IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (Techradar) 11/20/2014

Here's how you'll navigate with the BlackBerry Classic's old school keys

If BlackBerry users excel at one thing, it's clinging to the past, which is exactly where the BlackBerry Classic comes in.
The Classic is a modern old school BB handset with not just a clicky QWERTY keyboard, but a physical nub and navigation buttons as well.
And now BlackBerry has posted a video of those physical keys in action, showing exactly how you'll use them to navigate BlackBerry 10 on the BB Classic.
The BlackBerry Classic is expected to launch in December, so watch the video below if you want an early glimpse at what you'll get when it does.
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrfBuMWQnw8

BlackBerry CEO on Classic philosophy: "If it ain't broke…"

WhatsApp is going bonkers for encryption to avoid pulling a Snapchat

WhatsApp may have just gotten a much-appreciated cosmetic upgrade on iOS, but the latest version of Android's WhatsApp app is even better.
That's because WhatsApp for Android now automatically safeguards messages with end-to-end encryption to help protect users from hackers and surveillance.
Given everything that users of Snapchat and other mobile services have suffered recently, this is probably a good idea.
That said there are a few catches, like the fact that only text messages sent between two Android devices will be encrypted. That means no media or group messages, and no iOS users.

Sorry, Johnny Law

But on the plus side Facebook-owned WhatsApp says it can't help law enforcement and governments decrypt the contents of these messages even if it wants to, which should please users while pissing off Big Brother - never a bad thing.
WhatsApp is encrypting its messages with help from Open Whisper Systems, which said in a blog post that it plans to eventually bring the encryption to WhatsApp apps on other platforms as well.

Snapchat now lets you send money with "Snapcash"

Netflix officially streaming to Australia in March 2015

Years of rumours and speculation can now be put aside, as US streaming giant Netflix has today confirmed that it will be officially launching in Australia and New Zealand in March 2015.
The pricing structure is yet to be announced, but the announcement does specifically mention that the ANZ service will be streaming in both HD and 4K resolutions where available.
Given the reports that over 100,000 Australian customers currently access the US service via VPN, perhaps the more interesting question to come from the announcement is that of content, and how much overlap the new Australian service will have with its US counterpart.

The original and best?

Netflix has confirmed that the Australian launch will come with a bevy of original series, including Marco Polo, BoJack Horseman and All Hail King Julien from Dreamworks Animation.
Later in the year, Australian subscribers will also get access to original series like Bloodline, Marvel's DareDevil and Sense8.
There's no word whether older original programming that has already been offered by local rival Foxtel - like Orange is the New Black or House of Cards - will be available though.

A question of availability

The other potential hurdle Australian Netflix enthusiasts are destined to face, although it's yet to be confirmed,is that Netflix will begin locking out VPN access to its US service.
That means that everyone currently paying for the US service could end up being forced onto the Australian service.
On the upside, Netflix has confirmed that the ANZ platform will be available on Smart TVs, mobile devices, plus games consoles and set-top boxes, which means it will be easier than ever to access content.
Now all we need is an internet infrastructure to handle the bandwidth...

Netflix isn't the only streaming service launching in Australia in 2015. Check out what Stan has to offer.

HBO Go Xbox One app forthcoming, may beat PS4 to the punch

Xbox One and PS4 owners have been waiting more than a year for HBO Go to arrive on their next-gen console of choice, and one of those groups might get their wish very soon.
A tile on the Xbox 360's dashboard said at one point today that HBO Go is "now on Xbox One," although the app has yet to appear on Microsoft's latest.
On top of that Polygon uncovered a YouTube ad for HBO Go on Xbox One that's since been set to private, while a Microsoft spokesperson called the Xbox 360 tile a "programming error" and said the company has nothing to share at this time.
HBO Go launched on PS3 in March, and although the Xbox One and PS4 versions are definitely coming at some point, it's been some time since we heard anything official.
Both apps are supposed to launch before 2015, and they had better - if they don't want to be immediately eclipsed by whatever standalone HBO service the cable company announces next year, anyway.

