Week in Tech: Google's in tents and Facebook's in trouble
How much is Facebook really worth, and is it about to get crappier? Those are the big questions this week after Facebook's IPO became mired in controversy.
The initial share price valued the site at £66 billion and netted Facebook an impressive £10 billion in cash, but the price began to plummet amid claims of dodgy dealing and massive overvaluation.
That matters to more than just Facebook's investors. If, as some pundits suggest, its valuation is based on hopelessly optimistic growth projections and predicted revenues, then Facebook's going to be under enormous pressure to make money - and that could mean more invasive advertising or possibly even charging for bits of the service.
Mark Zuckerberg has promised that Facebook will always be free, but he didn't promise that it would never have paid-for services too. Fancy paying extra to ensure everybody definitely sees your status updates?
Meanwhile, over in Google
While Facebook weathers the storm, things at Google are intense. Sorry, in tents. Google's Big Tent event brought chairman Eric Schmidt to the UK, and he was in typically bullish form: it turns out that Google+ isn't, as many people believe, rubbish. "Do I think it's a success?" he said. "Absolutely. Absolutely."The problem, Schmidt suggests, is that outside observers are "comparing us to a competitor that is exceedingly well managed, well-run and is 12 years old."
CEO Larry Page wanted to talk about Google+ too, comparing it to the Google search of five years ago. "I think if you used Google five years ago you'd be astounded by how bad it is, or how bad it was right?" he said. "And you know search has got a lot better." For Page, Google+ is part of the evolution of search to make it more personal and useful.
Meanwhile in his tent, Eric Schmidt spoke about the firm's plans for its Motorola Mobility acquisition.
"There will be more investment in Motorola devices under the Motorola brand and a lot more investment in Android," he promised. The purchase wasn't just to get hold of MM's patent portfolio, although that will certainly come in handy: "We wanted a stake in a hardware business."
Consoles on the way?
Did somebody say hardware? E3, the annual entertainment technology showcase, is imminent, and that means big news from the big names in gaming. Could the PlayStation 4 put in an appearance at Sony's E3 event?.We're not convinced: Sony is currently bleeding money, and while it wants to beat Microsoft to the next-gen punch there's plenty of life — and profit — in the PS3 for some time to come. Our money's on new games but not new hardware, and if the games are as exciting as The Last of Us then that's fine by us.
Don't hold your breath for an Xbox 720 either: Microsoft is adamant that this year's E3 is all about the 360. As Dan Grillopoulos explains: "So, this year Microsoft is likely to show off three things: a middling exclusive game line-up, bolstered by exclusive downloadable content in other games; a host of free-to-play games; and an improved user experience, including web browsing."
t looks like the only new console we'll see this year is the Wii U.
If you'd rather play pranks than games, there was sad news this week: Rickrolling, the age-old practice of tricking people into watching a Rick Astley video, was taken off the web after a copyright claim by security firm AVG. Maybe they were trying to trick us, though, because before long the clip was resurrected and Rickrolling was available once more.
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Video: Samsung Galaxy S3 - the lost advert from 1985 uncovered
Today, TechRadar can exclusively reveal a lost Samsung Galaxy S3 advert, dating all the way back to 1985.
Although almost 30 years old, the Galaxy S3 has managed to stay under-wraps for the better part of three decades, with rumours about its arrival only beginning to leak six months ago.
Tucked away under our Mobile Devices Editor's desk, hidden in a dusty VHS Back to the Future box, the video cassette housing this historic piece of film depicts the Samsung Galaxy S3 going head to head with the iPhone 4S, in what can only be described as an epic He-Man vs Skeletor esque battle.
No one knows how it got there, no one knows who put it there, but step aside Airwolf, pipe down Super Ted and jog on A-Team – for the '80s has a new hero…
If you desperately need to return to reality after that, then head over to our full, in-depth Samsung Galaxy S3 review to get the low down on the biggest phone of 2012 so far.
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T3 Awards nominations opened
The T3 Awards nominations for 2012 have finally been announced, with Apple, Samsung and Asus battling for your votes alongside the likes of controversial ubernerd Kim Dot Com and a host of ultrabooks.
The T3 Awards, run by TechRadar's publisher Future, have become a real fixture in the annual UK tech calendar with a glittering awards ceremony for the movers and shakers of tech.
The longlist phase allows the public to weed out the dull from the awesome and make key decisions as to what deserves 2012's prizes.
TechRadar will, once again, be part of the judging, where we will be casting our beady eyes over the tech that you have put forward.
Breathless
"We're really excited to announce this year's T3 Gadget Awards nominations," T3 online editor Kieran Alger told us."It's always a pleasure to be able to celebrate the brilliant new technology and innovation that we've seen launched in the past year.
T3 "Luckily we'll have the help of the tech lovers out there and with new ways to vote via Facebook and Twitter we're hoping this will be the biggest awards yet."
"As ever it's going to be tough to call with big battles in the key categories and Samsung, Apple and Asus sporting really strong contenders throughout. "Luckily we'll have the help of the tech lovers out there and with new ways to vote via Facebook and Twitter we're hoping this will be the biggest awards yet."
