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The good, the bad and the downright weird at IFA 2008

Gareth Beavis — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:50:00 GMT

Well, TechRadar's coverage of this annual electronics extravaganza has nearly come to an end, but there's still time to give you a good idea about what worked, and more importantly, what didn't.

The good

As you may know, TVs were the main event here, and TechRadar excitedly found out that the OLED war is set to hot up with the release of more decent next gen sets from Sony and Samsung.

Then we got upset at how excited we were, and watched the skateboarding event over in the Canon hall to try and feel a bit less geeky.

Panasonic's 150 inch plasma screen is ENTIRELY pointless in a consumer sense, but it didn't stop us cooing over it like it was a window into a fantasy world (in fact, pop on Lord of the Rings, and it would have been).

T-Mobile had a great 'Minority Report' style touchscreen wall, which allowed you to tap the scrolling text to bring up movies, music, news and a whole host of other things in little windows that could be zoomed and swirled and thrown by one hand.

Think less gesture and more massive iPhone, and you're getting the picture.

The bad

Our intense disappointment with the Samsung Omnia. We had high hopes for this 'dark horse' handset, thinking it could be the business-phone to lay the smack down on the iPhone.

It's not.

Sony and Samsung once again came to the fore with both claiming the world's first 200Hz LCD TV, and instead of showing off the smooth motion technology, the whole thing looked more like a schoolyard argument of 'We were first, no WE were...'.

Look...it doesn't matter who has the world's first. Just make sure you get it right. And Sony, you're fooling no-one by putting a 50Hz monitor next to it that you've CLEARLY set to 'judder-mode' to make the new boy look even more smooth.

Samsung's (we know, them again) 82 inch ultra high definition LCD, with four times the pixels of Full-HD. To be fair, this doesn't really deserve to be in the negative section, as it looked GREAT.

The only problem was the UHD made us feel really sick, and we didn't like that. So in this section it is.

The downright weird

So much to choose from here. The super-cheap but bizarrely named Wibrain i1? The Pig-shaped MP3 player? The fridge-thing that dehydrated your rubbish to stop it smelling? (Actually, that was quite cool).

iRiver's Unit2-S model was a bit weird, but in fairness was only a concept and is mostly weird because we had trouble deciding where we would put it.

Philips offered everyone the chance to have a shave using its new electric razor, which made us consider not showering before we came to the event.

The drunken Germans we ended up chatting to in a small bar until the wee small hours somewhere in Berlin (and no, we have no idea how we got home either).

And finally, Miss IFA. We were heartbroken to find there were four different girls running around, and more frightened than anything else by the desire to photograph her holding up fridges being tipped on her.

Perhaps they needed so many due to the high kitchen appliance-related mortality rate?

Hands on: The Samsung Omnia

Gareth Beavis — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:42:00 GMT

It's important to put a disclaimer at the start of this: we are aware the Apple iPhone 3G and the Samsung Omnia are not aimed at the exact same market.

The Omnia is a business phone (as shown by the fact it uses Windows Mobile 6.1) and the iPhone is...well, you know what it is.

But no company on this green Earth can release a 2.8inch touchscreen phone and not have it directly compared to Apple's cash cow. Especially when it's released on the same day.

Stylus fighting

And there's the problem for the Koreans. In direct comparisons, the only thing the Omnia can beat the iPhone with (apart from its stylus, should it grow arms, cognitive thoughts and emotions) is a 5MP camera.

Other than that, the interface is slow (Windows Mobile, remember) and relies on a stylus. The chap from Samsung came over and offered us one when he saw we were using our fingers; think that says it all really.

The web browsing uses the same touchscreen theory as Apple, in that you can 'throw' the web pages about. However, unless you use the bundled Opera browser it is stuck in mobile web mode, which is, frankly, rubbish.

Sluggish

The touch interface itself was unresponsive when it needed to be, and it took us 10 minutes to make head or tail of the messaging.

Simply put: while the device looks good and talks the talk, and undoubtedly would be great had the iPhone never been conceived, this isn't good enough to usurp Apple's beauty.

The days of the stylus should be dead by now; and the fact RIM keeps coming out with better and better smartphones means the Omnia is going to need a lot of good marketing to make waves in users sales.

Hands on: Wibrain i1 series

Gareth Beavis — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:39:00 GMT

We at TechRadar have always been spurious about ultra mobile PCs (UMPCs). What market are they for? Why are they rubbish? Why are they so expensive?

Often the answer to these questions lies in Asia, and in the case of the Wibrain (stupid name aside) i1 series, those answers come flowing towards us like hot glue in a craft shop.

This device might look a little...well, chunky is massively understating things, but it feels weirdly natural in the hand.

The demo model we played with could only handle either a stupidly stretched display or a teeny-tiny 1024x600 res output, but the screen looked hi-res enough and showed off the full Windows XP interface nicely.

CHEAPER than chips

It would be better to think of this as a bastardised netbook, given the £250 minimum price tag (you heard correctly). A UMPC for less than the cost of re-mortgaging your house. Ye gads!

Intel has supplied an Atom processor for the unit, which has 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and can run solid state memory up to 32GB.

Or the more conventional and boring among you can spec out a 30 / 60GB hard drive, but that's just no fun.

The layout felt intuitive, though getting used to the QWERTY keyboard split for the screen wasn't the easiest thing to do.

The internet (over HSPDA or WiFi) was super-zippy, and used full IE7 (though Firefox or whatever you fancied could be installed easily).

