Hands-on review: LG Optimus F5
While handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One are pushing 4G into the hands of more and more people, there's a segment of the market that simply can't afford these premium 4G handsets.
LG is doing its best to cater to this market, launching its Optimus F5 handset to provide the prepaid market an affordable 4G-enabled device. At AUD$299 outright (roughly $US285, £185), the handset certainly ticks the affordable check box.
A quick perusal of the spec sheet also promises plenty of features you'd expect from a higher-class of phone. A 4.3-inch IPS display, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and 8GB of internal storage expandable via MicroSD would all be appropriate for devices costing significantly more.
While it only comes with the 4.1 version of Jelly Bean running the show, the benefit of affordability over most up to date software should be enough to keep the budget-conscious happy.
Design
Can you say iClone? Of course you can. But that's almost exactly what the handset looks like front on. The screen proportions, the bezel, and even the front camera and earpiece look like they were magically transported directly from Jonny Ive's brain.
Of course, there are differences too. There's no hard home button, for a start. Instead, the standard Android trio of touch sensitive soft buttons line up below the F5's screen.
The IPS display is vibrant and colourful, with great viewing angles and a decent resolution at 960 x 550 pixels at 256ppi.
The bottom of the device houses a MicroUSB port, while the left of the phone is home to the volume rocker and the power button lives on theright hand side.
The removable plastic back is a glossy white with a fancy diamond pattern, which surrounds the phone's 5-megapixel camera. Take it off, and you can see the removable 2150mAh battery, SIM card slot and MicroSD port.
The plastic backing the phone is a little bit slippery. That diamond pattern isn't actually textured onto the case, unfortunately, and the slippery plastic feel does make its way onto the sides of the phones as well.
The overall feeling is that the phone could slip from your grip at any second. Mind you, phones like the Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 have the same sort of feel, so it's hardly a deal-breaker.
The F5 is also much chunkier than you'd expect. At 9.3mm thick, it's hardly what we'd call fat, but it does feel significantly wider than the premium phones of today.
It's also feels heavier than it looks, coming in at 134 grams.
Power and the passion
While power users will hate the lack of the most recent version of Jelly Bean, there's no denying that the 4.1 version, coupled with the dual-core Snapdragon processor, actually makes the F5 sing.Animations are smooth, transitions are fast and the integrated features are nice too.
LG has stuffed its QSlide functionality, previously seen on the Optimus G into the F5. It lets you multitask, adding different apps on top of your current screen and adjusting the transparency so you can keep doing what your doing.
There are QSlide apps for video, memos, internet, calendar and calculator, and two can be used at a time.
The QSlide apps work pretty well. We saw a video of the Family Guy playing back in a transparent window while the main phone switched between apps and took notes.
LG has also bundled in its Quick Memo function, which lets you take a note on F5's, which can stay on the screen until you're ready to clear it away. Useful for taking down a phone number then calling that number.
One other nifty feature is the ability to customise pretty much any botton on the home page, making icons bigger or smaller for convenience, as well as changing the icon image.
This includes the ability to take photos and use the subsequent image as an app icon. Which is kind of neat, really, when you think about it.
Early Verdict
This handset isn't meant to compete with the likes of the Galaxy S4 or Xperia Z. It's a mid-range handset aimed at converting prepaid customers to 4G.But given its snappy performance and bargain price point, there's a lot to like about the F5, in a way that sees it competing with phones double its price.
The handset itself seems well-made, and while it's not going to win any beauty pageants, it certainly doesn't look ugly.
There are question marks over the 5MP camera, and we haven't tested to see how well the processor performs under duress, but overall this looks like a really promising handset for affordable 4G access.
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Blip: Optus launches devices for its 4G TD-LTE network
Last month, Optus launched it's new 4G TD-LTE network in Canberra, but you couldn't use it as devices were only compatible with FD-LTE 4G networks.
Today, Optus announced the availability of Optus' dual-band devices, the E5776 Wi-Fi modem and the E3276 v2 premium USB mode, which are compatible with both TD-LTE and FD-LTE networks.
The dual-band devices are available on both prepaid and postpaid plans, with plans starting from about $50 a month.
Only 13 network sites have been turned on in Canberra's city centre, but Optus plans to expand the network to over 50 sites by the end of the year.
More blips!
Don't care about TD-LTE or not a Canberran? Here are some more blips that maybe more to your liking!- Microsoft's E3 teaser trailer goes big on Xbox One games
- White Nexus 4 sells out in a flash in the States
- Jelly Bean set to be bigger than Gingerbread in under a month
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Nintendo reportedly recalling 8GB Wii U 'basic' following E3
Nintendo has reportedly issued a retailer recall of all basic edition bundles of its Wii U console.
The $300 basic bundle comes with an 8GB console and is missing some of the bonuses of the more expensive deluxe Wii U package, including added hard drive space, the game Nintendo Land, and a deluxe digital rewards program.
But Nintendo has ordered retailers like GameStop to return all new and unopened basic edition Wii U bundles on June 18, the Tuesday following the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, according to Kotaku.
Chances are Nintendo will announce something at E3 that makes sense of this, like a price drop for the $350 32GB deluxe Wii U or a new Wii U bundle that will replace the basic set.
Nintendo's more intimate E3
Kotaku spoke with "a reliable retail source" with "a good track record." Nintendo and GameStop, meanwhile, have not been helpful.But a user on the gaming forums neoGAF corroborated the story, also claiming that Wii U basic sets are being recalled, in a post with no connection to Kotaku's article.
Nintendo has a lot to prove at this year's E3; it announced in April that unlike in past years, it won't hold a press conference during E3 2013.
Instead, the game company will have several smaller briefings where press will get a close look at what it has to offer.
The Wii U had a slow start but we're hoping to see it pick up as Nintendo announces more first-party games in beloved series like Mario and The Legend of Zelda.
- Did Nintendo make the right call in not holding an E3 press conference? Here's why TechRadar thinks they chose the wrong year to skip.
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Computex: Intrigued by biometric sensing tech? Intel is betting big you are
Intel is preparing for the future by betting big on gesture and voice controls, biometrics, and other "perceptual" computing technologies, according to a report out Computex 2013.
Intel will invest $100 million (about UK£64.9 million, AU$104 million) over the next two to three years in companies that make breakthroughs in these areas, the Wall Street Journal learned at the Taiwanese trade show.
No doubt the company hopes to ride the crest of a wave of such technologies dropping soon, the most recent example being Microsoft's highly publicized Xbox One game console.
"The idea of the $100 million fund is you go find companies that have those kinds of innovative breakthroughs and help get them to work," said Intel's Asia-Pacific Vice President Gregory Bryant.
The future is hands free
Other technologies Intel will focus on include imaging and emotion sensing, the WSJ reported.The site added that Intel is already working with a firm called Creative Technology on 3D cameras for PCs that will go on sale this year, as well as with other hardware manufacturers on getting depth-sensing 3D cameras built into devices.
But Intel executives wouldn't mention any specific companies that will benefit from the $100 million fund, according to the WSJ.
Last year Intel announced it was working with Nuance, makers of Dragon dictation and speech recognition software, on new software for Intel laptops.
- Check out all of the next-gen Xbox One Kinect, which will control your TV entertainment and gaming experiences with equal ease.
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Ofcom wants answers from Three following 3G network crash
UK mobile operating Three UK faces questions from communications regulator Ofcom, following a data services outage that left many customers without 3G internet access for long periods on Tuesday.
The network has issued an apology for the outage, but in a statement to Sky News, Ofcom said it will seek clarification from Three over the incident.
A spokesperson for the regulator said: "Ofcom is aware that Three customers have been affected by a recent mobile data outage on its network.
"We understand that data services have now been restored but are continuing to liaise with Three to understand the cause of problem."
All night long
Three was quick to say sorry to its customers on Wednesday, claiming its engineers pulled an all-nighter to resolve the problems, but the communications failed to offer any insight as to the cause"Our engineers have worked through the night to resolve some issues related to yesterday's internet access problems that affected some of our customers' internet access.
"All services, including My3 account services have been restored and we are monitoring closely so we can address any performance issues if they arise.
"Voice and text services remained available throughout. We apologise for any interruption of service and for those affected - thank you for your patience."
If in doubt, reboot
The network had claimed on Tuesday afternoon that the issue had been fixed, but users continued to experience problems well into the evening.Any of the network's 9 million customers who're still without data service have been advised to reboot their handset.
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Torrent site owners threatened with a decade in the clink in new crackdown
Owners of websites providing illegal access to copyrighted materials are being warned they face up to ten years in prison as part of the latest online piracy crackdown in the UK.
Proprietors of suspected sites have started to receive letters from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, as part of a joint effort with the City of London police, TorrentFreak reports.
The law enforcement agencies are working with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and the British Phonographic Industry to target serial offenders.
In the letter, the NFIB wrote: "We have reasonable grounds to suspect that through your ownership and/or operation of the website known as 'XXXXX', you are involved in online copyright infringement."
SOCA and see
The letters go on to state how these offences, punishable under the Serious Organised Crime Act 2007, can carry a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.The notices encourage offenders to get in touch with the authorities to prevent "the further commission of offenses" and promise police action if a response is not received by July 14 2014.
In a statement to TorrentFreak, the NFIB confirmed the operation is underway: "City of London Police has begun an initiative to target websites that attract visitors by providing unauthorised access to copyrighted content for criminal gain.
"These websites are able to operate and profit from advertising on their sites without having licenses or paying the creators and owners of the films, TV programmes, music and publications."
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Little interest left in 3D TV as buyers target smart sets, retailer admits
Interest in 3D TV has bottomed out among consumers, with Smart TV functionality becoming the number one priority for prospective buyers, according to tech retailer John Lewis,
While the predicted craze never caught on in the way the industry had hoped, the company's Vision Buyer Jon Kemper there's now 'little interest left' in 3D among those visiting John Lewis stores.
Speaking to TrustedReviews, Kemper said: "We are not seeing much consumer interest in 3D. It's not the primary purchase decision anymore.
"I don't think 3D is as big a story as it was two or three years ago. There is a demand but there is much less noise around it and consumer interest in it now," he added.
It's a given
Kemper admitted what many observers have been saying for years, that the necessity of 3D glasses and the dearth of content would be the real barrier to mass 3D adoption."Wearing 3D glasses in the home was always going to be a reason customers didn't move to 3D [and] 3D content is still limited, he said "There is no doubt that some of the benefits of Smart TV are of real consumer interest."
However, the lack of interest doesn't mean 3D TVs are going to disappear for our living rooms with Kemper saying: "It's a given anyway in most premium sets now."
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Updated: Best compact cameras 2013
Best advanced compact cameras
There are hundreds of digital compact cameras on the market, with advanced, superzoom and rugged camera options all being available, which makes finding the right one quite tricky.The right choice, of course, depends on what you want from your compact digital camera. Maybe you're looking for a high-end compact camera to take the place of your SLR, or perhaps you want something more basic to get a few snaps on vacation.
Whichever type you are looking for, we've pulled together a selection of what we believe are the best compact cameras on the market now.
Best advanced compact cameras:
Fuji X100S
Price: $1,300Specs: 16.3MP APS-C format CMOS II sensor, EXR Processor II, Full HD video
Fuji's replacement to its popular FinePix X100 compact camera draws on user feedback to make improvements. The Fuji FinePix X100S uses the same APS-C format sensor, but with a 16.3 megapixel resolution and a new EXR Processor II and 6 x 6 RGGB filter array pattern.
We liked the retro design and control arrangement of the Fuji X100. Its image quality is also good, but it is surpassed by that of the Fuji X-Pro1, which is capable of producing pictures that aren't far off those from some full-frame cameras.
Read our full Fuji X100S review
Fuji X20
Price: $600Specs: 12MP X-Trans CMOS II sensor, 6 x 6 RGGB filter array pattern, 7.1-28.4mm f/2-2.8 lens
The Fuji X10 was our favorite high-end compact camera of 2012, and combining it with the same sensor design as one of our favorite compact system cameras - the Fuji X-Pro1 - bodes very well.
