AMD wants Star Trek Holodecks, but do you?
If AMD researchers are right, immersive 3D gaming environments, like Holodecks in Star Trek, could be a reality within 10 to 15 years. But will you want one?
According to Universe Today, AMD is hard at work on heterogeneous system architectures, and believe that innovations in this field could lead to Holodeck-like systems. And apparently AMD are not alone in these ambitions, with companies like Microsoft also investing in this field.
The article goes on to list the various technical hurdles between where we are now and totally immersing 3G gaming, like processing power and efficient memory allocation; but it seems to dodge one very important question. Do we even want Holodecks at all?
The future?
Perhaps we're not being adventurous enough, but when you add it up, we're more excited about the PS4 and Xbox 720 than we are about a walk-in holographic wardrobe with monsters lurking inside.
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ZTE to add Intel inside with Atom Processor Z2580 phones
At the heart of ZTE's next-generation smartphones will be Intel's dual-core Atom Processor Z2580 processor, the Chinese company announced this week.
This strategic partnership incorporates the fastest of the three Clover Trial+ CPUs announced at Mobile World Conference 2013, with a clock speed of 2.0 GHz.
That's significantly speedier than the last-generation 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z2460 processor that ZTE put into its first Intel smartphone, the Android-based ZTE Grand X IN.
At the same time, ZTE said that next-generation Z2580-based phones will be able to "deliver the same competitive battery life."
"The platform's dual-core processor with Intel Hyper-Threading Technology provides double the compute performance and up to 3x graphics capabilities over the Intel Atom Z2460 processor," said ZTE in a press release.
Four Leaf Clover Trail+ relationship
ZTE said that it will build off of the success of the Grand X IN, but didn't reveal whether or not its next-generation Intel smartphones will be Android-powered and has yet to announce any other specifications.
"The Grand X IN was ZTE's first flagship smartphone in Europe to feature Intel Inside," said ZTE Europe Mobile Devices General Manager Ao Wen.
"We've launched it successfully across Europe in strong cooperation with Intel, and as a result have significantly increased our brand awareness in these important markets."
Governments have been less than thrilled with the the Chinese manufacturer, but Intel seems smitten with its continued relationship with the company.
"ZTE is a fast growing global handset maker that strives to create products with features and capabilities that people care most about," said an Intel spokesperson to TechRadar.
"We share a similar goal in that our focus is on providing customers with compelling Intel technology options that ultimately translate into great products and user experiences."
Intel finally inside more smartphones
With the exception of the Grand X IN, ZTE has been using other semiconductor chipset makers for phones like the ZTE Grand S, ZTE Grand Memo and FireFox OS-running ZTE Open.
However, Intel is taking steps to rival Qualcomm Snapdragon and ARM Cortex processors and make itself a bigger player in the mobile space.
When TechRadar asked about the timing of its move, an Intel spokesperson said that "there is a tremendous amount of innovation happening in the market segment and the landscape is continually evolving."
"Computing is also becoming more and more prevalent in smartphones and we see this as a natural extension of Intel technology. We see tremendous opportunity ahead."
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BT's latest superfast broadband project is a bit Scilly
BT has announced an ambitious scheme to bring superfast broadband to the Isles of Scilly off the south west coast of England.
The £3.7m project will see BT reuse the fibre-optic cable, that has been resting dormant on the seabed of the Atlantic ocean, and will divert it to the five inhabited islands, which have approximately 2,200 residents.
The residents currently get online through a radio signal sent from Lands End, 28 miles away, but that will come to an end when the project bares fruit in 2014, after a ship has cut and moved the cables to their new home.
And, if like us, you're wondering what fibre-optic cable was been doing resting at the bottom of the ocean, it had previously been used to assist communications between the UK, Ireland and Spain.
Ambitious
The project is part of BT's £132m Superfast Cornwall project, which aims to bring the company's fastest speeds to one of the UK's most beautiful, yet hardest to reach areas.
The communications giant, which has been at the centre of the government's drive to bring faster speeds to rural areas, said the scheme was "the most ambitious UK project ever undertaken to bring fastest broadband speeds to a remote community"
Ranulf Scarbrough, Superfast Cornwall programme director for BT said: "The remote location of the Isles of Scilly, their wonderful maritime heritage and scientific and environmental status will present a variety of unique engineering challenges. Environmentally, it is excellent news that we are able to breathe new life into existing cables which are no longer used, but still in very good condition."
So, if you ever feel like ditching the metropolis for a remote sunny island away from the hustle and bustle, pretty soon you'll be able to rely on the joys superfast internet to assist the transition.
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Microsoft may slash Windows 8 pricing to attract more OEMs
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Apparently not pleased with sales of its existing Windows 8 laptops, Microsoft is reportedly offering discounts on the operating system to original equipment manufacturers (OEM).
The idea behind the discounts is to create more demand and incentive for OEMs to develop smaller touchscreen devices featuring Windows 8 for later this year.
Previously, a bundle of Windows 8 plus Office was being sold by Microsoft for $120 (UK£80, AU$116), but the discounts that began in February, according to a Wall Street Journal source, saw that price slashed to just $30 (UK£20, AU$19) for devices 10.8-inches or smaller.
Devices larger than 10.8-inches got a similar $30 discount, though just for Windows 8 by itself.
Windows pains
Sources speaking with the Journal revealed the price slashes, though Microsoft itself evaded a straight answer when questioned.
"As we've said before, Windows 8 was built to scale across all sizes of PCs and tablets - large and small," a spokesperson told the Journal.
"We continue to work with partners to ensure that Windows is available across a diverse range of devices."
In the past, Microsoft hasn't been as willing to shift its strategy by lowering the licensing fees for equipment makers, but the rise of Google's cheaper Chromebooks and Android tablets may have caused the Softies to adjust their game plan.
Microsoft's new focus appears to be on reaching the smaller touchscreen market just as the back-to-school season starts, and more consumer-friendly pricing would certainly help Windows 8's sales at that crucial time of year.
The desire for Microsoft's own Surface tablets weren't all that impressive the last time we checked, indicating the company's shift away from traditional PCs hasn't gone as planned.
Perhaps some of those slow sales could be attributed to how hard it's been to get a hold of a Surface Pro. However, the lack of retail movement has been ongoing since the Surface RT launched last year.
Microsoft may be attempting to rejigger its consumer strategy with this discount, though we won't know for sure until we start seeing more Windows 8 devices hit the market.
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Google+ aims to stay relevant ahead of Facebook News Feed reveal
Not to be forgotten, Google updated Google+ profiles and pages with some improvements on Wednesday, one day ahead of an event at which Facebook plans to unveil a new look for the News Feed.
Google+ Product Manager Sara McKinley broke down the updates straight on the social networking service itself, saying the improvements were user prompted.
"We spend lots of time listening to your feedback, and today we're launching some profile and page updates that you've been asking for," McKinley wrote.
The changes added to Google+ include larger cover photos, a new profile tab, and easier info editing.
Google+ improvements
The cover photos at the tops of users' profiles are now several times the size they were before, coming in at up to 2120 x 1192 with a new aspect ratio of 16 x 9.
"This way, more images can be used as cover photos," McKinley explained, "and there's more room for your selection to shine."
In addition, a new tab for Local reviews has been added to users' profiles, though users can choose to hide the tab if they want to keep their reviews private.
And finally it's easier for users to edit their info, as the "About" page has been compartmentalized into separate sections with their own "edit" links.
The battle with Facebook
Google+ has been playing catch-up to Facebook since Day 1, and the latest update brings it further up to speed while adding some flavor all its own.
Google recently added app Sign-In and Google+ Communities, echoing similar features already available to Facebook users.