Flip off

A flip up antenna and a separate flip camera made this device look, well, stupid, but for the price, you can hardly get angry about that.

Media (streamed video in this case, though the i1 has support for SD cards too. Woo) played like a dream, and looked ultra-crisp on the display too.

Basically, this should be the building block for all UMPCs. There is a niche between the BlackBerry and the laptop that some need filled, and netbooks don't quite cut it.

For £250, you might want to have a look at this if you're one of those people.

Hands on: iRiver Unit2-S

Gareth Beavis — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:33:00 GMT

IFA has been fairly light on concept models, but Korean-based iRiver didn't let that stop it showing off the Unit2-S communication device.

Basically a mini-entertainment centre, this is a V-shaped object with a large touchscreen on the front, and a DECT phone plastered on top.

Fancy some video or music while you wait for a call? The Unit2-S allows you to choose whatever you like, either from the device itself or streamed over WiFi from your home network.

A neat touch on the concept showed just by wiping the screen left or right you could access photos, videos, music or even that ol' favourite, FM radio.

Updates

A web browser is included too, although the demo model couldn't handle anything other than Yahoo!, Amazon and a few other sites. The stand bunny told us the functionality would be added in when this is released in November this year.

The phone allows for VOIP connection (and possibly landline), while there's also options for texting or even leaving little notes for your loved ones.

It's hard to see where this might be best used, as placing it in the living area instead of a normal phone would mean the entertainment options would be barely used.

So it seems you might have this on your work desk and flick on some music or a video in the quiet moments between pretending to be writing something...not that we'd know what that feels like...

According to the SB, this will be released in all markets (including Korea, they hastened to add).

Exclusive: Samsung and Sony both claim world's first 200Hz LCD

Gareth Beavis — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:29:00 GMT

Sony's massive advertising campaign throughout Berlin, where it claims to be launching the world's first 200Hz LCD TV has been disputed by Samsung.

Both have come to IFA 2008 with TVs they claim are the world's first to display the super fast motion technology, and unsurprisingly both are playing down the other's tech.

Tight lips

Both companies are remaining tight-lipped on this officially, but we spoke to the stand bunnies, who are there to provide the public with the information - so if anyone else noticed the confusing statements, this is what they would be told!

Sony's SB said: "You can get the new Sony 200Hz LCD TV in October of this year, and I think Samsung's is only the world's first prototype.

"Maybe the situation is ours will be the first to be commercialised."

Samsung's response was much less concrete, but disputed the prototype tag:

"It [the claims of who is first] is unclear; if you come in the north entrance, then we will be the first TV, and if you come in via the south, then it will be Sony.

"We are both here with the first 200Hz LCD TV."

Samsung's SB did state the Korean's TV will be out in spring 2009, so it seems Sony will be the first to commercialise.

Seems someone is telling porkies...TechRadar will keep digging to find out which!

News Feature: Beyond the digital TV switchover

Alex Lane — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT

The massive digital switchover programme being co-ordinated across the UK right now is nowhere near the last word in digital TV. After all, it only just includes hi-def, and doesn't make any allowances for mobile TV, or moving Freeview onto broadcast standards that make the most of its very limited bandwidth.

In fact, the UK doesn't even have a plan for digital TV beyond 2012. Media regulator Ofcom's plans stop abruptly at this arbitrary date and, officially, it's not even working on a long-term plan. Fortunately, members of the Digital TV Group and the European Broadcasting Union have gazed into the next decade to what they call Digital TV 4.0.

So how does the map look – from the roots of digital TV to the future?

Digital TV 1.0: the experimental years
Time: 1995-1998
Compression: MPEG-2 SD
Broadcast: DVB-S
Platforms: Satellite

The ups: First generation digital satellite TV systems took off in Europe. Standard-definition video offered a huge leap ahead, allowing five or six channels on a single transponder compared with just one analogue signal.

This quickly led to an explosion of new channels from the Continent, although the UK was slow off the mark. A few extremely tech- savvy enthusiasts soon realised you could do interesting things with these new digital receivers – like Nokia's groundbreaking D-Box – leading to the fondly remembered Dr Overflow project.

The newly established DVB standard brought some major advantages like electronic programme guides more dynamic than old-fashioned teletext. The common interface standard also enabled a receiver to handle multiple encryption formats with a cheap plug-in module. The pirates were close behind, seeing new weaknesses to exploit in the new digital encryption systems.

The downs: Like a trip back to the early days of analogue satellite, there weren't many channels, although you could use your analogue Sky dish to watch the first digital channels on Astra 1. But it was a great excuse to go out and buy a new receiver.

Look and sound: Most of the early signals weren't heavily compressed, so they looked very sharp and clear. CD-quality stereo had been demonstrated before on Astra Digital Radio, but never with pictures. Sparklies were a thing of the past, but the 'cliff effect' meant that you couldn't tune to poor signals in the hope of a grainy picture. A few dB separated a perfect picture from picture artefacts and choppy sound, then nothing at all.

Digital TV 2.0: the explosion
Time: 1998-2006
Compression: MPEG-2 HD & SD; MPEG-4 SD
Broadcast: DVB-S, DVB-T (2K & 8K)
Platforms: Satellite, terrestrial, cable, broadband

The ups: Digital TV for everyone. Well, you have to pay at first but Sky goes from strength to strength. Eventually everyone gets to enjoy the benefits when Freeview is born from the ashes of ITV Digital, and it's enormously popular.

