THird GeneraTion ipad

Techwatch News July 2012 EditionLatest Technology News Issue 4

Home Cinema

THird GeneraTion ipad

Battle of the Browsers

Streaming: The Future of Gaming

ConTenTS

Features

News

Streaming: The Future of Gaming

Battle of the Browsers

Home Cinema

Ten First Steps on Your New iPad

News in Brief

Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 8

Microsoft Surface tablet revealed

Sony brings Google TV to UK

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neWS in Brief

Windows Phone overtakes iOS in China

Google gets approval on Motorola

Computer with broadband just £159

NPD: US 3DTV sales growing

Steve Jobs “worked closely” on iPhone 5

Microsoft is boasting about a victory over iOS. According to its Chief Operating Officer in China, Windows Phone now has a 7 per cent smartphone market share in China, compared with 6 per cent for Apple’s iOS.

Google has finally got the nod from China’s anti-trust authorities to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. Chinese approval was the last hurdle to clear, and the deal has now been sealed.

The Get Online @ Home initiative is now offering a desktop computer, complete with a year’s worth of broadband access from TalkTalk, for just £159. You can get a laptop on the same deal for £229.

3DTV sales have grown strongly in the US in Q1 2012, with volumes shifted up 74 per cent year-on-year, and revenue up 64 per cent. However, consumers still don’t see 3D as a crucial element, with only 14 per cent marking 3D down as a “must have” feature.

Apparently the late CEO and leading light of Apple, Steve Jobs, was closely involved with the design of the iPhone 5, which is due out this autumn. That’s according to Bloomberg, which also noted that the Cupertino company was moving to a bigger display size with the next iPhone.

BT accused of super-fast broadband monopoly

Shadow Business Minister Chi Onwurah has come out and said that BT is threatening to carve out a monopoly on super-fast broadband in the UK, noting the prospect that the firm might even have to be split into two separate companies, should it monopolise the arena.

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Multiple sources are now pointing to the fact that the next iPhone, which should be out in October, will have a 4 inch screen. Or possibly a 4.1 inch screen, but at any rate, it’s looking more likely that Cupertino is set to increase display real estate on the iPhone 5.

iPhone 5: More 4 inch screen rumours

LG unveils 5 inch HD smartphone display

Yahoo Axis search app revealed

Xperia Play won’t get Android 4.0

YouView has begun UK trials

neWS in Brief

LG has revealed a new 5 inch display, an AH-IPS LCD panel with a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080, which outstrips the retina resolution of the current iPhone considerably, offering a pixel density of no less than 440 ppi (the iPhone 4S is 326 ppi).

Sony has decided that it won’t roll out Ice Cream Sandwich to its Xperia Play gaming handset. The firm notes that following extensive testing, it was decided that a “consistent and stable” experience couldn’t be guaranteed with ICS on the Xperia Play.

YouView has begun trials in this country, and thousands of test set-top boxes could be live in homes across the UK by the time you read this, or shortly thereafter. That means the video on-demand service could be ready to launch, finally, before the summer is out.

Facebook eyeing Opera for $1bn?

Everything Everywhere plans customer service revamp

Facebook could be about to bolster itself on the mobile front once more, following its $1 billion bid for photo sharing service Instagram. The social network is looking at speedy mobile browser Opera, which will probably cost it $1 billion plus, too.

Everything Everywhere has just announced a major £50 million investment and an overhaul of its customer service system. The firm is introducing a large scale training program, producing experts who are well versed in particular handsets and operating systems.

Yahoo has pushed out Axis, a mobile app and desktop browser plug-in which features a “sleek” design that lets people quickly move forward in their searching. Axis uses a visual-centric and predictive search system, and syncs results across all a user’s devices.

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Ubisoft showed off Assassin’s Creed III over at the recent E3 show in the US. It’s set in the American Revolution of 1775, and powered by a new engine called Anvil Next, promising overhauled physics and animations, and more fluid, realistic combat as a result.

BBC iPlayer popularity still rising 93% of businesses want 4G

Windows 8 Release Preview unleashed

neWS in Brief

Figures for the iPlayer in the first quarter of 2012 have shown the service averaged nearly 190 million requests per month, up 24 per cent on the same period last year. Mobile and tablet requests almost doubled year-on-year for April, up 94 per cent.

A survey commissioned by Everything Everywhere found that 93 per cent of businesses want 4G (LTE) rolled out as soon as possible. The survey also indicated that 94 per cent of “senior decision makers” said the UK needs 4G to remain competitive.

Virgin Media has confirmed that its free Wi-Fi service will be arriving at 80 London underground stations by the end of July. Some of the first stations to benefit will include Oxford Circus, Stratford, Liverpool Street, Leicester Square and King’s Cross.

