There’s no doubt that Google is very brave to take on Microsoft and Apple with their Chrome operating system. Originallly launched last year the cloud-based OS didn’t really make the impact Google had hoped for.

Well, they’re back with version 2.0 and two new Chromebooks to see if they can change the landscape of personal computers again. At the centre of the revamp is the Chromebox desktop solution, which looks to give users a bit of the familiar when it comes to a completely new operating system.

The concept

The concept of Cloud computing is that all files and applications are in the cloud – so when ever you need to do some work you go online and use a wealth of HTML apps, cloud storage and online docs. The benefits of Chrome books are that they’re cheep, very fast and a safer way to work.

First of all, Chrome OS is not for hardcore PC and Mac users – you’re not going to be able to do high-end, processor intensive functions like Photo editing, music production or play triple A games.

It’s squarely aimed at users who use the internet as the main resource for their computer, there are still a range of issues with Chrome OS; the selection of apps, the lack of offline support and a lack of core alternative apps.

As we mentioned earlier power users aren’t going to be able to dump their Macs and PC’s in favour of a Chrome book. One day this might happen, but it won’t happen until software makers make their most popular apps available to work within a browser – small steps are being taken to acievie this, but we’re not quite there just yet.

The Chrome Web Store isn’t going to compete with the variety of iOS or the openness of Google Android – but times are changing and over the next few years it could become a viable alternative to buying/downloading software.

Although it’s certainly not got everything you might want (no official Spotify app, no Photoshop, no Microsoft products like Live) its certainly got plenty to keep you occupied.

What’s new

The major drawback of a cloud-based OS is, of course, when you have no Internet connection. The current computer world has been anchored in the world of offline for a very long time; are we ready to move into the cloud? Well, not just yet.

Google has tried to address this downside by allowing an offline mode for Gmail. But, there is still no Google docs offline – which they’re promising in the next couple of weeks, but any significant delay on this could prove to be a nail in the coffin of this OS.

Google has tried to address the offline conundrum by allowing users to copy apps to flash drives so you can still open files when you’re not online.  The files accessible include Office docs, PDF, ZIPs, RARs and movie and sound files.

When you go back online the system will synch with the cloud and Google is promising support for their other Cloud service Google Drive.

The desktop is back

When Google announced the last version of Chrome OS the system didn’t have a desktop, there was no multitasking and there was no task bar. Unfortunately this streamlined vision of the future didn’t really make sense – this time around Google has added all three and they’re the most significant changes.

While these changes are most welcome, but you can’t help but think Google hasn’t really got a grasp on the ultimate direction of Chrome OS. Obviously these changes make the UI much closer to Mac OS and Windows – which for many is a good thing.

The new desktop allows you to host pictures, apps and shortcuts on it. You can also move and resize your various tabs and tasks, and display things like Hangouts on the desktop. Along the bottom of the screen in the new Chrome OS  taskbar where you can you pin your most used apps to it. It’s certainly a welcome change, but you can’t help but think it’s a step backwards.

The benefits of the Cloud

It’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to cloud computing as there are some huge advantages. Google reckons you’ll never have to worry about malware or viruses as updates are managed server side and storage is handled by Google themselves.

One of the best things about Chrome OS is the speed of it; you can boot it in a flash, much like a tablet – it might not sound like much, but for a laptop it’s a welcome addition and is something PC’s and Mac’s can only dream of.

It’s obvious that Google Chrome OS is major step in the right direction, and the major downsides (poor 3G coverage and apps) aren’t really anything Google can fix themselves – when 4G is prevalent in the UK and more apps are made available it’s going to be hard not to be seduced by the advantages of cloud computing.

Conclusion

You can’t help but think we’re looking at the future a personal computing, it’s still got some major obstacles to overcome, but the foundation has been laid in this update to make Chrome OS a viable, cheap, alternative to Mac OS and Windows. Chrome OS has become a good deal more acceptable to the mass market and a giant leap towards becoming an acceptable second machine.

The offline Google Docs access and the Google Drive integration are critical updates for Chrome OS, but if we take Google at its word then it is a matter of weeks before this is rolled out. If it improves as much in the next 12 months we may well have a viable new computing system coming to our lives.

Google Chrome OS: Is It The Future of Personal Computing? is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

With Facebook’s controversial IPO now finished the social networking company is thought to be considering a Facebook mobile phone, and is already recruiting engineers who have experience with mobile devices, according to a story published in the New York Times on Sunday.

Facebook has tried to keep its mobile plans under-wraps for a while now, with the social network apparently going to great lengths to avoid putting public job adverts online according to the article.

It’s thought that Facebook wants to corner the handset to market next year and monetize its 900 million users – apparently they have already poached top talent from Apple to work on the new handset.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Facebook wants to compete in the mobile hardware space. It was reported a couple of years ago, but that project fell apart after Facebook realised it didn’t have the expertise necessary to come up with a smartphone on its own, according to the Times story. Facebook had teamed up with HTC in a project dubbed ‘Buffy’, which is a still ongoing according to the latest reports.

With Facebook now a public company there are now trying to bolster their financial results and hopefully see their stock price go up. The IPO was marred with technical glitches at the Nasdaq and accusations that the underwriter might have broken IPO rules, which has since put the spotlight on the company’s earnings and the uphill battle it may have to monetise its huge user base.

