Boot up: what if Windows 8 fails?, it's BlackBerry!, US iPhones' money pit ... - The Guardian (blog)

A quick burst of 9 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team

Philips Exits Consumer Electronics - The Source - WSJ

Philips Electronics has drawn a line under its long history as a consumer-electronics company after failing to compete successfully with the likes of Apple, Samsung Electronics and Sony in the fast-moving industry.

Philips said Tuesday it has sold the remnants of its once-core business to Japan's Funai Electric Co. as the Dutch group reported a steeper net loss in the fourth quarter, weighed down by a restructuring charge and a fine for price fixing.

Philips, which has become primarily a maker of medical equipment and lighting products, has sold the audio, video, multimedia and accessories activities to the Japanese consumer electronics company for the almost token sum of EUR150m ($201.8m) in cash and a brand-license fee.

Utterly gobsmacking. Philips, inventor of the compact cassette, co-inventor (with Sony) of the CD, and that's it.

Android botnet infects 1M+ phones in China >> threatpost

A couple of weeks old, but:

Up to a million Android users in China could be part of a large mobile botnet according to research unveiled by Kingsoft Security, a Hong Kong-based security company, this week.

The botnet has spread across phones running the Android operating system via Android.Troj.mdk, a Trojan that researchers said exists in upwards of 7,000 applications available in third-party app stores, including the popular Temple Run and Fishing Joy games.

According to reports, the strain of malware was discovered in 2011 but recent analysis has shown the botnet has ramped up infection rates and at this point might have infected one million smartphones.

Windows 8 failure could set off tech industry chain reaction >> Windows IT Pro

Paul Thurrott:

There hasn't been much talk about this yet, because the reactions are fairly predictable, but I see Windows 8 as Microsoft's Hail Mary pass. If Windows 8 doesn't truly succeed (i.e., it achieves just Vista-level sales and customer engagement), the company might never fully recover. The failure of Windows Vista already knocked the stuffing out of Microsoft, leading to the complete upheaval of the Windows Division, and here they are making a big bet again, far earlier than I ever thought was possible. What if this one doesn't work? What if users don't embrace this weird dual-usage model with both tablet-friendly and traditional UIs? What if the world just passes them by?

Intriguing way to set out the alternatives.

Ridiculous: 64GB Surface Pro to only include 23GB of usable space >> Owened

Owen Williams:

The problem I have with this is that it is blatantly deceptive. Consumers are accustomed to tablets being marketed like the iPad, where if you buy a 64GB iPad, you actually get around that much space. This isn't like the PC market, where a machine ships with 95% usable of a 500GB drive because it's only a drop in the bucket.

By advertising a device that has "64GB of storage" but only actually has 23GB, Microsoft is not only setting themselves up to disappoint, they're actively deceiving users. 23GB is only 35% of the total usable space. It's grossly misleading, even if it is a "full PC" product, it's in a category that markets itself very differently.

Goodbye Research In Motion, hello BlackBerry >> CITEworld

Research In Motion is changing its name to BlackBerry, a move it hopes will signify a fresh start for the company.

The surprise name change, which takes effect immediately, was announced by CEO Thorsten Heins at an event in New York to launch the company's new BlackBerry 10 operating system and smartphones.

"Our customers use the BlackBerry, our employees work for BlackBerry, and our shareholders are owners of BlackBerry. From today on, we are BlackBerry everywhere in the world," he said at the event, which was broadcast.

Compare Apple Computer changing its name to Apple Inc with the launch of the iPhone. Any other tech name changes spring to mind?

iPhone users rack up the highest carrier bills >> AllThingsD

According to new data shared with AllThingsD by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), the average monthly carrier bill of the typical iPhone user is the highest in the smartphone market. iPhone owners spend more on wireless fees than owners of any other handset, be they Android, BlackBerry or Windows Phone.<p: Almost 60% of the iPhone users CIRP polled during October-December 2012 spent more than $100 per month on their wireless plan, with 10% spending $200 or more. Just 6% spent $50 or less; for Android users in that category, the percentage was double. And only 53% of Android users fell into the "over $100 per month" category, with 7% landing in the "over $200 per month" category.

The very clear message from this research: Americans spend insane amounts of money on mobile plans.

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer does not fear Dropbox or an Office-less IPad >> Businessweek

Good interview on Bloomberg BusinessWeek with Steve Ballmer, including this gem:

Q: You guys face the huge challenge of trying to advance a product on which about 1 billion people rely. You want to modernize it, but you don't want to break anything that people need. Partly as a result of this, Microsoft is coming to the cloud late and now going up against a company like Dropbox that already has 100 million users.

Ballmer: Well, you've got to remember, 100 million sounds like a pretty small number to me, actually. We've got a lot more Office users. And actually if you even want to go to the cloud, we have a lot of Hotmail and SkyDrive users. I'm not beating on Dropbox. They're a fine little startup and that's great.

100 million makes you a little startup? OK. He's then asked about Yammer (6m) which Microsoft bought for $1.2bn. And he also deals with the question of Office for iPad. Well, sort of.

Exclusive: Nest has raised another $80M, now shipping 40K+ thermostats a month >> Gigaom

Smart thermostat startup Nest has closed on a round of $80 million, we've learned, and the funding was done at a post money valuation of $800 million. Google Ventures led the round, and Venrock participated as a new investor, according to our sources. Nest is currently listed on Venrock's site.

The company has raised this round to continue its growth; it's now shipping 40,000 to 50,000 of its learning thermostats per month. If the company's growth continues at this current rate, Nest could reach a shipment rate of 1 million thermostats per year by the summer, say our sources. Note, that's shipments, not sales, though the figures are clearly closely related...

The thermostat, which costs $250, learns its owner's behavior and uses smart algorithms to shave off 20% to 30% of energy used for heating and cooling.

Live: Amazon misses estimates on earnings, revenue and guidance >> Business Insider

Amazon reported revenue and earnings that were below Wall Street's printed expectations, but the stock responded by soaring to an all-time high.

(The company's profit margin was modestly higher than expected. And the stock is likely benefitting from some short-covering, as Amazon bears panic and cover their bets).

Gotta love Amazon. And the stock market. (The "bears", by the way, would have short-sold stock - having sold a ton at a higher price, and promising to buy it back at a lower price; sell high, buy low, make profit. When the stock didn't fall, they had to buy it anyway to cover their debts from "selling" at the higher price.)

You can follow Guardian Technology's linkbucket on Pinboard. To suggest a link, either add it below or tag it with @gdntech on the free Delicious service.

Microsoft Surface sales well below shipments, says iSuppli - CNET

Surface RT tablet.

(Credit: CNET)

Sales of Microsoft's first Surface tablet fell well short of the 1 million mark, while return rates were high, IHS iSuppli told CNET.

Shipments of the Surface RT device, which debuted last quarter, into the channel were about 1.25 million, but sales out of the channel "were significantly lower, maybe on the order of 55 to 60 percent of that figure," said Rhoda Alexander, an analyst at iSuppli, citing the market research firm's estimates.

That would put sales in the range of between roughly 680,000 and 750,000 based on those percentages.

That kind of "sales out" percentage is not unusual, however, according to Alexander, adding that she has seen similar percentages with newly introduced Android devices.

And, needless to say, almost every manufacturer's sales-out figure pales against Apple's, the gold standard, where the percentage is typically in the mid to high 90 percent range or even 100 percent. Apple sold 22.9 million iPads in its most recent reported quarter.