First free Wi-Fi tube stations named

Vodafone Smart II budget hand-set launched

Assassin’s Creed III unveiled Microsoft reveals Xbox SmartGlass

Microsoft has pushed out the Release Preview version of Windows 8. This final pre-release candidate comes with the core OS, along with Internet Explorer 10 and new Windows 8 apps for hooking up to the likes of SkyDrive and Hotmail.

Vodafone has launched a new budget Android handset, the Smart II, priced at £70. The smartphone has a 3.2 inch HVGA touchscreen, 800MHz processor, 512MB of Ram, along with a 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash, and is available now.

Microsoft revealed a new service called SmartGlass at E3. The application hooks the Xbox up with Windows Phone and Windows 8 tablet devices, allowing additional features for games, and context sensitive information to be pulled up on the tablet for films you’re watching, for example.

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Around 6 million LinkedIn passwords were recently hacked and posted on a Russian web forum. The social network is now salting and cryptographically hashing passwords, in other words, adding a string to make the encryption much more difficult to crack.

OnLive coming to LG smart TV 6 million LinkedIn passwords stolen

neWS in Brief

OnLive will be coming to LG’s G2 series of smart TVs, the ones with the new Google TV. OnLive will be on board out of the box, and select 3D games will be supported with a future software update (using the LG Cinema 3D glasses).

Google Maps expands coverage Weak passwords still a problem

Google has been tweaking its Maps service with the Street View Trekker, a backpack based system allowing for on-foot photography. The search giant is also making Google Maps for Android available offline, meaning Android handset owners can store maps on their smartphone.

Research conducted by the University of Cambridge has shown that the average password is still rather weak. While younger folks are typically more tech savvy than older age groups, being brought up with smartphones and the like, their elders are more likely to select a secure password.

http://www.officephonesystem.co.uk

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Facebook has launched its social App Centre in the US, and it should be available over here by the time this e-magazine goes to press. It kicked off with some 600 apps in the store, of both the mobile and web variety, including the likes of Pinterest and Draw Something.

Facebook launches App Centre

Bing hooks up with Encyclopaedia Britannica

Samsung Galaxy Note gets Android 4.0

Facebook will identify cyber-bullies

LG Optimus 4X HD now out

neWS in Brief

Microsoft has announced a partnership between its search engine and the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Bing will now provide answers from Britannica Online on its results page, with a quick summary and overview of the subject, along with some useful highlighted facts.

By the time you read this, the Galaxy S III rivalling Optimus 4X HD should be on UK shelves. It has a Tegra 3 quad-core processor on board, clocked at 1.5GHz, and a big 4.7 inch display with a 720p resolution, along with 16GB of storage.

Vodafone and O2 to share net-works

Vodafone and O2 have announced that they will share network infrastructure, with both firms gaining access to a single grid of some 18,500 masts. While customers won’t be able to roam across networks, this should help speed the 4G roll out process in the UK.

Google launches Chromebox

Google has launched the Chromebox, a mini-PC with an HDMI port which can be hooked up to your TV, along with DVI and VGA connections for your monitor. The device runs the Chrome OS, and can be used as a media PC, or cheap desktop/office computer, retailing at £279.

Android 4.0 is now rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone in the UK, at least for sim-free owners. Those on network contracts will have to wait until their operator has tested and tweaked the OS, as ever.

A Brighton woman has won a court case to have the identities of the cyber-bullies who harassed her on Facebook revealed. The social network will now reveal their names, IP and email addresses, and she will go forward with a private prosecution.

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Microsoft has updated its My Xbox Live app for the iPhone, so it can now be used as a remote control to pause, play, fast forward and so on. The company has also brought out an Xbox Live app for Android.

Vodafone unveils festival Booster Brolly Xbox Live app updated for iOS

Xbox NUads roll out in US

neWS in Brief

Vodafone’s latest invention, which is still in testing, is an umbrella with solar panels stitched into it, designed to charge your mobile up. It also has an integrated system to boost signal strength, meaning you’re more likely to get reception at a festival.

Microsoft has announced that NUads, the Kinect powered advertising platform, has officially come to Xbox Live in the US. NUads will allow Live adverts to embed interactive motion and voice controlled elements, and gather feedback for the advertiser.

Sony Xperia Miro unveiled Galaxy Note 2 in pipeline

Nintendo Wii U priced, then pulled

Sony recently unveiled the Xperia Miro, which has full integration of Facebook. The handset will run Android 4.0, and come with a 3.5 inch display, a 5 megapixel camera, plus DLNA support. There’ll also be a front camera for video chatting.

Amazon recently priced the Wii U at the £200 mark – although it also said the console’s release date would be this month, which seems very unlikely. Let’s hope the early indication of the price turns out to be spot on, although it was quickly pulled, suggesting it’s the usual “guesstimation”.

