Does Snapchat's new Replay option risk defeating the purpose?
Messaging and photo-sharing app Snapchat made its name by facilitating the sharing of saucy shots that could be viewed once for a few seconds before, supposedly, disappearing into cyberspace forever.
Now the $3.5 billion-valued company has somewhat undermined that premise somewhat by introducing a new Replay feature, allowing users to call up one photo or video a second time, before it self destructs.
For some Snapchatters, who've used the application to send intimate messages (hey, don't look at us!), the new feature dramatically increases the risk of their photo or video reaching a larger audience.
For example, the ability to call up the message for a second time, allows boastful (or mock-ful) girls or boys to show it off to their mates in the pub at a time of their convenience.
Filters? Quelle Surprise!
Beyond the controversial, audience threatening new Replay addition, Snapchat has also added filter options to photos. No surprise there.These so-called smart filters add information like temperature, time and, somewhat strangely, the speed at which the device was moving when the photo was snapped. Three more conventional filters have also been added.
Users can now save their 7 'best friends' using Snapchat, allowing easier access to those conversations with greater haste, while a front-facing flash has already been added to aid those night time shots.
Will the new Replay feature affect how you use the Snapchat app? Is the company ruining a good thing by compromising one-look-only part of the app? Let us know your thoughts below.
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Google adds 'I'm Feeling Lucky Radio' to iOS app, takes fight to iTunes Radio
Google's perennial attempts to turn Google Play Music into a force against iTunes have been boosted by the arrival of 'I'm Feeling Lucky Radio' within the company's iOS app.
The random radio feature comes to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch two months after it was rolled into the Android version, while an iOS 7-inspired UI has also been introduced.
The feature, like its search engine forebear, allows users to access a selection of music the app thinks they will like, auto-generating a radio station based on previous listening habits.
The app will automatically bring tunes from the users most listened-to genre.
Big Thumbs Up!
The revamped iOS app also offers access to auto-generated playlists (such as Thumbs Up) for the first time and All Access subscribers will also have the opportunity to search genres within the app.The new Google Play Music features come into competition with Apple's own iTunes Radio platform, which is yet to launch outside the United States.
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BLIP: Selfie In The Sky With Live Tiles: Windows Phone users get SkyDrive boost
Microsoft has offered a little festive treat for Windows Phone users by offering 20GB of bonus SkyDrive storage for an entire year.
The offer, which runs until the end of January, was publicised to Windows Phone owners via email this weekend. Users can follow the link within the email to sign up.
This adds to the 7GB of free storage Microsoft already gifts those using its mobile operating system, allowing them to safeguard files and photos on the cloud.
Microsoft hasn't made clear what will happen at the end of that one year, but it's possible that the company will start asking you to pay for that 20GB once the promotion is over.
More blips!
These blips will always be free because we love you guys...- Motorola cries Timber! as it launches wood-backed Moto X
- Beyonce's secret album puts other iTunes sales records to shame
- Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul heading to Netflix
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Vine introducing web profiles, invites you sign up for a vanity URL today
Vine has announced it is graduating from the mobile-only appverse, with web profiles coming soon for all users.
Previously the six-second video montages could only be viewed through the mobile app, through permalinks posted on Facebook and Twitter or shared via email.
The Twitter-owned service is now inviting users to sign up for their personalised vanity URLs at the Vine.co website, which has, until now, been holding page for the iOS, Android and Windows Phone apps.
The announcement follows Instagram's launch of web profiles last year, which allowed users to browse the full image and video libraries of folks they follow, just as they could on the mobile app.
Uploads unlikely
The Vine roll out is likely to follow a similar format with no capacity for users to upload their videos through the web portal itself.No word yet on when Vine will roll out the web profiles, but sometime early in the new year seems probable.
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Best mobile stocking fillers
With Christmas here and a shiny new mobile under the tree, we're here to help avoid the yearly stress associated with buying Christmas gifts. We've prepared a handy guide to the best stocking fillers to accompany your lovely new smartphone.
Wether you've broken the bank, or spent wisely on the mobile in question, there's something for everyone in our best stocking fillers guide.
So what are you waiting for? Pull on an awfully festive jumper, pop on a woolly hat and maybe even a scarf, then sit back and smugly swig a mulled beverage safe in knowledge you've got Christmas sorted.
Headphone hats
For those that love to listen to music, but also enjoy the comfort of a warm head, headphone hats are a great compromise. We could have suggested a variety of earmuffs with built in headphones (also a good idea), but we've plumped for a hat as they provide all round cranial protection.
There are so many to choose from, but you can grab a trapper hat, pompom hat or knitted beanies to ensure you stay warm, while still being cool!
It doesn't matter what phone you've purchased, headphone hats will generally suit any phone with a 3.5mm headphone port. They are ideal for any media lover, so couple the Galaxy Note 3 with its big screen, or the iPhone 5S and HTC One with their heavy music slants, with a headphone hat and you're on to a winner.
- Price from £12.50 - £25
Lego iPhone Case
We're trying to avoid the dreaded phone case, but sometimes one catches our eye and we can't help go 'oooooh!'. The Brickcase (for iPhone 4/4S and iPhones 5/5S) comes in a variety of colours and it's compatible with "all major brick brands", or you could opt for the official Lego case from Belkin (for iPhone 5/5S or iPad Mini).
As well as protecting your new Apple device, playing with your phone has never been so literal. The brick cases make us feel like we were fiver years old again. Let's face it, there has always been a budding architect or spaceship designer in all of us, so we're letting our creativity out and asking for one this Christmas.
- Price from £14.99
Photo lenses
The standard cameras that come equipped on the modern smartphone are able to cope with a wide variety of situations, but they will never be able to provide the same range of options that can be found on mid-range compact cameras, let alone DSLRs.
Although they will never be able to solve that problem, clip on lenses go some way to adding another level of professionalism and creativity. Just think how cool your Instagram photos will look!
Get the right set and these will be the perfect add on to complement the UltraPixel technology found in the HTC One, One Mini or One Max, as well as the 13MP camera sat behind the LG G2. Lenses would even help the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C in their domination of Flickr.
- Price £9.90
Touch screen gloves
One of the biggest bugbears of the ice cold weather is the decision between putting on a pair of gloves or being able to use your touchscreen phone. This wasn't the case a few years ago when the likes of the HTC Tattoo came with resistive displays, but that tech has been and gone.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 and Nokia Lumia 1020 both come packed with super fancy screen tech, making touch screen gloves completely irrelevant. However there are still many capacitive screens that need the extra help; the HTC One and the iPhone 5S are prime examples. The solution? Touch screen gloves, like the pair we found on I want one of those.
