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Jual Rumah: Rumah terawat di Kuldesak

2017-08-04T09:28:00.001+07:00

Jual Rumah: Rumah terawat di Kuldesak: Luas Tanah 90m2 Luas Bangunan 80m2 2 kamar tidur 1 kamar mandi carport listrik 1300 Tidak banjir, Dilengkapi CCTV lingkun...

Samsung i9000 Galaxy S

2011-02-06T21:19:00.002+07:00

Samsung’s a very ambitious Korean chaebol that’s not afraid of taking on anyone, in just about any part of the electronics business. When it does something new, competitors pay close attention.

Its foray into the rapidly expanding smartphone market is underpinned by huge manufacturing expertise and a mix of open source and proprietary software from Google, Oracle and Microsoft to lure developers from all camps.

The target in Samsung’s sights is Apple, a fact apparent from the i9000 Galaxy S phone that’s powered by Google’s Android operating system.

This is a sleek and slim device with a design that bears more than a passing resemblance to the 3G/3GS series iPhones. The i9000 is light and feels good to hold but the quality of the design isn’t at Apple levels.

For example, to insert a SIM card into the iPhone, you pop out a neat cradle that holds the all-important module. On the i9000 you prise open and remove the entire back to slide in a SIM (and an optional microSD card to expand storage).

Android phone makers compete with Apple on features, and Samsung’s no exception. Starting with a fast 1GHz processor with 512MB RAM and a built-in 16GB of storage, there’s 3G, Wi-Fi, multimedia support, USB for charging/data transfer, Bluetooth and GPS as well.

You’re guaranteed to notice one feature straight away: the beautiful 4-inch Super AMOLED screen with 480 x 800 pixel resolution. It’s big and bold with amazing colours and brightness, with an accurate and responsive digitiser for your fingers, and it’s reason alone to consider the Galaxy S. The screen is a fingerprint magnet, though, and ends up looking mucky after a bit of use.

There’s a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera without flash, and a VGA-resolution front-facing one for video calls. Pictures from the former are okay for casual use, and you can shoot 720p HD video at 30 frames per second as well.

The phones I tried were built for Vodafone’s network, with 3G support in the 900 and 2100MHz bands. However, Samsung lists the phone as having 3G support in the 850MHz range, which is what Telecom’s XT network requires and rumour has it that it will be sold across networks.

Internet speeds over 3G are very good on the i9000 Galaxy S and you can turn the phone into a mobile access point over its Wi-Fi connection for up to three devices, obviating the need to carry a data stick.

Despite blasting away with 3G and Wi-Fi radios turned on, I found battery life acceptable, at well over a day. This drops if you start watching videos, however.

Samsung’s copped criticism for its TouchWiz interface that again is iPhone-esque, so much so that you’d expect Apple to raise some objections about the similarities. TouchWiz is a departure from the typical Android user interface but it’s one that most people will come to grips with pretty fast; plus, it looks better than bog-standard Android.

The phone is equally well stocked with applications and games, including social media integration, ThinkFree Office productivity suite, multimedia players and recorder, voice dialling, navigation and more.

Google integration is good and easy to set up, as you’d expect, and the Galaxy makes surfing most internet sites a pleasure with its fast web browser that renders most things correctly. This is a phone for Windows users only, and works well within a newish such environment where you can share content with other DLNA-enabled devices (and even use the phone as a remote control for your Samsung TV over Wi-Fi).

Swype Inc’s excellent text input system comes with the i9000 Galaxy S. This lets you ‘type’ by drawing your fingers across the onscreen keyboard and it’s brilliant, one of the best and fastest text input system for small devices I’ve tried.

However, compared to Apple, the Galaxy wheels start to wobble on the software side. I actually had two phones to try out; the first, supplied by Vodafone, was supposedly an early production sample running Android 2.1 that started off fine but became slow and unresponsive after a day or so of use.

A second phone, supplied by Samsung and with Android 2.1, behaved better, with only occasional hesitation and pausing. GPS didn’t work on either phone, however. Annoyingly, the phones exaggerated sibilants during calls and recording, making you sound like a cross between Hissing Sid and Sir Les Patterson.

I was keen to try out the Android ‘Froyo’ 2.2 update. It’s apparently reached some i9000 users overseas and reputedly sorts out the above issues, so I tried to obtain it via Samsung’s Kies client on Windows 7 as prescribed. Kies is also the, er, key to Samsung Apps, but there are none available for the i9000 currently through that route.