According to a new report from TalkTalk, many UK citizens are losing out on broadband speed due to the poor set up of their connection. The ISP reckons that around 500,000 households are dropping something like 4Mbps of broadband speed, on average.

The Samsung Galaxy Note will have a sequel this year, or so rumour has it. The Galaxy Note 2 will have a larger screen still, and it’ll be a flexible model with an unbreakable plane display. Speculation points to this autumn for the launch date.

Brits losing out on broadband speed

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Fresh rumours have popped up that Facebook might be about to realise its own mobile phone. According to the New York Times, the social network is still developing its own handset right now, and Facebook has apparently hired over half a dozen engineers thus far.

Nintendo 3DS XL imminent Facebook phone rumoured once more

Amazon App Store headed to UK

neWS in Brief

Nintendo is bringing the 3DS XL to Europe and Japan on July 28th, and to the US on August 19th. The XL will have bigger screens, with a 4.9 inch main display, and a 4.2 inch touchscreen. A bigger battery will also mean better longevity for the handheld.

Amazon’s App Store is finally going to open this side of the pond, offering Android apps along with the ability to test drive them, and one-click purchasing. We can assume that this move comes ahead of the Kindle Fire being made available, in one form or another.

HTC One X Wi-Fi flaw iPhone 5 will have 19-pin dock connector

Three offers £5 per day EU Internet

HTC has admitted that there is indeed a problem with the Wi-Fi of its flagship One X Android handset, or at least some of them. While future production is being addressed, it’s still not clear whether current handset owners will get a repair or replacement.

Three is fighting bill shock with a new plan which offers unlimited surfing in the EU for £5. The one day pass gives you 24 hours worth of data usage when you’re abroad (well, until midnight, anyway), during which time you needn’t worry about how much you’re downloading.

Twitter was hit by an outage last month, caused not by hackers as some sources first thought, but by a “cascading bug” in one of the social network’s infrastructure components, which quickly spread trouble worldwide. The service was down for a couple of hours.

There’s been some more spinning of the rumour mill on the iPhone front, courtesy of TechCrunch. According to the site, the iPhone 5, or whatever the next iPhone will be called, will have a 19-pin dock connector on it, replacing the current 30-pin model.

Twitter apologises for outage

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neWS

Microsoft has unveiled the next version of its mobile OS, which is expected out towards

the end of the year.

Windows Phone 8 will employ the same kernel, networking, security, file systems and core architecture as Windows 8 itself, knitting the world of smartphones, tablets and computers more tightly together.

End users will be able to enjoy the familiarity of the same Metro style apps and interface across all their devices, and developers will be able to program apps across those devices with a minimum of effort.

Windows Phone 8 also opens up the doors on the hardware front for the handsets which carry Microsoft’s OS, and as we’ve previously noted, it will allow for devices with multi-core processors.

Sharper screen resolutions are also supported – 1280x768 and 1280x720 – the latter of course being 720p high definition.

Windows Phone 8 also brings with it NFC wireless sharing, so you can tap to transfer a document, for example, and further support for extra storage space in the form of microSD cards.

The OS will also boast Internet Explorer 10, and a digital wallet, along with improved mapping and navigation features. Finally, WP8 will have a new start screen with much increased customisation options (with three sizes of Live tiles, for example).

Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 8

However, as we expected, current owners of Windows Phone 7.5 handsets won’t be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 8, as the older hardware isn’t powerful enough to handle the new incarnation of the OS.

Instead, for these users, Microsoft is producing Windows Phone 7.8, which comes with the new start screen, and will be deployed following Windows Phone 8’s release.

On the Windows Phone blog, Joe Belfiore wrote: “Windows Phone 8 is a generation shift in technology, which means that it will not run on existing hardware. BUT we care deeply about our existing customers and want to keep their phones fresh, so we’re providing the new Start screen in this new update.”

It isn’t clear whether Microsoft will be pushing other features across aside from the start screen, but it doesn’t seem like that will be the case. And there are certainly some unhappy punters out there who have just bought a Windows Phone 7.5 handset, and are now scratching their heads as to why they didn’t wait for Windows Phone 8 devices to emerge later this year.

Indeed, will Microsoft’s OS shift many handsets now, given this development, until WP8 emerges? We guess carriers will now be discounting heavily on the current hardware, though, so that might help shift some units.

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neWS


Microsoft has taken the wraps off its new tablet project this week.

And the Redmond-based company’s idea for carving itself a slice of the market dominated by rival Apple is called the Surface, and it comes in two flavours: A Windows 8 Pro version with an Intel processor, and a Windows RT variant.

Windows RT is, as you’re most likely aware, Microsoft’s major new operating system spearhead with its next-gen OS, and it works with ARM architecture. The iPad (and other tablets) are driven by ARM chips.

