TechRadar: All News Feeds

Logitech Squeezebox goes Boom

Mark Harris — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:48:00 GMT

Logitech's popular Squeezebox network music player is getting a well-deserved update, in the shape of an all-in-one Squeezebox Boom, due this September.

The Boom will have all the functionality of the current Squeezebox, streaming music from your PC and using your home wi-fi network to access thousands of internet radio stations via Logitech's SqueezeNetwork.

New additions for the Boom include 30W of amplification and some suprisingly sweet-sounding (on paper, at least) bi-amped speakers: two 3/4-inch soft-dome tweeters and two 3-inch long-throw woofers. There's a socket for a real sub for when you want to rattle some windows and a headphone jack for quieter moods.

Sonic Boom

Logitech's Squeezebox Boom can also pull in subscription services like Rhapsody, Last.FM, Slacker, Pandora and Sirius (in America), but think twice before investing too heavily in these. The US Copyright Royalty Board decided last year to increase the royalty fee for webcasters from 0.08 cents in 2006 to 0.19 cents per song per listener by 2010.

That's fine for a station that plays one song at a time, but potentially ruinous for personalised stations that serve millions of individual streams. Pandora, for instance, told The Washington Post that it is facing a $17 million royalty bill this year (that's over two thirds of its annual revenue), and may have to close if it can't organise an exemption.

that's The Squeebox Boom will cost $300 in the US and £200 in the UK, complete with a remote control which, according to the press release, 'includes a tiny magnet that lets you easily attach it to your refrigerator.' So where remotes go when they disappear.

Space Cube is galaxy's smallest computer

Mark Harris — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:03:00 GMT

Think the MacBook Air and Samsung's X360 (announced today at IFA) are as portable as computing gets? Think again. The Space Cube computer from everyone's favourite space industry IT supplier, the Shimafuji Corporation, measures just 2-inches in each direction.

This wee Linux-powered computer has a 300MHz processor and a modest 64MB of RAM but sports a plethora of connections, including USB, serial, Ethernet, VGA, speaker and headphone sockets and even the splendidly named SpaceWire jack, favoured by NASA for linking together its interplanetary gadgets. The Space Cube runs Red Hat straight from a Compact Flash card.

Anyone else see a Borg here?

PC Pro can't say enough good things about its toughened, all-metal review unit of the Space Cube, but we suspect that might just be because they're hoping for a ride in someone's rocket to see it working.

If you want to snap up one for your own backyard moon shot, or just for the comforting feeling of always having a computer in your pocket, a Space Cube will set you back around £1500 when it's made more widely available later this year.

The only UK distributor is likely to be Star Dundee, purveyors of all manner of SpaceWire gizmos.

Scientists develop high tech 'green' explosives

Mark Harris — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:32:00 GMT

An eco-friendly explosive might sound like a contradiction in terms (what next? solar-powered Tasers? Fair Trade plutonium?) but scientists at the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are claiming to have made just that.

By using new ionic liquids (molten salts that become liquid at low temperatures) instead of traditional compounds, boffins have created explosive compounds that are purer, less polluting and less likely to safer to react violently (ie go off accidentally) when subjected to heat or impacts.

Mine over matter

The research team claims that this will lead to greener explosives for the mining industry, although the fact that the development was carried out at America's leading national security laboratory implies that eco-friendly explosives will soon find their way into the superpower's arsenal.

There is a glimmer of hope for more peaceful applications though. The process developed by the Livermore team could also help with the production of plastics, pharmaceuticals, paints, and even with dissolving cellulose, renewable plant fibre touted as a new 'smart' material for use in tiny flying robots, micro-electromechanical systems, biosensors and flexible electrical displays.

Samsung lays the smackdown on the MacBook Air

Adam Hartley — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:19:00 GMT

Samsung has revealed its latest addition to its laptop range, the X360, and has packed everything into a sleek little frame.

Sporting a 128GB solid state drive, this little beauty comes in red, black and erm...graduated red, so it's for the style conscious as well as the power hungry.

With a battery life of over 10 hours (six hours in real terms) thanks to the SSD, Samsung is clearly leveraging its expertise in flash drives to pimp this little lappie out.

It has a 13.3inch widescreen display and weighs in at just 1.27kg, which Samsung claimed was the lightest in class in its presentation at IFA 2008.

Snook cocking

Clearly cocking a snook to Apple, the tagline for the device is: "Lighter than air and fully featured."

Using a low voltage Intel Centrino 2 chipset, this laptop can be specced all the way up to £1,700-worth of power.

It also comes with a fingerprint scanner for security, a 7-in-1 card reader and silver nano-particles in the keyboard for bacteria resistance.

We had a quick play...there was no sign of the kitchen sink however.

Samsung is also planning to integrate HSDPA into the device as well, which should be available in 2009.

The X360 will debut in October across key markets: UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland and The Netherlands, starting at £1150.

