Wednesday, 21 July 2010

Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!

Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!

Apple trackpad with multitouch outed

Posted: 20 Jul 2010 03:15 AM PDT

Apple has a new trackpad in the works that could bring multitouch gestures to its desktop computers. The device, which looks like a bigger version of the MacBook pad has just been approved by the Federal Communications Commission.

Multitouch has been Apple’s great gift to the world since the launch of the iPhone, but other than a few cursory gestures with the Magic Mouse it has never made it to Apple’s desktop systems.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has just approved a new trackpad from Apple that looks like it will soon have Mac Pro and iMac users pinch-zooming along with their MacBook and iPad owning colleagues. FCC device number A1339 will connect to the desktop via Bluetooth and there are hints in the FCC filing that it may support handwriting recognition as well as more common multitouch gestures.

The pad doesn’t have an official name yet, but Apple has previously trademarked the names “Magic Pad”, “Magic Slate” and “Magic Trackpad” so we are going to guess it will definitely feature the word “Magic” somewhere on the packaging.

In typical Apple style the product hasn’t even been hinted at until the FCC filing so there is obviously no release date as yet. Still, Apple don’t usually wait long from getting FCC approval until going into production, so watch this space for further news.

TBC | £tbc | Apple (via TechCrunch)

iBooks update adds audio, video and zoomable pictures

Posted: 20 Jul 2010 03:02 AM PDT

An new iBooks update has kicked Apple's ebook reader for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch up to version 1.11 adding a fistful of fixes and features to go along with the newly arrived iTunes 9.2.1 update. So if you've been stocking your virtual library, what does the iBooks update add to the shelves?

The big addition with the latest iBooks update is support for audio and video in ebooks. It follows a recent Amazon Kindle app update which added the same features to the iBooks rival.

The iBooks update also now makes images within iBooks zoomable. Double tap and you'll see them full screen while using pinch-to-zoom will allow you to get into even more detail.

While iBooks could already include PDFs in your library, the update adds improved controls to speed up reading performance. It also introduces English dictionary look-up for words in iBooks without a specified language.

Apple also promises that the iBooks update improves overall stability and performance and puts an end to a bug that was causing some downloads to fail.

The iBooks update is available now for free from iTunes. If you've already grabbed it, let us know what you think. Have you spotted any interesting new features or flaws?

Out now | £free | iTunes


Free apps: Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search

Posted: 20 Jul 2010 02:40 AM PDT

dragon appIf you're looking to give your iPhone an executive flourish, and enforce your garbled ideas for blockbuster novels on the entire train carriage, then boy, have we got the app for you. In the coming weeks Nuance are releasing two voice based iPhone apps in the UK: Dragon dictation and Dragon search. The apps will be free to download and so far has had 3.5 million downloads in the US.

Both iPhone apps have been available in the US apps store since December last year and are waiting for Apple approval for the UK app store. The iPhone apps will be free to download and so far have racked up 3.5 million downloads in the US. We've got our hands on a promotional version of the app to test.

To test the Dragon dictation iPhone app I’ve written this post with the dictation app. And then heavily edited it. The Dragon Search iPhone app performs voice directed searches on Twitter, Wikipedia, Google, Facebook and Yahoo. But back to the Dragon Dictation app. Generally it deals with a Northern accent alright, so long as I speak slowly and clearly, and it’s not great if you're looking to record in noisy places, or if you want to record long strings of audio.

Once you've recorded your text you can send it via e-mail, as a text message, or to a social network through your iPhone. It does recognise grammar, but often has problems. Twice in this previous sentence it did not recognise a full stop instruction. Although this is easy to add with the iPhone keyboard, (integrated into the app) it can be tiresome with long strings of text. The biggest let down is the inability to do any training with the app, which will be crucial for those with strong accents – it even slips up with my reasonably mild northern accent.

The biggest problem is the editing abilities. The keyboard is useful and grammar is easy to add manually, but only one word can be deleted at a time so if Dragon Dictation gets a string of text wrong, you have to delete each word separately.

Here's that paragraph again, as heard by the Dragon Dictation app:

"The biggest problem with the editing abilities became what is useful and grammar is easy to run manually only one web can be very tough time to Dragon dictation gets a string of text and you have to delete each word separately."

It can be frustrating, but has moments of brilliance, when it takes down long sentences with no trouble. After today's experience we won't be chucking away our keyboards and dictating our stories though, but that's mostly down to an aversion to dictating into an iPhone while out and about. People will notice. People will stare. It's useful, and given the lack of training it needs, it does an alright job. What it does do is pave the way for some really flash, efficient dictation software…

Watch this space.

