Dolby Atmos thunders into home theaters soon
Anyone who's experienced the groundbreaking cinematic sound of movies like Gravity at a theater has probably wondered when such technology would be heading to the living room. Wonder no more, folks. That day is coming soon.
Dolby announced its ear-splitting Dolby Atmos, first introduced in 2012, will be making its way to home theater systems later this summer thanks to a handful of AV hardware partners.
The launch is the result of months of work by Dolby's research and home theater teams. The Atmos promise is to help consumers "feel every dimension of your home entertainment," courtesy of 9.1 surround sound.
Although the best experience involves ceiling-mounted speakers, Dolby partners are launching new Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers, offering "full, detailed overhead sound" even when placed where conventional speakers are located.
Cinematic home
Onkyo plans to be first out of the gate with Dolby Atmos support for its upcoming TX-NR1030 and TX-NR3030 network receivers as well as the PR-SC5530 Network A/V Controller, a pair of "home theater in a box" systems and new speaker packages.Better yet, Onkyo plans to release a firmware update in September that will enable Dolby Atmos on existing midrange TX-NR636, TX-NR737, and TX-NR838 receivers, no new hardware required.
Also planning new hardware releases between late summer and fall are Pioneer and the D+M Group (via Twice.com), which will be launching Denon and Marantz-branded audio components capable of 9.1 surround sound.
Dolby claims existing players that "fully conform to the Blu-ray specification" will support Dolby Atmos content, which is expected to launch on select discs and streaming services this fall. A wider launch is expected in early 2015.
- Don't forget to read our exhaustive review of Sony's PS4!
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Withings Activite smartband aims to tickle your inner fashionista's fancy
The creator of the first Wi-Fi-connected scale now has its eyes on the smartwatch world. Withings has announced the Activité, and yes, the accent there is intentional. If you ask the French health gadget maker, the Activité elevates the category to stylish new heights.
Crafted by a team of Parisian and Swiss designers, this timepiece forgoes a digital display and sticks to analog. How does that work? Well, there are two hand dials on the watch. One tells the time, like any wristwatch should, while the other displays percentage progress on a number of goals, like steps walked or hours of sleep spent in REM.
Now, here's the kicker: the entire watch face sits under a sapphire glass touchscreen. Just tap the touchscreen to cycle through a number of activity targets to measure your progress on the secondary dial. These figures are fed to the device through Bluetooth Low Energy capability.
The whole thing is water-resistant up to 5ATM, or up to 50 meters (or 160 feet). It even comes with a plastic strap for when you hit the pool. Oh, and the device runs on standard watch batteries – no need to recharge.
Haute couture is gonna' cost ya
The stainless steel watch case comes with either a black or brown leather strap. Fashion forward are the key words here: The straps were made by "the ancestral 'Tanneries Haas', one of France's most successful tanneries used by some prestigious French design houses," Withings touted in a statement.So, as you probably already figured, the Withings Activité does not come cheap. The price of admission to the most fashionable of wearables: $390 (about £229, AU$413). When you consider that the Samsung Gear 2 goes for $299 (around £175, AU$317), yeah, this thing is prohibitively expensive.
Rounding out the diverse feature set for the Activité is a sensor that automatically detects whether you're sleeping or active, and a vibrating alarm clock function. (Anything beats that iPhone ringtone that we want to forget every morning at 5 a.m.) Plus, it's designed to work with the established Withings Health Mate app.
Should you be smitten enough to get one of these on your wrist, you'll have to wait until this fall. Unfortunately, there's no word on financing programs.
- How on wearables? Here's everything we know about the iWatch
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What does Google's hardware future look like? Just ask Tony
Google is a search and software titan first, hardware maker second. Sure, it's dabbled with phones, tablets and laptops (made in partnership with others, of course).
However, that is all apparently set to change as Google is turns its product-making prowess over to one man in particular.
According to the The Information, Nest CEO Tony Fadell has been appointed head of Google's consumer hardware division, meaning the man who most famously designed Apple's iPod is now in charge of Google's hardware development.
Currently Google only produces two products on its own, namely the Chromebook Pixel and Chromecast, but with Fadell's considerable hardware chops, that could soon change.
Nesting time
Nest famously made high-end thermostats and smoke detectors but thanks to a recent Dropcam acquisition, it may soon add security surveillance to its repertoire of smart home gadgets.It's very likely Nest and Google are working on a connected home solution, bridging together appliances and devices just as Google has linked users' computers and smartphones through Chrome and Android.
Fadell, meanwhile, comes with the consumer product pedigree of being lead designer of the iPod, one of the world's most popular music playing devices. His success there and with Nest's sharp products seem to square him up nicely designing more Google goods.
Mixed medley
Google has been looking to help push along its hardware more directly, and the hand of Fadell may just be the ticket.The company is rumored to announce its last line of Nexus devices this year as it moves to a more expansive Android Silver platform.
With the new program in place, Google will have its hand in more than one Nexus smartphone and tablet per ear. Instead it could oversee the production of several devices from multiple manufacturers.
Google has also developed Android Wear, a new platform for wearable devices and smartwatches to connect natively with smartphones. Add in Project Ara's ambitious goals to make modular mobile devices and Google's new hardware portfolio could become very fat within the next couple of years.
- Will Fadell and Google drop a hardware bombshell at Google I/O 2014?
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You can now wear Google Glass and look good doing it
Being a so-called "Glasshole" no longer has to mean looking like everyone else wearing Glass, thanks to stylish new frames now available in a variety of colors for Google's smart eyewear.
Online luxury fashion retailer NET-A-PORTER has announced the limited availability of DVF | Made for Glass, an exclusive version of Google Glass that brings a designer look to geek chic.
Priced at $1,800 (about UK£1,058, AU$1,911), the limited-edition eyewear is intended for the ladies, designed by Diane von Furstenberg and available in a handful of stylish colors including brown, teal, plum, charcoal and white, each with matching shades.
The DVF | Made for Glass series joins the company's Mr. Porter line for men, offering bold, thin or split frames complete with UV lens clip for a slightly more affordable $1,650 (about UK£969, AU$1,752).
Tech-savvy fashion
The DVF | Made for Glass collection is being sold in an exclusive package that includes Google Glass, a choice of five frames and shades, a mono earbud and case."We are thrilled to offer Glass to our tech-savvy customers who are true leaders and innovators in style and lifestyle," says NET-A-PORTER Group Founder and Chairman Natalie Massenet.
The company describes the lightweight eyewear as "elegant frames meet cutting-edge technology" intended to make Google Glass "flatter every face shape."
Currently only available for shipping to US customers, DVF | Made for Glass supports prescription lenses and includes a one-year warranty. Despite the chic look, the verdict is still out as to whether this collection will make the wearer look like any less of a Glasshole.
- What's up with Windows 9? Find out in our up-to-the-minute news roundup!
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Exynos 5433 Samsung Galaxy Note 4 benchmark crushes the Snapdragon 805
It's seeming ever more likely the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will come in two different models and now the pair of differently specced phones have been spotted in a benchmark drag race.
On June 20 we already got a full look of the hardware specifications on Samsung's next phablets. Now the phones have appeared again on AnTuTu's benchmark database including one with the Exynos 5433 chipset and the handset's Snapdragon 805 counterpart.
From the purported results we can see the Exynos-powered SM-N910C smokes its SM-N910S Snapdragon 805 brother with a considerable lead. The Exynos octa-core chip yielded a test score of 40,303 points, whereas the Snapdragon 805 model lagged behind with 35,645 points.
It also seems that the Exynos 5433 is such a processing beast that only Nvidia's desktop grade Tegra K1 chip pulls ahead with a score of 41736 points.
Slaying the (Snap)dragon
On the graphics front, the Exynos trounces the Snapdragon once again with its Mali-T760 GPU can render 3D graphics more handily scoring 9204 points despite the rumored 2560 x 1440 QHD resolution screen.Comparatively the 805 SoC and its Adreno 420 GPU might only have to power a 1920 x 1080 display and, yet the lower-end device was only able to ring up 8299 points.
One other interesting note about the results is it seems AnTuTu was unable to test the Exynos 5433 in a 64-bit environment the chipset was designed for. So it's entirely possible the higher-end Samsung Galaxy Note 4 could be even faster and powerful than these results suggest.
- Will the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 go head-to-head with the QHD LG G3
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Microsoft doubles OneDrive storage to match Google Drive, ups Office 365 to 1TB
Microsoft announced today that it will be increasing OneDrive storage plans to match Google's for everyone, including free users.
They will see their allowance more than doubled from 7GB to 15GB from next month, although whether legacy users who received 25GB of free storage will see any sizable increase remains to be seen.
In addition, all versions of Office 365 will come with 1TB of OneDrive storage per user, in line with what it offered business users: that's 5TB for £7.99 ($9.99, AUD10.99) for the five-seat Office 365 Home and £5.99 ($6.99, AUD7.99) for the personal edition.
Two 4TB HDDs (one used as backup) would cost you roughly £200 (about $320, AUD350) or just about the same monthly outlay over two years.
Cheap cloud storage
The price of storage blocks also drops considerably as competition from other cloud vendors heats up. 100GB now costs £1.99 per month ($1.99, AUD2.19) while a 200GB slice will cost twice that amount.Writing on Microsoft's OneDrive blog, Omar Shahine, the company's Group Program Manager, revealed that 75% of computer users tend to have less than 15GB of files stored on their PCs.
Users can receive up to 5GB for free for 10 successful referrals as well as an extra 3GB for using the camera backup feature.
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Google launches Explorer Programme to bring Google Glass to the UK
If you've been waiting patiently in line to get your hands (ears and nose) on Google Glass (short of selling a kidney), that wait is now over.
That's right: so long as you're over 18 and own a credit card, you can join Google's UK Explorer Program, which will bag you the prototype headset for the bargainous sum of £1,000 - or around half a kidney.
Some say that's overpriced for something that's said to cause headaches, makes you look freaky and weird and won't even let you live out your wildest spy fantasies, but if you're willing to shell out a grand, you're probably already aware of the device's pitfalls.