Philips press conference: the 30-second version

Peter Gothard — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:11:00 GMT

In addition to Philips' Essence - the company's flatter-than-flat televisions (an amazing 42in wide yet just 38mm thin) there were a few more highlights from Philips' showing at IFA 2008 today. Read on for the full details.

Aurea II Ambilight

Meanwhile, the Aurea II Ambilight, relaunched as a 37in panel, comes with a more atmosphere-enhancing pearl shaded frame, as well as an updated Perfect Pixel HD engine, 100Hz refresh rate with 2ms response time, and a contrast ratio of 30,000:1. It has four HDMI inputs and power consumption in standby has been reduced from 0.8w in the previous version to only 0.15w this time around.

Expanded Heritage hi-fi range

Three new micro HiFis join last year's MCD908 Micro Theater, with MCM906 offering 150w of power and playing MP3 and WMA files from CD and plugin USB devices.

The even smaller MCM772 has diddy 100w speakers only 4in high, while the tiny MCM770 cranks out sounds at 60w.

JVC's big promise: best performance, design and ease of use

Rob Mead — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:08:00 GMT

They say fortune favours the brave, and JVC is being very brave indeed if today's keynote at IFA 2008 is anything to go by.

JVC president Hidetoshi Yoshida said at the company's IFA press conference today that the company planned to offer products that were best for performance and best for ease of use and design. That's quite a tall order. So what brought this on?

JVC is hoping to escape its reputation as a 'second-tier' TV maker by pushing its brand upmarket - a move that will put it in direct competition with others like Sony, Philips and Pioneer.

The move isn't too surprising - the company has been bedevilled with losses by recent years, with one-time parent Panasonic actually off-loading its shares in the company last year.

4K LCD display

Now part of a joint JVC-Kenwood holding company, JVC's upmarket ambitions were unveiled in quite spectacular form, first with an LED backlit LCD TV, and then with the announcement that it's showing off a prototype 4K LCD display.

The 4K display is squarely aimed at the professional market, but hints at the company's future direction. It also announced a prototype 35-megapixel 8K projector (again aimed at pro users) that it has developed in conjunction with Japanese TV broadcaster NHK.

The LED backlit LCD TV features a next generation LCD panel, with some impressive specs - it measures just 10mm deep, compared to the 35mm panel in 2007 TV sets, weighs only 6kg and has a 100,000:1 contrast ratio.

JVC also says its eco-friendly - an important concern for the company - with vastly reduced power consumption compared to previous generation models.

Blu-ray home cinema

JVC also a new Blu-ray based home cinema system, the NX-BD3. Key features include BD Profile 1.1, a 2.1-channel surround sound with a total output of 400W.

Naturally it boasts 1080/24p video playback, is DLNA certified and is compatible with HD Everio and AVCHD camcorder footage. Buyers will get a free copy of Indiana Jones And The Crystal Skull on Blu-ray.

D-ILA projectors

Also aimed at home users are two new 1080/24p D-LA projectors - the DLA-HD750 and DLA-HD350. JVC claims they 'break new ground in colour and sharpness'. Contrast ratios are pegged at 30,000:1 for the DLA-HD750 and 15,000:1 for the DLA-HD350. Botg pro

Both projectors also include Silicon Optix HQV Reon-VX video processors, 2x motorised zoom lenses and two HDMI 1.3 inputs.

We'll see how JVC fares in coming months.

Facebook has worms - are you at risk?

Gareth Mason — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:55:00 GMT

Facebook has been under attack in recent days from spammers in search of information that will help them commit ID fraud. Some members claimed that their accounts had been deactivated or hijacked, while much more spam was received than usual. One source suggests that abuse from malware was higher in the last month than all of 2007.

As TechRadar reported yesterday, the social networking site has now got over 100 million account holders ('users' implies action, which probably applies more to its minority hardcore). Many of these attacks have been variants of a worm called Koobface, which has been slithering around the cyberguts of both Facebook and MySpace since late July. Facebook reckons everything is now under control.

Worm detected

A statement on the Facebook site related that: "Over the past few days, we have received reports from users of spam and phishing attacks. We have also detected and contained a worm. We are investigating every report, removing false content, blocking bogus links and addressing the concerns of our users. These efforts have limited the affected users to a small percentage of those on Facebook."

Along with taking one spammer to court, the company has updated its security page accordingly in response to the 27 recently identified variants of Koobface. The worms work by masquerading as messages from friends that are then opened by unsuspecting users.

Loewe unveils new Reference standard

Jamie Carter — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:54:00 GMT

On its home turf at Berlin's IFA Show, German luxury brand Loewe has announced some feature-packed additions to its high-end range of TVs – and unveiled a new 52in LCD TV it's calling Reference.

New 26in and 22in models will join Loewe's Connect range of LCD TVS, which use WiFi connectivity to play digital music, photos and video from a home network.

