BBC 'Digital' Olympics

With the Olympics gearing up in London the BBC has jumped on the digital band-wagon big style. Releasing an app for ios and android, along with a new website specifically for the olympics.

First off, the app. This has the usual features of information about all the events and scores/points etc updating as events progress. Now the interesting bit; they are due to give live streaming within the app (watch your data usage!) along with highlight videos. Very nice! Not only that, the live streaming is due to cover 24 live streams. Bonza!

The website replicates this, with a whole olympic theme surrounding it. Live streaming, sports updates, highlights yada yada. Pretty much the app but souped up, as I'd imagine streaming over 3g on your phone could be rather cumbersome. Will give a quick review once the app is actually out...watch this space.

NEWS feed - 13/0712

This week, let's have a look at some news! NEWS!

In the wake of somewhat, and I use this in a very loose sense, catastrophic events over at RBS and NatWest a few weeks back, there is increased demand for the internal security systems of banks to be better regulated – or so say eScope Solutions. No one’s of a particular mind to return to the grim, murky past where cash machines offer no money and banks must open on Sundays to placate mobs of angry villagers. We should hope we’ve evolved as a society, as a civilisation even, to the point where we can check for software glitches before installing a massive update.

Perhaps I’m just a dreamer, perhaps it’s all nothing but optimistic drivel, but I believe engineers should probably run a few basic checks first. Still, I’m going to keep my pitchfork and flaming torch handy.



Let’s play a game, it’s called “what have Apple been up to this week”? Here are the possible answers:

• Move into the world of trading cards, creating Apple brand Pokemon.
• Become involved in yet more legal difficulties over its IP, patents and property.
• Form its own island nation and supplant Cuba as the world's finest suppliers of cigars.

It should be fairly obvious that both a) and c) are plans in development, not quite ready for showing yet, so our answer is inevitably b). Apple have started demanding certain hosting sites take down test versions of iOS6 (due to be released later this year) as the version is for developers only, the OS being still in beta. Without early access, developers would be unable to create apps for launch, but some sneaky devils have been selling the pass codes that Apple charge $10 for.

We’re not at all for these sorts of shady shenanigans and here’s hoping this doesn’t impact developers getting their hands on test versions and having the time to develop astounding apps before launch. I'm not a terribly big fan of Apple, their products, the business or its user base but the popularity of Apple means others are willing to offer competition in the market - without Apple there'd be no Android as we know it.



I read this little story and was not too far from actually ROFLcoptering.

ROFLcopter, to, v. to become so animated with ones movements whist laughing as to actually take off.

It seem Android has a botnet – a BOT-net…on Android! Because they’re both robot names…pfft, whatever – it is funny. Anyway, it seems this little blighter is sending malicious emails from users, claiming to be a legitimate account (i.e.Yahoo etc.). You could pick up some nasty viruses from these emails, so keep an eye out if you’re on Droid, and avoid getting apps from anywhere that’s not the Play Store – they tend to have a fair number of bugs crawling around in them.

Note 2

Artist Impression. 

Fresh off the press! Hear hear! The Samsung Note 2 has had some specs released, and this Phablet has only gone and blurred the line even more between phones and tablets.

Rumours are suggesting that the 5.3inch 'phone' will jump up to 5.5inches, which isn't far off the Nexus 7 (definitely a tablet) at 7inches. Joining this dubious screen size will be a 12 or 13 MP camera and a quad-core processor. No word on whether it will sport the latest (and greatest) version of Android 4.1, but we're due to find out at the IFA conference next month.

8, bait, weight, hesitate...I'm out.

Actual box art

Hip-hip and a hooray! Windows 8 is coming October this year. What does this mean? Well, in october Windows 8 is arriving - don't be dense.

For those who haven't read our spectacular article on 8, shame on you. It really is most tremendous and you must check it out. Back...? Good.


It's confirmed the new OS will include features above and beyond copy/paste improvements though these are still on the cards too (read this with heavy sarcasm - if you can't bloody tell [this too]).

I'm super stoked for the whole thing, getting to grips with it, not understanding what's happening, complaining and relying on my trusty old Vista. Ah Vista, you never let me down and always let me run my games at insane speeds.

Anyway boys and girls, mind to at least get something with the new OS onboard - don't want to be left in the dust do you? Because dust turns to mud when it rains, which it does here, a lot.

App of the week

This is going to sound childish, but one of my favourite games on my tablet/phone ever is made by Disney. There, I said it, it's out in the open.

