Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
5 features Windows 9 needs to succeed
On Tuesday Microsoft will preview the next-generation Windows operating system – currently codenamed Windows Threshold, but expected to be called Windows 9 – and it will be a keystone to Microsoft's plans over the coming years.
With that in mind, here are five features that Microsoft must add to Windows 9 if it is to have a chance of not only tempting me back into the ecosystem, but also of dissipating the cloud of negativity that Windows 8 currently finds itself engulfed in.
#1 - Hassle-free Windows updates
Here are just some of the changes that need to be made:Microsoft needs to take a long, hard look at the Windows update process. The system as it currently stands is so antiquated that it would be laughable if not for the pain it inflicts on users.
- We need more cumulative updates. Installing updates only for more to appear immediately afterwards is tedious and time-consuming, especially when setting up new systems. Fully updating a system should be a one-click process, and users shouldn't be left wondering if all the patches and updates are correctly installed. Fresh Windows 8 installations can take almost a day to fully patch, which is a wholly inappropriate waste of time.
- Windows Update needs to be more reliable. I'm still coming across updates that just don't want to install, and trying to diagnose the problem can be a long task. Easy, one-click access to a separate installer would help, rather than forcing users to dig through countless knowledgebase articles.
- Rebooting should be kept to a minimum, and when needed it should recover my PC back to the state it was before the reboot, opening up the apps and files I was using prior to the reboot.
#2 - Over-the-air Windows recovery
If a Mac system suffers a catastrophic disk failure, then the operating system can be recovered over-the-air without the need to dig out discs, USB keys, or rely on a recovery partition. It's a quick, easy, and painless process.
If Apple can do this, then there's no reason why Microsoft can't. And if Microsoft could add a feature that would enable us to download a diagnostics package containing system scan tools, a virus scanner, and fixes for common problems for flatlined Windows system, then that would be awesome.
Having to rely on third-party tools to fix Windows system is quite frankly crazy. Microsoft should be able to do the job much better.
#3 - Separation of OS, applications, and data
It's 2014, and drives are cheap. It should be easy – and by easy, I mean as close to automatic as possible – to make Windows take notice of the fact a system has multiple drives and use one for Windows and programs, and the other for data.
Taking this a step further, I'd like to see Windows isolate all applications from the operating system in such a way that I can, with a click of the mouse, either blitz all the settings of a specific application to default, or even remove that application from the system, deleting all of its setting with it. This would go a long way to eliminating the bitrot and slowdowns that affect Windows as time goes on.
Windows 8 already has a feature that rolls Windows back to an "out of the box" state, but this is a very blunt instrument. Repairing an operating s system should no longer means nuking everything and starting from scratch.
#4 - Pure desktop experience mode
If I have a desktop or notebook PC that isn't touch-enabled, then I don't want to have to suffer through a user experience compromised by features aimed at tablet users. Just give me the Windows Desktop and the Start Menu and let me get on with what I want to do.
#5 - Transparent backup
If there's one trick that Microsoft should learn from Apple, it is how to make backing up easier. The Time Machine mechanism in OS X is simply awesome, and takes all the strain out of backing up a system, and after the initial setup it is a total "fire and forget" system. It's not 100 percent perfect, but it's light years ahead of anything Microsoft has to offer.
Data is the single most important thing that users have on their systems, and giving users of all backgrounds a quick and easy way to ensure that their precious 1s and 0s is safe is a no-brainer.
A few other things I'd like to see changed
Before I close, here are a few more things I'd like to see changed in Windows 9:
- Get rid of all the pointless Start Screen tiles from a default install. If people want to add weather or a search tile or a tile that displays financial info, tell them how to do it, but don't add to the user's cognitive load by throwing a bunch of ever-changing tiles into the mix by default.
- Bring an end to big-bang releases. We don't need to be subjected to huge user interface and paradigm shifts every couple of years. Such a cavalier attitude creates disruption and makes an unavoidable learning curve associated with a new release unnecessarily steep.
- With iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 Yosemite, Apple has taken great steps to integrate the PC and post-PC ecosystems, allowing users to shift from one to the other in a more seamless way. Microsoft has yet to do much to assimilate the two worlds.
- Tone back the animations. I want an operating system, not a Pixar movie.
- When it comes to touch, gestures need to work better. Right now they're a mess, and different sensitivities on different devices make them even trickier to use.
- Microsoft needs to figure out battery life, especially if Windows RT is dead. Windows 8/8.1 is far too much of a power hog compared to OS X, even on cutting-edge hardware.
- Fix the inconsistent user interface. Bolting on a touch UI to the existing Windows UI has made matters much worse.
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Sunday, September 28, 2014
The 4 reasons I switched from Google to Bing
Three weeks ago, I switched from Google search to Bing. There, I said it. No longer do I Google something; I Bing it. And I haven't looked back since.
