iPhone Mini reportedly launching this summer
The next device from Apple is rumored to be the iPhone Mini, a smaller - and more importantly cheaper - version of its smartphone, and its release date may be in the summer.
There are plenty of reasons why Apple needs to start making the cheaper iPhone Mini, and the Morgan Stanley managing director of the PC hardware industry, Katy Huberty, points that out after meeting with Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer.
Emerging markets like China and Brazil have snapped up the iPad Mini, according to her comments picked up by CNET.
"iPad Mini is expanding Apple's customer base with 50 [percent] of purchases in China/Brazil representing new customers to the ecosystem," said Huberty.
Likewise, Chinese consumers are showing signs that they're willing to buy into the latest models of the iPhone instead of the smartphone's older generations.
Preparing for expanding markets as well as existing ones, she anticipates that new carrier partnerships will take place in Q2 2014 with NTT Docomo, T-Mobile, and China Mobile.
All Quiet on the Western Front
Outside of those emerging markets, Huberty notes that Apple's everyday consumers have been buying older versions of the iPhone. "iPhone 4 demand surprised to the upside in the December quarter," she said. She didn't speculate whether the reason for this is due to the lower price of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S or the lack of innovation in the iPhone 5. In addition to saying that the iPhone Mini could launch in the summer, Huberty said that she expects that the iPad could be refreshed in the middle of the year. I'm no analyst, but I think summer and middle of the year might happen at the same time. Either way, rumors suggest that an iPad Mini 2 will roll out with a Retina display, and that iPad 5 will be completely redesigned.
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EU sets fall deadline for Google antitrust verdict
An end may be in sight for the two-year antitrust investigations into Google as the European Commission sets a rough deadline to reach an agreement.
"We can reach an agreement after the summer break," EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said in a Concurrences Journal conference earlier today. "We can envisage this as a possible deadline."
The European Commission's summer break runs through most of August, so Almunia's new deadline points to a late August or September for a final decision.
Earlier this month, Google reportedly presented a number of concessions to the EU's executive arm, including clearer labeling of its own services in search results and having fewer restrictions for advertisers.
Reaching a verdict
The European Commission will investigate Google's proposed concessions before reaching out to Google rivals for feedback to reach an agreement. Last month, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission reached its own verdict on the antitrust allegations, with Google agreeing to a few voluntary concessions. The FTC ruled by a 5-0 vote that there was not enough evidence that Google biased search results to favor its own services. Recently, an EU French watchdog group suggested "repressive action" against Google for dragging its heels complying with regulations. Almunia's decision to postpone a verdict until after the August summer break may look like yet another delay in the case, but with a deadline in sight Google and its rival parties may finally reach a verdict this fall.
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Microsoft, Nikon ink licensing deal for Android-based cameras
Despite the market being flooded with more and more Android devices every single day, there have been few Android cameras in the mix.
Samsung's Galaxy Camera notwithstanding, few other companies have ventured into the photography arena.
Nikon dabbled a bit with its Coolpix S800C, but a new agreement with Microsoft may indicate the manufacturer is about take the next step in Android cameras.
Now, thanks to the patent licensing deal between the two companies, Nikon can move ahead with new Android cameras without fear of repercussions from Microsoft.
Patent pocket change
Microsoft holds several key patents in the Android operating system, and has done a rather thorough job of making sure it gets its fair shake when a company uses the OS. Though details of the deal between Nikon and Microsoft have been kept secret, we do know Nikon will pay royalties out for its use of Android, probably dating back to the S800C, as well as in the future. Nikon to this point hasn't detailed any plans for a new Android-powered camera, but perhaps after the ink dries on this deal, the company will have more to share on the matter. TechRadar reached out to Nikon and Microsoft for more details, and will update this story if either company has more to share.
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Google Glass 'confirmed' for 2013 release, let the Christmas rush begin
Google has reportedly confirmed that the Google Glass AR specs will be available for the public to buy sometime during 2013.
On Friday, CNET sources claimed the project's development is running ahead of schedule and the consumer launch - originally planned for 2014 - has now been brought forward.
Moreover, the intended RRP will be lower than the $1,500 we've heard so much about in the last few months, according to the report, although it didn't state how much lower.
Earlier this week the search giant launched a competition to find Glass 'Explorers' to test the wearable devices, with winners still having to fork over $1,500 for the privilege.
Friday's report also brought 'confirmation' from Google that the Glass specs will use Bluetooth to link up to Android devices and, somewhat surprisingly, the iPhone.
Huge developments
The news brings to a close (we think!) a huge week of Google Glass developments. Earlier this week Google released a YouTube video showing off more of the gadget's functionality, including the ability to command Glass to take photos and videos, search the internet and find directions. Now a 2013 release date looks like a very real prospect, will you be adding Google Glass to your Christmas list? Or is the first-gen price-tag still looking a little too hefty despite the reported drop? Let us know in the comments section below.
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BlackBerry Z10 sales may be weaker than expected
Analysts are starting to change their tune when it comes to the BlackBerry Z10, taking a less optimistic view of the new handset's sales.
Both Canaccord Genuity and Pacific Crest analyst firms recently slashed their quarterly sales predictions for BlackBerry's new touch-based smartphone, with each firm now estimating around 300,000 sales worldwide by March.
In the case of Canaccord Genuity, the revised sales estimate is a significant drop from their original prediction of 1.75 million units sold.
According to analysts those sales will also come along with a reduced number of handsets shipped to stores, between 1 million and 1.5 million instead of pre-launch expectations of between 3 million and 4 million.
What are the actual sales numbers?