This failed abysmally over a period of many days, as Kies epitomises the term ‘crapware’. Slow to load, the first versions of Kies I tried would only recognise the i9000 after connecting and disconnecting the phone several times. This despite Windows 7 recognising the phone was connected each time.

Samsung is updating Kies regularly, which is good. Not so good is that the update servers are in Korea, a country that New Zealand clearly doesn’t have much bandwidth to. The Kies updates are 151MB or so in size, even though you’re told they’re only 42MB, and due to the slow pace of downloading them and constant manual reconnections required, they take up to a day to come through.
Forget about the automatic update then, unless you have the patience of a saint. Instead, click through to the Support and Downloads section on Samsung’s site and get it from there manually. You probably have to go through this pain if you want your phone to talk to your computer.

That, Samsung, isn’t good enough, if you want to take on Apple and charge a grand for the i9000. Fix the software issues and then we can talk about smartphone world domination, okay?

JUHA SAARINEN

Samsung i900 Galaxy S – Specifications

• Networks: Quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G
• Screen: 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 16.7 million colours, 480 x 800 pixel resolution
• Storage: 8/16GB internal, expandable via microSD
• Processor: 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird CPU; 512 MB RAM
• Camera: 5 megapixel autofocus camera with face, smile and blink detection; 720p HD video at 30fps
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• Other Features:
GPS with A-GPS connectivity
Digital compass
Accelerometer and proximity sensor
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
MicroUSB port
Stereo Bluetooth v3.0
FM radio with RDS
1500 mAh Li-Ion battery

Pros

• Nice design
• Wonderful 4-inch screen
• Fully featured
• Integrates well with Google and Windows

Cons

• Buggy software
• Voice quality

http://www.tone.co.nz/reviews/samsung-i9000-galaxy-s-review

SAMSUNG Galaxy S VIBRANT T959 (T-Mobile) Black Gel Soft Skin Case + Screen Protector + Car Charger

Samsung Galaxy S I9000 Premium Screen Protector Crystal Clear 2 Pack by REALOOK

Premium Black TPU Case for Samsung i9000 Galaxy S / Samsung Vibrant (T-Mobile)

Amzer Rubberized Snap On Crystal Hard Case For Samsung Galaxy S I9000 (Black)

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Samsung I9000 Galaxy S Unlocked GSM Smart Phone with 5 MP Camera, Android OS, Touchscreen, Wi-Fi, GPS and MicroSD Slot--International Version with No U.S. Warranty (Black)

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Skque 3.5mm Car Aux Audio Cable For Samsung I9000 Galaxy S

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Motorola Xoom hands-on

2011-01-11T21:39:00.000+07:00

It’s been rumoured for months, but we’ve finally had a chance to experience the Motorola Xoom; the first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet.
We’ve seen a lot of tablets since IFA, but most Android tablets have been, shall we say poor, lumbered with a slow OS and poor app choice. Even the best – the Samsung Galaxy Tab – seems like a phone trying to be a tablet. Because Honeycomb has been built from the ground up for tablets, we’re expecting a much more streamlined experience from the Xoom.

First impressions are impressive. Thanks to a magnesium chassis and aluminium casing, the Xoom feels really substantial. The front screen is composed of a single sheet of glass, but without the customary Android buttons, which gives it a far more streamlined and stylish look.
Mini HDMI and micro USB connections are along the bottom, while around the back are stereo speakers and a dual LED flash. Motorola’s included dedicated volume buttons on the side. Alongside 32Gb internal memory, there’s a dual MicroSD/Sim card slot on the top and although it’s launching on 3G, it will be upgradable to 4G (which isn’t currently much use to us in the UK).
The interface has been totally revamped, yes it’s still unmistakably Google, but the icons are much cleaner and more intuitive.
On the bottom left of the screen are Home, Menu and Multitasking icons: a tap of the latter bringing up thumbnails of open applications, which you can quickly swap between. The Google Search button is on the top left of the screen.
In the top right corner are App and customisation button icons. This last feature is particularly interesting. Currently on Android phones and tablets, if you want to add a feature to the homescreen you press down and select: Widget, App, Shortcut and Folder. Instead here, you’re presented with an overview of the five homescreens and you simply drag what you want where.