The move away from Google wasn't easy. Sometime in the late 1990s, I was invited to test out Google's search engine. I moved from poring though filing cabinets to typing queries in a search box. If it was out there on the Web, Google promised, Google would find it.
And it did. Over the years, Google became smarter and more responsive. Google Instant auto-suggested search results before I finished typing them. "Google it" became part of my vernacular.
Meanwhile, Microsoft's Bing search engine was getting no respect. Bing it? Please.
But Bing doggedly continued to improve. It added social connections and "cards" identifying key topics and related searches. It improved speed and reliability. Then one day, when I wanted to dig up older stories I had written using Google's search engine, I found I had better luck finding them using Bing.
So I switched.
By the end of this story, I'll tell you how to switch your browser's search engine from Google to Bing in just a few seconds. But before that, here are some of my favorite (and yes, even bizarre) reasons to switch to Bing.
Number one? Because Microsoft will pay you.
1. Search for cash with Bing Rewards
I'm cheap. I'll generally pass up a $12 artisanal beef slider at the food trucks near my office in favor of a less expensive salad that could stuff a throw pillow. I often wear the same pants two days in a row to save on my water bill. I use coupons.
So if Microsoft wants to pay me about $5 a month to do what I normally do? Sign me up.
The concept behind Bing Rewards is simple: As you search, Microsoft gives you credits. You earn 1 credit per two Bing searches on a desktop PC (up to 15 credits per day), or 10 credits per day for searching Bing via a mobile app. Bing searches are automatically triggered via Cortana on a Windows Phone, or the Bing Search app for Android or iOS.
The best part: These credits can be redeemed for things you'll actually use.
For 475 credits, Microsoft will give you $5 to spend at Amazon, or Fandango, Sephora, Starbucks, or other merchants. You can also redeem your rewards for a nice 5% coupon at the Microsoft Store, discounts on Windows and Windows Phone apps, or even a free month of Xbox Live Gold. Use Bing frequently enough, and you can climb your way up to Silver or Gold status, which confers a 10-percent "discount" on credit redemptions.
And this is all for simply using Bing during the course of your day.
2. Search quality: as good or better than Google's
I wouldn't even mention Bing Rewards if Bing itself wasted your time. But it doesn't. My personal belief is that Bing delivers slightly more useful information than Google in general search. And don't worry: Using Bing still means that you can use other Google services, like Gmail, as often as you'd like.
If I search for a term like "Notre Dame football," Bing makes better use of that vast, white space on the right side, displaying contextual information about the school, its history, news, and more. (Both engines show me the recent scores, but Google's card displays a more complete upcoming schedule.)
Bing's lead widens when you search for celebrities, as it includes videos as well as images and biographical information. And though Microsoft could do a better job of highlighting this information, Bing provides one-click links to a celeb's social media pages for what they're thinking about, right now.
There are exceptions, of course. One of Bing's odd quirks is an inability to list the home page for Windows Phone Central as the top search result. But, in general, Bing performs as well or better on most of my common, day-to-day searches than Google does.
3. Bing gets the picture
That goes for image searches, too. Bing was first to implement the "infinite scroll" in Bing Images, where users could simply scroll and scroll and never reach the "end" of their search results. Today, Bing's image search adds an extra layer of search filters that Google users must drill down to find, including options to show only pictures with faces, for example, or display images in a particular layout. And if you need to find a licensed photo to illustrate a newsletter, Bing makes that information more easily accessible than Google does.
About the only reason to use Google's image search if you're hunting down animated GIF images, as this is an option Bing has yet to offer.
Keep reading to see how Bing gives you more video search results than Google.
4. Bing shows more video, if you can bear to look
For whatever reason, the conventional wisdom is that Bing is the porn search engine of choice. Wander through some of Reddit's Microsoft forums, and it'll eventually come up. Heck, The Daily Dot even dedicated an entire article to it.
Part of the reason is that, even with filtering turned off, Google now takes a rather puritanical attitude toward filtering copyrighted videos, while Microsoft has adopted a more libertarian approach. Bing simply shows you videos about your search topic from around the Web, whether it be "baseball" or "boobs."
That's not to say that Bing is a shadowy corner of the Web full of smut and depravity. Thumbnail images of anything Bing thinks is for adults only are actually blurred out by default. But if you're searching for something tagged Not Safe for Work, be aware that Microsoft will show it to you (assuming your search filtering options allow for it, of course).
Oddly enough, neither Google nor Microsoft shrinks much from violence. Both turned up what I assume to be complete videos of the various hostage beheadings in the Middle East, none of which I cared to watch.
A snap to switch
If you're a lifelong Googler and Bing's advantages intrigue you, great. Here's how to switch.