HBO's standalone subscription service might cost $15 a month

IBM is the latest to 'reinvent the inbox' with business-focused 'Verse'

Google isn't the only company that's recently been working on reinventing the inbox, and the latest contender is IBM Verse.
IBM Verse is a business-focused email client that the company says "fuses cloud, social, analytics and design innovation to transform the way we work."
Much like Google Inbox, Verse organizes and priorities users' emails automatically, but with a focus on enterprise.
IBM calls Verse a "freemium social collaboration offering" and says it integrates elements of email, meetings, calendars, file sharing, messaging, social networks, video calls, blogging, and more in a unified environment.
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG1qI6MjgIE

A single uni-verse

Verse reportedly learns employees' habits over time and eventually determines what information it needs to prioritize on a day-to-day basis.
IBM says created Verse with design in mind, and its interface is optimized for mobile and web, with iOS and Android apps integral to the experience.
It will eventually even have Watson support, letting companies embed their own Watson computers so their employees can query them directly.
IBM Verse will be available this month in beta for "select enterprise clients and partners," while a freemium version will roll out more widely on IBM's Cloud Marketplace in early 2015.

IBM brings big data to all with free Watson-based analytics tool

Exclusive: Valve won't be at CES 2015, large Steam Machine presence planned for GDC

Valve won't be attending CES 2015, the company's vice president of marketing has confirmed to TechRadar.
Instead, Doug Lombardi said Valve is planning a large Steam Machine presence for GDC 2015.
Lombardi wouldn't say whether this means other companies besides Valve will be showing off Steam Machines at March's GDC, though it seems likely at least some of the Portal maker's myriad Steam Box partners will have a presence at the annual game dev conference.
There's still the possibility for Steam Machine makers other than Valve to show off their wares at CES in January, but Valve can be counted out.

What a difference a year makes

Steam Machines were arguably the most exciting products to come out of CES 2014. Valve Co-Founder Gabe Newell hosted a press conference at the show to announce more than a dozen companies planning Steam Machines of various specs, prices and sizes, including Alienware, Gigabyte and Maingear.
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YAf5S4LSJQ#t=29
The veritable steam behind the Machines weakened as the year wore on, however. GDC 2014 had nary a Steam Machine, save for a redesigned Steam Controller (which, by the way, is possibly being redesigned again).
Then in May, Valve announced in a somewhat weird way it was pushing the "release window" of Steam Machines and the controller from 2014 to 2015.
Among the Steam Machine participants, Alienware has been the furthest along. Its Alpha Steam Machine even went up for pre-order in August and is set to begin shipping on November 21. An Alienware spokesman confirmed the Alpha shipping date still holds.

To 2015!

Delays and redesigns aside, Valve is clearly gearing up for a big Steam Machine push next year.
While it won't be making the trip to Las Vegas in early January, GDC 2015 could serve as the perfect platform for Valve to re-ignite a fire under its PC-gaming-comes-to-the-living-room hardware.
TechRadar will be on the ground at both shows, so stay tuned for the latest on Valve and Steam Machines into the New Year.

Valve needs to work on Steam OS, too

Buying Guide: Monitor deals: how to save big on screens this holiday season

If you're trying to decide which monitor to buy for your loved on this holiday season, don't wait until your alarm clock rings on November 28. There are a ton of amazing Black Friday and Cyber Monday monitor deals available at your favorite online and brick & mortar retailers. TechRadar's expert editors have compiled a list of the best deals on monitors this holiday season.
If you're looking around for other amazing Black Friday and Cyber Monday tech deals, don't worry, we've got you covered. We're your number one source for TVs, game consoles, phones, tablets and all other things tech. Our team of expert editors has written articles dedicated to Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals centered around just the types of devices you're looking for.

Check out the best Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals

Best in-store retail monitor deals

Check out this amazing New York B&H BenQ BL2710PT 27" Quad HD LED AHVA Monitor deal. After a mail-in rebate, the monitor can be yours for only $399 – a cost savings of $100.
With this awesome Walmart AOC 27" LED Monitor deal, you can have this panel for only $179 this holiday season. That's a price reduction of $80!
This Best Buy 28" Samsung UD590 Series U28D590D 4K UHD deal is available for $479.99 this Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This promotion will save you $120 on one of the best monitors we've tested yet.

Best online monitor deals

Looking for something simple? Then check this NewEgg Asus VS208N-P Black 20" deal. You can score this panel ahead of the shopping days for just $109.99, a savings of more than $30.
This sick Amazon ViewSonic VA2212M-LED 22-Inch LED-Lit Monitor deal is available for $119 on the mega shopping site, down from its original price of $220.
Finally, look at this Dell UltraSharp 22 Multimedia Monitor - UZ2215H deal. You can pick up this panel for just $239.99 on Dell.com this holiday season. The original list price on this stunning display was $279.99.

Read More ...