- Price £6.99
iPhone fan
Not to be associated with the legions of Apple fanatics, the iPhone fan is an attachment that turns your iPhone into pocket fan for the summer. It could be used in the winter too, but we're already finding the winter breeze sufficient for our cooling needs.
Ideal for the frequent traveller, or for those living in the sunny climes of anywhere but the UK, the iPhone fan is easy to store and doesn't require extra batteries. It is compatible with the old 30-pin connectors (3G through to 4S), running off your iPhone's battery instead.
Unfortunately we can't find an iPhone fan that runs off the lightning dock, but those with the iPhone 4S or earlier will find this the ultimate summer accessory.
- Price £7.99
Phone stylus
A phone or tablet stylus in the tech world is something that is as mundane as the pencil, yet somehow a stylus shaped like a pencil is a lot more interesting. Who'd have thought? How about one that is shaped like a paint brush? Or one shaped like a crayon? Colour us excited.
It is even possible to get a stylus that is shaped like a key, that doubles up as a phone or tablet stand. If you're after something a little more serious, why not check out our guide to some of the best stylus' around.
While your smaller smartphones don't really require stylus input, anyone rocking a HTC One Max, Nokia Lumia 1520 or Sony Xperia Tablet Z could well find one very useful.
Be careful though, as some stylus' won't work with every device. If you're unsure, contact the manufacturer or retailer.
- Price from £3.99 - £7.99
Power Tap
Manufacturers don't throw a lot of money towards the design of USB chargers, then again their sole purpose is to provide power to your gadgetry when its running a little lower than you'd like. Power taps (such as on Firebox or Amazon) change this.
Whilst power taps don't add a lot of functionality over a standard charger (they can be turned on and off), they come with an inbuilt indicator to let you know when your device is charged and "won't flood your house with electricity if you leave it on". Neat.
The great thing about the Power Tap is that it is compatible with any USB cable, although we can't vouch for how well it works with the likes of the iPad Air. Just pop in the cable that came inside the box of your Moto G, Galaxy S4 Mini or Nokia Lumia 925 and away you go.
- Price from £16.20 - £19.99
Screen Cleaner
Smartphones can get very grubby and covered with a million fingerprints, especially if you tend to loan them out. Everybody needs a screen cleaner then, but who really wants just another boring micro fibre cloth?
Why not opt for something more fun like a puppy or a panda? You could even go the whole 'hog' and choose a screen cleaner in the shape of a pig. There are a variety of screen cleaners out there, so why would you go for something boring anymore?
For those that hadn't guessed, screen cleaners work with every mobile screen going. To be honest, you could use them on any surface, even the bathroom mirror, but we wouldn't recommend that. Fashion conscious individuals might find the pig screen cleaner suits their pink iPhone 5C, pink Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini or pink Galaxy Note 3 perfectly.
- Price from £6.49 - £6.99
Apptoyz Appfisher
Fishing is a sport that appeals to many, yet the desire to sit outside by the side of the water on a wet and windy day soon turns something fun into something a little more laborious. Sitting inside in front of an open fire whilst fishing sounds more fun, doesn't it?
It might not appeal to the hardcore fishing fans, but AppToyz App fisher turns your iPhone or Android into a fishing rod, saving on all the expensive fishing kit and the lost toes due to frost bite.
The App fisher is perfect for anybody sporting an iPhone 4, 4S or iPhone 5, although there is no word on the 5C or 5S. It will also work with most smaller Android phones (under 4.7-inches in size).
- Price £16.49
The Brick
Think of the 1980's and chances are that you'll think of leg warmers, popped collars and mullets. It was a time when things were big, not just the hair, but the mobile phone too. For those with a little more cash to splash, you can recapture the magic of the 80's with the Binatone Brick from Carphone Warehouse.
We really like The Brick, not only for nostalgic reasons but because it works as both an accessory for a smartphone (connecting via Bluetooth) or as an entirely separate handset (complete with SIM port).
Surely it won't be long until we're all in brightly coloured clothes and listening to Frankie Goes to Hollywood again.
As we said, The Brick is compatible with all handsets that support Bluetooth, as well as being an ideal PAYG handset too. LG G2? Samsung Galaxy S3? Huawei Ascend G510? Yes, yes and yes. The majority of smartphones come with Bluetooth on board, so The Brick will work with anything
- Price £29.95
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In Depth: Can free software kill your PC?
The internet wants you dead, or at least it wants your PC dead - and it's free stuff that's delivering the fatal blow. What are we going on about? Free stuff is great, free stuff is cool, free stuff is, well, free. We all love free stuff, right?
The problem, as the old cliche goes, is that there's no such thing as a free lunch. Companies and sites offering something for gratis tend to expect something in return - the question is, what? And, really, how bad can this deal with the digital devil be?
To try to answer that, we've taken a honey-pot system and gone out of our way to download, install, agree to and generally sweep up as many third-party add-ons as the internet has to offer. And boy, does the internet have a lot to offer. Why would we do that? Well, for a good old laugh, but also in the name of research. By breaking things you can learn a lot - not only how to avoid such dangers, but also how to fix them.
It isn't all bad news, as what can be installed can also be uninstalled. We might be attempting to hobble a system as badly as possible, but we're also going to try to bring it back from the brink. The most obvious help here comes from browsers providing ways of controlling, disabling and removing third-party add-ons and toolbars. As this is the most often used route of attack, then it's a handy way to stop any misbehaving plug-ins.
That's certainly not the end of your problems, as there are plenty of installer add-ons, but it's certainly a start. Users need to agree to download and install these, but people do and our aim is to see what happens after that. As part of this PC-killing project, we'll be keeping an eye on performance to see what effect such add-ons can have on system resources and stability.
It's also interesting to see what the security experts have to say on the subject and how you can better protect not only yourself, but your tech-clueless friends and family with a couple of basic tools.
Back in the day, when humble magazines ruled the shelves and Geocities seemed a good idea, there was a monthly tome known as PC Answers. Not surprisingly, it used to be a sister publication to PC Format. One of its most popular regular features was The Clinic, a monthly diagnostic dissection of a reader's broken PC. Having written that section for a number of years, editor Alan Dexter is probably twitching with a mix of posttraumatic stress from the latenight hairtearing sessions and trying to fix systems of their obscure ailments.
Despite its popularity, The Clinic was one of the most loathed sections to work on. That loathing was nothing to do with the readers involved, but the amount of time and effort required to actually figure out what was wrong with a system. Whereas you could spend an uncomplicated day reviewing a graphics card, the unknown complexities of what lay inside a The Clinic PC filled even the most hardened PC Answers expert with a sense of dread.