Across Europe an explosion of free TV channels offered even more ways to peek into the cultural life of our neighbours. Outside the UK, though, most subscription services suffered terribly at the hands of highly industrious TV pirates. Still, it's good news for expats and football fans, with the parallel revolution of internet access making it easy for anyone to update a pirate card.

There were almost too many new ways to enjoy TV. The BBC and Sky competed with experiments in interactive TV – multi-screen, alternative soundtracks, shopping, banking, email, digital text. A lot of them fell by the wayside and most had to be rebuilt until they worked the way people wanted, but the red button was here to stay.

Personal video recorders brought the possibility of capturing digital streams with no loss of quality, and having more than one tuner in a box, but it took Sky to make it popular with Sky+. Freeview eventually cottoned on and created Freeview Playback with the help of the BBC and DTG.

The downs: ONdigital/ITV Digital is a lame duck from the start, showing off all the bad points of digital TV – over-compressed images and unreliable cheapo receivers. It's crushed by a combination of Sky's ruthless marketing, rampant piracy, and a poor reputation. It's pretty obvious that government, regulators, and ITV Digital's management don't get digital TV.

Broadband TV-by-phone suffers from the high price of using BT's network for consumer services. Once again, regulators are slow to deal with BT's monopoly. Kingston's TV service is ultimately closed down, while Homechoice barely struggles along.

Feedhunters have a harder time as broadcasters move onto MPEG 4:2:2, MPEG-4 and HD in search of improved quality – for brief periods these are effectively encrypted until commercially available receivers catch up. It's almost a relief when the military transmits its UAV downlinks in the clear!

Look and sound: Sky's picture quality is initially very impressive, with the first widescreen movie channel. However, it's not long before channels squeeze into too little space and we start to see compression artefacts frequently. Compression technology improves in leaps and bounds, but demand to for bandwidth is always ahead. MPEG-4 on-demand services start off poorly but soon show hugely improved picture quality.

Dolby Digital surround audio arrives on Sky, showing that the full home cinema experience isn't exclusive to DVD. We get a first look at big-screen, high- definition video demonstrations and go looking for our socks, which have been blown off.

Digital TV 3.0: digital switchover
Time: 2006-2010
Compression: MPEG-2 HD & SD; MPEG-4 HD/SD
Broadcast: DVB-S & S2; DVB-T (8K); DVB-H (mobile)
Platforms: Satellite, terrestrial, cable, broadband, mobile

The ups: The runaway success of Freeview and Sky opens a window of opportunity to switch from analogue TV systems to digital. A once-in-a-lifetime release of valuable UHF spectrum becomes possible – the Digital Dividend. The question is, what to do with it?

Governments catch the heady whiff of cash from a spectrum auction; public service broadcasters want to launch high-definition channels; commercial broadcasters are keen for subscription services and mobile TV; other industries see the chance for faster wireless broadband; and community groups want local TV.

Meanwhile, consumers are enjoying more choice than ever, with two free digital services and five subscription services – plus more to come. There are channels to fit every taste (and if not, there's always the internet), equipment to suit every home and prices for every pocket.

Hi-def gets a good reception, and TV services are quickly divided between the HD haves and have-nots. The cutting edge, though, is in mobile TV. Do people want to watch live TV channels on a phone or portable player, or are they happy to download at home to play back at leisure? The first streaming trials are inconclusive; sport is the only thing people are really willing to pay for live – but downloading to watch on the move is a hit.

The downs: As one observer puts it: "Spectrum auctions are the crack cocaine of public policy for politicians." Neither Ofcom nor the government can be convinced to leave any of the Digital Dividend in the public domain, to the disappointment of public service broadcasters and community groups.

The choice of digital TV providers doesn't result in a price war. Instead, we're offered confusing bundles that tease us with 'added value' from free phone calls, broadband or TV channels.

Broadcasters aren't all happy about the rush to HD: it's too expensive and there's no extra advertising money to be won. Yet it's soon obvious they'll lose eyeballs without HD, so ITV and Channel 4 begin a slow transition to HD anyway, with Five somewhere behind.

Look and sound: Hi-def in 720p or 1080i is a major step forward from standard definition. Even better, Dolby Digital surround sound becomes the standard audio format for HD.

However, for every hi-def channel there are a dozen barely watchable ultra-compressed standard-definition channels. Bandwidth on Freeview becomes so expensive that even major broadcasters transmit at surprisingly low quality.

Digital TV 4.0: screens everywhere
Time: 2011 and beyond
Compression: MPEG-2 HD & SD; MPEG-4 HD & SD
Broadcast: DVB-S2; DVB-T2; DVB-H2
Platforms: Satellite, terrestrial, cable, broadband, mobile

The ups: By digital switchover, there should be a national Freeview multiplex using DVB-T2 and MPEG-4 to carry four hi-def channels to most of the UK, plus free HD on Freesat, and maybe 50 HD channels on Sky. Even cable and broadband should have some hi-def – probably via on-demand.

The years after switch-off will see a set of mature digital TV technologies designed to last into the 2020s and approaching the Shannon Limit, a mathematical ceiling on signal compression. Some countries will also add MIMO, where you use both horizontal and negative polarity signals on the same frequency to double the capacity.

In particular, DVB-T2 is designed to allow Single Frequency Networks (SFNs), which use a single frequency to cover the whole country. Today, Freeview uses Multi-Frequency Networks, which use around five frequencies across different parts of the country, but moving to SFNs would release even more space for Ofcom to auction.

