IT News Head Lines (Techradar) 1/22/2015

Review: Updated: Fetch TV

Introduction

Update: With news of updated channels and the impending arrival of Netflix, we've gone back to the Fetch TV review to factor in these developments.
The options for pay TV in Australia have always been somewhat limited. You can either opt to go with Foxtel or, if you live in a slightly more regional postcode, Austar. Fetch TV is bringing its own unique take on pay TV to the Australian television scene.
But the problem with both Foxtel and Austar is that neither of their PVR recording options offer a lot of support for the free-to-air channels that make up a significant percentage of most Australians' viewing habits.
Well, that and the fact that they are both relatively pricey for even the most basic starting package. They also require installation, either through HFC cable or by the installation of a satellite dish.
Fetch TV is a completely different approach. Instead of basing the service around pay TV, the Fetch box is first and foremost a traditional PVR for free-to-air television.

Inside there is a terabyte hard drive, plus three terrestrial tuners for recording two channels and watching a third simultaneously. 1GB of RAM ensures the box responds without lag.
But where Fetch really shines is by the addition of a properly integrated IP entertainment service. This takes the form of a pay TV subscription service that includes a heap of channels at a pretty decent price (more on this later), plus the ability to rent movies directly from the box.
Fetch also incorporates its own EPG solution, and has integrated catch-up TV platforms like ABC iView and SBS On Demand to not just work with the box, but to match the user experience.
The rollout of Fetch has so far been fairly subdued. The company has partnered with ISPs like iiNet and Optus to offer the box and the service, allowing the telcos to offer unmetered streaming for the entertainment services, while making it an appealing value add for bundled broadband services.
This finally changed in late 2014 though, with Fetch TV launching a version of the box direct to retail. The unlocked box will set you back $379 for the box and requires a $5 a month subscription to the Fetch TV service to work.
While this means that Fetch TV is opening itself up to mass market adoption, it is important to note that the box won't work at all without the $5 a month subscription, and you'll need to ensure you have a robust internet data plan to stream the content.
Also worth noting is that anyone buying the box outright doesn't get any unmetered content, even if they are an iiNet or Optus customer.

Design

Unlike traditional PVRs like the TiVo or the Foxtel iQ2, the Fetch TV box is small. Measuring in at 260 x 252 x 50mm and with no obviously visible buttons on the front of the boxy design, the Fetch TV isn't an eye-catching device that will form the visual centrepiece of your home entertainment setup.
In fact, the entire device is designed to vent heat out, and thanks to an external power supply, it doesn't get too hot in the first place.
Obviously this type of minimalistic industrial design is somewhat subjective, but I can say that the box does appear to be a little bit lost in a traditional component slot of home entertainment furniture. That said, it's so small you might be able to whack it on top of another device and save yourself a slot.

Our test unit was black, but there is a white unit available, which could potentially be slightly more pleasing aesthetically.
There are a couple of lights that pop up when the device is powered on or recording, as well as when there's an internet connection, so you get some visual insight into what the device is doing.
The back of the box houses all the connections, and herein lies the first concern we had with the device.
While an antenna input and HDMI and optical audio outputs (plus composite options for older devices) are all standard, the inclusion of the ethernet port does pose problems. Not that it is there - everyone knows that wired connections give you a much better connection - but because it is essential to the box's functionality.
Yes, that's right, the Fetch TV box does not offer integrated wireless, or even a wireless dongle.

Instead, you have to either run cable across your house from the router to the Fetch box, or work around it by using powerline adapters or wireless range extenders.
The Fetch folk explained that there is, actually, a technical reason for this. According to Fred Hopley, COO of Fetch TV, the biggest issue is the fact that Fetch uses a technology called Multicast to essentially broadcast its paid channels over the internet.
Apparently, most routers don't play well with Multicast technology, either not forwarding the data over Wi-Fi at all, or instead pushing Wi-Fi across the entire network and bogging it down with excess data.
There is hope that as the 802.11ac standard becomes more prevalent, Fetch will be able to look at introducing a wireless dongle to connect to the net, but until then it's a case of sucking up powerpoints with range extenders.
There are also two USB ports on the back, which allow you to connect external storage for playing back your own content.
You can't export recorded files out onto storage though, which is less of an issue than you might think when you consider the mobile app solution Fetch has integrated, which we'll talk about a bit later.

The remote

Like every PVR ever made, the cornerstone of the Fetch TV box is the remote.

And the Fetch TV remote is a solid offering. With an overall design that feels strikingly familiar to Foxtel's iQ2 remote, Fetch has managed to squeeze plenty of important controls onto the remote itself without making it too confusing for novice users.
The all-important paw button in the middle of the directional arrows mostly acts like an OK button, but can also pull up the menu when you're just watching TV.
The dedicated EPG button at the very top of the remote is the other button you'll be pressing lots of, as it acts as a shortcut into Fetch's (frankly excellent) electronic program guide.

The EPG is immediate and up to date, with a convenient white line that tracks the current time against the schedule of shows on air, giving a quick look at how long until the next program.
The recent 2.1 update introduced real-time EPG data, which takes a feed from the free-to-air networks to offer up to date programming data. So when the networks are running well over time, the EPG will automatically adjust so you don't miss the end of your show.
As expected, there is also a traditional number pad at the bottom of the remote, as well as four colour-coded buttons that shortcut to different features; a play/pause, fast forward and rewind section for recorded playback, and dedicated record and stop buttons.
The remote can also be programmed as a universal control that can rule over your television and DVD/Blu-ray player as well.
That needs to be manually set up, and can pose problems for less tech-savvy family members as you need to press dedicated TV/STB/DVD buttons to control the different units (with the Fetch box being the STB).
This compares to a generic universal remote like a Logitech Harmony Touch, which uses macros to control all your devices at the same time to achieve different results.
Other dedicated shortcut buttons include a direct link to your ISPs portal - provided you've got the box through your ISP - including a link to messages, a shortcut to your recorded programs via a PVR button, and also shortcuts to change the language, view subtitles and access the main menu.
But for anyone that's ever lost a remote into the black hole that is the side of your couch, the ability to control pretty much every aspect of the device from the Fetch TV app on iOS and Android will be an even more alluring feature.

The service

Fundamentally a free-to-air PVR, Fetch TV stands above traditional PVR rivals by offering its own pay TV option, delivered over your internet connection.
For $30 a month for ISP subscribers (although that price will be different if depending on your ISP), you get 34 pay-TV channels streamed through the net in the shape of the 'Entertainment Plus Pack'.
Outright purchasers who sign on for the $5 a month service will get the Fetch Starter pack, which includes the Movie Box service, recording and catchup TV, as well as YouTube access and movie rentals.
From there, users can add the Entertainment Plus ($19.95), Ovation ($4.95) and Setanta Sports $14.95) packs.
The channel lineup in the Entertainment pack is fairly extensive: TV Hits, MTV, E!, Style, MTV Music, MTV Classic, MTV Dance, Fox Sports News, ESPN, ESPN2, National Geographic Channel, Animal Planet, Nat Geo People, TLC, Discovery Home and Health, Travel Channel, Fashion TV, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Disney, Disney Junior, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, Baby TV, BBC World News, CNBC, Bloomberg, France 24, Euronews, NDTV, Channel NewsAsia, Al Jazeera, CCTV News, the Australian Christian Channel and the recently launched SyFy channel.
That lineup is about to change though with licensing agreements expiring meaning that Fetch has had to overhaul its Entertainment pack offering. From February 1, Fetch will lose Fox Sports News, Discovery Home & Health, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery Science, and Discovery Turbo.
On the upside, they will be replacing those missing channels with UKTV, BBC First, BBC Knowledge, Nat Geo Wild, NBC's Universal Channel, The Food Network and HGTV.

Fetch is also targeting the massive number of Australian homes that speak a language other than English with a range of World TV channels. Starting at $9.95 a month, users can opt for a selection of channels in a number of languages, including Chinese, Korean, Indian, Filipino, and more.
There are also add-ons for the sports lover, with Setanta Sports costing $15 a month and offering heaps of European rugby and football games, or $5 a month for the Ovation package which caters to arts, music and performance lovers.
Once you've signed up, the channels are seamlessly integrated into the free-to-air EPG. You can scroll through the entire channel list, or select your favourites and limit what you want to see. As you channel flick, the Fetch device seamlessly transitions between broadcast channels and IP channels, with practically no delay regardless of the delivery mechanism.
In fact, the only way to really know which channels are broadcast and which ones are streamed is a tiny little icon on the info box that comes up when you change a channel.
The TV menu has also introduced a "Top Shows" option in the 2.1 software update, which curates some of the most popular programming from both free to air and Pay TV services, and allows you to browse the better shows in a simple, convenient fashion.

Movies, catch up and YouTube

The pay TV element - while important to the overall performance - is but a tiny portion of the services on offer.
Fetch TV also doubles as a movie rental service, offering the ability to hire both standard definition and high definition movies without ever having to leave your seat. Films cost the same as they do through services like Apple TV, with an easy to browse mechanism that pops up on the main menu.
Rotten Tomatoes reviews are integrated into the hiring process, giving an immediate insight into a film's quality and helping users select their movie of the night.
Fetch also introduced a new "Specials" tab in its movie rental service, where 18 films will be available to rent for $2.95 at any given time.
But for viewers who want more than just the latest blockbusters, Fetch also provides the Moviebox service, which includes 30 movies to stream for free. Every day a new movie is added, which is available for 30 days before being taken off the service.

The movie selection doesn't include any new releases, and the quality of films vary, but there are plenty of watchable (and award winning) films on offer. While we tested, you could watch The Last King of Scotland or Independance Day as two out of the thirty films.
All the MovieBox offerings are only available in SD, so despite the variety there is obviously a quality question. But given they don't cost any extra, it can hardly be considered a viable complaint.
While Moviebox offers plenty of value, from a simple convenience standpoint, it's hard to go past the catch-up services.
Both ABC iView and SBS On Demand are integrated into the box itself, saving you the hassle of having to access them via a separate device.
Also in the catch up service list in the latest update was Channel 10's TenPlay app, so Masterchef and Neighbours fans are now officially catered for, while Yahoo!7 Plus7 means Home and Away is never too far away
What's more, all these services have been customised to mimic the Fetch TV's user interface, which makes the whole process of navigating and selecting which catch-up programs to watch so much easier.

Compared to the iView app on devices like the PlayStation 3, this is a much more enjoyable way to experience the catch up service.
But with the impending arrival of video streaming services like Netflix, Stan and the recent launch of Presto Entertainment, the question now is whether Fetch will be able to do the deals to feature these services on its box.
Globally, Netflix has a strategy of being on as many devices as possible, so chances are high it will appear on Fetch TV before too long. But whether StreamCo's Stan follows suit is yet to be seen.
Given Presto's affiliation with Foxtel, it's unlikely we'll see it on Fetch any time soon though.
If you still can't find anything to watch via the subscription channels, or catch-up TV services, there's always YouTube.
Fetch TV integrates YouTube leanback, which has videos optimised for a big screen experience. Obviously, watching a video encoded at 240p will look absolutely rubbish on your big screen, but watching a Full HD movie like Red Bull's The Art of Flight is a very enjoyable experience.
You can also partner the YouTube experience with your phone or tablet, allowing you to type and search much easier than manually working through the remote's T9 keyboard.
Finally, Fetch has incorporated DLNA into the box, introducing the ability to watch your own content directly from the box. Accessing your local network content is found in the same section of the user interface as your recordings, which is a pretty intuitive place to put it, really.
It also works really well, streaming content from our smartphone effortlessly.

Performance

The overall quality of broadband in Australia is pretty rubbish really, which was always one of the justifications for the NBN rollout.
With that in mind and the fact we were using an ADSL2+ Telstra connection located about 4km from the local exchange, we had some serious concerns over the Fetch Box's ability to deliver on such a low quality connection.
For the most part though, Fetch's streaming quality was impressive. The box would happily push the subscription channels to the TV over a wireless bridge with little to no lag when flicking channels.
In fact, the responsiveness of the box is hard to fault. For anyone who has ever used a PVR that doesn't have an IP delivered EPG like IceTV or TiVo, the Fetch TV is a revelation, responding to your control immediately.