In January, Google's social network reportedly leapt past Twitter and Youtube in monthly active users, though the inexact nature of those statistics also raised some doubts.
Now Facebook is preparing to unveil a News Feed redesign that could feature larger photos, new image-based ads, revamped feeds for photos and music, and new ways to navigate and search, at least according to TechCrunch sources.
Wednesday's Google+ update is rolling out "gradually" and should be available to all users soon. We'll see how the changes stack up with what Facebook has in store tomorrow. It could make for an interesting battle of the social sites.
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Samsung Galaxy S3 catches the lockscreen security bug
A new bug has emerged on the Samsung Galaxy S3, which when active, enables anyone to bypass the lockscreen with relative ease.
By tricking the smartphone into allowing you to enter emergency contacts, the full device can be unlocked for anyone with bad intentions for your S3.
Samsung isn't the first manufacturer to fall victim to a lockscreen busting bug, as Apple's iOS only recently went through a similar situation.
While Apple is reportedly working on a fix to be included in its next software update, Samsung has yet to address this particular issue.
Emergency con-hacks
The bug was exposed by Sean McMillan on the Full Disclosure mailing list, where he detailed step-by-step just how simple it was to gain access to any Galaxy S3.
Though some efforts took more attempts than others, he was able to open three separate S3s using a combination of button presses that anyone could easily memorize.
Fortunately, it doesn't appear to be an Android issue, and seems to be localized to Samsung's software rather than the widespread Google operating system.
TechRadar asked Samsung to find out if there will be a fix incoming, and will update this story when the company responds.
Until then, keep a close eye on your S3.
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Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich finally take bite out of Gingerbread
Google's latest Android usage stats reveal that Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich and Android 4.1 and 4.2: Jelly Bean together have finally surpassed the older Gingerbread OS in usage.
Google tracks the devices that access Google Play within specific 14-day periods and regularly publishes the results on the Android Developers website.
The statistics published at the start of March peg ICS with 28.6 percent of the Android world and the two Jelly Beans with 16.5 percent. Math whizzes out there will note that's 45.1 percent.
In January, ICS and Jelly Bean users totaled just 39.3, with Android 2.3: Gingerbread hanging on to its lead at 47.6 percent. But the latest numbers show Gingerbread usage dropped to 44.2 percent, for the first time putting 2.3 in second place to versions 4.0 and above.
Android wars
Google regularly releases Android usage statistics so that developers can angle their apps to reach the most users possible.
In understanding which versions of the Android OS are on the most devices, app developers can better prioritize their updates.
In January it became clear that Jelly Bean was being adopted more quickly than Ice Cream Sandwich had upon its debut in 2011.
That continues to be the case in March; Ice Cream Sandwich users have actually dropped from 29.1 percent to their current 28.6 percent since January, while Jelly Bean rose from 10.2 percent all the way to 16.5 percent.
It seems plenty of devices are being upgraded from ICS to Jelly Bean, and Android users who trade up from Gingerbread are likely going straight to Jelly Bean, as well.
Other versions of Android, including Donut, Eclair, Froyo, and Honeycomb, currently account for just 10.9 of total devices.
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PS Vita price cut 'quadruples' sales in Japan, so what about us, Sony?
Slicing a third off the price of a PS Vita in Japan seems to have had the desired effect for Sony with the company claiming sales of the console have risen four-fold in one week.
Last month Sony decided to counter slow uptake of the powerful handheld device by reducing both the Wi-Fi and 3G models to just 19,980 yen (that's around UK£139, USD$214 and AUD$208).
Now it seems that the high price point was all that was preventing gamers from jumping aboard the PS Vita bandwagon, with a huge surge after the new RRP came into effect on February 28.
The sales bump was announced by Hiroshi Kawano, President of SCEJ, during a presentation for the One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 title.
Share the love, Sony!
Although official figures will not be announced until tomorrow, the PS Vita shifted just 11,000 units in its homeland two weeks ago, so if Kawano's assertion is correct, the console will leap up to a respectable 44k.
Sony apparently has no plans to spread the love beyond its own borders by extending the price cuts to other territories, where the PS Vita is also struggling to gain traction.
Perhaps this news will convince Sony that it might be a good idea to place thousands more PS Vita consoles into the hands of software-buying individuals in the US, Europe and Australia?
There's also the PS4 factor to consider. Sony spend a decent portion of its next-gen console launch explaining the Remote Play concept for the PS4, so it would certainly be advantageous to arm more gamers with this tool?
It's also possible that the PS4 launch announcement generated a little more buzz around the PS Vita, which assisted the improved sales in Japan.
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Microsoft shows off Kinect's upcoming kicks - 3D scanning and gesture control
Microsoft has announced new functionality for gesture controls coming to the Kinect for Windows SDK, while also reigniting our imagination about the future of Kinect Fusion.
First up, Fusion: at TechFest this week in Redmond, Wash., Microsoft talked up the 3D scanning project that's due in a future SDK update.
Kinect Fusion, the company explained in a blog post, uses the sensor's depth data to create detailed 3D models by scanning real-world objects or surroundings. A user simply moves the Kinect sensor around the object to scan it from all angles, and the sensor uses "hundreds or even thousands of frames" to construct its models.
It was announced back in November, but Redmond's readiness to talk about its features now signals an SDK update - for Windows, by the way - can't be far off.
Pinch-to-zoom coming soon
"The amazing thing about this solution is how you can take an off-the-shelf Kinect for Windows sensor and create 3D models rapidly," Shahram Izadi, senior researcher at Microsoft Research Cambridge, said in the post.
"Normally when you think of Kinect, you think of a static sensor in a living room. But with Kinect Fusion, we allow the user to hold the camera, explore their space, and rapidly scan the world around them."
While Microsoft isn't talking about exactly when Kinect Fusion functionality will arrive for Kinect beyond "soon," a much closer SDK update will allow Kinect sensors limited gesture control.
The update lets the sensor detect when a user opens and closes their hand, acting as an analog for clicking a mouse or tapping the screen.
The hand grip motion will also be used to add pinch-to-zoom gestures, where a user closes both hands and moves their fists together or apart to adjust the zoom level.
The gesture control is not quite as sophisticated as the upcoming Leap Motion controller, which can detect up to 10 individual fingers, but it's a large step forward for Kinect.
Microsoft will update the Kinect for Windows SDK with gesture control in the coming weeks, though has not revealed any plans to bring the feature to Kinect games on Xbox 360.
However, with the Xbox 720 on the burner, we could see some added movement controls and scanning features land with the new console.
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Make room iTunes! Google Play gift cards arrive in the UK
iTunes Store gift cards have been popping up in more places than milk and sliced bread in recent years, but if your loved one is an avid Android enthusiast that easy, versatile present idea goes out of the window.
Thankfully Google has remedied the ill preventing our generous gestures and (those of our own friends and family members) by bringing Google Play gift cards to the UK.
The cards, which can be used to purchase anything on the Play Store (apps, music, movies, books, magazines, etc.) have gone on sale for £10, £25 and £50.
Right now they're only available in selected Tesco's and Morrison's branches and will be rolling out to all of their locations around the UK in the coming weeks.
Expansion
The UK launch follows the debut of Google Play gift cards in the United States back in August.
It seems likely that if they prove a hit with UK shoppers, then we'll soon be seeing the vouchers competing with iTunes for all manner of shelf space at a wide range of stores across the nation.
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Nokia lobbies for Instagram on Windows Phone with new social app
How badly does Nokia want Instagram on its Windows Phone handsets? Apparently enough to create an app with the purpose of spreading the word by aping the very product it hopes to bring on board.