Fuji says it's made 50 improvements on the X10 for the X20, including a new 2/3-inch X-Trans CMOS II sensor with 12 million effective pixels and a 6 x 6 RGGB filter array pattern, which combines with an EXR Processor II. The Fuji X20 also boasts a hybrid AF system and a Digital Trans Panel in the viewfinder.
Read our full Fuji X20 review
Canon Powershot G1 X
Price: $700Specs: Large 14.3MP CMOS sensor, 4x optical zoom, 1080p HD video, swivel LCD screen
Although the zoom range is limited when compared to other Canon G-series cameras, the trump card of the Canon G1 X is its unusually large sensor. A larger sensor has more surface area to receive light, improving image quality at high sensitivities and boosting dynamic range. Interestingly, Canon has opted to stick with the 4:3 aspect ratio, rather than 3:2 as most APS-C sensors are, even though the sensor in the G1 X is roughly the same height as APS-C format.
In order to make the most of what the sensor can offer, Canon has equipped the G1 X with the latest Digic 5 processor, which promises better control over noise at high ISO sensitivities, faster operation and smoother 1080p video recording.
The 4x zoom lens provides an angle of view equivalent to a 28-122mm lens on a 35mm camera, and the usual array of direct controls found on G-series cameras should make manual operation a pleasure.
Read our full Canon G1 X review
Canon PowerShot G15
Price: $500Specs: 12.1MP CMOS sensor, 5x zoom lens, f/1.8 aperture
At first glance, the Canon G15 looks pretty similar to the Canon G12, but there are a few significant differences. The most notable of these is the stacked or overlapping mode dial and exposure compensation dials on the top, and a new f/1.8 lens with 5x zoom.
Canon has manufactured a high-quality compact camera in the shape of the Canon G15. It is capable of producing great images with bags of detail, good punchy colors and pleasing shallow depth of field effects.
Read our full Canon G15 review
Nikon Coolpix A
Price: $1,097Specs: 16.2Mp APS-C format CMOS sensor, 28mm (equivalent) f/2.8 lens, 3-inch 921,000-dot LCD
Nikon has given the Coolpix A the same 16.2-million-pixel sensor as the Nikon D7000, but it has left off the anti-aliasing (low-pass) filter to allow it to record sharper details in-camera.
Aimed at serious photographers, the Coolpix A has advanced exposure modes such as aperture priority, shutter priority and manual as well as fully automatic and scene options.
Our tests reveal that the Coolpix A can capture lots of sharp detail, on par with an SLR, but the file write times are a little longer than we'd like and vignetting is apparent in images shot with apertures down to f/8 and in some cases f/16.
Read our full Nikon Coolpix A review
Nikon Coolpix P7700
Price: $390Specs: 12.2MP, 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor, 7.1x zoom, 1080p video, 3-inch 921,000-dot variangle LCD
The Coolpix P7700 replaces the Nikon P7100 and sits at the top of Nikon's compact camera line-up. It's aimed at experienced photographers who want a smaller alternative to an SLR.
There's a liberal covering of control dials and buttons on the P7700's body giving quick access to features such as the shooting mode, sensitivity, white balance and exposure compensation to name just a few.
The lens offers an equivalent focal length range of 28-200mm in 35mm terms, and has a maximum aperture range of f/2.0-4.0.
Although the P7700 is capable of producing excellent images with lots of detail and nice colors, it is a little hampered by slow image processing making it unsuitable for shooting action.
Read our full Nikon P7700 review
Olympus XZ-2
Price: $530Specs: 12MP 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor, i.Zuiko Digital lens, TruPic VI processor, Full HD video
The Olympus XZ-2 follows the popular high-end XZ-1, touting a 3-inch tilting touchscreen with 920,000 dots, 1080p Full HD movie capture and full manual and semi-manual exposure controls. It also boasts raw image capture and can share photos straight from the camera to social networks.
Its super-fast i.Zuiko Digital lens has to be this camera's standout feature, offering ultra-wide apertures and an impressive focal length range of 28-112mm, which sails past many of its hottest contenders, and produces sharpness straight out of the camera, which many of its peers fail to match.
Read our full Olympus XZ-2 review
Panasonic LX7
Price: $376Specs: 10.1MP sensor, 3.8x zoom, 24mm wide angle, full manual control
The Panasonic LX7 only has the same 10.1MP resolution of the preceding Panasonic LX5. However, the new model boasts a redesigned, high-sensitivity CMOS image sensor that claims better dynamic range and increased low-light performance.
Around the front there's direct control for aperture, thanks to a retro-style aperture ring on the lens. On-lens adjustments are also available for focusing modes and image aspect ratios. Up on top, there's a fully featured shooting mode dial that includes "intelligent" auto, access to scene modes, manual PASM controls and two custom shooting settings.
The f/1.4-2.3 zoom lens gives an effective 24mm wide-angle focal length. The downside is that it's only a 3.8x zoom and is lacking at the telephoto end, equivalent to just 90mm.
Read our full Panasonic LX7 review
Ricoh GR Digital IV
Price: $550Specs: 10MP CCD sensor, 28mm (equiv) f/1.9 lens, 1,230,000 dot 3-inch LCD screen
A pocketable camera with a high-quality lens, equivalent to a 28mm lens on a 35mm camera, and a fast f/1.9 maximum aperture. The GR Digital IV follows in Ricoh's tradition of producing high-quality compact cameras that are ideal for street photography.
Despite the compact dimensions, manual controls are easily accessible and a 3-inch LCD screen with an extremely high resolution of 1,230,000 dots has been squeezed onto the rear. Images can be shot in raw formats, too.
Strangely Ricoh hasn't followed the trend of including HD video capability, the GRD IV will record video, but only at VGA resolution.
Read our full Ricoh GR Digital IV review
Samsung EX2F
Price: $300Specs: 12.4MP, 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor, 3.3x optical zoom, 1080p video, 3-inch, 614,000 dot variangle screen
The Samsung EX2F improves on the Samsung EX1 by adding Wi-Fi capability for easy image sharing, boosting the pixel count from 10MP to 12MP and increasing the maximum aperture of the 24-80mm (equivalent) lens from f/1.8 to f/1.4.
Two dials on the top of the camera make selecting the shooting mode and changing key settings such as the drive mode very quick and easy. The function (Fn) provides a quick route to most other important features.
Our tests found that the Samsung EX2F is a very capable compact camera that delivers high-quality images with plenty of detail at the lower sensitivity settings, and natural color. It's Wi-Fi connectivity is also well integrated so its easy to set up and use. You can share images on Facebook in next to no time.
Read our full Samsung EX2F review
Sony RX1
Price: $2,800Specs: 24.3MP Xmor CMOS full-frame sensor, 35mm f/2.0 Carl Zeiss T* coated lens, Full HD video
On the Sony RX1, the manufacturer has stashed a 35mm format full-frame sensor and a fixed length, 35mm f/2.0 Carl Zeiss T* coated lens inside a compact body. It also features a new Bionz processor, which enables Full HD video recording and sensitivity capabilities from ISO 50 to ISO 102,400.
The Sony DSC-RX1 produces superb images, with a fantastic amount of detail, color and dynamic range. It really is the best image quality you'll get in something of this size. Of course, you'll have to be prepared to pay a lot for this ultimate combination of quality and portability, not just in terms of asking price, but also in terms of inflexibility.
Read our full Sony RX1 review
Sony RX100
Price: $650Specs: 20.2MP Exmoor CMOS sensor, 3.6x zoom, 1080p video, Bionz processor, f/1.8-4.9 lens
Though it's a relative small compact camera, the Sony RX100 has a larger than average sensor. In fact its 20.2MP 1-inch CMOS device is the same physical size as the one in the Nikon 1 V1 and Nikon 1 J1, which are compact system cameras.
We love the build quality of the RX100 and it provides all the controls that demanding enthusiasts expect, plus the ability to record raw files. We especially like the control ring around the 28-100mm (equivalent) f/1.8-4.9 lens that can be used to adjust a selection of features including aperture.
Our tests reveal that the RX100 performs well across the sensitivity range (ISO 125-6400) and it produces, bright punchy images that aren't excessively vibrant.
Read our full Sony RX100 review
Best superzoom and bridge cameras
Sometimes you don't want to lug around a DSLR and an assortment of lenses - you want one camera and one lens that does it all.This means a feature set that cherry picks the best that a typical DSLR has to offer, including manual control and preferably the ability to shoot in raw format as well as JPEG, along with a lens that offers a very broad focal range, so it won't matter that it can't be swapped.
Enter the superzoom camera, also known as an ultra zoom or bridge camera - so called because it bridges the gap between a point and shoot compact and an full bells and whistles DSLR, in terms of handling and feature set, at least.
Superzoom build
For this reason, superzooms tend to closely resemble DSLRs in terms of look, build and - to an extent - handling, but feature smaller image sensors and, partly because of this, afford physically smaller lenses.While not a replacement for a DSLR then, the advantage here is that the cameras can offer a very broad focal range; one that, if you were to try and achieve similar effects with a DSLR, would make for a prohibitively expensive and awkwardly unwieldy combo.
The larger physical size of a bridge camera or superzoom when compared with a snapshot camera may deter some, but there's a lot more creative versatility here in terms of framing choices. A case in point: many models also offer tilt and swivel LCD screens as well as optical or electronic viewfinders. Again, with a bridge camera there is more choice and more options for the photo enthusiast.
So if you are after one jack-of-all-trades digital camera - either instead of a DSLR, or perhaps as a less expensive back up - and you value convenience and flexibility as much as image quality and pixel count, then a bridge or superzoom camera could be your ideal companion. So here we're shining the spotlight on the best of some recent releases.
Fuji X-S1
Price: $630Specs: 12MP CMOS sensor, 26x optical zoom,1080p video, 3-inch, 460k dot tilting screen
Looking for the ultimate overall bridge camera, and less bothered about just grabbing the longest lens? Separating this 26x optical zoom model from the herd - its focal range running from 24-624mm in 35mm terms - is a rock-solid build reminiscent of the semi-pro DSLR it resembles in shape and form, plus rubberised body armor that aids a firm grip.
Oddly it not only looks gorgeous, but smells great too, as the zoom coming with a rubber surround to prevent slippage in the heat of the action. Given that this is a premium product in Fuji's pro/enthusiast photography range, the cost of the Fuji X-S1 is neither cheap nor prohibitively pricey, particularly when it's now being touted for $300 less than the original asking price.
The Fuji X-S1 wins our Best superzoom camera award.
Read our full Fujifilm X-S1 review
Fuji FinePix HS30 EXR
Price: $310Specs: 16MP CMOS sensor, 30x optical zoom, 1080p video, 3-inch, 460k dot screen
Fuji's 16MP FinePix HS30 EXR, denoting both inclusion of a 30x optical zoom - which can be artificially extended to 60x - and a triple-use proprietary "EXR" sensor, has a lot going for it. Its immediate appeal as you heft it from its box also owes something to a sturdy DSLR-like build, plus a lens barrel that can be extended and precisely adjusted by hand, as with a DSLR proper.
It's a jack-of-all-trades camera, and happily appears to have mastered many of them from the outset. A lithium ion battery, 920k dot resolution electronic viewfinder and tilting LCD screen are improvements. Add in the ability to shoot raw and JPEG, CMOS-shift image stabilization, f/2.8 maximum aperture, a level gauge to ensure straight horizons without a tripod, plus the ability to manual focus during video - here Full HD - and there's not much to dislike.
Sony Cyber-shot HX200V
Price: $400Specs: 18.2MP CMOS sensor, 30x optical zoom, 1080p video, 3-inch, 921.6k dot screen
Resembling a downsized DSLR, dimensions in part dictated by a big and bold optically stabilized 30x zoom, here stretching to a 35mm equivalent 810mm at the telephoto end, the HX200 is Sony's flagship bridge camera. While in truth its audience is pretty broad, the included GPS facility - whereby images can be tagged with location data - will appeal to travellers as much as families and photo enthusiasts.
Build quality feels substantial, and thanks to a molded handgrip the camera is reassuringly chunky. Plus, if you don't mind a painterly appearance to the end result - due to processing smoothing the usual blocky appearance of pixels - zoom capability can be digitally extended to 60x. The zoom is operated either via a lever or by twisting the lens ring, which prompts a mechanized response yet delivers more precise control.
