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LG Nexus 3, Pantech Vega Racer, iPhone 4S: US Update
Apple slices second quarter iPhone 4 shipments in preparation for iPhone 4S?
Facebook inside Xperia update hits Arc and Play next week
NEC LifeTouch W dual-screen Android tablet pays homage to Kyocera Echo, lands next month
Pantech Vega Racer becomes world’s first 1.5 GHz dual-core phone
Gears of War 3 pre-orders eclipse one million units, did you reserve your copy?
Crystal Acoustics Pico HD 5.1 media player review: Smaller than a TV remote yet strangely impractical…
LG back in the race to deliver Nexus 3, model number LG P930?
HTC chief looks into crystal ball, sees tablet dominance and return of Microsoft in future
Redesigned Apple Stores? Time to make the Genius Bar less hellish

LG Nexus 3, Pantech Vega Racer, iPhone 4S: US Update

Posted: 19 May 2011 06:23 PM PDT

It's time for your daily tech recap where we bring you the top stories headlining today's news cycle. In today's US Update we begin with an interview of HTC Europe's head honcho, Mr. Florian Seiche. New details have emerged suggesting LG, not Motorola, will produce the Nexus 3. We finish up with an iPhone 4 forecast which looks to confirm a late 2011 release of the iPhone 4S.

Florian Seiche, head of HTC Europe, has gone on record to predict the future of tablets. He believes "we can't even guess the potential", but even more shocking — he thinks Nokia will be the long-term solution to bring Microsoft back into the smartphone lime light. The LG P930 was spotted yesterday, hidden in a XML file, by our friends at Unwired View. The device sports a "P" in the model number, indicating it is a phone rather than a tablet. In addition to the model number, the XML file also contained a rather interesting specification, a 4-inch 720 x 1280 resolution display. The same size and dimensions as the display Toshiba is showing off at SID. Is this the Nexus 3?

Gear of War 3 is now the fastest Xbox 360 title to reach 1 million pre-orders. Now that the beta has ended we must ask — did it live up to the hype? The world's first 1.5 GHz dual-core smartphone has an unlikely suitor, Pantech. The upcoming Pantech Vega Racer has a wrap sheet that challenges the HTC EVO 4G and HTC Sensation, want to find out more?

We've heard of dual-screen smartphones, but tablets? The NEC LifeTouch W promises to be just that, a dual-screen tablet powered by a Cortex-A8 processor and two 7-inch SVGA displays. Last up this afternoon is a DigiTimes report which confirms our previous iPhone 4S coverage: production begins in August, 8-megapixel OmniVision camera and A5 processor — the same piece of silicon inside the iPad 2. The report suggest Apple has cut back iPhone 4 production to make way for the iPhone 4S, coming this September.

That wraps up the latest and greatest in the fine world of tech. As always I'm Nick Marshall and I'll see you again tomorrow.

Apple slices second quarter iPhone 4 shipments in preparation for iPhone 4S?

Posted: 19 May 2011 10:13 AM PDT

Well look at that! Industry insider DigiTimes has just received word from its Taiwanese manufacturers that Apple has lowered its second quarter iPhone 4 shipment volume. The move is believed to be due to the release of the fifth generation iPhone, the iPhone 4S, scheduled to land later this year. We've explained in detail why Apple will survive without an iPhone 5 in 2011, but cutting back production in May?

The DigiTimes report confirms our previous iPhone 4S coverage: production begins in August, 8-megapixel OmniVision camera and A5 processor — the same piece of silicon inside the iPad 2. Allegedly, Apple has 1.5-2 million iPhone 4s in inventory and expects shipments for the second quarter to drop to 20 million units. This leaves 17.5-18 million to be produced, of which 16 million will be 3G and 1.5-2 million CDMA.

In related news, following lower than expected first quarter iPad shipments, DigiTimes believes the release of the iPad 2 will help Apple surpass the 7-8 million forecast and instead reach 10-10.5 million. If the numbers are correct this would place Apple in a position to reach its goal of shipping 35-40 million iPads in 2011.

via DigiTimes

Facebook inside Xperia update hits Arc and Play next week

Posted: 19 May 2011 09:34 AM PDT

It’s not Ice Cream Sandwich, but a big update is hitting the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Xperia Arc next week in the UK, we’ve confirmed. The over the air Android 2.3.4 update will patch the recently exposed Android security flaw and bring the Facebook inside Xperia service to the phones, which we also understand will hit the Xperia X10 with the upcoming Android 2.3 update, and come preloaded on the Xperia Mini and Xperia Mini Pro, as well as all new Android Sony Ericsson phones going forward.