BlackBerry made a big fuss over its U.K. and Canadian launches earlier this year, saying that the Z10 broke the company's previous sales records in both territories. In the U.K. CEO Thorston Heins said the Z10 sold three times better than any other BlackBerry device during its launch week. Similarly, the Canadian launch was said to be 50 percent bigger than any of BlackBerry's past launches in its home country. BlackBerry didn't offer any actual sales figures at the time to back up its record-breaking claims though, so there is no concrete data to counter the analysts' adjusted projections. BlackBerry has not responded to TechRadar's inquiry to clarify the sales data. Part of the BlackBerry's sales trouble is due to the fact that the Z10 is not available yet in the U.S., a major market where the handset won't arrive until mid-March. While the U.S. launch will not come in time to rescue BlackBerry's sales for the end of its current fiscal year, the company now has to count on a strong launch to start the next fiscal year on the right foot.
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Twitter beefs up phishing protection with new DMARC protocol
Internet phishing runs the gambit from the obvious Nigerian prince scam to believable spoofs of emails sent from our favorite websites.
Now Twitter is trying to reduce the amount of phishers who successfully forge their emails and score vital information from loyal Tweeters.
In a blog post the social network introduced a security protocol it started using a month ago to thwart scammers.
It's a new technology called DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) aimed at tackling a few long-standing problems surrounding email authentication.
Phony finder
DMARC is a standard that is still young, but it has already been adopted by popular email services such as AOL, Gmail, Hotmail/Outlook and Yahoo! Mail. The technology allows senders to better authenticate their emails using established DKIM and SPF security protocols. The technology also improves communication between the sender and email service, with instructions on what to do with emails that don't meet standards and improved reporting on phony messages. All this will better filter out phishing attempts and Twitter said it's now "extremely unlikely" that most users will see fake emails and get duped by internet tricksters.Know your DMARC
There are many long-time problems involving operational, deployment and reporting issues surrounding email authentication that DMARC is trying to solve. Most of the problem stems from the vastness of the internet, which doesn't have many standards on how to authenticate emails. Not only do practices change between different senders, but authentication processes are inconsistent among single domain owners, as well. All this makes it very difficult for email services to tell real emails from the fakes. And senders have been slow to increase security measures because there is little feedback. SPF and DKIM are the two protocols at the heart of DMARC. They were both developed more than a decade ago, and are really powerful tools for email authentication. But the protocols' effectiveness were stifled because they weren't widely used. DMARC is an attempt to standardize all the chaos with a coalition of email senders and receivers using the same practices. At the same time it increases feedback from receivers to better report fake emails to the senders. The more people that use the technology, the more we can trust the emails we get. And then maybe the next time a Nigerian prince emails you, it could be a real royal emergency. But real prince or not, you still shouldn't give away your personal info over email.
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7.4 million Brits: 'What the hell is the internet?'
A whopping 7.4 million UK residents have managed to avoid using the internet completely, according to a new report published this week.
The government's Office of National Statistics said that 15 per cent of Brits have never ventured into the online world to send email or browse the web.
Unsurprisingly 44 per cent of those 7.42m net virgins is made up by the over 75s as 31 per cent of them have never so much been shown a funny cat video on YouTube.
Meanwhile, less than one per cent of young'uns in the 16-24 demographic had been internet free. Those few individuals must be getting their porn fix through other mediums.
Step it up, Northern Ireland
The report claimed that the capital was the UK's main online hotspot with 89 per cent of people using the internet at some point in its existent. Northern Ireland apparently needs to up its online game, with 79 per cent of residents ever using the internet. Do you know many people who have managed to completely avoid the internet? Or are your net-savvy grandparents kicking it on Facebook and Twitter? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Is Nokia taking on the competition by going cheaper?
Lately, Nokia's become known for its premium flagship Windows Phone 8 devices like the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820.
But are those premium smartphones enough to compete in a market increasingly flooded with cheaper and cheaper phones?
A report from Reuters on Friday claimed that Nokia is preparing to debut a more affordable line of smartphones for this very purpose.
The cheaper Nokia phones will debut at Mobile World Congress at the end of February, sources reportedly told Reuters.
Nokia's bread and butter
Reuters claimed that Nokia wants to "regain domination" in the cheaper subset of the smartphone market after the company's allegedly "stuttering" attempts to compete with Apple and Samsung. The premium Windows Phone 8 Lumia line has not seen the success that Nokia (and no doubt Microsoft) hoped for. According to figures cited by Reuters, the average selling price of Nokia's phones in 2012 was around $41 (UK£27, AU$40), with lower-end devices like Nokia's Asha line of basic phones apparently making up the bulk of its sales. Compare that to the $600 (UK£393, AU$581) that a Lumia phone can cost without subsidization from a carrier, and you can guess where Nokia's bread and butter might lie. That holds especially true in developing markets such as China and India, said Reuters. But ZDNet claimed that even those markets are beginning to upgrade to more advanced smartphones, and that Nokia missed its chance to thrive in new developing markets like the Middle East and Africa by focusing on the high-end Lumia devices. Its new devices, including a rumored cheaper Lumia model, will compete with the likes of Huawei and ZTE, said Reuters.Losing its place
A research report released by IDC on Thursday claimed that smartphone, tablet and PC sales rose 29 percent in 2012. But Reuters cited a figure claiming that sales of basic phones alone fell 20 percent. No doubt Nokia will attempt to regain some of those lost sales, if rumors of a line of cheaper Nokia phones pan out. TechRadar reached out to Nokia to see if the company could confirm any details, but we've yet to hear back. According to tech research firm Gartner, as cited by Reuters, Nokia currently holds only 5 percent of the smartphone market, compared to Samsung and Apple's collective 52 percent. Samsung emerged on Thursday as the top seller of PCs, smartphones and tablets, beating Apple by 2.6 percent and switching places with the iPhone maker to take the top spot in the market in 2012.