Would you use a dictation app to write emails, status updates or texts? Why?


iTunes 9.2.1 update: does it fix your iPod classic syncing?

Posted: 20 Jul 2010 02:01 AM PDT

Over night, iTunes 9.2.1 slipped out, updating Apple's jukebox software with a slew of bug fixes, changes and tweaks. We've rounded up the most prominent of them below but the big question is: does the iTunes 9.2.1 update fix those ongoing iPod classic syncing problems? If you've been frustrated in the past, has Apple now ended your woe?

Reports of iTunes 9.2 problems centered around syncing issues with the iPod classic. It's an issue that's been plaguing owners since iTunes 9 arrived before Christmas. With a raft of fixes including the promise that it "addresses a performance issue when first syncing to some devices with iTunes 9.2", does iTunes 9.2.1 finally end iPod classic owners' frustration? Tell us in the comments.

Besides the potential of an iPod classic fix, iTunes 9.2.1 adds the ability to organise apps into folders in iOS 4 directly from iTunes and makes it easier to sort and sync PDF documents as books to iBooks. It'll kill off incompatible third-party plug-ins, get rid of some errors with dragging and dropping items within iTunes and apparently smooth out some speed issues.

We've become used to iTunes updates introducing new issues while they fix old ones. If you've already grabbed the iTunes 9.2.1 update, let us know what you make of it below.

Out now | £free | Apple


Techie Breakie: White glass, iPod FaceTime, Shaky batteries

Posted: 20 Jul 2010 01:30 AM PDT

Up and at ‘em, its time for your Techie Breakie! We have just pulled a fresh batch of fact from the oven and slathered it in the butter of opinion to make some delicious news. Before this metaphor gets any more tortured, lets tuck in.


We heard an interesting theory about why the White iPhone 4 has taken so long to be released (its all about the opacity of the coating, don’t you know) and our ears pricked up at further rumours suggesting the next iPod Touch will have a front mounted camera for FaceTime chats.

T-Mobile popped up details of a new phone for their portfolio. Nokia’s latest and possibly last flagship N-series phone, the Nokia N8 will be available on contract there from October.

An accidentally posted support page suggests that Panasonic is set to release a top-notch new compact camera. The DMC-LX5K will feature a Leica DC Vario-Summicron lens and both optical and digital viewfinders.

Our daily dose of What The..? came in the form of vibration-powered batteries. Just give them a shake and they self-charge. We are no scientists, but if we can get these in a Wiimote, we reckon we could make some kind of perpetual motion machine.

With Festival season already underway, we’ve been looking at how a BlackBerry Pearl 3G can be the ultimate music fest companion. Find out how to spread festival gossip faster than a speeding crusty and take a look at the protective cases that will keep our BlackBerry Pearl 3G safe from all the mud and spilled cider.

Want more? Keep refreshing our Homepage for the latest news.

BlackBerry Pearl 3G, Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro, LG Optimus hit Vodafone UK

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 11:05 PM PDT

There’s a smartphone avalanche at Vodafone UK today with the Blackberry Pearl 3G, LG Optimus and Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro all arriving on the network. But which should you go for and what deals can you get? Hop through for a specs showdown and the tastiest tariffs on offer…

The Blackberry Pearl 3G with its classic phone keypad, GPS, 3.2MP camera is up for grabs for free on a £25, 24 month contract with 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB data. On an 18-month contract, you'll need to slap down £30 a month for the same deal.

Snap up the BlackBerry Pearl 3G online and Vodafone will throw in a selection of skins for your new pocket email machine. Check out our Blackberry Peal 3G review for a comprehensive rundown of its strengths and weaknesses.

See our BlackBerry Pearl 3G hints, tips and tutorials!

First up in Vodafone UK's latest pair of Android handsets, the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro adds a full QWERTY keyboard to the Sony Xperia X10 Mini’s a petite 2.55in screen.

Our Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro review found you can rack up impressive speeds on the keyboard and that the tiny phone performs equally swiftly. If you're tempted to snap it up, Vodafone UK is offering it for free on a £20, 24 month price plan with 100 minutes, 500 texts and 500MB of data.

Finally, the LG Optimus, an affordable Android blower with a 3in touchscreen, 3.2MP camera, GPS, Wi-Fi and an FM Radio concludes the pack. It'll also be available free on a £20, 24 month contract with the same package of 100 minutes, 500 texts and 500MB of data.

Let us know: are you planning to pick up the Blackberry Pearl 3G, LG Optimus or Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro? Which one takes your fancy and why?