From a streaming standpoint, there were only a few moments when the connection wasn't able to deliver. When streaming a video to another device over the same internet connection, the box popped up a message informing that the connection speed had dropped and to maybe stop watching that other video.
The connection also struggled one night during a storm, when the rain and thunder was upsetting not just the local dogs, but also those of us trying to stream video via Fetch TV's IP channels.
Truth be told, you're unlikely to get a worse connection than the one we used to test outside of capital cities and suburbia, so if you're wondering if your connection is up to the task of streaming to a Fetch TV box, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.
You'll just need to ensure you have a large data plan if you're not getting unmetered data through your ISP. Streaming all that video will chew through the gigabytes pretty quickly.
The video quality is also just standard definition at this point in time, with Fetch admitting it will expand into HD soon.

When that happens, it's unlikely a really average ADSL2+ connection like the one we used will be able to handle the load consistently. This is not the fault of Fetch, but something to consider when signing up.
Also worth noting is that while the subscription channels stream and start playing without skipping a beat, hiring an HD movie isn't the same.
Just like the Apple TV, if you're renting an HD movie for a Saturday night and you have a slightly sketchy connection, it's better to plan your viewing hours in advance to allow time for the film to download.
Like most digital rentals, you have 7 days to start watching the film once you've hired it, and 48 hours to watch it from the moment you first press play.

User interface

It's pretty clear that the team at Fetch has spent a fair amount of time working on the user interface of the box as it is a genuine pleasure to use.
Hitting the menu button brings up an opaque menu, with large images of potential movie rentals above a simple menu that drops down different sub menus based on the category.
The opacity of the menu is a key feature, meaning you can easily browse through the different content on the device during an ad break and know exactly when to switch back to your show.
From left to right, the menu categories available include My Stuff, Movies, TV, Apps, Manage and Fetch TV, although that last one will vary depending on where you get your box from – our review unit said iiNet instead.
We've mentioned it a few times, but flicking around the menu system with your remote is practically instantaneous thanks to the high-end hardware inside. There's an absolutely minimal amount of lag, with menus changing over immediately.
There's also some intuitive features in the menu systems, like the fact that recordings aren't organised into a massively long, random list. Instead, they are organised into folders of programs, which are then organised into sub-folders based on season.
Given there's a terabyte of storage on board, having a well-organised recording archive makes the process of finding which show to watch significantly easier.
The introduction of season breakdowns is amazing, although it appears that the service can't detect when you've already recorded a particular episode. After a few months use, the hard drive in my unit had five versions of a single episode of Dora the Explorer, which is obviously not the best usage of the storage.
In addition, if there was one thing we'd love to see implemented, it's the ability to set automatic recordings or alerts for specific programs or genres.

While the box does a really good job of setting up a series link, at present it's not possible to set an alert for a particular actor or movie genre and have the box automatically record it for later viewing.
This is a function that works exceptionally well with the TiVo, and is something we'd love to see integrated into the Fetch box one day.
Fetch tells us that TiVo has some patents that make rolling out a feature like that problematic, but it is planning on introducing a curated list of suggested shows based on your Series Tags, as well as the ability to browse content by director or actor.
It will require a manual opt-in to record those linked shows though.
In any case, Fetch has also introduced a "Top Tips"s service in the Apps menu that offers regular tips on how to get more from the service as part of the 2.1 update. It's a useful addition, especially for the less tech-savvy users.

Going mobile

While the Fetch TV box itself is a pretty solid effort, what makes the platform a success is the ability to stretch beyond the television via iOS and Android applications.
In the settings menu on the Fetch TV, you can pair up to five mobile iOS or Android devices. Each of these apps can then be used to both control the Fetch TV box as a supplementary remote control, allowing you to browse the EPG using the device's touchscreen, change channel, adjust volume and more.

But where the apps get really good is the access to content.
Through the mobile app you can also watch any of your subscription TV channels live - although sadly not the free-to-air channels.
The entire TV on-demand section of the service, which includes shows from ABC 4 Kids and music apps like MoshCam and iConcerts, is available to stream via your mobile, while the dedicated catch-up channels like Frontiers (essentially SyFy with a different name), Factuality (can someone say History channel?) and Justice (Crime TV) all offer hours of regularly-updated programming.
Moviebox films are also available through the mobile app, as are movie rentals. These films are streamed through the internet direct to your device, no matter where you are, giving you the ability to keep yourself entertained on a commute for example (so long as you have the data limit, that is).
The app also lets you watch your Fetch TV recordings on a mobile device, although you'll need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network to take advantage of that.
While that doesn't offer the same flexibility of catching up on TV series on the road that say a TiVo does, it still allows you to let the better half watch Masterchef on the iPad while you watch Speed on the big screen.
At the moment there's no dedicated Android tablet app, with users instead getting a larger version of the Android phone app. But the UI is clear and easy to navigate, and opens up a whole range of opportunities for Fetch customers.

Verdict

The Fetch TV has aspirations for greatness. It aims to bring the humble PVR into the 21st century by giving it the tools to take advantage of the internet as a source of content.
For the most part, the box is a resounding success. Top of the line specifications packed into a small, almost inconspicuous box complete with a robust subscription TV model make it a realistic competitor to the likes of Foxtel and TiVo.
Of course, the reliance on a solid internet connection could prove problematic to some customers, which is why the decision to partner with ISPs for its rollout is actually a stroke of genius.
But for a service that effectively amounts to $25-$30 a month, it gives an enticing alternative for people looking to get more from their TV viewing habits.

We liked

The user interface - and in particular the responsiveness - is truly inspiring. Being able to quickly browse through dozens of channels in a simple EPG, without waiting for programs to load or experiencing lag when you change pages is the height of convenience.
The remote is robust, and the versatility when it comes to on-demand content is also welcome. Seriously, you will never have to worry about having nothing to watch, and the stuff that you record for later viewing is also conveniently categorised for easy discovery.
The mobile apps add an extra dimension to the service, offering a convenient way to watch away from the television. While it does have some limitations, it's a solid experience that anyone can take advantage of.

We disliked

It's a short list here, because the platform is very robust. The lack of integrated Wi-Fi - while understandable from a technical point of view - is nonetheless a pain when it comes to actually setting up your Fetch Box.
We'd also like the ability to pre-emptively schedule programs based on actor, genre and other metadata like the TiVo does, although Fetch has promised to implement a similar solution in the near future.
The only other potential concern is the quality of your internet connection impacting performance. It was far from ideal having viewing interrupted by someone else watching a video on YouTube on their computer on the same connection. That's not the fault of Fetch, but it will undoubtedly impact customers who struggle with their broadband connection anyway.

Final Verdict

This is one of the most impressive PVRs available on the Australian market today. The team at Fetch has combined an exceptionally well conceived EPG and recording functionality with a lovely user interface and a top-class pay TV service.
Given the expense of a Foxtel subscription and iQ2 box, and the question marks over TiVo's very existence in Australia these days, there's no question that this is one of the best alternatives for Australians looking to get more out of their TV viewing habits.
We're keen to see how Fetch improves this year, with the arrival of Foxtel's iQ3 PVR, as well as video streaming services like Netflix and Stan. On the whole though, we think the service will continue to succeed as Australian internet connections improve.









Read More ...

---

Morgan 3 Wheeler finally approved for Australia

If you're looking for something a little more steampunk in appearance than the latest from Hyundai and Tesla, boutique British car maker Morgan may have just the thing for you.
After a three-year wait, the charmingly insane-looking Morgan 3 Wheeler has finally received Australian Design Rule approval, meaning it will be hitting our roads in July with a starting price of $90,000.
The 3 Wheeler had to undergo a number of modifications in order to qualify for vehicle – rather than motorcycle – classification.

Ch-ch-changes

The most dramatic change to the Australian model is the redesigned induction system, which, along with noise deadening covers atop the engine, keeps the M3W from exceeding noise restrictions.
Other local additions include wind deflectors, larger rear-view mirrors, an extra brake light, a reverse light, and a collapsible steering column with padded steering wheel.
The M3W is backed by a 30-month/48,000km warranty and can be ordered from 11 dealerships nationally. The $90,000 starting price will be reviewed on a monthly basis due to the fluctuations in the Australian dollar.

• After something a little more modern? The new Ford GT should fit the bill.

Read More ...

---

Review: Samsung Portable T1 SSD review

Introduction and specs

As a lover of technology, I've bought a bunch of portable hard drives and flash drives. Unfortunately, I always find myself wishing for something bigger or faster. It looks like I don't have to wish any longer. The Samsung T1 SSD drive is everything I've ever wanted in an external hard drive, and more.
How much does this super light Samsung T1 SSD cost? Well, the 250GB SSD size is $179 (£117.91, AU$218.91), the 500GB is $299 (£197.26, AU$365.66), and the 1TB is $599 (£395.18, AU$732.99).

Say you're looking for a nice backup drive and maybe you're looking at getting a bigger hard drive, like the Toshiba 4TB Canvio USB 3.0 as opposed to the Samsung T1 SSD. The Toshiba is great because it crams 4TB into one device, but this option lends itself towards a purely stationary setup, whereas the Samsung T1 SSD allows more portability.
Also, the Toshiba 4TB is a standard 7200 RPM mechanical hard drive which will read and write data slower than an SSD drive will, even though the both hard drives use USB 3.0 connectivity. But, say you're looking for something that can be fast and store a decent amount of data, then the Samsung T1 SSD 1TB is truly your go-to option.

Specs

The Samsung T1 SSD is amazingly thin, small, light, and fast. The dimensions of the Samsung T1 hard drive are 2.8 inches (71mm) long by 2.1 inches (53mm) wide, and the T1 weighs in at about 1.06 ounces (30 grams).
The Samsung T1 is easy to set up. When I plugged it in, the T1 opened an application and guided me through a four-step process: Welcome Screen, Name the Device, (Optional) Encrypt the Device, and Finish. No ad-ware, no bloatware, just simple and fast.
Samsung incorporated their new N-VAND technology into the T1 product line. N-VAND is Samsung's way of being able to work around the challenges that are apparent when devices get smaller. Specifically, when memory and hard drives get smaller, data tends to get corrupted, and interference occurs as the cells get closer and closer. Samsung T1 incorporates N-VAND which helps prevent data-corruption but also allows the T1 to use half the power consumption, 10 times more endurance, and twice the write speed of other drives.
The Samsung T1 does have an optional 256-bit encryption method that is built into the device itself. This can be set up at installation or done later on. No need for an operating system-based encryption key, such as Microsoft's BitLocker or Apple's Vault, as you can have it solely on the external drive. No keys needed for encryption - the T1 just uses a password.
As stated earlier, the Samsung T1 comes in three different sizes: 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB. The model given to us to review was the 250GB. The T1's sheer performance with data handling and speeds is amazing, even at the smallest form factor.

Performance and verdict

Performance

Samsung claims that the performance of their T1 SSD drives are capable of superfast read-write speeds of up to 450 MB/s via their USB 3.0 connection (the T1 is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0).
However, according to our benchmarks, the T1 didn't reach 450 MB/s. The ATTO Disk Benchmark test put most read and write rates for this disk at 250 MB/s on a USB 3.0 enabled port. But, it also depends on the size of the file. For smaller files you don't see much of a speed increase, which makes sense. Read and Write speeds do increase as the file gets bigger but we did not see anything get close to 300 MB/s.
The speeds of the Samsung T1 using the USB 2.0 interface were dismal in comparison but, to be fair, that makes sense. The highest Read and Write speeds on USB 2.0 were only at 30 MB/s using the ATTO Disk Benchmark tool. So, if you're a user with a computer that only has USB 2.0 and are looking for speed, then you may want to hold off on the Samsung T1. But, PCMark 8 gave the Samsung T1 a score of 4717.
Although our benchmarks did not hit Samsung's advertised 450 MB/s that doesn't mean the Samsung T1 is not a wonderful portable device. My computer has some serious hard drive storage and, in it, includes some older SSD drives that I use for video games like Battlefield 4. I transferred my installation folder onto the external Samsung T1 drive and it ran unbelievably smooth for something that is an external hard drive. Running Battlefield 4 was faster than running it on some more traditional hard drives and I did not notice a huge difference between running it on my internally connected SSD drives.
As a power user I'm always in need of a drive to install an operating system, huge data transfers, or just a quick file transfer - the Samsung T1 SSD is just perfect for these use cases. It has the size, the speed, and the ease that allows itself to be ahead of other hard drives on the market.
Not only that but the Samsung T1 SSD drive is a wonderful tool for anyone who hates lugging technology around with them. The T1 is so light that no reasonable person can call it cumbersome.
The benchmarks are as follows:

• ATTO Disk Benchmark: 252 MB/s on USB 3.0, 30 MB/s on USB 2.0
• PCMark 8 rating: 4717

We liked

The T1 is sleek, light, and versatile. It has a straightforward set-up, which was incredibly easy to navigate. Simplicity is true heaven.

