Freesat launches its smart new TV guide called

Freesat, the UK’s free-to-air digital satellite television provider, today launches a new smart on-screen TV guide, available in its next generation Freesat+ boxes.

Called <free time> the service offers new features in a single, simple and easy to use guide:

  • A backwards TV guide letting you turn back time and watch programmes that have already been on, but you may have missed
  • An ‘at a glance’ Now & Next view to show what’s on the minute you sit down
  • A new Showcase section that offers recommendations on programmes to watch tonight, in the coming week and on demand
  • On Demand TV from BBC iPlayer and ITV Player with 4OD and Demand 5 launching before Christmas
  • Improved recordings that make it even easier to record TV at a touch of a button and find episodes automatically filed into series – just like a DVD boxset

 

The next generation Freesat+ boxes join the existing range of Freesat digital satellite HD boxes and integrated HDTVs and will be available to buy from John Lewis, Currys, Comet and other retailers and online later this month. Set top box manufacturer Humax is producing the first new box with <free time> and will be priced at £279. Boxes from Sagemcom, Philips and Manhattan will follow.

Connecting the box to home broadband will power the backward TV guide, give access to On Demand and the full Showcase. Freesat is also planning to launch additional movie and music services in the future.

Developed using widely adopted European open standards for hybrid TV including elements of OIPF, HbbTV and HTML 5 browser technology, <free time> will offer additional services and features in the future, including a companion app for smartphones and tablets to create remote control and remote record capability away from the traditional remote.

Emma Scott, Managing Director of Freesat said: “TV is a simple pleasure that technology can make even better, not more complicated. Our new boxes with <free time> give satellite viewers everything they get with freesat today and so much more in a single, simple and easy to use on screen guide. We want to help viewers find something great to watch the minute they sit down, so they can spend less time searching and more time watching the TV they love.”

“Having now exceeded 2.6m Freesat sales we’re thrilled to be launching <free time> today and offer satellite homes more quality, choice and value without a subscription.”  [Advertorial]

Japanese judge rules Samsung didn't infringe on Apple music/video sync patent

A Japanese judge has ruled that Samsung did not violate an Apple patent on "synchronizing music and video data in devices to servers," Bloomberg reported this morning.  While that victory is sure to be heralded by most (if not all) who are reading this story on this site, it's important to remember that this case is separate from the one Samsung recently split in Korea, as well as the $1.049 billion verdict against it in U.S. federal court a week ago.  This synchronization lawsuit was initiated by Apple in Japan, and claimed that the Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy SII (S2) and Galaxy Tab infringed on its patent, noted above. Apple was seeking 100 million yen ($1,273,400 USD) in the case, which eventually ruled in favor of Samsung, who did not have to pay any damages.

The damages seem quite low in comparison to what Apple was just awarded in its U.S. lawsuit victory, but it should be noted that only 5.7 percent of Apple's sales came from Japan last quarter, which is far less than the sales numbers each company posts in the U.S. market. Regardless of the size of the possible damages, it's still a victory for Samsung over a rival's patent holdings.  We hope, but seriously doubt, that this'll be the last we hear about Samsung and Apple fighting in the courts.

[Source: Android Central]

Students – Get the Latest Tech and Stay Within Budget

It’s an exciting time for all students at the moment. Whether you’ve just received you’re ‘A’ Level results and are preparing for the big move to University or even if you’re a returning student heading back for the second or third year, the excitement levels are building ahead of the reunion with friends or the meeting with new ones and experiencing student life.

 

One unfortunate part of the student lifestyle is of course budgeting, with money always hard to keep hold of. You want to show that you can survive on your own, without having to run to the bank of mum and dad every few weeks to borrow a few pounds for a night out or a food shop, (there’s only so many tins of own-brand beans you can survive on!) Associated with the budgeting issues is of course the concern of making an impression on your new flat mates and course mates. You want to show them that you’ve got the latest gadgets, the best trainers and the designer clothes. So how do you combine the two? It’s nearly impossible.

 

Evaluating the market is a great place to start. While it looks great to show off your brand new device from the biggest name out there, it doesn’t look so good in the bank account. A lot of manufacturers of smartphones, tablet computers, laptops and even colour laser printer models have realized that there is a gap in the market and are targeting those customers. This gap has been identified as the people priced out of buying the big name brand models, and the majority of these more cost-effective and customer-friendly devices feature the same, if not similar, specifications as the product that is twice as expensive. This means not only do you save substantial amounts of money, but you get just as good a product, only with a different badge on it.

 

If you set yourself a budget before walking into the electrical store, and think about what you actually want your product to do and help with, it is much simpler to shop. If you know you want your computer, for example, to help with word documents, have a built-in webcam and microphone and help you with your graphic design course, then the one with the best spec for those requirements should be top of your agenda, not looking for the one with the best software package providing you spend over a certain amount. 

