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Xperia Arc pre-orders live: launching April 1st
HTC building two Facebook phones for MWC 2011?
Sony PSP 2 lands tomorrow: here’s the scoop
LG focuses on high-end Android handsets for 2011
Samsung Smart TV delivers IPTV without set top box
Teatime Tech: Out there Apple products, an Angry Birds Kinect hack and Dell Venue Pro question time
Our PlayStation Move winner is…
Emoticon keyboard: never type a smiley again!
Unbelievable Apple accessories: iMerchandise to die for
Should Angry Birds for Android get a premium ad-free version? Half say yes

Xperia Arc pre-orders live: launching April 1st

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 06:00 PM PST

Ready to pony up £459.99 for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc (X12)? The latest Xperia handset packs the mobile Bravia engine with a 4.2-inch Reality display, set to be released on April 1st. If you're ready to commit, play.com has you covered – here's what you need to know.

We had some hands-on time with the Xperia Arc at CES 2011 and we've seen it running Android 2.4. According to the new pre-order page over at play.com, the handset will be released on (or before) April 1st. Priced at £459.99 with free delivery, the Arc is looking to be an expensive proposition.

However, the Arc did make our Top 5 list for best Android phone of CES 2011. Now it's time to render your verdict. Will anyone else be placing their pre-order today? Or is holding out for a carrier subsidy the golden ticket? Sound off.

April 1st | £459.99 | Play.com

HTC building two Facebook phones for MWC 2011?

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

Word on the street, HTC is prepping two Facebook handsets, set to be unveiled at next month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. According to British newspaper, City A.M., the Facebook phones run a "tweaked" version of Android, complete with the Facebook logo and coloring. The newspaper was spot on with the Nexus S, could they be right about the Facebook phone?

Much like the Playstation Phone, the Facebook Phone is quite possibly the second most rumored handset to date. Even Facebook's own Mark Zuckerberg has gone on record to deny the existence of such a device. Then just two weeks ago, the Android-powered INQ Cloud Touch reignited the flame.

Today, the rumors pit HTC as the manufacturer of choice — marking the first time the manufacturer has been paired with the social network. According to City A.M., the Facebook phones will feature "Facebook messages and news feed on the home screen", and both phones will be aimed at the high-end market. The devices themselves will bear Facebook's logo, along with coloring.

For now, we do not know which version of Android the handsets will be running, just that it will be a "tweaked" build. There's also no word on any additional features, pricing or carriers of any sort. Quite simply, the idea of HTC releasing a Facebook phone seems unnecessary — the Facebook Android app is quite sufficient, if we must say so.

However, it is entirely possible that Facebook is planning to introduce both HTC devices along with INQ's Cloud Touch at Mobile World Congress. For now, treat this news like all past rumors — we'll know the truth in a few short weeks.

via UnwiredView

Sony PSP 2 lands tomorrow: here’s the scoop

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 03:19 PM PST

The Sony PSP 2 will be front and center at an event in Tokyo Thursday. Set to take on the Nintendo 3DS in the growing handheld market, the PSP 2 may pack the power of a Playstation 3, but fit in your pocket. With 3G data and a touch screen, here's the latest on the PSP 2.

We've seen our fair share of leaked images of the PSP 2, but today it's time to trim the fat. At the core of the handheld will be an OLED touchscreen display (four plus inches) and 3G data connection, confirmed by Japan's Nikkei business paper. According to the paper, the 3G services will not allow voice — which is probably why Sony is also cooking up a Playstation Phone.

Another major upgrade are dual analog sticks, a move which will separate the PSP 2 from the Nintendo 3DS. Like the current PSP Go, UMD discs are gone — this time for good, and downloadable content is the one-stop shop.

Graphics are king in the world of gaming. The PSP 2 will focus on graphics, upgraded HD graphics will trump the current PSP Go and iOS platforms. We don't have frame rate specifics, but expect the gap between the Playstation 3 and PSP to diminish.