Windows Phone Central reported Tuesday that Nokia has released #2InstaWithLove, a Windows Phone app for sharing Instagram-style photos to users' social networks.
But there's a little more to it: Images processed with the app automatically add a #2InstaWithLove hashtag as part of a campaign to get Instagram's attention.
Instagram, for those who live outside the internet, is the wildly popular social network dedicated to photo sharing first made popular on the iPhone that's now nearly ubiquitous, though clearly with a few notable holdouts.
Show your support
While there are several apps already available on Windows Phone for adding Polaroid-style filters to photos, none come with the pedigree of Instagram.
"Many of you have asked when Instagram will be coming to Windows Phone, and the #2InstaWithLove app was created as a way for you to have your voice heard," Nokia's app description read.
"It's all about showing Instagram just how passionate the Windows Phone community is - so be creative, have fun and be sure to share your favorite photos with us using a social network of your choice."
It remains to be seen if Nokia's clever campaign will finally spark the interest of Instagram, which now boasts 100 million active users a month.
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Is Samsung readying a 5.9-inch Galaxy Note 3?
With the Samsung Galaxy S4 launch just days away, word comes that the Korean company is preparing to unveil a new 5.9-inch smartphone later this year.
This, indeed, could be the Galaxy Note 3, and with the source claiming that the new device will follow Samsung's habit of releasing a Note "in the latter half of the year", it's looking quite likely.
The source also claims that the alleged new phablet will have an AMOLED touchscreen, and will run on the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa eight-core processor that's expected to appear in the Galaxy S4.
Go big or go home
It's certainly a safe bet that the Note 3 will boast more screen real estate than its predecessors. The original Galaxy Note had a 5.3-inch display, which the Note 2 upped to 5.5 inches.
The Galaxy S flagship phone has also bulked up over time, with the S3 sporting a 4.8-inch touchscreen compared to the S2's 4.3-inch display.
That said, the Korea Times, which spoke to the alleged Samsung source, has been hit and miss over time, so keep one hand on the salt pot for now.
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Samsung winding down Windows RT tablets because nobody wants 'em?
Samsung may be pulling its Windows RT-running Samsung Ativ Tab from the market in Germany and other areas of Europe because nobody's buying.
Well, the official phrase is probably "weak demand" but it basically boils down to the same thing.
The reports come from German site Heise.de, which cites a Samsung spokesman talking to them at CeBIT as the source.
The spokesperson told the site that Samsung "would no longer provide the tablet in Germany and other European countries", but did not elaborate on which countries those might be.
Auf widersehen, tab
Germany is one of Europe's biggest markets, so if this is true then it's a pretty damning verdict on the success of the Ativ Tab and its Windows 8-alike OS.
For our money, we wouldn't be surprised to see Samsung backing away from Windows RT. First up, it didn't even release the Ativ Tab in the US - as clear a sign as any that it didn't exactly expect it to be a resounding success.
And, as our deputy editor Dan Grabham puts it, there's too much confusion about what Windows RT is.
"The RT version of the Ativ and other models are pleasant enough to use but don't make sense in terms of price point.
"Then there's the added factor that you can't run legacy software on RT. Microsoft told us that this consumer confusion would be dealt with at point of sale, but it hasn't happened and people are walking out of stores with RT devices, confused about what they can and can't do."
We've asked Samsung if their spokesperson is on the money or if the heady atmosphere of CeBIT sent him rogue - we'll let you know when we hear back.
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Microsoft raises new alarm over pirate software
Using pirated software creates a one in three chance of downloading malware, according an IDC white paper on the subject commissioned by Microsoft.
The Dangerous World of Counterfeit and Pirated Software, commissioned as part of Microsoft's Play it Safe campaign, says the chances of encountering malicious code are high.
Even if the software itself does not include malware, it could be present on the websites or peer-to-peer networks from which it was taken and infect user PCs during the download.
In addition, when authentication codes are needed to activate the software they are often available on counterfeit sites that are infected. There are even instances where malware is delivered through normal channels.
"In other words, your chances of encountering malicious code in counterfeit software are high - whether you know it's counterfeit or not," IDC says.
It estimates that the direct costs to business of cleaning up malware will amount to $114 billion this year, and potential losses from data breaches could be close to $350 billion.
According to BSA The Software Alliance, 42 per cent of the software packages installed in PCs around the world in 2011 was pirated.
Criminal activity
David Finn, Associate General Counsel for Microsoft Cybercrime Centre, said in a blogpost on the report that it mirrors the findings of the company's own investigators.
"My team of investigators, analysts and attorneys (many of them former prosecutors and law enforcement officials) has been probing the dark world of software piracy for almost 15 years, and the detailed research from the IDC and our forensic experts mirrors what we have increasingly seen: software piracy often means nasty criminal activity and danger," he says.
Finn said that Microsoft's response is to urge buyers to play it safe, asking questions, investigating packaging that does not look right, and being cautious when prices look too good to be true.
He added that users who realise they have malware should go back to the dealers and if relevant report it to Microsoft.
The IDC report was based on lab tests on 353 websites and two surveys across 10 countries including the UK, one of 1,104 consumers and 973 business users, the other of 268 IT managers and chief information officers.
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In Depth: 20 best iPhone 5 apps and games 2013
When the iPhone 5 first appeared, pundits moaned about how it wasn't really much of a progression over previous iPhones, presumably because it wasn't a giant pyramid made from holograms.
In reality, there were some important changes: a widescreen display that was more vibrant; a faster chip (the A6) with superior graphics performance; and a better camera for stills and HD video recording.
Although all existing iPhone apps worked fine on the iPhone 5, it rapidly became obvious that for the best user experience, apps needed to be fully optimised for the new device.
In this post, we check out 20 of the best iPhone 5 apps for creating music and videos, editing photos, catching up on news, watching shows, being productive, and then having a break by slicing up giants, racing like a loon, and solving devious puzzles.
1. GarageBand (£2.99/$4.99)
Software instruments on which GarageBand relies are notoriously processor-intensive, and so the iPhone 5's added grunt makes for a stabler, faster, smoother music-making process. The wider screen is also beneficial, giving you a few extra keys when composing and enabling you to see more notes when editing MIDI.
Download GarageBand from iTunes
2. iMovie (£2.99/$4.99)
One of the more ambitious apps on the iPhone, iMovie is a movie-making studio in your pocket. The iPhone 5's camera is great for shooting HD, and iMovie enables you to rapidly edit your creations and publish them to YouTube, Vimeo or Facebook.
Download iMovie from iTunes
3. Photogene for iPhone (£0.69/$0.99)
Photogene's interface is a mite quirky, but we prefer it to the rather opaque iPhoto for image-editing. The app includes a number of basic editing tools, export options, special effects and other features, and on an iPhone 5 it flies.
Download from Photogene for iPhone iTunes
4. Camera+ (£0.69/$0.99)
The iPhone 5 includes the best iPhone camera yet, but Apple's Camera app is pretty basic. Camera+ is therefore worth investing in if you're serious about iPhone photography.
You'll get access to touch exposure and focus, a stabiliser, a surprisingly reasonable digital zoom, in-app cropping and effects, timers and burst-shooting.
Download Camera+ from iTunes
5. iBooks (free)
Apple's iBooks might play second fiddle to Kindle in terms of selection and pricing, but it offers a wonderful reading experience on the iPhone 5. The high-quality screen combined with its revised height (thereby providing more words per 'page') makes it a no-brainer free download.
Download iBooks from iTunes
6. Flipboard (free)
Although perhaps better known on tablets, Flipboard is an essential download for iPhone 5 owners. With minimal set-up, it can become your personal news magazine, filled with beautiful imagery and engaging stories.
