UK spy agency GCHQ has launched a special contest in the hope of uncovering the cyber security experts of tomorrow.
With governments and businesses facing a growing number of cyber attacks perpetrated by increasingly sophisticated criminals, such bodies are struggling to keep pace with the escalating threat.
The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) – the UK’s central spy agency specializing in electronic intelligence gathering – is perhaps more worried than most, with many of its skilled tech wizards leaving for better paid jobs in the private sector.
In an attempt to shore up its defenses against hostile states and criminal gangs operating online, the spy service has launched a computer security competition open to all Brits aged 16 and over in the hope of discovering the cyber security experts of tomorrow.
The Balancing the Defence test puts contestants “in charge of managing the risk to a Government department’s computer network. You will analyse the network, looking for vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit, and apply a range of defensive controls,” it says on the competition’s website.
“Some will be technical in nature, but others will be based in the security policies you establish. Your budget is limited and you will have to make tough decisions about which controls you can apply to get value for money and reduce the risk to your network.”
Registration for the competition ends September 26, with the test lasting five days from from October 1.
The designer of the test – a GCHQ employee known only as ‘Karl’ – told the Guardian that no computer system can ever be 100 percent protected.
“There is no such thing as a completely secure system – businesses will always need to balance where to spend a limited budget, to manage risks and provide opportunities,” he said.
Back in June, the head of the UK’s domestic security service, MI5, said he was shocked by the number of cyber attacks taking place against the country.
“The extent of what is going on is astonishing, with industrial-scale processes involving thousands of people lying behind both state-sponsored cyber espionage and organized cyber crime,” MI5 boss Jonathan Evans told said in a speech in London.
With that in mind, the British government will certainly be hoping GCHQ’s cyber security competition uncovers some bright sparks who can help build an effective system to defend against attacks, ensuring the protection of highly sensitive information in the process.
Looking to simplify and expand on the concept of the smart home, SmartThings could help you manage your life through digital control.
Likely going to surpass the one million dollar milestone on KickStarter in the next twelve hours, a group called the Physical Graph Corporation has achieved about four times the required funding for a new automation platform called SmartThings. The SmartThings platform is designed around automating the small tasks in your life and funneling all control of those tasks through an application called SmartApps that can be used on a smartphone or tablet. To get started, a SmartThings user will purchase the communication hub before deciding on sensors and devices needed within their home. All the sensors and devices are tied back into the hub which relays information to and from the SmartApps software using the Internet.
For instance, a presence sensor could send a message to a user’s smartphone when their pet decided to make an unplanned trip out of the home. The Kickstarter page describes that as the “Oh No, My Pet Is Loose!” SmartApp.
Another idea would be to install a motion sensor within an area that contains valuables and get alerted through the “My Stuff is Secure” SmartApp. A more complex example heavily illustrates the concept of a smart home and performs such tasks as turning on the lights in the morning or starting up the coffeemaker as well as locking the doors automatically upon leaving or adjusting the temperature controls in order to save on energy costs.
Hardware that will be available with the SmartThings communication hub includes a SmartOutlet for controlling any device with a plug, the Presence tag to monitor location, an Open/Closed sensor for doors and windows, an Infrared motion sensor, a temperature sensor and an accelerometer to detect motion or angle. In addition, developers will be able to dive right into the software development kit and hardware makers will receive modules or shields for Arduino to turn more everyday household items into a SmartThings device. Conceptually, the group behind SmartThings foresees a home where everything has an API and is constantly communicating to automate common tasks.
According to CNN, the idea that evolved into SmartThings started after founder Alex Hawkinson experienced a series of escalating problems that ended up with his basement pipes exploding. Hawkinson didn’t discover the problem until it was too late and ended up with a costly home repair.
Detailed by Hawkinson, the basic kit will come with the communication hub as well as three sensors selected by the user. Additional sensors and devices will be priced between $25 to $35 and Hawkinson has plans to charge a monthly fee for service at some point. However, some KickStarter contributors can avoid the monthly fees at specific contribution levels.
Interestingly, the group behind SmartThings is also partnering with other KickStarter projects to expand functionality. By partnering with Ubi, SmartThings users will be able to use voice commands to accomplish certain tasks within the home. Ubi will also be able to announce notifications to users. The InstaCube partnership will include new functionality such as visual notifications on the InstaCube screen as well as a secondary touchscreen interface in case the smartphone or tablet is on the other side of the home.
Samsung is ushering in the next generation of mobile memory with the mass production of the first-ever 2GB LPDDR3 RAM.
The new mobile chips run at a total of 12.8 gigabytes per second and 1600 Mbps per pin. That translates to the 2GB LPDDR3 being approximately 50 percent faster than a single LPDDR2 chip.
Practically, this higher data transfer rate allows the chip to support high-resolution 3D graphics and full HD video playback on screens larger than the standard 4 inches. Tablets and extra large smartphones are what Samsung is going after here.
The 30nm class 2GB LPDDR3 RAM is the first such chip available in one space-saving package, according to Samsung, which held its Mobile Solution Forum in Taiwan today.
Samsung doubles its LPDDR2 RAM in 10 months
Besting Moore's law, Samsung took just 10 months to double the speed of the LPDDR2, which went into mass production in October 2011.
In that time, Samsung was able to put its LPDDR2 RAM into several devices including the Motorola Droid 4 and iPad 3. Although Apple hasn't officially confirmed the RAM specs for the iPhone 5, the forthcoming phone is also expected to use 1GB of LPDDR2.
Devices packing next-generation LPDDR3 chips are expected to hit the market in 2013.
"[Samsung is] helping to accelerate growth of the mobile memory market," said Samsung Executive VP of Memory Sales & Marketing Wanhoon Hong. "With this rapid introduction of 2GB LPDDR3, we are moving very assertively to expand our global leadership on the premium side of our extensive memory portfolio."
This dominance is no doubt aided by the fact that Apple relied on Samsung for manufacturing so many iOS device components, from RAM, to displays to CPU chips. Considering the stellar iPhone 5 sales, that "global leadership" isn't about to stop, even in the face of the Samsung vs. Apple lawsuit outcome.
Delta Airlines has announced plans to improve facilities for its tech-savvy passengers, adding more recharging stations to its branded gates at a further 12 airports around the US.
With more and more airlines waking up to the realization that a connected passenger is more often than not a happy passenger, amenities at airports and on aircraft to help facilitate the requirement are on the increase.
Delta Airlines has announced plans to roll out more recharging stations at its branded airport gates around the US, as well as at its first international location at Narita airport in Tokyo, enabling passengers to use their laptop, smartphone – or whatever gadget they happen to own – prior to boarding the plane, without having to worry about draining the battery. It also means they can board the plane with a fully juiced up device.
The new recharging stations, featuring standard 110-volt outlets and USB ports, will be introduced before the end of the year at the following airports: Anchorage, Alaska; Austin, Texas; Denver; Dallas/Ft. Worth; Houston Intercontinental; Kansas City, Mo.; Milwaukee, Wis.; New Orleans; Ontario, Calif.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; and Syracuse, NY. Delta already has such stations installed at 20 other airports across the country.
