Steve Jobs remembered by Apple CEO Tim Cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook has paid tribute to company founder Steve Jobs ahead of the third anniversary of the mastermind’s passing.

With Jobs’ life having been cut short by cancer on October 5, 2011, Cook has remembered the iPod, Mac and iPad creator in an open letter to all Apple employees.

Outlining Jobs’ continuing legacy, Cook’s comments come as Apple pushes into new markets and projects started after the passing of the company’s longstanding talismanic leader.

Although Jobs played no direct role in the creation of devices such as the Apple Watch, Cook has said his influence and ideals continue to shape the direction of the world’s leading tech giant.

Cook’s full letter of remembrance, sent to all Apple staff, read:

“Team,

“Sunday will mark the third anniversary of Steve’s passing. I’m sure that many of you will be thinking of him on that day, as I know I will.

“I hope you’ll take a moment to appreciate the many ways Steve made our world better. Children learn in new ways thanks to the products he dreamed up. The most creative people on earth use them to compose symphonies and pop songs, and write everything from novels to poetry to text messages. Steve’s life’s work produced the canvas on which artists now create masterpieces.

“Steve’s vision extended far beyond the years he was alive, and the values on which he built Apple will always be with us. Many of the ideas and projects we’re working on today got started after he died, but his influence on them – and on all of us – is unmistakeable.

“Enjoy your weekend, and thanks for helping carry Steve’s legacy into the future.

“Tim.

Which Steve Jobs created or inspired Apple product do you think has been the most influential? Share your thoughts through the comments section below.



Read More: iPhone 6 review

Via: 9to5Mac

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Apple said to be holding iPad event on October 16

iPad Air successor less than two weeks away?

Apple has chosen October 16 to launch its anticipated new tablets, according to one report on Friday.

The Recode website, which has an almost impeccable pedigree in tipping these matters, has been informed by sources that the special event has been set.

According to the site, a laid back event at Apple’s Town Hall Auditorium in Cupertino will be used to introduce the products to see us through the holiday season and the new year.

As well as a refreshed iPad Air 2 tablet, Apple is reportedly preparing to launch a 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablet, although that device is far less certain to arrive.

On the Mac side of things, the firm appears to be preparing brand new iMacs, complete with the Retina Display technology we’ve seen in MacBook Pros and iOS devices.

There’s also been plenty of talk related to an even-thinner, 12-inch MacBook Air (also with a Retina Display on board) that’ll be available in iOS-style colours.

We don’t know about that for sure, but we definitely expect an announcement over the availability of Mac OS X Yosemite as well as a look at the finished article.

Earlier this week Apple released a Gold Master candidate to developers, with only minor changes now expected before the completed version is seeded to the Mac App Store and made available to Mac users.

Apple hasn’t confirmed the October 16 date just yet, but we’d be expecting an invite to land in the next few days. Stay tuned.

Read more: Mac OS X Yosemite: What's New?

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Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: What's the difference?

Has Tesco improved upon its surprise hit tablet?

Tesco has revealed its second ever tablet following last year's hugely successful Hudl, but the Hudl 2 appears to be an entirely different proposition.

The first Tesco Hudl took everyone by surprise -- including, it seemed, Tesco itself. Now the UK retail giant knows exactly what it has on its hands, and has come up with a vastly improved device.

So, here we have the Tesco Hudl 2, which promises to provide more power and a bigger, better screen the original and all at the same £130 launch price. Here's how the two compare.

Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: Design

Tesco Hudl 2: polycarbonate body, super slim design

Tesco Hudl: 16:10 aspect ratio, polycarbonate body, 370g, 9.85mm thick

We've had to be a little vague here, as Tesco hasn't released a number of the key specs for the Hudl 2, including its weight and thickness.

You can bet that the Hudl 2 is a little heavier than the 370g Hudl, due to the latter's display. It's also a longer, less square tablet.

Tesco has stuck with the same soft-touch matte-plastic material for the rear shell, which makes it pleasantly plush and grippy to hold.

On a practical note, Tesco has also managed to squeeze in a set of Dolby speakers on the back of the Hudl 2, making for much better sound when not using headphones.

Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: Display

Tesco Hudl 2: 8.3-inch, 1920 x 1200 HD

Tesco Hudl: 7-inch, 1,400 x 900 HD

This is arguably the biggest difference between the Hudl and the Hudl 2. While the original tablet had a 7-inch display, the Hudl 2 moves to a new category with its 8.3-inch screen.

That puts it closer to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4, and bang in between the 7.9-inch iPad mini 2 Retina and the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9.

It's not just the screen size that has received a boost for the Hudl 2, it's also sharper. It's now 1920 x 1200 rather than 1400 x 900.

That works out to a more pixel-dense display, 273ppi as opposed to the original's 242ppi. All-in-all, it's a big improvement.

SEE ALSO: Best Android Tablets 2014

Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: CPU and RAM

Tesco Hudl 2: Intel Atom quad-core processor, 1.83GHz, 2GB RAM

Tesco Hudl: A9 quad-core processor, 1.5GHz 1GB RAM

The second biggest improvement over the original Tesco Hudl is the Hudl 2's power. Whereas the original came with a budget 1.5GHz quad-core ARM CPU, the Hudl 2 comes with an Intel Atom quad-core CPU clocked at 1.83MHz.

That's a much faster chip, and we found the difference to be instantly noticeable during our time with the tablet.

This difference could also be attributed to the Hudl 2 having double the amount of RAM of the first Hudl, 2GB versus 1GB.

Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: Software

Tesco Hudl 2: Android 4.4.2

Tesco Hudl: Android 4.2.2

Original Tesco Hudl users benefited from a near-stock version of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, but they've been waiting for an upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat for a while now.

The Tesco Hudl 2, on the other hand, ships with Android 4.4.2 KitKat. It's the quickest, slickest version of the OS yet, and Tesco's tampering has been similarly light.

Sure, you get a bunch of Tesco-themed widgets for Clubcard usage, Blinkbox, online shopping, and the like. But you can remove those from the homescreen, leaving only the little Tesco 'T' in the corner as a shortcut to these services.