Updated: GDC 2015: What we want to see

Update: We received an exclusive from Valve which you can read more about below.
GDC 2014 was full of surprises and we're hoping GDC 2015 will be too. It's still early but the panel schedule is filling up fast and it'll be March before you know it.
To recap, the Game Developer's Conference takes place during March 2 - 6 and features over 400 lectures, panels, tutorials and round-table discussions with speakers from all over the gaming space.
The GDC Expo is part of the conference and simultaneously highlights tools, platforms and services used by game devs. The conference also is filled with indie hopefuls and occasionally, major breaking news.
Read on for what we want to see at the next GDC.

Project Morpheus part two

Speaking of surprises and breaking news, Sony unveiled Project Morpheus, last year. Its virtual reality headset has stayed under the radar lately despite making demo appearances here and there.
We haven't heard a lot from the Morpheus development front though there's still a couple of months before GDC. It's possible Sony will bring something to the VR table at CES 2015, but if not, expect to see something new in March. Perhaps the next build or enhanced latency experience.
Check out the video below to see our last Morpheus demo.
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OQtByjyD-4

Will the Steam Machines come out of hiding?

Update: Apparently Valve will not be at CES 2015 - but they definitely will be on the GDC show floor.
The company told TechRadar: "We will not be attending CES, but we do have a large Steam Machine presence planned for GDC." Exciting!
Last we heard, there were quite a few Steam Machines in the running, plus more recently announced Asus machines … but so far Alienware has been the most vocal about its Alpha - which will start shipping pretty soon in November.
Valve also promised the Steam Controller and SteamOS in 2015 after announcing a delay.
Again, we're hoping more machines (and Steam parts) will be ready come CES time, but if not, GDC should be a guarantee for a spotting.

What's cooking, Microsoft?

We didn't see new hardware from Microsoft at last year's GDC, but it didn't leave without presenting something exciting. DirectX 12 - a new API that will allow full use of most modern graphics cards - was announced prior to the conference and then discussed in detail during Microsoft's panel. The program still isn't out yet and is expected for a 2015 holiday release, but we'll probably hear more about it during GDC 2015.
Aside from the API, maybe we'll see Microsoft throw in a VR device of its own? The company definitely has the capabilities but has yet to reveal anything. It's also not like the Xbox One parent is shy of hardware outside of consoles - the Microsoft Band is evidence of this. Then again, the surprise wearable announcement was definitely later to the smartband game but is slowly gaining traction as an intriguing, powerful piece of tech. Perhaps that's what we can expect if (when) Microsoft finally unleashes its virtual reality contender.

Oculus to debut final build?

It seems pretty obvious that VR will yet again dominate the gaming hardware scene. This means we're expecting something big from the biggest face of virtual reality: the Oculus Rift.
Mountains of rumors have been circulating that the Rift will finally hit consumer stands in 2015. This makes GDC the perfect stage to show off the latest iteration of the VR headset. We saw the Crystal Cove version, or SDK2, debut last year and we're hoping Oculus pulls out another version next year.

Dev kit reveals screen specs for both Apple Watch models

It's been a couple of months since Apple unveiled the Apple Watch wearable, and we've yet to hear much more about it that's official.
So let's turn to the seme-official, where the Apple Watchkit software development kit - released to developers in tandem with the latest iOS update beta, which raises the OS up to iOS 8.2 - has revealed some interesting Apple Watch specs.
Specifically, it seems we now know what the Apple Watch's screen resolution will be for both models, according to MacRumors.
According to details in the Apple Watchkit SDK a smaller, 38mm Apple Watch will have a resolution of 272 x 340, while a 42mm version will have a 312 x 390 screen.

Apple Watch and iPhone: a necessary dependence?

Check out an image showing both resolutions, also apparently from the SDK, above.
In addition BGR reports that although the Apple Watch will initially need to be tethered to an iPhone, the wearable will gain standalone apps later in 2015.
We heard previously that the Apple Watch's dependence on the iPhone could mean better battery life.
Still, that's great news for anyone who envisions the Apple Watch actually being a convenient wearable solution, and not just another clunky, expensive Apple gadget you'll feel obligated to carry around.

iOS 8.1.1 update makes it usable on iPhone 4S and iPad 2

Opinion: Why Google's right to re-order search results is bad for everyone

A California court has upheld Google's apparent free speech right to display search results in whatever order it chooses, which is bad news for anyone who uses Google. In other words, most internet users.
In fact, the only people this is good for are the ones who work at Google.
As reported by GigaOM, the case originated when a website called CoastNews alleged Google was pushing it far down in search results. CoastNews apparently appears high up in Bing and Yahoo results, but according to the site Google interfered in its own results to keep it lower on the list of what people see when they search for San Francisco neighborhood-related queries.
Why Google would care about any of this is a mystery to you and me, but to CoastNews it's a conspiracy. It's possible that Google's unique search algorithms simply produced those results naturally, but that's beside the point.
Yes, whether or not Google really was mucking with where CoastNew appeared in search results is now irrelevant, since the court granted Google's anti-SLAPP motion - a lightning legal tactic to uphold the company's free speech - and ruled that Google can legally present results in any order it wants.
That's good news for Google, but it might not be so great for average users who just want to see the most relevant results - and not necessarily only the results Google wants them to see.