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Updated: MWC 2013: What to expect
February is always the most exciting month of the year for mobile phone fans, as it's when the entire phone industry has a big, boozy party somewhere in Europe and shows off the new phones and tablets it'll be launching over the spring and summer.
The show has been dominated in recent years by the vast number of new Android models that continuously swamp the market, with the big players like HTC, Samsung and Sony using the event to thrill punters with their newest ranges.
Last year saw HTC unleash its impressive One series, LG debuted the Optimus 4X HD and even Nokia decided to go large at the tech event for once, showing off its bonkers 808 PureView model complete with 41MP camera.
In short, if you care about the mobile arms race, MWC is the most exciting time of the year.
Previously held in Barcelona's palatial Fira Montjuic halls, this year's MWC is switching venue to a less glamorous (but more convenient for stressed journalists and marketing managers) spot a little nearer the city's airport. And in a building twice the size. Imagine how many cheap Android tablets it'll be able to contain this year.
MWC 2013 kicks off on 25 February. We'll be there, sobbing into a laptop in an unlit corner somewhere. Here's what we're expecting to see from the big names of mobile.
LG
Back at MWC 2012, LG wowed attendees with the Optimus 4X HD, a powerful 4.7-inch phone that helped signal the start of the race to stick quad-core processors in mobiles. It also showed off the Optimus 3D Max and the oddball Optimus Vu, but the less said about those the better, as with 2011's reveal of the original Optimus 3D. As for 2013, LG's already carried out a bit of teasing, with the new Optimus G Pro set to be shown offm which is what we assume the brand was referring to when it announced plans to show off a "tier one" smartphone at MWC 2013. We've also got a hint about four new phone categories, an official reveal of the LG L Series and a reboot of the F Series too. All very exciting. Given that the original Optimus G was a quad-core monster that LG soon rebranded as the Nexus 4, any sequel arriving so soon is unlikely to be much of a leap above the first phone, as even in 2013 we'd still be impressed by a quad-core phone with a 4.7-inch display. But has the Nexus 4 done enough to make LG a respected brand name and a major player? Regardless of whether LG has done enough, the Korean firm is promising a "breakthrough will be made at MWC 2013", where a new range of devices will be announced.
Sony
Sony's just announced a new flagship model at this year's CES tech show, so it's unlikely to have anything hugely new and exciting at MWC. But it will give the media a chance to play with its new Xperia Z, the exciting, quad-core, 5-inch monster the hardware maker is set to launch this March.- Sony Xperia Z release date: when can I get it and where?
HTC
HTC unleashed the One series of phones at last year's MWC, showing off the One V, One S and the glorious One X as it tried to reinvigorate its line up. But in 2011 it disappointed us a little, showing minor upgrades of its old HTC Desire range, the awful Wildfire S and the niche Salsa and ChaCha models to a very, very quiet fanfare. In fact, it wasn't even a fanfare, just a mouse playing Three Blind Mice on the recorder. We've already seen loads, and loads, and loads on the HTC One - the company's new flagship model - when it was announced pre-MWC, so we're not expecting to hear any more from the Taiwanese firm this time around. Loads of companies will be showing phones of a similar size and power level, but we'll always have a soft spot for HTC's lovely old Sense interface - and with the new Sense 5.0, there's a lot to get excited about.Samsung
Samsung disappointed the nerds of the world last year, when it opted to announce its flagship Galaxy S3 model a couple of months later at its own private event. But even if it repeats that trick this year and doesn't show off the Galaxy S4, it's guaranteed to be bringing along plenty of other Android phones. Last year Samsung underwhelmed us all by using MWC to announce the Samsung Galaxy S Wi-Fi, a Galaxy S2-styled media player, plus the rather odd and niche Galaxy Beam, complete with integrated media projector. So either we see the Galaxy S4 and Samsung has a stormer, or it brings along some cheaper models and we write it off. And it very much looks like the latter, with the Samsung Galaxy Fame and the Galaxy Young hardly setting our tech hearts all a-quiver, and the S4 set for a reveal later in the year. However, there's a small chance we may see something really exciting. Samsung's working on hardware powered by the new Tizen OS, a supposed Android rival that Samsung claims it'll be bringing to market some time in 2013. Good luck with that.
The latest news from the Samsung rumour mill is that we'll see a new tablet which will slide into the Note family, currently made up of the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note 10.1.
Reports suggest that the slate in question is the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, which will feature an 8-inch Super Clear LCD screen, 2GB of RAM, a 5MP camera and a 4,600mAh battery - and seems to have been already revealed too.
It looks like Samsung may be planning on going a bit tablet crazy at MWC 2013, with other reports suggesting it's readying a new range of slates to fall under the Galaxy Tab 3 banner.
We could see three tablets slide into this new family, with 7-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch models all making an appearance as the Korean firm looks to solidify its offering across the market.
