Lovefilm for iOS gets AirPlay and IMDb integration
Lovefilm users can now beam their favourite movies and TV shows from their iOS device, to the Apple TV set-top box thanks to a new update.
The new version of the app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch also includes IMDb integration, allowing film fans to search cast and crew information, as well as look up trivia, mistakes and famous quotes.
Users will also be able to manage their Watchlist using the app and also browse the Lovefilm catalogue while offline.
Finally, the update offers new collections and genre categories and promises faster search functionality.
Fighting back
The update mirrors one offered by Amazon to its US-based Prime Instant Video customers earlier this year.It should also strengthen Lovefilm's attempts to stave off the threat of the ever-improving Netflix service.
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Latest iOS 7 bug allows calls to be made from a locked iPhone
An iOS 7 user has discovered a worrying security flaw within the software, which enables calls to be made while the iPhone is locked.
The flaw can be exploited using the emergency call screen that can be accessed from the lock screen. Once the phone's keypad is open, any number can be dialled by repeatedly tapping the call button.
In a video shot by iPhone users Karam Daoud and passed onto Forbes, tapping the call button numberous times causes the screen to go black and the Apple logo to appear.
After that, the call to any number, including international and premium phone numbers is completed as if the phone were unlocked.
Any number, any time
"Once the black screen appeared, it was pretty clear that this is a bug," says Daoud from Ramallah in Palestinian. "You can dial a number anywhere, any time."He also claims to have repeated the trick on older iPhones running older versions of iOS and enjoyed further success, so it appears the problem is not confined to iOS 7.
The bug is the second security flaw uncovered within iOS 7 since its release in midweek. The first lockscreen vulnerability allowed access to the device's photos and email. However, that required a much more complex combinations of presses and swipes.
Apple says it is working on a fix for the first issue, but is yet to comment on the more recent discovery.
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Opinion: 'Stream on' Netflix - TV channels still have a future
"While hugely popular, the linear TV channel model is ripe for replacement," explained Netflix this week, in an update to its television manifesto, neatly skipping over several major content types to tell us why the future is all about, well, them.
I'm a big consumer of non-linear content; I use iPlayer and download Auntie's best to my iPad, I have Netflix and Lovefilm accounts and I use Sky Go, Sky Go Extra and even the occasional over-expensive digital download.
But to write off linear television is to fail to acknowledge that some content types are simply better suited to that environment. Sport is one and news is, to a lesser degree, another.
Of course, Netflix has a point when it talks about linear TV becoming less prevalent going forward. The 'watch when you want and where you want' mantra is powerful and most people reading this article will already have embraced it to a certain extent.
Water cooler
Those water cooler moments still exist, but they are less inclined to come with advert breaks and sitting down as a family.Breaking Bad is being made simultaneously available on streaming as it is on TV and House Of Cards, Vikings and Arrested Development have proven that our tiny brains can cope with having an entire season arrive at the same moment.
But currently around 90 per cent of TV in the UK is consumed on that ageing linear channel-based platform and the decline is not going to be either rapid, or complete.
In 2022 we'll still have BBC One and ITV and we'll almost certainly be watching the World Cup final on one of those two channels.
While there is still a market to consume shows at the earliest possible moment there will always be a market for linear, that's why sport and news have linear futures.
Push news
I don't especially want to watch a key football game time-shifted, I don't want 'push' news, I absolutely categorically do want streaming movies, TV boxsets and entertainment content.
Of course, it's important to note that Netflix specifically mentions linear TV channels - presumably acknowledging the need for linear television - but we've yet to see a model in which linear television can be displayed without a host channel.
It's feasible, of course, your device could send you a reminder of when, say, a match is about to start and you plough right into it without having to sit through the last ten minutes of Downton Abbey.
But, for a lot of people, there is a comfort in the humble channel - drifting from one gentle nonsense to the next while you wait for something to arrive that engages you.
Even in households that have DVRs, streaming services ready and waiting, and devices littered around the sofa there is still the odd time where you find yourself watching back to back re-runs of Friends, or drawn in, despite yourself, to a Come Dine With Me marathon.
So, I think Netflix is wrong to write off linear. I almost guarantee that we will see a decline in the number of channels at some point, and that on demand will continue to flourish until it dominates.
But linear has served us well for decades, and I think its got decades left in its tank.
- Are you all about streaming? Then check out the best streaming services around.
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In Depth: Apple Maps: one year on
This time last year, Apple told Google to get lost: from iOS 6 onwards, Apple would provide its own mapping app.
You can imagine the snickers at Google HQ when the launch of Apple-powered Maps proved to be a disaster: 3D maps appeared to have suffered terrible disasters, entire towns disappeared and the maps appeared to be so error-prone that Apple ended up in the humiliating position of urging customers to use rivals' applications.
The debacle saw the exit of mapping team head Richard Williamson and iOS senior vice president Scott Forstall, and by December 2012 we were all delightedly installing the new standalone Google Maps app and relegating the Apple one to our "crapple" folders.
Is Maps still lost?
Why Google had to go
Apple's decision, we suspect, was motivated more by a desire to boot Google off iOS than a desire to make the world's best mapping service. Apple likes to control the technologies that matter to it, and location awareness is important for the future - not just in Maps but in other apps such as Reminders and Siri.Reports suggest that Google was looking for a bit more user data than Apple was comfortable with and that Google wouldn't give Apple voice-controlled turn-by-turn directions.
And of course the happy relationship between Apple and Google had turned into something more combative when Google launched Android as a direct competitor to the iPhone.
What Maps got right - and wrong
Making maps is tough, and as Apple discovered, there's a lot more to it than just buying in some mapping data and making it look nice.Apple licensed its core maps from TomTom, which acquired the Google Map-assisting TeleAtlas mapping service in 2008. TomTom's core business is satellite navigation, and while there were plenty of errors - no mapping system is ever perfect - most people found the driving directions were very good.
But there's more to mapping than roads, and that's where Apple Maps went wrong. Many of us use maps to find particular businesses and points of interest, and the data Apple had for that wasn't very good.
It was old, and it was often inaccurate: in the UK it listed long-dead retail chains and located enormous superstores in peoples' back gardens while failing to find businesses that had been operating for years. According to TomTom, "they had so many different sources of data that they were trying to merge all in one application. It didn't work out."
Developers did warn Apple about this, but Apple either didn't take them seriously or felt it could get away with shipping a less than perfect product.
Apple has continually updated its maps since the launch of iOS, adding improved satellite imagery and turn-by-turn navigation for more cities, but it's chasing a moving target: Google Maps not only had a head start, but it has been updating constantly too.
Maps in iOS 7 and Mavericks
We've got good news and bad news about the latest iteration of Maps: it's better, but it isn't there yet. We were able to replicate multiple iOS 6 mapping issues such as old data and incorrectly labelled businesses in the UK version of iOS 7, and while it isn't as bad as it's been painted, the search is often useless.The whole experience is notably inferior to Google Maps or third-party navigation apps from the likes of TomTom. Gizmodo put it very well in a headline: "Apple Maps Are Getting Slightly Less Crappy In iOS 7".
That doesn't mean it hasn't been improved, though. Maps now has a full-screen mode and a night mode, there are turn-by-turn directions for pedestrians, you can specify whether walking or driving should be the default for directions, and you can now look around the route by pinching and zooming to see more or less detail. There are improved satellite images too.
iOS 7's Maps also get another new feature: if you allow it, it will use the Frequent Locations feature, which records your most commonly visited places, and correlate it with your Apple ID to work out where you live.
The data, which Apple promises will only be retained in anonymous form, will be used to improve Maps' accuracy. It's likely that iOS in the Car will have similar data collection.
