Mike Slocombe

BT Vision To Launch (Finally)
As we’ve covered extensively, BT has been working on BT Vision for yonks now, perhaps struggling with some of the technical issues with the Microsoft system that they’re running.
Launching on Monday, BT Vision, BT’s new combined television and Internet service, will let customers view Freeview channels and catch up with TV shows over the past week with no monthly subscription fees.
We’ll be at the launch cover it live, so tune in on Monday.
BT will also offer “on-demand” content (films, music, TV programmes etc) for viewing on home TVs, downloadable over a broadband connection.
With BT and BSkyB enjoying joint rights to show Premiership matches, BT will provide paid access on a per-game and “season ticket” subscription basis.
Other one-off and subscription Pay TV content will be available via “add-ons,” with the service using BT Vision’s set-top, a programmable Sky+ style PVR unit capable of storing up to 80 hours of TV and set to retail for less than £100.
Viewers will be able to pause and rewind live TV and enjoy access to around 30 Freeview channels.
BT’s new TV service echoes moves made by France Telecom and Telecom Italia in Europe, and should help the UK broadband giants fend off competition from rivals such as TalkTalk who are reeling in punters with their ‘free’ broadband service.
It’s also a smart piece of a manoeuvring to counter Sky, who recently launched their own residential broadband service, as well as cable network NTL who are mustard keen to start delivering content over phone lines.
BT is set to start rolling out the service early next year, although it’s going to be a bit of a half-cocked launch with only Channel Four currently signed up for the seven-day “catch-up” service (behind the scenes, BT’s legal team are busy battling with BBC and ITV producers to negotiate a path through the minefield of rights.)
BT Vision’s Download Store will also include music content, with deals already struck with Sony BMG, MTV, Video Performance Ltd and BTPodshow.
BT Vision
29 November, 2006
Mobile Adult Content Market To Hit $3.3bn In Five Years
The days of blokes nervously tip toeing up to the top shelf of newsagents for a slice of saucy sleaze look to be growing to a close, as a new report shows the explosive growth of the mobile adult content market.
A new study by Juniper Research predicts that the mobile adult content market is going to soar from $1.4 billion in 2006 to over $3.3 billion by 2011, creating $14.5 billion in revenues over the five year period.
Europe is expected to be the most lucrative market with a 39% share followed by Asia Pacific at 33%.
Back in the day, thrill seeking punters had to settle for text-based titillation, but the roll out of 3G services and more advanced phones has seen a shift to photo and video content, with Juniper expecting video to make up over 70% of mobile adult content market revenues by 2011.
Softcore in the boozer
Bruce Gibson, Research Director at Juniper Research said: “Adult content business models have succeeded in other major delivery media: print, cinema, DVD, PPV TV etc. There is no reason why the mobile channel should not be equally profitable for adult content industry players. The mobile channel will provide a different way of presenting adult content to traditional delivery channels and will reach new audiences.”
“Mobile is about fun and instant gratification,” he continued.
“I think the biggest opportunity is at the casual and “softer” end of the adult market – lads in pubs sharing a video clip after a few pints and people looking for a bit of fun when they have spare time to kill etc – not the hard core stuff.”
Much as we’d love to agree with him, we’d suggest that anyone looking at how the web grew will realise that where there’s money to be had, there’ll be no shortage of hard core pr0n.
Juniper Research
28 November, 2006
Samsung Anycall SPH-B5800 DMB TV
Fresh out of Samsung’s hyperactive phone production line in Korea is the new Anycall SPH-B5800 DMB phone.
A black, slide-out affair with a rotary controller, a large LCD screen and a phone keypad lurking underneath, the SPH-B5800 packs in a feast of functionality in an attractive package.
As you can see from the aerial sticking out of the side, the phone supports DMB for watching TV on the move, viewable on the large (2″) QVGA (240 x 320), 26k colour, TFT-LCD display.
The display can also rotate through 90 degrees for watching TV broadcasts in landscape mode, with publicity photos suggesting that the phone is able to balance on its side for viewing (so you won’t have to try and prop up against your pint glass in the pub) .