Speaking about the new facilities, airline representative Wayne Aaron said in a statement, “Customers today are savvy travelers who bring their smartphones, computers and tablets with them. Providing a power source they can use before they get on a long flight helps them do what they need to do in the air, whether for work or pleasure.”
Connected
A couple of months ago, Delta announced plans to introduce in-flight Internet on its fleet of more than 150 international aircraft in early 2013. The airline claims to already operate the world’s largest Wi-Fi-equipped fleet of passenger planes with more than 3,000 flights daily, including its entire fleet of 550 domestic aircraft.
Like many others airlines, Delta has its own Facebook page, Twitter account and smartphone app that allows you to check in, change seats and track your luggage, among other things.
It’s also thought that Delta will support Passbook, a new app coming as part of Apple’s soon-to-launch iOS 6, which acts as a repository for tickets and coupons, and should help to make the sometimes stressful airport experience a little less aggravating.
Samsung is ushering in the next generation of mobile memory with the mass production of the first-ever 2GB LPDDR3 RAM.
The new mobile chips run at a total of 12.8 gigabytes per second and 1600 Mbps per pin. That translates to the 2GB LPDDR3 being approximately 50% faster than a single LPDDR2 chip.
Practically, this higher data transfer rate allows the chip to support high resolution 3D graphics and full HD video playback on screens larger than the standard four inches. Tablets and extra large smartphones are what Samsung is going after here.
The 30nm class 2GB LPDDR3 RAM is the first such chip available in one space-saving package, according to Samsung, which held its Mobile Solution Forum in Taiwan today.
Samsung doubles its LPDDR2 RAM in 10 months
Besting Moore's law, Samsung took just 10 months to double the speed of the LPDDR2, which went into mass production in October 2011.
In that time, Samsung was able to put its LPDDR2 RAM into several devices including the Motorola Droid 4 and iPad 3. Although Apple hasn't officially confirmed the RAM specs for the iPhone 5, the forthcoming phone is also expected to be utilizing 1GB of LPDDR2.
Devices packing next-generation LPDDR3 chips are expected to hit the market in 2013.
"[Samsung is] helping to accelerate growth of the mobile memory market," said Samsung Executive VP of Memory Sales & Marketing Wanhoon Hong. "With this rapid introduction of 2GB LPDDR3, we are moving very assertively to expand our global leadership on the premium side of our extensive memory portfolio."
This dominance is no doubt aided by the fact that Apple has relied on Samsung for manufacturing so many iOS device components, from RAM, to displays to CPU chips. Considering the stellar iPhone 5 sales, that "global leadership" isn't about to stop, even in the face of the Samsung vs. Apple lawsuit outcome.
A teardown of Apple's new EarPod headphones show them to be more durable than their predecessors, with greater resistance to water and sweat.
The new $29 (£25) buds, launched alongside and shipping with the iPhone 5 and new iPod touch, were unleashed last week promising a better fit and improved sound, by pumping tunes directly into the ear canal.
Apple promised that the EarPods, which feature two small speakers instead of one larger speaker, were like "nothing you've ever seen" but scored a disappointing 2.5 out of 5 in a TechRadar review.
Now the guys at iFixit have placed the new highfalutin earphones under the knife to see whether the innards are really that different beyond the new cone-shaped design.
Paper beats plastic
The site used a scalpel and a guitar pick to prise open the EarPods, which Apple says it spent three years perfecting.
The precise surgical procedure found Apple is now using a paper diaphram for the speakers rather than the plastic used in previous models, which makes it more resistant to tearing.
It also found that the remote is sealed better, making it less prone to water or sweat damage, but aside from those two items the innards are pretty similar, the site says.
To that end iFixit says that, if the headphones falter, then there's no point attempting to salvage them.
"Unfortunately, these products are still of the throw-away kind," the site concluded.
"Sourcing parts is next to impossible, and it would be a tough sell to convince someone to take apart their earbuds in stead of buying a new pair. They will never be the same once taken apart."
Best buds? Not quite
Our review, posted last weekend, cast doubt on Apple's assertions that the new EarPods offer as much of an improvement as it would have us believe, over the ghastly previous model.
With iFixit's teardown proving, significantly, that the innards are extremely similar, it appears that Apple has a bit of a cheek asking 25 bones for, essentially, an unrepairable pair of earphones.
Although, they'll come as standards with the new iPhone and iPod range, it seems you'd need to be an all-out Apple freak to spend your hard-earned on these buds, as a standalone purchase.
We are hours away from HTC "see what's next" event and the company, playing coy, posted an official teaser on its Facebook page Tuesday afternoon to whet our whistles.
Just the corner of a phone is visible, though what we can see what appears to be the clock of a Windows Phone, giving enough of a hint as to what we can expect Wednesday morning.
The picture is also accompanied by the caption: "When beautiful hardware meets stunning software."
Could HTC not only be playing up its new design but also what we'll find inside?
HTC Accord/HTC 8X?
A leaked image purportedly of the HTC Accord (also known as the HTC 8X), a Windows Phone 8 handset, also emerged Tuesday.
Whether this device, if authentic, and the Facebook teaser are one in the same, we won't know until Wednesday.
TechRadar will be at the New York City event live, bringing you all the latest from HTC as it happens.
Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg wasn't kidding when he reportedly said "mobile is everything" during the TechCrunch Disrupt conference last week.
The social network on Tuesday announced two new fronts to its mobile ad strategy: a new version of Pages Manager and the beginnings of an off-site ad network.
Pages Manager now allows administrators to promote their pages via an iPhone or iPad app.
For a fee, admins - ostensibly business owners - can choose which posts they'd like to promote directly from their iOS mobile devices.
Small businesses had reportedly been asking for the mobile ad-buying capability for some time.
Seeds of an off-site ad network
The company also announced Tuesday that it has entered a test period for an off-site ad network that puts Facebook ads on non-Facebook mobile apps and web pages.
The ads are similar to ones already found on Facebook, just optimized for other sites and the mobile web.
Zuck's team is reportedly currently working with a select number of ad exchanges with existing publisher relationships. The plan is for those publishers to turn around and sell the Facebook-styled ads to third-party applications and websites.
No word yet on a time from for the ad placement process.
Developers who place ads on third-party apps and sites that direct users to app download stores like Apple's App Store and Google Play are likely looking forward to the network, as are outsiders hoping to target their ads to an increasingly targeted audience.
Want to spend $1290 – $1590 for a highly outdated Android smartphone? If so, get ready to whip out your wallet. Aston Martin is making a smartphone that runs on Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread. Besides using an outdate version of Android, other behind-the-times specs include 256MB of RAM (Yes, really), a 5MP back cam, and an 3.2-inch HVGA screen. To top it off, this thing has a not-so-blazingly slow 800Mhz single-core processor aboard.
The good news is that this thing is pretty. It’s also gold-plated. To be honest, I really don’t get it. Aston Martin is known for fast cars and luxury, 800MHz and 256MB of RAM doesn’t scream either of these things.They are already making a killing, even with the gold plating. Couldn’t they throw in at least a 1GHz single-core, 1GB of RAM and at least give us something that can reasonably run Android for such a price point?
