Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast! |
- Windows Phone 7 poses the biggest threat to Android
- Stat clash: HTC Desire HD vs Nokia N8
- Windows Phone 7 ad: behold the embarrassing urinal drop!
- Olympus PEN to kill off cheap DSLRs
- Medal of Honor review
- Medal of Honor review: Online multiplayer
- Medal of Honor review: Is including the Taliban tasteful?
- Samsung Wave II breaks!
- Enough! Stephen Fry is not a tech prophet
- Lunchtime Lowdown: Windows Phone 7, Palm Pre 2 rumours and the best Android apps this month
| Windows Phone 7 poses the biggest threat to Android Posted: 12 Oct 2010 07:58 AM PDT 
The Windows Phone 7 smartphones we’ve seen so far all remarkably similar, and there’s far fewer differentiating factors between devices made by different manufacturers, more so than between devices running other operating systems. This offers consumers reliability and consistency, which they might not find so easily with Android.  Android looks different from phone to phone, depending on the skin the manufacturer uses, and while these skins can enhance the device, as with HTC Sense, they can also bring it down a notch, as we found on the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. There’s also consistency in the hardware because Microsoft set requirements: all the phones have 5MP cameras at least, and a 1GHz processor. The real threat to Android is the fact that many of the device manufacturers with Windows Phone 7 launch devices make equivalent devices that run Android, the HTC Desire HD and the HTC HD7 being just two examples. If consumers start to see Windows Phone 7 as being more reliable, and they’re faced with two very similar devices, one running Windows Phone 7, the other running Android, what will they choose? However, on the other side of the fence, Android is more powerful, and has a stronger browser, a stronger app marketplace, and stronger brand recognition. Unless Microsoft gets behind its advertising 200%, there’ll be a gap between those who read tech sites like this one and know about Windows Phone 7, and those who don’t, and accordingly, don’t know much about Windows Phone 7. To close this gap, Windows Phone 7 needs some in-your-face advertising on every corner. But if it gets its advertising right, and the content comes through on the app marketplace, Windows Phone 7 could pose a reliable choice for consumers, much more so than Android, which has the most to lose from its fragmentation. RIM has its core of business users and in many ways is not threatened by Windows Phone 7, and Nokia slips more every year. Apple is years ahead, and Windows Phone 7 can’t hope to catch up, but is Android in its sights? What do you think? Is Android at the highest risk if Windows Phone 7 is a success?
Related posts:
|
| Stat clash: HTC Desire HD vs Nokia N8 Posted: 12 Oct 2010 07:04 AM PDT 
Camera Body Remote services Conclusion Related posts:
|
| Windows Phone 7 ad: behold the embarrassing urinal drop! Posted: 12 Oct 2010 06:25 AM PDT 
Microsoft's angle with the first Windows Phone 7 ad is to challenge our over reliance on our phones, the fact that lots of us walk around staring at the screen, with a sarcastic "Really?" Apparently, Windows Phone 7 is the phone that'll change that: "…a phone to save us from our phones." Hmm…we'll believe that when we see it. Might that just be down to a shocking lack of Windows Phone 7 Angry Birds? But out of all the moments that left us a little bemused watching this Windows Phone 7 ad (the man checking his phone on a rollercoaster is another one), the most bizarre is the scene set in a urinal where a man ends up dropping his phone right into the trough full of urine. Nothing says “this is a sophistication ad” like accidentally immersing a handset in pee. We’re not complaining about the lady in lingerie though. Watch the Windows Phone 7 ad for yourself and let us know what you make of it? Have you killed a phone by dropping it in the loo? Share your confessions in strictest confidence with us and the rest of the Internet in the comments box below. Out now | £varies | Windows Phone 7 Related posts:
|
| Olympus PEN to kill off cheap DSLRs Posted: 12 Oct 2010 06:02 AM PDT 
Fotopolis chatted to Toshiyuki Terada, Olympus's SLR Planning Department product manager, and he told them that Olympus believes the PEN system has killed off the entry-level DSLR. But the good news is that we can expect high-end PEN models soon. Roll on the Olympus PEN EP-3 Terada says: "We do not have concrete plans to replace the E-620 and other recent SLRs. The entry level SLR class can be completely replaced by the PEN system in terms of performance." On the future of the PEN system he says: "One of our goals is to offer it to the world of professionals or very advanced amateurs." The long-term future for Olympus DSLRs in general isn't rosy. Terada goes even further and predicts the decline of the entire product class: "In the future [there will no longer be Olympus DSLR cameras]. This is one of our goals but we do not know when this will happen. Until then we will support the SLR…the Olympus E-3 users are Olympus's foundations." Is Olympus right to kill off the entry-level DSLR? Are you happy to go for an Olympus PEN instead? It’ll mean more space in our best SLR list for other brands… Out TBC | £TBC | Olympus (via Photo Rumors) Related posts:
|
| Posted: 12 Oct 2010 06:01 AM PDT  EA's latest instalment in the long-running Medal of Honor series is notable for two things: firstly, it's a dramatic reboot of the franchise, moving the action from 1940s Europe to modern-day Afghanistan, and secondly, it's caused more controversy than a Lady Gaga outfit. Of course, the biggest question is how it compares to the seemingly unassailable Modern Warfare 2. Read on to find the answer in our full Medal of Honor review.