And Alexander said she sees little evidence of continued production of the Microsoft RT device -- which runs a limited version of Windows 8 on top of an ARM processor -- in the first quarter because Microsoft is still trying to sell off inventory.

But that inventory carryover is also not unique to Microsoft. The Amazon Kindle Fire, when it was first introduced, had excess inventory that carried over into the following quarter. As a result, Amazon temporarily cut production, Alexander said.

Surface RT has other challenges, too. The return rate on the device was "very high," Alexander said. "If you put the high return rate together with low sell-through [sales out] rate, that's indicative of a problem," she said, adding, again, that the Kindle Fire initially had very high return rates and low sell-through.

Why the high return rates? "It seems to be linked in a lot of cases to a steep learning curve of the [Windows 8] OS -- which is not necessarily intuitive," she said.

And another problem possibly looms big this year. There is a "distinct lack of interest" from device makers in pursuing RT devices at the moment, she said.

For Microsoft partners the question is, "where is the win for us?" -- according to Alexander.

During last week's earnings conference call, Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein repeated a number of times that Surface contributed to revenue. "Certainly this quarter [Surface] was a contributing factor to revenue growth in the Windows business," Klein said.

During the call, Microsoft cited Surface as a part of non-OEM revenue that grew 40 percent.

Microsoft has not talked about sales figures. And the company would not provide a number when contacted.

Microsoft is about to bring out a second line of tablets, the Surface Pro, that runs the full version of Windows 8 on top of a mainstream Intel processor. Alexander says she sees more momentum industrywide for these kinds of devices.

Microsoft dev tools to add Linux-style source code versioning - Register

Microsoft's developer tools division has taken another step closer to the open source community, with the announcement that both Team Foundation Server and Visual Studio will soon incorporate support for decentralized source code version control using Git.

Microsoft Technical Fellow Brian Harry announced the new tools at the company's third annual ALM (application lifecycle management) Summit at its Redmond campus on Wednesday, then followed up with a detailed blog post explaining the decision.

"Centralized version control is going to be around for a long time," Harry wrote. "It's a model that still works for a very large number of customers and we're very happy with the solution we have. However, DVCS [decentralized version control systems], starting with roots in the OSS community, has grown steadily in popularity."

Git is probably the most widely used DVCS today, although devotees of its rival Mercurial might argue the point. Originally invented by Linus Torvalds to help him manage Linux kernel development, Git quickly gained a strong following, in part thanks to the popular free source code-hosting site, GitHub.

Harry says Microsoft made the decision to add DVCS support to Team Foundation Server more than a year ago, and that it didn't take long to settle on support for Git as the right way to go.

"Git hasn't been as friendly for Windows developers as on other platforms. By building on Git, we can take all the time we might spend just 'catching up' and spend that effort on something where we can add more distinctive value. Choosing Git just made sense," Harry wrote.

Microsoft's Git plans take a two-pronged approach, with support coming for Git clients and servers alike. On the client side, Redmond is developing a Visual Studio extension that allows developers to access Git repositories from within the IDE, as well as create and manage repositories on the local hard drive.

A Community Technology Preview of this extension was made available for download on Wednesday, and the final version is expected to ship with the next version of Visual Studio, dubbed VS.Next. The plug-in will not work with Visual Studio 2010 or earlier, Harry said, though he noted that it would come bundled with all future versions of the IDE, including the free Express editions.

On the server side, the next version of Team Foundation Server will allow administrators to create and host Git repositories, in addition to the traditional Team Foundation Version Control repositories. No date has been announced for when that version will ship, but the Git features are already available to users of Microsoft's hosted Team Foundation Service, beginning on Wednesday.

Harry stressed that Microsoft's decision to get aboard the Git train in no way constituted an attack on open source, and that Redmond's implementation of Git would be fully compatible with any existing Git repositories or tools.

"This is not about lock in – It's about providing a good and interoperable Git capability," Harry wrote.

Developers who would like to get started with Microsoft's Git tools via Team Foundation Service – or who just want to see how the process will work once the final product ships – can consult the online documentation available here or watch a brief video tutorial here. ®

Asus VivoBook S400E - PC Pro

Ultrabooks routinely match potent performance with luscious looks and a slim, sleek chassis, but such alchemy comes at a cost. This is where Asus' VivoBook range comes in, offering similar style in a slightly portlier chassis. Our favourite so far is the budget VivoBook S200E, but the S400E is also appealing, combining a larger 14in touchscreen with a top-flight Core i7 CPU for only £700 inc VAT.

The curvy, 24mm-thick chassis isn't slim enough for an official Intel Ultrabook sticker, nor, at 1.82kg, is it light enough. Despite those extra grams, though, it looks fantastic. The dark brushed-metal lid folds back to reveal a keyboard set adrift in a silver metal surround, and the stout, contoured base looks attractive from any angle.

We've no truck with the S400E's ergonomics, either. The glossy 14in touchscreen responds to the lightest dab and stroke of a finger, and the extra weight in the base means you have to prod hard before it rocks back on its hinge. There's some flex in the Scrabble-tile keyboard's surround, but the keys give way with a lovely, cushioned bounce. The buttonless touchpad supports all Windows 8's edge-swipe gestures, as well as a range of two- and three-fingered dabs and flicks, and it worked well throughout testing.

The presence of a Core i7-3517U CPU is amazing for the money, and Asus has partnered the top-end processor with 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard disk. The lack of an SSD puts a dent in overall performance, with the 0.63 score in our Real World Benchmarks behind models with SSDs, but it's more than quick enough for most purposes.

However, unlike many of these rivals, there's room to upgrade. Unscrew the base, and you'll find an unoccupied RAM slot next to the laptop's standard 2.5in HDD – adding more RAM and replacing the hard disk with an SSD is a ten-minute job.

Elsewhere, the essentials are all present and correct. Asus has put the extra millimetres around the S400E's chassis to good use, squeezing in two USB 2 ports, a single USB 3 port, D-SUB and HDMI video outputs, an SD card reader and Gigabit Ethernet. There's 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4 is included. Even the speakers are of reasonable quality.

Battery life is a touch disappointing at 5hrs 43mins in our light-use tests, but it's only the VivoBook S400E's display that lets the side down. Asus has opted for a glossy, 1,366 x 768 panel, and the backlighting is far from impressive. We measured a maximum brightness of 162cd/m2, the lowest we've seen for some time. The contrast ratio of 200:1 is no better, resulting in flat, lifeless images. The display isn't a dead loss, however. Asus' factory calibration means the panel's colour response has been tweaked extensively, and the result is great colour accuracy.

There are plenty of areas where Asus could improve the VivoBook S400E – the display, the slight bounce in the keyboard, the overall weight – but for £700, those flaws are easy to forgive. It isn't an Ultrabook, but the VivoBook S400E is a handsome, powerful all-rounder, and a perfect introduction to the touch-friendly aspects of Windows 8.

Author: Sasha Muller

Wombi Treasures iOS and Android app review - PC Advisor

Kids love tablets and smartphones for the wide range of games and educational apps, and there are a few developers coming to the fore with growing ranges of fun apps for children.

Alongside the popular Toca Boca mobile games is another Swedish app developer with a funny name, Wombi.

Wombi's latest game for iPhone, iPad and Android is Wombi Treasures, aimed at kids 4 and over. It costs £1.99 for iPad and iPhone (with an introductory £1.49 offer for a limited time) and £2.29 on Android.

The game sets players the challenge of finding various ancient treasures hidden around the world.

Players first see a world map showing five crosses marking the spots where they should go to explore.