Mindful of the original Hudl's popularity as a kid's tablet, Tesco has fitted the Hudl 2 out with multiple user profile support and a Child Safety mode to keep kids away from unsuitable content.

Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: Cameras

Tesco Hudl 2: 5MP main camera, 1.2MP front camera

Tesco Hudl: 3MP main camera, 2MP front camera

Taking photos on your tablet still seems a little daft to us, but we see enough iPads and Android tablets held aloft at public events to know that we're perhaps in the minority here.

As such, the Hudl 2 comes with a superior 5-megapixel camera. The original Hudl had a 3-megapixel example.

More important, to our eyes, is the inclusion of an improved 2-megapixel front-facing camera rather than the first Hudl's 1.2-megapixel unit. This should improve the performance of video calls significantly.

Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: Storage

Tesco Hudl 2: 16GB internal storage, microSD up to 48GB

Tesco Hudl: 16GB internal storage, microSD up to 48GB

About the only way in which the Tesco Hudl 2 and the Tesco Hudl are matched, aside from that brilliant £130 launch price, is storage. Both come with 16GB of internal storage, and have a microSD slot for expansion up to 48GB.

Early Verdict

It's a bit of a no-brainer this, even ahead of a full review. Barring any unforeseen battery life or performance disasters, the Hudl 2 is set-up to be a vast improvement. It's faster and sharper, and it comes with a more recent version of the Android OS. We're impressed.

Next, read our Best Tablets round-up

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SimCity at 25: 5 Best city-building games to play right now

How to build a brighter tomorrow from the safety of your living room

Happy 25th Birthday Sim City! Will Wright's seminal city-building game set the template for countless subsequent strategy games that were more concerned with urban planning than endless arms races or petty skirmishes.

With that in mind, we thought we'd take a look at five of the top city-building games available today, each of which has been clearly influenced by the daddy himself.

SimCity 2013

Format: PC, Mac

It might be a little controversial to include the latest version of SimCity on this list. After all, its 2013 launch was calamitous, with broken systems, bugs a-plenty, and an overly restrictive online-only nature that created a backlash the size of a New York skyscraper.

A year and a half on, though, SimCity 2013 is a much improved game. There's an offline mode (hooray!), most of the game's critical issues have been fixed, and there's been plenty of developer support and fresh content.

Many die-hard SimCity fans will never forgive EA and Maxis for the bodged release of this latest iteration of a beloved classic, but don't let that put you off giving it a try.

Civilization V

Format: PC, Mac, Linux

Civilization is another big name in the city building genre, with the first game launching just two years after SimCity in 1991.

In fact, some would say that calling Civilization a city building game is to do it a disservice. As the name suggests, the scope here is epic, spanning multiple cities over many millennia, and it incorporates everything from diplomacy to religion and military manoeuvrings.

Civilization V is the latest major version of the 'Civ' series (as fans refer to it), and it's undoubtedly your best bet if you're looking to jump in. It's simultaneously more ambitious and intuitive than previous versions, and there are also two fine expansion packs available for it.

Tropico 5

Format: PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox 360, Linux

The Tropico series has always taken a slightly skewed, tongue-in-cheek, and pleasantly sun-drenched approach to the city building genre.

It sees you taking on the role of a dictator of a Caribbean banana republic, stamping down revolutions, appeasing (or suppressing) the population, and generally acting like a bit of a megalomaniac. Some have found this all to be in questionable taste, but there's no denying it's distinctive.

The fifth and latest iteration is also the best - and certainly the best LOOKING - by far. There's a greater sense of progress to the endless sprawl of previous games, and there's a much-anticipated multiplayer mode.

The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom

Format: PC, Mac

The Settler series goes back almost as far as SimCity - 21 years to be precise. Like SimCity, it's still pottering along nicely under the original developer, in this case German studio Blue Byte Software.

Settlers games are cartoon-medieval in tone, and the focus is a little more zoomed in on the day-to-day workings of its burgeoning community than SimCity.

That's not to say that they lack scope, though. The latest full release, The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom, is rendered in full 3D, and offers three distinct paths to victory - military, science, and trade. It's the one to go for.

Clash of Clans

Format: iOS, Android

City-building purists will scoff - and maybe even swear at as profusely - but Clash of Clans has been a massive hit on mobile, and it's clearly indebted to SimCity.

It's a freemium city-builder designed specifically for touch-driven mobile play, which means that it's a lot more simplistic than the other games on this list. However, unlike other freemium strategy efforts, there's actually a high degree of skill and involvement to Clash of Clans - it's not just there to pump you for cash.

While there is a strong militaristic note running through it, Clash of Clans is still all about building up a community from humble beginnings, managing resources and helping your little society to flourish. Casual or mobile gamers could do a lot worse than to start their city building efforts here.

Next, read our round-up of the best games to play in 2014

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Tesco Hudl smartphone cancelled as the “the time just wasn’t right”

At the launch of the Hudl 2, Tesco’s Group Digital Officer Michael Comish explains why the supermarket giant ditched the idea to launch a cheap phone.

Speaking exclusively to TrustedReviews, Cormish discussed the main reasons why the company decided to abandon plans for a Hudl smartphone to sit alongside the Hudl 2 tablet:

“We just saw the bottom end of the smartphone market dry up. The Chinese manufacturers, they have pretty much got it covered. So, we were able to say, our customers are being served and that’s not a place we want to compete. So let’s double down on the Hudl.”

Cormish revealed that the company had looked, “long and hard at the phone space” and while the company felt like it was in a position to offer something substantially better than what was available twelve months ago, it didn’t feel the same about it now.

He also touched on the type of big costs involved in mass production and development, which involve trying to nail the user experience and having to carry out the same rigorous process as they do making the Hudl tablet.

News that the Hudl smartphone was being shelved surfaced back in September when Tesco’s multichannel director, Robin Terrell confirmed the company had “put the phone on hold” and that a decision to do so was made in July of this year.

During that period we have of course seen the rise of the excellent Moto G and while Cornish didn’t directly make reference to Motorola’s sub-£150 phone, its success has no doubt played a part in Tesco’s decision not to join the cheap phone party.

