Gigabyt3

Did Apple steal the iPhone design from Samsung?

Matt Fryy — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:09:29 +0000

Apple have for a long time now been boasted as the pioneers of the superphone. Since 2007 we've watched as company after company have tried to recreate the big A's success with ever-so-slightly different variants of what's essentially just an iPhone. Along the way, Apple have taken various legal shots at the intellectual freeloaders, the most recent of which being Samsung for their "infringing [Galaxy] product line".

Well in an unexpected and quite frankly hilarious twist of events, it appears the two companies may have more plagiaristic history between them than we first expected. And no, Apple aren't going after Samsung's Series 9 for taking on the MacBook air, rather the following image surfaces online of a handset Samsung produced back in 2006 which challenges the iPhone's own originality all together.

Pulse News iPad App Gets Facebook Streams

Matt Fryy — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:43:12 +0000

The cataclysmically awesome and super popular iPad app - Pulse News, is about to get some serious Facebook lovin'! Pulse has been undoubtedly one of the top RSS reader apps to hit mobile devices so far, with it's elegantly simple multi-touch interface putting other news-grabbers to shame.

Well hoping to take this runaway success to the next level, Alphonso Labs are rolling out a socially flavoured update, bringing Facebook streams to the application.

Dell Inspiron Duo Hybrid Netbook/Tablet Goes on Sale

Matt Fryy — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Now here's another thing you never thought you'd see from Dell. Today marks the launched of the Inspiron Duo, a hybrid Netbook-come-Tablet desperate to find its way under a few christmas trees at just $545. In addition to it's 2GB of RAM and 1.5Ghz Atom Dual-core processor, the device benefits from up to 320GB of SATA glory making it one of the better equipped christmas netbooks on the market. The Inspiron Duo's real party peice comes from it's flippable 10.1-inch multi-touch display, which switches up it's full keyboard for one meaty tablet experience.

Obviously Dell didn't get the note from Apple saying moving-part storage in portables is dead, but then again with the rest of the hardware virtually the same for half the price of a baseline Air, you can't really complain. If the Inspiron Duo makes it onto your list to santa, you might want to link him up to Dell.com as you can grab one over there today.

Two More Reasons to Jailbreak Your Apple TV

Matt Fryy — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:34:01 +0000

To us, the Apple TV has always come across a crippled product. Whether this is due the lack of content, features or in it's latest rendition, storage, Steveo's self-confessed hobby project has never really captured much attention as 'just another set-top box'. However, another iOS device means another iOS Jailbreak, and this time round Fire Core are bringing web surfing and Last.fm to the big A's second generation little black box.

Judging by their video demos, these big-screen mods look pretty slick, and we'd hope so too as this ain't free software folks! $49 is the asking price for first-gen aTVs, with second generation prices yet to be announced. Read on for the all important show-off vids.

Vimeo Introduces Couch Mode, Full Screen HTML5 Video Browser

Matt Fryy — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 23:28:01 +0000

Now that on-line video is coming full-circle and back to the TV, it seems only fitting that video services such as YouTube are offering telly-friendly interfaces for users to browse content from the comfort of their sofas.

Well now, joining YouTube's Leanback service is Vimeo's Couch Mode. The simplified browser offers easy navigation of Vimeo.com uploads via it's minimalist 'Google TV optimised' UI, and is up-and-runnning now at Vimeo.com/CouchMode. Think of it like a simpler Leanback, but the stars of the show actually have talent! Because of the web app's heavy reliance on CSS3 and HTML5 technologies, the player only works in Chrome and Safari, as will remain the case until the other browsers put some effort into stepping up to the new web standards.

Our impressions: Beautiful? Yes. Buggy? Without a doubt. Worth a demo? Most definitely.

Apple 'Back to the Mac' Event Coverage

Matt Fryy — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Tomorrow, Apple are holding their 'Back to the Mac' event, turning the spotlight away from iOS and on to OS X.

With all the recent iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch hype, we can't wait to see what Apple has in store for their notebook and desktop lines. As the promo suggests, we can expect to get a glimpse at OS 10.7 (Lion?), a release which after Snow Leopard promises to pack a powerful punch. Also, updated hardware across the MacBook board is pretty much imminent, with the MacBook Air well overdue a revamp.

If your as curious as us, you'll join us back here tomorrow evening for our live commentary and round-ups, on our Twitter page and right here at Gigabyt3.com/Blog, at the following times:

06:00PM - London
01:00PM - Eastern
12:00PM - Central
10:00AM - Pacific

EDIT: As we expected Apple will be live streaming the event via a video feed on Apple.com

Twitter Owns All Your Tweets And Their Content

Matt Fryy — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:43:29 +0000

Who reads the small print? We all kinda know we should, but we all kinda... don't. But who can blame us? It's hard enough just keeping up with all these hot new websites, services and social networks, without spending half our online time reading through their hundreds of pages of legal terms and technical jargon, right? Lets face it, these big brands could sneak just about anything in there without us knowing *cough Facebook*, and it's down to individuals such as the folks at PhotoFocus to take one for the team, read through the filler, and find out if anything juicy lays beneath.

According to PhotoFocus.com, Twitter's terms of service are home to a couple of profoundly startling obligations. The first of which pretty much states that Twitter owns every peice of content you send through their service, be it written, audio, photo, video or anything else:

"By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through the Services, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute such Content in any and all media or distribution methods (now known or later developed)."

Surprisingly, this specific detail isn't the worst of their findings, as the terms then go on to read the following...

Razer's Naga Epic MMO Gaming is Available to Pre-Order Today

Matt Fryy — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:52:01 +0000

We've always had a soft spot for crazy gaming mice, so you can imagine our excitement when we came across this satanic looking peripheral! The Naga Epic is Razer's latest and greatest attempt at crafting the perfect MMORPG pointer. With 17 customizable side buttons and 3 interchangable ergonomic grips, the Naga Epic takes center stage as the hottest multiplayer chunky mouse of this year.

Another awesome feature is the 'dual wired/wireless functionality', allowing users to plug up the wireless device and revert back to a wired mouse. This will prove particularly useful once you juice out it's 12-hour battery life. Let's face it, even if this thing does come with a wicked looking charger, how many Warcraft players do you know who'd be happy to hit that dreaded 'Esc' key, and wait for their gear to power up half way through a weekend WOW sesh? We're guessing not many.

But still, if you can bare rocking it wired once in a while, you can pre-order the Naga Epic today for €129.99.

Uh-oh! Palm Pre 2 Gets a Spyshot From Every Angle

Matt Fryy — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:59:53 +0000

Yesterday, France's SFR jumped the gun and announced the Palm Pre 2 and WebOS 2.0. Tonight, MobiFrance have uploaded some exclusive spy-shots of the prematurely-outed device, which do indeed appear to be the real deal. The pictures show an even sleeker Pre, with a slightly different form to the ones already on the market. Yesterday's shenanigans revealed the handset will boast a 1Ghz processor, 512mb of RAM, and the next generation WebOS software - 2.0. So far, nothing too extraordinary has been thrown out there, something which has been serving facepalms to Pre fans left, right and center. Read on for the rest of the snaps.