That's pretty much where the geography lessons end, and it would have been nice to add a bit more education to the game, saying or spelling out the names of the continents, for example.

You then fly over the terrain looking through a telescope at the landscapes, from forests to snow scenes and hot deserts.

You must search through the landscape for the locations of the antiquities (Inca masks, Roman coins, helmets, daggers, etc). Green lights come on as you get closer, and eventually another red cross marks the spot where you must start your dig.

If you can't find the cross or get frustrated trying you can tap a button that brings its location into a separate windows.

Get the cross in your sights and you're taken to the dig.

You have five tools to help you dig through rock, sweep away sand and snow and pull away undergrowth or insects.

There's a pick axe, trowel, brush, dish and gloves for budding archeologists to work with, and sometimes you must go through more than one layer to find the treasure.

Once you've found all five treasures these are displayed in a museum setting before you have the option of playing a different set of locations.

While there is a range of locations, digs and treasures there's not a lot of variation of game play, and a bit more differentiation and adventure would help keep the game alive. Some sort of Indiana Jones-style arcade action would really give this game a shot of adrenaline for older players.

That said my daughter, a few months off seven years old and a veteran of iOS games, thoroughly enjoyed Wombi Treasures and kept going back to it.

This game might be about treasure and adventure but it's quite a calm pursuit and keeps children gripped (and quiet!) for some time, engaging them in finding things and persevering during the digs.

One thing we'd have liked added is harder levels to keep the game exciting, but we were glad that there are no crafty in-app purchases lurking within – a big plus for children's apps.

Wombi apps for kids

Like Toca Boca Wombi has a wide range of fun apps for kids. We particularly liked Wombi Airplane, Wombi Detective, Pirate's Treasure, and Funny Figures.

Wombi Airplane (£1.49 on iPad and iPhone; £2.29 on Android) lets you create your own custom plane and then fly it on a mission across various levels to collect flying treasure boxes. This is a lot of fun and the arcade element gives the game legs, or, I suppose, wings.

Wombi Detective (free on iPad, iPhone; Android, £2.29) turns the player into Detective Walter MacSneak who has to investigate a robbery. This is quite an involved game so would suit slightly older kids as you pick out suspects in an identity parade and search around for clues.

Pirate's Treasure (£1.99 on iPad and iPhone; free on Android) is a classic memory game app for one or two players with a cute Ahoy There pirate theme.

Funny Figures (£1.99 on iPad and iPhone) is different. It's a social drawing game for both kids and adults where players take turns drawing or selecting illustrator Malin Rosenqvist's ready made amusing head, body, leg and feet – eventually revealing a crazy concoction of a person.

iPhone app reviews

iPad app reviews

Android app reviews

Samsung Galaxy Admire 4G - CNET

At just $100, the Samsung Galaxy Admire 4G has a number of things going for it. It delivers a consistent 4G LTE experience, it has an attractive, compact build, and it's ideal for customers looking for a simple, no-contract smartphone.

Unfortunately, one huge oversight with the device is that it runs on the Android 2.3 operating system. In the smartphone world, this is ages old (after all, there have been two updates since then). And the fact that MetroPCS carries plenty of other devices with Android 4.0 for about the same price, if not cheaper, doesn't help the Admire 4G look any better.

Design
Interestingly, the Samsung Galaxy Admire 4G is reminiscent of the second-generation iPod. Coming only in white, it has a thick 0.47-inch profile, but it's extremely compact. It's easily maneuverable with one hand, and it has a dense construction that weighs 4.34 ounces. It measures 4.52 inches tall and 2.46 inches wide.

On the left is a thin volume rocker, and up top is a 3.5mm headphone jack. The right edge houses the sleep/power button, and on the bottom is the Micro-USB port for charging.

The Admire 4G's back plate has an attractive wood-grained texture that gives the device a more premium feel.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

The 3.2-megapixel camera and LED flash are on the back, along with two small slits on the right for the audio speaker. Using an indent at the very top of the back plate, you can pry the cover off and gain access to the microSD card slot (which takes cards of up to 32GB) and battery. Though the device looks simple, I found the back plate to be attractive. It features a subtle wood-grain texture that adds a premium feel to an otherwise inexpensive-feeling product.

The 3.65-inch HVGA TFT touch screen is made out of Corning Gorilla Glass. Because this is a mid- to entry-level handset, it doesn't have the crispiest of screens: it has a 320x480-pixel resolution and can display up to 262,000 colors. Color gradients, such as those that appear on default wallpapers, look streaky and spotted. However, the touch screen is responsive, and doesn't require much hard pressing for it to register touches.

Above the display are an in-ear speaker, a VGA front-facing camera, and sensors. Below it are four hot keys that light up when in use: menu, home, back, and search.

Software and features
One of the phone's biggest faults is that despite coming out a little more than a month ago, it ships with the severely dated Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. Later Android versions Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean have already been released, so if you're looking for an up-to-date unit, this isn't it.

Having said that, the Admire 4G does have a handful of Google apps you come to expect, such as Gmail, Latitude, Maps with Navigation, Places, access to the Google Play Books, Music, and Store, Search, Talk, and finally YouTube.

For basic task management apps it has a calculator, a calendar, a clock with alarm functions, a native e-mail client and browser, a memo pad, music and video players, a to-do list, and voice services like a dialer, recorder, and search.

Unfortunately, the handset ships with the dated Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

MetroPCS included a few of its own apps, including a 4G mobile hot-spot app; M Studio, which stores media files like ringtones; Metro's own app store; Metro Block-it, which allows you to block calls and texts from unwanted persons; Metro411, which searches and locates for nearby businesses and restaurants; MetroPCS Easy Wi-Fi; the carrier's native browser; an entertainment and media app called MyExtras; a handset locator called Total Protection; and MyMetro, which lets you check your account balance and plan.

Other goodies are AllShare, which lets you play media across several devices; the always intelligent and dependable Yahoo Answers; Desk Cradle, which lets you launch a static home page that shows just a few apps, the weather, and the time; Yahoo Movies; a mobile media suite called Pocket Express; the Quickoffice suite; the streaming-music service Rhapsody; and another note-taking app called Write & Go.

Camera and video
The 3.2-megapixel camera surprisingly holds a lot of photo options, such as touch, auto, and macro focuses, an LED flash, an exposure meter, six shooting modes, a whopping 14 scene modes, a timer, six photo sizes (ranging from 640x480 to 2,048x1,536), five white balances, four color effects, three metering options (matrix, spot, and center-weighted), three image qualities, meters to adjust contrast, saturation, and sharpness, compositional guidelines, and geotagging.

The video camera has the same flash, exposure, timer, compositional lines, white balances, color effects, quality, and adjusting meter options. But you can also mute audio, and shoot in four sizes (from 176x144 to 720x480), and there are two shooting modes (normal and MMS).

The front-facing camera has fewer options. The only features that are retained are the exposure meter, image quality choices, and geotagging. In recording mode, you only get access to the exposure meter, video quality, and audio muting.

For such a low-megapixel camera, photo quality was respectable. In bright, outdoor scenes with even lighting, close-up images were generally sharp. Even though objects outside the center focus point were a bit blurrier, they weren't rendered unrecognizable. In addition colors, like whites, were accurate.

Understandably, photos taken in dimmer indoor lighting did not look as clear. Colors looked duller, images looked blurrier, as if painted on with a broad brushstroke, white lights were washed out, and dark hues were hard to distinguish. However, in general, images did not look over-pixelated and were still easy to make out.

In this outdoor shot, the white hues in the petals are true-to-form, and the orchids are sharp.