Network indulgence

Although both have a built-in FM radio, 10W stereo speakers, a PC input, two HDMI ports and a Freeview tuner, only the 26in version can indulge in networking. With an Ethernet port for wired access and a WiFi aerial, the Connect 26 can fetch digital content – music, video (though not HD) and music – from a PC or Mac on the same wireless broadband network.

They also have differing resolutions, with the Connect 26 enjoying 1366x768 pixels and the Connect 22 a resolution of 1680x1050 pixels. That's more than enough to handle hi-def images although high definition video cannot be streamed.

Are TVs Art?

Having dipped a toe into the waters of WiFi with the Connect – its first appearance on a TV – Loewe used its giant stand at IFA to unveil something a little more classic. Available in 42in and 47in sizes only, its newest line-up is simply called 'Art'.

The bezel measures a mere 89.9mm in depth, although that's nothing compared to the likes of Hitachi, LG and JVC's efforts of late. Loewe's latest might not be thin but 'Art' is fat with features.

First there's the Full HD resolution, a 1920x1080 pixel count that's quickly become standard throughout the flat TV market.

Add 24p playback for a cinema-like rendition of Blu-ray discs, as well as a 100Hz anti-blur tech, a 250GB hard disk for recording TV, and optional Dolby Digital/DTS speakers, and Loewe's Art (or Art 47 SL Full-HD+ 100 and the Art 42 SL Full-HD+ 100, to give you the full names) could be in the frame.

The White Room

Loewe also announced that the 40-inch Compose LCD TV in its Individual line-up will be available in white from November. The Individual Compose Full HD+ 100 features Full HD resolution and 100Hz technology.

The Individual line-up also received a new product at IFA in the shape of the Individual Mediacenter. It includes a CD/DVD player capable of upscaling, a iPod/iPhone interface, a digital TV tuner, a FM radio, two USB ports and wired and wireless networking.

The first screen released under Loewe's new Reference range is a 52in LCD TV. Featuring Full HD resolution, 100Hz double frame-rate tech and 24p playback from Blu-ray discs, it's also got an integrated DR+ 500GB recorder and even a HD satellite TV tuner.

While the latter will be able to access the same channels as Freesat boxes, it's not able to pick-up the ITV HD channel, which is broadcast on the encrypted interactive platform. The motorised rotating Reference 52 Full HD+ 100 can be fitted with a the same WiFi network Media Player found on the brand's Connect TVs.

The new Reference Mediacenter can also be added. Acting as a home entertainment hub, it's broadly the same as the Individual Mediacenter, the key difference being the inclusion of a Blu-ray player that also upscales DVDs. A Reference Sound Standspeaker, a wafer-thin stereo sound system, was also announced.

Philips' new Essence: eating disorder?

Gareth Beavis — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:47:00 GMT

Philips has announced a new TV that is designed to be much easier to install, the Essence.

Unveiled in what might be the most staged conversation at IFA between the host and marketing manager on stage, the new TV was unveiled as a device that 'stands out by blending in".

Lightweight

At 42inch screen size, it weighs in a lightweight 16kg and measures 38mm at the thinnest point, so it can hang on a single hook in your lounge (or toilet if you're rich and don't want to miss EastEnders when nature calls).

It also comes with a 30W sound bar that can be detached as well, perhaps to beat the people who come into the room and aren't INSTANTLY IMPRESSED with your TV hung on a wall.

However, it does kick out some decent sound and does outperform its teeny size.

One wire to feed them all

To keep up with minimalist theme that Philips appears to be desperate to achieve, it even has one wire for video, audio and power to connect it to the content management box, so it doesn't even need to be near a power source. Thank God.

However, the 2ms response time and 2,250 trillion colours as part of the 1080p panel are certainly impressive in action, and should help maintain Philips' reputation as a top TV manufacturer in the UK and Europe.

Nvidia ends SLI lock down with Intel Core i7

Jeremy Laird — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:42:00 GMT

Nvidia has announced that it will enable support for its SLI multi-GPU graphics platform on Intel's upcoming X58 motherboard chipset. Crucially, support for SLI on the X58 will not require an NVIDIA PCI Express chip.

Instead, Nvidia will introduce a certification scheme in which motherboard makers can submit their produce to Nvidia. In return for a currently undisclosed fee, Nvidia will then test and license boards as being fit for SLI.

The news comes as Nvidia's Nvision visual computing conference in San Francisco wraps up. Prior to the announcement, Nvidia had always maintained that SLI required the use of Nvidia motherboard silicon. Typically that meant a full Nvidia motherboard chipset.

The one exception was Intel's Skulltrail dual-socket platform, which featured an SLI-enabling Nvidia nForce 200 PCI Express chip.

We hope it's an Intel chip

Indeed, it was precisely this approach – an Intel chipset plus Nvidia PCI E chip – that we were previously expecting to be the minimum requirement to enable SLI on the upcoming X58 platform.

