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O2 3G laptops launched: Asus UL30A and Samsung N150
JooJoo tablet UK hands on: photos
Call of Duty 7 trailer due tomorrow
Steve Jobs Flash attack: open letter slams Adobe
Best Buy opens first UK store tomorrow: grab opening-day bargains!
Vodafone 360 app contest wipes out student debt
Polaroid 300 instant camera released
Sky Anytime+ VOD service incoming
Lunchtime Lowdown: HP buys Palm, Nokia X2 launches and Microsoft talks up Natal
Final leaders debate: five ways to watch it tonight

O2 3G laptops launched: Asus UL30A and Samsung N150

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 09:00 AM PDT

O2 has launched two 3G laptops to let you ditch the dongle. The Asus UL30A and Samsung N150 are both available exclusive to O2 and will give you 3G internet on the go and access to WiFi via The Cloud and BT Openzone. But what sort of deal will you get if you stump up for one of these O2 3G laptop packages?

The smaller of the two O2 3G laptops, the 10.1in Samsung N150 is pitched as a netbook for beginners or a second laptop for travellers. With Windows 7 Starter, an Intel Atom processor, 1GB of memory and a 250GB hard drive, it should ably fulfil that role but 6 hours of battery life doesn't compare well to the grandstanding 10 hour battery life of the iPad.

The Asus UL30A is probably a better option for business folk who want a 3G laptop with a bit of extra power. It's packing Windows 7 Premium and has a more powerful Intel ULV Core 2 Duo processor, 3GB of memory and a more capacious 320GB hard drive. There's also a less eye-straining 13.3in HD screen.

The Samsung N150 hits O2 stores tomorrow with on a 24 month contract at £25 a month. That'll get you 3GB worth of data, 500MB of WiFi via The Cloud (the winner of our WiFi hotspot test) or BT Open Zone and 300 text messages. You'll also need to pay £29.99 for the Samsung N150.

The Asus UL30A is arriving in MAy and will set you back £30 a month on a 24 month tariff including 3GB of data, 750MB of free WiFi and 300 texts. The one-off payment for the Asus is a slightly more pocket punishing £79.99. Are you tempted by either of this pair of O2 3G laptops or are you saving your pennies for the 3G iPad?

Out tomorrow | from £29.99 | O2

JooJoo tablet UK hands on: photos

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 08:43 AM PDT

The JooJoo tablet iPad rival is now on sale here in the UK, so naturally, we took a tootle to meet the makers at Fusion Garage and have a play with the slate itself. Can it match Apple’s effort? Is Flash support a substitute for a battery life that’s half as long? Read on for our first impressions, and all the JooJoo photos you can handle.

We’ve been watching the JooJoo since Fusion Garage’s fallout with TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington, but playing with it for the first time on British shores, we’re still struck by its similarity to the iPad at a glance. Though it’s been in development since February 2008, the JooJoo’s black bezel and metallic-coloured backing will have people thinking you’re a Cupertino fan when you pull it out in the coffee shop.

Hold the JooJoo tablet though and you’ll notice the difference. The 12.1-inch capacitive touchscreen is wider, and at 0.7-inches, is noticeably thicker than the iPad. That’s not so much of an issue as the weight: it feels very heavy to hold, which is a pity considering battery life is only around five hours with active web usage, about half of what Apple’s tablet can muster.

That said, we came away from our hands on session with the JooJoo mildly impressed still. The browser based OS is a completely refreshing approach when we’re so used to squinting at Windows XP or 7 on screens this size, and the tab based system of windows worked perfectly, with a quick swipe upwards to close one, webOS style.

JooJoo tablet: 10 things you need to know

Typing on the JooJoo was also surprisingly easy, and you’ve got two options, a small pad for typing while holding the JooJoo with one hand, or a larger one for two hand, two finger typing, at which you can pick up quite a pace.

The JooJoo’s real selling point over the iPad though is Flash support. You can play any Flash video or game embedded in a site (We had a quick go on Farmville), while the actual YouTube site itself gets extra special treatment, with hardware acceleration for full screen HD video, and the Iron Man 2 trailer we watched worked perfectly this way.