Read our full Sony Cyber-shot HX200V review
Nikon Coolpix P510
Price: $400Specs: 16MP CMOS sensor, 42x optical zoom, 1080p video, 3-inch, 921k dot tilting screen
Trumping its wimpy-by-comparison 36x optical zoom predecessor the Nikon P500 with its new improved 42x zoom, the Nikon P510 is an amateur paparazzi's dream, courtesy of an ultra-wide 24-1000mm equivalent focal length. For that, the asking price doesn't feel too bad. Again, the build is "DSLR lite," the zoom supported by lens-shift rather than sensor-shift image stabilization, while a 16 megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor lies at its core. Performance is enhanced by an Expeed C2 image processor.
Slightly more exciting is, once again, a tilting LCD screen - this time of the 3-inch, respectably high 921k-dot variety, which can be angled up or down but not swung out parallel to the body. Naturally Full HD video shooting is also included, while like its Canon SX40 HS rival the ISO range tops out at a modest ISO 3200, and doing battle with the Sony HX200V, a GPS antenna sits over the lens barrel and pop-up flash. This means, unlike the Fuji X-S1, there's no space for a hotshoe. For sports fans, continuous burst shooting of up to 7fps is offered, which is better than most entry-level DSLRs at its price.
Read our full Nikon Coolpix P510 review
Canon Powershot SX50 HS
Price: $400Specs: 12.1MP, 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, 50x optical zoom, 1080p video, 2.7-inch, 460,000-dot variangle screen
Although it has the same pixel count as the Canon SX40 HS that it replaces the Canon Powershot SX50 HS makes a huge leap forward with its focal length range as it features a 50x zoom lens. This optic has a focal length equivalent to a 24-1200mm lens on a 35mm camera, with a maximum aperture of f/3.4-65.
This lens means the camera is suitable for a huge range of photographic situations, from cramped interiors to distant wildlife, but if the telephoto range isn't quite enough it can be extended digitally to a100x zoom, giving the equivalent of a 2400mm lens.
As well as the ability to shoot in shutter priority, aperture priority and manual exposure mode the SX50 HS can record images in raw format, making it even more attractive to experienced photographers. Less experienced users are also catered for though as there is a host of automatic exposure modes as well as JPEG recording.
On the whole images from the Canon SX50 HS impress, having plenty of detail, good exposure and pleasantly vibrant colors.
Read our full Canon SX50 HS review
Olympus SP-620UZ
Price: $172Specs: 16.6MP CCD sensor, 21x optical zoom, 720p video, 3-inch, 230k dots screen
Want an ultra zoom but on a tight budget, and not bothered about too many manual features or enthusiast satiating bells and whistles? Although its styling gives a nod to a DSLR, this 16 megapixel Olympus compact is in fact one of the smallest cameras in its class, with dimensions when dormant that enable it to be squeezed into a roomier jacket pocket.
That said, its 21x optical zoom - a range that travel zoom pocket compacts can now match - does appear a tad weedy in the company of such colossus as Nikon's 42x zoom P510, with the Olympus's focal range stretching 25-525mm.
There are some interesting features here, if, arguably, they aren't essential ones. These include Olympus's Magic Filters digital effects - where the manufacturer has led and others have followed - a panorama mode that automatically stitches three images together - not as flash as Sony's machine gun-like burst of images in 3D or 2D Sweep Panorama mode - plus a software-enhanced 3D mode that overlaps two images taken at marginally different angles, with results viewable only on a 3D TV.
Read our full Olympus SP-620UZ review
Best travel compacts
Nikon Coolpix S6400
Price: $250Specs: 16MP CMOS sensor, 12x optical zoom , Full HD video
The Nikon Coolpix S6400 appears to have just about everything you want from a digital compact camera of its class. With a 12x optical zoom, 3-inch 460,000-dot touchscreen, 16 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor, Full HD video recording, a host of direct controls, 20 scene modes, small, lightweight body and a modest price tag, what more could you ask for?
The Nikon S6400 does a number of things pretty well and offers a lot of flexibility, from its wide range of creative filters to its responsive touchscreen, accurate AF system on down to the all-important thing: great image quality.
Read our full Nikon Coolpix S6400 review
Samsung Galaxy Camera
Price: $400Specs: 16MP 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, 21x optical zoom, Full HD video, Wi-Fi and 3G
It's not really a surprise that Samsung, a company that makes both Android smartphones and dedicated cameras, should decide to merge the best aspects of these two devices to create the Samsung Galaxy Camera.
The combination of a compact camera-sized sensor and a 21x optical zoom lens in a relatively thin body with a huge (by camera standards) touchscreen is very enticing. And an Android operating system and Wi-Fi tools stand out from the crowd. The good news is that this isn't all window dressing - the Samsung Galaxy Camera delivers the goods.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Camera review
Canon PowerShot SX260 HS
Price: $300Specs: 12MP CMOS sensor, 20x image stabilised optical zoom, 1080p video, GPS
Sporting a 20x zoom lens offering an angle of view equivalent to a 25-500mm lens on a 35mm camera, the Canon PowerShot SX260 HS should be very well equipped for those who wish to travel light. A 12MP rear-illuminated CMOS sensor, coupled with the latest DIGIC 5 image processor, enables this camera to take great quality images, even in low light. The image stabilizer system will also help with taming camera shake when shooting at low shutter speeds.
Full HD video can be recorded and output via the built-in HDMI interface and global positioning information can be recorded for sharing on image and video sharing websites. Advanced photographers will also appreciate the inclusion of manual exposure options, whereas a wide range of automatic shooting options are also included for those who are less technically inclined.
The Canon Powershot SX260 HS sweeps our Best mid-range compact camera trophy.
Read the full Canon SX260 HS review
Sony Cyber-shot HX20V
Price: $380Specs: 18MP CMOS Sensor, 20x optical zoom, 1080p video at 50fps, GPS
An 18MP Exmor R sensor promises excellent quality low light images, despite the relatively high resolution. A 20x optical zoom lens providing an angle of view equivalent to a 35-500mm lens on a 35mm camera should cover most photographic situations when travelling.
High quality Full HD 50p videos can be recorded, and a GPS function is included for tagging images with your position. Plenty of artistic picture effects and easy creative options are also included to get your creativity flowing.
Read our full Sony HX20V review
Samsung WB850F
Price: $339Specs: 16.2MP, 21x zoom, GPS and WiFi enabled
One of Samsung's Smart Camera range, the WB850F is aimed at travellers who want a versatile camera, and as such it has a Schneider-Kreuznach Varioplan lens with a 21x zoom giving an equivalent focal length range of 23-483mm.
In addition to being WiFi enabled so images can be shared via Facebook, Picasa and Photobucket or by emailing direct from the camera, the WB850F also has GPS technology built-in. There's also a 3-in 614,000-dot AMOELD screen which provides a nice clear view of the image being composed in all but very bright light.
Generally the WB850F produces nice, vibrant images with plenty of punch, but it can struggle to reproduce the full tonal range of some reds, making them too intense and uniform.
Read the full Samsung WB850F review
Olympus SH-25MR
Price: $200Specs: 16MP CMOS sensor, 12.5x zoom, take still images while recording HD video, dual Image Stabilization
Although a 12.5x zoom range may seem quite modest when compared to other travel compacts on offer, the 24mm wide angle will certainly be handy for shots in cramped conditions, or large buildings you may encounter on your travels.
Just like many other travel-orientated compact cameras, GPS tracking is included and a rear-illuminated 16MP CMOS sensor should provide decent quality in low light conditions.
Unique to this camera is the ability to take still images at the same time as recording video clips, enabling you to capture high quality stills to complement your high definition video.
Read the Olympus SH-25MR announcement
Panasonic Lumix ZS20
Price: $300Specs: 14.1MP CMOS sensor, 20x optical zoom, 1080p HD video, touchscreen interface, 3D still images
The Panasonic Lumix ZS20 (or Panasonic Lumix TZ30 in the UK) replaces the ZS10 (TZ20) as Panasonic's flagship camera and pushes the zoom range from 16x to 20x, with a focal length equivalence of 24-480mm.
In other respects the ZS20 is very like the ZS10 having the same touchscreen LCD display, GPS technology and a raft of automated shooting modes as well as more advanced options for experienced photographers.
However, HD video can be shot in 1080p at 50 frames per second rather than the ZS10's 1080 interlaced. And, although the sensor is still a 14MP 1/2.33-inch device, it has been redesigned to produce cleaner images across the sensitivity range. There's a lot packed into this relatively small camera.
Read our full Panasonic ZS20 (TZ30) review
Fujifilm FinePix F770 EXR
Price: $179Specs: 16MP EXR CMOS sensor, 20x optical zoom, ISO 12,800, 1080p video, 8fps high speed continuous shooting
If you've ever struggled to capture the perfect shot of a killer whale jumping through a hoop at Sea World, then the Fuji F770 EXR has the solution. It is capable of taking full resolution shots at a blistering pace of eight frames per second, and if you wish to share where the image was taken via popular image sharing services, GPS information can be recorded too.
The rear-illuminated 16MP EXR CMOS sensor has a few tracks up its sleeve too. It can be optimized to take high resolution 16MP images, or images with improved dynamic range at reduced resolution.
By combining neighboring pixels, sensitivities of up to ISO12,800 are also possible, making this camera ideal for shooting with in adverse conditions.
Read the full Fujifilm FinePix F770 EXR review
Best waterproof and rugged cameras
Rugged or waterproof compact cameras allow you to take photographs in places that you wouldn't dare use a normal camera.They are a great choice for beach holidays and ideal for families with children that might want to have a go at taking a photograph. Here are some of the best around.
Canon PowerShot D20
Price: $296Specs: 12.1MP 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, 5x optical zoom, 1080p HD video, 3-inch screen
Canon's rough-and-ready PowerShot provides a good range of beginner-friendly photography features, as well as advanced camera technologies. Along with intuitive point-and-shoot modes, there's a selection of underwater shooting options to make aquatic photo capturing a stress-free experience. Some handling issues - both underwater and on dry land - take a bit of the shine off this camera's overall performance. But what this compact lacks in speed, it makes up for in image quality.
The build quality and ability of this camera to produce consistently well-exposed, detailed images can't be faulted, and additional features such as built-in GPS and Full HD video mode broaden the Canon D20's appeal. It's got a lot to offer, but if you're after an everyday rugged all-rounder, some similarly priced rivals may offer a more comprehensive package.
Read our full Canon PowerShot D20 review
Panasonic TS4
Price: $280Specs: 12.1MP 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor, 4.6x optical zoom, 1080p HD video, 2.7-inch screen
One of the higher-priced rugged compact cameras, the Panasonic TS4 (or FT4 in the UK) is a feature-packed compact with a superb level of protective attributes. Waterproof to a depth of 12m, the Panasonic Lumix TS4 enables you to explore greater depths than with many if its competitors, plus it's shockproof if dropped from a height of up to 7 ft, and freeze-proof down to 14F.
Built-in GPS, plus a compass, altimeter and barometer all add to the Panasonic Lumix TS4's appeal for adventure-bound photographers, while Full HD movie recording and a respectable all-round image performance makes this a decent choice for active families in search of a reliable camera, with the ability to take more punishment than your average compact.
Read our full Panasonic TS4 review
Sony Cyber-Shot TX20
Price: $200Specs: 16.2MP 1/2.3-inch Exmor R CMOS sensor, 8x optical zoom, 1080p HD video, 3-inch screen
This svelte little camera is worlds apart from many of its rivals in terms of looks. The Sony TX20's petite profile - being just 17.9mm thick - coupled with its sleek lines makes this camera perfectly pocketable. The sliding front cover is designed to offer some added protection for the lens when the camera's powered down, and has the added bonus of ensuring that the front panel remains perfectly flat when not in use.
The touchscreen interface may not be for everyone, and it limits this rugged camera's usefulness when trying to operate it with gloved hands, but its general responsiveness impresses, and the on-screen controls make the Sony Cyber-Shot TX20 simple to operate. It may not be as rugged as some of its beefier rivals, but the Sony TX20 is a solid choice for photographers who want extra peace of mind - and style - when out and about.