The X58 chipset, of course, is the high-end solution for Intel's new Core i7 CPU, due out later this year. In fact, it's the Core i7's revolutionary architecture that has probably forced Nvidia hand.

Out goes Intel's creaky old front side bus and in comes the swanky new QuickPath CPU interconnect. Nvidia has said that it will not be making chipsets supporting QuickPath. And that essentially means it is getting out of the Intel CPU chipset business.

Having previously indicated it would require the use of the nForce 200 chip, it seems Nvidia has had a change of heart. Our guess is that motherboard makers didn't fancy being forced to include the ultimately pointless nForce chip.

Of course, the X58 chipset will also support AMD's competing Crossfire multi-GPU solution. The upshot of which is that it finally looks like gamers will be able to mix and match motherboard and graphics technology as they choose. That's very good news indeed.

Tiny home theatre system breaks cover

Gareth Beavis — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:40:00 GMT

At IFA 2008 Philips decided to release a new device that looks like a dog bowl, but is actually one of the smallest home theatre devices out there.

Housing a DVD player, iPod dock, five channel amplifier, four speakers and a subwoofer and a CD player in the tiny package, the CinemaOne is designed for those without a lot of space.

The four inch subwoofer is built into the base of the unit, in order to reduce clutter and wire-tastic tangles.

Jack of all trades

The device can output in nearly all kinds of format, including DivX and WMV, and the iPod can be controlled by the included remote.

It can also upscale to 1080p via the HDMI connector, so it can even help you justify that 40 inch purchase you're trying to persuade your other half you desperately need.

And for those Apple-haters, there's also a USB 2.0 port to allow connection to pretty much any kind of storage device.

No word on availability yet, but apparently it will be pretty soon, so no need to worry too much if you're hankering for a tiny system.

Status update: Facebook movie in the works?

Marc Chacksfield — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:21:00 GMT

In a world where office workers' productivity levels are diminishing, one site and one site only can take the blame. And that site is… Facebook!

In what sounds like the most bizarre idea for a movie ever, Aaron Sorkin, the creator of the majestic West Wing and the up-itself Studio 60…, is said to be in negotiation to pen a movie about Facebook's Harvard student founders, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

If the movie is made, then it will transport us way back to 2004 when online social-networking was confined to Friends Reunited.

That was until three boffins/nerds/computer whiz-kids Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes came up with the idea for the phenomenon that is Facebook.

Possible cast

As this story is completely made up of pure internet rumour and speculation, we thought we would take a punt at what actors they would get to play Zuckerberg et al.

Well, as it's based in a university, the best bet would be the bloke that got Juno knocked up in Juno, kid of the moment Shia LaBeouf to play the more crazy and outgoing of the group, and Will Ferrell to reprise his role of 'Frank The Tank' in Old School.

Not sure how all this will fit with Sorkin's plans, but he's going to have to inject some fun into a movie that will essentially focus on a bunch of Harvard rich kids getting more, er, richer.

Blu-ray recorders coming to Europe

Marc Chacksfield — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:37:00 GMT

Panasonic has announced that it is to begin selling its range of Blu-ray disc recorders in Europe later this year.

If you are UK-based, don't get too excited, however, as the machines aren't quite ready to travel across the English Channel, stopping off instead in France.

Our Gallic cousins are the first European country to get both the entry-level DMP-BD35 and the higher-end DMP-BD55.

Both of these models have been available in Japan for some time now, so it's great to see them inch that little bit closer to the UK.

At an IFA press conference today, Panasonic explained why the players are to hit France first and it is because the country has already got the necessary HD channels and infrastructure.

Panasonic cited that the HD infrastructure is similar to both Australia and Japan – the two other places where the machines are sold.

UK made to wait

The UK apparently won't see them until we have a wider availability of HD content to burn to shiny disc.

The BD recorders are compatible with Profile 2.0 content (BD-Live), so even if you use them just as players, they are fully up to date with all things Blu-ray.

And if you've been shooting AVCHD footage on your camcorder and want to copy it to a Blu-ray disc (you clever thing you) then you'll be able to do this via the machines.

Pricing and availability has yet to be announced.

News Feature: TechRadar Choice: Top 8 anti-virus packages

Reviews team — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:34:00 GMT

Whichever version of Windows you're running (Mac users can feel smug in the knowledge that they don't need to read this) you'd be foolish to not run an AV package.

Winner: ESET NOD32

Even with the extra-secure Windows Vista operating system, viruses still pose a big threat.

The problem is that often, most of the biggest brands that immediately come to mind when you think of AV, don't necessarily make the best software.

And likewise, you may find that a lot of the best anti-virus software is actually made by companies you've never heard of.

Either way, here are ten of the best AV packages available today.

Even though you may have never heard of it, NOD32 has consistently been voted the best anti-virus package by experts and users alike.