The question is, what do we do with the opportunity?

Britain's TV and spectrum regulator, Ofcom, doesn't have any official plans beyond the digital switchover in 2012, other than auctioning the Digital Dividend. Fortunately, a group of leading broadcast engineers – The Independent Expert Industry Group – have turned their eyes to the future and come up with a few ideas.

IEIG member Ian Childs, who also sits on the British Digital TV Group's Technical Council, told the DTG's 2008 summit: "The debate was HDTV or mobile. We don't want to pick winners ahead of things happening, we'd like a way of allowing both to establish a toe-hold, and defer the decision until we've got a bit more input from the marketplace.

"The Ofcom HD proposal makes quite a simple prospect for the consumers that want to upgrade, but how do we look at being able to migrate the whole platform to HDTV? We came up with a possible way ahead, to use single frequency networks to improve the spectrum efficiency and the number of HD services on offer. That would probably give us up to about 40 HDTV programmes."

To start with, the IEIG's plan would hold back some Digital Dividend frequencies to launch two national frequency networks after 2012, covering roughly 70 per cent of the UK and carrying eight hi-def channels in DVB-T2/MPEG-4. Gradually, the UK would switch to a more efficient Freeview network entirely based on DVB-T2 and MPEG-4, with perhaps three conventional multi-frequency networks and single-frequency networks. These would be so efficient that Freeview would be using less capacity than it now occupies, so the government could run another spectrum auction.

The group is also proposing a national pilot project for portable TV in 2012, so the London Olympics could be broadcast to anyone over a new single frequency network.

"If that proved successful, mobile TV could be one contender for some of the spectrum we'll be releasing at the time we make the transition to HDTV," adds Childs.

The downs: With Freesat now offering hi-def channels and several HD pay-TV options, it's easy to think there's no need to advance Freeview beyond a token set of HD channels.

Childs said: "If you look at the richness of the offerings from satellite and cable by the time we get to 2012, will four HD programmes be a sufficiently compelling prospect for the consumer to buy into terrestrial and keep it competitive?"

Perhaps more succinctly, as Professor David Youlton, DTG chairman, said: "DSO isn't digital switchover, it's Digital Spectrum Optimisation. Leave government out of it because they tend to screw it up big-time and 'short-term' the issues."

Even if Ofcom forges a long-term plan, the biggest problem is how to pay for it. Phil Laven of the European Broadcasting Union estimates that the current digital switch will have cost consumers €15billion in new equipment and TV licence fees, and we won't want to pay again. Broadcasters, multiplex operators and winners of the spectrum auctions are the most likely targets.

"We all need to think about new methods of funding switchover. Do not expect the public to pay for all this in future. Free-to-air digital terrestrial is important. Market- based mechanisms for spectrum optimisation do not give optimum results," says Laven.

Look and sound: In the short term we can look forward to 1080p hi-def broadcasts. Phil Laven adds: '1080p is very attractive, that would be a really good standard to start with for production, but today none of the set-top boxes out there will handle 1080p. I hope the next generation of set-top boxes will solve that problem.'

TV for mobile viewing is a completely different question. Do you shoot and crop it for small screens, or will people use 'eye-phones' that give them a full screen experience anywhere? It's not a sci-fi question; specs with standard-def wearable displays are already on sale.

Beyond Full HD comes Ultra High Definition – 4,000 lines and 22.2 three-dimensional surround sound. Designed by NHK in Japan, it goes to the physical and mental limits of human vision so you wouldn't need anything better. But it is a complete generation of broadcast, production and display technology away, even if NHK is hoping to start trial broadcasts in Japan as soon as 2012.

Top five tips for surviving digital transition

1: Buy the biggest and best screen you can
A good TV is always worth the cash, so go for the biggest screen with the best picture you can afford.

2. You can always add tuners
Set-top boxes are always cheaper than integrated tuners, so save pain and only upgrade the tuner when the technology improves.

3. Get a dish
Satellite TV moves faster and equipment is generally cheaper than terrestrial because standards are pretty much global.

4. Support the BBC
No one fights harder for free TV, and the research it does into new technology is worth the Licence Fee on its own.

5. Surf behind the curve
In other words, buy the second generation, not the first. You'll be ahead of the pack and the big bugs will be fixed.

Add-on puts kibosh on YouTube commentards

J Mark Lytle — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Q: What's more painful than reading the comments under a YouTube video? A: Nothing short of a dose of Ebola and a quick swim in a vat of acid.

The inane comments on Google's video-sharing site have long been a source of annoyance for anyone with a brain, so it's heartening to come across a way to filter out the worst of the worst.

YouTube Comment Snob is a Firefox add-on that seeks out comments it rates as poor on several counts and zaps them from existence – at least, as far as displaying them on your screen is concerned.

Nary sweary

Developer Christopher Finke explains what his smart piece of code looks for:

"More than # spelling mistakes: The number of mistakes is customizable, and the extension uses Firefox's built-in spell checker. All capital letters. No capital letters. Doesn't start with a capital letter. Excessive punctuation (!!!! ????). Excessive capitalization. Profanity."

In other words, Comment Snob combines the best qualities of the grammar police and a Sunday school teacher. We like the cut of its jib. LOLZ, ROTFL – u r da best. Oops...

