWatch price is a mystery
Remember before the iPad launched and everyone thought it'd be $1,000? Oh, how we laugh about that now. Clearly, though, until we have a better idea of what the Apple Watch is and whether Apple is actually going to ship it, nobody has the faintest idea what it'll cost or when it'll be released.The iWatch has curved Gorilla Glass
"Apple is experimenting with wristwatch-like devices made of curved glass," says the NYT's Nick Bilton, quoting "people familiar with the company's explorations". The glass "can curve around the human body" and may be Corning's just-announced Willow Glass, which "can flop as easily as a piece of paper in the wind without breaking."The iWatch has Bluetooth and a 1.5-inch display
That's what Chinese gadget site Tech.163 reckons, anyway, although that might be one of many prototypes. Bluetooth is essential, though: if the iWatch is going to communicate with your phone or iPod, low energy Bluetooth is the way to do it. A 1.5-inch screen suggests it'll show selected information from your iOS device rather than mirror the whole display, which would be rubbish.The iWatch probably won't look like a G-Shock or an Omega Seamaster
The Guardian took a look at various iWatch mock-ups and poured scorn on most: multiple buttons on an Apple device? Really? Technology editor Charles Arthur also makes a good point: "an iWatch has to appeal to both sexes", and something that looks OK on enormous man paws will look ridiculous on little lady hands.
The iWatch may have Siri, and Maps, and health monitoring
Nick Bilton again: "Would it include Siri, the voice assistant? Would it have a version of Apple's map software, offering real-time directions to people walking down the street? Could it receive text messages? Could it monitor a user's health or daily activity?" Some of Bilton's questions have since been reported as fact by more excitable outlets, but the idea of having Siri makes sense, not least because you could pretend to be a sci-fi secret agent.It's definitely real, because the WSJ knows about it
When Apple leaks, those leaks tend to end up in the Wall Street Journal - and look! The WSJ has been talking to "people briefed on the effort"! They say that Apple "is experimenting with watch-like designs" and has "discussed such a device with its major manufacturing partner Hon Hai Precision Industry Co", although the "capabilities that Apple is exploring for wearable devices remain unclear."The iWatch won't do everything an iPhone or iPod does
Bluetooth means it doesn't need to, so the Apple Watch is more likely to work like a Pebble Smartwatch. Our very own Craig Grannell demonstrates the problem of getting full iPhone functionality into a wristwatch here.
The iWatch features could include authentication, NFC, home automation and flying cars
Bruce Tognazzini makes it clear his ideas are "not based on insider information" but they include predicting the weather, organising your life, monitoring every step you take, replacing cash, making Passbook work really well and even fixing Apple Maps. We were with you right up till that last one, Bruce. He makes a good point about the iWatch release date too: "Apple, when you look back, is never actually the first. They let a few others, sometimes many others, experiment first. (Tablets were out for more than a decade.) Then, they bring out the killer product."
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Review: Canon Pixma MG6350
Introduction
Canon's home and small office inkjet printers have long led the field in print quality, but had fallen behind in terms of user interface. The new Canon Pixma MG6350, an update to 2011's Canon Pixma MG6250, sees the Canon range back on track, with elegant touchscreen controls heading a list of improvements in several key areas, though it's not without its drawbacks, too. The Canon Pixma MG6350 is more stylish than its predecessor. At 8.4kg (18.5lbs) it's a little lighter, and at 466 x 369 x 148mm (18.3 x 14.5 x 5.8 inches), it's a tad smaller too, most notably in height. With its six-tank print system, it's aimed at home users who need to print to a very high standard, such as graphic designers or photography enthusiasts. Yet with a full price of £169 (around AU$256/US$265), it's well within the reach of most home users.
Unlike its stablemate the Canon Pixma MX895, it's not specifically targeted at the home office user. If you're looking for a multi-function printer with a fax facility, an automatic document feeder and Duplex scanning, the MX895 better fits your needs, though the MG6350 has disc printing, which the MX895 lacks.
If you're looking for a shared inkjet all-in-one printer to use in a small office environment, an HP Officejet might be more suitable. The HP Officejet Pro 8500A Plus is very fast, has a sturdy build quality and can print from any device capable of sending it an email, but it has only one paper tray and it doesn't print onto discs.
The Canon Pixma MG6350 can print to a maximum of A4 (roughly US letter) size paper. If you need to print in A3 (16.5 x 11.7 inches) occasionally, the Brother MFC-J4510DW's innovative landscape printing system means you can print in A3 from a printer that's no larger than most A4 printers.