(Credit: Lynn La/CNET)

This shot, taken in dimmer indoor lighting, is noticeably blurrier and duller in color.

(Credit: Lynn La/CNET)

In our standard studio shot, the flash caused a tinge of blue to appear on the white background.

(Credit: Lynn La/CNET)

Boot up: what if Windows 8 fails?, it's BlackBerry!, US iPhones' money pit ... - The Guardian Blogs (blog)

A quick burst of 9 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team

Philips Exits Consumer Electronics - The Source - WSJ

Philips Electronics has drawn a line under its long history as a consumer-electronics company after failing to compete successfully with the likes of Apple, Samsung Electronics and Sony in the fast-moving industry.

Philips said Tuesday it has sold the remnants of its once-core business to Japan's Funai Electric Co. as the Dutch group reported a steeper net loss in the fourth quarter, weighed down by a restructuring charge and a fine for price fixing.

Philips, which has become primarily a maker of medical equipment and lighting products, has sold the audio, video, multimedia and accessories activities to the Japanese consumer electronics company for the almost token sum of EUR150m ($201.8m) in cash and a brand-license fee.

Utterly gobsmacking. Philips, inventor of the compact cassette, co-inventor (with Sony) of the CD, and that's it.

Android botnet infects 1M+ phones in China >> threatpost

A couple of weeks old, but:

Up to a million Android users in China could be part of a large mobile botnet according to research unveiled by Kingsoft Security, a Hong Kong-based security company, this week.

The botnet has spread across phones running the Android operating system via Android.Troj.mdk, a Trojan that researchers said exists in upwards of 7,000 applications available in third-party app stores, including the popular Temple Run and Fishing Joy games.

According to reports, the strain of malware was discovered in 2011 but recent analysis has shown the botnet has ramped up infection rates and at this point might have infected one million smartphones.

Windows 8 failure could set off tech industry chain reaction >> Windows IT Pro

Paul Thurrott:

There hasn't been much talk about this yet, because the reactions are fairly predictable, but I see Windows 8 as Microsoft's Hail Mary pass. If Windows 8 doesn't truly succeed (i.e., it achieves just Vista-level sales and customer engagement), the company might never fully recover. The failure of Windows Vista already knocked the stuffing out of Microsoft, leading to the complete upheaval of the Windows Division, and here they are making a big bet again, far earlier than I ever thought was possible. What if this one doesn't work? What if users don't embrace this weird dual-usage model with both tablet-friendly and traditional UIs? What if the world just passes them by?

Intriguing way to set out the alternatives.

Ridiculous: 64GB Surface Pro to only include 23GB of usable space >> Owened

Owen Williams:

The problem I have with this is that it is blatantly deceptive. Consumers are accustomed to tablets being marketed like the iPad, where if you buy a 64GB iPad, you actually get around that much space. This isn't like the PC market, where a machine ships with 95% usable of a 500GB drive because it's only a drop in the bucket.

By advertising a device that has "64GB of storage" but only actually has 23GB, Microsoft is not only setting themselves up to disappoint, they're actively deceiving users. 23GB is only 35% of the total usable space. It's grossly misleading, even if it is a "full PC" product, it's in a category that markets itself very differently.

Goodbye Research In Motion, hello BlackBerry >> CITEworld

Research In Motion is changing its name to BlackBerry, a move it hopes will signify a fresh start for the company.

The surprise name change, which takes effect immediately, was announced by CEO Thorsten Heins at an event in New York to launch the company's new BlackBerry 10 operating system and smartphones.

"Our customers use the BlackBerry, our employees work for BlackBerry, and our shareholders are owners of BlackBerry. From today on, we are BlackBerry everywhere in the world," he said at the event, which was broadcast.

Compare Apple Computer changing its name to Apple Inc with the launch of the iPhone. Any other tech name changes spring to mind?

iPhone users rack up the highest carrier bills >> AllThingsD

According to new data shared with AllThingsD by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), the average monthly carrier bill of the typical iPhone user is the highest in the smartphone market. iPhone owners spend more on wireless fees than owners of any other handset, be they Android, BlackBerry or Windows Phone.<p: Almost 60% of the iPhone users CIRP polled during October-December 2012 spent more than $100 per month on their wireless plan, with 10% spending $200 or more. Just 6% spent $50 or less; for Android users in that category, the percentage was double. And only 53% of Android users fell into the "over $100 per month" category, with 7% landing in the "over $200 per month" category.

The very clear message from this research: Americans spend insane amounts of money on mobile plans.

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer does not fear Dropbox or an Office-less IPad >> Businessweek

Good interview on Bloomberg BusinessWeek with Steve Ballmer, including this gem:

Q: You guys face the huge challenge of trying to advance a product on which about 1 billion people rely. You want to modernize it, but you don't want to break anything that people need. Partly as a result of this, Microsoft is coming to the cloud late and now going up against a company like Dropbox that already has 100 million users.

Ballmer: Well, you've got to remember, 100 million sounds like a pretty small number to me, actually. We've got a lot more Office users. And actually if you even want to go to the cloud, we have a lot of Hotmail and SkyDrive users. I'm not beating on Dropbox. They're a fine little startup and that's great.

100 million makes you a little startup? OK. He's then asked about Yammer (6m) which Microsoft bought for $1.2bn. And he also deals with the question of Office for iPad. Well, sort of.

Exclusive: Nest has raised another $80M, now shipping 40K+ thermostats a month >> Gigaom

Smart thermostat startup Nest has closed on a round of $80 million, we've learned, and the funding was done at a post money valuation of $800 million. Google Ventures led the round, and Venrock participated as a new investor, according to our sources. Nest is currently listed on Venrock's site.

The company has raised this round to continue its growth; it's now shipping 40,000 to 50,000 of its learning thermostats per month. If the company's growth continues at this current rate, Nest could reach a shipment rate of 1 million thermostats per year by the summer, say our sources. Note, that's shipments, not sales, though the figures are clearly closely related...

The thermostat, which costs $250, learns its owner's behavior and uses smart algorithms to shave off 20% to 30% of energy used for heating and cooling.

Live: Amazon misses estimates on earnings, revenue and guidance >> Business Insider

Amazon reported revenue and earnings that were below Wall Street's printed expectations, but the stock responded by soaring to an all-time high.

(The company's profit margin was modestly higher than expected. And the stock is likely benefitting from some short-covering, as Amazon bears panic and cover their bets).

Gotta love Amazon. And the stock market. (The "bears", by the way, would have short-sold stock - having sold a ton at a higher price, and promising to buy it back at a lower price; sell high, buy low, make profit. When the stock didn't fall, they had to buy it anyway to cover their debts from "selling" at the higher price.)

You can follow Guardian Technology's linkbucket on Pinboard. To suggest a link, either add it below or tag it with @gdntech on the free Delicious service.

Android to overtake Windows... if you count smartphones - PC Pro

By Reuters and Nicole Kobie

Posted on 24 Oct 2012 at 16:06

Google's Android will be used on more computing devices than Microsoft's Windows within four years, data from research firm Gartner shows.

However, the stat assumes that smartphones and tablets are grouped together with more traditional computers.

At the end of 2016, there will be 2.3 billion computers, tablets and smartphones using Android software, compared with 2.28 billion Windows devices, Gartner data showed.

That compares to an expected 1.5 billion Windows devices by the end of this year, against 608 million using Android.

The prediction takes a similar outlook to another analyst firm, Forrester, which this week pointed out that if smartphones, tablets and computers are all lumped together Microsoft only has a third of the "personal devices" market, alongside Android and Apple's iOS.