Microsoft’s Surface is a 10.6 inch slate, so a touch bigger than the iPad, and it comes with one major innovation aside from the choice of operating systems – a built in cover which is 3mm thick.

That’s not the innovation though, obviously; rather that’s the fact that there’s a keyboard on the inside of this, and a kickstand on the rear of the tablet.

That means you can stand the Surface up and type on it like a netbook, a much more preferable state of affairs than the iPad’s virtual on-screen keyboard (or indeed any virtual keyboard).

Microsoft noted that the tablet’s display is a 16:9 format, ideal for movie viewing, and also that it has a strong VaporMg case, which facilitates a finish akin to that which you’ll find on a luxury watch.


The tablet also has a USB port, unlike the iPad, and it will come in both 32GB and 64GB versions, with the Windows Pro model featuring more storage at 64GB and 128GB.

In the case of the Windows Pro device, it’ll obviously be compatible with all existing Windows software, and certainly be a tempter for companies looking at making the move to tablets from laptops. A touch version of Microsoft Office will also be a major attraction.

Reaction has been a little mixed, though, as some worry that having two operating systems may confuse consumers, who might pay more for the Windows Pro tablet, and then discover they’ve forked out for features they don’t really need.

There are also worries about the less tech savvy running into problems with Windows Pro such as the traditional degradation of the OS as more and more software gets installed, and time goes by. Others fear Microsoft may anger its hardware partners with the move, too.

Still, we reckon the Surface looks like a good bet, and the cover/keyboard is a really smart little touch.

Microsoft’s tablet will surface towards the end of the year, when Windows 8 goes on sale, although no exact release date or pricing has been talked about yet.

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neWS

Google TV was pushed out way back in October 2010 over in the States.

And although the service ran into problems pretty much the instant it hit the market – with networks and providers blocking content, and criticism of elements such as the interface – a revamped platform was shown off at the start of this year.

And now Google TV is finally coming to the UK, after quite some time, not on board a television though, rather as a set-top box produced by Sony.

The Sony NSZ-GS7 is dubbed an internet player with Google TV, and it was shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show, back at the start of the year. It’ll be available to buy as soon as July 16th, with pre-orders actually having gone live today.

Sony notes that it will be the first firm to bring a Google TV product to a country outside of the US, and after the UK, it plans to introduce GTV to Canada, Australia, France, Germany and Netherlands, Brazil and Mexico.

A version with a built-in Blu-ray player, the NSZ-GP9, will be made available in October over in the States, and not long after in this country.

The Android powered set top box will offer Chrome for browsing duties, YouTube, and other apps drawn from Google Play, along with a double-sided remote. The latter will boast a touchpad on one side, and a full Qwerty keyboard on the other, to ensure browsing,

Sony brings Google TV to UK

Facebooking and so forth is as intuitive as possible.

Gildas Pelliet, European Head of Marketing, commented: “Expanding the reach and interoperability of the powerful Android platform with Sony’s smartphones, tablets and renowned Audio & Video products, we are proud to continue our relationship with Google through the introduction of the new Google TV Internet Player.”

“Entertainment content is available through so many channels and sites, and Google TV helps consumers easily find what they want to watch, listen or play with the freedom of the internet and using the familiar Chrome browser.”

And the price for this box of goodies? The NSZ-GS7 will apparently come with an RRP of £199, although retailers will doubtless charge less than this for it. Exactly how much less, we shall have to see.

Whether GTV will be popular as a set top box is another question mark. Folks may well look for it to be integrated with their television, or simply to buy a smart TV of some variety, rather than paying for – and having the clutter – of an extra box in the living room.

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http://www.incahoot.com/

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Streaming: The Future of Gaming FeaTure

Games are inexorably

moving online. Back in the olden days (not quite of yore, but it seems a long time ago now), you could only buy games down the shop. You went to the games store, picked up a box off the shelf, paid for it at the till, and away you went.

Then online shopping started gathering momentum, and boxed games could be bought more cheaply online. Then, with the rise of Steam and other digital game stores, downloadable non-physical copies of games were sold. All

the punter bought was a serial key, and a PDF instruction manual.

Now, however, gaming is moving into new territory still – streaming gaming. This is where the game isn’t even

downloaded, installed or indeed played on your machine at all. The game is being run on a remote server, and the action streamed to your monitor or TV.

This method has several advantages. For starters, as there’s no installation, you can jump into a game and start playing almost immediately, right from the off. Also, it doesn’t matter what spec your computer is, as the hardware bears no relevance to the gaming experience (not on your side – it’s just how beefy the server is that matters). Your broadband connection is the only factor which determines streaming quality.

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OnLive

OnLive is a streaming gaming service which

began over in the US back in 2010, and was launched in the UK last September. OnLive offered a library of some 120 games upon launch, which has now increased to close on 300.