The right to choose

Even if Google wasn't tampering with results related to CoastNews (the case never went to trial, so Google was never officially found to), with nothing legally stopping Google from doing so in the future, the temptation will no doubt prove overwhelming to the search giant.
Why show searchers Yelp first, when Google Maps offers restaurant reviews, too? Why let anyone find out more about Apple Pay when the search company would rather you use Google Wallet anyway? This is the reality we now find ourselves in, though hopefully Google will keep its motto - "don't be evil" - in mind.
In the US "free speech" trumps all, and it seems internet search queries may suffer as a result. But even accepting that search results produced by a mathematical algorithm can possibly constitute an expression that warrants free speech protections, something that is debatable, shouldn't we maybe consider making an exception and not give the single most ubiquitous search service on the planet the option to filter out what it feels like?
Google has been batting back and forth with European Union regulators about this issue for years, and it's losing the game overseas. Regulators there are forcing Google to take steps like displaying competitors' ads in prominent positions, for example. Good for them.
But there are several precedents for this in past US cases, and many of them have swung in Google's favor. With another victory, the company must be reveling in retaining its ability to show you exactly what results it wants you to see - no matter what it is you actually want.
In other news, there's always Bing and Yahoo.

Sergey Brin picked a bad time to leave his Google Glass in the car

Buying Guide: Printer deals: how to save big on inkjet and laser printers this holiday season

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner. Don't wait until your alarm clock rings at 5AM on November 28 to try to find the right printer for your loved one. TechRadar's expert editors have compiled a list of the best deals on printers this holiday season.
If you're looking around for other amazing Black Friday and Cyber Monday tech deals, don't worry, we've got you covered. We're your number one source for TVs, game consoles, phones, tablets and all other things tech. Our team of expert editors has written articles dedicated to Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals centered around just the types of devices you're looking for.

Catch up on the best Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals

Best in-store retail printer deals

Looking for a powerful printer for small business owners or loved ones with a home office? Check out this Staples HP LaserJet Pro M401n Printer deal. This cloud-ready printer is just $169 at Staples after a 37% Black Friday discount.
If you're into Canon printers, check out this Office Depot Canon PIXMA Wireless Photo MG5520 deal: You can score this printer for just $44.99 at Office Depot. That's an insane cost-savings of $105!

Best online printer deals

For heavy-duty printing enthusiasts, this Amazon Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer deal might entice you. For a limited time, it's available for $387 on Amazon in time for the big day, down from its original price of $499.
Another excellent inkjet sale is this NewEgg Brother MFC-J450DW Wireless Color Multifunction Inkjet Printer deal. There, you can score this printer for just $87.99 on NewEgg ahead of the holidays.
A monster deal can be had on a Samsung printer, too. This TigerDirect Samsung Xpress C410W Wireless Color Laser deal will be available on Cyber Monday for $114.99 – a cost savings of $115!

Read More ...

Blip: Apple loses $24 million battle over decades-old pager patents

Mobile tech has come a long way since the days of pagers - though apparently not that long, at least where the iPhone is concerned.
A Texas jury has ruled that the iPhone and other Apple products infringe on no less than six pager-related patents held by a company called Mobile Telecommunications Technologies. The patents relate to SkyTel pagers and date back to the '90s.
As a result Apple's been ordered to pay out $23.6 million to the Texas company - and that's only about one tenth of what it had been seeking from Apple. Mobile Telecommunications no longer makes pagers (obviously), but the company is now owned by United Wireless, which still uses the SkyTel network for communications among emergency first responders and doctors.
This is the second recent case to touch on Apple's alleged use of other companies' pager-related patents - though Apple won the first case, last month in California.
But the most amusing part of this is undoubtedly that Apple isn't Mobile Telecom's only target - jury selection for its case against Samsung, Apple's usual rival in court, begins next month.

More blips

It won't cost you anything to read more of TechRadar's blips.

Samsung says its first truly bendable device will launch before 2015

Samsung and other tech companies have been beating the flexible display drum for a very long time now, but the closest things we've actually gotten are slightly curved phones like the Galaxy Note Edge.
The wait for a truly flexible smartphone may end soon, though, as one Samsung executive has promised a bendable device by the end of 2014, reports ZDNet.
"We plan to provide consumers with a product that has a flexible display by the end of the year," Lee Chang-hoon, vice president of Samsung Display's business strategic team, said at an NYC event for Samsung investors.
"However, nothing has been decided on the finished product," he added.

