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iOS 4.3 released, iPhone 5 uses A5, Europe loves Android: US Update
Microsoft Kinect sales are unstoppable: 10 million units sold
Europe loves Android: fastest growing operating system, ever
Apple TV 4.2 update adds Netflix Dolby Digital 5.1, MLB.TV, NBA League Pass
iPhone 5 confirmed to use A5 dual-core processor
iOS 4.3 now available for download, we promise
Best iPhone apps: app of the day = Foodspotting
Mark Zuckerberg action figure: Facebook founder horribly recreated for your poking pleasure
Olympus E-PL2 review
WebOS will be on every HP PC next year

iOS 4.3 released, iPhone 5 uses A5, Europe loves Android: US Update

Posted: 09 Mar 2011 05:13 PM PST

Rise and shine, it's time to start your morning off right with today's US Update. Breaking headlines across the web this morning was the availability of iOS 4.3. Deep within the update was confirmation the iPhone 5 uses the dual-core A5 processor. The Apple TV also got its own update, here's the scoop.

iOS 4.3 is now available via iTunes. Three highlights of the update are Personal HotSpot, iTunes Home Sharing and new AirPlay features — you can stream video from websites and third-party apps. 9to5Mac is reporting that inside the source code of iOS 4.3, confirmation of the iPhone 5 processor exists. The iPhone 5 will use the dual-core A5 ship, just like the iPad 2.

The Apple TV 4.2 update, also released this morning, enables Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, and several media streaming options: MLB.TV and NBA League pass are the more notable. Moving away from the world of iOS, IDC has published their latest market research and finds European Android growth is exploding at an unprecedented rate. The firm has dubbed Android as the "fastest growing operating system".

The Microsoft Kinect shares a similar title, Guinness Book of World Records awarded it the title of "Fastest Selling Consumer Electronics Device". With 10 million Kinect sensors and 10 million Kinect games sold in four months, like Denzel Washington — the Kinect is unstoppable.

That wraps up your daily dose of tech news. As always I'm Nick Marshall and I'll see you again tomorrow.

Microsoft Kinect sales are unstoppable: 10 million units sold

Posted: 09 Mar 2011 05:01 PM PST

It appears Sony aptly named the Playstation Move after considering the competition. Microsoft's Kinect has outshined its competitor at the cash register, bringing home unprecedented hardware and game sales to the tune of 10 million units. That's right, 10 million Microsoft Kinects and 10 million stand-alone Kinect games have been sold since launch.

Android might be the fastest growing operating system, but Microsoft Kinect now holds the title of "Fastest Selling Consumer Electronics Device" according to the Guiness World Records. To put it simply, Microsoft has proven controllers are overrated. For those keeping score, Microsoft sold 2.5 million units in less than two weeks, eight million units after 60 days and now 10 million units in under four months.

If you are still on the fence as to whether to jump on the Kinect bandwagon, we recommend you take a look at our review and maybe even a quick peek at the launch titles. We told you yesterday that developers have promised more hardcore Kinect titles and we certainly expect that news to fuel another two or three million sales. Any ideas when Microsoft will eclipse the 15 million unit mark?

via Microsoft

Europe loves Android: fastest growing operating system, ever

Posted: 09 Mar 2011 04:33 PM PST

If 2010 is a sign of things to come, Android will soon dominate the European smartphone market. According to Francisco Jeronimo, European mobile devices research manager of IDC, Android growth is forecast at 37 percent compounded annually over the next five years.

We don't need to look any farther than IDC's latest findings, which show Android growth erupting an amazing 1580 percent year-over-year in European Markets, to know Android is booming. With 470,000 units shipping this quarter last year, the 7.9 million units shipped this quarter is quite impressive.

"The last quarter of 2010 clearly shows the trends for the coming years in Western Europe. The Western European mobile phone market will be dominated by smartphones, and Android will be the king of the hill. Android surged from 4% to 31% market share in less than a year to become the market leader in 4Q10 and the fastest growing operating system ever ” said Francisco Jeronimo, European mobile devices research manager, IDC. “

The tremendous number of Android partners (manufacturers) can largely be attributed to the explosive growth, along with lower price points and heavy carrier subsidies for high-end smartphones. In whole, Android market share is now 31 percent and is now considered the "fastest growing operating system ever" by IDC. We'd have to agree.

via Android Guys

Apple TV 4.2 update adds Netflix Dolby Digital 5.1, MLB.TV, NBA League Pass

Posted: 09 Mar 2011 04:05 PM PST

Step aside Roku, there's a new gunslinger in town. The A4-powered Apple TV has been updated to software 4.2. With the update comes Dolby Digital 5.1 support for Netflix, live and on-demand Major League Baseball games, NBA League Pass and more.