While Tesco is not entirely writing off the prospect of revisiting the Hudl smartphone it sounds unlikely for the time being as Cormish commented, “If there’s an unmet consumer need then you go after it. But if consumers are happy and satisfied as they are at the moment, you look for something else."

For now though, it’s going to be concentrating on the Tesco Hudl 2, another £129 Android tablet that goes on sale on October 9th and feature a new Full HD display, Intel quad-core processor and an improved main camera.

MORE: Best Android phones to buy

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Alien: Isolation Game Review

Available on Xbox One (reviewed), PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Note: This review only covers the main single-player campaign. We'll cover additional content in a future update.

It’s a cliché to say that ‘this game should come with a health warning’, but with Alien: Isolation we really mean it. Maybe not one of those hardcore ‘this stuff will kill you’ warnings like you’ll find on a pack of cigarettes, but certainly one of those warnings that you’d find climbing onto a multi-looping rollercoaster at a major theme park. There are points when playing the game where I’ve felt my heart beating so hard that I can believe it might – appropriately – burst right out of my chest. I’ve had to stop playing it every half hour or so just to let my stress levels recede. Nervous? Easily scared? Prone to having a few too many double-espressos? Don’t play this game. You might not survive.

Of course, you should play this game otherwise, for the simple reason that it’s fantastic. In fact, it’s one of the best movie tie-ins ever made. We’ve seen tie-ins that try their best to replicate the characters or the scenery of the Alien films – not least last year’s execrable Aliens: Colonial Marines – but we’ve never seen another that works so hard to capture the essence, the visual style or the textures of the film, and not just of the films in general, but the 1979 original in particular.

You’ll find yourself playing Amanda, Ripley’s daughter, rather than her mum, and you’re on a half-abandoned space station, the Sevastopol, rather than an alien-infested towing vessel, but the events on the Nostromo will never be far from mind. The Sevastopol is what the future looked like in 1979 as envisaged by Ridley Scott and his crack team of artists, including H.R. Giger, Chris Foss and Ron Cobb. There’s been no attempt to update those cheesy leather seats, clunky consoles or pixilated monochrome displays. The lighting, the masterful use of light and shadow and even the slightly excessive use of vapour and dry ice all hold true to the Ridley Scott playbook, circa 1977 to 1985. Playing Alien: Isolation is like walking onto a virtual set of Alien, the film. Even the sounds – the hissing machinery, the jets of steam, the creak of metal – could have come straight from the film.

More surprisingly, the team at The Creative Assembly has followed the pacing of the film. It’s a slow-burning thriller, not a big action blockbuster, taking its time to build the tension before it even introduces the game’s monster star. The result is a game where you spend an awful lot of time worrying about what might be about to happen, then moving frantically – often in a panic – when it does. It doesn’t help that the action is unpredictable, hitting you with shocks you won’t see coming, and an unstoppable nemesis whose behaviour can be hard to pin down. While Alien: Isolation is a test of reflexes, it’s also a test of nerve. Can you keep thinking when you’re scared and under pressure? Can you adapt and survive with death breathing down your neck?

Much of the game’s brilliance lies in how it treats the monster. Previous Alien-related games have turned the title-star into shotgun-fodder, or at best a boss with a whip-like tail and extending fangs. Alien: Isolation takes it back to its majestic debut, and the days when it was a lean, hideously-effective killer, utterly merciless, all-but invulnerable and endlessly cunning. It doesn’t appear much in the early portions of the game, but every time it does it’s memorable. And the more run-ins you have with it, the tougher and smarter it becomes.

You’ll spend a lot of your time sneaking, hiding and nervously checking a motion tracker, and the game ruthlessly exploits the rookie errors you’ll bring in from other games. Think you can hide in a corner and watch for movement patterns? It will find you. You’ll be dead. Think you can lurk behind a barrel and make a run for the exit while its back is turned? The noise will alert it. It’ll chase you. You’ll be dead.

With time, you’ll develop new strategies. There are some weapons on The Sevastopol, but they’re relatively ineffectual against the beast. It’s better to use Amanda’s engineering skills to craft flashbangs or distractions, or reroute power to the station’s own half-wrecked facilities to lure the alien away. And all the time, it’s hunting you, watching for signs and sounds that might lead it in your direction – often with fatal results.

It’s hard to over-state how smart the overall game design is. You can run, but you make more noise. You have a torch, but using it can reveal your location. The motion tracker is a godsend, but when you use it a depth-of-field effect blurs the background, making it impossible to focus on the tracker and the middle-distance at once. And while you can hide inside vents or lockers, the alien can track you, and it doesn’t mean you’re safe. Meanwhile, automatic checkpoints are relatively few and far between, leaving you dependent on specific emergency points to save manually. There’s no breaking the tension with any quick-save, quick-load nonsense here.

Nor is the alien your only threat. The station is home to small bands of human survivors, driven paranoid by isolation, infighting and the alien threat. Many are armed and most are dangerous. To make thing’s worse, the station AI has its own priorities, and its army of expressionless synthetics can’t be trusted to obey standard robot laws.

Some of this stuff doesn’t quite work. Personally, I found the survivor gangs so awkward to sneak by that I started picking them off one by one to save the bother, which doesn’t sit right with Amanda’s well-adjusted, humane character or the general style of play. Occasionally the lack of a nearby emergency point is infuriating, while the synthetics – though genuinely creepy – can push the difficulty bar too high, at least until you find a weapon that can really do them damage.

While the alien is deliciously unpredictable, it can also be inconsistent, giving up too easily one minute, then proving impossible to ditch the next. Even the graphics – mostly stellar – have their weak points. Not all the character models have the detail or realism of Amanda Ripley, and while she looks fantastic in stills the non-motion captured facial animation lets her down during the game’s few talkie scenes.

But then this is a game that does so much great stuff with so much skill and invention; a game where even the hacking mini-games feel right for the period, and escalate the tension rather than break it. It runs the risk of being monotonous, but there’s always some new twist to the formula, or some new challenge to resolve. While it can be unrelenting, unforgiving and even unfair, Alien: Isolation is a brilliant, brutal, visceral experience that goes right to the heart of the film that spawned it. It’s also a game that anyone with strong nerves and a handful of wits will grow to love.

