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Sony Alpha A33 and Alpha A55: first impressions gallery
Samsung Galaxy Tab official video breaks: First details!
Kinect launching without voice control
Samsung E60 eReader rushed out ahead of the Galaxy Tab
Samsung Galaxy Tab: What we know so far
Medal Of Honor poll: Is EA right to include the Taliban?
Spotify adding folders today
Sky Sports News iPhone and iPad app launched
Best back to school gadgets
Toshiba 3D TV going glasses free by 2011?

Sony Alpha A33 and Alpha A55: first impressions gallery

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 12:03 PM PDT

Today we got hands on with the Sony Alpha A33 and A55, and had a go at some amateur falconry while we were at it (more of that later). Sony’s two new additions to the Alpha range pack a lot of nifty features for lightweight, compact entry-level DSLR-type cameras (the translucent mirror means that technically it’s an SLT, a single lens translucent camera) both inhabiting the same chassis, but with slightly different specs – the Sony Alpha A33 is marginally less pimped out than the Sony Alpha A55, which has more megapixels for your money, and can push 10fps, in comprison to the 7fps that the A33 can run.

In the above gallery, there’s an image of two cameras, which is an image of the Alpha A33 next to an A580, the latter of which was also launched this morning (Japan won’t even be receiving the A580 cameras). It should give you an idea of how compact the A33 and A55 are, but what it doesn’t show you is the bigger difference – the weight.

Given that we all carry way too much kit around with us on a daily basis, lightening the load of the A33 and A55 is a welcome change. The weight is saved because of the translucent mirror technology in the Sony Alpha A33 and A55, which means that the mechatronics needed to shunt a mirror around inside your camera body can be chucked out and replaced with a neater, featherweight solution.

An afternoon’s shooting with the Sony Alpha A33 and Alpha A55 was a joy. It’s easy to use, and crucially, for an entry level DSLR that Sony hopes will open up a new customer base, has brilliant point and shoot features. There’s a standard auto setting, but also an auto plus setting, which will guess the scene mode for you.

Shooting multiple frames is a feature on its own on the top dial, meaning it’s just one flick of your thumb to go from normal shooting, to grabbing 7 or 10 frames per second. This means that when you’re shooting moving objects, you can just point, and shoot, and the camera will fire off shot after shot, and can mean the difference between a perfect shot and one that’s just missed.

HD video shooting was easy, and yielded some impressive results, with the only downside being that it took a few seconds for the A33 and A55 to process the video and switch to stills shooting. All in all the A33 and A55 were simple and easy to use, and delivered on Sony’s promises.

Sony is shipping the A33 in a week, and the Sony Alpha A55 will follow through soon after, with the A55 priced at between £600-£700, and the A33 around £100 cheaper.

Out September 2010 | £500-£700 | TBA

Samsung Galaxy Tab official video breaks: First details!

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 08:46 AM PDT

Boom! The Samsung Galaxy Tab just got a whole lot more concrete. Samsung’s just set loose an official teaser trailer for the Android slate, and serves up several juicy details on it. Read on for the video, plus a close look at what’s coming next week.

Enough chit chat. Check out Samsung’s brief but slick Samsung Galaxy Tab video below.

Done? Did you see everything promised? We slowed it down and grabbed some screens for you. The Samsung Galaxy Tab looks set to be a 7-inch Android 2.2 tablet, complete with Flash support, “Navigation” (Google Maps Navigation?), video calling, HD movie playback, and DLNA support, with an emphasis on e-reading. Swype support also appears to be included, which could meaning quicker typing than on the iPad.

Looks good, doesn’t it? The Samsung Galaxy Tab video strongly hints that it’ll be unveiled in Berlin on 2 September, and you’ll never guess what? We’re going to be there, live. Keep it locked for more on the Samsung Galaxy Tab from here on in.

Out TBC | £TBC | Samsung

Kinect launching without voice control

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 08:45 AM PDT

Microsoft has conformed that its Kinect add-on for the Xbox 360 will launch without voice control. Video chat will also be missing from the Kinect package on launch day.

Oh dear. You can shout all you want at your Kinect-equipped Xbox 360, it wont be listening. Microsoft have confirmed that voice control will not be available when Kinect launches later this year.