As well as Megaupload founder Kim Dot Com's presence in the Gadget personality of the Year nominations the brilliant Raspberry Pi will be battling it out for Innovation of the Year.
But perhaps the hardest fought category will be in the Phone of the Year category – where we'll see the brand spanking new Samsung Galaxy S3 face off against the now ageing iPhone 4S and brilliant young upstart the HTC One X.
You can get involved and cast your vote at http://awards.t3.com/awards/vote/1
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The best e-commerce package for your business
Britons it would seem are a nation of online shoppers. According to the latest figures from the OECD, the UK has twice the average number of online shoppers outstripping even Germany, France or the US. Last year online shoppers in the UK spent nearly £70bn according to IMRG, which equates to over £2,000 for every adult in the country, and according to the Boston Computing Group the Internet economy accounts for 10% of our gross domestic product (GDP), outperforming the US (4.7%) and China (5.5%).
It's not surprising then that the e-commerce sector is thriving. However, with so much choice with how you set-up your online store, it can be difficult choosing the right platform for your needs. The good news is that you don't have to have any knowledge of HTML, graphics applications or know your Flash from your PNG files, as today e-commerce can be as easy as filling in a few online forms.
Choosing your weapons
When deciding how to set-up your e-commerce site there are a number of key decision to be made that fall into a number of categories:- Online or self-hosted – you can use a number of e-commerce applications that are hosted online, or build your own site and host this on your own servers
- Website or blog – these days the difference between these two is blurring with many businesses 'e-commerce enabling' their blogs. A standalone website can though, give you complete control over every element of your store
- Shopping cart – the most important aspect of your e-commerce presence is efficiently taking payments. Look for shopping cart software that is fast and efficient
- Security – shoppers are now more comfortable buying online, but always ensure your site uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) that is now the industry standard for online payments
- Above every other consideration should be your site's visitor experience. Don't forget your competitors are just a mouse click away in the world of e-commerce.
Is eBay right for your business?
Opening its doors in 1999, eBay UK now has over 14 million users, with over 10,000 people using the site for a business that is their primary means of income, and it's not just people selling unwanted goods, businesses have used the simplicity that eBay offers to set-up lucrative businesses. Even the larger brands such as Argos, Debenhams and House of Fraser are using eBay to sell online.With sophisticated tools now available you can be up and running with your store in just a few hours. The eBay Business Centre has all the information you need. Each store is managed via eBay's familiar user interface, and there are a number of eBay provided tools such as Listing Strategies and Markdown Manager to help manage, track and promote your shop once it's established.
Using eBay as the platform for your business could be ideal if your business wants to sell goods on a fixed price basis. The complete integration of the PayPal e-payments system into eBay takes care of this essential component of your store.
The key with eBay is to look closely at the costs involved and also the transaction fees that PayPal charge before moving forward and setting up your own store.
How to create your own e-commerce solution
Of course if you want complete control over every aspect of your new online store, building each page yourself will be the best course of action. Hiring someone to code your website is one option. If you decide to do this follow these steps:- Ask the company for live examples of their work to look at
- Write a detailed brief of the site you want created. The more detail the better to avoid confusion
- Ensure you understand the price you are being charged and how many revisions this price includes
- Always have a signed agreement or contract before work commences
- Ask whether the designers will host your site and if you will be able to make updates yourself or if all updates must go through the design agency at an additional cost
- Ask for the copyright of your design to be assigned to your company, as your website is an important part of your business' intellectual property
- Put into your contract, details of how the agreement can be amicably dissolved if things go wrong
You also don't have to build your site completely from scratch. Buying a template can give you all the basic pages your site needs. You can then either modify them yourself using an application like Dreamweaver, or hire a coding expert to make the changes. Website templates are available from a number of vendors including Template Monster.
If you already have a website and want to add e-commerce functionality, this can be easily achieved with a number of applications including:
Off-the-shelf e-commerce packages for business
There has been a steady expansion of the packaged e-commerce application over the last few years. Most of the well-know applications now offer a full set of e-commerce tools you can use to construct and manage a professional e-commerce site. Some of the leading vendors include:
Whichever route you decide to take when building your website always remember:
- You need to ensure your store can be easily updated and managed
- Good professional web hosting is vital to ensure your site is always available
- Look for payment and shopping carts that are intuitive and efficient to use
- Customer service is king these days. Businesses shouldn't just efficiently take customers' money but should properly support them
- Is your store fully integrated with all the leading social media sites?
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First Google Glass video surfaces, motion sickness sufferers should avoid
If you're feeling a bit ropey today, probably don't watch this first video shot with Google Glass.
It's quite the Blair Witch experience, as a Google employee jumps and tumbles on a trampoline while wearing the Glasses.
It's shot in 720p and was posted on Google+ with the comment, "This one makes us a little queasy, but our prototype nailed what it's like to be on a trampoline."