 

Checking online auction sites is another great way of getting the latest tech without having to pay full price. Students just like you might have gotten into financial difficulties and need some quick money, so they decide to sell off items that are worth decent money, or even items that they don’t need any more because they’ve either finished their course of a specific module. By checking here you could get some real bargains – and you’re not a proper student until you get into the habit of hinting for a bargain!

 

If you can find a way of remaining within budget, you’ll be in a very healthy position at the end of your academic year. You’d be able to go on more night’s out at the end of the semester and even be in a position to either clear some of your overdraft, put money towards the next year of your course, or survive the summer without having to look for seasonal work, allowing you to relax ahead of the new term.

Twitter changes cause Tweetbot for Mac alpha to be pulled

We're starting to see changes to Twitter and Twitter clients following the announcement of new API rules. Late yesterday, Tapbots pulled the alpha version of Tweetbot for Mac. Paul Haddad explained that the company tried to work with Twitter to get around the user token limit during the beta-testing period. Twitter didn't find any solution acceptable, Haddad said, so the public alpha download was pulled. Those who already have the alpha client are still able to use it.

Haddad assured users that the final version Tweetbot for Mac will be available in the near future. He also urged those who tried the alpha and decided not to use it to revoke access and up the user token.

Meanwhile, The Next Web points out that Twitter no longer identified which client was used to post a tweet.

[Source: TUAW]

LG EA93 21:9 aspect ratio 29-inch LCD spotted on IFA show floor (eyes-on)

Fancy a wickedly wide 21:9 aspect ratio LCD that's more than a touch larger than what you'll find on that unique Toshiba Ultrabook? It looks like LG's got you covered, with its 29-inch EA93. We spotted a half dozen of the ultra-wide IPS displays during a preview of the show floor at IFA, and were able to grab a few frames. You need to see this LCD in person to get a feel for just how wide it really is -- with a 29-inch diagonal panel that's incredibly short and squat, you'll be compromising quite a bit of desk real estate in order to add some horizontal pixels.

From booth materials, it seems that LG is promoting this product as a multitasking solution -- the format is well-suited as a replacement for dual-monitor rigs, letting you view several windows at once without adjusting your eyes vertically. We already had a solid grasp on the EA93's specs, which include a 2,560 x 1,080-pixel panel, a four-way split screen feature and plenty of inputs, including two HDMI ports, DVI Dual Link and DisplayPort, though the product placard also revealed USB 3.0 connectivity and 7-watt stereo speakers. Pricing has yet to be confirmed, but if you're prepared to add such a device at any cost, we'd suggest clearing some desk space now -- these are set to ship in November.

[Source: Engadget]

Maingear Solo 21 receives a makeover, $899 all-in-one PC is now fully upgradable

Back in March, Maingear entered the world of the all-in-one PC with the utilitarian Solo 21. Even though the unit is now only five months old, it's being replaced with a model that's more attractive, more functional and that carries a lower price. We're most excited that the redesigned Solo 21 is now fully upgradable -- and yes, this includes the Mini-ITX motherboard itself. Available from $899 on up, the baseline configuration includes a 3.3GHz Intel Core i3 2125 CPU (Ivy Bridge), 4GB of RAM, 500GB of storage, a DVD burner, Bluetooth, WiFi and Windows 7 Home Premium. The Solo 21 also supports mSATA SSD storage and can also be outfitted with Blu-ray in place of the standard DVD configuration. You'll also find it supports the VESA mount, should you decide to throw the PC on your wall. If you'd like to become a bit better acquainted with Maingear's latest refresh, you'll find the full PR after the break.

[Source: Engadget]

Strontium launches HAWK SSDs

 

Strontium Technology has announced a new series of high-performance solid state drives (SSDs) named HAWK. These Hynix-built solid state drives with Strontium branding are based on SandForce’s SF2281 controller and SK Hynix Flash. These drives are said to be a good upgrade option featuring 500MB/s of read and write performance and also claim to offer faster performance for PCs and Macs. Needless to say, SSDs feature enhanced durability, shock-proof, silent operation and are more reliable as compared to traditional hard drives.

The 2.5-inch HAWK drive is available in 120GB and 240GB storage capacities. The sequential (256KB, MAX) read speed is 510MB/s and write speed is 470MB/s. The random (4KB, MAX) performance is 50,000 IOPS read and 38,000 IOPS write. It comes with support for SATA I/ II/ III interface, TRIM Support (O/S support required) and has a Mean Time between Failures (MBTF) of 1.2M. Strontium HAWK SSD has been designed to offer quicker boot up and shorter lead time in the loading of applications to enhance productivity.