To accompany its UK launch, Google has announced new hardware partners in the form of the Guardian, Star Chart, Zombies Run and Goal.com.
To take the dip and become a fully-fledged Glasshole, click here.
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New Intel Xeon chip to offer 20x better performance
Intel is a changing semiconductor manufacturer. It announced that it would ship a Xeon processor with a FPGA (Field-programmable gate array) component.
The latter is connected to the actual processor via Intel's QPI (quick path interface) and can be reconfigured to suit the specific needs of its customers. In other words, the variable part of the can be redesigned to suit new workloads or changing compute demands.
In a post on Intel's data center blog, Diane Bryant, Intel's GM for its Data Centre group, confirmed that the company delivered 15 custom products in 2013 to hyperscale clients including Ebay and Facebook.
Bryant says that Intel will more than double that amount with the Xeon FPGA-powered processor being part of an equation which also includes Xeon Phi and Atom-based Xeon parts.
A new era for Intel?
Low latency and coherent interface should help the new FPGA-infused CPU deliver up to 20x perfornance gains compared to a traditional x86 setup.Not much is known about the end product though; it will be pin compatible with the existing Xeon E5 LGA 2011 socket and will target data centres and enterprise ecosystems.
The FPGA bit is likely t be sourced from a close Intel partner like Altera who already use Intel's manufacturing plants.
Don't expect it to come to the company's desktop or mobile range or even the company's entry level server processors.
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Hands-on review: Updated: Nokia Lumia 930
Introduction, design, screen and interface
The number of high-end flagship smartphones is quickly increasing and with the Nokia Lumia 930 the latest offering from the Finnish firm the total for 2014 now stands at five.Replacing the Lumia 925, the Lumia 930 is looking to take on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z2, HTC One M8 and LG G3 this year and it's got some new software to aid it.
Nokia has equipped the Lumia 930 with Windows Phone 8.1, the latest version of the software to come from Microsoft and it'll be one of the very first handsets to ship with the refreshed OS.
It's the first high-end smartphone to arrive with WP 8.1, with only the budget Lumia 630 and Lumia 635 getting in ahead of it - although the latter is yet to make it into stores just yet.
In terms of actually getting you hands on the Nokia Lumia 930, well that's not quite as black and white, as it's been given a rather woolly release date of the end of June/the start of July.
There is a price, with Nokia confirming $599 (around £360, AU$650) which actually isn't too bad for a flagship handset and that could make it a tempting proposition for those on a restricted budget looking for a top-end phone.
The quoted price is before the inevitable "taxes and subsidies", but even after those additions the Lumia 930 should still undercut its direct competition - I'm seeing early SIM-free prices around the £480 mark in the UK.
A word of warning though, Nokia says the Lumia 930 will begin to roll out "in Europe, Asia, India, Middle East and Latin America – and will continue to rollout throughout the world (except the US) throughout the summer."
I expect the US won't be left completely in the cold though, with a specific variation likely to arrive for the American market - but I'll have to wait and see.
Back to the handset itself and the Nokia Lumia 930 has been crafted from a single piece of aluminium (like the One M8), although you won't necessarily know it.
That's because Nokia has stuck a sheet of polycarbonate on the rear of the Lumia 930 and while it does allow the handset to stand out from the crowd a little with black, white, orange and green finishes, it does detract slightly from the overall build quality.
Put it up against the HTC One M8 and the Lumia 930 just doesn't look or feel quite so premium. I'm not saying it's poorly constructed, far from it fact, as it's still a robust and rather attractive device.
Compared to the Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2 the Lumia 930 easily stands it ground and the sturdy build I've come to expect from Nokia ensures it feels like it's capable of taking a few knocks without smashing into a million pieces.
At 137 x 71 x 9.8mm the Nokia Lumia 930 is a little chunkier than its rivals, but to its credit it's not as tall thanks to some relatively slender bezels.
This means it still fits in the hand reasonably well and I didn't fear dropping the handset during my hands on time. I would have liked the edges to be a little more rounded as the blocky design isn't as comfortable as the gently sloping M8.
The compact body does means you can't remove the rear cover of the Lumia 930, so there's no option to swap out the battery.
Nokia has also passed on microSD support instead relying on 32GB of internal storage and 7GB of free Microsoft OneDrive cloud space. That should be more than enough for most users, but there's still a strong contingent who like the microSD option, myself included.
Another space saving tactic on the Lumia 930 is nanoSIM support, with the port located on the top of the handset. Instead of having to fumble around for a SIM tool or paperclip, Nokia has made access to the SIM port a lot easier with a little tab you just pull up.
It's a nice little feature, secure enough to give you peace of mind the SIM card tray won't just fall out of the handset, while also making it really easy for you to access it. I wish more smartphones were like this.
Nokia's other new arrivals, the Lumia 630 and Lumia 635, have also seen the navigation controls moved on screen, but for some reason the Lumia 930 still has them below the display.
It's a slightly odd move as I much prefer the on-screen offerings on the lower end devices as it makes a better package. That aside, they are still responsive to the touch and allow you to make the most of every last pixel on the 5-inch full HD display.
Down the right side of the Lumia 930 you'll find the now customary trio of physical buttons; volume, power/lock and camera shutter.
The volume and power/lock keys are easy to hit with one handed use, while the camera key is really only used when you're holding the Lumia 930 in landscape.
Fire up the Nokia Lumia 930 and you'll be greeted by the impressive 1920 x 1080 OLED display which is suitably bright with a high level of colour reproduction.
That screens means the Lumia 930 can go head to head with the 5.1-inch Galaxy S5, 5-inch One M8 and 5.2-inch Xperia Z2, although all of these cannot match the QHD display on the larger 5.5-inch LG G3.
Your first sign that Windows Phone 8.1 is onboard the Lumia 930 is the additional column of live tiles on the homescreen - up from two on Windows Phone 8 to three here.
You can now have three columns of tiles on any Windows Phone 8.1 device, but all bar the 930 allow you to switch between two or three.
For some reason Nokia hasn't deemed it necessary to allow the switch on the Lumia 930. That's not really an issue though as the large screen makes it all manageable.
A useful addition in Windows Phone 8.1 which I'm very pleased to see is Action Center - aka the Notification Bar.
This lets you see all your latest notifications in one place as well as giving you four customisable quick settings at the top of the screen.
It's a very similar setup to Android and iOS, so if you're thinking of making the transition to Windows Phone the latest iteration is the most welcoming yet.
Under the hood you're treated to a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, a decent offering but slightly behind the times as the new trio of Android flagships all sport the newer 801 chip.
That's not a huge issue as Windows Phone is less power hungry, and with 2GB of RAM also inside I found the Lumia 930 was exceptionally fast and smooth.
I had no trouble moving around the live tiles and scrolling through the application list, and apps opened promptly.
Internet, camera, keyboard and battery life
The Lumia 930 is 4G enabled, although I was unable to put its browsing speeds to the test during my hands on time as no SIM card was inserted and there wasn't any Wi-Fi available.Microsoft is making a big deal of Internet Explorer 11, the default web browser on Windows Phone 8.1, which can sync all your favourites from your desktop or Windows 8 enabled tablet to your phone.
You can even browse a website on the Lumia 930, put it down and pick up where you left off on your computer. It's clever integration and makes using the handset in a Windows environment even more enjoyable - no joy if you're on an iPad or Mac though.
Nokia prides itself on its smartphone camera technology and the Lumia 930 continues that trend with a 20MP Pureview snapper on the rear with dual LED flash, OIS (optical image stabilisation) and Carl Zeiss lens.
You'll also find the Nokia camera application which has a simple user interface for those who just want a point and shoot offering, but there are professional controls available too.
Just slide the on-screen shutter key to the left and a whole series of settings including ISO, white balance and exposure will appear allowing you to fine tune your image capturing.
I found the shutter speed was pretty quick, but the auto focus did take a fraction of a second to sort itself out and thus meant the Lumia 930 didn't feel as quick as the HTC One M8 or Galaxy S5.
Nokia reckons the Lumia 930 will give a decent showing in low light - something it's been peddling on its last few flagships - which could well see it outdo the disappointing G3 and co.
As well as recording full HD video the Lumia 930 also comes equipped with four microphones for what Nokia says provides an "immersive video experience and rich recording with surround sound." I'll be sure to put this to the test in the in-depth review.
There's a front facing 2MP camera on the Nokia Lumia 930 for all those selfies and Skype calls you'll be making on the handset too.
Fire up the messaging app, or any app which requires keyboard input, and you'll be greeted by what looks like the stock Windows Phone QWERTY setup.
What you don't see though is the new Text Flow system, which is pretty much identical to Swype and SwiftKey Flow that are already well known in Android.
Text Flow worked well for me and the keyboard offers up next word predictions as I skipped my finger between letters. The predictions are tailored to your writing style and the more you use it, the more intelligent it becomes.
Microsoft hasn't gone the way of Apple and iOS 8 just yet though, so you're stuck with the onboard keys with no third party options allowed.
There's a non-removable 2420mAh battery housed inside the Lumia 930's aluminium frame and Nokia claims it's capable of 18 hours standby, nine hours of video playback or 75 hours of music playback.
I wasn't able to put the claims to the test during the hands on review, but an interesting additional point was that the new battery saver mode could eek out 24 hours of juice from the last 20% of the battery.
That's a bold claim, but if it rings true Nokia may well be onto a battery life winner.
To aid keeping your Nokia Lumia 930 topped up it's equipped with wireless charging capabilities, and you'll even get a wireless charging pad included in the box.
That means you won't have to shell out for one separately, although you can still do so if you fancy having more than one in different locations.
Early verdict
The Nokia Lumia 930 is the most complete Windows Phone to date and it's the first to properly challenge the flagship might in the Android and iOS camps.I was impressed with the design, even though it does have a plastic back, the enhancements in Windows Phone 8.1 are very welcome and the fact the Lumia 930 actually sports a flagship worthy display and power completes the package.
If the Lumia 930 does undercut its Samsung, Sony, LG and HTC rivals at point of sale then I think Nokia may well be onto something here. Watch this space.