OHA rewards best Android devs with cash galore

J Mark Lytle — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:56:00 GMT

We have at least two imminent app stores for Android phones (regardless of what they want us to call them) and a promise to actually deliver some handsets soon, so what's next?

How about some tasty-looking applications from the developer community that are so good the Open Handset Alliance has handed them well over three million dollars in prize money?

Future pointers

The lucky programmers are the winners of the first Android Developer Challenge (ADC), with ten teams receiving $275,000 (£150,000) and ten more getting $100,000 (£55,000).

As it's obvious the OHA team is intent on funding applications that will help make Android the must-have platform over the next couple of years, the nature of the winners bears closer inspection.

Almost half of the main prize-winners focus on providing location-based services to Android phones.

When do we get them?

These include gems such as Locale, which automatically changes the settings on a phone according to where it is and Piggyback – an application that finds drivers in the immediate area willing to carpool.

If the early promise shown by the ADC entrants can be sustained, it's clear we'll be downloading mobile software plenty more exciting than a picture of a red rock to our Android phones. The question, however, remains when will that be?

UK map boss says Google wrecking our heritage

J Mark Lytle — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:53:00 GMT

A very British row appears to be brewing after the president of the British Cartographic Society took aim at the likes of Google Maps and accused online mapping services of ignoring valuable cultural heritage.

Mary Spence attacked Google, Multimap and others for not including landmarks like stately homes and churches.

Remarkable Britain

She said: "Corporate cartographers are demolishing thousands of years of history - not to mention Britain's remarkable geography - at a stroke by not including them on maps which millions of us now use every day."

While Spence is correct to point out that some aspects of an area are not included by default, sites like Google Maps strongly encourage customisation and include tools for adding local knowledge to the mix.

Google responds

Indeed, Google's Ed Parsons pointed out this very fact to the mapping president: "Anyone can create their own maps or use experiences to collaborate with others in charting their local knowledge."

Better yet, Spence should probably take a look at wholly collaborative mapping sites like geograph, which aims to have users pool photographs of every single part of the British Isles. So far, it has almost one million photos in its library.

Working together

If that's too technical, then there's something as simple as Flickr, where the ability to geotag photos is already creating a rich picture of the entire world.

Then, there's Open Street Map, where UK users submit details of whatever they like, from post boxes to football pitches, on a community map. We could go on...

IFA raided by German copyright taskforce

J Mark Lytle — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:03:00 GMT

Just as we saw at CeBIT - the last major electronics show to be held in Germany - authorities have also targeted IFA in Berlin to look for copyright-infringing exhibitors.

Squadrons of German customs staff descended on the show on Friday looking for electronics manufacturers that appeared to be using the work of others without authorisation.

Software and hardware

Although no details have been provided, it's a safe bet that customs have been acting on tip-offs, as it's unlikely they would have the skills to spot knock-off software and hardware among the hundreds of thousands of items on show.

According to reports, 220 agents raided 50 IFA booths, with suggestions that Asian manufacturers were being targeted denied by a spokesperson.

Unlucky iPhoner twiddles thumbs for 8-hour sync

J Mark Lytle — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 03:00:00 GMT

Users of the iPhone who actually bother to sync it with a computer – y'know, for updating podcasts, adding apps etc? – will know that it can take upwards of 20 minutes to get the job done, but how about an eight-hour sync process?

That's what one unlucky iPhone owner is having to endure, regardless of how he changes his setup. If you think he's exaggerating, there is a time-lapse video that documents the whole thing, but be warned – it's painful viewing.

Apps galore

Brandon Lusk has an admittedly large app count of 74 added programs, but that clearly can't account for the sync taking an entire working day.

With the help of Brian Lam at Gizmodo, Lusk analysed exactly what was going on, only to remain stumped at the end of the process no matter what he tried.

His 997MB of music, 94MB of photos, 3.5GB of video and various other bits and pieces certainly require some heavy lifting, but has he uncovered yet another flaw with Apple's pride and joy?

Fibre connections make telecommuting a reality

J Mark Lytle — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:57:00 GMT

Swapping a business suit for pyjamas is likely to become a lot more common as internet connection speeds improve and properly productive telecommuting takes off.

One of Japan's largest telecoms firms, NTT East, has invested in fibre-optic networking to such an extent that it is now able to offer its entire staff of 50,000 the option of working from home.

Thin clients

The company will give its workers thin-client laptops without hard drives to minimise the chance of data leaks (nothing can be stored on them) and conduct the majority of its business online.

That's possible because its 100Mbit/s fibre network to employees' homes is configured to act as a walled garden with gateways that prevent outside access.

Work the focus?

NTT hasn't released the technical details of how this differs from normal domestic FTTH connections, but it has verified its effectiveness in trials running since May this year.

Now, without the opportunity to meet up in pubs to bitch about colleagues' salaries and plan obsequious ways to further their own careers, one has to wonder if staff will finally get on with working for the greater good.

Hitachi sued over HD TV complaints

Mark Harris — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:40:00 GMT

"Green blobs, red blooms, green haze, blue dots and yellow lines." It might sound like an interesting afternoon spent consuming illegal substances but owners of Hitachi 50V500A televisons aren't smiling inanely - a lawsuit filed in Texas alleges that the High Def TV simply couldn't display colours properly.

Plaintiff Anthony Partida of Dallas says he and other owners experienced such wobbly colours when using the rear projection LCD television that it was useless for its intended purpose. According to the lawsuit, 'tens of thousands' of people could have been affected by the 'design defect'.