Not confirmed, but also a feature expected on the PSP 2 is a touch-sensitive back panel. While mostly speculation, the addition of a touch-sensitive back panel could provide an interesting control for gaming.

The last real change expected on the PSP 2 will be media sharing. There's currently limited support between the PC and PS3, but we expect Sony to take a major leap in this department on the next-generation Playstation portable.

In a few short hours, the PSP 2 will be official. The months of anticipation will come to an end and the future of Sony's portable gaming market will be clear. Of all the features we've highlighted for the PSP 2, which will make you a believer in the next generation console?

via Cnet | Reuters

LG focuses on high-end Android handsets for 2011

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 03:00 PM PST

LG posted a record quarterly loss in the fourth quarter this morning as handset shipments continued to struggle. Currently residing as the world's number three handset manufacturer, the South Korean giant hopes to stop the bleeding by offering more high-end Android smartphones in 2011.

LG's mobile communications business posted a operating loss of $245 million, $234.2 million of which came from its handset business. It doesn't take much digging to find the culprit — a 15.2 percent drop in handset sales year-over-year, did the trick. However, these results do not paint the entire picture.

For the quarter, LG shipped 30.6 million units, up eight percent from the third quarter, but down ten percent from a year ago. In North America, Europe and South Korea, sales increased — largely due to the success of the LG Optimus One. For 2011, LG expects a growth of eight percent in their handset business, with a focus on "premium smartphones", tablets and recovering cost competitiveness in feature phones.

We've seen the next wave of LG hardware, the Optimus Black and Optimus 2X, and if the benchmarks are any indication — the performance is off the charts. There's also the LG G-Slate in the pipe, the Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet landing in the US on T-mobile, and we're sure plenty of European partners. Also for the US Market, on Verizon Wireless, LG introduced the LG Revolution at CES 2011 — the company's first 4G LTE device.

What else does LG have planned for 2011? Will these four launches be enough to keep the handset business afloat? Sound off.

via LG

Samsung Smart TV delivers IPTV without set top box

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 01:36 PM PST

Samsung Smart TVs are set to take Internet protocol television (IPTV) by storm in 2011. Smart TVs funnel the power of high-speed internet services into the ultimate television experience, without the monthly lease of a set top box. Are we moving to a future where connected TVs replace the set top box?

At CES 2011 earlier this month, Samsung unveiled RVU protocol support for the D6000 series TVs, which combined with the new DirecTV RVU server, created a multi-room DVR solution without the need for additional set top boxes. Today, Samsung is using their Smart TV platform to eliminate set top boxes for IPTV subscribers.

Gaining traction in the Internet-connected TV market is a significant milestone. There are currently over 28 million IPTV subscribers worldwide, most coming from Europe, Asia and North America. Recently, the Xbox 360 was enabled to function as an IPTV set top box in the US on At&t's U-verse service via a Media Room update. For the past year a similar update has been rumored for Windows Media Center (Vista and Windows 7), but never materialized.

If Samsung can enable their Smart TVs to function as IPTV set top boxes on a global scale, this could be a major selling point for their TVs and connected Blu-ray players. As a home theater enthusiast, reducing clutter remains a high priority, not to mention cutting the costs associated with leasing a set top box. Any fellow IPTV subscribers out there excited about the possibility of using a Samsung TV as a set top box?

via Samsung

Teatime Tech: Out there Apple products, an Angry Birds Kinect hack and Dell Venue Pro question time

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 10:17 AM PST

End of the day. Yay! Before you leave though, check out what’s been going on in gadgetry this afternoon in our quickstop news roundup.

First up – let’s talk some Angry Birds. We want to know what you think about the mobile gaming sensation – and then we want you to check out and incredible Kinect hack that lets you be the controller for it!

In Apple meanwhile, we brought you two special features: one looking at portraits of Steve Jobs, and another rounding up the strangest products and merchandise you never knew Apple made.

Finally, in mobile, we snatched a Dell Venue Pro Windows Phone 7 handset for review: what do you want to know about it?