Horrible reminiscing aside, a common theme amongst The Clinic PCs was troublesome downloaded software. PC Answers even got caught up in the Comet Cursor controversy from the early 2000s, when we correctly pointed out how easily it could be unwittingly installed by users, while seemingly doing nothing but compromising your stability. Despite scaring PC Format's largely hungover legal team, the program was ultimately blacklisted by Symatec and Lavasoft as spyware. So, oddly, we're siding with them.
This tame story highlights what was a slowly growing but ill-defined menace. Part of the problem is that many programs - such as toolbars and add-ons - can have or seem to have genuine uses. This means it's hard to directly label them as viruses, or even as malicious.
The term 'malware' - integrating the potentially libellous accusation of something being malicious - has been watered down more recently to the anaemic-level accusation of 'potentially unwanted program'. It's like calling a tapeworm or attached leech a potentially unwanted parasite - there is NO WAY you want that thing inside or attached to you. But hey, let's not hurt its feelings, right?
The malware world has evolved - in the 80s and 90s, the main threat seemed to be from viruses, but what did that gain the writer other than notoriety? Notoriety is great when you're living in your parents' basement, but it's not going to pay your mortgage. So when a nice chap who runs a business offers you a pot of money to write a browser toolbar, which may or may not send browsing details of the users, and who may or may not have consciously consented to such things in a 90-page EULA, put simply, you're unlikely to say no.
This leaves us in today's world, where these smart people are producing all sorts of cleverly packaged services that are just dying to get onto your PC.
Our victim
We'd never dare let the wrath of the internet loose on a real system - the consequences are too horrific to contemplate, and frankly we can't face reinstalling yet another system, for no good reason. For this cheery task, we're taking a default Windows 7 VirtualBox clone, giving it 4GB of memory to play with and running it with full access to the four cores of an Intel Core i5 2500K processor.
It had a base Windows 7 installation with security patches in place - it also had Microsoft Security Essentials in place and running, along with Internet Explorer 9, FireFox 23 and Chrome 29. All security settings were on the default levels.
So what we were using was not a million miles away from many a standard system out there in the real world. As a base, this booted in 22 seconds and used 494MB of memory with no browsers loaded. This jumped to 773MB with all vanilla browsers fired up. Individually, Internet Explorer used 24MB, FireFox 46MB and Chrome 27MB. We'll be keeping an eye on how bad these figures become to help relate to just how much, if any, of a system hog these add-ons can become on real systems.
So what foolish antics do you have to get up to, to come home with a suitcase full of dodgy downloads? Well, antics as crazy as searching Google and clicking its sponsored top results. Crazy times!
While our methodology is hard to precisely document in a scientific way, it largely involved searching for "free X downloads" where the 'X' is going to be music, screensavers, games and wallpapers. Then choosing a selection of the results from the first page of results. You know, the sort of thing you'd do in real life.
We weren't going out of our way to locate 'dodgy' sites, we hear ones ending in RU can be more like the Wild West (or is that Digital Eastern Block?). We were discounting known legit solutions as there's no point in installing Spotify, now, is there? We should also point out that on our relatively short travels we came across some legitimate sites, too. It's not entirely impossible to find kindly people and companies out there, it's just the opposite seems to be the rule rather than the exception.
Adware's rise and rise
While much was made of malware and adware in the early 90s and 2000s, it seems nothing has been done to stop the proliferation of adware. All the software we tried was happy to work on a modern Windows 7 system and alongside the latest incarnations of all the browsers. Despite the security features browsers come with, it's easy to allow add-ons and plug-ins to change the default search engines and add their own toolbars.
Quite quickly, we stumbled across competing systems trying to wrestle back control of the default search engine - with plenty of pop-ups, from the system dialogue to their own built-in warnings about other programs attempting to change settings.
The unnecessary and annoying browser toolbar is one of the most favoured means for companies to crowbar their way into your life. It's an effective and ever-present advertising strip, in which companies can inject their adverts and services - all the while looking like a search service.
One bright-red banner informed us we had "6 massages" (sic) waiting for us, which aptly enough swooped us off to a dating site - fun times ahead. Another popular approach is the use of adverts that proclaim your PC has a threat or is running low on space. It uses the phishing technique of looking like a legit system dialog with a button to fix the problem.
We stumbled across a number of these on our journeys and decided to install a couple to see what the result would be. It's ironic to be told by a system-hogging diagnostic program you're unable to quit and runs itself, on top of starting alongside Windows, that your system is slow. We also at one point had both installations launching at the same time, running in tandem.
The result
It took less than an hour to bring the system to its knees. It wasn't long before FireFox and Internet Explorer were both crawling and at times unusable, seemingly frozen with add-ons. Chrome seemed to handle the issues a little better, and oddly one of the extra installed packages was the Chrome-styled Torch browser, which seemingly dodged a lot of the bullets.
In real terms, boot times doubled to more than 40 seconds. More annoyingly, various programs demanded boot-time attention, requiring administrator approval to run. Other programs simply had pop-ups that remind you how you should sign up for their services.
One program, Pokki, which seems a legitimate app service, decided to consistently crash on start-up, despite initially working fine. FireFox appeared to have an extra six toolbars, a new start page, a new search default and a number of extra toolbar icon tools.
Internet Explorer faired the worst, with seven new toolbars, alongside a new homepage and search engine with 24 add-ons. Chrome managed to dodge some of the issues, but it still had a new homepage, a couple of new tool icons and greatly increased memory usage.
The system impact of this was the start-up memory jumping to 1.1GB - up 600MB. With all three browsers running, this grew to 1.8GB - more than 1GB over the basic installation. Individually, Internet Explorer was up 126MB to 150MB, FireFox was worst hit at 186MB from its original 46MB, and Chrome had done pretty badly, leaping from 27MB to 135MB.
What these figures don't get across adequately is the extra burden these additions put on your browsers. The start-up times for both FireFox and Internet Explorer became excruciating. At times, we had to abandon one or the other, as the browser froze in place. This wasn't a permanent state of affairs, and we could gain access to the add-on managers, so that a clean-up could be made possible. More troubling was that the processor usage appeared to be running at over 30 per cent, despite nothing running. With FireFox open, it consumed an additional 25 per cent, while doing nothing. This created an idle processor load of almost 60 per cent.
We mentioned we had Microsoft Security Essentials running, right? So what did it make of all the shenanigans? On the whole, very little. Throughout the whole procedure, we had two medium-level warnings while installing two downloads. One was highlighted as the software bundler DealPly and the other was the adware system WebCake. It's not an overly reassuring performance from what you would hope to be a more centralised system for blocking such software.