Verdict

Terrifying, tense and almost unbearable, this is the Alien adaptation you’ve always dreamed of. It’s not quite flawless and the hide-and-seek gameplay can be tough going, but few other movie tie-ins work so hard to capture not just the look of the film, but the emotion and the pacing. It’s also the scariest game since the original Dead Space. Consider yourself warned.

Next, read our round-up of the best games to play in 2014

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Tesco Hudl 2 Tablet Review

Tesco's second gen tablet is better in almost every way

The Tesco Hudl was undoubtedly one of the surprise stories of 2013. Nobody really expected the supermarket giant's tablet was actually going to be any good. As an affordable, family-friendly alternative to the Nexus 7 and maybe to a lesser extent the iPad Mini, it ticked the most important boxes for first time tablet users. It was easy to use, offered decent specs for the money and it just didn't look cheap as nasty as some sub-£120 Android tablets.

Now that Tesco has shelved plans for a Hudl smartphone, it's focusing on getting the Hudl 2 tablet into shopping baskets leading up to that busy Christmas period. Priced the same as the original and available for £65 for Tesco Clubcard customers, the second generation Tesco tablet makes significant improvements in almost every area and has all the right ingredients to be a big seller again.

The first thing you'll notice about the Hudl 2 is the change in size and weight. Compared to the first Hudl, the new tablet is longer and slightly heavier, especially in one hand. It might not be a problem for an adult but it could be more of an issue for a child to hold it comfortably in portrait mode.

Tesco is still sticking with the same first generation Kindle Fire tablet-inspired matte plastic back, that's soft to touch and it's going to be available in eight different colours. The 'jazzy blue' I had a play with is not as garish as the photos perhaps suggest and while it's not as sleek or stylish as the iPad Mini or the Nexus 7, this is still a good-looking tablet.

For connectivity, there's micro SD card support so you can bump up the 16GB onboard storage to 48GB and a micro HDMI port so you can hook it up to a HD TV to play content or look back at photos.

To improve its video-watching credentials, there's now a set of Dolby-powered speakers around the back. I didn't get precise details about the setup but a quick listen through headphones and out loud and it's a big improvement for clarity and is very similar to the Dolby-powered speakers on Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets.

The change in size is also down to the move from a 7-inch to a larger 8.3-inch screen, giving it similar screen estate to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.4 our current portable Android tablet favourite. The change from a 1,400 x 900 resolution screen to a 1,920 x 1,200 display really shows. That's the same set up as the Nexus 7 and similarly the Hudl 2 is so much sharper than the first Hudl. A quick watch of a video trailer shows how much of an improvement it is. Viewing angles look strong and colour accuracy looks impressive as well. For an £120 tablet, this really is a standout feature.

There's more changes in the software and power department where the Hudl 2 runs on Android 4.4 KitKat with Google's suite of apps pre-installed and giving you access to the Google Play store. It now packs a 1.83Ghz Intel quad-core processor and the difference is instantly noticeable. You can swipe through homescreens and launch the app drawer with little signs of the lag I experienced with the first Hudl. a quick play on Ashpalt: Airborne shows its better equipped for gaming as well. There's no details on the capacity of the battery but Tesco claims you can get around the same eight hours. With a more demanding screen, however, I'd be sceptical whether it can deliver similar levels of battery life.

Tesco much like Amazon is a retailer and is in the business of selling things, so it does have some presence in the interface but it doesn't feel overbearing. There's still the Tesco 'T' in the top left hand corner, which opens up to reveal other services like Tesco shopping, Blinkbox, your Clubcard account and now even recommends recipes to try out. The recently ditched ClubCard TV is obviously missing in action but it won't be a great miss.

One area Tesco really made a good impression is making this tablet the entire family can use. While you could set up multiple user profiles in the first Hudl, there was very little in the way of specific software from Tesco to protect younger users, instead suggesting third party apps to make it a safer slate to use. Now it's taking things more seriously with its clearly Kindle Freetime-inspired Child Safety mode where you can set up multiple profiles and adjust the time kids can use the tablet or day or even the time of the day they can use it. When they reach the cut-off, features will be inactive. When web browsing in these child profiles, unsuitable sites are blocked and to access them it has to be verified by an adult user.

The cameras on the Tesco Hudl were pretty terrible and while the Hudl 2 now has a 5-megapixel main camera and a lower resolution 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera my initial play suggests things aren't much better. The camera app certainly has more modes like Panorama photos, the 360-degree Photo Sphere and Lens Blur but after some quick shooting it's still a pretty noisy, grainy place. You still wouldn't want to swap a cheap Android phone camera for them.

Early verdict

The first Tesco Hudl was great value for money, but the Hudl 2 is better in so many ways and it's still costs the same. If you can live without shoddy cameras, and most people surely can, this is a cheap Android tablet that combines great hardware features and really thinks about how to make it easy to use out of the box. It looks like Tesco is onto another winner here.

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Darma: the smart cushion that monitors your posture

It'll change the way you work

Everyone knows sitting at a desk all day is bad for you, but it's hard to do anything about it. However, this smart cushion promises to improve your posture and reduce your stress levels.

Make no mistake, sitting for hours at a time is very bad for you. It's even been called "the smoking of our generation". It makes us more obese, increases the chance of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. That's where Darma comes in.

It's the world's first smart cushion, or 'inactivity tracker', if you will. It monitors your sitting habits, tells you where you're going wrong, and ultimately – this is the hope, anyway – improves your posture.

How does it do this? It feeds back data to an app on your phone, or your desktop computer. This then reminds you to get up if you've been sedentary too long, advises you on your posture, and even tailors stretches to you so you can avoid problems like back pain.

It even monitors your heart rate and breathing rate, so it knows when you're damaging your health and increasing your stress levels. Get too frazzled, and it'll suggest a brief breathing exercise to help you relax and regain focus. If you're not so stressed you've thrown it out the window, of course.

This should not only improve your physical health, but your mental health too.

It's already soared past its funding goal on Kickstarter. It should be ready for delivery in June next year.

