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- Windows 8 tablet concept looks impressive, proves Microsoft tablets are the sleeping giant
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo: blockbuster specs headline Sony’s worst kept secret
- Facebook for Every Phone app: social networking on your dumbphone
- Supercharged HP TouchPad 4G revealed: Can it save webOS?
- New MacBook and Mac Mini incoming: Here’s what to expect
- Apple TV becomes a games console, BlackBerry outdoes iPhone, and Microsoft puts out rumours of a WP7 tablet: Lunchtime Lowdown
- Gaming, video chat, news centre and more: 5 new uses for your Apple TV
- BlackBerry still big in Britain: teens mean it beats the iPhone
- Windows 8 to play Xbox 360 games?
- Android Market mobile facelift revealed
| Windows 8 tablet concept looks impressive, proves Microsoft tablets are the sleeping giant Posted: 13 Jul 2011 09:30 AM PDT
Whether you call iOS, Android Honeycomb, BlackBerry Tablet OS or webOS home, the limiting force in tablet functionality is apps. Applications are the bread and butter of Apple's diet. Unlike iOS, Windows 8 tablets will be powered by the same OS as Microsoft desktops and laptops. The difference is the user interface will mirror Windows Phone smartphones, offering a touch-friendly environment. As we reported earlier today, Windows 8 will support full Xbox 360 gaming titles. Instead of worrying about which app developer supports your tablet, you can rest well knowing the same games from your console will run on your slate. This, in combination with Windows 8 being a full-scale OS, are major advantages for Microsoft. Based on these facts alone, Windows 8 tablets will remain unmatched in terms of sheer functionality and capability. Before we jump the gun and crown Windows 8 tablets victorious we still have our doubts. Namely, how does Microsoft plan to optimize the tablet experience for applications? Classic Windows tablets proved having to touch desktop menus requires a stylus. If Windows 8 tablets hope to dominate, the UI must refine existing programs and applications in a way that makes their use a seamless transition. Otherwise spending £499 on a Windows 8 laptop would make much more sense than a tablet. The second area Microsoft must address is design. While we realize the Windows 8 tablet shown off yesterday was a concept, Microsoft will need to raise the bar in hardware design. A design which matches the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or iPad 2 is a requirement. Tech must look as good as it performs in this day an age, hopefully Microsoft comes with guns blazing. Now that we've wrapped up our insight on Windows 8 tablets, we'd like to hear from you. What does Microsoft need to do to win your vote in the tablet wars? Related posts:
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| Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo: blockbuster specs headline Sony’s worst kept secret Posted: 13 Jul 2011 08:45 AM PDT
Word on the street is the Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo is viscous. According to pocketnow.com, the Xperia Duo touts a dual-core Cortex A9 processor "aided by the Mali-400 GPU, under the name of NovaThor A9500 chipset." Now for the drumroll. The clock speed of this dual-core chip will be 1.4 GHz, leaving the upgraded Galaxy S II in its wake. Keeping in mind these specs are still rumors, a second source has hinted the Xperia Duo will instead use the Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon chipset similar to the HTC Sensation. Whether Sony Ericsson decides to play ball with ARM or Qualcomm is anyone's guess, but the chip will certainly be dual-core and ship with a blistering-fast clock speed. Outside of the processing power, the second most captivating feature of Xperia Duo is the display. Measuring 4.5-inches diagonally, this qHD display comes equipped with Sony Ericsson's own Mobile Bravia engine. On the rear is a 12-megapixel camera with Exmor R backlit sensor and providing the juice to deliver the goods is a massive 2500 mAh battery. How a battery of such enormous capacity is able to fit inside a thin form factor remains to be seen. The combination of cutting-edge processing power, a beautiful high-resolution display, top of the line optics and the largest standard battery we've seen on a smartphone make the Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo the Android flagship to beat. Whether or not the device succeeds or fails will depend on several key factors: price, release date and availability of Android updates. The latter of these three factors may be addressed by an unlocked bootloader, but shipping with the latest build of Android will still be essential. Related posts:
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| Facebook for Every Phone app: social networking on your dumbphone Posted: 13 Jul 2011 07:39 AM PDT
To find out more, as well as how to get free data for 90 days using it, click through.
