Mark’s TechBlog

Joojoo Review , 1 Week Later

Tue, 8 Jun 2010 19:20:47 +0100

Joojoo 1 week later, review By Mark Perrin

Background
I’m sure if you are reading this you already know what the Joojoo is and some of the history of the device formerly called the Crunchpad. For the uninitiated here is a little history. The Crunchpad was the brainchild of Michael Arrington; the original concept was to create a basic internet tablet for surfing the net. The price was targeted to be in the $200 region and after displaying a few prototype devices the price was subsequently increased and the shipping date delayed. Overall the device met with a lot of enthusiasm at the time but just prior to launch, there was an announcement (by Arrington) that the project was dead due to a disagreement internally between Michael Arrington and Fusion Garage (co developers) . In the end, Fusion Garage pressed on and renamed the product the Joojoo and a disgruntled Michael Arrington submitted a claim against them claiming IP theft. We don’t want to go on about this as we don’t know the full extent of the argument from either side and are more interested in the love child that has resulted.

Exceptional Presentation
If you have seen our un-boxing video then I’m sure you will be equally impressed with how well this device was packaged to us. The box and packaging were all first rate and everything arrived in good condition with two exceptions. The first was the plug was of a non compatible standard for the UK (We have been assured all models are now shipped with a UK plug), also the stand that was ordered was not supplied in the original consignment. Upon bringing the lack of a stand to the attention of Fusion Garage via an email, this was shipped within hours and invoiced at zero cost to avoid repeat customs charges already paid; it arrived today again very well packaged. The manuals are very clear and there is also a welcome video pre installed on the device that shows briefly how to operate the device. We were charged £61.50 in customs duty for delivery in the UK including the stand.

Hardware
The quality of the hardware is very nice for a first generation product. Let’s not forget that Fusion Garage is only a small team of 14 people so resources are inevitably limited. The device has a very high quality feel to it, the back panel is Aluminium and there is a web cam on the front. Inside there is 1GB Ram and an Intel Atom 1.6 Processor with Ion graphics. The screen is a 12.1in capacitive touch screen (the largest on any device). Sound quality is average and could be a little louder in our opinion. We have got a few complaints about the device which we hope will be addressed in a future hardware update.

1) Weight, the device weight is a little on the heavy side at 2.4lbs however the device is very well balanced with no bias to either side when holding it.

1) Sharp edges on the front side of the screen. There is a sharp edge around the screen that when holding for prolonged periods does tend to stick into your hand, this would be softened by a silicone case if one was provided to protect the device.

1) Ambient light sensor location gets in the way of your hand. The ambient light sensor is below the web cam about half way up the left side of the device and this is where you would likely be holding the device. It’s easier to just switch it off and manually set the brightness.

1) Power button is recessed. I can sort of understand why the power button would be recessed as its location is on the side of the device and there is now no danger of accidentally switching the device off. However it also does not register prolonged presses (required to put device into standby) as accurately as I would like. This could always be fixed by software though.

Overall I do not want to detract from what is a very nice first effort. I have no complaints from using the device for my first week; there is nothing here that would be a show stopper for me.

Software
This is something I want to be clear about in my review. Before I ordered the Joojoo I had very low expectations for this device. I have read the few reviews out there from Engadget and Cnet etc and my expectations had been set to not expect much. In the week I have had it there has been two software updates, the latest being 0.1.11 which adds some extra support for the Joojoo player to work on sites other than Youtube providing the video link is available. The device boots up in 9 seconds just as advertised and straight into a web browser interface. It connects to the wifi network and has some basic adjustment for setting wallpaper and scanning for updates. On the main screen there are some shortcuts for navigating straight to websites like Flickr and Facebook and a button labelled Joojoo that returns you back to the home screen from a site. Overall the interface is very basic but certainly looks nice. I have had no use for the reset pin so far as the device has not crashed once.

There are some simple gestures you can make that add some extra functionality from the home screen. A swipe to the left will slide a bookmarks screen onto the page and will allow you to go straight to any of you bookmarked sites, a swipe the other way will bring up your browsing history and a simple calendar. In my opinion the software could still do with some work but there is nothing missing that cannot be added by the fusion garage team with their software updates. Here is a list of things I have found to be lacking; I would like to see these addressed very soon.

1) Passwords are not saved between sessions. If you log into Facebook then turn off the device you have to re log in next time. This can be very time consuming for a device built around an internet only experience.
2) Many flash videos stutter if made fullscreen and don’t work in joojoo player.
3) On screen keyboard has a few minor issues. Full stop and comma are back to front and there is no shift key. Also pressing the caps lock does not change the keyboard display from uppercase to lowercase etc, its permanently uppercase. There also needs to be a full stop on the main keyboard and not on the second page.
4) Occasional but regular Wi-Fi drop outs. This could be hard to fix I’m guessing.
5) Smooth scrolling and swiping on main screen. The main home screen needs to have the same buttery smooth graphics as the Ipad in my opinion so that it gives a polished feel; instead it judders a little.
6) Copy and paste to clipboard. This is a very important feature for a device with no native apps as you find yourself switching between browser tabs.
7) No ability to change/delete/add shortcuts to the main page. Eg, Hulu does not work in the UK, so I would like to be able to delete the link as its just a waste of space.
8) No ability to open a new tab without going back to the main home page and clicking a link. This is annoying.
1) Keyboard does not auto punctuate or spell correct. With onscreen keyboards, mistakes are inevitable and auto punctuation and spell correction essential.

I guess after that list you may be thinking this is a bad device. Well no, actually its not. I have delayed my review of this device as I wanted to make sure I had spent sufficient time with it to gauge if it was any good and to compare it to my Ipad. This is the truth, “I have barely picked up my Ipad since using the Joojoo”. The Ipad is an example of how to do things right but for some reason I just keep going to my Joojoo first for surfing the net. The overall experience of the Joojoo, despite its faults, is surprisingly good. Web pages display exactly as they should and in my opinion some flash support (not the full experience yet) is still better than none at all. I watched the all things D videos without any issues via Engadget on the Joojoo and they weren’t even visible on the Ipad. Browsing is fast (Acid3 test scored 100/100) and even the battery life is very good although completely battered by the Ipad. I have been getting around 2.5 hours of non stop Wi-Fi surfing from the Joojoo and believe me, that’s plenty. You have browsed all you would want to way before the battery dies. Ipad by comparison seems to last forever on battery (that’s not a complaint).

Experience Good Joojoo or Bad Joojoo?
Well the easiest way to answer that is, would I order it had I been able to play with it prior?
Absolutely, yes I would. In every way it’s an object of desire. I love the presentation of the device, I love having the full internet (although with some issues) in my hand and it has highlighted more Ipad shortcomings with web browsing than I was expecting. Fusion Garage needs to improve their customer service and make sure they deliver on their promises and frequent their forum regularly to get valuable feedback from their customers. They have been making very positive strides to improve this over the last few weeks and have learnt some lessons from the poor US launch and reception.

If I only had £429 to spend on a device which would I buy?
Duh the Ipad of course. It’s a better device in 99% of the scenarios; however don’t be so quick to dismiss the Joojoo. As an internet browser, it’s as good in most ways and better in others than the Ipad. It totally destroys the disappointing experience of the Archos 5 internet tablet and the extra screen size makes browsing a pleasure and not a chore. I am happy I have both devices and for the gadget hound out there or the Apple hater (they do exist), there is an alternative device that is actually very good. Don’t believe all of the bad press it got in the US, it has got some potential as a specialist gadget.

Is it an Ipad Killer?
Oh shut up! Its not an ipad killer, why does everything have to be a competition where one is a winner and the other a looser? Surely both can co-exist together in harmony. Fusion garage are a 14 man team, and Apple has more than that in one of their stores. Let’s put things into perspective, many large companies have promised a great device and under delivered. Here is a device that’s delivering on some of its promise and I believe that if the software updates keep coming and they keep focus it can more than justify its existence.

What have they got so wrong in the US?
There is a consensus that this company has made so many mistakes that there is no easy way back. There needs to be a virtual line drawn in the sand between the blogosphere and Fusion Garage. Do we really want a marketplace where start-ups are shunned away? Personally I don’t think there is enough innovation going on and I like the opportunity to get excited about a new product. The price is a little high for this device in my opinion and at £319 + Vat it’s thrown into the firing line of the Ipad. At £319 incl vat it would make a stronger case for itself and certainly at that price and with the issues resolved, I can’t see why this product should fail. This Arrington court case also needs to be put to bed, either by some form of payout to him for his efforts or make friends again, there is nobody going to benefit from a court case where everybody looses. Recently Fusion Garage has shown that they are listening to their customers, they have started participating in their forums and the devices have started to ship out. I wish them every success. Communication is key.