The latest reports about Facebook’s smartphone efforts also come within a week after Google closed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility. The close of the deal means that Google has a hardware manufacturing arm with which it can closely work to develop Android. Google will also have control of Motorola’s massive patent portfolio. Motorola Mobility has said that it owns or has applied for more than 24,000 patents.

After raising $16 billion from its IPO, Facebook seems to be looking for ways to spend it as various acquisition rumours are doing the rounds – including the potential buyouts of Opera Software and facial recognition technology start-up, Face.com.

Reported by Pocket-lint, Facebook is weighing up an offer for browser company Opera, apparently the Norwegian company is said to have put a freeze on all hiring, and is thought to be in talks with social network over a buyout. Opera software has three browsers for desktops, tablets and phones. Although their desktop variant only commands 2% of the market their mobile browser, Opera Mini, has a much great share of the market, accounting for 12% of the market.

Facebook recently bought a slew of AOL patents from Microsoft and it is thought that these patents will be used when Facebook tries to come up with a its own operating system to power the smartphone.

“They are not doing a phone to enter the devices market,” said Carolina Milanesi at research firm Gartner. “If they do a phone they will have to embed Facebook and Instagram at the core of the device, learning & profiting from every click the users does.”

Motorola and HTC have already made phones with a Facebook button. The HTC ChaCha, a BlackBerry style handset, lets users share music, photos and updates by pressing the keyboard’s F button.

A phone would allow Zuckerberg more control over customers and make for less dependence on Google and Apple.

While Microsoft has integrated Facebook features, Apple has been less welcoming. A Facebook spokeswoman referred to a statement on the company’s mobile strategy: “We’re working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers.”

In other Facebook acquisition news, they are reportedly looking into purchasing facial recognition company Face.com. The news comes from Israeli publication Calcalist. The very same publication has accurately broken news of acquisitions of many other Israeli companies – including Apple’s acquisition of Anobit.

Face.com technology is already used in the Photo Finder and Photo Tagger apps on Facebook. The social network is said to have looked into buying the start-up before, but an agreement could not be reached between the two parties.

Improved facial recognition technology would make sense for Facebook, as a cornerstone of the social network is photo-sharing. Facebook’s recent acquisition of Instagram for $1 billion and its release of its own photo-sharing mobile app, also indicate the company is making a concerted effort to cement its position in the space.

Facebook Phone: Facebook Considering Making A Smartphone As It Considers Buying Opera is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Google is now the proud owner of the one of the world’s most recognisable mobile brands: Motorola. Well that statement might have true 5 years ago: Is this purchase a bold new direction for the search engine giant or a marriage of convenience? We look into our crystal ball to see what the future holds Google-rola.

When Google announced it was intending to spend an eye-watering 12 billion dollars on Motorola – the tech world raised more than eyebrow – it left many to thinking that Google might be planning a massive shakeup of Android and would lead the charge with its own Google-made phones and tablets.

The purchase of Motorola might also be linked to Google’s ongoing patent troubles and could be interpreted as a straight-up acquisition of a company that owns a war-chest of patents, which they know will come handy when fending off other competitors law suits.

But whether Google bought the company for its knowledge, IP’s, or was just a bit bored – they’ve bought themselves a company that knows how to make hardware – so what will Google do with its new bedmate?

The official party line

In an announcement on Tuesday, Google CEO Larry Page said the Motorola would be run at arms length from Google and most importantly Android – music to the ears of other Android manufacturers you might think. But, there are, of course, going to be wholesale changes at Motorola. Page announced that it will be replacing Motorola CEO with a longtime Googler Dennis Woodside and would also replace several other key executives.

Whatever Google has planned – it’s clearly going to be quite drastic to the current makeup of Motorola. What does remain a mystery is why put a man (Dennis Woodside) in charge when he has no real background in mobile communications and comes from a acquisitions background (according to his LinkedIn profile).

Motorola on the inside track

Motorola is a bit of a lame duck; it managed a bit of success with its Android offerings, but the market has moved on since the Razor et al – Samsung is the dominant handsetmaker alongside HTC, leaving LG and Motorola to fight it out for the leftover scraps.

But it could now have the edge on its competitors as Motorola will no doubt get the inside track on what will happen to Android in the future – it’s naïve to suggest the Motorola won’t get some form of insider knowledge since they’re now owned by Google. Which, in turn, could upset other manufacturers who might see the level playing skewed by the purchase of a handset maker.

Our report this week suggests Google might be planning something massive for Android this year; a completely new line of Nexus handsets from a multitude of different manufacturers – so in theory this close relationship could be mitigated if they give a closer relationship to a handful of handset makers – but the question would still remain why buy Motorola in the first place.

It’s also worth noting that Motorola that has a stake in a cable company in America – so Google might look to use that business to leverage its plans with Google TV – but what makes a good TV service is content, and not fancy technology – so the cable company might not be that important in Google eye’s when it came to buying out Motorola.

Mothball motorola

If Google’s plans for the Motorola are just patent-based then over the next 12 months the search engine giant will perform surgery selling of the healthy organs to the highest bidder – keeping the patents and assets they want for themselves.