Double take

It's possible Lee misspoke, since it seems far-fetched for Samsung to be planning to launch a gadget in the next six weeks when they haven't even finalized it yet.
But regardless on whether he has his dates right, Lee's statements shows that Samsung is getting serious about releasing products with displays that bend and flex.
And these devices won't have just a little bit of give, according to Lee, who reportedly also said the new gadget will be so flexible it can bend in half without breaking.
"We will secure production capacity of 30,000 to 40,000 [flexible displays each month] by the end of next year," he said, adding that no other company will be able to match Samsung in flexible display production come 2016.

Samsung is going to make significantly fewer phones in 2015

New Amazon and PayPal apps let you shop and buy from smartwatches

Apple Pay and Google Wallet may have smartphone NFC payments locked down for now, but there's more to mobile commerce than waving your phone around at CVS.
Now PayPal and Amazon have extended their reach on smartwatches, letting you wave your whole arm around instead of just your phone.
The bookseller has updated its own Amazon app for Android Lollipop, adding support for Android Wear in the process. It lets users with Google-powered wearables search for, buy and add products to their wish lists with voice commands.
Meanwhile PayPal, which already has an Android Wear app, has released a brand new app for Pebble watches that lets users make payments anywhere PayPal is accepted and search for nearby businesses that take PayPal.
Thank goodness they're finally coming up with ways to buy things on the go without having to resort to the arduous task of pulling your big, clunky smartphone out of your pocket.

Screw Apple Pay: Samsung to team with PayPal for its watch payment plans?

Review: updated: TCL Roku TV

Introduction and features

TCL Roku TV is now on sale and proves to be a natural fit for the No. 1 Chinese television manufacturer's expansion into the Western marketplace. It joins the company, unfamiliar to many consumers outside of China, with the well-established Roku streaming platform.
Channel surfing on TCL and Roku's app-filled offspring is a familiar experience that mirrors the super-intuitive user interface of the Roku 3 and Roku Streaming Stick. Just about every name-brand and niche app you can think of can be pinned to a customizable home screen right alongside with the usual HDMI TV and Blu-Ray connections.
Fluid menus contrast with the often stodgy, ham-handed layouts devised internally by other TV makers. It's a welcome change by the set-top box experts at Roku. They also brought along hundreds of more apps than their closest competitors too.
No, TCL Roku TV can't compete with Samsung and LG's top-of-the-line TV specs. But both the 40-inch set at $329 and 48-inch step up model at $449 that we tested offer a solid 1080p full HD picture at an affordable price.
Bookending those deals is the cheaper 32-inch flat-screen at $188 with a downgraded 720p resolution and specs, and a larger, full-featured 55-inch TV model at $599.
Is this the budget-friendly smart TV holdover while you wait for 4K TVs to drop in price over the next few years? Let's peer closer into the television that's coupled with a set-top box to find out.

Quite the app-etite

What makes the TCL Roku TV a deal isn't just its price. It's that the built-in Roku ecosystem deviates from the from smart TV app-streaming quality vs quantity dilemma. It's not one or the other thanks to a slick interface that brings hundreds of more apps than its competitors.
This includes must-have apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube, HBO Go and Crackle, all of which are integrated into its personalized main menu. Even better, nearly every special interest streaming app is here too.
From the more known food channel Chow and the anime channel Crunchyroll to the almost certainly unknown Vietnamese American Real Estate and esoteric sciences channel Occult TV, there's no shortage of content for niche audiences.
In fact, there are over 1,000 streaming apps here, giving Roku the ability to claim that its platform has "more streaming channels than other Smart TVs combined." Those bragging rights were previously confined to set-top boxes like the Roku 3 or its HDMI streaming stick.
TCL Roku TV plays Amazon Instant Video natively whereas Apple TV cannot and requires an iOS device with a cumbersome and potentially laggy AirPlay exchange.
It also streams Vudu, TED Talks, Epix and, most recently, Google Play Movies & TV. Google Music hasn't joined the list, but Pandora, Spotify and Rdio are part of the Roku app playlist.