Maps is increasingly integrated in OS X, too, with the incoming Mavericks using Maps for locations in Mail, Calendar and Contacts.
Mavericks gets a desktop version of the Maps app as well, and you'll be able to sync locations from your Mac to your iPhone or iPad and vice versa. Apple is hoping for a virtuous circle here: the more people use Maps, submit data and report problems, the more accurate Apple can make it.
Putting money where Maps is
Apple made two big mistakes with Maps: it launched too early, and it didn't give the project sufficient resources. It can't do much about the former but it's definitely learned its lesson with the latter: over the last year, Apple has been putting its money where its maps are.It has hired multiple "Maps Ground Truth Managers", whose role is to improve Maps' accuracy. It bought HopStop, which specialised in public transport mapping and information, and Embark, which does much the same. It also bought indoor mapping company WifiSLAM and the crowdsourced data firm Locationary, whose business was based on ensuring businesses' entries in mapping services were accurate.
Apple has even developed a chip to make Maps better. The new M7 motion co-processor, introduced this month in the iPhone 5s, isn't just for fitness apps. Apple didn't mention it in the keynote but in its website blurb for the M7 it says: "M7 knows when you're walking, running, or even driving. For example, Maps switches from driving to walking turn-by-turn navigation if, say, you park and continue on foot."
It knows if you're in a vehicle or if you're on foot, and it could easily tell Maps if you're driving at 100mph on a road Maps thinks is a lake. According to 9to5Mac.com, it might even help you find your car when you park it by remembering your location automatically.
The maps, then, are getting better - but Apple Maps' biggest challenge might be persuading people that that's the case.
Thanks to endless coverage and parodies such as Mad Magazine's superb fake New Yorker cover, an awful lot of people associate Apple's Maps with unreliability: if you type "Apple Maps is" into Google UK, the first three autocompletes are "is terrible", "issues" and "is rubbish". Apple can fix its data. Can it fix that?
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Roundup: Best of TechRadar: this week's star features and hottest reviews
Phew, what an exciting week!
We had our biggest day ever last Tuesday, with over 1.5 million of you tuning in to TechRadar for news of the new iPhones, and this week we've published our in-depth reviews of said handsets for your reading pleasure!
Why read one iPhone review when you can read two in double the time?
It's not all been about iDevices though. We've published the usual range of cool news and features.
So here's a round-up of all the best features, reviews and videos from the past seven days on TechRadar, from an inside look at the making of Grand Theft Auto V, to a round-up of our favourite phone handsets from across the ages.
How Rockstar built the world of GTA 5
An insider's look at the biggest game of all time
Before Grand Theft Auto 5's first teaser trailer hit in November 2011, gamers were busy speculating about where 5 might be headed. San Andreas was the bookies' favourite, but some felt a return to Vice City was on the cards. Others thought we might even see Rockstar reclaim the streets of London.
However it doesn't take a lot of roaming around GTA 5's map to see why it was important to revisit Vinewood. San Andreas had plenty more to give, and Rockstar had plenty more love to give it. But when faced with putting down the first brick, where do you choose to begin? Continue reading...
The five phones that EVERYBODY loved
At least one of these phones brought a smile to your face
There was a time when phones used to be a bit different from each other. Buyers used to have choices that extended a little further than whether they'd like their featureless new rectangle to run iOS or Android, with the phones of old having quirkier appearances and more unpredictable features.
We miss the days when phones weren't all homogenised into the same form factor by the one huge factory in China that makes everything, so here are the five finest phones that made us love them by being different and proud of it. Continue reading...
Destination everywhere: TomTom maps out the future
TomTom talks Google Glass, wearable tech and its latest mission to make things simple again
Earlier this year, TomTom presented the world with its very own fork in the road. The company, known mainly for its in-car sat nav devices, announced that it would be venturing into the lucrative arena of wearable tech with the launch of the TomTom Runner, its own sports watch.
This isn't a sideline for TomTom, but a sector of the market that is now seen as on a par with its personal navigation devices (PNDs). This marks a significant change in a company that was once known for simply getting you from A to B.
TomTom now wants to be seen as the company that can 'get you where you want to be', whether that be in terms of location or physical fitness. Either way, it's an opportunistic helping hand. Continue reading...
This week's hottest reviews...
Apple iPhone 5S
Faster, new camera and a clever fingerprint readerThe iPhone 5S: a phone that looks like the iPhone 5, but goes so much further under the hood. Is that going to be enough to impress the baying hoardes?
We've been here before, of course: the iPhone 'S' conundrum. The new phone comes along, taking the shell of the previous model, adds some new bits and pieces, and then claims to be an entirely new phone.
Which it is, of course. But also isn't. But mostly is. It's a move that only Apple can pull off with any kind of conviction: the notion that it can take the same chassis, have a little tinker, throw in a new CPU, slightly better battery and camera, and call it an all-conquering device.
But then again, such is the clamour to know all about it, is that such a bad move? There are literally millions of people the world over who can't wait to see what the next handset from Apple will be, and there was no surprise with the iPhone 5S. iPhone 5S review
Apple iPhone 5C
It's a cheaper iPhone, not a cheap iPhoneThe iPhone 5C marks a new era in Apple's mobile onslaught, as the Cupertino-based firm finally breaks rank from premium design and price by offering up a device which is slightly more affordable. Slightly being the key word there.
Before you start getting excited about the potential of a "cheap iPhone", be warned that the iPhone 5C is no mid-range Android rival, because with prices starting a £469 ($549, AU$739) for the a 16GB SIM-free handset you're still talking quite a lot of money. iPhone 5C review
iOS 7
The features you'll love and the flaws you won'tiOS 7 is the biggest change to Apple's mobile OS since Steve Jobs changed his mind and allowed third party apps onto the iPhone.
Where previous iOS updates were largely a case of install-and-get-on-with-it, iOS 7 takes a bit more getting used to.
Don't worry, though: Apple isn't hurling babies out with the bathwater here. The iOS we know and largely love is still there, but it's been given one hell of a makeover. iOS 7 review
Panasonic TX-P50GT60
Perfect plasma sweet spot is a triumph of trickle-down techWho said plasma was dead? While most brands concentrate on selling us edge LED-lit TVs – even Panasonic – there's nothing like a pricey plasma to remind us of why flat TVs caught on in the first place.
Following in the wake of its barn-storming 'reference' flagship & step-down plasmas, the 60-inch TX-P60ZT65 and 50-inch TX-P50VT65, the much cheaper TX-P50GT60 has a lot to live up to. Or is this the ultimate trickle-down TV? Panasonic TX-P50GT60 review
The week's best videos...
iPhone 5S Keynote trailer (Parody)
iPhone 5S Touch ID fingerprint scanner: How does it work?
iPhone 5S vs iPhone 5C: How are they different?
iPhone 5S walkthrough
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iPhone 5S Touch ID tech is no joke, says comedian-turned-politician
The new Touch ID fingerprint sensor within the iPhone 5S handset has come under fire from a prominent U.S. politician, who has expressed concern the data could be used to 'impersonate a person for life.'
Senator Al Franken, a former comedian who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, wants assurances from Apple regarding how the prints will be safeguarded.
In an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the representative for Minnesota pointed out that passwords can be changed infinitely, but once thieves get hold of our prints, it's the end of the road.
He wrote: "Passwords are secret and dynamic; fingerprints are public and permanent. If you don't tell anyone your password, no one will know what it is. If someone hacks your password, you can change it -- as many times as you want. You can't change your fingerprints. You have only ten of them. And you leave them on everything you touch; they are definitely not a secret. What's more, a password doesn't uniquely identify its owner -- a fingerprint does. Let me put it this way: if hackers get a hold of your thumbprint, they could use it to identify and impersonate you for the rest of your life."