Glassy eyed
Google has been quite public about testing out the Google Glass prototypes, posting photos shot with the specs as well as rocking up to conferences and television appearances sporting the eyewear.Just the other day, Sebastian Thrun showed off the glasses' picture-taking possibilities, focusing on pictures that you wouldn't realistically be able to capture with your phone or a standalone camera.
Still no word on when we'll be able to get our own eyes 'round the futuristic eyewear, with 'by the end of the year' still our best guess (although with Google admitting that the design falls short of what it had hoped, you might want to hang on for the second generation…).
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More Nikon D600 specs appear
A new set of Nikon D600 specs have appeared, ahead of its rumoured summer release date.
There has been a fair amount of hype surrounding the rumoured new release, which is said to be a full-frame camera to sit below the recently announced 36 million pixel Nikon D800 as a more affordable version.
The most recent specs list includes a 24.7 million pixel full-frame sensor, a 3.2 inch LCD screen and full HD at a variety of frame rates.
It had previously been suggested that the D600, like cameras lower in Nikon's range wouldn't have a built in autofocus motor, but there appears to have been a backtrack in that suggestion for the time being.
GPS
Another mooted spec now appearing to be in doubt is the possibility of built-in GPS. If such a spec was included, it would mark the first time a DSLR had included the function.Other apparent specs include 39 autofocus points, AF face detection, and a weather-sealed body.
It's already been a big year for Nikon, with three DSLR releases in the past five months.
It seems that Nikon is keen to dominate camera sales, taking the shine away from its biggest rival Canon in 2012. The D800 is already cheaper than the 5D Mark III, so introducing an even cheaper full-frame option could be a shrewd way to garner an even bigger market share.
Stay tuned for more updates as they happen.
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Review: Toshiba 32DL933B
Introduction
After being bombarded of late by smart TV services, apps, Wi-Fi streaming and smartphone control while getting friendly with the major brands' televisions for 2012, Toshiba's 32DL933B is enough to give us a bit of a shock. Its killer new feature - and something that's almost unique on the market - is a built-in... wait for it... DVD player.DVD, eh? If you're having trouble remembering what a DVD is, having long ago moved on to either Blu-ray or streamed movies, we seriously suggest you click away now, because this 32-inch LED TV is not for you.
Actually, we're not sure who it is aimed at: is it a very rudimentary living room TV or a great value all-in-one for a bedroom? If pushed, we'd opt for the latter, since this is a combi only in the most basic sense. There's no Freeview HD tuner, and nor can the 32DL933B offer Full HD resolution - it's merely HD-ready.
Can a TV be considered all in one if it lacks a Freeview HD tuner? That depends on how you consume your digital TV, of course - Sky+, BT Vision or Virgin Media TiVo subscribers would probably rather not pay for superfluous tuners. But our guess is that the Toshiba 32DL933B is destined for bedrooms needing a size upgrade - and where the major diet is DVD films.
Another clue to the Toshiba 32DL933B's intended destination is in its choice of either black or white finishes, the latter given a slightly different model number: 32DL934W. In terms of looks, we like the Toshiba 32DL933B as it is.
Its slimness is a moot point; although it's not exactly a fatboy model, the presence of that chunky DVD player extends its usable depth to over 63mm and moves it well away from any super-slim claims.
Gloss black and with a simple yet attractive furl across the top line, the Toshiba 32DL933B's bezel measures a meaty 35mm. The 32-inch TV costs £331 (around $520) in the UK.
Elsewhere in the Toshiba DL Series is a 19-inch 19DL933B, 23-inch 23DL933B and 26-inch 26DL933B, although oddly all are strapped with an HD-ready screen except the 23-inch model, which sports a Full HD resolution. They're all available as white versions, denoted by the DL934 moniker.
Elsewhere, Toshiba also sells the similarly HD-ready and black or white EL Series, which is available in the same sizes; it does away with the built-in DVD player, but retains LED backlighting.
If you want to step up to Full HD, consider the brand's HL Series, which come in 32-inch 32HL933 and 40-inch 40HL933 flavours. Both have slimmer screen surrounds than the Toshiba 32DL933B.
Features
The Toshiba 32DL933B's choice of connections is somewhat limited. On a side panel is the set's sole USB slot and a Common Interface slot, with two jacks below for attaching adaptors. Included in the box, those adaptors - commonly found on super-slim sets - enable component video and composite video cables to be attached, although the Toshiba 32DL933B is hardly short on girth.
On the main back panel are two HDMI inputs, a 15-pin D-sub VGA-in for a PC, an RF tuner feed to power standard-definition Freeview, a Scart (increasingly rare on flatscreen TVs these days, and a clue to the Toshiba 32DL933B's intended customer), and a coaxial digital audio output.
The main feature of the Toshiba 32DL933B is, of course, that integrated DVD player. As well as spinning regular purchased discs it can play all flavours of dual-layer and two-sided DVDs, as well as CD, CD-R, CD-RW and DVD-RW stored with MP3, JPEG, DivX, AVI, MPEG and VOB files.
Similar fare (exactly which file formats, we'll investigate later) is playable from USB flash drives or HDDs plugged in to the set's side-mounted USB port, which can also source files from a connected camera or smartphone.
