Thursday, February 28, 2013

Updated: iPad 3 vs iPad 4: the key differences

Updated: iPad 3 vs iPad 4: the key differences

Updated: iPad 3 vs iPad 4: the key differences

Back in October of 2012, Apple threw the tech world for a loop by announcing the iPad 4. This was at the event where everyone was expecting the iPad mini, and the Cupertino mogul made good on those rumors, but no one expected a successor to the iPad 3 so soon.

Yes, the poor iPad 3 was less than a year old when its was pushed from the spotlight. To add further insult to injury, Apple refers to the iPad 4 as iPad with Retina display, even though the iPad 3 was the first tabl et with the signature high-density display.

The iPad 3 is now gone from Apple shelves and assembly lines. It's only available as a refurbished product when buying directly from Apple. The iPad 2, however, is still sold new, and serves as Apple's budget tablet offering.

But enough about confusing marketing practices, what are the actual differences between the two iPads? Is it worth plunking down the extra cash for the iPad with Retina aka iPad 4? Or should you save a little money and grab a (gently) used iPad 3? Let us break it down so you can decide just how broke you're going to go.

FutTv : dGu8a31UOTIrl

iPad 3 vs iPad 4: Screen

Both the iPad 3 and the iPad 4 come with Apple's Retina display. They both have a pixel density of 264ppi (pixels per inch). Not too shabb y, but it's actually outdone by the iPhone 5, which is 326ppi. We think if Apple can make a 4-inch screen than dense, then an iPad mini 2 with Retina should be a given.

iPad 3 vs iPad 4

iPad 3 vs iPad 4: Camera

Apple might not have upgraded the screen, but it did upgrade the front-facing camera. The iPad 3 came with a 0.3MP standard definition offering, whereas the iPad 4 makes full use of the Retina display for video chatting with a 1.2MP HD camera.

iPad 3 vs iPad 4: Processor

Gearing up from the iPad 2, the iPad 3 comes rocking a dual core A5X processor, with a quad core GPU. However, the iPad 4 packs Apple's latest A6X processor, which Apple says "d oubles the performance of CPU tasks."

iPad 3 vs iPad 4: Battery

The iPad 4 comes with a battery that lasts up to 10 hours, but so does the iPad 3. Don't think that this is a bad thing though, we noted in our iPad 3 review that despite the high-resolution retina display, the battery life was "more than acceptable."

iPad 3 vs iPad 4: OS

Apple's latest operating system, iOS 6, was recently launched alongside the iPhone 5, so unsurprisingly it's also featured on the iPad 4. The iPad 3 launched with iOS 5.1 but is upgradable to iOS 6.

iPad 3 vs iPad 4: Price

With the announcement of the iPad 4, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the iPad 3 would be made cheaper. Apple has different ideas, with the plan seeming to be to phase out the 3rd gen iPad.

The iPad 4 debuted at the same price of the iPad 3, with the Wi-Fi only tablets coming in at £399($ 499, AU$ 539) £479($ 599, AU$ 649) and £559($ 699, AU$ 759) for 16GB, 32GB and 64GB respectively. The Wi-Fi + Cellular versions cost a bit more, at £499($ 629, AU$ 679), £579($ 729, AU$ 789) and £659($ 829, AU$ 899) for the three storage options.

As mentioned, the iPad 3 is no longer in production, but Apple and other retailers are still clearing out an inventory of refurbished models. Savings compared to a new iPad 4 is about 15-18 percent.

For the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB Wi-Fi models, you'll spend £249($ US379, AU$ 419) £309($ 469, AU$ 509), and £369($ 549, AU$ 539). For the Wi-Fi + Cellular versions it'll cost you £415.00($ 509, AU $ 499) £469 ($ 599, AU$ 589) £539.00($ 679, $ 669).

Since there won't be anymore, stock on the iPad 3 is limited. Honestly though, given the small price difference, you're better off buying the newer, more future price device, unless you're looking for a collector's item.

iPad 3 vs iPad 4: Connectivity

The big difference between the two iPad generations lies within their connectivity options. The most obvious of these is the new 8-pin Lightning dock, first announced on the iPhone 5.

iPad 3 vs iPad 4

This is 80 percent smaller and more durable than Apple's original 30-pin offering.

