Mobile Phones | Gadgets & Tech

Feb 22 2012

News in Brief: One More Thing: Space elevator set for lift-off

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News in Brief: One More Thing: Space elevator set for lift-off

One more thing: space elevator set for lift-off

It may only be Wednesday but do not fear as we at TechRadar have poured today’s daily dose of technology articles we found a little bit interesting into 10 shot glasses (news stories) and lined them up on the bar (internet) for you swallow (read) and forget all about your life (your life).

We just hope you can get to the end without being a little bit sick…

Next floor, space – You have got to love Japan; the country which has brought us electronic toilets, karaoke bars and the bullet train will soon be offering lifts into space… in an elevator. By 2015, Obayashi Corp is hoping to create a space lift, which involves a massive cable and something called nanotubes. The company doesn’t know how much it will cost but promise it won’t "simply be a dream". Sounds like someone has being reading too many Roald Dahl stories. [Gizmodo UK]

DotCom bailout – King of Megaupload Kim DotCom has finally been granted bail, which means that he is effectively under house arrest. Now, for most people this would be a bit rubbish, but given that DotCom owns the MOST EXPENSIVE house in New Zealand we expect he won’t be too upset. He’s not allowed to use the internet, either – bet he’s regretting surname change now. [Reuters]

Short circuit – A laptop user in China has been arrested for using a plug socket in a train station in Taipei. Taiwanese authorities have said that the electric thief may get up to five years in jail if found guilty – which is a hefty charge for someone who just wanted to recharge. [Register]

asda webcam

Wall*E mounted camera – A new Asda webcam is being touted as the cheapest around, it costs just £2.93 and looks a little bit like Wall*E. Don’t go expecting much on the quality stakes, this baby has a sensor which is a miniscule 0.3MP. But if you don’t mind looking a bit like a block of Lego, snap it up now [Asda]

Mind your language – Microsoft is adding a UK version of English to the display language of Windows 8 which is enough to get any Brit a little bit jingoistic. We’re not sure how a true a reflection of UK English it will be, though, as we don’t think you’ll be seeing ‘Are You Sure You Want To Continue?’ replaced with ‘You get me, blud?’ anytime soon. [PC Advisor]

Porn identity – Over a quarter of the UK has admitted to taking naughty pictures and making dirty movies on their smartphones. This is according to research by GoodMobilePhones.co.uk, which sounds great if you are one of those life-loving liberals who don’t care what people get up to in their spare time. But we have to remind you that a quarter of the population may well contain your sister, your mother, your dad, your granddad… Mary in accounts. Shudder. [Pocket-Lint]

Digital dollars – Digital versions of PS Vita games are 17 per cent more expensive than their boxed brethren. At first this sounded idiotic, but then we would much rather spend 17 per cent extra and be in our bedrooms than go to a shop and have to speak to real people. [MCVUK]

PS vita

Story time – Social media story creator Storify has finally landed on iPad, meaning that you can now "mix media from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube" to tell your stories. Given that Storify was voted as one of the best websites of 2011, the service is much better than that horrific quote suggests. Honest. [TheNextWeb]

Filing for arrest – Yet another file-sharing site owner has been arrested. This time it is the operator of Skyload, one Maik P. Given that many file-sharing sites are shutting up shop before the coppers come a-knocking, expect more to close after the revelation that Mr P could face a number of years in prison. And also expect many P2Prison headlines if this does happen. [SlashGear]

Future focus – Channel 4′s Home Of The Future series is set to show the world how technology will fill our spare time in the future. It includes an interesting bit on how our own minds will alter the endings to movies we watch. We’ve been trying to do this with the Phantom Menace for years but it still ends the same way it begins: badly. [Channel 4]

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Tags: brief, elevator, liftoff, More, news, space', thing

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Feb 22 2012

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2: 10 things to know

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Samsung Galaxy Ace 2: 10 things to know

Samsung likes a good refresh and the trend continues as the Galaxy Ace gets a dust down and some energy drinks to transform it into the Galaxy Ace 2.

The Galaxy Ace 2 arrives along side the Galaxy Mini 2 (yep, another update on a previous handset) just in time to strut its stuff on the catwalk at MWC 2012 in Barcelona.

We will be in Barcelona to bring you all the latest, so keep an eye out for our hands on: Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review. In the mean time take a gander below at our top ten things you need to know about the Galaxy Ace 2.

Samsung galaxy ace 2

1. What is the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2?

The Galaxy Ace 2 slides into Samsung’s mid-range Android handset offering and looks to build on the previously successful Galaxy Ace mobile.

Expect a reasonable price tag and a monthly tariff of somewhere around the £15-£20 per month mark. Although affordable you can get the beefy Motorola Razr for around the same money, after its price was dropped to encourage sales.

2. Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 screen

You’ll get a (bigger than the iPhone 4S) 3.8-inch WVGA TFT touchscreen with a 480 x 800 resolution on the Galaxy Ace 2 which Samsung says with provide "high-quality graphics for even the most demanding applications and games".