Cool looking phone, but it’s more of a paperweight with these specs.Not the first time a major designer brand has put out crazy price tags for less-than-cutting edge tech- but at least the Prada 3.0 phone still sprung for a dual-core processor.
Bottom line: If you want luxury in a phone, stick to something like the Samsung Galaxy S3 or the Apple iPhone 5.
More hints from foreign retailers suggest that Sony will unveil a new PlayStation 3 model at Tokyo Game Show this week.
With just hours to go before Sony’s Tokyo Game Show press conference, there’s more evidence piling up that the company will announce a brand new model of the PlayStation 3 console at the event.
The latest hint comes from Polish video game website Polygamia (via CVG.) The site posted an advertisement (pictured above) from a Polish retailer promising to announce a brand new version of the PlayStation 3.
On Friday, Gamesreactor reported that a German video game retailer said come October it would start selling a new ultra slim PlayStation 3 model with 12GB of on board flash memory rather than a hard disk drive like past PS3s. This rumor jived with leaked pictures and FCC filings that hit the Internet in July.
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter said in a Friday note to investors that he believes Sony is already preparing retailers for a brand new PlayStation 3 model. “The PlayStation 3 160 GB plus Move bundle debuted at $299 in 2010, two full years ahead of Wii U’s debut,” said Pachter, “It’s worth noting that PlayStation 3 160GB plus Move bundles have disappeared off of many retailers shelves, suggesting to us that Sony is starving the channel ahead of a new hardware introduction that would likely cost less than Wii U’s Basic Set.”
The smaller memory and console form factor are expected to come alongside a smaller price tag. Rumors during the summer suggested that this new 12GB PS3-4000 model could retail for as little as £99, around $154. Sony would still offer a $299 model, though this new version would sport a 500GB hard drive.
Sony has made price cut and new model announcements in August during the PlayStation 3’s lifespan, so tradition suggests that if Sony was going to make an announcement it would have done so at the Gamescom conference in Germany. This year is different from the past PS3 price cuts in 2009 and 2011 though. For starters, Sony still had a significant number of PlayStation 3 systems on retail shelves that needed to be sold before a new system could be announced. The bigger factor, though, is the announcement of the Nintendo Wii U’s price and release date. By waiting for the Tokyo Game Show, Sony will have the opportunity to significantly undercut both the price of the Wii U and any positive press its built up in the past week.
Ahead of next week's expected release of the Catalyst 12.9 beta, AMD has updated its existing WHQL driver with a fresh set of Catalyst Application Profiles. Although it's not a major overhaul, Catalyst 12.8 CAP 3 offers a few improvements that are worthwhile if you're playing certain titles including the recently released Guild Wars 2 and Borderlands 2. The former has received a bug fix that caused texture corruption grass when changing graphics settings on a CrossFire setup, while the latter receives a new CrossFire profile.
Some older titles have also received tweaks. AMD has resolved a flickering problem that arose when World of Warcraft's view distance was set to fair with CrossFire enabled, as well as other CrossFire-related flickering issues in Depth Hunter, an "underwater simulator" that launched earlier this year and is currently vying for a position on Steam; Dirt Showdown; S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat ( 80 ); and War of Roses, an action title that is being developed by indie studio Fatshark and is scheduled to launch on October 2.
That's the extent of this week's CAP 3 update, though it's worth noting that folks who are still running Catalyst 12.6 can look forward to many more improvements when upgrading to 12.8, including up to 25% more performance in Skyrim ( 93 ), 15% in Shogun 2 ( 88 ), 10% in Dirt 3 ( 87 ), 8% in Crysis Warhead ( 83 ), and 3% to 6% in Crysis 2 ( 86 ), Batman: Arkham City ( 90 ), Just Cause 2 ( 82 ), Deus Ex: Human Revolution ( 88 ) and Battlefield 3 ( 88 ). It also enhances single-GPU performance in Torchlight 2, which happens to be launching this Thursday.
Analysts believe Apple will introduce a new CPU in 2014
When Apple's iPhone 5 arrives in consumer hands, it will come complete with a 1.2GHz dual-core A6 CPU.
Unique to Apple, the custom designed chip was built from the ground-up completely in house utilizing architecture licensed from ARM.
Though the history of the A6 chip is pretty interesting in and of itself, it's the future of Apple's CPU development that has some analysts excited for 2014.
According to Linley Gwennap, head of the Linley Group, he predicts Apple will introduce a new CPU every two years, starting with the A7 in 2014.
New every two
Linley, who authored the report detailing the history of the A6, believes Apple will continue to develop their own chips in-house from now on.
In his report, Linley stated, "To keep pace with competitors using ARM's own cores, the company will have to crank out a new CPU design every couple of years."
"We believe Apple is already working on a next-generation CPU, which will likely implement the 64-bit ARMv8 instruction set."
Since he thinks 2014 is the target for the A7, Linley suggested, "for its 2013 products, Apple will have to rely on the same CPU design, perhaps in a quad-core configuration and with a higher-performance GPU."
Whether this slight upgrade to an A6X chip means there will be a slightly upgraded iPhone 5 in 2013 is unclear, but it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility given Apple's previous release history.
$500 million investment
Linley's report estimates Apple has spent upwards of $500 million to create the A6 chip over the past four years.
This of course was in an effort to deliver their chip three months before rival Samsung, which gives Apple a pretty decent head start going into the holiday of 2012.
With the Linley Group estimating some $25 billion in profits generated by sales from the iPhone 5 this year alone, that investment could pay off nicely.
The same could be said about future endeavors, and is why Linley believes Apple will continue on their current CPU development path over the next few years.
Intel on a smartphone? You better believe it. While ARM processors might be the masters of the mobile world, Intel hopes that its Atom Medfield processors can help them win over the mobile world. Most of the existing Medfield-based Android smartphones have been relegated to the Chinese market- but no longer.
Today Motorola announced the RAZR i, which is essentially the same thing as the RAZR M, except for it switches out the ARM processor for an Intel x86 processor. The RAZR I will only be a single core processor, but it runs at 2GHz and is said to surpass the performance of comparable ARM dual-cores.
The rest of the specs will stay rather true to the RAZR M, including a 4.3-inch screen, a 960×540 AMOLED display, NFC, 8MP camera and storage options of 8, 16 or 32GB with the option to expand through microSD.
The RAZR i will run on ICS, though Motorola says that Jelly Bean is coming down the road. Pricing has yet to be announced, but it is expected to be released in early October for the European and Latin American markets. As for the U.S and Canada? No word on whether they will see the light of day around these parts, at least for now.
The latest from Plantronics' Voyager Bluetooth headset line aims to be legendary -- but is it? Here's our hands-on with its newest device.
Bluetooth headset makers certainly have a market all their own: professionals who need to take constant calls on the go, working parents who need both hands to drive while on the phone, and gym rats who can’t be torn from their phone during workouts. While it might still be weird to see people looking like they’re talking to themselves when they’re really speaking into Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics will make things a bit less conspicuous. The very visible Voyer Legend earpiece is the latest from Plantronics’ Voyager line, with new features, functionalities to make it an overall better model compared to its predecessors.