Xbox LIVE’s Robin Burrowes told MCV that Microsoft, “will be announcing when voice control will be turned on in due course.”

Video chat will also be missing on launch, presumably to be turned on ‘in due course’ as well.

Microsoft is still to confirm how much Kinect will cost in the UK. Hopefully, the price will be revealed as ‘”a bit less than when you thought we were bundling voice control” in the next few weeks.

Out 10 November | £TBC | Microsoft (source: CVG)

Samsung E60 eReader rushed out ahead of the Galaxy Tab

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 08:02 AM PDT

Oh look. The Samsung E60 eReader we first went hands on with at CES way back in January is actually going on sale in the UK. You’ll be able to buy the Wi-Fi packing Samsung E60 reader, complete with 2GB of internal storage, from Thursday at WH Smith for £199.99. It’s almost a pity Samsung is expected to out its all singing, all dancing Galaxy Tab Android slate next week, complete with eReader software. Anyone smell a last minute bid by a huge corporation keen not to out outmode its own gear by accident?

Samsung Galaxy Tab: What we know so far

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 07:45 AM PDT

UPDATE: The first Samsung Galaxy Tab video is out, and it confirms alot of the details we heard about previously. See which here.

We are all very excited about the Samsung Galaxy Tab, but it is important to sort out the wheat from the chaff when it comes to tech rumours. Here is what we think we know so far about Samsung’s new Android tablet, and what we don’t.

It will run Froyo

This is still in the ‘rumours’ category. Samsung has rolled out Android 2.2 (Froyo) to its Galaxy S mobiles and it would seem a bit daft to be releasing a tablet with anything less than the latest Android build at this stage of the game. That hasn’t stopped other manufacturers from shipping products with last year’s code, though.

It will be smaller than the iPad

It has been hard to get an idea of the scale of the Galaxy Tab in the various leaked shots we have seen. Luckily, this video has been grabbed by an eagle-eyed tech blogger who saw a Galaxy Tab in the wild. The tablet is definitely smaller than the iPad, with the careless owner (presumably being carpeted by his bosses, even as you read this) confirming it has a 7-inch screen. (source: Electronista)

It will be TouchWiz skinned.

The Galaxy S mobile runs Samsung’s TouchWiz interface layer on top of stock Android. We can’t imagine Samsung would release the Galaxy Tab running just Android’s rather ropey stock interface so we expect there to be a tweaked TouchWiz somewhere in the mix. Leaked spy shots from Ifanr show a very clean interface, with what looks like the Swype keyboard, as found on the Galaxy S.

There may be a 3G version

Rumours persist that Samsung is planning two versions of the Galaxy Tab – one with wifi, the other with 3G. It is an idea that keeps popping up, but we have been unable to confirm it.

It will use a daft proprietary conector

The Galaxy S uses a sensible MicroUSB connector to plug in to a PC or Mac. Sadly, Samsung appear to have gone with their own design of multi-pin conector that will mean you will have yet another type of cable to clutter up your desk.

It will be revealed at the IFA

Sources at Samsung say that the company will reveal all at the IFA show in Berlin next month. Electricpig will be there to bring you all the latest tech news and you can bet we will be scouring the aisles of the Messe Berlin centre for our first glimpse of the Galaxy Tab.

Out TBC | £TBC | Samsung

Medal Of Honor poll: Is EA right to include the Taliban?

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 07:44 AM PDT

The Medal Of Honor debate that’s been raging in the media over the last few weeks has reached the ears of MPs this week, and the option to play as the Taliban in multiplayer has made a couple of them irate. It’s clear EA is treading on dangerous ground but whether the games giant has strayed too far is too hard to call. So, you tell us: is EA right? Vote in our poll.

We’re not going to get into the messy politics of whether the government could or should ban an individual game. Instead, we want to know whether you think EA has made the right decision by including the controversial character option, when soldiers are still coming back in coffins. Is the new Medal Of Honor pushing the boundaries of good taste too far, and coming off as a cynical cash in? Or should EA be lauded for addressing a very current conflict? Click either way in the poll below.

As always, voice your comments on the Medal of Honor debate in the comments below: we realise this is a difficult subject, and we’ve had some fiery opinions on both side of the fence, so keep it civil and constructive, and we’ll bring you the results tomorrow.