Read more: Pavlok: The fitness band that shocks you out of your bad habits

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Windows 10 Software Review

First Impressions: Windows 10 Technical Preview

It’s fair to say Windows 8 isn’t the most popular incarnation of Windows there has ever been. Its removal of the Start Menu and embracing of a touchscreen-centric design was a bit of a kludge and left desktop users seriously wanting.

Well, Microsoft has listened, and Windows 10 sees the return of the Start Menu plus the addition of virtual desktops, among other things. Is that enough to right the wrongs of Windows 8 and finally provide the upgrade Windows 7 users have been waiting for? We had a play with the Windows 10 Technical Preview to find out.

VIDEO: Watch the introduction to the Windows 10 Technical Preview

Windows 10 Preview: The Start Menu Returns

The most obvious thing about Windows 10 is that, yes, the Start Menu is back, and it’s just as welcome as you might expect. The Start Screen was a UI design fail of epic proportions and being able to go back to the familiar pop-up menu is so much more efficient.

Of course, it isn’t just that the Start Menu is back. It has also changed. Now the Live Tiles of the Start Screen are embedded within the Start Menu, providing yet another area for shortcuts (along with the taskbar, normal menu items and desktop) to opening your apps. Those Tiles that are actually Live will also show previews of app information, such as a message notification or the day’s weather.

It’s quite a nice addition both visually and because there is the potential there to provide a useful snapshot of your other apps. We’re not quite at the stage of finding it useful yet, but we can see the possibilities.

It's good to have you back

Things we’re not so keen on are that by default there is both a search button and a search function in the Start Menu right next to each other; that the control panel is removed from the list of apps by default; and that the power options are at the top of the menu, tucked away in between the Live Tiles and user profile button.

But the search is at least quite powerful now, with results from Bing included along with Windows Store matches and local file matches, and this is a preview so there's plenty of time for Microsoft to tweak and complete the design.

Windows 10: Virtual Desktops

If the Start Menu didn't already, it’s the inclusion of virtual desktops that really marks out how directly Microsoft is trying to please the desktop power users with this release of Windows. It isn't as slick as virtual desktop integration in Mac OS, but it's a really useful addition.

New desktops can be added by either pressing Windows Tab or clicking the new Task View button. These bring up a new live app-switching interface below which is the option to add new desktops.

Once you’ve added a new desktop you can, from the same interface, move apps between them and rearrange them. Apps that are open in other desktops are underlined in the taskbar where if you click them it’ll switch to that desktop, which can actually be a little annoying if you just want to open another instance of that app and don’t know the keyboard shortcut.

SEE ALSO: Windows 10 Features: What's new?



Virtual desktops are perhaps the second biggest new addition to Windows 10. The implementation could do with a little work though.

It’s a neat enough implementation that will certainly suffice for those power users that simply need virtual desktops. However, it doesn’t reinvent them in a way that makes them immediately useful for the rest of us.

Again comparing to Apple’s implementation, in Mac OS apps automatically open to a new virtual desktop when made fullscreen, returning to a normal desktop when windowed. You can also swipe between desktops using the multi-finger gestures available on its trackpads. The result is an interface that revolutionises the way you work. Here, though, it’s a lot of clicking to get the same result.

Microsoft’s app management improvements aren’t limited to virtual desktops, though, as it has also tweaked how Snap works. Previously you could snap apps to fill one half of the screen and that was it. Now, though, you can snap four apps and when you snap an app it will show suggested other apps to fill the left over space.

Like virtual desktops, Snap is most useful for laptops, where the smaller screens make having multiple windows open at one time less practical. This is still true even with the new four-way snapping as most apps just don’t end up in a usable shape when snapped into the shape they would when taking up a quarter of the screen.

We wonder whether a customisable snap interface would actually work best – there are still up to four spaces (one for each corner for the snap gesture) but each corner/side will snap apps to a pre-defined shape. Or maybe a quicksnap tool that snaps a set layut of apps to the front of the screen – great for quickly switching between a document you’re working on and a layout of apps that includes your music player, web browser and IM, for instance. Anyway, we digress.

The new Snap interface can snap to four corners and suggests alternative windows to fill the rest of the space.

Windows 10 Preview: Charms

Alhough the existing Charms menu – the one you swipe in from the right – of Windows 8 remains, for keyboard and mouse users there’s a new way to access some its features.

You can still press the Windows C shortcut to bring up the Charms menu but most apps also now have a Charms buttons in their top left. Tap this and it brings up the standard set of options, with App Commands, Search, Share, Play, Print, Project, Settings and Fullscreen available.

It’s not really a feature set we’ve yet found useful but it’s good to see Microsoft backwards engineering some of the apparently well-liked features introduced with the Windows 8 modern UI and making them easy to use for non-touch users too.

The existing Charms menu itself is also set to be changed before the final release of Windows 10, but for now it remains the same.

The command line can now use copy and paste

Windows 10 Preview: Command Prompt

Another really, really obvious nod towards ingratiating power users is that Microsoft has finally updated the Command Shell, at least a little bit.

Now users can use the familiar keyboard shortcuts of the rest of the Windows interface, with Copy and Paste and Ctrl/Shift cursor based character selection now available.

The most obvious benefit of this is that you can copy and paste complicated command instructions from the web straight into the prompt, which you couldn’t do before. Sadly, you still can’t delete a highlighted selection but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

Windows 10 Preview: First Impressions for Touchscreen Users

The final release of Windows 10 will no doubt incorporate plenty of tweaks to the existing Windows 8.1 touchscreen experience. However, for now, the Technical Preview is all about desktop additions so there’s very little to say here.

As mentioned, we expect the Charms bar to be tweaked and there will no doubt be more crossover interface tweaks as we go along. For now, though, it’s meagre pickings. In particular, any of the fall-back interfaces – things like the control panel or device manager – are still the same as they were in Windows 7.

One thing Microsoft will need to sort out is how users of hybrid touchscreen laptop/tablets will use the software. On detachable tablet type models will it auto detect that you’ve removed the keyboard and mouse and revert back to using the Start Screen rather than Start Menu?