The other major difference is that the iPad 4 (Wi-Fi + Cellular version) comes LTE enabled. The iPad 3 did come enabled with 4G, however, it couldn't be used in the U.K. But, with the introduction of the iPad 4 Brits can also enjoy su per fast mobile internet when they're out and about.

< /div>

Hands-on review: Adobe Photoshop Touch for phone

Hands-on review: Adobe Photoshop Touch for phone

Hands-on review: Adobe Photoshop Touch for phone

Adobe has a Photoshop Touch app for mobile now, bringing full circle the devices that one can filter, crop, layer and manipulate images.

This is version one of the Photoshop Touch app for phones, and it's by no means perfect. However, for those looking for something more than a simple overlay filter, PT has it all. Literally.

It's like playing a game in a lot of ways. How many more distortions, saturations and warps can one do to an image before calling it complete? With 36 different effects to choose from - each with their own set of options like thresholds, intensities, tones, angles and brightness levels to adjust - just how much can an image change before posting it to Facebook and Twitter?

Photoshop Touch

In adjustments, which offers everything from basic black and white to more advanced curves, most options come with a percentage scale that's easy to move and adjust to find the right level of temperature, saturation, noise reduction, etc.

It's also relatively easy to revert an edited photo back to its original form - unless you save an image. The reverse arrow icon in the top left corner of the screen lets users retrace their tracks if they find themselves in a no man's land of shadows, highlights and inversions.

Basic editing tools, adjustments, effects and image manipulation (warp, crops, fade, lens flare, etc.) are located across the top, while another set of tools stretches along the bottom and floats along the side when a user drags their finger up from the bottom right icon.

tools on bottom

While not lacking in tool options, making for a pretty legitimate photo editing experience, the app can be as frustrating as it is transformative. It's still buggy, shutting down unexpectedly or taking longer than it should to save an image.

Beyond the expected early-version technical glitches, Adobe has seemingly seen it unnecessary to include a thorough explanation of how to use the many tools that a beginner with only a cursory knowledge of Photoshop can easily get stuck on, or simply to maneuver around the app at all.

Tools

Most perplexing of all is a lack of thorough instructions. Whereas the tablet version of Photoshop Touch included tutorials and demos, Adobe cut down on these to seemingly save space on the phone. We can appreciate that, but we'd also appreciate having the 15 minutes back we spent trying to figure out what to do after using the Scribble Select tool (thankfully, there's always Google).

There's a help section that gives users a basic understanding of how to start a project, work with layers and selections, and share and save, plus a basic rundown of tools. However, the tool tutorial doesn't actually tell you which tools do what, but rather how to select an option - zoom in and out, and hit undo and redo.

For someone completely Photoshop ignorant, there's a steep learning curve to understand what's up with the Clone Stamp function, for example.

Text

That said, the app doesn't lack for tools at all, making its US$ 4.99 price tag worth every penny. Everyone from the occasional user to everyday Photoshop addict should be pleased to see a wide assortment of tools literally at there finger tips. They'll no doubt have a much better time adjusting to the app than the first time Photoshopper, though after awhile selections become more intuitive.

We experienced some fat finger mishaps to start, leading us to initially believe this app was an ill fated attempt to bring to a smartphone.

However, the more we used it, the more natural it all started to feel. Our first scribbled tries at Scribble Selection, which involved tracing the inner outline of an object in an image with a green line to keep it and edging around it with a red line to remove, reminded us of learning to color in the lines in kindergarten (which we failed miserably at).

Scribble Select

Yet the more we used it, the more finesse we could apply until we were extracting objects with relative ease (select the Extract button visible under the icon that's a dotted square with a pen). After this step, you can supplant the image onto another background.

Like a cool-toned photo, the app is pleasant on the eyes â€" some aspects of its layout are actually rather lovely.

