Google's Waze app acquisition hits heavy FTC traffic
Google's billion dollar acquisition of navigation app Waze could be under threat, after reports this weekend claimed the FTC wants to take a closer look at the legality of the deal.
The Wall Street Journal said Google has been contacted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States, in order to reveal its intends to probe the agreement on antitrust grounds.
Google snapped up the community-sourced app earlier this month to harness its real-time data, which brings up to the minute information on traffic, construction, accidents, petrol prices and police presence.
According to the report, the FTC has asked Google to put the breaks on integrating Waze within its own services until the deal has been fully reviewed.
Other potential suitors
Google's purchase of Waze ended a long period of speculation, which also pegged Apple and Facebook as potential suitors.Google is thought to have paid $1.1 billion for the Israel-based application, which has 47 million users in 163 countries.
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PS4 could get two week head start on Xbox One as potential release dates leak out
Reports this weekend suggest that the Sony PlayStation 4 could go on sale two weeks before the Xbox One console this November.
German and Dutch retail outlet Media Markt has put up posters advertising the PS4 release date as Wednesday November 13, while Dutch site Bol.com is also advertising the same on-sale date.
Meanwhile, the Amazon pre-order page for the Xbox One now states "this item will be released on November 27."
Neither company has officially acknowledged a release date for their consoles. Microsoft has promised a November timeframe, while Sony hasn't expanded beyond it's "Holiday 2013" window.
Another score for the PS4?
The purported two-week head start would be would be yet another advantage for Sony's next-gen console.The PS4 (UK£349, US$399, AUD$549) comes in much cheaper than the Xbox One (UK£429, USD$499, AUD$599) and being able to get it sooner would likely sway more fans in that direction.
Naturally, it's still up to the companies to confirm their plans, which could easily change between now and November.
After all, it wouldn't be first time Microsoft has changed its plans to match its great gaming rival...
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Apple flicks rubber band in Samsung's face in latest court victory
Samsung has once again been found guilty of infringing Apple's 'rubber band' patent in the latest round of the tech duo's never-ending patent war.
Reuters reports a Japanese court ruled that some of Samsung's earlier Android devices infringed on the 'bounce back' UI tool, which appears within iOS.
The software feature gives users a neat elasticity when they reach the bottom of a web page, email thread, photo album or messaging thread, for example, bouncing before it snaps back into place.
This patent continues to come in useful for Apple. The company used it in last year's blockbuster California trial, which ended up costing Samsung $1.1 billion (UK£713m, AUD$1.19bn) in damages.
Heavily disputed
In truth, the latest ruling against Samsung will not cause the company too much damage as it has replaced the bounce-back feature with a blue-line at the foot of documents in his newer handsets.This particular patent does remain the topic of heavy discussion. Earlier this year the US patent office ruled it invalid, only to have another change of heart this week.
One this is for sure though, if Apple is able to use it to its advantage, it will
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In Depth: 10 technologies that are completely ruining your fun
The world can be a sad and scary place, so it's important to find fun wherever you can.
For some of us that means calling in sick when there's a new Call of Duty to play; for others it's hurling a battered Ford Fiesta down a back road at 300mph; and for many of us it's listening to music or going to a show.
Unfortunately for us, tech can be used to make our favourite things considerably less fun. These are our least favourite buzz kills from the world of tech - have we missed any of your major offenders?
1. BlackBerry
Back in the old days, work was something you did at work. It didn't follow you home and demand the latest sales figures when you ate your dinner, it didn't sneak on board the plane when you went on holiday and it didn't flash LEDs at you when you spent quality time with the kids.Then RIM invented the CrackBerry, turning work into an always-on, inescapable activity.
2. Browser detection
Used wisely, browser detection is a good thing - you don't want a full-fat, Flash-heavy website if you're on a small phone. Unfortunately it's largely used unwisely, showing tablet users sites designed for teeny-tiny screens and yelling WE HAVE AN APP WE HAVE AN APP DO YOU WANT TO BUY OUR APP GO ON IT'S AN APP BUY THE APP BUY THE APP BUY THE APP when you're trying to find a bus timetable.
3. Online ticketing
Going to live events used to be simple. Bands or comedians would advertise their shows, you'd phone the box office, and after a bit of redialling you'd be able to get tickets. Touts were a rare breed and individual tickets didn't cost more than you earned in a fortnight.Now, the combination of bots and armchair touts means that any high-profile gig sells out in milliseconds - not to fans, but to people who instantly put the tickets on auction and secondary ticketing sites for even more than the already ridiculous ticket price.
Think we're exaggerating? There are Rolling Stones/Bon Jovi tickets on ViaGogo that will set you back £42,489.82 for six people. That includes a £5,400 booking fee.
4. Social media
The list of social media fun-killers includes strangers' boring baby photos, constant product pimping and stupid games, but the big fun-buster is when your friends grass you up by tagging you in their updates, photos or check-ins. It ruins sickies and "I'd love to come, but I'm going to a work thing" excuses, and makes it awfully hard to avoid Boring Dave when the people you're with have just told him your precise location.
5. Black boxes in cars
Booting crap cars around - and sometimes off - twisty roads is a teenage rite of passage, but in-car telematics and electronic driver aids are putting a stop to it.Systems such as Ingenie's black box keep an eye on teen drivers' behaviour - steering, cornering, swerving, braking, acceleration and speed - and adjust their insurance premiums accordingly, while cars increasingly intervene if they think you're doing something stupid.
It all makes sense from a safety point of view, of course, but it's just a matter of time before mum and dad can use an iPad app to make sure their offspring don't exceed 10mph. Ford's nearly there already.
6. Compression in music
There are two kinds of compression ruining music: there's the compression that takes the original audio, throws bits out and creates a smaller MP3 or AAC file, and there's the compression that's used in studios to make music sound louder.Both make music sound worse, the former by making everything sound squishy and the latter turning even delicate acoustic tracks into something that sounds like Muse driving a heavily armoured space tank. Every March, Dynamic Range Day tries to stop such tomfoolery and gets completely ignored.
7. Google
Did you know TV legend Bob Holness played the sax in Baker Street? *tap tap tap* "No mate, that's an urban myth, it was Raphael Ravenscroft." Damn you, Google! Damn your quiz-killing, bullshit-quashing, argument-ending eyes!8. Twitter
You were out, but you recorded tonight's must-watch show - Game of Thrones, maybe, or The Apprentice. You settle down on the sofa. "I'll just have a quick look at Twitter first," you say to yourself. Don't do it! Don't do it! TWITTER IS SPOILERS!9. GPS
GPS has many benefits, but of course it takes the fun out of travelling too: many people's best travel memories are from things that happened or places they found when they hadn't the faintest clue where they were or where they were going.Even if you're not globetrotting GPS can be a pain: Find My Phone apps can be used to track people if you know their password, and some employers use GPS tracking to make sure their staff aren't slacking off or heading home early.
10. Other people's cameraphones
It's bad enough having to make sure you look perfect and don't fall on your backside lest a passer-by put you on YouTube, but the real pain is when you've waited all year to see a show and then you can't see a damn thing because everybody's holding their phones up to capture footage they'll never, ever watch.Some artists are taking a stand, but we're not optimistic: we've heard reports of people filming gigs with iPads. iPads!
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Week in Science: 3D-printed nanobatteries could solve power-hungry gadget woes
Science never ceases to amaze, and this Week in Science is no exception. From the discovery of a strange new subatomic particle that could change the way we look at matter forever, to the answer to your horrendous bad hair day, new super-capacity batteries made out of wood, oh, and Batman's sonar phone made real -- we've got it all this week.
3D printing could hold the answer to our tiny battery needs -- The 3D printing movement is on a warpath, attempting to revolutionise pretty much everything going. Now, as seen in this Vimeo video, batteries could be the next big thing to benefit from instant, nanoscale fabrication.
Researchers from Harvard have been able to 3D print incredibly small batteries the size of a grain of sand. The machine uses a lithium paste, which is then hardened to form microscopic electrodes. They're then dumped into a larger volume of electrolyte, forming a tiny cell, which rivals the durability, recharge rates and power density of current mobile phone batteries. The tiny batteries can then either be combined in number into a large cell, or provide power for miniature devices like the kinds being developed for insertion into the human body. [Harvard]
Reports of Kepler's death have been greatly exaggerated -- Kepler, our most prolific planet hunting space telescope, could be given a new lease of life, despite the failure of its precision aiming equipment powered by its now-crippled set of reaction wheels.
According to a couple of positive-thinking astronomers, Kepler could take up microlensing in its semi-retirement. Instead of focussing on planets circling stars in the so-called Goldilocks zone using its traditional method of studying planet transits across stars, microlensing is used to detect planets much further way from their stars. That would give Kepler a new mission but, like everything these days, there's apparently an issue of cost. As Kepler was never designed to use microlensing and would require modification, a fresh mission with new equipment might cost less in the long run. Still, it's an option if NASA can't quite manage to coax one of the ageing planet hunter's reaction wheels back into action. [arXiv]
Physicists find weird new subatomic particle -- The very rules of matter as we know it might need to change. Researchers, in the process of analysing a new particle discovered back in 2005, have found a strange new kind of subatomic particle seemingly made up of four quarks.
The thing is, normally subatomic particles like neutrons and protons are made up of two or three quarks bound together with gluons, but never four, or at least, it was presumed to never be four. Unfortunately, the novel subatomic particles only exist for less than 10^-23 seconds at a time, so the only way forward is to keep smashing electrons into positrons and studying the fleeting resulting particles over and over -- a tedious task at best. However, should the results confirm that we have indeed found a subatomic particle made of four quarks, we'll have to completely change the way we think about matter for good. [APS]
Batman's sonar phone is real -- Using a brand new advanced algorithm, coupled with a few microphones dotted around the place, researchers can now map out a room using echolocation just like Batman's phone did in The Dark Knight.
By treating echoes from walls as a mirror image of the initial sound, the researchers are able to map out a room just like a bat or dolphin would, almost instantly from a simple clap or click of the fingers. The applications are endless for this kind of simple to execute echolocation, from finding the precise position of gunmen using recordings of gunshots, to finally fully eradicating echo from phone calls and providing enhanced indoor location data for our apps and games. [PNAS]
How nails regenerate finger tips could hold the answer to growing new limbs -- Unlike a salamander, mammals can't regrow whole limbs, but they can regenerate the tips of their fingers, if the nail remains intact.
Researchers from New York University have identified a cluster of nail-associated stem cells that's capable of regenerating lost tissue, at least in mice. The process requires that enough nail epithelium, the skin directly under the nail itself, remains intact. The stem cells are normally responsible for your ever-lasting nail growth, but when specially activated can fully restore mouse toe tips. They are capable of recruiting both nerve and mesenchymal cells, which can then build replacement bone, tendons and muscle. Since the genetic pathways that activate this regrowth are present in humans, it's thought the same process exists in man. In theory, this discovery could lead to the ability to regrow much larger proportions of lost limbs, artificially activating the hidden stem cells into their remarkable repair mode. That really would be a huge leap forward for medical science. [Nature]
Batteries made of wood could be the holy grail of high-capacity cells -- When you think of battery technology, trees don't exactly come to mind. Yes, we've probably all made a potato power a small bulb at one point in our lives, but now group of researchers are taking it one giant leap further.
By swapping lithium ions for sodium ions, and coating slices of wood 1,000 times thinner than paper in tin, large capacity batteries can be made cheaply and environmentally friendly. The beauty of using wood for both a structural and active part of the battery is that its fibrous nature makes it flexible. That means it can easily withstand the hundreds of expansions and contractions produced by repeated charging and discharging. In theory, wood nanobatteries could be perfect for storing large amounts of energy, cheaply and quickly, something the world badly needs if renewable energy, and electricity-powered transport is ever really going to take off. [Eurekalert]
Having a bad hair day? It's all copper's fault -- Have you ever wondered why, no matter how much you wash your hair, sometimes it just goes crazy? It seems there's a reason to the maddening phenomenon, and it's all to do with copper.