Users can purchase individual games, rent them to try them out, or have a quick demo session. It’s also possible to watch other people playing the game, which helps give you an idea of what it’s like after your demo time has run out. Pretty neat indeed.

A PlayPack subscription is available for £6.99, and this gives you access to the majority of the games, over 200. What you won’t get is the latest titles, which are purchase only. In terms of those games, there are some big names on board such as Batman: Arkham City, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Dead Island, Saints Row the Third, LA Noire and others.

However, there’s a notable absence of newer titles, and some major publishers are missing. EA is supposed to be bringing out some of its games via OnLive, for example Bulletstorm, but that still hasn’t happened yet. So the games library isn’t definitive by a long shot, but there are some quality offerings here.

And broadband speeds are quickly picking up pace with the roll out of fibre across the country. So for those who have a decent broadband connection, streaming gaming

can be an excellent option – and allows other perks such as the free demo-ing or trial rental of games. If you’ve seen OnLive, the only major player in terms of launched streaming

gaming platforms for the consumer, then you may well be familiar with some or all of its benefits.

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Like all streaming services, it’s also worth bearing in

mind that OnLive is dependent on your connection, and can be a tad glitchy at times. It steps down the visual quality based on the speed of your line, so everyone should get a smooth game – with the occasional and inevitable moments of lag – if not full HD graphics. On a slower connection, the visual quality can look a little grainy, but better that than a stuttering frame rate.

Another point to bear in mind

with game streaming is that as with video, it takes up quite a lot of bandwidth. So if you’re not on an unlimited plan, keep an eye on your data usage. We found OnLive could get through around 2GB per hour of bandwidth.

Back to the positives – namely, the range of formats OnLive is available across. There’s both a PC and Mac client, along with a Micro-console (and wireless controller) to play via your HDTV. Or there are mobile clients for Android tablets and smartphones, with

iOS versions promised soon (with Google TV support due in the future, as well).

So you can play the latest and greatest PC games on the likes of Android smartphones, which otherwise wouldn’t have a hope in hell of processing the complex visuals involved. It’s further worth noting that as this is cloud gaming, all your saves are synced across all devices. Incidentally, OnLive can also run a virtual Windows desktop on your Android tablet, a neat extra.

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Furthermore, OnLive provides a smart social

aspect to its experience, not just with the ability to spectate other players, as we’ve already mentioned, but it also offers chat facilities, and lets players post brag clips so they can show off their gaming highlights.

So there’s plenty to tempt players in – plus you can try out the service for free, without inputting any credit card details (until you want to buy a game, that is). OnLive generally provides a pretty smooth streaming gaming experience,

backed as it is by some chunky servers, and a good array of features. When further big name games, and players such as EA can be brought on board, it’ll be looking in excellent shape for the future of streaming gaming.

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FeaTureBattle of the Browsers

Some folks will recall that once upon a time in web browser land, there was one

major dominant browser – Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, which was pushed along with Windows on every PC.

Before that, though, Netscape Navigator was actually the most prevalent web browser, but Microsoft quickly took it down due to its integrated with Windows advantage.

These days, though, there aren’t just two, but multiple desktop browser options. And Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has been sliding since its heyday, and continues to do so. Nowadays, Microsoft has been forced to offer a choice of browser installations for new Windows users, and that’s been one – but certainly not the only – factor which has hastened the demise of Internet Explorer.

Firefox has long been poaching market share from Internet Explorer, and when Google’s Chrome came on the scene, things went from bad to worse for IE. Here we’re going to take a look at the current picture for the major desktop browsers, and what the future might hold for the web surfing world.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tank-battle-1944/id491005687

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Net Applications versus StatCounter

The first point to be aware of is that there are effectively two well respected analysis firms when it comes to browser market share: Net Applications and StatCounter. While you might think that

they would come up with pretty similar statistics, that isn’t in fact the case at all.

Essentially, these two rival bean counters have varying results as they use quite different methods for gathering web browser statistics. Net Applications adjusts its figures to account for the fact that major markets such as China don’t visit the sites it tracks as much as countries in the western world, and it reckons that this weighting provides a more accurate global picture. Net Applications also doesn’t count Chrome’s pre-rendering.

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StatCounter did used to include Google’s browser’s pre-rendering, arguing that it didn’t really make any visible impact on its statistics anyway, but has since discontinued that practice.

StatCounter’s prime angle of attack on the accuracy front is that it samples a pool of 3 million websites, far more than the 40,000 or so Net Applications draws from.

So who should you believe? We’ll come onto that later, but we’ll take figures from both companies into account as we examine the state of play.

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Internet Explorer: Top Dog, or is it?

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is easily still the dominant force in terms of browser market

share – going by Net Applications’ figures.