Still want more news? Bounce, bounce, we say,over to the homepage, where it continues to break throughout the night!

Our PlayStation Move winner is…

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 09:03 AM PST

Last month we gave you the chance to win a PlayStation Move, as well as the five best PS3 Move games as rated by our games gurus. All you had to do was tell us what your most moving gaming experience was – we’ve now got a winner, so read on to see who it is.

Your stories made us snort with laughter, gasp with shock and occasionally even question your priorities in life but there could only be one winner. Step forward Lydia Houghton, who penned us a ballad about her most moving gaming moment:

When I am blue,
This guy’s just the tonic
Cos’ he’s blue as well,
I know, it’s ironic!
I think I’m in love
And I’ve got it chronic.
It’s more than a crush,
It’s not just platonic,
I’m ‘plagued’ with affection
It’s almost bubonic,
Possessed by his charms,
Like something demonic!
I couldn’t care less
That my guy’s electronic
And only shows up
On my old Panasonic…
I hear violins
Like The Royal Philharmonic
When I hear his name…
My soul mate – My Sonic.

Quite an evocative way to describe first blaizing through Sonic on Sega consoles of yore, we thought. Lydia tells us that she began as “a ‘Sonic-widow’ years and years ago when my boyfriend used to play…In the end I thought I’d better join in before he forgot who I was. I was soon just as hooked as he was.”

Congratulations Lydia, your PlayStation Move and bevy of PS3 Move games will be with you shortly.

Prize courtesy of Gamesbasement.co.uk

Didn’t win this time? Not to worry, we’ve got two Sony iPod docks to give away, as well as a copy of LittleBigPlanet 2. Click here to find out how to enter!

Emoticon keyboard: never type a smiley again!

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 08:58 AM PST

Forget fumbling for the right characters to drop a smiley at the end of your email. This ingenious Emoticon Keyboard will do it for you! There are few details about its inception, save for its USB connection and ability to automatically spit out the correct character combo as soon as an emoticon is prodded. Tempted? You know you are

Invented by Lavatelli, the Emoticon Keyboard it holds 16 smiley faces which each have lights underneath them. According to Geek.com, “The keypad will be customizable, in that multiple glow options will be available to offer some personality to these white bubbles of emotion.”

Stick an Apple-themed emoticon on there, and we’ll gladly include it in our list of bonkers Apple accessories!

Unbelievable Apple accessories: iMerchandise to die for

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 08:27 AM PST

Apple fans, admit it. You love a good bit of iMerchandise. Whether it's those white Apple stickers that come bundled with every product from Cupertino, or a special T-shirt given out at the opening of a new Apple Store. If it's got the Apple stamp on it, you can guarantee you'll go ga-ga for it.

But the really cool Apple merchandise? The rare stuff? You'll have to hunt hard for it. Or read on, where we've rounded it all up for you. Yeah, you know it makes sense…

Weird official Apple merchandise

Apple Sneakers
Or, Apple Trainers to those in Britain. These ultra-rare kicks were given out to Apple employees in the 1990s. They're not a knock-off, or even fan-made tribute-shoes, they're the real deal, and specially commissioned by Cupertino. Unfortunately, they're hard to get hold of, but set up an eBay alert, and you might get lucky.

Adidas Micropacer: iPod edition
Can't get hold of the original Apple Sneakers? Then try this: In 2007 Adidas created a special edition of its Micropacer trainer, fashioned in shiny white leather and reportedly taking its inspiration from the Apple iPod. The box, while similarly special edition and shiny, never uses the iPod name, and neither do the shoes themselves.

It's unclear just how willingly Apple gave its blessing to the Adidas branding, but as far as we can tell it never kicked up a fuss legally. Most unlike Apple, so we suspect it was all official.

Apple T-Shirts
There's a history of Apple giving out T-shirts for special events. It might be the launch of a new gadget, or the opening of an Apple Store. But the pride of any Apple merchandise collection must be these original, and lurid, Apple T-shirts from the days of the Apple Lisa and Macintosh. Fleetingly showing up on eBay, beware of reproductions, an original will cost you a couple of hundred dollars.