Given a single strand of hair can grow for up to three years before being replaced, scientists have discovered that the metal gradually builds up in human hair, as traces of it get washed into your mop like a sponge from your copper pipes. Once embedded in the hair, the copper acts as a catalyst helping form damaging reactive molecules in the sunlight, stripping hair of its protective outer cuticle sheath. That leaves the inner core of your hair exposed, leading to brittle, dull and split end-full hair. Apparently dying your hair magnifies the problem too. Now that copper has been identified as a hair-killer, researchers at the various pharmaceutical companies are looking at incorporating copper-stripping chemicals into our shampoos and hair dyes, so hopefully that'll help you get that mess back under control sooner rather than later. [The Telegraph]
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The biggest technology mistakes made by SMBs
Small business owner/managers understand that IT plays a vital role within their companies. However, many SMBs are still making simple mistakes with the management of their IT systems that are costing them money and market share.
Acting on some simple tips can transform your business from one that just uses IT to one that leverages the power of IT to deliver tangible results.
Avoid using involuntary IT managers
According to a study from AMI Partners sponsored by Microsoft small businesses are losing more than US$24 billion in productivity each year when nontechnical employees, referred to as 'involuntary IT managers' are tasked with managing their companies' IT solutions. Ensure your business has qualified people managing your IT systems.Bridge the knowledge gap
Small businesses often suffer from this symptom. Simply buying a server doesn't immediately bring tangible benefits, as you have to place this technology within the day-to-day operation of your business.Also, try and ensure you don't have just one person that is tasked with 'IT'. When they leave your business they take their knowledge with them.
No integration across systems
Where IT is concerned avoid hardware and software silos. Integrating your IT together is infinitely more efficient.Think about the separate systems in your business and how these could be more closely aligned. Often, this can also mean a reduction in the IT in use with corresponding maintenance cost savings.
Open source, open wallet?
In a bid to reduce overall costs, many SMBs look to open source applications and platforms. Many of these can be useful, such as the Zoho suite of office applications.However, care must be taken when using open source platforms for mission critical systems. The maintenance costs and ongoing upgrades can be substantial. Ensure you understand the total cost of ownership before committing to an open source platform.
The cloud is not a panacea
There is no doubt that cloud-based services are highly attractive to SMBs. The whole SaaS (software as a service) market has exploded over the past few years.However, the cloud should be approached with care. Often, business will develop hybrid systems that keep some of their data and services in-house, with others moving to the cloud.
Carefully assess any move you are contemplating to the cloud, and ask if the cost saving, efficiency gains and security justify the move.
Not backing up critical data
IT consultants have been attempting to get SMBs to understand the importance of robust data backup regimes with little success. And the impact can be catastrophic, as the London Chamber of Commerce estimate that 90% of companies that suffer a major data loss go out of business within two years.With access to masses of online backup platforms, SMBs can easily protect themselves from these events.
Managing BYOD
The BYOD (bring your own device) to work phenomenon shows no sign of slowing, and a major mistake that SMBs make is not paying attention to the IT issues that BYOD brings.According to a survey carried out by Trend Micro, half of companies that allow BYOD have reported security breaches. Their survey revealed that 83% of companies that do permit BYOD have policies in place that require employees to install security software as a precaution.
Paying close attention to the security of these devices is of paramount importance for SMBs in particular.
IT is an essential resource that SMBs can't operate without, but it is easy to make mistakes with the myriad of technologies available to your business.
A careful study of your existing systems, and how these will evolve will give you all the information you need to avoid the most costly IT mistakes.
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Cloud computing for dummies
No-one quite knows where the term 'cloud computing' came from, but it seems appropriate when you think that it's essentially about removing data and various IT functions from your office to another plane.
Of course the data isn't really floating in the clouds, but residing in the service provider's data centre, which could be located anywhere between the edge of the M25 and the edge of Bangalore. The crucial points for the user is that the data is secure, stored in a way that complies with their own country's regulations, and easily accessible.
There are a handful of models, the most basic of which infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS). This involves replacing equipment used in-house for storage, hardware, servers and network components with corresponding elements hosted by the service provider at their data centre.
IaaS advantage
The big advantage of IaaS is that it usually allows the customer to pay only for the capacity that they use – the utility computing model – rather than making big investments in equipment that may never come close to capacity use. It also makes it possible to scale activities up and down as needed, and can be used when you're able to automate some tasks.Second is platform-as-a-service (PaaS), which operates for computing platforms such as an operating system, database, web browser or network capacity. Again, customers rent virtualised servers and services on which they can run applications, and it is popular for the development and testing of new apps.
Next is the increasingly important software-as-a-service (SaaS), in which customers can use software and databases that run on the service provider's infrastructure and platforms. It can usually be accessed from any PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone, and often runs on licensed subscriptions, with a company getting a specific number of users per licence. This may not be as flexible as the utility computing model, but it is often easier to increase or reduce the number of licences than with in-house software.
Most of the applications run on servers that handle the service for a number of customers, but users see only their own operations.
The big advantages of SaaS are that it keeps down costs, the service provider takes responsibility for the software maintenance, and all users have access to the same version, rather than some having the latest while others wait for upgrades. This can be a big factor in ensuring that they work together more effectively. It is also a great asset in supporting mobile working, as employees are able to view and amend data from anywhere.
This has spun off into the growing number of enterprise social collaboration services, which are set up on the cloud to help people share information at a distance.
Saas concern
The one big concern with SaaS is that data sits on the host's servers, which may be a sensitive issue if it covers people's personal details, financial data or company intelligence, and may even break legal regulations.Finally comes network-as-a-service (NaaS), in which the customer uses the connectivity services of the provider.
There is also plenty of talk about private, public, community and hybrid clouds.
The private cloud is operated for one company and can be managed internally or by a third party with access through direct connections. It's expensive and requires a lot of work in setting up, but can be customised to specific requirements, and facilitate a single sign-on, in which anyone on the company's network gets automatic access.
Public option
On a public cloud the services are provided over a network for public use with access through the internet. The levels of security are not so strong and there's less flexibility with the services, but it is also less expensive.A community cloud shares infrastructure between a group of organisations that have some common concerns and requirements, and tends to be more important in areas such as the public sector.
The hybrid cloud uses two or more clouds, often public and private, or cloud services and in-house installations. It sounds more complex but it is increasingly popular as companies use it to meet their specific requirements at the optimum cost.
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Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar
It's been a particularly exciting week for the reviews team. We finally got our hands on Sony's sensibly-sized new 4K TV, we tested Nokia's latest flagship smartphone and we've also played with the new Apple MacBook Air.
Sony KD-65X9005A review
The KD-65X9005A is much more than just another large screen telly. The poster boy for a new generation of broadcast technology, it delivers a 4K picture experience quite unlike conventional Full HD screens. Image quality with native 4K content is simply astonishing, both in terms of absolute fidelity and image depth. But perhaps the biggest surprise is just how beneficial its panel density is with Full HD too. Upscaling is extremely effective, and with Blu-ray (particularly Mastered in 4K discs), it simply shines. There's been considerable debate as to whether the 4K at this screen size is an appreciable advantage in the average home. Well we can confirm it most definitely is. Debate closed.
MacBook Air 11-inch review
The 2013 MacBook Air refresh is not a radical overhaul. The extra microphone aside, the chassis is identical to last year's MacBook Air, though there are significant improvements under the hood. Unfortunately, there are one or two drawbacks too. The new low-power Haswell processors really boost the MacBook Air's battery life so you can run it for an entire day on a single charge. The Haswells bring better graphics too, with the Intel HD 5000 integrated chipset giving a speed boost of up to 40%. Solid state storage is doubled compared to the previous generation, and faster flash storage brings a welcome performance increase. The new MacBook Air is the first Apple computer to adopt the new Wi-Fi ac protocol, which is up to three times as fast as wireless n. Many will bemoan the lack of a Retina display too, at least as an optional extra. But factor in the better battery life and improved Wi-Fi, and the 2013 MacBook Air is a clear win overall.
Nokia Lumia 925 review
The Nokia Lumia 925 is undeniably a great phone in its own right, but it's just not a big enough improvement over the Nokia Lumia 920 for there to be any reason to buy it if you own last year's model. Even if you don't, you might be better off buying the Nokia Lumia 920, since it's substantially cheaper at around £330/US$400/AU$420 SIM-free. With dated specs the Nokia Lumia 925 is definitely a case of style over substance. If it was priced around the same as the Nokia Lumia 920 that would be fine, but it isn't. And while it's still one of the best Windows Phone 8 handsets available, it's still got a long way to go to catch up to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4, the HTC One and even the iPhone 5, unless you're a particular fan of Windows Phone. Some call Windows Phone refreshing, but it does still come with limitations and lacks a certain fluidity that Nokia hasn't managed to fix. This is a good phone, sure, but as a flagship we need to have our socks blown off, and at last check they were still firmly on our feet.
Hands on: Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini review
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is a surprisingly well built, premium looking handset with a good range of bells and whistles which will please any prospective buyer. We weren't overly impressed with the microSD placement or the bundled Samsung keyboard, plus the amount of internal storage available is disappointing - but these aren't huge issues and overall the Galaxy S4 Mini appears to be an excellent smartphone. As long as Samsung can keep the price sensible the Galaxy S4 Mini is going to be one of the big contenders in the mid-high end of the market and we'll struggle not to recommend it.
And the rest of this week's reviews...
Mobile
Hands on: Samsung Galaxy S4 Active reviewHands on: Samsung Ativ Tab 3 review
Hands on: Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom review
Huawei Ascent P2 review
Cameras
Hands on: Samsung Galaxy NX reviewPanasonic LF1 review
Panasonic G6 review
Canon IXUS 140 review
TV
Sony KDL-47W805 review
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Users flock to Video on Instagram as Vine grows an Android update
A lot has happened since Facebook-owned Instagram launched its own short-form video support yesterday, and not just to the formerly photo-only social network. Rival Vine also got Android users feeling fine with some updates to its own app earlier today.
Let's look at the numbers first, shall we?
According to an Instagram blog post and press release, Video on Instagram saw 5 million uploads in the first 24 hours. So much video was thrown up in the first 8 hours, it would take a year to watch all of it. We're not willing to test that assertion, so we'll have to take the Grammer's word for it.
Celebrities and brands jumped in the clip-filled fray, with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Jimmy Fallon, Brody/Kendall/Kylie Jenner and brands from ESPN to TopShop creating moving pictures. Many shouted out the new service, though there were a fair number of puppy playtime posts.
Meanwhile, on Vine...
While it could be chalked up to first day excitement, Video on Instagram is looking like a success so far. We'll see how use fairs as time goes on, but Kevin Systrom and Friends are probably heading into the weekend with a smile stitched on their faces.Vine, king of the 6-second video loop, may get the week's last laugh, however, as it announced a few updates rolling out with Android version 1.1.0 just as Friday was fading away.
"Vine for Android update is now in Google Play - includes search, hashtags and mentions, sharing to Facebook & more," a tweet from @vineapp informed.
There's also user search, improved capture speed, quality and audio/video synchronization and a few other bug fixes and UI improvements.
Vine on iOS snatched 13 million users between January and June, and the app just launched on Android earlier this month. These updates should help the quick-clip service gain some followers and keep current ones as the general consensus is that Vine on Android is pretty rotten.
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Facebook White Hat security bug briefly exposes user contact info
The Facebook nightmare of a security bug exposing the contact information of some of its more than 1 billion members has come true, the social networking company admitted today.
The good news is that the impact was minimal, outing only 6 million members' email addresses and phone numbers in a very roundabout way, and Facebook has already corrected the White Hat glitch.
"No company can ensure 100 percent prevention of bugs, and in rare cases we don't discover a problem until it has already affected a person's account," Facebook said in a statement.