However, there are plenty of bizarre sizing issues that are glaringly obvious on a smartphone. There were times when an image we were trying to warp or crop to layer would take up about 30 percent of the space on the screen, leaving a slate gray border on most of the phone. Trying to edit an image that small is next to impossible.

glasses

Finally, as sharing has been placed on a pedestal for mobile functionality, there is of course the built-in ability to upload pictures to the greater world. But, there seems to be a hitch. Although the app's description in Google Play says users can upload images to Facebook and Twitter, we saw no such option on the Droid Razr Maxx HD we used to test the app.

We've asked Adobe to see if we're missing something, and will update this review when we learn more.

Share

Early verdict

Like driving a sports car with manual shiftin g for the first time, the more you time you spend with the Photoshop app, the more enjoyable it becomes.

There's a lot of learning as you go, which shouldn't pose a problem for those familiar with the desktop and tablet versions. However, first time or beginning users might want to retreat to the comfort of Instagram and easier to use photo editing apps before they get the full feel of PT.

We did enjoy those "How did I get to this feature?" moments as it opened up doors to some interesting and unexpected editing features, but it also speaks to a lack of intuitiveness in the app. Again, those who've used the tablet version before should have an easier time getting from Point A to Point B on purpose. But, mobile users might find themselves somewhere they don't want to be (or can't get out of) more often than not.

Is it worth $ 4.99? There are plenty of useful features that will get some good drive time, but it really just depends on how often you' d use it.

It's not something we can see ourselves using every time we take a photo, but for those with creative inclinations and professionals who need a way to edit their work while on the go (projects are accessible through the Creative Cloud), you should get a lot of mileage out of this app.

For the rest of us, it could easily serve as an introduction into the wider world of photo editing, whether hobbyist or aspiring designer. Or, it could simply be a way to kill time on the train while creating a crafty photo for a family member or friend. Either way, you might be pleased with what you can come up with.



Third-party cases point to iPad mini-style redesign for iPad 5

Third-party cases point to iPad mini-style redesign for iPad 5

There's little doubt Apple will unveil an iPad 5 this year, and judging from leaked third-party cases, it could be a dramatic overhaul for the market-leading tablet.

BGR reported Monday that images claiming to be third-party cases for a fifth-generation iPad have surfaced on Alibaba, a Chinese global trade website.

Made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material and available in six colors, the cases supplied by Shenzhen Sinofly Electronic Company Limited point to a possible new look for this year's iPad.

The key difference would be a form factor more in line with the iPad mini , complete with ready-made holes for placement of the larger tablet.

No announcement yet

Without an official announcement from Apple, it's impossible to say for certain what an iPad 5 might actually look like, despite recent leaks to the contrary.

Third-party case manufacturers have a mixed history where Apple cases are concerned, with many Chinese suppliers taking an educated guess as to what's coming next based on images leaked to the media.

After shots of a rumored iPad 5 which closely followed the design of an iPad mini surfaced last month, it's entirely possible these cases have been created using the same information.

With the spec-bumped iPad 4 released only four months ago, many Apple pundits expect the iPad 5 to debut this fall, presumably alongside a refreshed iPad mini.

Via BGR

Updated: Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie release date, news and rumours

Updated: Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie release date, news and rumours

Updated: Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie release date, news and rumours

Android Key Lime Pie news

Google's showing no signs of slowing its pace of Android development, with Android 4.0 appearing on the Galaxy Nexus late in 2011, followed in July of 2012 by the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean release that arrived powering the super Nexus 7.

But, forward-looking, update-obsessed people that we are, we can't help but imagine how Google's going to maintain th e pace of innovation in its next version of its mobile OS, Android 5.0.

All we know so far is that Google's working away on the K release of Android, which it's developing under the dessert-related codename of Key Lime Pie. Regarding the version number, it's likely that the Key Lime Pie moniker will be given to Android 5.0. We thought we might find out on 29 October 2012 but as yet there is no official word from Google.