Analyst Frank Gillett argued Microsoft can't reclaim its dominance over the area, but likely won't lose its third of the market in the next few years, as Windows 8 will help it make up for stalling PC sales.

"Microsoft has long dominated PC units, with something more than 95% sales. The incremental gains of Apple's Mac products over the past five years haven't really changed that reality," he notes in a blog post. "But the tremendous growth of smartphones, and then tablets, has. If you combine all the unit sales of personal devices, Microsoft's share of units has shrunk drastically to about 30% in 2012."

Android, which reached the market only in 2008, has risen fast to be the dominant smartphone platform, controlling two-thirds of that market. It has taken the number two spot in the fast-growing tablet computer market, after Apple.

Meanwhile, worldwide shipments of personal computers fell by over 8% in the third quarter, the steepest decline since 2001, as more consumers flock to tablets and smartphones for more basic computing.

Microsoft's Windows has dominated the personal computer industry for decades, but the company has struggled to keep up with the shift to wireless, and in smartphones its market share is around 3%.

Nokia sells 4.4m Lumia phones over Christmas period - The Guardian

Nokia has reported record demand for its flagship Lumia smartphones in the first sign that the Finnish mobile phone giant's long commercial winter may be thawing.

Operating profits at Nokia's handset business will break even or move into profit, ending three straight quarters of losses, the company said in an unscheduled update.

Helped by a multimillion dollar marketing blitz, Nokia sold 4.4m Lumia phones in the Christmas quarter, a higher number than in any previous three month period since the range was launched in 2011 as a key plank in chief executive Stephen Elop's turnaround plan. The company is struggling to keep up with "better than expected" Lumia sales, Elop said, with retailers and mobile networks selling out their stocks across its major markets. The forecast-beating update sent Nokia's shares up as high as 18%, with Elop hailing a "solid quarter". The shares closed up over 10% to €3.324 in Finland.

Suggestions that Lumia is gaining traction should boost Microsoft. The handsets use Windows phone software, which has been slow to attract consumers who favour Apple products and Google's Android interface. Android has helped Samsung overtake Nokia as the world's largest phone maker.

Previously, Lumia sales have not risen above the 4m achieved in the second quarter of 2012. Elop said the latest high-end version, the Lumia 920, had proved particularly popular.

Nokia has accumulated €4.8 billion (£3.9bn) in losses since Elop abandoned the "burning platform" of its own Symbian software for smartphones in early 2011. Its devices and services division, which accounts for half of sales, has not produced an operating profit since the end of 2011 and had been expected to produce a fourth straight quarter of losses at the end of 2012.

Nokia revised that forecast on Thursday after better-than-expected phone sales, with its Asha range doing well in emerging markets. It has also achieved rapid savings from a cost cutting round that has slashed more than 20,000 jobs and closed production and research sites around the world.

Samsung Galaxy Camera briefly appears with Verizon LTE - TechRadar UK

• AT&T to carry Samsung Galaxy Camera, no word on global carriers
• New photo might show Samsung Galaxy Premier
• First 1080p Android handset on the way to China

In late November, a Verizon-capable version of the Samsung Galaxy Camera was leaked via FCC documents, essentially revealing a variant of the AT&T model (EK-GC100) was headed to its competitor.

Not only did the FCC paperwork reveal Verizon would soon get its own take of the Galaxy Camera, but that the device would include the carrier's 4G LTE coverage.

This new model (EK-GC120) remained a rumor until Friday, when Samsung inadvertently posted Verizon's version to its own website.

Though the product page has since been taken down, the specifications for the camera are still viewable on Samsung's site, where the 4G LTE compatibility is confirmed.

LTE only

As was suspected based on the FCC filings, the Verizon version of the Galaxy Camera will only work on the carrier's LTE network.

There's no indication on the spec sheet of other network capabilities, such as CDMA, meaning using the Verizon EK-GC120 outside of LTE coverage will require a Wi-Fi connection.

Outside of the network capabilities, there doesn't appear to be much of a difference at all between the AT&T (which runs on 4G HSPA+) and Verizon edition of the Galaxy Camera.

Samsung's new specs page reveals Big Red customers will find the same 16-megapixel camera running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean whenever it arrives at the carrier.

Unfortunately, there's still no mention of a price (contract or not) or release date for this new edition of the Samsung camera.

TechRadar asked Samsung and Verizon for more on the device, and will update this story if and when the companies respond.

Kindle Fire, Fire HD 7 will be easier to use for vision impaired - TechRadar UK

• New Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD UK release date: Oct. 25
• Amazon achieves record Kindle Fire HD sales after iPad mini launch
• Kindle Fire's Silk browser adds Trending Now, will track user behavior

Amazon announced it will offer new features to help vision impaired users to the Kindle Fire and 7-inch Kindle Fire HD in the new year.

The two features are a voice guide and explore by touch option, both of which help users by reading menus aloud in intuitive ways.

Voice guide announces actions as they are performed, such as saying aloud a book's title and "book opened" when opening a book.

Explore by touch is a more proactive option, announcing menu items and book titles as a user's finger swipes over them. A second tap then actually performs the menu action.

Readying by ear

Both voice guide and explore by touch are currently available on the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD, and in 2013 Amazon will expand the features to the standard definition Kindle Fire and smaller-sized Kindle Fire HD.

The new features are designed to make the Kindle Fire more accessible to visually impaired users, who might have trouble reading text options on the smaller tablet screens.

Amazon's Kindle devices have long supported text-to-speech options for ebooks, but providing those options for menus is a relatively new development for the company.

"We have heard from thousands of customers who are vision-impaired that Kindle has made a difference in their lives," Amazon Kindle Vice President David Limp said.

"With Kindle Fire HD 8.9 [inch] and soon our full line of new tablets, we are continuing our efforts to provide a range of accessibility features - voice guide, explore by touch, text-to-speech, optional text coloring and adjustable font sizes - for our vision-impaired customers."

Amazon didn't announce a date when these accessibility features will arrive on Fires, only offering an "early 2013" timeframe.

HTC One X+ featuring Android 4.1 Jelly Bean arrives on O2 - ITProPortal

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Popular UK mobile network O2 has officially added the HTC One X+ to its smartphone arsenal, offering the new Android device on a range of tariffs headlined by a £41 a month deal that includes a free handset and a 2GB monthly data allowance in addition to unlimited calls and texts.

A highly intriguing new device in time for the lucrative holiday shopping season, the HTC One X+ sports a gargantuan 4.7in display and features the latest version of Google's mobile operating system, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, in addition to a whopping 64GB of on-board storage, Beats Audio technology, an 8-megapixel primary camera, and a quad-core Nvidia processor clocked at 1.7GHz.

O2 is also using the HTC One X+ to begin realising its aspirations as an environmentally-friendly mobile provider, with the UK network and the Taiwanese manufacturer holding good on earlier promises to ship the device without a mains charger.

"The environmental cost of multiple and redundant chargers [is] enormous and I believe that, as the mobile phone has become more prevalent, we as retailers and manufacturers have an ever-greater responsibility to be a more sustainable industry," said O2 CEO Ronan Dunne.

Instead of a traditional mains charger, the HTC One X+ will come packaged with a microUSB cable so users can charge their smartphone via existing devices like desktops and notebooks.

Back in September, ITProPortal revealed that the HTC One X+ had been outed in O2's newest seasonal catalogue. As expected, SIM-free pricing for the smartphone has been set at £480.