MIA apps

More apps doesn't mean every app, of course. TCL Roku TV is missing FX Now and Twitch apps, and while Time Warner is here with strict log-in requirements, the Verizon FiOS TV app is still exclusive to the Xbox One.
Like the Roku 3, you won't find Apple Inc's best friends ABC, ABC Family, ABC News. The CW Network app is also absent for the Smallville amount of you that care.
Unlike the Roku 3, I couldn't find the Watch ESPN trio of Watch ESPN apps among the thousands of TCL Roku TV channels. Turns out The Walt Disney Company isn't making deals with smart TVs yet - just set-top boxes.
Grab a cheap Chromecast if you're mad at Mickey Mouse for the ESPN, Disney or ABC app no-shows.

TV interface

Interestingly, cable box, game console and Blu-ray player connections appear at the top of the grid-like interface and are on the same footing as apps.
Are you a cord-cutter who doesn't pay for cable? Shift or hide that pre-installed selection from the menu so that it's out of the way.
Likewise, PS4 and Xbox One owners can bump up the game console to the No. 1 spot and remove the Blu-ray option completely since that's obviously redundant.
TCL eliminates the archaic and older-dad-confusing TV/Video button in favor of treating everything as an app tile, and it works. After all, we're living in a Netflix era of content streaming. If Netflix shows deserve Emmys, the app deserves equal placement next to network TV content.

Design

With so much focus on the TCL Roku TV software, it's easy to forget about the comparatively subtle hardware design. Luckily, it pulls off a premium enough look given its price.
This 40-inch flat-screen has narrow bezels for dimension of 36.5 in. x 21.4 in. x 2 in and it sits on a glass base, eschewing the plastic makeup of cheaper displays. Two small legs can be installed on the television to keep it from tipping over. That's important in earthquake country, but less important on the 40-inch model.
TCL Roku TV review

Around back, there are three HDMI 1.4 ports, 1 USB port, an optical audio S/PDIF port and a headphone jack. Older yellow, red and white composite cable input connections are there too.
The TCL reaches as far back as supporting a coaxial connection in the back. Over-the-air HD antenna, cable or satellite coaxial cables can also be hooked up directly to the TV thanks to this feature that is sometimes sidelined on cheaper displays.

Sleep timer

One of the more exciting new features outside of the main app menu is the fading sleep time. It's an idea that was possible when Roku was strictly an outside-of-the-box solution.
Yet my forum post research proves sleep timers have been a highly requested feature from sleepy TV watchers. They've been looking for a way to turn off their TVs after a set period of time. It's a feature some TV manufacturers have sidelined over the years and it remains absent from most monitors that may be doubling as a Roku set-top box display for some people.
The TCL Roku TV takes the old-fashioned sleep timer one step further. Instead of just turning off the television in a flash, it counts backwards from 10 and fades both the visual and audio content in an oh-so-gentle fashion.
That ensures the tired-out TV goer doesn't get woken by by the abrupt change in the darkened room. It can always be canceled within the 10 seconds in case your TV-watching cure for insomnia didn't work in the set period of time.

Picture quality

TCL's flat-panel televisions are affordable, but they're not short on specs for for their price. Beyond the Roku TV enhancements, both the 48-inch 48E4610R and the larger 55-inch 55E4610R are backed by a full 1080p resolution and direct-lit LED technology.
However, the 40-inch 40FS4610R we tested is an edge-lit LED display. On paper, it has many of the same specs: a 120Hz refresh rate, a fairly meaningless 5000000:1 "dynamic" contrast ratio, 1.07 billion colors and a 178-degree viewing angle.
TCL Roku TV review

It looks good if you're a budget conscious consumer who isn't a videophile bent on perfection. But this edge-lit version doesn't always spread the light evenly on the 40-inch frame.
Backlight bleeding is noticeable in certain darker scenes and when the TV boots up. The same scenes exhibit less than adequate black levels. Watching horror TV shows like FX's American Horror Story: Freak Show made nighttime scenes extra difficult to see finer details.
That didn't matter in moderately sunlit scenes or brightly-lit Blu-ray movies like Office Space. Colors are fairly accurate for the TCL Roku TV's class, and if you bring this TV home from the store and the skin tones aren't to your liking, there's a surface-level deep adjustments menu.
An advanced picture settings menu for changing the color, tint and color temperature join the usual options of picture mode, backlight, brightness, contrast and sharpness.
Finally, games moved without input lag between my controller, next-gen consoles and screen. This makes the TCL Roku TV an easy choice for gamers who just ponied up for an Xbox One or PS4 and want to save cash on a brand-new HDTV.