We disliked

The benchmark results of the Samsung T1 were disappointing. I was hoping for a 450 MB/s transfer rate, or at least something in the 300-350 MB/s range but was unable to achieve it with the computer used for this test. However, as stated above, 250 MB/s is not an awful speed, and it is more than applicable for practical use cases.

Verdict

The Samsung T1 is amazing on all levels, however, its design is really separates it from any other portable hard drive on the market. As someone who hates lugging around big drives for multifaceted reasons, the T1 is heaven-sent. Although the device didn't run as fast as advertised, the 250 MB/s rate I clocked it at is not a bad speed on a USB 3.0 port. There's no such thing as the perfect technology, but the Samsung T1 comes pretty darn close.
The Samsung T1 is a great device that we recommend for a lot of different needs: speed, portability, physical size, capacity, or a device that provides 256-encryption.









Read More ...

---

Opinion: Windows 10: how Microsoft could (and should) stick it to Mac OS X and Chrome OS

Productivity and continuity

By this time tomorrow, January 21, Microsoft will have revealed its battle plan for the future of Windows. Meanwhile, rivals Apple and Google have been updating and refining their operating systems with clear strategies in mind - long before Redmond's latest was even announced.
Sure, the marching orders regarding Windows 10 were issued a long time ago. Regardless there are three clear fronts on which Microsoft should be fighting this battle, given its position and resources: productivity in the browser, continuity across platforms and home entertainment.
If there's even the tiniest chance that Microsoft isn't already prepared to exchange blows on these three fronts, then I'm terribly underpaid. Here are the three key ways in which Microsoft is finally prepared to face off with Apple and Google in the OS wars.

Office 365 vs Drive vs iWork – ready … fight!

Microsoft has been plugging away on Office 365, the web-based version of its productivity suite, for years now publicly. Yet still, amid increases to storage and new or improved features like document co-authoring, the service doesn't quite stack up to Google Drive.
You could argue that Office 365 was Microsoft's retort to Google's collection of browser-powered productivity apps, but it's still lacking something. That thing is integration. What makes Google Drive so simple to use is its deep integration with Chrome, Google's Internet Explorer competitor.
It's high time that Microsoft leverages its users' accounts at the app level - beyond a customized MSN homepage upon login. Like Chrome, the new IE (known currently as "Spartan") should prominently feature Office 365 apps and integrate them across the ecosystem.
Since Windows already supports Microsoft accounts for login, there should be no need for the same login when opening IE and Office 365. Plus, the Office apps should have their place either on the menu bar or a default homepage.
Frankly, there isn't much to be done for Microsoft to bring Office 365 and Internet Explorer to 100% parity with Google Drive and Chrome. Meanwhile, Redmond is already way ahead of Apple's iWork for iCloud in this regard. The Cupertino firm seems to see web-based document creation and editing as an extension of its core apps, not the end game like Google already has and Microsoft should.

Continuity? Why not just one OS?

Apple made waves during its Mac OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 announcements last year over an initiative it's simply calling "Continuity". The idea is for MacBooks and iMacs to work more seamlessly with iOS devices.
So far, this is has boiled down to picking up where you've left off in an email or Safari webpage on your iPhone from your MacBook when they're nearby, or answering phone calls to your iPhone from your MacBook.
Meanwhile, Google is working on allowing Android phones to unlock Chromebooks simply through proximity, bringing Android apps to Chrome OS and pushing Android notification to the Chrome OS desktop, among other projects. It's safe to say that Apple and Google have similar ideas for how mobile devices and laptops or desktops should work together.

Continuity continued and the almighty Xbox

Microsoft, on the other hand, wants it all in the family - one OS to rule them all. Windows 10 is expected to work the same way (or close) across PCs, tablets and smartphones. For all intents and purposes, all Windows 10 devices will be using the same operating system.
Basically, this would mean that apps written for a Windows tablet would work just the same on a Windows Phone 10 device or laptop, of course optimized for each where it makes sense. But ultimately, that's up to the developer, which leads me to the key - or what should be the key - in Microsoft's one OS plan.
If there's a single operating system, there only need be a single app store. Ideally, Microsoft would offer one store in which we, the users, could purchase a single app and expect it to work on our Windows 10 phone in addition to our Windows 10 laptop. And if all apps are built on the same codebase, the onus is then on the developers to create cross-platform solutions - not sit around and wait for Microsoft to write in the functionality they need.
There's a clear trend toward creating a circular computing ecosystem starting and ending with the desktop or laptop and mobile devices everywhere in between. With its single OS plan, Microsoft is in an excellent position to capitalize on this trend faster than its competition without having to do much at all beyond releasing the thing. It's like the great Steve Ballmer once said: developers, developers, developers, developers, develop ... you get the point.

X(box) marks the spot

Not to overstate it, but Microsoft's secret weapon in its bout with Apple and Google could very well be what almost was a flop: Xbox One. Well, not the device specifically, but what Microsoft can, and should, do around the services and software available on the console.
Basically, Microsoft would be sorely remiss not to bring Xbox Live - the company's online gaming network for the console - to Windows 10 in some form or fashion. For too long has Microsoft let services like Valve's Steam and EA's Origin gobble up the PC gaming pie when it had the whole kit and caboodle all along.
Expanding Xbox Live's store, party chat, matchmaking et al to work across PC and Xbox One would be a boon to gamers and game makers. Imagine buying a game on Xbox One and, if it supports it, PC for one price - with cloud-stored game saves working between both. Or what about taking an Xbox Live party from a PC-only game to an Xbox One-only game without even disconnecting?
Here's another scenario: Say you're watching a movie on your Windows 10 tablet through Xbox Video on the commute home from work. The train arrives at your stop before the movie is through and you need to pause. While there are similar solutions, it would be convenient for your Xbox One's Xbox Video app to pick up on that video where you left off through information sent over your Wi-Fi network upon entering the door.
Catering to the gamers is one thing that neither Apple nor Google has any means of doing on a remotely serious level (the film crowd is another story). With some serious integration with Xbox Live, Xbox Video and more, Windows 10 could become a home entertainment powerhouse.
But frankly, only on all of these fronts combined does Microsoft have a chance of winning back those jaded by Windows 8.1 - or winning over the Mac OS crowd or Google lovers. We'll see soon enough whether Redmond and I are on the same page.

• Can Windows 10 and Xbox One erase the divide in gaming?

Read More ...

---

Data to burn: Optus ups prepaid offering

If you're looking for a bump in your prepaid plan, Optus may have the deal for you, but you had better get in quick.
Called the New My Prepaid Monthly plan, it offers customers an increase in their data as well as more talk time and unlimited text for those who still use SMS.
Customers recharging with $30 will now receive an extra 500MB – bringing their data to a grand total of 1.5GB – as well as unlimited standard national weekend calls.
Anyone spending $45 or going all in with a $60 recharge will receive an extra 1GB – for a total of 3GB or 6GB respectively – as well as receiving unlimited talk and text.
Optus' new plan will only be available until 19 April, but anyone who signs up for it will be able to enjoy its fruits beyond that date for the life of their plan.

• Thinking of taking Optus up on the offer? You can now enjoy the plan's data via Optus' faster 4G in regional areas.

Read More ...

---

Updated: Best laptops 2015: which notebook should you buy?

Best laptops: all your buying questions answered

With Windows 8.1 here and Windows 10 on the way, Ultrabooks taking off in popularity and laptop-tablet hybrids seeing more releases, choosing the right laptop is even more confusing than ever. (Not to mention the upcoming holiday season!)
Cheap laptops, like Chromebooks, are more powerful and capable than ever, while high-end devices are often perfectly good replacements for your desktop computer, able to cope with more intensive programs.
Those after a fast boot up time and a lightweight machine to carry might drool over an Ultrabook.
Serious gamers will want a machine tailored to their graphical and processing needs, while those after flexibility might fancy a convertible laptop-tablet hybrid.
It might seem overwhelming at first – and it can be what with all of the choices – but we're here to help. Believe us when we say that there is a perfect laptop out there for you. With this guide, you'll find not only that, but which is the absolute best.

Our latest addition

Gaming laptops often make us scoff at their extreme price, size or general absurdity. The Digital Storm Triton on the other hand thoroughly impressed us with svelte, futuristic design proving that even budget performance laptops don't have to look like a giant rectangular block. Beyond the laptop's skin deep beauty, the Triton consistently surprised us with its excellent gaming performance – even topping the extremely outfitted Alienware 18 in some tests.
It wasn't all good news with the Triton. We had more than a few issues with the laptops grayed out screen and tinny speakers. This is also a notebook you'll want to avoid putting on your lap as its underside gets quite hot. Still taking the good with the bad, the Triton is an excellent gaming laptop that comes with a slight premium over the entry-level machines such as the Asus GL551.

Break down the types of laptops for me

Back in the day, there were simply laptops for leisure and those for labor. Today, there are several options for both sides of the fence, some of which jumping back and forth over it. Let's start with the basics:
Ultrabooks
These laptops are essentially devices that must meet certain standards of thinness, lightness, power and size established by processor-maker Intel in an effort to help Windows-loyal notebook vendors compete with Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air a few years ago.
The result has been some seriously premium machines that have lately been enough to rival Apple's best. Think of laptops under an inch thin with long battery life and crisp screens, like the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus or Acer Aspire S7. And lately, folks have been squeezing dedicated GPUs into the form factor, like the Acer Aspire S3.
Workstations
Designed almost solely for work, hence the name, these usually beefy laptops have one thing in mind: productivity. Vendors generally equip these units with professional-grade GPUs, like the Nvidia Quadro series or AMD FirePro line.
Other characteristics of workstations include a wider variety of ports and easier access to internals than most consumer-grade notebooks. Not to mention more legacy inputs, like trackpoint cursors, and hardware-level security options, like fingerprint scanners. Examples include the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbonand HP ZBook 14.
Chromebooks
These laptops run on an all-new operating system created by Google and called Chrome OS. As the name implies, Chromebooks rely almost solely on Google's homebrewed browser, Chrome. This means that everything from creating word documents to listening to music to printing and beyond is handled with the Chrome browser.
The result is a system that can run with super low-end hardware, which lends Chromebooks to best serve the budget market and education sector. Of course, Chromebooks are best in areas with wireless Internet access, but Google has vastly boosted their offline functionality over the years. Check out the Dell Chromebook 11 and Toshiba Chromebook for a better idea.
2-in-1 laptops (or hybrid laptops)
If you find yourself jumping back and forth between your laptop and tablet, then perhaps the hybrid was made for you. Enabled by Microsoft's dual-purpose Windows 8, these devices either come as tablets than become more like laptops with accessories, or as laptops that can detach from their keyboards and become tablets in a pinch.
Of course, the idea is to provide one device that successfully serve both use cases, rather than have homes and businesses overwhelmed with gadgets for every scenario. The category has fought an uphill battle toward mainstream acceptance, but by far the most shining example of its potential is Microsoft's own Surface Pro 3.
Gaming laptops
You'll always know a gaming notebook when you see one: hulking size, pulsating lights, garish paint jobs and whirring fans. But with thin-and-light (and stylish) products like the Razer Blade or MSI GS60 Ghost Pro, even that paradigm is starting to shift.
Generally speaking, gaming laptops are equipped with the latest mobile GPUs from Nvidia and AMD in order to play the latest games close to how well they run on their more sedentary counterparts. (In some cases, they're enough to outright replace the desktop.) Look at the Origin EON17-S and Alienware 17 for more perspective.
General use laptops
Notebooks of this sort are tough to categorize. They still adhere to the standards established decades ago of what a laptop is, only vastly refined. Given how the market has siloed itself into several distinct categories at this point, this variety of laptops is generally considered "budget" or "mid-range".
Ranging in screen sizes from 11 to 17 inches, there usually aren't many stand-out characteristics with these mostly-plastic clamshells. These laptops are easy to peg as jacks of all trades: readily able to handle all of your daily tasks, but suffer in more extreme or specifically demanding scenarios.