Features: 

• 2.5” Drive

• SandForce SF-2281

• MLC NAND Flash for Fast Performance

• Available Capacities: 120GB and 240GB

• Sequential Performance (256KB, MAX): Read: 510 MB/s, Write: 470 MB/s

• Random Performance (4KB, MAX): Read: 50,000 IOPS, Write: 38,000 IOPS

• Supports SATA I/ II/ III Interface

• TRIM Support (O/S Support Required)

• Power Consumption: 0.82W (Active), 0.26W (Idle)

• Mean Time between Failures (MBTF): 1.2M

• 3 years hassle-free Strontium Limited Warranty

Evernote partners with Moleskine to offer ‘smart notebooks’ that are browsable from within the app

Today, at its Evernote Trunk Conference in San Francisco, Evernote announced a partnership with expensive high-quality notebook maker Moleskine. The surprising partnership yielded a new offering called “Evernote Smart Notebook”. Since many people still take notes with pen and paper, it is a partnership that makes sense.

The Evernote Smart Notebook allows people to take notes by hand and then make the notes available online, TechCrunch first noted. To upload the notes, a photo of a page from the notebook is taken with the Evernote app. The notes are then saved to a user’s Evernote account where they can be browsed, searched and organized. Special stickers are provided to tell Evernote which virtual notebook to organize the note into.

[Source: 9to5Mac]

Samsung’s aftermath: appeals, emergency executive meetings, stock down 7%, jury comments

Following Samsung’s major loss to Apple in U.S. court, we saw follow-up official statements from Apple PR, Samsung PR, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. Now, new details from the aftermath are coming through.

The first piece of news comes from the Korea Times. The site reports that Samsung executives held an emergency meeting regarding the loss in trial. Even worse is a comment from a Samsung senior executive as he walked into Samsung’s HQ: “It’s absolutely the worst scenario for us.”

Inside the building, Choi Gee-sung, former Samsung Electronics CEO and now the head of Samsung Group’s corporate strategy division, was holding an emergency meeting attended by Shin Jong-kyun, the company’s mobile devices chief, and Lee Dong-joo, lead marketing official.

The Korea Times also reports that Samsung executives are set to formally respond to media requests and offer a more official response in the coming days.

The loss not only created havoc for Samsung executives, but Samsung shareholders as well. CNET reports that Samsung shares are down approximately 7% in the South Korean market:

[Source: 9to5Mac]

Raspberry Pi lands MPEG-2 and VC-1 decoding through personal licenses, H.264 encoding and CEC tag along

Making the Raspberry Pi affordable involved some tough calls, including the omission of MPEG-2 decoding. Licensing fees alone for the video software would have boosted the board's price by approximately 10 percent. Now, after many have made media centers with the hardware, the foundation behind the project has whipped up a solution to add the missing codec. For $3.16, users can purchase an individual MPEG-2 license for each of their boards on the organization's online store. Partial to Microsoft's VC-1 standard? Rights to using Redmond's codec can be purchased for $1.58. H.264 encoding is also in the cards since OpenMax components needed to develop applications with the functionality are now enabled by default in the device's latest firmware. With CEC support thrown into the Raspbmc, XBian and OpenELEC operating systems, a single IR remote can control a Raspberry Pi, a TV and other connected gadgets. If you're ready to load up your Pi with its newfound abilities, hit the source link below.

Update: The Raspberry Pi Foundation let us know that US customers won't have to pay sales tax, which means patrons will only be set back $3.16 for MPEG-2 and $1.58 for VC-1 support, not $3.79 and $1.90 for the respective licenses. We've updated the post accordingly.

[Source: Engadget]

Insert Coin: SmartThings wants to connect your dog, mailbox and kitchen cabinets to the internet

Sometimes you just can't remember if you turned off the toaster oven before leaving the house. Sitting at work, you might wonder, "is my house burning down?" or "should I go home and check?" You could run home, of course, or you could just link that croissant cooker up to the internet and switch it off from your phone. SmartThings promises to let you do just that, offering a system that connects everyday physical objects to a cloud-based control center. The project aims to provide users with a bevy of end-devices -- automatic door locks, thermostats, humidity sensors, presence sensors, power outlet switches and more -- that connect to a router-like SmartThings hub. From here the user can easily see and control these devices on the SmartThings mobile app.

That alone would be pretty handy -- but the SmartThings team decided to take it a step further by building SmartApps, that is, applications for further customizing how SmartThings devices (and the user) interact with the every day objects they're attached to. The platform is going to remain open, too, allowing owners and developers to build custom applications to fit their needs. Better still, the project is on a tight time line, and aims to put its product in backer hands by December -- of course, it'll have to reach its $250,000 Kickstarter goal first. Check out the team's pitch after the break, or hit up the source link below for more details.

[Source: Engadget]