MARK HACHMANBoth Microsoft and Google offer their own browsers to go along with their own search engines. With Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Google's Chrome, both companies preconfigure their browsers to use their own search engines by default, accessible via the search bar at the top of the screen. (Of course, you can visit bing.com or google.com and search there anytime you'd like.)
Switching Chrome's search provider to Bing is relatively simple: In the upper right corner, you'll see a tiny menu icon that looks like three horizontal lines on top of each other. Click it. Near the bottom of the drop-down menu, you'll see "Settings." That, in turn, will lead you to a second menu where, halfway down, you'll have the option of configuring your search provider.
Microsoft hides its search engine configurations as well. If you have IE set up to use Google, go to the URL bar and click the magnifying-glass (search) icon. At the bottom right of the drop-down menu, click Add. Click the tiny Bing icon at the left bottom to set Microsoft's search engine once again as your default.
About the only change that Bing currently foists upon you is sending you to Bing Maps, not Google Maps. And if you're searching for videos, guess what: Google's YouTube isn't exactly Bing's first choice.
Bing offers as-good-as-Google search capabilities, plus many little added conveniences and rewards to entice you to switch. Doing so takes just seconds. Are these enough to make you try out Bing yourself? Let us know in the comments.
Students and teachers: You may be eligible to get Office for free!
It was just about a year ago we announced Student Advantage, a benefit that allows eligible students to get Office 365 from their school for free. One drawback to Student Advantage—the onus has been on the school to initiate the service, create an account and order the Office 365 license on behalf of the student.
Today we’re making it easier on the school IT department with a new self-serve model for students that lets them sign up for the free service on their own.
If you’re a student 13 years-old of age or older, here’s what you can do the check your eligibility and get Office for free:
- Go to Office 365 for Students.
- Enter a valid school-provided email address.
Here’s what qualified students will receive:
- The latest versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access and Publisher
- Installation on up to five PCs or Macs, and Office apps on other mobile devices including Windows tablets and iPad
- 1 Terabyte of OneDrive cloud storage
- Office Online
Sign-up for students is available in the U.S. today, and will expand worldwide later this year.
In order to be eligible for this benefit, the student must attend a school that has purchased Office organization-wide for all faculty/staff via the Microsoft Volume Licensing program.
You can see the new sign-up process on the Garage Series with host Jeremy Chapman as well as other really cool features of Office Mix, Power Map and OneNote.
These changes not only make it easier for students to get Office, but it makes managing the services easier on school IT. In the past, organizations were required to initiate the service, create accounts and order the free licenses on behalf of their students. All this needed to be done prior to students being able to access Office and OneDrive. The new self-service model removes all of that unnecessary friction and delay by simply allowing eligible students to sign up for the service themselves, while maintaining the same level of control, flexibility and security institutions have come to expect from Office 365.
Office 365 ProPlus benefit available for faculty and staff starting December 1, 2014
We have even more great news to share—we’re also announcing that faculty and staff will soon be able to access the same Office 365 ProPlus benefit as their students. This means that any organization purchasing Office for all of their faculty and staff can now include an Office 365 ProPlus subscription at no extra cost for all students, faculty and staff.
Extending the Office 365 ProPlus benefit to faculty and staff ensures that teachers are using the latest versions of Office and the same feature set as their students. It will allow teachers to install full Office on up to five PCs or Macs and unlock the editing capabilities of the Office apps for iPad. It also gives them access to all their Office documents both at school and at home. With Office 365 ProPlus teachers can take advantage of great Office apps and add-ins like Office Mix to record and publish class lectures.
Teachers in the U.S. can sign up for Office 365 ProPlus in October and expand to worldwide teachers later this year.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Nvidia Shield Tablet
The basics
Last year's Nvidia Shield handheld games system was a true innovation, offering fantastic internal tech and amazing physical gaming controls, but it was always going to be a niche product with limited commercial potential. Nvidia isn't abandoning the concept just yet, but the Shield's successor is a very different beast to what we saw in 2013 - the handheld form factor has been dropped in favour of a more traditional tablet style. Does this valiant attempt to create a tablet for gamers deliver the goods, or has it lost its uniqueness by adopting the slate-like appearance? Get those thumbs ready, because we're about to find out.
The good
The original Nvidia Shield was a technological powerhouse, proving the graphical strength of the Tegra 4 processor. The Shield Tablet is another massive step forward, boasting Nvidia's new Tegra K1 chip, which boasts the same kind of power you'd see inside the Nintendo Wii U or Xbox 360. This is evidenced by Trine 2, a visually stunning action adventure which comes pre-loaded on the device. It's indistinguishable from the home console versions, yet it runs on a device which is small and light enough to slip effortlessly into your bag.
Although it doesn't come bundled with the tablet, the Shield Wireless Controller is an essential part of the package. It apes the same control arrangement seen on the Shield handheld, and offers the kind of interface you'd normally expect to see on the PS4 or Xbox One. The pad is brilliantly constructed and very comfortable to use, and thanks to its use of WiFi Direct, offers low-latency response.