Conclusion
This device really does have something to offer. Steve Jobs justified the Ipad by saying that it has to be better than a laptop at some things in order to justify its existence. Well the Joojoo does the internet better than the ipad, it’s a little different in its execution and certainly won’t be for everybody, but in this house that’s enough for us. I’m very happy with my purchase and the Joojoo has got its place in the family.

I will be adding some more videos soon showing some comparisons between Safari on the Ipad and the Joojoo web experience. I sincerely hope Fusion Garage continue to update their device, it still has some way to go. But its getting there… To get your hands on a Joojoo of your own, visit www.thejoojoo.com

Mark

JooJoo arrived today, Check out our video unboxing

Tue, 1 Jun 2010 22:07:23 +0100

Well here it is at last. We ordered our Fusion Garage Joojoo on 28April and have waited anxiously ever since. Here is our video unboxing. We will have a full review and Ipad Safari comparison up soon. First impressions are that this product shows some real promise. Let us know what you think below.

Good Joojoo, Bad Apple. Ipad UK pricing revealed

Sat, 8 May 2010 10:22:57 +0100

After months of speculation about the imminent release of Apples Ipad, we now have the official UK pricing and were not pleased to say we were almost spot on with our predictions. The entry level Ipad will be sold for £429 with only 16GB of memory and no 3G connection. Lets not forget that in the US the product is over £90 cheaper and Apple have not failed to bring to the UK a truly unbelievable price. By comparison the Joojoo slate (Crunchpad) was also priced at $499 in the US and has been released here for a more realistic £319. Considering the dire state of the UK economy, i think there will be many people making a more considered decision than if Apple had not been cheeky with their entrance fee. Most entry level net-books cost well below half the price of the cheapest ipad and have considerably higher specification.

Will it sell here?

I have spent quite some time considering this very point. I am a hardened Apple fan and im struggling to justify the purchase cost, even for myself. Consumers in the UK are already being squeezed considerably by the consistent rising of the cost of living in this country and many luxuries people used to take for granted are being sacrificed as a result. To top that, the prospect of a hung parliament in this country and the economic downturn means money isn’t worth what it used to be.

Is the Joojoo better?

Well we haven’t yet received our Joojoo, its due to be shipped on 12May but i’m 100% certain that its not as good as an Ipad. For starters its not got the ability to store native apps and the software is still glitchy according to reports from many users in the US. The Joojoo however has had a very hard time over there as, by Fusion Garage’s own admission it was shipped with unfinished software in order to meet a deadline created by the Ipad release. Similarities aside, i sincerely believe that the two products are very different and that its unfair to compare the two side by side as they perform different jobs and the Joojoo market is much smaller than the one Apple is going for. On price, Joojoo is already a winner over here as i believe that many will consider it an alternative web browser and sacrifice the Ipad’s other duties. Only time will tell how well the Ipad is received over here.

How much is the Ipad then?

16GB WiFi-only £429 (US: $499 = £339)  32GB WiFi-only £499 (US: $599 = £407)  64GB WiFi-only £599 (US: $699 = £475)  16GB WiFi+3G £529 (US: $629 = £428)  32GB WiFi+3G £599 (US: $729 = £496)  64GB WiFi+3G £699 (US: $829 = £564)

“Unbelievable Price”?

Apple products have a long history of being priced well in the US but the rest of the world suffers when they are released outside. The Apple UK site has claimed, just like in the US that we will be getting “A Magical device at an unbelievable price” , however unless apple uses exact currency conversion (unlikely) then I cant see the Ipad being a huge success in the same way it is in the US. The numbers simply don't add up.

Will you be ordering yours?

Im guessing you will be thinking twice, even if you do eventually cough up for one. Or maybe you wont bother, we are really interested to see how this one pans out.

Why are you banging on about price?

Price is the dictator of what products this device will be considered to be competing against. Apple have positioned their sales pitch as this being a great alternative to a net-book, however their pricing starts in entry level laptop category and rises into what i consider the stratosphere for what is essentially a 64GB device with a mobile processor. If the Ipad is compared on paper to an entry level laptop it doesn’t stand a chance.

Im wrong, Apple have already sold 1Million in the US.

Considering the price range, i’m sure that most of whats sold in the US will be the entry level 16gb wifi model. Im certain Apple will sell many of these in this country, however they have alienated the vast majority on price alone and left an open door to be filled by the competition from the likes of HP/Palm, Android, Fusion Garage.

Please let us know your thoughts on this.

HTC Desire vs Iphone 3GS ‘real’ world test

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 18:31:08 +0100

I’m going to start this article by making it clear this isn’t a normal review of the HTC Desire. I have looked around the internet and it’s already flooded with reviews of the device and its specs, however none have answered the questions I had prior to my testing and I’d like to share my experiences.

I have delayed writing this article for over a week as I wanted to see how well the device performed in the real world and in real situations. I don’t feel it would have been fair to simply rush out with something without giving it a chance. As a little history, I am an iPhone user, have been since day one, and I wanted to see how close the competition has got to the experience offered by the mighty Apple. So the big question is, can someone like me move from an iPhone to an Android based device without missing the complete experience the iPhone gives. The answer wasn’t as easy as you might think to find out.

What do I do with my phone?

I am not a huge voice user (3-4 calls a day) but I rely on my phone to keep up with my emails throughout the day, send texts and keep appointments within its calendar. I update my Facebook, Twitter and browse the internet for about an hour total throughout a day. I also purchase the odd item from eBay and generally pass the time with my device.

HTC/Android User interface

The interface is very clear, providing 7 separate screens to store apps or customise with widgets. Some of the widgets are good, others pretty useless, the Friends Feed seems pretty good but doesn’t offer quite enough depth and is a little slow to update, but it’s a nice to have so i’ll keep that. I also decided to load a Last FM widget, Calendar widget and a YouTube widget but the rest weren’t really for me. The Sense UI is quite nice and adds some polish to Android but it still feels a little unfinished in my opinion. I also quickly ran out of space on my home screens, due to the space the widgets take up, it would be nice to be able to resize them. By contrast the iPhone is much simpler to navigate however that also has some problems with apps over cluttering the screens. Animated wallpaper also looks very nice but I’m sure it drinks the battery.

Which is best? Draw, neither is perfect but both have benefits.

Battery Life

I’m sorry guys, but anyone following my Twitter will know about my disappointment with the Desire in this regard. The Desire simply hasn’t got the battery capacity to get it through the day. I have found that on 4 occasions it was flat by 5:00PM and required a recharge. Yes I can change the battery if I choose to but a whole day is the minimum expectation for any device without a battery change. That’s 7:00Am until 11:00Pm and the Desire simply fails in this regard. By contrast, the iPhone can manage 7-11 with the use I give it.

Which is best? iPhone gets this point.

Multitasking

This is coming to the iPhone very soon (well Apple’s interpretation anyway) but for now the iPhone has very limited multitasking ability, limited to its own in house apps. Android by comparison can multitask, however this is a crude implementation with all of the drawbacks Steve Jobs mentioned in his many keynotes. There is no denying that running more than one app kills battery life. On the some is better than none principal Android wins this battle but I’m not totally comfortable with loosing most of my battery life. For me, the ability to multitask comes at too high a price.

Which is best? Desire (tables may turn soon)

Camera

This isn’t a feature I use too often but others do, the iPhone is 3MP and the Desire is 5MP, both support auto focus and video recording although the desire supports (720x480 pixels) @ 30fps. The Desire also has a Flash so works in less than perfect light.

Which is best? Desire produced better pictures and has a flash.

Display

Everybody has complained about the AMOLED displays not being great outside but in the real world, if I hadn’t read the complaints I probably wouldn’t have noticed or cared. The resolution of the Desire is much higher than the iPhone @ 480 X 800 Pixels and this is noticeable when browsing the internet where much more is visible. The screen is both bright and colours pop. The Iphone is no slouch in this regard but the Desire is better and that’s for sure. Only bad point I see on the Desire is that it catches fingerprints more than the iPhone.

Which is best? Desire.

Storage

No contest, my iPhone has 32GB and the Desire only 4GB on an included micro SD card. Yes it can be expanded but 32GB cards are very hard to find and very expensive.

Which is best? iPhone

Apps

Now i’m not going to rush into giving the iPhone this point, although it really cannot loose due to the immense choice within the App Store. However, my test was to see if I could live with a different device and not miss the iPhone. Would it complete my requirements without me feeling short changed and in truth it almost has in this regard. I love the eBay app on the iPhone and unfortunately there isn’t a good one on Android 2.1. Also games, although I don’t really play many were much more limited on the Android device than on the iPhone. Here is a list of the apps I downloaded to my Desire.