Native 50Hz processing power is on a rather basic 1366 x 768 pixel resolution LCD panel - albeit an LED-backlit version. There's no 100Hz option to lessen blur, and in use that omission has a negative impact.
Picture quality
Not surprisingly for such a basic set, the Toshiba 32DL933B puts in a lacklustre performance in terms of sheer image quality. Although it does have HDMI inputs so can show a feed from a Blu-ray player, such HD sources are cut down in terms of ultimate detail.It's for that reason that we'll concentrate on the Toshiba 32DL933B's performance with standard definition from both its Freeview tuner and integrated DVD player.
We'll start with what we do like, and it's largely down to Toshiba's use of an Edge LED-backlit LCD panel. Without the across-the-board brightness that basic LCD panels supply, there is some significant local dimming at work here that aids the dynamism of the image.
Edge LED backlighting doesn't often achieve what it sets out to do, and that it does here is testament largely to the small size of the Toshiba 32DL933B; the light fired across the back of the panel appears to create a uniform brightness.
There's also little noticeable light leakage - a common weakness on Edge LED sets - aside from a tiny amount in the top-right-hand corner.
A shot of Barack and Michelle Obama shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II on Newsround immediately reveals a complete lack of shadow detailing - the president's black suit appears to be as all-in-one as the Toshiba 32DL933B itself.
Aside from forced black levels and unremarkable contrast, softness is the Toshiba 32DL933B's real issue. Despite it being the norm until only a few years ago, the use of a 32-inch HD-ready panel proves a poor decision here.
At least it's not noisy; a showing of Pointless is far from flawless, but there's no suggestion of blocking, twitching around moving elements, or background noise. Quick, and even relatively pondering, camera pans suggest some motion blur, and a messy moving shot beside some railings confirms it.
A murky sequence from In Time on DVD where Will and Sylvia swim in a lake at night displays little detail, although it's back in the brightly-lit mansion that the real problems lay.
A panoramic shot of a crowd of extremely deep black-suited party goers against white walls again suggest forced, rather false-looking, black levels, although most noticeable is both the overly warm colour tones and a slight blur evident in almost every movement.
As actors move about, there's a significant loss in resolution, but it's most obvious during close-ups. A quick turn of the head, or even a slight change of expression, is done under a sheen of softness, of blur, that we're simply not used to. Most Full HD TV screens - by now the dominant force in flat TVs - engage in some upscaling, and don't constantly stain images with motion blur.
Again, though, we note how clean the image is. It's as if upscaling has not only been completely ignored, but the opposite is taking place - so the finished image is so soft that problems with the image are less noticeable. A car chase later in In Time underlines that endemic issue with motion blur.
Turning to a Blu-ray disc of Avatar, the Toshiba 32DL933B suddenly does rather better. The detail-heavy performance makes it all the more disappointing that the Toshiba 32DL933B lacks a Full HD tuner.
The same criticism surrounding motion blur remains, particularly on camera pans, but appears lessened for objects moving horizontally across the screen. Nor did we notice any film judder - an unexpected plus point - while colour also seems more realistic.
Everything is better in HD... although it makes us miss Full HD even more, since a lot of fine detailing is either lost or stained slightly by jagged edges and/or flicker and shimmer.
While never impressing as such, judged as basic all-round TV for a living room or bedroom, this LED TV makes the grade - but only by a whisker.
Usability, sound and value
Usability
What bugs us most about living with the Toshiba 32DL933B - which we did for about a week - is the remote control. It's not just a design thing, but as well as being scarred by buttons that are simply too small, the remote is among the most unresponsive we've come across.Operating the Toshiba 32DL933B's on-screen menus is like wading through glue, with double presses - often in frustration - leading to wrong choices and stored-up mistakes, thanks to the delay in commands being recognised.
Although it too is hampered by the remote, the DVD-specific side is easily controlled; up to 32x speed scanning is possible, as is skipping between chapters and returning to the core disc menus.
The Toshiba 32DL933B's main operating system is bare bones, too, with low resolution and rather plain black-backed graphics with grey, blue and yellow lettering.
Press the Menu button and six icons appear along the bottom of the screen; Picture, Sound, Settings, Install/retune, Channel list and Media browser.
The Picture menus include presets for Cinema/Game/Natural/Dynamic alongside some basic image parameters, though the promising Advanced Picture Settings menu just comprises options for colour temperature, picture zoom and colour shift (a sliding scale from red to green). Nor can the level of the backlight be altered - it's stuck on Auto mode across all sources.
Although the entry-level Toshiba 32DL933B lacks the kind of smart TV dimension that's quickly becoming standard on mid-range TV sets, it can handle some digital media files.
Not over a network - there's no wired LAN or Wi-Fi - but via the Toshiba 32DL933B's USB slot. Accessed via the Media Browser option on the home screen, in our test we managed to play AVI, MPEG and MP4 video - the latter in both its SD and HD incarnations - as well as JPEG and BMP pictures, and MP3 and WMA music.