"Where's my water?" is a great little puzzle game for passing a few minutes or whiling away a few hours. The aim of the game is to create paths for water to get to a little crocodile so that he can have a bath. The first few levels are ridiculously easy, but trust me, it gets tough! There are various taps, explosives, acid and obstacles that get in the way. With over 350 levels, the 62p is costs to download is easily worth it! A second version has also just been released called "Where's my perry?" which seems more of an extension than a new game itself, but is welcome none-the-less. Take a look at the video below for a demo of the game, available online (although it's a little clunky, but free), ios and android.

Chrome..on ios?!

Google is being a bit cheeky this week. Having Chrome on android is not enough, they're now muscling in on Safari for ios.

Chrome was released for iPad and iPhone this week and for a change, is the carbon copy of the android app, but ported onto ios. Many people lurve the Chrome browser, but how does it stack up compared to Safari?

Well, first off, it's been noted that it is slower than Safari. This isn't Google's fault, but Apple who only let their native browser have full access to the fancy algorithms in the background that run browsers. Aside from that though, Chrome looks better in almost every way.

The interface is nice and simple to use with 'card' like windows for each tab. An overview shows you all tabs open and you can swipe away the ones you want to close. All very fancy! the kicker has to be the integration with the web version though. Log into the browser (using your Google account) and it will sync periodically with other sessions you are logged into on computers. For example, if I have facebook, BBC and Sky sports all open on my computer, the phone version will list these with the option to open them quickly (screenshot below).

All in all, this is a very shexy alternative to Safari, with all the features above available on Android devices too (ICS and above) it's a definite for there, but is it worth the drop in speed for ios? Give us a shout if you've been using it and notice that much of a difference on your iPhone/iPad, would be interesting to know how much it is really affected!

App of the week

Another game for you, New Star Soccer. Even if you don't like football, this is a cracking little game and very addictive. The gameplay is simple, yet rewarding. You choose the power/direction to kick the ball and whether to pass to a team-mate or shoot. That's it pretty much. The rest is upgrading your stats/boots to transfer to better teams and eventually lead your country to glory; there's even a mini-casino game to win money to spend in-game! Maybe I'm not selling it right, but believe me - it's worth a shot! Confusingly, this is free for ios but a couple of quid on android. I feel it's worth it though! If you want a flavour of the gameplay before putting down your dosh, you can also play it online here  where it's exactly the same game.

Jelly Bean

Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich..I'm hungry already and that's before we reach the latest iteration, Jelly Bean. For those of you not sure what I'm jabbering on about, I'm not on a sugary high, these are the various versions of Google's Android operating system through the years.

Jelly Bean has just been released and although it looks very nice, has perhaps not brought the most groundbreaking advancements people were hoping for. Here's our round-up of the top 8 features;

1. Chrome - This is now the default browser installed for Jelly Bean. A welcome addition as this delightful browser syncs between your computer and phone perfectly. It is also lighting quick and easy to use. 
2. Offline voice - This allows you to dictate to your phone without the need for an internet connection. 
3. Google Now - Has big potential; Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and you get some 'tiles'. These give you information based on what you search for/is in your calendar/where you are. Say you've got a flight, it'll keep you updated on the status of the flight and traffic to the airport, nudging you when you need to leave. Or if you're waiting on a train, it'll let you know when it's due. Watch this space. 
4. Speed boost - Apparently the system now works at 60 frames per second. I hear that's good, so good that at times Google staff called this 'Project Butter'. 
5. Better notifications - Another step further, notifications give more detail such as the subject line of your email. This can be expanded using a two-finger gesture (presumably not a rude one). 
6. Widgets - The placement of widgets has had an overhaul making it easier to piece together your home screen. 
7. App updates - This is a clever one; instead of downloading the entire app again when updating, your phone will just download the updated code saving you bandwith and making downloads faster. 
8. Improved search - Similar to Siri, your phone will now give you answers to questions (typed or asked) rather than a list of results. Of course, if you still want your long list a simple swipe to the left and your results pop-up. Handy. 

When will you get it then? Well the trio of Google phones/tablets (Nexus S, Nexus 7, Xoom) will get updated around the middle of July. Fingers crossed for more info for the rest of Android devices. I'd expect the S3, One X etc. to not be far behind. And after Jelly Bean? Well we know it's alphabetical, so something beginning with K? Odds on are Key Lime Pie (KLP), but I'd like something a little more adventurous, perhaps Kiwi Mousse Cake? Kit Kat Bonanza? 

Nexus 7

It's here! The Nexus 7 was released last night amongst a host of other Google goodies (more on that in another post).