Can it be extracted?
Apple has assured that the fingerprint data will never leave the iPhone 5S and will never be stored on the company's servers or uploaded to iCloud.Third party developers have also been shut-out from using the tech at this stage.
However, despite conceding that Apple has probably implemented this tech responsibly, Franken wants to know whether its possible to extract the fingerprint data from the device itself.
In one of a number of questions within the letter he asked: "Is it possible to extract and obtain fingerprint data from an iPhone? If so, can this be done remotely, or with physical access to the device?"
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Microsoft is the last outlaw fighting against the Google monopoly, says Ballmer
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has painted the company's Bing search engine meeting that Bing represents the last stand of the Spartans against the marauding Persian Empire.
The outgoing boss told attendees at a financial analysts meeting this week that Bing's rearguard action is the only thing preventing a complete Google monopoly of the search market.
Pondering what Microsoft needs to do to generate more income from search and advertising, Ballmer pointed to Google's example.
He said: "Google does it. They have this incredible, amazing, dare I say monopoly that we are the only person left on the planet trying to compete with."
Bing home the bacon
However, as much as Big Steve wants to bring home the bacon, he won't be mirroring Google's approach, which he claims is worthy of discussion with competition regulators.He added: "I do believe that Google's practices are worthy of discussion with competition authority, and we have certainly discussed them with competition authorities,"
"I don't think their practices are getting less meritorious of discussion."
Recent figures have shown Bing is gaining ground somewhat. It now boasts 17.9 per cent of the market, while Google continues to comfortably lead the way with 67 a per cent share.
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Week in Gaming: GTA high fives its way to ubiquity as Atari and Steam Box look on
In a move that few, if any, could foresee - week in gaming's regular scribe Hugh has disappeared without trace in the past week muttering something about strip clubs, murdering prostitutes and shooting people.
Of course, the rest of us have been playing GTA V, but we've still managed to find some time to wallop together this round up of the last 7 days in gaming which, as you may imagine, have been somewhat dominated by the adventures of Michael, Trevor and Franklin.
Santos came early
We started the week with the news that Amazon had inadvertently shipped a few lucky souls their copies of GTA V early, Rockstar were suitably outraged by the extra column inches this generated and the last we'd heard Max Payne had been dispatched to a warehouse in Slough with several packs of painkillers and some cough sweets.While TechRadar was waiting by the post box for its copies, we grabbed an interview with the game's art director Aaron Garbut who revealed just how he built the world of GTA V, that he doubted anyone would ever discover all the easter eggs and that he'd love to relocate the GTA series to different countries.
And then the stars came out
Fortunately, despite being the most ridiculously over-hyped game of all time, it managed to quickly establish itself as one of the most critically acclaimed.
And just in case you thought that a projected $250 million budget was ludicrous for a game the news arrived that it had taken a truly mind-boggling $800 million in its first 24 hours on sale.
Oh and we made a GTA V First impressions video too:
Atari and Steam get some love too
Not many companies can compete with Rockstar for gaming hype - but back in the 1970s (a decade that only two of the TechRadar team even saw) Atari was even bigger.And when we met up with founder Nolan Bushnell he explained why, but for a few days off, he reckons the fallen gaming giant could have been a contender against the Xbox One and PS4.
Another giant that is hoping to give the big two a run for their money - no we're not talking about poor old Nintendo - is Valve.
The Half Life, Left for Dead and Portal makers are, more or less, responsible for keeping the PC gaming world current and their Steam Box hardware is kind of a big deal.
At a Linux conference head honcho and wheely-desk backer Gabe Newell hinted that we'd get more news next week, which gave us an opportunity to think about open source as the future of gaming and tell you why gamers are now keeping desktop PCs alive.
But, we can't let a week go by without looking in the fuuuuuture! So we also updated you on Xbox plans for more Xbox One TV channels and an insight into both how the PS Vita plays with the PS4 and just how many hoops the devs had to jump through to get the Sony hierarchy to agree to using x86 hardware.
Big week. Now go back to your car thievery, but not until you check out these awesome links from our gaming brethren…
CVG
Rockstar's magnum opus is finally here, everything you need to know is in our spoiler-free GTA 5 Review Heist fidelity - become a proper gangster in our comprehensive GTA V video guide and walkthroughGames Radar
Rockstar's latest has finally hit store shelves. Find out how the newest game in the series stacks up in our GTA 5 review. Do the new and improved HD visuals warrant purchasing this Zelda classic. Read our Wind Waker HD review to find out.Official Nintendo Magazine
Which indie games should you be looking out for? Here are 20 games that will define the Wii U eShopWill Wii Sports Club encourage families to buy a Wii U this Christmas? Nintendo will be looking to replicate the success of the original with this HD remake.Official PlayStation Magazine
Get the best out of Los Santos with our handy GTA 5 tips guide to help master Grand Theft Auto.Get the latest PS4 info & details with this need to know guide.
Official Xbox 360 Magazine
Six ways Xbox One's exclusives back up Microsoft's rhetoricGTA 5 tips: how to make a million dollars in Los Santos
Total Film
30 Films Where Everyone Dies At The EndCape Expectations Episode 2: Batman vs Superman Casting Rumours --
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iPad mini 2, like the iPad 5, is rumored to be suiting up in 'space gray'
What colors will the iPad mini 2 come in? The iPad 5 is rumored to be suiting up for travel to "space gray" in October, and it looks like Apple's smaller 7.9-inch tablet may be in a matching outfit.
That makes sense since we know that the iPhone 5S just launched in space gray, silver and the extremely rare gold. But that has literally become yesterday's news.
Today's leaked photos from NowhereElse.com moved on to focus on the iPad mini 2, which allegedly depicts the tablet in the most plentiful, least desired iPhone 5S space gray color.
A purported space gray iPad mini 2 shell is shown in composite photos along with the also unconfirmed silver iPad mini 2, a color the back half of Apple's tablets have been sporting since first launching in 2010.
Will there be a gold iPad?
The silver iPad mini 2 reportedly leaked in a comparison video that showed a shell not very different from the first iPad mini. The changes are thought to involve a high-resolution Retina display.And now we are seeing this space gray iPad mini shell. That begs the question: Will there be a gold iPad 5 and iPad mini 2?
There was certainly pent-up demand for the precious-looking gold color when the iPhone 5S launched Sept. 20. Availability has since been pushed back to October.
Apple may be toasting to more profits as a champagne colored iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 could grab more headlines very soon. All Touch ID-sensed fingers are pointing to an October launch for the tablets.
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Breaking up is hard to do: Samsung is behind iPhone 5S A7 chip
When Apple announced the iPhone 5S 10 days ago, it revealed a more powerful next-gen processor was ticking along for the ride.
The 64-bit ARM A7 was a widely expected edition to the Apple SoC line-up, and some thought Apple might finally turn to a chipmaker other than arch-rival Samsung to produce the silicon in its new flagship.
Alas, Apple apparently couldn't cut the cord, as research firm Chipworks confirmed through "early analysis" that the chip is the product of Samsung's fabrication Foundry.
Through some microscopic dissection, the Chipworks crew came to the conclusion the A7 is built using the same 28-nm HKMG process as Samsung's Exynos 5410 CPU, the processor found inside the octa-core version of the Galaxy S4.
Blood is thicker than water, we suppose.
Made a break with M7
Apple is stuck relying on Samsung for its mobile CPUs it would seem, though perhaps by the time the iPhone 6 lands the company will have made a clean break.There is, however, one third-party chip claim Apple can stake with the 5S.
Chipworks identified the M7 co-processor, which collects and processes accelerometer, gyroscope and compass data, as an NXP Semiconductors product.