"A bug may have allowed some of a person's contact information (email or phone number) to be accessed by people who either had some contact information about that person or some connection to them."
Inadvertently stored information
Facebook's friend recommending service, which asks to use a member's third-party contact lists and address books, is the source of this White Hat bug."We try to match that data with the contact information of other people on Facebook in order to generate friend recommendations," explained the company.
"Some of the information used to make friend recommendations and reduce the number of invitations we send was inadvertently stored in association with people's contact information as part of their account on Facebook."
No evidence of malicious hacking
There is no evidence that this bug was exploited maliciously, according to Facebook, which said it has not received complaints from users or detected anomalous behavior.That's probably because it would have taken a little work for a chance to access the exposed information.
"If a person went to download an archive of their Facebook account through our Download Your Information (DYI) tool, they may have been provided with additional email addresses or telephone numbers for their contacts or people with whom they have some connection."
"This contact information was provided by other people on Facebook and was not necessarily accurate, but was inadvertently included with the contacts of the person using the DYI tool."
Facebook immediately disabled the DYI tool and fixed the issue within 24 hours, however, it's still emailing the 6 million potentially affected users.
It stressed that "no other types of personal or financial information were included and only people on Facebook – not developers or advertisers – have access to the DYI tool."
"Your trust is the most important asset we have," Facebook said at the conclusion of its statement. "We are committed to improving our safety procedures and keeping your information safe and secure."
- Read how Facebook's Instagram is having a much better week.
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Hands-on review: E3 2013: Oculus Rift
Update: It's E3 2013, and it's been several months since TechRadar last saw Oculus Rift. The virtual reality headset has undergone two major changes since January: a new prototype now comes with full HD 1080p visuals, and it's now got something resembling an actual video game.
We went hands on at the show to check out what's new with Oculus Rift, and we came away extremely impressed.
Catching snowflakes
Oculus VR is now using Epic's Unreal Engine 4 to demo its Rift headset. Specifically, the company is showing players the lava and snow demo that debuted in videos in late March. Wearing the standard-definition headset (similar to the one we saw at CES, but with an extra top strap for added comfort), we felt like we should be able to catch a snowflake with an open mouth when we looked up at the virtual sky.It's that real-looking, and when we put on the brand new prototype HD Oculus Rift that sensation was only heightened.
Oculus Rift is incredibly immersive, and part of that is thanks to its true stereoscopic 3D. The two screens inside the goggles become extensions of your own eyeballs, and your brain quickly adapts to the point that you'll raise your arm and expect to see them in the game world. You can truly sense the world's depth, and despite knowing it's an illusion it feels very real.
We didn't experience any nausea, but we only used it for a few minutes. We did get a touch of vertigo as we looked down from the top of a virtual mountain, though.
The consumer version of Oculus Rift, which Oculus VR Vice President of Product Nate Mitchell said is coming in "months and not years," will likely come in HD like the prototype we saw at E3. As you can imagine it's absolutely a superior experience.
Mitchell was hesitant to divulge too many specifics, though, mostly because they're always subject to change. "We want to continue to improve the hardware," he said. "Display technology keeps getting better. Sensor technology keeps getting better. We're adding new features and things like that, a lot of which we haven't announced."
He said they want to keep the price point around $300 (about UK£191, AU$312), though.
To infinity (and beyond)
The other big development in the world of Oculus Rift came not from Oculus VR itself, but from EVE Online developers CCP Games. The first development kits for the headset went out a few months ago, and in that time CCP built an impressive demo that they showed off at E3 this week.In it players fly a spaceship using an Xbox 360 controller while the Oculus Rift tracks their head movements. This works incredibly well because just like when you're controlling a vehicle in real life, you can look around and move independently.
The multiplayer demo - which unfortunately is just that, a tech demo - allowed multiple players to fly around in a large outer space environment while shooting lasers and missiles at one another. We could shoot lasers straight forward while targeting other players above and to the sides of our ship by simply moving our head and visually targeting them.
The sense of space in this demo (no pun intended) was simply astounding. Tilting our head down, we could see our knees in the game; we found ourselves moving our arms and expecting our in-game avatar's arms to move as well.
That sensation caused some dissonance as our brain tried to differentiate the virtual body it was seeing from the body it's attached to. That could be solved with a Kinect-style sensor that tracked your arm movements used in tandem with Oculus Rift, though Mitchell said they don't have plans for anything like that.
The dev kits are out there, though, and it's not impossible. In fact, it seems we're just beginning to explore the possibilities of Oculus Rift, and if what we've seen so far is any indication then it's time to get very, very excited for what's in store.
Original article: Oculus Rift made headlines last year for its wildly successful Kickstarter project. The enterprise to create a commercially viable virtual reality headset raised $2,437,429, and at the pre-CES 2013 Digital Experience event, TechRadar got to experience Oculus Rift eyeball-to-eyeball.
The VR headset has been through several iterations, but the one we saw at CES was the most refined. It isn't perfect (and as we found out, it might not ever be perfect for some players) but it's undoubtedly superior to any previous attempts at a virtual reality display.
Instead of a clunky skull-encompassing helmet, Occulus Rift is more like a set of ski goggles, with room inside for small eyeglasses if you wear them.
Inside are two lenses, which each feed a separate 640 x 800 image to your eyeballs. Combined, they form a unified 1280 x 800 image.
Motion tracking means it responds to your head movements, as though you're looking around an actual 3D environment.
Oculus VR (the company behind Rift) showed off its remarkable new kit with the Epic Citadel demo - a standard video game input (in this case, from Xbox 360) in first-person view.
This plunged us into a medieval marketplace populated by humble townsfolk and knights in armour, with snow softly settling around us.
Wear it well
The first time we moved was rather perplexing and disorienting. It's almost like walking for the very first time.However, the visuals seem extremely fluid and natural. And in less than a minute, we felt that Oculus Rift really could be the new face of playing games.
Unfortunately, not long after that TechRadar's motion-sickness susceptible reviewer began to feel something else. He was only able to tolerate ten minutes before nausea spoiled the party.
The time it takes for sickness to kick in appears to depend on the game's frame rate, camera system and other factors that have yet to be isolated.
But surprisingly, while Oculus VR's representatives say this initial reaction is common among first-timers, they also report that most (though not all) players subsequently become accustomed to the experience.
Early verdict
There is still no target release date for the final product, let alone price. At CES, two versions were shown: the somewhat rough prototype, which is covered by black tape; and the developer kit, which looks far more polished.But whenever it appears, Oculus Rift seems set to mark a big shift in gaming. Clearly, though, there's work to do if the headset is to fulfil its potential - we can't see it becoming truly popular if it gets a reputation for making players sick.
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Updated: Sony tweets new smartwatch teaser as a tipster weighs in
Update: In addition to Sony's own tweets, an in-the-know source has spilled a few beans over what he/she says is a very real gadget.
Speaking with CNET, the source claimed Sony's new watch will be a successor to its SmartWatch MN2SW. The new SmartWatch will supposedly run some version of Android, own a larger touch screen than the MN2SW and feature a 3-icon layout beneath the display.
While that's all well and good (and still pretty vague), one interesting tidbit is that the device could come packing NFC, meaning easy syncing between phone and watch.
We should know all next week, so keep an eye on the clock, so to speak, for Sony's Tuesday media event.
Original article...
Over on Twitter, Sony is raining down clanging great hints about its plans to launch a new smartwatch.
Ahead of an event in Shanghai next week, Sony's official Xperia Twitter account has been posting such missives as:
"One in three smartphone users want smart wrist wear" alongside the neither big nor clever hashtag #itstime.
Clues everywhere
Also tagged in the tweet is Mobile Asia Expo 2013, which kicks off next week - there's a Sony media event planned for Tuesday.Putting two and two together, we've come out with four and decided that Sony is probably going to launch a new Xperia-branded smartwatch at Mobile Asia Expo 2013 on Tuesday next week.
Of course, Sony already has the LiveView wearable remote, but in the light of the Pebble and the many and varied rumours of Apple's plans to launch an iWatch, we wouldn't be surprised to see Sony give the smart watch segment some love.
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Anyone for tennis? YouTube to offer live streams from Wimbledon 2013
Tennis fans will be able to view live and exclusive action from this year's Wimbledon tennis championships on YouTube, the video sharing site has announced.
The official Wimbledon YouTube channel will house key moments from the tennis, press conferences as well as a host of "exclusive" behind the scenes footage when the grass court event kicks off on Monday.
Viewers will also be able to enjoy some of the best matches from tournament history when the inevitable rain interruptions curtail the action on centre court, according to the YouTube blog.
The Wimbledon channel is by no means new to YouTube, but this is the first year viewers will be able to tune into live action from the tournament. Whether that means live match coverage remains to be seen.
The footage will be available to viewers all over the world.
Digital paradise
The announcement makes this year's event from the All England Lawn Tennis Club a digital paradise.Naturally, the BBC will be live streaming the event on the iPlayer and the BBC Sport app and website, while the new official Wimbledon app for iPad is also mighty fancy too.
All this means, in the unlikely event that the sun does shine for two weeks, you won't be forced inside in order to enjoy the tennis.
The BBC and Sony are also scheduled to trial UltraHD broadcasting during this year's event
All that's left to say is Go Andy! (Or Roger, or Rafa, or Novak...)
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Pesky PS3-bricking update won't see repair until next week
If your PS3 was rendered a useless brick this week thanks to a poorly-crafted firmware update, don't worry - you'll be able to play your games again. In a week, that is.
Sony acknowledged the issue quickly, pulling the 4.45 patch from its servers so it affected as few players as possible.
But many are still suffering with useless consoles that won't display their menus or play games, and a fix won't arrive until Thursday, Sony revealed on its official forums and confirmed on Twitter.
Better late than never?
Transmission incoming
"We have identified the issue related to the PlayStation 3 software update (version 4.45) that impacted a small number of PS3 systems earlier this week," Sony wrote this morning."A new PS3 system software update is planned to be released on June 27 that resolves the issue. Thank you for your patience and understanding and we apologize for the inconvenience."
Sony said it will update the official thread on the issue with instructions on how to implement the patch (not easy when the console's menu won't appear) once it's live next next week.
You won't like us when we're angry
It's unfortunate that Sony can't fix this issue faster, as a number of users are left with PS3 consoles that won't boot up past the start screen.We gamers are a cantankerous bunch, and Sony was just starting to get on our good side with a smart strategy at E3.
With the PlayStation 4 right around the corner, the PS3's lifespan is at its zenith, and it's disquieting to see it plagued by issues still.
One can only hope that the next-gen system doesn't suffer similarly.
- Speaking of grumpy gamers - our backlash recently caused Microsoft to flip-flop on its controversial Xbox One policies!
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IN DEPTH: 10 overlooked Xbox One features you should know about
Microsoft has had a tough week in its no-win Xbox One situation. It finally backed away from its stringent used game policy and did away with the console's required 24-hour check-ins.
This move pleased vocal critics who were angry about not being able to play games offline. Great for those folks, only that it's now ticked off a whole new set of suddenly outspoken judges who immediately condemned the company for caving in on the benefits of its check-in-required features.
The good news for everyone is that Microsoft has engineered a solid next-generation console, one we were thoroughly impressed with when we went hands on at E3 last week.
Yes, it's a bit square on the outside, but the inside has a lot of forward-thinking features that gamers will want to know about now that the controversy is starting to subside.
1. Kinect is pretty incredible this time around
Kinect is still required operate the Xbox One and that irritates some privacy-concerned gamers, even though Microsoft has made it a point to say that it won't be listening to your conversations."If you don't want the Kinect sensor on while playing games or enjoying your entertainment, you can pause Kinect," explained Microsoft earlier this month.
"To turn off your Xbox One, just say 'Xbox Off.' When the system is off, it's only listening for the single voice command - 'Xbox On,' and you can even turn that feature off too," it further clarified.