The Taiwanese firm's latest Android flagship device faces stiff competition from the iPhone 5 and the new Windows Phone 8 handset line-up including the Nokia Lumia 920 as well as HTC's own 8X.

13-inch 'Retina Display' MacBook Pro to uncloak next Tuesday? - Register

13-inch 'Retina Display' MacBook Pro to uncloak next Tuesday?

Unconfirmed notebook to join unconfirmed tablet at unconfirmed event

By Rik Myslewski in San Francisco • Get more from this author

Posted in Hardware, 15th October 2012 17:12 GMT

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Today's Cupertinian rumeur du jour: a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display will share the stage at next week's introduction of the much-anticipated iPad mini – or whatever that shrunken fondleslab may be dubbed.

That is, of course, if there really is an event, as reported, on October 23 to introduce a svelter sibling of Apple's iPad. And if there really is, of course, a 7.85-inch iPad in the works.

If a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display is, indeed, in the works, it will come as no surprise – such a machine was predicted back in June, mere days after the 15-inch version was revealed.

And, no, we didn't even bother calling Apple for comment. There's wasting one's time, and then there's wasting one's time in an utterly futile quest. ®

Bootnote

Is the impending appearance of a smaller Retina Display MacBook Pro not enough to sate your rumor hunger for today? Well then, how about a thinner iMac, with a redesign said to be of "epoch-making significance?"

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Another Indication of Windows 8 Slow Adoption - Forbes

Microsoft is planning to increase Windows 8 upgrade pricing on February 1, which will create another headwind for the operating system to be adopted.  Depending on the version upgrade prices which have been $14.99 to $69.99 will increase to $99.99 to $199.99.

Chitkia Insights sampled hundreds of million of US and Canadian on-line ad impressions to compare the uptake of Windows 8 vs. Apple's Mountain Lion over their first 79 days.  The Mountain Lion analysis is from July 25 to October 14, 2012, and Windows 8 is from October 26 to January 13.  A key factor in Mountain Lion's favor is that Apple has a much higher percentage of consumer users who are much quicker to upgrade vs. Microsoft's business users.

Net Applications study as of December 22 showed Windows 8 uptake has fallen behind Vista's.  This may be due to a difference in the timing of their launches since Windows 8 was released on October 26 and Vista had its worldwide release on January 30, 2007.  Windows 8 could very well be hampered by users being too busy or reluctant to upgrade over the holidays (especially business users).

Source: Net Applications via ComputerWorld

To get a feeling for the Windows install base Chitika estimates that Windows 7 is almost 60%, XP is almost 26%, Vista is about 11%, and Windows 8 is 3%.

IBM Designs Gel To Blow Up Hospital Superbugs - Sky News

IBM has applied computing technology to the medical field to create a gel that could obliterate hospital superbugs.

Researchers at the firm have taken the semiconductor material that allows the quick transfer of computer messages and used it to explode the bacteria.

The aim is to replace antibiotics, which have been overprescribed, leading to an increasing resistance of hospital-acquired infections to treatment.

Antibiotics cannot penetrate the bacteria in a way that the anti-microbial gel can, and its development has significant implications for the eradication of hospital superbugs.

Although development of the gel is at an early stage, it is envisaged it could be used to coat medical equipment to prevent infection.

It could also be used in drugs or injected directly into wound sites to clear the infection.

The gel can be used to coat medical tools or in drugs to treat patients

Nearly 43,000 people contracted a hospital infection in the UK in a year, figures released last year show, and the NHS has had to pay out £20m in compensation to patients in the past three years.

James Hedrick, from IBM Research, said the gel had "immense potential".

"This new technology is appearing at a crucial time as traditional chemical and biological techniques for dealing with drug-resistant bacteria and infectious diseases are increasingly problematic," he said.

Nano-technology is an expanding field of research and is becoming increasingly important in the medical field.

IBM started its nano-medicine polymer program in its research labs four years ago.

It worked with the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore on the gel.

According to a recent Health Protection Agency report, some 6% of patients acquire an infection of hospital during their stay.

• Related Stories:
• Sniffer Dogs Detect Superbugs In Hospitals
• Scientists Halt MRSA Outbreak With DNA Test

Skulls of the Shogun cuts down Windows pricing at launch - Joystiq

SKULLS OF THE SHOGUN TO DEBUT WITH SPECIAL LAUNCH PRICING

The Windows 8, Windows Surface, and Windows Phone versions of Skulls of the Shogun to launch at a discounted price

SEATTLE, WA (January 23, 2012) – Indie developer 17-BIT today announced that when Skulls of the Shogun is released worldwide on January 30th, 2013, it will be discounted for a limited time on Windows 8 PC, Microsoft Surface, and Windows Phone. The Windows 8 and Windows Surface version will launch at $9.99 (normally $14.99) in the Microsoft Store, and the Windows Phone version will launch at $4.99 (normally $6.99) in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

"We've heard from the community that they want to get Skulls of the Shogun not only on their Xbox 360, but on all of their Microsoft devices," said 17-BIT Founder and CEO, Jake Kazdal. "By discounting the Windows 8, Windows Surface, and Windows Phone versions of Skulls, we hope everyone can dive into the Skulls Anywhere asynchronous single-player and multiplayer gameplay."

ABOUT SKULLS OF THE SHOGUN

Skulls of the Shogun is an invigorating cocktail of 1960's-flavored sorcery and strategy. Washed up on the shores of the Afterlife, players meet and join forces with vibrant ghost-samurai warriors, magical animal-monks, and mustachioed samurai generals on the way to capture the Skulls of the Shogun in a 15-hour single-player campaign. Skulls of the Shogun also features up to four-player local and online multiplayer battles.

Also, for the first time ever, players will be able to challenge their friends, fight their way through online multiplayer battles, and even take their single-player campaign on the road asynchronously - whether they're playing on Xbox 360, Windows 8, Surface, or Windows Phone. Called Skulls Anywhere, this cross-platform gameplay has never been done before on Microsoft platforms and will be available at launch on all four launch platforms!

Skulls of the Shogun will be localized in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian.

ABOUT 17-BIT
17-BIT is a Seattle-based boutique independent video game developer specializing in revitalizing classic genres with cutting-edge gaming experiences. Founded in 2009 by game industry veteran Jake Kazdal, 17-BIT aims to deliver iconoclastic games that challenge the expectations of 2D gaming. With bold, eye-catching art and broad audience appeal, 17-BIT creates fresh game experiences that hearken back to the 16-bit era of consoles, but with the power and high definition of modern hardware.

HP launches security service for after the horse has bolted - Register

HP launches security service for after the horse has bolted

Security is dead, get over it

By Iain Thomson in San Francisco • Get more from this author

Posted in Security, 28th January 2013 21:18 GMT

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HP is getting into the lucrative security remediation sector with a consultancy service designed to minimize the effects of a successful attack, collect evidence for prosecution, and help recover what has been stolen or corrupted.

"It's nearly impossible for organizations to prevent a breach, but they can take control of how they respond," said Andrzej Kawalec, CTO of enterprise security services at HP in a statement.

"Combining HP's portfolio of services and software, the HP Breach Management Solution arms clients with the tools and resources to monitor, manage and respond to breaches head on, minimizing their impact while readying for the next attack."

As part of the package, HP is offering a 24/7 multilingual breach-response service that will seek to mitigate the effects of a successful attack. Meanwhile, forensic consultants can advise on the procedures companies need to have in place before an attack, and will pore over the aftereffects and try to collect evidence if the case comes to court.