Cleaning up
As part of our delving, we wanted to see if it was possible to restore the system to its original state. Part of the confusing position with malware and PUPs is that you can remove the legitimate elements through the normal Uninstall a Program section of the Control Panel.
We started there and uninstalled the 30-plus items that had appeared. A problem, even with uninstall options, is that removal isn't at the top of these companies' minds. So the BearShare uninstaller was seemingly locked, until I forcibly quit the original running executable - at which point, it finished correctly.
While uninstalling many, we were taken to a final browser page imploring us to reinstall the product - one even amusingly had a phishing advertisement instructing the user to click a fake button to finish removing everything. Another uninstall left us with no Explorer interface at all, which would be very confusing for a novice user.
Rather annoyingly, it became apparent that for many systems, despite installing in one go, this process often left separate uninstallers for the main products, such as the FireFox toolbar and the Internet Explorer toolbar. Despite all of this, after sweeping through the Uninstall Control Panel (followed by a quick reboot), Windows was left in a far better state. FireFox still retained 7Go Game, LinkSwift and a disabled BrowserPlus2 extension, but even its default start page and search engine were restored. Internet Explorer was also clear of toolbars, but retained a number of search providers and the start page. Chrome was similar, retaining just the BrowserPlus2 extension and an alternative start page.
Looking deeper into the system, firstly with Microsoft Security Essentials, it appeared WebCake had left various Javascript elements behind, but it detected nothing else. The free version of Spybot Search & Destroy seemed largely interested in cookies. Trend Micro Hijack spotted a couple of rogue registry entries, but nothing that seemed too concerning. It was Malwarebytes Anti-Malware that seemed to spot the most remaining detritus, consisting largely of left-behind installation files from the array of PUPs we had running around.
Post clean-up, the system was back to 504MB memory used (659MB with all three browsers open). That's less than there was originally, as I'd reset the start pages to blank ones. We suspect we were lucky with most of the PUPs we encountered, as they largely uninstalled themselves. However, it's frightening to see what damage can be done after even a short time of downloading free packages.
- Now why not check out Top 50 best free games you should play today
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Roundup: Best of TechRadar 2013: our favourite features and wisest words of the year
As the year comes to a close and we all panic-buy last minute Christmas presents, take a few minutes to have a cup of tea and take a tour through our best words from the last year.
We've loved writing these articles, so thanks a lot for reading, commenting and sharing!
How the Internet of Things will change all of our lives
An Orwellian nightmare or Utopian future?
The chances are you've already heard someone mention the Internet of Things, and it's certainly a phrase that you are going to hear more and more in the coming years, so what exactly is it? At its most basic, the Internet of Things is the, frankly horrible, term used to describe the millions of devices that are now connected together and to the internet but that do not require humans to tell them what data to share. Everything from fitness bands to internet connected fridges, smart thermostats to microchipped street lights can all feed data back to the net with or without our behest, and that's potentially a hugely powerful shift in the way that we live our lives. Continue reading...
LG vs Samsung: the story behind the biggest rivalry in tech
A tale of espionage, in-fighting and... restaurants?
The rivalry between Korean tech giants LG and Samsung is well known, but it took a visit to LG's headquarters in South Korea this week for the true nature of the conflict to become clear to us. The upshot of the situation is that passing through buildings owned by these companies is like getting through security at an airport. Bags are scanned. Cameras are confiscated. Lenses on phones are taped over. USB storage devices are not allowed. Security cameras are everywhere. Continue reading...
7 breakthroughs in physics that unlocked the modern age
Science is interesting, and if you don't agree you can...
Before the likes of Galileo and Newton began to unlock the secrets of the universe, our understanding of everything in it was almost entirely absent. There was no scientifically plausible explanation for any of the phenomena in the night sky and no real understanding of any force of nature. In short, we were the people in Game of Thrones but without the dragons and magic and zombies.
However, instead of spending thousands of years building large walls instead of inventing things, we have used the discipline of physics to provide answers to many of the mysteries of existence, and with that knowledge the human race has achieved incredible things. From powering the industrial revolution to sparking the electrical era and unlocking the secrets of the stars, physics has underpinned our technological adventure into the 21st Century. Continue reading...
PS4 vs Xbox One graphics: what are the differences and do they matter?
Just how much better will PS4 games look and why?
What was once a rumour is now confirmed. At least some cross-platform games will run at a higher resolution on the Sony PlayStation 4 than on Microsoft's Xbox One. But why is this happening and should it influence your decision over which of the next-gen game boxes to buy? Continue reading...
11 reasons why your next TV has to be 4K
Unconvinced by 4K? We're not and here's why...
Ultra High Definition 4K TV technology is the hottest topic in tellydom right now. Major manufacturers are fast-tracking large screen 4K TVs able to display four times the resolution of current HD sets, while broadcasters conduct widespread technical trials behind the scenes. The nascent format dominated this summer's IFA tech fest and it looks certain to do the same at the 2014 International CES in January. Even pro-broadcast bash IBC was 4K obsessed this year. But for normal folks, it may be tempting to cock a snoot when it comes to shortlisting that next TV. However that could prove a costly mistake if you're planning to buy a well-heeled Full HD flatscreen.
Need convincing? Here are eleven reasons why we think your next TV needs to be 4K…
Meet Pacific Rim's giant monsters
And the man who brought the Kaiju and Jaegers to life
A creature towers above a miniature landscape, its upper body stretching beyond wispy clouds. There is commotion underneath, created by the threat of being trampled, but the creature is oblivious. Its eyes trained on something else in the distance, its arms up ready for battle. This could describe any of the many fantastic battle scenes in Pacific Rim, director Guillermo del Toro's monster bash which heads to Blu-ray in the UK November 11, but it's actually a description of The Colossus, a 19th Century painting by Goya. Continue reading...
How Dolby Atmos brought gravitas to Gravity
"This film is basically silent, right? Because there's nothing in it." That might seem like a strange thing for a sound designer to say. It might seem like a strange thing for the sound designer of runaway action hit, Gravity, to say. It definitely seems a strange thing for a sound designer to say about a film that is pretty much made for Dolby Atmos. But sound doesn't travel in space so how do you handle space-sound in an action film that sells itself on its intergalactic realism? Continue reading...Panasonic's plasma TV exit is the end of a brilliant era
Plasma tech has run its course - the futire is 4K and OLED
It's been, in all honesty, the most protracted screen demise since Julius Caesar exited Carry on Cleo protesting "Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me." But now Panasonic has finally, officially, unequivocally announced it's getting out of the plasma game for good. The Corporation will shutter its only operational facility, the Amagasaki P4 factory in Osaka, in March 2014. Sibling facilities in Amagasaki and Ibaraki have already been mothballed. Unsustainable losses are the simple reason for the brand's decision.Continue reading...
