As Apple fans queue up in long lines to get their hands on the iPad 2, the contrast with the last big PC-related release – Windows 7 – couldn’t be more stark.

PCs and new operating systems just don’t create a lot of excitement anymore.

You could chalk this up as a fad, or you could argue that scarcity is driving up demand. You could even point out that the PC market is a mature one and not likely to spawn the excitement that gets triggered by novelty. All are reasonable points, but a closer look at the underlying numbers indicates that a serious computing shift is well underway.

Analysts expect Apple to ship 30 million iPads in 2011, double what it shipped in 2010. Android, meanwhile, has been taking the smartphone market by storm. The latest feather in its cap is in Europe, with Android’s market share surging from 4 percent to over 30 percent in less than a year.

Even Microsoft, which stands to lose the most in this computing shift, is banking heavily on cloud computing. As Microsoft touts Windows 7’s cloud functionality in a slew of commercial and product-placement deals, it’s also tacitly admitting that a device’s form factor will soon be far less important than the services it taps into.

How do PCs fit into the cloud computing landscape?
To put it bluntly: they don’t. Okay, that’s probably an overstatement; however, the gains in efficiency, agility and cost that organizations now seek through virtual and cloud-based infrastructures can be undermined by large deployments of PCs.

“In a typical enterprise, as much as 80 percent of IT’s budget is spent on maintenance, which makes it very hard for any IT organization to add value to the business,” said Jeff McNaught, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer for Wyse, a provider of cloud client computing solutions.

“Even in cloud-enabled organizations, the maintenance problem does not disappear, since PCs are far more difficult to manage than servers. Data loss, intellectual property theft, viruses, targeted phishing attacks and more plague the PC, which is why end points must evolve in order to unlock the cloud’s true potential.”

Tablets and smartphones are getting all the hype, but many business users are more excited about thin or cloud clients. Unlike PCs, cloud clients can be configured so that they have little or no onboard storage or processing, virtually eliminating client-side attacks.
Moreover, since maintenance, management, patches and updates are all centralized, IT overhead is vastly reduced.

A case in point is Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company. As is common with enterprises of all sizes in all industries, Amerisure had a regular PC replacement cycle. Every three years, the company would write a $2 million check for updated equipment. The $2 million price tag was just the tip of the iceberg cost-wise, however. Productivity was disrupted with each upgrade, and, of course, management and maintenance were ongoing cost centers.

In 2009, Amerisure decided to go in a different direction. Instead of dropping $2 million on new PCs, the company ditched them in favor of a virtualized infrastructure and cloud clients.

Even though the dollar signs are eye catching, the switch wasn’t primarily about money. Rather, it was a strategic business decision. Amerisure sought an agile infrastructure that would deliver ubiquitous access to systems and data from anywhere, at any time and on any device.

The solution Amerisure chose was a Citrix XenApp infrastructure with Wyse cloud client end points. Amerisure estimates that its total savings over five years will be more than $8.5 million.

“Our virtualization implementation was critical for us to lower costs while improving service,” said Jack Wilson, Enterprise Architect at Amerisure. “Amerisure IT now runs like a utility, particularly in the way that our computing infrastructure is now part of the business fabric, like heat or electricity.”

What does the enterprise really want?
The enterprise as a whole hasn’t made up its mind. It’s growing weary of PCs, but is not ready to crown a successor.

Most enterprises are still wary of smartphones, due to IT’s inability to control and secure them. Cloud clients are catching on, offering improved security and lower IT overhead, but most of those clients are still tethered to the desktop.

Tablets represent the middle ground, delivering mobility combined with a scaled-down operating environment. Security, management and maintenance are still question marks, but the enterprise seems to be nearly as excited about tablets as consumers are, which is unusual this early in an adoption cycle.

According to a recent Frost & Sullivan report, tablets had the highest growth rate of all IT hardware sectors worldwide in 2010. Only 5 percent of the 18.3 million tablets shipped last year went to businesses, but the research firm predicts that businesses will snatch up 30 percent of those shipped by 2015.

Continuing on, Toshiba has several new LED HDTVs to unload, some with 3D support and one touted as the “world’s first” personal TV with face recognition.