Just this month, it was awarded a record 51st VB100 award from Virus Bulletin, a respected independent comparative testing group.

It's also been named the best AV package by AV Comparatives for two years in a row.

Not only is NOD32 an extremely lightweight piece of software, it scans very quickly, has faultless heuristic detection (it can detect a virus even if a definition has not been written for it yet) and can be relied upon to detect 98 per cent of computer nasties.

Kaspersky AV

Based in Moscow, Kaspersky has now been protecting Windows PCs for over ten years. It always rates in the top five AV programs in independent tests, which makes it a viable option.

AV comparatives fives it an Advanced+ rating (the highest possible) because of its 98.3 per cent success rate in virus detection (most recent tests).

Kaspersky is one of the most popular and fastest growing anti-virus programs around and should be considered an excellent security option.

F-Secure Anti-Virus

F-Secure has an excellent record at detecting viruses and other internet nasties. However, to achieve this, it's fairly slow at scanning. And it also returns quite a lot of false positives (it sees threats in places where none exist) which can make it a bit confusing.

If you're looking for a maximum amount of protection, F-Secure is for you. But if you need smooth and speedy operation with accurate threat detection, it might not be ideal.

It includes a behaviour based/HIPS-like solution which works when malware is executed.

This kind of protection is not taken into consideration in the AV Comparatives tests at present, which is why F-Secure doesn't fare too well in the heuristics test. However, that's not to say it's a poor performer. Because it's not.

And this will show up when the site starts including this kind of pro-active screening in its 2009 tests.

AVIRA AntiVir PE Premium

AVIRA's anti-virus program is one of the favourites on AV Comparatives. In the most recent tests, it managed to successfully detect 99.6 per cent of threats posed while returning few false positives.

As a consequence, it's one of only two packages (along with NOD32) which achieved an Advanced+ rating on AV Comparatives in its proactive/retrospective test.

GDATA AVK

GDATA is a very handy anti-virus package which uses the AV engines of both Kaspersky and Avast. As a result if achieves a very high success rate at detecting known viruses.

However, its heuristic detection is poor, and doesn't even rate on the AV Comparatives league table.

AVG Anti-Malware

AVG gets an Advanced+ rating for its detection of known nasties. And its heuristic 'in the wild' detection is also good. It's not up to the standard of NOD32, but it's a viable option.

It's worth pointing out that this is not the free version of AVG - which offers only very basic virus protection.

Symantec Norton 360

Symantec's Norton Anti-Virus program is possibly the most well-known - certainly in the USA. However, that doesn't make it the best.

If you've already got Norton though, worry not. Because virus protection is up there with the best - especially from known threats.

Its heuristic protection, on the other hand, is distinctly average. It doesn't perform as well as the likes of Kaspersky, AVIRA or NOD32 in this respect. Norton also tents to return a fair amount of false positives which can cause confusion.

McAfee VirusScan Plus

Another household name is McAfee. It's one of the best known names, and it's also currently one of the best. It's detection rate, scan speed and heuristic detection are all pretty good.

Although you cannot say that McAfee is in any way state-of-the-art. It's just a solid all-round performer.

Mozilla breaks out Firefox Ubiquity

Adam Hartley — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:33:00 GMT

Firefox developer Mozilla wants to allow internet users access to any service they want anywhere online in its latest project, rather aptly called 'Ubiquity'.

Users will be able to pull up maps, email, translations and anything else they might need up on any web page they happen to be on, a massive development on Microsoft's latest features unveiled this week in Internet Explorer 8 beta 2.

Ubiquity beta already allows immediate access to Wikipedia, Google, Twitter and the like.

Mozilla's blog describes the user's need for such a service as follows: "You're writing an email to invite a friend to meet at a local San Francisco restaurant that neither of you has been to. You'd like to include a map.

"Today, this involves the disjointed tasks of message composition on a web-mail service, mapping the address on a map site, searching for reviews on the restaurant on a search engine, and finally copying all links into the message being composed.

"This familiar sequence is an awful lot of clicking, typing, searching, copying, and pasting in order to do a very simple task. And you haven't even really sent a map or useful reviews - only links to them."

Remixing the web

Hence Mozilla Labs are experimenting with "connecting the Web with language in an attempt to find new user interfaces that could make it possible for everyone to do common Web tasks more quickly and easily."

" 'Ubiquity' promises to empower users to control the web browser with language-based instructions (users merely type what they want to do) and to enableon-demand, user-generated mashups with existing open Web APIs, allowing everyone - not just Web developers - to remix the Web so it fits their needs."

Intriguing stuff, for sure. Stay tuned for more on Mozilla's world domination plans shortly.

TomTom beats rivals home

Gareth Mason — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:03:00 GMT

A navigational tool from TomTom has been improved so that it now takes into account 'historical travel time' information for all roads on a daily basis. It is updated every five minutes. The three models in the x40 Live series (the TomTom Go 940 Live and 740 and 540 versions) will use this facility to guide you to and from your home.