Usability, sound and value

Usability

TCL Roku TV defines what we want from television usability. Its straightforward setup process and menu system was inviting in the beginning and discovering its smartphone apps was a treat at the end.
Downloading the iOS and Android apps makes keying search terms into this smart TV easier thanks to an equally smart QWERTY keyboard. There are some basic menu icons on the app when they're needed too.
TCL Roku TV review

It's not just software that shows the TCL Roku TV's keenness for modernizing input devices. The minimalist remote is simple and to-the-point, reflecting the design we love from the Roku 3.
A red power buttons sits at the top, followed by the back and home buttons and a five way cursor input. App-driven buttons include skip backward, options and three playback controls.
Shortcuts to Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Rdio and Vudu are handy as long as you're a member. Otherwise, they're an easy way to accidentally open these apps.
Previous Roku remotes have featured Netflix, Pandora and Crackle in these spots, so it's really a crapshoot every time there's a new Roku device. There's also no headphone jack for remote listening like on the Roku 3 remote. Some people found that an extremely useful perk.
Radically, the TCL Roku TV moves the volume rocker and mute toggle to the side of this tiny remote. I couldn't find out how to turn the volume up when I first installed the TV.
But once I figured it out, it made sense. It's a lot like a smartphone. What makes even more sense is that the on-screen volume bar is vertical. After all the volume goes up and down, not right to left. I like that logic.

Sound

Just because the TCL Roku TV is inventive with its volume rocker and on-screen bar doesn't mean it sounds any better than a budget television.
The two 8-watt speakers were worse than other TVs we have tested. It was harder to hear softly spoken movie dialogue and turning up the volume didn't always help the situation.
In fact, due to the lack of front-facing speakers, I got shushed by my girlfriend during a hard-to-hear movie scene. Thanks, TCL Roku TV. Time to invest in a soundbar. At least I can now say "I bought it for us." On second thought, thanks, TCL Roku TV!

Value

The headline to this TCL Roku TV review is its pick-up-and-press-play app ecosystem. But it's not a convincing story unless you consider the affordable price that makes it worth it.
It starts at $329 for the 1080p and 40-inch app streaming playground in your living room or, more likely for a lot of households, bedroom. As almost every TV expert advises, I'll tell you to always buy bigger - as long as you can fit it.
In this case, the 48-inch model not only adds eight inches, but direct backlighting to the LED. I found that the 40FS4610R had uneven backlight bleeding due to its edge-lit method of casting light on the screen. It's worth the price bump considering it's still a deal.

Verdict

I've had a few people recently ask me for a good, affordable TV selection and I recommended this one while I was busy testing it. One person wanted a holdover TV to replace a broken set before ponying up for a 4K TV.
There are a lot of similar reasons to buy into this set. If you don't need the best from Sony, Samsung and LG, want a second television or are on a strict entertainment budget, this HDTV saves you money on both the display and set-top box.

We liked

Roku does app streaming interfaces right and TCL has the first Roku television. The 1,000+ channels are right there on the home screen and so are the various HDMI modes - there's no need to press the TV/Video button seven times in order to cycle through.
This eliminates the bygone "gray snow screen" that your parents only seem to turn to when the volume is set to 11. Like the gradual sleep timer feature, it makes for a more pleasant, less jarring viewing experience for TCL TV goers.
The flat-screen design and bottom glass base make the TCL Roku TV look and feel premium, too. That's great for its incredible attractive 1080p starting price of $329.

We disliked

Picture quality is simply above average. This is due to poor black levels and the backlight bleeding of the edge-lit 40-inch version that we tested. It casts light unevenly and is going to disappoint videophiles looking for the best from within the budget category.
Also what you won't get here is the Roku streaming experience on your first 4K UHDTV and even a curved TV at that. Those are going to be the hot topic at CES 2015 in a little more than a month, and TCL itself boasts inexpensive UHDTVs and curved sets.

Final verdict

The TCL Roku TV is exactly what we want from a multimedia perspective. Its app-filled menus are easy to navigate thanks to the Chinese company's decision to offload the software to the software experts at Roku. Makes sense, right? We really cringe whenever we see manufacturers try to do it on their own and it turns out to be a buggy and painfully slow mess.
The apps here are plentiful, while the remote's buttons are thankfully not. TV manufacturers tend to go overboard when a TV is meant to be a relaxing experience. The price gives us peace of mind as well. It's not the best budget TV out there, but it's the best for its price.

Also consider

TCL won't be the only Chinese TV manufacturer with a Roku TV. Hisense is also making a 40-inch class 40H4C set available at Best Buy. It's a 1080p LED competitor for $350, though the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz.
Also in its price range is the popular Vizio E-Series, which has a comparable 40-inch LED 1080p television for $380. It's 120Hz and a full-array LED, but lacks the Roku interface.

Read More ...