If you don't need the ultra high quality printing and high-end features afforded by the Canon Pixma MG6350 and are looking for something cheaper (both to buy and to run), there's the Kodak ESP 1.2.
Kodak doesn't subsidise its printer costs by charging more for replacement inks, so they're cheaper to run than other brands'. You can buy an ESP 1.2 for about £50-£60 if you shop around, and although Kodak has discontinued its printer range, it still produces its very affordable range of inks.
But if you're looking for high quality printing, twin paper trays, automatic Duplex, a great touchscreen interface, comprehensive connectivity, mobile printing options and printing onto optical discs, the Canon Pixma MG6350 might be just what you need.
Features
The Canon Pixma MG6350 uses a six-tank ink system. As well as the expected cyan, magenta, yellow and black cartridges, there's a grey ink that does much to improve both colour and greyscale photo printing. There's also a large tank of pigment-based black ink for text printing that's both clearer and waterproof - just the thing for flyers and envelopes. The inks aren't cheap. A full set of standard 7ml tanks will cost you around £60, with the higher-yield 11ml XL versions costing around £80, and offering better value for money. The Canon Pixma MG6350 has a print resolution of up to 9600 x 2400 dpi.
As you'd expect from a high-end Canon home printer, the MG6350 can be connected directly to your computer with a standard USB cable (not supplied), or networked using Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n or Ethernet (again, cable not supplied).
With your printer connected to your network, you can take advantage of its AirPrint compatibility for printing directly from Apple's mobile devices. It's also Google Cloud Print compatible. This enables you to print from almost any internet-connected device from anywhere in the world.
It also features Pixma Cloud Link, which means you may browse and print photos from your online albums at Canon Image Gateway or Picasa directly on the printer screen, and print Canon's stationary templates such as calendars, graph paper and envelopes.
There's also a free Canon Easy-PhotoPrint app for iOS, Android and Windows RT devices for printing images from and scanning directly to your smartphone or tablet.
Unlike its predecessor, the new Canon Pixma MG6350 has two paper trays. The lower cassette can hold up to 125 sheets of A4 (US letter) size, while the upper tray is for photo paper of 10 x 15cm (3.9 x 5.9 inches) or 13 x 18cm (5.1 x 7.1 inches).
This is an improvement on the Canon Pixma MG6250, which had a single photo tray and used a rear sheet feeder for photo paper. Neither of the MG6350's trays are particularly big, but they're perfectly adequate for a home printer.
Another improvement over the Canon Pixma MG6250 is that the new Pixma multi-function device's disc tray, used for printing onto optical discs, is caddied on the base of the upper paper tray when not in use. It's far less likely to get lost than the 6250's, which was supplied loose.
When you want to print on CDs or DVDs, just remove the disc tray, put your disc in it and slide it into the slot on the front of the printer.
The Canon Pixma MG6350's flatbed scanner has an optical resolution of up to 2400 x 4800 dpi, and is Twain compatible. Its colour touchscreen is 8.8cm (3.5 inches) from corner to corner, which is slightly bigger than the Canon Pixma MG6250's display-only screen.
The new Pixma supports automatic Duplex at A4 (US letter), A5 (8.3 x 5.8 inches) and B5 (9.8 x 6.9 inches) sizes, is WLAN PictBridge compatible and supports all popular memory cards including SD/SDHC, Memory Stick and Compact Flash.
The Canon Pixma MG6350 is available in black or white, and you can set the touchscreen's background colour to match the unit.
Performance
As you'd expect from a high-end Canon printer, print quality on the Canon Pixma MG6350 is excellent. Text is clear and sharp, and perfectly readable even at very low point sizes. It's very vivid too. Compared to Canon text print-outs, some other manufacturers' efforts look tired and jaded. Default-quality photo printing on ordinary photocopier paper is reasonably impressive. Some inkjet printers use too much ink when printing on plain paper, making the image overly dark and lacking in vibrancy. Perhaps the Canon Pixma MG6350 goes a little too far the other way, with skin tones looking slightly bleached, but detail is fine. There was too much banding for our liking, though. In this respect, the Canon Pixma MG6350 puts in a weaker performance than the Canon Pixma MG6250.
