21st December 2011

Tweeting to be allowed in courts

Journalists will no longer have to ask for permission to tweet in court under new rules issued by Britain’s most senior judge, paving the way for more live coverage of trials. However, before you all get excited members of the general public will still need approval to use Twitter or other text-based communications services in court however, because of fears that witnesses or jurors could be influenced or distracted. Tweeting by members of the media would not normally pose such a risk, said Lord Judge, the Lord Chief Justice.

One of the reasons behind the decision is that most obviously by permitting the use of live, text-based communications, this would be to enable the media to produce fair and accurate reports of the proceedings. The new relaxation of the rules for the media comes after consultation with the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Society of Editors, the Bar Council and others. The total ban on photography in court remains in place.

+ Internet, News

18th December 2011

Sky for Xbox Kinect App

Is this the way that entertainment will be going in the future as the Xbox’s latest update seeks to make the video games console a single hub for all sorts of home entertainment, whether this is films, TV or gaming, the Xbox with Kinect should be all you need. Controlled by gesture, voice or the traditional controller, this is a gadget that feels increasingly futuristic, even though the hardware itself is not new. Wave your hand to scroll through a list of tracks, games, movies or options, or even just talk to your television.

There is maybe a snag though, because Sky customers in particular need a real justification to watch their existing service via the new Xbox app, although it offers two significant improvements. Firstly, the interface for Sky on Xbox is the required, marked improvement, making it far easier to find on demand films, and offering the same, familiar channel guide for live Sky TV. Because it’s delivered online, it means that, say, a family could log on wherever they find an Xbox, or a student could carry their family Sky package with them to university. In an age where the web is of growing importance, apps such as this mark a sea-change, and expand Sky’s reach beyond the satellite dish.

+ Gaming, General Information, Xbox 360

15th December 2011

Mobile Phones on the Road

Mobile phones have invaded every walk of life from business to domestic, and vehicles are no exception. The problem of dealing with drivers who insist on using their mobile phone on the road has become something of a headache for law enforcement agencies over the world. Some, like the UK and France, allow the use of hands-free phones whilst driving a vehicle, whilst many others have gone the whole hog and banned the use of a mobile altogether whilst driving.

The different reactions and legislation of different countries is the result of research into the effects of using a mobile whilst driving on the concentration levels of those behind the wheel, and the relative difficulty of policing any deviances from lawful behaviour.

Mobile phones have become so advanced that using a smart phone for lawful navigation purposes can easily be confused by the police with using it illegally, which is why those countries that ban their use altogether have taken that step.

Issues with cyclists using mobile phones are only beginning to emerge and be looked into in official studies.

Check out Recombu and other sites for the latest news.

+ Mobile Phones

11th December 2011

Google hits 10 billion apps

More than 10 billion apps have been downloaded from Google’s Android Market, to mark the moment Google said that for the next 10 days it would cut the price of some top apps to 10p each. The search giant announced the milestone on its blog adding that the store’s apps were being downloaded at a rate of one billion a month.

Google has placed increasing emphasis on app sales and downloads, launching movie rentals and redesigning the Android Market to better rival Apple’s App Store. In the three years it has been open, Apple’s App Store has amassed more than 18 billion downloads, and over the App Store’s first two years it totalled approximately 5 billion downloads. Google has benefitted from huge numbers of manufacturers adopting its open-source Android operating system, however. We shall watch with interest how the battle develops over the next few months.

+ Android OS, Google, Mobile Phones

7th December 2011

YouTube redesigned

The video networking site is six years old and has been given a huge facelift. The changes include a single news feed in the centre of the homepage featuring videos that an individual’s friends have uploaded onto sister site Google+. Also you can now see a channel feed on the left hand side of screen encouraging users to ‘subscribe’ to their favourite YouTube channels and shows, does this mean a major boost to TV networks and individuals who have their own channels on the site?

Other inclusions on the new site are Facebook and Google+ ‘buttons’ also in the left hand column so users can easily share and see content from the video site through to their choice of social network. The Google-owned video site has been trying to make in-roads into hosting as much professional content on the site, as well as user-generated content and encouraging users to set up channels. The overall feel of the new YouTube is more like a social network, rather than a linear video site.