This would obviously be a bad for Motorola’s employees – it would also be a PR nightmare for Google who have never really been known as an asset stripper. And if that is their intention it could have bought a different treasure trove of patents if they had bought AOL’s patents recently – which Microsoft bougth and then sold to Facebook for half the price.

While making hardware deosn’t really chime with the Google we know and love – you cant help but think that they’re more than just a little bit jealous of Apple and their ability to capture the world’s imagination with elegantly designed products and make massive profits from them – money is in both apps and hardware at the moment Google isn’t doing either particularly well.

Google has no idea….

It could be that Google hasn’t really decided what it’s going to do with Motorola and won’t do until it really gets to know its new acquisition – but it’s hard not to draw parallels with other tech purchases; for instance when Ebay bought a controlling share of Skype in 2006 it didn’t really work because the two companies didn’t have any real connection – Skype has since been sold to Microsoft, another baffling purchase.

Other concerns are, of course, how the corporate culture will change – will Motorola really be free from Google’s peering eye’s and how can they be expected to compete with say Samsung (Google’s Android cash-cow) and stay independent and not be seen to get preferential treatment.

Other issues might arise if Motorola want to make handsets for Microsoft’s Windows Phone – would Google allow that? Anyway you look at it Motorola are going to struggle to run their own affairs – so it’s going to be difficult for them to remain the same, which ever way you spin it.

Conclusion

What we know for certain is there are going to be major changes at Motorola – and it’s likely to mean job losses, selling off of assets and and big change at Motorola. We’ll, obviously, know more over the coming months and years – but you can’t help but feel Google didn’t spend 12 billion dollars just for patents and we think Google might be planning a new hardware focus where it will see money from hardware and not just software when it comes to their fledgling Android business – a bold move, but probably the right move.

Google’s Motorola Acquisition: A Marriage Made In Heaven Or Just A Marriage Of Convenience is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Google’s success with Android over the last couple of years has been impressive; from humble beginnings Google has amassed a loyal following, but they still aren’t making the money that Apple is.

To this end, according to industry sources, Google is planning a major shake-up of the operating system which should improve the user experience immeasurably and make them a lot more money.

Signs of change

Signs of change has been brewing for a while now; there’s been rumours that Google is planning a Nexus-like tablet, and more recently Google has talked about selling handsets directly to the consumer, eliminating the need to deal with networks and contract commitments.

Now, the final piece of he puzzle is coming into view, a report from the Wall Street Journal suggests that Google will soon be offering a full range of the Nexus Devices, instead of just selecting one manufacturer per year. It’s not quite at the stage where Google will make the handset themselves a la Apple and their walled garden approach, but it’s seems to be pointing in that direction.

Google will reportedly work with up to five different manufacturers in order to offer a wide selection of stock devices — both phones and tablets.

Leaving retailers behind

There’s more: Google will then sell their new range of handsets directly to consumers sim-free via their newly re-launched Google Play Store, offering direct sales to users in the US, Europe and Asia.

Google’s grand plan does sounding enticing, and it looks to address a lot of the annoyances that come with owning an Android handset. The biggest complaint about Android is the lack on consistency across the eco-system and, of course, software fragmentation.

ICS was the first attempt at sorting out the problem, but left handsets across the world on different versions of software and left consumers wondering whether they’d ever get Ice Cream Sandwich.

Android is open source, and therefore its always going to be difficult to control the OS, with users allowed to modify software, but in many case this is one of the reasons why Android it is so popular. But, for all the positives, there’s no denying that this openness has led to unacceptable delays in software upgrade and has led developers to complain there are far too many variations in handsets when it comes to getting all important money making apps running on all handsets.

Choice and diversity is a good thing, but for many they want a purer Android experience, the very experience that Google designed themselves – rather than a handset specific manufacturer skin. The only way Google is going to offer reliable OS upgrades and a uniformity in apps, looks and design – is to rein in the handset makers and create a top tier of Nexus handsets for all tastes.

The end of Android as we know it 

In theory this sounds like a great idea, and after year or two of the Nexus family handsets – were sure they’ll be the only Android handsets you can buy, that offer the full Google experience. It had been thought that Google (when it bought Motorola) might just make the handsets themselves, but this would obviously alienate the rest of the Android manufacturers – with this plan they’re trying to bring them all together, singing from the same digital hymn sheet – to the benefit of the consumer.

It will give users a variety of choice, but with all handsets running the same unmodified, regularly updated Android software – hopefully, leaving, Android fragmentation as a thing of the past. Factor in Google selling the handsets themselves via their own store sim-free and it would eliminate the level of control carriers currently exert over what you can and can’t install on your phone.

The benefits 

Benefits will come from the ability to change carrier at the drop of a hat – if someone offers a better deal, in theory you could jump ship at the flip of a coin – giving consumers the choice and freedom they’ve always wanted.

According to the Journal this new plan is a expected to be unveiled alongside the next version of the Android OS: Jelly Bean, which is expected by Winter 2012.

Google looks to be finally taking control of Android; with this new model everyone can still modify the platform the way they want, but Google will have their own inner circle of premium devices with the purer Android experience they designed. From hardware to software and carrier control Google might actually be able to deliver the full Google experience that they originally planned all those year’s ago.