For music fans, there’s a built-in MP3 player with a microSD (TransFlash) port offering expansion options.
There’s also a 2 Megapixel camera onboard using a CMOS image sensor, which comes with white balance settings and can capture images up to a maximum 1,600 x 1,200 resolution.
Rounding up the feature set (or at least what we’ve managed to make sense of out of the dodgy Korean translation we’re working with here) is Bluetooth support, a handy TV out function and video recording.
Sadly, there’s no news of a UK release, with the phone currently only available on the KTF network in Korea.
Anycall (Korean)
Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB)
[From: Akihabaranews]
28 November, 2006
Optimus Keyboard Loses Colour
Rarely have we lusted for a new gizmo more than when we saw the promotional shots of the luscious Optimus keyboard last year.
Although you could argue that keyboards are really much of a muchness – just multiple rows of input keys – us gadget freaks have never had any qualms about dipping into our pockets for gizmos offering extra geekiness.
So when the Microsoft natural keyboard came out in ’94 (you know, the one that looked like it had been torn apart in the middle), we had to have one, even if our peck’n’hunt keyboard ‘skills’ meant it made no difference to our productivity.
And so it went on through the 90s, with the office filling up with various keyboards all offering a bit extra – more buttons, customisable function keys, volume controls, cordless, Bluetooth, wireless, scrolling wheels – the lot.
But just when we thought there was nothing left to improve on our current wireless Logitech mouse/keyboard combo with Lord-knows-how-many keys, buttons and control wheels (most unused), we clapped our eyes on the Optimus keyboard and thought we’d found keyboard heaven.
First appearing on Slashdot in July, 2005, the ultra-thin, backlit keyboard promised greater user interaction – and turbo-boosted bells’n’whistles appeal – by dynamically displaying the current function of the keys on an app by app basis.
Each key was to be a mini-OLED screen (32×32 pixels) with mini-graphic icons lighting up based on the program being used (so in Photoshop, you’d see the appropriate toolbox icon on each keyboard shortcut).
Saliva-inducing computer generated concept images illustrated how the keyboard would look when the user was playing Quake III Arena or fiddling about in Photoshop.
Months went by with no release date being announced and some began to suspect we’d been bedazzled by a (particularly stylish) example of vapourware.
Hopes rose when Lebedev Studio, the Russian team behind the project, released a three key-version in July 2006 (the Optimus Mini Three), and a December 12th ‘pre-order’ date was announced for the full keyboard
As the day grew closer, excitement rose around the office and then promptly deflated on yestyerday’s news that the 103 key keyboard will now only feature boring old monochrome keys rather than the promised full-colour jobbies promised.
The response from their patient and loyal fans was immediate, with a chorus of posts on the Optimus blog screaming, “count me out!” at the news.
Although Optimus have announced that a colour version will eventually see the light of day “at a greater price,” we suspect that the final price may even surpass our generous pointless gadget budget, so it looks like we’ll be sticking with our battered old Logitech for a while longer.
Optimus keyboard
Art. Lebedev Studio
28 November, 2006
UK Online Video Viewing Bites Into TV Viewing
Video sharing Websites like YouTube are starting to impact on TV viewing figures, with more people switching off and logging on.
A new survey by the BBC found that 43% of Brits who watch video on their PCs or mobiles at least once a week now spend less time on the sofa watching TV as a result.
Although online mobile viewing continues to rise – three quarters of users say they watch more online than a year ago – it’s got a long way to go before it matches the reach of TV, with only 9 per cent of the population regularly watching Net videos.
A further 13% of those questioned said they watched online occasionally, with another 10 per cent saying they expected to start in the coming year.
Not surprisingly, online and mobile video is the biggest hit with the young ‘uns, with 28 per cent of those aged 16-24 saying they watched more than once each week, while around one in ten of 25-44 year olds were Net video regulars.
However, citizens of advancing years weren’t too keen on this new fangled online video thing, with just 4 per cent of over-45s watching online.
The majority of the population still prefers to watch the old fashioned gogglebox, with two-thirds of the population shunning online TV and saying that had no intention of starting in the next 12 months.