For a budget TV, that's impressive, although it was a near miss with MKV video - the TV recognised such files, but refused to play them.
Sound
The good news here is that the Toshiba 32DL933B supplies enough bass certainly for dialogue-heavy movies. Demanding, high-octate film soundtracks aren't going to blow you away and will likely cause a treble-heavy, crowded soundstage, but we've heard a lot worse on flatscreen TVs of this ilk.The trouble is, as an all in one TV and DVD player, the stakes are higher, and the sound quality really should be better. Still, at least there's a headphones jack and a digital-out to hook up a soundbar or home cinema sound system.
Value
Just over £300 (around $500) for an HD-ready screen once sounded like a bargain, and although prices have come down considerably in the last few years, this still represents a major outlay for most of us.It's a good-looking television - we've got no arguments about that - and it's well positioned to attract anyone that wants to cut down on cable clutter, but on pure quality terms, there's really nothing to get excited about. The DVD player strapped to its back is basic, and doesn't upscale to any great extent; those not bothered about extra cables could get a better separate DVD player for £50 (about $80).
Verdict
The Toshiba 32DL933B is a fine idea, poorly executed. Toshiba's Blu-ray players are on sale for less than £80 (around $125), with 3D-ness only garnering a £40 (around $60)-or-so premium, so we don't think it's too unreasonable to expect something along those lines in place of what we have: a bog-standard DVD player.Of course, the presence of Blu-ray would highlight the Toshiba 32DL933B's other misfire - its HD-ready screen - although even that ought to be enough to host Freeview HD programmes.
We liked
Again we remind ourselves that the Toshiba 32DL933B is likely to hover around the £300 (around $500) mark, and as such should be considered as a budget set. We like its cute design, and the way it handles digital video files from a USB stick is surprisingly accomplished.We also admire the way it manages to overcome the innate weakness of its LCD panel not only with some decent local dimming, but also by presenting a clean, noise-free image from low bitrate material. It's really the only advantage of using an HD-ready panel over a Full HD resolution version.
We disliked
The awful remote control gets the biggest chunk of our ire, although we've enough left to scold other aspects of this TV - notably motion blur and overly forced black levels. The use of an HD-ready panel does mean that both hi-definition gaming and Blu-ray playing fail to sparkle, although we can't see any excuse for leaving out a Freeview HD tuner, which would help lift this TV to another level.Final verdict
An entry-level TV that fails to push the boundaries of its genre, the use of Edge LED backlighting and an integrated DVD player are the highs in a largely disappointing performance.An HD-ready panel helps keep poor sources looking watchable while also making sure hi-definition content fails to wow, but as a bedroom TV for those after a DVD machine, the Toshiba 32DL933B just about makes the grade.
The Toshiba 32DL933B appears to be aimed at consumers who want a flat-ish, telly, and no more - but is there anyone left in such a position? A saturated market ought to lead to either sparkling innovation or intrinsic good value, but Toshiba, normally so effective at the latter, mostly trips up with the Toshiba 32DL933B.
Also consider
Toshiba obviously does good business on its combi TVs, although it remains the only major brand to consistently offer at least one range of flatscreen TVs with an integrated DVD player.It tried a similar trick last year with the Toshiba 32DB833, although we presume its unique offering of a built-in Blu-ray player didn't do so well, since there's no upgrade in its 2012 lineup.
Head to the combi area of Toshiba's website to see the latest - usually smaller - combination options, although some small brands such as Linsar sometimes make them, too.
If DVD is less important and you don't mind spending a bit more, Toshiba's 32RL858B is worth a look, as is Panasonic's TX-L32E5B.
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Review: Asus N56V
Beneath the stylish exterior of the N56V, there lies a sleeping beast; a beast with a roar loader than any others that lay before it.
That beast is a brand new Intel Core i7-3720QM 2.6GHz processor, one of the chip giant's third generation Core CPUs.
Codenamed Ivy Bridge, Intel's latest offering uses 22nm technology, resulting in around 20 per cent more processor performance, while at the same time using 20 per cent less average power than its Sandy Bridge (the second-generation) equivalent. Intel has described the generation jump as its "fastest ramp ever". And, after living with the Asus N56V, we're not going to disagree.
Unrivalled performance
In terms of user performance, this new hardware means staggeringly fast load and response times, unfaltered HD video playback, seamless photo editing and even high frame rate gaming.
The game action is helped by the inclusion of upgraded Intel HD 4000 graphics but also, more importantly, because the Asus N56V is packing dedicated graphics courtesy of Nvidia's GeForce GT 630M GPU.
It also means a better battery life. Although far from the best score we've ever recorded for our intense battery stress test - at just over three hours - this represents a life expectancy of over four hours in a real world scenario which, for a machine that borders on being a 'desktop replacement', is more than adequate.
The actual chip on board the Asus pre-production model is the i7-3720QM. It's a quad-core monster running at 2.6GHz (or up to 3.4GHz using Intel's built-in Turbo Boost 2.0 technology), with eight threads in total. This allows each core to handle two tasks at a time.