Switching to high-quality prints on premium photo paper, the high-end, six-tank printer proved its worth. It really puts in a stellar performance, with strong, vibrant colours, great detail and a very smooth colour ramp.
It was pretty fast too, taking a little over 2 mins 10 secs to print an A4 (US letter) sized test image, a very good result for high-quality photo printing.
The Canon Pixma MG6350 was suitably speedy when it came to large text files too. Our 20-page test document also printed in 2 mins 10 secs, an excellent speed for an inkjet printer built for the home market. An office-orientated printer such as an HP Officejet might print a little quicker, but there's very little in it.
As a scanner, the Canon Pixma MG6350 is every bit as capable as you'd expect from a Canon image capture device. Colours are well reproduced, and it's very fast, scanning an A4 page in under 10 seconds when warmed up.
It photocopied a magazine cover in just over 30 seconds too, which isn't a bad time for a home all-in-one. Photocopied documents were sharp and colours were accurately reproduced, though again there was too much banding.
The software has improved, but you might still prefer third-party and OS applications to those bundled with the printer. Mac users, for example, have Image Capture and iPhoto pre-installed, both of which are more capable and convenient than Canon's own programs.
The smaller form factor makes installing the ink cartridges a little more fiddly than it was with the Canon Pixma MG6250, but it's not a big problem.
A more significant drawback is that it's irritatingly noisy, even for an inkjet printer. You certainly wouldn't want it chugging away in the background while you're watching TV.
Verdict
Canon's Pixma MG6350 premium multi-function inkjet printer is packed with features. You can connect it to your computer using USB, or to your local network over Ethernet or Wi-Fi. A networked Canon Pixma MG6350 is AirPrint compatible and Google Cloud Print ready. A free mobile app enables you to print from and scan to your smartphone or tablet, too. It has twin paper trays for regular and photo paper, and can print directly onto optical discs. It's far more elegant than its predecessor, the Canon Pixma MG6250. It's better looking, and adds a touchscreen interface. It supports all popular memory card formats, and WLAN PictBridge.We liked
The Canon Pixma MG6350 is great at printing high-quality photos, and it does so pretty quickly too. Indeed, its overall speeds are excellent for a home printer, and even rival some office-orientated inkjets. Text printing is clear and well defined, and it has automatic Duplex for two-sided printing. We certainly welcome the six-tank ink system, with the usual cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks augmented by a grey cartridge for better defined colours when photo printing, and pigment-based black for superior text printing. The new touchscreen interface is very welcome, bringing Canon printers into line with some of its rivals. We love the way the tray used for optical disc on-body printing is caddied by one of the paper trays when not in use, too. You're far less likely to lose it this way.We disliked
Although overall printing standards are very good, the Canon Pixma MG6350's plain-paper photo and graphics prints suffered from banding. This didn't happen on the Canon Pixma MG6250, and it shouldn't happen here. It's also too noisy, making an irritating knocking sound over and above the usual noises you'd expect from an inkjet printer. Fitting the ink cartridges is a little awkward too, and definitely more fiddly than the Canon Pixma MG6250, but this is the price you pay for the new printer's more elegant form factor. It's a little more expensive than average, both to buy and to run.Final verdict
When designing the Canon Pixma MG6350, Canon wisely refrained from 'fixing' things that weren't broken in its predecessor, the Pixma MG6250. The celebrated six-tank print engine is retained, giving the same stellar photo and text printing. The feature set is the same too, with comprehensive mobile and internet printing available out of the box. Instead, a few areas of inelegance about the Canon Pixma MG6250 have been addressed. The new printer is better looking, the untidy rear sheet feeder for photo papers has been replaced by a second paper tray. The loose caddy for optical disc printing now fits on the underside of one of the paper trays when not in use, where previously you had to find a convenient drawer or shelf. The touchscreen interface is much better than the Canon Pixma MG6250's push-button controls, too. Unfortunately, a few negatives have crept in. The Canon Pixma MG6350 bands much more than its predecessor when printing images on plain paper, and it's irritatingly noisy, too. Even so, its speed, quality text printing and stellar photo reproduction win through. As long as you don't need office-orientated features such as a fax and ADF, the Canon Pixma MG6350 is an excellent choice of multi-function inkjet printer.
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Would you let this man pick the next song on your playlist?
Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine has revealed some more details of the Daisy music streaming service from the people behind the high-end headphones. And if he has his way, him and his music industry cronies will be telling you what to listen to next.