At $99 the new Apple TV has remained a compelling product despite its media playback shortcomings. For those interested in bringing their iTunes library to their big screen, the product works as advertised. For others, Apple TV satisfies their Netflix fix and the simple aluminum remote makes navigation a breeze.

Today, the Apple TV became more than an iTunes sharing, Netflix playing media streamer. Software update 4.2 adds MLB.TV, delivering live and on-demand Major League Baseball games, stats, scores and standings. NBA League Pass, delivers live games and archived games along with scores and stats. Netflix Dolby Digital 5.1 brings full surround sound to your living room. An improved on screen keyboard, slideshow themes and AirPlay for apps round out the update.

Although Boxee certainly offers a slicker interface, loads more media and streaming options, it is also double the price. Roku on the other hand, remains the Apple TVs toughest competitor. The only question we have at this point is how long until we see a standard Hulu Plus app on this bad boy?

Out Now | Free | Apple

iPhone 5 confirmed to use A5 dual-core processor

Posted: 09 Mar 2011 03:30 PM PST

Doubts over whether the iPhone 5 will include a dual-core processor can be laid to rest. The juicy details were hidden inside the freshly release iOS 4.3 update today. It has now been confirmed both the iPad 2 and the iPhone 5 will use the S5L8940 processor, better known as the A5.

Since 2007 Apple has released a new iPhone between June and July. By the end of March the iPad 2, powered by the dual-core A5 processor, will be widely available around the globe. Just like the original iPad, the iPhone released later this year will include that very same chip. With up to 2X faster processing power and up to 9X faster graphics, the iPhone 5 should deliver the same 1080P output as the iPad 2.

If you're keeping score, the original iPad as well as the iPhone 4 use the A4 chip, model S5L8930. You don't need to be a betting man to predict the iPhone 6 and iPad 3 will use A6 chip, model S5L8950. Any predictions on how many cores will power the third generation iPad and sixth generation iPhone?

via 9to5Mac

iOS 4.3 now available for download, we promise

Posted: 09 Mar 2011 03:13 PM PST

After a bit of a snafu yesterday, the bonafide iOS 4.3 update is finally available via iTunes for your trusty iOS devices. The release was part of several Apple updates: Apple TV 4.2, Safari 5.0.4 and iOS 4.3. If you are ready to update your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, prepare yourself for a 669.8MB download.

Three key features highlight iOS 4.3: Personal Hotspot, iTunes Home Sharing and expanded AirPlay features. There was some confusion brewing this week as to whether Personal Hotspot would be limited to only 3 devices — this is only partially correct. The iPhone 4 can share its cellular data connection with up to five devices, however they must be a combination of 3 WiFi, 3 Bluetooth and 1 USB.

iTunes Home Sharing, which requires iTunes 10.2, allows playback of music, movies and TV shows from a shared iTunes library on both Mac and PCs. The last of the three (notable) features is expanded AirPlay support. Instead of being limited to video playback in your iPod app, you can now play videos from the Photos app, Camera roll album, iTunes previews, and enabled third-party apps and websites all on your Apple TV. Of course, the real catch here is that apps must be updated to enabled AirPlay support, but at least this is a start.

We'll be testing iOS 4.3 on our iPhone 4 throughout the day and report back if we run into any issues. So far things are smooth sailing, but feel free to drop a comment if you notice anything particularly newsworthy.

Out Now | Free | iTunes

Best iPhone apps: app of the day = Foodspotting

Posted: 09 Mar 2011 08:43 AM PST

Today’s installment of best iPhone apps is about eating. There are plenty of apps for location sharing (Facebook Places, Gowalla, Foursquare) and photo sharing (Instagram most notably) but Foodspotting is one of my favourite combinations of the two. It’s a visual guide to seeking out good food and sharing meals you’ve had.

Foodspotting is a well laid out app which definitely earns its spot in the location section of the best iPhone apps library and makes it really fun to share great meals you’ve had out. It acts as a guide to good restaurants nearby by hooking into the iPhone’s GPS but also rewards you with badges for sharing places you’ve visited and has fun game elements like scavenger hunts to try out. Click through for a behind-the-scenes look at Foodspotting:

Out now | £free | iTunes

Mark Zuckerberg action figure: Facebook founder horribly recreated for your poking pleasure

Posted: 09 Mar 2011 07:27 AM PST

The makers of the Steve Jobs action figure we saw a while back have added a new model to their product line-up: the Mark Zuckerberg figurine. Or as they like to call it “The Poking Inventor Action Figure”. Zuckerberg’s face is horribly recreated in this terrifyingly out of proportion doll, with a grotesque vaguely smirking face that we wouldn’t want to get within ten feet of. For more cringe-worthy images of the Mark ‘poking-inventor’ Zuckerberg, read on.