Of course, this remains a rumour, but from the sounds of it Android could finally be the coming of age. We’ll know more soon.

Google Android: Is Google Planning Something Massive? is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

It’s a big time of year for the big three console makers as E3 is less than a month away, and with all three manufacturers seemingly having one eye on the next generation – it’s hard not to speculate about the impending announcements.

Nintendo & Wii U

Nintendo, and quite rightly so, will have all eyes on them as they’re finally expected to show off the final version of their new HD console the Wii U. It was announced at last year’s E3 – but the unveiling actually left more questions than it answered.

How many tablet controllers will it run? Will the console play DVD’s & Blu-ray? How much hard drive storage will it have? How powerful is it? Hopefully Nintendo’s big-wig Reggie will make sure we get to see the console close up and get a detailed breakdown of what it can and can’t do – we need more substance, and less smoke and mirrors, if Nintendo is to capture the public’s imagination at E3.

We should expect a large list of first and third party software, most of which are likely to be cross platform titles found on current consoles. If Nintendo wants to capture core gamers then they need to have a selection of Nintendo stalwarts as well as triple-A titles like Call of Duty, GTA and Assassins Creed – whether this will happen remains to be seen.

We should expect Nintendo to flesh out their launch plans for the Christmas release, including whether all three territories will get the console on the same day or whether it will be staggered release. One major announcement will be, of course, price. Nintendo will be going up against established consoles with price ranges from £99 to £250 – meaning their price point needs to be thought through carefully – the 3DS was overpriced and sales only begun to pick up when Ninty dropped the price. They can’t afford to make the same mistake again.

Nintendo has already announced some of its online plans which include the ability to buy digital versions of games on the same day as their physical release, which is a great statement of intent. Where Nintendo has work to do is trying to secure media content deals from the likes of Netflix and Lovefilm – these services a have been a massive catalyst in sales for Sony and Microsoft – and are sure to be really important for Nintendo too.

Microsoft & Xbox 360

Microsoft don’t really have anything massive planned for E3 if we’re lead to believe the rumours. We know this because Microsoft said so. Speaking to Bloomberg, David Dennis, a spokesperson for the company, said the corporation won’t be announcing any details on the upcoming console at the games expo – nor will it be anytime soon (despite reports that the machine has already been made).

Unfortunately Microsoft’s conference has the makings of being rather lacklustre – with no new hardware – there keynote is expected to be software focussed with games like  Call of Duty: Black Ops 2,  Halo 4 and Assasins Creed taking centre stage.

Microsoft focus for this year’s E3 is likely to continue their drive to improve Xbox live with new apps and services. One such rumour suggests that Microsoft is ready to give Xbox live users internet Explore 9 – apparently its already running on some modified Xbox’s at Microsoft’s skunk-works in Redmond. Let just hope it’s implemented properly and not done in the dismal way Sony did with their own web browser, which wasn’t given full flash support and performs fairly poorly.

Sony 

Sony’s plans are little harder to pinpoint, they’ve just announced a loss of 4 billion – so E3 is going to be an important battleground for them to show the company is still  alive and kicking. It’s expected to push Vita’s Christmas lineup  which they will hope to try and drive sales with. Expect heavy coverage of God of War: Ascension as well as a number of PS Vita titles, both announced and unannounced. Sony will likely push its cross-platform play feature, as well as pushing both systems as entertainment hubs over gaming devices.

Sony isn’t expected to announce any new hardware at this year’s E3 and isn’t expected to make the same mistakes as it did last year. Last year Sony made a big song and dance about 3D – even releasing a Playstation 3D TV, but as many had predicted a £400 3DTV with no remote was always destined to fail. Expect Sony to mention 3D as an option, but not push it as a highlighted feature.

Conclusion

With neither Sony or Microsoft willing to jump the gun for their next gen consoles this year – it leaves Nintendo with a perfect opportunity to take E3 by storm. Let’s just hope their plans chime with consumers and the gaming community like it did with the Wii.

E3 starts June 5.

E3 2012: Nintendo, Microsoft & Sony Predictions is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

When former Apple CEO Steve Jobs told his autobiographer that he’d “finally cracked it” when talking about an Apple TV – the entire tech world took notice.

Everyone imagined a TV that would revolutionized the medium for the 21^st century. Like many products before it Apple might not have invented the TV, but from what Jobs said he’d come up with a recipe that would secure the future of the TV in a age where more and more people watch content on their laptops, PC’s and phones.

Since Jobs’ eureka moment, its been our job to try and work out what Apple might have planned. A Stunning design, iOS, Siri voice assistant, iSight cameras – have all been mentioned. And while all the above features seem likely to find their way into the TV’s what else has Apple got planned? And most importantly when will we see the sets?

Foxconn Gearing Up For Production

The latest rumours from Apple’s Asian manufacturing partner Foxconn, is that they have already begun gearing up to start making the TVs. Foxconn’s new Chief Terry Gou said during a recent news conference in Shanghai that his company has been making preparations to start producing Apple TV. He did concede, however, that production and development of the device has not begun.

Not only has Foxconn been given the nod to start laying tentative plans for the sets. Cult of Mac this week claimed to have actually seen a working prototype of the forthcoming TV.