Xbox One and PS4: the verdict
Two amazing console, no reasons to buy either of them
How is it possible for two competing products to be so similar and yet so different? Both the PS4 and Xbox One run the same AMD CPU and very similar graphics hardware. They've both moved over to x86, they both rock the same half-matte, half-gloss finish. Neither are good looking, though the Xbox One is particularly ugly. They both run FIFA 14 and Call of Doody, both respond to voice commands and they even smell similarly musky out of the box. And yet, they're so different it's almost unreal. So should you go out and buy one, and if so, which one should you go for? Continue reading...
Oculus Rift creator: Xbox One and PS4 are far too limited
Motion man planning for much bigger things
We're sat opposite Palmer Luckey, 21-year-old inventor of the Oculus Rift. There's so much we want to ask him but right now he's too busy explaining his plans to build the ultimate Pokemon team. "Charizard's actually competitive again now that you have mega Charizard Y because his ability brings the sun out, so he's a great sweeper." Seeing him geek out with so much passion, we've never been more glad that this is the person who controls the fate of Oculus Rift. Continue reading...
Is the internet bringing us together or keeping us apart?
Is there any satisfaction to be had from a digital book signing?
If ever there were a phrase that summed up the point to which the internet has brought us, it is "digital book signing". "It's a world first and I always like to try new things," says David Beckham awkwardly at his digital signing which has been set up through his Facebook page. He mentions the technology amid compliments on his hair, invitations to Brazil, discussion of his favourite goals, his family, his tattoos and the photos that make up his book.Continue reading...
How Britain made the Dark Knight mobile
"The brief we got [to create the Batmobile Tumbler] was for a vehicle that could do 60mph; we thought we'd give them a little bit more than that so we boosted it to 100mph, as we obviously wanted it to do some amazing things." There's very little that doesn't sound incredible when talking to John Holmes, senior special effects technician on the team involved in creating the most recent iteration of the Batmobile. The Tumbler is one of the most iconic designs in cinematic history – no mean feat when it was replacing the original 'kitsch' Batmobile. Continue reading...10 mindblowing uses for the world-changing substance that never was
Starlite has baffled scientific minds for 23 years
Starlite could be the most valuable man-made substance ever created. It has the potential to revolutionise industries, save lives and change the course of human history. The applications for it are near infinite, no scientific mind has ever been able to work out how it works – and yet it has never actually been used for anything. So what does it do, and why have you never heard of it? Starlite was invented during the 1980s by the unlikely Maurice Ward, a ladies' hairdresser from Yorkshire. It's a plastic that's able to withstand heat to an almost unimaginable degree. Ward never revealed how it was made, saying merely that it contained 'up to 21 organic polymers and copolymers, and small quantities of ceramics'. Continue reading...
Exposed: The invisible conflict being waged by the world's superpowers
The next world war will be online, and the consequences will be very real
In the long Cold War between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, espionage was rife. Security services placed secret agents in sensitive positions, spy planes photographed strategic locations and information was smuggled through borders. The reasons were simple: each side believed that they would eventually end up at war with the other - and when conflict began, knowing your enemy's secrets could make a crucial difference to the outcome. There was only one rule: don't get caught. Getting caught could spark an international incident and bring the world one step closer to war. Is something similar happening online?
Apple rumours: How to tell fact from fiction
Separate the iWheat from the iChaff with our handy iHelperThe Apple rumour mill never sleeps!
While we were oohing and aahing at the iPhone 5S and 5C, rumourmongers had already turned their attention to the next event in the middle of October. iPad 5s! Apple TVs! Fuel-cell powered sexbots! Maybe even an iWatch! Many and perhaps even most of the predictions will turn out to be bobbins, but how can you tell which bits of smoke have fire? Allow us to help...
How Nvidia Grid is set to revolutionise cloud gaming
Providing the backend technology for the cloud
Like music and movies, gaming is also on an irreversible move into the cloud. Thanks to OnLive, the concept of cloud gaming isn't alien, but widespread cloud gaming has bumped up against technology problems – latency, plus the need to make games available across a plethora of devices. Nvidia thinks it has the answer with Nvidia Grid, cloud gaming technology that works behind the scenes of subscription-based games services. Continue reading...
Dyson: 'We spend a lot of money fighting to protect our ideas'
We quiz Dyson's Airblade chief over product design, IP theft and more
Chris Osborn is clearly very proud of what his team has achieved. Based at Dyson's HQ in Malmesbury, UK, he talks candidly about the experimental nature of the company's product development as well as its no-nonsense attitude to theft of the company's intellectual property. Continue reading...
6 catastrophes that would kill your gadgets forever
Since the Sony Walkman crashed onto the shelves worldwide in 1980, consumer technology has slowly been taking over our lives. From washing machines to digital watches and from electronic word processors to modern tablet computers, the march of technology has been unstoppable. It now sits at the heart of everything we do, as we manage our schedules with Google Calendar, keep in touch via Facebook and mobile phones and entertain ourselves with games consoles and Netflix. But it could all change in an instant. The (atrocious) NBC drama series Revolution explores what the world would be like if all technology were to suddenly stop working. An appalling prospect, but could it actually happen? Here are six scenarios for the death of tech. Continue reading...Before iWatch: the timely history of the smartwatch
The long and winding road to the iWatch and Galaxy Gear
Smart watches have been the next big thing since 1982. But this year was different: Samsung's Galaxy Gear dropped on the 4th of September and started a whole new wave of wearable tech. We've got smart watches to look forward to from pretty much everyone. So what's different this time, and why haven't smart watches taken off before now? Let's look at some of the major milestones - and mistakes. Continue reading...
Plus points: why Google+ is now everywhere you look online
It's the social network you may not want but it's here to stay
Web giant Google launched Google+ on 28 June 2011 as an invite-only "field test", with golden tickets sent to a few early adopters and journalists. The proposition was attractive: a Facebook-rivalling social network, integrated into all of the web services you already use, backed by Google's raw energy and innovation. Up front were Circles - a way to organise everyone you know, and share content only with those who would be interested in it. The photos of your new-born baby could be shared with your "Family" circle, while you type out a filthy joke for your "Friends" circle and then pen a paradigm-busting blog post for your "Work" circle. Continue reading...