This is an improvement on the 3.5-inch screen found on its predecessor and very slightly larger than the 3.7-inch screen found on the HTC Desire S.

3. Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 power

The Galaxy Ace 2 packs a dual-core 800MHz processor backed up with 768MB of RAM.

This should provide enough power to run Android and the associated apps without too much of a fuss, but don’t expect the lightning quick experience you get with the likes of the Galaxy S2.

Power-wise the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 finds itself able to compete with the mid-range competition of the Desire S, which does boast 1GB of RAM, but only a single-core 1GHz processor.

Samsung galaxy ace 2

4.Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 OS

We were not overly surprised to learn that the Galaxy Ace 2 will ship with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) instead of Google’s latest Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) offering.

Although the Galaxy Ace 2 does come with a dual-core processor we reckon it slips just below the acceptable threshold of ICS at the current time and the RAM does not help the cause.

Don’t rule out an upgrade to ICS in the future however, as Samsung’s mobile boffins may be able to work some magic and provide a suitable version for the Galaxy Ace 2.

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2: 10 things to know.

5.Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 camera

The Galaxy Ace 2 sticks with the 5MP camera found on the original Ace, but a nice addition is the boost in video recording capabilities with the handset able to capture video in 720p HD format.

Once again we can draw comparison to the HTC Desire S which boasts the same camera and video recording specifications. While the higher-end Nokia Lumia 800 and HTC Desire HD both have 8MP, they too deal in 720p video.

6.Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 body

Measuring 62.2 x 118.3 x 10.5mm the Galaxy Ace 2 is marginally wider and longer than the Galaxy Ace to accommodate the bigger screen, but Samsung has managed to compress the depth by 1mm.

Due to the larger size there is a slight weight increase, up by 9g to 122g – which is heavier than its big brother the Galaxy S2 which weighs just 116g.

Samsung galaxy ace 2

7. And the rest…

So what else has Samsung chucked into the Galaxy Ace 2?

Well there’s the standard 1,500mAh battery which will require a nightly charge if you’re a heavy user and Samsung will stick its bloat-ware in too with the likes of the Social Hub, Music Hub, Game Hub and Samsung Apps.

Connectivity wise the Galaxy Ace 2 keeps its bases covered offering Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, USB port and 3.5mm headphone jack.

You get an adequate 4GB of internal storage and there’s also a microSD slot if you feel the need to expand.

8.Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 release date

There is no firm release date as of yet for the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, but TechRadar sources have hinted that we could see it hit UK shelves as early as April, but that could get pushed back to May.

We expect to see a lot of the handsets unveiled at MWC 2012 to go on sale in April and May, so the Galaxy Ace 2 which be launching straight into the thick of it with other mid-range handsets such as the HTC One S and One V.

9.Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 networks

TechRadar has spoken to all the big UK networks and has received confirmation from O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Three who all say that they will be offering the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2.

Three has even written a blog and produced a video on the Galaxy Ace 2 (and Galaxy Mini 2) – if you fancy taking a sneak peak.

Vodafone is the only carrier we spoke to who confirmed that it will not be taking the Galaxy Ace 2 on board.

10. Worth a look?

Early indications suggest the Galaxy Ace 2 will be a capable handset which will offer you an affordable, if somewhat average, smartphone experience. It will be interesting to see how it matches up against the likes of HTC’s One V and One S.

We will bring you a hands on: Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review next week once we’ve had some time with the handset, providing you with a better idea on how it shapes up.

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Tags: Galaxy, know, Samsung, things

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Feb 22 2012

Canon G1 X lab data reveals low-light performance

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Canon G1 X lab data reveals low-light performance

We have updated our review of the Canon PowerShot G1X premium compact, which allows us to examine how well the camera performs in low light.

The camera’s low light performance is one of the key areas that Canon is keen to push with the G1X.

It features an almost APS-C sized sensor in a 4:3 aspect ratio format, and has the same size pixels as the Canon EOS 600D entry-level DSLR. Notably the G1X has Canon’s new Digic 5 processor rather than the EOS 600D’s Digic 4 engine.

New category

David Parry from Canon UK told us in an exclusive interview, that this compact camera offers DSLR like image quality in a compact body and that Canon classes the G1X as a "new category" of camera.

During our lab testing, we have found that Dynamic Range results show that both JPEG and raw images have improved low light performance when compared with the Canon PowerShot G12, the company’s other premium compact camera.

Tonal detail captured at ISO 6400 and 12800 were found to be especially good for a compact camera, comparing well against other premium compacts and even DSLRs.

At the lower end of the sensitivity scale, the Canon EOS 600D does just about edge it, but at sensitivities over ISO 400, the G1X was actually better for both signal to noise ratio and dynamic range.