Fusion Garage founder and CEO Chandrasekar Rathakrishnan told us that hardware acceleration for all HD Flash video would arrive in a month with a new firmware upgrade, as well as support for locally stored video playback via USB (He listed DivX, H.264, and AVI container support to us, but there could be more).

We’re still on the fence when it comes to the JooJoo, as while it’s fast, we did see the odd tab crash, and it might prove to be a bit too bulky. But we’ll be bringing you a full JooJoo review soon for the full verdict, so stay tuned and check out the hands on photos in the meantime.

The JooJoo tablet is on sale now, priced up at 319 English pounds, with first deliveries set to ship on 12 May.

Out 12 May | TBC | Fusion Garage

Call of Duty 7 trailer due tomorrow

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 08:30 AM PDT

Call of Duty 7 will make its first public appearance on Friday with a teaser trailer that we're promised will put all the rumours to rest. While there are two Call of Duty titles currently in the works, we've got our fingers crossed that it'll be Call of Duty: Vietnam being choppered in to view…

While Modern Warfare 3 may be delayed by legal wrangling, the main Call of Duty franchise marches onwards with the next instalment coming from Call of Duty: World At War developer Treyarch. Now we've been promised the first glimpse of Call of Duty 7 by GameTrailers TV.

The Call of Duty 7 trailer is due to be screened at 12.40am on Friday in the US which should mean we'll already be up and ready to take a peek when it hits Youtube.

We've long been primed to expect Call of Duty: Vietnam but recent rumours also pointed to a more wider ranging Call of Duty: Black Ops title covering various 20th century conflicts. Let us know: what do you want to see from Call of Duty 7?

Due Saturday | £free | Activision (via Joystiq)

Steve Jobs Flash attack: open letter slams Adobe

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 07:30 AM PDT

Steve Jobs has posted a long open letter detailing just why he hates Flash. It lists six reasons why the iPhone and the iPad won't get Flash and essentially says Adobe and Apple used to be friends but they're not any more. Read on for details of the definitive Steve Jobs Flash smackdown…

Steve Jobs says Flash isn't open. While Apple has plenty of proprietary products including the iPhone OS, he says web standards shouldn't be closed: "While Adobe's Flash products are widely available it does not mean they are open…Apple has adopted HTML 5, CSS and Javascript – all open standards."

Steve Jobs takes ont he claim that without Adobe, the iPhone and iPad can't access the full web. He attacks the stat that 75% of web video is Flash: "What they don't say is that almost all this video is also available in a more modern format, H.264, and viewable on iPhones, iPods and iPads." He then not surprisingly praises the iPad's Youtube app and lists all the sites turning to HTML 5.

Then Steve Jobs goes on to attack Flash for being unreliable, insecure and performing badly. He says: "Flash has not performed well on mobile devices. We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it." Perhaps Adobe can deliver that demonstration on a Google Android phone?

Next up on the Steve Jobs hates Flash chart is battery life. Then he dives in to Flash's history: "Flash was designed for PCs using mice, not touch screens using fingers…most Flash websites will need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices. If developers need to rewrite their Flash websites, why not use modern technologies like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript?"

The final killer punch from Steve Jobs is to point to the number of apps in the iTunes App Store and conclude: "Flash isn't necessary for tens of thousands of developers to create graphically rich applications, including games."

Steve Jobs has attacked Adobe and Flash before but never so publicly or at such length. Is he right to say that Flash is unnecessary or do you still want the option on your mobile? Google Chrome OS will have Flash built-in but is that enough to save Adobe?

Out now | £free | Apple

Best Buy opens first UK store tomorrow: grab opening-day bargains!

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 07:00 AM PDT

Best Buy flings opens the doors of its first UK store tomorrow so if you're after a gadget bargain you'd better set your alarm clock. The Best Buy store at West Thurrock Retail Park in Essex is going for an Apple-style early morning opening with a 7am start. But what savings will you make if you race down there at the crack of dawn?