- Read our iPhone 5S review, and check out the iPhone 5C review right after.
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Valve Steam Box could arrive Monday as website countdown ticks away
The long-awaited Valve Steam Box could be here Monday.
The announcement's potential can be gleaned from an enigmatic page on the Steam website, one visitors arrive via a URL containing the word "living room."
Bandied along the top is a proclamation: The Steam Universe is Expanding in 2014.
Carry further down and a small, incandescent ticker is steadily counting down. Do the math and you realize it expires on Monday, Sept. 23.
"Last year, we shipped a software feature called Big Picture, a user-interface tailored for televisions and gamepads," a message reads.
"This year we've been working on even more ways to connect the dots for customers who want Steam in the living room. Soon, we'll be adding you to our design process, so that you can help us shape the future of Steam."
OK, Ben Gates...
You need sleuthing skills to make it in this business, so let's break down what we have before us.On Sept. 16, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell teased that we're in for "more information" on hardware ways and means to get bring Linux gaming into the living room next week.
Clearly the countdown is a sign, so no points there, but we also have some mysterious symbology that could mean any number of things. As SlashGear pointed out, the progression of circles could be two gamers connecting thanks to whatever Valve has in store.
The circles and plus signs may be a hint at design, or it could be complete nonsense.
Are we really in for a Steam Box reveal? It's certainly possible. There's also the potential for Valve to introduce a process or some such way of users contributing to the design of the Steam Box, as alluded to in the last part of the website page's message.
Whatever it is, you can be sure TechRadar will have all the latest 66 hours and counting from now.
- Heard of this thing call the PS4? Read our hands on review of it right here.
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Blip: Grand Theft Auto V continues to make big bucks three days after launch
Grand Theft Auto V has been in just as many headlines as the iPhone 5S, 5C and iOS 7 this week.
Within 24 hours of launching and making $800m (£497m, AU$841m), GTA V is now up to a whopping $1 billion (£6.2b, AUD$10.6b) and rising in worldwide sales three days later.
The game's publisher Take-Two Interactive said today that it's the fastest any other "entertainment property" has ever sold.
The game is out now for the PS3 and Xbox 360 (obviously) and expected to show up on PC and the next-gen PS4 and Xbox One in the future.
More blips!
These blips are the fastest thing you'll read on TechRadar.- Google Wallet arrives for iOS, but leaves tap to pay at home
- Aussies embracing wearable tech faster than the UK and US
- Grand Theft Auto lives up to hype, rakes in $800 million in 24 hours
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Updated: BlackBerry to pull back from consumer market, warns of huge loss and layoffs
BlackBerry released its preliminary second quarter financial results today, and as jargon-y as that sounds, the company dropped some major bombshells.
We'll start with the news that affects consumers directly: BlackBerry has decided to chop its future smartphone portfolio from six devices to four. Cost saving measures are to be expected, but there's more.
The phone maker will now focus on making "enterprise and prosumer-centric targeted devices," producing for that space two high-end devices and two entry-level devices. All-touch and QWERTY models are in the offing, but the days of BlackBerry ardently plying phones to consumers are over.
"We are implementing the difficult, but necessary operational changes announced today to address our position in a maturing and more competitive industry, and to drive the company toward profitability," CEO Thorsten Heins said in a BlackBerry press release.
"Going forward, we plan to refocus our offering on our end-to-end solution of hardware, software and services for enterprises and the productive, professional end user."
Additionally, following this week's announcement of the BlackBerry Z30, BlackBerry wants to re-tier its predecessor, the disappointing Z10, making it available to "a broader, entry-level audience."
BlackBerry reiterated a special committee continues to explore strategic alternatives for the company's future, which it has stated include an all-out sale.
Money pit
Of course, BlackBerry wouldn't just up and decide to shift its attention to the enterprise and prosumer space. It would have to be losing bucket-loads of money. Well, it is.According to the company's preliminary calculations, it expects a net operating loss of approx. $950 million to $995 million for the second quarter.
A huge portion of that - $930 million to $960 million - is a primarily non-cash, pre-tax inventory charge "resulting from the increasingly competitive business environment impacting BlackBerry smartphone volumes."
That's the nice way of saying the Z10 didn't sell, and now BlackBerry is sitting on a mountain of unsold BlackBerry 10 handsets. A $72 million restructuring charge is also in there as well.
Cutting even deeper to the quick, BlackBerry's restructuring will result in the lay off of approx. 4,500 employees, or about 40% of its workforce.
As for whatever positives there are, BlackBerry expects to pull in second quarter revenue of approx. $1.6 billion and sales of 3.7 million smartphones. Sadly, only
It plans to chop its operating expenditures by about 50% by the end of the first 2015 fiscal quarter.
Whether there's still a BlackBerry to report on in Q1 2015, well, that's a whole other story.
The company is due to discuss final Q2 2014 financials on Sept. 27.
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Apple TV update goes wild, brings iTunes Radio and more to set-top
A significant Apple TV update hit the airwaves today, bringing with it a host of features Apple device users are already enjoying with iOS 7.
Apple TV 6.0 lugs along iTunes Radio, AirPlay from iCloud (only compatible with iOS 7 devices), iCloud Photos and Videos, iTunes Music Store and Podcasts, as reported by 9to5Mac.
AirPlay from iCloud will let folks play content purchased from iTunes on any Apple TV, so you're not stuck to only stream paid-for content from the lonely confines of your living room.
For the unfamiliar, iTunes Radio is Apple's new streaming music service, available in both ad-sponsored and commercial-free flavors.
The update didn't come on Sept. 18 as was previously reported, the day iOS 7 officially launched, but never mind that. Apple TV 6.0 puts a bow on a week that saw an avalanche of new software and hardware from Apple.
Hardware update soon?
The update has been in beta since June, but now the bona fide finished hardware is making it out to Apple TV tuners.While it wasn't clear (until the day of, of course) whether Apple TV would get some attention during the Sept. 10 reveal of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, industry observers are placing bets that Apple will introduce new TV hardware sometime this year.
The likely timing would be during the company's rumored October iPad 5/iPad mini 2 event, though nothing is official.
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Apple reportedly pushing for increase in gold iPhone 5S production
If you shrugged off sleep, kept your track-pad finger hovering over order options at the online Apple Store, or camped out/paid someone to stand in front of a physical store overnight, you're helping the new iPhones get off to a rousing start.
"Demand for the new iPhones has been incredible, and we are currently sold out or have limited supply of certain iPhone 5S models in some stores," an Apple representative told AllThingsD.
But you really have to look no further than the long lines and extended shipping dates to know that.
The gold iPhone 5S looks of particular interest to consumers, and Apple is reportedly preparing to give them more of what they want.
All that glitters
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has tugged on suppliers' ears to up production of the new gold iPhone.Apple apparently wants production to jump up another third based on the strong demand it's seeing for the champagne-colored handset. AllThingsD noted in a separate report that Apple's manufacturing partners have been asked to "significantly" increase gold iPhone 5S production.
The Journal's report focused on Hong Kong demand, but in the U.S., the gold iPhone's ship time has been pushed to October on all four carriers and in all storage configurations. The white and space gray models, meanwhile, are able to ship within seven to 10 business days from any carrier in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB options.
Supplies of the iPhone 5C, meanwhile, appears to be holding steady, and will get to U.S. customers in one to three business days.
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PS Vita TV may come to US and Europe, but Sony says timing is everything
When Sony announced its new, affordable PS Vita TV games and media streaming device would only be available in Japan, pangs of disappointment reverberated around the US and European tech circles.
However, thanks to a strong reception for the multi-purpose device outside of the Land of Rising Sun, Sony's now thinking of a wider roll out in its western territories.
