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Natal is not just about gaming, says Microsoft boss
iPhone iTravel patent spied: Apple wants to plan your holiday
3D TV: first UK sets on sale at John Lewis now
Google: UK government makes most information requests in Europe
Halo: Reach Limited Edition and Halo: Reach Legendary Edition photos revealed
Sky Leaders Debate: five free ways to watch it
Lunchtime Lowdown: 3D gaming news galore, Dell mobile leaks and Apple’s eyes on ARM?
Doctor Who: The Adventure Games episode one revealed – City of the Daleks
Apple to buy chip maker ARM?
Dell Looking Glass: iPad rival unveiled

Natal is not just about gaming, says Microsoft boss

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 08:30 AM PDT

Natal is about more than gaming, according to the Microsoft boss in charge of the motion-sensing wonder. While we're starting to get excited about Natal games like River Rush, he's looking to a wider future where Natal watches you grimace at sports games and shout at Question Time…

Xbox 360 general manager, Marc Whitten, tells Fast Company magazine that thinking about Natal as just a games controller is short-sighted. He says Microsoft has bigger plans for its motion sensing tech.

He says: "Natal isn't just about gaming. It's about all living room experiences. Imagine a sporting event. Natal could know which team you're for because it sees your jersey or know you thought a bad call was made when you yell 'boo'. It learns about you and gets smarter to create a more tailored entertainment experience."

After seeing the recent Natal video we know it's likely to be clever enough to do the things Whitten promises but we can't help but ask: is he a bit polite? We definitely don't just yell "boo" when we disagree with the ref. Will Natal recognise swearing?

As well as cheerleading the slightly chilling prospect of Natal watching our every living room activity, Whitten also manages to deliver a subtle dig against the Playstation Move and Wii.

Aghast at all the controllers we already own, he declares: "If you counted the number of buttons in your living room, it would send a chill down your spine. A lot of people can play games amazing well but others feel locked out if games involve a bunch of triggers and buttons."

By way of balance, we shall point you to this Playstation Move video which picks on Natal just as much.

Out Winter 2010 | £TBC | Microsoft (via Fast Company)

iPhone iTravel patent spied: Apple wants to plan your holiday

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 07:45 AM PDT

Your iPhone could become an RFID-enabled holiday organiser if Apple follows through on a newly revealed patent. The iTravel app would do for the airport check-in desk what the iTicket app which emerged earlier this week could do for concert tickets but also allow you to book and manage trips all from your iPhone. Is Apple really going to use iTravel to take on travel?

The iPhone iTravel patent shows the app allowing you to search for and book flights and other forms of travel directly from your iPhone. It would then let you share that information with your iPhone contacts – perhaps pointing again to the idea of an iGroups social network– and received travel updates via SMS or push messages.

We've seen clues that Apple is planning to make an iPhone with RFID built-in plenty of times in recent months and the iTravel app would again make use of that tech. The iPhone iTravel patent paints a picture of a future trip where your flight info and boarding passes would be stored on the phone and scannable using QR codes on the screen or via the RFID chip.

Apple's iPhone iTravel patent even goes as far as seeing the iPhone in use for swiping in at automated check-in and baggage drops. It's a pretty exciting idea but we don't see it turning up in iPhone 4.0, though RFID might well make its debut this time.

Due TBC | £TBC | Apple (via Patently Apple)

3D TV: first UK sets on sale at John Lewis now

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 07:30 AM PDT

3D TV models have gone on sale today in select branches of John Lewis with the same Samsung 3D TV due to arrive at Comet and Currys next week. While there’s already a Sony 3D TV up for pre-order, you can take home the Samsung 3D TV today. Read on to discover how much nabbing the first available UK 3D TV will cost and what you'll get for your cash…

John Lewis has announced that the Samsung UE40C7000 40in 3D TV with Freeview HD built-in is available to buy online and from selected stores including its flagship Oxford Street branch right now.

Currently, John Lewis is offering the Samsung UE40C7000 3D TV on its own for £1799 or bundled with the Samsung BD-C6900 3D Blu-Ray player and a pair of active shutter glasses for £2138. The Samsung BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray player on its own with set up back £349.

If you opt to just buy the 3D TV to go with your 3D ready Sky+ HD box and PS3, you'll need to pay another £149 for two pairs of active shutter 3D glasses. ??Even if you go for the bundle including the 3DTV and 3D Blu-ray player, you'll need to shell out another £298 to kit out a family of four and have a spare pair of the active shutter glasses.

The active shutter glasses come bundled with a Blu-ray copy of Monsters vs Aliens 3D to allow you to test out the 3D effect while you wait for the Sky HD 3D channel to launch in June. If you’re planning on grabbing the Samsung 3DTV, take a look at our Samsung 3D TV guide for everything you need to know.

Let us know if you’re planning to become a 3D TV UK early adopter or even if you’ve already bought yours.

Out now | from £1799 | John Lewis

Google: UK government makes most information requests in Europe

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 06:30 AM PDT

Google received more requests for data from the UK government than any other in Europe. UK agencies made 1166 requests between July and December 2009 according to a new Google Government Requests Tool. The launch of the tool comes just after international privacy commissioners sent an open letter to Google boss Eric Schmidt and EU concerns around Google Streetview.