Last FM
Engadget
Flixter Movies
Ebuddy
Shazam
ColorNote
Boxee remote
Beeb Player
Feedr
Buzzdeck
Galaxy Radio
Swift Twitter
Vat Calc
Yelp
Facebook

The only real Apps I missed were the Facebook and eBay apps from the iPhone as the Facebook app is much better on the iPhone and there is no good eBay app on Android. All in All though I have not missed anything else and this isn’t a failing of the device itself, more of the developers.

Which is best? It’s close but still iPhone as it is app complete.

Internet Browser

Flash Flash Flash, woo, I got it out of the way. Yes the desire supports basic flash sites, including sites like Red Tube but that’s enough of that. Any flash support is better than no support in my book and that can only be a good thing. Browsing on the Desire was fairly fast (faster than iPhone) and pinch to zoom and double tap both work as they should although I did notice a few niggles that came close to spoiling the browsing experience on the Desire. Occasionally I would miss the link I was aiming for with my finger and get something else instead, for example when logging into a forum site or eBay, maybe it was me, but it happened a little too often in my experience. Also, on some sites, double tapping to zoom resulted in the text disappearing from view, requiring a pinch to zoom out to get it to return (Appleinsider), maybe this is a font issue. Otherwise the experience was very good. It’s just me but I simply prefer the browser navigation on the iPhone but I prefer the resolution of the Desire. Oh a tough one. Sod it, I’m being fussy.

Which is best? Neither is perfect it’s a Draw.

Stability

Both devices display a degree of software maturity that is very commendable and all too rare nowadays. I’m very pleased to report that neither of the devices crashes frequently and resets are extremely rare. This is a non issue.

Which is best? Draw. Both are great.

Software Integration

I’m going to take a moment to say how impressed I have been with the integration offered by the HTC Desire. The touch screen keyboard is very good and nearly always corrects any mistyped words accurately, although the keys are a little cluttered with text and I found myself slower than on my iPhone at texting. I use Facebook and Flicker and I love that all of my contacts pictures are automatically updated when they change their pic’s online. I also like that I can view their Facebook pic’s directly from the pictures and contacts apps. This is integration being very useful in my opinion and something the iPhone does not do. I’m very impressed. The iPhone offers Mobile Me integration of Contacts, Calendar and Bookmarks ,which I also find very useful as i’m a Mac user. Hmm a tough one to call

Which is best? Draw, both have features I wouldn’t want to be without.

Hardware design

In the hand the iPhone just feels more solidly constructed. It’s a little heavier and doesn’t scratch as easily. I have had my iPhone for almost a year and never felt the need to buy a case (I know I should) but within a few hours I’d decided to get a silicone case for my Desire (which I’m very happy with). The screen on the Desire is also plastic and not glass like the iPhone. I’m also not a big fan of hardware buttons on touch screen devices and I find the optical track pad totally pointless, but this is purely personal. One thing is for sure, both devices have serious appeal and I wouldn’t be disappointed to own either.

Which is best? iPhone by a nose.

Conclusion

Could I change to Android and not miss my iPhone?
In truth, I’m way more impressed than I thought I would be with this device. I have really tried to use it in the real world (unlike many other sites) and I have done everything I would normally do with my iPhone. I have delayed and delayed writing this as it’s been a really close call and I can only say that’s a good thing. I have used many other devices (my partner owns a Palm Pre) and I keep returning to my iPhone. However I really do believe there is a very real alternative to be found in the Desire, It brings most of the useful apps to your fingertips and some flair and integration that the iPhone is now playing catch-up with. My only real complaint is the lousy battery life I’ve been getting and I’m by no means a power user. Am I still going to buy an iPhone 4.0? Um yes I probably will as I like to keep up with things and i'm a Mac user so the integration with Mobile Me is very useful to me. I have really enjoyed my time with the Desire, it’s a great handset and for once, I’m not a Mac lol. However I still love my iPhone and would buy another. Oh no, I’m picking the iPhone aren’t I? I guess some things won’t change over night, but I’m really pleased to see some real competition. I’m the kind of person who will always pick the best device for my needs, regardless of brand name so I really want Android to get better. Let’s hope this is a sign of things to come. My final note is that if Apple decided to stop making the iPhone tomorrow, I could very happily live with this device and that’s a first for me.

Finally what would make me switch full time and make this device perfect for me.

1) The battery really needs to last a full day at least, two days would be even better.
2) Developers need to take full advantage of the Android OS, there are some Apps that have been left behind by their Iphone counterparts. (eBay, Facebook etc)
3) Mobile Me integration and synchronisation, this will never happen but I don’t want to give up my Apple services as I’m a Mac user.
4) OSX Syncing, the software provided is windows only
5) Larger onboard memory, There just isn’t enough space in this device for all of my music, movies etc.
6) Better movie codec support, .mkv etc
7) Glass display and aluminium enclosure.
8) Improved browsing experience.
9) Simpler Keyboard
10) Better 3rd party accessory support. Docks etc.

Here is how both devices compare on paper.

Please let me know what you think below or join our forums here

Mark

Ipad released in US, No sign of UK pricing yet.

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 07:31:50 +0100

Well the time has now passed and the Ipad is now released in the US, however the rest of the world is still waiting for their release of the most hotly anticipated device in the last 5 years. Im not going to waste anyones time banging on about flash and multi tasking as this has been done to death already by every other blogger. The only thing I will say about Flash is that Apple clearly have their own agenda and seem to be on a crusade to control the internet and push the ‘Open‘ HTML5 as the language of choice. OK Flash bit over.

What does it look Like?

Well its exactly as it was shown at Apples Event back in January, it still doesn't have a camera on the front despite rumours that Apple may have added one. This looks like a feature that will be added in a future revision.

Why haven't we reviewed it?

Well thats simple, im based in the UK and i’m reserving judgement until Apple releases the device over here.

What do others think?

Most of the reviews out in the wild are very similar. ranging from “its a big ipod touch” to “its a complete revelation”. However US customers always get a better deal than other countries and Apples ‘Unbelievable Price’ may not translate so well over here. I guess we only have 2 weeks to go before we find out for ourselves.

“Unbelievable Price”?

Apple products have a long history of being priced well in the US but the rest of the world suffers when they are released outside. The Apple UK site has claimed, just like in the US that we will be getting “A Magical device at an unbelievable price” , however unless apple uses exact currency conversion (unlikely) then I cant see the Ipad being a huge success in the same way it is in the US. The numbers simply don't add up.

Here is an Example of what I mean.

Mac mini 2.26GHZ US price $599 converts exactly into UKP as £389.80 however in the UK at Apple store we pay £510 for the same computer. For the most part this is accepted as its still possible to justify the purchase as its a computer with all the benefits and uses to justify the cost. But the Ipad isn't a computer, it sits between a phone and a laptop. Will Apple price themselves in direct competition? This remains to be seen.

Based on Apples Pricing, how much will it cost?

Here is the best prediction i can make from other items on their site

16GB Wifi = $499US = £429
32GB Wifi = $599US = £510
64GB Wifi = $699US = £591
16GB 3G = $629US = £559
32GB 3G = $729US = £640
64GB 3G = $829US = £721

What do you think? its not far off the price of a macbook, and double the price of many netbooks. Im an Apple evangelist and even i’m finding it hard to swallow this pill. It really is an Amazing price, but not as we know it.

So what about the Apps?

It seems that Apples killer feature could now turn into their achilles heel with the Ipad if current developments are left to take their course. Developers have already dived straight in to create some newer Apps optimised for the new display, however the prices have increased, in some cases over 500% . This is outrageous and will ruin the entire experience for many people who were happy to pay £2 or so for an app but not £10+ . Again, this is a time will tell situation.

Iphone 4.0 Update

Apple has recently released a developer preview of Iphone OS 4.0 that will add over 100 features including their implementation of Multi tasking, however not on ipad until Q4 2010 or more vaguely Fall.

IAds

So let me get this right. I pay £700+ for a not computer that runs now expensive Apps and then it advertises to me at OS level. Um let me think about that. This is a sore point for me as I hate any kind of manipulative advertising. When I buy a device, I want to use it and enjoy it. not have it try and sell me things I dont want. STOP Apple STOP. Im a shareholder and I hate this direction. I invested in a computer technology company, not an advertising company.

Enough about price, Will I buy one?