Read our full Sony TX20 review
Fujifilm FinePix XP170
Price: $180Specs: 14MP 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, 5x optical zoom, 1080p HD video, 2.7-inch screen
In spite of its lower price point, the Fujifilm Finepix XP170 is brimming with impressive features, including a very good Full HD movie mode, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi. Distinctive, chunky styling ensures a firm grip on the camera, and added extras such as an LED light aid low-light shooting.
It's not perfect in every aspect, but the Fuji XP170 impresses with its ability to reproduce lifelike, faithfully colored images - including seamless auto-stitched panoramas - and with its extensive battery life, despite some of the potentially power-sapping features it has to offer.
Olympus TG-1
Price: $290Specs: 12MP 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor, 4x optical zoom, 1080p HD video, 3-inch screen
This budget-busting rugged compact camera may stretch your resources, but with the technology and features the Olympus TG-1 has to offer, it more than earns its price tag. In addition to some seriously impressive rough specifications, the Olympus TG-1 boasts a fast f/2.0 lens, built-in GPS and little added extras such as a removable lens surround that enables you to attach optional accessories.
No-nonsense styling and an innovative Tap Control feature combine with artistic options such as Olympus's popular Magic Art filters to produce a camera that's as tough and practical as it is creative. A top-notch macro mode, great handling and decent image quality under a range of conditions sweeten the deal.
Read our full Olympus TG-1 review
Nikon Coolpix AW100
Price: $200Specs: 16MP 1/2.3-inch RGB CMOS sensor, 5x optical zoom, 1080p HD video, 3-inch screen
Nikon's first "All-Weather" compact camera boasts a decent range of automated features that make it simple to pick up and start shooting with right away.
Full HD movies, built-in GPS and a digital compass, plus useful "Action Control," are all features that ensure the Nikon AW100 can hold its own among its contemporaries. Overall, it's an attractive prospect that strikes a good balance between rugged features and everyday performance.
Read our full Nikon Coolpix AW100 review
Best all-rounder cameras
Nikon Coolpix S3300
Price: $80Specs: 16MP CCD sensor, 6x optical zoom, 720p HD video, 2.7-inch screen
This slim, metal bodied camera has a 6x optical zoom lens squeezed into a body only 19.5mm thick, which makes it ideally pocketable. The 16MP CCD sensor should provide ample resolution for producing large prints, and the Vibration Reduction system will help to tame camera shake.
Plenty of automatic features are provided to aid creativity without oodles of technical know-how. A set of 18 scene modes cover camera settings for common picture taking scenarios, and the Smart Portrait System provides a plethora of automatic detection technologies to enable foolproof people pictures.
Canon ELPH 310 HS
Price: $200Specs: 12.1MP CMOS sensor, 8x image stabilized zoom, 720p HD video
This slim, stylish, metal bodied camera sports an Image Stabilized 8x zoom lens and delivers excellent quality images, even at high ISO sensitivities thanks to the implementation of Canon's HS system. The same 12.1MP CMOS sensor and DIGIC 4 processor found in other Canon HS cameras work together to produce cleaner, sharper images, fast response times and good dynamic range.
Being an ELPH, it is designed with point and shoot photographers in mind and is very simple to get to grips with. 720P HD videos can be recorded via the direct recording buttong on the rear and a selection of art filters expand creative opportunities.
The Canon ELPH 310 HS (IXUS 230 in the UK) wins our Best entry-level compact camera award.
Read our full Canon ELPH 310 HS review
Samsung PL120
Price: $200Specs: 14.2MP sensor, 5x optical zoom, 26mm wide angle, dual image display
This budget marvel has an extra 1.5-inch LCD screen on the front, to aid taking self portraits. This is a great feature for those travelling on their own, or as a couple who might be a little scared to trust a stranger with their gadgets when trying to take a picture with themselves in it. It can also show animations to keep little ones' attention when you switch on the Children mode
A comprehensive range of image effects, a video mode and an in-camera editing function all add to what is a very fun camera to use, for a very reasonable price.
Read our full Samsung PL120 review
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Blip: Yahoo nips and tucks its search with Google-y redesign
Pop on over to Yahoo search today and you might notice it looks a tad different.
The folks at the 'hoo have rolled out a "new, modern design" for web search, throwing search results closer to the top, tightening up the font, implementing faster load times and introducing a new navigation bar that will soon make its way to other Yahoo properties.
While Yahoo says the redesign is consistent with its new homepage look, observant users will notice it also has a Google-esque touch. Not that that's a bad thing.
Yahoo foreshadowed additional search changes coming down the road, so stay tuned for more.
More blips!
Here's something you don't have to search for - our news blips!- Microsoft's E3 teaser trailer goes big on Xbox One games
- White Nexus 4 sells out in a flash in the States
- Jelly Bean set to be bigger than Gingerbread in under a month
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Apple may have just tried to trademark the 'iWatch' name in Russia
Apple is widely rumored to be working on a smart wristwatch the media has dubbed "iWatch" - and the company may now be getting its legal ducks in a row starting in Russia, of all places.
Russian newspaper Izvestia (Google translated) reported today that Apple has allegedly filed a trademark application in Russia related to the mythical iWatch, which many believe to be the company's next hardware category.
According to the report, Apple filed with the country's Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) office for a pair of International Classification of Goods and Services (ICGS) trademarks.
The 9th grade of Nice Classification covers computers and computer peripherals, while the 14th is related to "hours" - as in, those on a clock or possibly a wristwatch.
What's in a name?
Apple could face an uphill struggle in registering the term iWatch in the country, as a variation of the term is already in use with online wristwatch reseller i-watch.ru. The company first secured the trademark in 2006.A Russian patent attorney claimed the existing i-watch.ru trademark will need to first be repealed by a court should Apple want to claim the trademark for its own.
In 2011, an unnamed company attempted to register "iWatch" in the 14th class, but Rospatent denied the claim because it conflicted with an earlier mark for "iswatch," a trademark held by the famous Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch AG.
Curiously, the report claims the first registered trademark application for "iWatch" was filed in Jamaica on December 3, 2012 - around the same time the Apple rumor mill really began heating up.
- Excited for Apple's wearable tech? There are even more signs it could be coming soon
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Dell plays converged solutions card
Dell is flagging up the potential for small businesses to get in on converged infrastructure – using preconfigured hardware and software - with a line of releases announced at its Enterprise Forum event in San Jose.
It is playing up the potential for scalable storage platforms with its new generation of Dell Compellent Storage 6.4 array software, which brings together a group of products under the Compellent range.
It includes the Compellent Flash Optimised solution, which places data across different types of flash technologies or in combination with traditional drives. Dell says it can reduce storage costs by up to 75% while handling data-intensive workloads.
John Everett, Storage Business Manager EMEA, Dell, told TRPro this responds to the falling costs of flash.
"The trend is with budgets being reduced IT managers have to ask how they can get the resources to merge active data," he said. "Flash is getting attention because of the cost curve depletion."
Dell is also releasing the Compellent SC280 storage system for hosting tiered data, and the Dell Fluid File system (FluidFS), which it says can provide smaller firms with enterprise class file storage at a third of the regular cost.
Everett said the key features of the FluidFS are the compression and deduplication functions. The latter can sniff out duplicated copies of data and delete those not needed, helping to optimise the capacity.
Cost savings
The announcement on these follows one the previous day on the PowerEdge VRTX system, which brings together servers, storage, networking and management into a single chassis made for small offices. It is bundled with a Chassis Management Controller embedded console, which provides unified control over the various components.Everett said the main appeal of converged infrastructure to small and midsized businesses is in the reduced costs and space savings. This is an important factor when they are looking to grow.
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Is this the first glimpse of the fabled Nokia EOS?
We've caught our first glimpse of what we think is the Nokia EOS, a photography-heavy handset coming from the Finns at some point this year.
The photos, snapped by an anonymous source who sent them to Chinese site WPDang, show the chassis of what is supposedly the EOS alongside a Lumia 920 for comparison.
The snaps show the same body design as the Lumia 920 but with a giant round hole ready for the camera in the back panel.
It looks as though the camera, rumoured to be a hefty 41MP affair similar to the one found in the 808 Pureview, will be housed in plastic rather than the polycarbonate of the rest of the body.
Lens talk
The round camera chassis is the main difference between the EOS body and that of Nokia Lumia 920 which rocks a traditional rounded oblong camera unit.Whoever took the photos has made a valiant effort at demonstrating the handset's thickness relative to that of the Lumia 920, sadly choosing an uneven surface and slightly wonky camera angle to do so.
But you can see that while the camera element is fairly chunky, the rest of the handset's chassis is about the same girth as the Lumia 920's 10.7mm.
There are two small holes further down the back panel which suggest that the Nokia EOS will play nice with the same wireless charging clip-on peripherals that the Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 925 vibe with.
Coming from an anonymous source as they do, we haven't been able to verify the photos but we like them for legitimacy - they're just rubbish enough to be real and we'd expect the handset to be fairly far along in development given the leaks we've seen already.
Other mooted specs include a quad-core processor, 32GB of storage, a 720p OLED display, FM radio, Xenon flash and a debut on AT&T in the US. Today's leak posits that the handset will go on sale on July 9.
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IBM picks up SoftLayer to extend cloud offerings
IBM has acquired Dallas-based SoftLayer Technologies, a provider of public and private cloud services to small to midsized businesses (SMBs) and large organisations.
SoftLayer, which has 13 data centres in the US, Europe and Asia, offers scalable physical infrastructure hosting on dedicated or shared servers, offering various levels of performance and security for companies looking to deploy applications in the cloud.
IBM says it will combine SoftLayer's offerings with its own SmartCloud Franchise to form a new Cloud Service division, which will allow the company to mount an attempt at challenging Amazon's dominance in providing cloud services.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Wall Street Journal has reported that the deal is worth an estimated $2 billion, according to an anonymous source "familiar with the matter".
Erich Clementi, senior vice president at IBM Global Services, said SoftLayer will allow IBM to smoothly transition its clients to the cloud while offering a broad portfolio of open IT infrastructure and software services.
Niche player
IT analysts Gartner placed SoftLayer in its "Niche Players" section of its Magic Quadrant for "Web Hosting and Cloud Infrastructure Services" in 2010 because of its focus on the SMB market.In a company blogpost, Gartner analyst Lydia Leong says that SoftLayer "fills a gap" in IBM's portfolio.
She says: "IBM has historically not served an SMB market directly in general, and its developer-centric SmartCloud Enterprise (SCE) has gotten relatively weak traction (seeming to do best where the IBM brand is important, notably Europe), although that can be blamed on SCE's weak feature set and significant downtime associated with maintenance windows, more so than the go-to-market (although that's also been problematic)."
Gartner estimates that $109 billion (£71.1 billion) was spend on cloud servers in 2012, a 20% increase year-on-year.
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Review: HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook
Introduction
Try to sell most of us a laptop that can't run normal programs, never mind traditional operating systems such as Windows 8 or OS X, and instead only runs a web browser - forcing you to do everything online - and we'd hesitate.ut that's precisely what a Chromebook like the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook is; a laptop that boots into the lightweight operating system Chrome OS, where all you can do is launch Google's Chrome web browser.
It might sound like a product that nobody in their right mind would buy, but there are two reasons why it's not as clear cut as that. The first is that we've actually come to quite like Chromebooks here at TechRadar, and not just because they're cheap - we'll come to why shortly.
The other reason, though, is that what started as a tiny dribble of models and manufacturers has turned if not into a torrent then into a steady trickle. Of course just because we're seeing an increasing number of Chromebooks hit the market it doesn't mean they must be successful, but PC manufacturers wouldn't bother making and marketing Chromebooks if they didn't think there was at least a potential market.
Now HP's Pavilion 14 Chromebook joins the slightly cheaper, slim, light and ARM-powered Samsung Chromebook, the cheaper still Acer C7 Chromebook with its 320GB hard disk, and the hugely more expensive, beautifully designed Google Chromebook Pixel with its high-res 3:2 screen.