It’s a bit of a different story in the US, where hit TV shows regularly appear on networks’ websites and through services like iTunes, although the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 will all be offering most of their shows on demand over the Internet in the next few months.
BBC report
27 November, 2006
Palm 680 Goes On Sale In UK
Palm’s update to its well-received and long running Treo 650 smartphone goes on sale in the UK.
The new Treo phone sees Palm targeting the consumer market, with the 680 coming in a range of attractive colours (US store only) and a lower price.
The distinctive chunky aerial has gone (us Europeans apparently aren’t down with that antennae thang), and the new Palm is lighter and slightly smaller than the 650, measuring 0.1 inches slimmer at 4.4 x 2.3 x 0.8 inches (113mm W x 59mm H x 21mm) and weighing 0.8 ounces less at 5.5 ounces (157 grams).
As with the 650, the new Treo offers the same fantastic one-handed usability and ergonomics, with an improved backlit QWERTY keyboard and the same bright 320 x 320 pixel touchscreen display.
The Treo 680 also comes with beefed up Radio Frequency (RF) sensitivity for improved phone performance, a SD/MMC/SDIO-compatible expansion card interface and upgraded Bluetooth 1.2 connectivity.
Sadly, there’s still no Wi-Fi onboard (although new unlimited data deals like T-Mobile’s Web’n’Walk can now provide alternative, albeit slower, means to keep connected on the move) and the onboard camera can also only muster up a rather disappointing 640 x 480 pixels resolution. We have to say that this still outperforms some megapixel cameras we’ve seen on other phones.
Despite its age, we still view the Palm OS as the best choice for smartphones, with the platform offering an immense range of third-party programs and some lovely user-friendly touches (the threaded SMS interface is still a treat to use).
As with the Treo 650, the new phone offers the usual cornucopia of functionality and features including email, web browsing (via Blazer 4.5), the excellent Pocket Tunes music player, calendar, video, photo album and Documents To Go letting users view, edit and share Word and Excel documents on the move.
The interface on the 680 has also seen a few usability-boosting tweaks, with faster navigation and an ability to fire off a discreet “can’t talk now” text message when you’re too busy to answer a call.
Inside, the phone’s internal memory has been beefed up to 64MB, while the battery life has been slimmed down from the 650, with the smaller 1200mAh rechargeable Lithium Ion cell rated for four hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby time.
The product is available from today at the Palm e-store (US only) in red, orange, white and silver for £299 (contract free), although we’ve already seen discounted prices popping up elsewhere.
Treo 680
27 November, 2006
Nikon D80 Review (95%)
Arriving just eight months after the announcement of the upmarket D200, Nikon’s new D80 builds on the success of 2004’s D70, offering a slew of enhancements, a larger LCD and an inevitable upping of the pixel count.
The D80 increases the pixel count by 67% on its predecessor to 10.2 megapixels, and manages to shrink the package down to more or less the size of the entry level D50 dSLR.
Although the reduction in size is welcome, it’s still quite a hefty beast compared to models from Olympus and Pentax, although there’s not a great deal of difference in bulk between rival cameras from Sony and Canon.
The D80 manages to borrow some of the high end features of the some of the company’s high-end cameras, inheriting the processing engine of the Nikon D2X, and the Nikon D200’s Multi CAM 1000 AF system, CCD, LCD and viewfinder.
Clearly this mix’n’match approach makes sense for cost-aware Nikon, with interchangeable components helping to keep the prices down in a hugely competitive market, although the differences in build quality between the D80 and its big brother are clearly marked.
SD card
Users upgrading from the D70 may be mightily unchuffed to discover that Nikon has switched from Compact Flash to SD memory cards.
Capable of supporting the new Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) cards, this opens up potential capacities of up to 32GB and may help tempt users of compact cameras already using SD cards.
At the back of the camera we could see useful improvements to the button layout, and the 2.5″ LCD screen seemed positively enormous compared to the squinty 2″ screen on the D70.