Hands on gallery
Official gallery
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TechRadar Deals: Buy a Nexus 7 for just £99, and save 70% on a Belkin iPad keyboard case
Google may have updated its 7-inch tab offering since the release of this one, but the original 2012 Nexus 7 still packs a considerable punch, with a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM.
If you're looking at the budget end of the 7-inch tablet market then it's definitely worth considering as you can pick one up for only £99 - a whole third off the price you'd pay for a 2013 model.
If, on the other hand, you've already settled on an iPad 4 then you'll no doubt be interested in this premium Belkin QODE Keyboard Case, which you can buy at a 70% discount right now at Amazon for only £29.99. That's £70 off its retail price!
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Review: LG BP740
Introduction
The easiest way to upgrade to smart TV isn't by getting a new screen, but a smart Blu-ray player.LG's flagship BP740 is just that, and it adds both 3D and 4K upscaling to boot. Able to spin all kinds of discs, stream video through various apps and play files from USB sticks and from NFC-enabled Android devices, this is about way more than Blu-ray.
A reasonably stylish metallic design houses a USB slot on the front and connections for a single HDMI, Ethernet LAN and digital optical audio.
The highlight is the BP740's selection of apps within a great-looking user interface.
The premium page of the five-screen smart hub contains pre-installed shortcuts to Now TV, the BBC iPlayer, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, Blinkbox, Netflix and Knowhow Movies.
Click through and you get to two pages set against a bright and breezy grass theme, which adds further apps for YouTube, Dailymotion, CineTrailer, AccuWeather.com, Google Maps, Facebook, Crackle, iConcerts, Euronews, Deezer and Berliner Philharmoniker.
That's a decent haul if you're into on-demand films. A second page of apps called LG SmartWorld provides the same eight gaps for apps, though this time the choice is less must-have; I counted Red Bull TV, The Karaoke Channel, Angry Duckling, Jigsaw Puzzle, France TV Info and two 3D Pop-Up apps.
That's just clutter. I'm also confused as to why LG thinks that its SmartWorld selection of bits 'n' bobs should take pride of place at the very centre of an otherwise streamlined user interface.
To the right of the LG Smart World tab is My Apps, which provides just three apps – Search, Internet (a basic browser) and one called LG Smart World. Despite the confusingly repetitive name, the latter leads to a separate page full of downloadable apps divided into genre and 'hot', 'top paid', 'top free' etc.
There's not too much of interest inside, though I did find Napster, AOL On, Solar System Planets and The White House.
Anything you do download goes straight into the list as shortcuts within My Apps beside Search, Internet and LG Smart World; you won't find more than five you want to download, so judged purely on convenience, this works pretty well.
However, the overall choice of apps on offer is sub-par. Where's ITV Player? 4OD? What about Demand Five? That all three are missing is a bit of a shame, and there's not even a video section within the LG Smart World app store.
Elsewhere in the five-screen user interface is SmartShare. The latter is normally the highlight on LG AV gear, but here it's implemented with less grace than usual. On the home screen there are direct hover-links to Music, Photos, Video, USB and Miracast (for wirelessly mirroring an Android phone). Choose one of those and the BP740 then shows all of the files on a USB stick, not just the movies/music/video files, so it can all get a tad confusing.
For instance, it's not possible to play a video and then look at some photos without first going back to the home screen and starting from scratch. However, that's something you find out the hard way. If you're in video mode, then you will be able to see all of your music and photos; it's just that they won't be clickable.
Performance
Though it's far from the stodgiest deck available, the BP740 clearly has more on its plate than its single core processor can manage fluently.
Other than a lack of speed, navigation of these smart screens is a cinch, with the Magic Remote meaning that tabs are toggled through as the cursor hovers. By default the Magic Remote is too sensitive, but it's simple enough to tone-down the speed in the settings menus. I also found that it takes a second or two to reconnect to the BP740 each time it's picked-up, meaning a flick of the wrist is required far too often.
Apps take a long time to load, too, with YouTube taking a turgid 23 seconds. The internet browser is just as slow, and while typing-in URLs using the Magic Remote is much easier than on most smart TVs, there are no shortcuts for .com and .co.uk.
Actual file support is fine if judged by 2013 standards. The BP740's inability to support 4K video resolutions from native uncompressed and HEVC-encoded MP4, MOV and MKV files means that it really isn't a 4K deck. However, I did get the BP740 to play AVI, MP4, MPEG-2, AVC HD, MKV and WMV video files in up-to-HD resolutions as well as JPEG, PNG and GIF photos, and a host of music files including MP3, M4A and WMA alongside the lossless AIFF, WAV, FLAC and OGG formats.
Picture quality
The highlight of the BP740 is its picture quality. Test disc Gravity loaded in under 11 seconds and played reasonably quietly in both 2D and 3D, with the BP740 producing pin-sharp and well-contrasted images as good as any Blu-ray deck I've seen in 2014. However, it's worth avoiding the movie mode, which tones down the brightness unnecessarily. It's also worth noting that the Magic Remote's cursor is deactivated during disc playback, so navigating disc menus is done only via its navigation buttons.
The BP740's handling of soundtracks in Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio impress. It's difficult to judge the quality of 4K upscaling since the 4K TV used also had its own automatic 4K upscaling circuitry. This is about as much as you need to know about the necessity for such a thing in a Blu-ray player.
Verdict
Is this really a flagship smart 3D Blu-ray player worth £249? By my reckoning that's poor value for a product that's clearly under powered, sporting both basic and non-4K-proof digital media playback software with a distinct lack of UK catch-up TV apps. That's a shame because its core 2D and 3D disc playback duties are performed with aplomb.We liked
The look and design of the user interface is great – simple and colourful.It's great to have apps like Now TV, the BBC iPlayer, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, Blinkbox and Netflix included and quickly accessible.
However, the highlights have to be the almost fabulous Magic Remote and the BP740's pin-sharp, very clean and involving pictures from both 2D and 3D Blu-ray. 4K upscaling – though largely pointless – can't hurt if you've got a 4K telly.
We disliked
Considering its position as a flagship product, the BP740 is poor value. It lacks the flexibility it should have (where's the second USB, or second HDMI output?) and has no analogue audio connections, while catch-up TV apps for UK terrestrial channels are missing.Can the presence of 4K upscaling really be justified? With all 4K TVs including their own upscaling circuitry, it's repetition, at best, and its lack of support for 4K digital media files – though hardly a unique setback – further underlines that the BP740 is in no sense a 4K machine.
The Magic Remote doesn't link back to the BP740 as quickly as it should, but the big issue is a general lack of processing power.
Final verdict
Despite a polished-looking smart TV interface and the presence of key apps like Netflix, Amazon Instant and the BBC iPlayer, the so-called flagship BP740 disappoints on processing power, software and flexibility. Picture quality, the Magic Remote, 4K upscaling and disc loading times impress, but are let down by some fussy digital file playback software and a lack of catch-up TV apps.Also consider
There are better value and quicker Blu-ray players around that offer more than this LG deck. Samsung decks like the flagship BD-H6500 and the Freeview HD and HDD-endowed BD-H8900 offer all UK-centric catch-up TV apps, with Sony's BDP-S6200 adding a dual core processor and the Panasonic DMP-BDT460 much more suited to home cinema use.
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Industry voice: The platform approach: scalability to benefit your business operations
Many organisations are now looking to extend the use of their service management software across many departments, ensuring integrity of information – in other words, one version of the truth.
Often referred to as the platform approach, diverse departments such as the IT service desk, HR/payroll, customer service and facilities use the same software, tailored to their individual requirements while still being part of an organisation-wide system.
We are seeing a marked increase in the demand for this type of requirement reflected in the ITTs (Invitation to tend) and RFPs (request for proposal) we receive.
Joining up services across departments
Over the years, many of our customers have extended their use of the service desk to support other departments and gained varying degrees of business benefit. For example, using a single service delivery platform to manage all IT equipment and software through the IT and facilities departments.Simply using service desk across other departments provides a range of business benefits. However, further extending the use of the software to support a wider range of processes within the business can yield exponentially higher benefits to the organisation:
- Economies of scale – one system means one license, one set of support infrastructure and just one system to learn for IT and users alike
- Ease of management and support – as well as being easier to support there are fewer integration issues
- Single version of the truth – data integrity is maintained as information is held only once
- Visibility – subject to security controls and permissions, data can be viewed organisation-wide, rather than residing in numerous silos where it is difficult to access
- Traceability – information stored in spreadsheets and circulated via email is often impossible to demonstrate provenance. Tracking the same data and process within a single platform ensures an audited history
- Comprehensive reporting – organisation-wide reporting supports better and more informed business decisions
- Real-time displays - consolidated views of dashboards/wallboards can be supplied across the business
- Consistency and efficiency – operations are streamlined, processes standardised, and the elimination of duplicate handling of data saves considerable time
- Collaboration – staff are trained on the same system enabling closer collaboration between departments and operational units.
Deliverable customer relationship management
Where monolithic customer relationship management (CRM) systems largely failed, taking a platform approach to customer service delivers all of the benefits promised by CRM in a more manageable and cost effective package.If you are looking to update your service desk or IT/business operations software, taking the platform approach where the system is rolled out across multiple departments makes a very compelling business case.
- Neil Penny is Product Director for Sunrise Software Ltd, and is responsible for setting and communicating the overall product strategy for all Sunrise's Service Management solutions.
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BBC gives viewers the chance to get it on Reddit with video news channel
The BBC has launched a video news channel on Reddit as part of the corporation's experiments in extending its audience for video news.
The BBC is now posting major stories on the Reddit.tv platform, where it joins videos from outlets including the New York Times and Vice. The videos uploads mirror those posted to the BBC's YouTube channel.
The move comes after the broadcaster began shooting and posting special #BBCTrending bulletins to Twitter, based on news that's trending on the social network.
Earlier this year, it launched the Instafax account on Instagram showing news digests in 15 second clips, complete with captions so users wouldn't need the sound on their mobile mobile devices.
Bite-sized
The launch on Reddit gives the BBC another 113 million pairs of eyes eyes to target as it seeks to snare more mobile focused viewers looking for bite-sized chunks of news, rather than tune into a TV bulletin.What do all you Redditors think of the new channel? Let us know your thoughts below.