High Def hoo ha

"Hitachi has been more than willing to take people's money for these TV sets and they should be more than willing to fix them," says attorney Eric D. Pearson, representing Mr Partida. "In some cases, people paid $3,500 or more for these TVs. You can't take that kind of money and deliver a defective product."

Could this be the start of a flurry of lawsuits against electronics manufacturers? Should Microsoft be worried about its Xbox 360's blue ring of death? Or Apple about 3G hiccups with the new iPhone? Let the courts decide! We are confident that, as ever, justice will prevail.

CES 2009 keynote speakers announced

Mark Harris — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:57:00 GMT

Before IFA is even half finished, eyes are turning to next year's Consumer Electronics Show. It was announced today that the CES 2009 keynote speakers will be Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Sony chairman and CEO Sir Howard Stringer and Ford president and CEO Alan Mulally.

Ballmer will kicking off the biggest electronics' trade show in the world with a pre-CES address on Wednesday 7 January, followed by Stringer and Mulally on Thursday on the show's first day proper, all from the Venetian's gargantuan ballroom.

Speech speculation

It's far too soon to start predicting what their big stories will be, of course, but that's never stopped us before so here goes. We trust Ballmer will unveil a new beefed-up Microsoft console (possibly the 'Xbox 720', although we're holding out for the 'Xbox 361' or the 'Ybox'), along with a jaw-dropping Halo 4. Windows 7 will get a teaser and possibly more on Microsoft's move into retail, following its acquisition today of price comparion site Ciao.

Sony will keep pushing the OLED message with a concrete release date (probably mid 2009) and price for a usefully sized TV in the 20- to 24-inch size range. Expect more affordable Blu-ray players and at least one bonkers Bluetooth gadget.

Finally, Ford boss Mulally will be shouting loudly about the next generation of its in-car Sync system, integrating navigation, entertainment and communication, and if the word 'hybrid' isn't mentioned at least 20 times, we'll eat our famously indigestible CES breakfast. More CES news as it breaks.

Army Experience Center gives shoppers a virtual taste of military life

Mark Harris — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:23:00 GMT

Fancy a ride in a cutting-edge Apache or Black Hawk helicopter simulator? Or how about taking the wheel of a virtual Armoured Humvee?

Well, get yourself down to Franklin Mills Mall in Philadelphia, where you can try out the US Army's latest digital goodies at its new 14,500 square foot Army Experience Center (AEC), opening today.

The 'non pushy' recruitment base is hoping to dazzle shoppers with three military-grade simulators, running 'authentic battle scenarios' with plenty of gunfire and explosions.

Buy the numbers

A replica command-and-control centre allows potential recruits to pilot drones and missile systems in complex operations, using 20 workstations and 9 large-screen displays.

If that's not enough to get your signature on a tour of duty, there's a bank of 80 custom-made over-clocked Alienware PCs and Xbox 360s hosting Ghost Recon, Call of Duty 3 and America's Army: True Soldiers, the official game of US forces. There's no sign of a virtual water-boarding ride, however.

Special events at the Army Recruitment Centre include multi-player gaming tournaments and demonstrations of Army's robot and other high-tech equipment.

Military marketing

Naturally, there will be plenty of real-life soldiers on hand to explain more about how life in the US Army is basically one big video game with lots of exciting foreign travel.

The Army's chief marketing officer Edward Walters told AP that the AEC is "a marketing and sales experiment" that could be rolled out nationwide. He's hoping that its interactive career centre will encourage recruits into the Army's range of over 175 careers, from 'water purification specialist' (toilet cleaner?) to 'intelligence analyst'.

Pinnacle launches TV-sharing teleScope

Mark Harris — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:36:00 GMT

Before you splash out on a fancy standalone PVR, take a peer through Pinnacle's new teleScope digital TV hub, time-shift recorder and streaming station.

This 70 Euro (£60) USB gadget combines a pivoting, detachable antenna and high sensitivity digital TV tuner with an impressive suite of applications to let you watch, pause, rewind, record and even distribute your favourite shows throughout your home.

Like other tuners, the teleScope can pick terrestrial TV broadcasts (it's HD Ready, too), using your PC as an EPG to time-shift and tape programmes to its hard drive. However, it can also burn shows straight to DVD, with VideoSpin software to let you edit your recordings.

Broadcast news

The teleScope's most interesting feature, though, is its ability to distribute incoming TV shows easily over a home wi-fi network.

Pinnacle's DistanTV software streams live TV to as many as three other computers using your existing wi-fi set-up, supposedly with 'just a few clicks'.

Given the hassle of previous wireless TV systems (I still shudder when I hear the word 'Slingbox'), we're a little skeptical, but we'll have a full review of the teleScope as soon as possible. It's due to hit the retail channel in mid-September.

Hands-on: Pure Evoke Flow

Gareth Beavis — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:33:00 GMT

It seems the chaps and chappettes over at Pure have decided that the old 'wood and brushed steel' look of old is so last year, and have reinvented the device with a pure black, glossy finish.

Admittedly it's not the usual reason to start writing about a device, but Pure has made itself synonymous with DAB radio thanks to its usual design, and the recent addition of internet radio has clearly brought about a rethink.

As far as internet radios go, you could be forgiven as thinking 'seen one, seen them all.' And you'd be right to a degree.

They all allow you to listen to cabaret music in Australia, or listen to the latest Afrikaans garage podcast.