So now as we wait on official news of the Android 5.0 release date and features, we can start to pull together the Key Lime Pie rumours from around the web, with the first sighting of Android 5.0 on a benchmarking website, apparently running on a Sony smartphone. Ther e has previously been speculation that Sony is in line to produce the next Nexus phone, which may lend some credence to this rumour.

Android 5.0 release date

Google has announced that its next developer conference - Google IO - will take place from May 15 to May 17 2013, a month earlier than 2012's June dates. Given that Google announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at 2012's IO conference, it's not unreasonable to expect to see Android 5.0 at this year's event.

Google IO 2012

On 31 January, a Google IO showing of Android 5.0 looked more likely when screengrabs of a Qualcomm roadmap were leaked, showing Android 5.0 as breaking cover between April and June 2013.

Android 5.0 phones

Rumours of a new Nexus handset started trickling in during the third quarter of 2012, as we reported on 1 October 2012. There was speculation that this phone would be sporting Key Lime Pie, but sources who spoke to AndroidAndMe correctly claimed that the handset, which turned out to be the Google Nexus 4 would be running Android Jelly Bean.

While the N exus 4 didn't appear with a helping of Key Lime Pie, speculation that we reported on 21 January 2013 suggests that the Motorola X Phone is the Android 5.0-toting handset that will be revealed at Google IO. According to a post on the DroidForums website, the phone will also feature a virtually bezel-free, edge-to-edge, 5-inch display.

The same leaked Qualcomm documents cited above also made mention of a two new Snapdragon devices, one of which will be, unsurprisingly, a new Nexus phone.

Android 5.0 features

For 24 hours, it seemed as though the first kinda, sorta confirmed feature for Android 5.0 was a Google Now widget, which briefly appeared in a screenshot on the company's support forum before being taken down. As it was so hurriedly pulled, many people assumed it was slated for the big five-o and accidentally revealed early.

As it happened, the following day, on 13 February 2013, the Google Now widget rolled out to Jelly Bean.

On 28 February 2013, we learned from Android Central that Google is working with the Linux 3.8 kernel, which gives rise to the notion that this kernel might make it into And roid 5. One improvement that the 3.8 kernel brings is lowered RAM usage, which would mean a snappier phone with better multitasking.

While we wait on Key Lime Pie features to be revealed and scour the web for more Android 5.0 news, TechRadar writer Gary Cutlack has been thinking about what we want to see in Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. Hopefully the new mobile OS will feature some of these things...

1. Performance Profiles

It's bit of a fuss managing your mobile before bed time. Switching off the sound, turning off data, activating airplane mode and so on, so what Android 5.0 really needs is a simple way of managing performance, and therefore power use, automatically.

We've been given a taste of this with Blocking Mode in Samsung's Jelly Bean update on the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Note 2 but we'd like to see the functionality expanded.

Something like a Gaming mode for max power delivery, an Overnight low-power state for slumbering on minimal power and maybe a Reading mode for no bothersome data connections and a super-low backlight.

Some hardware makers put their own little automated tools in, such as the excellent Smart Actions found within Motorola's RAZR interface, but it'd be great to see Google give us a simple way to manage states.

Another little power strip style widget for phone performance profiles would be an easy way to do it.

android 5

2. Better multiple device support

Google already does quite a good job of supporting serious Android nerds who own several phones and tablets, but there are some holes in its coverage that are rather frustrating.

Take the Videos app which manages your film downloads through the Play Store. Start watching a film on one Android device and you're limited to resuming your film session on that same unit, making it impossible to switch from phone to tablet mid-film.

You can switch between phone and web site players to resume watching, but surely Google ought to understand its fans often have a couple of phones and tabs on the go and fix this for Android Key Lime Pie?

3. Enhanced social network support

Android doesn't really do much for social network users out of the box, with most of the fancy social widgets and features coming from the hardware makers through their own custom skins.

Sony integrates Facebook brilliantly in its phones, and even LG makes a great social network aggregator widget that incorporates Facebook and Twitter - so why are there no cool aggregator apps as part of the standard Android setup ?

Yes, Google does a great job of pushing Google+, but, no offence, there are many other more widely used networks that ought to be a little better "baked in" to Android.