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Updated: Sky Go removed from consoles, unless you pay extra
Sky Go is a great service, allowing you to watch live TV on your laptop, mobile device or games console, but the latter won't be available for much longer.
Sky has sent customers a letter which states "from 29 July you'll no longer be able to access Sky Go using your Sky Go compatible games console."
But here's the kicker: the service isn't being removed completely from consoles. Sky expects you to stump up an extra £5 per month for its Sky Go Extra service to continue enjoying what you used to get for no additional expense on your console.
That's a bit of a kick in the teeth for anyone who frequently uses the service, especially if they're already paying for the Sports and/or Movie packages which already generate relatively high monthly subscription costs.
Sky Go Extra does provide additional functionality above console compatibility, with the ability to download shows for offline viewing and allowing you to register up to four devices to the service (it's two on standard Sky Go).
If you're a Multiscreen subscriber (formerly Multiroom) you'll already have Sky Go Extra as part of your Sky package.
The letter doesn't explain why this decision has been made, and when we contacted Sky a spokesperson told us "We will be making some changes to the way in which console users access Sky Go, and we will be writing to any customers who this affects over the coming weeks to update them."
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Buying Guide: Best TV 2014: what TV should you buy?
Best TV: all your buying questions answered
What TV tech is best? Which is the best LCD TV? Which is best out of LCD and plasma? Which screen size is best for my living room? What's the difference between LCD and LED TVs?These are the kind of questions that thousands of us have to ask every year.
Buying a new TV can be a stressful experience even for the tech-savvy - there are so many brands, so many features, so many screen sizes, colours, technologies and flavours to choose from.
Set your TV up like a pro:14 tips for getting the best picture quality from your TV
So which one is right for you, your family and your living space? In this buying guide, we will walk you through everything you need to know about being a new TV.
What types of TV are out there?
There are a lot of different screen types out there, all working in different ways to produce the same results. Each technology has its own unique strengths and weaknesses so here are some basics to consider:LCD TV: CCFL
Until recently, all LCD TVs were backlit by always-on, CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent) lamps. This ageing technology has been superseded by the superior LED method on more expensive sets, but is still standard on some cheaper models.
LED TV: Direct LED
These displays are backlit by an array of LEDs (light emitting diodes) directly behind the screen. This enables localised dimming – meaning immediately adjacent areas of brightness and darkness can be displayed more effectively – and greatly improves contrast. LED TVs are also more power efficient and capable of a wider colour gamut than CCFL sets.
LED TV: Edge LED
The LEDs of the backlight are mounted along the edges of the panel. This arrangement enables radically slender displays and offers superior contrast levels to CCFL, but can't achieve the same picture quality as directly lit LED sets. However, they do come in far cheaper which is why most LED TVs out there now use this technology.
OLED TV
The backlighting on OLED (organic light emitting diode) sets is achieved by passing an electric current through an emissive, electroluminescent film. This technique produces far better colours and higher contrast and also enables screens to be extremely thin and flexible. This is the holy grail display technology and only in 2014 did a bigscreen OLED TV go on sale. So it's brand new, it's expensive and the top brands are still struggling to get their heads around it.
Plasma TV
PDP (plasma display panel) TVs use glass panels containing millions of tiny cells filled with a mixture of inert gases. Electricity excites the gases, causing them to illuminate the pixels across the screen. Plasma, while arguably superior to LCD in terms of contrast and colour accuracy, is only viable on large (42in+) screens and has been dropped by all but a handful of manufacturers.
Curved TV
Some manufacturers are now making TVs that have slightly curved screens. But unlike old CRT TVs, the curve is inwards rather than outwards. The idea is that this makes every pixel equidistant from your eyes, delivering a more satisfying picture. However, there are drawbacks for this type of screen - the main one being that if you sit far enough to one side – more than 40 degrees or so – the curve clearly starts to affect the image's geometry, foreshortening content near to you and compressing the image's centre.
What resolution should I go for?
HDHD TVs come in two resolutions. Sets with the HD ready badge meet the requirements set by the European Information and Communications Technology Industry Association (EICTA). These criteria include at least one HDMI port and component video inputs as well as a resolution of at least 1,024 x 768-pixels. Meanwhile, full HD TVs have a higher resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.
Ultra HD and 4KThe resolution of Ultra HD is exactly four times higher than full HD - 3840 x 2160. It means a far more detailed picture, with content requiring a lot more bandwidth and storage space. 4K TVs tend to be good at upscaling HD video to Ultra HD but there are currently very few options for watching native 4K content.
What kind of tuner do I need?
TVs in the UK come with two types of tuner: DVB-T2 (Freeview HD) and DVB-S (Freesat HD). Some TVs such as many sets from Panasonic have both tuners onboard, but most do not. So which should you go for?Freeview HD
Freeview is the natural successor to the analogue TV signal of old, flying the flag for free-to-air TV through a traditional aerial. So your decision of which tuner to go for could well be decided according to what receiving devices you've already got strapped to your roof. If you've got a traditional TV aerial only, Freeview is the obvious option. Equally, if you're buying a TV for a second room, you might have to rely on a portable aerial which again would make Freeview your best bet.
Freesat HD
Freesat is similar to Freeview in that it's free-to-air, but different in that it's delivered through a satellite dish. Freesat uses the same satellite as Sky HD - the Astra/Eutelsat satellite which sits in the sky at 28.2E. That means if you've got a Sky dish, you can easily plug a Freesat TV or box in without having to move it. Freesat HD is ideal for large living room TVs as it delivers slightly higher quality pictures than Freeview, has fewer problems with signal, and also has a much larger selection of channels both in standard definition and high definition. It'll also likely be the first to carry 4K TV channels when they eventually launch.
What does TechRadar recommend?
Best 32-inch TVs
The perfect size for bedroom TVs or sets for smaller roomsMost living rooms can't physically take a TV much bigger than 32-inch, making this size by far the best for a lot of people in the UK. But within this size division, there's plenty of choice. A basic HD-ready set can be found for less than £300 is you search hard, though it's just as easy to spend over £2k on the best ones. There's only one certainty at this size – your new TV will be a LCD TV. If you're lucky it could have LED backlighting, but it won't be a plasma; LG used to make plasmas at this size, but there's not one on sale currently. 10 best 32-inch TVs in the world today
Best 40 and 42-inch TVs
The sweet spot for plasma TVs offers lots of bang for your buckOnce known simply as 'plasma screens' in the collective consciousness, the 40-42-inch size is where the flatscreen dream started in the late 1990s - and where it's still at its most innovative and best. Now a lot more varied, with plasmas rubbing shoulders with (and quickly being outnumbered by) LCD TVs and their ultra-modern LED TV makeover, 40-42 inches is still the sweetspot for anyone not overly concerned with ruining the interior design of their living room. As well as being the fastest growing sector of the market, this size also offers possibly the best value TVs around. Serious home cinema addicts have moved on to 50-inch and bigger screens, leaving this category a swarm of slashed prices. 10 best 40 and 42-inch TVs
Best 46 and 47-inch TVs
Offering the pinnacle of performance, this is where it gets seriousThere was a time when plasma screens reigned supreme in the 46-inch TV market. But in much the same way as a meteor strike killed off the dinosaurs, the second coming of the LCD TV is the invasive species that has done for plasma. We're still huge advocates of plasma on TechRadar, don't get us wrong, but the tech is dying out at this size. Old-school CCFL tech has been replaced by LED backlight scanning and technical wizardry to make LCD tech viable in large sizes. So the majority of TVs in this size bracket are now from the LED side of the wall, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. LED TVs these days are brighter than plasmas, they're thinner and there's a lot more variety on show. So here's our selection of the best 46-inch, 47-inch and now also 48-inch TVs for your perusal.. 10 best 46 and 47-inch TVs
Best 50 and 55-inch TVs
Where the home cinema experience beginsThe size where a home cinema turns from dream to reality, it's also at this 50-55-inch TV screen size that 3D starts to become immersive enough to convince and impress. This size, last year dominated by full HD models, is now being overrun by Ultra HD 4K models. While LED tech has gone a long way towards condemning plasma to a role on the outskirts of the TV industry, at 50-inches and above, plasma really comes into its own if you can find one. Most home cinema buffs still swear by plasma, with its cinematic colours and deep blacks making for a real movie-watcher's paradise. But 2014 sees the first batch of 50-inch LED-backlit panels off the production line, a development that further marginalises plasma technology at one of the sizes it previously dominated. If you're looking for a dream movie-watching experience, check out these home cinema beauties. 10 best 50-inch TVs
Best 60-inch TVs and above
If you want the best, you'll need to pay the bestIf you're feeling extravagant or want to furnish your big living room with a similarly big TV, 60 inches or more of television will certainly make a statement. There are some truly massive TVs available these days, with Ultra HD-toting 84-inch screens such as the LG 84LM960V, Toshiba 84L9300, Sony KD-84X9005A and Samsung UE85S9ST. But for most of us, 65 inches of screen space is luxurious enough, while still being manageable. Gone are the days when the over-60s were mere monitors; expect to find all the niceties a good living room-ready TV should have, such as Freeview HD tuners, perhaps even Freesat HD tuners, too, plus smart TV apps and 3D compatibility. There's a smattering of plasmas here - it's the size category where the original flatscreen TV tech truly excels. But as plasma fades, the real story in this category is the rise of the 4K LCD. So what's the best 60-65-inch TV for you? 10 best 60-inch TVs in the world today
Best 4K Ultra HD TVs
The latest big thing in big screensEveryone wants an Ultra HD 4K TV! Yes, okay, we all know there isn't much 4K source material to properly showcase the stunning picture quality, but Netflix has at least started to offer 4K content. There could also still be a 4K Blu-ray format later this year, and before you know it there'll be test transmissions and perhaps even a 4K TV channel from Sky or the BBC. It's all about future-proofing, though there's slightly more to it than that; some of the first batch of Ultra HD TVs pump out best-ever Blu-ray images, thanks to some wonderfully adept upscaling tech. The birth of 4K could also lead to the re-birth of 3D – it just looks so much better at this higher resolution. The big stumbling block – as always – is money, but already there are relative bargains to be had and, better still, some sumptuous designs stuffed with new innovations. The race for 3840x2160 pixels is on. 10 best 4K TVs in the world today
What else should I consider?