The service was unveiled earlier this month, promising to bring tighter integration between Sony Ericsson’s music player and gallery apps on its Android phones. You can like and share tracks and photos, and Facebook photos of you are cached automatically on your phone, appearing as a folder within the gallery.

We were demoed the service today and while it won’t be of interest to every Android owner (if you’re a business rather than entertainment smartphone user, for instance), you can turn it and the individual features off in the settings.

The over the air update will roll out from next week on unlocked phones, while Sony Ericsson phones on contracts will receive the update when individual networks give the greenlight.

Out next week | £free | Sony Ericsson

NEC LifeTouch W dual-screen Android tablet pays homage to Kyocera Echo, lands next month

Posted: 19 May 2011 09:00 AM PDT

The Kyocera Echo became the world's first dual-screen Android smartphone this year when it was released on Sprint's Now Network. Today, NEC is looking to bring the dual-screen madness to Android tablets with its LifeTouch W. Running Android 2.2, the LifeTouch W boasts two 7-inch SVGA resistive touchscreen displays for a combined resolution of 1600 x 1400.

The NEC LifeTouch W is by no means a powerhouse. In fact we'd argue the tablet is more along the lines of a mid-range Android smartphone, armed with two large displays. Under the hood is an ARM Cortex-A8 processor, 384MB of RAM and 1GB of ROM. Connectivity options are standard with WiFi, USB and a SD card slot.

The NEC LifeTouch W has a date with destiny in the Japanese market next month. No word on whether this unique tablet will make the rounds to Europe and North America. Other than using the web browser and basic app simultaneously, what type of multi-tasking powered can we expect from a Cortex-A8 processor powering two high-resolution displays?

via Akihabaranews

Pantech Vega Racer becomes world’s first 1.5 GHz dual-core phone

Posted: 19 May 2011 08:00 AM PDT

We're not sure which is more shocking. The Qualcomm MSM8660 Snapdragon chip being overclocked to 1.5 GHz or the fact the phone bearing said chip comes to us by way of Pantech. We'd go with the latter, but in any event, the new Pantech Vega Racer is aimed at the Korean market via SK-Telecom and without a doubt, has a need for speed.

This is not our first run-in with the Qualcomm MSM8660, however it is the first time we've seen it clocked at 1.5 GHz. Both the HTC EVO 3D and HTC Sensation use the chip, but unlike the Vega Racer these two clock in at a slower 1.2 GHz. In addition to the blistering-fast processor, there's 1 GB of RAM, an Adreno 220 GPU, 4.3-inch TFT LCD WVGA display, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera and 8-megapixel rear shooter.

For now the Pantech Vega Racer has only been confirmed for release in Korea on SK-Telecom. With any luck we'll see both European and North American launches later this year, but we wouldn't hold our breath. Now that you've had time to digest the Pantech Vega Racer news, here's some food for thought. Word on the street is Pantech is sinking its teeth into plans to release a tablet. Hey, why not, everyone else has right?

via Unwired View

Gears of War 3 pre-orders eclipse one million units, did you reserve your copy?

Posted: 19 May 2011 07:00 AM PDT

As Epic's Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta came to a close this weekend, the months leading up to the game's September release will only become more difficult. Today, Epic confirmed over 1.29 million users played the beta and more than one million pre-ordered the game. This news makes Gears of War 3 the fastest title to reach one million pre-orders on the Xbox 360.

As the final chapter to close the Gears of War trilogy, GoW 3 has some big shoes to fill. Cliff Blesinzki, design director at Epic said, "while the beta was a fun way to give players an early taste of our game, it also provided us with invaluable feedback to help us refine and polish Gears of War 3 to ensure it’s truly the culmination of the trilogy we promised to the fans.”

While I didn't personally play the multiplayer beta, the consensus I heard from those that did was nothing but positive — further fueling my intentions to trade my PlayStation 3 for a Xbox 360. For those of you that played the multi-player beta we'd love to know: did it live up to the hype? Sound off.

September 20 | Gears of War | TBD

Crystal Acoustics Pico HD 5.1 media player review: Smaller than a TV remote yet strangely impractical…

Posted: 19 May 2011 06:02 AM PDT

The Crystal Acoustics Pico HD 5.1 media player caught our eye last month when it was first announced: here was a set top box that was actually smaller than its remote control, and it was one that professed to play all sorts of HD video formats, for a low, low price. Is it win-win all around or should you stick to streaming video to your games console? Read on and find out here in our review.