When pre orders begin in this country, I will have my order placed for the 64GB 3G model. im a sucker for Apples products and have plenty of disposable wage. However many are not so fortunate so im still unsure if the same will happen with others. There are many in this country that will struggle with the cost of a device thats not a laptop for the same money. Ipod touch is priced as a present for a child or partner or a nice end of month treat. Not many people over here have £500+ for the same treat and will opt out of this one as a result. Unless Apple pull something out of the bag on pricing, I foresee a fail with this device over here. oops, I mentioned price again didnt I.

What about Alternatives?

Theres always an alternative, however nobody does this device category better than Apple. Period. JooJoo looks great, but has received lots of bad publicity and early reviews (the only 2 out there) state that its buggy and under featured. Archos media tablets. These are priced well and have many features, however the software consistently displays a level of instability and immaturity that many would consider to be in Beta stage. ICD Gemini, isnt here yet.

I will be reviewing soon

I will be reviewing the Ipad and its competitors as soon as they become available and will strive to be unbiased and make the review a UK review reflecting how the product stacks up on price in our market. I dont think its fair to copy the trend and place a review without touching the device like many other sites have. I will reserve judgement until later in the month.

Please let me know what you think below or join our forums here

Mark

Apple's Latest Creation ‘iPad’ revealed

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:36:13 +0000

Well, the time has now passed and we can now reveal the not so mystery product to be the iPad. So how do we feel now the announcement has been made? Well, both impressed and depressed springs to mind. First, what doesn’t it do? No camera mentioned, so no video conferencing. No multi-tasking seen, Oh and no Flash either.

What does it do well? most things an iphone or ipod does, internet sans flash support. Multi-touch and gesture support, games and Apps, E-books.

What does it look Like?

Well, our final thoughts on the device from last time were pretty much spot on. Aluminium Unibody case, 9.7 Inch IPS 1024 X 768 132 PPI display, Home button on bottom. Much like a large ipod touch. 0.5in thin 1.5 lbs. No OLED this time.

What ports does it have?

At the moment, its been said that the device will be very reminiscent of the iphone, expect to see a power button and volume rocker in similar places. We are also expecting at least one 30pin ipod connector for accessories and docks, and a headphone/line output.

How fast?

Apple are touting their own (PA Semi Based??) 1Ghz A4 processor with a claimed 10 Hour Battery life, Surfing web via Wifi, watching video or listening to music.

What OS?

Iphone OS was shown at the keynote but with some snazzy drop down menus in the Apps. All current apps will be supported and can be line doubled to full screen display, however when Facebook App was shown it looked silly at full screen. Developers are being encouraged to develop apps for the native resolution of the device and have now got support in the new SDK.

What are the Killer features?

Honestly, there were no real killer features that would make someone rush out to buy this device. Many of the things showcased, web, email, photos etc were just remakes of iphone applications and things we have seen before. Apple have now made an Iwork Application for the device, I can only assume to appeal to the educational uses for this device. Iwork looked very polished and could prove quite useful although Apple are charging $9.99 per app for Keynote, Numbers and Pages which I feel is a little cheeky.

Its disappointing that there was no single standout feature on the device that would make someone want to choose this over a laptop for productive reasons. We will reserve judgement until our device arrives and we can do a full unbiased review. Of particular note, the interface seemed to run very smooth and there was no hint of slowdown or any crashes. Very unlike our resident Android based Archos 5 internet tablet.

What else?

The device may find its place in the market as an enthusiast device but i do not see the mass appeal at the price points Apple is suggesting without any carrier subsidy being made. Apple has announced that the device will be sold in two forms, with 3G and without 3G although both will have 802.11N Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR. There will also be 3 memory configurations available, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. The model we plan on ordering will be the 64GB with 3G.

Apple have also announced some Docks that can be used, including one with a Keyboard. This does make an interesting proposition. We did not notice if there was any port replication on the dock for an external monitor and/or printer to be connected, just a 30 pin connector on the back.

iPad Keyboard Dock
The Keyboard Dock is a dock for charging your iPad, integrated with a full-size keyboard. The dock has a rear 30-pin connector, which lets you connect to an electrical outlet using a USB Power Adapter, sync to your computer, and use accessories like the Camera Connection Kit. And an audio jack lets you connect to a stereo or powered speakers.

Pricing?

Prices for the Tablet start at $499, however the top spec is over $829 and in the usual Apple style, its expected this will translate into £s as £499 up to £829 as Apple haven’t got the hang of currency conversion yet. Maybe there’s and App for that. Apple are claiming availability within 60 days. No announcement on international shipping yet.

Should I buy one?

Im reserving judgement until its released and final UK pricing and availability is announced. Apple certainly have a unique proposition to entice users with, its seriously sexy and cool in all of the usual Apple ways and the Aluminium and glass exudes a quality that no net-book and only Apple laptops can match.

Let us know your thoughts here in the forum, have I missed something, is there something you want answering as soon as mine arrives? let me know.

Mark

Latest rumour roundup, Apple Tablet

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:30:32 +0000

So like us, your’e probably getting impatient and sick of all the rumours and speculation surrounding this device. For those who cant get enough, heres a roundup of what were thinking will be announced on Wednesday

What will it look like?

According to the latest rumours, the above rendering is about the most likely. 10-11 inches, Iphone style home button and high resolution screen. Aluminium Back, not plastic.

What ports will it have?

At the moment, its been said that the device will be very reminiscent of the iphone, expect to see a power button and volume rocker in similar places. We are also expecting at least one (possibly 2) 30pin ipod connector(s) for accessories and docks, and a headphone/line output.

How fast?

Most suggestions are going along the lines of an ARM based processor (Cortex A9) or PA Semi based. At least 1Ghz and enough memory (2GB) for the interface to be silky smooth. Intel is unlikely in my opinion due to battery life drawbacks.

What OS?

Duh! OSX of course, but most likely a fork of Iphone OS with App Store support. Its also likely that there will be a revamp to the Iphone App store with Iphone OS 4.0 separating the Apps for larger screen display devices.

What are the Killer features?

Many have said this will have an emphasis on E-Reader content, Magazines, Books, Educational content. I believe the device will have a much wider appeal than this and i’m thinking full multimedia support via itunes and extensions of use via Apps is highly likely. There will also be likelihood that the device will Sync via mobile me and have some kind of cloud computing emphasis. Capacitive touch and multitouch gestures are almost certain as well as all of the hardware features of the iphone, Accelerometer, GPS, Camera(s) (front and rear), WIFI, 3G etc. The device will be able to work independent of a computer for downloading music, Apps, Games.

Im certain that with this feature set and the imagination of the iphone developers, there will be very few limitations for what the device will be capable of, some have speculated digital DJ use (virtual Decks) and musical instruments like keyboards will be easy to implement with a good SDK just like on the iphone. I believe this will be a creative tool for many and sold via Apple stores as an educational creative device. Imagine walking into the Apple store and seeing your 10 year old child being creative on the device, how could you not buy it?. Gaming will play a big role in this device and be a catalyst of its success.

What else?

The device will be designed to be used by the whole family, check your email, use your Facebook etc. It is thought that there may also be some facial recognition for logging into the device, however i see this as an unlikely feature at this time. As an educational tool for students, i see the ability to download a virtual textbook and interact with it in similar ways to the ‘Courier’ concept shown by Microsoft.

A days battery life is a must and i’m certain this will be possible with apples expertise in battery technology, demonstrated with the new unibody macbook pro .

Pricing?

This is probably the most over speculated part of the device, how much will it cost. I have done an article here on how I believe the device will be funded by its users, essentially via contract from a mobile phone carrier, However there are some other theories out there that the device will also come in a non subsidised form and pricing will be in the $800 range. As with all Apple products, expect this to translate into £800 and not the exchange rate equivalent.

Should I buy one?

Well, thats you’re question not mine. Its my duty to buy one and to report back to you guys with my findings, thats my excuse anyway and i’m sticking to that. As soon as pre orders are available, I will be ordering one for detailed review. Personally I cant see any harm in getting one as if its anything like other Apple products, it will be very easy to sell on if its not your thing.

Let us know your thoughts here in our forum, have I missed something, is there something you want answering as soon as mine arrives? let me know.

Mark

Britain ranked 26th in Global Broadband race

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:52:16 +0000

With an average download speed of just 3.5 Mbps, Britain has been ranked 26th in the world by Akamai’s ‘The State of the Internet (Q3-2009)’ report.

South Korea has the fastest broadband by a large margin, recording a 14.6 Mbps average speed, while Japan occupies the second spot with an average speed of 7.9 Mbps.