Buying a new TV can be traumatic and baffling - unless you're armed with our guide to the countless pitfalls and confusions that await you...Buying a flatscreen television is a major investment and one that you can't afford to take lightly. Just popping into the closest store and grabbing the first plasma or LCD you see won't get you the best deal, the screen that suits your needs, or the gear you require to make the most of your new purchase.
Size matters
People tend to pick the size of their flat TV based on the amount of space they have for it, this isn't necessarily wise. Flat TVs take up much less space than you might think, so your new TV may end up a foot or two further away from your viewing position, making the picture appear smaller.
Also, with hi-def, you can have a bigger screen and the same viewing distance without worrying about seeing blemishes inherent to the source. HDTV's lack of noise means that the ideal distance to sit from the screen is three to four times the height of the TV.
How to calculate the right size HD TV:
The trick here is to ensure that your TV is big enough to fill your line of vision, but small enough to be sharp and clear. Remember, if you intend to only watch standard-definition sources, the bigger the screen gets, the worse the image will look.The ideal screen size can be calculated by multiplying the distance that you intend to sit away from it by 0.535 and then rounding this up to the nearest size.
So, if you sit 80in away from your TV, the ideal size is 42-inch (80 x 0.535= 42.8).
What features should I look out for?
Features are too numerous to go into here, but here are some things you should consider.Photo viewing: If you have a digital camera, a TV that has a slot for memory cards or a USB socket for a card reader will let you view your photos onscreen.
Here are some of the things we look for when we review a screen, so you should, too...
Contrast: Bright whites shouldn't have any signs of green, pink or blue in them, while blacks should look solid and not washed out, grey, green or blue.
Colours: Look at how bright and solid they are; how noiseless their edges are; how 'dotty' richly saturated areas are and how natural skin looks, especially in dim scenes.
Fine detail: How much texture does the screen give? Does a tree look like a green lump, or can you see the individual leaves
Edges: Check for ghosting, bright halos and jaggedness, especially around curves.
Motion: Check moving objects and quick camera pans for smearing or blurring, trailing, jerkiness and fizzing dotty noise.
Image artefacts: Look for blockiness, colour bands, grain, smearing, dot crawl: anything that looks like it's added by the TV picture processing or a weak TV tuner. Tinker with a TV's picture settings before making a final decision. Factory settings are rarely good for everyday viewing.
What about sound?
To provide the best audio to complement the pictures, your TV should be hooked up to a surround sound system, but this isn't always an option. So, here's what we listen for when testing a TV's speakers:Bass: Deep, rounded rumbles that don't cause the set to rattle or speakers to distort, cramp or overwhelm the rest of the sound; but that expand when needed.
Vocals: Voices should sound open, rich and clear, not boxed in, nasal or thin.
Trebles: Treble effects should sound clean, rounded and smooth in loud scenes and shouldn't dominate the soundstage.
Soundstage width/depth: A good TV should throw the sound away from the TV, to the sides, forward and back, to give an extra dimension to what's on screen, without losing any coherence.
Questions to ask before you buy
Taking the time to consider these questions will make choosing the best TV easier...HD or 4K?
4K TVs are stunning and even though there is currently little native 4K content to enjoy, the good ones are able to upscale HD to 4K very well. That being said, unless you're buying a very large TV - we're talking 65-inches plus - full HD should be adequate.What size do I need?
This is dictated by the dimensions of the room where the TV is going and the amount of cash you're prepared to spend. As a general rule of thumb, work out how far from the set you'll be sitting (in inches), multiply that distance by 0.535 and then round up the result to the nearest screen size. Bear in mind that a decent smaller telly is often a more sensible investment than a larger, less accomplished one. And if you're going to buy a 4K TV, you can sit much closer because of the higher resolution.How many HDMI sockets do I need?
For a living room TV you should be looking for a minimum of 3 HDMI inputs. If you want to attach a set-top box as well as games consoles etc, those HDMI ports will fill up fast.Can I connect my older, analogue kit?
Most new sets carry no more than two Scarts, while S-video is fast approaching obsolescence. Check that your new TV can hook up to older digiboxes, VCRs or DVD decks that you might want to plug into it.What picture type do I prefer, LCD or plasma?
LCDs and plasmas produce different sorts of pictures. Broadly speaking, the former's are usually sharper, brighter and more densely saturated, while the latter's tend to be richer, more natural and produce better black levels. Decent dealers should be able to arrange a side-by-side demo for you.Do I want to hang my TV on the wall?
First off, you'll need to consult a construction expert to check that the wall in question is strong enough to support a flatscreen. Then find out if the set you want is designed to be wall-mounted and, if so, ask if the relevant bracket is included in the basic package or as an optional extra.Will I be connecting it to a home cinema?
If the answer is no, you might want to think more carefully about your set's audio performance. Look for a screen that can go as loud as you'll need without distortion or cabinet rattle. Consider how dialogue sounds and how much low-end rumble the bass is capable of.Conversely, it's pointless paying out more cash for exceptional built-in speakers if you already have a decent home cinema system.
Happy shopping!
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Industry voice: The internet and your company: get legally savvy
Without question in the connected global economy, the majority of employees need access to the web and email in order to perform their job role.
Yet as indispensable as they might be, they also pose a number of inherent risks. These are not always fully understood and as such businesses could be leaving themselves vulnerable to legal liabilities. Knowing what the risks are is key to helping you manage them. Here are just a few:
Infringing copyright and the risks of P2P
Obtaining information via the web is easy - that's part of its appeal. But there is a common misconception that if it is on the web you can do what you like with it. Not so.Much of the information on the internet is protected by copyright and only the copyright owner has the right to copy, adapt, distribute and communicate that data in public.
The problem is exacerbated further by email, shared network storage and sophisticated online networks such as peer-to-peer (P2P), which make it easy to circulate data and therefore infringe the copyright further if you don't have the permission of the copyright owner.
P2P is of particular concern because once a file has been downloaded other P2P users can then access an employee's computer to make copies of that file, and if P2P clients are not properly configured it is possible to expose the entire contents of a computer to other P2P users, possibly disclosing confidential business information in the process.
Such a leak could be considered a breach of the Data Protection Act and result in a fine from the ICO.
Risks from BYOD policies
More and more companies are taking advantage of the productivity gains to be had from implementing a bring your own device (BYOD) policy.But BYOD, like social media, blurs the lines between work and private life and employees may well be more lax about how they use the Internet and email on their personal device.
Indeed, there have been many reported faux pas of portable computing devices containing sensitive data being left in public places.
Devices used in connection with employment could be bound by the principal of vicarious liability, which has proved to be very broad, and BYOD makes it harder to monitor and manage what information is on which device, further increasing business risk.
Lost devices not only have the potential to cause embarrassment, but can also lead to large fines if the Data Protection Act is ruled to have been contravened.
Defamation
Internet access allows information to rapidly be disseminated through applications such as emails, access to message boards, blogs and social media networks.Employees need to be careful what they write about individuals or organisations online as unguarded comments can attract expensive defamation litigation.
You might not consider an email to be publication, but the law views it as such. Just ask one well known supermarket who ended up paying a £10,000 to a police officer who felt they had published defamatory remarks about him in an internal email warning about his possible involvement in a scam.
Some of this might seem like obvious stuff, but you'd be surprised how few companies realise the legal ramifications of what seems like acceptable behaviour.
Be proactive in managing risk
There is no silver bullet in terms of ensuring that your business has every possible infringement covered, but it is important to be proactive in trying to manage potential risks.Regulatory bodies take a dim view of organisations that fail to demonstrate an adequate duty of care. Ideally businesses need to think about how they can stop breaches from happening, as opposed to what they do in the event of an incident.
To achieve this goal, technology, people and process need to work together to ensure that a company protects itself as robustly as possible.
- Charles Sweeney is CEO of Bloxx. He has worked with a number of successful high-growth SMEs across a variety of sectors including medical devices, animal health and software development.
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Samsung Galaxy F goes gold again, but this time it's 'glowing'
Even after the launch of the Galaxy S5 LTE-A rumours are still persisting around the Samsung Galaxy F and Galaxy S5 Prime, with the latest coming from that now well known Twitter leaker.
This time @evleaks has posted what appears to be a press image of a Samsung handset he claims is the Galaxy F and while it does have a gold finish it's apparently a different shade to an image posted previously.
Tagged "glowing gold", @evleaks states that this is a different shade to the "perfect golden" hue mentioned in an earlier tweet. However, it's not clear whether the newest colour replaces the earlier one or if both will eventually be available to buy.
He stresses that this is a separate handset to the supercharged S5 LTE-A, and concludes the post with "2014", suggesting we're still on track to see the Galaxy F before the year is out.
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Updated: Want to see the World Cup in 4K? Well now you can
Unlike England, Sony actually turned up to this year's World Cup to do something useful: shoot the action in 4K.
Unfortunately for the general public, filming in 4K has so far only been a test to make sure that we will actually be to film live sports in Ultra HD going forward. But you can now see what the World Cup looks like in 4K, thanks to a little roadshow Sony is doing.
Sony revealed to TechRadar last week that it was planning to send the highlights back to the UK, with thousands of retailers across the country getting a 2-3 minute highlights package, and now What HiFi has revealed locations that will be showing the footage on Sony's Bravia X9 television. Which just happens to be the official 4K TV for the World Cup.
Sony is only shooting a few games in 4K, and has the UHD cameras dotted around to grab a few moments of the action in the higher resolution, with the main base being in the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
The footage is compiled into a highlights reel then shot off to a server, where retailers can then downloads the several gigabytes of data needed for the short amount of action.
Sharp options
Sony is also looking into the possibility of showing the 4K footage in cinemas too, so if you're hankering for a spot of the World Cup in crystal clear quality and don't happen to work for the BBC, then you might still have options.If this isn't enough 4K action for you, Sony will be releasing an official 4K film of the tournament later in the year.