Puny size

Look at this thing. JUST LOOK AT IT. It’s the size of your average memory card reader, and yet it’s also packing the hardware inside to decode full HD video and pump it to your TV. There’s really nothing else like it on the market. That’s a phenomenal feat, and yet there’s still space for both a USB port and SD/MMC card slot on the front, and both HDMI output and component on the back (a component cable is included in the box). It’s made of cool black metal, is ninja assassin quiet, and aside from one small LED light to indicate power, you’ll barely see it once your movie starts playing.

Buy the Crystal Acoustics Pico HD 5.1 media player now

There are two things to bear in mind however. The first is that this isn’t a web connected media streamer. You can’t sling video over Wi-Fi to it as you can a Boxee Box, Apple TV or PS3, and nor can you rent movies to watch on it. No, you have to acquire your video clips…”elsewhere”. We’re not going to say where, but let’s just say it’s made for pirates. Of course, it also plays image files and music as well, so you could use it to bore your relatives with a holiday slideshow.

The other issue is the remote control, which as well as being as mushy as peas from your local chippie, can be rather hard to aim accurately at the Crystal Acoustics Pico HD 5.1 media player. That’s infra-red needing direct line of sight, but as a result plugging a memory stick into the front of the player can actually obscure your view, making pausing and playing very frustrating. For forty quid though, we can see this being something you might want to put up with.

Playback performance

Don’t be fooled: the Crystal Acoustics Pico HD 5.1 media player will play just about everything you throw at it (MKV, DivX, XVID, AVI, M2TS, WMV9, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, TS, RM, RMVB, FLV, VOB, MOV, MP4 for video, and FLAC, MP3, OGG, WMA, WAV for audio), with Apple’s favoured AAC music format just about the only thing missing off the list. And it does it well too: 1080p video played flawlessly with surround sound and you can toggle subtitles.

In fact, the issues we have are with the fusty UI. While it splits everything neatly into media categories (video, music etc), diving down into each is a laborious process, as you can’t scroll down continuously. It’s one button push at a time, so it’s best not to keep many files in the same folder, and it also has a nasty habit of auto playing the first thing in a folder on start up, which is less than helpful.

The alternatives

As nifty as the Crystal Acoustics Pico HD 5.1 media player is, you probably don’t need it for HD video playback if you own a PS3 or an Xbox 360, as there are various free applications which can be used to stream video of any format over your home network. Even a Nintendo Wii can do the same in standard definition.

Check out our best media streamer Top 5 now

Likewise, if you’ve got a set top box with USB playback support you’ll also find you have most of the same features already, albeit with a missing codec here or there. And if you’ve got a Samsung Galaxy S 2 also, an MHL connector will give you all the same playback features and more on your TV, and you can achieve much the same with an iPhone 4 plugged in through an Apple HDMI connector.

There are also media streamers which can pull down video off the internet, including premium content – the second generation Apple TV does it of a fashion, while the Boxee Box brings just about everything to your TV for quite a chunk more. This media player on the other hand will only play clips you’ve already downloaded or acquired elsewhere already.

Verdict

Currently we use a Western Digital media player to watch video files our PlayStation 3 turns it nose up at. It’s small and it’s not fussy. The Crystal Acoustics Pico HD 5.1 media player of course is even smaller – maybe a fifth of the size – but we don’t think it’ll replace it: the browsing issues make it far less appealing for anyone with a media player, console or USB playback Blu-ray player under their telly already. Of course, newcomers might disagree given the sub £40 pricetag. Bargain.

LG back in the race to deliver Nexus 3, model number LG P930?

Posted: 19 May 2011 06:00 AM PDT

Yesterday we received word Motorola, not LG, would land the bid to manufacture the next Google experience smartphone, the third generation Nexus or Nexus 3. Previous reports suggested LG was the front runner, but with little evidence to support the claim, Motorola was drawn into the spotlight. Today, new information has surfaced on the LG P930, a blistering fast smartphone possibly armed with Toshiba's better-than-Retina display. Is this the Nexus 3?

The story goes as follows. The LG P930 was spotted yesterday, hidden in a XML file, by our friends at Unwired View. The device sports a "P" in the model number, indicating it is a phone rather than a tablet. In addition to the model number, the XML file also contained a rather interesting specification, a 4-inch 720 x 1280 resolution display. The same size and dimensions as the display Toshiba is showing off at SID.