Again, the iPhone 5's taller screen enables you to see more of anything at any one time, and the device's A6 chip ensures perfect performance.
Download Flipboard from iTunes
7. Reeder (£1.99/$2.99)
For any iPhone 5 owner wedded to text-based content, Reeder is a must-have download. The client works seamlessly with Fever, Readability and Google Reader, enabling you to easily keep up with your favourite websites. On Apple's latest smartphone, Reeder is blazing fast and looks wonderful.
Download Reeder from iTunes
8. Tweetbot (£1.99/$2.99)
Many smartphone owners would be lost without a Twitter client and Tweetbot is the best there is for iOS. The iPhone 5's taller screen improves the app from a usability standpoint, displaying more tweets and replies at any one time, along with giving the posting screen room to breathe.
Download Tweetbot from iTunes
9. BBC iPlayer (free)
BBC iPlayer has long been the standout on-demand TV app on iOS, and it's even better on the iPhone 5, where the picture fills the gorgeous widescreen display. It's also fantastic to see the BBC regularly trumpeting about AirPlay rather than, in the case of many of the corporation's rivals, hobbling it.
Download BBC iPlayer from iTunes
10. YouTube (free)
The Apple-created YouTube app was unceremoniously ditched from iOS 6, but Google rose to the challenge and created a replacement. On the iPhone 5, the tall screen's great for browsing, and when flipped 90 degrees, it's perfect for watching widescreen video. Like BBC iPlayer, YouTube also supports AirPlay.
Download YouTube from iTunes
11. Google Maps (free)
Google's data was also ousted from iOS 6, with Apple instead using its own data, with - to be charitable - decidedly mixed results. This free app is a better bet; it's fast and beautifully designed, and the iPhone 5's bigger screen is handy for browsing and also checking out step-by-step directions. On the move, turn-by-turn on 3G also proves effective.
Download Google Maps from iTunes
12. Fantastical (£2.99/$4.99)
Apple's own Calendar app is fine, but Fantastical has two advantages: excellent natural input for events, and an emphasis on a list view, thereby making it easier to see upcoming appointments at a glance. Naturally, the iPhone 5 means being able to view more of these at once, which is fab (unless any of said events mention 'dentist').
Download Fantastical from iTunes
13. Soulver (£1.99/$2.99)
With lots of people banging on about skeuomorphism in apps, it's perhaps surprising more products like Soulver don't exist. It rethinks and reinvents the calculator, making it relevant for modern computing, and the result is half spreadsheet, half 'back of an envelope'.
On the iPhone 4, it feels cramped, but on the iPhone 5 there's plenty of room for its line-based calculations.
Download Soulver from iTunes
14. 30/30 (free)
Task managers are commonplace on iOS, but we have a real sweet spot for 30/30. It's beautifully designed, and the straightforward manner in which you can set up task loops makes it perfect for Pomodoro-style time management. IAPs provide extra icons or a thank-you to the author, and the iPhone 5 screen really shows off the sleek interface.
Download 30/30 from iTunes
15. Dropbox (free)
Apple's vision of the future is files existing within apps, which is fine if you only use few apps with few documents. For the rest of us, a file system is still required and Dropbox brings this to iOS. On the iPhone 5, the taller screen enables you to see more items at once, but even if Sir Jony Ive had given the device a two-inch square screen, we'd still be recommending Dropbox.
Download Dropbox from iTunes
16. Infinity Blade II (£4.99/$6.99)
Swipey swordplay with RPG levelling up is what Infinity Blade II is all about. The visuals are gorgeous and the iPhone 5's full resolution is supported. Given the demanding nature of the app, you'll be grateful for that A6 chip, too.
Download Infinity Blade II from iTunes
17. Need for Speed Most Wanted (£2.99/$4.99)
The best arcade racer for iOS, Most Wanted is a stupid amount of fun as you speed about, smashing up cops, drifting for miles, and generally being a menace on wheels.
On slower hardware, though, dropped frames periodically pull you out of the experience; no such problems on the more powerful iPhone 5.
Download Need for Speed Most Wanted from iTunes
18. Super Hexagon (£1.99/$2.99)
The perfect twitch arcade experience, Super Hexagon is a bit like playing a wire loop game in fast-forward while being flung about the place on a merry-go-round.
Although visually simple, the game is far more fluid on the iPhone 5 than other iOS devices, and the widescreen display keeps your thumbs out of the way as you wrench your tiny ship left and right, avoiding infinite walls of doom.
Download Super Hexagon from iTunes
19. Beyond Ynth (£1.49/$1.99)
iOS isn't what comes to mind when you think of platform games, and virtual controls often make us shudder, but Beyond Ynth bucks trends by being brilliant at both.
This puzzler/platformer is all about helping a bug traverse 2D levels. Its method of travel: increasingly complex boxes. On the iPhone 5, the game looks lovely, your thumbs cover less of the screen, and you see a fraction more of what's coming.
Download Beyond Ynth from iTunes
20. The Room Pocket (free)
The most atmospheric iPad game of recent times loses little in its translation to the widescreen iPhone 5. The demanding graphics means The Room's perfectly suited to Apple's newest smartphone, and the game is a masterpiece.
You're alone in a room with a strange box, left to become immersed in a creepy, frequently chilling few hours of discovery. Our advice: avoid the hints, wear headphones and play in a dark room. Just don't blame us when you leap out of your seat.
Download The Room Pocket from iTunes
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Sony Xperia L leaked as another mid-range marvel
The Sony Xperia L could well be part of the mid- and low-end handsets set to join the flagship Xperia Z in the Japanese firm's line up for 2013.
Xperia Blog picked up the latest details on the Xperia L from a "reliable source" - although we're not getting carried away just yet.
The specs are hardly headline-worthy, but if the Xperia L does indeed sport a 4.3-inch 854 x 480 display, 1GHz dual-core processor, 8GB of internal storage, microSD slot and an 8MP camera alongside a respectable price tag it may just have a chance.
Vital statistics
Apparently the source was also able to confirm the dimensions of the Sony Xperia L as 128.7 x 65 x 9.7mm, as well as noting the device will come running version 4.1.2 of Android Jelly Bean.
We'd expect its design to follow on from the fresh new look given to the Xperia Z, although at this time there has been no mention of the style of the Xperia L.
There's no word on when the Sony Xperia L may be released, but some are suggesting it may appear with the slightly larger Xperia SP later this year.
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Updated: iPhone 5S release date, news and rumours
The iPhone 5 may only be a few months old, but we're already hearing information about a successor, which may be known as the iPhone 5S in keeping with Apple's naming convention.
The early arrival of the iPad 4 and the iPad mini - just eight months after the release of the iPad 3 in March - has meant that Apple still has the ability to surprise and we could well see an iPhone 5S appear earlier than expected.
Nevertheless, it's more likely that the iPhone 5S will hit stores in the latter part of 2013, following the trend set by the iPhone 5 and 4S. It's even possible that Apple will skip the iPhone 5S and hop right on to the iPhone 6.
Some developers contacted The Next Web in early January to say they had seen a new iPhone6.1 identifer in logs - a device running iOS 7.
One analyst has claimed Apple could use the iPhone 5S to increase its margin for iPhones as a result of falling profitability.
Apple's past 'S' models have featured the same shell as the core model, though with different features and slightly different tech specs.
The iPhone 5S isn't expected to differentiate itself from the iPhone 5 too drastically, though a better camera and slightly faster processor will surely be part of the package.
iPhone 5S release date
That means the iPhone 5S release date could be as early Spring 2013. However, we believe it's still likely that we'll see another iPhone later in 2013.