According to Cult of Mac, an unnamed source said the prototype closely resembles the currently flagship Apple display the Cinema Display. According to the source the only difference between the two was the size, and that the prototype had Siri functionality and a built-in iSight camera for video calls.

It might be the case that the set was actually a new Cinema Display and not an Apple TV – but it’s good to hear that Apple has already begun testing what features and sizes will be most suitable when the sets eventually do launch.

According to Cult Of Mac the iSight camera isn’t just your normal snapper; it comes with facial recognition technology and has the ability to zoom in on a user’s face and even follow them around the room a la Kinect. This could mean users will be able to make call from across the room, instead of having to sit directly in front of the TV and would be able to initiate calls via voice using Siri.

Apple To Buy German TV maker Loewes?

Last week German luxury TV maker Loewe’s share price jumped to a 10-month high on Monday as rumours begun to circulate that Apple was a considering making an offer for the TV maker.

The news came from Appleinsider, who quoted the usual source familiar with the matter, stating Apple was willing to pay 87.3 million euros or a 48 per cent on Loewe’s closing price on Friday.

A spokesman from Loewe said that management were not aware of Apple’s proposed bid and, of course, Apple declined to comment. It would make perfect sense for Apple, Loewe have built quite a cult following with their stylish TV’s that often include remotes that can act as a home phone and the TV’s tend to come with space-aged stands that can turn to face the viewer remotely.

What else can we expect

Some of the big Hollywood Studios have created a movie-streaming service called Epix – it’s a joint venture between Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, MGM, and Lions Gate Entertainment. While the service hasn’t actually launched – they are in talks with Apple about future device support, which could include Apple’s TV.

The news comes as the Netflix reported less than stellar profits after its UK launch last week at the same time as Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman said Epix would be available to rival streaming providers. Coincidence? Possibly, but also possibly not.

Hold your iHorses


The timeframe is the biggest unknown at the moment. With no-one really knowing when we might see the second coming of the TV. JPMorgan Chase’s Mark Moskowitz thinks we won’t see the sets in shops until 2014 – and he also reckons the selling point won’t be any ”game-changing, content-related deals.” He thinks the hardware and software integration, industrial design, and ease of use will be the real selling points.

On the other hand, NPD DisplaySearch director Paul Gagnon expects Apple’s foray to be introduced later this year, but they won’t ship until 2013, although he concedes that he doesn’t have any specific evidence. Gagnon does point out that Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn has invested $1.6 billion in Sharp’s TV business, which can manufacture displays up to 60 inches.

Rumour Mill: Apple TV is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Sony’s apocalyptic fall from grace over the last 5 years has been startling. In the late 90’s and early naughties the Japanese tech giant couldn’t make a wrong move. It went from success story to success story – but more recently they have begun to fall behind their rivals time and time again.

In the 90s they pretty much owned the monopoly on portable music players: the walkman. With some foresight they could have, and probably should have, beaten Apple to the Mp3-punch. But a company with little or no knowledge of portable music players managed to take that crown from them. A massive misstep in hindsight. They then moved into games and with the PS1 and PS2 which was massively successful for the tech giant. But, once again, a competitor (Microsoft & their Xbox) came into the market place and gave them a bloody noise.

Now their only real jewel in their crown is the PS3, but Sony has never really recovered from the colossal price of developing the Cell Chip for the PS3 and this decision seems to be dragging them down even further. The PS3 just isn’t turning a profit in the way the Japanese firm would want, and with the rest of the company hardly setting the world alight – where does this leave Sony? Well, yesterday the Japanese electronics firm reported a record annual loss – as natural disasters, a strong yen and, ultiamately, a lack of innovation has seen them fall on hard times.

Overall, the firm reported a net loss of 456.7bn yen (£3.5bn) for the year to end of March compared to a 259,6bn yen loss last year. The company attributed the losses to a perfect storm of factors; including low demand from developed markets; the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March last year and a strong yen.

Playstation 3 sales saw a slight dip from last year’s results. They sold 13.9 million units during the last 12 months compared to 14.3 million during the same time last year. That makes the total worldwide sales of 63.9 million and was the second best year for the console’s sales. But their market share has been cut with Xbox sales of 67.2 million and Wii sales of 96 million.

More encouraging news came from the software side of the business – sales rose from 147.9 million last year to 156.6 million this year. Surprisingly Sony still sell a fair few million PS2′s, but sales did fall from 6.4 million to 4.1 million and PSP sales tumbled from 8 million to just 6.8 million.

One piece of the financial-jigsaw missing from yesterday’s announcement was sales information for the newly launched PS Vita – despite launching last year in Japan. Weekly sales from Japan don’t make for great reading as last week’s sales came in at a rather disappointing 10,583 units.

Apart from external factors, analysts reckon Sony’s demise is more simple: they’re losing ground to its competitors in key areas including tablets, computers, phones and especially TV’s. Sony’s TV division has been losing money for 8 years and competition from Samsung has seen the Bravia brand fall on hard times too.