4. Line-drawing keyboard options

Another area where the manufacturers have taken a big leap ahead of Google is in integrating clever alternate text entry options in their keyboards. HTC and Sony both offer their own takes on the Swype style of line-drawing text input, which is a nice option to have for getting your words onto a telephone. Get it into Android 5.0 and give us the choice.

UPDATE: Google heard us and this feature appeared in Android 4.2.

Android 5 keyboard

5. A video chat app

How odd is it that Google's put a front-facing camera on the Nexus 7 and most hardware manufacturers do the same on their phones and tablets, yet most ship without any form of common video chat app?

You have to download Skype and hope it works, or find some other downloadable app solution. Why isn't there a Google Live See My Face Chat app of some sort as part of Android? Is it because we're too ugly? Is that what you're saying, Google?

6. Multi-select in the contacts

The Android contacts section is pretty useful, but it could be managed a little better. What if you have the idea of emailing or texting a handful of your friends? The way that's currently done is by emailing one, then adding the rest individually. Some sort of checkbox system that let users scroll through names and create a mailing list on the fly through the contacts listing in Android Key Lime Pie would make this much easier.

< p>Android 5 contacts

7. Cross-device SMS sync

If you're a constant SIM swapper with more than one phone on the go, chances are you've lost track of your text messages at some point. Google stores these on the phone rather than the SIM card, so it'd be nice if our texts could be either backed up to the SIM, the SD card, or beamed up to the magical invisible cloud of data, for easy and consistent access across multiple devices.

8. A "Never Update" option

This would annoy developers so is unlikely to happen, but it'd be nice if we could refuse app updates permanently in Android 5.0, just in case we'd rather stick with a current version of a tool than be forced to upgrade.

Sure, you can set apps to manual update and then just ignore the update prompt f orever, but it'd be nice to know we can keep a favoured version of an app without accidentally updating it. Some of us are still using the beta Times app, for example, which has given free access for a year.

Android 5 apps

9. App preview/freebie codes

Something Apple's been doing for ages and ages is using a promo code system to distribute free or review versions of apps. It even makes doing little competitions to drum up publicity for apps much easier, so why's there no similar scheme for Android?

It might encourage developers to stop going down the ad-covered/freemium route if they could charge for an app but still give it away to friends and fans through a promo code system.

10. Final whinges and requests...

It's be nice to be able to sort the Set tings screen by alphabetical order, too, or by most commonly used or personal preference, as Android's so packed with a huge list of options these days it's a big old list to scroll through and pick out what you need.

Plus could we have a percentage count for the battery in the Notifications bar for Android 5.0? Just so we know a bit more info than the vague emptying battery icon.



Updated: PS4 release date, news and features

Updated: PS4 release date, news and features

The PS4 has been announced by Sony! At long last we've had our first look at the new PlayStation and so far it looks very... next-geny.

With TechRadar in attendance at the event on the 20th Feb, Sony revealed some tantalising details about the PlayStation 4 hardware specs, along with some amazing software features that the new console will have.

Sadly, and almost unbelievably, we STILL don't know what the PS4 looks like. However, we do know it's coming out in the US in time for Christmas 2013, we know about the DualShock 4 controller and we've seen the new interface and a lot of the features it delivers. Here's everything we know about the PlayStation 4 so far...

Check out our PS4 reveal video:

PS4 release date

All we know about the PS4 release date so far is "Holiday 2013". That's the only detail Sony revealed at the launch and it's uncle ar which territories it applies to. Most likely it means the the U.S. and almost certainly Japan as well. We have a feeling the U.K. and Europe may have to wait a little longer, maybe even until early 2014.

This is pretty much what happened with Sony's previous consoles - the PS3 came out in the EU in March - and is backed up by various leaks and rumours. At least you'll have plenty of time to save up if you live outside of Japan or the USA.

Zavvi has listed a UK release date of 31st December which seems extremely unlikely - launching a few days after Christmas? Surely that's retail suicide.

PS4: Hardware specs

AMD, as we guessed all along, is coursing through this new system's veins.