When you're not playing Android games, you can also stream the latest PC titles to the tablet's screen and control them using the Shield pad - assuming you have one of Nvidia's graphics cards in your PC, of course. The experience is stunning, with no discernible lag to speak of.
Nvidia has used stock Android 4.4.2 to power this device, which means there's no custom user interface to clog up the experience like with Samsung's TouchWiz. It also means that the system should get fast software updates, just as the Shield handheld did since it launched in 2013.
The bad
The Shield Tablet's technological power isn't in doubt, but aside from Trine 2, there's not much out there that really pushes it to its limits at the moment. Most Android games are rather basic visually, although the pre-installed Nvidia Hub does make the process of finding them that little bit easier.
Battery life is a real issue with the Shield Tablet, and that's largely because of the demands of the K1 chip. When it's running at full pelt it has a massive appetite for power, and will drain the tablet's battery in less than three hours. Normal use doesn't drain the juice quite as dramatically, but if you're looking to use this as a gaming platform first and foremost, then you might find it's not as mobile as you'd like.
Not bundling the Shield Wireless Controller with the tablet is also a real mistake, and at £50 it's rather expensive - even more so when you consider that it doesn't have Bluetooth and therefore can't be used with any device outside of Nvidia's Shield range.
The bottom line
Nvidia's approach may be slightly different this year, but the end result is the largely the same - if you're serious about Android gaming then this really is the only option in town. It offers console-standard graphics - along with a console-quality controller (albeit at an additional cost) - and a fantastic user experience. Add to this the ability to stream PC games and you've got a slate which will have serious players drooling with excitement; it's just a shame that the controller doesn't come as standard and that there are so few Android games out there that truly push the Shield Tablet to its absolute limits.
- See more at: http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/gadget-news/nvidia-shield-tablet#sthash.aTH6a3SM.dpuf
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Universal Mobile Keyboard
Today’s tablets and smartphones are more powerful than ever, enabling people to be productive on the go. However, typing on the small, virtual on-screen-keyboard of a smartphone or tablet can be uncomfortable and inefficient.
It’s also common for people to carry multiple mobile devices and use the one that is best suited for the specific scenario they’re in — an iPad while in a coffee shop, a Samsung Galaxy S4 while sitting on an airplane, a Windows laptop in their hotel room.
With all these different devices, people frequently find they have a mixture of operating system platforms, resulting in them having to carry different accessories for each device. Microsoft’s new Universal Tablet Keyboard helps address that — it works with iPad, iPhone, Android devices and Windows tablets.
With the Microsoft Universal Mobile Keyboard, getting stuff done while you’re on the go has never been easier. Power through emails, put together a proposal, build a presentation, or simply instant message with a friend. The Universal Mobile Keyboard has an OS switch that lets you change from one operating system to another while maintaining a fully functional keyboard. And with the physical “chiclet” style keyset on this keyboard, you’ll feel like you’re typing on your laptop without lugging around the extra weight or bulk.
The Universal Mobile Keyboard was built with portability in mind. It’s easy and quick to set up, especially on the go. Simply open the protective cover and the keyboard automatically turns on, and connects using Bluetooth. Shut the cover, and it instantly turns off.
The cover has an integrated stand that can easily be detached, so you can position your tablet in the most comfortable position.
The Universal Mobile Keyboard will be generally available in October 2014 for the estimated retail price of $79.95 at the Microsoft Store and at various other retailers.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
SmartSeries Bluetooth Electric Toothbrush
The basics
Bluetooth is invading everything from scales to lightbulbs, and now even your bathroom. That's right, the folks at Oral-B have put together an electric toothbrush armed with Bluetooth in the form of the Pro 6500 SmartSeries, and it even syncs up with your phone. It's all to improve your dental hygiene and instil some good habits along with tracking where you're going wrong, but is it really worth the £249.99 price tag? We squeezed out the toothpaste and gave our jaws a good brushing to find out.
The good
Brushing our teeth is something we all do daily but, according to Oral-B, we generally don't do it for long enough. That's why the company’s range of electric toothbrushes are armed with built-in timers that buzz once two minutes have elapsed, but even those aren’t fool-proof. Instead, Oral-B is going visual with its latest smart toothbrush, which not only comes with a wireless timer to offer feedback - dubbed as a "SmartGuide" - but your new toothbrush can also link up with your iPhone or Android handset with an app to help improve your brushing habits.
The Pro 6500 we tried is decked in a slick black finish with blue LED lights to indicate battery and Bluetooth activity, and it’s a welcome change to the bland white models Oral-B has produced in the past. There are three additional brushing heads in the box, a charging cradle and a travel case. The Pro 6500 also features five different brushing modes, such as Daily Clean, Sensitive, Gum Care, Whitening and Deep Clean - some of which require different brushing heads, but unless you have specific needs the Daily Clean option will be your go-to mode.