Four Chromebooks compared to the many hundreds of Windows laptops or even the nearly dozen basic Apple MacBooks doesn't sound like much, but it still feels like a sector that's getting to be cautiously optimistic.
If you decide you want to buy a Chromebook or you just want a reliable, genuinely usable laptop with a price tag of just £249 / AU$399 / US$329.99, the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook distinguishes itself from the other models with a bigger, 14-inch screen.
Chrome OS won't suit everyone. It may not even suit most people yet, but it's true that it's constantly evolving, and so are our computing habits and needs. So while you can't currently do video editing, professional photography editing or coding on a Chromebook - although online services are springing up that at least begin to address these demands - many of us would cope fine with just a web browser.
Think about what you do on a traditional PC, for example, and there's a good chance either that you do essentially everything through a browser anyway - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, webmail - or that those things that you currently do with regular apps such as Word and Excel could be replaced with web services such as Google Docs.
You might think, that's all very well, but if these are all web apps, I have to be online to use them, and since the Pavilion 14 doesn't have a SIM card slot for 3G mobile browsing, it's just a useless door-stop when I can't get Wi-Fi access. But as we'll see, that's not quite the case.
Specifications
Let's start, though, with the specs. Now, specs with a Chromebook mean a little less than they do with normal laptops, so we can't just put a Chromebook next to a laptop from Lenovo, Asus, Dell or even HP and say that because it has a weaker processor, less storage, a lower-res screen and fewer, lower-specced ports that it's worse.
That's because, since Chrome OS is a lightweight operating system whose only job is to run a browser - albeit a fast, capable browser with support for complex HTML 5 and Flash - the hardware needs comparatively little oomph to do its job well.
The HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook has an Intel Celeron 847 processor running at 1.1GHz at its heart, and the 14-c002sa model we tested had 4GB of RAM.
Storage is courtesy of a 16GB SSD, which we think is the right choice; the 320GB hard disk in the Acer C7 is a bit redundant in a computer that's designed to be a thin client to web services, and because hard disks are slower than solid-state drives, all it did was slow the overall responsiveness of the machine down.
Put together, nothing about these core specs suggest anything other than pedestrian performance, but in fact they're more than sufficient for a Chromebook. The HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook feels slick and fast and responsive, and it coped well with everything we threw at it.
There are three USB 2.0 ports - no, no USB 3.0, but that's totally fine, since a Chromebook would have no real use for a faster connection, at least in its current incarnation - and an HDMI port, which is extra useful now that Chrome OS supports extended desktop view as well as mirroring on an external monitor.
There's also a combined mic/headphone jack, a full-depth SD card slot and, as well as 802.11a/b/g/n, a very welcome Ethernet port.
The built-in webcam is, as you'd expect, HD resolution. But as you'd expect, 'HD' does not necessarily equate to 'high quality'.
Although the 14-inch screen is low-res by today's standards at 1366 x 786, and is a little washed out with poor viewing angles, we have seen worse, and we have to remember that this is in a £250 / AU$400 / US$330 laptop.
Weighing 1.8kg (4lbs), it's not ultrabook-light, but it's not going to break your back when slung in a laptop bag.
One thing that's flat-out bad on the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook, though, is the battery. The battery takes up just a sliver of this 14-inch laptop's spacious body.
When battery life is so poor as it is here - giving somewhere between three and four hours of solid use, or perhaps a little more if you're lucky - and space in the chassis isn't at a premium as it would be with an ultrabook or a netbook, we can't help but feel cheated when HP has stuck a meagre 4-cell Li-Ion battery in.
Performance
The HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook's lacklustre battery life is in part because of the large 14-inch screen that needs to be backlit, and in part because of the Intel processor. It might seem silly to harp on about battery life, but if you're constantly worried about running out of juice, never mind not able to do a full work day on a single charge, owning a laptop won't be a particular pleasure.But on the other hand, the Intel processor does mean that the Pavilion 14 is fast and capable, and although its fan is very noisy, it only kicks in if you're really hammering it. Unlike with the ARM-powered Samsung Series 3 (which we still like a great deal), it happily plays iPlayer HD streams, even if the mediocre display doesn't showcase them particularly well. The trade-off, though, is that the Samsung Chromebook lasts for about twice as long on a charge.
It's not just the screen that lets it down as a movie machine, though; despite the Altec Lansing logo - a brand we've come to respect for mid-range speaker docks - the speakers are thin. In their favour, they're plenty loud, and don't really break up much unless you're right at 100%, but at no point along the volume slider would you think of listening to your music or watching movies by choice.
They're fine for the odd YouTube clip or if you don't have some decent headphones or speakers to hand, but they're no more than sufficient.
The HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook is based on the same shell as the HP Pavilion Sleekbook series, and while we can't say we love the slightly glittery shiny black plastic, it does at least feel well put together. The hinge is solid and the screen stays at the angle you put it in, and there's very little flex in the whole thing.
It's a shame then that the keyboard is disappointing. The keys feel dead, and writing this review on the Chromebook made us long for the crisp responsiveness of an Apple keyboard.
The layout isn't quite to our taste either. It's nice that the generous chassis gives us space for another vertical row of keys for page up, down, delete (as well as backspace) and more, but any keyboard that doesn't put your backspace key at the top-right is likely to play merry hell with your muscle memory.
What's more, we're not fond of the arrow keys, with full size left and right, but two half-height keys sandwiched between them for up and down.
Still, we like the dedicated Chrome OS keys for navigation and window management, and unlike on some Chromebooks, there's a caps lock key as well as two system-wide search buttons. Plus, although the trackpad keys were a bit clunky (you can enable tap-to-click as well), we were quite fond of the textured trackpad surface.
Despite its limitations, Chrome OS is actually perfectly usable, so long as what you want to do can be done through a browser and web apps - and the list of things you need desktop apps for is shrinking day by day.
Spotify can work through a browser now, and streaming services such as Netflix obviously make a lot of sense for entertainment here. Traditional desktop tasks such as word processing are served by a plethora of online services such as Office 365 and Google Docs, and although, yes, you do everything through a browser, you don't have to always be online.
Online services can choose to enable an offline mode, syncing changes depending on whether you have a live connection or not.
One of the best for this is Google Docs - try as we might, we can't get it to lose work, even in challenging network environments such as when tethered to a mobile phone on a cross-country train. You can search for these offline-capable apps on the Chrome Web Store.
A Chrome OS computer such as the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook makes particular sense if you're already a heavy user of Google's services, since things are kept in sync across multiple machines, tied to your Google identity.
But if you're not comfortable doing all your computing inside Google's systems, concerned perhaps about how much personal information you're giving the search giant, a Chromebook is definitely not for you.
Verdict
We're cautiously positive about the whole Chromebook schtick, and it's nice that with the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook and others joining in we now have a choice of models. And even if you're skeptical, it's worth at least considering one, even perhaps as a second computer.Chrome OS continuously keeps itself up to date, requires no maintenance - in this, it feels much closer to an iPad than a normal laptop that requires frequent tending to - and is guarded against viruses. It's a nice machine to reach for if you just want to do a bit of writing, check in with Facebook or play some Angry Birds.
And we do, on balance, like the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook. Yes, you can buy much nicer laptops and you could make an argument that you get the advantages of Chrome OS in an iPad if you add a Bluetooth keyboard, but there's something undeniably comfortable about the basic laptop design, and because Chrome OS doesn't need constant ministering to, it's something you can rely on to be always ready to go. No, it's not for everyone, but it's definitely appropriate for some.
We liked
Overall, the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook feels like a well-made, solid laptop - witness especially that nicely stiff screen hinge - and while the screen and speakers are of course out-classed by laptops costing twice as much or more, they're eminently reasonable.Deciding whether you want something more compact with a smaller screen or if you'd prefer to trade a little bit of that portability for the bigger canvas of this model is up to you, but we can definitely say that the compromise isn't a terrible one. It's a bit necessarily bulky, but its weight and heft aren't onerous.
A bundled 100GB space on Google Drive free for two years may mean that the 16GB SSD feels less pokey, too.
With the dishonourable mention of that battery life, the specs are pretty much perfect for a Chromebook, at least as far as that definition goes today, and it copes well with even demanding HD video streams. Plus, even from cold, Chrome OS boots up in seconds.
We disliked
The keyboard feels dead and its layout is a little peculiar in places - though at least it's nice and big, and it's good to have dedicated home/end, page up/down and delete keys.If we exclude the Chromebook Pixel (which is fair; you wouldn't compare three family hatchbacks and an Aston Martin DB9), it's also the most expensive of the new crop of Chromebooks. And while the difference isn't much (at £199 / US$199.99 for the Acer C7 Chromebook and £229 / US$330 / AU$319 for the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook), and is probably accounted for by its bigger size, at £249 / AU$399 / US$329.99 it's beginning to creep out of the price range where it feels like a bargain, or the kind of thing where you'd splurge a little on a laptop even though you don't strictly need one.
We'll shut up about the battery life shortly, but it needs another mention here. You had the space for a bigger one, HP, to enable the Pavilion 14 Chromebook to last a working day away from the mains.
Final verdict
So if you think a Chromebook is right for you, which should you buy? We still think the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook (which, perhaps tellingly, is the one Google itself promotes through TV advertising), is the best balance. Yes, it struggles with some more computationally complex tasks and the screen is very washed out, but the long battery life and lightness make it feel like a pure Chrome OS thing.We're not fans of the Acer C7 Chromebook, since it's too much like a normal netbook that Acer has crowbarred Chrome OS onto, although that does make it a nice little Linux machine if that's what you're after.
This HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook is a good if unexceptional laptop, though. It's a generous size and that 14-inch screen is acceptably good, it performs very well, and though the keyboard isn't a delight, the whole thing feels like it would be a decent sidekick for a good few years. If it wasn't for that dreadful battery life, we'd be recommending it much more strongly.
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Updated: iPhone 6 release date, news and rumours
When Apple unveiled the iPhone 5, the reaction was a bit muted: where previous phones were massive leaps forward, the iPhone 5 was a bit longer and a lot easier to scratch.
So what can we expect from the next iPhone, the iPhone 6 or 5S? Let's see what we can glean from the varying sources of the internet - some reliable, some not so much.
One thing is for sure, with the release of such super handsets as the Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z and HTC One, the next iPhone will have to seriously up its game.
iPhone 6 and the iPhone 5S are two different phones
The rumour mill doesn't seem too sure whether the next iPhone is going to be the iPhone 5S or the iPhone 6. Given the iPhone's history - from the 3G onwards, there's always been a half-step S model before the next numbered iPhone - we'd bet on an iPhone 5S first and an iPhone 6 a while later.However, in May 2013 Stuff reported it received a photo of the till system at a Vodafone UK store (which it has since removed along with the reference to Vodafone), with '4G iPhone 6' listed. Interesting.
It's been suggested that there could even be three size variants of the new iPhone - check out these mocked up images by artist Peter Zigich. He calls the handsets iPhone 6 Mini, iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 XL.
Could we see both an iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 this year? Some reports suggest a new 5S in the middle part of the year before a revamped iPhone 6 towards the end of the year or very early in 2014.
iPhone 6 release date
Many pundits predict a summer iPhone 6 release date. It's quite likely that Apple is moving to a two-phones-per-year upgrade cycle, but we'd bet on a springtime 5S model and a bigger, iPhone 6, update in the Autumn, probably September.Digitimes reckons predicts a summertime reveal for Apple's next generation phones, which again fits with a WWDC unveiling. In May it became clear that US carrier Verizon introduced an iPhone 5 price cut of as much as $100 USD.
Reports in April also suggested that Foxconn has added as many as 10,000 assembly line workers per week to its Zhengzhou plant as it readies itself for the iPhone 6 release date.
But Jefferies analyst Peter Misek reckons we'll see an iPhone 5S first, with a June 2014 release for the iPhone 6. Citi's Glen Yeung also believes that we won't see an iPhone 6 or cheap iPhone until 2014.
iPhone 6 casing
Multiple rumours say Apple's working on plastic cases for its next iPhone, mixing plastic and metal in such a way that "the internal metal parts [are] able to be seen from outside through special design." Could these images from Apple.pro be a new iPhone 6 complete with plastic casing? The cynic inside us says no, but you never know...It's unclear whether such cases would be for the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6, or if Apple is simply considering making cheaper iPhone 4s to sell when the iPhone 3GS reaches the end of its life.