Motorola’s equipped the Xoom with a dual core Tegra processor comprising of two 1Ghz processors, along with 1GB DDR2 RAM. Certainly from the demo videos running on it that we saw, it appears to be very quick, smoothly moving between applications. It should also mean better gaming performance and a gyro sensor is built in.
The 10.1-inch 16:10 screen has a resolution of 1280×800, providing a 16:10 aspect ratio. Video playback looks crisp and clear, with punchy colours.
Other than the primary 5-megapixel camera, there’s a 2-megapixel camera for video calls via Google Talk over N WiFi, you get support for Exchange email and the mobile hotspot lets you connect five devices
So far the Xoom is one of the most impressive tablets we’ve seen at CES The hardware is top-notch – and certainly the closest thing to the iPad yet, and from what we’ve seen of Honeycomb, the OS is more intuitive and looks slicker.
Launching in Q1, Motorola has yet to confirm a UK operator. We’ll bring you a full review as soon as possible.

Posted by Hannah Bouckley

http://ces2011.t3.com/2011/01/07/motorola-xoom-hands-on/

Google Nexus One Smartphone

2010-12-09T11:27:00.000+07:00

You would think that a smartphone with a gorgeous 800 x 400-pixel AMOLED touchscreen measuring 2.2 x 3.7 inches, and a fast, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor would fly out of the door, but Google’s Nexus One didn’t.
Unlike the iPhone and some other products with Google’s Android operating system like Droid that sold millions, the Nexus One’s sales didn’t take off after it was launched in January this year.
Google just doesn’t know how to sell phones over the web, unlike the telcos with their retail stores. Did you see a promotion for the Nexus One? Did you even know it was available for sale? No? Nor did we.
So Google closed its online Nexus One store and handed the device to the telcos to sell directly. In New Zealand, Vodafone snapped up the Nexus One and it’ll be interesting to see if the device, by now six months old, can hack it against withering competition from the new iPhone.
Technically, the Nexus One model here is best suited to Vodafone’s network, as it supports 3G UMTS in the 2.1GHz band, which is found in towns, and 900MHz elsewhere around the country. For data you get HSDPA at 7.2Mbit/s for downloads and HSUPA at 2Mbit/s for uploads. And yes, the phone can be used to connect to the internet (Americans call this “tethering”) and also as a Wi-Fi router (802.11b/g), but the former feature is limited to Windows and Linux users only. Apple users will, of course, employ their iPhones for the above purpose.
In testing, the Nexus One hit 2.5Mbit/s down and just over 1Mbit/s up on Auckland’s North Shore, which is par for the course.
The solid-feeling and nicely built phone should also work fully with 2degrees’ network but it isn’t ideal for Telecom XT customers, since there’s no 850MHz 3G support in the Nexus One version from Vodafone. For GSM or 2G communications, the phone supports 850, 900, 1800 and 1900MHz, so it should roam overseas quite well, for wealthy people at least.
Bluetooth 2.1 and EDR with A2DP stereo are supported and, speaking of sound, the Nexus One supports a good range of audio decoders, with MP3 up to 320kbit/s CBR or VBR. The review phone didn’t come with earphones, but sound quality through a pair of Shure SE115m buds was acceptable
Call quality, too, was good, arguably better than on the iPhone 3GS.
A 5 megapixel camera with a 2x digital zoom at the rear with an LED flash is included. It takes decent pictures and 720 x 480 pixel video, at 20fps or faster. It’s no replacement for even a cheap compact digital camera, thanks to the plastic optics, but handy enough at times and it works after dark as well.
The feature list goes on and includes assisted GPS for location sensing, a digital compass and an accelerometer to detect movement, plus much more.
Plugging the Nexus One into a computer to charge over the supplied mini USB cable triggered an over-the-air upgrade of the operating system to Android 2.2, alias ‘Froyo’. This is the latest version of Android, and it looks and works great, especially if you take advantage of Google applications such as Gmail.

Unfortunately, not everything is brilliant on the Nexus One. Glorious as the AMOLED multi-touchscreen is, its digitiser is inaccurate. The phone misinterprets or ignores finger presses, a problem that’s exacerbated by the four navigation and menu touch buttons at the bottom of the screen. Being bumped out of the email or SMS client as you compose a message was a common and irritating occurrence.
More disturbingly, the phone would cease to communicate with the Vodafone network on a regular basis, requiring a reboot to bring it back online. For a $979 phone, such faults are disappointing.
Battery life can be limited as well, if you use 3G, the built-in GPS and leave applications running — Android multitasks smoothly, unlike iPhone OS. If for some reason you need to run Adobe’s Flash player, rest assured Nexus One and Froyo have the oomph to do it. It’ll kill the battery in just few hours though, and make the phone run really hot.
Who would buy a Nexus One? As it is, it’s more of a hacker phone than one suited for general or business usage. If you like tweaking stuff, installing new firm- and software, or developing programs for the Android Market, you’ll like the Nexus One. However, you’d probably like a newer Android phone with a better digitizer even more, and there’s a Nexus Two coming out around Christmas as well.
Furthermore, the iPhone 4 is likely to be a formidable competitor for the Nexus One.