Look and Feel
The Plantronics Voyager Legend is an upgrade on previous Plantronics Bluetooth headsets, with a slimmer, sleeker look than earlier models. It’s designed to accommodate glasses wearers, and while the item did feel comfortable but a bit heavy on top of my glasses, nothing is ever going to feel completely unnoticeable when you have a little computer sitting on your ear.
The device is made with a flexible silicone body to fit your ears without being too snug. And the extended microphone flips forward and backward depending on your dominant ear. Along the side is your main control panel where the power and volume buttons are located. Shortcut keys like the “Voice” button, which enables the Voyager Legend’s voice command functionality, are located on the actual stem of the microphone and on top of your ear piece.
The body of the Voyager Legend also has a rubberized finish, so you can wear the headset during your morning run and not worry about the sweat breaking your $100 gadget. Unfortunately, this rubber is also a bit of a dead skin cell magnet, and I get quite a bit of dusty bits on the black earpiece as it rubs against my head during wear. Gross, I know, but it had to be mentioned. Included in the box are also changeable ear tips to best fit the inside of your ears.
When you’re done with the headset for the day, the device charges using a USB cord to connect to the magnetized charging pins. The Voyager Legend snaps against its charger much like Apple’s MagSafe charger holds steady to your MacBook, so you can leave it hanging off the desk while you finish up emails or read the nightly news. A full charge takes just about 90 minutes.
Voice driven interface
What’s new about this refreshed model of Plantronics’ Bluetooth headset is the addition of a total voice command interface, which has become popularized by the likes of Siri, S Voice, and Google Now. You can hold the Voice button and say a command, such as Redial, Call [Name], or Answer to perform corresponding actions. You will also receive voice alerts when your battery is low or headset connection has been interrupted.
Another neat feature, if you will allow it, is for the Voyager Legend to access your phonebook and read you the name of your caller when you receive the call. Granted, it was easy for the Voyager Legend to say “Mom” was calling, but I haven’t experienced calls from friends with unique or hard-to-pronounced names to see how the device performs reading ethnic names. I could only hope it’s not as disastrous as Siri’s attempt. If you find that the Voyager Legend is butchering the pronunciation of your phonebook contacts, you can always turn off the feature and just gander at your phone when you receive a call — you know, the old school way.
Unfortunately, voice command didn’t work as smoothly as I had hoped. I asked the Voyager Legend to call “Home,” “Mom,” and “Voicemail” and they all led to the Bing business search hotline. Weird.
As far as usability, the Voyager Legend delivers crisp and clear sound even in a noisy city like New York. My voice being sent to the receiver did have some issues from time to time, particularly with wind noise, but communicating was not entirely impossible. The Bluetooth range was also reasonable at about 10 to 15 feet before static creeped into the call.
A professional’s gadget
When Plantronics representatives visited Digital Trends to speak about their new product, it was clear that the Voyager Legend is aimed at business professionals who would make the most out of Bluetooth headsets in their daily lives. This is apparent in the headset’s ability to sync with multiple devices, from your PC to smartphone. All you have to do is hang up a call on Skype to access the sync with your Galaxy S3, or the Bluetooth setup in your car on the drive home.
The Voyager Legend also boasts the talk time of seven hours — 11 days in standby mode — enough to get you through one work day if you’re constantly picking up and making calls. The earpiece can also sense when it’s being worn, so it “knows” whether to send the sound to your headset or leave it in your phone.
Perhaps my favorite feature out of this all is the new Find My Headset function on the accompanying Android app. It’s a bit like Foursquare for your call log, which records the location of your last call made or received, in case you misplace your Voyager Legend. The app allows you to see where you last used the headset so you can backtrack through the day. If someone else stole your earpiece and made calls through it, you might also be able to locate where the item is being used.
Bottom Line
Aside from some voice control issues, the Voyager Legend is a fine piece of Bluetooth technology that performs. Personally, I’m not a fan of voice commands, so I didn’t care that it didn’t work so well for me, but others may have better luck (or care more about its sub-par functionality). My primary issue is that the earpiece is still pretty bulky and gets dirty quite quickly — a potential inevitability with a device that gets so close to your ears and their canals.
The Voyager Legend comes packed with some cool tools for $100, but if you want the add-on carrying case that doubles as an extended battery pack, that’ll cost you an additional $30 for 14 hours extra life. Unless you plan to travel with limited charging time, these expenses are likely unnecessary. But if you are the type who will absolutely use the heck out of a Bluetooth headset, the Voyager Legend is a solid choice. The device is available today on Plantronics, Amazon, Best Buy and will be coming to AT&T and Verizon in October.
BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk have left the company after two decades of crafting some of gaming's best stories.
BioWare’s tumultuous 2012 has reached an unexpected climax. Whether it’s a peak or a nadir depends on your respective. If you prefer the BioWare of 2012, a mass production studio streamlining its heady role-playing games into action packed Hollywood-style blockbusters, then today is yet another sign of progress. If you are a fan of the BioWare of yesteryear that poured its creative effort into a single original project after another, then this is the end of an era. Founders Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Dr. Ray Muzyka have resigned from BioWare.
Both Zeschuk and Muzyka released statements on BioWare’s official blog. Muzyka said that he made the decision to leave BioWare in April of this year, feeling that after 20 years in the gaming industry, he had achieved all of the goals he’d set out to. “I remain passionate about video games—they’ll definitely remain one of my favorite hobbies,” said Muzyka, “The decision to leave the video game industry is hard to explain, but essentially I feel similar now to how I felt in the early days of BioWare over the decade post-medical school, while was still practicing as an ER physician, back when I first realized that the world of video games was my next career ‘chapter.’ Two wonderful decades working at BioWare and later EA was the result of that decision.”
If any fans are sad that the man behind Baldur’s Gate is leaving video games, they can take comfort in the fact that he’s leaving to do good work. Muzyka is now pursuing new opportunities in the field of social entrepreneurship, for profit businesses that work towards goals that benefit the community in addition to making money. “For me, getting involved in social impact investment stems from the simple hope of helping the world to be a better place. To that end, I’ll also be spending time getting involved with more charities in education, health care, and animal rights, areas where my wife and I’ve typically focused our charitable donations in the past.”
Zeschuk, meanwhile, plans to take a much-needed break. Whether he’ll return to the gaming industry any time soon remains in the air. “I’ve reached an unexpected point in my life where I no longer have the passion that I once did for the company, for the games, and for the challenge of creation,” said Zeschuk, “Some of you will be curious what I’ll be doing next, and I can state that I’m not going to be working in games for a while, and there’s a strong possibility that I won’t be back. After my departure I’m going to be spending significant time with my family and friends, as well as pursuing some personal passion-driven projects related to craft beer. The main project I will be working on is a web-based interview show called The Beer Diaries where I interview notable brewers and showcase their beers.” It’s this writer’s opinion that Dr. Greg Zeschuk is pursuing work just as notable as Dr. Muzyka.
Microsoft has released a statement detailing the agreement they've made with Research in Motion (RIM) to license exFAT to the BlackBerry makers.
exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) technology allows for devices which utilize flash memory to handle files fives times larger than the previous FAT system.
In addition to allowing for better interchange abilities between mobile devices and PCs, exFAT will also "[facilitate] large files for audiovisual media and enables seamless data portability."