Speaking in March 2013, a KGI analyst said it believed Apple would turn to manufacturer Pegatron to make up to 75 per cent of low cost iPhone products. Indeed, rumours in early June 2013 pointed at a $399 price point for the cheap iPhone 6.
The iPhone 6 will finally do NFC
That's what iDownloadblog reckons, quoting Jefferies analyst Peter Misek: it'll have a better battery too, he says. Many Android phones now boast NFC.PayPal's chief information security officer, Michael Barrett said this during a recent keynote speech: "There is going to be a fingerprint enabled phone on the market later this year," he said. "Not just one, multiple."
Could this be inside the iPhone 6?
See our video below on what Apple needs to do to slay Samsung's Galaxy S4The iPhone 6 will run iOS 7
Developers are seeing new iPhone model identifiers in their server logs: the device identifies itself as the iPhone 6,1 (the iPhone 5 is 5,1 or 5,2) running iOS 7, and its IP address is an Apple one.We're expecting a September or October release date for iOS 7 in line with previous releases. We'll almost certainly see a reveal at WWDC in early June. Apple has promised to give devs "an in-depth look at what's next in iOS and OS X".
9to5Mac spoke with several sources who said the new iOS 7 will be attractive to new iOS users but may alienate older iPhone addicts. Described as "very, very flat" by one source, another said the interface is without gloss and shine and is rather like Microsoft's Metro design language on Windows Phone.
iPhone 6 storage
We've already seen a 128GB iPad, so why not a 128GB iPhone 6? Yes, it'll cost a fortune, but high-spending early adopters love this stuff.iPhone 6 home button
According to Business Insider, of the many iPhone 6 prototypes Apple has made, one has a giant Retina+ IGZO display and a "new form factor with no home button. Gesture control is also possibly included" - more on that shortly. Mind you, it was mooted that Apple would dump the home button in time for iPhone 5, but it never happened.iPhone 6 screen
The Retina+ Sharp IGZO display, would have a 1080p Full HD resolution. It's also been widely reported that Apple could introduce two handset sizes as it seeks to compete with the plethora of Android devices now on the market.Take this one with a pinch of salt, because China Times isn't always right: it reckons the codename iPhone Math, which may be a mistranslation of iPhone+, will have a 4.8-inch display. The same report suggests that Apple will release multiple handsets throughout the year over and above the iPhone 5S and 6, which seems a bit far-fetched to us.
Patents show that Apple has been thinking about magical morphing technology that can hide sensors and even cameras. Will it make it into the iPhone 6? Probably not.
Could the touch screen even be transparent? Emirates 24/7 sin't the first source we'd turn to for bone fide rumours about a new smartphone, but it claims that an ultra-sensitive transparent touchscreen will make it into iPhone 6. The site also believes the display will be made by Sharp, which wouldn't be so surprising. One thing's for sure - a potential wraparound screen is probably a pipedream.
Jefferies analyst Peter Misek also says he believes the new iPhone will have a bigger screen. Different sizes also seem rather likely to us.
iPhone 6 processor
Not a huge surprise, this one: the current processor is a dual-core A6, and the next one will be a quad-core A7. The big sell here is more power with better efficiency, which should help battery life.Expect to see it in the 2013 iPad first, and expect to see an improved A6 processor, the A6X, in the iPhone 5S.
iPhone 6 camera
Apple's bought camera sensors from Sony before, and this year we're going to see a new, 13-megapixel sensor that takes up less room without compromising image quality.An Apple patent, uncovered by Apple Insider in May 2013, shows a system where an iPhone can remotely control other illuminating devices - extra flashes. It would work in a similar manner to that seen in professional photography studios. Interesting stuff.
iPhone 6 eye tracking
One thing seems certain - Apple can't ignore the massive movement towards eye-tracking tech from other vendors, especially Samsung. It seems a shoe-in that Apple will deliver some kind of motion tech within the next iPhone, probably from uMoove.The new iPhone will have better 4G LTE
On its UK launch, just one UK network had 4G LTE: Everything Everywhere, which currently offers 4G on the 1800MHz band. In 2013, all the other big names will be coming on board, offering 4G in other frequency bands. International iPhones already work across different 4G bands to the UK, so you can expect the UK iPhone 6 (and possibly the iPhone 5S) to be more promiscuous than the iPhone 5.By the time the iPhone 6 emerges, iOS devices should also have "nonclassified communication approval" status from the US FCC, which means they won't need to go through a lengthy approval process.
iPhone 6 Wi-Fi may be 802.11ac
Apple likes to lead Wi-Fi standards adoption - its Airport really helped make Wi-Fi mainstream - and there's a good chance we'll see ultra-fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi in Apple kit this year. It's faster than Lighting, and not very frightening.iPhone 6 wireless charging
Wireless charging still isn't mainstream. Could Apple help give it a push? CP Tech reports that Apple has filed a patent for efficient wireless charging, but then again Apple has filed patents for pretty much anything imaginable.The tasty bit of this particular patent is that Apple's tech wouldn't just charge one device, but multiple ones. Here are more details on the iPhone 6 wireless charging patent.
Meanwhile, a further Apple patent seems to imply that future iPhones will be able to adjust volume as you move them away from your ear.
And could the iPhone 6 really have 3D? It's unlikely, but the rumours keep on coming.
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Huawei Ascend Y300 descends on UK with super low price tag
The Huawei Ascend Y300 will go on sale in the UK from tomorrow, June 6, and it will carry a price tag which will please even the most frugal among us.
We first saw the Ascend Y300 back in February at MWC 2013 where we got our hands on it and were impressed with its feature list and generally solid build quality.
Considering it's going to set you back just £59.95 on PAYG for upgrading customers (it's £69.95 otherwise) - or free on contracts starting at £7.50 per month - the Ascend Y300 appears to be a decent contender on paper with a 4-inch display, 1GHz dual-core processor and Android Jelly Bean operating system.
On paper winner
It may only be running version 4.1.1 of Android but considering Google's only up to 4.2.2 this isn't a big issue - although the custom Emotion UI Huawei has stuck on the Ascend Y300 may not sit well with some users.There's more good news when it comes to the camera, with a 5MP snapper 'round the back of the handset - plus you get a front facing 0.3MP option which may not be the best, but it puts it above the lacking Optimus L3 2.
In the past however Huawei handsets haven't always lived up to their on-paper billing, with sluggish performance and frustrating UI - so we'll wait until we've put the Huawei Ascend Y300 through our in-depth review process before commenting on whether it really is value for money.
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Windows 8.1 first look video shows off touch-friendly features
In a new walk-through video, Microsoft has given us a run through of the changes set to hit Windows 8 devices with the launch of Windows 8.1.
It doesn't show off anything particularly revolutionary or that we didn't know was coming - new tile sizes! apps you can reposition! background colours! - but is a pleasant sneak peak at the changes that should be released later this month.
Stop/start
One thing that's significant in its absence from the video is the return of the Start button, which has had Windows fans frothing at the mouth.Presumably this is still set to make an appearance in the software update, as promised by Microsoft last month.
We'd imagine so, given that we've already seen the boot to desktop Start button combo leak in some Windows 8.1 images.
Windows 8.1 (previously codenamed Blue) will be released as a free download at Microsoft's Build conference which takes starts on June 26.
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In Depth: Windows 8.1 security: what's been improved
In all the fuss about the Start screen, it's easy to miss that Windows 8 had major improvements to security; that was the culmination of ten years of work on defending the operating system, senior product manager Chris Hallum told us.
"Windows 7 is six times more likely to get infected than Windows 8 and Windows XP is 21 times more likely to be exploited."
But that was still all defensive reactions; for Windows 8.1, he said, Microsoft is going on the offensive with better malware protection, new ways of checking the security certificates web sites rely on - and with a plan to add encryption and biometric security to every PC.
The built-in anti-malware tool Defender will protect against more threats in the browser, including from plugins and ActiveX controls. "In Windows 8.1 we will scan those payloads before they're executed," Hallum told us.
Protecting against stolen certificates
Microsoft will also be more active about protecting the browser against stolen certificates; because the browser trusts those certificates to identify popular web sites that you log into, hackers have started targeting them (and the authorities who issue them) as a way to break into your accounts."Public certificates have already been hacked," Hallum points out; in a number of cases certificates for well-known companies like Yahoo and Google have been compromised and used on fake web sites to steal credentials."
Windows 8 vs Windows RT: what's the difference?
For Windows 8.1, Microsoft will operate a service tracking certificates for the top million web sites. "If we see a certificate being used fraudulently or showing up on a server where it shouldn't be, we will work with the certificate authorities," Hallum said, noting that this will protect other versions of Windows and indeed other platforms too.
Windows 8.1 encryption and BitLocker
With Windows 8.1, encryption isn't just for business users any more, although Microsoft is improving BitLocker performance for business systems (up to 30 times faster than in Windows 8, Hallum claims). "We need it not just to protect your data but also the system itself; we don't want people to be able to tamper with Windows system files," he explained.That's why all versions of Windows will now include encryption; BitLocker in the business editions and the same device encryption that's already in Windows RT and Windows Phone 8 in the home editions. "We expect encryption to be pervasive," he predicted.
There are some hardware restrictions on this; you need a PC that is capable of Connected Standby with Windows 8 or 8.1. That means the PC has a UEFI BIOS and either a separate Trusted Platform Module (TPM), ARM's Trusted Zone or Intel's Platform Trust Technology for storing information securely.
It also means there is are no Direct Memory Access connections, which includes both FireWire and the Thunderbolt technology Intel developed with Apple; Hallum says Microsoft is talking to Intel about ways of making Thunderbolt more secure but DMA connections can transfer code directly into memory, bypassing system security.
Windows 8.1 Provable PC
Microsoft will also use the information about the PC stored in the TPM to 'harden' Windows with a cloud service that's provisionally called Provable PC Health (expect the name to change, Hallow says). This will use the record of secure boot stored in the TPM to verify that your PC isn't infected. "We can remotely analyse the security state of the device and the integrity of the device." Hallum says, claiming that this will detect even sophisticated malware like Flame."We will inform the user if there is a problem and if there is an infection Windows can put them back in a safe state. If there is an infection that can steal their credentials we will inform them, and we will help them remediate their Microsoft account."
Once you can store information securely and prove that your PC doesn't have a rootkit or a virus that could compromise that, you can use your PC as a way to authenticate that's more secure than a password.
"Passwords are increasingly problematic," Hallum points out; "people can have them phished or they can be guessed." Windows 8 can already use the TPM as a virtual smartcard but that's not truly two-factor authentication. You need something else to prove your identity and that will be your fingerprint.
Windows 8.1 fingerprint sensors
Today's fingerprint sensors are big, clumsy (you have to swipe your finger across them carefully) and easy to fool with a fake finger. More powerful sensors can tell the difference between a real finger and a fake – they can tell if your finger has a pulse – and they can detect prints from four fingers at once, but those sensors currently cost $100 or more.Microsoft is working with partners who can get the price down to about $4 each, so you'll get them in notebooks and tablets and even printers. And that could do way with insecure passwords entirely. "We want to make biometrics completely mainstream," says Hallum boldly.
Windows 8.1 virtual smartcards
Businesses get extra features as well. Windows 8.1 gets a way to use devices like Windows RT tablets, which can't jon a domain but do have a TPM, as virtual smartcards – as long as they use the new workplace join option so you identify to your company network which device you're using. That would mean that the files you can sync from your Windows Server file server to your RT tablet using Work Folders can be protected by Information Rights Management, which only lets authorised people open, print or copy those files.Windows 8.1 selective wipe
Windows 8.1 will also include selective wipe for removing business files from a personal computer without deleting your personal files too. Work files will be protected by the encryption and admins will be able to send a command (using standard device management software like Mobile Iron, Airwatch or System Center) to erase just those files. That will work on both x86 and ARM devices running Windows RT.Senior Director Stella Chernyak summed the combination up as Microsoft's answer to the BYOD trend. "As a user I can bring my personal device to work and easily join a corporate network with workplace join, and the company has a way to have my device recognised so when they expose the company data they know what device they're exposing it to. They don't manage the devices, they manage their corporate information, they control who has access - and they can remotely wipe business data and apps from that personal device if I'm leaving the company."
