Garmin nuvi 2598 LMT-D Sat Nav Review

What is the Garmin nuvi 2598 LMT-D?

The Garmin nuvi 2598 LMTD is a mid-range sat-nav with a 5-inch screen and a plethora of bonus features, including lifetime map updates and traffic information. The 2598 is part of a major design refresh by Garmin. After sticking with evolutionary steps for the last few years, with the exception of the super-svelte nuvi 3790T, the new models look significantly different. Garmin has split its range into Essential, Advanced and Premium models. The 2598 is from the Advanced range, which focuses on features, where the Essential range majors on value, and the Premium models add extra style to the equation.

The legion of letters means the Garmin nuvi 2598 LMTD has a number of bonus benefits. The LM means this model has Lifetime Map updates, so you will always have the latest map versions. The 2598 comes with maps for 45 European countries, making this a particularly good deal. The T means traffic updates are built in, and the D means these use Garmin's new Digital system. Unlike TomTom's HD Traffic, there is no annual subscription involved here. Garmin has adopted a similar placing of this to TomTom, with any traffic information appearing on the right-hand side of the screen. These are pop-up panels that you can either leave where they are or dismiss.

Garmin nuvi 2598 LMTD - Traffic Information

In our testing, the traffic information was quite responsive, telling us about jams dynamically as they built up, and giving useful information about how far ahead they were and how long they were likely to last. However, in a side-by-side comparison with TomTom's HD Traffic, we did encounter jams on local roads that the latter picked up but the Garmin nuvi 2598 LMTD didn't. Nevertheless, the Garmin option is free and found big delays on key roads, as well as providing more detailed information onscreen than the average RDS-TMC receiver.



The basic structure of the menu is the same as always, with big icons for Where To? and View Map, plus smaller icons below. A new addition to the Where To? system is a general search, which operates across both the points of interest system and the address database. This makes it easy to find a road when you don't know the exact town it's in. You might discover you don't bother with any other mode of destination entry once you get used to this process, either.

One of the smaller icons leads to the Apps system, which is a slightly trendy renaming of what is really a selection of supplementary tools and software widgets. These include a help system, the facility for operating your Bluetooth-connected phone, and customisation of the Voice Command system (of which more shortly). You can also configure and enable the ecoRoute system, which allows you to choose the most fuel-efficient routes for your vehicle and set yourself fuel efficiency challenges. The Garmin nuvi 2598 LMTD's Trip Planner can also be found here, as well as an overall map view of traffic, a trail showing where you have driven on the map, and Last Spot. The latter tracks where you last stopped the car, so you find your way back - great if you forgot where you parked.

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Call of Duty: Ghosts news, rumours, release date

Call of Duty: Ghosts News

Activision has officially confirmed that its next COD instalment will take the form of Call of Duty: Ghosts. the focus of intense speculation for the past couple of weeks, Activision unveiled Call of Duty: Ghosts with a new teaser trailer and dedicated website last week on May 1.

Originally thought to be called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts is said to be the COD game for "the next generation."

"Everyone was expecting us to make Modern Warfare 4, which would have been the safe thing to do. But we're not resting on our laurels," said Mark Rubin, executive producer of Infinity Ward. "We saw the console transition as the perfect opportunity to start a new chapter for Call of Duty. So we're building a new sub-brand, a new engine, and a lot of new ideas and experiences for our players. We can't wait to share them with our community."

Baring the mask of Simon "Ghost" Riley from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, many suggest he may not be the central focus of the next instalment of the FPS franchise, but with the teaser trailer revealing very little about the content of the game we're only speculating at this point.

Call of Duty: Ghosts Rumours

Call of Duty: Ghosts is rumoured to be set in the future, similar to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, but use currently available weaponry and technology.

Although little is known about the upcoming Call of Duty game, a press release from Activision said the game will feature “a riveting all-new gameplay experience built on an entirely new story, setting and cast of characters, all powered by a new, next generation Call of Duty engine that redefines the series for the next generation.”

A description on the Asda Call of Duty: Ghosts pre-order page reveals a little more though.

"Call of Duty: Ghosts will allegedly take place in the future, but utilise current technology and weapons in line with a 'major plot event'. The single-player campaign is said to include more destructible environments, with multiplayer maps featuring interactive areas and traps," the page reads.

Anyone wanting to see more of the game will only have to a wait a few more weeks, as publisher Activision has revealed that a live Call of Duty: Ghosts demo will be shown during the new Xbox 720 unveiling later this month on May 21.

Sony is holding a PS4 press conference on June 10 ahead of E3, so we may even get a PS4 Call of Duty: Ghosts demo there too as Activision has confirmed that Call of Duty: Ghosts will be made available for “next-generation platforms."

Call of Duty: Ghost Release Date

Activision has confirmed that a Call of Duty: Ghosts release date is scheduled for November 5, shipping on current generation Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles as well as PS4 and Xbox 720.

