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- HTC EVO 3D, SlingLoaded HDS-600RS, Angry Birds Rio: US Update
- Microsoft Research reveals the magic behind Kinect technology
- Amazon AppStore required to keep playing Angry Birds Rio?
- EchoStar Europe unveils SlingLoaded HDS-600RS: HD DVR meets Freesat+ plus Sling
- HTC EVO 3D vs LG Optimus 3D: battle for glasses-free 3D kicks off
- HTC EVO 3D delivers the goods: qHD 3D display, 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon
- iPad 2 UK price, the best Android apps of the week and Crysis 2 reviewed: Teatime Tech
- Best Android apps of the week
- Why Jonathan Ive left the UK for Apple
- Crysis 2 review
| HTC EVO 3D, SlingLoaded HDS-600RS, Angry Birds Rio: US Update Posted: 22 Mar 2011 03:49 PM PDT 
First up, the HTC EVO 3D, the US version of the rumored HTC Pyramid, coming to Sprint later this Summer. Equipped with a 4.3-inch qHD 3D "glasses free" display and a 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, this is the future of Android smartphones. What better way to welcome the EVO 3D than to go head-to-head in a smartphone showdown with the LG Optimus 3D, we've got you covered here. EchoStar Europe unveiled the SlingLoaded HDS-600RS today. The HDS-600S brings the power of a HD DVR with Freesat+ and added the power of Sling Media's place-shifting technology. Now you can have your TV anywhere you have 3G or WiFi connectivity. The Amazon Appstore was a great way to start off Tuesday, but unfortunately it appears uninstalling the store renders your free download of Angry Birds Rio unplayable — here's the scoop. Last up this morning is a research paper which breaks down the magic behind the Kinect. In this 8-page document released by Microsoft Research we gain a much better understanding of just how impressive the Microsoft Kinect really is when its capturing our movements at 200 frames per second. That wraps up the latest and greatest in the world of tech news. As always I'm Nick Marshall and I'll see you again tomorrow. Related posts:
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| Microsoft Research reveals the magic behind Kinect technology Posted: 22 Mar 2011 03:37 PM PDT 
Without diving too deep into the document, here's the gist. The Kinect development team collected roughly 500,000 frames of motion capture data of simulated poses with different people. They packed this data into a database and used that data go generalize the data-set down to 100,000 more unique poses to which the system was trained to estimate body parts from. After some serious computation, we end up with a Kinect sensor capable of recognizing motion at a blistering 200 frames per second. Unforunately it sounds much easier than it actually was so we recommend heading over to Microsoft Research to check out the full document. [via iStartedSomething] Related posts:
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| Amazon AppStore required to keep playing Angry Birds Rio? Posted: 22 Mar 2011 03:15 PM PDT 
With a smidgen under 4,000 apps available, the launch of Amazon's Appstore was a bittersweet. On one hand, it opens the door to a fresh revenue stream for Amazon, but at the same time it creates a new level of Android fragmentation. Furthermore, depending on your carrier you might not even be able to access the store. Now onto the more pressing matter, Angry Birds Rio. If you're like me and installed Angry Birds Rio this morning the day started off on a bright note. However, if you later removed the Amazon Appstore and tried playing Angry Birds Rio you saw the following message:
As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. If you want to take advantage of the free apps being offered by the Amazon AppStore, you'll need to keep it installed. At least until a clever soul over at xda-developers comes up with a fix. [via Droid-life] Related posts:
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| EchoStar Europe unveils SlingLoaded HDS-600RS: HD DVR meets Freesat+ plus Sling Posted: 22 Mar 2011 02:59 PM PDT 
We live for the highlights, here it goes. The EchoStar HDS-600RS is the world's first Freesat+ DVR with SlingLoaded TV anywhere. All of the features you've learned to love in a traditional SlingBox (Pro-HD or Solo) are native to the HDS-600RS. This mean you can watch live and recorded TV anytime, anywhere, with no additional monthly fees. Inside the HDS-600S is a 500GB hard drive for storing loads of HD or SD content. A high definition electronic programming guide (EPG) brings it home, delivering an interface on par with this top-notch piece of hardware.
The HDS-600RS will be available for purchase online at Amazon.co.uk and in-store and online at John Lewis (www.johnlewis.com) from 1st April 2011. Consumers can pre-order from Amazon.co.uk from 23rd March 2011. April 1 | Amazon | TBD Related posts:
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| HTC EVO 3D vs LG Optimus 3D: battle for glasses-free 3D kicks off Posted: 22 Mar 2011 02:26 PM PDT 
Display Processor Dimensions OS – user interface Verdict time Related posts:
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| HTC EVO 3D delivers the goods: qHD 3D display, 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon Posted: 22 Mar 2011 01:51 PM PDT 
There's nothing like an official smartphone announcement to kick off your day. Sprint unveiled the HTC EVO 3D at CTIA Wireless this morning, confirming earlier reports that HTC was working on a new dual-core flagship (previously codenamed Pyramid). The HTC EVO 3D packs a 4.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) capacitive touchscreen, 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processors, Android 2.3 Gingerbread with HTC Sense, 3G/4G mobile hotspot capability and of course access to more than 150,000 apps in the Android Market.