The licensing agreement allows RIM to utilize exFAT in "certain BlackBerry devices."
Modern times call for modern tech
In regards to the deal between Microsoft and RIM, David Kaefer, general manager of Intellectual Property Licensing at Microsoft shared why this was a good deal for both companies.
"Today's smartphones and tablets require the capacity to display richer images and data than traditional cellular phones," Kaefer said.
"This agreement with RIM highlights how a modern file system, such as exFAT can help directly address the specific needs of customers in the mobile industry."
It's not quite the collaboration rumored to be happening between Microsoft and RIM, but it certainly shows RIM is serious about getting back on competitive track once again.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed, however Microsoft has entered into previous similar arrangements with companies like Panasonic, Sony, and Canon.
Rare's return to hardcore gaming may include revisiting its fan favorite Killer Instinct fighting series.
Rare is no longer the artisan studio that Microsoft purchased for $375 million back in 2002. Back then, the studio was known for ambitious, flawed, and deeply charming action games like Banjo Kazooie and Perfect Dark. While the Xbox 360 hosted a number of games in the classic Rare style, the studio has become a factory in the past four years, producing the nuts and bolts of Microsoft’s push into family markets like Kinect Sports and Xbox Avatars.
Like many in media though, Rare might be digging back into the ‘90s for new inspiration. Microsoft teased via PlayXBLA on Monday that it has renewed its trademark on Killer Instinct, Rare’s fighting series from the Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 era.
“With all due respect to our friends in the media who like to frequent trademark sites, we thought we’d break this one ourselves. Our legal eagles have authorized us to say: ‘We have either renewed or re-filed a trademark application in various jurisdictions.’”
Microsoft was right to suspect that the filing would lead many to believe that work on the long dormant Killer Instinct series. Rare has hinted numerous times in recent years that it would like to return to the combo-heavy Skeleton versus Werewolf action from what is one of the only popular Western-developed fighting series ever. Back in 2007 while the sturdio was hard at work on another franchise reboot, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, it sent out a Christmas card with a stocking labeled “KI3.”
Back in 2010, Killer Instinct designer Ken Lobb, now Creative Director of Microsoft Game Studios, said he wanted to at least see the series make it to Xbox Live Arcade. “I obviously have personal feelings about Killer Instinct, but I do think it’s got a place,” he said at the X10 event, “Let’s bring back something that people loved in the past and see how it does on Live Arcade.” He even said that work had started on Killer Instinct 3 back in the ‘90s, but even if that work was reprised, Microsoft would need to gauge interest with a re-release.
Donnchadh Murphy, the 3D modeler that worked on the series, said this past August that Microsoft was not interested enough to pursue making the game. “We all wanted to make Killer Instinct 3, but Microsoft was more interested in broadening their demographic than making another fighting game. So it never got made, I doubt it ever will,” he told Not Enough Shaders.
LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is the closest the series has come to achieving Media Molecule's vision of a world where anyone can make games.
LittleBigPlanet has always had a single glaring problem: Its tools are locked behind a game controller. Whether it was the first game’s cumbersome interface, the refinement from the PSP entry, or the significantly rethought PS Move-enabled rendition in LittleBigPlanet 2, Media Molecule’s games have always been limited in their reach as tools for game creation. For a game about transcending boundaries—between video game players and designers especially—the walls of technology have always disturbingly confined it. Though it isn’t perfect, LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is the closest the series has come to overcoming its problem, thanks in no small part to the PS Vita itself.
Taking over for Media Molecule this time out is Tarsier Studios and Double Eleven. It’s Double Eleven’s very first project since opening in 2009, and the game is a hell of a debut. It handled the nuts and bolts coding of LittleBigPlanet PS Vita, and the studio did a yeoman’s job. Everything in the game works. The physicality of running, jumping and swinging feels particularly nice. The series has a reputation for feeling a little squishy thanks to its physics (read: Everything in the world has mass). Even things like pushing around objects in levels using the Vita’s touch screen feels just right and natural rather than tacked on.
The interface is a significant victory, though. All those menus hiding the stickers, blocks, costumes, and other goodies used to build levels and games in LittleBigPlanet are now easy to access and manipulate via the Vita’s touch screen. Want to make a rolling forest with big and little hills? Don’t worry about the imprecision of analog sticks. Just pinch and spread your fingers on the screen to size the world, spin it, and place it where you choose. Want a picture of your dog as the sun in your forest? Just tap the camera icon in your menu, snap a shot of Bonesy, and place him in the sky. No need to worry about hooking up a PlayStation Eye for such things.
It cannot be overstated how ease of use has transformed LittleBigPlanet PS Vita. There’s little else more boring than judging a game by its “mechanics,” but in the case of LittleBigPlanet those tools are the game. Previous games were versatile as palettes for players, but they have never offered anything so accessible and easy to automatically understand. Now all you need to create a great LittleBigPlanet level is a keen creative mind, not a willingness to penetrate its cumbersome utilities.
The quality of Double Eleven’s technical achievements doesn’t overshadow Tarsier’s artistic direction. LBP PSV’s campaign is a substantial meal that entertains at the same time as demonstrating just what you can build if you so choose. It’s a pretty swell little story too, one that embraces the themes of brave creativity at the heart of LBP. The Sackboy or Sackgirl you craft in your image is on a mission to end The Puppeteer’s reign of terror across the land. He used to be one of the greatest entertainers in the world, but he became disillusioned after getting booed by his audience. Now he’s an embittered overlord of the Hollows, creepy faceless inversions of Sackboy that are pulling the world apart. Creating anything is a tender act that leaves you vulnerable. LBP PSV says that the only real danger is giving up if people don’t like what you’ve made.
Sackboy receives careful guidance from the residents of the lands he visits like the circus ringleader of La Marionetta or Marianne Noisette of the Land of Odd, and each land is beautiful and strange in its own right. The junk store aesthetic of Media Molecule’s originals is still present, but LBP PSV also has a lot of the surreal blood from Tarsier’s unfinished The City of Metronome running through its veins. That sense of style elevates the game above being just a portable LittleBigPlanet 2. When coupled with those smooth interface tools, it becomes almost perfect.
Conclusion
Media Molecule conceived its signature series as a work that shattered barriers, dissolving the wall standing between audience and creator. It would be a full game all on its own that people could swing and jump through together as well as a brimming toolbox with which you could create all new games of your own. The LittleBigPlanet has never been the utopia it could be though. It can’t ever be. Until LittleBigPlanet somehow lets you make a game that looks, sounds, and plays like whatever you can imagine, it won’t be the perfectly populist tools it was sold as. It can only be the best version of itself. Tarsier and Double Eleven’s game is awfully close to what Media Molecule was promising when it debuted the first game back at GDC in 2007. Now all the series needs is some people to buy PS Vitas to play it.
A new development in an ongoing patent quarrel between Apple and Motorola Mobility broke Tuesday, with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) deciding it will take a magnified look at some of Apple's signature products.
The investigation was prompted by a complaint filed by Motorola against Apple on Aug. 17, 2012.
"The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain wireless communication devices, portable music and data processing devices, computers, and components thereof that infringe patents asserted by the complainants," the release reads.
Motorola is requesting the ITC issue an exclusion order and a cease and desist order.