Lower ISOs also show lower noise levels when compared with the G12, even though the difference is less marked. The G1X is capable of capturing a larger tonal range and producing images with less noise.

For the full details of our lab testing, as well as in-depth "real-world" testing, see our full Canon G1X review.

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Tags: Canon, Data, LowLight, Performance, Reveals

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Feb 22 2012

Opinion: Why there’s never been a better time to buy a new PC monitor

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Opinion: Why there's never been a better time to buy a new PC monitor

It’s been a ridiculously long time coming, but affordable IPS screens for PCs have finally arrived. That makes right now perhaps the best time ever to upgrade that dusty old flat panel.

And we’ve Apple to thank for it.

Yup, I know that sounds ridiculous. I’d say both Apple’s technological prowess and its overall influence are often overstated. And the relationship between Apple gadgets and PC screens seems pretty tenuous. But I’m convinced it’s true.

Once I’ve explained it all, I reckon you’ll agree.

It starts with Apple’s shift in recent years to near-exclusive use of IPS panels in its iMacs, iPads and iPhones. IPS, of course is a sort of superior LCD technology. It delivers the best colours and viewing angles by far.

Apple doesn’t just use IPS, is shouts about it. That matters because it wasn’t very long ago that monitor makers wouldn’t dream of putting IPS panels into their mainstream displays. I know this because I asked them and they told me. The problem, they said, is that punters aren’t willing to pay even a small premium for a superior panel. The market was extremely price sensitive.

But now Apple is using IPS, punters have heard of it and think it’s worth paying for. I doubt most of them really understand why. They just know Apple uses IPS, so it must be good.

The result is that LCD panel makers have tooled up for IPS in a big way. And that, somewhat ironically, means that IPS is actually cheaper than ever.

The best example here is the new AOC i2352vh. Ostensibly, it looks like any cheapo 23-inch monitor. The chassis feels flimsy, the tilt-only stand is even worse. It’s the sort of screen you’d expect to see priced a little over £100 and sporting a washed out, substandard TN panel.

Except it cost a little bit more at around £135 and has a genuine, bona fide IPS panel. OK, it’s very likely only a 6-bit, rather than 8-bit or 10-bit, IPS panel in terms of native colour depth. But it’s still a lovely looking thing with great viewing angles and far, far better than the TN screens that normally dominate this price point.

A little further up the scale, Viewsonic has released a couple of affordable IPSers in the £160 to £200 region. The ViewSonic VP2365-LED is particularly nice.

Viewsonic vp2365-led

OK, the DVI and VGA connectivity isn’t exactly comprehensive. But it’s got a proper, fully adjustable chassis and that gorgeous IPS panel. And not much else. Not tricks. No gimmicks. Just a great screen at a reasonable price.

My only real issue with it and other members of this newly affordable IPS army is that they all buy into the 1080p Full-HD thing. In truth, the extra vertical pixels of the 16:10 aspect 1,920 x 1,200 resolution suit PCs better than 16:9 and 1,920 x 1,080.

Moreover, TN technology has improved enormously of late. There are one or two TN screens that run IPS panels surprisingly close.

So, the absolutely ideal affordable PC monitor remains a little elusive. But things are still immeasurably better now than they were just 12 months ago.

Whether you’re willing to doff your cap in Apple’s direction or not, right now is simply a great time to pick up a new panel for your PC.

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Tags: been, better, monitor, Never, Opinion, There's, time

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Feb 22 2012

AMD Piledriver cores will clock over 4GHz, employ ‘resonant clock mesh’

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AMD’s Trinity APU can do some remarkable things, but we still don’t know exactly what magic ingredients make its Piledriver cores superior to the tepidly received Bulldozer. Now though, a firm called Cyclos claims it’s supplying ‘resonant clock mesh’ power-saving technology for use in the new module. In speaking to the media, it’s revealed that this will help to enable a “4+ GHz” factory clock speed, which sounds high if it definitely refers to an integrated chip with low-power credentials. As for the resonant clock mesh itself, it’s a bit like KERS for processors: it recycles clock power instead of letting it dissipate and thereby enables higher clock speeds in “next generation SoCs that also require ultra-low power consumption.” We also know that the technology is financially backed by ARM and Siemens and has seen precious little implementation prior to AMD — which is fine, so long as all that resonance doesn’t make our rig hum even louder.

AMD Piledriver cores will clock over 4GHz, employ ‘resonant clock mesh’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: 'resonant, 4GHz, clock, cores, employ, Mesh, over, Piledriver

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Feb 22 2012

Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G coming to T-Mobile in March

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Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G coming to T-Mobile in March

T-Mobile has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G phone will launch in the US towards the end of next month.

The device packs a respectable range of specs, but sits slightly below Samsung’s flagship Android handsets like the Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Nexus.

What it does boast is a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system.

The Blaze 4G also brings T-Mobile’s HSPA+42 (what it calls 4G) internet speeds as it continues to work towards the launch of 4G LTE phones later this year.