Post-event, Sony revealed the system runs on a single-chip custom processor and utilizes eight x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU cores, with a next-gen AMD Radeon based graphics engine powering the way.

So it's very much a PC-based system then, which is great news for developers who will find it much easier to code games for the next gen consoles and for PCs. However, that CPU is hardly next-gen - it may have been modified for this system but the AMD Jaguar platform is by no means the fastest of its kind - indeed it's slower than Intel's fastest by orders of magnitude.

  • You can pre-order the PS4 from these stores: ShopTo | GAME

However, with fewer redundancies than a PC has, the PS4 will certainly be able to make use of every single Watt of power it draws.

The "highly enhanced PC GPU" is another story. It's another AMD part - something along the lines of a Radeon 7850 card - and packs 18 GCN units. That may sound a like a lot of techy mumbo jumbo but what it essentially means is that the GPU packs 18 processing clusters, each packing up to 64 cores. That provides a lot of parallel processing power, and will thus handle the majority of the PS4's grunt work. It hits 1.84 TFLOPS of processing mojo. This is a far more powerful component than the Jaguar CPU and is rumoured to have the edge on the GPU inside the Xbox 720.

Sony announced at the NYC event that the console will even use GPU compute features to take advantage of the GPU's raw power - it'll be used for general computation tasks as well as making games shiny.

Memory

The PS4 will ship packing 8GB of GDDR5 memory. That's some super-fast stuff right there and should enable lightning fast performance.

Indeed, Sony has revealed that you will be able to power down the PS4 mid-game and then switch it on again in seconds and pick up right where you left off. That's the sort of loading power that t his memory enables.

Other specs

We're also looking at Blu-ray disk support plus good ol' DVD, plus HDMI output support as well as Analog-AV out and an optical digital output.

PS4 camera

PlayStation 4 Eye

What's really grabbing though is the development of the PlayStation 4 Eye, a newly developed camera system that utilizes two high-sensitivity camera equipped with wide-angle lenses and 85-degree diagonal angle views.

Sony said the cameras (amounting to 1280 x 800 pixels) can cut out the image of a player from the background or differentiate between players in the background and foreground, enhancing game play handily. There's also mention of logging in using facial recognition and using voice and body movements to play games "more i ntuitively."

If you want to know how these specs stack up against what we know so far about the Xbox 720 (clue: PS4 is more powerful) - check out our comparison of PS4 and Xbox 720 specs.

dualshock 4

PS4 controller: DualShock 4

The PS4 controller comes in the form of the DualShock 4 pad. Very much a classic design, the DualShock 4 nevertheless offers upgraded vibrations, enhanced motion sensors and a Vita-like touchpad on the front.

PS4 user interface

The XrossMediaBar (XMB) interface of PlayStations past has been completely ditched in the PS4, with Sony instead choosing to design a new OS that looks a lot more like that of the Xbox 360 than the PS3.

PS4 UI

PS4 UI

PS4 UI

Will the PS4 be 4K capable?

In a chat with Kotaku, Sony has revealed that the PlayStation 4 will be able to playback 4K/Ultra HD video. However, it will not upscale to 4K or play games at 4K resolution.

Backwards compatibility

The PS4 will definitely not offer native support for PS3 games. However, there will at some point be a service on the Sony Entertainment Network that offers server-side emulation and streaming of games from PS One classics right through to PS3 Platinum Editions.

ps move

PlayStation Move

Sony has confirmed that PlayStation Move will play a big part in the PS4 ecosystem. However, it has not yet been revealed whether the PS4 will launch alongside a new PS Eye camera and new Move controllers or whether the peripherals are staying the same with all the enhancements made console-side.

Synergy with PlayStation Vita

Sony has revealed that the PS4 will launch with the ability to stream games directly to your PS Vita. In exactly the same way as the Wii U allows you to switch off your TV and continue playing on the tablet controller, the PS4 will wirelessly send your games to the Vita.

There will be similar synergy between "all Sony devices" which means Xperia handsets and tablets, Bravia TVs and BD players.