What does TechRadar recommend?

We're so glad you asked! Below you'll find what we think are the absolute best laptops in a number of categories, always up-to-date.

Best Ultrabooks

The most premium computing experiences around with the price tags to match
Ultrabooks tend to be made with design in mind, so they come in more expensive than most mid-range home laptops. They tend to start from around $999 (about £584, AU$1,063) in the lower end, going to nearly $2,000 (around £1,169, AU$2,129) at the very high end. You're likely to ultimately spend between $899 and $1,500 for a newer model, though you can get some older models for even lower prices.

• See which we think are the best Ultrabooks

Best Chromebooks

Google's Chrome-packed computers make for an unbeatable budget buy
Chromebooks focus on what computing has been all about since the late '90s, the web browser, through Google's Chrome operating system. What should you look out for in a Chromebook? The majority of these Google laptops use either the same or similar low-power components. This is largely what is behind the unquestionable affordability of these mobile rigs – most of which start under $300 (about £175, AU$319).

• Our picks for the best Chromebooks, always updated

Best gaming laptops

These machines excel in pixel-pushing performance with panache
Focused on real-time, 3D image rendering for the latest games, these laptops almost always come with a premium attached. If you want (at least something close to) the PC gaming experience with the flexibility to move around the house, the asking price generally starts at $1,300 (about £760, AU$1,384) at the low end and maxes out at around $3,000 (around £1,753, AU$ 3,194).

• Here are the best gaming laptops that we've reviewed

Best 2-in-1 laptops

Business up front, party in the back – the mullets of the computing world
Otherwise known as hybrid laptops, these devices generally sit in the same price range as Ultrabooks, given their mission to serve as two devices in one. That generally gets you a Windows 8 touchscreen device that either flips around its hinge to become a tablet or detaches from its included keyboard accessory (which hopefully doubles as an extra battery).

• These are the best 2-in-1 laptops at the moment

Best laptops for students

The tech you need to help you land the career you want
Whether you're a freshman in liberals arts or an MBA looking to rock the business world, you need a laptop that will best enable you for the perfect price. While some will naturally be more expensive than others, these are the clamshells best suited for your field of study and, ultimately, your budget.

• Here are the best laptops for students in 2014

Best mobile workstations

The best tech to get you through the work week
Whether you're a small business owner with need for a small, lightweight fleet or a spreadsheet cruncher in need of a locked-down, spacious powerhouse, we know which mobile rig fits you best. Even if you're a digital artist, there's a work-ready laptop out there for you. Just be prepared to spend (or expense).

• These are the best mobile workstations right now

What else should you consider?

Like any other major purchase, in buying a laptop you're battling for your bottom dollar. This is a decision that you're making for the next few years, at least. So, if buying a laptop is like going to battle, arm yourself with our guide to the grittier details of picking out a shiny new notebook.

Go big or go, well, small

Across all categories, laptops generally range in size between 11 and 17 inches, with a few outliers in both directions. Your decision on what size laptop to purchase should consider these two factors: screen real estate and weight.
Firstly, your laptop's screen size directly dictates how much content it can display and the size of it, of course. However, also keep in mind that, as you increase screen size, its resolution should also rise. You should accept nothing lower than 1366 x 768 for laptops between 10 and 13 inches, and nothing lower than 1920 x 1080 for those 17 to 18 inches.
Second: be prepared for each 2-inch bump up in screen size from 11 inches, expect an increase in weight of about a pound, more or less. Of course, there are exceptions, like recent thin-and-light designs that tend to buck this trend. You might want the biggest, sharpest laptop screen around, but are you willing to cart that around in your backpack?

What features should you look for?

Like most consumer technology, laptops often come chock-full of features that you may or may not need. The features listed below are ones that you shouldn't do without in your next laptop.
USB 3.0: The latest standard in USB data transfer technology. Be sure that the notebook you buy has at the very least one of these for speedier file transfers between your laptop and, say, a USB 3.0 flash drive.
802.11ac Wi-Fi: For what seems like the longest time, 802.11n was the fastest wireless Internet available. But in the past year, even quicker 802.11ac routers have cropped up, with laptop makers just now catching up. If you plan on streaming or downloading a lot of files and content to your laptop, you should strongly consider this as a selling point.
SD card reader: With the inevitable smartphone camera takeover of the point-and-shoot industry, many notebook vendors are quick to send these media slots to the chopping block. But whether you're a photography enthusiast or just still fond of your compact shooter, the lack of an SD card reader might be a deal breaker.
Touchscreen: While the merits of a touchscreen on an otherwise normal laptop are questionable, no one knows whether that will be the case in a few year's time. Though, it could also be an expensive. In short, sort your personal priorities before plunging on a touch panel.

Questions to ask before buying

Before you run off and buy the coolest-looking laptop, ask yourself these basic questions. They should help point you toward the notebook that's right for you.
What will you primarily use the laptop for?
If it's just the standard web browsing, occasional video streaming, and video calling mom back home, then you might want to consider going the mainstream or budget route. Big into gaming? Then there's your answer. If you travel quite a bit and need something as thin and light as possible, then consider an Ultrabook. Your primary function with the laptop will almost always send you in the right direction.
How much do looks matter to you?
Laptops come in all shapes, makes, models and sizes – not to mention coats of paint … or plastic … or metal. If you're the type that scoffs at fellow coffee shop-goers for their ugly computing devices of choice, then you'll probably want one encased in aluminum, or at least a quality soft-touch plastic. But beware, being pretty comes with a price.
How much are you willing or able to spend?
This is the ultimate barometer for the laptop you're about to buy, and never should you spend outside of your means. Your disposable income will dictate which laptop category you should spend your shopping time within, and ultimately save you time.
*Bonus tip: Be sure to check both online and brick-and-mortar retailers for the best possible deal on a given laptop. Good luck!
Originally contributed by Dan Grabham









Read More ...

---

Is T-Mobile in trouble? CEO responds in typical un-carrier style

The CEO of T-Mobile's parent company, Deutsche Telekom's Timotheus Hoettges, said this week that the carrier's 'un-carrier' shtick is not sustainable long-term.
Unsurprisingly, outspoken T-Mobile CEO John Legere had a response to that: "It's total bullshit."
Hoettges told Re/code that they did "what [they] had to do" for T-Mobile, but left no secret as to why the carrier is always up for sale.
"The question is always the economics in the long term…and earning appropriate money," he said. "You have to earn your money back at one point in time."

Entertainment vs. information

Legere's outburst in response is entertaining - as his outbursts always are - but it would be nice to hear something a little more constructive regarding why the CEO believes Hoettger is wrong.
Legere has yet to follow up, so for now we'll have to take his statement on faith and continuing enjoying all our wonderful un-carrier perks - while we still can.

• TechRadar can tell you exactly what the best gaming laptops are

Read More ...

---

OPINION: Can Windows 10 and Xbox One erase the divide in gaming?

Windows 10 holds a lot of potential for Microsoft to make up for lost ground, especially in one of their bread-and-butter areas: gaming. "How?" you, and the roomful of other Microsoft execs, might ask.
The way we see it there are three big areas: cloud streaming, Windows Live integration and cross-platform communication.
Microsoft showed up late to the cloud streaming race and there's no better place to start catching up than on Xbox One. The One currently utilizes the most basic of cloud-saving protocols, but its main competition, PlayStation Network and Steam, both support game-streaming over Wi-Fi.
"Problematically," you may be thinking, "Microsoft doesn't have a service like PlayStation Now." Well, not yet they don't. But that could very easily change come tomorrow's big unveiling of Windows 10. What better way to show off your brand-new OS is there than announce a game streaming service exclusive to Microsoft's two gamer-heavy platforms? If it happens tomorrow, you'll know who to thank.
Problem two: Instead of using the cloud to share a save file between Xbox One and PCs, Microsoft could take the initiative in Windows 10 to offload some of its graphical and CPU load through the cloud to enhance console capabilities. It's been talked about before and ideally, this completely optional capability would allow Xbox One games to run smoother or at a higher resolution.

Expanding the Xbox brand

If there's anything Microsoft has going for it, it's branding. Both Xbox and Windows are known worldwide, so why not play up their interconnectedness under the umbrella of a new operating system?
Imagine a new line of budget laptops powered by the new low-power Intel Broadwell processors and branded as something corny like "Xbox Journey" that could stream games from your Xbox One wherever you are. It's not exactly what Sony did with the PlayStation Vita, but if they could run Windows 10 and came bundled with an Xbox One controller they could essentially be a mobile version of Microsoft's all-in-one entertainment system.
Fact: Microsoft is the only one of the big three – including Sony and Nintendo – that haven't tried entering the handheld console game. With systems-on-a-chip, particularly Intel's upcoming Broxton 14nm Atom x64 line, it would be entirely possible for Remond HQ to develop a small form-factor "Xbox Go" to compete with Nintendo. Or, since Microsoft now owns Nokia's mobile division, it could gut one of its now-defunct Lumia line phones, add some tactile controls, and ta-da! A brand-new handheld.

Games for Windows Live done right?

Games for Windows Live, the current solution to bridging the gap between consoles and PCs, has one of the worst reputations of the major digital gaming frontends, and Microsoft, while not shutting it down entirely, has let the service fall by the wayside.

But, if Microsoft considers merging some of its gaming divisions under the Xbox brand, it's likely that 2015 will bring at least a partial integration between Games for Windows Live and Xbox Live. With proper support, this integrated service may be the first to allow PC and console gamers to consistently play together.
And say Microsoft does integrate its Xbox Live support on PC at a system level like it does on the Xbox One. Players could finally use one service for both console and PC friends lists or achievements. You could go from playing on PC to hopping on their Xbox One and back again without losing progress, friends or gamerscore. Microsoft, if you're only going to make one announcement on January 21, please make it this.
Instead of competing with or ignoring PC games or trying to make the Xbox One a hundred different things, Microsoft could realize that using Windows 10 as a way to complement and further value its other brands is the way to go. The Xbox One is already an incredible machine, and if Microsoft ups the ante by integrating desktops and consoles, it could become the new innovator in both domains.









Read More ...

---

Overstock.com is starting its own streaming video service

Watching a company like Netflix thrive in the streaming entertainment world - including with its own, original programming - isn't surprising, but when online retailers like Amazon are doing the same some eyebrows are bound to rise.
The bookseller just won a Golden Globe for its original show Transparent, and now the apparent entertainment industry gurus over at online retailer and Amazon rival Overstock.com are seeing dollar signs.
Overstock has announced that it will launch its own streaming video service by mid-2015, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
The service will arrive with around 30,000 titles, with more third-party content as well as original programming coming down the line.

Eyeing Amazon's wallet

"We already have the traffic," said Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne. "We're looking for a bigger and bigger share of [Amazon's] wallet."
He said they're analyzing what movies and TV shows Overstock.com users search for to determine the kind of content that will be available on the service.
This space is beyond crowded by now, but Overstock may be able to undercut its rivals in one area: price. The streaming service will reportedly be available to Overstock's loyalty program subscribers, who currently pay just $20 (about £13, AU$25) a year.
A price bump seems inevitable, but if Overstock handles that in a smart way - perhaps by hiking it up gradually - users might see the dollar signs as well and flock to the service.

• Google's Nexus 5 was a stunner

Read More ...