Sony Computer Entertainment SVP and Division President of Business Division 1, Masayasu Ito, says a launch is on the cards, but that the timing had to be right.
He told Engadget: "During the presentation yesterday, the European and American users showed a very strong response, more than we expected, and there has been a strong inquiry, request, demand that they want the product."
"Of course we are thinking of launching in the EU and US, but in terms of timing we have to watch the timing and watch the environment carefully."
Clamour
The $100 (around £60) smartphone-sized accessory allows users to buy and stream games from the PlayStation Portable back catalogue, as well as the PS Vita games that don't require access to the touchscreen and rear touchpads.Users will require a PS3 Dual Shock 3 controller in order to use the device, which is purchased separately or bundled in with the micro-console.
The device can also be used to stream PS4 content into another room in the house, so if gamers want to move the action to the bedroom (don't we all?), and continue playing, they can do so with ease.
As well as Remote Play-style gaming, there's also a selection of familiar on-demand entertainment apps allowing PS Vita TV to rival the likes of Apple TV.
With all that functionality at such a modest price point, it's little surprise PlayStation fans are clamouring for this device to be freed from its Japanese shackles. Watch this space!
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The P35K Ultrablade is light on its feet but packs a powerful punch
We've seen gaming laptops go on a diet this year, and now Gigabyte is claiming to have outed the world's lightest device in its category.
Aimed at gamers and 3D designers alike, the company describes the 15.6-inch P35K Ultrablade as a machine that "exudes elegance and sophistication delivering a professional laptop but geared for gaming". If Bond took a laptop to a LAN party, this might be it.
It spans 21mm thick and weighs 2.16kg - a touch heavier than Razer's similarly-specced Blade 14 (1.88kg) that landed back in July - which isn't surprising what with it carrying an extra inch of heft.
Specs wise, the P35K houses up to 16GB RAM, a fourth generation Intel Core i7 processor, and an Nvidia GTX 765M mobile GPU packing 2GB RAM.
Full HD
The display itself is a wide angle 1080p IPS panel. It beats the Blade 14's 1600 x 900 pixels and could be lifted above Razer's offering if you place resolution and screen real estate high on the agenda.The P35K also comes with hot swappable bays that support up to two 512GB mSATA SSDs and two 1TB HDDs that provide 1000MB/s and 850MB/s read/write capability. It also features support for Super RAID 0.
There's no word yet on UK pricing or availability yet.
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BLIP: Apple fan's iPhone 5S stolen in store, no chance to even set up Touch ID
Apple's new Touch ID fingerprint sensor might safeguard the iPhone 5S against thieves, but it wasn't much good to one poor Apple fan who had his handset robbed before leaving the Apple Store on Friday.
After queuing (probably for hours) at the flagship Apple Store on Regent Street in London, the unlucky fella unboxed his handset and placed it in his pocket, only to be pick-pocketed by a light fingered little toe-rag.
He only realised the iPhone was gone after he left the store and now cops, who were out in their droves on Friday and still managed to miss the incident, are looking at CCTV footage to determine what happened.
"It's not clear what happened, because the store is so busy," a Met police source told The Register. "This is why we draft in extra officers. There's always going to be people having their new phones nicked."
More blips!
Some more blips, with less heartbreaking iPhone thievery, can be seen here- Madonna and BitTorrent sticking it to the man
- HTC One going for gold?
- Harry Potter spin-off flicks on the way. And games too!
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In Depth: 5 things Nintendo's Hiroshi Yamauchi gave to gaming
This week the world said goodbye to former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi, a man who influenced the video game industry - from its infancy and well beyond - perhaps as much as anyone.
Yamauchi, 85, was president of Nintendo from 1949 to 2002, when he stepped down and was replaced by current President Satoru Iwata. During those 53 years, he transformed Nintendo from a humble playing card maker to the global video game company it is today.
If you're a gamer, Hiroshi Yamauchi impacted your life. Here are five ways how.
Shigeru Miyamoto
Yamauchi hired Shigeru Miyamoto, the single most important visionary in all of game design, in 1977, when Nintendo was just beginning to transition away from playing cards and into video games. Needless to say, this hire paid off.
Miyamoto interviewed for his job directly with Yamauchi, and the Nintendo head later assigned the game designer with the project that led to the creation of Mario and Donkey Kong.
Miyamoto went on to create The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Pikmin, Metroid, Earthbound, F-Zero and others still. He even had a hand in the development of the original Pokèmon games, which helped popularize Japanese culture in the U.S.
And it was all thanks to Yamauchi, who clearly saw a spark of something special in the young designer.
The NES and SNES
Yamauchi-san oversaw everything at Nintendo, from toys and trinkets to games and hardware, for over five decades. During that time the company made products ranging from vacuum cleaners to action figures, but its most notable contributions were the Nintendo Entertainment System ("Famicom" in Japan) and the Super Nintendo (the Super Famicom).
After its success with Donkey Kong in arcades, Nintendo conquered the home console market with the NES and SNES. The Nintendo 64 and the GameCube came after, but they did not rule the gaming industry the way Nintendo's two earlier consoles had.
With an incredible lineup of exclusive Miyamoto-designed games that no other game company could match, the NES and SNES generations to this day boast arguably the most solid lineups of any console.
The home console market
It wasn't just Nintendo that Yamauchi benefitted with the NES; the entire video game industry did. It's a well-known fact that when the "Atari bubble" popped in the early 1980s, most people thought home game consoles were done forever.
But against all odds (and probably the advice of others) Yamauchi made the call to launch the NES (already successful as the Famicom in Japan) in North America in 1985.
By 1990, the NES is said to have globally outsold every previous home gaming console combined. Research from the site Statistic Brain credits the system with over 60 million sales total as of 2012. The NES single-handedly revived the ailing home game console market, and the rest is history, as any gamer knows.
Handheld gaming as we know it
But Yamauchi's legacy goes far beyond home consoles. If you enjoy playing games on your 3DS or PS Vita - or even on your smartphone or tablet, one could argue - then you owe him thanks for taking a chance on the original Game Boy.
Legend
has it Yamauchi hired the Game Boy's creator, Gunpei Yokoi, on a whim
after seeing a toy that the then-janitor had made in his spare time.
Yokoi went on to create Nintendo's Game & Watch systems and of
course the iconic and seminal Game Boy.Yokoi even supervised Shigeru Miyamoto's earliest creations, like Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. Of course, he also created the Virtual Boy, so it wasn't all success.
A lasting legacy for Nintendo
Under the leadership of current Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, Nintendo has seen success with the DS, 3DS and Wii consoles (its success with the Wii U remains to be seen).But it was the creations under Yamauchi's tenure that have truly been Nintendo's lasting legacy. From the Game Boy to Mario himself, Nintendo is still revisiting the characters and ideas that were begun when Yamauchi was in charge. And the creative geniuses that Yamauchi hired saw Nintendo rise to the top of the gaming industry and maintain a solid position there.
Nintendo is facing stiff competition from Sony and Microsoft these days, but in the face of these all-encompassing entertainment and hardware conglomerates, Nintendo has stayed true to its roots: making video games that it hopes are fun for everyone. Whether it's always been successful at that is almost irrelevant in the face of such philosophical consistency, and sometimes it seems like Nintendo will always have its fans.
Yamauchi saw the talent in creators like Miyamoto and Yokoi before anyone else could have. But that's not all - he also took chances on them that led to the creations of some of gaming's most iconic products, games and characters.
Nintendo, under Yamauchi's leadership, has touched and will continue to touch more lives than can be counted. The man himself has moved on to another castle, but his legacy lives on.
- Nintendo actually has a whole new piece of hardware, the Nintendo 2DS.