But that's not what everybody thinks: the Chinese-language Commercial Times estimates that full commercial production of the rumored iPhone 5S has begun already. That's borne out by further rumors suggesting a March manufacturing start date, followed by a mid-year release.
Digitimes reckons the iPhone 5S release date will be a little later, citing predicted sales targets of relevant component manufacturers. "Apple is expected to introduce its next-generation iPad and iPhone series around the middle of 2013... Component orders placed by Apple, which climbed to high levels prior to the iPhone 5 rollout, will rise again between March and April, the observers indicated."
iMore rumours in early March pointed to the 5S being out in August 2013.
iPhone 5S display
iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 will include a Super HD screen display and camera according to new reports in December 2012. The China Times says a 'Touch On Display' panel is being developed by Taiwanese supplier Innolux with 10 point multi-touch and a 0.5mm thickness. Apparently the site spoke to sources inside Apple's supply chain.
iPhone 5S casing
According to further rumours, the iPhone 5S might not be the only Apple handset we see this year - rumours abound about cheaper, plastic iPhones, while Apple could be readying an even bigger smartphone to launch in June, apparently called the iPhone Math.
According to the hit-and-miss China Times wesbite the iPhone Math will carry a sizable 4.8-inch display and an 8MP camera.
The new, larger, lower-cost handset could be aimed at emerging markets such as China.
However, it remains likely that the iPhone 5s will simply use the iPhone 5 shell given Apple's penchant for doing this with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S.
iPhone 5S camera
In January 2013 iLounge received information that indicated the handset would sport the same design as the iPhone 5 with the key difference being a beefier camera and larger flash on the back.
That's hardly ground breaking from Apple, with the touted 13MP camera on the 5S hardly bucking the trend considering the Sony Xperia Z already has this and we'd expect the Samsung Galaxy S4 to offer up something similar.
New rumours from January 2013 pointed towards the iPhone 5S having a 13MP camera as well.
Have we already seen the iPhone 5S?
It was reported on 6 December that images of a purported next-generation iPhone have surfaced on French website Nowhereelse.fr, revealing an exterior virtually identical to the current iPhone 5 but with slightly different internals.
Phones Review suggests that a dual-SIM iPhone 5S could be released, hot on the heels of a rumoured Samsung Galaxy S4.
More parts appeared in photos shown by BGR towards the end of January 2013.
iPhone 5S wireless charging
According to CP Tech, Apple filed a patent application last month for Wireless Power Utilization, a wireless charging system with near-field magnetic resonance (NFMR). That means we'll get wireless charging at last.
Needless to say, TechRadar will be keeping a close eye on all the iPhone 5S rumors and will bring you the latest developments as they emerge - on this very page.
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Updated: Now TV: what is it and how do you get it?
Available since July 2012, Now TV is an internet-based instant streaming TV service powered by satellite provider Sky that's designed to persuade you to switch from Lovefilm and Netflix, but it will soon supply sports as well as movies.
Available across multiple devices, it's based around Sky Movies - and promises the best films first.
There's no contract, but it's not exactly cheap. Here we explain all about Now TV.
Where can I get Now TV?
As well as being accessible through any web browser, there are Now TV apps for iOS and Android devices (though it's not on Apple TV) so Now TV can get into all smartphones and tablets on Wi-Fi or 3G internet connections. But unless your device has an HDMI output to hook up to a TV, the service arguably makes most sense on set-top boxes and games consoles.
Now TV apps can be downloaded to YouView boxes from Humax and BT, and the Roku streaming boxes such as the Roku 2 XS and Roku LT. Those with an Xbox Live subscription can download the Now TV app to an Xbox 360 games console.
Although it's designed to work across all of these devices, you can only register two devices at any one time. These can be changed, but only once per month, so it's not a case of 'anything, anywhere, anytime'.
Now TV is also strictly limited to the UK, so there's no way of watching movies while abroad.
What can I watch on Now TV?
Now TV is all about Sky Movies. At the time of writing the catalogue included top-line titles including The Dictator, The Grey and J. Edgar, and Sky has already confirmed that it will stream Anna Karenina and Les Miserables before anyone else (Despicable Me 2, The Bourne Legacy and Ted will appear a year before Lovefilm and Netflix, too).
Titles - which include plenty of back-catalogue titles - are grouped into collections, with 'New In', 'Most Popular' and 'Must See' on the home page.
'Collections' currently leads to groupings of Oscar Winners, Rom-Coms and Anti-Valentine's movies, while the entire database can also be accessed alphabetically, though it's still organised by collection (from Action and Adventure to Western and World movies).
Choose Live TV and you can access anything currently playing across any of Sky's 11 movie channels.
Can I download movies on Now TV?
No - Now TV is strictly a streaming service that requires a 2.5MB broadband line. That restriction makes little difference if you're watching it from an Xbox 360 at home, but Now TV on a tablet or smartphone requires a constant Wi-Fi or 3G signal to stream data.
Jet-setters will consequently write it off as a quaint parochial service and stick with the likes of BBC iPlayer when travelling. But it's not Sky's fault; Hollywood studios still divide the world up into markets, and licence movies for specific regions only.
The same applies to sports events, which is a huge shame; there's not a petrol head out there who hasn't had to sacrifice at least one F1 race weekend each season because of a holiday, and would happily pay a tenner to download it to a phone while in an airport. Or is that just us?
What about Sky Sports?
It's coming. From spring 2013 you'll be able to watch Sky Sports through Now TV, though it's best thought of as an occasional treat.
For £9.99 you'll get a 24-hour pass to all six Sky Sports channels, which could be handy on the occasional Sunday if a Sky-exclusive F1 race and two Premier League games are broadcast in succession. With BT's deal for the 2013-14 football season, however, that likelihood could fade.
How much does Now TV cost?
The first 30 days are free, though you do, of course, have to hand over your credit card details upon sign-up. After 30 days Sky charges you £8.99 per month for the next three months, then it increases to £15 per month.
Is Now TV easy to use?
It couldn't be simpler. It's all based around cover art, which together with a refreshingly bright blue spots-on-white design creates a visually arresting UI.
Our only criticism is that the search box - which invites film titles, actors, directors and genres - doesn't find related content, and nor does it use predictive text. If you don't get the spelling of a Polish director's surname correct, forget it.
A simple A-Z list of movies would be appealing to some, though Sky is clearly trying to steer clear of lists.
A 'save for later' planner wouldn't go amiss, and nor would pages for significant actors and directors, although from Sky's point of view that might show up holes in its catalogue.
Is Now TV's picture quality high definition?
No, it's standard definition for now, which does make it less loveable if you have an HD-ready TV. The picture quality on an iPad is rudimentary, though stable.
What it does do is stream immediately, and very stably; in our iPad test The Dictator started playing a mere 10 seconds after we'd selected it.
Watched through an Xbox 360, The Dictator appeared soft, but acceptably so.
Still, if you've got a home cinema that you use only occasionally, Lovefilm's postal service for Blu-ray discs is still your best option.
What are the alternatives?
Now TV's main rivals in the subscription movie streaming sphere are Lovefilm and Netflix. Neither will be hosting any live sport anytime soon, and neither can challenge Now TV in terms of top titles; Sky gets the top titles a clear 12 months before anyone else, and promises to add 20 premieres each month.
That exclusivity, however, is the main reason why Now TV is the most expensive option. Existing Sky subscribers will have no need for Now TV, with the far cheaper Sky Go service option available to them on Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS and Android.