What's left is a "rocket science-level" 1080p camera that can process an amazing 2GB of data per second. It certainly blows away the original VGA Kinect.
Here's why: Besides its gaming capabilities, Kinect can sense when a person walks into the room and their skelton picks up a controller. No need to sync that controller via the Xbox Guide button anymore. That's so last generation.
A second person just walked in the room? It knows to assign them as "Player 2." For us, that's pretty darn smart.
2. Splitscreen seat-switching can be eliminated
One of the most exciting "why didn't anyone think of this before" features that Microsoft told us about regarded the system's ability to configure the sides of a splitscreen game based on where the players are sitting in a room.Because the Xbox One controller has an IR sensor in the top and the Kinect picks up on its whereabouts, future games can set up splitscreen matches without the hassle of switching seats.
Microsoft mentioned that no games support this feature currently, but it's a part of the system and can be utilized by developers at any time.
PlayStation 4 has this same splitscreen switching functionality built-in, but its add-on camera leads us to the next point.
3. Kinect included means 100% of people have it
Here's another added benefit of the Kinect: it comes with the system out of the box, whereas the PlayStation 4 camera does not.That means 100 percent of Xbox One owners will also own a Kinect 2.0. What percentage of PS4 owners are going to purchase the $60 (about UK£39, AU$65) camera add-on?
History has shown that PS3's Move controllers (generously counting people who bought more than one Move wand more than once) amounted to about 4.7 percent of overall PS3 owners as of late last year.
Are developers really going to cater to a similar 4.7 percent of the PS4 user base? Sony is likely to encourage it, so maybe there'll be some features thrown its way by first-party developers, but that may just be a waste of valuable development time, all things considered.
Former Sega of America President Bernie Stolar is said to have argued with his own company in favor of the Dreamcast launching with the 56K modem, becoming the first home console to include one in 1999.
Without it, virtually no one would have played or developed an online Dreamcast game in the last decade. The same lesson may apply here.
4. Xbox One gamepad tweaked to near-perfection
The Xbox One gamepad's 40 innovations translate into making one of the best controllers ever made even better.Right off the bat, we noticed that it's lightweight, doesn't sport a bulk battery bulge in the back, has closer together face buttons, and features a much-needed D-Pad redesign.
Sure the PS4 controller is leaps-and-bounds better than the PS3 controller, according to our extensive hands-on time with the DualShock 4.
But the Xbox brand controller was already closer to perfection before its 40 innovations, making it seem like it received less buzz.
And speaking of buzz, Microsoft put tiny force feedback motors into the Xbox One controller's right and left triggers. Rumble hasn't seen a bigger impact since Nintendo debuted the technology in Star Fox 64.
5. 15 exclusive games in the first year
Microsoft isn't known for publishing a ton of triple-A, first-party games outside of Halo and Gears of War. Nevertheless, it promised 15 exclusives in the first 12 months of the Xbox One launch.Well on its way to living up to that promise are new game franchises like Ryse: Son of Rome, Quantum Break, Project Spark, Sunset Overdrive, Below, LocoCycle, D4, and Crimson Dragon.
They join existing IP Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5, Minecraft: Xbox One Edition, Kinect Rivals, and Killer Instinct.
A new Halo game is on its way to Xbox One, but there's little known about the game other than it will run at 60 frames per second. It might fall outside the 12-month window.
That means game number fourteen is Titanfall, which should be noted is coming out on the PC as well, and the last one is an untitled new franchise from Vancouver subsidiary Black Tusk Studios.
So while Microsoft has been known for buying exclusives while Sony produced heavy-hitters itself in the last generation, it looks as if it's upping the in-house ante on the Xbox One.
6. Still has Call of Duty DLC as a timed-exclusive
Say what you will about Call of Duty, but the game breaks its own "best selling in entertainment history" record every year, and Call of Duty: Ghosts looks to be no different.The Infinity Ward-developed game is coming to all relevant platforms (in other, words not Wii U), but it's downloadable content will debut first on Xbox One.
That means that CoD players owning one of Sony's machine may have to wait up to an extra month to buy the supplemental maps and modes that come out post-launch.
7. Xbox One multitasking is slick
Another feature that Xbox One-owning gamers will appreciate starting in November is the ability to switch apps instantly and multitask on their new console.Microsoft boasted an instant switching voice-controller feature with commands like "Xbox, game" and "Xbox, watch TV."
These voice commands are a plus, but it's the lag-free switching is makes the user interface feel so lightweight compared to today's clunky UI.
Having to press the slow Xbox 360 guide button and then the Y button just to exit into the dashboard and search for the next app you want to load will be a thing of the past.
8. SmartGlass, Twitch integration are established
While Sony is going with a proprietary second-screen option for PS4 by incorporating the PS Vita for some unique gameplay enhancements, Microsoft is opening its doors to rival devices with SmartGlass.This companion application for Xbox One is compatible with Windows 8 devices, Windows RT tablets and Windows Phone 8 smartphones.
Outside of Microsoft's domain, it also works with iOS and Android hardware, so more people may actually use Xbox One's second-screen features.
Likewise, Microsoft has chosen to use the established Twitch live streaming video platform to host videos via its gameplay DVR.
PS4's share button may not have the same built-in audience that's always hungry for more gameplay video on a 24-7 basis.
9. Xbox One Cloud
Microsoft was pretty excited for the Xbox One's use of the cloud, citing it as one of the many reasons gamers will want to be always online with the new console.Although the check-in requirement has been dropped with the exception of the system's initial setup, Xbox One will still make full use of the cloud when there's an internet connection available.
Microsoft's 300,000 servers for Xbox One give developers the ability to offload some of a game's processing power, like AI, to the cloud, thus taking the system's specs to an appropriate cloud-like level.
10. Achievements are carried over from 360
It may not count toward anything, but Xbox 360 achievements have kept gamers loyal to the Microsoft system for the past eight years.Because the company is carrying over these Xbox Live bragging rights to the Xbox One, it's going to be hard for any hardcore gamer to completely abandoned their achievements.
With Microsoft expanding the role of these rewards and promising a "new generation of achievements," there's even more reason to stick around.
All-in-two systems
Both Xbox One and PS4 are shaping up to be the most feature-attractive systems to date in the ugliest, box-like chassis ever.No matter, both Microsoft and Sony's console have their own advantages.
That means the next console cycle is going to be even more competitive than the past 8 years, to which innovative developers and gamers are the real winners.
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Blip: Alright, OK: Here's our first look at the official 'Jobs' trailer
Set to a thumping soundtrack, we have our first official trailer for the Ashton Kutcher-led Steve Jobs' biopic, "Jobs."
From a barefoot college student to exiled company founder to his triumphant return, the trailer runs the gamut of Jobs' highlights, including a revelatory moment when he sees Steve Wozniak's kooky invention: a computer terminal that hooks up to a TV from the display. Whoa.
In a snappy 2 minutes and 20 seconds, a scruffy Kutcher beds co-eds, yells "Get out!" to an employee who doesn't see the importance of typeface, glares into a mirror and ultimately delivers Jobs' "Here's to the Crazy Ones" speech.
Check it out below:
More blips!
Feeling inspired to learn more about our ever-changing tech world? Fulfill your news-reading destiny with more blips.- Microsoft planned to build Amazon rival
- Iron Man may become HTC's powerful new alloy
- Adobe's subscription-based Photoshop pirated just a day after launch
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AOL attempting relevancy again with AOL Reader
AOL may not be the internet service provider it once was all those years ago, but that doesn't mean America Online doesn't still provide some useful services.
In fact, the company is right now readying its very own Google Reader replacement, which it surely hopes will attract the soon-to-be lost souls being abandoned by Google on July 1.
AOL Reader won't be available until Monday, but there are private beta sign-ups happening right now to whet your whistle for the full service.
While we don't know all the details on AOL Reader, we do know it will allow for layout customization, importing/exporting of subscriptions from other readers, and will even let developers create their own applications for web, desktop and mobile.
It will also apparently support LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter and Facebook based on the site's CSS styles.
You've got competition
AOL is hardly the first company to attempt crafting an easy-to-use replacement for Google's departing RSS reader.Other site's like Feedly and BlogLovin have already captured some of the audience, with Digg set to launch its RSS reader in just a few days.
Facebook is also believed to be readying its own RSS service, which would work directly inside the social network's existing configuration, but didn't make any such announcements at its event earlier this week.
For its part, AOL has already come up with a tagline for AOL Reader, which states, "All your favorite websites, in one place."
Just how well the reader will work, and how many people will flock to the brand once it's open to the public, remains to be seen.
There's clearly a sizable market out there for users seeking an RSS reader, despite Google's claims, but with so many new services springing up, the market might be more diluted than ever.
- Facebook may not have announced an RSS feed reader, but it did reveal Instagram's new video capabilities, which could spell bad news for Vine.
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Updated: 'Worse than the US': UK spy agency implicated in latest leak
The British government has gained illicit access the world's communications infrastructure and is storing an unfathomable amount of phone calls, emails and online communications, according to the latest alarming leak from the ongoing surveillance scandal.
The new information from National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden claims to lift the lid on initiatives from the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), which Snowden said is worse for spying on citizens than its U.S. counterpart.
As reported by the Guardian, the documents make reference to two initiatives known as 'Mastering the Internet' and 'Global Telecoms Exploitation,' which have apparently been in operation for 18 months.
The secret program, codenamed Tempora, has reportedly allowed GCHQ to store vast swathes of phone calls, Facebook entries, email content and browsing history from innocent citizens, as well as targeted suspects.
Huge dog in the fight
According to the leak, the British agency is sharing all of the data, obtained by tapping into transatlantic fibre-optic cables, with the NSA in the United States.Speaking to the Guardian, Snowden said: "It's not just a U.S. problem. The U.K. has a huge dog in this fight. They [GCHQ] are worse than the U.S."
The publication's report claimed that the GCHQ has a team of 300 people sifting through the data, while the NSA has another 250 analysing it across the Atlantic. The Guardian also reported that 850,000 NSA employees and contractors have access to the data provided by the GCHQ.
Commercial companies are also said to be assisting with the collection of data, with some apparently having been paid for the privilege and referred to within to the documents as "intercept partners."
It looks as though the GCHQ took extra care to keep the companies' identities hidden, even encouraging staff to disguise the names of "the origin of 'special source' material" in reports. According to a Guardian source with "knowledge of intelligence," even if companies didn't want to cooperate, there were ways to make them oblige.
Data collected legally?
The same source claimed that despite the lack of required warrants, the operation has been carried out legally and resulted in "significant breakthroughs" in fighting terror and organised crime.Legal or not, the alleged alarming invasion into the private lives of citizens was done without any public consultation or debate.
When word of Prism first broke out earlier this month, it was reported that the GCHQ was using the same software to cull web history data, email content and file transfer information from companies such as Apple, Google and Facebook. Prism is mentioned briefly in the Guardian's most recent report as an NSA-created "second window" into the lives of citizens, with Tempora being the first.
While Brits have been shaking their heads in dismay at the news coming from the United States over the last couple of weeks, it seems the problems are of equal, if not greater concern, on home soil.
Update: The U.S. government reportedly filed espionage charges against NSA leaker Edward Snowden today and have started the process to bring him to the U.S. to stand trial.
Officials speaking with NBC News said the charges accuse the former defense contractor employee of "violating federal espionage laws by sharing classified documents with people not authorized to receive them," as well as charges alleging he stole government property.
Snowden is thought to be in Hong Kong, and the next step will be for authorities there to take him into custody, followed by a formal extradition process. The U.S. reportedly delayed filing charges until it was clear they complied with Hong Kong's extradition treaty.
Julian Assange earlier this week said the WikiLeaks team has been in contact with Snowden's lawyers and are working to secure asylum for the American in Iceland.
- Heard about Prism but not sure if it's something to fear? Check out Gary Marshall's take on the program
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Google Mine app could help you share and catalog your belongings
Google+ helps users share their real lives online, and a new Google service and app called Google Mine could soon help them share their real lives in real life, too.
