My Best Toys

No price or availability but that doesn’t mean its not ready for its close-up

Following the launch of the Sigma DP1x at PMA in Las Vegas, the company has thrown it on a plane to Blighty for us to come along with a camera and snap the goods.

Still in “prototype” development we managed to get a quick fondle of the new model, but alas not allowed to take any photos of the menu system in action.

The DP1x is an upgrade from the DP1, launched in March 2008. It has a 14-megapixel Foveon X3 image sensor, and Sigma’s TRUEII image processing engine.

Inside, there’s a 16.6mm F4 lens which has been designed solely for the DP1 series and the autofocus algorithm and UI have been tweaked a little over the DP1.

The bad news is, currently Sigma isn’t giving out pricing or availability at the moment.

Tags:
Cameras Sigma Compact cameras 14 megapixels Sigma DP1x Digital cameras

PHOTOS: Sigma DP1x hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:02:09 +0000

Portal 2 first game to launch in April

Valve?has announced it will be bringing its Steam gaming service to the Mac bringing with it a shiny beacon of gaming fun to Mac users who’ve in the past been left out.

“Steam and Valve’s library of games including Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the?Half-Life?series will be available in April.” The company has confirmed in a statement following a teaser campaign last?week.

“Steamworks for the Mac supports all of the Steamworks APIs, and we have added a new feature, called Steam Play, which allows customers who purchase the product for the Mac or Windows to play on the other platform free of charge,” says the company.

Even better news for Mac gamers is that Valve says they will be treating the Mac as a “Tier 1″ platform meaning it will be releasing games at the same time as PC and Xbox 360.?

Mac and Windows players will be part of the same multiplayer universe, sharing servers, lobbies, and so forth the company has confirmed.

The first Mac Steam client will be the new generation currently in beta testing on Windows.

Tags:
Gaming Mac games Valve Steam Apple

Valve’s Steam comes to Mac originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:43:50 +0000

New Micro Four Thirds cameras boost offering

As the rumours suggested, Panasonic has announced the launch of two Micro Four Thirds cameras on Sunday: the G2 and G10.

The G10 claims to be the world’s “lightest digital interchangeable lens camera with a viewfinder”, sports the Micro Four Thirds format and packs 12 megapixels into the mix as well.

In the box you’ll get a LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens? (35mm camera equivalent: 28-84mm).

Other features include Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto) mode that automatically detects the best options for the shot at hand while, as rumoured, the G10 will sport 1280 x 720 HD video recording in Motion JPEG, QVGA, VGA and WVGA formats.

An electronic viewfinder, My Colour mode with art effects and 26 scene modes complete the package.

The G2 adds a 3-inch moveable touchscreen display into the mix and follows on from the G1 already available.

Using the touchscreen operation, once a user locks onto a subject, the Lumix G2 enables AF Tracking and will track the subject as it moves within the frame say Panasonic.

Users will then be able to select the part and the size of AF area with the 1-area AF. The Multi-area AF sets a group of AF points according to the composition. While using the manual focus, users can enlarge a subject by touching it and then choosing to enlarge it by 1x, 5x or 10x and then smoothly moving the part by dragging it on the screen.?

The G2, like the G10 will sport a 12-megapixel sensor, 720p video recording capabilities and the 14-42mm kit lens as standard.

Tags:
Cameras Digital cameras Micro Four Thirds Hybrid cameras Panasonic 12 megapixels Panasonic G2 Panasonic G10

Panasonic G2 and G10 cameras officially announced originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:47:37 +0000

If it ain’t broke, you can still try to fix it

This harks back to the days of your granddad tinkering away in his shed trying to emulate the latest new-fangled invention that has hit the market.

And it’s all the better for it too.

Byte Mods is a place where geeks gather to swap ideas on how to do things, make things and generally mess about with technology.

Top of the bill at the moment? A beer case media centre.

Why would you want one? some might ask.

We say, why wouldn’t you?

Byte Mods?

If you have a website that you want to tell us about email us via the feedback form.

Tags:
WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY ? Byte Mods originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Firefox/Chrome extension Rapportive offers contact info

Perhaps you love Xobni, the plugin for Outlook which pulls in data and statistics about your contacts and displays them in a handy toolbar. Perhaps you also love Gmail, Google’s webmail client that offers a boatload of storage and access from anywhere in the world, as long as you’re online.

Until recently you’d have to have picked between the two of your loves. You’d have had to leave one crying at the altar while snuggling into the arms of the other. No-one ever said relationships were easy. But there might be light at the end of the tunnel of love. An extension called Rapportive, for Firefox and Chrome, may be about to make your polygamous dreams come true.

It takes the space over on the right side of your Gmail window, which is filled with ads, and it replaces those ads with contact info about the sender. You give it your name and email addresses through Gmail, and then it cross references the name of anyone who emails you with various social networks and gives you handy links so you can find out more.

It’s not quite as extensive as Xobni, but if you’re going to two-time both of the apps, then you’re not going to be able to get the best bits of both. You’ll just have to live with your compromise.