David Drummond, chief legal officer at Google, announced the new Google Government Requests Tool on the official Google Blog pointedly stating that government censorship of internet and websites blocking and filtering is growing along with court orders to grab information.

The Google Government Requests Tool shows requests for user data or content removal that Google receives from government agencies across the world. Appropriately it shows them overlaid onto Google Maps but the tool will only be updated every six months. Brazil tops the chart but requests from China are likely to have been far higher but it won't allow them to be publicised.

In Europe, the UK topped the list of data requests with 59 removal requests. Google reveals that it complied with just over 76% of those removal requests with Youtube clips the most canned content (49 were removed).

Drummond cites Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in his post which states that "everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression". He goes on to say that "the majority of requests are valid and the information is needed for legitimate criminal investigations".

Google says it believes making the number of requests it receives publicly available will lead to less censorship. But you could also see it as a very clear strike back by Google against increasing government scrutiny. What do you think?

Out now | £free | Google

Halo: Reach Limited Edition and Halo: Reach Legendary Edition photos revealed

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 05:30 AM PDT

Halo: Reach will come in three different versions. Bungie has revealed images of the Limited and Legendary editions which will join the standard version on the shelves when Halo: Reach arrives in September. Take a look at the Halo: Reach special edition photos above and read on for details.

The Halo: Reach Limited Edition will include the journal of Dr Halsey (a civilian scientist who appears in Halo: Reach tie-in books and the Halo Legend videos), a United Nations Space Command patch and other artifacts along with additional in game armour.

The Halo: Reach Legendary Edition will include everything from the Limited Edition but add in a sculpture of Halo Reach's protagonist Noble 6 and the rest of the marines team from the game.

US pricing is rumoured to have Halo: Reach prices stretching from $60 (£38) for just the game to $80 (£51) for the Halo: Reach Limited Edition and a pocket pounding $150 (£97) for the Halo: Reach Legendary Edition.

There's no news yet on UK pricing for Halo: Reach but it's likely to be in line with the rumoured US figures. Will you put down some extra cash for the Halo: Reach Legendary Edition?

Make sure you take a look at the latest Halo: Reach multiplayer video and don't forget that the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta opens next month. There’s also that mysterious other Halo project to ponder.

Due September 2010 | £TBC | Halo: Reach

Sky Leaders Debate: five free ways to watch it

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 05:00 AM PDT

The Sky Leaders Debate is being hosted by the pay TV titan but you don't need to put down any money to watch tonight's political punch-up. Though Sky subscribers will get the dubious pleasure of seeing the three leaders in HD, the debate is actually being screened in lots of other places. Here's five free ways to watch the Sky Leaders Debate and see Cameron, Clegg and Brown battle it out again…

1 Switch on Freeview
While Sky is providing the studio and set for tonight's Leaders Debate (which looks significantly better than ITV's Krypton Factor style effort), the live feed will be carried on several channels. If you've got Freeview, you'll be able to choose between Sky News, the BBC News Channel and BBC Parliament. Those channels are also included in the standard Virgin Media and Talk Talk TV packages.

2 Download the iPhone app
The free Sky News iPhone app gives you free live streaming via WiFi or 3G, so if you're away from your living room you can still peer at the politicians. iPhone TV Catchup will do the same thing for both Sky News and the BBC News Channel. If you can't watch the debate, you could also grab the LBC 97.3 app which will give you the live debate audio, again over WiFi or 3G.

3 Head online
Sky News also streams for free online. If you prefer the BBC, you can watch the BBC News Channel live through iPlayer. Both channels are also available for free through TV Catchup. The Daily Telegraph website will also be streaming the Leaders Debate. If you don't fancy actually looking at their faces, you can also listen to the debate live on Radio 4 via iPlayer or via the LBC website.

4 Watch on your Xbox 360
If you're an Xbox Live Gold account holder you can access Sky News for free from your Xbox 360 without needing to stump up any cash for Sky Player. You'll just need to tear yourself away from Splinter Cell: Conviction for the duration of the Sky Leaders Debate.

5 Catch up later
If you're busy when the Sky Leaders Debate is on, you can catch up with it later. The BBC will be broadcasting the entire debate as live after Newsnight. If you don't want to have to stay up into the wee hours (BBC 2's replay will start at 11.20pm), you'll be able to catch-up with the Leaders Debate via iPlayer and the Sky News website.

The Sky Leaders Debate starts at 8.00pm tonight. Will you be watching it?

Lunchtime Lowdown: 3D gaming news galore, Dell mobile leaks and Apple’s eyes on ARM?

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 04:30 AM PDT

The buzz over the new iPhone is finally beginning to die down, but there’s plenty more gadget news going down right now. Read on to find out just what in our lunchtime lowdown round up.