The biggest bargain trailed by Best Buy is the promise of a Toshiba 32in LCD TV for a pocket pleasing £179.99. Meanwhile the price of a slim Samsung 32in LED TV has been slashed to £399.99 which Best Buy says equates to £300 off.

There's also a decent pair of gaming deals with an Xbox 360 Elite with wireless controller, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction for £50 off. You can make the same saving on a 250GB PS3 Slim with Ratchet And Clank Crank in Time and FIFA World Cup 2010

If you do decide to drive over to Essex for a tech bargain, Best Buy is also offering up a World Cup bet. If England lift the trophy, it will refund the cost of any TV over £499 bought before June 5. If that sounds appealing take a look at our guide to World Cup gadget gamble offers.

Out tomorrow | £varies | Best Buy

Vodafone 360 app contest wipes out student debt

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 06:30 AM PDT

Vodafone has announced the winner of its Appstar competition to develop a Vodafone 360 app. Mark Salvin, an 18-year-old Computer Science student at Southampton University has netted €25,000 for developing the Jogger Tracker app, enough cash to wipe out his student debts entirely…

The Jogger Tracker app uses GPS to calculate stats like calories burned and distance travelled during a run. Mark's now in the running (pun intended) to win €100,000 as one of 7 finalists from across Europe.

With the average UK student debt likely to be £23,000 by the time Mark graduates, his winnings are already enough to soak up the cost of his university life entirely. More realistically he could also use the cash on £2 pints from his student union bar, 10,858 of them to be exact.

You can vote for Mark's app or one of the other 7 apps in the final of the Vodafone Appstar contest online now . You won't get your student debt erased but you may get a warm feeling from doing something nice.

Out now | £free | Vodafone

Polaroid 300 instant camera released

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 06:00 AM PDT

Polaroid – or at least the current owners of the Polaroid name – has released its first new camera, the Polaroid 300. We saw a new Polaroid prototype at CES but the Polaroid 300 has been built for Polaroid by Fujifilm and seems to take a little of its styling and film size from a rather older camera…

The Polaroid 300 is apparently the first product of brainstorming sessions conducted by Polaroid creative director, Lady Gaga. Firebox are stocking the new Polaroid camera from May in black, blue and red.

While the Polaroid 300 carries the Polaroid name it looks more than a little like the older Fujifilm Instax Mini 7 camera. The Polaroid 300 also uses a smaller 2.1in x 3.4in film like the Fujifilm model but the 10 packs of film are branded Polaroid 300 film. Still, the familiar white border is there.

The Polaroid 300 will set you back £79.99 while a 10 pack of the Polaroid 300 instant film costs £12.99. Just under £3 per shot might seem quite a lot but shooting Polaroid snaps has never been a cheap hobby.

Let us know what you think of the Polaroid 300. Will you be grabbing one or are you after an original Polaroid and some packs of the Impossible Project instant film?

Due May | £79.99 | Firebox

Sky Anytime+ VOD service incoming

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 05:00 AM PDT

Sky Anytime+ will launch later this year and finally bring a true VOD service to Sky+ HD customers who've previously had to make do with Sky Anytime shovelling its choice of programmes onto their PVR over night. Looks like Virgin Media has suddenly got a serious on demand TV rival…

Sky Anytime+ VOD will make use of the unused ethernet port lurking at the back of your Sky+ HD box and allow you to choose and download shows to the hard drive when you want them. Sky has confirmed that all current Sky+ HD boxes are ready for the Sky Anytime+ on demand TV service.

Virgin Media already has a massive VOD TV service operating through its cable network. Up until now Sky has not been able to deliver true on demand TV to its satellite customers. With Sky Anytime+, it'll no longer have to take up space on the Sky+ HD box hard drive with shows that you might not actually want to watch.

Sky's also rapidly bringing its channels to other hardware with Sky Player integration included in set top boxes from firms like 3View and Humax and on Xbox 360.