SFR Announces Palm Pre 2 and WebOS 2.0

Matt Fryy — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:03:51 +0000

So incase you weren't already lactating for Smartphones after Microsoft's big Windows Phone 7 roll-out announcement, french telecoms company SFR have just prematurely outed the Palm Pre 2. The follow-up Web OS handset has a upgraded 1Ghz processor, 512MB of RAM and runs version 2.0 of Palm's WebOS mobile operating system.

That's pretty much all the deets in a nutshell, but mark our words, Palm won't be sitting in silence on it for much longer now.

Berkeley Bionics eLEGS Exoskeleton Helps Paraplegics To Walk Again

Matt Fryy — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 22:21:22 +0000

Now here's a crazy idea: Use the world's existing robotics technology to build an exoskeleton not to help soldiers kill, but to help paraplegics walk. This is precisely what Berkeley Bionics have done and they're calling them the eLEGS. The system is essentially a heavily modified version of the Lockheed Martin HULC, an anthropomorphic exoskeleton aimed to aid front-line soldiers in homogeneous everyday tasks, such as walking long distances and carrying heavy loads.

The eLEGS are basically a commercialised version of the HULC with added padding and extra support, giving people with physical disabilities the chance to walk independently once more. In the following video shot by Wired.com, Amanda Boxtel, who is paraplegic, demonstrates the technology on-stage, taking her first steps in over 18 years despite having only half a day's worth of practice with the breakthrough device.

But the best thing by far about this tech is that it's not far off. The company plan to roll out the eLEGS to selected rehabilitation centers starting July 2011, before developing a home version of the bionics that users could slip into in the morning, and wear all day long.

Lum Smoke Alarm Looks Stylish, Looks Safe and Looks After Itself

Matt Fryy — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:27:40 +0000

You've probably seen the public service ads urging you to test and replace your smoke alarm batteries. We all know these warnings are there to help protect us, but what if someone designed a fire alarm that could bypass the nagging and save lives without the need for routine maintenance? Well that's precisely what Industrial Designer Arthur Brault is striding to achieve with the Lum Smoke Detector.

This clever device sits between the bulb and the socket of the lighting attachment on your ceiling and charges itself every time you switch on the light. When the Lum does detect smoke, it sounds the standard sonar alert as well as providing emergency power to the bulb, shedding light on a potentially dangerous situation.

Google Goggles Bring Visual Search to the iPhone

Matt Fryy — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 22:08:18 +0000

In December, Google introduced Goggles on the Android, allowing users to search the web using the phone's built-in camera. Well today the big G rolled out the same functionality for their Google Mobile iPhone app. To search with Goggles, simply tap the camera icon and take a picture of the item you wish to look up. The app will then scan the photo using it's image recogniton software and return what it thinks are the most accurate results.

Google has rather modestly stated that since this technology is still in it's infancy, the service works best at recognizing books, DVDs, landmarks, artwork and wine only. Having put this to the test, we've managed to successfully return the latter, alongside everything from obscure musical equipment to Spongebob Squarepants! Read on for some in-app snapshots and the G-unit's promo vid.

Colorware Introduce Their $300 iPad Grip

Matt Fryy — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:45:02 +0000

When it comes to the iPad's deciding features, nothing is perhaps more frequently overlooked than grip. Sure, the tablet's gorgeous glass and aluminium design gives it the drool-factor, but running the risk of shattering the 9.7-inch wonder-slate is enough to keep most cautious owners constantly on their toes.

Well now, a rather unlikely bunch have risen to the challenge keeping of the Apple of your i safe. Introducing Colorware's Grip for iPad. The U.S. made accessory is constructed out of aircraft grade aluminium to provide maximum security and protection, it is of course fully customizable as far as colour goes. The moulded metal handle does come across a bit unsightly from some angles, but the practicality of having such a good grip on the device more than makes up for any aesthetic discrepancies.

Turning a very blind eye to the price, you've got to be impressed by Colorware's first real hardware efforts. We can imagine seeing this take off hugely in the service sector, where many businesses have already realised the iPad's potential in the workplace. No more precariously balancing a £429 peice of glass to take orders, bill customers or give lectures.

How To Send A HD Camera Into Space

Matt Fryy — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:28:57 +0000

And the Gigabyt3 dad of the year award goes to... space enthusiast and backyard science geek: Luke Heissenbuhler.
Last year we watched in awe as the team from BBC One's Bang Goes The Theory used a helium balloon and wooden payload to send an action figure on a vertical accent out of the world's atmosphere, whilst recording the journey onboard via three video cameras.

This time around, a family have constructed a similar setup but with a single HD camera. As you can expect, the resulting footage is breathtaking. After ascending a whopping 100,000 feet, the balloon bursts (as planned) and hurtles back to earth at speeds reaching a blurry 150mph, before landing safely in a tree thanks to the capsule's tiny parachute. Read on for the most spectacular images, in High Definition.

Today in Apple Hax: Apple TV on the iPod Touch and Chromium OS on the iPad

Matt Fryy — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:01:15 +0000

Heads up iOS fans, there's a hot new UI in the house! Infact theres two, neither of which incidentally are likely to come our way anytime soon but hey, it's fun to gawk.

The crime in question: Blowing apart Apple's mobile software and installing another juicy interface.
The accused: One @DHowett and one @Hexxeh
The verdict: Guilty. Oh yes...

BT And TalkTalk Endorse Bandwidth Discrimination: A Sad Day For Net Neutrality

Matt Fryy — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 21:01:53 +0000

The net neutrality movement has been severely shaken up today, as the UK's two largest service providers, BT and TalkTalk, have spoken out against fair Internet policy on a Westminster eForum. Admist their usual attempts to justify tampering with user's bandwidths, the Internet giants then went on to not only normalise the concept of network discrimination, but wholeheartedly endorse it!

When asked if Google were to slip the ISP payments for more bandwith than say, BBC iPlayer, to create a competitive advantage, TalkTalk's executive director of strategy and regulation Andrew Heany, claimed that it would be "perfectly normal business practice to discriminate between them... We would do a deal and look at YouTube and look at the BBC, and decide".

A revealing statement indefinitely, which was swiftly backed up by BT's director of group industry policy, Simon Milner, who enforced "We absolutely could see a situation when content or app providers may want to pay BT for quality of service above best efforts,". Couple this with the companies love affair with Ofcom, and it's looking like a bleak future for British Internet.

RIM Introduces BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Computer

Matt Fryy — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:45:15 +0000

RIM have just mashed up the touchscreen scene by unveiling the PlayBook, a 7-inch, multi-touch BlackBerry tablet running a brand new homegrown OS. The device comes packed to the nines with ready features, and despite it's name, is being touted as "the first professional tablet" computer. Alongside the industry standard e-mail, web and media capabilities, the PlayBook shoots HD video via a 1080p camera on the back and does video calling via a second HD camera on the front. Read on for official specs and promotional video!

Google's Brainwashing, Time Wasting 'Pizza' Ad

Matt Fryy — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:33:42 +0000

Google are leaving the digital world rather confused today with the viral-isation of their latest ad for 'Search with my location', fittingly entitled 'Pizza'.

The excruciatingly irritating 10-minute long video sees the (presently unknown) character cycle through a series of random backdrops, whilst attempting to search for pizza with his voice using the Google iOS app. The baffling absurdity of already finding local results 18 seconds in, before wasting a further 10 minutes of our lives is only exacerbated by the fact he's using an iPhone 4 as opposed to one of Google's heavily pushed Android handsets.