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Buying Guide: Best 4G phones 2013: 10 to choose from
The UK saw its first, belated, 4G network appear for use late last year thanks to EE, which managed to wangle approval from regulator Ofcom to launch an LTE service before the other main providers.
But now Vodafone and O2 have launched their new high-speed 4G networks, or, to put it another way, your mobile may soon give you quicker uploads, downloads and ping responses than your home broadband thanks to these new mobile networks.
The downside is that you're probably going to need a new phone to use this super-super-fast data connection, as many older mobiles don't have the necessary radios inside them to hook into the frequencies used by 4G systems.
- Already got a 4G-ready phone? Find out which is the best 4G network
And we've done the hard work for you, so sit back, relax and check out the best 4G phones compared.
iPhone 5S
The iPhone 5S isn't as tricky as the iPhone 5 because, along with the iPhone 5C, it supports the most 4G bands of any smartphone currently on the market. This means it will happily play with any 4G network here in the UK.
It's not all plain sailing though, as O2 still needs to do some work to its 4G service before the iPhone 5S will work on its superfast network, although we're told this will be sorted "soon".
Meanwhile over at Vodafone and EE all is well with the 5S, and Three tell us Apple's latest flagship will also play nicely with its 4G when it's launched in December.
As for the phone itself, the iPhone 5S isn't an enormous update over the previous models, but Apple has managed to squeeze a faster A7 processor inside the chassis, along with an updated camera module and a nifty fingerprint scanner hidden under the home button.
HTC One
This is HTC's best phone yet, and that's saying something. The HTC One is 4G-ready from the offset, so can be bought on any of the networks peddling the super fast connection.
The HTC One earned rave reviews for its metallic chassis, superb low-light camera performance and the general smoothness of HTC's updated user interface, with the new HTC Sense social features also going down a storm.
This phone and a 4G data connection would make most people very, very jealous indeed.
Samsung Galaxy S4
This year's Galaxy S series update was not without controversy. Its launch event was a bizarre music hall experience that some said was rather sexist, the phone's full of so much bloatware and additional Samsung software it's been complained about on TV, but none of these whinges have stopped the Galaxy S4 shipping in record numbers and making it the most popular Android phone around today.
It's not just good marketing either, the Galaxy S4 is an excellent handset in its own right and while it may be trumped by the HTC One it's still worth a look.
The only model sold in the UK comes with a 4G-friendly radio inside it, so once you've got it, you've got the 4G power on EE, Vodafone and O2.
Nokia Lumia 925
Nokia's latest Windows Phone 8 model isn't to be sniffed at just because it's not running iOS or Android, it's a decent handset with some great features and a premium build which goes hand in hand with the premium price you'll pay for 4G.
It's main attraction, and you may have spotted it in the TV adverts, is its 8.7MP camera which Nokia boasts produces the best low light pictures around - and we're inclined to agree.
The Windows Phone interface is slick and provides something very different from the Apple and Google offerings, plus support for all the key UK 4G bands means the Lumia 925 is future-proofed connectivity wise.
BlackBerry Z10
If you want something a little more avant garde, BlackBerry's new Z10 is also an early member of the UK's 4G phone club.
The first phone to run the company's new BB10 mobile OS, the Z10's software is a little quirky in places, but the powerful, feature-packed web browser and 4G connectivity makes it a decent contender for those after something fast and a little different.
Plus, with a relatively modest 4.2-inch display, it's one of the more pocketable modern smartphones and less of a slab than other big name models. Don't ignore it just because it's BlackBerry.
Sony Xperia Z
Sony's current highest-end Android model is the Xperia Z, which stuffs a lovely 5-inch display into a slim chassis, into which it's also somehow managed to include a quad-core chipset, 2GB of RAM and a 13MP camera.
It's one of the most impressive Android models around today, and is also ready for your next-gen mobile data connection thanks to featuring the required miniature internal coat hanger needed to pick up an LTE radio signal.
It operates on all known 4G bands, so you'll be free to switch providers and juggle SIMs at will.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini review | Compare Galaxy S4 Mini deals
If all these fancy smartphones are just too big for your dainty little hands then fear not, for 4G also comes in smaller packages and one of those is the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.
Borrowing the styling from its big brother the S4 Mini comes in at a cheaper price point but still packs a decent punch for a mid-range mobile.
A bright screen and capable camera make the S4 Mini an attractive proposition and its broad 4G prowess means its available from EE, O2 and Vodafone.
BlackBerry Q10
If you want traditional QWERTY BlackBerry hardware to accompany your futuristic 4G data speeds, there's only one choice (well actually there's two now thanks to the BlackBerry Q5) -- the Q10.
The phone looks like your usual old BB with its chunky keyboard and landscape display above, but comes with the updated BB10 OS for adding a bit more style to proceedings.
The phone also includes NFC support, for transferring mobile data rather more slowly over distances of a couple of centimetres, should that ever really become a thing people want to do. Oh and it'll work on EE, O2 and Vodafone - phew.
iPhone 5C
iPhone 5C recview | Compare iPhone 5C deals
Like the 5S, the iPhone 5C provides the widest range of 4G band support out of any phone, so you won't have to worry about compatibility issues - that is unless you're on O2.
Grab the iPhone 5C on Vodafone and EE and you'll be enjoying 4G from the word go, but O2 is yet to get its 4G house in order for the new iPhones, lumping customers with a 3G connection for now - but a fix is "coming soon".
The iPhone 5C is a bit of an odd handset. It's plastic body, yet slick operation should see it compete with the likes of the One Mini and Galaxy S4 Mini, but it's premium price tag means it prices itself closer to the big brothers - both of which have more features. It does come in some bright colours though.
HTC One Mini
HTC One Mini review | Compare HTC One Mini deals
Another "mini" 4G handset to break into the ranks is the HTC One Mini, arriving on EE and O2 - but currently shunned by Vodafone.
Would we recommend the One Mini? Absolutely. We love the aluminium shell, the UltraPixel camera and BoomSound speakers.
You also get to play with the latest version of Android as well as all the cool apps like the Music Player, which show lyrics to songs as they're playing.
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Updated: Surface 2 release date, news and rumours
Surface 2 news and rumours
We know that Microsoft is working on future models of its Surface tablet beyond the Core i5 Surface Pro that came out in January and we'll find out more on Monday.We're fans of Surface on TechRadar, even if we think that Surface Pro is too expensive and Surface RT is too limited (due to Windows RT). And so we're excited about what version two may bring.
Surface 2 release date
It seemed sure that a new Surface 2 running Windows RT was imminent due to price reductions and now Microsoft has sent out invites to the media for a New York City event on September 23. That's Monday!
Despite the many problems and drawbacks, Microsoft says it is committed to Windows on ARM, although a cynic would say that Windows Phone also runs on ARM, so it could be that Microsoft is referring to.
The new tablet will feature the Windows 8.1 retread of Windows RT, known as Windows 8.1 RT.
By general concensus the Surface RT hasn't done that well, although we've never been crystal clear on how many slates Microsoft has sold with RT. But the fact that there's now a price cut amounting to $150 per model (equal to £98, AU$163) and a $900 million accounting writedown is a sign the numbers aren't stellar.
Although it seems sure that Microsoft will follow up with a new Surface 2 RT - xpect the same detachable keyboard system (with more peripherals available) - Nokia is the likeliest company to release a new third-party RT tablet and The Verge and ZDNet report the new slate could be codenamed Sirius or possibly Vanquish. The 10.1-inch tablet would boast the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, probably with 32GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM. There would also be a Windows RT version.
Other rumours suggest 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. Indeed, we know from Microsoft Build 2013 that we'll be seeing a lot more small tablets, such as the 8-inch Acer Iconia W3.