Nokia
Nokia's had a wide selection of phones at last year's MWC, showing off the bonkers Nokia 808 PureView and its 41MP sensor, alongside the rather less exciting budget Windows Phone powered Lumia 610 and the high-end Lumia 900. One Nokia-based rumour claims it's working on a slimmer update of the Lumia 920, which would use an aluminium body to reduce the weight of its hefty flagship phone. Nokia's traditionally preferred to show phones off at its own events, so it's hard to guesstimate whether it'll have new stuff at MWC or not. It's a maverick. It makes its own rules. More rumours are pointing towards the famed 41MP camera landing on its first Lumia handset which is apparently code named Eos. However, more recent tips say that Nokia might be bringing four phones to the show, but only two of these will be smartphones and will be more focused on the budget range, which means we could see the Nokia Lumia 520 and Lumia 720 make an appearance. One thing's for sure: there won't be a tablet.Huawei
Huawei's really made a name for itself in the UK over the last year, thanks to its winning budget Ascend G300 and the recent Ascend G330 update, plus the powerful Ascend P1. At last year's MWC it announced the impressive looking Ascend D Quad, a 4.5-inch model in a slim 8.9mm case, alongside a 10.1-inch version of its MediaPad tablet. Neither of which made it to the UK officially, so we were left a bit disappointed by its commitment levels. Huawei's also just announced a tasty pair of smartphones at CES in the form of the Ascend D2 and Ascend Mate, so it's likely to elaborate more on these at MWC 2013 rather than announce many new phones. It's recently stated "we will be launching two more exciting innovative products at MWC 2013," according to CEO Richard Yu. It's likely to be the Huawei Ascend P2 if the leaks are to be believed, with a five inch phone and a quad core processor on the cards - or is that an octo-core processor instead?
RIM
MWC 2013 is going to be absolutely critical for RIM. The troubled BlackBerry maker is revealing its BB10 hardware and software at a standalone event at the end of January, so MWC will be a chance for the masses to properly fiddle with the new OS and the two phones it'll initially be running on. Last year's MWC was a bit of a disaster for RIM. All it managed to show was the BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 OS update for the super-flop tablet. This year it ought to have significantly more buzz surrounding its presence, although it should have already announced the phones that will be running BB10 by the time we stumble off the plane onto Spanish tarmac.ZTE
MWC 2013 should be another good year for the budget makers, as we're expecting to see bigger screens and more powerful processors hitting the cheaper end of the market. Last year ZTE announced the ZTE PF112, a 4.5-inch device said to be running on the dual-core Snapdragon S4 chipset, but that pretty much sunk without trace and is yet to go on sale. And the ZTE Era, a promising 4.3-inch quad-core model, is also missing presumed never to hit the UK. One MWC 2012 phone that did arrive was the Mimosa X, which ZTE renamed the Grand X for the UK. It was a bit of a disappointing mid-range model that undid much of the maker's hype. So don't get too excited by what the ZTE man is waving around, it might just be a balsa wood model that'll never see the light of day. In fact, ZTE's started making its pledges for 2013 already, with the promising ZTE Grand S just announced at CES. It's another member of the 5-inch / 1080p / quad-core club, which ought to be a big winner... if it ever appears on the shelves. It seems ZTE may have given the game away though with a couple of revealing hashtags which accompanied its press invite; #ZTEGrandMemo and #ZTEMozilla. Rumours suggest the Grand Memo will be the Chinese firm's answer to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Huawei Ascend Mate, while the ZTE Mozilla could be the first handset to run the HTML 5 based Firefox OS. And it's also pledged to be the first brand with a Tegra 4 phone on the shelves, but we're not expecting to see that at Barcelona's finest mobile trade show. Later in the year, power fans, later in the year.Acer
Niche smartphone maker Acer always has a packed show stand, with the company using MWC 2012 to announce its Liquid Glow models, which were a vast improvement on the Liquid E and Liquid MT it took to MWC 2011. Since then, Acer's launched a few decent mid-range Android models, like the CloudMobile and Liquid Gallant, although we'd expect to see it make more of a deal about its tablet ranges at MWC this year, seeing as that's where the Android hot money is going these days. But it looks like we were wrong, given there's going to be a new phone under the banner of the Acer Liquid Z2 appearing in Barcelona's fancy new halls this year.Asus
Last year's MWC was a big winner for Asus, which updated its winning Transformer tablet range with a couple of impressive quad-core models.- 10 best tablets in the world today
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Stay tuned for mobile madness: MWC 2013 kicks off this weekend
We're making the annual pilgrimage to Barcelona to worship at the altar of all things mobile so join us for our comprehensive MWC 2013 coverage.
We're not sure exactly how many major new phones will launch at the show this year, with Samsung, HTC and Apple all saving their flagships for separate events.
But we're really excited to see what Nokia's got up its sleeve, and we're expecting a slew of handsets from the likes of LG, Huawei, ZTE and Acer.
Tablet time
Not forgetting tablets, of course, which we reckon Samsung and Asus are likely to focus on at the show. And in between the two, we have no doubt that 'phablet' will be one of this year's biggest buzzwords - perhaps we'll get the answer to that age old question: at what size does a 'phablet' become a tablet? The coverage kicks off on Sunday and we'll be bringing you all the news and the most comprehensive hands on reviews of the new gizmos all the way through the week. So sit back, relax and join us - we'll be updating this page to keep you posted on what's what, as well as tweeting and Facebooking throughout. See you on the other side…
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Sony: We'll show you the PS4 at E3 2013 - or sooner
Anyone interested to see what the PS4 actually looks like should keep an eagle eye on E3 2013 in June as Sony Computer Entertainment's CEO says that's when it'll be shown off - if not sooner.
Confessing that he didn't think that the absence of a console would be "a big issue" at this week's big PlayStation 4 reveal, Jack Tretton told Forbes when to expect a visual.
"I would look for E3 as a time when you'll get a good look at it," he told Forbes in a post-launch interview. Then added, "Or sooner."
An E3 2013 reveal may be a strategic move - after all, Microsoft has already marked the show out as Xbox 720 territory.