Read the rest of our Medal of Honor review now Long seen as the console FPS series of choice, EA's Medal of Honor franchise can chart its proud history way back into the days of the 32-bit PlayStation. However, it's always remained a resolutely WWII-related affair, pitting the Allies against the might of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Supporters of tradition should probably look away now, because this latest entry follows shamelessly in the footsteps of Activision's Call of Duty and brings the action bang up to date. This all-new episode in the Medal of Honor lineage is a radically extreme reboot, and mercilessly ditches the goose-stepping Hun for ruthless Middle Eastern insurgents. Taking in place during 2002, Medal of Honor's single-player campaign sees you assuming control of several different Allied soldiers, all involved in Operation Enduring Freedom. Fancy mission titles aside, what this basically means is you'll be going behind enemy lines to put bullets through the craniums of as many Taliban fighters as possible.  The Medal of Honor reboot has a new, modern setting EA has been quick to point out that Medal of Honor has been created with the assistance of top military experts, and this much is abundantly clear as soon as you begin playing. Dialogue between characters is surprisingly well-written and comes peppered with army jargon, and the combat situations that occur require you to think as a combined unit, flanking enemy positions while your allies lay down covering fire. Check out our Best Xbox games Top 5 This intense level of accuracy does have one minor drawback, however – compared to the high-octane (and, to be quite frank, implausible) set-pieces in Modern Warfare 2, Medal of Honor's confrontations are more realistic, but consequently a lot less exciting. Genuine military buffs will no doubt get a kick out of the immersive atmosphere and level of detail, but trigger-happy Modern Warfare junkies are likely to feel a little underwhelmed. It's not helped by the fact that graphically, Medal of Honor is a distant second to Activision's game. It's certainly not ugly, but it lacks the visual kick that Modern Warfare 2 supplied so comprehensively. Again, much of this is due to the pursuit of authenticity more than anything else – missions are confined to the dusty and drab locales of the Middle East, giving the developers little chance to indulge in the globe-trotting that made the two Modern Warfare titles so vibrant and eye-catching.  The eupehmistcally dubbed "Opposing force" However, it could be argued that Medal of Honor's solo campaign plays second fiddle to the multiplayer portion. Indeed, the two components have been coded by separate development teams, and the online element comes courtesy of highly-esteemed Battlefield developers DICE. Not surprisingly, a strange disconnect is apparent here – the modes share the same controls, but boast different HUDs, levels and graphics. Needless to say, the multiplayer is excellent, offering a solid structure which encourages you to improve your skills and rewards effort with enhanced equipments and rank. Ultimately, Medal of Honor combines a decent single-player mode with a superb online component, but we're not entirely sure this package is going to be enough to drag people away from the still popular Modern Warfare 2, or the newly-launched Halo Reach. The solo campaign isn't as enjoyable or innovative as either of those games – in fact, it brazenly borrows many elements (including the slow-motion door-busting mechanic, employed to empty a room of enemies) from Activision's illustrious best-seller. The online mode fares better, but many will argue that DICE's own Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is the better choice for social shooter fans. Although it doesn't dethrone Modern Warfare 2 as the king of FPS titles, Medal of Honor is a definite high-point for what had become a relatively underachieving franchise. Sequels will undoubtedly follow and we hope that with future instalments, EA can combine the solo and multiplayer modes in a more cohesive manner. In the meantime, this could serve as the ideal snack for Call of Duty fans to consume before the main course of Black Ops arrives in November. Read the rest of our Medal of Honor review now Related posts:
|
| Medal of Honor review: Online multiplayer Posted: 12 Oct 2010 06:00 AM PDT  Although Medal of Honor may have gained column inches for its Taliban/Talibanned controversy, what's really worth talking about is the game's excellent multiplayer mode, produced by Battlefield veterans DICE. However, the arena is notoriously competitive – especially with Halo Reach on sale and Call of Duty Black Ops on the horizon – so does Medal of Honor make the online grade? Read on to find out in this part of our Medal of Honor review.