While IE has undoubtedly been sliding badly over the past couple of years, it hit rock bottom at the end of 2011, and has started to recover a bit since then.

Net Applications pegged IE’s share as 51.9 per cent in December 2011, and since then it has picked up speed, and was back up to 54 per cent in April. A distinct reversal of the trend.

Firefox is still the number two browser, according to Net Applications, but only just, as of May 2012. In the past year, it has slumped from over 23 per cent to 19.7 per cent – and Chrome is right behind it, breathing down its neck on 19.6 per cent.

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Chrome would have passed Firefox already, save for the fact that Net Applications

recorded a stall in its usage figures at the beginning of 2012. Why did that occur? We’ll look at that shortly.

Those are the three major desktop browser players, with Safari a long way behind on 4.6 per cent, and Opera on 1.6 per cent.

StatCounter paints a very different picture. Not only does it place Chrome ahead of Firefox – in fact, it was some time ago that Google’s browser passed Mozilla’s – the analyst firm has actually just declared that Chrome has usurped Internet Explorer as the king of browsers.

Yes, according to StatCounter, Chrome captured 32.4 per cent of the global browser market as of June 1st, edging out Internet Explorer which was on 32.1 per cent. Firefox has levelled out this year, so StatCounter reckons, and has a share of 25.6 per cent, not too far behind the other two.

Essentially, StatCounter’s estimation of the browser market is that it’s split pretty much three ways, with Firefox off the pace a little. The firm places Safari on a slightly healthier 7 per cent, and Opera on 1.8 per cent, about the only figure which is in line with Net Applications.

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So who’s really correct? One interesting point is that at the start of 2012, Google imposed

a penalty on itself for violation of promotion guidelines regarding the Chrome website. Net Applications’ stats showed this levelling off for Chrome at the start of the year, but StatCounter’s didn’t.

That suggests to us that perhaps Net Applications is on the right track. Also, it’s difficult to believe that Chrome has gone from

nothing, inside of four years, to wrest the crown from Internet Explorer already.

Ultimately, it’s impossible to tell exactly who is presenting a clearer picture, but we’d lean towards the Net Applications stats somewhat. The truth is a blend of the two estimations would probably be about right – but it’s all statistical guesswork at the end of the day.

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Conclusion

It’s certainly a fact that Chrome has made massive leaps, and is going to continue its

rise, with Firefox likely sliding – along with Internet Explorer, possibly. Although it’s true that Net Applications shows IE picking up since the start of the year, as we’ve already noted, and even StatCounter concedes that IE9 is performing strongly.

Internet Explorer 9 did gain quite a lot of “inspiration” from Chrome, of course, as earlier versions of IE also borrowed, sorry, were inspired by Firefox when it was the rising challenger to Microsoft’s behemoth in the browser world.

But there’s still no denying that IE9 is a big improvement on version 8, being much tuned up, and boasting watertight elements such as the best privacy protection, and security, among the big browsers.

It still lags behind Firefox and Chrome in terms of how comprehensive its support for HTML5 is, though. Firefox also remains the pick of the browsers in terms of customisation, both from an aesthetic point of view, and the various add-ons available.

Chrome continues to push forward with stability, and is a very slick looking, clean and simple, stable web browser. What’s more, it’s very fast in terms of JavaScript and page loading – and these reasons are exactly why it’s forging ahead (and indeed, ahead of IE going by StatCounter’s measuring stick).

Where’s our money for the future? On shiny Chrome, that’s where, as Google seems to be doing a very good job of polishing it up with constant tweaking.

Although should the day come when Chrome is clearly top dog, going by whatever measuring stick you use, some may be concerned about exactly what Google will try and leverage using that sort of surfing power. Lest we forget that Google is first and foremost a data mining and advertising company.

In truth, it’s probably best for end users if there remains three major players, splitting browser market share in a fairly even manner, and continuing to drive competition between them.

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http://www.pmctelecom.co.uk/

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FeaTureHome Cinema

TVs are getting ever thinner, and pictures ever better and brighter, with more vivid

colours and contrast. The big television players are adding features such as 3D and internet capabilities, with apps to download, and so forth.

But one department which the average super-thin TV set often falls short on is the on board speakers. It’s all well and good having this fantastic picture, but it can seem rather mismatched, to say the least, if the television produces some horrible, tinny sound.

While some TVs do okay on the sound front, if you want a proper, movie theatre type sonic experience, then you have to look at buying

a separate sound system. You don’t have to spend the Earth on it – although that’s certainly possible – but even a fairly thrifty budget can pick up a decent enough system. The difference between this and any integrated TV speakers will be huge.