Sweden took the top position in Europe with an average speed of 5.7 Mbps, with Ireland closely following behind on 5.3 Mbps.

Despite other reports recently stating Britain’s average broadband speed to be slightly higher than 3.5 Mbps, such as broadband.co.uk which calculated it to be closer to 4.478 Mbps, this still would not have qualified the UK to make it into the top 10 fastest countries.

In a report tracking a more limited number of countries, published by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development last month, Britain ranked 21st out of the 30 countries surveyed - falling behind the likes of Greece and Spain.

Japan, Finland and Sweden made up the top three countries with the widest provision of high-speed broadband and Belgium, Turkey and Mexico made up the bottom three.

The OECD’s figures also showed that the UK came 13th out of 30 countries when it came to broadband penetration, again falling behind the likes of Finland, Denmark and Sweden, but beating the US, Greece and France.
It predicted that fibre optic networks are likely to be the technology that generates the most future growth in broadband uptake, as opposed to cable networks and urged for continual investment.

The OECD said: “This upgrade [to fibre optic networks] is important because high-speed broadband networks are increasingly seen as a fundamental infrastructure for the economy, like roads, water and electricity. Telecommunication firms have been investing heavily to upgrade older copper and coax networks to fibre to accommodate our ever increasing thirst for bandwidth.

“The economic crisis has threatened to halt this investment just as consumers and businesses are using more internet bandwidth. Many governments have stepped in to fill the gap using stimulus funds to pay for new broadband networks. But there is still a lot of debate about whether these investments make economic sense, particularly as governments are wading into an area which has recently been entrusted to the private sector.”

The Digital Britain report aims to generate more money to fund the increased roll-out of faster broadband with a monthly 50 pence tax on fixed landlines. This proposal will be included in the imminent Finance Bill.

The global average broadband speed has risen by 13 per cent on the quarter, according to Akamai’s report, coming in at 1.7 Mbps. This was largely due to the fact that there are many countries with average connection speeds which are still less than 1Mbps.

Source Daily Telegraph.

Arm powered Apple Tablet "iphone on Steroids"

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:47:38 +0000

Clues on Apple's forthcoming tablet continue to surface as the device is expected to debut this month, with a new report referring to the device as an "iPhone on steroids."

Citing a close contact within Apple, Boy Genius Report on Wednesday issued a report with alleged new details and specifics on Apple's 10-inch touchscreen device. The source said the device has an internal model number of K48AP and sports an "incredibly fast" ARM-based processor.

What kind of ARM chip remains unknown, though many have speculated that the reference Cortex-A9 design would be a likely candidate for any new hardware. However, one analyst recently claimed that the device would sport a Cortex-A8-based chip with a speed of about 1GHz.

In Wednesday's report, the source also said that the tablet has multi-touch gestures that are "out of control," and the device runs the on the iPhone kernel. There hasn't been an update to the iPhone OS in some time, the tipster claimed, because the new build has too many tablet-related references that "Apple obviously didn't want to leak."

While Boy Genius Report has a respectable track record in forecasting iPhone-related announcements tied to its AT&T sources, its predictions pertaining to Apple have often fallen off the mark. Last year the site incorrectly indicated iTunes 9 would add Blu-ray support and said Apple would create a social media consolidation application, both times citing a "reliable" source.

Wednesday's new details are bolstered by a report from earlier this month that claimed a new iPhone 4.0 beta SDK includes a "simulator" that aims to make it easy for developers to adapt to different screen resolutions. Some developers have allegedly been asked to prepare full-screen demos of their iPhone software for a demo later this month.

Reports have indicated that Apple is planning an event on Jan. 27 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco to unveil its tablet device. Last July, AppleInsider first reported that the device would see an early 2010 debut, and the hardware would be akin to a large iPhone or iPod touch.
Source Engadget

Take a moment to register and post your comments and speculations in the new Islate forum
Related Islate info here

Parrot AR Drone Iphone controlled helicopter

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:34:47 +0000

The Star of CES
“OMG wow!!” was my first reaction when I saw this for the first time. This is the gadget to end all gadgets. Remember the little bluetooth remote controlled toy cars for sony erricson phones? Well this takes the concept to the next level and beyond.
From the makers of Bluetooth headsets and in car mounts, comes a real home run and this is sure to be the gadget of every man/child’s dreams and it sure to be a hit xmas 2010.

Palm Announcements at CES 2010

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 19:49:25 +0000

Palm Announces PDK (Plugin Development Kit)
Today palm announced that Web OS developers will be able to download a PDK, this will allow them to integrate C and C++ functionality via plugins. The PDK will be available at game developer conference. Palm will now be focusing its attention on 3D games and already has Gameloft, EA, Luminar Research and Glu developing for the platform
Palm has also offered generous incentives for Developers who get the most downloads, ‘The Hot Apps Bonus Program’ Millions of dollars of incentives have been offered.
The developers of the top free and paid applications each will earn a $100,000 bonus; in addition, 40 developers will receive $10,000 (20 each for free and paid), with 400 developers awarded $1,000 (200 each for free and paid). Awardees will be notified in June.

Palm also unveiled the new ‘Open App catalogue’ .
Palm is also opening up the database of webOS applications data, with feeds of app descriptions, ratings, stats, screen shots and more to app developers and the broader web community to leverage the web as a discovery channel. This open system will enable the creation of app directories, ranking mechanisms, communities and more around the rapidly growing base of webOS applications. These feeds will include a unique application URL for each application that can be promoted through web channels for users to request over-the-air distribution of that application to their device. In English this means that developers can host their apps outside of the Palm market and install via the URL.

Video Recording comes to Web OS (Pre and Pixi)
Palm today demonstrated video recording and editing on the Web OS and have said it will be coming to the Pre and Pixi via an OTA software update in February. The new feature will allow videos to be shared and uploaded to YouTube within 3 clicks.

Flash 10 is coming too...

Flash 10 Beta was demonstrated and will also be coming to Web OS but no time scale for this was given.

2 New devices, Pre Plus and Pixi Plus
There will be 2 new devices launching on 25 January, Pre Plus and Pixi Plus.
Pre Plus has the following features:
Simplified Navigation, Updated design, 16GB Internal memory, touchstone ready out of the box.

Pixi Plus has the following features:
Built in wifi, multiple colours for back panel (Green, Blue, Black, Orange, Pink)

New Application exclusive to Pixi/Palm Plus ‘Palm mobile Hotspot’
There will be an application to allow the ability to turn the device into a mobile hotspot allowing up to 5 devices to connect and tether to share the same internet connection. Very slick.

There was no information about pricing, were guessing this is being left to the carriers or its still unconfirmed. We will be watching out for the updates on our in-house Pre and will report back once they land in Feb.

Boxee goes Beta today. Download now.

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 19:10:57 +0000

The Boxee Beta is officially out.
You can grab it here.
The Beta is available for Mac, Windows and Ubuntu (including 64bit.. ). The version is still not available for Apple TV (hope to have news on that front, soon)
In the past 4 weeks since we announced the upcoming Beta we had the help of tens of thousands of early access users who tested the Beta on all different platforms and gave us great feedback. Hundreds of bugs have been opened and we’ve been working diligently to resolve as many of them as we could. We feel the version deserves the upgrade from Alpha grade to Beta grade, and we’re going to spend the next year improving it, so we can release 1.0 at CES next year
For more details on what’s new in the Beta you check out the blog post from Dec 7th.
As always with a new release we are also launching with new content partners.
From the Boxee Blog.

The Boxee Bookmarklet: Add web videos to your Boxee Queue in one click.

Ever been at work and felt guilty for watching videos of cute kittens? We figured out a way to make you feel better about this — our co-worker Casey Pugh developed the Boxee Bookmarklet which makes it easy to watch those videos later when you’re home alone.
The Bookmarklet lives in your browser toolbar. Click it on any* web page containing a video and we’ll instantly add it to your Boxee Queue, essentially allowing you to watch it later, particularly on your TV. It’s a cinch to use, too. Just drag this link (add to boxee) to your browser toolbar and click it whenever you want to save a video to your Queue. For more detailed instructions, check out this page we whipped up.

New Two sided Boxee Remote, Pics and info

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 09:12:16 +0000

If you re anything like me you will be extremely excited at the announcement of the new Boxee remote. The remote will be double sided and offer a full QWERTY keyboard on the underside. Sources at Boxee have now advised us that this will be available minus the Boxee box so that existing Boxee users (AKA Me) will still be able to enjoy the benefits of the remote.