Spotify adding folders today

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 06:45 AM PDT

Spotify is rolling out some interface enhancements to make the music streaming service easier to use. For the first time, users will be able to create folders to help organise their collection of playlists.

Spotify social is a great idea, but it has a downside. If you have a lot of friends it is easy to get a huge number of playlists, and having to scroll through them all to find the one you want is a royal pain. To help bring some sense of order back to Spotify, the company is rolling out a new client that will allow users to create folder to store their playlist collections.

Playlists can be moved between folders using drag and drop and if you are feeling adventurous you can even create folders within other folders so you can create hierarchies of musical genres, etc.

Other features in client update include the addition of artist and album pictures into the search view, playlist subscriber pictures at th top of shared lists so you can see who else is listening and official Spotify Twitter posts in the Feed. Windows 7 users will also enjoy support for Snap, Jump To and Taskbar features.

The new client will be deployed to groups of users today, so let us know if you are one of the lucky ones to get an early copy and tell us what you think of the new look in the comments.

Available from today | from £free | Spotify

Sky Sports News iPhone and iPad app launched

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 06:34 AM PDT

Sky Sports News for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad has hit the iTunes App Store bringing you a free fix of sports news, video clips and audio streaming as well as access to live video streaming with Sky Mobile TV. Read on for the full details on the Sky Sports News app…

With Sky Sports News retreating from Freeview behind the Sky+ HD paywall, the Sky Sports News app could be a great way to keeping up with the action for free.

The Sky Sports News app has dedicated areas for football (but sadly if you're team is down in the Conference you're out of luck), cricket, Rugby League, Rugby Union, golf, tennis, Formula 1 and boxing. You can also customise the homescreen to get your ideal mix of news.

While you can get free streaming from Sky Sports News Radio, you'll need to pony up for a Sky Mobile TV subscription to watch Sky Sports News live through the app. If you already subscribe to Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 at home, you can try the TV streaming for free until the end of the year.

If you're a sports junkie, the Sky Sports News app is definitely worth picking up and there'll be some competition along soon with the BBC Sports app set to follow the BBC News app onto the store.

Out now | £free | iTunes

Best back to school gadgets

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 06:12 AM PDT

Yup, you read that right: the best back to school gadgets. Yes, it’s that time of year already, and if you’re heading back to school or university, it’s time you stocked up on the tech you need to see you through your exams in style. Check out our Top 5 Best back to school gadgets to the right of the full post for everything you need.

Cast your eyes over to the right of the page and you’ll see our Best back to school gadgets Top 5. These are the best gizmos at any time for taking off to your place of education, jotting down notes on, churning out papers with and more. You can read more about any of them just by hitting Read More, and when you’re ready to take the jump, tap the Buy It button.

Any other gizmos you think should make our Best back to school gadgets list, and earn a place in any backpack? Shout up in the comments below!

Toshiba 3D TV going glasses free by 2011?

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 06:03 AM PDT

Toshiba 3D TVs currently need glasses just like all their rivals but that could be coming to end soon according to rumours in the Japanese tech press. The reports suggests a Toshiba 3D TV that works without the need for glasses will hit the firm's homeland by the end of the year. Universal 3D TV glasses are in the works but could Toshiba be set to make them redundant already?

The Toshiba 3D TV rumours are a little hazy but suggest that three different models are in the works. The bad news is that they'll reputedly be no bigger than 21in but the good news is that they can apparently offer a wide viewing angle so more than one person can watch. That's kind of vital if you're looking to stick one in your living room and something the Nintendo 3DS can't do.

Toshiba showed a glasses-free 3D display earlier this year. It was a WVGA 1280×800 resolution display (so not quite HD) and had a 15 degree horizontal viewing angle. These new rumours suggest that could be the tech behind the new Toshiba 3D TV.

The glasses-free Toshiba 3D TV probably won't be cheap. The Japanese reports claim Toshiba is planning to slap a price tag of "several thousand yen" on the new panels.

Toshiba says it can't confirm reports or comment on the rumours but it admits it's working on future 3D TV designs. The IFA trade show kicks off next week so we may just see some new Toshiba 3D TV models getting an outing. Wouldn't that be dandy?

Out TBC | £TBC | Toshiba (via Crunchgear)

Made for Life

Wednesday, 25 August 2010

Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!

Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!

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