Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast! |
- US Update: Motorola Tablet, Google Notebook, Kindle, Android 2.3
- Android 2.3 Gingerbread: SDK shows video chat and game controls
- DJ Music Mixer: become the ultimate iPhone DJ
- Virgin Media crushes the Internet with 100Mb broadband service
- Amazon Kindle for Web to battle Google eBooks?
- Get your free Google Chrome OS notebook!
- Motorola Android Tablet ready to go to war with iPad 2?
- Sony Bravia Internet Video adds Sky News
- Best laptop for Christmas
- BlackBerry Bold 9780 vs Motorola Milestone 2
| US Update: Motorola Tablet, Google Notebook, Kindle, Android 2.3 Posted: 07 Dec 2010 07:00 PM PST 
Stepping into the tablet spotlight this morning was the Motorola tablet, running Android 3.0 Honeycomb and packing a Tegra 2 processor. We saw the device on video from the All Things D conference currently underway. There's plenty to learn about the device and Android 3.0 so we recommend checking out our full coverage here. Google has begun a pilot program which gives early adopters their very own Chrome OS notebook, free. Apply for the program now! Amazon has decided to battle back against Google eBooks by offering their own cloud-based service of their own — Kindle for Web, You can now purchase and read full books from Kindle using any web browser. Virgin Media is looking to raise the broadband bar by offering a new 100Mb service. The service include a 10Mb upload and is currently available for pre-registration in parts of London, the South East and Yorkshire. A new iPhone app, DJ Music Mixer, is now available for free from the App Store. We took it for a spin and now we're installing it on our iPad, we'd add to this to the must-download list. Last in this morning is news on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Revealed in the SDK are two major revelations – video chat and game controls. We saw confirmation of video chat for GoogleTalk during the All Things D conference when the Motorola tablet was on display, but game controls was a bit of a mystery. We now know both will be front and center in Android 2.3. That wraps up things this fine morning from the states. Thanks for spending your morning with us as we break the headlines fresh off the press from our side of the world. Until tomorrow, this is Nick saying over and out. Related posts:
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| Android 2.3 Gingerbread: SDK shows video chat and game controls Posted: 07 Dec 2010 06:00 PM PST 
What started as rumors has quickly become concrete proof, thanks to the latest findings in the Android 2.3 SDK. Tucked away nice and neat in the SDK are a set of three icons — presence_video_away.png, presence_video_busy.png and presence_video_online.png. More than enough proof that video calling will be a highlight of Android 2.3. Earlier today when we told you about the Android 3.0 Motorola Tablet we caught a glimpse of the video chat option in GoogleTalk so at this point, it's safe to say video chat is a bonafide feature in Android – starting with 2.3. The second key feature for Android 2.3, game controls, is evident in the new keyboard buttons. At first we though this was specific to the Playstation phone, but additional details show that the Gingerbread API includes the following buttons: A, B, C, L1, L2, R1, R2, START, SELECT, THUMBL, THUMBR, X, Y and Z. So there you have it — video chat and game controls are a huge part of Android 2.3. The Playstation phone is confirmed and the world is a better place thanks to Android. Let us know what you think about video chat and game controls coming to Android 2.3 — is this a sign of the future for mobile phones? via Android Central Related posts:
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| DJ Music Mixer: become the ultimate iPhone DJ Posted: 07 Dec 2010 05:00 PM PST 
The vinyl records and dual turntables that once marked the sign of a professional DJ need not apply. The DJ Music Mixer app lets you mix songs from dual decks, add sounds from the freestyle board and once you're done you can save or share your finished product. The app is currently free, so we went ahead and downloaded our own copy on the iPhone 4. The first thing you'll notice is the app comes pre-loaded with ten songs some from big time DJs — Major Lazer, Style of Eye, Riva Starr and Mowgli to name a few. Using the dual-track setup, you can easily mix songs thanks to automatic beat-mix. There's not much of a learning curve to the app, in fact we'd say it's easy as pie. We tested some of the sound effects and gave it our best go with some baseline loops and we must say the program is very robust. Without a background as a DJ, I'd reckon nearly anyone could manage to put together a quality mix with the DJ Music Mixer app.
When the price is right and the features flush, we can't help but recommend taking it for a spin. Let us know what you think of the DJ Music Mixer app now available in the App Store. We'll be throwing it on our Apple iPad in a few minutes and if our hunch is correct, this should be the perfect device to get the job done. Out Now | Free | App Store Related posts:
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| Virgin Media crushes the Internet with 100Mb broadband service Posted: 07 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST 
Like our main man Goose from Top Gun said so well, "goodness gracious, great balls of fire!". That's exactly what you can expect when you are surfing the web at a blistering 100Mb with Virgin Media's new broadband service. This significant milestone is just one example of the company's next generation network and opens up a tremendous world of possibilities that broadband can enable. Tech jargon aside, what does 100 Mb Internet connection actually mean when it comes time to downloading? How about an entire music album in just five seconds; a TV show in 30 seconds; a standard definition movie in one and a half minutes or a high-quality (HD) movie in seven minutes. Now that's what we call a need for speed! We've spent enough time focusing on the download, now it's time to break down the upload. Clocking in at 10Mb, you'll have no problem sharing your high definition video streams or hosting a game server. Heck, you could even share a handful of Slingboxes and still have bandwidth to spare! The new 100 Mb package from Virgin Media comes with a custom built energy efficient modem and Wireless N router. The hardware packs a punch, with support for up to 400 Mb service when it rolls out in the not-too-distant future. The full 100 Mb roll out will be completed by 2012, but if parts of London, the South East and Yorkshire are now live. If you decide to opt in for the pre-registration today let us know. We can't wait to try the 100 Mb package on for size ourselves, but we'd love a heads up if you beat us to the punch. Let the games begin! Out Now | £35/month (with phone line) | Pre-registration Related posts:
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| Amazon Kindle for Web to battle Google eBooks? Posted: 07 Dec 2010 03:00 PM PST 
Kindle for Web began back in September when the concept was born. Gartner analyst Allen Weiner called the service a "natural evolution" for Amazon's ebook strategy and quite frankly, we agree. The official release of Kindle for Web allows book purchases of Kindle books through various web sites offering them and also allows reading the full book, not just samples. Google's eBooks and eBook store also allows purchasing and browsing across a variety of device, namely the millions of Android smartphones around the world. With Amazon's Kindle application well established on major mobile platforms, PC, Mac and now web browsers, they now offer the full spectrum of services. Despite Amazon Kindle's reported 50 to 75 percent share of the e-book market, Allen Weiner believes that Google "is a clear threat to Amazon, however, because Google can support many more devices than Amazon". To the contrary, James McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester believes that "in the long run, Google eBooks may just convert more people to e-reading who may then go on to buy a Kindle". The battle for the e-book market is stronger than ever. Amazon has the years of experience selling goods online and provides a solid return policy combined with Amazon customer service. As a Nexus One owner who had warranty issues that fell to deaf ears at Google and T-mobile, I can see the strong value in sticking with Amazon instead of Google. The real question is who will win the war in e-books? Is Google eBooks prepared to battle Amazon Kindle for Web? Who will be the last service standing in the next five years? Let us know what you think! via ComputerWorld | Amazon Related posts:
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| Get your free Google Chrome OS notebook! Posted: 07 Dec 2010 02:12 PM PST 
The Cr-48 notebook being distributed by Google as part of their Pilot Program packs as a 12.1 inch display, full sized keyboard, oversized clickable trackpad, world-mode 3G, 802.11n dual band WiFi and a web cam for video chat. Taking a page from Apple's playbook, the Google notebook packs over eight hours of active use and eight days of standby. In the major Chrome event this morning we learned that Google is not ready to take Chrome primetime, but early adopters can apply to take part in the pilot program and receive a free Google notebook. We've submitted our application, now it's time for you to do the same! Apply Here | Google | Free Related posts:
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| Motorola Android Tablet ready to go to war with iPad 2? Posted: 07 Dec 2010 02:00 PM PST 
Still shots do not do the Motorola tablet justice, this bad boy was slim — packing a vibrant, high-resolution ten inch display. Instead of the traditional Android hardware buttons (home/back/menu/search), all of the buttons for the tablet are on-screen activated. This means that as you rotate the tablet, the buttons follow you, nice right? Powered by Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), the Motorola tablet showed off some sexy new animations and once unlocked, we got caught a glimpse of Google Talk with video icons. When it came time for a demonstration, Mr. Rubin showed off Google Maps 5 which has 3D views of cities. He confirmed it would be coming to mobile devices within a few days so keep your eyes peeled. One of the stand-out demonstrations with the tablet was Gmail. Google has given the app a makeover and now uses a two column interface, much like the Apple iPad's Mail App. As far as Honeycomb and the future of Android devices, Mr. Rubin confirmed Honeycomb will run on both phones and tablets. When designing apps you can specify the way it should run depending on the device (phone/tablet).
One thing's for certain – Google believes in the tablet, both seven and ten inch varieties. Before closing out the presentation, Andy Rubin confirmed that both Honeycomb and the Motorola tablet will be released early next year. The rumored release date is February, the same time frame we've heard for the Apple iPad 2. Now that Android will have a powerful ten inch tablet it's time for you to weigh in. Should Apple be worried then ten inch Motorola tablet might eat into the sales of their iPad 2? Sound off in the comments! via AllThingsD Related posts:
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| Sony Bravia Internet Video adds Sky News Posted: 07 Dec 2010 08:23 AM PST 
Out now | Free | Sony Bravia Internet Video Related posts:
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| Posted: 07 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST 
Looking for a laptop to buy for that special friend or family member? Maybe you want to treat yourself to a shiny new portable computer. Whatever your budget you’ll find something suitable here.
A blessing to video editors, media hounds and posers alike. There’s tons of power in the 15-inch version with a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor, alongside 4GB of DDR3 memory. If you’re in the market for a new laptop, the MacBook Pro remains the best looking, easiest to use and most powerful standard-spec lap-dweller we’ve ever used.
The comfortable and lightweight 11.6-inch MacBook Air rocks a Core 2 Duo CPU, has a 1266×768 display and 5 hours of battery life. The Solid State Drive (SSD) is low on memory space but high on speed and response. It is a beautiful, well built computer and will doubtless prove a great buy this Christmas.
This laptop is packed with value. There’s plenty of processing punch in it’s Intel Core i3-350M and 2GB of RAM, a crisp 13.3-inch screen and astounding amounts of connectivity. Integrated Intel graphics means this isn’t really a gamer’s machine but for general use this beautifully built machine comes at a great price and is bound to be a hit. Related posts:
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| BlackBerry Bold 9780 vs Motorola Milestone 2 Posted: 07 Dec 2010 07:36 AM PST 
 Keyboard (Bold wins) The first iteration of the Motorola Milestone had a keyboard so smooth and featureless that it was almost impossible to press any of the keys. The Motorola Milestone 2 does not suffer from the same affliction, with raised keys that are slightly separated. Motorola has also managed to fit in a useful Alt lock key, which is useful for typing in numbers. Unfortunately, the OK button doesn't act as a Go option when typing in search queries, but as far as high end Android keyboards go, it's still the best game in town. Read our BlackBerry Bold 9780 review The BlackBerry Bold on the the hand inherits its predecessors keyboard key for key, and that's a good thing. The previous iteration of the keyboard on the BlackBerry Bold was flawless: the best QWERTY in the business, and for the BlackBerry Bold 9780 there's nothing changed. We've tried many, many other phones with all sorts of keyboards, and every type of onscreen QWERTY keyboard out there, and none of them have ever come close to the accurate speed you can hit on the Bold keyboard. Winner: BlackBerry Bold 9780 Battery life The Motorola Milestone 2 has a battery life of almost five hours of continuous talktime from its 1400mAh battery. We pushed it through a day of reasonably heavy use. The BlackBerry Bold 9780 1500mAh battery is stellar, and can blaze through a day of heavy usage no problems, and can last over six hours with continuous chatting. Winner: BlackBerry Bold 9780 Read our Motorola Milestone 2 review Email support Although Android does support excahnge, the BlackBerry Bold 9780 clinches this one because BlackBerry is the superior operatro when it comes to push notifications. The BlackBerry Bold 9780 has a unified inbox, and its push email can support up to 10 accounts. The Motorola Milestone 2 does support Exchange now through Android, but the BlackBerry Bold 9780 pips it to the post here. Winner: BlackBerry Bold 9780 Apps BlackBerry App World has around 10,000 apps populating it, whereas the Android Market has topped the 100,000 mark. But what counts here are the apps for productivity. The Motorola Milestone 2, running Android as it is, has a better Dropbox app, and also has better document editing apps, plus the ever valuable Chrome to Phone app, which syncs Chrome links from your computer to your smartphone. Winner: Motorola Milestone 2 Verdict Related posts:
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