Excluding a Chrome speed test ad or two, Google hasn't exactly been a player to dabble in viral marketing. At least now we know why. Read on for the full video...

YouTuber Gets Hands-On With HP Slate Prototype: Boy Does It Suck

Matt Fryy — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:26:11 +0000

A couple of hours ago John Gruber of Daring Fireball tweeted out a link to a curious YouTube video that he'd stumbled across. A user called x313xkillax appears to be showing off a prototype version of the HP Slate, of course running Windows 7. Although Gruber questioned the integrity of video, it does appear to be the real deal.

Okay, so the tablet is running a full desktop OS, doesn't take years to boot, and has Adobe Flash (...because it's a desktop OS). Excusing these these moderate novelties, is it just me, or does this thing suck?

I can feel a flaming brewing, read more of your own will...

Sony Playstation Are Recruiting Android Developers, PSP-Smartphone Looks More Likely

Matt Fryy — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 21:27:32 +0000

Last month is was reported that Sony Ericsson were teaming up with Google to produce a PSP-go like smartphone running a whole new gaming platform - Android 3.0. As we know, tip-offs and so-called 'trusted sources' are often stretched or fabricated, but today Sony's given us something to really get exited about.

In a recent job posting for work inside the Playstation division, the company reveal they are looking for someone with "Experience in mobile development, specifically Android is a plus.", which straight up throws a ton of weight behind the Playstation-phone rumours. Obviously Sony wouldn't be employing people to build an on-line gaming experience for the Android unless Playstation had some kind of branded hardware to run the software. Whichever way you interpret it, this is looking good for PS-centric Android fans.

Forget Instant Google, Hello Instant Everything!

Matt Fryy — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:22:05 +0000

A couple of weeks ago Google announced their instant search service, providing real-time results as you type into the search box. Obviously this planted a seed with the development community, as it was just a matter of time before other instant result sites started popping up. The most notable of these was YouTube browser Yinstant.

Well, seeing the over-night viral success that Yinstant had, Paul Robinett and Nick Long of MyU2B set themselves a challenge: create an instant search web app that not only pulls stuff from YouTube, but the entire web. Oh, and get it on-line in 24 hours.

So, as promised, exactly one day later BL3NK was born. BL3NK.com (pronounces blink) claims to be 'the web's first instant everything search'. It basically shows web, image, news, twitter and map results as you type them, letter by letter. Thankfully the site is joyously simple and super easy to use. It pretty much just does what it says on the tin. It's astonishing to believe that it went from concept to reality in just one day

Read on to watch how it was made in 24 hours, then head over to BL3NK.com to check it out for yourself!

Facebook is NOT making a phone

Matt Fryy — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 18:53:44 +0000

So as soon as the rumours began, they have ended. Earlier today we reported that TechCrunch had got wind of a mystical Facebook phone being developed secretly by senior members of the company. Spokesperson Jaime Schoflin has just now debunked these claims, stating that:

"The story, which originated at TechCrunch, is not accurate. Facebook is not building a phone... it's just not what we do"

So that's cleared that up then!. Read on for the full statement...

Is Facebook Making A Phone?

Matt Fryy — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 13:34:44 +0000

A spokesperson from the company has since stepped up and denied Facebook are building a phone. Click for more.

Facebook is building a sub $50 phone, according to one report received by Michael Arrington at TechCrunch. The source indicates that two 'high level' employees at the company are secretly working to build a Facebook branded device, aimed at the more price-wise consumers.

The developers said to be in on the project are Joe Hewitt and Matthew Papakipos, both of whom would have their reasons for working on such a product. Between them they share a fair deal of experience in OS, UI and mobile development.

So, what do we know about this thing? Well, not a lot. If the tip-off is genuine we can expect deep integration of Facebook friends with mobile contacts and as Arrington points out, probably a low price. But has FB really got a place in today's overcrowded market?

New Twitter.com Announced, Launches Now

Matt Fryy — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 08:17:29 +0000

Earlier today Twitter's CEO Evan Williams took to the stage with creative director Biz Stone at their San Francisco headquarters to announce a brand new Twitter.com.

The new and even simpler two-paned site expands Twitter's functionality, allowing users to click on Tweets to view linked content such as photos and videos. The company have paired up with 16 different partners including YouTube, Vimeo, Ustream, Twitpic and Flickr, to provide the smoothest, richest experience possible in a web application.

As well as some significant front-end changes, the entire back-end architecture has been re-built to drastically improve speed, and ensure browsing and creating Tweets remains as agile a process as possible. The brand new site starts rolling out today to a selection of users, but will become available worldwide over the next couple of weeks.

For more information visit Twitter.com/newtwitter and watch out for the #newtwitter hashtag.

Nokia Announce A Tri Of New Smartphones: The C6, C7 and E7

Matt Fryy — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:46:38 +0000

It's no secret that Nokia's been in big trouble lately, back in July the company revealed quarterly profits were down 40% year-on-year. Although the now former CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo blamed the drop primarily on price pressures and a tough economy, we haven't exactly been seeing breakthrough device line-ups for quite some time.

Well today Nokia are hoping to renovate their brand with the announcement of the C6, C7 and E7 smartphones.

iOS Controlled Augmented Reality Quadricopter 'AR Drone' Goes On Sale

Matt Fryy — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:08:54 +0000

Wireless electronics manufacturer Parrot wowed us back in Janurary when they showed off their enemy-seeking quadricopter at CES. Now, the all-flying, dog-fighting augmented reality copter is available for purchase in selected stores and on-line, for about $300.

After seeing the premium toy at CES, the first thing that went through our heads was the biblical quantity of madness you could wreak if you were to take one out in public. But uh-oh, looks like Parrot have beat us to it!

$35 Sakshat Android Tablet Coming January 2011

Matt Fryy — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:35:19 +0000

The Indian government have been developing a line of super-affordable computer systems targeted at it's growing number of students in college. As part of this budget tech rollout, a company called HCL Technologies was appointed to create a $35 touchscreen Android tablet capable of watching YouTube videos and browsing the web.

Now, after over 8,500 different colleges signed up to the program, the 7-inch model of the device has received a launch date of January 2011. As of yet, nothings been said on availability of the 5 and 10-inch versions. Let's just hope the ridiculously low price doesn't promise the Sakshat to be a sack 'o shat.

Nuu Mini Key Keyboard For The iPhone 4 Pops Up At IFA

Matt Fryy — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:36:50 +0000

I think most people are over the fact that the iPhone is never going to have a hardware keyboard. Although most users are more than happy with Apple's softkeys, there's always going to be those far-and-few crazycats who just can't get over tactile buttons! Well here's a solution courtesy of Nuu. Mini Key is an iPhone 4 case with a built-in slide-out pysical keyboard.

The Android-esque solution does add a mighty load of bulk, but let's face it, if you really want to fashion your brushed-metal and glossy-glassed iPhone in a plastic keyboard, your probably a bigger fan of function than form.

The Mini Key is expected to go on sale before the end of the year for around €60 / $60. Read on for more pics...

Apple's Photoshop Bloopers

Matt Fryy — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:51:10 +0000

Apple really doesn't like using Adobe products. Something that has become very apparent over the last few months. Today Jobs released an open letter to the company detailing that "Photoshop is the number 2 reason why Macs crash" and that Apple would prefer to use Microsoft Paint to cut their promo images together, instead of risking it with Adobe's world renowned, premier and all around excellent editor.