So what does Sony have planned to turn around its fortunes. Well, not a lot apart from cuts and austerity. CEO Kazou Hirai, who officially took his new post on Wednesday, is planning a major restructuring of the company. He wants to implement a new vision for the company where they will focus on core electronics that built its legacy and on online platforms that links its various products ranges. Essentially more joined up thinking. Hirai outlined his vision and plans for Sony in a Tokyo press conference last month, a plan that includes a reduction of global head count by 10,000, or about 6 percent of the total workforce. But will this save the ailing company?

Sony said on Thursday that for the current fiscal year through to March 2013 it aims for a net profit of ¥30 billion, while increasing sales 14 percent from the latest result. It said it would look to turn around its struggling TV business with a focus on profits over unit sales, and expected a strong recovery from last year’s earthquakes and Thai floods.

Although the long term prospects for Sony remain in question – its showing at E3 next month will be a critical one – in general this isn’t particularly bad news for Sony. The losses were less than expected (£4 billion in the red was the previous estimate) and the minor drop in PlayStation 3 sales has also been mirrored by the Xbox 360 recently. 

With new boss Kaz Hirai (previously the head of Sony’s American PlayStation division) at the reins Sony is even predicting a sharp swing back into profit next year, of $376.5 million. We’ll believe it when we see it.

Sony Posts Record Losses: What Does The Future Hold For The Tech Giant is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

We’ve already reviewed HTC’s flagship handset the HTC One, and while it’s an amazing phone, it’s probably too big and too powerful for your average smartphone user.

Today we’ve got our hands on their middle-of-the-road handset, which is likely to be HTC’s most popular handset of 2012. Its got a sensible 4.3-inch screen, very capable camera and comes with Beats Audio. While it’s not going to worry any quad-core handsets out there, it will run rings around almost every Android handset from last year and quite a few from this year too. Each of HTC’s new handsets for 2012 has been given a particular focus. The One X is all about power, touting a quad-core processor. The One S is more focused on its camera and sound. By giving each handset a focus it should allow consumers to choose a handset that most suits their needs.

Specs

The HTC One S may well be a middle of the range handset for HTC, but that doesn’t mean it’s a slouch in the tech specs department. It comes with a snappy dual-core processor, 16GB of on-board memory (although, can’t be supplemented with SD cards for more memory), 8-megapixel camera, capable of shooting 1080p video (the same camera you’ll find in the One X) and a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen, with a resolution of 540×960 (256 pixel density). The only real difference between the One S and X is size, obviously, and the quality of the screen and the processor.

Looks and build quality

The most striking thing about the new line of HTC’s is that they are all now uni-body designs. What this means is the battery can’t be removed, this means that build quality is far better than previous HTC’s – but there are some drawbacks; you can’t replace or remove the battery – for some this will be unforgivable. The other downside is with this new design is HTC have decided to do away with SD-card support – again – for many this will be unforgivable. It’s not much of a problem for the One X as it comes in a three storage sizes, unfortunately the One S only comes with the option of 16Gb of storage. So, if you carry a load of music on your handset and like the odd app or two, the One S might just be too small for your needs.

Looks-wise the One S is a continuation from the styling of the Sensation. It is the thinnest handset HTC has ever made, measuring just 7.8mm, and when you hold it in your hand you get the feeling it’s the toughest, most rigid handset HTC has produced. Style-wise the handset it finished in the rather bleak, matte black plastic. The only splash of colour comes from the red ring around the camera, but other than that’s it’s a bit disappointing. It might feel like plastic, but the body of the handset is made from aluminium with a micro oxidation finish to give it ceramic feel rather than a metal one – but in the end it looks and feels like plastic.  The back panel is non-removeable, aside from a small section at the top for the micro SIM, so it’s less creaky than most Android handsets – which is something we’ve been wanting for a while now, take note Samsung.

Features

The One S is one of the first handsets from HTC to be designed for Android 4.0 from the ground up, and from early impressions nothing has really changed from last year’s handsets. It’s still the same Sense UI you’ll be accustomed too, but its been simplified in many areas after HTC conceded that Sense had become a bit too complicated over recent years.

There are a multitude of customisable home screens, which can be populated with apps, widgets and wallpapers. Any ideas that Ice Cream Sandwich was going to revolutionise Android has been misplaced. It’s almost as if Google is intent on doing the complete opposite to Apple. Apple is a famed for simple, intuitive ease of use. Android is all about customisation, customisation, customisation. It’s not a bad plan, but when you make the jump from iOS to Android, you need to be aware you’re making the move from a simple life to a slightly annoying and convoluted one.

Screen

The screen on the One S is an impressive one, it measures 4.3-inches and uses the same AMOLED screen tech that you’ll find on the Samsung S2. It’s bright, but when compared to the iPhone 4S the whites just aren’t clean or as bright. From our trained eye you can see the honeycomb texture of the screen when it’s on and it just doesn’t come close to its Apple or Samsung counterparts. The resolution is on the lower end of the spectrum, especially for the price. It has resolution of 540 x 960 gives it a pixel density of 256ppi. It’s not class-leading by any means – the Sony Xperia S has 342ppi, the iPhone 4S 326ppi and the HTC One X 312ppi – but it’s reasonably impressive all the same.