Flight club: how drones can save lives and deliver our mail
Amazon's Air Prime scheme changes the conversation
Up until a couple of weeks ago, if you asked the Average Joe about drones, he may have offered a description of clandestine, pilotless US military planes, flying over the Middle East, dropping their destructive payloads on suspected terrorists. However, just recently, on a quiet Sunday night, the conversation changed thanks to Amazon and its imagination-capturing CEO Jeff Bezos. Continue reading...
Beyond Google Glass: the future of wearable tech
We talk to some of the major players involved in the most exciting new sector in tech
What if we told you that Google Glass and Galaxy Gear were just the beginning? That the impending arrival of Google's super-futuristic wearable computer and Samsung's wrist-based wonder were simply the commencement of our ascent into the realms of science-fiction cyborg-dom? Beyond the AR specs spearheaded by Google and the smartwatches in the works from Apple, Samsung and others, there are countless minds creating wearable solutions that will revolutionise health and fitness, the workplace and everything in between - from our socks to our sex lives. Continue reading...
The evolution of Shazam: from music maestro to TV tagging
Can Shazam become the only app you need for TV?
What is that song? It's a simple question but one Shazam has built an audio-recognition empire on, having answered it billions of times through its app. It was first answered on 19 April 2002. T Rex's Jeepster was the very first tag, when the service was then called 2580. Skip to 2013 and the 10 billionth answer was given this month as Lady Gaga's Applause. Continue reading...
10 things you didn't know your smartphone could do
Supercharge your phone in ten easy steps
Smartphones are great, they're basically a computer in your pocket packed full of features to make your life easier. But some of those features are less obvious than others, so to help you get the most out of your phone here are 10 things that you might not have known it could do. Continue reading...
Six marvels of the 4K revolution
To say Sony is serious about 4K is a bit like saying Canon seems to kinda like making cameras. 4K is at the heart of Sony's entire operation, and that's not surprising given the fact that it's the only company that can tell an on-brand end-to-end 4K story. It makes the movies and TV shows, it produces the cameras to shoot the content, it makes the projectors to display it in cinemas, it publishes the movies on disc, and it delivers 4K it to the home in the form of TVs, games consoles and media servers. Sony has already shipped over 15,000 4K projectors worldwide. To mark the forthcoming launch of Sony's new 4K TV range, Sony invited us to Sony Pictures Studios in LA to take a closer look at its 4K ecosystem. We've seen 4K movie sets, we've seen Breaking Bad being remastered in 4K and we've compared Sony's 4K TVs against every other brand.Here are the six coolest techno-marvels we saw in LA
How the PS3 won the console war
Despite its shaky start, Sony's seventh-gen powerhouse played a blinder
In part one of our console retrospective series, we have a true underdog story. PlayStation 3 launched in Europe some 14 months after Xbox 360 in March 2007, delayed by a shortage of diodes used in its Blu-Ray drive, of all things.
When it finally did arrive, it came with a considerably bigger price tag than Microsoft's offering, and was plagued by second-rate versions of cross-platform releases. The writing, it appeared, was on the wall: Xbox 360 was going to win this generation's console war.
But incredibly, Sony turned that less-than-desirable start to its advantage, and as we stand on the precipice between seventh and eighth generation consoles and take stock of the last six years, any fool can see PlayStation 3 ends the era victorious! Continue reading...
How the Xbox 360 won the console war
Ignore the red ring of death, the Xbox is the real winner here
In part two, not so fast! In looking for proof of the Xbox 360's position as the defining console of the age, you can refer to no less an authority than President Barack Obama.
It was he who criticised Republican behaviour over the recent US government shutdown by saying "You don't get a chance to call your bank and say, 'I'm not going to pay my mortgage this month unless you throw in a new car and an Xbox.'"
This bit of partisan point-scoring represents the zenith of Microsoft's incredible success in the seventh console generation - the point at which even the President admitted that "Xbox" had became interchangeable with "games console"in the way that "Playstation" had at the turn of the century.
It was, and is, the device on which most self-described gamers play games.Continue reading...
How the Nintendo Wii won the console war
With 100m+ sales, the Will is obviously the clear winner!
Part 3 - stop right there, clearly the Nintendo Wii was actually the triumphant console this generation! Did it have the graphical might to stand shoulder to shoulder with the PS3 and Xbox 360? Hell no. Did it have the hardcore library of the GameCube? Nope. Did it have a stupid name? Yeah, we sniggered.
And guys, it couldn't even play DVDs. But the Wii won this generation by doing something much, much bigger: it got the whole world playing videogames. Continue reading...
From Apple to appliances: how Nest is making everyday items relevent again
"The Internet of Things? I hate that phrase. It is horrible."
You would think that the creator of a smart smoke alarm and connected thermostat would be the poster boy for the so-called Internet of Things but Tony Faddell, the CEO of Nest, wants nothing to do with the surge in everyday objects connecting to the internet. "Just because you can connect something doesn't mean that you should," he tells TechRadar when we met up with him in London. "Connection is another technology that can dramatically change a product and an experience but people are just connecting anything. Why are there fridges with tablets on the front of them? They just bashed two things together without really understanding."
It is this understanding that seemingly permeates through Nest's product lineup, which have been met with huge popularity in the US and are now heading to the UK with the imminent launch of Nest Protect. Continue reading...
Uncovered: the technology behind the impossibly light football boot
Do you want to feel like you're floating on the pitch?
A bar of soap. The iPhone 5. A pear. An empty wallet. These are all things that weigh more than Adidas' new F50 99g football boot. When you first hold it in your hand, it's hard to believe that this is really something that a professional sportsperson could wear. It's so light that it has more in common with a ballet slipper than a protective layer worn by those earning £200,000 per week. Continue reading...
Windows RT: time's up for Microsoft's dying OS
Asus the latest name to pull out – and pretty much the last
Microsoft didn't have a clue what it was doing with Windows RT. And if it did, its strategy was a total fiasco and it spent an awful lot of money believing its own hype. Now Asus is pulling back from the beleaguered ARM-only OS, explaining that "the result is not very promising." It joins an elite band of traditional PC vendors who, having pledged support for RT, eventually decided that Microsoft's Windows touch dream was better off running on an Intel processor. You know, one with the ability to use legacy apps and the Desktop just as everybody has done since Windows 95. Continue reading...
Movie piracy in the UK: what's the film industry doing?
Online piracy is rife but education may be the key
TechRadar spoke to Twentieth Century Fox's Keith Feldman recently about this situation and he is hoping the movie industry's backing of Digital HD – a hi-definition download that can be downloaded and streamed from the cloud – will make everything a lot easier. Continue reading...