The list of stores that will begin showing the World Cup in 4K are:
- London: Harrod's; John Lewis (Oxford Street); Brent Cross Currys; Staples Corner Currys; John Lewis Westfield Stratford City; John Lewis Peter Jones; Selfridges; and Croydon Currys
- East Anglia: West Thurrock Megastore Currys; John Lewis Bluewater; and John Lewis Norwich
- East Midlands: Leicester Megastore Currys; Fosse Park Curry, Leicester
- North East: Teesside Park Megastore Currys; Fenwick's (Newcastle)
- North West: John Lewis Cheadle and Oldham Megastore Currys
- South and South East: Guildford Currys; John Lewis Southampton; Southampton Hedge End Megastore Currys
- Wales: Swansea Megastore Currys
- West Midlands: Coventry Megastore Currys and Birmingham Wednesbury Megastore Currys
- Yorkshire: Leeds Birstall Megastore Currys
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In depth: BMW-GoPro camera app makes video easy at 155mph
In-car apps sound like a great idea but they're usually little more than gimmicks.
Now, though, GoPro and BMW have teamed up to create an in-car camera-control app that's genuinely a little bit awesome.
In fact, it makes capturing video even in extreme conditions like 150mph-plus on the German autobahn easy and safe. Well, relatively speaking.
It doesn't hurt that our first taste of the app comes courtesy of BMW's epic new M3 super saloon and thousands of miles across Europe (keep your scanners peeled for an in-depth look at the M3 on TechRadar soon).
GoPro recording in BMW's latest road weapon at 150mph? Oh, go on then.
In control
The idea behind the app is full control of your WiFi-enabled GoPro Hero sports camera through the BMW's iDrive screen and controller, making it easier to set up and capture video in-car, clamped to the exterior, stuck to the windscreen, whatever.And unlike a lot of in-car apps, including various social media apps, there's a real benefit to having it integrated into the car's multimedia system. You'll need a BMW featuring the ConnectedDrive interface, of course.
The basics here are simple. Already you can control GoPro's sports cameras via WiFi and a smartphone app. That's great when you're static or a passenger. But when you're driving, fiddling with a smartphone interface isn't ideal, even when the smartphone is cradled.
Wouldn't it be great if you could control the camera from the car's multimedia system?
Wireless wonder
Now you can. The proviso is that the camera actually connects to your smartphone, which in turn is connected to BMW iDrive via USB. Then you must boot up the GoPro app on the handset before it will appear in the ConnectedDrive subsection of the BMW iDrive menu.
A tiny bit of a palaver? Yes, it's a pity you must have the app in focus on your handset, but perhaps that's something to address in the second build.
Anyway, once up and running you can start and stop recording, view a preview of what the camera is capturing and change a few presets (more on that latter in a moment).
Storming the autobahn
What's really critical to understand here is the ease of use. If you are driving solo, the great thing about the app is that you can start and stop recording with a single click of the BMW iDrive controller. You don't even need to look at the screen.That's ideal for high performance driving scenarios like track days or high speed runs on the German autobahn where you absolutely don't want to take your eyes off the road ahead.
It's also worth mentioning that the ability to start and stop recording in an instant is also important given the limited battery life and storage space of GoPros (the latter being dependent on the size of your memory card, obviously).
Finding a few flaws
So far, so good. Where we are disappointed involves those settings options. They're limited to a few pretty basic options. It would be great to have full access to all the cameras settings, perhaps through an 'advanced' submenu if BMW and GoPro's aim is to keep things simple for most users.As above, it would also be great to be able to control the camera while doing other things on the phone like navigation. Even better would be a direct connection between the car and camera. Finally, support for multiple cameras would be super.
That said, this is still a great app that adds genuine utility over simply running the smartphone app alone. It's been a while coming, but compelling in-car apps are finally beginning to appear.
For the record, you'll need a BMW with ConnectedDrive and a GoPro with WiFi connectivity, along with an Android or Apple iOS smartphone with the latest build of the GoPro app installed.
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Hands-on review: Panasonic Lumix FZ1000
Introduction and features
Thanks in no small part to their lens zoom range, bridge cameras are still a buoyant section of the fixed lens camera market. In fact, according to Panasonic's research the most important feature for prospective bridge camera buyers is their lens zoom ratio, followed by the lens quality and then image quality.- Our full review is now underway and we have shared our lab results in this hands on review in advance of publishing our full review.
As well as allowing the shutter speed to be kept at safe hand-holdable levels in low light, having a large maximum aperture gives the photographer the ability to restrict depth of field to blur backgrounds when they want to.
Image blur is also reduced by the Lumix DMC-FZ1000's Hybrid 5-axis Optical Image Stabilisation.
To ensure better image quality than the average bridge camera, the FZ1000 has a 1-inch sensor (significantly larger than the 1/2.3-inch devices in most models), with 20.1 million pixels. The larger size sensor means that the photo receptors (pixels) are larger and this should have a positive impact upon noise control, dynamic range and image quality as a whole.
Panasonic has coupled the sensor with a new Venus Engine the manufacturer claims will dramatically improve the resolution, gradation, colour reproduction and noise control compared to Panasonic's existing bridge cameras.
In a first for a compact or bridge camera, the FZ1000 is capable of recording 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixel) video footage at up to 25fps (PAL) in MP4 format. This comes with the advantage of being able to take 8Mp still images for a better viewing experience on 4K televisions.
Naturally, it's also possible to record video at Full HD and VGA resolution. The FZ1000 can record in a variety of formats, including MP4 and AVCHD to allow easy transfer, editing and sharing of movies. Those interested in slow motion playback will appreciate the ability to record Full HD footage at 100fps.
We first saw the company's Depth from Defocus technology in the Panasonic GH4, Panasonic's flagship compact system camera. It has been used again in the FZ1000 to achieve focus speeds that are said to be 275% faster than those achieved by the Panasonic FZ200. Panasonic claims a focus speed of 0.09 second at the widest point of the lens and 0.17 second at the telephoto end when the viewfinder is used to compose images.
There are a total of 49 AF points available for selection either by the photographer or automatically by the camera. In addition to 49-Area and 1-Area AF, there's also the Custom Multi AF mode, first seen in the GH4. This allows the user to select blocks, rows or columns of AF points for use.
Panasonic has also added Pinpoint AF, in which the camera automatically magnifies the focus area to ensure the correct section is in focus, and Focus Peaking to show the areas of highest contrast (focus) the focus position in manual focus (MF) and AF+MF modes.
In addition to Face Detection AF, Eye Detection AF mode is available to automatically set the focus directly on a human eye and starts focusing as soon as the viewfinder is used.
Being a bridge camera, the FZ1000 has an electronic viewfinder. This is a 2,359,000-dot OLED device. There's also a 3-inch 921,000-dot LCD screen mounted on a vari-angle hinge to allow the monitor to be seen from a wide range of angles. One surprise with this screen, however, is that it is not touch-sensitive.
Like Panasonic's recent compact system cameras, the FZ1000 has Wi-Fi connectivity built-in and an NFC chip to allow a connection to be made quickly to an NFC enabled smartphone or tablet. As well as wireless image transfer, this means the camera can be controlled remotely.
Other features brought with the FZ1000 include zebra display to indicate the brightest areas of a scene, timelapse shooting and stop-motion recording.
Build and handling
Given that it has a larger sensor than Panasonic's other recent bridge cameras, it's not a surprise that the FZ1000 is also a little larger bodied.The camera feels well built and solid enough in the hand, without being too heavy.
Like other bridge cameras, the new camera has SLR-like styling with a chunky finger-grip and a liberal helping of dials and buttons giving a direct route to key features.
On the top of the camera there's a mode dial to set the camera to shoot in aperture priority, shutter priority or manual exposure mode, or one of the automatic modes, such as Panasonic's Intelligent Auto (iA) mode, designed to help novice photographers.
Panasonic's Creative Control options are also accessed via the mode dial, and comprise 22 digital filter effects including Sepia, High Dynamic, Toy Pop, Rough Monochrome, Soft Focus and Miniature Effect.
With 2,359,000 dots at its disposal, the OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) gives a good, clear view and changes made to the exposure or colour settings are quickly reflected in the image it displays. The 921,000-dot LCD also gives a clear, detailed view and its articulating joint means it is useful for composing images at above or below head-height. It's disappointing that the screen is not touch-sensitive though as this would allow speedier selection of AF point and more convenient shutter tripping in some instances.
Performance and verdict
So far we have only been able to use a pre-production sample of the Panasonic FZ1000 so we can't comment fully on the quality of the images that it produces. However, we are able to share a few images here, although we have had to downsize them and are told that they should not be taken as representative of final image quality.Nevertheless we there are a few conclusions that we can draw from the images that we have shot. For a start, the FZ1000 continues Panasonic's trend for making cameras that are able to produce good exposures in a range of conditions. When faced with a bright overcast sky above a subject, for example, the FZ1000 managed to correctly expose the subject.
Colours also look natural yet vibrant direct from the camera, and the automatic exposure system copes well with bright sunlight, shade and cloudy conditions.
The native sensitivity range runs from ISO 125-12,800, but there are extension settings to push the range to ISO 80-25,600.
Images taken at the lower sensitivity settings have plenty of sharp detail, while those taken at ISO 25,600 look rather soft at fairly small viewing sizes and have some coloured speckling visible. It will be interesting to see what images look like from a full-production sample.
Panasonic has made great strides with its AF systems over recent years and the FZ1000 appears to benefit from this as it focuses quickly on the subject even in fairly low light conditions. When we get a full production sample in for testing we will look at this in more depth to see if it performs to the same standard across its entire focal length range.
Early verdict
While there are cameras available with a much wider zoom range than 16x, a focal length equivalent of 25-400mm is a good working range that many SLR photographers would be happy with, although they would expect to carry several lenses to achieve it. Some cameras with small sensors offer more at the longer end of the focal length, but in many cases this is overkill and users can often achieve the same framing by moving closer to their subject.Panasonic hasn't skimped at the wide-angle end and 25mm is a good starting point for many applications, including landscapes and documentary photography as well as shooting cramped interiors.