Cloud nine
Moving on to the features that Sony did show off Tretton added that, like most features of the console, the cloud capabilities weren't yet set in stone. Asked what the console would be capable of out of the box, he said, "I think it's aspirational on the device, as opposed to us standing up there, pounding the floor and saying the day this thing ships all this stuff will be there. "I think it'll absolutely be there for the device, but I don't know whether it will be there for day one on the device. "I think a lot of these are things that we're gonna do over time. And with that said, I think there will be a tangible example of all the things that we showed. It's just a question of how deep it will go, how many games it will involve." Find out what we learnt during the PS4's reveal by watching the video below:
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Huawei exec: Full HD screens below 5-inches are pointless
The Huawei Ascend P2 won't be sporting the full HD display which has previously been reported, with the mid-range handset having to make do with a 720p offering.
Official word came via Huawei's Mobile Division head Richard Yu, who took to Sina Weibo (China's version of Twitter) to confirm the Ascend P2 will feature a 4.7-inch, 720p screen.
Yu added that a 1080p display under 5-inches in size would be pointless, as the human eye wouldn't be able to distinguish the difference between that an a 720p offering - take that HTC One.
On its way
Other rumours suggest the Huawei Ascend P2 will run a 1.5Ghz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, Android Jelly Bean and pack a 13MP camera and sizable 3,000mAh battery. If the Ascend P2 does become reality it will slide in below the flagship Huawei Ascend D2 which sports a 5-inch, full HD IPS+ display. We expect to see the Huawei Ascend P2 at MWC 2013 next week, so keep a look out for our hands on review.
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Samsung Galaxy S4 could replace your doctor, but it's running late
The Samsung Galaxy S4 will see you now, as reports suggest it will come equipped with a S Health app and accessory, but are processor woes forcing the Korean firm to delay the Galaxy S4 release?
S Health isn't a new invention with the Korean firm (quietly) launching the app and accompanying pad for use with the Galaxy S3, allowing users to monitor blood pressure, blood sugar, BMI, weight etc without a trip to the doctors.
Korean site Daum now reports the same set up will be heading to the upcoming Galaxy S4 and Samsung could make a bigger deal of it this time as the technology and been improved.
Snappy Dragon making S4 late
In other Galaxy S4 related news Barron's has spoken to an analyst (so take this with a sizable dosage of salt) who claims the flagship smartphone has been delayed due to problems with the Qualcomm made Snapdragon processor destined for the handset. Apparently Samsung is lining up the ridiculously sized octo-core chipset for the Galaxy SIV, but power management issues has slowed down development.
Rounding off this Samsung Galaxy S4 sandwich is a highly dubious report from Mobile Fun which claims to have received leaked shots of protective cases for the new handset from a Chinese accessory manufacturer.
We're hardly sold on these shots and we reckon Samsung may employ a more dramatic design overhaul for the Galaxy SIV than the cases suggest, so let's not get carried away. OK?
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LG Optimus G finally touches down in Europe complete with Jelly Bean
The LG Optimus G has finally made its way to Europe, but it could be too late for this 4G smartphone to succeed.
LG launched the Optimus G in Korean and then the States last year, but has only just got round to bringing it to Europe now.
It does come with a Jelly Bean trump card though, with the same handset in other regions still running Ice Cream Sandwich.
The Optimus G also offers up a 4.7-inch HD IPS display, 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, 4G connectivity and a range of enhanced user interface features.
Slide to the right
They enhancements include QSlide which allows you to use multiple apps at the same time, much like Samsung's multi-window option, and you can also have a video playing or other set apps in a smaller window - much like the Pop-up Play feature found on the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2. The timing seems all the more odd considering the firm has just announced its natural replacement in the LG Optimus G Pro, which we expect to see in more detail at MWC 2013. LG has confirmed that the Optimus G will make its European debut in Sweden at the end of February, after which it will head to other markets including France, Germany and Italy. TechRadar contacted LG about availability in the UK and a spokesperson for the company told us: "We don't yet have further information regarding the availability and ranging of the Optimus G in the UK."
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Completely redesigned iPad 5 due in September?
While the iPad mini may be flavour of the month in the Apple tablet world, the company has a revamped 9-inch iPad 5 on the cards for a September launch.
That's if you believe TrendForce, which reckons it has some inside info about the new iPad 5 including the fact that its design will be completely overhauled.
The analysts say that the new iPad will use the same touch tech as the iPad mini, while putting the bezel to better use in order to slim the tablet down. It's not the first time we've heard that suggestion - another analyst got that rumour in there pretty much as soon as the iPad 4 launched.
Dearly beloved
In a weirdly worded addendum, the research firm added that "the long-beloved iPad 2" will "retire with honour" as the new iPad 5 hits the shelves, like iPads are ancient emperors that live out their days in zen temples bestowing wisdom only on the worthy. That flowery language is one thing that makes us season this speculation with a sprinkling of salt, as does the fact that the researchers don't say how or where they came by their information exactly. But the suppositions don't seem too outlandish. A new 9-inch iPad in September makes sense since the iPad 4 was unveiled around the same time last year, and a design refresh seems inevitable. Stand by for the spurious casing leaks in three, two, one…
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PayPal launches chip and PIN payment device
PayPal has unveiled a new chip and PIN version of its PayPal Here payment solution for businesses.
The company says the pocket-size handheld device enables small businesses to accept credit and debit cards and PayPal payments easily.
It is aimed especially at businesses that have traditionally relied on cash or cheques, and designed for use in countries where credit cards rely on chip and PIN, rather than swiping a card, for transactions.
Business users can pair the device with a smartphone using a Bluetooth connection. They log into it through the app on their phone and enter the payment details, following which the customer inserts their card, confirms the amount and enters the PIN.
The earlier version of PayPal Here is a device with a card swipe reader that plugs into the trader's mobile phone, and is used in markets where swipe is favoured over chip and PIN.