Merry Christmas from TechRadar!
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Buying Guide: Best mini barebones PCs: 5 top options to buid your own media PC
The PC industry has been in decline for a while now, but certain parts of the market are on the up as consumers change how and where they using PCs. Times have changed, with computers breaking out of the office and study to invade our living spaces.
Media streaming boxes have become incredibly popular by filling the gap for users wanting that Smart-TV experience. But plenty of people are still looking for a more multi-talented home media solution for the living room. Ideally, it would give them unlimited access to full PC functionality, including media playback or streaming and perhaps even high-end gaming.
For this, old tower PCs are often recycled, but they can be space-hogging eyesores, especially next to the svelte HD TVs that have become the focal point of home entertainment. Enter, the barebones PC.
What to look out for
If you're thinking of using a mini barebones PC for full HD video, then a powerful processor such as one based on i7 architecture is highly desirable.If you want the full high-definition PC gaming experience available from the comfort of your sofa, then look at one of the slightly larger models that have space to accommodate a good graphics card. Just remember it's probably going to be in your front room so you don't want it sounding like a mini vacuum.
Most barebones PCs will need a hard- or solid-state drive. We recommend a HDD for media streamers and/or an SSD for gaming rigs. You'll also need to add some memory - 4GB being the suggested minimum, while gamers should bump things up to at least 8GB. Some models will also need a new processor, but don't fear - we've made some component recommendations for each of the PCs below.
Think about connectivity. What sound system (if any) do you have? Do you need optical audio output? How will you connect the PC to your TV or monitor? You might also want to think about a wireless keyboard with integrated touchpad, as well as either a media remote or a wireless gaming controller.
Finally, don't forget you'll need to decide on an operating system – Windows is the standard go-to option, or you could consider a Linux distribution such as Ubuntu.
1. The budget barebone
Raspberry Pi - from £31 (around USD $50, AUD $56) - FarnellRaspberry Pi accessories
Read TechRadar's full review of the Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi, or RasPi (as it has become affectionately named) has become quite a sensation for hackers, makers and educators everywhere, selling well over one million units to date. It's a low-powered PC on a single tiny board, which means it can be used for everything from turning your TV smart with the help of XBMC, to being the centre of a retro gaming revival by emulating classic consoles. Despite its diminutive size, the model-B Pi has plenty of ports: 2 USB, Network, HDMI & Composite video and Micro-USB power.
There's a huge community behind the Raspi, with clubs popping up around the country. Raspberry 'Jams' are held around the world and have fuelled their introduction into schools, thanks in part to Google's gift of 15,000 of them to lucky British classrooms.
What to add on
To get you're Pi on, choose from Raspian, RaspBMC or RetroPie operating systems, then consider the following crucial extras:
- 8GB SDHC card (class 6 or higher).
- Wired or wireless keyboard.
- Network cable or USB Wi-Fi adaptor.
- USB Power cable, HDMI cable.
2. The 'just enough' PC
Gigabyte Brix 1037 - from £129 (around USD $210, AUD $232) - EbuyerRead TechRadar's full Gigabit Brix review
The Gigabyte Brix is an ultra compact, yet fully fledged PC that comes in a variety of forms, starting with a dual-core 1.8GHz Intel Celeron, with a capacity for up to 16GB of RAM and an mSATA SSD slot for up to 480GB of internal storage. In the box is a VESA adaptor, so if your TV or monitor isn't wall-bound you can mount it right on the back.
For Connectivity it offers a combination of HDMI, mini DisplayPort for secondary screens, two USB 3.0 ports and an inbuilt Wi-Fi card. If you need a VGA output then you can get a mini DisplayPort adaptor, but you'll be left without sound as there's no analogue audio output - sound can only be outputted via HDMI.
The base model Brix doesn't set the world on fire with its performance, but will still happily cope with office productivity and any kind of media playback, including on-demand TV.
What to add on
The Brix comes with an embedded processor, but you still need to add on some laptop-type SODIMM memory and an mSATA hard-drive to get things going. As with the rest of the PCs here, your choice of OS comes down to Windows (7 or 8) or a variety of Linux distributions depending on what you're doing.
- A minimum of 2GB of 204-pin SODIMM memory.
- We recommend a 60GB or higher mSATA SSD.
- Wired or wireless keyboard.
- Network cable or HDMI cable.
3. The full HD media player
Zotac ZBox Blu-Ray - from £210 (around USD $343, AUD $379) - Ebuyer
The Blu-Ray AD03 from Zotac is one of the few barebones PCs out there with an optical drive, but Zotac clearly know their market for this kind of form-factor and have included a Blu-ray drive, making this little PC the perfect HD Media centre.
To ensure smooth 1080p playback, the 1.8GHz AME E-350 APU includes AMD6310 graphics, giving about as much graphic grunt as you'll get without a separate graphics card in a PC of this size. There are also more ports to go around, including DVI as well as HDMI, analogue audio output, full-sized SATA for 2.5" HDD or SSDs, an E-SATA for fast external storage, a 6-in-1 card reader, wired and wireless connections (up to 300Mbps) and 4 USB ports - two of which are USB 3.0.
At lower resolutions the AD03 will even double as a casual gaming PC. There are plenty of Indie games on Steam, browser-based games on the Chrome Store and of course, there's nothing wrong with retro!
What to add on
With a processor already onboard, you'll just need some SODIMM memory and a 2.5" SATA hard-drive or SSD to finish it off.
- A minimum of 4GB of 204-pin SODIMM memory.
- We recommend a 500GB HDD or an SSD.
- Wired or wireless keyboard.
- Network cable or HDMI cable.
4. The pint-sized server
Shuttle SH67H3 - from £219 (around USD $358, AUD $393) - Ebuyer
Read TechRadar's full review of the Shuttle SH67H3
Shuttle have been in the barebones business since the start, being a pioneering driving force behind the mini-ITX form factor since the days of socket-A. These days they're very much viewed as the standard in building a small (but powerful) desktop or media PC. Thanks to the extra space afforded from a full ITX chassis, you can fit in any 5.25" optical drive and two 3.5" drives for plenty of storage, plus there's space for dual-height graphics cards.
Despite the small form factor, you're not hugely limited as to your choice of components. The Shuttle supports an Intel Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 Sandy Bridge CPU, up to 32GB of RAM, and has all the connectivity you'd expect to find in a full tower PC including four SATA interfaces, S/PDIF optical out, eight USB ports including four USB 3.0 and a whole lot more.