At the cheaper end of the market are simple all-in-one systems, with built-in amplifiers. Or you can push the boat out a bit further, and buy a separate speaker package, and amp (and also the connecting cables, of course). Then there are other choices to make – such as whether to plump for 2.1, 5.1 surround, or 7.1 surround. Read on for a primer to get you started in the world of home cinema.

http://www.telefonix.co.uk/

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Home Cinema FeaTure

Surrounded by Jargon

Let’s tackle the most basic piece of jargon first. A 2.1 set of speakers simply means

that there are two speakers, left and right, and the .1 is the subwoofer – which provides bassy frequencies that those satellite speakers couldn’t hope to handle, and adds overall meat to the bones of the sound.

5.1 surround means five speakers plus the subwoofer – the five satellite speakers being the left and right speakers, the centre speaker (which carries the dialogue), and two rear speakers for the surround sound. 7.1 simply adds a further two speakers to the rear for an even better surround effect, but we’d stick to 5.1 ourselves, unless you’re a true cinema nut.

5.1 creates a very convincing surround sound anyway, in general, and 7.1 has to be

supported by the disc, and it adds quite a bit more clutter (and cost) to the whole setup. Plus you need a big room to notice the difference in that extra rear surround. So we’d stick with 5.1, particularly for a starter set up, or a very simple 2.1 system if you want to really keep the price down.

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Home Cinema FeaTure

All-In-One Packages

The simplest budget solutions are packages which provide an integrated amp with

the speakers, so you don’t have to fork out for this separately. You can also be assured that the amp isn’t going to be too powerful or mismatched for the speakers, a danger if you’re buying separates.

If you want to stay cheap, then it’s probably best to look at a 2.1 system – and if you’re after a full 5.1 surround kit, then it’s a good idea not to hunt at the very cheapest end of the market. The quality of the five speakers and sub, at the

most basic budget level, will probably mean the speakers are a pretty poor affair – and you’ll likely get a better sound from a 2.1 set.

What’s a good starter 2.1 system? Something like the Logitech Z623. You can pick these up for £100 and they get excellent write ups from critics and end users alike. Alternatively, if you want to spend a little more money, more towards the £150 mark, then check out the Acoustic Energy AE26-06B AEGO M 2.1. A great and highly compact 2.1 set.

If your desire is a 5.1 all-in-one set, as we mentioned before, we’d be wary of anything really cheap, which isn’t likely to hold much of a quality factor. About as low as we’d go would be the Logitech Z906 5.1 set, which retails for the £230 mark. This produces a pretty decent surround sound, but there’s no HDMI input, so you can’t pipe DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD through these. The best the Z906 can manage is DTS – but obviously corners have to be cut somewhere.

If you want a smart, well-rounded and connected 5.1 set, we’d look at the Onkyo AVX690, which is much better featured at around the £400 mark.

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Home Cinema FeaTure

Separates

Of course, many folks would rather buy a separate amp and set of speakers. That’s

a touch more complex when it comes to the decision making process, but the basic idea is that you’ve got to buy an amp and speakers which are matched in terms of quality and power.

As a rule of thumb, that means spending probably 60 per cent of your budget on the speakers, and 40 per cent on the amp – roughly speaking. Buying an incredibly weedy amp with good speakers won’t get the best out of the latter, and buying a highly powerful amp and cheapo speakers will most likely lead to those speakers being blown!

When it comes to the latter danger, the most important thing to check is the amount of Watts per channel the amp puts out, versus the amount of Watts the speakers can take. If the amp puts out more than the speakers can handle, if you turn the system up loud, then you run the risk of blowing something.

Also bear in mind sometimes home cinema equipment is rated at 6 or 8 ohms, and the Wattage it puts through can vary if, say, you’re looking at an amp with its Wattage given at 8 ohms, and speakers at 6 ohms. Just check carefully that you’re working in the same currency, as it were, in both cases.

When it comes to buying separates, while you are indeed buying separate components, it’s generally best to purchase a boxed set of speakers, as

opposed to individual speakers from different manufacturers. This is because such a package will have a uniform sound and, for example, the centre speaker will be tuned to better carry the dialogue.

Using a range of different speakers won’t necessarily produce bad results, but it’s unpredictable territory. That said, if you know what you’re doing – or have access to a good showroom where you can test run things – then it is an option. But for the novice, it’s probably safest to stick to buying one boxed set of 5.1 speakers, and the amp separately.

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Home Cinema FeaTure

As to recommendations for speakers, stick with quality audio brands, such as Monitor Audio, Quad, B&W, KEF, Acoustics Energy and Mission. As for amps, there are a lot of good ones, stretching across a variety of price brackets, from Sony through to Pioneer, Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, Arcam, and others.

What we’d recommend doing is buying the speakers new, but possibly looking into purchasing an older, second-hand amp. After a couple of years, what was a hugely expensive quality amp upon launch gets considerably cheaper on the pre-owned market, and you can snap up a massive bargain if you shop around effectively.