Performance

The HTC One S comes with an admirable dual-core processor that pushes the handset along at a fair old lick, it’s obviously not as snappy as the One X, but you’d be hard pressed to actually notice the speed difference, both handsets run Android ICS like a dream. Its dual-core CPU, dedicated graphics processing and 1GB RAM mean you can skip between apps without any annoying lag, and apps run butter smooth.

When compared to any Android handsets from 2011, the One S beats them all hands down on our benchmarking tests – beating the likes of the Galaxy Nexus, S2 and even Galaxy Note. The camera is its finest glory, mainly because it’s the same snapper you’ll find in its top of the range handset the One X. Shutter lag is almost none existent and the when the photos and, especially, videos are outputted to a decent TV – you’ll definitely see the benefits. As with all camera phones it doesn’t perform all that well in low-light conditions – but ultimately it’s a triumph, especially considering how thin the handset is.  The One S features a sealed battery, so you won’t be able to change it yourself, but thankfully it’s a decent 1650mAh power plant that’ll last at least a working day with heavy use.

Verdict

The HTC One S is a great phone. For the money you’re getting a powerful, yet incredibly thin, handset that comes with Ice Cream Sandwich out the box (ahem, take note Sony) – throw in a very good camera, very solid build quality and music-enhancing Beats Audio technology  and you’ve got a recipe for a great handset. It’s not without its faults, though. But if you can live with the storage and inaccessible battery you can’t go wrong with One S for you’re next Android handset.

http://store.three.co.uk/

HTC One S Review is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Samsung is top dog in the mobile world at the moment, and this, in part, is down to the success of the last couple of the Galaxy handsets, most notably the S2.

Well, today we get to see the fruits of their labour as they have finally unveiled the third iteration. Has Samsung tried to out-do the competition in the specs-race? Or have they re-invented the wheel? Neither.

At 4.8-inches it’s a whopper (that’s the technical term) while it’s substantially bigger than its previous iteration. It has a screen that’s 22% bigger than the last, but Samsung has managed to keep the overall size only 16% bigger – that’s what we call progress.

Samsung hasn’t put anything in the S3 that’s going to surprise you, but it’s good to see that they have realised specs will only get you so far in the super competitive mobile market. So don’t expect to see a 49 megapixel camera or a screen that’s on par with 4D. This phone is more of a gentle evolution rather than a man-on-the-moon moment.

Instead, Samsung seems to have honed the recipe over the last 12 months and clearly has spent a lot time with its new bed-mate: Android 4.0, as it comes with some much-needed features and tweaks that sets it apart from the general Android riff-raff.

The specs race

Let’s get the hardware stuff out the way first. The S3 comes with a goliath of a screen: 4.8-inches. The screen is packing Sammy’s favourite screen tech AMOLED, the resolution is what many had expected: 1280×720. That works out as 306ppi, naysayers will testify that’s not as good as the iPhone’s, but what you’re getting is a screen on par, but is far bigger, so that’s a win for Samsung in our book.

On the front of the phone, apart from the screen, is a camera that boasts a rather paltry 1.9 megapixels. But those of you who know their sensors from their megapixels will know that’s half the story.  The rear camera comes in at a impressive 8 megapixels and is capable of shooting video in 1080p. We’ll call this round a draw.

The brains behind the looks come in the form of a new 1.4Ghz Exynos 4 Cortex-A9 quad-core processor – capable of sending several men to the moon several times over. The phone comes in a variety of storage flavours: 16, 32, or 64GB of storage and (take note HTC) you can supplement this with SD-card storage up to 64GB.

For those of you who live in the future (or US, Japan and Korea) the S3 will come with LTE 4G compatibility. They’ve made room for a host of technologies including accelerometers, RGB light, digital compass, proximity sensors, gyroscope, NFC and a barometer.

All of this tech-goodness has been crammed into a handset that weighs 133 grams, measures 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm, and houses a 2100mAh battery; Samsung’s first smartphone with a battery that size.

There are two colours option on offer, the first has been dubbed “marble white” and other is “pebble blue”.

Android tweaks

Where Samsung have spent a lot time is fiddling with the software. You can expect an Android 4.0 experience like no other. Some of the notable ones are Smart Stay; this uses the forward-facing camera to determine if you’re looking at the phone, if you are the screens brightness will remain the same, if it determines you’re not it will dim the screen. It might not sound like much but we think that it will save you plenty on battery life, which is a godsend.

Direct Call is another clever piece of software that will auto-dial a contact if you are on a contact message or contact details when you move the phone to your ear. Another clever touch comes in the form of Smart Alert, this will make the phone vibrate in your hand and flash an LED when you pick up the phone after you have missed a call.

S Voice is a Samsung‘s attempt to improve up Apple’s mild-mannered voice assistant Siri. While Sammy’s efforts haven’t been given a proper name, you’ll be able to enquire about the weather; take a photo or a myriad of other functions via voice that you can configured with your own commands.

PopUp Play, will literally pop a video out of its player, rendering it in a small thumbnail so you can continue watching while surfing the web or doing other functions on the phone. The thumbnail is movable around the display, even if it’s pretty small.

Camera

From our early impressions the camera on the S3 is going to be best-in-class. There’s virtually no lag between when you press the button and the shot being taken. They’ve added a new function called Burst Shot/Best Photo, it takes 20 shots in quick succession and then recommends the best photo. It will suggest the photo where everyone’s eyes are open or the one with the best lighting. If you disagree you can of course override its decision.