---

IN DEPTH: I wore Google Glass for one year and here's what I experienced

Cherished memories of an admitted Glasshole

Today is the first day Google Glass isn't available through the official Google Play Store, even if you have the $1,500 (£1,000) in hand and shout "Okay, Glass, shut up and take my money."
Wearing the now-retired Explorer Edition prototype for a little over a year, I saw important messages beamed to my eye and captured parts of my life via the first-person perspective.
It made the sci-fi-looking wearable worth owning. But while I found Google X's three-year-old experiment worked more often than not, there were a lot of times it didn't function right or suffered from bad publicity.
Here's what I liked, the myths I hated dealing with and the reaction of other Google Glass Explorers about what it was like donning the unique gadget.

Hands-free horseback riding

Snapping photos and capturing video became the standout Google Glass feature because it could be done hands-free, with the sound of my voice or even by simply blinking my eye.

And, really, it was the easiest thing to demo to someone donning Google Glass for the first time. So if you were going to be shown one thing, it was that, not how my personal email works.
Google Glass hands-free photos was clutch during a number of situations, but where the 5-megapixel shooter worked better than my iPhone 6 was while horseback riding on vacation.
Scenic views of nearby lakes and distant mountains were missed by the lenses of trotting horseback riders on this trip. They could take photos before mounting the horse or after.
With Google Glass, I was able to hold on to the saddle with my right hand, steer the reigns with my left and say "Okay Glass, take a picture" and "Okay Glass, record a video" with my voice

Fascination at Disneyland

As part of my epic 8,000-word Google Glass review for TechRadar, I also took this sci-fi-looking wearable throughout Magic Kingdom in Disneyland.

Admittedly, most of the rides were too dark to film and as handy as the Google Glass camera was in daylight, its lack of a flash or acceptable low-light performance made it fairly useless here.
That didn't matter to people in the long lines who were curious about the peculiar-looking gadget, often calling in "those Google glasses I've seen on the news."
Everyone, thinking I was a fixture of Tomorrowland, wanted to know more about it and were instantly stunned when I explained that it could beam important emails to my eye and translate foreign words with an English text overlay.
I listened to what these intrigued people thought Google Glass could be used for in the future, and the variety of the ideas was fascinating. Equally interesting: being more popular than Mickey Mouse for a day.

People I met along the bike path

Beyond my own experiences, I was always interested in meeting new Google Glass owners and hearing about their daily use of the Explorer Edition.
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33h5-1a2biw
This occurred at CES and E3, but the best gatherings happened at worldwide Google Glass Night Out meetups like one in which two dozen LA-based bike riders donned the wearable.
Taking photos and video while cycling down Los Angeles' beach-side Stand pathway was an experiment in and of itself. Keeping Google Glass charged was also an arduous task.
However, the shared challenges gave me the ability to connect with smart-minded, tech-savvy individuals, many of whom I still talk to today. In fact, I touched base with them for their experiences on Page 3.
Of course, for every one Google Glass highlight, there are about two myths that made owning the Explorer Edition a minefield among the privacy-conscious and ill-informed.

Myth #1: I'm always recording you

You're boring. I'm not filming you because you're not doing anything interesting, for starters. In fact, my first realization that you exist was you pestering me with the question "Are you recording me right now?"

I once had someone approach me from across the street, tap me on the back and ask me if I was recording them. And they were serious! That's not possible for so many reasons.
Besides the fact that they were behind me, battery life is so precious on Google Glass. You're lucky to get a half hour of straight recording time when it's fully charged (it's never fully charged). A stranger would have to be spontaneously combusting for me to want to record them.
Google Glass also contained a healthy 16GB of internal storage and I never ran out of space thanks to cloud backups, but what am I going to do with all that video? Nothing. You're boring. Get over yourself.

Myth #2: It's banned everywhere

Every time Google Glass gets banned at a bar, restaurant or some other public location, it makes headlines. But I rarely ran into a problem during my one year of wearing the device.

In fact, I was only politely asked to take it off twice in 13 months. The first time didn't even make sense. I was at CES, walking through a casino next to the floor but not on it.
A security guard saw me and shouted "No Google Glass!" That made sense for a casino, except I was with a crowd of journalists who had just exited a CES bus and had an uncapped 1080p Canon T3i hanging chest-level and pointed at the casino floor. Somehow, that wasn't a problem.
The other time was at a restaurant in San Jose, right near Google's Mountain View campus. It seemed the closer I got to people in the know, the more it offended.

Glasshole, first time use and price

Myth #3: Everyone calls you a Glasshole

No one calls me a Glasshole. They typically ask "Do you ever get called a Glasshole?" The answer is always "No."

Why? Because everyone wants to try it out at least once. They know that's not going to happen with a bunch of juvenile name calling.
No one is going to ruin their chance at demoing the one-of-a-kind Google Glass by ticking off the person who owns the expensive device. People often have only one chance to check it out.

Myth #4: It's awesome when you use it for the first time

The first time I used Google Glass was days before I received my invite. I had toyed around with a friends' Explorer Edition and didn't like the demo. I almost didn't buy it.

I can imagine that a lot of people go through the same thing. It's no surprise. When you think about it, Google Glass is a personalized device.
My first run throughout didn't have my email, my messages, my contacts, my apps or my Google Now alerts - all things that make Glass unique to the owner.
Bottom line: You can't trust an opinion someone who has used Google Glass for a few minutes. It's just not a fair use of the device, whether it's a positive or negative opinion.

Myth #5: It's a mobile replacement

Google Glass is easily summarized as your smartphone that rests above your right eye. For the most part, that's true, except it's not going to replace your iPhone 6 or Nexus 6.

Among the issues: At 5 megapixels, it can't take better photos, its main input, voice commands, don't work in moderately noisy locations and the projected screen resolution makes it hard to see in daylight.
Also, as bad as your smartphone's battery life may be by the time the clock strikes midnight, it's difficult to get more than four hours with Google Glass with extremely conservative use.
Stories about airline flight attendants using Google Glass for check-ins and police replaced body cameras with Glass made me wince. It's just not that reliable yet and certainly not a final product.

Myth #6: It was too expensive

That brings me to the final myth that I think many people will disagree with initially: Google Glass was too expensive.

The point wasn't to put it in the hands of everyone, though. It was a prototype limited, at first, to developers. There were very few apps for it in the beginning and about 50 at the end.
If Google Glass had launched at $300, it would've been something neat that a lot more people slurged on, but put down almost immediately. It would have "failed" whole a lot faster.
As expensive as it was, the price and invites restricted the availability to people who really wanted to tinker with a futuristic product ahead of its time. That was the right approach for Google X.
We're not going to be donning a face-worn wearable en masse any time soon, but it was nice to experiment with the idea for a year.
The next page includes what other Google Glass owners I've met liked about wearing the $1,500 (£1,000) prototype.

Other Google Glass owners experiences

A handful of helpful Google Glass Explorers gave me insight into their own experiences with the now-defunct wearable. Here's what they had to say:

Cecilia Abadie

Google Glass driving ticket recipient, app developer and director at APX Labs
Glass Explorer Edition was a completely new product category reaching customers, it started a new era in computing, now many other companies are on the space and it's a viable outlet for the enterprise, should be for consumer too soon. For me personally, it was an amazing experience to be part of an active passionate community of Glass Explorers, meeting and speaking with people around the planet.

Spencer Kleyweg

Google Glass Writer
Hands down Glass really helped me make great connections and lifelong friends from a single tech product, which simply doesn't happen with other products.

JR Curley

Founder & Creative Director at panagram.
It gave me an incredible opportunity to explore and understand how Google Glass could make a positive impact in our world and day to day lives. Glass continues to help me live in the moment while still leveraging technology to streamline my personal life and business.

Ian Tang

Student
I think the Explorer program helped me realize just how much we rely on technology and, sometimes, aren't able to fully live in the moments that matter, whether it's because we have our hands tangled up with holding technology or because we have to stop what we are doing to send a message back to someone. The Explorer edition of Glass showed the potential of wearable technology and that wearables won't only come in one shape or size (e.g. watch). There's so many possibilities and I think the Explorer edition made all of us, Explorers or not, think a little bit about technology in our lives.

Thomas Schwartz

Photographer

I am a photographer and Glass has made a huge impact on my art. It allows me to capture spontaneous hands free works of art that I otherwise wouldn't be able to capture. Over the past year, I have also really loved opening peoples eyes to technology. Glass has been a piece of technology that has fascinated people from all different age groups. My first demo was for a 70-year-old woman in a parking garage who saw me wearing them. And they really fun to demo to kids as well. So while, currently it might not be consumer-ready, I think it really opens peoples eyes.

Chara Kelley

CEO & Founder of SignforGlass.com
Winning Glass helped me to create and show myself what I am capable of. Before winning Glass I had no idea what a MP3 player was. Now I build glassware and have 200 beta testers of my own SignForGlass.com. I also just attended my first CES and pitched on Shark Tank. When I won the Glass two years ago, I retired and became a humanitarian for technology by sharing my Glass with the world.

Liza Gere

Founder & CEO at Gere Tech, LLC
I have never been a person to whip out a cell phone for pictures so what I would end up with was limited. Having Glass I have been able to capture moments that would otherwise pass and be forgotten.
Glass has also been amazing on the social level as well. It is the best ice breaker. I have met so many wonderful people that I never would have if it wasn't for Glass. I still use mine every day and hope to see it in the consumer market in the future.

Carms Perez

Employee at T-Mobile

For me personally Glass was amazing at concerts. I was able to record what was in front of me and dance and party without excluding myself from the experience since I didn't have to hold on to a camera. It definitely helped me grab attention from strangers and meet other "geeks" like me who were intrigued by the concept. My favorite feature will always be Hangout video calling which was great for cooking and showing my friends what I was up to in real life. I look forward to what's coming next and I will most likely be rocking it when it does release.

Brian Buquoi

Systems Engineer
I came into the Glass Explorer program due to a love of technology, I'm not a developer. If I had to pick what Glass helped me do the most, it would be that it helped me to connect. The social aspect of Glass, whether it be via the Hangouts Glassware, the Livestreams, the communities - these are the things that drove me to connecting. One of the things I can truly thank Glass for is the experiences it has led me to have. Without being a part of this community, I wouldn't have been able to speak with and meet such amazing people, including the awesome Glass Team I was so excited to meet up with. It truly has been an amazing conglomerate of people from all over the world that have been a lot of fun to talk to and spend time with.

Ari Adler

Works in the office of a current U.S. governor
The Explorer Edition of Glass provided me with some amazing opportunities in the first year that I have owned it. (I received my first unit in December 2014. I'm on my third due to the foil bubble issue. I suppose if I have any concerns about the program shifting gears it is over what happens to Explorer editions that develop the dreaded foil bubble).

Joshua Masterson

IT Support Technician
What Glass helped me do most was to capture moments in my life through the camera, where I would otherwise use my smartphone or DSLR camera. It helped keep my hands free and my head held high.

JoEric M

Web developer
I remember the days of the Walkie Talkie era on Nextel. Communicating was simple and instant. Now with text messaging/chatting it requires authentication, loading, typing, all while disconnecting from the world. Glass definitely has streamlined that process for me. All my friends and family mocks me for saying that thinking that it's just as easy to just do it the old way. Sure. But then it's just as easy to wash your clothes by hand instead of using the washer and dryer, or ride a horse to the store instead of a car.
Reading my news has also changed for me. Prior to Glass I relied on Google Reader for my news outlet. With Glass I configured Google+ to notify me of my news sites I frequent. It instantly shows up in my HUD. Click it if it's interesting and have time, ignore or swipe away if it's unimportant, or simply hang Glass around my neck if I don't want to be disturbed.