The Evoke Flow has made an attempt to distance itself from the pack by adding in more search options, including audio quality and name.

Scroll bore

However, and this is a gripe common to many devices, in practice using a knob to scroll through the whole list is tiring and makes you want to give up and just turn on the TV.

Another problem with internet radio is it can take a while to connect; despite being promised industry-leading connection times, the Flow still struggled with some radio stations. Though in fairness, a crowded trade show like IFA is hardly the place to get uninterrupted WiFi coverage, so it probably would be a lot better in your own home.

And the addition of The Lounge portal helped a lot to overcome the annoying scrolling, where you can search for your favourites and set them up on your PC much more easily.

The Flow also comes with the ability to stream files from your home network or use an aux in to play an MP3 player, so there's no lack of choice for sound from the little piano-black box.

However, for £150 there might be some that struggle to justify the device; DAB and internet radio just aren't 15,000 pennies important.

GEAR4 launches iPod FM transmitters

Peter Gothard — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:40:00 GMT

GEAR4 has unleashed a couple more of its FM "Follow Me" transmitters – the dongle-based AirZone FM Follow Me and the CarDock FM Follow Me.

The Airzone plugs "discreetly" into the iPod to transmit its music to any nearby radio tuned to the same frequency, while the CarDock does exactly the same thing in a four-wheeled vehicle, plugging into the 12v cigarette lighter and hijacking the radio. An added benefit of the CarDock is that it charges the iPod from the car battery, too.

Now with ClearSearch

The enhancement for these two handy devices is GEAR4's new ClearSearch tech which promises to adjust the dongle's FM transmitter, or the car radio itself if using the CarDock, to a clearer local frequency with a simple press of a button.

The new AirZone will be winging its way into Europe in September, priced at £40, while the CarDock will be parking up at the same time, selling at £50.

Harman-Kardon unveils ice-cool see-through speakers

Adam Hartley — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:11:00 GMT

Harman-Kardon has unveiled these see-through speakers for fans of high end audio equipment that is not black and, as an added bonus, looks like it's been designed purely for Superman's dad.

These cut glass beauties/monstrosities will "integrate beautifully with home and office décor", according to the press blurb.

TechRadar has already argued over the relative merits of Harman-Kardon not sticking with the dominant trend in speaker design with these new 56 Watt GLA-55s, which are ideally sized to plug into your PC on your desk or jack into your iPod, wherever you so desire.

You basically either love them or hate them. There can be no in-between here.

And while we have yet to test them out, we are pretty sure they will sound 'the business' if Harman-Kardon's brand reputation is anything to go by.

Samsung's 1080i Full HD flash camcorder

Peter Gothard — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:05:00 GMT

Samsung announced its new HMX20C camcorder in Berlin today, which features 1080i Full HD flash recording at 30fps.

The flash-based design, videoing at 1920x 1080i resolution, offers, says Samsung, "quick start-up, great battery life and one of the smallest bodies in the industry", with a swivel hand grip for multiple angles and a wide-aspect 2.7in LCD touchscreen for "editing on the fly".

Analyze your swing

It has a 6.4 megapixel CMOS with image stabilization, and can also take stills up to 8 megapixels through "pixel-rising technology". Also, fast motion 300 frames per second recording for up to 10 seconds is possible, with the ability to slow down the playback afterwards – useful, says Samsung, for analyazing your golf-swing or other things too fast for the human eye to detect.

The HMX20C sports built-in flash memory weighing in at 8GB, and the option of recording onto high-capacity SDHC/MMC+ cards via the card slot should you run out of space.

No release date or price has been specified at IFA, and Samsung's PR couldn't shed any further light on the matter when Techradar asked today. As ever, watch this space.

Samsung's Litmus and Diamond MP3 players

Peter Gothard — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:08:00 GMT

Samsung has announced two new MP3 players today, calling them the YP-U4 Litmus and the YP-Q1 Diamond.

The Litmus, the design concept of which is "inspired by color gradation on litmus paper" focuses around the same glossy panelling effect which is used on the company's TVs and monitors.

"Through this emotional design factor," says Samsung's rather interestingly translated press release, "U4 enriches user's susceptibility." You have been warned.

Recordable hot keys

The Litmus offers DNSe 2.0 sound technology, a 1in grey OLED display at 128x64 pixels and three LED lights, as well as recordable hot keys.

Samsung boasts a playtime of 16 hours for the 27x83x13mm, 27.5g machine, and says the unit will play MP3, WMA and OGG files as well as FM radio.

It comes in 2GB or 4GB sizes, and is available in rose, purple or blue. No release date has been stated as yet.

Diamonds are a girl's best MP3

The Diamond hopes to be the "World Best Sound Quality", and as such offers DNSe 3.0 over the Litmus' measly 2.0.

It's got an "audio upscale function", says Samsung, which "restores missing sound range". At the same time,the player canapparently analyse your MP3 file's mood and genre, and apply the appropriate equalising effect automatically.

The 2.4in TFT LCD, 320x240 QVGA screen, with its dimming lighting effect, will "awake the user's emotional feelings", as well as support 4 hours of movie playback in WMV or MPEG4 format, as well as view JPG images.

Samsung claims the 49.9x97.8x10.9mm black, white or silver beauty can cope with 30 hours of music in MP3, WMA, OGG and FLAC format, and will arrive in 4, 8 and 16GB varieties at an as yet unknown date.