This Zuckerberg doll doesn’t just stand there. It has a crudely bent arm and wrist that looks slightly dislocated, or impossibly limp, so that you can choose whether he’s displaying a Poke sign or a Like sign. Write your own speech bubbles (the manufacturers have gone for “I’m CEO, bitch!” as well as “I invented POKING!”), and clip them onto a transparent bar that protrudes from pretend Mark Zuckerberg’s head. Gross.

Out now | $69 | MicGadget

What’s the worst thing about the Mark Zuckerberg action figure? The feet? The face? The dislocated wrist angle? Shout out in the comments!

[via NYTimes Bits]

Olympus E-PL2 review

Posted: 09 Mar 2011 07:16 AM PST

The latest model in the vintage-flavoured PEN range, the Olympus E-PL2 is one of the most compact interchangeable lens cameras you can buy. So how does this 12.3MP snapper compare to recently launched rivals such as the Sony NEX-5 and Panasonic GF2? Read on and our full Olympus E-PL2 review will clue you in!

Build quality

The Olympus E-PL2 is a Micro Four Thirds camera with access to a wide range of lenses made by Olympus and Panasonic. Our review sample came supplied with a 14-42mm kit zoom, and while it looks the same as that bundled with previous PENs, it's actually a brand new design that feels more solid less plasticky – twist the zoom or focus ring and it's much smoother.

In fact, the entire build quality of the Olympus E-PL2 feels a good notch or two above its predecessor the E-PL1. There's more metal and less plastic in the construction, and the screen is noticeably sharper.

One thing we would have liked to see is a touchscreen – a Panasonic GF2-style ability to "touch to focus" would have been very useful indeed – but maybe Olympus will add that in the next PEN…

Usability and performance

Performance is much improved too. The general control layout is largely the same, but autofocus speed is far zippier, locking onto a subject without the sluggish hunting we've had to put up with on previous PENs. The Sony NEX-5 and Panasonic GF2 are faster, but the Olympus E-PL2 isn't too far behind: something that could mean the difference between capturing a great shot and missing your opportunity.

The menu system will be familiar to users of past PENs, and there's a Live Guide function aimed at newbies. This lets you change settings like aperture, white balance, shutter speed and exposure compensation by displaying an adjustable slider and explaining what effect moving it up and down will have on your image. Experiences shutter nutters won't touch it – they'll just use the aperture or shutter priority modes, or dip into the quick menu to tweak other settings – but it's nice to see Olympus making an effort to be inclusive.

Photo and video quality

Images from the Olympus E-PL2 are gorgeous: its large sensor and high quality kit lens (we reckon it's better on the optical front as well as the build quality front) producing punchy, vivid colours and stiletto sharp detail at low ISO settings. Keep the ISO towards the 200 minimum and you'll have no complaints about noise and detail, and you can push it up to ISO 800 without too many ill effects. It will go all the way up to 6400 (double that of the E-PL1) if you do need to shoot flash-less in murky conditions, but the noise is predictably horrendous up there.

As with all the PENs so far, the Olympus E-PL2 comes with a selection of Art Filter modes, which let you quickly set it up for Lomo-style vignetting, tilt shift-esque miniature shots and grainy black and white photos. It's a nice, handy feature that can produce some great atmospheric results if you don't just want "normal" realistic shots.

Video isn't really a highlight feature here: the format is Motion JPEG rather than the more popular AVCHD offered by the rival Panasonic and Sony cameras, and the built-in microphone can only capture sound in mono (you'll need to buy Olympus's external mic if you want stereo). That said, the 720p video quality is generally superb in terms of detail and smoothness, and far above anything you'd get from a standard point-and-shoot camera or a consumer camcorder.

Verdict

While we don't think the Olympus E-PL2 is quite up to the all-round standards of the Sony NEX-5 or Panasonic GF2, it's definitely our favourite PEN camera so far, and a great premium snapper in its own right. If Olympus continues on this path, its next PEN could well find itself one of the leading compact system cameras on the market.

WebOS will be on every HP PC next year

Posted: 09 Mar 2011 06:47 AM PST

HP’s new CEO Leo Apotheker has said that webOS will be on every HP PC it ships next year. That’s in conjunction with being able to run Windows. How the dual-OS PC systems will work is unclear, but Apotheker spoke candidly about just what he thinks about HP.

"HP has lost its soul," he told an interviewer. "The first thing I wanted to do when I joined HP was listen to the people. The rank and file usually know about all the shortcomings."

Apotheker will be focusing on bringing the software aspect of HP’s business up to scratch, and it sounds like he sees webOS playing a bit part in that.

Would you like to get your hands on a PC that runs Windows and webOS? Shout out in the comments!

[via BusinessWeek]