We tried - and failed - to make the N56V stutter to a halt. It had absolutely no issue running a high-definition video, streaming audio from the web, having multiple editing programs open and functioning, and all the while having a graphics hungry game running in the background.
As mentioned, the Asus N56V that we got our paws on was an early model, although we hope that the manufacturer doesn't tinker with the design and build too much. That's because, as well as being an absolute behemoth in terms of performance and power, the N56V is a lovely looking machine that eludes to the slickness held within.
The brushed metallic aluminium alloy lid, complete with a luminous Asus logo, opens to reveal a spacious black-keyed isolated keyboard, complete with a trimmed down number pad, sitting on a silver panel. Around the shiny metallic power button, and its sound control neighbour, is a dotted circle design that tips its cap firmly in the direction of the Asus Transformer Prime and the company's Zenbook Ultrabook range. In short, it looks cool.
The trackpad is large, although devoid of any separate physical buttons. However, there is a clear indicator separating right from left and the 'click anywhere' philosophy feels natural after a just a short period of use. Multitouch gestures, such as scrolling and pinch to zoom, are also supported.
The keyboard, as well as being commodious, is also incredibly comfortable to type on, with a MacBook-esque soft resistance that makes tapping away for long time frames amiable. The matte display of the N56V is 15.6 inches and has a Full HD 1080p resolution.
Combined with the processing power of the laptop, which smashes through HD video files and rich graphics games with ease, images look incredibly sharp and viewing angles are pretty good as well. Text can look small using the native resolution but there is always the option of increasing the default font.
Sound quality is also fantastic, either from the built-in speakers (nicely hidden by the circular dot pattern) or via the 3.5mm jack thanks to the Bang & Olufsen ICEpower audio that's on board.
Benchmarks
Battery life: 185 minutesCinebench: 23,072
3DMark 2006: 7629
Connectivity aplenty
Connectivity is also a strong point. The N56V is especially generous on the USB 3.0 front, with four ports on offer - two on each side. You'll also find a HDMI port, an Ethernet one and a VGA connector.The optical drive on the model we tested was a Blu-ray one, although we'd expect Asus to offer a DVD option on launch to keep the price down as well. Obviously, we'd highly recommend that you go out and spend your hard earned pennies on the Asus N56V right away - if only it was that simple.
Unfortunately though, we may be in for a little wait before it is finally signed off by the powers that be at Asus and it hits the shops. We're confident, however, that when it does - Asus is on to a winner. Not only is its Ivy Bridge debutant the most impressive laptop that we've tested in a long time when it comes to performance, it's also a machine that is easy on the eye, with a great build quality, brilliant multimedia features and a superbly crisp display.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Ivy Bridge bandwagon has finally rolled into town and, if Asus' early intentions are anything to go by - it's going to be an exciting ride.
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Rural businesses suffering from a digital divide
New figures show that six in 10 rural businesses are suffering with the slow speed of their broadband, as the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) calls for the majority of the countryside to have access to superfast broadband by 2015 to revitalise the rural economy.
Countryside businesses and households have long had problems either accessing broadband or with slow speeds. The FSB's 'Voice of Small Business' Panel Survey shows that 63 percent of small firms are dissatisfied with the speed of their broadband connection.
Half of urban businesses unhappy with broadband speeds
This compares to nearly half (48 percent) of businesses in urban areas, which is in itself is a quite a high figure, considering the recent pushes by broadband providers to fibre optic broadband. Another 34 percent of small rural firms said they are dissatisfied with the reliability and a quarter (24%) with the value for money.Government to create super-connected cities
The Government has announced that it will create 10 super-connected cities by 2015 that will have ultrafast broadband speeds. While the FSB welcomes this move, it believes it doesn't go far enough and will only widen the digital divide between rural and urban businesses – especially since the same number of rural (85%) and urban (84%) businesses think their reliance on the internet will increase.In a new report, The missing links – revitalising our rural economy, the FSB is calling on the Government to rollout 20 Mbps superfast broadband to 98 per cent of rural communities and businesses. This would help to close the digital gap between rural and urban firms.
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Facebook introduces new Camera app
Facebook has launched its own photo creation and sharing app, just weeks after purchasing Instagram.
One of the features of the app is to display photos from your Facebook friends list, giving you the option to enlarge individual photos or see more from a given album.
For the first time, there is the option to upload several shots at the same time.
The ability to edit photos is also included, an interesting move considering Facebook's acquisition of Instagram for $1billion just a few weeks ago.
Since then, the purchase has stalled as the American Federal Trade Commission looks into whether the partnership is anti-competitive or not.
Functionality
With 15 filters which can be applied to photos, in an interface which is very similar to Instagram, it seems clear that Facebook is chasing the same market as its new tool. Perhaps when (or if) the Instagram deal gets the green light, all of Instagram's functionality will be integrated into the Facebook app.The launch comes in the same week that Facebook made its stock market debut, and just a few weeks after Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder, admitted that the company needed to think of new ways to garner profit from mobile users.