JUHA SAARINEN

Google Nexus One Smartphone – Specs

PROCESSOR: Qualcomm QSD 8250, 1GHz
STORAGE: 512MB Flash memory; 512MB RAM; microSD (4GB card included, expandable to 32GB)
DISPLAY: 3.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen WVGA AMOLED touchscreen, 800 x 480 pixels
BATTERY: Removable 1400mAH; talk time up to 10 hours (2G), 7 hours (3G), standby up to 290 hours (2G), 250 hours (3G)
CELLULAR AND WIRELESS: 3G UMTS bands I/IV/VIII: 2100, 1700(AWS), 900 MHz
CONNECTIVITY: HSDPA 7.2Mbit/s; HSUPA 2Mbit/s; GSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g; Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR; A2DP stereo Bluetooth
CAMERA: 5 megapixels, 2x digital zoom, LED flash, video 720 x 480 at 20fps or higher
DIMENSIONS: 119 x 59.8 x 11.5mm (H/W/D)
WEIGHT: 130g with battery
http://www.tone.co.nz/reviews/google-nexus-one-smartphone-review/attachment/google-nexus-one-main

Pioneer CDJ-2000 Digital Turntable

2010-12-02T15:49:00.003+07:00

Pioneer CDJ-2000 Professional Multi Player

Ever since Grandmaster Flash laid his hands on the Wheels of Steel, the Technics 1200 has been the only way to manhandle your wax. Despite vinyl's near-death experience in the 1990s, turntables were still industry standard for DJs. The fact that punters preferred the warmth and depth of vinyl may have been one factor, but it's more likely nobody used CD decks because they were mostly terrible.

Pioneer's release of the CDJ-1000 in 2001 changed all that. An effective platter and jogging mechanism let DJs cue with the same sort of sensitivity they'd become accustomed to on a turntable, while a waveform display gave them a spatial representation of music similar to the grooves on a record. Combined with one of Pioneer's exceptionally useful DJM series mixers, the brand became the gold standard for DJs.

Über-clubs and dingy bars everywhere installed them, and a pair was within reach of spotty bedroom bangers looking to keep their neighbours fluorescent with rage.

In 2010, however, it's the CD that's drawing its last gasp. Digital audio files are a compelling alternative: crate diggers have easy access to obscure tracks; files are easy to catalogue, organise, search and manipulate; they don't weigh anything; you can't scratch them; and you're free to include music or mixes you've made yourself.

Mixing software combined with a MIDI controller certainly became on option for DJs attached to their laptops, but there were still serious limitations. Pioneer's CDJ-2000 has few.

Released earlier this year the CDJ-2000 is the rightful heir to the CDJ-1000. It's unashamedly top-of-the-range at the wincingly steep price of $3999.95 (and remember, you'll need two). It's hard to believe anything's worth that much money, but the CDJ-2000 makes a good argument to relinquish a kidney.

It's compatible with all the variants of CD and DVD via the disk drive, and has two USB ports and an SD card slot. Along with your standard MP3 files, the AAC, WAV and AIFF codecs are all recognised by the CDJ.

Files can be navigated via a simple branched folder system on a full-colour 6.1-inch screen that displays wave data, song information, cover art and so on. Flicking back and forth between albums or playlists is performed with one incredibly streamlined dial that even something as unevolved as myself could comprehend.

In practice, this means DJs can simply plug a portable drive, USB stick or (most impressively) their damn iPod into the device and simply have at it. What's even better is its ability to chain a second, third and fourth CDJ for access to the same drive.

In the past, turntables always trumped CD decks because of the ability to simply pick up the needle and drop it at a specific point in the track. The CDJ has come up with a solution in the 'Needle Search/Needle Drop' system, a metallic band that runs along the top of the deck. Running a finger along the ribbon scans through the selected track and begins play at the point where your finger is lifted, mirroring the kind of physicality that just works on vinyl.

Easily operable looping capabilities are available on the deck itself, which frankly is surprising given that Pioneer manufactures a mixer that does that very thing.

For more advanced musicians, the device is also a capable MIDI controller, which is plug-and-play compatible with programs like Serato, Final Scratch, Ableton, Mixvibes Cross and Pioneer's own rekordbox software.