Will Sky Anytime+ change the way you use your Sky+ HD box? And if you're not a Sky subscriber is the arrival of a real on demand TV service enough to lure you in?

Due TBC | £varies | Sky

Lunchtime Lowdown: HP buys Palm, Nokia X2 launches and Microsoft talks up Natal

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 04:30 AM PDT

Mealtime has rolled around, so stop what you’re doing, grab a plate and pull up a chair, as we’re about to serve up all the top stories of the morning for you. Get all the gadget gossip, right here in the lunchtime lowdown.

Lots of news is going down in mobiles right now. Nokia dished out the cheap and cheery Nokia X2 blower, while on the iPhone front, Apple’s snapped up the makers of a voice search app, suggesting it’s aiming to serve up voice web search as seen on Android. And speaking of Android, we’ve got the details on all the latest Google phones over at our Android Invades hub, as well a bunch of must see videos.

But Palm was the real story this morning, with the announcement that it was being bought by Hewlett Packard. That’s great news for the smartphone savvy, but bad news for Apple, Microsoft and co, as we reveal in our feature.

In gaming meanwhile, Microsoft’s been talking up the power of Natal. It’s not just a new way to play racing titles: it’s about controlling your whole entertainment set up. If you’re looking to make your TV smarter, you’d also do well to check out Q-waves‘ wireless screen streaming tech, detailed in our handy guides. Find out more about Q-waves.

Still want more news? You know where it is: over on the homepage, right now.

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

Final leaders debate: five ways to watch it tonight

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 04:00 AM PDT

The final leaders debate before the election is on BBC 1 tonight but you're not just stuck with the standard definition feed of the three fighting politicians. Here's our guide to five great ways to catch the BBC leaders debate whether you're lounging in your living room or out on the campaign trail…

1 See them in HD
Sky News HD doesn't launch until election day but tonight's BBC Leaders Debate will be broadcast on BBC HD as well as BBC 1, BBC Parliament and Sky News. Opt for BBC HD and you'll be transported to a hideously hi-definition world where the leaders' five o'clock shadows, stage makeup and odd grins will be rendered in frighteningly realistic detail.

2 Download the iPhone (or Android) app
If you're on the move, the free Sky News iPhone app will give you free live streaming of the BBC Leaders Debate via WiFi or 3G. If you’re using an Android phone, check out the free BeebPlayer app, and you’ll get live streams of BBC One via Wi-Fi or 3G.

If you don't want to download an app, surf to the iPhone TV Catchup site and you'll be able watch the debate on Sky News, BBC 1 or the BBC News Channel live. To listen to the debate while you're on the move, you can also grab the free LBC iPhone app which will give you the audio over Wi-Fi or 3G.

3 Head online
Just like last week's Sky Leaders Debate, the BBC Leaders Debate is being blasted out all over the web. Head to iPlayer and you can watch the coverage on BBC 1 live. The debate will also be streamed on the BBC News, Sky News and Sun websites among others. If you can't face looking at the leaders’ faces for another 90 minutes of bickering, the debate is also being broadcast on Radio 4 which you can listen to via iPlayer.

4 Watch on Xbox 360
While Sky isn't hosting the final Leaders Debate, it is showing it so if you're an Xbox Live Gold account holder, you can watch it free from your Xbox without needing to slap down some cash for Sky Player. We can't guarantee watching Clegg, Cameron and Brown slug it out will be as entertaining as Just Cause 2 or Slinter Cell: Conviction though.

5 Leave it until later
If you're too busy to plonk yourself in front of the TV or peer at your phone while the BBC Leaders Debate is going on, you can always catch up later. BBC Parliament is replaying the final Leaders Debate on Friday at 8pm and the May 2 at 17.45. You'll also be able to replay the debate via iPlayer for 30 days, so there's plenty of time to unpick all the promises and figures they're likely to fling out there tonight.

The BBC Leaders Debate starts at 8.30pm tonight. Will you be tuning in?

Made for Life

Friday, 30 April 2010

Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!

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