While you can easily survive using just the bundled SmartGuide timer, the Pro 6500 really shines when you've hooked it up to your phone, which can also provide you with a two minute timer and graphs of your recent brushing habits. You're able to look at your daily, weekly and monthly brushing activity, and you can check out your average session length and whether you've used too much pressure or not. There are reminders built-in for things like flossing, cleaning your tongue and rinsing with mouthwash, helping to keep your mouth in minty-fresh condition. Hit a streak of days where you've smashed your timed goals and you'll be rewarded with a trophy; you can even check out other dental and brushing tips to maximise time spent in front of the mirror.
The bad
The toothbrush itself offers a step-up from most of Oral-B's range, and most of the products in Philips' Sonicare family as well, but we couldn't help but think it was trying to do too much. For starters, the app is rather convoluted, and a lot of its features seem to be all over the place. It's nice to check your agenda for the day along with top news headlines and the weather, but the sheer number of features merely offer a distraction rather than helping you to concentrate on brushing - which is Oral-B's goal here.
Oral-B also wants you to brush each quadrant of your mouth, but there's no way for the toothbrush to actually monitor that or prompt you where you're going wrong, with the app and SmartGuide only timing your brushing duration. We'd love to see Oral-B offer even closer tracking for your teeth, but that'll only up the price even more - £249 is already expensive for a toothbrush.
The bottom line
Oral-B's Pro 6500 SmartSeries toothbrush is expensive at a penny under £250, and it seems more of a novelty than an essential piece of kit at the moment. Bluetooth and the companion app are not killer features for a toothbrush, but there’s plenty of scope for improvement, and this first version shows that just like with tracking your fitness, you'll pick up better habits along the way. Unfortunately, Oral-B has crammed too many features into both the toothbrush and the app to make it worth the asking price - but if this is the future of brushing, it's on the right track.
- See more at: http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/gadget-news/oral-b-pro-6500-smartseries-bluetooth-electric-toothbrush#sthash.TGkxefyh.dpuf
KAKKOii Wow Bling speaker
The basics
Good things come in small packages, right? That's what the KAKKOii Wow Bling speaker is promising, as it's a small Bluetooth speaker that not only aims to catch your eye with its brightly-hued, rubber shell, but it aims to pack in booming sound to boot too. Can it live up to its 'Wow' name and dazzle us with its sound quality, or is it just another Bluetooth speaker for the pile? We put one to the test to find out.
The good
KAKKOii, drawn from the Japanese word for 'cool', has created a very fun and funky speaker. It looks great, even though the vivid body can be a little harsh on the eyes - ours arrived in a bright orange that drew plenty of attention. It's a simple, single Bluetooth speaker that easily pairs with your smartphone or tablet with a few button taps, and it packs in a hefty amount of power for a speaker of its size, all thanks to its 4W, 1.4-inch driver. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the sound the Wow Bling produces, and it travels quite a distance too, meaning you could easily use it at the centre of your parties. You don't have to worry about staying close to the speaker either, as it's rated for a range of 10m - we never saw a drop, even when we strayed a little bit further away.
The Wow Bling has been designed to, well, look like an actual speaker with a horn design. It's a refreshing take that helps it stand out from the range of rectangular blocks and other odd Bluetooth speakers that, frankly, look the same. You can also face the speaker upwards for wider reaching, 360-degree audio, or you can plant it facing down to muffle out the noise when you fancy a softer sound around you. As it's made from rubber too, it's capable of taking plenty of drops, and thanks to its compact size, it can also survive being stuffed into the bottom of your bag, making it ideal for taking wherever you go. Handily, while some Bluetooth speakers can take your call, the Wow Bling will go on silent when you need to answer the phone, giving you a bit of privacy. We wouldn't have minded an inclusion of a microphone though.
The bad
Unfortunately, while it's designed for a life on the go, battery life just doesn't keep up with its worldly ambitions. It charges up via a standard microUSB cable but you'll only be able to squeeze out four hours of battery life at best, meaning you'd best pack a charger if you're heading to a festival or long camping trip. Granted, at this size, a small battery is to be expected, but it falls a long way short of Logitech's UE Mini Boom, which boasts almost 10 hours of battery in a similarly compact shell. There's also a lack of volume controls on the speaker itself, meaning you have to adjust it on the source device, which can be annoying and more time consuming.
The bottom line
For £60, you get plenty of sound from such a small speaker. We can see why you won't find any extra features, as it's built for simplicity, but we do wish it had a few additions like NFC for quick pairing. The Wow Bling is also £5 more expensive than the standard Wow Wireless speaker, which gives you more muted colour tones, making the Wow Bling a bit of an extravagant purchase. We love how loud it is, and that it can take plenty of knocks, but we just wish its battery life lasted a whole lot longer.