Now check out the other features in Windows 8.1
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Blip: Microsoft's E3 teaser trailer goes big on Xbox One games
Forza 5, Gears of War, Halo, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Splinter Cell, Battlefield 4, Fifa 14 and Madden will all get an airing E3 2013 after the Xbox One announcement.
So far so non-shocker, with Xbox Live, Xbox One and the Xbox 360 all getting shout outs in Microsoft's new teaser video, suggesting that the ageing console won't be entirely neglected when Microsoft touches down at the gaming mecca.
Promising "a new generation of games", we have no doubt that the Xbox One will be the star of the show, although the line-up of speakers includes the likes of director of Xbox Live programming head Larry Hryb so expect to hear more on that front too.
Just one week to go, time to strap on that wireless gaming headset and get excited.
More blips!
Gaming not your bag? Get involved with the best of the rest with our bite-sized blips.- White Nexus 4 sells out in a flash in the States
- Jelly Bean set to be bigger than Gingerbread in under a month
- Where did it all go wrong? Zynga slashes jobs to better fit mobile gaming reality
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Updated: Surface 2 release date, news and rumors
Surface 2 news and rumours
We already know that Microsoft is working on future models of its Surface tablet beyond the Core i5 Surface Pro that came out in January.Why? It's thanks to job adverts revealing the kinds of experts Microsoft is hiring. And, what's more, we could see a reveal as early as June. Keep on reading for the latest info.
It seems Microsoft has been bolstered by the successful sales and international pre-orders of the Surface Pro and may even bring forward a Surface 2 release date as a result. The 128GB version sold out numerous times and there was a definite shortage of the tablet across the US and Canada in the weeks after launch and subsequently some shortages in Europe.
We're fans of Surface on TechRadar, even if we think that Surface Pro is too expensive and Surface RT is too limited. And so we're excited about what version two may bring.
Microsoft Surface versions and release date
The latest rumours say that a new model of Surface, called Surface Plus, will be available. It could be a whole range of devices rather than just a new tablet. But what will Microsoft add to Surface to keep competing with the iPad?According to the latest rumours, Microsoft's next batch of Surface tablets will include a 7-inch edition, which will go up against the Google Nexus 7 and iPad mini and which will be available before Christmas.
We heard back in November that a new Xbox Surface could be on the cards and this could also be the 7-inch ARM-based tablet we're hearing about in these new rumours.
Microsoft confirmed in its earnings call in mid-April that there would be smaller Windows 8 touch devices, though it was unclear whether the company meant smaller Surface tablets or ones from other vendors.
In May, we heard that the Surface 2 could be released as early as June, the Microsoft Build Developer Conference. The tip comes from supply chain sources who spoke to Digitimes and has been reinforced since. And echoing Microsoft's mid-April comments, the same sources said that the new Surface tablets would come with smaller 7-inch to 9-inch displays.
However, analyst NPD DisplaySearch conflicted with this information on 3 May, saying that Microsoft's 7.5-inch slate won't hit until 2014.
We don't think we'll see something launch at Build, but we could well see it announced for later release.
New Surface specification
We could definitely see newer technologies in a forthcoming Surface, including NFC and LTE as well as, potentially, wireless charging.And we're still hoping that Microsoft will be one of the first tablet makers to use the new high-speed, low-power 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, especially as even the first Surface model has twin antennas.
There continue to be rumours that the new Surface could be launched in an 8-inch version. Samsung will supposedly supply the panels for these displays.
Surface Pro battery life
A big problem with the existing Surface Pro appears to be battery life, with around four hours reported for most. That's about half the battery life of Surface RT and the iPad, but while you might not be too surprised considering the Intel Core i5 that the Surface Pro runs, we'd point you in the direction of the six or more hours that many Ultrabooks can reach.In a two hour AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on Reddit, head of Surface Panos Panay talked about the Surface Pro in detail and had to defend the battery details against Redditors who suggested Panay - and fellow engineers who also appeared to be participating in the chat - were giving guarded answers drawn from marketing speak.
They had a point. Exhibit A is a key passage about the battery life and size, and the compromise that has been made. "If you compare [Surface] to say a MacBook Air, you will quickly see that pound for pound in battery size vs battery life, you will find optimizations that puts Surface best in its class.
"That said we picked a smaller battery to be sure we were able to give you the same performance and to keep it thin. This kept the weight under 2lbs. While these tradeoffs are challenges as much as they are opportunities, we think given the performance and experience you will be getting, it is an exciting product."
Put simply, the 42Wh Surface Pro battery had to be small and, while it's good for the size, there are compromises as a result.
Commenter Wiseasss wasn't appeased. "In every paragraph you insist that the computer has 'no compromises', and then turn around and talk about the compromises you made. What exactly is the difference, in your mind, between 'compromises' (which you say this product does not have) and 'tradeoffs' (which you say it does)?"
Microsoft Surface power saving
His thoughts echoed many comments that suggested the Surface Pro's battery life made it poor value up against competitor tablets and Ultrabooks. But Redditor marm0lade could see that physical size was the restriction, and that's how it had to be."Do you not think they are squeezing every ounce of battery life that they can get? It's a power hungry CPU with a tiny battery. But you need that CPU to be able to run desktop apps (do actual work). I have the Samsung Ativ tablet, which is running the same CPU as the Surface Pro, and I get 7 hours battery life. It, again, has a bigger screen/body which allows for a bigger battery."
You'd hope Microsoft could pack a bigger battery inside the Surface Pro, but judging by its responses here, there is precious little that will happen in the short term - it simply opted for power over longevity. After all, if it had wanted to offer a more frugal Intel solution, it would have opted for the Atom chip being used by others such as the Asus VivoTab.
Some respite was provided by the Surface engineers, who were surprisingly positive when questioned about whether an external battery could be on the way for Surface Pro. "That would require extending the design of the accessory spine to include some way to transfer higher current between the peripheral and the main battery. Which we did..."
Commenters were immediately enthusiastic. Here's Skaarg: "That response 100% sold me on the Surface. I'd been debating between the Surface Pro and other devices such as the Vaio Duo 11, Yoga 11S, etc. but knowing that an extended battery or keyboard with a battery is in the works makes me much more comfortable buying this device."
Microsoft Surface future connectivity
Panay also provided more detail about new connectors found on the Surface Pro's bottom dock, writing, "Wow - I'm pumped you caught that! We haven't announced what they are for but they aren't an accident!" he continued.
"At launch we talked about the 'accessory spine' and hinted at future peripherals that can click in and do more. Those connectors look like can [sic] carry more current than the pogo pins, don't they?"
So as well as a powered keyboard dock (the like of which is appearing on many other Windows 8 devices, could we also see other peripherals appear such as a battery pack or full dock? Only time will tell.
Surface Pro storage issues
Storage space - or lack of - was also a bone of contention during the AMA. According to Microsoft recently, the base model Surface Pro with 64GB of storage only comes with 23GB of free storage. That means Windows 8 Pro and whatever other default programs and apps come loaded on the tablet will leave just 36 per cent of the drive open for users.The 128GB model fares better, with 85GB (64.8 per cent) of the storage space left open for people to use. The Surface RT also went through some similar memory troubles. The 32GB Surface RT included just 16GB of storage when it arrived, and the 64GB version allowed users to work with 46GB of space.
Over the course of many tens of comments, Redditers were highly critical of the amount of space used up, comparing the device to others where free space was not as cited, but was still a smaller proportion of the storage space (the iPad or an Android tablet, for example).
Sag969 suggested they should have "cancelled the 64 GB model, sold the 128 GB model at $899 with no keyboard and the 128 GB model at $999 with a touch OR type cover" to alleviate the storage issues but still hit a reasonable price point.
An interesting titbit was revealed in the talk – that Office 2013 is actually pre-installed on Surface Pro - you just have to activate it. Asked if this was the case, the Surface team replied "Yes, that's exactly what it means :)."
On the 128GB version, the drive is formatted to 119 binary GB of which 89 GB is available. 10.4GB of that is taken up by Windows, while there's 2.3GB of Office 2013.
7.8 of those can be freed up by using the built-in tool to move the recovery data to a USB drive.
The Surface team unsurprisingly suggested that the answer to a lack of storage lay with extending space via the memory card slot, plugging in an external drive or using SkyDrive adding, "Windows does provide tools that allow you to free space by easily removing applications you are not using as well as move the recovery image to a USB thumbdrive."
"We decided to ship a Pro 64GB sku as it provides full Windows 8 and enough storage for a number of large application installs. It also provides you flexibility to extend storage should you need. If you plan to carry more personal items with you locally, our 128GB may be the better option for you."
"Available disk space is a design choice and a tough one to make as an engineering team," said the engineer, saying it was the result of "a clear set of tradeoffs to provide the customer more space while providing them the tools out of the box".
"There has [sic] also been questions about why including the recovery image by default. Ideally, you will never need your recovery image, however this is a choice we would prefer the customer to make vs. having the customer need the recovery image not realizing they needed to create one themselves."
Microsoft Surface display issues
During the chat the Surface team also cleared up how it came to ship the Surface Pro after RT. And the answer is surprisingly simple: "We started the Pro 3 months after we started Surface RT :-) That is exactly when we staffed the team to go and bring this product to life."The final point of interest from the AMA concerned the 1920 × 1080 ClearType display that comes with the Surface Pro. Primarily because Windows has been, well, a bit poor with 72dpi+ displays in the past.
As we've used an HD Asus Zenbook Prime with Windows 8 before, we can confirm that Windows 8 can play ball in this area, but the Surface Pro is reportedly not too good with this. But Windows 8 also can't scale differently on two displays, which is a problem for some.
About this, the Surface team said: "The Windows team is aggressively working on this feature to fix this for all high resolution Windows devices. We don't have a date yet to share, so sorry. But in the meantime here are some things I do to maximize my external monitor experience."
Ed from the Surface hardware development team also commented that DisplayPort on Surface Pro can drive an external monitor with resolutions up to 2560 x 1600p: "We wanted to give the most flexibility with monitors available today, and generally speaking most HDMI monitors are limited to 1080p." Microsoft has also published a separate engineering briefing on the Surface's display.
Naturally Microsoft will be working to fix these limitations, and it will be extremely interesting to see how Surface Pro performs in the market. After all, it's an extremely capable device by any metric, but while it isn't as powerful as many laptops, it is more expensive than them. It's also isn't as energy frugal and is more expensive than many tablets. Can Microsoft make it work? Or has the Surface RT just confused things? Roll on Surface 2.
Surface 2: what we want to see
While we wait for more Surface 2 information to leak or be officially announced, we've put together our Surface 2 wishlist...Many users would like to see Surface get more powerful.
It's unlikely that we'll ever be able to run any desktop apps apart from Office on any ARM-based Surface, because they would reduce the battery life so much. But we'd like to see more storage, an even higher screen resolution on the already-impressive screen – and the active pen from Surface Pro.
After all, Windows RT has excellent handwriting recognition and you can write notes in both the desktop version of OneNote and the OneNote for Windows 8 app that's free in the Windows Store.
But doing that with a capacitive pen (or, worse still, your finger) is awkward, because you can't rest your hand on the screen while you're writing, and the ink isn't as smooth as with an active pen.
The digitizer for an active pen would put the price up and maybe use a little more battery life, so we're not that hopeful.
We'd like to see NFC in Surface Plus as well. It's not that you'd tap a full-sized tablet on an NFC reader to use it as a credit card or train ticket, but it would be ideal for pairing peripherals like a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard with Surface – given that Windows RT is one of the few tablet operating systems that can work with lots of different peripherals.
The fast charging in the Surface is why it needs a full power adapter, rather than just a USB cable, to charge from; you get a full charge in just a couple of hours.
We want to see Microsoft licence the magnetic power tip to accessory manufacturers so they can put it on chargers that work with lots of different devices or on external battery packs.