Naturally, HP is keen to add its ArcLight service to the package, and there's a data recovery squad that can pick over the pieces and try and find any bits that were either lost of corrupted in the attack.

Pricing for the service is on a per-hour basis and companies can pick and choose the components they want. More details will be announced at the HP Discover conference in June. ®

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Microsoft Surface Pro software devours disk space - CNET

Uh-oh: Surface Pro 64GB version leaves you with a paltry 23GB of free disk space, says Microsoft.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet was knocked for the dearth of storage on the low-end version. Surface Pro isn't faring much better.

The 64GB version of the upcoming Surface Pro -- due for release February 9 -- will offer only 23GB of available storage space for user files, according to a statement CNET received from Microsoft.

"The 128GB version of Surface Pro has 83GB of free storage out of the box. The 64GB version of Surface Pro has 23GB of free storage out of the box," a Microsoft representative said in a statement.

(Note that a report from Softpedia this morning claimed only 19GB is free on the 64GB version. In other words, Microsoft software occupies an equal amount of space on both versions, according to that report.)

In short, Windows 8 will gobble up as much as 45GB on the Surface Pro, according to Microsoft's specs.

Microsoft did offer this statement, in an attempt to assuage users feeling deprived of local storage:

"Surface Pro has a USB 3.0 port for connectivity with almost limitless storage options, including external hard drives and USB flash drives. Surface also comes preloaded with SkyDrive, allowing you to store up to 7GB of content in the cloud for free."

Microsoft continues. "The device also includes a microSDXC card slot that lets you store up to 64GB of additional content to your device. Customers can also free up additional storage space by creating a backup bootable USB and deleting the recovery partition."

Surface RT -- the first RT version released last year -- has similar storage constraints, as Microsoft's fine print shows.

For example, on the 32GB Surface RT, after allowing for the OS, Windows recovery tools, Microsoft Office, and built-in apps, you're left with 16GB. On the 64GB model, you get 46GB.

59% Of All Android Tablet Usage Comes From The U.S., Where Amazon's ... - TechCrunch

Android tablets have nearly caught up to iPad devices as the world's most popular tablet platform, and some project that they may even overtake iPads later this year. According to new research from app analytics company Localytics, the U.S., and specifically Amazon, should take the most credit for that trend: some 59% of all Android tablet usage came from the U.S., with over half of that attributed to Kinde Fire and Fire HD tablets, working out to a 33% share.

The numbers are based on usage of apps with Localytics analysis and marketing data installed on them. Localytics says that in total there are 500 million+ unique devices running that software.

The U.S. is Amazon's first and main market for the Kindle Fire, with Amazon only rolling out the tablets to other markets towards the end of 2012, around a year after launching in the U.S. Some 89% of Amazon's tablets "live in America, with most of the rest in Great Britain," writes Localytics' Daniel Ruby. "After those two, no other country has even one percent of worldwide Kindle Fires."

Localytics notes that if Amazon manages to work out its international distribution, then "their U.S. success suggests they could quickly dominate the Android tablet market worldwide." Indeed, Amazon has stolen a march on traditional competitors like Barnes & Noble, whose Android-based Nook has only 10% of the market in the U.S., and even less than Amazon outside of there.

But today, Amazon is far from a global player with the Fire. In the rest of the world, the Android tablet game is Samsung's to lose. Ruby tells me that the Korean device maker's Galaxy line accounts for 76% of all Android tablet usage. Nexus 7 came in second at 15%, and Kindle Fire's global share shrunk down to just 9%.

Because the Fire is built on a "forked" version of Android, the Google Play app storefront doesn't appear on it: and that spells an opportunity for Amazon in its push to offer more cloud-based services to developers — something it is doing more by extending payment services and possibly adding in the ability to incorporate a voice API for voice recognition services.

Figures from ABI Research in November 2012 noted that in the last quarter, iPad devices accounted for 55% of sales, while Android tablets accounted for 44%. 

Chinese upstart smears Android's Ice Cream Sandwich over PCs - Register

Chinese upstart smears Android's Ice Cream Sandwich over PCs

Mobe OS melted over Windows desktop

By Bill Ray • Get more from this author

Posted in Operating Systems, 28th January 2013 12:18 GMT

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A Chinese startup has successfully ported Google's Android OS to Windows, perfect for those who want an Ice Cream Sandwich-shaped box in a Windows desktop.

The application is suitably beta, with the usual caveats about crashing the host system, but the interest promptly took down the SocketeQ's sever so we're reliant on a selection of videos (hosted on China's YouTube clone YouKu) which show the OS booting, interacting and running some Android applications on top of Windows without a virtual machine in sight.

Running Android apps on Windows is nothing new. BlueStacks already does a reasonably good job of that and locks into various retailers including Google Play and Amazon's Appstore. Bluestacks' support for the more challenging video modes is patchy, and in-app purchasing is a work in progress, but it is a workable solution for those who want to run Android apps on a desktop - even if it doesn't offer the Android UI.

Given the server failure we can't tell you how stable WindowsAndroid is, though there's a decent chain on Reddit reporting variable success - even if most of the postings are discussing the server failure rather than the quality of the software it was serving.

App developers ordinarily use an Android simulator provided by Google, but that emulates handset hardware onto which various versions of the Android can be loaded instead of running the OS directly on Windows 7 or 8.

It's hard to see if that confers any particular advantage, although one can imagine better performance, but practicality has rarely been the driving force behind esoteric OS ports. SocketeQ is still down at the time of publishing. ®

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Google iPhone tracking: more than 70 users contact lawyers - The Guardian

More than 70 Apple iPhone users in the UK have joined a landmark privacy action against Google over the way it tracked their online habits, and another 30 have expressed interest, lawyers said on Tuesday.

The internet giant is facing a group privacy claim over the way it sidestepped Apple's security settings on the iPhone, iPad and desktop versions of its Safari web browser to monitor their behaviour. The US Federal Trade Commission fined it a then-record $22.5m (£14m) last year over the privacy breach's effect on American users.

More than 100 internet users have contracted the law firm Olswang, which is co-ordinating the claim, since Sunday to register their interest in joining the privacy action. A Facebook group set up by those suing Google, called Safari Users Against Google's Secret Tracking, has been "liked" by more than 430 people.

Dan Tench, the lawyer coordinating the claims, told the Guardian: "We've had more than 70 people come forward to join this action. We are seeking further details in respect of these individuals' cases and, where appropriate, will be making further claims for them against Google."

The litigation is the first group privacy claim against Google in the UK and could run up a significant legal bill for the search company. An estimated 10 million Britons owned iPhones, which use Safari as the default browser and Google as the search engine, between summer 2011 and spring 2012, when the breach is believed to have occurred.

Google has admitted it intentionally sidestepped security settings on Apple's Safari web browser which blocked websites from tracking users through cookies – data stored on users' computers that show which sites they have visited. Security researchers revealed in February 2012 that Google's DoubleClick advertising network intentionally stored these cookies on users' computers without their consent.

The search giant is no stranger to damaging privacy issues after rows over its Google Buzz social network and the collection of data from Wi-Fi networks. It agreed to a 20-year oversight of its privacy methods after Google Buzz revealed users details to each other against their wishes.

Lawyers for claimants in the UK have ordered Google to reveal how it used the private information it secretly obtained, how much personal data was taken, and for how long. It is understood the claimants are suing Google for breaches of confidence and breach of privacy, computer misuse and trespass, and breach of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Google declined to comment. A statement it released at the time of the $22.5m fine last July claimed it had "collected no personal information" with the cookies.