Will it generally still aim for a hodgepodge of touch and desktop elements or make users strictly choose one or the other – Microsoft really has made a rod for its own back by embracing touchscreen for laptops and desktops and it still has some distance to go before it has joined all the dots.

Windows 10 Preview: First Impressions for mouse and keyboard users

It really can’t be overstated how important the reintroduction of the Start Menu is to the overall feel of using Windows. It’s efficient, it’s intuitive, it’s familiar, it’s what never needed to be changed, and thank god it’s back.

Likewise, the few little nods here and there towards better integrating the new Windows 8 touch-centric interface features. Plus, of course, virtual desktops are a nice addition.

Overall, though, there’s still a long way to go before the interface is fully rid of the many bizarre touch-centric interface features that interrupt your workflow. Menus that suddenly fill up the whole vertical third of the screen, the main PC Settings menu with its massive buttons and no icons, the sideways scrolling interface of the Windows Store.

Windows 10 is clearly a step in the right direction but, just as with its need to more fully provide touch interfaces for advanced features, Microsoft still has a lot of work to do to get the day-to-day experience for mouse and keyboard users. It has the time to make these changes, but there's plenty of work to be done.



The app store is a great way to safely access new apps, though we're no fans of the sideways scrolling interface!

Is it time to upgrade from Window 7 or earlier?

Perhaps the most important consideration for existing power desktop users is simply whether they yet need to upgrade. Windows 7 still works very well thank you very much, so should you splash the cash?

Well, of course one thing we don’t yet now is exactly how much Windows 10 will cost so in that regard it’s difficult to say, but otherwise things are definitely moving in the right direction.

Windows 10, like Windows 8 before it, is noticeably faster than Windows 7, both at booting up and in general use – it really does feel snappy. This is particularly noticeable on mobile platforms – i.e. laptops – but is still nice for regular desktops too. It’s also better with its power management, so you’ll have a better chance of eking out that battery life just a few minutes more.

The addition of virtual desktops may tip the scales for some users too, as could the command line tweaks. Integration of OneDrive is also a surprisingly useful feature, even for those used to using alternative cloud backup software.

All that said, there isn’t perhaps that one killer feature that stands out as a reason to pay £100-odd for a full license when it becomes available. Indeed, ironically, the addition of the Start Menu now just highlights how under the hood there is very little that’s a tangible improvement over Windows 7 in particular (Windows XP users really should be looking to upgrade for all sorts of reasons).

The collection of incremental improvements is perhaps enough, but then Microsoft really does need to make sure it gets the rest of the interface right between now and full release.

There are still plenty of areas in the interface that completely don't match up such as the control panel and PC settings pages.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Microsoft has clearly listened to at least the loudest criticisms of Windows 8 and has rightly embraced the core keyboard and mouse user base for Windows 10. The return of the Start Menu is as welcome as you might imagine and the addition of virtual desktops and an improved command line shell all add up to a big step in the right direction.

However there is still a lot of work to be done before the software will feel like it has hit the right balance. Both the touchscreen and desktop interfaces still crash into each other on a regular basis, causing unnecessary confusion for the user and things like the virtual desktop integration still need a bit of tweaking.

Still, we're all for steps in the right direction and companies heading feedback so here's hoping for more of the same from Microsoft before the final release of Windows 10.

Want to try it? Read our guide How to Install Windows 10 Technical Preview

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Apple Watch reportedly headed for February launch

The Apple Watch could be headed for a February release, according to recent reports emanating from Taiwan.

Apple announced the Apple Watch to much fanfare and attention at its June 9 launch event. It earned a special "one more thing" announcement following the main iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus reveals.

But all Apple would say when it came to Apple Watch availability was that it would be coming in early 2015.

Now, a fresh report from the Taiwanese media - as highlighted by Chinese website Feng - puts a more specific date on that.

The Apple Watch will apparently hit shops in February. However, thanks to supply constraints of the sapphire glass display of most of the models - specifically the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition - the smartwatch will only launch in strictly limited numbers.

Of course, the Apple Watch Sport model will not feature a sapphire display, so there shouldn't be the same availability issues for the entry-level model come February.

Component issues aren't the only troubles Apple is facing in a bid to get the Apple Watch out. No working Apple Watch models have been spotted yet, reflecting the fact that Apple is still working on the Watch OS software and the glitzy smartwatch's internal hardware.

In particular, it was notable that Apple didn't supply any battery life estimates during the Apple Watch's initial showing. It's a sure sign that either the software or the internal components have been nailed down yet. Possibly neither.



Read more: Apple Watch vs Android Wear: Smartphone OS comparison

Via: 9to5Mac

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Tesco Hudl 2 officially unveiled

After selling 750,000 of the first generation Hudls, Tesco has unleashed the new Tesco Hudl 2 tablet with the same cheap price.

Calling it 'bigger, better and faster', Tesco says it has cut no corners with the second generation and intends this slate to be a primary device making its intentions clear that it's serious about making a tablet to compete with the best.

Among the changes, there's a bigger screen moving from a 7-inch to a more iPad Mini-like 8.3inch screen and the resolution has been given a bump up as well to make it better for watching videos.

For power, Tesco has turned to Intel, packing a quad-core processor that makes the Hudl 2 three times faster than the first Hudl. It will also run on Android 4.4 KitKat so it's will be reasonably up to date with the latest Android tablets.

Elsewhere, there's new main and front-facing cameras, arguably one of the Hudl's weakest features and it now includes more-family friendly features similar to those offered through Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets so you can control how much time the little ones can play on it.

The good news is that the Tesco Hudl 2 will cost the same as £129 and similarly for Tesco Clubcard boost customers you can buy it for as cheap as £65.

The Hudl 2 will go on sale on October 9th.

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Cyanogen reportedly turned down Google acquisition

Cyanogen, the company tasked with commercialising the custom CyanogenMod Android-based OS, rejected an approach from Google, it's been revealed.

The Information reports on Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster's comments to shareholders, in which he apparently revealed that he had been approached by Google's SVP of Android, Sundar Pichai.