While such a unit may not have all the latest inputs, given it’s a couple of years off the pace, if it’s a higher end amplifier, the device will still boast excellent audio components. As ever, just be careful who you buy off, and if purchasing on eBay look for a trusted seller with good feedback.

Finally, you’ll also need to buy your own cables. There has been much debate over the years about whether more expensive speaker wire and input cables are worth spending a lot of money on – but we can definitely tell the difference between the most basic stuff, and vendors that demand a bit more of a premium.

However, don’t feel you have to go overboard and spend tens upon tens or even hundreds of pounds on cabling. Buy decent stuff, and don’t stint, but there’s no need to go over-the-top, unless you’re spending thousands upon thousands of pounds on your amp and speakers, anyway.

Most of all, enjoy your new sound stage, as even the most modest home cinema speaker package upgrade will be a huge improvement on the average flat panel TV’s capabilities.

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Ten First Steps on Your New iPad FeaTure

So, what do you do with your new piece of electronic wizardry first? Here are ten suggestions for the very first steps to take with your iPad, from giving that gorgeously pixel-packed display a proper run out, through to dictating a message to your slate.

Okay, so you’ve just taken the plunge, and bought

one of Apple’s shiny new gadgets which now offers a super high resolution display, among other goodies. You’ve joined the ranks of millions across the globe, and indeed two-thirds of the tablet owning world, who have chosen the now third-gen iPad as their primary slate.

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1 Read it and Weep

The very first thing you have to do when your

new iPad is up and running is to check out the retina display. So head on over to iBooks and take a gander at how smooth and crisp the text now is – don’t forget, the iPad can be used as a quality e-reading device with that display.

2 Game for a Laugh

Then, still marvelling at the retina display,

download a game and have a blast on that to see mobile graphics at their best. The new iPad has a much revved up processor which can handle a lot more in terms of polygon shifting. Infinity Blade 2 is a good bet when it comes to sublime slate aesthetics.

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3 Safety Third

Okay, now you’ve finished drooling

over the sparkly super-resolution screen (give it a quick wipe with a cloth), be sure to set up a login password. Without this, anyone can pick up your iPad and rootle around, seeing your stuff. You’ll find the password option on the Settings screen, under the General tab.

4 Tablet Dictator

Now it’s time to pretend your iPad is

a secretary, and dictate a memo, or an email anyway. Yes, your new slate takes dictation, just press the microphone button on the iPad’s on-screen keyboard. Then simply speak your mind, and you can then edit the tablet’s interpretation of what you’ve said. Do remember you need to be hooked up to the net to use dictation, however. Also, the dictation feature has to be turned on under Settings, General, Keyboard, Dictation.

5 iCloud Silver Lining

If you haven’t already got an iCloud account set up,

when you first break out your new iPad is a good time to do so. This is an optional part of the initial set up process of the tablet itself, and is easily done. Once hooked up to iCloud, you can sync your music, apps or other files across devices, plus it provides a back-up facility, of course. And the service costs you nothing, so you might as well take advantage.

6 You’ve Got Mail

Another useful first step is to set up

your email account. To do this, tap the Mail icon on the home screen. You’ll then be given a selection of options in terms of providers, including Gmail, Yahoo and so forth. Select your mail provider and follow the instructions given. Alternatively, you can go to Other, then Add Mail Account, to add a provider that isn’t specified.

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7 Watch a Movie

Give the over and above HD resolution display

another run out, this time with a movie. Don’t forget that if you’ve bought your iPad with a smart cover, that can be used as a stand for your tablet, to enhance your film watching experience.

9 Second Monitor

We’ll finish up with a couple of slightly more involved

suggestions, the first of which is to use your iPad as a second monitor display. Yes, you can maximise your desktop productivity with the help of the Air Display app, which can hook up the iPad to a Mac or PC as a secondary monitor. The app does cost £6.99 from iTunes, but now supports the retina display of the new iPad.

8 Download and Try Out an App

Apps are what makes the mobile world go round, and

Apple is famous for its massive walled garden of apps. So it’d be rather remiss if you didn’t download an app and take it for a spin as one of the first tasks with your iPad. You don’t have to pay, either, as there are loads of free apps. Photoshop Express, for example, is a simple freebie that lets you do a bit of photo editing.

10 Get Faster Surfing

The new iPad can be hooked up to HSPA+, which is considerably faster than a standard 3G mobile broadband connection. All the major operators have been busy rolling out HSPA+, with Three, O2 and Vodafone having rolled out 21Mbps mobile connections across much of the UK now. Three is also planning a 42Mbps roll out very soon, which is pretty nippy indeed. Who needs 4G anyway? Well, obviously that would still be ideal… but 3.5G, as HSPA+ is also known, is no slouch.

THird GeneraTion ipad

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