Read the rest of our Medal of Honor review now You almost get the impression that Medal of Honor has been designed as a multiplayer game first, with the likeable (but rather underwhelming) solo campaign merely tacked on as an afterthought. This viewpoint is given some validity by the fact that the two sections have been coded independently by different teams. Danger Close took the single player duties while the famous DICE – responsible for the much-loved Battlefield series – was drafted in for online detail. However, before you dismiss the solo campaign out of hand, it's worth noting that Danger Close has included a rather nifty "Tier 1" option, which allows you to get competitive with your mates. Although Tier 1 is essentially a solitary experience – where you replay existing campaign missions with massively increased difficulty – it requires an net connection because your performance is recorded online and compared with other players. This section of Medal of Honor adopts a similar system to Sega's ambitious but commercially unsuccessful FPS blaster The Club – you're looking to finish each mission in the quickest time possible, with certain kills freezing the timer for a couple of seconds. The game therefore plays out like an intriguing hybrid of FPS and racing title, with you rushing around each stage in an effort to clean up the enemy and get to the end with a record-breaking time. As interesting as this mode is, Medal of Honor's real draw is the DICE-developed portion of the game. Produced using the company's own proprietary Frostbite game engine – which puts to the shame the visuals seen in the aforementioned single-player portion – it allows up to 24 players to compete simultaneously, participating in urban and desert warfare as either Coalition or Opposing Forces soldiers.  Urban maps can sometimes feel like shooting fish in a barrel. Except you're usually the fish. There are three classes to pick from in Medal of Honor's online mode – rifleman, special operations and sniper. Like DICE's previous titles, there's a progression system in place which lends a bit of purpose to the carnage. Kills earn you points, medals and ribbons, all of which go towards boosting your ranking in each class. It's only when you've levelled up that you're able to get your grubby mitts on some of the more advanced weaponry. For example, a rookie sniper isn't even equipped with a proper scope for their rifle to begin with – this has to be earned by increasing rank. Staying alive in Medal of Honor's online mode isn't easy, especially when you're on a crowded map. However, the rewards for keeping your pulse going are immense. Should you successfully kill several enemies without biting the bullet yourself, you activate a kill streak bonus. This allows you to call in artillery and air strikes, or boost your team's armour and resilience. Of course, the multiplayer mode is also the part of Medal of Honor which generated such a stir in the media recently. The term "Opposing Forces" is used as a replacement moniker for Taliban, and many sectors of the mainstream press were up in arms about the fact that the game effectively allows you to slay allied troops as an insurgent. EA bowed to pressure and repealed the decision just a few weeks before the game went into production, but aside from that alteration the rest of the online component remains untouched. Check out our Best Xbox games Top 5 In addition to this absurd name-changing, Medal of Honor's online mode is also hamstring slightly by EA's insistence on including its Online Pass functionality. Using the code found within the box, players can unlock additional features and weapons. The drawback is that once the code is used by one player, another needs to be purchased should the game find its way into someone else's hands – say, via the pre-owned section of your local video gaming emporium. It's a thinly-veiled attempt by EA to undermine the second hand market, but at least the firm stopped short of depriving pre-owned gamers the ability to go online at all. Like Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Medal of Honor's online features are impressive. The superb Frostbite game engine holds up brilliantly and the sense of development is tangible, encouraging you to fight through those disappointing initial skirmishes in order to boost your weapons and gain more experience. You can even customise your equipment load-up, applying scopes, red dot sights and other items. However, Medal of Honor is noticeably inferior to Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in several departments. Because it's just one section of a much larger overall game, it lacks many of the killer elements that made Bad Company 2 so compelling. Environments are only partially destructible, and some of the maps – such as the war-torn city of Kabul – are quite small, turning especially busy matches into chaotic death-traps where no player survives for more than a few seconds. Despite its shortcomings, Medal of Honor's online mode manages to comfortably overshadow the single-player experience, not only in graphical terms, but in satisfaction and playability. It's not as robust as Halo Reach and one could argue that Bad Company 2 owners already have a superior game on their shelf, but that shouldn't detract from the sterling job achieved by DICE. Read the rest of our Medal of Honor review now Related posts:
|
| Medal of Honor review: Is including the Taliban tasteful? Posted: 12 Oct 2010 06:00 AM PDT  Medal of Honor is the video game equivalent of kicking a rather large hornet's nest with a size 12 Doc Martens boot. The game has been making headlines well before it was even due on the shelves, with political and military leaders voicing concerns over EA's hunger to be as authentic as possible. But is all this fuss and hysteria really justified? Read on to find out if Medal of Honor really is going to turn our nation's youth into fanatical Middle Eastern combatants in this part of our Medal of Honor review.