Pichai was apparently interested in acquiring the company, but McMaster rejected his overtures. Instead, McMaster is concentrating on gaining a $1 billion valuation as his company bids for a third round of funding.

Cyanogen's goal with CyanogenMod is to make it the third most popular mobile platform out there, behind iOS and Android itself. Interesting, given the platform's Android foundation, but that's the nature of open source operating systems like Android.

To that end, Cyanogen has followed up its deal with OnePlus to supply the OS for the OnePlus One (and presumably the OnePlus 2) with a deal to have Indian manufacturer Micromax build CyanogenMod-based phones. If it can take a slice of the burgeoning Indian market, then Cyanogen's value will inevitably soar.

CyanogenMod essentially behaves like a more open and even more customisable version of Android, allowing the user to tweak a finer array of settings. It's also possible to apply custom skins to the OS.

The report sounds a cautionary note, however, pointing out that Cyanogen needs to rein in its modification work to ensure that it meets Google's compatibility requirements, lest it be cut off from the life source that is the Google Play Store for apps.

Read More: OnePlus One vs Nexus 5

Via: Droid-life

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Facebook vows to be more careful when toying with your emotions

Facebook has altered its research guidelines following outrage over a test that monitored how changing News Feed algorithms altered users’ emotions.

The firm was heavily criticised for a psychological experiment conducted on 700,000 people, which found users were more likely to post positive or negative status updates depending on the overriding mood of their News Feed.

Today the firm admitted it was surprised by the backlash and claims to have ‘taken to heart the comments and criticism'. Facebook says it is now adding more checks and balances and also considering alternative methods of research.

“Although this subject matter was important to research,” Facebook's CTO Mike Schroepfer wrote on the company's Newsroom blog, “we were unprepared for the reaction the paper received when it was published and have taken to heart the comments and criticism. It is clear now that there are things we should have done differently. For example, we should have considered other non-experimental ways to do this research.

"The research would also have benefited from more extensive review by a wider and more senior group of people. Last, in releasing the study, we failed to communicate clearly why and how we did it.

“Over the past three months, we’ve taken a close look at the way we do research. Today we’re introducing a new framework that covers both internal work and research that might be published.”

Facebook went onto say it has given its research teams much clearer guidelines, claiming an “enhanced review process” will have to take please when studies relate to content that may be “considered deeply personal (such as emotions).”

Does the knowledge that Facebook will only manipulate your emotions when it believes it has due cause and a moral obligation settle your concerns? Or are you still freaked out by being a guinea pig? Share your thoughts below.

Read more: Why did Facebook buy WhatsApp?

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iOS Camera Roll may be brought back by popular demand

Camera Roll may return to Photos app

Apple may be preparing to reintroduce the popular Camera Roll folder within the iOS Photos app, allowing users to easily see all of their snaps in one place.

The feature, once an iOS staple, was ditched with the launch of iOS 8 last month, much to the dismay of many Apple loyalists.

Instead the Camera Roll album was replaced by a ‘Recently Added’ menu, which only serves up photos taken by the user in the last 30 days.

However, it looks like Apple may have listened to grumpy users as the Camera Roll has been spotted within the iOS 8.1 beta release notes by the Product Reviews website.

The news doesn’t guarantee Apple plans to reinstate the album. It may just be replacing the name ‘Recently Added’ with something more familiar in order to reduce confusion among users.

As of right now, we’re not sure when iOS 8.1 will be landing, but given the company’s update woes in the last couple of weeks it’d be wise to take its time.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, AppleInsider reported that a minor iOS 8 update is now allowing users to deploy a completely blank first homescreen by shifting apps to the second screen along.

The dock can stay in the bottom of the screen, ensuring don’t have to be distracted by a screen full of apps every time they wish to just pick up their phone to make a call and send an email.

It’s a minor update, but an update nonetheless.

Read more: iPhone 6 vs iPhone 5S: Should you upgrade?

Via: BGR

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Deezer tip-toes into the US market with Bose integration

Deezer expanding its US presence

Music streaming service Deezer is finally rolling out in the United States, but is only available to people buying speakers made by Bose.

The popular platform will be available to folks who snap up one of Bose’s SoundTouch or SoundLink speakers with built-in streaming out of the box. The purchase also allows them to unlock Deezer on desktop and mobile.

Bose owners are getting the Deezer Premium Play service for $4.99 a month, which is half of what Deezer usually charges users, but because no-one else in the US can get it as yet, the savings won’t really be noticeable.

The announcement marks the first time Deezer’s bread and butter offering has been available to US consumers.

Last month the firm announced a similar partnership with Sonos, but those users are only able to access high-quality streaming files aimed at audiophiles.

Deezer, which is much more well-known in Europe, faces a battle to find success in the States given Spotify, Radio, Beats Music, iTunes Radio and Pandora are already well established in the region.

Spotify is already signing up hardware partners left and right in order to conquer living room audio. Does Deezer have a shot? Share your thoughts below.



Read more: Spotify vs iTunes Radio

Via: VentureBeat

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Samsung releases video to prove Galaxy Note 4 won’t bend on you

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 tested

Hoping to avoid a repeat of the bendgate controversy that engulfed the launch of the Apple iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung has released a video in which the new Galaxy Note 4 is put through its paces.

Following in the footsteps of its great rival, Samsung has shown the new phablet being put through various stress tests, amid suggestions that the device will be as easy to bend as Apple’s.

In the video, posted on Thursday, Samsung subjects the Note 4 to a three-point bent test and a human weight test, in order to assert the device’s strength and durability.

Naturally, the results of the test present the Note 4 in an extremely positive light, but then they would wouldn’t they?

Consumers may remember a time when ‘does it bend in my pocket’ wasn’t a concern when buying a smartphone, but as handsets have become larger, lighter and thinner, this may be a new metric for rating the top devices.

The Galaxy Note 4, Samsung’s next phablet will go on sale in the UK on October 10, but the company has already suffered criticism over the device's design. Some early adopters have complained of a large gap between the screen and the bezel, although the firm claims it is not an issue.

Samsung had already taken upon itself to mock Apple's struggles, so it will be hoping no issues are spotted within its own hardware.