Hands-on: Samsung's new X360 notebook

Adam Hartley — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:42:00 GMT

It would be remiss of those looking at the Samsung X360 notebook to ignore the comparisons with the Apple's Macbook Air. But similarly it would be stupid to directly compare them as well.

The X360 is a lovely looking piece of kit, and what's more: it handles Windows Vista like a Ferrari on rails.

Beyond the glamorous exterior (which, being shiny, is an absolute Mecca for fingerprints and greatly devalues the glossy shell) is a 128GB SSD and a decent processor and RAM set too...and despite TechRadar trying to break it, the thing just kept on running.

Bananas

In fact, when we picked it up and loaded everything on the desktop (over 13 icons) and cowered far away in case it caught on fire or something, they all sprang up like monkeys that ate curry bananas.

The thing is so light we even considered throwing it across the room to see if it floated...but decided against this in case we hit one of the children thronging around.

We'll be publishing a much more detailed review soon, but for those that want a PC that can last six hours in real time usage and weighs less than 1.3kg (and have at least £1400 to spend) then we can't see a better device.

But just make sure you wear gloves when you use it...nobody wants fingerprints all over a grand and a half machine, eh?

Hands on: Dolby Volume

Gareth Beavis — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:38:00 GMT

TechRadar has been scurrying around IFA 2008 like a mousehigh on caffeine-flavoured cheese, and landed itself in the lovely Dolby roomto check out the new technology on offer.

Dolby Volume (bear with us, it’s more exciting than itsounds!) is the new technology from the home theatre folks, and it’s somethingof a humdinger in audio terms.

Given it’s only available in two high-end Harman Kardon AVreceivers and a Toshiba TV in Japan, it’s best not to speak too much of theprice right now (we’re talking over £2,000 at least).

But having chatted to the Dolby and Harman Kardon chaps itappears this could be appearing in the sub £800-zone soon, so it’s well worth alook.

Adverts: too loud

Firstly, it controls the volume of your audio equipment tokeep it all at the same level no matter what you throw at it. This, says HarmanHardon, is the reason they’ve taken it on board, because so many customers ask:"Can it stop adverts coming on so loud in between programmes?"

"But loads of companies offer that!" you might cry (thoughdon’t; you’ll get strange looks). And true, they do.

But the difference is Dolby can work with surround soundchannels too. Where a normal volume equaliser might just keep the whole soundat a normal level, Dolby Volume works with the each channel, lowering some(i.e. background sound) and raising others (speech and bass) to keep thesurround effect even at low levels.

In action, it worked pretty well, and certainly kept the‘home cinema’ feel no matter what volume was being used and whichever sourcewas thrown at it (we saw a spurious Spanish gameshow for some reason).

Fortune

And if you’re forking out a fortune on a home theatre, thenthis is exactly the kind of thing you want to make it worthwhile; there’s nopoint having a great system that you can’t always hear properly.

But the price needs to drop for the average Joe to reallyfeel the benefit of this tech; so fingers crossed the info we’ve been toldabout price drops in the next couple of years prove to be true.

Microsoft takes aim for Google's Froogle

Dan Grabham — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:24:00 GMT

Microsoft has bought Ciao, one of Europe's biggest price comparison engines. Designed to boost its Live Search offering, it seems Microsoft will position its new toy right up against Google's Product Search, formerly known as Froogle.

There's no getting away from it – Microsoft is still loosing badly when it comes to the search market. But instead of growing the Windows Live Search business organically, dear old Microsoft seems determined to buy elements which it thinks make sense, hence the hovering up of Multimap and now Ciao.

It's not a small wedge of cash involved, either. The deal is worth approximately $486 million. According to analyst comScore, Ciao currently has more than 26.5 million unique visitors per month across seven countries.

Intregration with Live Search

Microsoft says Ciao's technology platform, online community and extensive merchant relationships will be integrated with its Live Search platform. The corporation says it wants to make Live Search "the premier destination for consumers looking to research and purchase goods and services online."

"Integrating Ciao's capabilities into Live Search will provide a strong launchpad for our commercial search offer in Europe and enhance our e-commerce offering on MSN, " says John Mangelaars, head of Microsoft Consumer and Online in Europe.

Microsoft's search strategy is focused on three key areas it says: "delivering the best results, simplifying key tasks and innovating in the business model." The corporation has also recently launched a European Search Technology Centre to enhance its results.

Exclusive: Samsung to launch OLED TVs at CES 2009

Gareth Beavis — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:21:00 GMT

Samsung has revealed it will release 14.1 inch OLED TVs at CES 2009 in a bid to keep Sony from running away with the nascent market.

Young Joong Noh, developer of OLED parts at Samsung, confirmed to TechRadar the sets will be coming next year, with a similar £1,000 plus price tag.

However, he was keen to point out the superior panel they Koreans will be releasing:

"Sony's TV is only standard definition; in our case we'll have a HD OLED TV with 120Hz capability," he said.

"Our plan is to try and release it at CES 2009."

Bigger and better future

Noh also claimed the technology was well in place for the larger sized screens, like the 31inch OLED screen on display at the Samsung stand, but the amount of TVs that make it through production is too low, as the larger size means they contain too many defects.

As reported earlier this year, Samsung is going to create a new company that will exclusively develop OLED displays, and Noh believes this will be announced as a new entity at the end of the year.

"When we make OLEDs, we have to modify existing LCD lines," he said. "The company is now developing production lines just for OLED, which will cater for mobile to the larger sizes we provide for LCD.