Google Mine allows Google+ users to catalog their worldly belongings, advertising them to friends and examining their friends' collections in a sort of casual, friendly online barter environment, unofficial Google blog Google Operating System reported today.
You can also review your belongings and make lists of items you want to give away or those you want to borrow from others, said the site.
It even lets users set statuses for their objects, like "lent," "given away," "got it back," or "lost it."
Sharing is caring
Google Mine will reportedly be available both on the web and as a standalone Android app, and the service is said to be in private beta testing within Google.That doesn't guarantee a public release, though.
It sounds like a more persistent and social version of Craigslist, which may be hard to explain to users even if it is a good idea - and we're not saying it is.
Google Mine takes its name from a similar service that launched last December called simply "Mine," as TechCrunch points out. It's unknown if the services are related in any official way, but "Google Mine" could also simply be the name that Google is using internally.
We heart Katamari
What might be even more intriguing is the mention of a feature called "katamari" that reportedly lets you import and view 3D models/images of your objects (just in case you can't remember what the back of your favorite shirt looks like).The feature must be named after the game Katamari Damacy, which allows players to roll an alien ball around a virtual world, starting small but growing to the size of houses, continents and then planets as they absorb the objects they come in contact with.
Google obviously wants Google+ users to roll their whole lives up in the social network, but it's less clear whether that's something that users want.
Google declined to comment on the rumor, releasing a statement to TechCrunch that said "We are always experimenting with new features to help improve people's online experience, but have nothing specific to share at this time."
- Before Microsoft backpedaled on its controversial Xbox One policies this week, you wouldn't have been able to share the console's games on Google Mine because of the restrictions!
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Hands-on review: Updated: Ouya review
Introduction
Update: TechRadar and our sister site GamesRadar have each received a retail version of the Ouya console to review. Please check back for our full review, coming soon. Until then, enjoy this unboxing video for a preview of what consumers can expect from the final retail version of the Ouya."Today I'm going to show you that we have delivered on that promise, and on that dream, of developing an accessible, open game console for gamers and developers." That's how Julie Uhrman, Founder & CEO of Ouya, began our demonstration of her company's new console.
The fact that our demo was taking place in a warehouse a dozen blocks away from the bustle of GDC 2013, the Game Developers Conference, only added to the Ouya's outsider mystique.
After an explosive Kickstarter debut that raised more than $8 million dollars, nearly 10 times what the Ouya folks set as their goal, the race was on to get this Android 4.1: Jelly Bean-based console to market.
Now that the Ouya's official release date has been set for June 4, with early versions of the system going out to Kickstarter backers as early as this Thursday, all eyes are on Ouya to see if it can really shake up the video game market.
While it's doubtful that the Ouya will become the third superpower in the PlayStation 4 versus Xbox 720 console war, it has a good shot at carving out its own niche market amongst atypical systems like the Wii U and Nvidia's Project Shield.
It should be noted that our early look at the Ouya opened with the caveat that everything we saw has the potential to not be final. The Ouya team has reserved the right to go back to the drawing board on pretty much everything.
While big changes seem highly unlikely with the June release only a few months away, it adds to the rather unknowable nature of this bold new project. With the Ouya, we have the feeling that consumers won't know what they have until they have it, but here nonetheless are our cautiously optimistic impressions of the Ouya.
The box, and what's in it
The Ouya console is smaller than you'd think. About the size of an orange, we'd say. It's sleek, not flashy, but definitely going for style. Its brushed aluminum body is slick and we imagine it'll look nice sitting on your average entertainment center.
On its backside it has five basic ports: Ethernet, micro-USB, HDMI, USB and a port for an AC adapter. Uhrman mentioned that the USB port would allow users to add external storage to the device.
Inside, we've been told the Ouya has an Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset, like what you'd find in a Nexus 7 or HTC One X+.
The first wave of Ouya consoles will have the names of the $10,000 Kickstarter backers etched into the side, as well as their backer numbers. At the top of the list is Notch, creator of the indie phenomenon Minecraft.
The controller
With its dual analog sticks and two sets of shoulder buttons, the Ouya controller doesn't stray far from the Xbox and PS3 examples, and why would it? In fact, it even proved to be somewhat prescient; that black space in the middle of the controller is a touchpad, much like the one we've seen on Sony's recently unveiled DualShock 4.
Like the Ouya itself, the controller has aluminum panels. They were smooth and cold to the touch, and we were surprised to see that the plates on either side were removable, each hiding a AA battery.
The controllers sync to the console with Bluetooth, and Uhrman noted that pairing other accessories would be possible. The Ouya team has been testing other peripherals, and plans to publish a list of accessories that "work really well."
The twin sticks and four-button layout were immediately familiar. The sticks were grippy and accurate, and the buttons felt like the kind of quality jobs you'd find on any first-party console controller.
It was the triggers that disappointed us. A trigger pull on the Ouya controllers we used didn't feel smooth. Instead it was sticky, offering uneven resistance that didn't feel nearly as nice as the rest of the build. Not what we'd expect from a $50 controller.
Given the tentative nature of the demo units we sampled, we're not sure if this will be an issue with the final Ouya controllers, but we'll be watching for it when we write a complete review of the system.
Games, Menu and Early verdict
The games
Our demo featured eight games selected by the Ouya team as ready for prime time. A mix of old school rereleases, PC ports, Android titles and original games, they were: Final Fantasy III, Saturday Morning RPG, The Ball, Puddle, Wizorb, Gunslugs, Fist of Awesome and Stalagfight.
It was an eclectic line-up to say the least, a mix of clever indies and tongue-in-cheek faux-retro fare. The games would have seemed more at home on the show floor of PAX East than in any console launch line-up.
But it should be said that these titles are not necessarily all that will be playable when the Ouya is officially on sale in June. When pressed, Uhrman was unable to offer a specific number. It seems the ball is in the developer's courts when it comes to what makes it to launch.
The Ouya is not your typical console, and with systems shipping to early backers in late March before the real launch in June, it won't have a typical debut. Still, as we sat there punching, jumping, running and shooting our way through the handful of oddball titles, we had to wonder what would become Ouya's killer app.
Still, every game we tried controlled very well, and looked great on an HDTV. Even the purposely blocky, eight-bit-esque Fist of Awesome benefited by a 720p presentation. And after experiencing the Contra-like chaos of Gunslugs on a 36-inch TV, we weren't sure we could ever play it on a little Galaxy S3 screen again.
So every game controlled well, except for one. The Ball, a first-person puzzle solving title with an air of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" mashed up with Portal, had serious control stick lag. As the most graphically pronounced game in our demo, it felt pushed out the door to show the Ouya's rendering capabilities.
And the Ouya did perform in those regards. While The Ball and other titles were far from visually advanced compared to PC and mainstream console titles, the Ouya managed smooth frame rates throughout.
Minimalist menus
The Ouya's main menu is pretty reigned in compared to the Xbox 360's dashboard. Play, Discover, Make and Manage are the four basic options. Play lets you access everything that's already on your system, such as games and the Flixster app we were shown.Discover is the store, which the Ouya team will curate. Besides the typical breakdown by genre, there will be themed categories like Now Hear This, a selection of games with stand out sound design.
Games that achieve a high level of engagement, determined by hours played by gamers as well as user ratings, will earn featured spots. This is Ouya's way of ensuring the cream rises to the top, and no good title ends up buried.
Make is the developer channel. This wasn't ready for our eyes, but we were told that it would be different, depending on whether a user had a gamer or developer account.
Manage contains your system diagnostics, and lets you manage settings.
Stream a little stream for me
Uhrman has previously dropped hints about the possibility of streaming video content on the Ouya. This should come as no surprise, since everything short of your blender seems to have a Netflix app these days.On-demand video and the near $100 price tag could make the Ouya a real competitor to the Apple TV. Even so, Uhrman couldn't offer anything concrete during our meeting as far as big names such as YouTube, HBO Go or the aforementioned big red N are concerned.
However, she did load up Flixster, the movie rating and trailer watching service, and streamed a little bit of the "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" trailer in glorious 1080p. We also saw the game spectating service TwitchTV on the play menu.
Obviously, the Ouya is capable as a streamer, and it's just a matter of time (and perhaps the console's ability to achieve mainstream relevancy) before it becomes yet another Netflix and Amazon-enabled device.
Even more open than you thought
In its Kickstarter days, the Ouya was pitched as an open console. For developers, there would be no expensive licensing fees to make games. Each $99 Ouya would be a developer kit. This would be a way of designing games playable on the television with all the expensive paywalls torn down.But the Ouya looks to be even more open than we thought. During our demo, the question of video game ratings came up, and we were surprised to learn that the ESRB and PEGI would not be labeling the Ouya's titles.
When questioned, the Ouya team expressed plans to police themselves. We silently wondered how this would go over with retailers; the Ouya is going to be sold by the likes of Best Buy, Target, GameStop and Amazon.
Then we brought up "donutgate," where an eight-year-old unwittingly blew $1,500 on micro-transactions in The Simpson: Tapped Out for the iPad.
The Ouya team members at our demo were unfamiliar with the incident, which has motivated Apple to change the way it handles games with in-app purchases. When pressed as to a plan for such situations, the team's plan was essentially to come up with a plan.
While we don't think the Ouya will become a lair of mature games and titles panhandling for change, we do think that without ratings and the like the Ouya may have a tough time earning the trust of parents.
This could be an unfortunate stumbling block. The Ouya's affordable price will make it an attractive alternative to the next wave of expensive next-gen systems, especially for parents with kids too young to care about cutting edge visuals or big name franchises. But will they be comfortable plunking children down in front of this thing?
Early verdict
Despite having actually seen, touched and played an Ouya, the console still feels pretty enigmatic. Like any video game system, it's going to live or die by its games, and we're still not sure what those will be. While we found the titles from our demo to be well adapted to the console and charmingly odd, none of them struck us as system sellers.Of course, this was not the final launch line-up. Team Ouya could blow us all away next week with an amazing, must-have title. In fact, next week would be great timing, because with the launch scheduled for June, the Ouya is running out of time to garner true mainstream appeal.
Great games could be coming. Ouya says it has enlisted the support of Kim Swift of Portal fame and the developers of Papo and Yo, but again, those are arty, atypical titles.
The Ouya needs a Halo. Not a first-person shooter necessarily, but something appealing and highly replayable to make people really feel that they need this system. It needs a blockbuster to bankroll its more artistic endeavors.
If the Ouya were to launch in the state that we saw - with no true streaming video service, a smattering of dark-horse titles and games already available elsewhere - we'd say that team Ouya has sold all the systems it's going to sell through its Kickstarter campaign.
But we doubt that's going to happen. If there's one thing that the Ouya has proven to be good at, time and time again, it's surprises. We just wish that we'd seen enough to throw more than our cautious optimism behind it.
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Review: Samsung Galaxy Fame
Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy Fame is a phone that comes with a celebrity name, but certainly no celebrity price tag. Available SIM-free and unlocked from around £180/US$200 and free on UK contracts starting as low as £10 per month, the Samsung Galaxy Fame will certainly not drain your bank balance.It is unsurprising that Samsung has the most prolific smartphone sales figures. With Galaxy devices as numerous as stars in the night sky spanning every corner of the market, from the highest end SamsungGalaxy S4 and announced Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, the super-sized Samsung Galaxy Note 2 right through to the ageing Samsung Galaxy S3 before hitting the lowest ends with the Samsung Galaxy Fame and the Samsung Galaxy Young.
This puts it square in contention with the Samsung Galaxy Young, the ageing Samsung Galaxy Ace and Samsung Galaxy Y, as well as the newer LG Optimus L3 2 and Nokia Lumia 520.
Samsung has clearly got a design ethos in mind, one that has been apparent since the Galaxy S3. The Samsung Galaxy S3 was far curvier than its predecessor, with its successor following very much in its footsteps.