Face Zoom recognises individual faces in view, allowing you to tap the face and zoom in, taking a photo of single person. Like the HTC you can select photos from videos you’ve shot, which is hardly a revelation in our book.

Conclusion

If there are any criticisms of the new s3, it will be that it still relies too heavily on cheap plastics, it still doesn’t have that premium feel of say, the new HTC’s or iPhone.

While we wait for a proper review unit we can only speculate on what this phone is going to be like in our hands. It’s heavier that the S2, so should mean it has a more solid feel to it. But we can’t help but think if this is the best phone on the market why is it predominantly made of plastic, and cheap plastics at that. Surely for the price you’re likely to pay you’d want it made out of kryptonite or, at least, metal.

The S3 will be hitting shelves in Europe by the end of May and will be rolled out worldwide over the summer. Your move Apple.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Unveiled: Specs, Camera and First Impressions is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

If you’ve been keeping tabs on the tech world over the last 12 months you’ll have likely come across a new piece of tech jargon: Cloud Storage. While it has nothing to do with those fluffy things in the sky, it is the future of storage for all your important files – keep reading our guide and we’ll give you the low-down on all things ‘Cloud’.

What is cloud storage?

Cloud storage isn’t anything to be scared of; if you own a computer you’ll have hard drives that keeps all your files safe. Cloud storage is the same principle, but the hard drives aren’t in your computer, but in a room thousands of miles away. You upload files through the internet and then download them at your leisure when you need to access them.

The benefits?

Well there are plenty. If your important files are uploaded to a cloud service then wherever you are in the world (as long as you’ve got the internet) you can access your files. Furthermore, if your hard drive fails the likelihood is your files will be gone forever, this obviously doesn’t happen with cloud storage, as companies like Microsoft and Google have massive amounts of space and multiple data centres meaning it’s the safest place to store your files.

Other benefits include the fact that cloud is basically infinite unlike your own hard drive. A hard drive in your computer has a limited amount of space, use all that space up and you’ve got decision to make: delete some files and make some space, or upload some files to a cloud storage solution or a portable hard drive.

Also, as the data is stored on a network it’s always there in case any of your devices get lost or broken. This means if your phone goes missing and you have to replace it, simply connect to the cloud and download all your data right onto your new handset

So where does all my stuff go?

All the data you upload to these services are stored in data centres which are liberally dotted around the globe. Naysayers might have you believe that cloud storage isn’t as safe as you might think. Afterall you’re giving all you most prized digital files to a third party to keep them safe. But companies like Apple and Google want you to trust them with your important files. The only issue we can forsee is if you are using these services to host pirated material. But if you just want to keep you prized family photos and videos safe then there’s no better way to keep them under virtual lock and key.

Where can I get cloud storage from?

Over the last 12 months almost all smartphone manufacturers are offering some form of free cloud storage alongside their handsets. You may find that each has different restrictions on how much storage space you’re allocated, or a time limit on how long you can keep it for, but most services offer an option to purchase more space or extend your contract.

Apple – iCloud

Apple were one of the first mobile manufacturers to offer a full storage solution. Called iCloud it’s pre-installed on all new iPhones, iPads and Mac laptops. iCloud allows you to synch your mobile phone, tablet or Macbook with Apple’s servers meaning if you take a photo on you phone it’s automatically uploaded to your iPad or laptop. The service works for email, contacts, calendar, bookmarks, notes, to-do lists and photo streams, music downloaded from iTunes and even movies downloaded from iTunes.

Extra benefits of having an iCloud account include the Find My Phone function, which allows you to lock or wipe your phone remotely if its been lost or stolen. Any person who buys an Apple device will get 5GB free iCloud storage as standard, but you can buy more right from your mobile if you need it.

HTC And Dropbox

 Dropbox is the world’s leading independent cloud storage provider, and was chosen by HTC to partner its new line of smartphones. As standard you get a paltry 2GB of free space. But if you buy one of the new HTC’s you’ll bag yourself an impressive 25GB, which is ideal as HTC has begun to drop SD card expansion on their handsets. The only downside is after 2 years you will need to pay for your account to keep your files. The other handy thing about Dropbox is that it keeps a one-month history of your data, so changes can be undone, and anything you’ve deleted can be restored.

Sony/LG And  Box

Sony has gone a similar way as HTC, by choosing a third party company to service it’s 7 million users worldwide. Called Box, it’s a similar story to DropBox. You can store all your files online and share them with whoever you like. If you own a Xperia you can get 50GB of storage for free. The Box comes with some nifty features: you can arrange your files into folders just like you would on your desktop.  There’s a  clever online collaboration feature allows you to create online work spaces so people can view, edit and upload files to one, easily identifiable place.

LG also uses Box for their Cloud Storage service, you can snag the same 50GB if you have one of LG’s handsets, which is available until the end of 2012.

Nokia – SkyDrive

With Nokia and Microsoft in partnership, it’s no surprise that Nokia handsets use Microsoft’s cloud storage solution SkyDrive. You can get a free 25GB of storage and all you need to access the file is a Windows Live account.

Gaj-it Guide To Cloud Storage is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com