Jen Vargas

TV, Film and Social Media Producer
Being a Google Glass Explorer helped me share a little of my world with the rest of the planet. I'm not a developer. I'm not a celebrity with a large platform. I'm one person, who lives in one town, in one country on planet Earth.
What I think Glass helped me do the most was challenge people to think beyond the tech and examine how a device like this could help others in their community, family, social circles and more. Perhaps I inspired someone to get more involved locally through volunteerism or abroad via voluntourism? Maybe something I posted encouraged someone to just pay attention? Regardless of the hows, the whys and whats are the win.
When Google invited me to be a Glass Explorer (via Twitter, of all things), I had no idea what to expect. Not being a developer, I was very excited and a little shocked to even be a consideration. And hats off to the Google Glass Guides and Glass Team! They never once made me feel insignificant or lesser because of this. With every phone call, every visit to a basecamp, every email; I have always felt like a valuable member of the original Glass Explorer team. Any time I had equipment issues, a replacement arrived on my doorstep virtually overnight. If this kind of high quality customer experience continues through to the next generation of Glass, any hiccups that may happen will certainly be eclipsed,
My goal with Glass from the beginning was a project I called #Glass4good, now #Wearables4good. Through Glass I would share what I normally do in and around my community (volunteering, working as part of Florida's film and tv industry, covering events, etc) with the hope of inspiring others to do the same in their communities. Almost two years later I'm still regularly sharing (and hopefully) still inspiring others to get and stay involved, whether it's #throughglass or otherwise.

Jeris JC Miller

Dakini 3 Media, Executive Producer

What the Explorer Edition of Glass did most for me is acted as a launching point for developing the first generation of computer-mind interfaces. I have been talking about the technology with the Seattle SeaHawks developers discussing how Glass could be utilized as a visual/mindfulness aid in training environments. The ability to record information from narrative first person point of view and immediately review has numerous applications in a variety of settings, including providing immediate sensory biofeedback for training purposes as well as novel ways of storytelling.
Glass breaks the 4th Wall and integrates viewers directly into the first person experience. It is also very intimate and requires trust in the recording process. You see what the person sees through THEIR eyes and feel what they feel in the moment. This is very very powerful and we as Explorers are just beginning to scratch the surface of this emerging form of visual communication and visual immersive aesthetic. Glass was the first shot across the bow. Oculus and Tony Hsieh's project will extend the immersive environment that Glass launched. I would love to see Glass take this kind of experience to the next level.

Marc Konchar

Network Engineer
Most importantly it helped me meet some really great people both locally in person and online from all over the world. I'm not a developer but I've always loved to be on the forefront of technology using products that most people have never even heard of and this has been one of the best experiences of that so far. I wear Glass with prescription lenses all day every day and I've never had a bad experience in public so far. Obviously I get a lot of strange looks and questions but I'm always happy to give demonstrations and I love to see how excited people get once they see what it can do. Other than that I appreciate how Glass has helped me stay in the moment more instead of pulling out my phone to either check notifications or to take pictures. I don't believe for a second that Google is abandoning the product and I can't wait to see what comes next and to be a part of it. It's been a pleasure and I can't thank the Glass Team enough for choosing me a year ago.

Ned Sahin

Cognitive Neuroscientist and CEO of Brain-Power.com
Google Glass helped me help people with Autism. The Explorer Edition, which has been part of my daily life since July/August 2013, has helped me channel my neuroscience expertise into making practical tools for the challenges of autism, using the unique features and form factors of Glass.









Read More ...

---

Google wants to launch internet-spewing air balloons in the US

Google has its hands in a lot of pots, and one of its weirdest ventures involves a fleet wi-fi-spewing air balloons it calls "Project Loon."
The search company debuted the project back in 2013, but it's taken until now for Google to make efforts to launch it in the US.
The company sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission requesting that some high-frequency wireless spectrum - above 24GHz - be allocated to internet delivered "via airborne platforms."
That's far from a concrete plan, but clearly Google is at least testing the skies - er, waters - for Project Loon in the US.

Don't cut your cable just yet

The idea behind Project Loon is to free internet users from the shackles of satellite, fiber, cable, and other expensive and limiting connection types.
With Google Fiber earning the company so much positive attention Google likely won't be blanketing the sky in internet balloons thick as clouds any time soon, but it's enough for now to get a hint at what the future might hold.

• The HTC One M8 is a beautiful machine

Read More ...

---

Industry Voice: The Top CES Trends Driving Cloud Adoption

With another Consumer Electronics Show behind us, it's time to reflect on some of the new devices in the market and trends we can expect to develop in 2015. We observed a number of trends that will have a significant impact on cloud adoption over the next year.
1. The Internet of Things has become a reality: From connected cars, to home appliances and wearable devices, even light bulbs – pretty much every object with an electronic component is being connected to the internet, allowing consumers to control, analyze and enhance the function of these devices.
Analysis: The proliferation of mobile devices and connected things will dramatically increase the amount of data consumers generate. Many of these objects will interact with mobile applications, but the data being generated will need to live in the cloud to ensure it's accessible and secure. On-device storage will no longer be an option - integrating seamless and secure cloud storage will become the norm.
2. 4K TV will increase demand for storage: The boundaries of television picture quality have been pushed, with the unveiling of the UltraHD TVs that have four times the resolution of current 1920 x 1080 high-definition televisions.
Analysis: As television resolution expands, the quality of digital content will follow suit leading to bigger files for video content. The average file size for a 1080 HD movie is 8-15 GB, this could increase to exceed 100 GB per movie with the emergence of UltraHD. The next generation of visual content applications rely of cloud technology to store the vast amount of UltraHD data. Downloading video files will become a thing of the past. Media transcoding and streaming functionality will emerge as an essential capability for cloud storage platforms.
3. Your friends are probably going to buy drones: Drones were a regular sight at the event and were demoed in a number of use cases. Not only are these becoming cheaper and more accessible, but they are increasingly being kitted out with cameras and other data generating features.
Analysis: Drones can store billions of images, packing exabytes of data, which will create fierce competition and an even greater demand to cloud-enable devices so that the content can be quickly and easily accessed and shared from other places.
4. Smaller, faster, more mobile computing: Perhaps the least exciting trend witnessed at CES – and something that has been observed at almost every CES event – is the continued evolution of computers. 2015 was no different with smaller, lightweight PCs designed for the 24/7-connected world.
Analysis: Device manufacturers have been reducing the size of devices for years, however premature efforts to replace hard drives with cloud apps and web services failed miserably. The maturity of cloud storage and it's potential to work hand-in-hand with the hard drive has enabled smaller form factors. Additionally, device manufacturers and traditional storage OEMs are now looking to the cloud to differentiate their product offering and enhance customer loyalty. In 2015 and beyond, whoever owns the data will own the customer.
These are just a few of the many trends visible at CES 2015. But what's clear is the balance of power is shifting and cloud storage is rapidly becoming the primary method for consumers and developers (assisting unknowing consumers) to store and manage data.

• Brian Taptich is the CEO of Bitcasa.

Read More ...

---

Updated: Best gaming laptops: top 5 gaming notebooks reviewed

Update: The Nvidia GTX 970 is proving to be one heck of a mobile graphics card and it's helped lift the Digital Storm Triton into our pantheon of the best gaming laptops. Delivering excellent performance with a thin and great looking chassis to boot, all the while it won't cost an arm and a leg at just over 1,500 clams.
You don't even need to tell us what happened when you told your friends that you want to buy a gaming laptop. Their inner elitist got the best of them, and bashed you for not just outright building a gaming PC. But we get you. Building a gaming PC takes knowledge and dexterity that you just don't have or care to develop.
That's where the gaming laptop shines, as the fast lane to PC gaming. No need to build a case or even buy a monitor. Of course, that convenience comes with quite a price tag. Most vendors start their asking prices at around $1,400 (about £818, AU$1,492) for 13 and 14-inch products, whereas the biggest and beefiest 17 and 18-inch models can skyrocket upwards of $3,000 (around £1,753, AU$3,195).
If you consider that a gaming laptop will never come close to a comparably-priced gaming desktop, then your decision is already made. But again, the gaming notebook is a device of convenience and portability over raw power. Without further ado, here are our favorite gaming laptops that we've reviewed thus far.

Gigabyte P35W v2

If you're determined to buy a gaming laptop instead of a desktop system, it will be tough to find a better value than the Gigabyte P35W v2. Frankly, this gaming laptop offers more hardware and better performance than its rivals for less cash.
You will miss out on the bells and whistles of more premium systems, like the attractive chassis and WQHD displays of the Ghost Pro 3K and Razer Blade. You'll also lack the latest in wireless networking tech, if you opt for this system.
Regardless, in terms of pixels pushed per penny, the P35W v2 represents one of the best buys in mobile PC gaming rigs today. Of course, you'll always get even more power for the money in a desktop PC, but in terms of gaming notebooks, the P35W v2 is currently the one to beat.

• Read our Gigabyte P35W v2 review

Origin EVO15-S

There's plenty to like about the EVO15-S, and while it comes at an expensive premium, it's one of the few laptops that are well worth the expense. This Origin machine is one of the thinnest and lightest gaming laptops you possibly buy.
Meanwhile, it does not skimp at all with some of the latest cutting edge parts, an excellent 1080p panel for all types of media, three storage drives and 16GB of RAM. Plus there's also the option to throw on a 4K screen for a marginally priced upgrade.
In time, more and more gaming PCs will be outfitted with Nvidia's latest GPUs, but for now, the Origin EVO15-S is one of the best-performing gaming laptops for a reasonable price.

• Read our Origin EVO15-S review

MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K

MSI and Nvidia have together proven that 3K gaming is possible on mobile setups, albeit with a few conceits to texture detail and other settings. Is it worth it? That's up to how much stock you put in resolution. What's important is that it can be done, and within reason.
This gaming laptop is a great value even at the high end, but starting at just $1,699 for the 1080p version with a GTX 860M is a steal in comparison. At the moment, the Ghost Pro is no doubt one of the 15-inch gaming notebooks to beat.
The MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K (starting at $1,699, £1,399, AU$2,549)is not only a beauty to behold, it offers more hardware in nearly as premium a package as the big boys. But unless you're seriously intent on getting into post-HD gaming right now, save yourself a few hundred bucks and opt for the 1080p version.

• Read our MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K review

Digital Storm Triton

The Digital Storm Triton is an attractive, powerful and, most importantly, affordable gaming laptop. These are three qualities you don't often hear in the same sentence, making this machine special for pulling together such a rare combination.
Though it has a lackluster screen and trouble keeping cool, this Digital Storm laptop is still an incredible deal. It has enough computing power to play most modern games at 60 fps with just a few tweak in your graphics settings. What's more, the Triton has enough power to rival some of the biggest and baddest gaming machines we've reviewed.
For $1,620 (about £1,063, AU$1,974), the Digital Storm Triton is a powerful little machine that's definitely worth a look despite all its flaws.

• Read our Digital Storm Triton review

MSI GT72 Dominator Pro

At 17.3 inches, the GT72's 1920 x 1080 screen should be large enough for media streaming sessions. Also, thanks to its insanely powerful components, this rig should easily withstand whatever the next few years can throw at it.
It's biggest weakness, though, is its form factor. The GT72 is a great gaming machine, for sure, but it's also a hulking piece of plastic with a 2 (and a half) hour battery life.
If you're a mostly sedentary gamer with an urge for owning the latest and greatest technology, the GT72 is one of the best "portable" – of course, we use that term loosely – gaming machines around.

• Read our MSI GT72 Dominator Pro review

Read More ...

---

Facebook is getting better at weeding out News Feed spam

For a lot of Facebook users logging on and checking the News Feed has become less about catching up with friends than about being bombarded with low quality posts that make outlandish claims in the hopes poor suckers will click on them.
Now Facebook is doing something about it: reducing the distribution of these posts and adding an annotation to posts that have been flagged by users as hoaxes.
Facebook Software Engineer Erich Owens and Research Scientist Udi Weinsberg note in the site's announcement that they're not removing the stories and that the company itself does not review posts' contents for accuracy.
But by flagging offending posts as false Facebook users can start to weed out the trash clogging up their News Feeds and get back to what the social network is supposed to be about: connecting with friends and loved ones through technology.
"The goal of News Feed is to catch up with your friends and find the things that matter to you," the announcement reads. "We're always looking to people on Facebook to tell us how we can improve this experience."

• Smart TV in a stick: Chromecast is brilliant

Read More ...

---

Samsung Galaxy S6 could use a new type of wireless charging

We've been hearing about "magnetic resonance" wireless charging for years, with rumors connected to tech ranging from TVs to Apple accesories.
But the latest says the Samsung Galaxy S6 will be the first commercial gadget to actual use the new wireless charging tech.
That's according to an alleged Korean report cited by Patently Apple, which notes that the Galaxy S6's magnetic resonance charging could "push the entire industry" to finally start using it.