The app works on more than 2,500 phones, as long as they use Java, and gives you all the most commonly used features of Facebook: News Feed, Inbox, and Photos. You can upload photos straight from your phone, too. It's being offered in collaboration with network Three in the UK, who's giving free data access for it for 90 days. Facebook claims it uses less data than other Java apps, so shouldn't break the bank when the free period expires. It's available now direct from Facebook, or app stores including GetJar, Appia and Mobile Weaver. And here it is in action in the video below. Out now | Free | Facebook (via The Inquirer) Related posts:
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| Supercharged HP TouchPad 4G revealed: Can it save webOS? Posted: 13 Jul 2011 07:30 AM PDT
We've covered the HP TouchPad in depth, both in our review as well as our open letter to HP where we offered insight on how we believe webOS can succeed amidst the competition from Android and iOS. Today, HP has decided the solution to sluggish performance will come in the form of an overclocked processor. Bumping the clock speed from 1.2 to 1.5 GHz sounds good on paper, but will it come at the expense of precious battery life? Battery life and speed have always shared an inverse relationship. Whether it's the processor or data connection, an increase in speed almost always leaves a dent in battery life. For the sake of the HP TouchPad 4G we hope this is not the case. The last thing webOS needs right now is subpar battery life. Despite our worries, not all is bad in the world of webOS. A solid indicator as to whether the original hardware inside the HP TouchPad, clocked at 1.2 GHz, is up for the task of webOS will come in less than 10 days. We've been told the first major update to webOS for tablets should arrive by early next week, addressing several bugs and the sluggish performance. If the update fails to improve the hang time between application loading I think it's fair to say the 1.5 GHz processor is a necessary evil. The news of a HP TouchPad 4G is bittersweet. The faster processor might address the performance woes, but what if it comes at the cost of battery life? We're fans of the 4G radio and believe it's a necessity if HP plans to attack the tablet space full bore. How does the HP TouchPad 4G for £199 on contract sound? Related posts:
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| New MacBook and Mac Mini incoming: Here’s what to expect Posted: 13 Jul 2011 06:39 AM PDT
The white MacBook has long been the staple of affordability in Apple's notebook line. While the entry level 11-inch MacBook Air shares the same price tag, the MacBook remains the better tool for students who require more hard drive space and a more powerful processor. Key upgrades to the 2011 MacBook will be an updated Facetime HD webcam, dual or quad core Sandy Bridge Intel Core i5/i7 processors and Thunderbolt ports. The top of the line MacBook will use the part number MC914LL/A. Unlike previous generations, this year we'll see three versions of the Mac Mini. As the most affordable means of landing a Mac desktop, the Mini has become a solid home theater PC replacement. With the new features coming to Apple TV with iOS 5, expect many of these duties to be handled by the little £101 black box. The three Mac Minis will be the MC936LL/A Mac Mini Server, MC815LL/A standard Mac Mini and MC816LL/A built-to-order Mac Mini. Other than an optional processor and increased memory, we're not exactly sure what choices Apple might offer in the BTO Mac Mini. All three versions will, however, feature Sandy Bridge Core i5/i7 processors. While not confirmed, we're really hoping there's a SSD option in the BTO model for those of us who plan to use the Mini in the bedroom or hooked up to the living room TV. If there's one thing that kills a movie it's ambient noise. Expect both the new MacBook and Mac Minis to land "very soon". The OS X Lion and MacBook Air refresh is on track for Thursday as Apple has sent out emails alerting users the iTunes store will be down most of today. 9to5Mac is still expecting "new Mac Pros later this month or early next month." Related posts:
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| Posted: 13 Jul 2011 04:30 AM PDT
Apple TV's Bluetooth abilities are about to be switched on, according to people rummaging around in the depths of the device's code. That means control via your iPhone, dual screen gaming like the Wii U, and much much more. Apple's "hobby", as Tim Cook referred to it, is about to get serious. RIM may be having a tough time of it recently, but BlackBerry is still in second place in UK market share, according to research. Android is out in front, and iPhone third. It's those teens with their BBM that are doing it, apparently. Speaking of Android, its Market app store has a new look, and it's decidedly Windows Phone 7 in appearance. You'll need a handset running Froyo 2.2 or later to see it. Speaking of Windows Phone 7, meanwhile, you won't be seeing a tablet running the Microsoft OS, according to spokespeople at the company. Tablets are PCs, according to them, so instead Windows 8 tablets are where it's at, they say. Speaking of Windows 8 (sorry, we'll stop now), a new rumour suggests it'll run Xbox 360 games. Wha? Read the full story to see what that one's all about. Related posts:
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| Gaming, video chat, news centre and more: 5 new uses for your Apple TV Posted: 13 Jul 2011 03:10 AM PDT
Read on to see exactly why Nintendo should be frightened.