With the Samsung Galaxy brand all very much in line, the Samsung Galaxy Fame is positioned at the very bottom, alongside the Samsung Galaxy Young. With vital statistics sitting at 113.2 x 61.6 x 11.6mm (4.46 x 2.43 x 0.46) in size and 120.6g (4.25oz) in weight, Samsung has created a handset that sits very comfortably in the hand, if a little heavier than expected.
Clues to the smaller price tag are certainly evident from the off, the smaller 3.5-inch screen with a 320 x 480 HVGA resolution and plastic body being the biggest clues. That said, Samsung has been a fan of using plastics on its devices since the off, with its appearance on its flagship smartphones always being a talking point. On the Samsung Galaxy Fame, the plastic feel fits the phone.
Sticking with the design of the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Samsung Galaxy Fame comes in two colours, our review model coming in white, with blue also being available. A faux metallic band surrounds the bezel, which is noticeably thicker than on premium handsets. The curved back wraps tightly round the back of the Fame, offering a reassuringly snug fit.
As with every modern smartphone, the screen dominates proceedings. The aforementioned HVGA resolution was always going to be a bit of a worry, but its diminutive size goes some way to helping. Thankfully, the resolution doesn't greatly hinder the phone, since Samsung's screen tech keeping things vivid and a lot brighter than expected.
Elsewhere on the front of the Samsung Galaxy Fame is the traditional Home button, sandwiched between the Menu and Return soft keys. At the opposite end is a metallic speaker, the VGA front-facing camera and a couple of sensors.
Underneath this, Samsung has powered the Galaxy Fame with a single core 1GHz processor, as well as 512MB of RAM. These sit alongside a VGA front-facing camera, 5MP rear snapper (with flash) and 4GB of internal storage, of which a mere 1.95GB is free.
Externally, the Samsung Galaxy Fame comes with the standard micro USB port at the bottom, sat alongside the microphone, with the 3.5mm headphone jack at the top.
Unsurprisingly, the volume rocker is on the left and the Power/Lock button is directly opposite, on the right-hand side. Being such a small phone, every inch of the screen - as well as every button - was easy to hit one-handed, which is ideal for the younger generation that Samsung seems to be aiming the Galaxy Fame at.
Behind the wrap-around back cover, which sits reassuringly tightly to the back of the Fame, the 1300mAh battery sits over the SIM slot. Thankfully, as with all Samsung Galaxy devices, the Samsung Galaxy Fame also comes equipped with a microSD slot, which even more thankfully is hot-swappable.
The Samsung Galaxy Fame shapes up to be an interesting prospect. The budget market has become increasingly packed with Android phones, with last year's flagship devices slipping down the price scales to sit alongside newly launched tech. The question is, will the Samsung Galaxy Fame live forever? Or will it crash into the ground while learning to fly?
Interface
Since the very first Samsung Galaxy phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy Portal, the Korean firm has been creating and tweaking its TouchWiz overlay. Samsung has fitted the Samsung Galaxy Fame with Android 4.1.2, treating you to the sweet sugary goodness of Jelly Bean, if not in its latest iteration.The 1GHz of power underneath the Samsung Galaxy Fame's hood is almost instantly noticeable from the lock screen. The usefulness of being able to have three apps that can be launched directly from here is somewhat subdued when it takes a couple of seconds to load the camera.
Which apps you choose to launch are customisable, but by default are ChatOn - Samsung's answer to BBM and iMessage - as well as the Google Now search engine and the Camera. Don't go expecting any fancy lock screen animations, such as a ripple, either.
The lack of power wasn't so noticeable once we got past the lock screen. The Samsung Galaxy Fame seemed to flow a lot better. There was a definite hesitation, but nothing frustrating.
TouchWiz has been built to be an intuitive interface, and it succeeds. Everything is simple to use, with Samsung providing some helpful little tips when you first use the Galaxy Fame. The biggest let down of the phone is one that seems to have appeared on a lot of lower-end handsets - namely the lack of an auto brightness feature. We really can't figure this one out.
The dock can only handle three apps alongside the app drawer launcher, given the smaller stature of the screen. This frustration is somewhat alleviated with the ability to create folders and put them in the dock. When creating folders you can't drag icons onto one another, rather you have to long-press and tap folders instead.
Throughout the phone, Samsung's tweaks are evident, no more so than with the widgets. The weather clock widget available on the Samsung Galaxy Fame is a very smart affair, reflecting the time and weather conditions based on your location.
Apps and widgets can be accessed via the phone's app drawer on the bottom-right, with long-presses dragging them over onto one of the home screens, and up to seven available. Samsung has also kindly given us the option to hide apps within the app drawer, so apps that can't be removed can at least be hidden.
One of the key features of any Android experience, emulated on later iOS versions, is the notifications bar. Swiping the bar down gives access to the notifications screen, complete with the quick settings that Samsung has put in every TouchWiz iteration.
There are a lot more options available than you may previously have been used to, and as we mentioned before, it moves across every time you open the bar. We could list all the available power saving options, but needless to say they cover GPS and Wi-Fi, as well as the mobile data and an interesting setting known as Blocking Mode.
Blocking Mode disables notifications, including calls from people who aren't on a set list. It can also be set to a timer, making it ideal for when you're asleep.
Elsewhere in the Samsung Galaxy Fame notifications bar is a brightness toggle, as well as the very smartly laid out clock and date in the top-left, opposite access to the phone's settings.
The Android Jelly Bean experience with swiping away notifications and expanding notifications is also present, making it easy to dismiss the spam emails or a Facebook message that you "don't want" when you're at work...
In all, the Samsung Galaxy Fame's interface is a pretty standard Samsung affair. Anybody used to playing with one of the Korean firm's handsets will feel immediately at home. TouchWiz isn't without its faults, but it is right up there with the best, with the Samsung Galaxy Fame's biggest flaw being the single-core heart beating at the centre.
Contacts and calling
Samsung's tweaks extend into the Contacts and Phone apps. This is neither a good nor a bad thing. The intuitive ability to phone or message contacts by side-swiping directly from the contacts list is a big bonus.Contacts
The Contacts app is little more than a very plain list of contacts. It's by no means an attractive app, but it certainly is very functional. Android has the ability to pull in all your contacts from a variety of different social accounts.The two main ones we foresee being of interest - Facebook and Google - are both there, with Samsung continually omitting Twitter. Thankfully, downloading the app from the Play Store resolves this issue.
Each contact is adorned with a profile picture, taken from either the Google assigned one or their Facebook profile picture. The contact list also shows you which accounts are linked to each contact.
Opening up the contact provides that person's details. A tiny low-res picture sits to the left, leaving a massive gap on the right. This is very disappointing, since the gap is left solely for Google+ updates (for those who have Google+ contacts). This area could be far better used for Facebook or Twitter updates, or a higher resolution image.
Unfortunately, Samsung's TouchWiz interface has suffered in comparison to other handsets, notably HTC's offerings, since there is very little social integration within the contacts app. As we mentioned, there are no social updates other than from Google+ (we actually had to think of conversation starters), and merging contacts from multiple accounts had so be done manually.
We could, and have, bemoaned Samsung's contact list for being a bit poorer than other offerings. In reality, it is little more than a very functional app based on the fantastic stock Android offering. This means that your list of contacts can be sorted into groups, have favourites or widgets, or go so far as assigning different contacts their own individual ringtone and vibration pattern.
Calling
In order to keep its title as a smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Fame needs to make phone calls. Thankfully, unlike higher-level processors and better cameras, this is a feature that Samsung hasn't omitted to keep costs down.Call quality was as we expected - nothing mind-blowing, but perfectly reasonable. With no second microphone to speak of, there was no super fancy noise reduction, but that wasn't a hindrance, because all of our contacts were able to hear us well, except in very windy conditions, or with a lot of traffic nearby.
Calling options are also out in force, with the ability to make a second call, access the keypad, put the call on speaker or mute, transfer the call to a bluetooth headset, or end the call all together. Nothing special there, but we are still glad to see them.
Samsung's biggest winner here is the set of post-calling options. All too often we have made a call and then forgotten to mention something, or have said "I'll text you the details". The Koreans must have known this, because for a second after the call has ended, there are quick buttons to recall, video call or text that contact. It may be a small feature, but Samsung phones really benefit from it.
Within the Phone app, a large white T9 dialler greets you. Continuing Samsung's functional theme, there is very little to say about the looks. Thankfully, smart dialling is on offer - typing 323 bringing up both Dad, as well as any contacts with 323 within the phone number.
While many people would consider it a staple of the smartphone diet, its inclusion on the Samsung Galaxy Fame is well received given that it doesn't appear on iOS or Windows handsets such as the Nokia Lumia 520.
With the inclusion of a front-facing camera, the Samsung Galaxy Fame is also able to support video calls. These can be made normally, although we'd suggest that the majority of conversations will take place over apps such as Skype.
Messaging
With the feature phones of old relying on a very heavy mix of SMS and calls, smart handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy Fame rely more on IM and email services such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Gmail.If we start with the SMS app, again this is another functional and unattractive app. This is highly disappointing, because LG has shown on the Optimus L3 2 just how nice the app can look. The blue and yellow bubbles can be changed, as can the background. It's a bit of a shame that one of the others isn't set by default, since we don't see many people actively searching these changes out.
One useful feature of the SMS app is the ability to change the text size by using the volume keys, which is ideal for older users. Given that we see the Samsung Galaxy Fame being heavily targeted and used by much younger audiences, this feature may prove to be a little redundant.
Group messaging is also very easy. For this, selecting the small icon that looks a little like the contacts icon brings up your contacts list, meaning you can choose to text multiple people, even from your list of favourites and recently contacted people.
Because SMS is slowly being replaced by alternate messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, BBM and iMessage, Samsung is keen to get in on the action. WhatsApp is proving to be very popular across multiple operating systems, and is thankfully available on the Samsung Galaxy Fame. BBM has been announced for iOS and Android phones, though Apple's iMessage is unavailable on devices other than iOS-powered ones.
Samsung has also provided its own option, dubbed ChatON. While having all the right ingredients to prove a successful IM app, the large amount of other OEM devices and other IM services, coupled with the lack of contacts we found, make ChatON a little disappointing.
Google Talk has also been replaced with Google Hangouts, its newly branded instant messaging and video calling service. This service links in with your Google accounts, making it easier to find contacts who are online and available to message. There is also a dedicated Google+ Messenger app, which is highly confusing.
In order to type all the messages, you need a decent keyboard. We can't put our finger on the exact reasons why, but we found that the Samsung Galaxy Fame keyboard was a little sub-par for what we hoped. The smaller screen makes the whole keyboard a little cramped, and the autocorrect feature is hardly the best we've ever seen.
Samsung's offering does give you continuous input (the Korean firm's answer to Swype) and we were also impressed with the ability to swipe the entire keyboard to the side in order to switch between different keyboard inputs - it's a slightly easier option than finding the tiny button in the corner.
One of the major bonuses of the Samsung Galaxy Fame's screen size is that it means you can use the keyboard one-handed. Unfortunately, the compromise is that it makes it slightly more squashed, which given the poorer autocorrect meant we had to type a lot slower.
On the flip-side, we've commented before that on 4-inch screened phones, landscape typing can be a little more difficult, given the size. The smaller screen on the Samsung Galaxy Fame is the complete opposite, with the screen size being nigh on perfect for two-handed landscape typing.
The newly updated Gmail app is a far cleaner and more attractive option than before, and is still highly usable. The new colours make it brighter, and it comes packed with all the features that you can get from the desktop version.
The update also throws in contacts' pictures, making the whole app feel clean and well put together. Labelling and archiving emails also shows just how intuitive the Gmail app is.
For other email accounts besides Gmail, the stock Android Email app is available, and is very easy to set up. Pop in your account information and the necessary details are all drawn in automatically. On the odd occasion, you may need to manually input POP or IMAP settings.