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 2
Microsoft has been bolstered by the successful sales and international pre-orders of the Surface Pro and that means we'll definitely see a Surface Pro 2 release date soon as a result - a device that will surely feature Intel's new Haswell processors.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.
The Surface Pro 2 is also supposed to truly replace PCs by providing the Surface Dock, an accessory that allows more device connections, along with a Power Cover to supply extra battery juice.
As well as Windows 8.1, we could definitely see newer technologies in a forthcoming Surface, including NFC and LTE as well as, potentially, wireless charging.
We're also hoping 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.
Xbox Surface?
We heard back in November that a new Xbox Surface could be on the cards and this could also be the smaller ARM-based Microsoft tablet we keep hearing about. As for when it will be here, analyst NPD DisplaySearch believes that a Microsoft 7.5-inch slate won't hit until 2014.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.Microsoft's leaks also show new Surface accessories and accessory colours, which could mean new charge covers for extra battery capacity.
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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In Depth: Can the Queen get 4G?
With Vodafone and O2 launching their 4G networks to take on the increasingly speedy LTE offering from EE, we picked up a handset from each carrier (along with an 'Ultrafast' HSPA+ phone from Three) and trawled around London to see what kind of speeds consumers can really expect if they fork out the extra money for the next-generation mobile speeds.
It's very hard to give definitive speed results in any given location, but as London is one of the only places in the UK with 4G from O2, EE and Vodafone at the moment (plus one of the highest densities of masts broadcasting the signal) we considered it adequate for getting a feel for what was on offer when it came to next generation speeds.
How did we test?
We decided to go with a variety of phones all capable of connecting to the 4G signal – in the case of 3 this wasn't necessary, so we stuck with the tried and tested Samsung Galaxy S4.For Vodafone, we chose the HTC One Mini; for O2 the Samsung Galaxy S4 was offered and with EE we went for the larger HTC One.
(We'll be re-testing this with our double-speed 4G-enabled LG G2 in the near future, so stay tuned!)
We used the Speedtest.net app to determine ping rates and download speeds in each location, ensuring there was a 4G connection (or HSPA+ in the case of Three) wherever possible – although no matter how hard we tried, there were occasions where an LTE signal just wasn't happening.
Ping test: to determine latency (the delay) between your phone / tablet and the server. The lower the rate, the faster the connection, and the less time waiting for your data to start arriving.
And in the interests of fairness, we ran the test at least three times on each phone, giving an average score at the end to ensure we didn't get caught out with an anomalous result during the testing.
We gave each network a score out of four for each test to help us determine TechRadar's utterly unofficial Best 4G network.
So how did each network get on? Does Three's claim that its Ultrafast network can be a good stopgap before it brings 4G later in the year hold water? Does EE's double-speed 4G network actually allow users to get much faster speeds (which would be unlikely, given no phones on the market can actually use the connection as yet)?
And can one man walk around London holding nearly £2000-worth of telephony and not get mugged several times?
TechRadar Towers – Balcombe St – 15.54 (indoors)
To kick off our test, we decided to start at home – right in TechRadar's offices. Checking the coverage maps showed that we were supposed to get good indoor coverage with O2, Three and EE, while Vodafone was outdoors only.
Colour us as surprised as a leopard that realises it looks better in pinstripes to find that not only did O2 and EE not manage to get anywhere near the expected speeds (O2 not even finding a 4G signal) but Vodafone defied its own maps to provide blistering speeds time and time again.
- Vodafone – 4pts
- EE – 3
- O2 – 2
- Three - 1
London Bridge – 20.15
Next up, a stop at the Shard later in the evening provided a great chance to test connection speeds. With loads of people milling around and a number of offices and homes within reach, this would surely test the signal in a new way, with all networks promising good coverage – and achieving it too for the most part.
EE fans will be pleased to note that once the indoor shackles were off, it leapt to the top of the leaderboard. Vodafone did not fare as well with a 4G signal hard to come by, while O2 and Three sailed through the test.
- EE – 4pts
- O2 – 3
- Three - 2
- Vodafone - 1
St Albans – 07.50
Now here's an odd one: while neither O2 nor Vodafone confirmed the outlying parts of London as towns or cities imbued with 4G, several of them were actually able to connect to the service, according to the coverage trackers.
St Albans station was apparently covered with good outdoor 4G signal according to the coverage maps, but only EE managed to get such a thing while waiting for the train, with many other commuters playing with their smartphones at the same time (although few were likely running 4G speeds).
Sadly, Vodafone didn't even manage to connect to the Speedtest.net app, despite multiple attempts, so scored nil points in this test. Three was once again a creditable distance behind the 4G rivals.
- EE – 4pts
- O2 – 3
- Three – 2
- Vodafone - 0
St Pancras – 08.25
Now we hit the big leagues – outside one of the busiest stations in London at rush hour. With all networks promising good indoor and outdoor coverage, which would leap to the top of the leaderboard?
Vodafone and O2 were the front runners in this test, with EE a close third and Three some way behind. The latency was a little slower than expected, but it seems the congestion from thousands of phones emerging blinking into signal all at once wasn't helping things.
Fresh from its previous two disasters, Vodafone narrowly missed out on top spot – another excellent showing from the new boy O2.
- O2 – 4pts
- Vodafone – 3
- EE – 2
- Three - 1
South Kensington – 10.25
So to quieter locations: in a more affluent area of London, would 4G speeds be slower?
It seems not, as all four networks raised their game in this location. EE really began to flex its muscle in this more open space, while O2 kicked it up a gear once more. Three suddenly remembered that it could pump some pretty whizzy speeds over HSPA+, and even managed to beat the 4G-connected Vodafone into fourth place.
- EE – 4pts
- O2 – 3
- Three – 2
- Vodafone - 1
Buckingham Palace – 10.55
For our final test, we wanted to ask the question everyone has been dying to know since the launch of the 4G networks: can the Queen get a 4G signal in Buckingham Palace?
With 4G signals promised once more – and this time delivered promptly and powerfully – this was going to be the test that sorted the 4G men from the GPRS boys.
Three bowed out early on, with a meagre result given its fine showing in Kensington. However, with many tourists thronging around and a number of businesses close by, its 3G networks may have been taxed rather heavily, while its unlikely foreign visitors would be paying up for 4G signal.
Vodafone managed to finally get another one over on its launch rival, boasting speeds just faster than O2, which will please some lovers of the Big Red Network.
However, EE showed that it knows what it's doing with 4G, bringing nearly double the download speed with the lowest ping rate. So if you can't decide whether you want to download an HD movie or watch guards changing at the Queen's London digs, then it looks like EE may be your best bet.
- EE – 4 pts
- Vodafone – 3
- O2 – 2
- Three - 1
The results
There's no doubt there's a large gap between Three's 3G Ultrafast network and the next generation speeds on offer. However, there were times when the distance was narrower, so if you're able to hold on until December with speeds hovering around 4-5Mbps on average, then you might just be in for a 4G treat.
EE has definitely got the most robust network on offer, with the fastest speeds shown in most locations, and more often than not far exceeding the competition.
O2, with less spectrum on offer than its rivals, surprised us in this test by often providing fast and impressive results – however, with a high price plan it will be interesting to see if consumers pay up.
Vodafone looks like it needs to do some more work, but with the red network promising to turn on a mast every 30 minutes in London, perhaps it won't be too long before its coverage map actually mimics real life usage.
We'll be running the same tests again in two weeks' time to see if anything has improved, so stay tuned to see if EE can hold on to its impressive lead.
- Want to know if you should really care about 4G? Well, luckily we've spent ages putting together everything you need to know.
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Android KitKat release date revealed by Nestle
It looks like Nestle Germany has let the chocolate out the wrapper after it appeared to confirm that Android KitKat would be launched in October this year.