Pretty much as expected:

• 7 inch 1280x800 HD screen
• Scratch resistant glass
• 1.2mp front facing camera (no back camera)
• NFC
• Jelly Bean 4.1 operating system
• 1.3ghz Tegra 3 processor
• £159 (8gb) or £199 (16gb)

Already hailed as the best Android tablet to exist this really has hit it off. Due to be available from the middle of July, mine is already pre-ordered! It's so good that I've already managed to convince 2 other people that they should be buying one! 

There really appear to be no drawbacks on this one. Some might complain it doesn't have a back camera, but if you use a tablet for taking pictures you shouldn't be allowed one anyway. 7inches looks like it could be the Goldilocks of the tablet World with it sitting perfectly in one hand (at 340 grams), yet still big enough to watch a film on comfortably. The addition of the latest version of Android also makes it a must-have, where it zips through while multi-tasking with no lag. 

All in all, this is pinched the market from right under the Kindle Fire's nose as they have been slow off the mark getting it shifted to the UK. It will be one heck of a tablet and one of the most exciting bits of kit I've been looking forward to getting in a long time! 

Pancake Time

Yum-yum!

Mozilla hasn't had the best time of it recently, most of it's funding comes from Google and this looks to be coming to a close soon - no surprise as Chrome has overtaken both Firefox and IE to be the most used browser. So, what's the plan for the internet giant after Fox comes crashing down? Another big idea named after a delicious sweet snack is what - Pancake!

Those apps you love, well Mozilla hates them.  They think they're compartmentalising the internet, making it more difficult to have a seamless experience where everything flows with interconnectivity, quite the reverse of what apps are for. Mozilla are gearing up to launch their big new project, and so far it seems exciting - doing away with URLS, tabs and even individual web pages to create a free-flowing centre of everything you could want.

Not sure what I'm talking about? Well, neither am I at this point - Mozilla are only talking in abstracts with no definite info on how this will be managed or what it'll look like. I sure am excited though, this could be the next big web stir-up, the next thing to change the face of the internet. Or, it could all fall flat on its face as nothing but conjecture and wind.

Still, keep your eye holes peeled for this one - worth taking note of!

App of the week

The stock android keyboard ain't all that bad, especially with the updated ICS version. For those of you looking for a nice uprgade though, look no further than Swiftkey3. There is a free trial version or the full version for about £1.50 (although prices vary with discounts).

So, why should you use this I hear you ask? Well, it logs into your gmail, facebook, twitter, blog posts to understand how you 'speak'. Using this it predicts what you want to say, scarily accurately. For example, if you type 'hey', it will suggest the next word as 'how's', then 'it', then 'going?'. Effectively, you can get away without typing out words at all as they are all pre-suggested there! The video below probably gives a better example! Countless other secondary features are available such as themes and haptic feedback (or not). 

Galaxy Tablet

Google is due to release it's very own tablet (think galaxy nexus, but a tablet form) on Wednesday. The rumour mills have been rife but today has seen the most convincing (and hopefully true) information drop so far.

On the grapevine, the Nexus 7, is a 7inch tablet that will be running Jelly Bean (Google IOS 4.1) on a Tegra 3 1.3ghz processor and 1GB RAM. There will be a 1280 by 800 resolution IPS display, 9hr battery and NFC support also, all built by Asus. Doesn't sound bad, does it? Certainly the vanilla version of software will be nice, along with Google promising that they will be in charge of updating software.

And the price? Around about £160. Now I've got your attention! In Amazon Kindle Fire territory, if it gets in there first then could sweep up most of the market. I know I'm certainly considering selling by Tab 10.1 and going for this instead!

We'll keep you updated as the device is released at 5.30pm on Wednesday. Until then, definitely food for thought.

Windows 8 Mobile Interface

I'm not going to lie, the Windows mobile interface is gorgeous. It's how every phone should look, but with the ease of use of iphone and the customisability of android. That would be ideal.

For those of you not familiar, Windows mobile OS is built up of tiles for your favourite apps making it easy to navigate to your top apps, with all the rest of your settings etc stored in another menu. This gives everything a sexy uniform design that fits together perfectly.

The latest Windows 8 version takes an already awesome system and takes it one step further. Live tiles that display information without having to open apps, the ability to resize tiles (a bug-bear I think most Windows users find) and different colour schemes. Kudos Microsoft, kudos.

Fifa Street Review

A bit belated (by about 2 months) but figured I'd throw up a review of Fifa Street. I'd never personally played any of the predecessors of this game, although I hear that they weren't great; poor graphics, cartoon-like gameplay and various button bashing.