- See more at: http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/gadget-news/kakkoii-wow-bling-speaker#sthash.i9gGYgFr.dpuf
Samsung Galaxy K Zoom
The basics
Are you ready to ditch your point and shoot for just a cameraphone? Samsung's betting on you carrying around only one gizmo that does it all with its lens-heavy, camera-orientated Galaxy K Zoom, the successor to last year's Galaxy S4 Zoom. Can it stack up to well-established phone snappers like Nokia's top-notch Lumia 1020, or will you still need to carry around your dedicated camera? We took one for a spin to find out.
The good
Last year's Galaxy S4 Zoom had plenty of things right with it, mostly in the camera department, but it was simply far too big to really fit in your pocket. This time around, Samsung's slimmed things down with the K Zoom, all thanks to a handy retractable lens, making it much more capable of fitting in even the skinniest of jeans.
The star of the show is the K Zoom's retractable camera lens that pops when you launch the camera app or hit the dedicated shutter button, and it extends out to 24mm to help you frame the perfect shot with the phone's 20.7-megapixel sensor. That's a boost from last year's 16 megapixel snapper, and the result delivers you some brilliant snaps. You're also given some hefty zooming skills thanks to the lens, as it extends out to 240mm giving you a 10x magnification, which can even be extended to 20x thanks to digital processing - but we wouldn't suggest using it often, as the quality drops. Samsung has also included a bright xenon flash and optical image stabilisation, plus a range of image shooting options to suit any photographer.
As a phone, the K Zoom performs well, thanks to Samsung's own nifty Exynos 5 Hexa processor which has six cores packed in - a 1.3GHz quad-core processor for your regular activities and a 1.7GHz dual-core processor for more grunt - along with 2GB of RAM, which makes it run smoothly along. We found no problems with our daily tasks and it handled intensive apps with aplomb.
The bad
Samsung's slimmed down last year's model with the K Zoom, but it's still very bulky. It measures up a hefty 20mm at its thickest point, more than double than LG's flagship G3, and it also weighs up at 200g, making it not the easiest blower to cart around. Thanks to all the tech it's got packed in, there's not much room for its battery, which it also chomps through quickly. You'll be lucky to last a whole day with the K Zoom, and you'll have to charge it up at least every day.
We're also disappointed by the K Zoom's screen: it's a paltry 720p display that measures up at 4.8-inches, which simply doesn't do any justice to the photos it can snap, and it's very over saturated too. Unlike the Galaxy S5 that it shares a lot of its DNA with, some of the most useful features don't make an appearance here: you won't find a fingerprint scanner or any waterproofing, meaning you may be shy to break it out if it's raining.
It's also loaded up with Android 4.4 KitKat, but it does have Samsung's TouchWiz user interface, which tends to get in the way and grants you an exceedingly long settings menu - we'd suggest to load up your own launcher instead. Samsung has also only included 8GB of storage space onboard, which is not a lot if you're planning on taking a lot of snaps - but there is a microSD slot that can handle up to 64GB cards.
The bottom line
Samsung has largely improved on last year's Galaxy S4 Zoom, cranking up its camera skills and dropping its huge heft, but it's simply still a tank of a phone. Despite its top-notch camera, the rest of the specs don't match up to its £400 price-tag. Samsung has tried to deliver the best of both camera and phone, and unfortunately, it just doesn't match up.
- See more at: http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/review/samsung-galaxy-k-zoom#sthash.PQO24JzA.dpuf
Samsung Curved LED HD TV
Meet the Samsung UE65H8000 LED HD TV, one of Samsung's latest monstrous television sets that measures up at a huge 65-inches and also boasts an unusual curved display - something Michael Bay struggled to comment on when he fumbled away on stage at this year's CES. Samsung is promising top notch image quality, extra immersion thanks to the curve and plenty of bang for your wallet-crunching buck. At £2,799, it's an expensive set - but with 4K on the rise, is it worth splashing the cash on Samsung's huge set or waiting it out for ultra high definition to become standard? We took one for a spin to find out.
The good
Samsung's latest UE65H8000 is a monster of a TV, and that's not just because of its 65-inch screen size. It's also a curved beast, which takes a little bit more space than your typical flat telly, but we're not totally convinced by the usefulness of having a curved screen. Imagine having a bunch of friends around to watch a movie on the screen, each of them dotted around the room, looking at the TV at different angles - that will diminish the viewing experience that Samsung's trying to create with the curve, which is best viewed straight ahead. It definitely looks the business though, and is sure to be conversation starter when you have company around.