Interface upgrades
The on-screen user interface had also been considerably spruced up, using the same high resolution and anti-aliased fonts from the D200. The new image review zoom in/out controls improve massively on the fiddly controls of the D70.
The bigger, brighter 0.94X magnification viewfinder was equally well received; we loved the addition of the light switch to the on/off control and quickly felt right at home with the tweaked top plate layout.
ISO range has been improved to cover 100ISO right up to ISO3200 (with boost) with 0.3EV steps, backed by the same three custom NR (Noise Reduction) settings from the Nikon D200.
New editing menus offer built-in D-Lighting, Retouch Menu and Redeye removal capabilities, with a Pictmotion feature letting users playback images as slideshows.
There’s also a host of new customisation options (a total of 32 custom functions) letting photographers set up the D80 to their needs.
Flash
Less good is the flash sync speed dropping down to 1/200, although we’re doubtful that most users will ever notice the difference.
The electronic-release pop-up flash raises automatically in appropriate Auto modes or can be triggered manually by pressing the flash button.
The flash offers a guide number of 13 (m at ISO 100) and can also act as a commander in a wireless flash setup.
Speed
We found the D80 to be a very, very fast performer, with a near-instantaneous start-up and barely measurable shutter lag ensuring we didn’t miss a shot.
With an eye to point’n’shooters, new Black & White modes offering additional Sepia and Cyanotype options have been included, along with the usual Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual, Auto and six programmed modes (including a new Night Landscape mode).
Matrix metering inconsistencies
The D80 comes with Nikon’s smartypants 3D Colour Matrix Metering II automatic exposure control which consults a database of more than 30,000 actual photographic scenes to help evaluate brightness, colour, contrast, selected focus area and camera-to-subject distance.
Although it generally worked well in our tests, a couple of times it threw up some clearly over-exposed scenes, which suggests that it’s not quite as user-friendly as Nikon suggest (in fact, this issue has been a hot topic on the dpreview forums with photographer Ken Rockwell declaring his D80 meter to be “the worst of any Nikon I’ve used in 20 years.”)
Although a deft bit of dialling down with the exposure compensation button can fix this easily enough, it does seem markedly different to how the D70 metered and that’s something users will have to get used to.
Conclusion
Overall, we were very impressed with the D80. It feels like a significant step up from the D70, punching above its weight in features, usability and performance.
The camera is easy to use, feels right in the hand with all the main controls falling easily to hand, and looks like it could take the occasional knock.
The improved viewfinder provides a big, bright view with the larger LCD screen and updated interface adding to the feeling that this is a real ‘photographers camera.’
Minor metering issues aside, images were crisp, clean and vibrant, with an improved high ISO performance making the camera a versatile performer in all conditions.
Although it’s priced ahead of its main rivals, the Canon EOS 400D and Sony Alpha, we feel that the D80 is well worth the extra outlay and offers the best all-rounder 10 megapixel DSLR of the bunch to date. Highly recommended.
Our verdict
Features: 90%
Ease of Use: 90%
Image Quality: 95%
Overall: 95%
Street price (body only) approx £599 (~$900, ~€585)
Nikon D80 main specifications
- 10.2 megapixels
- 11-area Multi-Cam 1000 AF system
- ISO sensitivity range ISO100 to ISO1600 plus HI-1(equivalent ISO3200)
- SDHC compatible
- 2.5inch LCD screen
- File formats – Compressed NEF or JPRG
- Compatible with all Nikon AF lenses.
- 3D colour matrix metering II, and centre-weighted or spot metering modes
- Exposure metering range – EV0 to EV20 with 3D colour matrix or centre weighted metering
- Exposure compensation up to +/-5EV
- Shutter speed range – 30secs to 1/4000sec and bulb
- Flash synch up to 1/200sec
- Flash compensation -3 to +1EV
- Depth-of-field preview
- Rechargeable EN-EL3e Li-ion battery
- Dimensions 132mm(W) x 103mm(H) x 77mm(D)
- Weight – 585g without battery
Full D80 review at DPReview
24 November, 2006
Study: iPod Users Aren’t Going Va-Va-Voom For Video
Industry analysts Nielsen Media Research have discovered that Apple iPod-toting consumers aren’t going ga-ga for video, with the vast majority preferring to listen to music and audio podcasts rather than watch TV or movies.