From the Boxee Blog.
The Boxee Box Remote – It’s got a QWERTY keyboard! When we started designing the Boxee Box remote we wanted something simple like the 6-button Apple Remote. As we began adding features to the Beta it became obvious that for people to really get the most out of the box it was going to need to do more than just point and click. Rather than subject anyone to another on-screen keyboard we decided the Boxee Box should benefit from a full QWERTY keyboard like you might have on a mobile phone. So here it is – the first drawing shows Astro’s original idea for the piece while the flat image below gives you a better idea of the near-final layout on the keyboard.

Hp Microsoft Slate revealed, should Apple be worried?

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 08:28:07 +0000

Anyone following the CES news feeds at the moment couldn't have missed Balmer’s unveiling of Microsoft’s joint effort with Hp dubbed Hp Slate (Apparently there may be another name coming).

Pricing for the device will be inline with current mobile smartphone offerings, were guessing around $700, but have Microsoft really done enough to compete with Apples yet to be announced mobile device? The Hp Slate will run Windows 7, which supports multitouch input. My personal feeling is that Microsoft have sat on the fence a little with this one as its nothing like the ‘Courier’ prototypes we saw months ago.

Sources are reporting that there was nothing in Balmer’s keynote that was particularly inspiring and there was a real lack of ‘Wow’ factor. Yes the device can play Frogger but will that be enough to topple the Apple slate that will undoubtably move the goal posts further away from Microsoft in the next few months. We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw the pic on the screen of two hands cradling an Apple, I wonder if that was intentional?

We are going to bring some specs for this device shortly but I really cannot get excited. A tablet form factor with a desktop OS is nothing new. Archos have already done it, albeit badly with the Archos 9. Were watching this space very carefully. Check out the videos below.

New Boxee Box, Re-Announced at CES Under $200

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 17:20:38 +0000

We First discussed this device & Boxee here on 27 Dec 2009
As you know already, i’m a huge fan of Boxee and a Beta FW tester. Im sure many of you share in my excitement as Boxee have finally announced their box and set a firm price. Poor Apple TV, its kinda looking dead in the water against this. Im not totally sold on the shape of the device, but its certainly different. Here is the full Press release below.

D-LINK DEBUTS BOXEE BOX AT CES 2010; DIRECTLY LINKS INTERNET ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES TO TVs EVERYWHERE

Networking pioneer and popular entertainment software
create the best way to get the free entertainment the Internet has to offer with no monthly fee

LAS VEGAS, CES Booth 36232, South Hall, LVCC, Jan. 5, 2010 - D-Link made lots of geeks and early adopters happy today by introducing the revolutionary Boxee Box by D-Link, winner of the CES Best of Innovations award in the Home Entertainment category.

The Boxee Box by D-Link reinterprets what TV should be. The Boxee Box delivers movies, TV shows, music, and photos from a user's computer, home network, and the Internet to their HDTV with no PC needed. Additionally, Boxee's core social features make it easy for friends to discover new content from each other through social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and more.

Internet Entertainment
Boxee is a popular PC, Mac, and Linux software program that lets users watch hundreds of thousands of popular TV shows and movies. Instead of sifting through millions of confusing Web sites, when users search on Boxee, TV shows and movies are delivered to them with the click of a remote control. Nearly a million Internet users around the world have already downloaded Boxee to enjoy their online entertainment.

The Boxee Box by D-Link takes the same popular software and offers it up as a great device -- the perfect companion to a high definition TV. The Boxee Box by D-Link provides access to more than just traditional TV content. It includes a huge library that spans the Internet, such as university courses, panel discussions, academic lectures, presentations, web-only videos and more from TED, Stanford, FORA.tv, Kid Mango, Next New Networks and others. Boxee also makes it easy for users to add their own favorite entertainment sources with simple RSS or XML feeds available for most online video.

In addition to video content, Boxee users can access great music from sites like Pandora, last.fm, shoutcast, and We are Hunted as well as stunning photos from sites like flickr, Picasa and Facebook.

Personal Entertainment
For entertainment lovers who have built their own collections of digital media stored on their computer hard drive or home network, Boxee automatically identifies their content and downloads relevant cover art, synopses, reviews, subtitles, lyrics and more. This feature turns boring files and folders into beautiful media libraries that make it simple and appealing to navigate a collection of favorite movies, TV shows, and playlists with a simple remote. Furthermore, the Boxee Box by D-Link has extensive format support (see below) which ensures that when users hit the play button, they get instant gratification, with no need to download codecs or drivers. Also, with built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi support, it can transfer files without delay and from longer distances within a user's home.

Social Features
The Boxee Box by D-Link keeps people connected with social features to help users discover new content from friends, experts, and tastemakers.
The first step to discovery is sharing, and Boxee makes this easy by letting people recommend any playing content to friends. Additionally Boxee automatically uses recommendations from a user's Twitter and Facebook friends so they can find new content and instantly enjoy it on the big screen. Since anyone can build on top of Boxee's open App platform, users can craft their own truly custom experience by creating or downloading plug-ins, add-ons, games, and more.

"We are pleased to partner with Boxee and to be the first with such a ground-breaking device," said Nick Tidd, vice president of sales of D-Link Pan America and vice president of marketing for D-Link North America. "This powerful device with its unique form factor truly leverages Boxee's service and is the best way for consumers to quickly access the growing volume of Internet content, organize it and stream it to their TVs and home entertainment centers."

"D-Link's successful track record in bringing to market, award-winning digital home networking products, and its global marketing, distribution and channel sales capabilities made them a great fit for our first hardware vendor." stated Andrew Kippen, vice president of marketing for Boxee, "The Boxee Box by D-Link gives consumers what they want - an easy way to watch Internet or personal entertainment in their living rooms with a simple set-top box that costs under $200 and has no monthly fees."

The Boxee Box by D-Link is scheduled to ship in the first half of 2010 through the company's vast network of retail and e-tail outlets, and at D-Link's online store, www.dlinkshop.com.
Supported Codecs & Formats
Boxee can be used to play/view practically all common multimedia formats, including:

VIDEO:
Adobe Flash 10.1
H.264 (MKV, MOV)
VC-1
WMV
MPEG-1
MPEG-2
MPEG-4
AVI
Xvid
Divx
PCM/LPCM
VOB

AUDIO:
MP3
WMA
WAV
AIFF
FLAC
AAC
DTS
Dolby Digital
Ogg Vorbis

PHOTO:
JPEG
TIFF
BMP
PNG

About D-Link
D-Link is the global leader in connectivity for small, medium and large enterprise business networking. The company is an award-winning designer, developer and manufacturer of networking, broadband, digital electronics, voice, data and video communications solutions for the digital home, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO), Small to Medium Business (SMB), and Workgroup to Enterprise environments. With millions of networking and connectivity products manufactured and shipped, D-Link is a dominant market participant and price/performance leader in the networking and communications market. D-Link Systems, Inc. headquarters are located at 17595 Mt. Herrmann Street, Fountain Valley, CA, 92708. Phone (800) 326-1688 or (714) 885-6000; FAX (866) 743-4905; Internet www.dlink.com.

About Boxee
Boxee is the first "social" media center, whose free, downloadable software and enabled devices are changing the way consumers experience home entertainment. On a computer or on a dedicated device connected to an HDTV, boxee gives users a simple way to bring all their entertainment into one place including personal movies, TV shows, music and photos, as well as streaming content from websites like Netflix, MLB.TV, Pandora, Last.fm, and flickr. Users can also share information about what they're watching so friends can enjoy it too through legal sources online. Nearly a million people use Boxee to get their entertainment. Learn how you can join them at www.boxee.tv.

D-Link, Boxee Box by D-Link and the D-Link logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of D-Link Corporation or its subsidiaries. All other third party marks mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright © 2009. D-Link. All Rights Reserved.

New 802.11N Eye-Fi Pro X2 cards shown at CES

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 17:02:44 +0000

Eye-Fi cards are a firm favourite here at Techreviewonline, we have used them for the past year in a Nikon D90 and been very pleased with the results. Now Eye-Fi have announced that there will be a Pro X2 version running 8GB Class 6 Memory. There will also be Geo-tagging included, were assuming this will still be delivered via wifi and not dedicated GPS. There will also be a new version of Eye-Fi manager renamed Eye-Fi Center, offering some cool new sharing features yet to be confirmed.

The Eye-Fi Pro X2 8GB is now available for pre order at Amazon or direct from Eye-fi for $149 and is said to ship next month.