Speaking to Walt Mossberg at the D: Dive Into Media conference, Iovine said he wants to launch a service that'll recommend songs and artists based on the listener's taste. "Everyone… really struggles to get the absolute right kind of music for where you're going," he said. "Apple knows a lot about your music taste. Google knows a lot. Facebook. But no one is using it to curate."
Old fashioned approach
Daisy will combine an algorithm along with human music curators to pick what you should play next - though you can turn it off, Iovine added. It does sound a bit old fashioned, like the digital equivalent of people who work in record shops giving you recommendations. Surely we can make our own playlists, if not by searching categories then by what friends are listening to? And most streaming services already recommend songs based on your tastes. But Iovine pooh-poohs the notion of friend recommendations. "Who doesn't know what song comes next is your best friend on Facebook," he said. "When you put that record on, you don't want somebody guessing… somebody has gotta be interacting, building real music and serving it up for you." In other words, the record companies know best. Iovine will certainly have a fight on his hands, taking on the likes of Spotify and its Facebook army. Beats bought streaming service MOG last summer, so we'll have to wait and see whether Iovine's old-school strategy pays off. Via AllThingsD
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Review: Logitech T400 Zone Touch Mouse
The Logitech T400 Zone Touch Mouse is another entry in Logitech's range of peripherals that are aimed at making the switch to Windows 8 more palatable for those of us who don't have touch-enabled laptops or desktop PCs.
We weren't too impressed with the touch-responsive Logitech M600 Touch Mouse before, so does the T400 improve on its predecessor?
Rather than having the whole of the face of the mouse be touch-responsive, as it is with the M600 and the new Logitech T620 Touch Mouse, only a small part of the Logitech T400 Zone Touch Mouse is touch enabled - hence the 'Zone' in the product name.
This helps prevent the rather annoying problems of the Logitech M600 Touch Mouse where you'd accidentally brush the top of the mouse, causing the mouse to scroll or flip through documents, web pages and more without you meaning to.
The touch-sensitive part of the mouse is confined to the middle button, and it's nice and responsive, enabling you to scroll both horizontally and vertically.
Clicking the middle button brings up Windows 8's Start screen, which is a nice touch. A small section at the bottom of the middle button is reserved for the more traditional middle mouse button functions, such as clicking on a link and opening it in a new tab in a web browser.
The mouse won't win any design awards, but it doesn't look too bad for its 39.99/AU$69.95/US$49.99 price.
It's reasonably comfortable to use, though clicking the left and right mouse buttons sometimes feels like you have to press slightly harder for the mouse to register the 'click', which can be uncomfortable after a while.
Verdict
The Logitech T400 Zone Touch Mouse is a decent mouse that's an improvement on previous touch-enabled mice, but it still doesn't quite replace the need for a touchscreen.
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BT plans fibre broadband for another 1.2 million premises
BT has revealed plans to extend its fibre broadband network to more parts of the country – predominantly in Scotland, the Midlands, North East and North West of England - with upgrades to 99 exchanges.
The £2.5bn programme will make fibre broadband available to a further 1.2 million premises, bringing the total footprint to about 19 million premises.
Openreach, BT's local network business, is scheduled to carry out the work before or during spring 2014.
BT says that an additional 600,000 premises will also gain access to fibre broadband as a result of additional 'infill' work in previously announced areas.
It has now confirmed about 1,700 exchange areas across the UK which will make up the bulk of its commercial fibre footprint. The company is now beginning to identify additional exchanges that it will enable.
Mike Galvin, Managing Director, NGA, Openreach, said: "The UK is making great progress with super-fast broadband and this latest phase of work will keep up the momentum. Speeds are increasing all the time with the UK second only to Japan within the G8.
"I am sure that communities across the UK will be pleased to see that they are factored into our commercial plans and I now look forward to working with councils to identify further areas that we can enable with their support."
Galvin added that fibre should be available to two-thirds of UK premises by spring 2014, 18 months ahead of the original schedule.
BT says its commercial fibre network is the largest in the UK, reaching more than 13 million premises. It comprises a mixture of fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) and fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP).
FTTC can provide download speeds of up to 80Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20Mbps, while FTTP will offer the top current download speed of 330Mbps.
BT has warned, however, that due to the current network topography and the economics of deployment, it is likely that some premises within selected exchange areas will not initially be able to access fibre-based broadband. Openreach is considering alternative solutions for these locations.