Apple Fridge Magnets
You've probably seen those iPhone icon fridge magnets in Urban Outfitters, but these are the real deal: Genuine Apple iPod nano fridge magnets, created by Apple to promote its Back To School discount scheme, offering students a free iPod when they bought a Mac. Do students even use fridges? Does anyone like cold Pot Noodles?

Apple Babygrows
Did you ask for an iMac but get a child instead? Don't worry, you can brand it up just the same with these official Apple Babygrows. They're only on sale at Apple's Company Store on its Cupertino campus, but if you just have to have the ultimate iOffspring, they're ideal. Adorable picture via Louis Gray.

Oddball unofficial Apple merchandise

Apple's official merchandise is barmy enough, but check out this little lot of loony creations, each cooked up by Apple fans and enthusiasts.

Steve Jobs Action Figure
It's been stopped once by Apple's legal department, but is now back on sale after a quick re-branding as the Pineapple CEO. Amazingly detailed, and sporting removable glasses, changeable hands, a choice of black or white iPhone 4s and even a speech bubble to force the Jobs likeness to speak your words. It's the work of an obsessive, and at $100 the plaything of a true Apple nut.

Re-purposed Mac parts
Want a lamp made from an iMac G4? Head to Etsy. You'll find several people scooping out the innards of Apple's angle-poise iMac and replacing it with a desk lamp. Want to wear your love for Apple with pride? Try this hairclip made from an iMac circuit board. Or how about a USB memory stick crafted from old Apple keyboards?

Yes, it's mostly a load of old tat, but Apple fans have crafted all sorts of household items out of repurposed Mac components. Even the odd fishtank or two, and most are for sale, at a price.

Mac Mini Apple Pie
Is it a Mac Mini, or is it an Apple pie? Obviously, it's the latter. Unlike most of the items here, you can make this one (fairly) easily at home. Just head to Evil Mad Scientist and follow the detailed instructions. Beware though, you might have to do without the lattice Apple logo – the makers of the original used a 45 watt carbon-dioxide laser to slice it precisely.

PodBrix LEGO Figure
Can't afford a fully-fledged Jobs Action Figure? Then check out these LEGO minifigs. They're almost as rare as genuine Apple merchandise, since they're hand-made and make fleeting appearances on the web (the original PodBrix website seems to have disappeared). But if you just have to show your appreciation for all things Apple in miniature, they're hard to beat.

Happy Mac Cross Stitch
"It’s the happy little face old school Mac veterans are so familiar with. . . in cross stitch!" says its creator Benjibot. If you're feeling crafty, we recommend it highly. Particularly in such a lovely frame. It looks like something we'd find on our nan's sideboard. You can download the cross stitch pattern yourself, so there's no excuse for not giving it a go.

Apple OS X Icon Cushions
The work of the fleet-fingered stitchers at ThrowBoy, these plush cushions are fashioned after the icons of OS X. Some even include the hidden messages we've covered previously. Buy the lot of them, line them up on the nearest glass surface and you've got your very own super-sized OS X dock!

Should Angry Birds for Android get a premium ad-free version? Half say yes

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 07:58 AM PST

Yesterday we asked you if you would pay for an ad-free version of Angry Birds on Android.The answers were split almost straight down the middle, with 52.5% of Electricpig voters saying no, they would not pay for an ad-free version of Angry Birds for Android. 47.5% of voters said yes, they would pay for an ad-free version of Angry Birds.

Where does that leave Angry Birds devs Rovio?There’s potentially some hard cash, and some happier fans, in moving to a freemium set up on Android, but if somewhere in the region of half your users don’t care, and won’t pay, is it worth losing out on advertising by reducing the number of eyes watching the ad version?

If you were Rovio, would you set up two versions of Angry Birds for Android, one free with ads, the other a paid ad-free Angry Birds? Click through and holler in the comments!