Microsoft builds observatory to spy on Earthlings' spectrum - Register

Microsoft builds observatory to spy on Earthlings' spectrum

Mapping the unseen as a prelude to invasion

By Bill Ray • Get more from this author

Posted in Broadband, 29th January 2013 13:25 GMT

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Microsoft has launched its first European Spectrum Observatory, joining research efforts in Redmond, Seattle and Washington to work out which airwaves might be empty enough to exploit better.

The observatory is in Microsoft's Cloud and Interoperability Centre and logs radio use across the spectrum. The logs can then be accessed by anyone though the Azure cloud to create pretty charts showing how much of the spectrum is being used and, by extension, how much is lying vacant.

Look at all those loverly White Spaces, just dying to be filled

The idea is to demonstrate just how much of the air around us is empty, and how effectively it could be filled using intelligent radios such as those being created to fill the White Space spectrum which is only available in a specific place or for a specific time.

White Space radios are required to report their location to a online database to get a list of available bands, a technique benchmarked by Cambridge-based Nuel, whose tech officer William Webb was wheeled out for the observatory announcement to remind everyone how important White Space is.

Microsoft isn't a huge fan of the database approach and tried to prove that detect-and-avoid was a better solution, only that didn't work... so databases are the way of the future.

Most radio regulators, including the UK's Ofcom and US watchdog the FCC, are tasked with ensuring maximum value is extracted from radio spectrum, but only the most short-sighted thinks that just means selling it to the highest bidder. Auctions are the preferred method right now, on the basis that he who pays most for spectrum has greatest incentive to make use of it, but that argument is undermined by the ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) band at 2.4GHz which has provided enormous "value" - with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth changing how we perceive computing.

Microsoft seeks to demonstrate that existing mechanisms are failing, and that unlicensed White Space devices could fill the radio spectrum which much greater efficiency, and thus provide greater value to the population. That's probably true, if the White Space database systems work, and we're only just finding that out with the first US deployments into TV band White Spaces happening now and the UK still deciding how best to pick a database supplier.

If White Space works in the TV bands then it will quickly spread to the rest of the spectrum. And if you want to know where it will go first then just check the Spectrum Observatory.

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Microsoft launches Office 2013 software suite - BBC News

29 January 2013 Last updated at 13:38 ET

Microsoft has launched a new version of its Office software suite.

Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook have been redesigned to work better with touch-screen-controlled computers.

They also integrate the firm's Skype video chat facility. Users can add further functions via a new app store.

The programs account for a major part of Microsoft's earnings. The firm hopes to keep users loyal by offering more powerful features than cheaper online alternatives.

In the last year the firm's Business Division, which creates the software, generated just under $24bn (£15.2bn), roughly a third of the firm's revenue.

However, a 4% dip in the US company's most recent quarterly profits was linked to the fact that many consumers had held off buying the older version of the software ahead of the revamp.

If it proves a success it might also drive sales of new Windows 8 or Windows RT-powered computers, which can take advantage of the applications' improved touch controls.

Studies suggest users are switching to the systems at a slower rate than they adopted Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

Microsoft confounded rumours by not releasing a version of the Office software for Apple's iPad tablets. It has also decided not to offer the products on Android devices.

Cloud storage

The retooled software offers a touch mode that makes several of its controls bigger so they are more finger-friendly as well as including the ability to swipe and pinch-and-zoom documents. Files can also be viewed in "read mode", which displays them in a format that particularly suits tablets.

By default, files are saved to the firm's SkyDrive online cloud storage facility, although users can choose to save them on their hard drive if they wish.

Additional plug-ins are available from a new Office Store. These include the ability to add Twitter functionality to the Outlook email tool and to consult Encyclopaedia Britannica articles from within Word.

Many of these are free, although US firm Sensei Project Solutions is among the first to charge a fee, for its "task analyser", which is designed to identify problems or missing information in users' documents.

Subscription bundles

Consumers can buy the suite for use on one PC for $140 - £110 in the UK - but Microsoft appears to favour a subscription deal for its Office 365 Home Premium edition, which is the focus of the promotional activity on its site.

This charges $100 (£80) for one year's access on up to five PCs or Macs and bundles in 60 minutes of Skype calls a month as well as more SkyDrive storage.

The prices mark a discount on the fees the company used to charge for Office, reflecting the competition it faces from the growing popularity of cheap and free alternative applications offered by Google, Zoho, Apache OpenOffice and others.

"Over the past two years Office has been Microsoft's largest revenue stream," Colin Gillis, senior tech analyst at BGC Partners, told the BBC.

"But it's more than just sales - it's the glue that keeps users coming to the Windows operating system.

"It's the one thing that the iPad doesn't have. Microsoft is missing out on revenue by not selling it for Apple's device and at some point they may have to in order to prevent an alternative blossoming - but for now it gives an edge to Windows and the company's own Surface devices."

A version of the online Office 365 apps for businesses is due for release on 27 February.

Sony Xperia Z review - hands on - Expert Reviews

Posted on 29 Jan 2013 at 15:26

UPDATE: We've had some time to play with the Sony Xperia Z, and have updated the story with our hands-on impressions

Sony has finally made its Xperia Z smartphone official – the 5in, Full HD hero phone had been leaked several weeks before its scheduled launch, but we've now finally caught our first official glimpse of the device.

Sony has pulled out all the stops with the Xperia Z, and from our initial impressions it seems to have paid off. The simple yet elegant design is a thing of beauty, finished in black and made from water-resistant polycarbonate.

It's thin, light and fits comfortably in your hand, despite the massive 5in screen. It's roughly the same thickness as an Apple iPhone 5 but has the added benefit of being waterproof – it will shrug off a dunk in your pint, and you can even take it into the shower.

To seal the phone, Sony has used flaps to cover each of the ports – including the headphone socket. However, these are far sturdier than the ones we'd seen previously on the Xperia S, so we think they should survive a fair amount of punishment without breaking.

There's no physical camera button – possibly a casualty of the waterproof seal – but otherwise the Xperia Z looks like a smartphone snapper's dream. The 13.1-megapixel Exmor RS sensor has been in development for some time, and finally makes its debut here, becoming the world's first smartphone to support high dynamic range (HDR) video recording. Sony has added several of its signature camera features, including sweep panorama, burst mode up to 10 shots per second and the option to capture full resolution stills when shooting video. The few sample shots we took looked great, with very low noise.

The other reason photos looked so good was the stunning Full HD display. It has a massive 443ppi pixel density, which is significantly higher than the 'retina' iPhone, and the detail on show in photos is fantastic. Sony's Bravia Mobile Engine 2 also enhances colours, contrast and brightness in photos and videos for optimal playback; bright red hues certainly looked richer than our HTC One X when held side-by-side. This colour processing doesn't apply to the entire Android operating system, and there's an option to disable it if you prefer. Viewing angles were great and there was ample brightness. It's easily among the top few smartphone screens, and in terms of resolution it's tough to beat.

The phone will launch with Android 4.1, rather than the newer 4.2 Jelly Bean update seen on Google's own Nexus 4 smartphone, but new owners shouldn't have to wait very long for the latest version - Sony product manager Lego Svardsater confirmed 4.2 would be coming to the Xperia Z "shortly after launch" and that news would be announced on Sony's official blog over the coming weeks.

It will be a welcome update, adding features like lockscreen widgets and an improved notification bar that's integrated with the quick settings menu. Android 4.2 also includes a new camera app, with the new panoramic Photo Sphere mode, but we doubt it will make an appearance - Sony has put a lot of effort into its custom camera app, which already supports panoramic photos.