The platter, however, is still the weakest link, particularly for those who've grown up with vinyl. It's just not as tactile or intuitive as using a 1200, which perhaps has something to do with its weight.
All the bells and whistles in the world would be useless if the thing sounded terrible, but a Wolfson DAC processor and an inbuilt 24-bit/48kHz soundcard ensure that's not the case. The improved DAC and new hybrid operation circuitry make the signal-to-noise ratio in the CDJ-2000 far better than that of the CDJ-1000MK3.

The skinny is that these decks are wonderful and will do pretty much anything you want them to do if you've got the coin – so take care of that kidney.

TIM GREY

Pioneer CDJ-2000 – Specifications

Compatible Media: CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-R-DL, USB memory devices, SD card
Compatible Files: MP3, AAC, WAV (16/24-bit), AIFF (16/24-bit)
Frequency Range: 4Hz-20kHz
Signal-to-noise Ratio: 115dB or higher
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.0018%
Audio Output terminals: 1 RCA, 1 coaxial
Audio Output Voltage: 2.0 Vrms
Power Supply: 220-240V (50Hz/60Hz)
Power Consumption: 28W
Dimensions: 320 x 405.7 x 106.4mm (W/H/D)
Weight: 4.6kg

http://www.tone.co.nz/reviews/pioneer-cdj-2000-digital-turntable-review

LG 50PX950 3D plasma TV

2010-12-02T09:41:00.002+07:00

Plasma still offers some compelling advantages over rival TV technologies, especially for those fancy large-size screens that require a second mortgage, which is why even LCD specialist LG persists with them. For starters, it's much harder for backlit LCDs to match the image quality of plasmas without resorting to small LED lights that can be turned off in individual groups. These are used boost contrast and provide those solid blacks that make all the difference when watching quality high-definition films.

We were sent a new model, which we believe is the 50-inch 50PX950 plasma, for a squiz by LG. There's also a 60-inch version coming up, at least overseas, and if we understand it right, the 50PX950 should be available from September onwards.

This is a new device, so new, in fact, that LG sent a pre-production model straight to Tone without looking at it as it arrived from the factory.

Initial impressions of the 50PX950 are that it's a beautiful design that follows LG's bezel-less trend, with a large sheet of non-reflective glass covering the front. The stunning look has one disadvantage, though: the 50PX950 is heavy and awkward to handle thanks to the glass, so budget for two strong people when setting up.

Overseas the 50PX950 carries an RRP in the US$2500 range. What this will translate into in New Zealand is hard to guess, but it's fair to assume the 50PX950 isn't a bargain-basement plasma.

As you'd expect, this high-end set is fully featured, with four HDMI 1.4 connectors, composite and component video inputs, USB 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, DivX HD support and limited internet connectivity via Ethernet wired networking, and possibly through wireless as well. DLNA for accessing Windows Media Servers is also supplied and a Freeview tuner for digital TV.

What specs we could find for the 50PX950 say the display is full HD plasma, with 1920 x 1080p resolution and the improved 600Hz sub-field drive that plasmas use to reduce phosphor lag by sending 12 images per frame instead of the eight you get with 400Hz technology. Native contrast ratio isn't given, but the dynamic one is a staggering 5,000,000:1 and there's 24p 3:3 pull-down mode for that cinema experience, enhanced by a certified THX display setting, too.

Based on the above, I expected to be in for a treat while watching HD content and Blu-ray films but came away disappointed in the 50PX950. While the screen is sharp and bright, no amount of settings tweaking or calibration — the 50PX950 comes with a useful picture wizard — could make what looked like colour dithering of lighter areas go away.

Skin tones never looked good, ditto grey areas. Freeview 720p and 1080i programming showed up the same problems.

Motion blur was also pronounced during fast action scenes.

LG's active liquid crystal shutter glasses recharge via a mini-USB cable and look less geeky than those from other makers, but the 3D experience they provide with the 50PX950 is poor.

Not only is the 3D effect limited, the glasses themselves dim the image considerably. Worse, they introduce random flickering even in a darkened room without artificial or daylight. For completeness, I subjected a pair of friends to the 3D experience from the 50PX950, and both confirmed the flickering and dim image that again no amount of adjustment could cure.

The rather average image quality and 3D performance of the 50PX950 is in stark contrast to LG's top-of-the range LED backlit LCD model, the 50LX9500. I had a brief preview of the latter device but saw enough to rate it a 'wow' in terms of picture quality and 3D prowess.

Perhaps there was something amiss with the review set we had, but as it is, it's hard to recommend the 50PX950. Our advice is to look at LG's LED LCD range instead, even if it's costlier, or check out the competition for better image quality — because why else would you splurge on a 50-inch screen?