You can checkout Samsung’s infomercial in the video below.

Read more: Samsung’s iPhone 6 Plus jibes show it still fears Apple

Via: The Verge

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Android L on Samsung Galaxy S5 previewed in new video

Galaxy S5 running Android L

Google’s forthcoming Android L operating system has enjoyed a test drive on one of the finest Android handsets currently on the market.

Sammobile has managed to nab a test device running the new software, showing Android L beneath that the Samsung TouchWiz UI on the Galaxy S5

The leaked version appears to be very similar to the current software with a touch of Google’s new Material Design language also on show.

While there’s little new stuff on the homescreen, the hands-on preview shows off the Card-centric interface within Google’s suite of core apps.

The website captured the preview on video so check out the clip below to take a look at how Android L may look on your Galaxy S5 once it launches later this year, perhaps as soon as December.

We’ve heard few updates on the solid launch date for the OS, but many expect it to arrive alongside the Nexus 6 later within the next few weeks, perhaps under the monicker ‘Lollipop.’

We’ll keep you posted.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs Galaxy Note 3: What's new?

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Moto 360 on sale in the UK through O2

The Moto 360 smartwatch has gone on sale in the UK with network O2 shipping the device promising next day delivery.

The firm is asking £199 for the Android Wear smartwatch, while only appears to be only available in black at this time.

Motorola’s round-faced wearable has been in and out of stock since its launch in the US last month, with reserves quickly running out on the Google Play store and at retailers across the pond.

Widely regarded as the pick of the Android Wear watches so far, due to its premium and stylish design, Brits now have the opportunity to strap one on.

Earlier this week, the Moto 360 received a software update which significantly boosted the watch’s battery life, something that has been criticised since its release.

Brits purchasing the watch today should have it in the next couple of days with vowing next day delivery for orders. In fact some buyers are already reporting that the Google-based watch is winging its way to them.

Have you got a Moto 360 on the way? Excited to get it on your wrist? Share your thoughts below.

Read more: Apple Watch vs Android Wear

Via: Android Police

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BlackBerry Passport Phone Review

First Impressions: Is it hip to be square?

BlackBerry says it's not giving up on its phone business, it's simply shifting focus from the people who want to play Candy Crush Saga on the way to work to 'serious business professionals'. The BlackBerry Passport is the first phone to reach out to those people who spend more than half their time sending work emails or browsing through spreadsheets.

Inevitably, the biggest talking point is the shape. BlackBerry says it has based the design on the shape of a passport and thus explains the name. While it might fit nicely held over your passport in a departures lounge, it's wider than the Note 4. Even the biggest palms will find this a tricky one to grip.

It's slim at 9.3mm thick and while the soft touch plastic back is slightly curved, it's not dramatic enough to hide the challenge of holding this in one hand. The Passport does feel well-built at least, and the stainless steel frame goes some way to justifying the £529 price.

The main volume buttons are a stretch on the right edge, as is the headphone jack up top with the on/off button. The micro USB charging port is down below, while there's a micro SD card slot alongside a nano SIM card slot that's hidden behind a compartment above the camera sensor. It's difficult to prise away it from the phone's body, though you shouldn't have to do it often.

Of course, when you think of BlackBerry, you think of physical keyboards and the Passport delivers it with a twist. There are three rows of physical keys instead of the usual four you find on older BB phones and there's no handy keyboard shortcuts. The fourth row is actually replaced with an on-screen keyboard where you can input punctuation and numbers.

The keys on the physical keyboard are raised and have extra touch enabled functionality so they can adapt and behave differently depending on the content on the screen. They do have that nice clicky feel you associate with BlackBerry keyboards, but you need to get both hands involved to use it effectively.

For the display, the Passport goes wider and this means it can fit 60 characters per line, so there's less need to zoom into pages and should in theory deliver a better viewing experience. It's a 4.5-inch LCD screen with an impressive 1,400 x 1,400 resolution and squeezes in 453 pixels per inch, so it's nice and sharp. It uses Gorilla Glass to add another extra layer of protection and improve viewing angles.

BlackBerry makes some bold claims about sound performance with the Passport and feels call quality is something largely ignored by other smartphone manufacturers. The two speakers on the bottom of the phone aim to offer louder speakers than the HTC One M8 and the Galaxy S5. Clearly this is with conference calls and speakerphone use in mind as music doesn't sound great.

The processing power is not far off what you can find in current top-end smartphones with a 2.2 quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and a hefty 3GB of RAM under the hood. It has a monstrous 3,450 mAh battery as well, larger than the Note 4 in fact (3,220mAh) and BlackBerry claims it can deliver up to 30 hours of use.

SEE ALSO: BlackBerry Passport vs iPhone 6

If you want to take a break from work and shoot some pictures, there's a 13-megapixel main camera with an LED flash and optical image stabilization to aid low-light photography. That's at least one thing it has over the iPhone 6.

While the specs make for good reading, much of the Passport's appeal will rely on BlackBerry 10. The gesture-based operating system is playing catch up with iOS, Android and Windows Phone and its latest iteration, 10.3.1 does add some useful features.

Aside from some visual tweaks to the UI, there's now support for the Amazon Appstore, opening up the catalogue of supported apps beyond BlackBerry App World and means you can get hold of Minecraft even before Windows Phone users.

Next up is the the BlackBerry Hub, a unified place for all of your messages, emails and texts. Blackberry 10.3.1 now adds something called 'instant actions', which basically means you do things like accept calendar invites and respond to messages directly inside the hub.

BlackBerry Assistant is also the company's answer to Siri and Google Now. Where Assistant will differ is a much closer integration with your work data. You can speak to your phone or simply type a question and it can be used for searching content on your phone. It all sounds very familiar here.

First Impressions

There's no escaping the awkward first impression this phone makes. It's large, but large in a way we haven't seen before. Still, the original Galaxy Note felt too big as well, so it's something we need to live with first.

Likewise, while the huge battery capacity and sharp screen are great plus points, it's too early to say whether the BlackBerry 10 is mature enough to take on Android and iOS. We'll find out in the coming days as we give it a proper test.

More: Best Android Phones 2014

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