13
Aug
2010
It’s a bit of bad news for the Android community as the virus are seeping their way into the little green robots functions. The latest report is straight out of Kaspersky Labs (more…)
Monthly Archives: August 2010
13
Aug
2010
whathifi : The age of technological convergence is upon us and the latest generation of televisions is leading the way. On-demand content is already revolutionising the way we watch TV, and the latest screens will allow you to access it all from the one device that dominates your living room.
While added functionality and features have often in the past been something of an unwanted distraction, with Internet-enabled content it looks we finally have something genuinely worth making a song and dance about. And this week, Samsung has been doing just that. With its own Internet@TV service and Apps Store, Samsung has arguably the best developed service, and a one-to-one guided tour of the service showed that the company is convinced this is one of the key features on the latest generation of televisions.
So how does it work and what do you get? Getting up and running is easy enough provided you have a suitably equipped TV and an internet network at home. Simply connect your TV to your network using an Ethernet cable or wireless dongle, and you’re in business.
What you’ll get varies from manufacturer to manufacturer – Sony has Bravia Internet Video, LG has NetCast and Panasonic has Viera Cast, for example – but there’s plenty of crossover at the time of writing. Samsung’s service stands as the current benchmark, so let’s see what it has to offer.
You’re greeted by a slick, intuitive menu screen that guides you towards the ‘apps’ on offer. A live broadcast corner in the top of the screen keeps you on top of what you’re watching, while you’ll find Samsung’s recommended applications in a menu bar at the top of the screen. This will be refreshed on a regular basis and aims to help point you towards some of the best apps on offer. Below that you’ll find a mix of applications which you can search through and then position how you wish enabling fast access to your favourite apps.
We’ll jump to unarguably the most exciting app: BBC iPlayer. That’s right: connect your TV to the ‘net and you’ll have direct access to the iPlayer service in all its glory. And we mean in all its glory: it looks great, with even a 50in TV delivering perfectly watchable, clean, almost-Freeview-quality images. There’s a choice of stream quality, too: the standard stream now weighing in at 800kbps in the h.264 format, while the high quality setting delivers 1500kbps, while last but not least the Beeb’s HD channel offers better quality still.
The second ace in the internet-enabled pack looks set to be streaming on-demand film content. Both Samsung and Sony have deals in place with LoveFilm. Sign-up to the LoveFilm rental service to get free access to the online service, allowing you to scroll through movies on your TV and watch films at the push of a button. There’s surely no arguing with that sort of convenience, even if from what we’ve seen the quality isn’t quite as high as BBC’s iPlayer.
Elsewhere, and more ubiquitous across all the different manufacturers’ services, is access to video streaming services such as YouTube, picture sites such as Picasa and Flickr, and social media services including Facebook and Twitter – all without leaving your favourite chair.
Samsung currently has 35 apps on offer from its Internet@TV service, with a promise of having anywhere between 75 and 100 different applications online by the end of 2010 – though there’s likely to be a fair bit of filler as well as killer in there.
We know that for many people the quality of the picture is the be all and end all when it comes to buying a TV, but in the case of Internet TV content we really do think this is a feature that adds a whole new dimension to your TV – and you won’t need any glasses…
13
Aug
2010
Akihabaranews Denon in Japan introduced this morning 3 new headphones with the AH-D1100 and AH-D510 and AH-D310.
13
Aug
2010
The 19-speaker, 1400 watt Bang & Olufsen system in Audi’s flagship A8 sedan is already one of the best factory sound system available, rivaled only by the top Burmester system in the Porsche Panamera and a few others. (more…)
05
Aug
2010
Techwatch: The success story for Google continues to roll onwards when it comes to the company’s operating system Android.
Figures from research firm NPD have indicated that Android has overtaken BlackBerry in the US smartphone market in the second quarter, with a market share of 33% compared to Rim’s 28%.
And now according to a Reuters report, CEO of Google Eric Schmidt has stepped forward with a bold statement regarding just how many Android devices are being flogged.
Schmidt claims that some 200,000 smartphones and other devices which are powered by Android are sold every single day. Which is quite a staggering number when you think about it.
And one that led Schmidt to tell Reuters that mobile ad revenue would eventually outstrip the money Google makes from the PC advertising arena, although he wouldn’t be drawn on committing to any sort of a rough date when this might occur.
All this is certainly much better news for Google than the fate of its Wave project, which was officially canned this week.
05
Aug
2010
Newlaunches: Panasonic may be a formidable name in the AV biz but they’re deviating a tad bit in to the furniture market with their new Theatre Rack. The SC-HTF5 is a rack that comes with a built in bar type speaker system. The system total consists of 2 full range speakers (6.5cm diameter), with a 2.1ch constitution with 2 subwoofers of 8cm diameters. I have to admit the rack does looks neat enough to suit almost all households and would go with pretty much all kinds of furniture layouts and settings. The speaker is equipped with HDMI so you can hook it up to any TV placed on top. It’s designed to support up to a 46-inch Plasma. If used with a Viera the Dolby Professional logic system can be utilised via HDMI. It weighs in at about 35KGs and comes with a full function remote control. The SC-HTF5 Theatre rack will set you back $700 which is about 60,000 Yen which is not too bad.