Review: BT Home Hub 5

Introduction and design

The fifth generation of the Internet router which comes free as part of every BT Broadband contract, the BT Home Hub 5, is possibly the best bundled router around and could even give third-party vendors a few headaches.
It's almost identical in shape and size to the Home Hub 4, but inside the new model features integrated modems for use with both ADSL and VDSL services, and a full set of four Gigabit network ports plus dual-band Wi-Fi with support for the latest 802.11ac technology.

What you get

Sign up for BT Infinity today and you'll get the new Home Hub for free as part of the deal. You can also get the Home Hub for nothing by renewing an existing contract. Otherwise it costs £129 (around $202, AU$231) to buy outright, with a discount if you're an existing Infinity users that brings it down to a bargain £69 (around $108, AU$123). Whatever the chosen route, the Home Hub is then posted out in a neat cardboard box designed expressly to fit through the average letterbox.
Open up the box and inside you'll find one of the neatest and lightest broadband routers around with very clean lines and no external antennae to spoil its good looks. Power is supplied by an external AC adapter and, courtesy of a couple of twist-out feet, the hub is easy to position close to the incoming phone line, although it can't be wall mounted and on ours the cables we plugged in lifted it off its feet.
BT HomeHub rear

With integrated ADSL and VDSL modems, this hub can be used with either an ordinary ADSL line or much faster BT Infinity service. The separate OpenReach modem previously used to provide the VDSL connection is, therefore, no longer required, which is good news as it consumed a fair amount of power and ran very hot. The Home Hub does the job all by itself and only gets moderately warm.

Connections

On the LAN side a 4-port switch is built in to handle cabled connections and these are now all Gigabit ports instead of one Gigabit and three fast Ethernet as on the previous model. There's also a USB port which can be used to share storage, typically in the form of a memory stick or external hard disk. USB printers can also be shared through the Home Hub, but the port is USB 2.0 only.
Lastly there's the upgraded Wi-Fi with support for both dual-band 802.n and the latest 802.11ac standard which operates solely at 5GHz. Three antennae have been neatly integrated inside the Home Hub casing, with 802.11n clients connecting across just two while for 802.11ac all three are available for MIMO duties. Of course, whether they're all used will depend on the clients. Not that many devices come with ac as standard and most plug-in dongles come with one or two antennae.
BT AC Dongle

BT itself sells a USB dongle with two antennae – the BT 11ac Dual-Band Wi-Fi Dongle 900 which costs £34.99 (around $55, AU$63).

Setup and performance

There's no CD-ROM in the Home Hub box. You just plug it in and connect to it from a browser either via a cabled port or wirelessly using WPS or the SSID and password printed on a card located in a plastic holder on the back. A wizard starts up as soon as you do this and quickly takes your through the short setup process.
This all took just a couple of minutes although we did have to go back and make a few changes to get the setup we wanted. For example, the same SSID and security credentials are assigned to both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz wavebands, making it hard to know which you've connected to. Moreover, there's no band-steering as on some more expensive wireless products so we assigned different SSIDs and passwords to each waveband to ensure we connected to the one we wanted.
Home Hub 5 GUI

We also fine-tuned the DHCP address range employed by the router and turned off the so-called Smart Setup option which, when a new client connects, runs an annoying setup wizard to configure a variety of BT options, such as parental controls. This we did via the very straightforward management interface which, although lacking in functionality compared to some, covers all the important bases and is very easy to use. Our only niggle was the need to continually navigate to the "advanced" options to get to the tools we wanted to tweak.

Impressive performer

In terms of performance the VDSL modem gave the same broadband speeds as when using the OpenReach modem and, used over a period of weeks, delivered a steady connection with no dropouts. It was also a lot quicker at establishing the connection compared to the external modem.
Wireless throughput was also impressive. Interestingly 802.11n signal range and quality was lower at 5GHz compared to the 2.4GHz waveband but that didn't affect the speed. Using a Core i5 desktop with on-board 802.11n Wi-Fi we saw real-world transfer rates of up to 200Mbps using the 5GHz band and 90Mbps using the 2.4GHz airwaves. These figures were achieved close to the router and dropped to around 80Mbps and 30Mbps respectively at a distance of 25 metres.
Home Hub 5 top down

For our 802.11ac tests we used an Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 Network Adaptor fitted inside a Core i5 Intel NUC. Using this 2x2 adapter throughput rose to around 250Mbps when close to the router and just over 130Mbps at 25 metres. That's not the fastest possible with 802.11ac but impressive nonetheless, and very easy to configure thanks to built-in WPS support on the Home Hub.