Out now | £varies | Vodafone


New iPod touch FaceTime calling: more clues spotted

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 08:03 AM PDT

Details of how the new iPod Touch might make FaceTime calls work spilled out last week. Now some deep diving into iOS 4.1 beta code has revealed more details on how the new iPod touch could handle video calls, including support for multiple email addresses and the ability to create your own caller ID.  Do these references in the code really reveal more about the new iPod touch and the future of FaceTime?

9to5Mac went rifling through the iOS 4.1 beta and found code detailing the ability to associate multiple email addresses to your Apple ID. That would mean although the Apple ID would be the main way of contacting you for iPod touch FaceTime calls, folk could find you using your alternative email addresses.

The investigation also seems to show that you'll be able to create your own customised called ID in the new iPod touch FaceTime settings. It also appears to show that you'll be able to create an Apple ID straight from the iPod touch settings if you haven't already created one.

So far, the code rifling hasn't thrown up any clues to indicate that the new model will include a microphone along with an iPod touch camera. We're hoping it will so you don't need to plug in your headphones to make FaceTime calls. However, Apple might shy away from that to avoid new iPod touch sales cannibalising interest in iPhone 4.

Let us know: are you desperately hoping Apple adds FaceTime to the new iPod touch? What other features should it include in the next generation?

Out TBC | £TBC | Apple (via 9to5Mac)

Skies of Glory pits Android Vs iPhone

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 07:45 AM PDT

Skies of Glory is a new mobile game that will give Android and iPhone owners the chance to take their bickering away from internet forums to where they belong – bullet-ridden skies full of dogfighting aircraft.

We like Android and we also like the iPhone, but which one is best? There are actually several ways to find out involving group tests and user feedback – but now there is another way! A way that involve acrobatics and shooting off the engines of your opponent!

SGN’s Skies of Glory is a 3D mobile game that combines an arcade-style flight-sim with multiplayer deathmatch and co-op.The game is set circa WWII and lets player fly co-operative missions or dogfight to the death in the skies above Europe and the South Pacific.

Both Android and iPhone gamers can join in, using the same multitouch control methods and challenging each other on the same servers provided by SGN.

There is one crucial difference between the two versions however – price. Skies of Glory is a free download on the iPhone App Store. The same game is available on the Android Market, but it will set you back $4.99 (£3.25). Why this should be is anyone’s guess – perhaps difficulty in hiring an Android coder, or maybe just some kind of twisted social experiment. Either way, Android fans will have one more reason to wipe the smug grin from their iOS opponent’s face.

Out Now | £free (iPhone) £3.25 (Android) | SGN

Panasonic compact: DMC-LX5K leaked, announcement imminent

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 07:40 AM PDT

panasonic LX5KPanasonic look set to release another top notch compact into the wild, as they accidentally set a support page live for an upcoming, (as yet unannounced) high end digital compact camera, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5K.


The Panasonic LX5K is expected to be announced later this week. It's packed with the usual Panasonic features, with adjustable aperture, program, and shutter settings, plus the standard bunch of scenery settings for beaches and the like.

The trusty Leica lens is now upgraded from the LX3, to a slightly better 3.8x Leica DC Vario-Summicron lens, which has an additional digital zoom of 4x. The lens gives a 35mm equivalent of 24-90mm. It's still the zoom of a compact, and being as it is, between the LX3 and the super-zoom-packing TZ range not so far apart, this might be difficult to price.

A big plus will be the option to switch between an optical or electronic viewfinder, something missing on the majority of compact and bridge cameras. The Panasonic LX5K battery is meant to last for 400 shots, but we'll be putting that through its paces when we get our hands on one.

The Panasonic LX5K looks to be another neat, high performance compact, but how crucial is the price?

Brother testing vibration-powered batteries

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 06:45 AM PDT

The humble AA battery may seem like a bit of a technological dead-end, but Brother Industries is throwing development resources into a new type of battery that could give hundreds of older devices a new lease of life – self charging batteries.

Battery powered vibrations are one thing, but what about vibration powered batteries? Brother is experimenting with tiny piezoelectric generators – like the ones found in self winding watches – that can be housed within standard sized battery cases. The generators turn movement into energy so to charge the battery you can just give it a good shake, or let natural movement in your pocket fill it gradually over time.

Two different models are being tested – one is as we have described above, with the generator feeding a capacitor to store the energy for when it is needed. The other houses the charger in a separate battery case and is used to charge full-capacity batteries that sit next to it in a device.

You can’t buy these in the shops yet, but the company is bring a small supply along to the Techo-Frontier expo in Tokyo this week. Fingers crossed it won’t be long before we can throw out our wall charger and just start shaking our remote control instead.

TBC | £tbc | Brother (via PhysOrg)


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