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Updated: Virgin Mobile infuriates customers with 2Mbps 3G download speed cap
Update: TechRadar has spoken to Virgin Mobile, but the firm was unable to provide an end date for the trial, nor could it confirm whether or not customers can opt-out.
A Virgin Mobile spokesperson said: "we are currently trialling measures to help manage data across the mobile network more effectively to ensure all our customers continue to enjoy the benefits of mobile data on the move.
"We are actively monitoring how such measures impact our customers and are confident we'll only ever increase the maximum speeds available to our customers in the future.
"The trial is operating across our network but this is a trial and we are listening to feedback."
Virgin Mobile has said that it is keeping "everyone informed through our customer forums and other channels – like our customer care teams."
Original article...
Virgin Mobile customers will not be too pleased to learn that their network is restricting mobile broadband download speeds to just 2Mbps.
After some users took to support forums to complain about a perceived slowing of 3G services, a company representative confirmed that a speed cap had been implemented late last month.
The representative said that the deliberate slowdown was to ensure there was enough of the company's bandwidth to ensure all users could make good use of the service.
While download speeds are now capped at 2Mbps, upload speeds are also restricted to 0.5Mbps.
Good service for all?
The post on the support site read: "I've received confirmation that we're trialing a speed cap which has been in place since mid-Feb and is applicable to Contract and PAYG customers, but excludes Mobile Broadband.
"The current cap is 2Mb/s download, 0.5Mb/s upload. We are doing this to ensure we can offer a good level of service to all customers."
Users have naturally responded angrily to the admission, registering their displeasure on the support forums, although a couple of users said a quick call resulted in them being exempted from the trial.
Others have complained to the Advertising Standards Agency, claiming that 'truly unlimited' data contracts must equate to more than just volume, but also forbid speed throttling too.
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Review: Samsung UE32EH5000
Introduction
The Samsung UE32EH5000 appears to have been designed for one purpose, and one purpose only: to deliver good picture quality as cheaply as humanly possible.
Let's look at the evidence - kicking off with its genuinely remarkable price. It's full recommended retail price is £429.99 (around US$646/AU$634), but at the time of writing it's available online for the frankly extraordinary sum of £270 (around US$406/AU$398). That's cheaper than many of the 32-inch TVs from self-consciously budget brands such as Finlux and Kogan - yet there the 32EH5000 sits, smugly brandishing its Samsung logo for all the world to see.
Next, let's consider the television's features. Or rather its lack of features. Because remarkably for the brand that introduced gesture and voice controls and arguably the world's most advanced smart TV online service this year, the Samsung UE32EH5000 doesn't carry any support for online features.
Nor does it permit streaming from networked PCs. Hell, it doesn't even have a D-Sub PC port. This leaves the set's single USB port as your only avenue for playing back photo, music or movie multimedia files.
Which brings us to the TV's apparent focus on picture quality. This is first suggested by Samsung's decision to retain a Freeview HD tuner in the UE32EH5000, despite its cheapness. And it's reinforced by the discovery within the set's on-screen menus of a surprisingly varied and subtle selection of picture adjustments.
Surely this many tools wouldn't have been provided if Samsung thought the 32EH5000's pictures were rubbish?
The Samsung UE32EH5000 has a bigger brother in the same range, the 40-inch Samsung UE40EH5000, which has a recommended full price of £549.99 (around US$827/AU$811).
Potential rivals for the Samsung UE32EH5000 are few and far between, given how cheap it is, though we'll look at a cluster of cheap 32-inch TVs from Finlux, HannSpree and Kogan in the next few weeks. In terms of models we've already seen, the only potential close rivals would be Toshiba's 32RL958 and the Technika 32-270.
In terms of other models in Samsung's own range, you might want to consider, if you step up to the 32ES5500 - for the best part of £300 more - you will get both Samsung's smart TV online service and an ultra-slim design.
Features
For a 32-inch television that costs so little, the Samsung 32EH5000 is surprisingly good looking - at least from the front. The main reasons for this is that its black bezel is both impressively glossy and strikingly slim by budget TV standards.
Why the 'at least from the front' qualification? Because surprisingly given the reasonably svelte fascia, the Samsung 32EH5000's rear end sticks out miles further than those of most TVs we see these days.
So much so, in fact, that it got us wondering for a moment if the Samsung 32EH5000 was using 'old-school' CCFL backlighting rather than the more common edge LED system. But no; the picture is still illuminated by an array of lights tucked within the picture's frame. Which means we're rather at a loss to explain exactly why the Samsung 32EH5000's butt is as big as it is.
The 32-inch screen's specifications include a Full HD resolution and a dynamic contrast system, though the image's refresh rate is a basic 50Hz, with no significant processing present to help tackle the potentially thorny LCD problem of motion blur. Hopefully the panel at the Samsung 32EH5000's heart will have a swift enough native refresh rate to circumvent this potential motion pitfall.
The straightforward 50Hz panel might have you thinking that Samsung isn't taking the picture quality of its budget 32-inch TV seriously. But a delve into its on-screen menus swiftly puts you right on this, as you uncover a startlingly ambitious array of picture set-up tools - way more, at any rate, than you would get with a typical budget 32-inch TV.
Among the highlights of these tools are extensive backlight controls, multiple modes for the TV's noise reduction and dynamic contrast systems, processing for improving black levels and skin tones, a few gamma presets and even a white balance adjustment via which you can tweak the RGB offset and gain levels.
We recommend that you familiarise yourself thoroughly with these various set-up tools too, because as is so often the case with Samsung TVs, the provided picture presets you're given aren't at all helpful. They routinely leave the backlight and contrast set too high, so that dark scenes look unconvincing and noise levels look high.
The Samsung 32EH5000's connectivity isn't particularly strong. For instance, you only get two HDMIs when many other budget TVs these days tend to manage three (or even four).
Also, there's no D-Sub PC port, no built-in Wi-Fi, and while there is a LAN port, a little investigation quickly reveals that this is only there to offer mandatory support for the TV's built-in Freeview HD tuner. The LAN doesn't permit you to either stream files from a connected DLNA PC or to go online with Samsung's smart TV service.
This is, of course, disappointing. But it's hardly unexpected in the context of a 32-inch TV that only costs £270 (around US$406/AU$398) at current prices.
And it's important to stress that the TV is not an absolute washout in multimedia terms, because if you really want to play back video, photo or music files on the Samsung 32EH5000, you can do so via a single provided USB port.
Picture quality
As you might have guessed from our Introduction page, the Samsung 32EH5000's picture quality is its single biggest strength, for numerous reasons.
The biggest surprise given the TV's cheapness is the authority with which it reproduces dark scenes. Favourite dark movie moments such as Chapter 12 on the Blu-ray of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2 appear on the Samsung 32EH5000 with black tones that look much richer than is customary at the budget end of the TV market.
There's clearly less disruption from the sort of grey overtones we would normally see with budget TVs.
What's particularly good about this is the fact that the strong black level performance seems to owe more to the innate design of the panel at the Samsung 32EH5000's heart than it does to any over-aggressive dynamic backlight control system. The proof for this assertion can be seen in the better-than-expected levels of shadow detail information the Samsung 32EH5000 reproduces in dark parts of the picture.
It's a great relief, too, to find that dark scenes are only marginally troubled by that bugbear of so many edge LED TVs, backlight clouding. There's a faint patch of extra brightness in one corner while watching very dark material, but it's not in your face enough to count as a severe distraction.
And if you're watching with any amount of ambient light in your room, then even this gentle inconsistency will likely fade out of view.
It's not unusual for relatively small budget TVs such as the Samsung 32EH5000 to be pretty limited in brightness. But while Samsung's television isn't as aggressive with its colours and brightness as sets further up the brand's range, it's still punchy enough to grab your attention even if the TV is placed in a particularly bright environment.