Sony hinted that there will be more announcements in this area, too. We think the obvious next reveal in this area is the ability to play PS4 games on your Vita from any location using a wireless connection.

PS4 Instant On

The PS4 will be one nippy device if Sony is to be believed. It will have an instant on/off feature a llowing your to shut down during a game and then boot up from scratch in seconds and resume where you left off. The days of waiting 60 seconds as your console loads up are about to end.

PS4 price: how much will it cost?

We really don't know what price the PS4 will fetch. Some rumours suggest a figure of around $ 450/£399. But it's pure speculation at the moment.

The sake Zavvi page which lists the UK release date as 31st December 2013 has a pre-order available for £399. Again, we'd take that with a pinch of salt, but if it's their best guess, there might be a grain of something in it.

PS4 launch titles

A number of games have been revealed for the PS4. They Are: Deep Down (Capcom), Destiny (Bungie), Diablo III (Blizzard), Driveclub (Evolution Studios), Final Fantasy (Square Enix), Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch), Killzone: Shadow Fall (Guerilla Games), Knack (Sony), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt RED), Watch Dogs (Ubisoft).

US talkshow host Jimmy Fallon was the first to get near Killzone 4...

Second-hand games on the way out?

Sony has yet to discuss this area of the PS4, but you'd think it would dispel the rumours if they're not true.

The rumours suggest that Sony is going in the same direction as Microsoft in that it wants to kill off the second-hand games market. Current industry wisdom suggests that future PS4 games might be tied to your Sony Entertainment Network account and will thus have no resale value. That's a similar approach as used by PC developers using Steam so we reckon this is a likely development. Doesn't mean we're happy about it, though.

What will the PS4 actually be called?

It's the PS4, of course!

Spotify revamps tired iOS app with improved UI and faster navigation

Spotify revamps tired iOS app with improved UI and faster navigation

Spotify revamps tired iOS app with improved UI and faster navigation

Music streaming service Spotify has issued a major update to its app for iOS devices, bringing a revamped user interface and easier, faster navigation for subscribers.

The app's look and feel hadn't altered much since its introduction back in September 2009, but today's update brings a very welcome sidebar navigation tool similar to the UI employed on Spotify's Android app.

Swiping from left to right now brings up the Se arch, Playlists, and Radio portions of the app, which had previously sat at the foot of the screen. They sit alongside What's New, Friends, Inbox and Settings tabs.

Version 0.60, as it has been coined, also brings a neat Now Playing title bar, which resides at the bottom of the screen when browsing the app, meaning users are able to see what's playing at all times.

Annoying bugs also fixed

From the Title Bar users can swipe left or right to move back or forward a song, pause and restart, and can also drag up to launch other the full cover art and other playback options.

Users can then tap the cover art for the options to Scan, Share, Star, Add To Playlist or Start Radio from a particular track as well as Shuffle, Repeat or adjust the volume.

Each track listed within search results is now accompanied by a "..." button, which prompts a revamped Track Menu, allowing users to perform much of the above functionality without actually playing the track.

A minor pet peeve of ours previously was actually having to play a track before we could add it to a playlist.

Zippier

Although the release notes do not mention it, the new Spotify update is definitely zippier than its predecessor. Navigation is faster, while custom radio stations begin playing almost instantly.

There's also fixes for a host of annoying little bugs that had plagued the user experience on previous versions.

The app will no longer display a pesky "track won't play offline" notification on start-up, and the correct current track will also appear in the lockscreen.

The update is available to download from the App Store now.



Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Nexus One becomes the world's first phone satellite

Nexus One becomes the world's first phone satellite

Mankind has launched its first Android into space. But it isn't so much a human-like automaton as it is a Google Nexus One smartphone.

The "phonesat" called STRaND-1 was launched in India yesterday by a team from University of Surrey's Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and small satellite company, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), according to the company's press release.

The Nexus One was launched inside a 10cm x 30cm 3U CubeSat, a high-speed Linux-based processor with attitude and orbital controls, along with two novel propulsion systems.