Here are the Features of the cards.

features
• Performance. Store up to 4,000 photos or 3h of video with 8GB SDHC capacity supercharged with class 6 read & write speeds.
• Wireless. Upload photos & videos from your camera through your Wi-Fi network with unprecedented wireless performance thanks to built-in 802.11n technology.
• Ad Hoc. Send photos & videos to your laptop anywhere your camera takes you
• RAW power. Wirelessly upload RAW photos to any folder on your computer to streamline your workflow.
• Endless memory. Always running out of space? With Endless Memory Mode, your Eye-Fi card will automatically free up space once your photos and videos have been safely delivered.
• HotSpot Access. Upload on-the-go through one of 10,000 HotSpots, including McDonald’s, airports, hotels and more. (1 year included, $14.99/year renewal option thereafter)
• Geotagging. Lifetime, automatic Geotagging service helps you organise and share photos. View, search and share your latest trips on a map.
• Automatic back-up. Wirelessly upload photos and videos to folders of your choice on your computer, or even directly into iPhoto for Macs.
• Compatible. No need to buy a new camera. Check here to see if your camera can be turned into a wireless uploading machine.
• Effortless sharing. Wirelessly send your JPEG photos and videos to a popular websites, including Flickr, Facebook, Picasa, MobileMe, and YouTube.
• Pick your pics. You can select which photos and videos upload from your camera.
• Organized. Photos, videos and folders can automatically be renamed with a timestamp, so memories are organised effortlessly by date.
• Get notified Get email, Facebook, text message* or Twitter alerts when your photos are uploading online.
• Quick & sweet. Set up takes just minutes. *carrier charges may apply

Haleron's 10Inch Tablet ships next week

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 16:57:10 +0000

You have no shortage of tablet options these days and trust us: by the time CES is through you'll have many, many more. The JooJoo has been the most notable of late, but if you're looking to save a little money and don't mind a clunkier form-factor, Haleron's Mio iLet (internet tablet) could be an alternative. It starts at $419 and for that you get a 10-inch, 1024 x 600 multitouch screen, 1.6GHz Atom N450, a 160GB HDD, 802.11a/b/g wireless, and a lovely pleather carrying case. Cough up another $100 and you'll get 3G, a further $50 for quad-band GSM, and upwards of $260 more for a bigger drive. Finally, GPS will set you back another $75, turning what was a solid value into something a bit... more. Windows 7 is at least free, but instead of Tablet edition it seems instead to feature a special version celebrating the Seven Deadly Sins. The iLet is said to be shipping next week, so if you order now you could find out what comes in the box before the month is through.

Source Haleron

Major Apple Product announcement coming 27 Jan.

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 20:44:10 +0000

Source John Paczkowski of Digital Daily
So, that rumoured Apple event everyone has been jawing about these past few weeks? It’s on and it’s going to be a big deal.
Sources in a position to know tell me Apple (AAPL) is indeed planning a media event later this month at which the company will announce a major new product. The gathering is to be held at the Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts in San Francisco, a space Apple often uses for media events like this. According to other sources, it will occur on Wednesday, Jan 27, not the Tuesday 26th as was previously rumoured.
No definitive word on what that product is, but I think we all have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Incidentally, this won’t be the first time Apple has scheduled a special event on a Wednesday as opposed to Tuesday, which it has historically preferred for such things. The “It’s Only Rock and Roll” iPod event held last September, which was also rumoured to be scheduled on a Tuesday, was ultimately held on Wednesday Sep 9. Evidently, Wednesday is the new Tuesday.

Update: French Apple site Mac4Ever also claimed Monday that a new iPhone 4.0 beta SDK includes a "simulator" that aims to make it easy for developers to adapt to different screen resolutions. Some developers are allegedly already working with the beta SDK.

enTourage eDGe, Fancy a convertible?

Sat, 2 Jan 2010 17:33:49 +0000

I have been following this for quite a while now, i thought i would share. What do you get when you take and E-reader, A convertible Net-book, and Android?

The enTourage eDGe™ is the world’s first dual-book, combining the functions of an e-reader, net-book, notepad, and audio/video recorder and player in one. It’s a comprehensive device that lets you read e-books, surf the Internet, take digital notes, send emails and instant messages, watch movies and listen to music anywhere, at any time. This is nothing you've ever seen before!

Get books wirelessly, move files onto your enTourage eDGe™ using an SD card or a USB flash drive. Use the mini-USB port to move files back and forth from a Windows, MAC, or Linux-based PC. And with a net-book built in, you can forget the limitations of other e-readers, the enTourage eDGe™ does it all!

Net-book Functionality
The enTourage eDGe™ colour touchscreen is a whole net-book, ready to play movies or MP3s, organise your books, notes, and pictures, or let you instant message your friends. The screen is 1024 x 600 pixels, or 10.1 inches measured diagonally. You can view images from the e-book you're reading on the colour display. You can open a virtual keyboard and type instant messages or emails. The net-book includes an audio recorder to capture lectures for later playback or sharing. It also has a video camera to record still images or movies as MP4s or 3GP files. You can plug in headphones or a microphone or use the built in speaker and recorder.
The net-book functionality comes with web browsing, audio/video record and playback, an email function and contacts list, a calculator, an alarm clock, and a library function to manage your books and files. The enTourage eDGe™ uses the Google® Android® operating system, so you can add other applications you need.
Communications
The enTourage eDGe™ has built in WiFi® and future support for 3G using an EVDO or HSDPA mobile modem. You can quickly download e-books, send an email, browse the web, or combine your note taking, emailing, and browsing, all from one device. The enTourage eDGe™ also includes BlueTooth® capability to add an external keyboard.
Flexibility
The enTourage eDGe™ lets you work the way you want. You can use the net-book in portrait or landscape mode, but you can also flip everything around 180 degrees. When you do that, the e-reader, where you keep your journals or take notes on books, will be on the right side, and the net-book will be on the left.
Thousands of Books in under 3 Pounds
The enTourage eDGe™, at just under 3 pounds, is 8 1/4 by 10 3/4 by 1 inch, closed. You can easily carry thousands of books with the built-in 3 GB of usable memory. You can use an SD card or a USB flash drive to add to the storage, or move files to and from your MP3 player, your phone, your PC, even your camera.
Go Study (or Play) All Day
The enTourage eDGe™ was designed to let you go all day without recharging the battery. The lithium ion battery can last up to 16 hours of reading without recharging. One of the big advantages of the enTourage eDGe™ is that the battery can be replaced if it's ever necessary. And that lets you keep a spare on hand, if you want to have a backup for busy days.

enTourage eDGe™ Specifications
Dimensions: 8.25" x 10.75" by 1.0" (closed)
Weight: approx. 2.75 lbs.
Internal Memory: 4 GB (3 GB for user) up to 3000 books
E-reader File Formats: ePub, PDF
LCD Touchscreen Display Size: 1024 x 600 (10.1")
E-paper Display Size: 9.7" e-Ink®(1200 x 825), 16 shades of gray
E-paper Input: Wacom® Penabled®
Operating System: Linux with Google® Android®
Screen Rotation: 90 and 180 degrees
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth capability, 3G (future availability)
Battery Life: 16+ hours utilising the e-reader screen / up to 6 hours running the LCD screen
Battery Type: Lithium-ion polymer
Mobile Modem (optional): EVDO or HSDPA
External Memory: SD card slot, 2 USB ports
Audio and Microphone Jack: 3.5 mm each. Includes internal microphone and speakers.
Audio playback: MP3, WAV, 3GPP, MP4, AMR, AAC, OGG, M4A
Video playback: 3GP, MP4, Adobe Flash Lite (H.264)
Input: Stylus input on e-paper and touchscreen. Virtual keyboard. Bluetooth and USB keyboard (optional)

And the Price? $490 with a choice of colours. Shipping starts February 2010

I am hoping to bring a full review as soon as these start shipping. Would you be Interested in purchasing one of these? Let us know below.

Mark

2010 with Techreviewonline, Our new years resolutions.

Sat, 2 Jan 2010 16:16:33 +0000

As its currently quiet in the tech world at the moment, id like to take this rare opportunity to give you all an update as to where we are going in 2010, what we hope to achieve, and what tech we are looking forward to testing out.

Believe it or not, Techreviewonline was only born on 15 November 2009 and already we have had what I consider to be a fantastic start. I have always believed in taking things slowly and building on strong foundations and I believe these are almost laid. Some of you may have noticed lots of small changes happening to the site. We have improved our search engine visibility and I have tried to simplify the site to streamline things and make finding the information you want to see, easier than ever.

The forum has been a great success and already were seeing activity and people are clearly finding the information they want as we now have over 1000 visitors to the forum daily. The main Activity is in the Archos forum and wiki , also more recently in the Jolicloud forum, I am happy to listen to suggestions on how we can improve exposure and I would like to thank all who participate regularly for making them many peoples first source of information.