On the back of the EVO 3D are dual 5-megapixel cameras which can capture 3D video in 720p HD or 1080p in 2D. On the front is a 1.3-megapixel camera for video chat. A 3D verson of Blockbuster OnDemand app comes pre-loaded on the EVO 3D with access to 2D and 3D movies, TV shows and games for rent or purchase. Rounding out the features is a HDMI port (up to 1080p), DLNA, 3.5mm headphone jack, 1730 mAh battery, 4GB internal memory, microSD card slot and stereo Bluetooth. For now the HTC EVO 3D live and breaths in the US on Sprint, but we expect a GSM version to rear its head very soon. Welcome to the future of Android. Coming Summer | HTC | TBD Related posts:
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| iPad 2 UK price, the best Android apps of the week and Crysis 2 reviewed: Teatime Tech Posted: 22 Mar 2011 11:13 AM PDT 
First up, let’s talk Apple. A new, in depth profile has revealed why Jonathan Ive, the company’s design supremo, fled to Cupertino, while Apple has set its UK pricing for the iPad 2 – and it’s seriously tempting. Over on the Android side of things meanwhile, Samsung responded to said slate with two new Honeycomb tablets of its own, while we rounded up the best Android apps of the week for your phone. Finally, in gaming, we looked at the 10 best Kinect hacks, and set loose our full review of the long awaited shooter Crysis 2. Has it been worth the wait? Still want more news? Roll on over to the homepage and help yourself to it all as it breaks! Related posts:
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| Posted: 22 Mar 2011 09:23 AM PDT 
 Before you get any mess on your nice clean shirt, it's worth noting that you can zap your way to the Android Market using the handy QR codes we've supplied below and a copy of Barcode Scanner, which is available entirely free of charge. Free
£1.85
Free
Free
£3.09
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| Why Jonathan Ive left the UK for Apple Posted: 22 Mar 2011 09:04 AM PDT 
At the time Jony Ive – the Essex-born guru behind the iMac, MacBook Air, iPod, iPad and iPhone – was working at a British design consultancy called Tangerine, headed by Clive Grinyer. And Grinyer says that Britain lost his talent after one particular incident. Ive was presenting toilet designs to the Ideal Standard bathroom fittings company in Hull, only to have them ripped apart by a man wearing a red nose (it was Comic Relief day). Grinyer describes the man as a "clown" who decided to "throw his weight around" – and it seems that was the catalyst for Ive upping sticks for Cupertino and Apple. According to the profile it took the return of Steve Jobs in 1997 to really bring Ive to the fore. He had been working on largely unnoticed prototypes for three years until Jobs passed by his studio and realised the Essex boy was onto something. In 1998 the Ive-designed CRT iMac was released and everybody else knew that too. Then in 2001 Ive's iPod arrived and cemented his place as one of Apple's greatest assets. The rest is history, but the profile reveals some other interesting nuggets of info about the man: such as the fact that he visited Japan to watch samurai swords being forged, in order to better understand how to craft and strengthen the thin pieces of metal used in Apple products. It also pours cold water on recent talk of Jony Ive leaving the US to return to Britain. A former colleague says that the last he heard, Ive was planning to sell his Somerset mansion – hardly the behaviour of a man who wanted to come back to Blighty. Related posts:
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| Posted: 22 Mar 2011 09:00 AM PDT  Crysis 2 puts you at the centre of an alien invasion of New York City in arguably the finest looking console shooter of this generation. Looks alone won’t get Crysis 2 surging up the sales charts. Fulfilling promises such as different ways to play its unique campaign and multiplayer mode will. Does Crysis 2 deliver? Read our Crysis 2 review and find out. The first time we saw Crysis 2 in action back in May last year developer Crytek hailed Crysis 2 as a “major stepping stone for the studio.” Crysis 2 marks the first appearance of the franchise on consoles, having made its debut on the impossibly souped up PCs that were required to run its graphic-intensive predecessor. Crysis 2 doesn’t exactly skimp on the visuals. We’re hardly going out on a limb when we say that Crysis 2 is the best looking shooter we’ve laid eyes on. Crysis 2 is always a pleasure to gaze. Its crumbling alien invasion-battered New York setting is executed to apocalyptic perfection.