Step by step
Although an investigation has been launched, the ITC was quite to point out that it hasn't made a decision on the merits of the case.
A multi-step process must occur before any ban is instated.
The next move is for the organization's chief administrative law judge to assign the case to one of the ITC's six administrative law judges (ALJ). It falls on that judge to schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing.
Following the hearing, the ALJ will make an determination as to whether this is a violation of section 337. That ruling is then subject to review by the ITC.
Before any action is taken, the ITC will make a final determination as to whether Apple is guilty of patent infringement or not.
The ITC has 45 days from the institution of the investigation to set a target end date, according to the release.
Any remedial order issued in this case is effective "when issued and become final 60 days after issuance unless disapproved for policy reasons by the U.S. Trade Representative within that 60-day period."
Ongoing process
This is just the latest in a disagreement spanning international boundaries.
A German court ruled last week that Apple could pursue a ban of Motorola products that violate its patents in that country.
The ITC also issued a ruling Aug. 24 that Apple didn't violate three Motorola patents covering 3G wireless technology.
According to CNET, this latest contest could take over a year to complete, and even then the judgement will need to be reviewed by the ITC.
Meanwhile, Apple has a pending Dec. 6 court date with Samsung to wrap up loose ends in the firm's $1.05 billion win against the South Korean company.
Stay tuned to TechRadar for all the latest in this developing patent war.
Electronic Arts continues to beef up its presence in Ireland, expanding its Galway support center with 300 new jobs.
Electronic Arts has a message for unemployed Irish citizens in the IT field: We’re hiring. Thanks to the Irish Development Agency and the Irish government, Electronic Arts is expanding its customer support center in the city of Galway. The center will service people playing Star Wars: The Old Republic, FIFA 13, and other EA games.
The support center first opened in late 2011 thanks to major tax incentives offered to developers in the nation. The original goal was to hire a staff of 200 but the work force has already grown to 400 employees.
“We’re adding 300 jobs to our existing consumer experience center in Galway, to support not only what we’ve been doing with Star Wars: The Old Republic, but also a broader base of games such as FIFA, which launches next week,” EA COO Peter Moore on Tuesday, “These are technical jobs that we’re talking about here. This is not just a call center, this support for connecting games, looking for content, making sure entitlements are right, logging on, all the stuff that we’re all very familiar with now in this direct-to-consumer digital world.”
“It’s less than a year since I attended the opening of the EA facility in Galway, and I am delighted to announce today that EA has made the decision to invest further in Ireland by locating their strategically important customer experience center here,” said Ireland’s prime minister Edna Kenny, “The decision is a real endorsement of Ireland’s ability to meet the needs of leading multinational companies in the digital media space.”
It’s encouraging to hear that the struggling MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic is creating jobs ahead of its shift to free-to-play. BioWare and EA laid off a significant albeit unspecified number of employees from The Old Republic’s staff in Austin, Quebec, and Alberta. By the time, the staff had swelled to more than 800 employees. While it’s good news for Ireland’s video game industry though, these new IT jobs will certainly be missed in those local economies hit by this year’s layoffs.
Ireland is aggressively trying to expand its video game industry, hoping to add 4500 jobs by 2015. A trade group looking to promote industry growth called Game Ireland, which counts Activision and others as members, was opened late last year.
HTC says it'll be going all-in on Windows Phone 8 and the first of potentially three devices, expected to be announced Wednesday, has reportedly appeared online.
A snap of the long-rumoured device, alternately called the HTC Accord and HTC 8X, was acquired by PhoneArena, showcasing a handset boasting the logo of U.S. carrier Verizon Wireless.
The navy-blue styled handset looks a lot like the recently announced Nokia Lumia 920, which also features a square-edged candy bar form-factor.
Beats on board?
HTC's first venture into the new version of Microsoft's smartphone operating system is widely expected to include an 8-megapixel camera and a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU.
According to the report, there's no room for a microSD card for expandable storage, but previous leaks have suggested both 16GB and 32GB models will hit the market.
Also rumoured to be laying within the Accord/8X is a 4.3-inch touchscreen, built-in Beats Audio technology, NFC connectivity, 1080p HD video recording, and 1GB of RAM.
Stiff competition
HTC is holding a media event in New York Wednesday, which kicks off at 4pm UK time (11am EDT), where it is expected to unleash a trio of Windows Phone 8 devices.
Keep it locked to TechRadar for full coverage of the launch, which HTC hopes will reinvigorate its smartphone challenge following an underwhelming couple of years.
HTC is likely be going head-to-head with Nokia - Microsoft's preferred partner - as both companies look to put a dent in the gargantuan lead held by iOS and Android.
Samsung also has a fleet of WP8 devices on the way, while LG says it is starting to look at developing for the platform once again, after swearing off the OS earlier this year.
Web development education platform Treehouse stretches its mobile reach with new iOS and Android classes.
Just last week, Treehouse unveiled its plans to contribute $3 million in scholarships to future developers, and today the Web-based learning platform is announcing its new iOS and Android curriculum.
“Treehouse is now offering courses on both iOS and Android development,” the startup says. “Students will take a project-based approach that will demonstrate every step of building real iPhone and Android apps.” The two new courses, take students through the process of making a “Crystal Ball” app, or an animated, shake-responsive app.
Teaching through small, bite-sized projects sticks with the Treehouse method, a method which CEO and founder Ryan Carson says helps them get anyone from zero development knowledge to an advanced stage — and most importantly, land them a job. And in case you haven’t noticed, mobile development is something of an exploding industry at the moment, and any developer worth his or her salt would be wise to flex some muscle here.
“Mobile has always been in the works,” Carson tells me. “Everything is going mobile and there’s tons of money to be made in making apps. Site and Web development is still important, but most things have a mobile component now too.”
While everything about online learning is fresh and new (and undeniably trendy; the last year has been filled with a rash of online development education platforms), Treehouse still relies on real teachers, not crowdsourcing, for its curriculum. The company has a full time teaching staff, and they aren’t remote workers: Part of the job description is packing your bags and moving to the Orlando office, where Treehouse films its video lesson.
“Teaching technology is kind of the Wild West,” says Carson. “People aren’t sure how to accredit it yet, and a university degree isn’t indicative of whether you’re good at computer science or not. I have a computer science degree and no one should hire me as a developer. What we’re doing is disrupting the trade school and university system.”
Treehouse has made significant efforts not only to essentially provide a development school at an affordable rate ($25 or $49 a month) but to focus on job placement as well. The service now includes a job placement team, something that Carson says they’ll be focusing on more and more. “We’re just starting out formally placing people in jobs, and we’re heard good things.” He says the team will have more concrete numbers on its effectiveness in the near future.
The renewed mobile focus certainly can’t hurt Treehouse students’ job prospects, though, in a world increasingly turning to smartphones. The lessons are available today and videos can be watched for free. But in order to participate you’ll need to sign up for a monthly Treehouse plan.
HTC is expected to begin its Windows Phone push on Wednesday
HTC says it will be going all-in on Windows Phone 8 and the first of three devices, expected to be announced tomorrow, has appeared online.