If the measured traffic conditions differ from those expected, the system automatically calculates a better alternative, if there is one. Arrival times are adjusted accordingly. For the first time, it will be available in The UK, Germany, France and Switzerland, along with The Netherlands, where the service was introduced last year.

See traffic in HD!

The plug and play x40 Live series offers High Definition Traffic for the most accurate information, Safety Alerts for up to date information from safety cameras, Fuel Prices for the best price en route, and Local Search with Google, which turns search results into actual destinations.

Other features include up to 100 voice commands, an Active Dock that includes a system connector for easy docking and charging, and an improved Advanced Lane Guidance system, which gives clear instructions at complex junctions.

Prices are not yet fixed, but are likely to begin from £300 though it will also be possible to give the system a three-month trial followed by a monthly subscription of around £10.

Gesture-controlled TVs demoed at IFA

Marc Chacksfield — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:59:00 GMT

It's not just imminently released bits of kit that are getting an airing at Berlin's IFA this year, but also innovations that could change how we interact with technology.

A research team powered by Toshiba has been previewing some new technological advances that will have you waving your hands, quite literally, in excitement.

Taking a leaf out of the gesture control found on Toshiba's latest range of laptops, the boffins that the Cambridge Research Laboratory are showcasing gesture-based interfaces for flat panels at IFA.

Any user of the new flat screen technology will be able to use their hands to control an on-screen cursor. The technology is being touted for things like information kiosks and interactive displays in shop windows.

The system works by having a single camera mounted on top of the display. At the moment, research is going into how to get multiple users to interact with the TVs.

Voice-controls for the car

In the ultimate hands-free add-on to your car, Cambridge Research Laboratory is also working on an audio activated radio for cars.

The speech technology is being trialled at IFA, where users will be able to see the tech integrated into a Bluetooth hands-free headset.

Users of the headset will be able to bark orders into it and have things like your mobile phone and MP3 player respond. The technology also allows speech-to-tect recognition, so you may soon be able to send a text by just speaking to your phone.

The demo in Berlin will also show how you can go through you phone's contacts, simply by speaking the name of who you want to call and pick a song from an MP3 player by muttering its title.

If successful, the technology could also be implemented into TV sets, so that users can simply ask to see 'Coronation Street' and the television will obey.

Bloomberg publishes Steve Jobs' obituary

Adam Hartley — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:52:00 GMT

An obituary of the non-dead Apple founder Steve Jobs has been published by the well-renowned Bloomberg business news wire.

The accidental publishing slip of the stock obituary, marked "Hold for release – Do not use", was sent to thousands of Bloomberg's corporate clients. Heads are no doubt rolling over at Bloomberg towers today.

Jobs successfully recovered from a nasty bout of pancreatic cancer back in 2003 and there has been much speculation as to the state of his health over the past few months, following recent public appearances where the Apple genius has looked particularly thin and gaunt.

Published in full online

The obituary was immediately withdrawn by Bloomberg, but not quick enough it seems – as it has been published in full over on Gawker.

Not-dead Jobs is described in the 2,500-word obit. as the man who "helped make personal computers as easy to use as telephones, changed the way animated films are made, persuaded consumers to tune into digital music and refashioned the mobile phone."

Cause of death? "To be inserted."

IE8 privacy features for 'personal medical issues'

Adam Hartley — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:33:00 GMT

Microsoft announced some pretty impressive details about the forthcoming version of its Internet Explorer browser (IE8) at a London launch event last night.

Windows Internet Explorer 8, currently in 'beta 2' stage, is pretty much feature complete, according to Head of Windows Team UK, John Curran.

Curran told the assembled hacks at the London event that "IE8 is one of Microsoft's biggest releases in the internet space in the last few years," promising that we should see "the final browser due within months," and that, overall, the IE8 browsing experience is going to be "much easier, more intuitive, simpler, faster and more reliable."

Privacy for 'personal medical issues'

Microsoft revealed a number of cool new browsing features, in addition to sharing a few more details about the well-publicised InPrivate Browsing and InPrivate features for porn-surfers, which make sure that a user's history, temporary internet files and cookies are not recorded while you browse.

Of course, these features were presented for those users that wish to keep their history private, such as those internet users with 'personal medical issues', those using webmail on friend's computers and so on. Pornography was not mentioned at any point by any Microsoft execs present!

Smart Addresses

IE8's Smart Address Bar is a similar concept to the Awesome bar in Firefox 3, though arguably is a slight improvement on Mozilla's already superbly intuitive internet search tool.

Accelerators Other new functions such as , "give users ready access to the online services they care about most from any page they visit," with Microsoft demo'ing three highly useful examples – Live Maps, eBay and Encarta accelerators.

Cian Weeresinghe, an eBay rep on hand at the launch, added that: "IE8 wil make buying on eBay a much easier and smarter experience.