All the usual compliments you’ve heard about graphics in games apply, times ten. The pretty glare of sunlight, the rubble strewn streets, the leafy park settings, explosions, smoke, debris, the beaming neon lights of Times Square – they all look stunning. As you’ll have twigged, Crysis 2 swaps the jungle setting of its predecessor for New York. The story centres on a struggle for a powerful piece of armour you wear known as a Nanosuit and, more pertinently, an alien invasion from the deadly Seph, and a virus that has swept through the Big Apple. What’s this Nanosuit then? It’s a powerful piece of all body clothing, like Batman’s Batsuit without the pointy ears. In Crytek’s words it gives the wearer “temporary God-like powers,” letting them cloak themselves in a temporarily invisible shroud and grant them extra shielding from enemy fire. How you use the Nanosuit is a key feature of the Crysis 2 gameplay experience. You simply can’t do without it. It has two modes: Stealth and Armour. Activating stealth mode lets you blend into your surroundings to make you nearly invisible to enemies to sneak past and around them without catching their attention. Get close enough behind enemies and you can perform stealth kills by stabbing them in the neck.
Armour mode gives you more protection against enemy fire. It’s quite possible to walk face first into a barrage of bullets, almost impervious to their fire and live to tell the tale. There is some balance. Each power lasts for around 10-20 seconds depending on how you use them. Both use up energy. Sprinting while activating stealth depletes the energy bar even quicker so that you’re not entirely reliant on being close to invisible. See our best PS3 games Top 5 now If you think you can just walk past enemies as if you’re not there, you’d be wrong. Walk directly in front of them and they’ll hear your footsteps, triggering a red alert and a posse of soldiers on your trail. The beauty of the Nanosuit is that it lets you play parts of the game how you want. If you want to sneak around like a pimped out Solid Snake, go for it. If you’re gameplay style is a little more akin to Robocop simply fire up the armour and go all-out. It’s these instances when the Nanosuit makes you feel badass, while at others it feels more like a safety blanket. Attempting to play Crysis 2 like an espionage agent is incredibly tough and unforgiving, with enemies seemingly able to spot you from miles away. You get the impression they can spot a strand of hair from a block away. The open spaces of New York’s large streets mean you’ll very likely alert the enemy at some point. In an earlier preview we told you how we watched a demonstrator infiltrate a rooftop base using stealth like an expert without alerting a single soldier.
In practice we were spotted within seconds, causing all manner of reinforcements to emerge, including an attack helicopter. What ensued was a run and gun mission to reach the checkpoint after dying ten times. The first few hours are a slow burner. It’s only after the first three hours or so that the action really hots up. Many of the missions see you make your way from point A to B for one reason or another, whether it’s to meet up with your fellow squad buddies or to fend off an attack from a giant alien robot. Others see you helping to defend a squad against incoming waves of enemies that emerge via alien dropships. Check out our best PC games Top 5 now There is some variety. A plotline involving some nasty folk attempting to pry you from your suit occurs, which we won’t spoil for you. Another diversion makes better use of the stealth capabilities of the Nanosuit by having you sneak into a heavily guarded offshore base without being spotted. The driving sections are also very well executed without feeling tacked on. The general feeling throughout is that you’re under siege, and you’re trying to escape with your life. It’s like a scene from Independence Day, or Mars Attacks! without the cheese.
Enemy AI is rather good at times. They will rush to cover behind walls, benches and bushes to aim their pistols over in your direction. We’d have liked to have seen more baddie variety, particularly in the mini-boss battles. Again, we won’t spoil things too much, but each of these boss battles require the same tactics. We’d like to think that the Seph, with all their advanced extraterrestrial technology could come up with something different each time. However another area Crysis 2 excels in is the weapon and Nanosuit customisation options on offer. Pressing select lets you power up an area of your Nanosuit and give you new abilities which you can gain by using the currency you nab from killing aliens. Holding down, instead of pressing select lets you alter the attachments on your weapons at any moment, should you for example wish to equip a silencer to your assault rifle. It gives you the welcome feeling that you’re always in control of how you use your weapons, which include sniper rifles, assault rifles, handguns, grenade launchers and shotguns. Even without all these options, and the Nanosuit, Crysis 2 would still be a thoroughly enjoyable shooter. With them, Crysis 2 has its USP. The intricacies of the story are at times difficult to follow, but you’ll rarely feel dumbstruck. Each scene leads on to the next well enough without the feeling of detachment you get with some shooters. Developer Crytek’s devastated realisation of New York is unlikely to be bettered even by many. The level design and attention to detail is nothing short of admirable. A soundtrack composed by Hans Zimmer (of Inception and The Dark Knight fame) adds a star touch. Play Crysis 2 with a quality pair of headphones to get the best out of it.
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