Shuttles are really nicely made and look the part thanks to a sleek brushed aluminium exterior. They offer all the flexibility you could want for a home media server, gaming machine or anything else you'd expect a full-sized PC to do.
What to add on
This
barebones comes with a motherboard, heat-pipe CPU fan and PSU, but
you'll need to add a socket 1155 processor, DDR3 memory and at least one
3.5" SATA hard-drive or SSD to boot.- A Socket 1155 Core i3, i5 or i7 processor
- A minimum of 4GB of 204-pin SODIMM memory.
- We recommend a 2TB HDD and / or an SSD.
- Wired or wireless keyboard and other peripherals.
- A network or HDMI cable.
5. The console beater
ASRock M8 - DabsThe new-generation consoles are thoroughly at war, but there's a third option that, despite being a little more pricey, can afford you with graphical quality that's even higher than either Sony or Microsoft's offerings. The offspring of a design co-operative between ASRock and BMW, The M8 verges on mini-pc erotica.
Not only can it compete amongst the best in CPUs and GPUs thanks to a Haswell-compatible Z87-M8 motherboard, but the M8 has some interesting design features outside as well as in. Firstly, there's the 'A-Command' OLED display on the front of the case. This display can adjust its orientation depending on whether you have the M8 horizontal or vertical, and displays a whole host of information including CPU speed, time and date, volume and also lighting controls for the inside of the case.
Other highlights of this little beast include space for up to five 2.5" drives, or else one 3.5" and one 2.5" drive, excellent onboard sound from Creative, space for two SODIMM memory modules, and just about enough space to cram in a double-height graphics card such as a NVIDIA 760. Though the M8 doesn't come with an included CPU cooler, it can take most heatsinks up to about 90mm tall, which is pretty good for a Mini-ITX case.
What to add on
This barebones PC comes with a motherboard, heat-pipe CPU fan and PSU, but you'll need to add on a socket 1155 processor, DDR3 memory and at least one 3.5" SATA hard-drive or SSD to boot.
- An LGA1155 Core i3, i5 or i7 processor.
- An appropriate Cooler (such as the ThermalRight AXP100)
- A minimum of 8GB of 204-pin SODIMM memory.
- A beefy graphics card such as the Asus GTX 760 DCU II.
- We recommend a 1TB HDD and / or 2.5" SSD (or 5!).
- Wired or wireless keyboard and a gamepad.
- Additional cabling such as network or HDMI.
- Now why not read TechRadar's guide to the best free video editing software?
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Google to debut new wearable camera tech designed for Helpouts at CES
Google will debut new wearable cameras for use with Helpouts at CES 2014, video compression company Ambarella has announced.
The search giant partnered with the HD video compression experts to create the new wearable camera tech.
Ambarella called the tech "a new class of wearable cameras," one designed to help people doing various activities connect with one another via Helpouts.
"Ambarella-based wearable cameras with Helpouts will enable instructors to see live video from the trainee's perspective, or vice versa, supporting interactive teaching of sports, fitness, art, cooking, engineering or any other hands-on activity," the company said in the announcement.
Put it on your face
We've yet to see these new wearable cameras, but Ambarella said they have a small form factor so users retain full mobility.They record full HD video and then stream it live in real time to the Google Helpouts server over Wi-Fi or via mobile hotspots.
The cameras use Ambarella's A7LW camera SoC with in-motion image stabilization, low power consumption, and low light recording capabilities.
"Helpouts allow people to get expert advice in real time over video," said Google Vice President of Engineering Udi Manber. "With easy-to-use wearable cameras, the other person sees what you see, and the interaction becomes efficient and simple."
Other than that Google has yet to issue a statement about the cameras, but we're looking forward to seeing more at CES.
Maybe this answers the question of whether wearable tech is any use to businesses?
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First CyanogenMod Android phone given Google's blessing, ships December 24
In a Christmas Eve miracle, Cyanogen has announced it will ship the first Google-approved phone running a third-party version of Android.
The Oppo N1 claims to be the world's first Google compatibility test suite-certified CyanogenMod handset, and it plans to launch on December 24. The plucky smartphone comes running a rooted version of Android 4.2 called CyanogenMod 10.2.
Google gave the third-party phone its blessing to access the Play Store and take its apps out for a date. This means users will be able to download apps from the Store directly instead of having to sneak around and sideload the software.
Cyanogen, Cyanogen's parent company, said getting its version of the Oppo N1 through the certification process was an arduous task, but that's really not surprising. Previously, Google pulled Cyanogen's unofficial Android installer app after being on the Play Store for just 15 days.
Dare to root
Other then the hacked software, the Oppo N1 is equipped with some fairly decent internals including a 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM. The device is also fairly hefty with a 5.9-inch 1920 x 1080 resolution screen and a large 3,610 mAh battery.One of the phone's more unique characteristics is its rotating 13MP camera, which can be flipped around as the device's back and front-facing snapper. Storage-wise the Oppo N1 will come in 16GB and 32GB varieties.
Oppo also seems to have made its handset ready to take on the mobile world circuit with GSM as well as WCDMA antennas that cover a wide range of cellular frequencies.
Cyanogen announced the CM-equipped handset will be available starting on December 24. There isn't any word of availability outside the US or how much it will cost, but a standard 16GB Oppo N1 model without the special software floats around the $599 (or £366/about AU$671) price range.
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Samsung may have four tablets, including Galaxy Note Pro, out by March
Samsung is said to have four new tablets in the works for the beginning of next year, and now we may know exactly what they are.
The Korean company will release the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1, Galaxy Note Pro 12.2, and Galaxy Tab 3 Lite before March next year, SamMobile has reported.
The site spoke to an "insider" who spilled the beans on the new Samsung slates.
That source even divulged some specific release details right down to the week.
Galaxy Quest
The Galaxy Tab 3 Lite will allegedly be the first to drop, arriving in the second week of 2014 with a 7-inch display and a "cream white" color.The site said it will cost around €100 (about $136/£83/AU$153). Previous reports also pegged it with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Following the Tab 3 Lite will be the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 and Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 around the middle of February. The Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 will reportedly arrive just a week after that.
The three Pro tablets are said to come in black or white. While the two Tab Pros will pack 16GB of storage, the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 will have twice that at 32GB.
The trio of Pro slates will supposedly come in Wi-Fi and LTE models, while the budget-priced Galaxy Tab 3 Lite will only have 3G support.
Other reports previously claimed the Note Pro comes with a resolution of 2560 x 1600, a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of memory, a 9,500mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat.
The Tab Pro tablets are more or less unknown to us, but there's a distinct possibility we'll learn more soon.
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