Toggle and search

IE8 will also make it far easier for you to toggle between your primary search engine and other 'vertical providers' (ie searching within your favourite news sites, auction sites and so on) and the new 'web slices' drop down boxes were also a feature that we can't wait to get used to playing around with a little more – particularly as they have the ability to host rich media (Flash, Silverlight and the like).

Speaking about the Digg web slice, a Digg rep at the event said: "We at Digg are thrilled that Microsoft is paving the way forward with this product… we're seeing the 'widget-isation' of the web."

Interestingly, the Digg guy also added that "London is Digg's biggest city in terms of traffic".

Try out the beta now for yourself at microsoft.com/IE8, to see if it's worth switching allegiance from Mozilla's Firefox 3 or not.

Exclusive: Sony readying 27-inch OLED this year?

Gareth Beavis — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:36:00 GMT

TechRadar loves to poke its nose about a bit when large companies make press announcements, and having got bored of the 11-inch OLED, we decided to see when bigger screens are coming out.

According to an insider, it's believed Sony will be releasing the 27-inch OLED TV to the Asian markets even before the year is out, with a worldwide release in the next year.

Acceleration

This is ahead of the other rumours, which broke earlier this year, stating that the screen will debut by the end of 2009.

The insider also said he believed the next size screen, rumoured to be around 4-inch wide, is not too much further down the line, but couldn't give any exact dates.

However, the next screen is likely to cost well in excess of the current £1,000 price tag on the 11-inch OLED Sony will be bringing to Europe, so it may be a case of all show and no sales for the short term at least.

Process perfected to make any item "100% waterproof"

Peter Gothard — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:13:00 GMT

UK company Plasma Product Innovations (P2i) has demonstrated a chemical process that it says can make absolutely any material 100 per cent waterproof.

Demonstrating what it calls an ion-masking process, which basically meant coating a trainer in some kind of solution, P2i wowed onlookers by submerging a treated shoe into a tub of water and removing it completely dry.

P2i says the individual fibres of the shoe are treated at a molecular level, so unlike current waterproofing sprays, every single part of the item is waterproofed – laces, sole, uppers, the lot.

Techradar's correspondent Philip Barker was allowed to dip a few items himself: "The non-treated products soaked up the water, especially the more porous materials such as cardboard. Those treated with ion-mask acted strangely - rather than sinking into the water we had to physically hold it themunder, and the water dripped straight off when lifted out again," he said.

"It was most apparent with the completely useless kitchen roll- on which water simply rested. We were actually able to make a small bowl in our hands with the kitchen roll, and none of the water dripped through at all. The way water slivered about on materials looked similar in appearance to mercury."

P2i reckons that the coating – which repels water rather than absorbing it, as Gore-Tex does, also makes the object retain all its normal qualities, too. So you can squish it or even tear it up into bits, and it'll still be waterproof.

Water great idea

Witchcraft, you say? Well, clothing and shoe manufacturer Hi-Tec has already adopted the technology (a pity, as being waterproof at a molecular level probably won't stop a uniformly rubbish trainer falling to bits), as well as the police, who are calling the process "Magnum" – probably like the gun, rather than the icecream.

But, does this leap forward in waterproofing hold any interest for us techie types? Can it actually be applied to electronics products?

"Eventually, we hope, yes," said P2i's Ian Roberts. "We are very keen to apply it to electronics, ultimately making them waterproof, although this is still in the early stages of development."

"P2i hopes to add it to various consumer items," said Philip, "But we were told it wouldn't be possible with others. The water-repellant molecules are chemically bonded to individual fibres,so it wouldn't be practical with products such as mobile phones."

Photocopying in three dimensions

Marc Chacksfield — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:57:00 GMT

Toshiba has being showing off its new 3D wares at this year's IFA show in Berlin. The company has been showcasing some interesting three dimensional technology that allows you to photocopy 3D images.

The technology is part of a project from Toshiba Research Europe's Cambridge Research Laboratory.

Speaking about the new technology, Professor Roberto Cipolla, who is head of the research team said: "This is revolutionary new technology. Using this technology, consumers will soon be able to create a 3D photocopy in their own home, something a few years ago was stuff of fantasy."

A machine creates a 3D model from digital photographs. An object is placed on a patterned piece of paper, photographed from all sides, and then the images are fed into the system.

3D photocopier software then renders a 3D photocopy. Once the photocopy is created, users can look at the object from all angles on the computer.

3D world

Toshiba's second dip into 3D involves a new virtual world the company has set up. Cambridge Research Laboratory have once again been busy delving into 3D. This time they are developing a system that can capture and track 3D shapes, so bends and wrinkles can be shown in real-time.

Eventually the technology should mean that users will be able to create more realistic avatars of themselves for, say, online worlds or computer games.

It's not just for gamers, however, as the technology could also be used by retailers to show off garments on their websites in a more realistic, er, fashion.