The chip and PIN version will be available to select UK businesses over the coming months before it fully launches in the UK this summer.
David Marcus, President of PayPal, says: "We aimed to create game changing device for businesses in the UK and other nations where chip and PIN payments are standard. The result is a beautiful device that offers a strong and secure solution for businesses and, as importantly, their customers."
Marcus says that PayPal spends a lot of time talking to small businesses, and that it used feedback on the need for a simple, secure way to take card payments at any location.
The PayPal Here app includes a 'click and call us' button to reach the company's customer service department.
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Week in Tech: The PS4 makes an invisible debut
Imagine if you went to the launch of the new Beyonce album and she showed you the cover, played a couple of drum loops, and let you hear some recordings of her mumbling.
"Is that it?" you'd ask. "Yes!" she'd reply. "It'll be finished in eight months and it'll be awesome!"
The PS4 launch was a bit like that.
We saw controllers, we saw games and we saw specs, but we didn't actually see the PS4 during the two-hour event. Maybe it's so horribly ugly they've locked it in a cupboard, or so pretty that if you look directly at it your eyes melt.
Or maybe they just haven't finished it yet. So what do we know? Lots! Michelle Fitzimmons has the facts: "The console owns an eight core, x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU," she writes. "It houses 8GB of GDDR5 unified high-speed memory, and a 'highly advanced' PC GPU with 'remarkable longterm potential.'
That processor, also made by AMD and referred to as a 'next-generation Radeon based graphics engine' in the press release, boasts 18 compute units that together produce 1.84 TFLOPS of processing power. We'll also see Blu-ray and DVD support in the PS4, along with HDMI, Analog-AV, and optical digital output."
There's a new controller too, the DualShock 4. As Michael Rougeau reports, "The PS4 DualShock 4 controller features two sticks, four triggers, a directional pad, plus triangle, cross, circle, and square buttons, just like a classic PlayStation controller. But it also has a touchpad across its face, and a PlayStation Move-like 'light bar' across the top." The PS4 also includes the PlayStation Eye, so you're getting Wii-style motion control and Kinect-style gestures.
New from Nikon
Angela Nicholson got an early look, and reports that "Nikon has given the D7100 a pretty extensive feature set, [although] it would've been nice if the company had pushed things a bit further". Nevertheless, "the D7100 will find favour with the Nikon faithful, and it should win the manufacturer a few new fans."
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Samsung Galaxy S4 to debut new camera tech Samsung Orb?
The Samsung Galaxy S4 could be used to debut some new camera technology by the Korean firm, which is currently dubbed Samsung Orb.
According to AndroidGeeks Samsung is working on a camera feature which will be very similar to the Photo Sphere mode currently found in the stock Android 4.2 Jelly Bean application.
The information apparently comes via a Samsung engineer who is working on the Galaxy S4, although we're not able to confirm the authenticity of this claim.
It looks like there won't be too much difference between Samsung Orb and Photo Sphere, with the Korean firm's offering allowing you to take a 360 degree panorama to give you an almost 3D image.
360 and share
The slight difference seems to be with the sharing options, with Samsung apparently in talks with Facebook to allow Galaxy S4 users to easily share their 360 creations on the social network. Unsurprisingly the engineer has talked up the Samsung Orb, saying it will offer a better result than Google's Photo Sphere, partly thanks to the superior camera the Galaxy S4 will sport - although we're not taking anything for granted just yet. Rumours currently point towards the Samsung Galaxy S4 packing a 13MP snapper, putting it on par with the recently announced Sony Xperia Z. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is expected to be unveiled towards the end of March, with the handset landing in stores in April/May this year.
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Sony Xperia SP appears again reinforcing mid-range credentials
Details on the Sony Xperia SP have popped up again on the world wide web, with a new source seemingly confirming various mid-range specifications.
The details were sent to XperiaBlog by a 'trusted source', who was apparently able to confirm features such as screen size, case materials and camera on the Xperia SP.
According to the source, the Sony Xperia SP will sport a 4.6-inch 720p display, 8GB of internal storage, 8MP Exmor RS camera and feature an aluminium frame surrounding a plastic rear and glass-covered front.
Xperia Z a-like
Previous rumours suggest that the Xperia SP will also feature a 1.7GHz dual-core processor and run Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2. We've also seen leaked photos claiming to show the Xperia SP sporting a similar design to the flagship Sony Xperia Z, which was launched at CES 2013. The Sony Xperia SP is expected to be announced at MWC 2013 next week, and TechRadar will be out in force in Barcelona to bring you all the latest from the Japanese firm.
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US talk show host nabs first Sony PS4 hands on
Jimmy Fallon was the first to grab a bit of hands on time with the PS4, playing a bit of Killzone: Shadow Fall live on TV.
We still don't get to see the actual console (because you'd get bored of it, if you saw it), but Fallon and his guest Anthony Anderson (that's Teddy from Hang Time, '90s kids) got to fondle and have a go with the Dualshock 4 controller.
Hang time
Unfortunately, it's not a whole lot more illuminating than the demos we saw in this week's press conference, but Fallon and Anderson do seem to be having a nice time, and there are a couple of ceilings that really get shown what for. There's a lot of shouting involved, because that's what makes two grown men playing games on TV interesting to an international audience. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, check it out in the video below:
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Review: Cooler Master Seidon 120M
There once was a time when the idea of water-cooling was seen as about as outlandish as the way we currently look at people jamming liquid nitrogen into their systems for overclocking challenges. Water-cooling also used to be rather tricksy and damned expensive to boot, but not so any more.
Adding to the glut of closed-loop liquid CPU coolers is Cooler Master's latest series, the Seidon. This Seidon 120M version is the single-fan setup using one 120mm fan with a radiator of the same size, much like the pricier Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer.