Apple TV's Bluetooth abilities are about to be unleashed. Match that with a rumoured update for later in the year, and suddenly that box of tricks has the potential to be… 1 A games console Bluetooth means you could use your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch as a controller – with over 15 billions apps downloaded, Apple's not going to be shying away from its App Store anytime soon. A Nielsen report recently showed games are the most popular category of app, and with the Mac App Store already rolling out games to your desktop, it makes perfect sense for Apple to make the leap to your TV. The prospect of using an iPad as a second screen for extra info and dual screen gaming, a la Nintendo Wii U, means app games could take on a whole new dimension. Exciting stuff indeed. 2 A full web browser Apple TV already has Wi-Fi, so we reckon a version of the Safari browser is in the works, to go hand in hand with the App Store. This is the post-PC age, after all, Apple keeps telling us, with couch computing meaning people no longer want to be at their desks to check their emails. Bringing it to the big screen makes perfect sense, rather than a limited YouTube experience. If you're already playing games on the sofa, why would you want to get up to do something else? 3 An HD cinema The rumoured revamp for later in the year hints that as well as a dual core A5 processor, Apple TV will get 1080p video support, upgraded from its current 720p abilities. That'll mean more lag in streaming, but with broadband speeds increasing, TVs getting bigger, and not to mention that slick new processor, it makes sense to add the best picture quality around. 4 A videophone Following the success of FaceTime on the iPad, why not bring it to your TV? You could even chat to someone on their iPhone while they're out and about. Sure you'd need a webcam for your TV, but Apple TV does have a USB port. And with these new abilities we can see the market for new peripherals about to explode. 5 A news feed iOS 5 is bringing Notification Center to the party, which collates all your emails, texts, status updates and tweets in one place. While playing games or browsing you'll get a notification that means you won't need to stop what you're doing – the same could easily come to Apple TV. When you're not playing games, just scroll the alert bar like a news feed. You'll forget what the TV was for in the first place. Related posts:
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| BlackBerry still big in Britain: teens mean it beats the iPhone Posted: 13 Jul 2011 03:05 AM PDT
Though RIM has been battered with bad news in recent months, packing a BlackBerry is still big in Britain according to new figures from research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. Android is out in the lead with 45.2% of the UK market, BlackBerry increased its share in June to jump to 22.3%, keeping the iPhone in third place with 18.3%. The report says it’s women and teenagers keeping BlackBerry in the battle with most of its new customers coming from folk flinging away their old feature phones and switching to smartphones. Read on to discover why Britain is still backing BlackBerry…
The figures show that 85% of new BlackBerry sales come from customers who’ve never owned a smartphone before and suggests that texting and BBM are the big selling points. Most of the upgraders are women who tend to text more than men while teenagers are still being attracted to the low price of BlackBerry devices and the privacy of BBM. But while Britain is a hotspot for RIM, its market share is tanking in the US, Germany, France, Italy and Australia. The Kantar Worldpanel Comtech report reveals that 35.6% of BlackBerry owners in the UK are between 16 and 24 with 70% of them having used BBM in the last four weeks. It seems the future of BlackBerry in Britain rests on BBM remaining popular. Perhaps the idea o creating a BBM app for other smartphones isn’t as crazy as it once sounded. If you’ve got a BlackBerry in your pocket, hit the comments and let us know what made you choose it? Was BBM the standout feature? Out now | £varies | RIM (via PC World) Related posts:
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| Windows 8 to play Xbox 360 games? Posted: 13 Jul 2011 02:45 AM PDT
Quite why Microsoft would want to encourage gamers to move away from the Xbox 360 isn’t clear. The original report goes on to suggest that it will offer subscriptions to an online multiplayer service similar to Xbox Live for PC gamers avoiding the prospect of control-pad-touting console owners facing gamers with a keyboard and mouse in combat. We’re filing this one in the folder marked “Barmy” for the time being. Click the headline and jump into the comments to let us know what you make of the idea. Out TBC | £TBC | Xbox (via Destructoid) Related posts:
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| Android Market mobile facelift revealed Posted: 13 Jul 2011 02:20 AM PDT
The new Android Market layout adds a range of charts charts including which apps are among the top paid, top free and top grossing. It also handily cuts down the buying process to two taps. One thing you might notice while you watch the Google video after the break is how similar to Windows Phone 7 that tiled UI looks…
Out now | £free | Android Developers blog Related posts:
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