December 7th saw the introduction of the Blog. It is here that I am trying to add a more personal touch to the site. There are so many blogs out there rushing to be first with every tidbit of information, however irrelevant, and I would like to focus on things that i believe make my readers tick, not things that just fill the space. If I see something interesting, I will surely be posting it here, if there is no news, I won’t be making any up just to get hits. I hope that you will all appreciate the effort involved and I would like to ask that anyone who has something interesting they would like to share, please get in touch. I created this site for everyone and id like to receive more submissions of information you might think others would be interested in.

This site is maintained alongside my full time Job (used to fund the gadgets). All of the people who contribute (Candy, Allen, Myself) do so totally unpaid. Please assist us in making this site a fantastic resource of not only reviews, but also of support. We all like to make informed decisions prior to making a purchase, please do not undervalue your own experiences, whether good or bad, get in touch either directly or via the forum and share so all guests can benefit.

I would like to thank Al Sutton (Funky Android) for creating us a forum shortcut application recently for Android devices such as the Archos 5 Internet tablet. This Application was provided to us free of charge and is now listed in the Archos Appslib for download (Search for “Techreviewonlineforum”).

I have already created a shortlist of products I would personally like to review this year including the Apple Islate, Itablet, iPad or whatever they choose to call it. Also the JooJoo has got my interest and we will be bringing some hands on reviews of these as soon as we receive units for test. We are keeping an eye on Blumpit and their tablet device, and Candy will be bringing us a new review of the Viliv S5 to see if its still competitive in 2010. I am also keen to get hold of a new 27in Apple Imac for test. If you are interested in writing of filming a review for us, please get in touch for the review guidelines and we will be happy to support you with the review non financially of course.

Over the coming months we will continue to lay the foundations for the site and bring some of the best reviews of the latest tech for you to enjoy. Please bookmark the Blog and participate in the forum, add us on twitter. Take a moment to visit any other forums of interest and if you are interested in moderation duties or joining the editorial team. Get in touch.

If there is something that has caught your eye, let us know and we will try and bring an unbiased review your way as soon as possible. I hope you have appreciated having an inside look at developments and we once again thank you sincerely for all of the support we have and continue to receive. Many thanks for spreading the word.

Don't forget to check out the best tech of the decade if you haven't already.

Mark

2000 - 2009 Best of the Decade, Looking forward to 2010

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:36:16 +0000

Its the end of a Decade. anyone remember the millennium bug? and the hype that proceeded it? That was nothing compared to the game changers we have seen since 2000. Here we have decided to round them up ready for starting 2010 and the next decade of tech. Let us know what products did it for you.

Here are 10 products we believe defined the decade for us. You will have to decide the winning order as we simply couldn't, they all deserve first place.

Apple Macbook Intel released 2006

Ushered in the Intel transition and was the start of Apple gaining momentum as a real alternative to Windows domination. The Macbook has become Apples best selling computer of all time selling more than 10 million units since launch.

Acer EEE PC Net-book launched 2007

The net-book was first considered a niche product that many disregarded as not here to stay. However in the tough economic climate we have found ourselves in of late, the net-book has become one of the cornerstones of budget computing, even managing to fend off Microsoft’s Windows vista and forcing a rethink for Microsoft.

Apple Iphone launched 2007

When this phone was launched, Apple claimed they were going to reinvent the phone. They haven't reinvented the phone but they have moved the goal post in peoples expectations of what a smartphone should be. This has been a real game changer and with the introduction of the App store in 2008, The iphone has become the force to be reckoned with and has certainly changed the phone industry in a massive way.

Sony Playstation 2 Launched 2000

Building on the success of the Playstation 1, this games console has sold more than 138 million units to date in 2009 and has become the best selling console of all time and games are still being released in 2010. This console has still remained a great seller with competition from Sony’s own PS3, Microsoft Xbox and 360 and the mighty Nintendo Wii.

Apple Ipod Launched 2001

What is an MP3 player? Duh an Ipod. If you haven't already got one, you surely have one in your house, and even if you don't, you know many who do. You would have had to walk around with your eyes closed to miss this yet nobody saw it coming. This product rescued Apple and was a home-run of gigantic proportions. The Ipod has revolutionised the music industry with Itunes and has paved the way for great products like the iphone.

Windows XP released 2001
Microsoft has always held the title of most popular OS and Windows XP was considered so popular that it managed to fight off its replacement Windows Vista. Many consider service pack one to be where Microsoft “got it right”. A combination of Vista’s heavy resource requirement and the popularity of the net-book saw many people downgrade from Vista back to XP in 2008.

Nintendo Wii released 2006
What do you get when you take a gamecube and a fancy motion controller? A Wii. Hailed by many as the gaming console that brought games to all ages. The Wii continues to be a favourite amongst older gamers and has redefined party games with its popular Wii sports game. Who would have thought a motion controller could make a console so popular? The Wii has managed to fight off competiton from Sony’s PS3 and Microsofts Xbox 360 and has managed to outsell both by selling more than 56.1 million units since launch.

Nintendo DS Released 2004

The spiritual successor the the first Nintendo handheld the ‘Game and Watch’, The nintendo DS (Developers System) has sold over 113 million devices since launch in 2004 worldwide. The Nintendo DS has become the popular choice for mobile gaming and has redefined what a mobile games console should be.

Google Android released 2007
Google Android is a mobile OS based on a Linux kernel and open-sourced by google for use on mobile devices and smartphone’s. Now developed by the Open handset alliance this OS is fighting off competition from Microsofts Windows Mobile and Nokia Symbian as the dominant OS across multiple platforms. We have tested out the Archos 5 internet tablet here running the 1.5 version of the OS and some products are now being released with 2.1. 2010 should see this OS become widespread and we believe it deserves a place on our list.

Blu-Ray Disc Released 2006
Beaten to market by a few months by HD-DVD, Blu-Ray was developed as the HD format of choice and the preceeding format war to follow would see HD-DVD recede from the market and Blu-Ray take its place as the dominant format, thanks to the increasing popularity of the PS3 from Sony and the support garnered for its anti-copying system from the major movie makers.

Honourable mention, the products that were important but not quite defining enough to make our list.

Sony Playstation 3 Released 2006
Whilst not as popular as the Xbox 360 and beaten so far in sales by the mighty PS2 and Wii, the PS3 has helped define the decade as being one of the Best Blu-Ray players and creating a foothold for the format.

Apple Mac OSX released 2001
Maybe this should be higher on our list? I guess you will decide. As the OS of choice for myself I have huge respect for this fantastic, easy to use and stable operating system. Controversy over which OS is best has always been a hot topic, however as this OS is not mainstream, I have decided to give it honourable mention. Mac OSX is the cornerstone of every Apple computer and is what makes a Mac a Mac. Although there are ways of getting OSX to run on non Apple hardware, none give the complete experience of using a real Apple computer. The ‘It just works’ appeal is really starting to create popularity for Apple and they are moving from the niche to the mainstream and gaining valuable market share year after year. Mac OSX is currently on its 6th major release 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Macbook Air released 2008

The first computer from Apple to have the Unibody construction. Whilst many consider this computer to be over priced, it cannot be disputed that the form factor is beautiful and the technical achievement remarkable. Who says computers cant have sex appeal?

Pioneer Plasma’s

2009 was a very upsetting time when Pioneer announced they would be pulling out of Plasma TV production. Indeed, I snapped up one of the very last KRP-600A 60 inch plasma displays. Pioneer have been at the forefront of Plasma display technology for the last decade and due to the tough economic climate and the popularity of cheaper LCD televisions they have made the decision to stop producing these fantastic sets. We will miss you? well, I wont as I got mine, but a heartfelt goodbye to a favourite display manufacturer of many.

Well all that I have left to say is best wishes for the new year and lets hope that the next decade brings with it some more amazing game changing products. Personally i’m looking forward to 2010 and the possible launch of yet another game changer the Apple Tablet. We are also excited to see what the JooJoo has to offer and will be bringing news of things we think deserve a place on the site as soon as we see them. Its C.E.S in a week and we should see some great Android based devices as well as a few things that we weren't expecting i’m sure.

Please take a moment to comment and visit our forums to see if there is anything you can help out with. You never know, you might find an answer to a question you have been asking yourself. I would like to take a moment to welcome all of the Jolicloud members to the forum, I hope you are liking what you see.   Candy has just received her Viliv S5 and will be bringing a full review of it soon. It may have been out for 8 months but i’m looking forward to seeing if it can still cut the mustard.

Happy New year to you all from all of the team at Techreviewonline

Mark Perrin