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Apple chops MacBook Pro with Retina prices and adds processor boosts
Happy New MacBook Pro day everybody; Apple has upgraded the processors in its Retina display line and even lowered the price too.
The new MacBook Pros come in 13- and 15-inch sizes, with Apple's own Retina display tech providing eye-watering resolution with 326 pixels to the inch.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina is available with a 128GB flash drive for $1499 - that's a saving of $200 compared to yesterday. In the UK, you're looking at £1249 versus the previous price of £1449.
MacBook woah
Also in the 13-inch size is a model rocking a new 2.6GHz processor backed up by 256GB flash for $1699 (£1449). So just to recap: that's more speed and power, for less money. Thanks Apple. Hopping up to 15-inches, the Retina-toting notebooks come in new quad-core 2.4GHz and 2.7GHz flavours, with the top of the range 15-inch MacBook Pro Retina model also offering 16GB of memory. No price cuts on these bad-boys though. To round things off nicely, Apple has seen fit to take the 13-inch MacBook Air 256GB flash edition down to $1399 (£1,199) from $1499.
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Microsoft scrambles to fix Surface Pro shortages following US launch
The Surface Pro will be back in stock in the US and Canada this week, Microsoft has said in a blog post. The device sold out on its first day on shop shelves, though many say this was due to a lack of stock from Microsoft rather than high demand.
In the US, extra units of the 64GB Surface Pro are on their way now to Best Buy, Staples and the Microsoft store. The 128GB model will follow later this week, and should be in stock by the weekend.
Microsoft says those who reserved the device will be given priority.
The devices may take a few more days to reach Canada, Microsoft says. There's no word on when other countries will see more stock.
High demand, or low stock?
Many in the comments on the Microsoft blog put the shortage down to stock problems rather than ravenous consumer demand. It's all anecdotal evidence, with one person claiming they tried two Microsoft stores and a Best Buy to no avail. Market research agency iSuppli estimates Microsoft shipped around 1.25 million units of the Pro's predecessor - the Surface RT - to shops, but a Microsoft spokesperson was unable to tell us how many Surface Pro units it sent out to retailers. Digitimes claims Microsoft only shipped a million Surface Pros. No matter how many Surface Pros Microsoft shipped, it's not enough. Skim through the 14 pages of comments on the original blog post announcing the device was going on sale, and you'll see plenty of complaints from disgruntled customers keen to hand over their money. Panos Panay, General Manager at Microsoft, tweeted in response: "We're excited for the response to Pro. Some are having trouble getting it. Sorry you're having to wait. We're working hard to get u Pro ASAP." Via Microsoft
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INQ launches Material: taking on Flipboard with a 'smartphone mag'
INQ, the erstwhile mobile phone manufacturer, has decided to get into the content game by using social media-powered info.
The Material app, which is currently in beta and only available on Android, doesn't just involve a list of news – it actively seeks to curate the news you look at based on your Facebook and Twitter profile.
At the entry page you're asked to log in to Facebook and Twitter, and from there a profile is built. As you read more items, the app will learn what your preferences are, and will deliver a curated 'magazine' twice daily based on what it thinks you'll want to scroll through.
The future on your phone
It's very much a beta release at the moment though, with no functionality for tablets or the ability to 'unlike' things based on what you're seeing as targeted for your interests. However, INQ CEO Ken Johnstone told us that the tablet version was coming soon. He also pointed out that this 'discovery engine' was based on the power of the original INQ Cloud Touch mobile that launched a couple of years ago, which was also centred on using social graphs within Facebook to promote the content and people you cared about the most. The current iteration is middling in its ability to provide you with the information you really want, with elements like football bringing in both the European (proper) and American versions of the sport – and with no way to discard content from your feed, it can get annoying.Getting involved
Also, once you click on a story it can take an age to load within the app – which uses the standard Android web interface – but once in, it's great that you can continue scrolling down and get to the next article instantly. You can also add topics you think might be interesting, and twice daily the list will refresh based on what your Twitter following is doing. Johnstone told TechRadar that the idea was to work out what you cared about – so pulling up the author profiles of any writers you follow, for instance, will mean the app will try to offer content within their genre. It's a novel and ambitious idea, and if it can be done will be a great app for serving up the content that really matters – which is what we all want, after all, given our dependency on smartphone content when bored – but it could be a good few months of refining before this app is ready for the mainstream. However, it's available for download today, so head on over to the Play Store if you want to give it a go.
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