Nielsen monitored the activity of 400 iPod users in the US during October and found that videos made up less than 1 per cent of the content played on either iTunes or the device itself.
Things didn’t get much better with video iPod users, with just 2.2 per cent loading up their players with video content.
With many TV shows coming in at 30-60 minutes and most songs hovering around the three minute mark, you’d think that watching video would account for a sizeable proportion of the user’s time.
Instead, Nielsen found that watching video still only accounted for just 2 per cent of total time spent using iPods or iTunes among iPod owners.
Not surprisingly this figure rises for Video iPod users, who were found to spend 11 per cent of their time watching videos.
The figures, contained in Nielsen’s ‘Home Tech Report’, estimates that over one in ten US households (13 per cent) own at least one iPod – that’s around 15 million units – with 30 per cent of those owning video-enabled iPods.
Apple’s own figures put the total amount of iPods shifted so far around at a coffer-boosting 70 million units.
Nielsen’s figures raise questions about whether consumers are going to warmly embrace video on the move as enthusiastically as the manufacturers would like.
We know that we barely ever watch video content on our mobile players, but then we’d imagine the video-playing target demographic is considerably younger than us comparative crumblies (i.e we’re over 20).
Apple, who declined to comment on the study, claimed that their current sales had seen 1.5 billion songs and 45 million videos shifted, and elsewhere Walt Disney recently announced that it had sold around half a million movies.
[From CNet news]
21 November, 2006
Sharp 911SH Mobile With TV Recording And Playback
Like a hungry child with its drooling face depositing dribble all over the cake shop window, we’re only able to gaze at the sleek lines of Sharp’s swanky new 911SH TV phone from afar as the Japanese giant has announced that it’s for their home market only.
The swivelling phone looks a beaut too, offering a built in TV tuner and a super sharp 3 inch display.
The display uses technology from Sharp’s well regarded AQUOUS LCD TVs, so comes with a brightness sensor which adjusts the brightness based on the ambient lightning.
There are also three different TV modes, with the 262k colour screen able to swivel 90 degrees to offer portrait or landscape viewing formats.
A built in Micro SD card means that users can record TV programmes and watch pre-recorded films on the move, and the phone can be programmed to record favourite shows.
Slapping in a 1 GB card would deliver a mighty 4 hours of recording, although we’re not sure how long the battery would fare when playing back videos.
Technical details are still a little vague, but the 911SH looks to come with a 2 Megapixel camera, offer video recording and Bluetooth 2.0 support and run on 3G networks.
The phone is expected to be released at the end of the week to lucky, lucky Japanese consumers, and made available in a range of seven colours.
Meanwhile, Brits looking to watch TV on the move will have to settle for the considerably less stylish Virgin Mobile Lobster 770TV phone.
[From NewLaunches.com]
21 November, 2006
Epson Endeavor ST100 Compact PC
Slowly taking shape through the fug of a host of iffy Japanese web translations is the Epson Endeavor ST100, an ultra-small PC.
Looking very smart in its all-white finish, the Endeavor is a mere slip of a thing, measuring just 75x185x195mm and weighing in at an easy-to-lug-about 2.3kg.
To give you an idea of how small that is in the real world, Epson have released a picture of the PC box sitting pretty under an office phone, so if you’re fed up with having a ten-ton box hogging your valuable office space, this could be the PC for you,
The specs look like they’ll handle all your office jobs too, with the Endeavor being powered by a fairly beefy 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo T6700 mobile CPU.
Graphics are taken care of with an ATI Radeon Xpress 200M, a notebook-optimised card that sports a 350MHz graphics core speed and a 128-bit system memory interface.
There’s also a healthy 2GB of RAM onboard, with a generous 160GB 5400rpm SATA hard disk and a DL DVD burner for storing all your stuff.
No news on a release date yet but Epson have said that the unit will retail for a competitive €1,590.00 (£1,080).
[From Akihabara Nnews]
21 November, 2006