The ability to record 4K video may not seem especially enticing at the moment, but as 4K televisions become more widely available it will have greater value. One of the key benefits is that it turns the video mode into a high-speed continuous shooting mode, as 8Mp still images can be extracted. That will be attractive to parents wanting to photograph their children at play as well as keen nature and wildlife lovers.
Combining a comparatively large sensor with a wide maximum aperture also gives photographers creative control over depth of field.
The FZ1000 marks the start of a new line for Panasonic and the early signs are good. It has plenty of features to allow those who want to take control over their images to do so, while providing automatic options for less experienced users. It's also appears to be very capable, delivering well exposed images with plenty of detail and good, natural colour.
Image quality and resolution
As part of our image quality testing for the Panasonic Lumix FZ1000, we've shot our resolution chart. These images were captured using a full-production sample of the camera.For a full explanation of what our resolution charts mean, and how to read them, check out our full explanation of our camera testing resolution charts.
Examining images of the chart taken at each sensitivity setting reveals the following resolution scores in line widths per picture height x100:
Raw
ISO 80. Score: 28
Click here for full resolution image
ISO 100. Score: 26
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ISO 200. Score: 26
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ISO 400. Score: 26
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ISO 800. Score: 24
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ISO 1600. Score: 22
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ISO 3200. Score: 18
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ISO 6400. Score: 18
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ISO 128000. Score: 16
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ISO 25600. Score: 16
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JPEG
ISO 80. Score: 26
Click here for full resolution image
ISO 100. Score: 26
Click here for full resolution image
ISO 200. Score: 24
Click here for full resolution image
ISO 400. Score: 26
Click here for full resolution image
ISO 800. Score: 24
Click here for full resolution image
ISO 1600. Score: 24
Click here for full resolution image
ISO 3200. Score: 22
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ISO 6400. Score: 22
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ISO12800. Score: 18
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ISO 25600. Score: 14
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Noise and dynamic range
We shoot a specially designed chart in carefully controlled conditions and the resulting images are analysed using DXO Analyzer software to generate the data to produce the graphs below.A high signal to noise ratio (SNR) indicates a cleaner and better quality image.
For more more details on how to interpret our test data, check out our full explanation of our noise and dynamic range tests.
Here we compare the Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 with the Sony RX10, Panasonic FZ200 and Canon Powershot SX50 HS.
JPEG signal to noise ratio
The FZ1000 has the lead for the lower sensitivity settings, indicating that its images are cleaner than those from competing cameras, however, from ISO 800 and above the Panasonic FZ200 takes the lead and the Canon Powershot SX50 HS comes close to the FZ1000's performance. This may indicate that the FZ1000 reveals more noise to allow more detail to be visible.
Raw signal to noise ratio
The FZ1000's raw file (after conversion to TIFF) performance is good, but the Canon SX50 HS appears to have cleaner images thoroughout most of the sensitivity range. The Sony RX10 beats the FZ1000 from about ISO 3200 upwards.
JPEG dynamic range
The FZ1000's JPEG dynamic range performance in the lab is consistent with a camera that produces images with pleasant contrast.
Raw dynamic range
An impressive performance that indicates that teh FZ1000 is capable of capturing a wide range of tones in raw files. It beats all the competing cameras here.
Sensitivity and noise images
Raw
Full ISO 80 image, see the cropped (100%) versions below.
ISO 80 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 100 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 200 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 400 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 800 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 1600 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 3200 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 6400 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 12800 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 25600 (Click here to see full resolution image)
JPEG
ISO 80 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 100 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 200 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 400 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 800 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 1600 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 3200 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 6400 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 12800 (Click here to see full resolution image)
ISO 25600 (Click here to see full resolution image)
Sample images
Taken at the 25mm end of the lens
Taken from the same position as the previous image, but at the 400mm end of the lens.
There's plenty of sharp detail in this ISO 400 image
Noise is controlled well in this ISO 1600 image
This was shot at ISO 25,600 and looks softer than the previous image (taken at ISO 1600). There's also some colour noise visible.
Colours are natural and vibrant straight from the camera.
There's some smudging of detail in this low-light ISO 25,600 image
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Download VLC Media Player: end the struggle to find a missing video codec
While Windows Media Player comes built into Windows, you've probably noticed that it can't play every video file. Yes, Windows Media Player 12 now includes support for QuickTime .mov files, MP4 Audio files (.m4a), MP4 video files (.mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .3g2, .3gp2, .3gp, and .3gpp), and MPEG-2 TS. But it still doesn't like .asf or. asx, .flv or .mkv files. It's not the all-rounder you expect it to be.
VLC Media Player (formerly known as the VideoLAN Client) isn't much of a looker compared to Windows Media Player and Apple's QuickTime. There are no prettily-designed menus or snazzy graphical flourishes. Instead, the software focuses on pure functionality and is all the better for it.
Consequently, VLC handles an impressive list of audio and video formats. It can play almost anything you throw at it - DVDs as well as video CDs, MP3, MOV and FLV files or DivX. It also supports modern H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC video, Cinepak, Theora and Real Video. We say 'almost', because VLC Media Player won't decode Indeo Video 4/5 (IV41, IV51) files. But then nobody uses that archaic format anyway.
Feature-crammed software
Not only does VLC Media Player decode (almost) anything, but it runs on everything. There are versions for Windows, Linux and Mac.It can also start to play back video files while they are still downloading, and even play zipped-up files without having to unpack them first. Its playlist feature, meanwhile, enables you to queue up a stack of videos, perfect if you want to plug into a big telly and watch downloads all night.
Like Recuva and Paint.NET, VLC Media Player is one of those powerful software essentials that you wish came with your operating system as standard. As it plays Microsoft's own WMV format, Apple .mov files and DivX, there's no real need for Windows Media Player, QuickTime, or any DivX software. VLC is the king of media payback. One media player to rule them all.
Get VLC Media Player for free
Or discover more great media players, ranked by performance.
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In Depth: Faraday cages, drop tests and fake pockets: how your smartphone is made
This is how your smartphone is made
It's all very well sniping from the sidelines when a new phone comes out. It's too big, too plasticky, too Apple-y... most of us are guilty of shirking a handset without thinking about the months, sometimes years, of R&D that's packed into every device - from the cheapest feature phones to the most premium of handsets.To learn a little more about how a phone is made, TechRadar visited Lenovo's main handset factory in Wuhan, China, and saw first-hand what goes into making the most popular gadget around - the smartphone.
Lenovo's factory in Wuhan is a recently opened state-of-the-art facility whose nearby neighbour is Foxconn - the company behind the manufacturing of Apple goods.
Currently the factory makes 20 million mobile devices a year, which is around 1.7 million a month. This is set to change soon, though.
Lenovo recently acquired Motorola and it is likely production of tablets and phones under the Moto brand will shift to Wuhan. Given the factory has the ability to produce 100 million mobile devices a year, it has more than enough in reserve to take this manufacturing feat on.
Currently there are 3,000 people working at the factory but its total capacity is around 8,000. And in the factory the workers assemble but don't actually create the motherboards or plastic.
This is because Lenovo took the decision around 10 years ago to outsource the fabrication side of the business and saved itself a lot of money in the process.
Leader of the pack
On our tour we were shown the various stages a phone goes through before it is packaged up and shipped off around the world.Production in the factory was split on to two levels. The upper level housed what's called SMT (surface mount technology) and all of the testing that select handsets go through. On the ground floor was the assembly area - where most things were done by hand.
This was definitely a factory that proves robots aren't quite ready to take over manual work just yet. Speaking to the factory foreman, he revealed that workers assembling things by hand worked best as robots would be far too costly to install.
There was one that we spotted, though. Shaped like a Roomba, this robot helper's job was to bring batches of motherboards back and forth on a set path.
Once the robot brings the motherboards, which makes up the heart of the mobile phone, they are then barcode scanned in batches of four.
The boards are then passed to a picker and placer whose job it is to take components from a flow of tape and add these bits and bobs to the motherboard.
To make sure that this is a smooth process, there is also someone on hand to make sure the tape that houses the chips doesn't run out and that the right components are made available to the picker and placer. When the components are all in place, the motherboard is then 'baked'.
This process was all done on the upper floor of the factory - we had to venture downstairs to see the handset actually take shape.
Going downstairs: packing and testing
Downstairs was where the packing took place. We watched as the freshly assembled motherboard was packed into a plastic casing and then tested to make sure the electronic components of the phone worked as they should. Each phone goes through a process called multi-function testing.
This tests a handset's touchscreen, GPS, ariel and sound quality. These are then packed and another Roomba-like robot takes the handsets away for shipping.
Testing times
As you would expect in any factory, this is a seamless process. In total, the SMT and testing took around 30 minutes and then there was a further 10 minutes for final assembly. In all there are 34 people that have a part to play in the assembling of every single handset (and let's not forget that one robot).
There were many other areas of the vast factory that we visited (and many others that were completely out of bounds). Perhaps the most interesting, though, was where more intensive phone testing took place. Spot testing is done on one handset in every 10,000 units and these handsets are put through some hefty rigmarole.
Some examples we saw included a room which acts as a Faraday cage. In it housed a massive antenna that consistently checks the electronic emissions from a phone. The idea of this is to see how well a phone copes with external electronic interference.
And then there's the drop test. A chosen handset is continuously dropped 1.5 metres onto marble to see if it can survive being dropped on the hardest surfaces.
There was also a mini drop test. We watched as a handset was dropped just a few centimetre over and over again - around the same height of your pocket to the floor when sitting on a chair - and this is done 9,000 times to see how durable the handset is. There is also something called the interference test, which simulates a phone being in someone's pocket.
Each sample has to go through three stages of testing: engineering, design and production. There's on average 50 tests in total with others including: vibration, battery, surviving salt and mist spray, headphone and USB tests and one where a phone is put into a room of 65 degrees celsius to see if it still works properly.
It's not until you see a phone being assembled do you truly understand what goes into making our favourite gadgets.