But we'd also like to see the same wireless charging the Nokia 920 has in Surface Plus, so you could put it on a charging spot rather than fiddling with the power cable at all.
Take it a step further and you could use your Surface Plus to wirelessly charge your phone as well. (Fulton Innovations, one of the companies behind wireless charging, has promised to demonstrate charging a phone wirelessly from a tablet at CES 2013, although we doubt it will be a Surface.)
Impressive as the Touch Cover is, we'd like to see a wider range of keyboards to click onto the Surface; how about a gaming keyboard with custom buttons?
Talking of Touch Cover, it ought to be possible to have indicators on the Caps and Mute buttons to see when you have them turned on.
What we really expect is to see more colours of Touch Cover, perhaps using the same designs as the Artist Edition mice Microsoft produces.
Most of the rumours about Surface Plus suggest that it will be a range of devices with different size screens.
If what we're hearing about the scale of the manufacturing capability Microsoft has invested in is true (including the suggestion that Microsoft is putting together its own logistics service based in the far east to ship Surfaces around the world, which would explain several job postings on the Microsoft careers site for worldwide logistics experts), it makes sense for Surface Plus to be more than a single model.
Assuming that comes out in autumn 2013, we'd expect to see the first Surface Plus models at the same time – perhaps a 7 or 8" tablet optimized for web browsing and reading ebooks to compete with the iPad Mini.
That could finally make sense of Microsoft's joint venture with Nook makers Barnes and Noble.
Another rumour suggests an Xbox-branded gaming Surface to go with the new Xbox that we might finally see in 2013, perhaps with upgraded graphics so you can play more powerful games (which might help explain the senior imaging engineer position Microsoft is recruiting for to "develop the best video quality" and "improve overall display quality").
That would take advantage of the Xbox SmartGlass remote control app in Windows 8 and RT, as well as the Xbox LIVE integration.
To keep the price down, it might come without Microsoft Office.
There's even a rumour that Surface Plus could include something that's not a tablet at all: a 13.6" touchscreen Ultrabook. That would fit in with making Microsoft a 'devices and services' company, as well as showing the OEMs how to make quality versions of the full range of modern PC form factors that aren't weighed down by crapware, all with the same custom high-resolution, glare-free screen from the Surface.
We already know that Microsoft is working on future models of its Surface tablet beyond the Core i5 Surface for Windows 8 Pro that comes out in January, thanks to job adverts revealing the kinds of experts Microsoft is hiring.
The latest rumours say that Surface Plus will be a whole range of devices rather than just a new tablet. But what will Microsoft add to Surface to keep competing with the iPad?
Many users would like to see Surface get more powerful.
It's unlikely that we'll ever be able to run any desktop apps apart from Office on any ARM-based Surface, because they would reduce the battery life so much. But we'd like to see more storage, an even higher screen resolution on the already-impressive screen – and the active pen from Surface Pro.
After all, Windows RT has excellent handwriting recognition and you can write notes in both the desktop version of OneNote and the OneNote for Windows 8 app that's free in the Windows Store.
But doing that with a capacitive pen (or, worse still, your finger) is awkward, because you can't rest your hand on the screen while you're writing, and the ink isn't as smooth as with an active pen.
The digitizer for an active pen would put the price up and maybe use a little more battery life, so we're not that hopeful.
Adding LTE to the next version of Surface is more likely, now that 4G services are rolling out in more countries than just the US.
And we're still hoping that Microsoft will be one of the first tablet makers to use the new high-speed, low-power 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, especially as even the first Surface model has twin antennas.
We'd like to see NFC in Surface Plus as well. It's not that you'd tap a full-sized tablet on an NFC reader to use it as a credit card or train ticket, but it would be ideal for pairing peripherals like a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard with Surface – given that Windows RT is one of the few tablet operating systems that can work with lots of different peripherals.
The fast charging in the Surface is why it needs a full power adapter, rather than just a USB cable, to charge from; you get a full charge in just a couple of hours.
We want to see Microsoft licence the magnetic power tip to accessory manufacturers so they can put it on chargers that work with lots of different devices or on external battery packs.
But we'd also like to see the same wireless charging the Nokia 920 has in Surface Plus, so you could put it on a charging spot rather than fiddling with the power cable at all.
Take it a step further and you could use your Surface Plus to wirelessly charge your phone as well. (Fulton Innovations, one of the companies behind wireless charging, has promised to demonstrate charging a phone wirelessly from a tablet at CES 2013, although we doubt it will be a Surface.)
Impressive as the Touch Cover is, we'd like to see a wider range of keyboards to click onto the Surface; how about a gaming keyboard with custom buttons?
Talking of Touch Cover, it ought to be possible to have indicators on the Caps and Mute buttons to see when you have them turned on.
What we really expect is to see more colours of Touch Cover, perhaps using the same designs as the Artist Edition mice Microsoft produces.
Most of the rumours about Surface Plus suggest that it will be a range of devices with different size screens.
If what we're hearing about the scale of the manufacturing capability Microsoft has invested in is true (including the suggestion that Microsoft is putting together its own logistics service based in the far east to ship Surfaces around the world, which would explain several job postings on the Microsoft careers site for worldwide logistics experts), it makes sense for Surface Plus to be more than a single model.
We've been predicting for a while that there will be new versions of Windows and Windows RT every year; the first update seems to be going by the codename Blue.
Assuming that comes out in autumn 2013, we'd expect to see the first Surface Plus models at the same time – perhaps a 7 or 8" tablet optimized for web browsing and reading ebooks to compete with the iPad Mini.
That could finally make sense of Microsoft's joint venture with Nook makers Barnes and Noble.
Another rumour suggests an Xbox-branded gaming Surface to go with the new Xbox that we might finally see in 2013, perhaps with upgraded graphics so you can play more powerful games (which might help explain the senior imaging engineer position Microsoft is recruiting for to "develop the best video quality" and "improve overall display quality").
That would take advantage of the Xbox SmartGlass remote control app in Windows 8 and RT, as well as the Xbox LIVE integration.
To keep the price down, it might come without Microsoft Office.
There's even a rumour that Surface Plus could include something that's not a tablet at all: a 13.6" touchscreen Ultrabook. That would fit in with making Microsoft a 'devices and services' company, as well as showing the OEMs how to make quality versions of the full range of modern PC form factors that aren't weighed down by crapware, all with the same custom high-resolution, glare-free screen from the Surface.
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HTC One mini could arrive at the same time as Galaxy S4 Mini
The HTC One mini, a rumoured cut-down version of the flagship HTC One, could arrive this summer pretty much at the same time as its Samsung rival.
According to hit-and-miss Taiwanese site Digitimes and its dubious "industry sources" the HTC One mini is set to roll off the production line in July, but may be announced sometime this month.
This would see it go head to head with the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini which we expect to also go on sale in July, and sets both handsets up for an almighty tussle for market dominance.
The sources go on to claim that the HTC One mini will have a 4.3-inch 720p display, dual-core processor, metal chassis and come running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
That's not all folks
Apparently HTC is also lining up a number of other smartphones for this year and we've already heard mutterings on a super-sized handset currently dubbed T6.The same report cites sources revealing the T6 will sport a metal chassis as well as a 5.9-inch full HD display and punchy 2.3GHz quad-core processor.
We've already seen the HTC Desire 600 launched by the Taiwanese firm, but the industry insiders go on to reinforce reports that an entry-level HTC Desire 200 is also on the cards.
We're not getting too carried away with this news however, as Digitimes' sources are often pretty unreliable, so we'd suggest taking everything here with a decent pinch of salt.
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Apple's curved battery patent hints at ergonomic iWatch
Apple's latest patent win details a curved battery cell which could make an appearance in its long-fabled iWatch.
Rumours that Apple is working on a smartwatch have been flying thick and fast, and while there's no official word from the company, a curved battery cell sure seems like a sensible thing to use in a gadget that curves around a person's wrist.
Of course, there are alternatives to an Apple Watch - a flexi-screened iPhone 6 or a bendable iPad perhaps - although these seem a little more outlandish.
Watch it
The filing, which Apple submitted in January and won this week, is for an interlocking battery cell that is manufactured in a curved shape, with the filing adding that it could curve at both ends.It is intended for "portable electronic devices" - specifically, this design is meant for "the portable electronic device that is outside of a rectangular spaces". The filing oges on to namecheck laptops, tablets, mobile phones, PDAs, digital cameras, media players, "and/or other type of battery-powered electronic devices".
"The battery cell includes a set of layers including a cathode with an active coating, a separator and an anode with an active coating," the filing explains for the battery fans among us.
"The battery cell also includes a pouch enclosing the layers, wherein the pouch is flexible. The layers may be wound to create a jelly roll prior to sealing the layers in the flexible pouch."
Mmm, jelly roll. It's all to "facilitate efficient use of space" in whatever gadget Apple goes for, the filing notes - but there's no guarantee that Cupertino will see fit to even use the tech it's patented.
So probably not worth putting money on the iWatch just yet.
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UK will get treated to Samsung Galaxy S4 Active this summer
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active will be coming to the UK this summer, so if you like the idea of the Galaxy S4 but feel it's just too fragile then you're in luck.
Samsung has confirmed that the UK will be treated to all three colour variants of the Galaxy S4 Active which have been lovingly-named Urban Grey, Dive Blue and Orange Flare - fancy.
There's currently no word on the S4 Active price, but if we were to take a guess we'd expect it to cost pretty much the same as the normal Galaxy S4.
Phone for you
High street retailer Phones4U has already come out and confirmed it will be stocking the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, although there's no word on tariffs or which networks it will offer the rugged device on.You can register your interest on its website if you fancy getting your hands on the dust- and water-proof S4 Active which features a 5-inch Full HD display, 1.9GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 8MP camera and Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2.
Make sure you keep an eye out for our hands on Samsung Galaxy S4 Active review, which will be going up towards the end of this month after we check out the handset at Samsung's June 20 event in London.
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Salesforce.com snaps up ExactTarget
Salesforce.com is spreading its tentacles further into the world of social media marketing with the $2.5 billion (£1.6 billion) acquisition of cloud marketing platform ExactTarget.
The company says the deal will pull together its sales, service and social marketing systems with ExactTarget's digital marketing capabilities, citing a worldwide switch to the latter in the field of consumer technology.
It is also unabashed in declaring this as a step in being the world's leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform. In April IT analyst Gartner said that Saleforce.com had replaced SAP as the world's leading CRM vendor.
ExactTarget's platform makes it possible for marketers to integrate customer data from any source into digital marketing campaigns across multiple channels. It's used by more than 6,000 companies around the world.
Changing roles
Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO of Salesforce.com, said the acquisition will place it in a position to take advantage of a trend in which chief marketing officers are expected to spend more on technology than chief information officers by 2017.The move is the latest in Salesforce.com's campaign to exploit social media. In recent weeks it has announced plans for a CRM application to track internet comments, and launched a cloud service named Salesforce Communities that pulls together business data and social portals.
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Samsung Galaxy S4 Active officially announced
Samsung has finally announced the Galaxy S4 Active - a rugged phone that brings top-end specs but lets you throw it in the bath.
Clearly intent on squeezing as much cash out of the Galaxy S4 brand as possible Samsung has overhauled its best-selling flagship smartphone and given it a tougher exterior which includes IP67 dust and water-proof protection and a fully sealed design.
In terms of specs the Galaxy S4 Active is almost identical to the Galaxy S4 with a 5-inch Full HD display, 1.9GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 2MP front camera and 2600mAh battery.
One difference between the two however is the rear facing camera, with the Galaxy S4 Active sporting an 8MP snapper instead of the 13MP version on the standard handset.
S4 gets tough
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active retains the 4G connection and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system however, and of course the Korean firm's TouchWiz interface is laid on top.Thanks to the rugged features on the Galaxy S4 Active - which includes three physical buttons below the screen - the handset measures a slightly porkier 139.7 x 71.3 x 9.1 mm and tips the scales at 151g, 21g more than the Galaxy S4.
In terms of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active release date all we know is that it will go on sale sometime this summer in select markets.
We will get to check out the handset a Samsung's event in London on June 20, so keep an eye out for our hands on Samsung Galaxy S4 Active review later this month.
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