Tags:
Software Email Gmail Google Xobni Webmail

Gmail gets Xobni-like sidebar originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:04:33 +0000

Lets you track what’s going on without looking

Google?has added email notifications to its?Google Wave?application hoping to entice more people to the service.

The “collaboration” software that has so far failed to gain any real traction with users, is now able to notify those that do use the service that something they are following has changed.

Users will be able to set the frequency of their email updates with Google promising to intelligently keep users up to date without bombarding them with numerous changes if they haven’t logged in.

Those that sign up for the service will get a short summary of the text and links of your updated waves.

Will the new features make you want to sign up for Google Wave? Or do you still need more? Have your say in the comments below.

Tags:
Software Online Google Google Wave

Google wave(s) hello to email alerts originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:54:48 +0000

Links to the biggest stories of the day in one place

Want to know what’s been hot in the world of technology and gadgets today?

Everyday Pocket-lint thumbs through all the stories from the last 24 hours and sorts the ten most-read into one handy place, so you can get an at-a-glance look at what’s what.

Top of the pile today is news of a technology which allows users to not only interact with a computer/gadget via the skin, but create a touch interface on the skin itself. We also have word from Opera who reports a boost of its browser, since the roll out of Microsoft’s ballot screen, whilst a Google exec states that desktops will be redundant in 3 years.

We also have a couple of top-notch reviews in the form of the new Sky set-top box, which boasts a massive 1TB of storage, as well as the Sony Ericsson U5i Vivaz mobile phone. Here are the top stories from the last 24 hours:

NEWS:VIDEO: Skinput sees human body as controller
REVIEW:Sky 1TB set-top box
NEWS:Opera reports massive browser ballot boost
NEWS:Google Exec: Desktops will be redundant in 3 years
NEWS:VIDEO OF THE DAY – Drawing in Excel
REVIEW:Sony Ericsson U5i Vivaz mobile phone
NEWS:Apple pulls Wi-Fi detection apps
NEWS:Android to get gesture recognition
NEWS:Penguin demos iPad books
NEWS:WEBSITE OF THE DAY – Coffee Geek

Tags:
Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness

Daily news roundup: Skinput controller, Android gesture tech and more originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:29:58 +0000

Tripling of downloads seen by software company

Statistics released by Opera have shown that downloads of its desktop web browser have tripled since Microsoft rolled out its ballot screen, which allows users to pick a different browser to use, other than Internet Explorer.

While the company didn’t give out any specific numbers, the surge has apparently been seen in France, Spain, Britain, Belgium and Poland. No doubt statistics have also been helped by the release of a new version of its desktop client, version 10.50.

No other software companies have issued any statistics so far about whether they’ve seen a ballot boost, but if the difference is as pronounced as with Opera, then the most recent browser market assessment could look very different next month…

Read

Tags:
Software Browsers Opera EC Statistics

Opera reports massive browser ballot boost originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:00:13 +0000

CeBIT 2010: Or, as the company likes to call it, the RT-N56U

Asus has launched what appears to be a tray in a spaceship designed circa 1974. Not content with a ridiculous silvery-grey metallic sheen, the company has added a quilting effect on the case, and a star filter on the lights that wouldn’t look out of place in Dynasty. It practically oozes shoulderpads.

It’s a wireless router which has been announced at tech tradeshow CeBIT 2010 by Asus, which calls it the RT-N56U. It offers 30,000 concurrent sessions, dual band support and simultaneous printing and scanning so that you can wirelessly hook up a printer. It’s got what Asus describes as a plug-and-surf interface. Pretty high spec, really.

But we’re not too bothered about any of that. It’s pretty much the glitziest, gaudiest router that we’ve ever laid eyes on. What’s next - satin power strips? snake skin USB cables? Porsche-designed USB hard drives? Oh.. wait…

Tags:
Hardware Routers Asus Wi-Fi Asus RT-N56U CeBIT2010

Asus announces most pretentious router ever originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:35:56 +0000

With Intel Core i5 processor

Panasonic has launched a new Toughbook - the Toughbook CF-C1. It’s a lightweight, business-oriented machine which promises to take rather a lot of punishment. You might even manage to get it to survive a commuter train journey, which only the hardiest of laptops manage.

It can be used in tablet or clamshell form, and comes with an ergonomic strap that allows one-handed data entry. There’s the option of a resistive multi-touch display, which will work with gloved hands, or a multi-touch and digitizer screen. There’s a toughened triple-hinge that allows the screen to stay rigid while you’re using it.

You should get 10 hours of operation thanks to a pair of twin hot-swappable batteries. It also offers an exterior battery charge indicator, but even with the batteries installed it weighs just 1.69kg. It’s really focused on environments where you don’t have a surface to put the machine down on.

Inside, there’s a Core i5-520M processor, which comes with 3MB of cache, and a range of connectivity options - 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 and an option for a 3G module. It’ll show up in July 2010 in the digitizer version, and September for the gloved edition. It’ll cost from 2000 euros upward, depending on spec.

Tags:
Hardware Laptops Panasonic Panasonic Toughbook CF-C1

Panasonic unveils Toughbook CF-C1 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:10:41 +0000