Still waiting

Magnetic resonance chargers send electromagnetic energy to devices with identical resonant frequencies, transferring power efficiently with zero wires.
The report also says the Galaxy S6 will sport a 64-bit processor - either the Snapdragon 810 or a Samsung-made Exynos chip - plus a 20-megapixel camera, 4GB of RAM, and two curved edges.
Unfortunately there's no word here on whether Samsung has really ditched its plans for an all-metal Galaxy S6, so it seems like we'll just have to wait until the new Samsung flagship is announced - hopefully at MWC 2015 - to find out.

• The Samsung Galaxy S5 is about to be eclipsed

Read More ...

---

HP Pro Slate 8 can digitise notes written on any type of paper

If you're looking for a way to instantly turn your written notes and drawings into digital copies, HP's latest business-focused Android tablet may fit the bill.
The HP Pro Slate 8 is an 8-inch tablet that comes with a stylus (sorry, high-fidelity HP Duet Pen) and suite of productivity apps. It's being launched alongside a 12-inch version called the HP Pro Slate 12.
Unlike Samsung's Galaxy Note devices that let you write on the screen, HP's latest tablets house four ultrasonic microphones that pick up a high-pitch sound emitted by the pen. So long as you're resting on a flat surface, the two can communicate allowing you to write on any type of paper and have the contents immediately beamed onto the display.
LiveScribe's 3 Smartpen can also digitise written notes, but it works using a camera in the pen's nib to track its location by reading a pattern on proprietary dotted paper. As with certain LiveScribe pens, the Pro Slate 8 and Pro Slate 12 are compatible with note-taking app Evernote out-of-the-box.

Taking note

In terms of specs, the Pro Slate 8 comes with a 2,048 x 1,536 pixel-resolution display beefed up by Corning Gorilla Glass, up to 32GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, 802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and micro USB connectivity.
The Pro Slate 12 shares the same specs but totes a 1,600 x 1,200 pixel-resolution display, and both come with HP's cloud-based device management software, HP TouchPoint Manager.
HP reckons the Pro Slate 8 and Pro Slate 12 could appeal to the legal and financial sectors which require written notes to be digitised. Both come with the pen as standard and are available now starting at $379 (around £249 / AUS$463) for the 8-inch model, rising to $529 (around £349, or AUS$646) for the 12-inch version.

• 10 best Android tablets in the world

Read More ...

---

Review: Roku 3

The latest update of the Roku media player, hitherto known as the Roku 3, features a number of welcome refinements over the cheaper Roku 2 and entry-level 720p Roku LT.
It offers wired and wireless connectivity and a much faster dual-core Broadcom chipset. In short, it's the best built Roku player seen to date, rivaling set-top mainstay Amazon Fire TV as the king of the proverbial castle.
A cursory glance might suggest that nothing much has changed in Rokuville.
This new player is still a glossy black puck, although with slightly less girth, at 90mm across. In situ, it looks like little a futuristic pebble sprouting cables.
The distinctive Roku fabric tab is still in evidence and there's a tiny status LED which glows when the unit's on.

While the Roku 3 has integrated dual-band Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n compatible), the wired Ethernet option is invariably the best choice when it comes to streaming. The unit sports an HDMI output and USB for local media playback.
Completing the I/O roster is a MicroSD storage expansion slot used to increase the capacity of the player (which is apparently limited to 512Mb). Cards might typically be used to store game apps or an overflow of Roku channels. Incidentally, there's no power-off; the player stays online (consuming less than 3.5w) and updates itself automatically.
The main Roku user interface is unchanged and set-up remains straightforward.

If you're new to the platform, you'll need to open an account before you can get anywhere. This allows easy debiting should you pay to view content but for general use you won't be parting with any cash.
It's a bit of a pain because it forces you to connect to the internet to update the firmware before you can even get into the menu. If you don't have an active internet connection you will not be able to use the Roku 3 even for offline tasks.
It's also a pain that you have to give your credit card details even if you don't have any intention of spending money with them.
Existing Rokuites upgrading kit can simply authorise the box online and add it to their inventory (apparently it's not unusually for fans to employ multiple boxes). The process takes but a few minutes.
Roku seemingly takes the gaming aspect of its player quite seriously. The remote control incorporates a motion sensor and has a Wii-style safety strap. Angry Birds is obviously the star turn here, and it plays beautifully on this device with smooth animation, but there's also Galaga, Downhill Bowling, Sudoko and US game-show spin-offs Wheel of fortune and Jeopardy to dabble with.
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Mupmz-ADg
While there's very little to actually be done when it comes to setup, the menu does offer a selection of UI templates. Most are a bit dour, however the cartoon blue skies of Daydream make for a sunny enough interface.
The Roku 3 offers a choice of video resolutions up to 1080p, and while the native content available in the brand's Channel Store doesn't match this, the unit does a good enough job upscaling to warrant optimism.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of opting for the Roku 3 is the upgraded silicon inside. The first Roku with a dual core processor, this thing is speedy. Navigating menus is lighting fast while jumping to and from TV channel apps is exceptionally fast. For example, hopping between BBC iPlayer and Netflix takes no time at all.

Roku has made its mission to make their box as easy to get onto for content providers as possible. Thus, the platform features more than 200 content sources in its Channel Store, with many more available as "private channels" that anyone can create at will. Most users will probably stick to the store channels, and use only a handful at that. Nevertheless, this content breadth and flexibility is quite impressive when compared with Amazon and Apple's boxes.
As a content platform, Roku provides a solid selection of services via its Channel Store. Here you'll find some major streaming attractions, including Sky's Now TV platform (Sky being a shareholder in Roku), the ubiquitous Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Demand 5, Vimeo and DailyMotion. Unfortunately, there's some notable exceptions to (itvPlayer, 4OD, YouTube) plus a heap of crusty curiosities of limited appeal (Moonlight Movies, Zombee TV to name but two).
Audio apps of note include Spotify, Tunein and Vevo. In addition to the official channel store selection, you can also browse a selection of Invitation channels off-piste.
The amount of content available on Roku's boxes is shockingly broad, but the majority of the options are either worthless (Facebook's inane implementation) or irrelevant (local news stations from the other side of the country). It's likely that most users will spend the lion's share of their time in Netflix, Hulu Plus or Amazon's apps and never venture too far afield. Still, for those that care, the additional options don't hurt, and the ability to customize the items and order of your My Channels section means you only ever have to see the channels you want to see.

Performance

Overall image performance is extremely good, provided your channel source is up to snuff. With a fast broadband connection, premium services such as Netflix and iPlayer appear crisp and textured.
The remote control itself offers a 3.5mm headphone jack for Private Listening. When headphones are inserted, the screen audio mutes. Unfortunately, the supplied earbuds are dreadful. Their tapered design is awkward enough, but the shrill noise they emit makes for a penalty few would willingly opt to endure.
Swapping in some convenient Sennheisers brought a significant improvement, although the Bluetooth delivered output was still far from pleasant, perhaps evidence of a pretty woeful headphone amplifier. While convenient, Private Listening is not a feature we would expect to make much use of.
If the Bluetooth controller doesn't quite fit the bill, there's a Roku app for iOS and Android too. In addition to basic menu controls, you can use this to scroll through channels, search for content and throw compatible music and video files, along jpegs, from your mobile device to the player, using the integrated Play On Roku feature. Consider it a must for any Roku owner.

One of the biggest faults of the system, though, is that the internals are severely limited when stacked against the competition. This means longer load times between screens and a few second delays when starting content. It's not unusable in its current state, but it does get annoying.

File support

Where this Roku singularly fails to impress is as a media player. While there are actually several media playing channel options, none allow the Roku 3 to function as a competent replacement for a dedicated media player, Smart TV or connected Blu-ray deck.
Its native video codec/container support is way too limited at just MP4 and MKV. While the Roku is MKV friendly, it's unable to downmix the AC3 audio commonly found on MKV downloads and this means you'll need to run the player through an AV receiver just to decode audio. If you connect directly to a TV, the file simply plays silent.
While there's no screen mirroring functionality (a la Chromecast), there are several methods for streaming content from your network or PC to Roku 3, all involving third party apps such as Plex or MyMedia. We had differing levels of success with them. In addition, many of these services duplicate channels or content available through other apps on the system. For streaming media, they're probably more trouble than they're worth, but if you have a significant amount of content stored on your computer or a NAS, they can provide some interesting flexibility.

Verdict

Roku is the exception among its primary competitors - Amazon Fire TV and Nexus Player - in that it is not subtly selling its own content platform. It's in Apple's interest for your to buy content on iTunes, just as it's in Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Sony's interest for you to buy from their services. Not caring about the promotion or survival of any given channel has liberated Roku to create a more egalitarian box, and Roku's offerings are some of the most open on the market, boasting more than 1,000 possible channels.
Overall, we rate this latest iteration as the best Roku yet made. It's responsive, simple and not beholden to a proprietary content library. Whether you're looking for a streaming box to help you cut the cord, or augment your cable subscription, the Roku 3 has the features, build quality and simplicity you're looking for.
But that $100/£100 price tag seems punishingly expensive given the lackadaisical attitude to file playback and lack of UK specific catch-up content. Remember, you can buy Sky's similar Roku-made Now TV box for under a tenner (sans Netflix) which offers much of the same functionality. Ultimately, where the Roku 3 really scores is in its wonderful usability, be it the blazing processor speed or the improved functionality the hardware tweaks have bestowed upon it. Worth auditioning, but consider its limitations carefully.
Original review written in November 2013









Read More ...

---

Industry voice: Taming the big data beast: the importance of CRM

Today, businesses have had yet another function added to their portfolio – they are managers of a large amount of data and information.
Big data has become a massive phenomenon created from the sheer amount of information captured from online and offline resources. The organic growth in data that is generated by a business is seen as essential for improved organisational efficiency as it delivers the intelligence businesses need to make better decisions from top-line strategy down to customer-facing employees.
However, for businesses it can be viewed as an unwieldy beast, which requires lots of investment and maintenance. The overwhelming volume of data that businesses collect is not necessarily practical to use or understand. In addition, in order to get value out of data, algorithms and predictive models need to be applied to solve specific business problems.
This conversation has turned into a debate about the data's actual relevance and its capacity to provide answers.

How to tame the beast?

Businesses need to find a way to analyse data to gain useful information that can help them realise their commercial goals. In order to do this, businesses need to break down their big data into bite-sized chunks. This will make data easier to analyse and in turn create useful insights to help improve business strategy, leading to an overall increased efficiency.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools are a good example to showcase how data collection, discovery and visualisation work in practice, and have a real impact on the most critical part of the business process – customers.
The most important relationship any business has is with its customers. CRM provides the analytical tools that can synthesise customer information gathered across channels and platforms, turning it into insights that can be translated into business actions, practices and processes. Armed with the proper information, all customer-facing employees can ensure quality customer service, driving tangible and measurable business results.

The tailored approach

By making CRM tools available to all customer-facing employees, businesses can better understand their customer base and provide personalised customer service. Therefore, they can make data work for them instead of the other way round. This is important for customer retention as businesses can track and have access to a single view of the customer including previous interactions with the company.
Personalisation in all conversations with customers improves loyalty as people buy from people. Individualisation and the personal touch differentiate companies from their competitors. 71% of consumers who experience a quick and effective brand response on social media are more likely to recommend that brand to others, compared to just 19% of customers who do not receive a response.
At the same time, personalisation is also important for new business prospects. By having the right information at hand, the sales team can identify and turn leads into actual sales.
Having quick and easy access to the necessary information is therefore critical, especially as sales teams are becoming more and more mobile. With the BYOD trend set to grow even further, an increasing number of employees need tools that work across devices and are true enablers. Modern CRM solutions make personalised data available at the employees' fingertips wherever they are, from all mobile devices.

• Four steps for success with big data in 2015

Turn data into power

Information is powerful when it is meaningful and insightful. CRM is recognised as a technology that can provide real-time analytics and personalisation of the customer base. It allows data to be 'big enough' to provide important insights but at the same time 'small enough' to be manageable, accessible and meaningful.
Businesses that are proactive and forward-thinking will make the most of the potential that CRM solutions offer and will use personalised data to gain competitive advantage.