Fans are so eager to get their hands on the game that just 24 hours after Activision officially unveiled Call of Duty: Ghosts, the game soared straight to the top of the charts for Amazon pre-orders. Six months before the game will ship to consumers, the game is currently occupying the number one and number two spots in the gaming chart for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions respectively on Amazon UK.

Call of Duty: Ghosts Trailer

Following the release announcement, a 90-second Call of Duty: Ghosts trailer was posted to YouTube, but lacks any gameplay footage and offers no hints about the game's context or plot.

Instead it depicts a host of historical warriors in their traditional 'masks' before focusing on the skull mask worn by Lt. Simon "Ghost" Riley, who is expected to be the game's central character.

The voiceover says: "There are those who wear masks to hide. And those who wear masks to show us what they stand for. To inspire. To unite. To defy. To strike fear in the hearts of their enemies, and hope in the hearts of their followers."

"There are those who wear masks to protect themselves, and those who wear masks to protect us all."

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Peter Molyneux reveals what's inside the Curiosity cube

The online smartphone gaming experiment Curiosity has been completed, and 22cans boss Peter Molyneux has finally revealed what's inside the cube.

Just six months after the unusual social experiment commenced, asking hundreds of thousands of players to chip away at a huge multi-layered cube, the final digital block has been removed.

Some 25 billion cubelets were tapped away, it's been revealed. But even more importantly than that, we've discovered the nature of the "life-changing" secret hidden within the cube.

Unsurprisingly there's no cosmic secret involved, but the solitary winner of the game - one Bryan Henderson from Edinburgh - will be granted godlike power in a certain sense.

Peter Molyneux and 22cans's next game will be called Godus, and it's a return to the veteran industry figure's god game roots, according to the Kickstarter pitch that secured funding for the project. The winner of Curiosity will be granted the ability to set the rules for the game, as well as to profit from every payment made within it.

"You will have fame, you will have fortune, and you will have the power to introduce morals into a game," Molyneux told the winner through the means of a specially prepared video.

Molyneux revealed that the idea of a single god-like player overseeing a whole game had come to him many years ago, but that it was only now, with today's network technology, that such a concept could be properly realised.



Next, why not check out the latest news and rumours for the Sony PS4 console.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini appears on official website

Proof of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini's existence has appeared on a Samsung website.

The diminutive smartphone hasn't been officially announced yet, but that hasn't stopped it from showing up on Samsung's Content & Services web page here in the UK.

It appears along with its model number, the GT-I9195, among Samsung's other already launched handsets.The thumbnail image of the phone appears to confirm the leaked product shots we've seen elsewhere.

Unsurprisingly, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini listing has since been removed from the site, but its momentary existence does offer the suggestion that we should be getting a European release of the new Galaxy smartphone very soon.

Earlier in the month it was rumoured that the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini was headed for a mid-July launch.

As for the handset itself, it's rumoured to be a significantly stripped back take on the Samsung Galaxy S4. This will reportedly include a 4.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) display, a 1.66GHz dual-core CPU backed by 1GB of RAM, and an 8-megapixel camera.

The Galaxy S4 Mini will run on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Samsung's heavily customised TouchWiz UI. It'll also have a bunch of the new software features premiered with the original Samsung Galaxy S4, such as Dual Camera, Eraser Shot, and Drama Shot.

Take a closer look at some of the software features of the S4 with our Samsung Galaxy S4 tips and tricks feature.

Via: Engadget

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BenQ W1500 Projector Review

What is the BenQ W1500?

The W1500 is an unusually ambitious DLP projector by BenQ's standards, providing 3D playback, wireless HDMI playback, ISF-certified calibration tools and hopefully superior picture quality than its recently tested BenQ W1080ST and BenQ W1070 models for a £1900 price tag.

Aesthetically the W1500 looks surprisingly similar to its cheaper siblings, with a glossy white finish and passably stylish sculpting. The main difference is that the W1500 is a bit bigger, reflecting – we presume – its use of a higher-grade optical engine.

Key Features: Full HD single-chip DLP projector; 3D playback with triple flash system; 2200 Lumens max light output; Wireless HDMI system included; ISF certified

BenQ W1500 - Design

While the W1500 is passably attractive, though, we’d be lying if we didn’t say that some aspects of its design – in particular the rather plasticky and awkward design of the lens section and the appearance of fans immediately behind open grilles on the projector’s sides – had us feeling a bit concerned about its performance potential.



These concerns are underlined, moreover, while trying to set the projector up. Our attempts to mount the projector on the usual stand behind our test room ‘sofa’ were instantly scuppered by a combination of the surprisingly short-throw nature of the W1500’s lens, its somewhat disappointing amount of optical zoom support, and the aggravatingly limited amount of vertical image shifting supported by a little wheel arrangement tucked under a flap above the lens barrel.

Obviously any amount of vertical image shifting will reduce the likelihood of you having to distort your pictures by applying digital keystone correction to them. But we’d have expected a bit more vertical shifting range on a £1900 projector.