The Facebook Camera app is available as a free download from the App store. At the moment, it's only available for iOS devices - it's not known whether plans are afoot for versions for other operating systems.
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Google snaps up HP's webOS Enyo team
HP may have hit the skids, but Google has swooped in and rescued one of its projects.
Google has hired the team working on the webOS Enyo HTML5 development project. About half a dozen people will move from HP to Google, and will start next month.
Enyo is an HTML5 framework for making apps. HP is in the process of making it open-source, meaning anyone can use the tech, much like Google's Android operating system.
There was no deal between Google and HP. Rather, Google hired each worker individually, having been in talks with them over the last month.
Apps incoming
It's not known what project Google will have the team get its teeth into, but Google is a fan of HTML5 apps, so it could well be something related to its ChromeOS operating system.However, HP has said the open source plans will continue as before, with a September release planned. In a statement, it said: "We're pleased with the traction Enyo has gained to date and plan to continue its development along with the open source community. The Open webOS project is on schedule and we remain committed to the roadmap announced in January."
Yesterday HP announced it was laying off 27,000 staff - that's a cull of 8 per cent of its workforce. This followed a 31 per cent drop in profits for the second quarter of this year, and a 3 per cent decline year-on-year.
But the company still plans to launch a Windows 8 tablet later in the year.
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Windows 8 to drop Aero UI for desktop
Microsoft revealed today that Windows 8 will no longer have an Aero-style interface.
In a blog post, Microsoft director of program management Jensen Harris announced the change for Windows 8's desktop interface.
Instead of the Aero-style glass effect that was introduced in Windows Vista, Windows 8 will feature a more flat, neutral colored UI.
As Harris put it, "we have moved beyond Aero Glass - flattening surfaces, removing reflections, and scaling back distracting gradients."
This is a shift from what was being said last year, with the Windows 8 desktop being dubbed "Aero Lite."
And as of March 1, The Windows 8 Consumer Preview also still featured Aero's transparent windows.
Ditching Aero to make Windows lighter
Many reasons for the change are stated in the blog post, most of which revolve around compatibility with existing Windows 7 applications and creating a clean interface that doesn't distract from the actual content on the screen.They are good points, but perhaps not the most important benefit of cutting Aero out of the UI.
Perhaps Microsoft wouldn't like to say it, but they know Aero is kind of a resource and power hog.
On a desktop PC the effect on performance is negligible, if even noticeable at all, thanks to the constant stream of power flowing to the machine.
Notebooks are a different case though, as the GPU's extra effort can take a toll on performance, power consumption, and system heat.
Many users already opt to turn off Aero effects in Windows 7 due to the drain on lower-spec machines.
And with Windows 8 making a big push for the notebook and tablet market, those are exactly the machines being targeted.
For those who have grown to love Aero, they will at least find some solace knowing that only the cosmetics of Aero are being sacrificed, with features such as application previews still accessible through keyboard shortcuts.
Microsoft is taking the unified experience of Windows 8 across multiple devices very seriously, both in how the desktop looks and how it runs.
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Google+ 2.0 update grants Android app new features
Google has given the Google+ app a much-needed overhaul on the company's Android OS, and though it comes weeks after the iOS version's update, it also brings an extra feature.
The Google+ app for Apple's iOS was given a visual retooling earlier this month, and at the time Google promised that an Android equivalent to the 2.0 update was incoming.
Today, they've delivered in spades. The new Google+ app for Android features the same aesthetic improvements as the previous iOS update, as well as the added functionality to initiate Hangouts directly from the app.
Android users previously had to open a separate "Messenger" app to start a new Hangout, although existing Hangouts could be joined from Google+.
Now it's all under one app.
Your mobile Google+ experience
The previous version of the Google+ app resembled the mobile version of the Google+ website aesthetically and functionally.But the Google+ 2.0 app brings a host of pleasing changes.
The fonts are crisper and the images are larger, and the Google+ stream has been made easier to navigate.
Media within the stream now takes up more of the screen, making it easier to view images and videos, and the +1 button is prominently featured.
"Our overall goal is to create a consistent, beautiful and simple experience for all mobile Google+ users," a Google spokesperson told TechRadar when the iOS version of the Google+ 2.0 app was released.
"We aim to get new updates for our mobile apps in the hands of users as quickly as possible."
And Google's Senior Vice President Vic Gundotra said in a statement:
"Sharing is deeply sensory. From cooking a favorite meal to getting together with friends, it's the smells and the stories and the smiles that make human connections so essential.
"With Google+ we want to extend these moments online, so it's only right to focus on the most personal of personal computers: your mobile phone.
"To be clear, we're not interested in a mobile or social experience that's just smaller. We're embracing the sensor-rich smartphone (with its touchable screen and high-density display), and transforming Google+ into something more intimate, and more expressive.
"Today's new iPhone app is an important step in this direction - toward a simpler, more beautiful Google."
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Phone to computer photo sharing is just a Bump away
Sharing your smartphone photos to a computer just became a lot easier with the Bump app.