At less than £50 this water cooler is piling into serious air-cooling territory, and with the impressive thermal performance of even these budget liquid chillers it's getting harder and harder to recommend active air-coolers.
There's another string to the Seidon 120M's bow and that's its small footprint in your PC. A £50 air-cooler is likely to have a hefty heatsink setup even before you start adding in the primary or secondary fans, and if you're not sporting some low-profile RAM, things can get tricky. With the Seidon's tiny waterblock there's no such worry, and the radiator is only around double the depth of the 120mm fan you've likely already got exhausting hot air out of the back.
It also means the Seidon 120M is perfect for the burgeoning small-form factor performance PC market. With the rise in quality mini-ITX boards and chassis you also need coolers that aren't going to take up half the case. So, in practical terms, Cooler Master's Seidon 120M is a winner in the price and footprint stakes, but how does it actually perform when it comes to keeping your hot chips chilled?
The answer is: rather impressively for a small radiator cooler. Our test rig uses Corsair's excellent H100; a water-cooler with a 240mm radiator and a pair of 120mm fans keeping it cool. Cooler Master's smaller Seidon 120M does a great job of keeping pace with the beefier H100.
Benchmarks
Stock cooling performance Full CPU load: Degrees centigrade: Lower is better CM SEIDON 120M: 58 CORSAIR H100: 60 Stock cooling performance Peak to idle: Seconds: Quicker is better CM SEIDON 120M: 177 CORSAIR H100: 41 Overclocked performance Full CPU load: Degrees centigrade: Lower is better CM SEIDON 120M: 88 CORSAIR H100: 87Quietly cool
With the larger area Corsair's H100 is a more effective cooler, but that doubled radiator only manages to chill things by an extra couple of degrees at best. In fact, at stock CPU speeds, Cooler Master's latest manages to stay a little cooler under load. Though it has to be said our test H100 has taken a fair bit of punishment over the years. When we ran our 3770K at 4.6GHz the larger liquid cooler showed a bit of an edge at the high end, but still the Seidon 120M ably kept the Corsair cooler in its sights. Where the larger radiator of the H100 comes into its own is in the time it takes to get the chip from its peak temperature back down to the idle temperatures. At stock speeds the H100 does this in over 40 seconds while the Seidon takes under three minutes whether the chip is at stock speeds or overclocked. The higher performance of the cooler with the larger radiator was expected, and we also expect the Seidon 240M to be incoming very soon. But for less than £50 the performance of the smaller 120M is impressive and will keep your overclocked chips running happily.
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O2 survey shows disconnect on flexible working
O2 has claimed that businesses are failing to grasp the advantages of allowing employees to work flexibly using mobile technology.
The mobile operator has published the results of a survey of more than 400 businesses and 2,000 employees, carried out by ResearchBods, that shows staff are ready to work remotely but companies are holding them back.
O2 says that 75% of employees say they are most productive when they can change when and where they work, and 11% even rate this as more important their holiday allowance and salary.
But only 19% say their company encourages them to work flexibly, even though 77% of employers claim that flexible working is actively encouraged.
Several elements of the survey show that employers and staff have different perceptions of how well business is supporting flexible working. For example, 56% of companies say they have a clear policy on the issue, but just 30% of employees agree.
On whether staff are given the tools to work remotely, 54% of employers say this is the case, but only a third of employees agree. Also, 70% of managers say they set an example by frequently working from home or changing working hours, but only 18% of staff agree.
O2 Business Director, Ben Dowd, says: "Just six months since Britain's biggest flexible working opportunity, the Olympics, it's shocking that less than one fifth of people feel they are encouraged to work flexibly.
"Businesses must sit up and take notice of this critical evolution in employee behaviour and create a business culture equipped to support it. Talking about it simply isn't enough. To create a truly flexible working culture, actions speak louder than words."
O2 says that more than 40% of its own staff flexi-work more than one day a week, and this saves 100,000 miles of travel, 30 tonnes of CO2 and £20,000 of fuel per month. Also, it has helped to double productivity.
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Paperless Receipts buys Expenses Magic
Digital receipt software provider Paperless Receipts has acquired expenses management company Expenses Magic.
The move marks a further step in Paperless Receipts' expansion, following its recent announcement of a strategic partnership with payment gateway company Cardstream and the raising of £1.2 million in funding.
Paperless Receipts, which developed eReceipts software for retailers to issue electronic receipts direct to customers' cloud based accounts, says it intends investing further to make the app more intuitive and provide more functions.
Expense Magic, launched in early 2012, enables users to photograph their receipts via a mobile app and receive a monthly expense report, for a fee of £9.99 a month. All receipt images are stored in the cloud for a minimum of seven years to comply with HMRC requirements.
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Prepare for a tape storage revival
As storage requirements surge and compliance needs become increasingly demanding, there are predictions that companies are going to take a fresh look at the role of tape in their storage arrangements.
The growing demand for 'big data' processing is creating huge volumes of data to be managed, some of it for compliance purposes, and tape is useful once the data is no longer live and doesn't need to be accessed, says Sue Clarke, Senior Analyst at Ovum.
While this data is growing, budgets remain the same, creating a need for a cheaper form of storage than disk offers.
"Data is growing two to three times a year, but on the customer side the budget stays the same," says Hidir Mag, Senior Director, EMEA StorageTek – Tape, Oracle. "The prices are not declining at the rate of growth if you look at disk - so customers can't afford to put all the data on disk."
Tape is useful as it takes away the first tier of storage, says Jim Cook, CEO of archiving company Arkivum, adding: "The problem that the CIO is facing is, how do I stop capital equipment budget going up? His capex is increasing. Take the data that isn't being used and put it in tape storage and businesses can get off that capex treadmill."