BenQ W1500 - Connections

The projector’s rear holds a very presentable suite of connections. Two HDMIs provide both 2D and 3D digital connection, and there’s a component video port, a D-Sub PC port, an RS-232 port, an S-Video port, a composite video port, and even an audio line input to reflect the fact that the projector carries a built-in 2 x 10W speaker system (should you not mind listening to sound that’s appearing from somewhere other than the screen it’s supposed to be coming from!).

As usual with BenQ, the projector system at the W1500’s heart is a single-chip DLP affair, delivering a high claimed maximum brightness of 2200 ANSI Lumens and a fair to middling claimed contrast ratio of 10,000:1. Colour comes courtesy of a 6-segment colour wheel that should produce better colour depth and range than colour wheels with fewer segments.

Lamp life is quoted at between 3000 and a very respectable 6000 hours (depending on what lamp setting you use), while running noise is quoted at a respectable – though certainly not groundbreaking – 33dB or 28dB, again depending on which lamp output setting you’ve got selected.

BenQ W1500 - Wireless HDMI

The W1500 is one of a growing number of projectors to support wireless HDMI, whereby it can receive full HD video signals without the need for a cabled connection. Provided it works well, this is a really handy feature given the long cable runs usually needed for connecting sources to a projector.

The necessary transmitter for the wireless HDMI is included free with the projector – as is one free pair of BenQ’s 144Hz active shutter 3D glasses. The projector’s 3D transmitter is built into its chassis.

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Xbox 360 and PS3 support to continue until 2017 despite Xbox One and PS4 unveilings

The imminent Xbox One and PS4 arrivals does not spell the end for current-generation consoles, with EA confirming it will continue to support both the Xbox 360 and PS3 until at least 2017.

With an Xbox One release date and PS4 launch both having been confirmed for later this year, publisher EA has reassured gamers that it is not planning to turn its back on current-generation consoles anytime soon, committing to supporting the likes of the Xbox 360 for a further four years.

Speaking with Gamespot, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen confirmed that “EA will continue to publish games for current-generation consoles through at least 2017,” a decision that is sure to appease owners of current-generation hardware.

Formally unveiled earlier this week, the Xbox One follows the PS4 into the realms of reality, with Microsoft’s 360 follow-on to hit retailers ahead of the lucrative pre-Christmas shopping rush. Brining next-gen gaming graphics to the mix, both consoles have been built around 64bit PC architecture, and will heap much focus onto the more mainstream entertainment and multimedia aspects of the market.

Set to line up bundled with a second-generation Kinect peripheral, that will add more intuitive voice and gesture based controls to the console, the Xbox One is already looking poised to feature a strong game line up at launch.

With Call of Duty: Ghosts confirmed to hit next-gen consoles this year, Battlefield 4, FIFA 14 and Forza 5 have all also been confirmed for Microsoft’s PS4 rival.

Despite much focus being targeted on to the next-gen consoles, a selection of core AAA titles are still looking to favour current machinery, with the likes of GTA 5 and Gran Turismo 6 both confirmed for launch on existing but not upcoming consoles.

Further Reading: Xbox One vs PS4

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Revised HTC One in the works with larger screen to rival the Samsung Galaxy S4

Could a new, larger HTC One really be in the works?

A revised, larger HTC One is reportedly in the works, with the Taiwanese manufacturer to launch a handset bigger than 5-inches to compete with the Samsung Galaxy S4.

With 5 million units of the 4.7-inch HTC One having sold since launch compared with the 10 million 5-inch Samsung Galaxy S4s shifted during the handset’s opening month on sale, latest reports have claimed HTC has a larger HTC One offering in the works.

Citing unnamed “people familiar with the matter,” PocketLint has suggested that the remodelled HTC One will play host to the same collection of innards as the current model, only with a larger screen of currently undisclosed size.

While the exact dimensions of the HTC One follow-on are not yet know, the anonymous tipster reportedly claimed that the upcoming handset will be “above 5-inches but below 6-inches” in size.

Far from the only HTC One revision believed to be in the works, a 4.3-inch HTC One Mini has been tipped recently under the codename of the HTC One M4. Elsewhere, following the S4 themed Google I/O unveiling, a HTC One model running Vanilla Android is believed to be heading for the Google Play store later this year.

HTC One Features

More than just one of the masses, the HTC One is a true powerhouse of the smartphone scene, and the Samsung Galaxy S4’s closest rival to handset supremacy.

Lining up with a stunning 4.7-inch 1920 x 720 Full HD display in tow, the HTC One screen currently benefits from a 469 pixels-per-inch image density, and a Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protective layer.

Powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and Google’s Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean OS, the HTC One specs sheet sees a 4-ultrapixel rear-mounted camera shake things up for low-light shooting supremacy, while a 2.1-megapixel forward-facing snapper also joins the mix.

Running a 2300mAh Lithium-Ion battery, the HTC One adds dual front mounted stereo speakers for improved audio output, NFC connectivity options and 32GB of internal storage which, unlike many of the handset’s rivals, cannot be expanded via microSD.

Can’t decide whether to plump for the HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S4? Fret not, just check out our HTC One vs Samsung Galaxy S4 head-to-head.

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