The Samsung 32EH5000's contrast strengths relative to the vast majority of the similarly cheap opposition knock on into its colour performance, where the realistic black colours on show provide the perfect platform for Samsung's TV to deliver a colour palette as natural as it can be punchy, even when showing relatively dark material.
Colour handling benefits, too, from some reasonably subtle banding-free colour blends by budget TV standards.
Feeding the Samsung 32EH5000 a selection of action sequences shows it to be a much better handler of motion than your average budget TV too. It's only a 50Hz set with minimal motion processing to its name, but nonetheless it manages to keep moving objects looking reasonably well detailed, and doesn't slide into the horrible laggy, smeary look you get on some budget LCD TVs.
This helps HD pictures attain a generally decently detailed, crisp look that fully justifies the inclusion of the Freeview HD tuner, and makes the TV a potentially decent option for gamers too.
Potential that's enhanced by the 30ms of input lag we measured on the Samsung 32EH5000's HDMI inputs. This figure is one of the lowest we've measured recently, and shouldn't be high enough to significantly damage your gaming skills, even when playing twitch-speed games such as Call of Duty online.
While we would, of course, always recommend that you stick with HD on the Samsung 32EH5000 wherever possible, on those rare occasions when you simply have to turn to standard definition, it's reassuring to know that again Samsung's budget maestro has got your back.
It manages to add at least a bit of sharpness to standard definition material without adding substantially to or exaggerating any noise that might be present in the source.
There are reasons to spend more money on a different TV if you care to look for them. Colours shift to a slightly more muted and basic palette in standard def mode, for instance. Also you can certainly get deeper black levels, even clearer motion, wider viewing angles (before contrast and colour dramatically reduce) and generally sharper HD images from the best TVs around.
But this situation is no more than you'd expect. After all, if the affordable Samsung 32EH5000 was as good as all the more expensive TVs out there, then the rest of the TV industry might as well just shut up shop and go home.
Usability, sound and value
Usability
There's not much you can complain about here. The Samsung 32EH5000 gets the same clean on-screen menus afforded to the non-smart areas of Samsung's high-end TVs, and the remote control is surprisingly easy to use thanks to its logical layout and responsive keys.
There are a couple of quirks in the on-screen menus. For instance, putting the 'Game' preset under a 'System' subsection of the General menu rather than with the other picture preset options seems bizarre.
And we question the need to divide the key picture settings into two separate picture submenus rather than just putting them all together in one.
Overall, though, the Samsung 32EH5000 delivers a level of simplicity that's perfectly in keeping with the likely straightforward needs of its price-driven target audience.
Sound
Perhaps inevitably, the Samsung 32EH5000's sound isn't as outstanding as its pictures. After all, small, slender-framed TVs don't have much physical space to work with when trying to provide decent speakers.
The Samsung 32EH5000's soundstage follows the small TV trend of being very short of bass, with the predictable effect that the rowdiest moments from action blockbusters routinely end up sounding thin, compressed and generally unconvincing.
However, with the more straightforward kind of material - chat shows, news shows, Bargain Hunt - that makes up the majority of normal TV schedules, the Samsung 32EH5000's audio is actually perfectly acceptable.
Voices sound clear and fairly well rounded, and treble detailing is nicely done, without audio starting to sound harsh, despite the lack of bass to balance out the treble information.
Value
It feels like nearly every month now a new TV comes along that forces us to remap our expectations of the budget TV market. But even by today's value-driven standards the Samsung 32EH5000 looks like a bargain of genuinely colossal proportions.
Not because it does anything out of the norm with its features; in fact, its lack of online features, DLNA networking functionality and 3D playback make it relatively lightweight in the feature department.
Where it does hugely outgun budget rivals, though, is with the small matter of its picture quality, which humbles the efforts of some TVs costing two or even three times as much.
Smart features and the like are all well and good, but we've still got a soft spot for any TV driven by the traditional view that picture quality is still the most important thing a TV can do.
Verdict
The Samsung 32EH5000's main attraction isn't a complicated one: it's all about the price, plain and simple. There will doubtless be gazillions of TV buyers who simply see the Samsung badge on a 32-inch TV selling for £270 (around US$406/AU$398) and know without further investigation that this must be the TV for them.
The Samsung 32EH5000's price does come with feature strings attached, though. It's not 3D ready, it doesn't have any online streaming features, and it can't even 'chat' to a networked DLNA PC.
It does, though, support multimedia playback from USB devices, and provides a startling amount of picture tweaks for a budget TV.
What really matters, though, is that its pictures are vastly superior to anything we've previously seen from a 32-inch TV at anything like the Samsung 32EH5000's £270 current selling price.
So if you happen to value picture quality ahead of all else - which research suggests most of you still do - then the Samsung 32EH5000 represents just about the best £270 you'll ever spend.
We liked
We'd have liked the Samsung 32EH5000's incredibly cheap price even if the TV wasn't actually very good. But in fact its picture quality is ridiculously accomplished for this level of the market. The set looks nice for a budget model too, and delivers a solid degree of multimedia playback via USB.
We disliked
The set doesn't support online streaming or PC connection, and its sound is fairly average and thus comes a bit of a cropper with action scenes. Standard definition pictures, meanwhile, lose a little colour accuracy vs HD ones, but none of these problems are game-breakers on such an exceptionally cheap TV.
Final verdict
It's hard to understand how Samsung can sell the UE32EH5000 for so little. From the outside the only hint that it's a cheap set comes from its startlingly chunky rear end; from the front it looks a match for many mid-range sets.
The realisation that the TV doesn't support online features or streaming from a DLNA PC is a slight disappointment, perhaps, but you only have to watch the TV for a few minutes to realise that Samsung has deliberately sacrificed such features in order to give you the best 32-inch picture quality you can buy.
Also consider
Toshiba's 32RL958 is a decent alternative, offering surprisingly contrast-rich picture quality alongside a few online apps and streaming services while only costing around £60 more than the Samsung 32EH5000. Its picture quality isn't quite as good in all areas as that of the Samsung, though.
Another option would be the Tesco-exclusive Technika 32-270, we guess. But this isn't up there with the Samsung in design or picture quality terms, yet still costs slightly more. So it's hard to see why anyone would seriously be tempted by it unless they just wanted to be able to buy a TV as part of their weekly Tesco shop.
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Microsoft gets hefty fine for not giving Windows users browser choice
The European Commission has come down hard on Microsoft for failing to make it easy for Windows users to choose their browser between May 2011 and July 2012 with a hefty $731 million (around £485m, AUS$712m) fine.
An estimated 15 million Windows users in the EU were not given the option to select their browser during this time despite the EU ruling that Microsoft must give them a choice.
The Browser Choice Screen software was not found in PCs that came with the Service Pack 1 update to Windows 7 during the May 2011 to July 2012 period, which meant that it may have seemed to Windows users that they had to use Microsoft's own Internet Explorer browser.
Microsoft said this was an accident, blaming a technical error for the omission.
EU're in trouble
The company said it wouldn't be challenging the punishment in a statement: "We take full responsibility for the technical error that caused this problem and have apologised for it.
"We provided the Commission with a complete and candid assessment of the situation, and we have taken steps to strengthen our software development and other processes to help avoid this mistake – or anything similar – in the future."
If the $731 million fine sounds harsh to Microsoft, it should be happy that it isn't a lot worse. The Commission says that the amount takes into account the fact that the company co-operated and provided it with information when requested.
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Controlling the Galaxy S4 with your eyes gets a little closer to reality
We've seen various reports suggesting that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will come with some fancy eye-tracking technology and now a handful of screenshots have appeared online suggesting this could well be the case.