Read the rest of our Medal of Honor review now You say Taliban, I say Opposing Forces, let's call the whole thing off. That really is the crux of the controversy surrounding Medal of Honor's release. Just a few short weeks ago, EA dropped the bombshell by confirming that in the multiplayer portion of the game, players would get to assume control of Taliban fighters, and therefore get the chance to fire virtual bullets at digital representations of Allied soldiers. This revelation regarding Medal of Honor's online mode was greeted with the usual level-headed response from the mainstream media. Clearly, pretending to be a bad guy is only OK if you're stepping into the leather jackboots of a Nazi storm trooper, because those guys never did anything wrong, did they? Alas, Medal of Honor's transition from the mud-filled battlefields of 1940s Europe to the dusty deserts of 2002 Afghanistan hasn't been at all easy, with the use of the word "Taliban" being the game's equivalent of Modern Warfare 2's infamous civilian-slaying airport stage. In the end, EA relented before publishing Medal of Honor, and now in multiplayer mode, enemy troops are simply referred to as OPFOR – short for Opposing Forces. Nothing else is changed – the insurgents look the same, they carry the same weaponry and let out the same pained yells when somebody scores a direct hit on their posteriors with a rocket-propelled grenade. This makes the moniker-switch all the more absurd – it's clear who the two sides in the conflict are supposed to represent.  Controversy, or storm in a teacup? We're thinking the latter Clouding the issue further is the fact that Medal of Honor's solo campaign remains unsullied by this politically correct nonsense. The enemy is still the Taliban – and is referred to as such. War is always going to be a controversial subject, but Medal of Honor is no more inflammatory than any other recent FPS title. Possibly its biggest mistake is to replicate recent events too closely. Modern Warfare 2's aforementioned airport level aside, Activision's series has so far managed to skirt around the conflict in Afghanistan by using entirely fictional Russian (and even American) belligerents. Check out our Best PS3 games Top 5 now! The two Modern Warfare games are unquestionably flights of fancy – glorious works of fiction which attempt to include authentic tactics, weapons and settings. Medal of Honor instead tries to be as faithful to real life as is possible, and that's probably why it's upset so many people. The war against terror is still raging, and as we sit with joypads in our hands, pretending to blow up Allied troops as Taliban solders – sorry, opposing forces – the reality is actually occurring right now. In that regard, it makes it a little easier to see why people feel so strongly about the subject. But as EA itself as commented over the furore, with every conflict there has to be a good guy and a bad buy. Cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, Jedi and Sith. To brand Medal of Honor as deliberately disrespectful to Western Armed Forces purely because it has (or rather, had) the temerity to acknowledge the name of the enemy is borderline ridiculous, and in our humble opinion here at Electricpig, the whole thing has been blown out of all proportion. The only thing you need to know is that it's good, but not quite as good as Modern Warfare 2 – which we make clear during the course of our full review. Read the rest of our Medal of Honor review now Related posts:
|
| Posted: 12 Oct 2010 05:32 AM PDT  Samsung has announced the Samsung Wave II, the successor to the Samsung Wave. The Samsung Wave II comes running Samsung's own operating system, bada, which Samsung pushes as its 'democratising' smartphone OS.