That all changed with the new Fifa Street. 

EA Games tried to bring realism to this one, basing it on the same game engine as Fifa 12 bringing player likeness, a better physics understanding (bumping into players) and none of those ridiculous power-ups from the previous versions. This all combined to make a street football game where you actually feel like you know what you're doing. Fancy backheel finish? Meant that. Rainbow flick over the defender's head before chipping it to your strike partner to bicycle? Not just a fluke. 

With various game types it keeps things fresh so that you always have a different approach be it 5-a-side, 6-a-side, points for pannas (nut-megs) or skill/goal point combination games. Add this to the main game mode, where you hike about Europe in competitions, where every team you beat, you get to choose a player. In addition to these you can create your own team and players that improve as the game progresses (Euro 2012 take note). 

All-in-all this is a decent game, definitely enough to tide you over until Fifa 13 and better than the Euro 2012 download (probably about the same price now too). The fact that elements of the skill control are being brought into Fifa 13 only goes to show that the game has made an impression at HQ. 

Gmail Backgrounds

Hurrah!!

Gmail has finally given you the option to completely customise the background! Been waiting for this for a while now. Not that the backgrounds they give you aren't bad, but it's nice to give a personal spin! Just head on to 'Settings' > 'Themes' > 'Custom Themes' then select either Light or Dark. From here you can either choose a host of pictures that other users added or upload your own from Google+ or your computer.

Well done Google, I knew there was a reason for you.

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft are gearing up for major warfare as an all-in-one provider for all things computer (OS, apps, cloud service and mobile hardware).  Both Google and Apple already offer this and Microsoft are going to have to pull out a stunner to compete with these behemoths (not that MS is any small fry mind).

Microsoft are readying to launch their new Windows Server 2012, and of course, this is a pretty vital piece of the puzzle.

In a very brief summary; Microsoft is rolling out the latest iteration of its cloud services, with particular emphasis on targeting large business (read Fortune 500 companies, such as ING Direct and Aflac who have both had access to a beta version).  Though there is no official release date, it’s almost a given it’ll be later this year, around when Windows 8 drops as it’s pretty much key to creating a cloud computing “environment” across all the multiple devices 8 will run on.

In order to ensure no freak-outs at launch, Microsoft are stress testing the server with all of their online programmes (Office, Xbox Live, Bing etc.).  For Bing alone, the server is handling over 300 petabytes a day, a truly staggering amount without even considering the demands data hungry services like Xbox Live will be demanding.  With the Xbox 720 almost certainly coming early next year, the server will be placed under even more strain as it is reported to have cloud functions of its own. 

This is all happening just as Microsoft have unveiled their debut entry into the world of tablets, the Surface.  The devices are set to be very impressive, with two variations, where the more advanced type running the full desktop version of 8.  No official word on prices yet, but expect just below Apple’s and entering into ultrabook territory for higher specs. The key to the tablet so far appears to be the 'magnetic keyboard attachment' which, coupled with the business usability, gives it a strong niche.   

Still, one must suspect Microsoft know what they’re up to (you don’t really get to an electronics giant otherwise...cough...Sony…), but can’t help but remember the ill-fated Zune.  With this almost wave-like set of releases (not even mentioning Smart Glass), we might well see another contender in the go-to-guys for all our computing needs.

App of the week

This week it's time for "Awesome New Tab Page". Their words, not mine. Ok, so it's not technically an app, but an extension. It's still groovy through!

ANTP (as known by its friends) is an extension that lets you customise and personalise the new tab page within chrome. The whole effect kinda looks Windows 8-ish which is nice and simplistic, not to mention will match in with the update!

 It gives you options to use shortcuts and widgets as illustrated in the screenshot below. Just click on an empty space, add the URL, then find a image that is 200x200 pixels to create a unique shortcut. The extension comes with a few widgets and gives a link for a host more that you simply install from the Chrome Extension page then add to your new tab page through ANTP. Simples.

Tiger Woods 13 Review

Ah yes, Tiger Woods 13 with Kinect. Pffftt, nice try.

Let's get the major gripes out of the way first, it should not be listed with Kinect. I tried using the Kinect and failed miserably. The Kinect picked up my back swing, then got stuck. No matter what I did I couldn't hit the ball. Fail. Better than someone else I saw play that couldn't even navigate the menu system it was that bad!

No that's over with, we can talk about the game itself. No real major changes from the last version. The swing system is slightly different, allowing you to see how your swing looks according to how you move the thumb-stick..quite handy for drawing/fading. The caddy system works well too, most of the time, where taking their advice can be the difference between landing on the green or the drink. There is a new mode too, where you play through Tiger Wood's life from a 3 year old kid through his young career and up to seducing ladies as a mini-game (not really).