JUHA SAARINEN
http://www.tone.co.nz/reviews/lg-50px950-3d-plasma-tv-review

New iPod Nano review

2010-11-29T08:39:00.001+07:00

Interesting design but who exactly is it aimed at?

At about 40mm across and weighing 21g, this is the smallest and squarest touchscreen iPod Apple has ever made. The video camera from the iPod Nano fifth generation is gone, presumably as everyone over the age of 12 now has a much better video camera on their phones.

As a piece of engineering, the new iPod Nano is impressive. Employing the now-familiar ‘app’ menu system, everything is selected via swipes and stabs, with the familiar array of playback buttons supplemented with icons for playlists, Genius mixes, podcasts, FM radio, somewhat undersized photo viewer, Nike+ and a clock.

As with the Touch and iPhone, icons can be placed wherever you like on the screen but you can’t add any from the app store. There’s no Cover Flow and finding your way back to the home screen isn’t as easy as usual, due to the absence of a big home button, but you’ll get over both those “problems”.

New iPod Nano sixth generation: Sound

Audio quality is superior to the Shuffle but nowhere near the calibre of the Touch with some high-quality tracks sounding flat at times even with half-decent headphones. That is presumably because the smaller design means less powerful audio components. Shaking the Nano to shuffle tracks is a nice touch, although you’d be well advised to turn it off if you’re jogging with it in your pocket.

Battery life ran to around 20 hours for continuous audio playback in our tests.

While the Nike+ adapter is almost as big as the Nano itself, the size is still an improvement for runners, especially with the Shuffle-like clip attached to the rear of the casing. However you decide to clip it onto your person, you can adjust the screen at 90-degree increments using a two finger gesture. We’d hoped an accelerometer would be used to make it start automatically as you went into action, but no. Maybe next time.

You attach a pair of headphones to the Nano to tune into FM radio. You can live pause shows and, if broadcast, song information can be saved to purchase via iTunes at a later date. Photos can also be synced but with just a1.54-inch, 240 x 240 screen it’s more gimmicky than useful – like a cheap key-ring photo frame.

New iPod Nano: Verdict

Coming in 8GB and 16GB flavours and in six colours, this new iPod Nano is more of a Marmite product than its predecessors. We welcome the innovation, but we’re not sure who’s going to want it. It’s a similar, gym-friendly size to a Shuffle but almost £100 more expensive; nowhere near the feature-set of an iPod touch but just £50 cheaper for the 8GB model. It’s perhaps an example of cramming a touchscreen into a product size that doesn’t really suit it. Consumers are fickle beasts and it’s hard to say if this will prove to be the Holy Grail or an epic fail. However what we will confidently predict is that any accessory maker who launches a Nano watch strap to show off the retro analogue clock app better will make a fortune.

Posted by Luke Peters on Wed 8 Sep 2010

http://www.t3.com/reviews/ipod-and-mp3-players/all-mp3-players/new-ipod-nano-review

Apple iPad review: iOS 4.2 update

2010-11-26T11:11:00.000+07:00

You can’t have escaped the news that Apple finally released it’s latest software update this week. For the first time iOS 4.2 is a universal binary, this means that iPad, iPhone 4 and iPod Touch users can run the same version of the operating system. Although lets be clear each is optimised slightly to suit the hardware it’s running on.

iPhone 4 users have already been running iOS 4.1, so the update adds a couple of new features, but for iPad users who have been using 3.2 (and getting a bit green-eyed towards iPhone 4 users), it’s a major step up. Adding features that users and critics have been screaming out for since the iPad’s launch.

Lets start with the most obvious addition: Multitasking. It’s activated in the same way as it was on the iPhone 4, by double tapping the Home button. Because the screen is larger, up to six apps are displayed along the bottom in portrait orientation and seven in landscape.

A swipe to the right brings up the playback controls for your music and a new screen brightness slider, which isn’t present on iPhone and iPod Touch models. Another notable addition is a new software button for locking the screen orientation, This replaces the use of the physical switch on the side. This switch now mutes the iPad - just like Apple’s iPhone 4.

For multitasking to work, as with previous version of iOS the apps have to be updated to support the function, but when they do, the result is fluid, fast switching between applications.

We should point out that this is not full multitasking - where full apps are running all of the time - but Apple’s version of multitasking, which relies on a few command codes. For example: fast app switching, saved state, background audio and background GPS. Used effectively, access to these commands emulates all the key features of the multitasking experience, but without the drain on the battery that true multitasking falls foul of.