First up, some tasty gaming news for you. On the 3D front, the PS3 3D firmware update that allows for stereoscopic gaming began rolling out across the UK, while the Nintendo 3DS is rumoured to be launching as soon as October. Back in plain old 2D meanwhile, the first episode of the new Dr Who game has been revealed.

In mobile meanwhile, Dell’s first Windows Phone 7 handset leaked out, and it’s looking seriously impressive, while it’s also revealed to be planning a second, larger Android tablet. Speaking of Android, we’ve got the full guide to Google’s mobile OS over at our Android Invades hub, with in depth features on everything from the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 to the HTC Tattoo.

Finally, in computing, Apple is rumoured to be eying chip giant ARM, while we took a look at how you can stream your laptop screen to an HDTV using Q-waves‘ wireless USB streaming gear. Find out more about Q-waves.

Still want more news? Hop, click and jump over to the homepage and help yourself, right now!

Check out our Android Invasion, starting with our first robot romance video below!

Doctor Who: The Adventure Games episode one revealed – City of the Daleks

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 04:00 AM PDT

Doctor Who: The Adventure Games will launch on June 5 with City Of The Daleks, which will begin in the ruins of '60s London and see the Doctor and new sidekick Amy Pond taking on the new multi-coloured Daleks. Can we play Doctor Who: The Adventure Games and hide behind the sofa?

The first of four new Doctor Who game episodes for PC and Mac, City Of The Daleks will arrive as a free download in June. As we saw in the first Doctor Who: The Adventure Games images, London is totally destroyed by the new Daleks who appeared in last Saturday's Doctor Who episode, Victory Of The Daleks.

We're promised that City Of The Daleks will then take players to Skaro, the Daleks' home planet. The first Doctor Who: The Adventure Games episode is written by Phil Ford who helped pen the Doctor Who kids spin off, Sarah Jane Adventures, and has been overseen by Doctor Who show boss Stephen Moffat.

Ford says: "These new Daleks don't like to be messed with, so players are about to enjoy a new interactive episode which is as heart-pulsing as anything you've seen before." That sounds good but we couldn't help but think the new multi-coloured Dalek design looked a little bit pony. We’re more frightened about the prospect of a virtual Jeremy Clarkson in a Top Gear game.

Give us your verdict on the new Daleks below and let us know if you're excited to get your hands on the sonic screwdriver in Doctor Who: The Adventure Games.

Out June 5 | £free | BBC

Apple to buy chip maker ARM?

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 03:30 AM PDT

Apple announced huge earnings and a massive pot of cash earlier this week. Now rumours are racing round the City that Apple is planning to spend some of its cash on ARM Holdings, the firm behind most of the world's mobile processors including the chips inside the iPhone and iPod Touch.

A report in the Evening Standard, points only to City gossip but ARM Holding share prices have shot up since the whispers began.

ARM doesn't make chips itself but licenses its technology to firms including Nokia, Sony, Samsung and HTC. Its architecture is also reportedly used in the Apple A4 chip which is nestled within the iPad.

We reported earlier this week that Apple could be planning to use the A4 chip in the iPhone 4G and nabbing ARM would add extra weight to that plan.

Apple acquired its own chipmaker, PA Semi, in 2008 and that led to the iPad A4 chip. However, members of the PA Semi team have since left to form their own company, Agnilux. That's since been snapped up by…Google.

Acquiring ARM could be another step in the Apple's war on Google but it would also make things tricky for lots of other rivals who currently licence ARM technology. The Nintendo DS, Sony PSP and Sony PS3 all license elements from ARM.

If Apple does try to acquire ARM, it’s likely to be challenged on competition grounds. It's also worth pointing out that Apple was part of the joint venture that formed ARM in the first place. It sold millions of ARM shares in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Due TBC | £TBC | Apple (via Evening Standard)

Dell Looking Glass: iPad rival unveiled

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 03:00 AM PDT

There's Dell leaks a plenty today. We saw the Dell Lightning Windows Phone 7 phone earlier, now here's another Dell tablet – the Dell Looking Glass. The latest iPad rival from Dell is a larger version of the Dell Streak we spied a while back. So, will the Dell Looking Glass leave us in Wonderland like Alice or just wondering what to do with it?

The 5in Dell Streak (aka the Dell Mini 5) hasn't been officially announced or priced yet but the latest leak says we'll be getting the 7in Dell Looking Glass in November.

The Dell Looking Glass is another Android tablet. It runs Android 2.1 at the moment but hopefully will get an update before it hits the shelves as we should be getting Android 2.2 in May.

There's a speedy Tegra 2 processor lurking in the Dell Looking Glass but rather disappointingly, the 7in display has the same 800 x 400 resolution as the 5in Dell Streak.

The leaked Dell slides promise built-in 3G for the Dell Looking Glass as well as the option of a digital TV tuner. There's an accelerometer, A-GPS and a compass, all features that potentially make it a compelling iPad rival.

The Dell Looking Glass will apparently ship with 4GB of RAM, 4GB of flash storage and an SDHC slot to add another 32GB. There's also a 1.3MP camera for video calls.

What do you think of the latest of this year’s promised avalanche of Android tablets?

Due November | £TBC | Dell (via Engadget)