+ Internet, News

30th November 2011

Faster broadband on the horizon

If you live in any of the following cities then you will soon benefit as part of a £5billion increase in infrastructure spending. George Osborne said he would improve the broadband in 10 cities across the UK, including London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast. Further cities, likely to include Milton Keynes and Bristol, are set to be announced in the future. Companies such as BT and Virgin will be able to bid for money to improve wireless or fixed-line coverage in cities, in a bid to create ‘hubs’ that will drive economic growth and offer speeds of 80 – 100 Mbps.

If you live in the countryside or you run a rural business you could benefit from proposals too, with plans for rural broadband is already set to receive £530m in this parliament, although not all of that funding has yet been allocated. Mr Osborne also announced in his Autumn Statement the release of more government data, on road works, railways and other information, which he hopes will encourage software developers to write applications for Smartphones and computers. Rural broadband campaigners claim that such small businesses would be more likely to be based outside cities if investment was directed toward improving networks in the countryside.

+ Broadband, News

24th November 2011

Spotify signs up 2.5m paying subscribers ahead of major announcement

Spotify the music streaming channel released the data today, 24 hours after sending out invites to journalists for an event next week, at which Daniel Ek, Spotify’s co-founder and chief, is expected to outline some major changes and say what is next for the business.

A story of success, Spotify has added 500,000 paying subscribers in the last two months. This rapid growth is believed to be attributed to its launch in the US and the recent deep partnership with Facebook, whereby all new Spotify users must have an account with the social network first. It has also launched in several new countries, including Denmark and Australia.  The company has added five million new users since the tie-up with Facebook was announced. We await the coming announcement with interest to see just what the major changes involve.

+ General Information, Internet

19th November 2011

Schoolchildren should be taught to create software

There is now a strong move from government that it recognises that learning the skills to use ICT [Information and Communications Technology] effectively and acquiring the knowledge of the underpinning computer science are two different subjects. This move follows on from criticism of the education system by technology giants including Google and Microsoft. Earlier this year, Eric Schmidt, Google’s executive chairman, gave a major speech in which he condemned the technology curriculum in British schools. They state that “your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software, but gives no insight into how it’s made.”

An ongoing review of the National Curriculum is considering whether ICT should be a discrete subject in schools. “As part of that process the review will consider the teaching of computer science within ICT,” the Government said. “The Government recognises that, in the event of ICT not remaining part of the National Curriculum, attention would still need to be given to ensure children could acquire computer science skills.”

+ General Information, News, Software

9th November 2011

Facebook want changes to ask consent for privacy changes

Privacy campaigners have welcomed a report that Facebook is to ask users to opt into any changes in the way it uses their personal information. The popular social networking site was intending to go ahead with alterations to its members’ settings without asking for fresh consent. However, the website is changing its policy after an investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission.

According to the London based advocacy group Privacy International, “Facebook has historically been extremely resistant to transparency in its own operations, so we welcome measures that would force the company to obtain express consent of its users.”However, it seems likely that the FTC’s demands will only present a temporary obstacle in the path of Facebook’s ambitions to collect its users’ information. Faced with reams of small print, most users are likely to automatically agree to policy changes, with each change bringing us one step closer to the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of a privacy-free future.

+ General Information, Internet

6th November 2011

LG Optimus One Review

The LG Optimus One smartphone may come with a slightly smaller than average 3.2” touchscreen but this screen is extremely receptive, so a light touch is enough to get activated and the Optimus One offers bright and clear images and natural colours. The LCD panel has 320 x 480 pixels and, due to the screen being smaller, the low resolution does not distort the sharp images.  The dims are 113.5 x 59 x 13.3mm and the model weighs in at 129g. The design is flat, slim, elegant and black and the phone feels robust in the hand and lends itself perfectly to one-handed use.

The LG Optimus One features Android 2.2 and with it the Google Maps app with free sat nav and it is possible to use the LG Optimus One as a wi-fi hotspot to allow you to hook up your pc and surf wherever you are.  The Optimus One has a 3 mega pixel camera and video offers 640 x 480 res.  The camera on this model has been subject to modifications and enhancements from the previous model which allows the user to change and adapt the previously static settings.

The apps offered with this phone are user friendly, as is the Optimus One itself.

LG Optimus One is attractive, responsive, and more than capable in everyday tasks and is altogether one of the best budget smartphones on the market. 

+ LG Mobile Phones, Mobile Phones