05
Aug
2010
Newlaunches: For those who haven’t given in to the hype of a tablet/slate device or the iPad and who’s primary focus for owing a large screen anything is to comfortably watch videos while travelling then the iLuv i1166 portable media player is just what the vidiot ordered. It’s equipped with a 8.9 inch widescreen TFT LCD display that pops open to reveal both a DVD player as well as an iPod dock. If that’s not enough, and it’s not, an SD card slot as well as a USB port are also on hand. It even has two 3.5mm ports so two users can watch simultaneously. There’s even a remote if you want to get lazy or don’t want to smudge the screen with your fingerprints. It’s a really innovative idea but the price tag of $299.99 is a bit uncomfortable. I’d rather go in for a tablet.
05
Aug
2010
Dvice: A lot of the iPod docks on the market are pretty lame, failing to capture the elegance and style embodied in the actual player itself, and I’ve often wondered what an iPod dock would look like if Apple actually designed one themselves.
This concept from Bluelarix Designworks in Holland is probably pretty close, with a basic form that strongly resembles the current iMac design. More than just a simple iPod dock, the Wireless Music System streams files wirelessly from your computer, and includes a built in hard drive, CD/DVD player, and an Internet radio tuner. The entire system is controlled using an Apple-like remote control.
Right now it’s just a concept, but hopefully this one will make it into production.
05
Aug
2010
Pioneer.eu: Pioneer has teamed up with ViaMichelin, the digital travel assistance specialists, to provide you with the possibility to export all addresses, pre-selected on the ViaMichelin website, from the website to your Navgate device.
Ideal for planning the next vacation, the service allows you to make the most of your time on the road by adding ViaMichelin points of interest to your NavGate device. You will be able to find POIs such as restaurants, hotels, campings, charming bed and breakfasts and tourist sites throughout Europe from the ViaMichelin websites.
POIs can be selected, exported and saved on an SD card, which once inserted into the NavGate device gives access to the POIs through ‘NavGate FEEDS’ in the ‘Destination’ menu. The service is available for the whole of Europe.
Your NavGate Feeds software will check for this update automatically.
Watch a demo video:
05
Aug
2010
Techradar: 3D TVs and connected TV looks set to dominate IFA 2010 – the biggest consumer technology show in Europe.
Why does it matter? Because unlike Las Vegas’ CES, where the focus is on the US market, all the major launches at IFA 2010 are likely to make their UK release dates very soon.
Highlights will likely emanate from the showcase stands from the likes of Sony, Panasonic, LG, Toshiba, Philips and Samsung. Each typically has a whole hall to themselves.
The show takes place at the huge Messe Berlin complex. There are a staggering 26 halls, plus other facilities, and it’s all taken over by IFA for the first week of September.
While the show is traditionally AV-centric – there will be more new 3D TVs – recent years have seen more computing wares debut at the show. Last year Samsung took the opportunity to drop several new laptop ranges, while Toshiba showed off new laptops and its Journe Touch tablet.
We’d expect some tablets to make their debut at IFA 2010 – perhaps even running Google’s new Chrome OS.
This year we’re expecting plenty more 3D TVs and associated kit, including universal glasses you’ll be able to use with 3D TVs from various brands.
Content providers may well get in on the act, too. We might hear some more news about Google TV, perhaps a LoveFilm tie-up or maybe even Hulu for Europe. Whatever the partnerships announced, connected TV will be big news.
As usual, IFA 2010 will attempt to cover the whole gamut of consumer electronics across its 121,000 square metres of showspace – mobile, home entertainment, computing, videogames, digital imaging, car audio and sat nav – as well as domestic appliances like high-tech cookers and fridges.
Nestled among the 1,164 exhibitor stands at IFA 2010 will be a brand new iZone, which will focus on the growing popularity of the Mac, iPhone, iPod and iPad with apps showcases and the latest iPhone 4 accessories – including Cinemizer glasses that will enable you to watch 3D movies anywhere.
Also new to IFA 2010 is the eLibrary – an area of the show dedicated to eBooks and tablet PCs, with content providers displaying their wares.
Last year there were also some new phone handsets, such as the Samsung Galaxy running Android. It’s wholly possible we might see some Windows Phone 7 handsets at the show – perhaps even the Samsung Cetus running Microsoft’s new mobile OS.
Like Las Vegas’ CES, IFA has an enviable record when it comes to breaking new technologies with past highlights including colour television (1967), MP3 (1991) and 3D TV (1998). We expect this year – the exhibition’s 50th – to be no different.
To make sure you stay up to date with all the brand new products, technologies and innovations being shown off at IFA 2010, make sure you follow TechRadar’s in-depth coverage of events, both in the run-up to the show and on the show floor itself – we’ll be there in force to bring you the very latest updates.
IFA 2010 runs from Friday 3 to Wednesday 8 September, though most of the major press conferences happen on Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 September, so expect plenty of news right from the get-go.
You can find out more about the event and what’s being shown there by visiting the official IFA 2010 website.
05
Aug
2010
Techradar: Denon has a announced the arrival of its DHT-1311XP AV receiver system, offering 5-channel sound and has been optimised for 3D.
Packed to the rafters with audiovisual niceties, the 1311XP has four HDMI 1.4 inputs (the tech that gives the receiver a 3D slant) and one HDMI 1.4 output. (more…)