Not really, but come on, look at these sloppy Photoshop skills of the new iPod Touch? That's IPOD. Or more the thought that has gone behind them. Read on for more...

YouTube Shows Off More Interactive Viral Ads With 'A hunter shoots a bear'

Matt Fryy — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:37:31 +0000

Just over a week after The Last Exorcism's Chatroulette campaign received mainstream media coverage, YouTube is showing what it can do to turn heads with it's latest interactive takeover ad.

We don't want to give it away before you get to see this awesome video, but 'A hunter shoots a bear' takes over the top half of the web page and literally pulls the featured product out from it's residing ad, to change the course of the video in the coolest and most interactive way we've ever seen!

The product in question is actually Tipp-Ex. You know, that white fluid you use to 'white and rewrite' your sloppy pen habits. Although this may seem as unsuspecting-an-advertiser as Old Spice initially did to the YouTube generation, the way in which the product is integrated is just as clever.

Watch a hunter shoots a bear on YouTube.

(Read on for CNBC's discussion with entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk regarding Chatroulette and viral marketing.)

New Apple TV Is Announced, Rental-Only HD Content Streamed From The Cloud

Matt Fryy — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:13:56 +0000

Steve Jobs has debuted the new cloud based Apple TV live on-stage at Apple's september music event. The terrifically tiny new design houses an A4 chip... and little else!

The service offers commercial-free HD movie and TV show (shows currently U.S only) rentals from just 99¢ an episode and $3.99 a flick. Also included is Netflix's app, which gives users access to even more titles, and a more flexible method of paying for content.

This, alongside a whole new UI and Apple's iOS screen-sharing software 'AirPlay' for just $99/£99

iTunes 10 Launches, Apple Suprises With Ping Social Network

Matt Fryy — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:12:59 +0000

Apple have ~~launched~~ ~~announced~~ launched the next major update of their iTunes software: iTunes 10.
Alongside some minor streamlining and UI tweaks, Apple have developed their own built-in social network called Ping.

Ping is 'a social network for music', a place where artists, listeners and friends come together to share their musical interests and tastes. The network resides within the iTunes store on your iPhone, iPod Touch or computer, and allows you to post statuses and other media to your feed, whilst 'following' your friends and favorite artistseses updates.

At a glance, the whole concept sounds completely un-original. Steve said himself "it's sorta like Facebook and Twitter meet iTunes" but the more you think about it, and the sheer number of people who download and rate music on iTunes every day, it's even more surprising that they haven't tried something like this before.

iPod Nano Does Away With Click Wheel, It's All Touch Baby!

Matt Fryy — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:11:01 +0000

Perhaps the most innovative product of the bunch from Apple's September music event is the new iPod Nano. The Nano has undergone a complete re-make, ridding itself of the iconic click-wheel in way of a 240x240 1.54-inch multi-touch display.

The iPod has retained the same music playback and utilities from previous models, but spruced up in true iOS form. You can rotate the homescreen to any orientation using the same gesture you would to flip photos on Apple's multi-touch trackpad, and it'll pump out 24-hours of banging tunes before you need to plug it in.

Prices start at £129/$149 and shipping starts next week.

Apple Takes A Design U-Turn With the New iPod Shuffle

Matt Fryy — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:08:24 +0000

We don't like buttons? We do like buttons? Apple's obviously undecided.

As Jobs stands in the spotlight ready to announce a whole new generation of holiday iPods, theres one inevitably anomaly in the lineup that's bound to undergo some change: The iPod Shuffle. Now, the Shuffle has respectively been a great device, a slim opportunity for the big A to attract that ever diminishing sector of the market who seem to have more sense than money (I'm sorry but if your reading this, your probably as guilty of technolust as I am!).

Well the fact that people tend to need some kind of tactile control over their player has indeed prevailed, and the previously microscopic model has been replaced with a 2008-style 2GB shuffle. Shipping in a week for £39 or $49.

New iPod Touch Gets Retina Display, HD Video and Facetime Calling

Matt Fryy — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:04:06 +0000

Apple have just announced their next generation iPod touch. As predicted it's playing catch-up to the latest iPhone. The addition of the coveted 'Retina' display, blazing fast 1GHZ A4 processor, HD video recording and a front-facing camera for FaceTime video chat makes this one killer device. Notably, the Touch uses Apple ID to connect with other devices for FaceTime. This means that not only can it call other iPods, but also the iPhone 4.

Oh, and did I forget to mention it's thin? The iTouch (as it hates being called, has always made the iPhone look like a bit of a porker, and this one, surprisingly, is no exception!

Prices starts from £189/$229 depending on which side of the pond your on and shipping is about a week either way.

Apple special event coverage

Matt Fryy — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:38:08 +0000

It's September, Apple are out to play and their wielding a rather fruity looking guitar. That's right, it's music time!

As per usual the tech world is a-buzz with a smorgasbord of 'leaks', rumours, wish-lists and predictions. One thing not so usual is Apple's decision to live video stream the entire event, so catch yourself up on the latest and join us back here for our live Twitter commentary of the september music special, or head over to @Gigabyt3 for more of the same, starting:

06:00PM - London
01:00PM - Eastern
12:00PM - Central
10:00AM - Pacific

Toshiba Libretto Concept PC Boasts Dual Touchscreens, Coming 'Later This Summer'

Matt Fryy — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:57:26 +0000

Toshiba have been busy at work mixing up the mobile computing space, by today announcing their latest concept PC; the Libretto W100. This dual-screen 1.2Ghz Windows 7 system is the latest to have a pop at the next generation ultra-portable market. By replacing the hardware keyboard with a second 7" multi-touch display, Toshiba are aiming to "...deliver a rich Internet experience, multimedia playback and the freedom to multi-task..." whilst weighing in at just 1.8 pounds. Read on for the spec report!

Google.cn To Switch Off Before April

Matt Fryy — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:19:22 +0000

In a report published earlier today, Google are said to be on the brink of ending the epic censorship battle between themselves and chinese government in one brash maneuver, to just get out of the country's cyberspace all together.

Apple 'iGroups' Proximity Aware Social Network In The Works?

Matt Fryy — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Okay so we ought to know better than to get exited by Apple's vapourous blueprints, but Patently Apple's latest findings have been provoking some serious buzz. The premise is a proximity based social network that takes location aware web 2.0 to the next level via the iPhone.

HTC 'Incredible' Photo Leak, Utter Android Eye-Candy

Matt Fryy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

In a total smartphone fail to keep new handsets under wrap, Mobile blog Pocketnow have leaked snaps of HTC's new candybar smartphone, the 'incredible'. So with such a modest title, what's this baby boasting?

We're talking Snapdragon CPU, 256mb of RAM, a 3.6-inch* WVGA touchscreen (possibly AMOLED) and a 5MP camera all crammed into a delicious bright orange exterior. The incredible runs Android 2.1 w/ Sense UI, an undoubtedly saucy combination, giving this smartphone beauty to balance the brawn.

Make Your Own iPad, Runs On 'A4'

Matt Fryy — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

No-matter where in the world you are, if your a true Apple fanboy then the painful monthly vacuum between iAnnouncement and iRelease is enough to drive you crazy. You want that must-have gadget in your life now, right?