Inside the app is just about everything you could wish for from an Email client, including an aggregated inbox to handle multiple accounts.
Internet
As with every Android Jelly Bean device since the Google Nexus 7 tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Fame comes with both Google Chrome and a stock internet browser. We've said it before, and we can say it again, that both browsers are pretty much identical, with the stock Android browser having come on in leaps and bounds since its inception.Unsurprisingly there is no 4G LTE chip in the Samsung Galaxy Fame. Yes you heard that right. Shame really. Well, not really, because the 1GHz internal chip is able to cope with 3G speeds, but the speeds of 4G would still be hampered by the slower clock speed.
The 1GHz internals really do seem to slow the whole internet experience down, more so than we have seen on other, identically specced handsets. The LG Optimus L5 2, for example, has the same size chipset yet provided a much smoother experience.
The screen was also a problem when it came to using the Samsung Galaxy Fame. 3.5 inches is just not sufficient for anything other than very basic use, such as light reading on a mobile site, or checking up on your team's scores on a sports site.
When surfing the net (do they still say that?), we'd recommend the standard internet app for once, even though the Chrome app ties in a lot better across multiple devices and platforms.
That said, both browsers can pull in your saved Google bookmarks if you sign in with your Google account, and both browsers offer incognito browsing too.
It's a real shame that we couldn't find a way of getting text reflow to work on the Samsung Galaxy Fame - all the methods we could think of, such as a double-tap on the screen, didn't work. There was a certain level of zooming that worked, but the text didn't reflow itself.
A useful feature of the native browser is offline viewing. This is useful to an extent, because pages are saved as images. While functional, this means that there is no ability to open links within the page, even when your data connection returns.
Standard Android options present on the Samsung Galaxy Fame include the ability to select text easily, by long-pressing on an area of text. This brings up two sliders, marking the beginning and end of highlighted text. These can be adjusted so you can select as much or as little text as needed, then tap again to copy the words you've highlighted to the clipboard, to be pasted into another app.
Elsewhere in the settings there are varying toggles, such as the useful ability to turn off image loading and disable plug-ins, which is ideal for those on restrictive data plans. Settings also highlights the security features on offer, such as password management and location features.
The internet experience on the Samsung Galaxy Fame is generally very poor. It might just have been our review handset, but we found Chrome almost unusable, as every page we went to load just gave us a black screen. Speeds over Wi-Fi and 3G connections were generally acceptable, although for serious web browsing, the Samsung Galaxy Fame is definitely not the phone for you.
Camera
For a phone that comes in significantly cheaper than some of its higher-end rivals - such as the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, Huawei Ascend G510, Sony Xperia J and LG Optimus L5 2 - the Samsung Galaxy Fame also packs in a 5MP rear-facing sensor, complete with a front-facing camera that was notably omitted on the latter of the aforementioned rivals.Being able to launch the camera from the lock screen initially seems to be a major bonus, one that seems to be making its way over to many smartphone operating systems and interfaces. The lack of internal grunt is a major problem, however. We swiped to unlock to the camera, and were given the home screen, leading us to believe that we hadn't opened the camera, but then a second later the camera opened.
This is a really frustrating problem. We've seen that it takes a few seconds on other smartphones, but it really did seem to take an age to load the camera app. That funny cat pose, baby's first steps and that pretty butterfly will have long gone before you even get the camera to focus.
The lack of a dedicated shutter button for the camera app is also an annoyance, but one that we have come to accept, since it is so often omitted on smartphone cameras. We were very happy to find that customisable autofocus points can be selected by tapping on the screen, and we found that the volume rocker can double up as a zoom changer.
There isn't a massive level of zoom available on the Samsung Galaxy Fame - it just goes up to 2x. We know that a digital zoom is hardly worth having anyway, because it reduces the image resolution, but for those who like to use it, only zooming in to 2x is really poor.
In terms of features, the Samsung Galaxy Fame camera has just about all you would expect - a flash, image size, geotagging, three colour effects (black and white, sepia and negative), scene modes, ISO, white balance and a timer.
Generally we found that these features aren't of much use on phone cameras, tending to be for the more serious photographer - someone very unlikely to use the Samsung Galaxy Fame.
Samsung does provide different shooting modes, such as Single Shot, Panorama, Share Shot and Smile Shot. We see the Single Shot being the one you'll most frequently use, because Share Shot shares your photos via Wi-Fi direct connections (something that is only really prevalent on other Samsung Galaxy devices), and Smile Shot is dedicated for portrait pictures.
Click here to see the full resolution image
Click here to see the full resolution image
Click here to see the full resolution image
Click here to see the full resolution image
Click here to see the full resolution image
Click here to see the full resolution image
Video
As with just about every smartphone these days, the Video app here is just a continuation of the camera app. The Samsung Galaxy Fame therefore includes the same black and white, sepia and negative effects alongside white balance and exposure adjustments.Samsung has also provided the Galaxy Fame with the ability to limit video sizing for MMS, fitting in with the idea that the video isn't designed for the big screen, but more for messaging to friends. That becomes even clearer when you find out that the video recording is limited to VGA resolution (640 x 480).
In all, the video app is very lacking. Given that we see the Samsung Galaxy Fame in the mitts of the younger generation, being used at high school to record the day's nonsense, we highly doubt that any other features would have been used anyway.
Media
Looking at the Samsung Galaxy Fame, it is immediately obvious that media consumption was not at the fore of the designers' minds. The smaller screen being too small, with a lower resolution, makes it a poor choice for watching anything other than short YouTube clips.Plus the tiny 1.95GB of storage available after Android and others have taken up a chunk of the 4GB memory is uninspiring, though it can be expanded via the phone's micro SD card slot or cloud storage via the Dropbox app.
Music
The Music app is again another basic affair, with some of Samsung's touches popping up. The most notable special touch is the Music Square. This is a very peculiar piece of tech, one that we have seen before in other phones but that we have very high reservations about nevertheless. In simple terms, the Samsung Galaxy Fame will sort your music by its mood, so that you can select the appropriate square to match the way you're feeling, and have the phone play songs to match.Load up the music player and you are greeted with a rather fancy stock Android player. This also brings up a little bar in the notifications area, as it has on Samsung Galaxy phones for years. From here you can play/pause and skip tracks.
There is also a widget to accompany it, which again we were glad to see. Our only slight disappointment was the inability to control it all directly from the lock screen. Within the Samsung Galaxy Fame's music player are the usual shuffle, skip and repeat functions.
The music player also offers equaliser settings that have been put into a Sound Alive screen, which includes quite a long list of settings, such as Pop, Rock, Jazz through to Virtual 7.1 and Concert Hall. There's even a custom setting, should you really feel the need to go to town with it.
Video
When it comes to video, we were a little shocked to find that the Samsung Galaxy Fame didn't wish to play our test video. We've found on a few of the lower end handsets that we are greeted with a warning on the desktop showing that the phone might not be able to play the video, but until now they have all managed it anyway.Thankfully there is the option to convert it, however the estimated conversion time of the 90 minute video was around an hour. We left the video to convert, but in its new WMV format, the Samsung Galaxy Fame was still unable to play the file.
Samsung claims that the Galaxy Fame can play MPEG4, 3GPP, MKV and WebM file types, yet our test video was originally in MP4 format.
The video player itself is a basic affair, offering play, pause and manual selection of timing placements. Don't expect to see pop-up play on the Samsung Galaxy Fame, although with a screen that small we're not entirely surprised or bothered.
Radio and photos
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Fame with an FM radio, however. We found that it had some trouble picking up some of the stations that we expected it to, which was a little disheartening. The app itself is well designed, again being perfectly functional.The Gallery app is again another functional app. Tiles show each folder, with the Samsung Galaxy Fame able to pull in our Picasa/Google+ photo albums, though not our Facebook shots. Editing photos taken on the Samsung Galaxy Fame is, unfortunately, not possible.
Battery, connectivity, maps and apps
Battery life
When we were told that the Samsung Galaxy Fame was only being graced with a 1300mAh battery, we scoffed a little. Dealing with flagship phones with massive screens must have left us with the idea that massive batteries were the in thing.In truth, with a tiny screen and a lower clocked processor, 1300mAh is more than sufficient. We did find ourselves leaving the screen on maximum brightness most of the time, because the lack of an auto brightness feature meant that we forgot to turn it down.
With the small screen and the low powered processor, the whole use of the phone is geared towards stretching out a longer battery life. Media consumption and game playing were kept to a minimum as the Samsung Galaxy Fame struggled to cope with anything too strenuous, although it coped admirably with our need to update social media accounts and send messages to all of our friends.
Elsewhere, Samsung's TouchWiz interface means that quick settings are in the notifications bar, enabling you to disable and enable Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and other such battery draining settings at will.
Connectivity
When it comes to connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy Fame comes packed with everything that you could imagine a phone at the bottom end of the market would.3G/HSUPA is supported to HSDPA 7.2Mbps and HSUPA 5.76Mbps, along with Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, NFC, Bluetooth with A2DP support and GPS/GLONASS.
Wi-Fi Direct, which has already been available across Samsung Galaxy phones for a while, is also available.
For those who are unaware of what GLONASS is, it's a Russian developed, slightly less accurate location system, that we've heard is necessary to avoid import taxes to Russia. It does mean that location tracking is even faster.
Connection to a PC is done via the supplied micro USB cable, with file transfer available via mass storage or via digital camera software. Mass storage is the easiest, so you can hook up the Samsung Galaxy Fame as a standard USB storage device for dragging and dropping files. On the Galaxy Fame, Samsung has provided a file manager, meaning that any files you put onto it are easily located.
Samsung also has its proprietary Kies software, should you want a desktop manager for your Galaxy Fame.
Apps
With the Google Play Store pushing Apple further than ever, and holding off the Windows app store too, apps are very easy to get hold of on the Samsung Galaxy Fame. Usefully, games and apps in the Store are viewable by Top Free, Top Paid, Top Grossing, Top New Free and Top New Paid groups, helping to filter out the excess rubbish.Pre-installed apps are kept to a minimum, with Samsung's Game and Apps hubs on offer alongside the standard Google offerings in the way of Google+, Hangouts, Gmail, Google Play, Play Music and YouTube, and alongside the Mapping apps such as Maps, Local and Navigation.
The Samsung Galaxy Fame comes with very little in the way of S-inspired apps that have made themselves famous on larger, more powerful Samsung Galaxy handsets. So there's no S Translate, S Travel, S Suggest or S Voice, but there is the S Planner, which is a fancy name for a calendar app.
Facebook also comes pre-installed, making it easier to set the Samsung Galaxy Fame up from the very start. Twitter, however, must be located and downloaded from the Google Play Store.
Dropbox is also included, in order to help relieve the stress on the tiny 1.95GB of storage available from the 4GB that is initially stated.
Samsung's Game and Apps hubs are just more app stores, really. We've seen OEMs input their own stores onto phones before, but we have yet to see a massive point in any of them, because the Google Play Store is so well populated.
Maps
As you have heard it all before, we won't go into much detail with regards to the Google Maps app. If you've used the desktop version, you'll have a fairly good understanding of how the app works and what it can do.Being possibly the most well-known Google product, after its search function, Google Maps was always going to get a lot of love and attention. As with every iteration on every device, the application is absolutely superb, if hampered by the really poor processor.
GPS lock on was rather snappy, aided by the GLONASS system.
Google Maps also includes Navigation software. We've always been impressed by Google's effort here, not least because it's free. There are other sat nav apps available from the Google Play Store, of course, but when you're in a spot of bother, Google will easily sort you out.
One feature we are fond of is that it taps into traffic data, and can tell you how long your route is set to take in those conditions. This means if you pull to the side of the road - we're safe drivers - you can easily reroute. We'd have liked active rerouting, but for a free app we're not arguing.