Apple iPad iOS 4.2: Folders

Operating in the same way as iOS 4.1 for the iPhone 4, to create a folder you need a minimum of two apps, hold one down and drag it over another app and it automatically creates a folder, which you can rename, for example: Utiliites, Photography, TV&Video and Shopping.

The iPad’s increased screen real estate the 12-app per folder limit has gone up to 20 apps per folder. If you want, you can have all your folders on the front screen, so there’s no need to go beyond the initial homescreen.

Apple iPad iOS 4.2: AirPlay and AirPrint

AirPlay lets you stream photos, music and videos to an Apple TV (which has had it’s own software upgrade) for playback on a connected TV and/or home cinema setup. It also enables playback on dedicated AirPlay-certified stand alone music systems, such as the Denon Ceol and Marantz Melody Maker.

If you tend to use your iPad for downloading and storing video, you might be watching a movie or TV show on the iPad on the train and then continue to watch it on a big screen when you get home, right from where you left off.

Enable AirPlay in the Apple TV’s menu and the moment you start playing a video or look at a photo or play music on the iPad, an icon appears in the iPad’s playback bar. Press this to bring up a pop-up menu listing all of your airplay certified devices. Select the one you want to pass the video or audio to (in this case Apple TV) and within a couple of seconds the picture or music transfers to the TV/speakers, leaving you with a black AirPlay screen on the iPad

We tried streaming a selection of You Tube clips, both standard and high definition all of which played back smoothly, although for longer clips we had to wait for the video to buffer.

Because of its compact size and limited processing power we were dubious of whether the iPad would be able to handle HD streaming to Apple TV over Airplay, but when we downloaded a HD episode of South Park from iTunes, we were pleasantly surprised. High definition picture quality is excellent, exceptionally sharp and bright, with bold colours, smooth motion and - crucially - it plays back seamlessly.

Even better, was Iron Man 2, which we rented in HD from iTunes. Picture quality was excellent and motion was smooth, and by connecting Apple TV to our Amp we could listen in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

AirPlay streaming doesn’t work for BBC iPlayer’s web app, while live TV streaming using TV Catchup via the Safari web browser only works for audio.

Music playback is pretty good, although (as with movies) to make the best of your tunes you need to connect Apple TV to an amp and use speakers; our TV speakers alone didn’t quite have enough power to do justice to tracks with heavy bass. The iPad basically functions as a big remote control, which you use to swap between tracks. Although it is a bit on the large side for parties, where an iPod Touch or iPhone 4 are perhaps more suitable, and probably contain more music.

Streaming photos from your iPad to Apple TV is probably the most enjoyable element of AirPlay. Flick through them on the iPad and watch as it flicks through them on screen. Sit back and watch a slideshow including music, although you can only use the dissolve transition, album artwork and track details appear as the show starts then fade as it continues. The whole experience is very polished and fluid, If anything it highlights how much of a shame it is that the iPad doesn’t have a card slot, however the optional Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit (£25) is a valid if cumbersome workaround.

While we welcome the addition of airplay wireless media streaming, it’s a shame that it is incompatible with existing open streaming standards and instead forces investment in airplay certified products.

The other Airplay related addition to iOS4.2 is AirPrint, which lets you print photos, documents and web pages, basically anywhere you see the square icon with a right arrow in the toolbar. Touch this and you’ll see a ‘Print’ option, click this then select a printer and the number of prints. Again, it’s a nice feature, but far from revolutionary and you’ll need to check your printer is compatible, at the moment the list of compatible printers isn't very big.

Apple iPad iOS 4.2: Game Center

Apples recently launched social gaming service “Game Center” also makes the transition to iPad in iOS 4.2. It gives game developers tools to easily add leader boards, achievements and online matchmaking to their gaming titles.

It works and looks just like it’s iPhone 4 counterpart, but as with folders, makes better use of the iPads larger screen area. Icons and lists are now separated and browsing your achievements, leader boards and friend lists is a lot easier. The same carnival theme is maintained throughout and is very much a love it or hate it thing (but we think it adds some fun to proceedings).

As mentioned above developers have to issue updates to their games to enable Game Center but if the iPhone 4 is anything to go by, most development houses are already on the case and most big titles already include this, or certainly will do shortly (cough, Flight Control & Angry Birds).

Game Center is clearly a social gaming network that is in its infancy. It’s certainly no Xbox Live, but it’s great to see Apple showing some initiative in this area and certainly has a lot of promise for the future.

Apple iPad iOS 4.2: Other features

With its excellent multitouch and a bright screen, with class-leading contrast, the iPad has always had an excellent browsing experience, but now you can see how many tabs are open in Safari at a glance via a handy numbered tab icon in the toolbar.