Bump has already gained popularity thanks to its simple sharing gimmick: literally bump two phones together that use the app and you can share any of your phone's photos or contact information.
That functionality, at least for photos, is now open for sharing from a phone to a computer.
The Bump team has set up a website, bu.mp, for the feature. Users simply select the photos they want to transfer and, on the website, bump the phone on their keyboard's space bar.
Make sure to enable location settings on your browser first though, as that is needed to help establish the connection.
The photos are uploaded to the site, where they can be downloaded to your computer or shared via a shortlink.
The Bump team claims that photos will be hosted on the site for an indefinite period of time.
Keep it simple
While the ability to share photos on your computer with Bump may take extra steps compared to alternatives such as Dropbox, the Bump team hopes users find their method easier to understand."You don't want to deal with email or putting them online; you just want to bump them over," Bump co-founder Dave Lieb said in a published report.
"When I tell tech people about this feature, they say, 'Why don't I just use iCloud or Dropbox?' But I'm a technologist, and I don't even know how to figure iCloud out. People don't take the time to set up even these automated things… This is a little bit more effort, but it's just more cognitively simple."
Bump could share more than just photos down the line, as Lieb says sharing videos and music files are technically possible using the same method.
However, for now the Bump team is focusing on the basics and getting them done right.
The Bump app is available for free on both iOS and Android devices.
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Sony and Sharp end joint LCD venture
Sony and Sharp announced the end to a partnership formed in 2009, when Sony invested $126 million (£80 billion) in Sharp's LCD display business and received a 7 percent stake in the display manufacturer.
The deal started to go really sour when Sony announced in March that they wouldn't inject any more financing into the venture.
And, by September this year they would decide what the future of the two companies' collaboration would be.
That future turned out to be nonexistent, as Sony announced that they'll sell back their 7 percent at a full refund.
Also in March, just before the Sony/Sharp partnership went south, Sharp announced that the electronics manufacturer Foxconn would purchase a 50 percent stake in Sharp for $809.1 million (£515 billion).
The deal was said to facilitate cost-cutting on LCD screen components through bulk purchases from both companies.
Sharp will reportedly continue making large displays, while Foxconn will still stick to smaller screens.
Sony, the jilted lover?
Sony, meanwhile, under the leadership of new CEO Kaz Hirai, announced that they intend to return to profitability this year after seven straight years in the red.To that end, Sony announced plans last month to axe 10,000 jobs in an ongoing move to reign in the company's ailing TV business. This is the third such mass exodus Sony's seen since 2005.
And just yesterday TechRadar reported that Sony (and Samsung) have begun enforcing minimum prices on televisions to deter retailers from setting competitive, but loss-making, price points.
Another, more positive rumor whispers of a partnership between Sony and Panasonic to begin producing cheaper OLED TVs.
OLED displays are notoriously expensive, but Sony and Panasonic could combine their substantial know-hows to bring that cost down and pass savings onto consumers.
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Google acquires firm responsible for Google Nexus design
Right on the heels of purchasing Motorola, Google recently made another acquisition - picking up a small San Francisco-based electronics design firm.
Mike and Maaike - an industrial design studio founded by Mike Simonian and Maaike Evers - is responsible for the design of the Google Nexus phone, the G1.
Designing for Motorola?
Recent reports speculate that with the acquisition of Motorola Mobility, the design firm would spearhead any future designs for Google Android and Motorola phones.The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Former clients of Mike and Maaike include, Belkin, Steelcase, Microsoft Xbox 360, Incase, Dupont, Ironkey, and the City of San Francisco.
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Google acquires San Francisco design firm Mike and Maaike
Right on the heels of purchasing Motorola, Google recently made another acquisition - picking up a small San Francisco-based electronics design firm.
Mike and Maaike - an industrial design studio founded by Mike Simonian and Maaike Evers - is responsible for the design of the Google Nexus phone, the G1.
Designing for Motorola?
Recent reports speculate that with the acquisition of Motorola Mobility, the design firm would spearhead any future designs for Google Android and Motorola phones.The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Former clients of Mike and Maaike include, Belkin, Steelcase, Microsoft Xbox 360, Incase, Dupont, Ironkey, and the City of San Francisco.
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Rumor: Microsoft Office coming to iPad, Android in November
Microsoft might deny its existence, but a second reliable source claims to have seen Office running on the iPad.
There are plenty of great apps already on the App Store and Google Play store for opening and editing Microsoft Office files, but tablet owners may soon have the best option of all: The real McCoy.
Rumors circulated a few months back about the existence of Microsoft Office for iOS after The Daily reported on a source who claimed to have seen the elusive app in action.
Just like Bigfoot, you can't keep a good rumor down.
Microsoft goes mobile
According to a report from BGR, a "reliable source" claims to have spotted the mythical Microsoft Office running Word, Excel and PowerPoint on an iPad, although Redmond is said to be working on a version for Android OS, as well.While Microsoft scoffed at the existence of Office for iOS several months ago, the fact that this rumor is resurfacing again elsewhere likely points to the rumor being more fact than fiction - but time will tell.
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