Hands on gallery
Official gallery
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Fame is another Galaxy handset designed to sit towards the bottom of the range, competing in the challenging budget smartphone market. This leaves it to play against the likes of the LG Optimus L3 2, the Nokia Lumia 520 and Samsung's other offering, the Samsung Galaxy Young.As the song goes, we looked, and now we're going to tell you what we saw. Given time though, we really don't see the Samsung Galaxy Fame making us forget the rest.
We liked
If we see it, we like it. We're talking about microSD card support. We put it in our "we liked" section a lot, but that is purely because it is omitted from so many modern smartphones. Having support for microSD cards really boosts the internal storage, of which the Samsung Galaxy Fame has very little.We also like the TouchWiz interface. It has got a lot better since its early days, increasing to become a highly usable and intuitive UI. It gives Android Jelly Bean a really nice feel, being simple enough for novices, yet with enough features to satisfy more seasoned users too.
The design is also very nice. It sits nicely in the hand, is easy to use one-handed, and fits very well into the existing Samsung Galaxy range, being very much the baby brother to the flagship phones. The plastic feel suits the Samsung Galaxy Fame too, given the much smaller price tag.
NFC is also making its way onto the lower-end phones, so it is nice to see that the Samsung Galaxy Fame is another handset that includes it even at the low end cost.
We disliked
Our biggest bugbear is the processor. We've used phones with a single-core 1GHz processor before, and it wasn't too long ago that they were gracing the likes of the HTC Desire or the Samsung Galaxy S.They have since popped up in the cheaper devices and been fine, yet the Samsung Galaxy Fame really seems to suffer. Loading the camera app from the lock screen is the biggest culprit, with it taking more than a few seconds to kick into gear.
The tiny screen is also a problem. It is low resolution, has no auto brightness feature, and results in a tiny keyboard. This made it very fiddly to use, and the autocorrect function is not really up to the standard we have come to expect from a modern smartphone.
The camera is also really poor. The 5MP sensor takes decent enough photos in the right lighting conditions, but on a bright sunny day, light areas lose a lot of detail. Video recording is also really poor, with the 640 x 480 VGA resolution not enough for filming anything of note.
Final verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Fame is not a phone that will live forever, and it hasn't quite learned to fly. It is clear from the very outset that Samsung has used the ingredients to create a lower-end smartphone, such as the smaller internal chipset, the smaller screen and the low internal storage.In doing so the Samsung Galaxy Fame, in a continuation of the Samsung Galaxy range's design, feels a little underpowered. The feel of the Samsung Galaxy Fame, with the TouchWiz interface and external design, is reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, and makes you want to see it as a more expensive handset.
The smaller chipset generally nipped along fairly well when swiping between home screens, but when waking up to the camera or loading slightly larger apps, the Samsung Galaxy Fame struggled really quite noticeably, to the point where we were feeling rather frustrated.
We can see the Samsung Galaxy Fame selling a fair few units, especially given its super low price tag, and we don't see that as a bad thing, given that the majority of users will likely be young, and wanting a way of connecting to Facebook, but for anything more substantial, the handset really struggles.
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PS4 pulls ahead of Xbox One in our office chart
To say it's been a big week for gaming would be an understatement. As if we weren't still getting over the excitement of E3, Microsoft pulled one of the most significant U-turns we've ever seen.
But now that we've had some time to recover, we thought it would be fun to ask an office of tech journalists from TechRadar, T3 and Gizmodo what console they're most inclined to buy in the near future.
We found that the PS4 came out on top with 36 per cent, but the Xbox One wasn't far behind at 20 per cent - with some of the voters admitting they had turned in favour of Microsoft after its DRM reversal.
Even Ouya gets a look in
24 per cent remained undecided though, most of them saying that they were either waiting for everything to blow over before they made an informed decision, or weren't yet enticed enough yet to care.Interestingly, Ouya got eight per cent, while another eight per cent said that they were actually gravitating to the current gen offerings after E3.
Oh, and there was one vote for a 'Super Mega Gaming PC' to overshadow all other consoles. Which we think is fair enough.
So there you go. That's what we're feeling right now. But we're still a while off the PS4 and Xbox One releases - plenty of time to change our minds.
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Opinion: Seriously, why is a decent Android tablet so hard to find?
Have you any idea how hard it is to buy the perfect Android tablet? This is where Apple fan boys say: "Buy an iPad." But what if you don't want an iPad? What if you actually prefer the Android OS or just fancy something a little bit different? There's loads of choice. But there are also loads of boxes left unticked.
I'll tell you where I'm coming from. Until a few weeks back, I was the loving owner of an iPad Mini. LTE-compatible, 64GB. Sorted. But let's be honest: it's not actually all that good when you compare it to the cream of the smartphone crop.
As a tech fanboy, there was loads I wanted to do with my iPad but could only get away with because I'd jailbroken the device.
Yep, had to invalidate my warranty, just so I could do simple things like select Google Maps as the default app that opened to replace Apple's sorry attempt, and have more app shortcuts onscreen. Seriously, Apple, is that so wrong?
Dancing pixels
The other thing that grated was the resolution of the iPad mini. Reading text on it compared to the iPhone 5 was like going from a Porsche to a Proton, and the pixels just wouldn't stop dancing in front of my eyes. Reading on the Kindle app drove my crazy! Something had to change.And that's where the consumer nightmare began in my Android tablet quest. My list of requirements wasn't totally out of the realms of possibility: 64GB memory (minimum), not too heavy, sharp screen and a cellular radio. Is that so extravagant?
Apparently so, when you check out what's on offer.
In the end, I settled for a Galaxy Note 10.1. Even though it's been out for the best part of a year, I figured it was the best alternative. Great looks (beauty is in the eye of the beholder, remember) and an S-Pen I could have fun with.
But even though the cellular radio was there and the ability to add a 64GB card, the resolution wasn't - so back it went. Once you've seen something approaching Retina, you can't unsee those pixels.
What came next? A budget tablet, that's what. A Nexus 7. Again, a device coming up to its first birthday but one with a pretty sharp screen - even if the colour quality is more Easyjet than Virgin First Class. And a cellular radio - thank God. But no expandable memory and 32GB the highest available denomination.
Others, like the Asus Transformer have great screens but no LTE. And there's no way I wanted to go for a Padfone because, well, it makes no sense when you actually hold it.
Critical (low) mass
And then, one bright and sunny morn in Barcelona, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z appeared. If you've read my full breakdown, you'll see that I am a huge fan. But I was even more critical, and for one reason - this is MY device.It's not a review unit that goes back when the words are printed: this set me back a hefty chunk of my own cash. Make no mistake, if there was the slightest issue, it'd be going straight back and that money would be clawed back under the Distance Selling Act.
Right now, this is the best Android tablet money can buy. Screw it, it's the best tablet out there full stop. There's something here to tick every box, from design to connectivity to innovation. And while it's being carried around in a Jiffy bag until the cases are eventually (sigh) in stock, I think it'll be with me for some time yet.
Or, until HTC brings us a tablet version of the HTC One.
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Sony Xperia ZU release date, news and rumours
Sony is apparently working on a super-sized smartphone - a phablet if you will - over in Japan as it eyes up the market currently dominated by the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
The handset originally leaked as the Sony Togari, but since January it's blossomed into the Sony Xperia ZU, and even more recently the Xperia Z Ultra - a naming regime which highlights that this will be a top of the range device.
Like it or not, the phablet market is continuing to grow as more and more manufacturers join Samsung in the oversized phone arena, so it's no great surprise that Sony is looking to jump on the bandwagon with LG, Huawei, Acer and ZTE.
There have been a number of leaks and rumours floating around the web for the past few months, so we've gathered them together to bring you an overview of what Sony might be planning.
Sony Xperia ZU release date and price
While there's no clear indication of a Sony Xperia ZU release date, we reckon we have an idea when the Japanese firm will unveil its super-sized smartphone.Over in Germany Sony has sent out invites to an event on June 25, while in France invites to a July 4 event show a slender handset propped up to one side while claiming Sony Mobile has a "big surprise" in store - how exciting!
If the Xperia Z Ultra does indeed make an appearance at one or both of these shows then you can probably expect the handset to hit stores towards the end of July/beginning of August.
And you might want to start saving now, as you can bet your bottom dollar that it won't be arriving on the cheap.
Sony Xperia ZU display
There seems to be some confusion of the size of the screen on the Xperia ZU, but one common theme from all the leaks we've seen so far is that it's going to be over 6 inches.The first round of rumours suggested the Sony Togari (as it was known then) would sport a mega 6.44-inch, full HD display which would trump the 6.1-inch Huawei Ascend Mate and Samsung's recently announced 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega.
This report was backed up a few months later by a couple of different sources - the latter of which also quoted a 342ppi pixel density on an IPS LCD screen with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution.
However there's a twist in this 6.44-inch tale, as the most recent spec leak for the Xperia ZU points towards the Sony handset having a slightly smaller, 6.21-inch display with a 1,824 x 1,080 resolution.
Sony Xperia ZU OS
There's not been a great deal of talk surrounding the operating system the Xperia ZU could be running. Perhaps that's because everyone assumes Android is at it's heart, but only recently has Google's platform actually been name checked.According to a series of leaked screenshots claiming to show various details of the Xperia Z Ultra, you can expect the latest version of Google's software to adorn this phablet - Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
To be honest we struggle to see how it will be anything else. There's the tiniest of outside chances Android 4.3 Jelly Bean may make an appearance, but considering the Xperia ZU launch is potentially days away we reckon Google may have already piped up with a release of Android 4.3 too.
Sony Xperia ZU processor
What goes hand in hand with a big screen? Big power, of course. And the Xperia ZU looks set to follow that trend with reports pointing towards a meaty 2.3GHz quad-core processor will be found inside.This has also been quoted by another source, with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 looking like the chip of choice for the ZU.
Another source has suggested it will pack four cores clocked at 2.2GHz - but perhaps that's a little typo - backed up with a decent 2GB of RAM.
Sony Xperia ZU additional specs
In terms of built-in storage the Xperia ZU looks set to come with 16GB, although a microSD slot looks like a nailed on certainty as it follows in the footsteps of the flagship Sony Xperia Z.Early leaks suggested we may see a beefy 20MP Cyber-shot camera complete with Carl Zeiss lens slapped on the back of the Xperia ZU, but more recent rumours seem to play down this powerful camera.
The Xperia ZU looks more likely to actually sport a more reserved 8MP snapper instead, while on the front we could be looking at a 1.3MP option.
With such a large screen and powerful processor the Xperia Z Ultra will need a battery big enough to keep it alive, and we're hearing it could arrive at around the 3000mAh mark.
This would be a touch smaller than the 3100mAh battery found in the Galaxy Note 2 and considering the Xperia ZU is supposed to be sporting a larger, higher resolution display battery life could be an issue.
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Information Commissioner hits Google over Street View
The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has given Google a rap on the knuckles for the collection of payload data, including email addresses, URLs and passwords, during the collection of information by its Street View cars.
It has served an enforcement notice for the offence, and Stephen Eckersley, ICO Head of Enforcement, said Google has 35 days to delete the data or find itself in the dock for contempt of court.
The company collected the data from Wi-Fi networks as its cars drove around the country between 2007-10. In 2012 it admitted that it had accidentally retained four disks' worth of data, but it was quarantined rather than deleted.
The decision was made after the ICO found that Google collected the data through a "procedural failing" and "serious lack of management oversight".
No fine
It has not leveled a fine on Google, but said it will be watching it closely in the future.Eckersley said: "The early days of Google Street View should be seen as an example of what can go wrong if technology companies fail to understand how their products are using personal information. The punishment for this breach would have been far worse, if this payload data had not been contained."
The ICO is still looking into whether Google has violated the Data Protection Act.
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Available Tags:PS4 , Xbox , Apple , TechRadar , Android , Facebook , security , Sony , YouTube , AOL , AOL , UK , Google , Samsung , Galaxy , tablet ,
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