Seeing the effort that goes into making sure your phone doesn't smash when it falls out of your pocket may not stop the frustration when the screen does actually crack, but it at least we are now safe in the knowledge that the manufacturer tried its best to stop such things from happening.
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Review: TomTom Go 60
Here we go, then, with yet another new TomTom navigation device, the TomTom Go 60. Surely the world already has enough TomTom's to choose from?
Actually, the Go 60 does have a plausible raison d'etre. And a simple one, to boot. It's meant to be cheap. Cheap for a 6-inch TomTom from its top-to-bottom all-new range, that is.
At £179, it's just over half the price of the range-topping TomTom Go 6000. Intriguingly, it's exactly the same price as the mid-range five incher, the Go 500.
It sounds a bit complicated, but actually it's fairly straight forward. It's a three-tier range, from the entry-level Go x0, through the mid-range Go x00 and the top-end Go x000, where the 'x' indicates screen size in inches.
Anywho, the Go 60 represents our first taste of the new entry-level models, so the question is how much you lose out on compared to the pricier units. The TomTom Go 5000 and Go 6000, for instance, are probably the best car sat nav units you can currently buy.
If the Go 60 comes close to offering the same experience for half the price, it's an obvious winner, too.
Features
For the most part, the feature set is pretty familiar. You get TomTom's new-style mapping complete with 3D buildings and its much improved new interface as seen in all the new models.There's free traffic data for life, too. But there's no integrated 'always connected' feature for the Go 60. Instead, you connect to your smartphone via bluetooth and piggy back on its data connection.
In practice that means you'll need your smartphone plugged in and charging, too. Otherwise you'll quickly wipe out the charge on your smartphone on all but the shortest journeys. Just something to bear in mind.
Screen-wise, we're talking 6-inch screen and 800 by 480 pixels, just like the Go 6000. But here's the catch. It's a resistive rather than capacitive touchscreen. Bummer. For starters, that means you lose the pinch-to-zoom gesture support of the pricier TomTom's. But more on the screen response in a moment.
As for speed camera data and map updates, you get three months of the former, after which you'll need to cough up £19.99 a year to keep it up to date.
The maps you get free forever and there's coverage of 45 European countries. Well, more accurately, you can update the maps in full four times a year. Plenty good enough.
Rounding the specs out are voice control, the usual points of interest database malarkey, two hours of battery life, an integrated mount with suction pad and a charging cable with 12v USB adapter rather than just a fixed 12V adapter permanently attached to the end of the cable.
Performance
The immediate out-of-the box impression is along the lines of, hmmm, this is familiar but it feels a bit cheap.The screen is recessed and has a slightly grainy look. The response to touch is mediocre and suddenly you realise this cheaper TomTom has a resistive rather than capacitive touchscreen – and by the looks of it a TN panel, at that.
You do get all the nice new map graphics with slick transparencies, 3D buildings and all that jazz. Then there's the simplified and optimised interface and menus that get you to the important things faster and with fewer pokes to the screen (see our TomTom 5000 review for a bit more exposition).
Put simply, it's very likely the best optimised, easiest-to-use nav interface currently around. Likewise the mapping accuracy and routing is about as good as it gets.
However, in the TomTom Go 60, the map renders at a pretty low frame rate, perhaps thanks to a slower, cheaper CPU. Combine that with the resistive screen and it's just not as nice to use as the pricier models.
The voice control feature is a bit underwhelming, too. As far as we can tell, you can't input UK postcodes via voice. Given that's most people's favoured way of inputting destinations (not to mention the shortest and quickest), that's disappointing.
At this stage, we're also getting a bit frustrated with the live traffic and active re-routing features. This is an area where all products fall short. TomTom is as good as or as bad as anyone else.
But the point is that even now, traffic data seems lagging and behind what is actually happening on the ground and when you know the local area well, you notice it simply doesn't have the brains to send you through those clever little routes that avoid traffic. One day, perhaps.
That said, the new-style integrated mount works well and, generally, the Go 60 gets the job done, just in a more workman like manner than the more expensive members of the TomTom range.
Verdict
The TomTom Go 60 gets TomTom's great new interface and map graphics, something we really appreciate. It also gets a screen that matches the priciest TomTom for size and pixel count. And all for not far off half the price. We also like having map updates free for life.Sadly, that screen sports resistive touch, which isn't nearly as nice to use as capacitive. The frame rate of the mapping is disappointing, too. Generally, the device is far less pleasant to use than the more expensive new TomToms. Lack of support for postcodes in the voice control is a bummer, too, and the need to connect a smartphone for live services means you'll have to keep two devices powered in-car.
We reckon the Go 600 for £219 is probably worth the extra money thanks to its capacitive screen. But it's your money and your choice.
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Review: Seagate Wireless Plus 2TB
Introduction
The surging popularity of mobile devices combined with a growing number of consumer products with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity explain why manufacturers are heating up to the concept of wireless, autonomous, portable storage drives that can be carried in your jean's back pocket.Seagate's second generation Wireless Plus HDD is one of the very few on the market to offer 2TB storage, with Wi-Fi connectivity and a rechargeable battery. 2TB is the highest capacity on the market, in a laptop-friendly 2.5-inch form factor.
The STCV2000200 is also available in 1TB and 500GB versions and is covered by a two year warranty.
You can only order the drive from a handful of online retailers and as expected, you will be charged a tidy sum, just under £200 (about US$320, AU$350).
It is not as expensive as one might expect and although Seagate's own 2TB HDD, a 2TB Expansion model, can be had for less than £80 (abound US$140, around AU$150), adding wireless and autonomous features would make that drive both clunky, bulkier and way more expensive.
Design
The drive has been shipped in a well-designed sturdy box, the type we're accustomed to see housing premium smartphones. A tiny detail but one that shows Seagate's level of commitment. After all, the profit margins on these devices is much higher than on stand-alone hard drives and if it can sell more of these, then it's much better for it's bottom line.Other than the drive, Seagate bundled a 50cm (20-inch) USB 3.0 cable, a 10W wall charger with 3 interchangeable plugs and a quick start guide.
The Seagate Wireless Plus 2TB is 127mm (l) x 89mm (w) x 21mm (d) (5 x 3.5 x 0.85 inch) and weighs a mere 272g (9.6oz).
It's slightly lighter and thinner than a 3.5-inch HDD and smaller on the x-and-y axes. Which is genuinely impressive given that the enclosure packs the drive itself, the USB-B connector (and related components), a battery and Wi-Fi electronics.
The drive feels solid. Other than the Seagate logo on the brush-metallic plastic front, it has four rubber feet, two LED indicators (power and Wi-Fi), a power button and a USB connector.
Specifications and benchmarks
Strictly speaking, the Wireless Plus drive doesn't use a Seagate hard drive because the company has yet to officially announce a 2TB 2.5-inch model.Instead, it uses a Samsung SpinPoint M9T HDD (Seagate purchased the storage division of Samsung not so long ago).
The M9T is a 9mm model with a 5400RPM spinning speed, three 667GB platters, 32MB cache and rated latency and power consumption of 5.6ms and 2.3W respectively.
The manufacturer claims that the portable HDD should deliver up to 10 hours which is pretty spectacular but ultimately depends on usage. You can charge it via a PC while transferring files to it, which is pretty handy, but it will take much longer to fully charge it.
Seagate quotes three hours when connected to the wall plug and nine hours when connected to a USB 3.0 and in idle mode.
Benchmark
The Seagate Wireless Plus generally fared better than the comparable LaCie Fuel 2TB or the Samsung Wireless 1TB. It scored 2125 points on Futuremark's PC Mark 8 synthetic benchmark, higher than either.
The time it took to complete the 10 components of the benchmark suite ranged from 26.9 seconds (Microsoft PowerPoint) to 489.2s (Adobe Photoshop – heavy duty).
Keys: WoW = World of Warcraft, BF3 = Battlefield 3, PS L = Photoshop Light, PS H = Photoshop Heavy, ID = Indesign, AE = After effects, Ill = Illustrator, all times are in seconds, shorter is better.
Features
You can connect the Seagate Wireless Plus to the internet and then share that internet connection with up to seven devices.You can also share content stored on it with up to eight devices with a range of up to about 40m (line of sight). Users can stream pretty much everything from it.
I managed to get 3 different HD movies to 3 devices simultaneously without any hiccups thank to its native 802.11n connectivity. The drive was within a 2m (6ft) range from the three devices and the content was accessed using Seagate's own free media app (available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire and Windows 8/RT – but not Windows Phone 8).
You can also access the content of the hard drive – which is not password-protected by default - via the device's web browser. The app can also be used to back up your files without using a PC.
Wireless Plus can sync with your Dropbox or Google Drive automatically when connected, acting as a massive buffer. Seagate has judiciously added AirPlay and DLNA compatibility to the product which allows you to stream the content of the drive straight to an external display.
Setting it up was pretty straightforward and intuitive, the setup guide being rarely used. You can also use a SAMBA-compatible app to access the files in the hard drive.
Verdict
The Seagate Wireless Plus
2TB offers an impressive amount of storage space, with wireless access
for a high, but not unacceptable price. With an easy setup and the
ability to sync to Dropbox and Google Drive (all within a reasonable
small package) the Seagate Wireless Plus 2TB offers an excellent storage
solution.
We liked
The conservative design and how small the Seagate Wireless Plus is an attractive feature for those who want to take their data with them on the go. I was also impressed its storage capacity, the long battery life and how easy it was to connect.We disliked
The confusing power button (which isn't actually a power button). It also lacks a clear power indicator to show how much battery life is left. Right now, a red solid colour means 20% battery life remaining, orange means less than 90% left and green, more than 90%.Verdict
If money is no object, then this is probably the best wireless autonomous storage device on the market. It is elegant, has tons of storage and a battery life that is superior to almost all of its competitors.I would have wanted a proper on/off button as well as a USB port to use it as a charger for a mobile device, but that might be a step too far. One thing to bear in mind though is that 2TB is a lot of data to lose, so I'd encourage you to regularly back up its contents or use it as a transient storage device.
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1 comment:
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