Well fear not iPad enthusiasts, come, turn back to the rambling tech blogs, bathe in the aftermath of post-event rumours and conspiracies, for we have something to quench your technolust until the multi-touch glass and brushed aluminium are ready to ship!

Enter iPaperPad! Your own fold-able, glue-able cut-out Apple tablet, courtesy of Jess Silverstone from Revolutionary concepts.

Click to download print-out iPaperPad, front and back PNGs.

Google Produces Series Of Short Films Showing Making Of The Nexus One

Matt Fryy — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

In an artistic marketing twist, the team behind Google's second smartphone have put together a series of online webisodes, documenting the story behind creating the Nexus One. Google's key message behind the four-minute first episode: 'Concept and Design', seems to be this idea of perfectly marrying hardware to software, which ironically automatically springs the iPhone to mind.

Still, this Nexus One promo remains a nice touch. Hosted entirely on YouTube, installment one and two of five are live now, although Ep.2 'Display & 3D framework' seems to be having some streaming problems.

Apple Announces The iPad

Matt Fryy — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Steve Jobs has indeed unveiled Apple's most speculated device in the form of the iPad. It seems the rumours were true, as the device is essentially a large-scale iPod Touch.

The importants:

16, 32 and 64GB models
1Ghz Apple 'A4' processor
802.11n WiFi w/ optional 3G
Accelerometer
Digital compass
1024x768 VGA / 480p video-out
Runs all iPhone/iPod Touch apps, fully scalable to full-screen
Updated iPhone SDK available today, works with the iPad
Incredibly responsive screen 'better' than the iPhone 3GS
Starts at $499 and runs all the way up-to $829

The iPad will be shipping in just 60 days, with the 3G models shipping in 90 days.

Apple.com for more...

iPhone Dev-Team Release RedSn0w 0.9 Beta for Mac and PC

Matt Fryy — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The self proclaimed 'iPhone Dev Team' are well and truly back in the game with the release of RedSn0w 0.9 Beta for OSX and Windows. The latest version allows nearly all generations of Apple iPhone/iPod Touch to Jailbreak, Unlock and customize the most recent 3.0/3.1.2 firmware.

The 'nearly' is due to the 'Beta', which is currently unable to support third generation iPod Touches, a niggle that is said to be fixed with the full RedSn0w release.

Click to download RedSn0w 0.9 Beta for Windows PC or Mac OSX.

20 Percent Of All Brits Think Steve Jobs Is A Famous Footballer

Matt Fryy — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Okay so us brits aren't famed for our technolust, but just because we're not born and bred in silicon valley doesn't mean we don't know a thing or two about about Tech & 2.0, right?

In a recent survey conducted by global public relations company Lewis PR, a ready and raring rep took to the streets of Britain to find out how many of us really know our Blackberrys from our Apples with a variety of modern technology orientated questions aimed to unravel the UK's general knowledge of internet, computing and consumer electronics. Read on for a cheap laugh at our expense...

FLO Deliver Live Television to the iPhone via Mophie's Upcoming TV Case

Matt Fryy — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Lately Mophie have been making some killings in the iCase market, and with news of a partnership with FLO TV it was only a matter of time before the rumours became realities. Well in a recent press release from the kings of mobile television, FLO have announced development of a new iPhone/iPod Touch product that promises to pack their terribly clunky reciever into one of Mophie's ground-breaking Juice Packs.

If (like us) this is the Apple accessory you've been dreaming of, you'll be pleased to hear this case should be rolling out in the first half of 2010, which is plenty of time for some healthy competition to brew! This is one of those products that we really hope will be done right first time. Luckily Mophie's reputation for ergonomic quality is somewhat of a reassurance, and to date, we can't think of a better manufacturer to follow through the tech in question.

Nintendo's Wii To Get Nexflix Streaming Video Rentals

Matt Fryy — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Last week Netflix CEO Reed Hastings went out on a limb to say the chances of getting the live streaming video rental service onto Nintendo's Wii were "Excellent". Well according to a report published by the New York Times earlier today, the deal has gone through and we should expect to see Nexflix on the Wii sometime this spring.

So what's the catch? In order to get one-click rentals users must have a broadband connected console as-well as Netflix's $9 a month subscription. Although the necessity to pay monthly somewhat dampens our excitement, without a doubt this is a great (although late) move for Nintendo, who seem to be struggling to keep up with Microsoft and Sony's efforts in pushing the boundaries for what game consoles can do.

Microsoft Founder Bill Gates Joins Twitter

Matt Fryy — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

That's right folks, the world's richest man aka. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has indeed joined Twitter! The PC pioneer posted his first ever tweet about four hours ago:

@BillGates "Hello World." Hard at work on my foundation letter - publishing on 1/25.

His profile sports Twitter's 'Verified Account' badge, indeed confirming he's the real deal. This has also been backed up by Twitter's own @caroline in recent tweets. So what you waiting for? (Except some serious traffic!) Give some entrepreneurial lovin' to Mr. Billy G himself, and don't forget to follow up G-star CEO Mr. Eric S Word up!

Droid Security Flaw Bypasses Passcode In One Touch

Matt Fryy — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Smartphone security, a worry to us all at the best of times. All that desktop standard software piled in-to a tiny little device, of course some inconsistencies will surface, all good super-phones have had their fair share. Well now it's Motorolas turn!

Droid users have reported a somewhat major (yet somewhat epic!) bug in it's Android 2.0.1 OS, that allows any nosy parker full access to your passlock protected phone with just the click of a button. After receiving a call on the device just hit the dedicated 'back' button to flash forward to the Droids homescreen, giving complete access to e-mail, web history, address book and all other personal information on the device.

Intel Infoscape HD Wall Renders Real-Time Web, Powered By Core i7

Matt Fryy — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Intel have taken CES '10 as an opportunity to show off the sheer power of their new Core i7 chips, and this time it's in the form of a real-time HD rendering of the interwebs! These 7-foot touchscreen panels show well over 500 live links of real-time info, pulling from over 20,000 different sources. All of this is powered by a tiny 2010 Core i7 processor, which seems to handle this HD application extremely well.

Intel say they have no plans to bring this tech to the consumer market, but what a way to demonstrate the capabilities of the i7! Read on for video coverage...

Dell Unveils Alienware M11X Gaming Netbook

Matt Fryy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Dell are proving this year's CES isn't all 3D, tablets and displays by annoucing the worlds first 'all powerful ultra mobile gaming system' in the form of the fragtastic Alienware M11X notebook. This ultra-compact machine sports an 11" 720p display with instantly switchable dual Nvidia GPUs for up-to 'two hours of intense gaming' running on battery. The M11X features Display Port, HDMI and VGA video outputs, and boasts 50FPS on Crysis and 30FPS with Call Of Duty.

Dell reported the laptop will be available later this year for under $1000

Nexus One Coming To UK 'in a few short weeks' On Vodafone

Matt Fryy — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

So the Nexus One is finally upon us! Google's best efforts with this astonishing super-phone have impressed the folks over-the-pond left right and center, but we're left wondering when are we brits getting a chunk of this Google goodness? Well ponder no more eager tech-heads!