Demonstrations of these 3D technologies will be going on throughout this year's IFA.

Sharp heralds new LCD TV era at IFA 2008

Rob Mead — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:50:00 GMT

Sharp has finally turned the ultra-flat LCD TV it showed off at IFA 2007 into reality.

Unveiled during a packed keynote at IFA 2008, the XS1 series promises ultimate black levels, perfect colour reproduction and an ultra-slim design that's just 22mm wide at its thickest point – something that's likely to be challenged by plenty of other TV makers this week

Toshiyuki Tajima, CEO of Sharp Electronics Europe, said the Sharp XS1 series TV used a new RGB backlight system, had a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and was able to display almost every colour imaginable.

A superior sounding model

The TV also claims superior sound quality thank to a sound system jointly developed with audio engineers at Pioneer.

Tajima also made much of the XS1 series' eco-credentials. It promises to use a lot less power than other LCD TVs, partly because it automatically adjusts the TV's brightness during use depending on the brightness of the source material.

We will continue to keep you up to date about the XS1 and other new Sharp products here at TechRadar.

Sony's IFA show highlights

Peter Gothard — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:30:00 GMT

While Techradar has already reported the scoop on Sony's thinnest and lightest LCD TV, here's the rest of the company's IFA highlights, including a high-spec Motionflow TV, a tiny OLED TV and this season's Walkman range.

Just to confirm, the Bravia ZX1 – the thinnest LCD TV ever – features a 9.9mm screen, with 100Hz Motionflow and wireless HD, Sony is calling it the "perfect balance of high aesthetics and high technology".

However, if even silkier smooth motion is more your bag, Sony has also announced a 200Hz version – the Bravia Z4500. While obviously not as thin as the ZX1, 200 frames a second should be a pretty cool way to watch soccer without being dogged by motion blur.

The next TV Sony revealed is another LCD Picture Frame TV, the Bravia EX1. It seems similar to previous picture frame models, but comes with integrated HD wireless connectivity, which is a bit handy.

Finally, the XEL-1 is a positively anorexic (3mm) OLED (that's Organic Light Emitting Diode, if you didn't know) TV that promises a contrast ratio of more than 1,000,000:1. OLED is hotly tipped to spell doom for LCD and plasma in the near future, so watch this space for more OLED developments.

Cameras and Walkman(s)

The Cybershot DSC-T500 was unveiled, featuring 10.1 megapixel resolution and the capacity for HD movie clips. The 4GB supplied memory allows storage for, says Sony, about 60 minutes of HD footage.

The new Walkman S Series is being touted as the slimmest Walkman ever at 7.5mm thin, while the E Series is having its 2-inch, high-res screen bigged up for video performance. The Budget B Series looks fairly standard, but comes in "four fashion colours". Yay.

Blu-ray and the rest

There's a few Blu-ray players, including the BDPS350 and BDP-S550 boasting 1080p Full HD, as well as 1080p standard DVD upscaling.

The NSA-PF1 loudspeaker promises a "sonic and visual focal-point for any room", and sounds quite swish (or tacky) in illuminated glass and leather. Meanwhile, bizzaro robotic iPod dock "Rolly" is slated for European release in October. Hide your vases, and put the cat out.

Toshiba expands Gigashot and Camileo camcorder ranges

Marc Chacksfield — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:17:00 GMT

Toshiba has given its relatively new foray into the camcorder market a big boost with the announcement of updates to both its Gigashot and Camileo ranges.

First up is the Camileo Pro HD, what Toshiba describes as a four-in-one device that weighs just 177g.

What the company means is that it's not just a camcorder capable of filming HD Ready footage. Oh no, it also doubles as a stills camera, trebles as a mass storage device, and quadruples as a voice recorder.

For those who want to use it primarily as a camcorder, you will be pleased to know that the cam comes equipped with a 3x optical zoom and five light balancing modes.

For the snappers out there, the device comes with an 8MP sensor, red eye reduction and manual exposure.

When it comes to being a mass storage device, however, the Camileo Pro HD falls short, offering just 128MB. Thankfully, you can record your annoyance of this paltry storage space to the cam's voice recording function.

Four new Gigashot camcorders

Toshiba has also bolstered its camcorder range, with four new Gigashot camcorders. All of the cams come with an impressive 10x optical zoom, with two of the new range equipped to shoot Full HD (1080p) footage.

The Full HD filmers are the Gigashot A40FE and the A100FE, and are now the flagship in the Gigashot range.

Both cams shoot footage to a hard disc drive, and are endowed with 40GB and 100GB storage space respectively.

The Gigashot K40HE and K80HE are HD Ready shooters that also record to HDD at 40GB and 80GB. All cameras are also blessed with an SD/SDHC card slot, so storage capacity can be increased.

All the camcorders mentioned will be available in Europe during the third quarter of this year. Pricing is yet to be announced.