Toshiba confirmed we'd see devices ship with its new 4-inch Retina-killing display late this year, right in line with the expected release date of the Nexus 3. Like the purported Motorola Nexus Droid 4G, the LG P930 would be powered by a Tegra 3 processor, delivering four cores of multi-tasking goodness. Of course, the LG P930 might not be the official Nexus 3, but the smartphone does indeed exist and packs one heck of a display.

You've heard the scoop, now it's time to decide: will LG or Motorola manufacture the Nexus 3?

via AndroidandMe

HTC chief looks into crystal ball, sees tablet dominance and return of Microsoft in future

Posted: 19 May 2011 05:26 AM PDT

HTC Europe's head honcho, Mr. Florian Seiche, must keep a close eye on trade shows. The executive recently spoke with Reuters and offered up his thoughts on the future of tablets and its future with former best pal, Microsoft. Prepared to be enlightened friends, your notebook may soon be retired for a tablet in as little as five year's time.

We've heard rumblings HTC is planning a larger, 10-inch tablet and now we know at least its European segment is betting on huge tablet growth. HTC's Florian Seiche has these fine words to say about tablets and their future, "In five years' time, schools will have tablets probably instead of physical notebooks. I think that's going to be such a massive wave of additional penetration in society… I think we can't even guess the potential."

After seeing the assault of Android tablet at this year's CES in Las Vegas, a world dominated by tablets is now the odds-on-favorite. What may surprise you and certainly surprises us is that Mr. Seiche went on record to say, "The long-term opportunity with Nokia entering will definitely bring Windows back to critical mass."

It's clear HTC Europe's main man respects the Finnish giant and its potential impact on Microsoft's Windows Phone OS. Though the hardware has yet to impress, there seems to be a consesus that Nokia's global footprint will help deliver low-cost smartphones powered by Windows Phone, expected to compete directly with the likes of Android.

Getting behind the tablet forecast needs little convincing, but do you think Mr. Seiche is on target with the long-term return of Microsoft by way of Nokia?

via CoolSmartPhone

Redesigned Apple Stores? Time to make the Genius Bar less hellish

Posted: 19 May 2011 04:01 AM PDT

The Genius Bar is a genuinely genius idea. Compared to stumbling confused around an aircraft-hanger-like PC World or navigating the the byzantine twists and turns of telephone support lines, rocking up to an appointment with a real person is obviously preferable. But before you get there you have to deal with queue…

Try getting an appointment at a big city Apple Store on a week day and you'll often find the Genius Bar is booked right up for days on end. Usually if you push hard enough you can get yourself a cancellation slot but you'll never be offered one.

Waiting in line for a Genius Bar appointment is like being stuck in a tech-stuffed doctor's waiting room where iPads are scattered around instead of yellowing copies of Chat magazine. It's rare to get seen on time and there's almost always some jerk trying to skip the line.

With stories suggesting that Apple is set to unveil a major Apple Store makeover to celebrate 10 years of selling shiny desirables, I can only hope the Genius Bar is going to be given some serious attention.

The rumour is that Apple will introduce new personal set up areas for new products with "Startup Sessions" to get new Mac, iPhone and iPad owners on track. We're also led to believe a new version of the Apple Store iOS app will make bookings easier and to allow you to request the attentions of an Apple specialist by tapping the app as you enter the store.

It’s like being stuck in a tech-stuffed doctor's waiting room where iPads are scattered around instead of yellowing copies of Chat magazine.

The Genius Bar's big problem at busy stores like the London Regent Street branch is not the people working there but the hordes headed for it. By giving customers a crash course in how to use their new iPad or what OS X is all about when they switch from PC, the Genius Bar should be freed up to give more attention to genuinely troublesome issues.

With Steve Jobs and Jony Ive rumoured to have directly spearheaded the revised Apple Store approach, I'd also hope to see a better use of space in the Apple Store with somewhere for customers to wait for their appointments. Right now, at the Regent Street store, you'll find yourself bashed and buffeted by people shopping for headphones.

A few simple steps could make attending a Genius Bar appointment a lot less stressful. If anyone can make that happen, it's Jobs and Ive. Please Steve, I don't want to have to spend forty minutes perched on a tiny bench to get a MacBook fixed ever again.

What would you change at the Apple Store? Hit the comments and let us know.