SSC launched the nanosatellite mainly as a training and demonstration mission for the CubeSat. It was also designed to test how off-the-shelf technology fares in the alien conditi ons of space.

Where no smartphone has gone before

Though it sounds silly to send a phone into orbit, modern smartphones are more sophisticated than many of the computers we've launched into space. The iPhone 5, some scientists have stated, has more capable computing power than the Mars Curiosity Rover, which is currently trudging around the Red Planet.

So, seeing how these devices work in orbit isn't too outlandish.

During the first phase of the mission, the new Pulse Plasma Thrusters will be guided by the Linux computer to put the nanosatellite into a 785km Sun-synchronous orbit. It should take about two weeks to test the CubeSat, according to the announcement.

Then in phase two, the team will switch over many of the satellite's in-orbit operations over to the Nexus One. If things go smoothly, the smartphone also has a few apps to test in the reac hes of space.

'App'erture Science

The app developers were chosen by a Facebook competition held last year. First, iTesa will record the magnitude of the magnetic field around the phone as it's in orbit.

The STRAND Data app will also show the satellite's telemetry on the Nexus's display, which will be recorded by another on-board camera. The app will give team members a graphical reference for telemetry to help them identify trends.

There's also the 360 app, which will take images using the smartphone's camera to establish STRaND-1's position. The public can also request their own unique images of Earth through the app developer's website.

Then there's a fun app to test the old sci-fi motto: In space no one can hear you scream. The Scream in Space app will crank up the phone's speakers and play videos of the "best screams" to see if the device's own microphone will pick it up.

After all the fun and experiments are over, the phonesat will take itself out of orbit with a new "WARP DRiVE" propulsion system. But it won't be going the speed of light, as WARP DRiVE stands for Water Alcohol Resistojet Propulsion Deorbit Re-entry Velocity Experiment.

Touching the sky

Though the project in pretty high in the clouds, there is plenty the public on the ground can do to keep up with this tiny satellite.

The Surrey team invited amateur radio operators to track STRaND-1 as it circumnavigates the globe. You can get details of the downlink frequenc y at www.amsat-uk.org.

And if you're still interested but don't want to track the nanosatellite through radio waves, you can always do it socially. STRaND-1 also has a Twitter feed for users to track the mission's progress.

Spotify revamps tired iOS app with improved UI and faster navigation

Spotify revamps tired iOS app with improved UI and faster navigation

Spotify revamps tired iOS app with improved UI and faster navigation

Music streaming service Spotify has issued a major update to its app for iOS devices, bringing a revamped user interface and easier, faster navigation for subscribers.

The app's look and feel hadn't altered much since its introduction back in September 2009, but today's update brings a very welcome sidebar navigation tool similar to the UI employed on Spotify's Android app.

Swiping from left to right now brings up the Se arch, Playlists, and Radio portions of the app, which had previously sat at the foot of the screen. They sit alongside What's New, Friends, Inbox and Settings tabs.

Version 0.60, as it has been coined, also brings a neat Now Playing title bar, which resides at the bottom of the screen when browsing the app, meaning users are able to see what's playing at all times.

Annoying bugs also fixed

From the Title Bar users can swipe left or right to move back or forward a song, pause and restart, and can also drag up to launch other the full cover art and other playback options.

Users can then tap the cover art for the options to Scan, Share, Star, Add To Playlist or Start Radio from a particular track as well as Shuffle, Repeat or adjust the volume.

Each track listed within search results is now accompanied by a "..." button, which prompts a revamped Track Menu, allowing users to perform much of the above functionality without actually playing the track.

A minor pet peeve of ours previously was actually having to play a track before we could add it to a playlist.

Zippier

Although the release notes do not mention it, the new Spotify update is definitely zippier than its predecessor. Navigation is faster, while custom radio stations begin playing almost instantly.

There's also fixes for a host of annoying little bugs that had plagued the user experience on previous versions.

The app will no longer display a pesky "track won't play offline" notification on start-up, and the correct current track will also appear in the lockscreen.

The update is available to download from the App Store now.



//PART 2