A snap of the long-rumoured device, also known as the HTC 8X, was acquired by the Phones Arena website, showcasing a handset boasting the logo of US carrier Verizon Wireless.
The navy-blue styled handset looks a lot like the recently announced Nokia Lumia 920, which also boasts a square-edged candy bar form-factor.
Beats on board?
HTC's first venture into the new version of Microsoft's smartphone operating system is widely expected to include an 8-megapixel camera and a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU.
According to the report there's no room for a microSD card for expandable storage, but previous leaks have suggested 16GB and 32GB models.
Also rumoured to be laying within the Accord/8X is a 4.3-inch touchscreen, Beats Audio technology built in, NFC connectivity, 1080p HD video recording and 1GB of RAM.
Stiff competition
HTC is holding a media event in New York tomorrow, which kicks off at 4pm UK time (11am EST), where it is expected to unleash a trio of Windows Phone 8 devices.
Keep it locked to TechRadar.com for full coverage of the launch, which HTC hopes will reinvigorate its smartphone challenge following an underwhelming couple of years.
HTC is likely be going head-to-head with Nokia - Microsoft's preferred partner - as both companies look to put a dent in the gargantuan lead held by iOS and Android.
Samsung also has a fleet of WP8 devices on the way, while LG says it is starting to look at developing for the platform once again, after swearing off the OS earlier this year.
Bohemia Interactive is calling on fans to help get two of its staff members freed from Greek custody after being accused of spying.
As of this writing, two staff members of ArmA III and DayZ developer Bohemia Interactive are still in Greek custody accused of espionage. The Czech citizens were arrested on Sept. 9 on the island of Lemnos , a tourist destination and home to one of the Greek military’s airbase, under suspicion of spying. If convicted, Martin Pezlar and Ivan Buchta could spend up to 20 years in prison.
Bohemia Interactive is now calling for ArmA fans to band together to help get Buchta and Pezlar out of Greece. Eurogamer and other outlets are reporting that the Bohemia community has started a petition calling for the developers’ release.
“We’ve been gratified at the interest you have shown in our games and especially the attention garnered by the recent DayZ phenomenon,” said Bohemia spokesman Ota Vrtatko in a prepared statement, “What I would like to do is make you aware, if you’re not already, of a community created support website for Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar—HelpIvanMartin.org. The website contains information about their arrest, links to news reports and an on-going petition to raise voices in protest at the arrest and charges.”
Buchta and Pezlar released a joint statement on Monday. “The conditions are tough, but the people we meet treat us fairly and correctly. It is all a completely absurd misunderstanding that will certainly be quickly explained. We mainly think of you, our families; you have to stay calm and not worry about us. We hope we will meet you soon.”
It was initially reported that Buchta and Pezlar were scouting locations for use in ArmA III, which features the island of Lemnos as a setting for its strict military simulations. The men and Bohemia, however, insist that they were simply vacationing on the island, having become interested after working on their game.
“Having travelled there, and after meeting personally with them both, as well as their lawyer who is fully acquainted with the Greek authority’s investigation file in detail, we can assure you that these insinuations are completely false and with substance,” said Vrtatko in a Monday statement, “They took photographs and videos in public areas, as countless tourists arriving to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of Greece may well do. These included a short video as they drove through the main road passing around the international airport, where in one short part of the video off in the distance some hangars and other buildings of the complex can be seen.”
“The in-game Lemnos is close to completion, and it’s far from an identical replication of the real place.”
There is some evidence that their incarceration is retaliatory. According to CTK, the Greek government took umbrage with the use of Greece as a setting in a military game, claiming that ArmA III could damage Lemnos’ reputation as a tourist attraction.
Microsoft has announced pricing details for its upcoming Office 2013 packages as well as the subscription rates for the cloud-based Office 365. Interestingly, the company seems to be steering customers towards the latter, saying the online solution will be updated more frequently with the latest features and allows small businesses and households with up to five computers or mobile devices to access everything for one price.
There are two versions of Office 365: Home Premium and Small Business Premium. The former is priced at $99.99 per year while the latter will cost $149.99 per user per year. Both versions include the complete lineup of programs found in the current Office Professional release -- Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access. Home Premium users can use Office on up to five computers shared among all users in the household, each accessing their settings and documents with their own account, as well as 20GB of SkyDrive storage (in addition to the 7GB available to anyone) plus 60 minutes of Skype usage per month.
Office 365 Small Business Premium also includes access to the same programs but adds Lync with free HD video conferencing and screen sharing as well as InfoPath, making it equivalent to the current Office Professional Plus 2010. This subscription includes the ability to use Office on up to five computers for a single user, and comes with hosted exchange, 10GB of SharePoint, and 25GB of mailbox space.
A free 30 day trial is available for either version and they both include a feature called Office on Demand that allows you to use Office 2013 programs on a PC that isn't one of your regular five devices.
Licensing isn’t as attractive for customers that prefer the "traditional" Office experience -- at least in a multi-computer scenario. Standalone versions of Office 2013 will be available at $139.99 for the Home & Student Edition, $219.99 for Home & Business and $399.99 for Office 2013 Professional. With any of these you only get access to Office programs on one machine and there are no volume discounts or family packs.
Office 2013 has been in a consumer preview stage in July. Microsoft hasn’t said when the final version will ship, but an update program for users running a previous version of the productivity suite will open October 19, suggesting Office 2013 will launch right around the time Windows 8 is scheduled to arrive.
The LG Optimus G has arrived, and comes complete with a whole new level of smartphone technology.
It's another evolution for the Korean brand, with the new handset the second quad core option the firm has released. However, it's the first to use Qualcomm's S4 Pro chip, which will bring an LTE-ready quad core handset to the masses for the first time.
When you pick up the Optimus G, you can tell it's a handset that's worthy of being dubbed a flagship by LG. There's a real weight to it (well, only 145g, but it's much heavier than the Samsung Galaxy S3) but that adds to the premium feel rather than feeling overly heavy.
The design language is impressive, if a little bland. The plastic casing feels a little slippery in the hand, and while the white casing with silver inlets looks impressive, the front of the phone is still the faceless black slab we've come to expect from most handsets these days.
It's not LG's fault, as there's only so much you can do to innovate on the design front, but with the Optimus G its definitely decided that minimalism is best, with a silhouette that mimics the iPhone 4S.
The layout of the buttons is familiar too, as it mirrors the Galaxy S3 almost perfectly in terms of button placement. LG has moved the power button to the top right-hand side, to make it easier to hit with the thumb, and the volume keys, headphone jack and microUSB port are all in the same place.
In fairness, there are only so many places you can put these elements, and placing the phones side by side you'd definitely not think much in the way of copying had gone on.
There is one big difference though: the 13MP camera sensor (which may only arrive on Korean models, according to hints dropped by LG) juts out slightly at the rear, which led us to worry it may get slightly scratched. There's an extra lip to help protect the lens though, so it may survive a fight with the desk every day.
There's no removable battery, no expandable memory through a MicroSD slot – although at least there's 32GB of internal storage to help out on the media front, which should be more than enough for most people.
To summarise: it's a well-designed phone with plenty to be proud of from an aesthetic standpoint. However, while it doesn't come under the same 'cheap-feeling' category as the Galaxy S3, it doesn't have the premium feel of the HTC One S or the iPhone 5 in our opinion.