One caveat, the game should really be played on 'hard' or above. I've played through the majority of the career mode on normal and finished most tournaments around about 30 under which is just plain ridiculous. The masters tournaments are a little more realistic, although as an up and coming amateur I was still fighting it out with big Ernie and Mcilroy at the top!

The Kinect issues aside, this is a decent game that can waste plenty of hours while it's rainy outside. I wouldn't say it's a must have, but if you see it at a knock-down price, it's worth a shot.

Euro 2012 Game

Since I play it enough, thought it would be apt to give a quick review on the Fifa download for Euro 2012. First off, I have to say that I have been fairly disappointed. Yes it has plenty of hours gameplay within, but it is far too repetitive. There are a couple of different modes; Expedition and Story.

Expedition mode is similar to the Fifa Street World Tour where you play against teams to get their players using your virtual pro. Some big drawbacks though - you have to play each team 3 times (to get reserve, bench, 1st team players) which is incredibly boring especially when if you lose on penalties and have to start again. Not that that ever happened to us. Against Albania. Five times. After beating them you get one of their players which is fair enough, but you don't even get to pick! So after beating Germany 3 times, we eventually got the almighty Per Mertesacker, and let's be honest here, I've seen milk turn faster than him. All this added up to plenty of gameplay but we got half-way through the 3rd group (you progress through each qualifying group to gather players) and gave up bored. The fact that your virtual pro doesn't improve renders it pointless too as they quickly become replaceable which takes away the personification of the team!

Going to be honest here, haven't really dabbled in the story mode, but it seams a pretty straight run through the tournament itself using any team. Woop-de-doo, no big thrill there and minimal hours to complete I'd imagine.

I guess I'm just bitter that (in my opinion) the best game Fifa have done in a while was the World Cup 2010 edition. The captain your country mode is has never been replicated; where you can create a few virtual pros and play multiplayer moving from reserve team, through the qualifiers and eventually onto the World Cup itself to captain your country to glory! Very addictive to the point that staying up til 6am to get USA to the final before losing on penalties to Serbia seems totally worth it, that's when a game grips you!

To be fair, I can't really complain too much as it is a £15 download to tide us over until Fifa 13 hits the stores. Speaking of which, it's due to use the Kinect to identify when you swear at the ref and dish out the yellow card for unsportsman like behaviour. Uh oh, could be a few players sent off next season. Anyway, if you're looking for a game to get you through the summer months, I'd suggest picking up Fifa Street instead to familiarise yourself with the skill gameplay that's being merged into Fifa 13, that should be cracking.

Apple WWDC 2012

And now the Apple fanboys can rejoice, alas there is a new range of gadgetry to spend money on this year! Apple have announced updates to the majority of their computing ranges including Macbook Air, Macbook Pro and the Mac Pro. Here's a quick run-down of the updates;

Macbook Air

• Same build/looks on the outside (11inch and 13inch variations)
• Juiced up on the inside - you can now pimp your Air up to 2.0GHz i7 Ivy Bridge, 8GB RAM and and 512GB SSD
• Prices ranging from £849 - £1249. Ouch. 

Macbook Pro

• 25% Thinner (13inch and 15inch variations)
• New insides - max spec giving you 2.9GHz i7 Ivy Bridge, 16GB RAM, 768GB SSD, USB 3.0
• Prices ranging from £999 circa £2299 and higher with different spec!
• Of course, there is a retina display too at a whopping 2880 by 1800 pixels (better than HD). This is only available on the 15inch model and the price is not for the faint-hearted.   

Mac Pro

• No massive updates really
• 6-core processors, 64GB RAM,  AMD Radeon HD 5870 graphic cards
• Prices from £2049 to well over £3000

On top of all that fruity goodness there is new software in the form of Mountain Lion. This gives a host of additions/upgrades including notifications (a la ios devices), gatekeeper (upgraded security), powernap (syncing whilst napping) and game centre to name but a few. This costs £14 which isn't bad when you consider a new version of windows will set you back considerably more. 

So that about covers it. I will admit, I've just procured one of the new Macbook Pros, although this is mainly due to an unfortunate incident involving a broken laptop and insurance company, otherwise this would all be rather out of my price-range! Still, as my last one proved, these bad-boys chug along nicely for a few years before showing any sign of slowing down so it's future-proofed at least! 

Hit us up in the comments if you're tempted by the new range, or are you a PC fan with a preferred alternative?