The image quality itself though is brilliant. Samsung has stuffed in a full HD LCD panel backlit by edge LEDs, and while we wish it was a 4K display, it still looks brilliant at 1080p. Black levels are deep, it’s punchy in the fine details and the colours are bright and on-point. The result looks like a much more mature and sophisticated display from Samsung than you'd find on its overly saturated smartphone screens, and the LCD can compare to the rich deeps of plasma too. There's still a few years to go before 4K becomes the next big standard, and while we wait for the rest of the tech industry to play catch up, it's not a total deal breaker. Happily, the set sounds great too, and even though it's a thin design, its speakers are still capable of providing top-notch sound. There are downward firing speakers packed in which are helped out by a subwoofer, and they'll do the job until you'll want to spring for something punchier.
Blasting through the TV's option menus are a breeze all thanks to its peppy speed. We've played with televisions before that are woefully slow to adjust even the volume, let alone smart TV features, but Samsung's UE65H8000 is a speed machine, letting us adjust plenty of settings with just a few taps. There are plenty of features loaded in too, all courtesy of Samsung's Smart Hub, which is jam-packed full of apps and a few games that could make your Roku box jealous, including the likes of a web browser, Demand 5, Plex, YouTube and 4oD. 3D playback is also included, and there are a couple of specs in the box to let you enjoy 3D - it's a nice feature to have, but not one we're too fussed with. You'll also find connections aplenty, thanks to four HDMI inputs, three USB, and wired and wireless internet connections.
The bad
Samsung's 65-inch wonder is a top-notch set, but we have a few minor problems with it. For starters, we found a little bit of lag in the default viewing options when playing games, but it's not a total deal breaker for the untrained eye. Samsung has included a Game mode to switch to when you’re playing your favourite titles, but the lag is still noticeable. You'll find two different remotes in the box: one is a traditional wand-style remote, while the other looks like a space-age phone with fewer buttons and more gimmicks. It offers fewer options, while giving you touch and gesture based controls, but we felt it was an unnecessary addition and may just end up confusing you if you're looking for a specific button.
Once we set up the TV, we found we couldn't swivel it around as the base locks the TV into a single position, and we were also alarmed at how much the TV itself wobbles too. It gave us the impression that it's a fragile piece of kit, and not something you'd want to move around a lot.
The bottom line
The Samsung UE65H8000 is a gorgeous television set that will no doubt look the business in your living room and is jam-packed full of top-notch features that work a treat. We're not totally convinced by the curved screen, and at its £2,799 price point we'd have expected to see 4K to future proof you for the next few years, but it's still a brilliant set. Samsung's latest TV represents the bleeding edge for full HD sets, and it'd be a stretch to find much better.
- See more at: http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/review/samsung-ue65h8000-curved-led-hd-tv-review#sthash.ojyzPFGE.dpuf
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Apple Watch official
Here it is! The Apple Watch we’ve been waiting years for is finally official. Apple boss Tim Cook revealed the new intelligent timepiece live on stage this evening – we’ve got all the details and pictures on the sexiest smartwatch so far right here.
You thought the Motorola Moto 360 looked good? Get a load of the Apple Watch, Sir Jony Ive’s latest creation. It’s a beautiful metal timepiece with six different straps, and a surprisingly simple user interface that draws from, of all things, the classic iPod’s clickwheel.
Instead of going for fancy touchscreen controls (although it does sport a touchscreen, fear not), Apple have put navigation into the dial on the side, letting you scroll up and down or zoom in and out with a twist – while the icons are similar to those found on iOS, the honeycomb cluster layout is anything but. It’s a surprisingly old school touch, and one we can’t wait to try out. On top of that, the Apple Watch can detect force as well as touch, so it can differentiate between taps and presses to help you control apps.
Around the back, there are four sensors to detect your heart rate, as well as the wireless charging kit to allow you to drop it on a charger and juice up while you sleep. Perhaps best of all though, the watch itself comes in two sizes, large and small, as well as three editions (Watch, Sport and 18 Carat gold Edition) to cope with the vastly different wrist sizes we all have – an unusual solution, but a savvy one.
Notifications work in much the same way as they do on Android Wear smartwatches: you simply scroll down through relevant alerts, and dismiss them with a swipe, and reply to messages with canned responses or voice dictation. Photos you star as a favourite on your iPhone or Mac meanwhile will automatically appear on your Apple Watch to view. Star of the show however is Maps, which is much more powerful than its equivalent on Android Wear, letting you search for locations and see a top down view straight from the small screen on your wrist.
It’s not just first party Apple apps on the watch however: Apple is letting third party developers tap into the smartwatch with its WatchKit software platform, so services can provide image rich alerts and actionable updates (So you can reply straight from your wrist, or even unlock your hotel room door with a wave of the Apple Watch).
As you might expect though, the usual lock in applies with the Apple Watch. This isn’t a universal device in the same way the Pebble smartwatch is: you need a supported iPhone (iPhone 5 and up) to power your Apple Watch, so Android and Windows Phone users will be left out in the cold.