Add to that it's pretty anonymous when viewed straight on, and you have to wonder how LG plans to make this leap of the shelves when placed next to the competition.
However, if you do pick up the phone from the melee, you'll be in for a nice surprise, as it's one of the fastest we've encountered so far. That's not surprising when you consider it's got one of Qualcomm's most advanced CPUs inside, which has been teamed with 2GB of RAM.
This meant that no matter what we threw at it, the LG Optimus G was able to open and flick between apps with aplomb. This is down to Cross Tasking, as LG calls it, which means each core is able to operate at different speeds to enable more efficient multi-tasking.
We know it's been said before with phones like this that speeds are mind-blowing, but it seems the LG Optimus G was able to beat all the benchmarks out there too, so there's more than a little hope that this is one of the world's quickest handsets.
LG has been hard at work refining its UX overlay as it, like so many, works to create differentiation in a saturated market. We'll state our case now: we're definitely not fans of LG's Android overlay, as it's still similar (especially in layout and font) to the less-than-successful earlier smartphones and the irritating S-Class handsets.
But beyond the iconography and general feel of the system, with its overly colourful widgets and geometric design, there are so many little tweaks that make it a joy to use.
These same tweaks will probably annoy those that love simplicity, but then again, they're generally happy with a six year-old iOS platform.
Opening the lock screen is the early winner, with a little dew bubble revealing what lies below as you unlock. There are four icons along the bottom of the phone which allow you to activate quick apps too, which makes it handy when loading the camera.
From there, it's pretty standard Android 4.0, which is a good thing for those that are upgrading from another Google-powered phone.
There's no word on when we'll be seeing Android Jelly Bean for the Optimus G, although LG has hinted it may drop by the end of the year (read: some point in 2013).
But there are several other neat touches on top that we really like, and will help differentiate the LG Optimus G if people actually give it a decent play in the shop.
For instance, being able to pinch outwards on the home screen to just look at your wallpaper will please those looking to show off their cat, and a new feature called Q-Slide really takes Samsung's Pop Up Play to the next level.
Q-Slide allows you to be watching a video or using the internet (as LG puts it: any app it can control) and place any other on top. This may sound slightly pointless as it's nigh-on impossible to concentrate on more than one task on a smartphone, but it stops the video getting in the way as it does on Samsung's option.
The other, more useful, trick is the ability to resize or personalise icons. This means that if you drag an icon around the home screen, if it has a widget attached it will grow larger to offer things like bookmarks or media. And if it doesn't have a larger option, you can place any picture you like as the app instead, making it a really personal experience.
The rest of the phone is mostly impressive, so we can almost whip through it. The browser is pretty much stock Android Ice Cream Sandwich, but is pretty fast over 4G – although not as quick as some out there, it's important to note this isn't final software and such things often get optimised for launch.
The keyboard is still pretty poor though – while the lag we saw on the Optimus 4X HD has disappeared, it's still pretty inaccurate at predicting what words were trying to tap out.
We often try to see how long we can last before installing something like Swiftkey in these scenarios, but it was only a couple of hours with the Optimus G.
The final thing we'll look at is the screen (well, it's the first thing you'll probably look at) as LG is touting both its clarity and power efficiency.
We saw tests that compared it to Samsung's Super AMOLED HD screen, which showed that it was able to use less power at higher brightness, as well as offering more natural colours thanks to a full matrix of RGB colouring.
In truth, it's a screen that looks great and is as sharp as a pin, but doesn't have the same 'wow' factor as the AMOLED, which offers better contrast ratio and brightness. There are many display snobs out there that don't believe Samsung's favourite screen type offers 'true' images, but in our eyes its still the more impressive.
That's not to say LG's is poor by any means – but we do prefer watching movies on the S3, and not just because we can pop them over on a microSD card.
Early verdict
Is the LG Optimus G the phone of the year? It's too early to say, for a number of reasons: the first being that we won't see it in the US until later in 2012 and may never see it on European shores at all.
Then there's the issue of price, or lack of one. While LG usually undercuts its competitors, it will need to do so pretty strongly here to make sure it stands out of the throng of top-end smartphones available today.
It's a well-designed handset with plenty of interesting features we can't wait to get our teeth into, as well as more grunt than most other phones out there. We're not sure it will be the phone to propel LG back to the front (there needs to be a phone that takes the user by surprise with a new UI or fantastic design to achieve that) but it's one of the best the Lucky Group have come up with in a long while.
Sen. Chuck Schumer will unveil a new immigration bill today that seeks to fill the talent gap in the U.S. technology industry.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to unveil an immigration bill later today that would make it easier for high-skilled immigrants to work in the United States. The “BRAINS Act” — which, sadly, has nothing to do with the impending zombie apocalypse — would boost the number of green cards available to students born outside the U.S. who receive advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields from a U.S. university.
According to Schumer’s office, the BRAINS Act (a.k.a the Benefits to Research and American Innovation through Nationality Statutes Act) is needed to plug the gap in talent vital to the booming U.S. technology industry. While the bill would operate at the federal level, Schumer touts the benefits for New York City, a popular destination for immigrants, which is now home to hundreds of tech startups, including companies like Foursquare, Tumblr, Etsy, and Kickstarter, among many others.
Schumer’s office cites a study by the Center for an Urban Future (pdf), which highlights the “lack of top-tier engineers” as the “biggest barrier” to growth for New York City’s technology sector. The study recommends lawmakers “streamline the visa process and dramatically raise the federal cap on highly qualified immigrants” — precisely the goal of the BRAINS Act.
Schumer’s bill would would provide 55,000 new green cards each year for foreign-born people who receive a master’s degree or higher in a STEM field from an U.S. university. Graduates must also have a job offer from a U.S. company in a STEM field to receive a green card under the bill. The BRAINS Act would also make it easier for students planning to study in a STEM discipline to obtain a student visa.
“It makes no sense that America is educating the world’s smartest and most talented students and then, once they are at their full potential and mastered their craft, kicking them out the door,” said Schumer in a statement. “We should be encouraging every brilliant and well-educated immigrant to stay here, build a business here, create wealth here, employ people here, and grow our economy. Fixing our broken green card system will help ensure that the next eBay, the next Google, the next Intel will be started in New York City, not in Shanghai or Bangalore or London.”
The BRAINS Act will compete in Congress with a similar bill expected soon in the House from Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith (of SOPA infamy). Smith’s bill would a provide up to the same 55,000 green cards as Schumer’s legislation, but foreign-born students who earn a doctorate degree in a STEM discipline will have first dibs. Student’s who receive master’s degrees in eligible fields will have access to the remaining green cards.
While few lawmakers oppose the allocation of green cards for high-skilled immigrants, Smith’s bill has come under fire from Congressional Democrats because it would eliminate the diversity visa program, which makes visas available to people from countries with low immigration rates to the U.S., according to The Hill. The House is expected to vote on Smith’s bill next week.
Schumer will officially unveil the BRAINS Act at 3 p.m. ET today at the New York General Assembly in Manhattan.
Lead image via Center for an Urban Future; Schumer image via stocklight/Shutterstock