Backup resistance
In its early days, tape was used differently than it is today and for that reason there has been resistance from some corners. Cook says: "Resistance comes in the form of bad experience some people had with backup. There's an entirely different usage paradigm. "In the past, tapes were re-used and data is now being put on tape on a different basis. Earlier, tape did not perform as it might." Whereas 10 years ago tape was used primarily for backup, disk is now used instead. Years ago, a business simply had a database in place, holding relatively tiny amounts of data. More recently came social media and the growth of email and analytics, prompting a growth in unstructured data and the need for more storage space. According to Mag, customers typically put 5% of data on high performance disk; 15% of recent data on high capacity disk drives; and 80% in archive. "It is this 80% that tape is now useful for," he says, adding: "The cost per ZB is 1 to 4 cents (in US money) and disk is up to $8 - for flash disk up to $20." Traditional backup advice states that data should be stored in three different locations and on two different media. "You can restore data from the disk," says Mag, adding: "The tape is the last line of defence." Mag adds: "Total cost of ownership (TCO) on disk is 15 times more than tape. Also the power and cooling needs are 200 times less for tape as you just write the info and there's no need for electricity." Tape also has better shelf life than disk. While data can stay on tape for 30 years, disk has a shelf life of just 10 years. And it's not just about data. According to EU regulations, medical patient data must be kept for 100 years. Mag says Oracle's customers are using an increasing amount of tape, especially enterprise and search companies. He adds: "It is useful for the search companies because of new social media analytics, and big data analytics creates petabytes of data after just one analysis." The medium is also used in many other industries, including financial services, telecoms, and by cloud companies. But Clarke warns that there are some issues with accessing data stored on tape. She says: "If there is a discovery request, the tape holding the content has to be located and the content has to be loaded back onto disk before it can be accessed, which takes longer than accessing disk-based content, particularly if the content spans multiple tapes. "One of the advantages of tape is that it is potable and can be stored in a vault, but again it needs to be retrieved if content is required."Cost-effective storage
But if tape's use centres around archive, rather than random access, it is a valid and cost-effective storage method. Cook adds: "We use disk at a number of strategic layers - primarily to provide high speed cache but also inside our data centres. Tape is not good for random access." Despite tape's return, the industry accepts the medium is not a standalone solution. Mag says: "Tape is not a disk system and isn't suitable for the role of that 20%. Tape is for the rest of the data - customer information that's over 90 days old." Tape might have changed in its use but in reality, the medium has never gone away. "There have been several attempts in the past to kill tape off, but I think many organisations have invested too much money in it to abandon it altogether," says Clarke. As data volumes continue to increase, the requirement for bigger and more cost effective storage methods will only continue to grow. For archiving, the humble tape offers more guarantees, at less cost. Mag says: "Because data is growing more rapidly, tape is inevitable in the data centre for those looking at reducing TCO of storage."
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INTERVIEW: Sir James Dyson: We'll never stop innovating motors
As you would expect, the carpets are spotless. The upstairs room at the Sydney Theatre where Sir James Dyson is officially unveiling his company's latest innovations - updated Airblade hand dryers and an Airblade Tap that also dries your hands - has impeccably clean carpets.
Yet the cordless Dyson vacuum cleaner is only a prop; something Sir James reaches for during the interview to demonstrate what can be accomplished with the company's most recent innovations in digital motor technology. A technology that forms the backbone of every product in the Dyson catalogue.
In fact, Dyson's developments in digital motors can be seen as one of his greatest accomplishments. While other companies have small motors capable of delivering something in the order of 35,000 rpm, the motor in the latest Airblade products can push out 110,000 rpm.
By comparison, a jet engine rotates at around 15,000 rpm, while the motor inside a Ferrari spins faster at roughly 19,000 rpm.
As Sir James explains: "No one else makes a motor that goes any faster than about 35,000 rpm, so these really are extraordinary motors. This one has neo-dynimium rare earth magnets in the centre inside a carbon fibre sleeve, and it runs between these copper wires which create an electrical field.
On top of speed, Dyson has also made the motor smaller by using software to closely monitor and control its performance.
Re-inventing design
Soft-spoken and impeccably dressed, Sir James Dyson may look like a billionaire CEO, but he talks like the passionate, energetic engineer he is. He alternates between sitting back, relaxed, as we ask questions about the motors in his products, to energetically leaning forward to explain the technological advancements made since the last generation of motors. But it's not just motors that excites the 65-year old. Sir James is a passionate innovator, sponsoring design awards around the world to try and foster a focus on helping designers invent products with real world applications. Yet while winners have included some clever creations that solve real world problems, like the Airdrop, which pulls moisture from the air in arid locations by cooling it in underground pipes and using it to water plants, Dyson himself has no plans to take these ideas and turn them into Dyson products. "We want to let these inventors try their hands at becoming entrepreneurs as well," he explains, while pointing out that some of the winning designs from previous competitions are in early stages of becoming real world products.Never satisfied
For all the advancements in motor technology that Dyson has accomplished, it's a shame that the technology can't be scaled up - there's no chance of seeing a Dyson electric car any time soon. That said, there's still potential for parts of the Dyson motor to scale, and Dyson itself is working out how to use the new, improved motor in updates to its current range of products, as well as potential new devices. But that doesn't mean the company is done developing its motors. When suggesting that at some point motors will reach a point where they can no longer be upgraded significantly and Dyson may need to look to other technologies to keep advancing, Sir James shakes his head like we'd just offered him a plate of raw chicken. "Oh no, we'll never be satisfied. We're always looking for ways to make them better," he says emphatically.
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