The Samsung Wave II processor clocks in at 1GHz, and it has 2GB of internal storage, with a microSD slot that can take up to 32GB extra. Size wise the Samsung Wave II is a neat 123.9 x 59.8 x 11.8 mm, with a weight of 135g. The Samsung Wave II also has a 5MP camera, with autofocus and an LED flash, plus face and smile detection, mosaic and panorama functions. The social hub on the Samsung Wave II integrates your contacts, calendars, and gives a unified mailbox, and will also give you push notifications for email, IM and social networking alerts. Expect to see it in the UK from December 2010. Out Dec 2010 | £TBC | TBC Related posts:
|
| Enough! Stephen Fry is not a tech prophet Posted: 12 Oct 2010 05:01 AM PDT 
You can't dispute Stephen Fry's credentials as a gadget fanatic. He regularly rocks multiple phones, he (along with Douglas Adams) was among the first people in Britain to buy a Mac. He has been a fanboy since before the term meant anything. His tech columns for The Guardian showed a depth of knowledge and a geeky passion that would make many a tech journalist blush. But it makes us sad to see him out there used as a stamp of approval for Windows Phone 7. Windows Phone 7 does look good. Our final judgements will be reserved for our forthcoming reviews (let us know what you want from the HTC HD7 review by the way). But cuddling Stephen Fry to itself and using his profile to sell its new OS is a smart PR trick from Microsoft and one that he shouldn't fall for. It's mortgaging his profile to a conglomerate that hasn't earned it. Do an ad voiceover for cash, sure. But turn up for free to burble platitudes which will help sell handsets? There's really no need. When Stephen Fry says things like "I have felt enormous pleasure using this phone," and "Microsoft [are] doing something they can be proud of", he's not making a considered review. Stood on that stage, he's firing out the unfettered enthusiasm of a gadget fan given special treatment, VIP access to brand new tech. It's a risk that all tech journalists face: the companies are so nice to you, so want to please you, it's a struggle to remain objective, to see what most users will experience. Stephen Fry should obviously be allowed to write about Apple. He's a great writer, a man of phenomenal intellect, and that usually makes for a great read. But to put his name on a review byline as Time did with his iPad review is deceptive. Stephen Fry is great friends with Jonathan Ive, the man who designed the iPad, he is given special access to Steve Jobs at keynotes. When it comes to Apple, he cannot be a journalist, he's an acolyte. When a product was designed by one of your friends, when you have bought every product that Apple has ever released in the UK, you are understandably incapable of being impartial. If one of my mates created a product, would I be able to see the flaws or even ask the right questions? I can't be sure that I would. Stephen Fry has an opportunity to do something special. He's a trusted voice for people who don't trust technology. Popping up at numerous events evangelising for products (whether paid or not) undermines that. Stephen, I'm not here to hate but seeing you as unpaid pitchman for Microsoft just disappoints me. The same goes for shilling for Steve Jobs or hopping into bed with HP. We share your love of tech but don't let the tech firms fool you: they're tapping into your brand to buoy up their own stock. You don't need to help them with that. Tell us: are we wrong? Is Stephen Fry right to promote both Apple and Windows Phone 7? Or should he keep his distance from firms that want to harness his fame and play on his gadget love? Related posts:
|
| Lunchtime Lowdown: Windows Phone 7, Palm Pre 2 rumours and the best Android apps this month Posted: 12 Oct 2010 04:38 AM PDT 
First up, the fallout from the Windows Phone 7 launch continues: we asked Microsoft about the number of apps at launch and it got elusive, but the company was more forthcoming on its Windows Phone 7 tablet plans – or lack thereof. We also asked you what you want to know about Windows Phone 7 for our forthcoming review. Elsewhere in mobile meanwhile, rumours broke out about a Palm Pre 2 and the specs it’s supposedly packing – if true, it looks like Palm is keeping up with everyone else, thanks to HP bankrolling the plucky smartphone upstart. We also rounded up the best Android apps of the month in our new regular column. Oh, and don’t forget to take our Electricpig reader survey – there’s the chance to win a prize! Still want more news? Roll on through to the homepage and help yourself to t all as it breaks. Related posts:
|
It’s been another hectic morning in gadgetry, so take the shortcut and catch up quickly with it all right here. It’s our lunchtime lowdown news roundup!| You are subscribed to email updates from Electricpig.co.uk - The UK's fastest-growing tech news site To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment