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US Update: LG 3D LCD, Nokia, NEO GEO Playstation 3
Google Voice Search adds personalized recognition
NEO GEO controller comes to the Playstation 3
Nokia goes to war with Apple, again
LG unveils 84-inch polarized 3D LCD panel
The Thick Of It iPhone app developer interview plus QI and Harry Hill iPhone app news!
Teatime Tech: iPad 2 predictions, Avatar 3D and the Mac App Store launch date
iPad 2: Pundit predictions
QI iPhone App out now
Best budget Android tablet for Christmas: roundup

US Update: LG 3D LCD, Nokia, NEO GEO Playstation 3

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 07:00 PM PST

We're over the hump and the week is flying by in the world of tech news. Today in the US Update we run you through the latest and greatest from LG, including their new 84-inch polarized 3D LCD panel, a new NEO GEO controller for your PS3, Facebook's facial recognition feature and so much more.

First in this morning was news from a press conference in Beijing where LG unveiled their 84-inch polarized 3D LCD panel. The panel runs at a jaw-dropping 3840×2160 resolution, putting 1080P fans in a frenzy. Next Nokia decided to file another 13 patent infringement claims against Apple. This brings the grand total up to 42 claims, once you include the 24 filed here in the US.

A new NEO GEO controller has been released for the Playstation 3. This new version includes six button instead of four and an eight-way direction controller. Can anyone say Samurai Showdown? Facebook unveiled their new facial recognition feature. The new feature goes live in the coming weeks and aims to make it easy to bulk tag photos of your friends, much like the "faces" feature in iPhoto for Mac.

Last in this morning is an update to Google's Voice Search. Using personalized recognition and comparing your voice recordings, the new version of the app will be more accurate and improve over time as it "learns your voice". The app requires Android 2.2 and is currently available in the US for English speakers, but more countries and languages will follow shortly.

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.

Google Voice Search adds personalized recognition

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 06:00 PM PST

The world was first introduced to Google Voice Search two years ago. The initial goal was simple, offer voice search that "just works" out of the box. Fast forward to 2010 and now Google is looking to rebuild the app with personalized recognition, catered to learning how you speak.

Personalized recognition for Google Voice Search is an opt in feature. Much like the Facebook facial recognition feature announced today, Google's personalized recognition is focused on improving an existing product. The process begins by associating the recordings of the words you ask the program to recognize with your Google account.

Then Google uses those words to build a speech model specifically for you. By using the speech model, Google Voice Search is able to improve speech recognition accuracy and over time, the improvements are even more pronounced. For the instant gratification type, myself included, the accuracy improvements begin fairly quickly, almost instantly.

Those of you concerned with your privacy should not that you will be presented with a dialog to turn on personalized recognition the first time you open Voice Search. If you'd like to disassociate your voice recordings from your Google Account, you can do so through the Google Dashboard in the Speech section.

Now for the requirements– currently personalized recognition for Voice Search is only available for English speakers inside the United States. Other countries and languages will be supported soon, but for now consider it a "soft launch". To enable the feature you'll also need to be using an Android 2.2 or higher device and need to download the Voice Search app from Android Market.

Google was also quick to mention that the latest version of Voice Search includes some improvements to the name recognition and speed, especially over 3G and EDGE connections. We know that many of you will not be able to test drive the new App so we'll be giving it a go on our side of the pond throughout the day. We'll report back to you with our findings. If you happen to live in the states, go ahead and let us know how the new app is working out for you, we love to hear the feedback.

To download Google Voice Search simply search “Voice Search” in the Android Market or scan the QR code below:

Out Now | Android Market | Free

NEO GEO controller comes to the Playstation 3

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

If you stepped into an arcade during the 90's, you likely played a few rounds on a Neo Geo machine. Classics like Samurai Showdown, The King of Fighters and Bust-a-Move filled bring back memories of my childhood and quite possibly yours. In the spirit of retro gaming, NEO GEO has released the NEO GEO PAD2 controller for the Playstation 3.

Packed with six buttons, upgraded from a previous four button version, the NEO GEO PAD2 offers eight-direction control and looks to be the perfect holiday accessory. Oh how I long the days of playing Samurai Showdown, thankfully this controller along with my PS3, might help me relive those memories very soon.

Out Now | SNK | 3,129 yen (Japan)

Nokia goes to war with Apple, again

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 03:00 PM PST

Fresh claims have been filed by Nokia against Apple in courts across the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. With 24 patent infringement complaints already filed against Apple in the US, today's announcement adds an additional 13 to the mix. The legal battle is heating up, but what do the latest complaints mean for Apple and Nokia?

According to Nokia, when you purchase an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch in any of the three countries previously mentioned, Apple is infringing on their patents. Referring to their work as "Nokia inventions", the manufacturer claims they are the source behind the compelling user experiences.

For example, using a wiping gesture on a touchscreen to navigate content, or enabling access to constantly changing services with an on-device app store. Patents for both of these "Nokia inventions" were filed more than ten years before the launch of the iPhone. Here's a breakdown on the individual suits in their respective countries:

In the UK, Nokia claims infringement for patents related to touch user interface, on-device app stores, signal noise suppression and modulator structures. In Germany, touch user interface, antenna structures, messaging functionality and chipset. In the Netherlands, signal noise suppression and data card functionality.

Thus far the patent infringement suits have resulted in a stalemate. A likely outcome for even these 13 allegations. On one side you have Nokia who has invested more than EUR 40 billion in Research and Development, meanwhile you have Apple, a newcomer to the market seizing up considerable market share from the Finnish manufacturer.

Today's patent infringement complaints filed by Nokia against Apple are just another fork in the road in a never-ending legal battle. Had Apple failed to reach the current level of success of their iOS devices, the lawsuits would have likely never surfaced. Like Spider-man, "with great power, comes great responsibility", Apple has been granted that great power with the success of iOS and that responsibility will come in the form of royalties to Nokia. There's just no telling when that day may come.

via Nokia

LG unveils 84-inch polarized 3D LCD panel

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 02:00 PM PST

Welcome to the future of 3D LCD panels. LG is stepping up their game thanks to a press conference in Beijing, China where they unveiled an 84-inch polarized 3D LCD panel with a breathtaking pixel count. Step aside 1080P, it's time for 3840×2160.

Better than 1080P resolutions are nothing new in the world of film, in fact Sony currently distributes projectors labeled 4K, running at a resolution of 4096×2160. The new LG 84-inch polarized 3D LCD panel takes that 4K resolution and dials it down to a more friendly 1.77:1 ratio.

At the Beijing press conference this morning, a group of 250 participants had a chance to witness the 84-inch monster. What separates this 3D LCD from the competition is that current methods of 3D rely on the frame sequential method which uses liquid crystal shutter glasses.

LG's polarizing film method lowers the vertical resolution to half that of a panel, while solving the flickering image problem and reducing the weight of the glasses. The end result is a massive, unbelievably sharp 3D picture running at near 4K resolution for your living room.

Before you go running out to buy the new LG polarized 3D LCD panel, you'll need to wait until 2011. LG Display said that Chinese and global LCD TV makers will prepare full lines of 3D LCD TVs using a polarizing film from early 2011.

The conference was participated by LG Electronics, Vizio, Toshiba and leading Chinese LCD TV makers including Skyworth, Konka, Hisense, Haier, Changhong and TCL. Those nine firms agreed to cooperate with LG Display in the effort to promote the sales of polarized 3D LCD TVs.

It's news like this that only builds the excitement for CES 2011 in Las Vegas. We can't wait for January where hopefully LG will have the 84-inch polarized 3D LCD panel on display, front and center. Anyone else ready for the next generation of 3D displays?

Coming 2011 | LG | TBD

The Thick Of It iPhone app developer interview plus QI and Harry Hill iPhone app news!

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 10:55 AM PST

The Thick Of It iPhone app, Malcom Tucker: The Missing Phone, went on sale this afternoon and during the hullabalo of Twitter going mad for it, we caught up with Dave Addey, MD of Agant the co-creators of the app. He told us about the secrets of Malcolm Tucker’s iPhone, how he managed to get Apple to OK all that swearing and gave us the lowdown on the official QI app and Harry Hill’s Jokebook iPhone app both of which were also released this week. Read on for our interview about the ****ing Thick Of It iPhone app…

How long did the app take to develop?
We started mid-summer, so we’ve been on it for about four or five months from when we first pitched the Malcolm’s iPhone concept. They loved the idea of all the extra stuff you can do from SMS to voice mails and onwards.

Did you feel like you were pushing things to a new level?
We have not seen anyone else make an app like this. We really tried out a lot of new ideas but it was a bit of a risk and we were dependent on it getting through the App Store approval process. We were careful to read the iTunes App Store guidelines in great detail when they were published and we had a back up plan for pretty much everything but the language. It would be hard to do an app for The Thick Of It if we weren’t able to use the ‘fruity’ language. Full credit to Apple, it has been really receptive to things.

Being from Faber Digital and working with a BBC show must help when you’re working with Apple, surely?
Well yes but we did have to make some changes. The app was initially called Malcolm Tucker’s iPhone and quite rightly Apple said that could be misconstrued. We then chose to change the name to Malcolm Tucker: The Missing Phone which actually we now prefer. We see it as a seperate Thick Of It story in its own right.

Is the Thick of It iPhone app considered to be part of the Thick of It canon?
Yes and no. It is inspired by the Faber And Faber book The Missing DOSAC Files which is in itself part of the canon. That book talks about Malcolm losing some files and our question was: what would happen he lost his phone? Basically, all the content in the book fits with our conceit. The emails and guides from the book become elements in the app. Everything translates really nicely. It’s very coherent. If you buy the book and get the app they work well together and they work well apart. If it hadn’t worked as a story and identity in its own right, it wouldn’t have been worth doing. We were able to create all this extra audio content for the voice mails.

Did the writers enjoy having more tools at their fingertips?
They were really receptive to the medium of the phone. The kind of things that work for a TV don’t work for a book. It featured new material and the phone is the same – it’s been written specifically for use as an iPhone app.

It’s almost like one of those old Christmas TV show annuals remade for the modern age isn’t it?
The book reminds me of a Goodies book I had back in the day. The app all makes sense as if you’ve found a window into Malcolm’s world.

Will the app be updated?
Updates depend on popularity but it looks like they’ll happen. In this version, there’s a Twitter follower in the app. Right now it shows Glen’s Twitter account but with that we can add additional characters and we will do when the new series starts. We deliberately left the app open ended so we could build on it in future versions. If new content lends itself to the app’s design, we’ll do it.

You get a real flurry of notifications when you first open the app. How long does that last?
We wanted it to feel like you were an innocent observer of this storm. If someone like Malcolm lost his phone, it would be devestating for the government. We deliberately put that flurry of content at the start to give you the feeling that it’s really happening. That’s why you get blissfully ignorant emails from Nichola Murray, that’s a deliberate in joke for fans of the show – of course she’d be a couple of hours behind everyone else.

The sense of experiencing the story in real time is interesting, how hard is that to achieve?
A lot of time in development was spent making sure we could tell a story in real time. It is in your personal time line, we’re not broadcasting this to everyone, it is timed to play out for you from when you first open the app. It’s quite a challenge to achieve that. We had a story consultant working on just the timing of the app. We had a couple of odd sessions with post-it notes all over the wall covered in swear words! The story plays out over three days and we had to run that and make sure it worked.

Was the goal to create something of lasting value?
The Thick Of It has really passionate fans and is really well written. We couldn’t just release a cheap cash-in. We would rather do fewer apps and catch people’s attention rather than push out lots. If you take the time to make an app with the full storyline, people really respond to it.

The price is quite high for an iPhone app, do you feel the content justifies that?
It’s £3.99 but you get the full content of the book that is £12.99 and you get custom audio written specifically for the Thick Of It app.

What was the working process between the developers and The Thick Of It writers?
We worked with both Faber Digital and the Thick Of It writers. We started off pitching the idea of the phone and then made suggestions and they really ran with that. That’s what they do. They took those concepts and came up with a few we had never thought of. In the same way that they work collaboratively on the show, we did that with the app. Because they got the concept, pretty much everything they wrote is in the app.

Anything you wanted to add to the app that didn’t make it?
Nothing got left out really but we did discuss a longer story arc but at the same time, the excitement of receiving emails and messages only lasts so long. We didn’t want the Thick of It app to end up annoying people and disrupting the everyday use of their iPhones!

Why only iPhone and no Android? Are their issues with making an app for Android?
Lots of people on Twitter have been asking for a Thick Of It app on Android. Some people have said they’d buy an iPhone to get hold of this app. If apps like this only come to iPhone then it is a compelling reason to choose one phone over the other. For us it’s down to two reasons: we’re selling the app and people are more likely, in our experience, to buy on iOS than Android. Apple has made it simple and easy. The Android Market has a pain threshold and customers who expect apps to be free. The Market does not have a nice process to buy apps. The second reason is that some things we wanted to do with notifications from the app and the way we bring new content in was only possible on iOS.

So could there still be an Android Thick Of It app?
We’ll do it if we feel we can do as good a job of it and if it looks like we can make money there. Developing for Android is effectively starting from scratch. It does have to be worth our while.

Does Android need to work harder for developers?
It’s been a good day for us on the iTunes App Store. Google is good at supporting developers and offering resources. The Android development community is strong but it’s the numbers that’ll change things. There are so many Android phones out there but it is so tricky. If you want to deliver apps that are as good as they can be on every device, it’s a lot easier to do that on iOS.

How concerned are you about fragmentation? Does iPhone just deliver more people who will buy your apps?
It depends on what your app wants to achieve. If it will work on low-end devices well, Android is more appealing because fragmentation is not an issue. If you’re trying to do things that require better or more consistent hardware, iOS is a lot easier to deal with.

What phone do you use?
I’m an iPhone 4 user. I strongly believe if you’re going to develop for it, you need to use it every day. The same goes for Android. Every now and then I’ll spend a few weeks using that to remind myself of the experience.

Wouldn’t Malcolm use a Blackberry?
He does use the iPhone in the Bournemouth conference episode of the series. Generally he is a Blackberry user but iOS is just a better platform to develop for than Blackberry.

…and didn’t Malcolm use Find My iPhone?
One of the things mentioned in the app is an app that Malcolm has that shows the location of every MP in the UK. We very nearly included that but decided it might be a step too far.

What else have you got coming out soon?
We’ve put together the Harry Hill Jokebook app. It contains 986 jokes, all of them recorded by Harry. There’s hand drawn illustrations, we’ve given you your own box of sound effects, a drum kit with rim shots and that kind of thing. You can use it as a joke telling machine. That is on the App Store as of yesterday afternoon.

The other app we’re launching today is the QI app. It’s based on the bestselling QI books. All of the books so far have been combined in the app and been broken down into 58 mini-books. Each book is a 10 to 15 minute reader which is perfect for the commute or when there’s nothing on the telly. You can also send your own facts in to QI along with picture evidence and you can rate people’s facts on the Interesting-o-meter which runs from Not At All to Quite!

The Thick Of It app, Malcolm Tucker: The Missing Phone is out now for £3.99.
The QI app is out now for £4.99 on iPhone and iPad
Harry Hill’s Joke Book is also out now for £2.99.

Teatime Tech: iPad 2 predictions, Avatar 3D and the Mac App Store launch date

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 10:00 AM PST

It’s already the end of Thursday, and frankly, we’ve got that Friday feeling already. Don’t share our excitement? Check out our news roundup of all the latest gadget headlines and you’ll see why we’re so giddy! They’re here in teatime tech.

First up, there’s lots to get stuck into for Apple fans. The Cupertino company finally made the launch date for its eagerly awaited Mac App Store official, so click to find out when it hits. We also took a look at what the experts think the iPad 2 will pack, whenever it’s announced.

In the run up to Christmas, we tried to cater to your festive gadget needs by rounding up the best budget Android tablets available now, and asked you if you were fussed about watching Avatar in 3D on telly this Christmas.

Lastly, calling all smartphone addicts. If you’re looking for a way to cut down on the time you spend staring at that screen, we’ve got it for you: the Sony Ericsson LiveView, a tiny smart remote that connects to Android phones and boosts your productivity in one fell sweep. Find out how it does that here in our guide.

Hungry for more headlines still? Roll on through to the homepage and help yourself to them all as they break!

iPad 2: Pundit predictions

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 08:26 AM PST

We doubt we’ll see an iPad 2 at CES at the start of next month, but it can’t be far off. Apple loves an annual refresh of its iOS devices, and it’s been almost an entire rotation of the sun since the first iPad was revealed. But what’s going to be different this time? FaceTime cameras? A new screen? See what the pundits reckon in our iPad 2 predictions roundup.

Gizmodo namechecks cameras, front and back, in its iPad 2 predictions, but is much more convinced than others that the iPad 2’s screen resolution will be upped: “A beefed-up screen is practically guaranteed to make the jump into the next iPad….imagine how crappy that otherwise very nice iPad screen is going to look in the Apple Store when compared to the insane density of the iPhone 4. That won’t last for long.” We’re not so sure: isn’t this what’s keeping the cost down compared to the iPhone?

iPad 2: Five killer features we want

ShinyShiny’s predictions for the iPad 2 meanwhile range from the realistic (“Cameras – front and back. FaceTime was a huge selling point on the iPhone 4, it only makes sense for Steve Jobs to introduce it”) to the absurd (“Flash compatibility”). But the site also makes some unusual predictions for the iPad 2 we hadn’t considered: “video editing on the iPad”, like iMovie, and that it’ll be “slimmer and lighter…this is what happens to most Apple gadgets over time.” We hadn’t considered this possibility – do you think something this size needs to be any thinner?

Over at Trusted Reviews, Hugo Jobling reckons we won’t be seeing much of a design change with the iPad 2, other than an SD card slot, unlike the huge overhaul in looks between the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4: “The design is almost certain to remain the same, at least visually – the form factor works well enough that it doesn’t need to be messed with.” Nor does he think the screen will change too much, with most of the tweaks taking place on the inside. “What we can be sure of is that the iPad 2 is inevitably going to be outfitted with more powerful hardware on the inside. Adding more RAM seems like the most obvious first step,” he writes.

iPad 2: What we know already!

Finally, GigaOm’s Adam Jackson thinks the design will stay the same (“it will have the same aluminum back, the same bezel and similar weight and the battery life will be mostly unchanged”), but makes the bold prediction that the iPad 2 will come in several sizes, including a 7-inch version. Given Steve Jobs’ recent attack on the form factor (“dead on arrival”). Given the Apple founder’s recent statements, that seems unlikely, but it wouldn’t be the first time Jobs has hated on a product or business model, then announced his own tailored for it.

What do you want to see in the iPad 2? And what do you think will make the cut? Give us your iPad 2 predictions in the comments below!

QI iPhone App out now

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

The QI iPhone App is out now, based on the QI books based on the series. The idea is that the QI iPhone App combines all the QI books that have been released so far, broken up into 56 new mini-books so they’re easily digestible on the go. Each mini-book on the QI iPhone app is in chunks that should take about 10 to 15 minutes to read. You can send your own facts to QI with added photos from within the app, and rate other people’s facts using an Interesting-o-meter, which runs from Not Really Interesting to Quite Interesting.

Out now | £4.99 | Apple

Best budget Android tablet for Christmas: roundup

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 07:53 AM PST

Want the best budget Android tablet this Christmas? If you know an iPad costs just too gosh darn much, have a gander at these Google flavoured stocking filler slates instead, and weigh up your options.

Advent Vega
There’s no question that the Advent Vega is the best budget Android tablet yet. For just 250 smackers, you get a 10-inch capacitive touchscreen, Tegra 2 horsepower to burn through apps, and it’s easily hackle to add proper Google apps like the Android Market to it.

Unfortunately, it being the best budget Android tablet, it’s also sold out right now. your best bet is eBay, but unfortunately, they’re going for more than £350 at the moment. Makes the iPad a tad more tempting, doesn’t it?

ViewSonic ViewPad 7
The ViewSonic ViewPad 7 might seem like a great idea on paper. It’s a 7-inch number just like the Samsung Galaxy Tab, so it’s seriously portable, and it has 3G and access to the Android Market for the full Google experience. But CNET found that the screen was a let down, with a 800×480 resolution stretched just too far, and found the lack of Flash (because the 60MHz CPU is too feeble) a real let down.

The ViewSonic ViewPad 7 is around £130 cheaper than both the 3G iPad and Galaxy Tab…But, while it has a good range of features, its low-resolution screen, relatively slow processor and lack of Flash support mean you’ll have to think carefully about whether it meets your requirements,” said Niall Magennis.

Elonex eTouch 1000ET
We said that Elonex’s line of Android tablets sure looked like iPad knockoffs when they were announced back at IFA, but surprisingly, they’re slightly more than cheap imitations. In fact, if you’re struggling to get hold of a Vega, at £159 the Elonex eTouch 1000ET might just be the best budget Android tablet to get this Christmas. It runs Android 2.1, so Flash is out of the picture, but the keyboard was pleasingly responsive, TechRadar found. For browsing the internet on a 10-inch screen without much hassle, that might be all you need.

Next 10-inch tablet
This one makes our best budget Android tablet roundup on price and nothing else – save perhaps that it’s readily available. £180 for a 10-inch Android tablet with Wi-Fi sounds like a great deal. But in practice, it’s not: the Beeb’s Rory Cellan-Jones described it thusly: “If this was a pair of jeans, you’d be taking it back to the shop.” Ouch. On the plus side, you can walk into your high street Next and pick one up.

And some other options….

These models haven’t been reviewed just yet – really, there are a lot of them about – but if you simply must have a budget Android tablet this Christmas, even if it isn’t the best budget Android tablet, you could try these:

Maplin 7-inch Android 2.1 tablet, £159.99
Doesn’t have a proper name, and since it’s got a resistive touchscreen, we highly doubt it’s multitouch as claimed either. But HDMI out and a 800MHz CPU aren’t so bad.

Elonex 7-inch Android tablet, £97
This is certainly the most budget Android tablet this Christmas. You can pick it up for under £100 at Asda, but be warned: it’s running Android 1.6, and ancient version of the OS.

Made for Life

Thursday, 16 December 2010