• Henning Ogberg is Executive Vice President Worldwide Sales at SugarCRM

Read More ...

---

Updated: MWC 2015: what to expect

MWC 2015: what to expect

MWC is quite possibly the biggest yearly event in the mobile world. At MWC 2014 for example we saw the Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z2 and a plethora of other smartphones, tablets and smartwatches.
MWC 2015 is expected to be every bit as big and there are already rumblings of some of what might be on show - how about the Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC One M9, LG G4 and Sony Xperia Z4?
Any one of those could be a show stopper all on its own, but there are lots of other things going on in the mobile world too. Here's what we know so far.

HTC

HTC has sent out invites to a special event it's holding on March 1 in Barcelona, teasing us with the headline "utopia in progress."

We're expect the Taiwanese firm to launch its next generation flagship smartphone at this event, currently dubbed the HTC One M9, but rumors suggest it may sport a different name when it comes to market.

• HTC One M9 release date news and rumors

Codenamed handset HTC Hima is claimed to be a phablet sized flagship, and there's an outside chance this could make an appearance too.
It's not just the company's flagship phone we'll be keeping an eye out for though, with other reports suggesting we may be treated to an HTC smartwatch as well.

Samsung

Samsung returned to MWC last year with a bang, launching the Galaxy S5 at the show after shunning it in 2013, opting instead for a standalone launch for its Galaxy S4.
Multiple sources all point towards MWC 2015 for the launch of the Korean firm's next blockbuster mobile - the Samsung Galaxy S6.

• Samsung Galaxy S6 release date, news and rumors

There's also word that Samsung may be working on a curved screened variant of its next flagship - currently being referred to as the Galaxy S6 Edge, so keep an eye out for that.
Want more? Good, because rumblings about new tablets and a circular smartwatch have also been spotted in the run up to MWC 2015.

And let's not forget about Samsung's own mobile operating system, Tizen, which has finally seen its first handset go on sale in the form of the Z1 and we could see more in Barcelona.

Sony

We're potentially in line for a flurry of flagships at MWC 2015 and Sony's offering could arrive in the form of the Xperia Z4.
The Japanese firm is currently enjoying a six month cycle of flagships and MWC falls at the correct time for its next installment after the launch of the Xperia Z3 in September 2014.

• Sony Xperia Z4 release date, news and rumors

We're also due an update to Sony's 10.1-inch Xperia Z2 Tablet, plus there's a chance we'll see another Android Wear smartwatch to join the SmartWatch 3 in Sony's ranks.

LG

Another possible flagship? Oh, go on then. Yep, the LG G4 is also being linked with a MWC 2015 launch, making for a glut of high-end smartphones.
Last year the LG G3 was launched at its own unique event in London, and with a potentially crowded line up of new devices at MWC it will be interesting to see if LG will jump in at the deep end or play the waiting game and do its own thing afterwards.

• LG G4 release date, news and rumors

LG has already launched two Android Wear smartwatches, the G Watch and G Watch R, so we'd say it's less likely it'll roll out another at MWC 2015 - but we're not ruling it out completely.

Microsoft

Last year Nokia caused a storm at MWC by launching handsets running a heavily modified version of Google's Android operating system.
The sad news is Nokia is unlikely to be at MWC 2015, and if it is its presence will be much, much smaller. On a positive note Microsoft will be taking over what was the Nokia booth, exuding all things Lumia and Windows Phone.
There's not a huge amount of news regarding exact devices, but it's been a while since the flagship Nokia Lumia 930 was launched, so it's about time for a new hero for the Windows Phone brand.

Talk about a successor to the 41MP Nokia Lumia 1020 refuses to die down, so we'll be on the lookout for another powerful cameraphone too.
We're also hearing mutterings that Microsoft may also be readying a new wearable which could be shown off in Barcelona.

Huawei, ZTE and others

You can be sure that the likes of Huawei and ZTE will be bringing their own arsenal of mobile devices to Barcelona and there will be plenty to see from the slightly more fringe players of the mobile market.
TechRadar will be out in force at MWC 2015 to bring you all the latest as it happens, so make sure you bookmark this page.

MWC 2015: what we want to see

What would make MWC 2015 an amazing show for us? Plenty of new, innovative products that'll take 2015 by storm.
Here's what we'd love to see in Barcelona between March 1 and March 5.

Second generation smartwatches

Technically we're probably already on at least the third generation of smartwatches, but they've only recently started to take off and we're certainly on the first generation of Android Wear devices.
Those that have arrived so far are pretty good, but there's a lot of room for improvement and with the Apple Watch looming other manufacturers would do well to get truly polished products on the market before it launches.

So what specifically do we want? More smartwatches that actually look like a watch would be good, with circular displays like the Moto 630 and LG G Watch R, except less chunky and with smaller bezels than the G Watch R and without the cut-out on the Moto 360.
Longer battery life would be good too, as would higher resolution displays and more power, though it's unlikely we'll see all three in one watch any time soon. Just making them look good and removing the need to charge them every night would be a great start. Hopefully some such devices will turn up at MWC 2015.

HTC One M9

It's unlikely that the HTC One M9 will launch at MWC, but you never know and if nothing else it will probably launch at around that time.
If it did then it would probably be one of the most exciting handsets there. Hopefully whenever it launches it will have an improved camera (but maybe not take the same approach as the HTC Desire Eye).
It would also be good to see some truly cutting edge specs, water and dust resistance and a more attractive design, if that's even possible.

Sony Xperia Z4

The Sony Xperia Z2 launched at MWC 2014 so we're fully expecting the Sony Xperia Z4 to launch at MWC 2015. Beyond that not a whole lot is known about it, but that hasn't stopped us coming up with a wish list.

Among the things we want to see is a QHD display, improved low-light camera performance, 4K video which actually works (big ask we know) and a refreshed design.
We'd be amazed if we got all that, but even some of it would make the Sony Xperia Z4 an exciting prospect.

A new Lumia flagship

Microsoft can call the Nokia Lumia 830 an 'affordable flagship' all it wants, but we're not fooled, it's a mid-ranger in flagship clothing. Even though the Lumia 930 only came out in July we're already feeling in need of a new flagship, perhaps because so few Windows Phone handsets are released in general.
So whether it's the Lumia 1030 with a 6 trillion megapixel camera or the Lumia 940 with high-end performance we'd love to see something new.
While a new flagship is surely in the works we don't particularly expect to see it at MWC, more likely it will arrive later, but it would definitely be a highlight of the show if it did turn up.

Microsoft's wearable

There have been rumblings of a Microsoft wearable for a while now, though it's not clear whether it will be a full blown smartwatch or a wristband.
Either way, we're excited to see it, especially as it's rumored to support Android and iOS as well as Windows Phone. That could be a big deal for anyone with no strong allegiance to a specific OS.
It's not clear when Microsoft's wearable will be arriving, so there's no reason to think it will be announced at MWC 2015, but that's likely to be just about its last opportunity before the Apple Watch launches, so you never know.

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet

The Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is one of the best slates outside iPad land, but come MWC it will be a year old and due a refresh, as Sony only released a compact slate with the Z3 moniker.

There's a good chance we will see a Z4 Tablet at MWC 2015 and there's also a good chance it will be more of the same, just more powerful and possibly even thinner than the already impossibly slim Z2 Tablet.
But what we really want to see is a better screen, as the 1200 x 1920 display on the Xperia Z2 Tablet just didn't cut it at a 10.1-inch size point. Get the screen sorted and Sony could have a real iPad Air killer, though by then it will be the iPad Air 2 it's competing with.

A premium Samsung flagship

There's a good chance that Samsung will announce the Galaxy S6 at MWC 2015, but we don't just want to see any old flagship, we want Samsung to really wow us and make up for the slightly muted response to the Galaxy S5.

Following on from the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4 we're fully expecting the Galaxy S6 to at least have a metal frame, but hopefully Samsung will go further than that and make it all metal.
That's the main thing we want to see, but improvements to the screen, power, camera and battery would all be appreciated too.

Snapdragon 810

We're expecting the 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 to start making an appearance in smartphones next year and it would be great if some of them showed up at MWC 2015.
It's designed to improve performance for everything from gaming to streaming 4K videos, all while delivering impressive battery life, so hopefully it will be a noticeable improvement over the Snapdragon 801 and even the Snapdragon 805.

Phones with 5+ gigabytes of RAM

Android L is 64-bit and it would be great to see some phones make the most of that. We might not even have 4GB of RAM in our handsets yet but with 64-bit there's support for a whole lot more than that, so maybe MWC will be where we see manufacturers start to break through the RAM ceiling and run wild with it.
We probably won't, in fact we'd be surprised if we see 5GB of RAM in a phone before the tail end of next year at the earliest, but it's always possible.

Real innovation

With each passing year new devices get more powerful, bigger and occasionally smaller, depending on the trends of the time, but that's not enough, especially now that just about every smartphone seems to deliver solid performance anyway.
For devices to stand out and more importantly for them to excite us they need to be bold and different but hopefully not gimmicky.
Finding that balance isn't always easy, we'd argue that the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge just about managed it while the HTC Desire Eye maybe didn't, but at least we're seeing companies try new things even when they don't always work. So more of that please at MWC.

• We've got a wish list for CES 2015 too.

Read More ...

---

HP unveils its line of enterprise convertibles and tablets

If your business is looking for enterprise-focused devices that are designed to provide portability and power, HP has several new tablets and convertibles they'd like you to test out.
In addition to the recently leaked HP Pro Slate 12, HP Pro Slate 8 and HP Pro Tablet 408 G1, HP unveiled the Elite X2 1011 G1, the ElitePad 1000 G2 Healthcare and Rugged Tablets, and the Pro Slate 10 EE & Pro Tablet 10 EE.
The Elite x2 1011 G1 is an 11.6-inch Windows 8 convertible. It features a Core M processor built into a magnesium-alloy bezel. The Elite x2 is meant to serve as a tablet primarily, but HP claims it offers enough under the hood to serve as an enterprise laptop as well. With 10.5 hours of battery life, it will run more than a full business day. It will be available later this month for $899 (around £987, or AUS$967).

Industry-specific devices

The ElitePad 1000 G2 Healthcare Tablet is a 2.4 pound 10.1-inch device with a full HD screen. It is powered by an Intel Atom processor and features a 2D barcode reader specifically designed to read and scan personnel, patient, and medication information. It is generally available for $1499 (around £546, or AUS$1830).

Similar to the Healthcare Tablet, HP unveiled its tougher, more longer lasting cousin, the ElitePad 1000 G2 Rugged Tablet, a 3.2 pound tablet powered by an Intel Atom processor. In addition to the 2D barcode reader available on the Healthcare Tablet, the ElitePad 1000 G2 Rugged Tablet offers 20 hours of battery life and a full HD 10.1-inch screen. It will be available in February for $1599 (around £1055, or AUS$1950).

The Pro Tablet 10 EE features an Intel Atom processor that runs on Windows 8. It weighs 1.87 pounds and is generally available for $279 (around £184, or AUS$340). The same device can be purchased with an Android-based operating system - the Pro Slate 10 EE - for $299 (around £190, or AUS$980) for educators and $349 (around £230, or AUS$426) for general consumers.

Pro Slate and Pro Tablets

Although previously reported on, pricing and availability for the Pro Slate and Pro Tablet lines were unknown. The Pro Slate 8 and Pro Slate 12 are both generally available for $449 (around £296, or AUS$548) and $569 (around £374, or AUS$695) , respectively. The Pro Tablet 408 G1 is now available for $299 (around £190, or AUS$980). Both the 8-inch and 12-inch devices offer 12 hours of battery life.

The previously reported HP Pro Tablet 408 G1 is now available for $299. It's an 8-inch tablet powered by an Intel Atom Quad Core processor. It weighs 0.82 pounds, with a low-resolution 1280 x 800 screen.

• What is the Best Business Tablet on the market?

Read More ...

---

Available Tags:TV , Samsung , SSD , Chrome OS , Windows , Microsoft , Mac , Chrome , notebook , CEO , Xbox , Google , gaming , gaming , Facebook , Galaxy , wireless , HP ,