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