Yahoo! News have reported an official statement from a Vodafone spokeswomen claiming they will offer the Nexus One "in Europe, starting soon in the UK, in a few short weeks". The news that Vodafone will be sporting the smartphone comes as a surprise to the UK phone market as the big G's previous phone, the G1, was launched exclusively on T-mobile, and Vodafone haven't proved to be the most popular network in recent years.

First Pictures Of Skype On LG's Infinia HDTV In 720p

Matt Fryy — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

As promised here are the first pictures of a Skype enabled HDTV at CES. The set in question is LG's LCD Infinia, a setup of 'dazzling' quality and the first TV seen live to boast Skype's service. The live calling itself has been dubbed as 'satisfactory' based on usability and UI, although perhaps not best living up to Skype's high expectations for user experience.

It must be said this isn't the most ground-breaking app design we've seen this year either, however this is subject to change and for a first attempt at topping Cisco, it's not a bad one.

Sony, IMAX and Discovery To Air 24/7 3D TV Network

Matt Fryy — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Throughout the previous year of '09 we've seen the blast-from-the-past that is 3D coming back into fashion. With more and more demand for three-dimensional filmaking and 3D Blu-ray, the world has been going mad for the 80's phenomenon and after several flirts with this spectacular programming on mainstream television, it's only been a matter of time before someone cashes in on an all-out 3D channel. To our joy, this is just what media juggernauts Sony, IMAX and Discovery are doing.

YouTube Video Claims 79 Billion Views. Err, what?

Matt Fryy — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Today a certain YouTube video upload has aroused curiosity due to an untold number of views. The vid in question is one uploaded by user 'LadyMC311' titled 'Twista ft. Do Or Die-do you' which has apparently been viewed over 79,000,000,000 (79 Billion) times.

Obviously this information is false but we're still left wondering whether this is an unintentionally error on YouTube's part or a user's handy hacking work. The video sharing mega-site hasn't been on the receiving end of bad press as regards to hacking or security much is at all. Nevertheless this re-in-forces the fact that any site can become the target for scripts, hacks and attacks, a good reminder that no online content is 100% safe no-matter where it's hosted.

Skype Pushes 720p Video Calling for HDTVs

Matt Fryy — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Today Skype have announced they're plans for rolling out their free video-calling service for HDTVs, which will bring true 720p live video conferencing to your living room. The company are looking to put their class-leading app on a wide range on TVs including Panasonic's 2010 Viera Cast and LG's 26inch LCD and plasma sets.

Skype claim their latest Windows version will provide this service when coupled with a HD webcam and 1.8Ghz of power. We're expecting to see these cameras in question at this years CES for a taste of things to come.

Major Apple Product Announcement Scheduled For 27th January

Matt Fryy — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Today reports have been published claiming a 'Major' Apple event has been scheduled for January 27 and thus entrails the unveiling of a brand new product. The web is writhing for a peak at Apple's mysterious tablet and John Paczkowski of All Things D has been quick to back this up, stating that Apple are in fact hosting a significant event towards the end of January and that the 27th is the date to mark on your calendar!

Furthermore, french fanboys Mac 4 Ever have 'leaked' that developers have been handed the iPhone OS 4.0 SDK which includes a 'simulator' designed to re-build apps scaled for the new Tablet form-factor.

BT Stack Connects Apple's Magic Mouse To The iPhone

Matt Fryy — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We've always been exited by the concept of using a Bluetooth keyboard with the iPhone, and in recent weeks the Cydia application 'BTstack' has allowed jailbroken 3G/3GS users to do just this.

Now, the same guys that build the latter have developed the driver code to allow Apple's new Magic Mouse to interact with the iPhone. After pairing the mouse to your device via Bluetooth you can seamlessly navigate through the iPhone's UI the same way you would with your finger, but with a responsive Apple cursor instead.

Windows Mobile Y2K16 Makes Smartphones Receive Texts From The Future

Matt Fryy — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Flash back a decade to the year 2000, the Y2K bug was set to cause havoc in the world of tech. Devices were predicted to malfunction, cash machines shut down and computers to explode and destroy all of humanity! Ten years on and the panic of the day is almost laughable. Well, unless your a Windows Mobile user that is!

WMExperts are reporting that some Smartphones have been affected by a bug that set in late Thursday night causing messages sent after 1/1/2010 to be dated as received in 2016. WM users have been quick to address the issue with this temporary .cab fix which uses 'your device time instead of the SMS gateway server' to correctly display the date the message was received.

Although this problem has been been primarily reported by WM 6.1 and 6.5 users it may affect other similar devices in the same way.

Twitter Buys Mixer Labs & GeoAPI

Matt Fryy — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

As social networking starts to evolve into a real-time, location aware environment, Twitter has kept it's finger firmly on the pulse in more ways than one. Back in November they released their Geotagging API to developers and today Twitter has acquired Mixer Labs, creator of GeoAPI.

GeoAPI allows developers to build great Geolocation based applications, which as of now will be functioning inside of Twitter. So what does this mean for the Twittersphere?

Apple 'definitely' Releasing 7" Tablet This January?

Matt Fryy — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

As Christmas nears we're expecting the iTablet rumours to come in thick and fast and why shouldn't they? The Mac Tablet is one of Apple's most readily rumoured and highly speculated products ever, despite never being officially announced! The premise is that 'Steve and the gang' will release a next-generation device that will blow all other touchscreen computers out of the water. But through the mist of patents and hearsay, is there really an Apple shaped light at the end of the tunnel? BGR seem to think so!

Today Boy Genius are "going out on a limb" claiming their contact is "100%" sure there is an iTablet set for January and it's going to be a seven-incher! BGR say their tipster has been "amazingly accurate in the past", leading us to believe these somewhat obvious predictions are true.

Microsoft Banned From Selling Word & Office Starting January 11

Matt Fryy — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Back in May the news broke that Microsoft had lost a patent infringement suit regarding Word's handling of .xml, .docx and .docm files, meaning the only thing keeping their flagship office suite in sale was the chance that the appeal might go in their favour.

As Microsoft have lost the suit against 'XML specialists' i4i again, as it stands they are not authorized to sell Word and thus the entire Office suite is barred from sale starting January 11.

Google-Branded Chrome OS Netbook For 2010?

Matt Fryy — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

As if the G-unit haven't exited us enough lately with news of the Nexus One Google phone currently in the works and the epic Twitter rollout. It looks like Google's next insane venture has been leaked and it comes in the form of a Chrome OS Netbook!

TechCrunch have reported rumours regarding a Google-branded netbook device set for release early next year. The notebook is reckoned not to have have Intel inside, but an ARM or Nvidia processor. It's also likely to ship with a data plan as Chrome OS is oh-so reliant on 'The Cloud'.

The premise of Google releasing their own brand of netbook looks likely when compared to the similar instance earlier this week. Talk is that Google have again given a 'request for proposal' in order to cite a suitable supplier for the product

PosiMotion Reveals Helix Gaming Grip For iPhone/iPod Touch

Matt Fryy — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The iPhone is undoubtedly one of the most exiting yet unexpected gaming platforms of the last few years, thus we're always exited to see new accessories promising to push the budding 'Apple gameboy' to it's limits.