You can now search for a particular term on a browser window, simply type the term in the Google Bar and it appears at the bottom of the search list as ‘On this Page’ showing the number of matches, you can then click through them all using a pop-up ‘Next’ button.

The iPad’s native note taking interface now has two extra fonts, with Chalkboard and Helvetica joining Marker Felt.

Apple iPad iOS 4.2: Conclusion

When we first reviewed the iPad, one of the reasons we awarded it 4 stars was because of the lack of multitasking. iOS 4.2 rectifies many of these issues. OK we accept that some of the updates should probably have been there from day one and these updates aren’t revolutionary, AirPlay in particular.

But as many company’s are finding, getting the combination of apps, intuitive interface and responsive touchscreen right is tricky. In fact, the only tablet we've seen that comes close to the iPad, is the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which adds dual cameras and a phone, but lacks the iPads build and app choice.

The iPad isn't perfect, the screen is hard to see in bright sunlight and there's no camera, but as this update shows, it's still the tablet to beat.

Posted by Hannah Bouckley on Wed 24 Nov 2010

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Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 review

2010-11-25T10:25:00.000+07:00

Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 review

Posted by Joe Minihane on Fri 19 Nov 2010

A mid-range Android effort, that doesn't quite catch rivals
The Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 is essentially a compromise between the capacious Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and the pared down Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini. Essentially, it’s a phone for those who prefer their touchscreens somewhere between pocket-bulgingly big and impossibly tiny to handle. It crams in many of the same features as its Xperia stablemates, with the Timescape custom UI taking centre stage.

The Xperia X8’s main selling point is undoubtedly its cost. This is not a top end Android phone, rather it’s a mobile that aims to tout the best Android has to offer, all while cutting corners in order to drive it into the budget arena. To that end, it’s got the HTC Wildfire and the million selling LG Optimus One in its sights.

Sadly though, initial explorations are not good. The Xperia X8 we tested was stranded on the ancient Android 1.6 platform, first released in the summer of 2009 and since outdated four times over by ever more intuitive upgrades. This isn’t down to it being a budget blower.

The flagship X10 suffered from the same fate until recently and LG’s Optimus One has been shipping with Android 2.2 FroYo since September. Sony Ericsson has said an upgrade is coming this year, but frankly it’s not good enough when key rivals already offer better software as standard.

It all means things feel a tad sluggish and outdated. There’s no unified mailbox, Google Goggles is missing and the keyboard, while assured, is not a patch on Android 2.x’s iPhone-bashing effort. Things are not helped by Timescape, which clouds the Android experience. The four corner UI on the homescreen is handy though, letting you easily dive into music, contacts, messages and the keypad without fiddling with menu systems.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X8: Screen

The screen itself is pretty sharp, albeit the resolution is a tad on the low side. It’s remarkably responsive for such a budget phone, although tapping out text requires plenty of care and attention, with spelling mistakes and errant punctuation a key issue. This can be ironed out by a simple Android update, however.

The Timescape function is great for aggregating your social networking contacts, bringing together complete info on what your pals are up to in one place. It all works seamlessly, if a little slowly, and does mean you don’t have to handle separate Facebook and Twitter accounts if you don’t want. However, you can’t help but feel this feature really holds the phone back when it comes to speed.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X8: Browser and battery

The browser is workable and renders pages well, but with no pinch-to-zoom, delving into web pages is not ideal. This is something that other cheap Android phones manage and its MIA status is again down to Sony Ericsson’s failure to use a more up-to-date version of Android. We also found the Wi-Fi a bit wobbly, the X8 failing to pick up our broadband connection despite being next to the router and our PC working dandy on the network.

Battery is pretty neat though. We squeezed two full days of browsing, calling, app buying and snapping in before we had to head off and find some juice. That’s not bad in these days of resource depleting smartphones.

The camera is none too bad either, even if it’s stripped right back to 3.15 megapixels and lacks a flash. There are easy to tap into shooting modes and shots appear colourful, if a little noisy, in good light. However, if you want take pics of your pals at night, we suggest taking out a compact or getting a different phone altogether. Uploading to Facebook and Picasa is a breeze and can be done with just one touch, clearly showing Sony Ericsson knows how to get some things right with its Google phones.

It’s hard to recommend the Xperia X8, however. The LG Optimus One offers more for less, as does the excellent, if slightly ageing HTC Wildfire. If you want Android on a budget, we suggest you look elsewhere.
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An extract remarks a north.

2010-11-24T22:26:00.000+07:00

An extract remarks a north.