When the Apple Watch launches early next year, it’ll start at $349 (£216). It’s often said that Apple doesn’t enter a new product category until it’s absolutely ready, and that remains as true under Tim Cook as it ever was with Steve Jobs: if Apple can deliver on what it’s promised to today, we might just be looking at the new king of smartwatches. Stay tuned for more as we get it.
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus official
They’re here! Right on cue, Apple has taken the wraps off the iPhone 6 and the gigantic iPhone 6 Plus live on stage at the Flint Center.
Calling the pair “the biggest advancement in the history of iPhone”, Apple boss Tim Cook announced the new iPhones on sacred ground for Apple, the same venue the original Macintosh and the iMac were both launched.
It’s a fitting site: both devices look phenomenal. The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is just 6.8mm thin. The star of the show however has to be the eagerly awaited iPhone 6 Plus, the phablet-sized Apple smartphone fans with big paws have been waiting seven long years for. The 7.1mm thin iPhone 6 Plus meanwhile packs in a vast 5.5-inch 1080p display which Apple has tailored its iOS software to fit, making use of the extra screen space to show more text on screen, more icons and even a dual pane mode in landscape. Running a different keyboard, it’s a halfway house between an iPhone and an iPad mini, and it looks like a real Samsung Galaxy S and Note competitor.
Both devices are powered by Apple’s new 64-bit A8 chip so should run blazingly fast, and Apple claims you’re looking at CPU improvements of up to 25% compared to last year’s models, so even the latest games should run without a hitch. ac Wi-Fi also means faster wireless internet on last year’s models, and that’s all without a hitch in battery life either – in fact, the iPhone 6 Plus’ large size provides a major step up in stamina away from the mains, handling up to 12 hours of non-stop web browsing or 80 hours of audio (compared to the iPhone 6’ 50).
Both blowers are also equipped with an eight megapixel camera on the back, with a new sensor and rapid focusing, as well as panorama software to muster up 43 megapixel scenic vistas and 240fps slow mo video clips. On top of that, the iPhone 6 Plus packs in optical image stabilisation (unlike the 6) for better low light performance.
As you’d expect, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus come running iOS 8 out of the box. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will ship in black, gold and silver, with both models offering a 128GB option for the first time – good news for tune hoarders. UK launch date is set for 19 September, with pre-orders opening on the 12th: the iPhone 6 starts at £539 unlocked for the 16GB model, running to £699 for the 128GB edition, while the iPhone 6 Plus starts at £619 for 16GB and stretches to £789 for the 128GB model.
Apple's iOS 8 update incoming 17 September
Apple revealed its fabled smartwatch and a slew of brand new iPhones last night – the iPhone 6 and the gargantuan iPhone 6 Plus – and while you won’t be able to get your hands on one until 19 September, you’ll be able to enjoy the latest and greatest iOS update two days before then. That’s right, iOS 8 will be hitting your current Apple gizmos two days before the latest phones launch on 17 September, and even your ageing iPhone 4s will be getting an upgrade too! Read on for all the details!
The latest version of iOS will soon be gracing your iPhones, iPads and iPod touches, bringing a whole host of brand new features to your handset for free, including a new keyboard, the ability to swap out new keyboards, iCloud Drive and the new Health App. Messages has been given an overhaul, bringing in features like Tap to Talk which lets you add your voice to a conversation, and you can quickly share photos and videos at the tap of a button, making Apple’s Messaging app even more of a rival to the likes of WhatsApp.
Notifications have also been given a boost, and are now contextually interactive, giving you handy shortcuts to accept invitations, reply to messages, and mark off reminders too. Mail now lets you swipe away emails to manage them and can pick out specific details such as an address or phone number to quickly let you save.
One of the biggest changes to iOS 8 is the keyboard, which now includes suggestions for your next word (just like on Android), and you’re now finally able to load up your own third-party keyboards, such as Swype or SwiftKey. Family Sharing lets you share your purchased music, movies, books and specific apps with your loved ones, and can let you keep an eye on their calendars too, while iCloud Drive lets you keep all sorts of files in the airwaves for you to access from any device or even your Mac or PC.
iOS 8 also brings in connectivity if you own several Apple products, letting you seamlessly continue from where you left off on your Mac or iPad and then take it on the go with your iPhone. You’re able to reply to answer phone calls on your Mac and send SMS messages from them too, all thanks to Handoff, which works with other apps like Safari, Pages, Numbers, Maps and Reminders too.
Apple’s latest iOS update looks like one of the most jam-packed releases to date, boosting your iPhone and iPad, and even giving you a helping hand if you own a Mac too – and it’s on the way next week for free. It’s set to work with your iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2, iPad with Retina display, iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad mini with Retina display – phew! What’s important to note, the iPhone 4S lives to fight another day, even though it won’t work with the Apple Watch – just how long can Apple’s 3.5-inch handset go on for?
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