Enter the Helix Gaming Grip from PosiMotion! Set to launch at CES 2010, this snazzy bit of gear holds your iPhone or iPod touch firmly in the middle of two ergonomically designed handles for maximum comfort and precision when rolling, drifting or pwning along to your favourite apps. We love how this grip turns the device into a chunkier 'arcade rally-esque' style steering wheel which makes this the perfect companion for accelerometer based racing games such as Driver & Real Racing. On second glance it's not obvious how one is supposed to use on-screen controls without going one-handed, but perhaps we're missing the point here.

No news on price yet, but we expect to find out more early January at CES.

3D Blu-ray To Be Fully Backwards Compatible

Matt Fryy — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The official 'Blu-ray Disk Association' have announced that 3D Blu-ray will in fact be backwards compatible with current generation 2D players! The new codec which brings full 1080p video to each eye in 3D is said to be supported by all high-def boxes currently on the market including the PS3.

Other features rumored to take advantage of all three-dimensions include eye popping subtitles and realistic 3D graphic menus

Kohjinsha DZ Dual Screen Laptop Gets Reviewed

Matt Fryy — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

On Friday we had a look at WOW-POW's exclusive un-boxing of the Kohjinsha DZ, famed to be the worlds first 'real' dual screen notebook. After a few days with the device the same guys have put together a 3 part review, answering some of the hottest questions on the lips of the tech community plus taking a quick look at practicality, design and performance.

The DZ certainly isn't the most ground-breaking product we've seen all year but our readers seem to love it (and it's fast becoming our guilty pleasure too!) so read on for Part 2 & 3 of this comprehensive video review...

iPhone Firmware 4.0 Found In Blogosphere Server Logs

Matt Fryy — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

If you are thorough enough to check your site's server logs and you know a little bit about Smartphone software, you might just be lucky enough to come across next generation Apple firmware! At least that's what one budding Boy Genius did yesterday. On closer inspection of the server lines above, you can find entries for both iPhone 3.1.3 software as well as the mystical 4.0!

iPhone 3.1.3 would denote a minor bug fix (up from current version 3.1.2), an update much needed to clean up the current niggles reported by the tech community. But most interestingly is evidence of Apple's next big upgrade, which in the past has given us features such as the App Store and is the software that will be pre-loaded on iPhone G4.

Google Launches Real-time, Tweets Take Over Search Results

Matt Fryy — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Back in October Google signed a deal with Twitter to include real-time tweets in search results to provide users with up-to-the-minute updates about their keywords. Now Google searchers have started to noticed a huge step up in Twitter-Google integration as many results offer a 'Latest Results for...' Twitter widget displaying the most current mentions of the keyword in question. For example a quick Goog' search for 'gigabyt3' returns us the scrollable tweet box above about half way down the page.

Google highlighted this new feature and more at the real-time search event on December 7, giving an insight into what is to come for search, SEO and live media in general.

Read on for full video coverage of the event...

App Store Bug Makes Updates Download Over And Over

Matt Fryy — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users have been complaining of a bug in the App Store which causes application updates to download over and over and over again! The problem in question seems to act randomly unrelated to any specific apps or firmware version and although Apple haven't rolled out any bug fixes as of yet, there are a couple of things you can do to give this irritating app store niggle the slip!...

Google Responds To 'Google Phone' Rumours, Mobile Lab Is Born

Matt Fryy — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Both the twittersphere and blogosphere alike have been on fire today with rumours of a new Google branded smartphone being out in the wild. The news came in the form of several Tweets from CNET reviewers and Google employees, claiming that 'the big G' had rolled out 'tons' of unlocked smartphones to it's staff for testing purposes. In true open-source open-thought style Google VP Product Manager Mario Queiroz was quick to fill in the details:

Droid Comes To Europe, Renamed 'Milestone'

Matt Fryy — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

So as the Droid 'lands' in Europe, Britain prepares itself for the alien invasion! We batten down the hatches and lock up our daughters, ready for Motorola's ground breaking eruption of volcanic tech! Only to be utterly disappointed that the Droid has been renamed, the slightly less hardcore, Milestone.

Sorry chaps, no demonic forces at work behind this Smartphone. Just a perfectly all rounded, decent device. Don't get us wrong this is still one of the best phones Android has given birth to, but wheres the passion? Wheres the madness? Unfortunately not here Brits, better luck next time eh?

Kohjinsha DZ Dual Screen Latop Gets Unboxed

Matt Fryy — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Those cool cats over at Wow Pow have managed to get their greedy mitts on the Kohjinsha DZ - The worlds first "real" dual-screen laptop. The DZ is about the size of a standard netbook (obviously minus those two gorgeous displays) and packs a powerful 1.6Ghz AMD Neo processor with 4 delicious gigs of RAM.

Although this might not be the future of mobile computing, it sure is fun to watch! Without a doubt this won't be the last time we hear from the world of dual-screen notebooks.

Cyber Sniper Silencer Gaming Mouse Brings The Pwnage!

Matt Fryy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Small tech developer Cyber Snipa have released their latest and greatest gaming effort in the form of the Silcencer mouse. This devilish little critter packs a powerful pwning punch with an impressive adjustable DPI of 100-5000, plus all the Macro you could ever need with up to 63 customisable commands.

Tesco Gets iPhone 3GS, Plans From £20 p/m

Matt Fryy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Since the news broke that O2's exclusivity contract with Apple was up, it's been a matter of time before the iPhone becomes affordable in the UK. That day is officially December 14!

That's right folks, the iPhone 3GS is coming to Tesco mobile! Although not the most 'hip' or 'with-it' carrier, Tesco is by far the cheapest with plans starting from just £20 a month for a one year contract. Other offers include an unlimited calls and texts plan for £60 p/m and free unlimited 3G web and BT Openzone Wifi for a year on Pay As You Go.

Budding Tablet Enthusiast Builds Dell Mini 9 Courier PC

Matt Fryy — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

As the tech world grows impatient for a real-life working next-gen tablet, one ambitious user over at My Dell Mini forums has developed a mutant Mini-9 into a fully functional courier PC. Obviously nothing too ground breaking here from this home-made dual touch-screen setup, but with DIY and small coporate efforts such as this and the Joojoo Tablet clogging the tubes, why are we yet to see a proper example from big cheeses like Apple and Microsoft?

iPhone Gets Live Video Streaming Via Ustream

Matt Fryy — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Many thought it would never happen but here we are! (Finally) Ustream's 'Broadcaster' application has just gone live in the App Store, which makes it the first to broadcast live video over 3G or Wifi via your shiny Apple smartphone. Smiles all round as it incorporates your GPS location with your live feed plus the ability to change video resolution.

Without a doubt this is going to be the app of December, and it's totally free so give 'Ustream' a search in the app store, or click here to download it to iTunes.

EDIT: Following this report, Qik have announced their live video recorder for the iPhone has been submitted to the App Store.

USB 3.0 ExpressCard Epically Fails

Matt Fryy — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

We all want a slice of USB 3.0, the blazing fast 4.8gb/s peripheral port of the future. So it makes sense for manufacturers such as StarTech.com to try and cash in on an easy upgrade solution for the most of us snailing behind on 1.0 and 2.0 standards, enter USB 3.0 ExpressCard adapter! The perfect resolve for the millions of notebook users desperate to jump on the super-speed bandwagon, but wait a minute, isn't the ExpressCard speed limited? Doh!

DLO iPhone WallDock: Impractical? Irresistible!