Replying to a user on its German KitKat Facebook wall, the translated message reads: "Hi Tim, Android 4.4 KIT KAT is available in October".
There have been rumours circulating that Google is planning an event on October 14, at which the search giant is expected to announce details on the next iteration of its mobile platform.
Nexus 5?
We could see KitKat arrive alongside the new Nexus 5, which is also be touted for the event and it could be the flagship smartphone for Android 4.4.If Android KitKat does arrive in October you can expect Google's Nexus devices to be first in line for the free software upgrade, including the new Nexus 7, Nexus 4 and Nexus 10.
Of course Nestle might just be messing with us - could it instead be referring to the launch of a KitKat in the shape of an Android? We'll wait and see...
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Review: Mini Review: Bayan Audio Soundbook
There is a healthy and growing market for quality, well-built, sub-£200 portable audio systems built to appeal to the growing hordes of digital audiophiles out there.
And with an increasing array of options on offer, it's easy for the discerning listener to be slightly baffled by choice, what with the likes of the £130 Jawbone Jambox, the £169 Beats Pill and the £179Geneva XS all doing decent business.
So it's interesting to see yet another contender arrive in this crowded marketplace in the shape of the £150 Bayan Audio Soundbook. But is it any good? And can a relatively unknown British audio designer compete with the big boy brands?
If you are a seasoned hi-fi buff, then you might initially consider opting for a decent wireless portable systems from a trusted, well-known brand such as the recently launched £170 Bose Soundlink Mini or the £100 Cambridge Audio Minx Go or even the (slightly larger, considerably pricier) £329 Cambridge Audio Minx Air 100.
But before you do that we highly recommend putting the Bayan Audio Soundbook through its paces with a thorough listening test before parting with your hard-earned.
Make MP3s and FLACs sing
If you really care enough about music, then you want the sound quality of the tunes you are listening to on iTunes on your iPad (or streaming via Spotify on your smartphone or playing FLAC files on VLC your laptop or whatnot) to sound as good as they possibly can in situations where you can to listen to a loudspeaker instead of earbuds or over-ear cans.
This generally means, in our extensive testing, that you can discount pretty much any portable speaker or iPod dock under the £100 mark, as more or less all of these will sound tiresomely over-tinny or, even at medium levels of volume, horribly distorted.
Plus, the cheap plastic designs of most of these items should really mean that anybody who actuallycares about music files them away in their brain as little more than "instant landfill".
What Bayan Audio (currently) lacks in the brand-awareness stakes, it makes up for in quality sound tech design. This small British audio company has already been making something of a (pleasant) noise amongst clued-up digital music fans, firstly with the release of the remarkably loud, clear and curious-looking Bayan Audio 7 speaker dock last year.
And more recently with their handy StreamPort Universal NFC-friendly Bluetooth streaming box.
So how does Bayan fare out there in the wilds of the busy portable speaker bazaar? Short answer? Pretty damn well.
If you want something small enough to pack in your hand luggage, yet well-built and hefty enough to pump out decent-quality audio streamed wirelessly via high quality aptX encoded audio over Bluetooth 4.0 – from your tablet, smartphone, laptop or pretty much any Bluetooth-enabled device where you store your tunes (or play your streaming apps) – then the Bayan Audio Soundbook is something of a minor godsend.
For two important reasons. Firstly, most other portable systems in this price-bracket simply cannot compete on sound quality when put head-to-head against the Soundbook. That's the most important point. Secondly, it looks great, feels reassuringly solid and remembers pairings with up to four different phones, tablets or computers. Oh okay. That was five reasons.
The clever design,more on which below, is mainly based around cramming as much quality speaker tech into the smallest box possible, while remaining elegant, unobtrusive and pleasing to the eye. This accounts for the surprisingly weighty feel of the (558g) Soundbook.
You could, should you wanted to, take it out of your bag and use it as an effective weapon to whack a mugger in the face. We don't recommend you use it in that way. The point being, it's surprisingly heavy for a speaker of its size, which is no point of criticism, for this is clearly a requirement for Bayan's audio designers to achieve the excellent sound quality the Soundbook is capable of.
We've tested the Soundbook in pretty much every situation we can imagine having a requirement for a decent portable wireless speaker. Inside in the office, in the kitchen, in the bedroom and in large hotel suites. And outside on the beach, in the garden and around the campfire. In almost every situation one of our compatriots has commented on the impressive sound of the music. Even when our tunes weren't particularly to their taste. (Sorry, Eminem!).
The Soundbook is, unsurprisingly, taking its name into account, around the size and weight of a large hardback novel, so there's really no problem carting it around with you wherever you go. Unless you are extremely weak.
The Soundbook is available in two colour options – silver/turquoise and charcoal/burnt orange – and unfolding the protective mesh lid switches the system on, with the tough lid also doubling up as a stand. Really nice design touches.
The rechargeable battery seems to last a good 10 hours or so in our testing. Not bad. Unless you plan to be away from a power point in the desert for days on end. In which case, having a suitable wireless iPod speaker is most likely the least of your worries.
Soundbooking your memories
One word of minor caution here. If you are after a portable system to blast out loud hip-hop or heavy metal at a banging house party or to power a mini-rave on the beach till dawn, the Bayan Soundbook is not the portable wireless speaker you were looking for. Clearly, physics has its limitations (something even the digital audio gurus at Bayan cannot change) and you are going to need to invest in a muchbigger, louder and beefier boom-box affair if that's what you're after.
Bayan has squeezed the best sound they can, taking into account the physical limitations of the Soundbook's 1-inch internal speakers, and 2-inch passive bass radiator. The treble and mid-range is clear, clean and just lovely to listen to, which makes the Soundbook the ideal portable speaker accompaniment if you are a fan of jazz, folk or acoustic music.
This is not to rule out bassier and beefier hip-hop and rock, however, as the bass sound is perfectly fine for smaller outdoor gatherings and indoor listening. Just not beefy enough to rock a party!
All of that said, the Soundbook does pretty much any genre of music justice. In pretty much any situation, indoors or out (that isn't a packed house party or impromptu illegal rave) its diminutive size belies its capability to do justice to the quietest guitar strumming through to the gutsiest heavy rock.
If you have a smartphone or tablet with near field communication (NFC) tech then you will also benefit from the rapid auto-connect feature on the Bayan Soundbook. A far more interesting use for NFC than paying for your groceries at Tescos. Plus, the Soundbook's TDMA noise rejection ensures that you don't have any annoying interference from other electrical equipment and wireless gadgetry nearby. Which means that once you get a Bluetooth phone, tablet or laptop connected to the Soundbook, which is a pretty painless experience, the sound is consistent with no annoying drop-offs.
One pretty cool additional feature of the Soundbook is the fact that it has a microphone, which means that it can easily double up as a speakerphone for laptop, phone or tablet-based Skype conference calls. Hardly a deal breaker, no, but a really nice "value add" nonetheless.
Finally, for fans of older tech (read: those that don't yet own Bluetooth or NFC-enabled digital music playing smartphones and tablets) you can still rely on the good old-fashioned 3.5mm audio jack to wire your old iPod or MP3 player into theSoundbook.
Or you might well just choose to tune-in to the in-built FM radio and do away with extraneous music players and other devices altogether. Our experience of listening to the cricket in the park this summer was most certainly improved by hearing the broadcast clearly and crisply through the trusty Bayan Soundbook.
Verdict
The perfect portable speaker to carry with you on holiday, on work trips or pretty much wherever you may go. Superb sound quality, great design and quality build and the fact that the Soundbook remembers up to 4 different Bluetooth pairings means this mini speaker will soon become friendly with any laptops, tablets and smartphones you use to listen to music.
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