Picked up by SamMobile, the snaps appear to show various panels in the settings menu of the Galaxy S4 for functions such as Smart scroll, Smart stay, Smart rotation and Smart pause.
Smart stay and rotation already appear on the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2, so it's the inclusion of Smart scroll and pause which has piqued the interest of the mobile world.
Who you looking at?
According to the screenshots, by turning on Smart scroll "the screen will start to scroll automatically if the device detects that you are looking at the screen".
Within the Smart scroll settings there are a variety of options allowing you to fine tune the experience to suit you, including tweaking the scrolling speed and selecting the applications you want to use it with.
The other new addition to Samsung's Smart screen suite is Smart pause, which will apparently pause video playback if you happen to take your eyes off the display.
While this all sounds very clever, we do wonder how much of a drain this new technology will have on the battery as the Galaxy S4 constantly tracks our every blink, wink and head twitch.
Of course we can't confirm the authenticity of these screenshots and they could have been very easily put together in Photoshop, but we'll know for sure next week when Samsung lifts the lid on the Galaxy S4 at its New York event.
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Spotify hits the road again as Volvo adds it to the dashboard
Volvo will be making Spotify available through its Sensus Connected Touch system, which means that the music service will be fully integrated into its new car dashboards.
Just as with the Ford tie-up announced last month, you'll be able to control the tunes using nothing more than your voice - a must for an in-car system so that drivers can keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.
Volvo's dashboard system is an Android-based one - as well as the voice-control there's also a 7-inch touchscreen to play with (although not while you're driving please).
Not yet though
Unfortunately, you won't be able to take advantage of the Spotify-infused Sensus Connected Touch systems until May 2013, at which point it can be fitted in all new Volvos and retrofitted into some older Volvos (2011 models onwards).
Spotify explains its interest in the car, with Pascal de Mul, Global Head of Hardware Partnerships, explaining: "We know that the car is the number one environment in which people want to listen to music, so we are working to make Spotify availble for drivers in as many types of car as possible."
So expect to see more announcements from Spotify and its new four-wheeled friends soon.
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In Depth: Google Glass: what you need to know
When Google Glass was unveiled, the tech world instantly fell into two camps. Camp one was excited: we're living in the sci-fi future! Camp two, though, wasn't so happy. It's vapourware! some said, while others worried that Google just wanted to plaster ads on the entire world. Is either camp correct? Let's find out.
What is Google's Project Glass?
Google Glass is the attempt to make wearable computing mainstream, and it's effectively a smart pair of glasses with an integrated heads-up display and a battery hidden inside the frame.
Wearable computing is not a new idea, but Google's enormous bank account and can-do attitude means that Project Glass could well be the first product to do significant numbers.
When will it be released?
Originally Project Glass was mooted for a public release in 2014 at the earliest but the latest news on the Google Glass release date suggest it's beginning to look like we could see consumer units by the end of 2013.
That's because the prototype Explorer units are becoming an increasingly common site around San Francisco - and Google is even allowing competition 'winners' to pay $1,500 to get these early offerings.
What does Google Glass do?
The core of Google Glass is its tiny prism display which sits not in your eyeline, but a little above it. You can see what is on the display by glancing up. The glasses also have an embedded camera, microphone, GPS and, reportedly, use bone induction to give you sound.
Voice control is used to control the device; you say 'ok glass' to get a range of options including taking pictures, videos, send messages using speech to text, 'hang out' with people or get directions to somewhere. You access these options by saying them out loud.
Most of this functionality is self explanatory; hang out is Google's video conferencing technology and allows you to talk to a people over web cam, and stream them what you are seeing and the directions use Google Maps and the inbuilt GPS to help you find your way.
The results are displayed on the prism - essentially putting data into your view like a head up display (HUD). It's potentially incredibly handy.
What are the Google Glass specifications?
An FCC filing in the US revealed many potential details, suggesting that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth would be used to send pictures to the screen, whilst bone-induction may be used for sound, vibrating your skull to communicate the sound into your inner ear. It's not a new technology, but certainly does have critics who suggest that it falls short of traditional headphones.
We don't have a lot of the final details on specs just yet - but expect Google Glass to run modified Android, to sport a decent resolution camera with a decent lens and we'd be fairly certain that the microphone needs to be a good quality.
There will be a GPS chip, and the lightweight and flexible glasses design will come in five colours - Charcoal, Tangerine, Shale, Cotton, Sky. That's black, orange, grey, white and blue for anyone that prefers plain English over marketing speak.
I already wear glasses. Will Google Glasses work for me?
Yes. Google is experimenting with designs that will fit over existing glasses so you don't have to wear two lots of specs.
What is the Project Glass price?
The NYT again: according to "several Google employees familiar with the project who asked not to be named," the glasses are expected "to cost around the price of current smartphones." So that's around $750/£500, then, possibly with the help of a hefty Google subsidy.
The latest hints definitely suggest a price that will make them attractive to technophiles.
The developer versions - traditionally more expensive that the final consumer units - were made available for pre-order for $1,500 (c£966).
As to WHERE you can buy the specs; online will be a certainty, but don't rule out Glass making a debut in a all-new Google Store, with the search giant apparently considering actual shops to showcase the tech to those who haven't been following every development.
Is Project Glass evil?
It could be. Google's business is about making money from advertising, and some people worry that Google Glass is its attempt to monetise your eyeballs by blasting you with ads whenever you look at something.
If you think pop-ups are annoying in a web browser, imagine them in front of your face. The ADmented Reality spoof is one of very many parodies that made us laugh.
Some of the parodies actually make a good point by showing people bumping into stuff: heads-up displays can be distracting, and there may be safety issues too. Until Google ships its self-driving car, the thought of drivers being distracted by their glasses is fairly terrifying.
There are privacy implications too. Never mind your web history: Google Glass might record everything you see and do.
There is a red recording light, but the tech certainly raises some key debates that will become more relevant as this kind of technology surfaces. What are the repercussions from having everything you say potentially taped, turned into text and searchable? What are the repercussions for free speech.
All radically new tech brings new potential for evil. But you have to weigh that against the capacity for good and the progress it brings
Google Glass pre-order customers will get regular updates
Those people who paid Google $1,500 for the privilege of pre-ordering some Project Glass specs will be receiving "private updates" through Google+.
Will it make me look like a dork?
Er... yes.
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Pressure mounts on HTC One as firm looks for a big win
HTC is currently sailing some pretty choppy waters as it's seen sales decline dramatically during February, falling to its lowest point in three years.
The turbulent time at the Taiwanese firm has been well documented and it will be hoping its latest flagship device, the HTC One, can get it back pointing in the right direction after it goes on sale next week.
Sales for the firm took a huge 44 per cent hit year on year over February with NT$11.37 billion (around £255 million / $384 million / $AU375 million) raked in compared to NT$20.3 billion (around £453 million / $685 million / $AU667 million) during the same period in 2012.
Waiting to pounce
HTC's slow start to the year could be attributed to consumers holding off in anticipation of the new One handset, and we're pretty sure that's what the Taiwanese firm is hoping.
From the time we've spent with the HTC One so far it looks to be a very impressive smartphone, with its brushed aluminium body, full HD 4.7-inch display and Ultrapixel camera technology making for an enticing proposition.
However the battle hasn't been won just yet as Samsung has a little event planned for next week where we'll see the Galaxy S4 unveiled, which could be a potentially new thorn in HTC's already painful side.
We've contacted HTC and asked why it thinks the dip has occurred and what it plans to do to turn things around - we'll update this article once we hear back.
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