Matt Fryy — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

As the holidays commence iPhone gadgets are splattered throughout the blogosphere and let's be honest, they are all pretty much the same! Enter DLO Walldock for the iPhone!

This cute and simple plug-and-charge wall mount for the iPhone charges your favourite smartphone at a 'higher power' whilst seamlessly hovering in front of your mains power outlet. Okay so a clutter-free way to charge your phone for sure but perhaps not the most practical of phone mounts? Unless you like pinching and scrolling with your feet of course?

Nevertheless, we love it!

'Sports Illustrated' Tablet Concept Video

Matt Fryy — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

As mainstream media desperately searches for the next big platform for it's content, Time Inc. have teamed up with The Wonderfactory to produce their concept of 'Sports Illustrated' as a tablet magazine.

LG's Chocolate BL40 Out In The Wild

Matt Fryy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

LG's beautifully acclaimed BL40 has been spotted online, specifically at Sina Corporation. The asian site has had a very brief hands-on with the product (thus the snapshots), but nothing new has been said about the device from what we can interprate.

This generation Chocolate is LG's 4th device in the 'black label' series and is already much anticipated for its smooth looking interface and 21:9 screen ratio! One of the only things we've had to go on is this promotional video from LG, showcasing the BL40's slick design and dabbling in software.

Mozilla Show-off Firefox 4.0 Design Mock-ups

Matt Fryy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Following their FF 3.7 design leaks, Mozilla have created and published mock-up screen-shots of what we might be expecting on the design side of Firefox 4.0. Now Mozilla stress that these are in no way final, but it's pretty obvious that Firefox is taking the Chrome-y route in design! The similarity is pretty uncanny, but looking at recent versions of Safari and the likes, I don't think anyone at Google is going to shout snap in a hurry.

UK iPhones To Get Unlimited Free Streaming Music Via Spotify?

Matt Fryy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Last.fm killers Spotify have submitted their iPhone version of their revolutionary application to the App Store. Spotify is 'a new way to enjoy music' which similarly to Last.fm streams tunes to users for free, but instead you get to select exactly what you want to listen to as opposed to songs you might like.

The Last.fm iPhone application has had a huge reception, so you can only imagine how big this app is going to be. Features include unlimited access to Spotify's entire library and the ability to cache songs on the phone to listen to whilst offline for nothing! If this gets past the app store approval process, it'll be available free to UK iPhoners who are signed up to Spotify's premium service, so there's your catch.. But for unlimited music, an incredible deal.

Apple's September Event: Cocktails, iPods and Tablets?

Matt Fryy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Reports have been coming in over-night that Apple is set for a September event in which it will release its Tablet Device, a new range of iPods, and extra features in iTunes. The iTunes project is reportedly codenamed 'cocktail', and plans to include 'interactive books' with album purchases, thought to spur the market forward in digital downloads. This makes sense as iTunes isn't famous for selling albums as it is individual tracks, but would creating this kind of incentive really make a difference? No doubt they have something up their sleeve.

iPhone 3.1 Software to Allow Augmented Reality Apps

Matt Fryy — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

A report from the L.A. times claims that Apple will finally allow the tools that developers need to produce Augmented Reality applications in the iPhone 3.1 software. Currently developers working on these apps have not been able to publish them to the app store, due to restrictions from Apple. According to the L.A. times, this will change with iPhone 3.1.

"Apple told Acrossair, developer of the Nearest Tube train finder, that the app will be approved for distribution after Apple releases version 3.1 of the iPhone software, which the developer expects will land in early September"

Hopefully Apple will follow this through and these incredible Demos can become a reality for millions of iPhone users.

EDIT: (Read more for second vid)

PayPal Embeds Itself in Everything

Matt Fryy — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

PayPal, the world'd premier pioneers on on-line payment have officially put the word out about their new mechanisms and developer APIs which will start becoming available next week.

At an event with Press and Developers on Thursday, PayPal boasts about its Adaptive Payments Service and opens up possibilities regarding several different types of integrated payment including; Mobile phones, Set-top boxes and other secure digital environments.

Asus The First To Implement USB 3.0

Matt Fryy — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Consumer electronics whizzes Asus are set to be the first manufacturer to feature USB 3.0 technology. The news comes after specs of their 'P6X58' motherboard were made public.

This new 'SuperSpeed' USB 3.0 boats a data transfer rate of a whopping 4.8gb/s as opposed to 480mb/s in USB 2.0 and 12mb/s in 1.0

Official speed benchmarks are yet to be set, along with a release date or price for this early hardware.

T-Mobile & Orange To Get iPhone in UK?

Matt Fryy — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

According to a report on MobileToday.co.uk, Apple is to begin rolling out the iPhone on UK carriers Orange and T-Mobile as early as September! This comes at the end of a two-year exclusivity contract with O2, making the iPhone only available for a minimum £30pm contract or £450 handset on Pay & Go.

YouTube Dabbles in 3D Video

Matt Fryy — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Video giants YouTube have begun experimentation in 3D video modes. The 3D player can be enabled by using the URL tag: 'yt3d:enable=true', which activates the ability to watch videos in 3D, cross-eyed or with your funky 3D glasses!

The technology used in parts seems pretty basic and is no way perfect but nevertheless something fun to play with, (and a good way for good to use it's 20%). We must warn you though, if you are sensitive to eye strain or migraines, THIS REALLY HURTS!

China Getting iPhone 3G, No WiFi!

Matt Fryy — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

So as far as the tech scene goes in the Middle Kingdom, stuff hasn't been looking good lately! With the government censoring everything from gadgets to Google, the iPhone 3G was obviously not going to get away unscathed.

iPhone Suicide: A Day in The Life of a Foxconn Employee

Matt Fryy — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Following up to the 'iPhone Suicide' scenario, The Business Insider had put together a report based on several sources, showing the inside workings of a Foxconn factory in China and after reading some of this, you can see why you would be borderline suicidal just working there let alone after you've lost an Apple prototype.

"I was placed in a dormitory that has ten three-level bunk beds, thus accomodating 30 people. While many people refused to stay there at that time, the management said that it is much better than the other dormitories on site that are shared by hundreds of workers. Although I still had some negative feelings towards the dorm room, at the same time, I felt lucky for not having to live in a dorm room shared by hundreds. Just the second day living in the dorm, however, I found my safe box open, and my walkman gone. There was nothing I could do but to try to tell myself that I was lucky because it was not that expensive...

Next-Gen iPhone Specs Found On Chinese Forum

Matt Fryy — Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Rumour alert! It's about time for the next-generation iPhone rumours to start rolling in, how about this one to start them off then?

Chinese iPhone fanboy forum 'WeiPhone' has been home to much speculation recently as one poster has 'leaked' specs of an iPhone (4G?)

Although this particular source hasn't brought us anything before, we have looked east previously regarding spy shots of several different Apple products, nearly all to turn out to be the real deal! So if this user has got his facts straight we can be expecting the following in iPhone territory in june:

Pre-release iTunes 8.2 hints at Blu-ray intergration?

Matt Fryy — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

So yesterday Apple seeded the fourth Beta iPhone 3.0 software to developers, along with a pre-release iTunes 8.2 in order to activate the new firmware.

Although there is no news on anything new from 3.0 yet, there’s much-a speculation regarding the above image, and many reports that iTunes may soon be able to recognize Blu-ray disks.