The UL863 series (pictured above) is really the most intriguing of the TVs introduced today. These devices can identify up to four users using built-in face recognition. Why would that even be necessary? Well, it would automatically adjust the personal settings put in place by the individual user such as volume and favorite channel list. One could argue we’ve reached a whole new level of laziness here and it’s unlikely most consumers would spend extra money simply for that capability, but perhaps it could be useful for someone.

This series is also the only one mentioned here that includes an integrated WLAN interface for Wi-Fi connections. All of these Toshiba TV collections include Smart TV models with DLNA support for connecting and sharing over the same home network. However, both the SL833 (pictured below) and VL863 (pictured right) have to connect using an optional WLAN dongle.

Both the SL833 and UL863 models are available in 32-, 37-, 42- and 46-inch display sizes, host a quartet of HDMI ports along with dual USB 2.0 slots and are Windows 7 certified. The VL863 only ships in 42- and 47-inches wide. Furthermore, all of these full HD LCD panels sport edge LED backlighting and a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Note that pricing hasn’t been announced for any of these panels just yet. Both the UL863 series and VL863 series will roll out in Europe during the second quarter. The VL863 is slated for a May release in Europe.

Forget chatting with friends and browsing Google Maps. These 10 innovative, sometimes off-the-wall uses for the iPad turn into everything from a sketchbook to an in-car navigator, restaurant kiosk and doctor’s sidekick.

And you thought Apple made the iPad just so you can play Angry Birds on a bigger screen. These innovative apps and alternative uses for the 10-inch tablet push a few boundaries – ordering drinks? reviewing an X-Ray? – but show how tablets are making computing mobile and immediate.
Interactive training at a trade show

We’ve taken the iPad at trade shows before, especially CES. However,  Schott, a company that makes a ceramic-glass material for use in  fireplaces, took the concept a step further. At the Hearth, Patio and  Barbeque Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah, the company mounted iPads around  their booth and let people play around with an app that shows how the  technology works.
Check an X-Ray

This one is probably the most innovative use of the iPad we’ve seen.  At the Children’s Hospital of Central California, the staff use an app  called VMware View to treat patients. Essentially, they can tap into a  desktop remotely to view x-rays, check on patient tests, and look at  health records. The technology, called “follow me desktop” is more  streamlined than traditional remote access apps, which just show you  another computer screen, and tap into the data stored on your computer.
Sketch out a drawing

Artists took to the iPad right away – it has an accurate touch screen, it’s viewable from a side angle, and it has a big enough screen to create a real work of art. The Interactive Sketchbook app is one of the best artist tools around. You can pull up a photo on one side of the screen and sketch out your image on the right panel. Some artists swear by the Pogo stylus as well, which gives you a bit more accuracy – though a stylus is not required. Some of the artwork produced with the app is outstanding.
Place your order at a restaurant

There’s an iPad on every table at the Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Company  restaurant in Indianapolis, encased in a metal shroud. There are no  regular menus, so you can browse through the dinner selections and order  drinks, check on the status of an order, and even watch videos showing  how they make the food (and the beer). You can also update your Facebook  status.
Go surfing

That’s right, you can go surfing with the iPad. Well, that might be a stretch, but the G-Form outdoor case for the iPad uses a technology called reactive protection which uses a flexible exoskeleton to make sure the iPad doesn’t break. (The company has demonstrated dropping a bowling ball onto the case with an iPad inside playing a movie.) Molecules actually form together when the pad senses impact.
Order a drink at a bar

At the Lunar nightclub in Cincinnati, servers carry around iPads (and iPhones) and can order drinks and menu items using a custom app. (“Runners” bring the food out, so the server never has to go back to the kitchen.) The club also manages the guest list, which is helpful since it hosts parties for as many as 800 people. Managers can communicate about guest check-ins in real-time with the doormen.
DJ at a party

Djay is one of the best apps for iPad because it shows how the tablet can be used for so many different purposes. The app, which allows you to create scratches on the fly and mix to songs together, actually works better than the expensive physical equipment. You can load up countless songs, use the touch interface to make some memorable mixes, cue up tracks for a party, and even use a feature that analyzes your song library to see which songs would be best for a playlist.
Universal remote control

Another universal remote replacement, the Apptwee works with 200  brands and 845 models of home entertainment equipment. There’s an IR  (infrared) dongle that connects to the headphone jack that you use to  communicate with your gear – the dongle costs just $20 and the app is  free to download. What’s cool about the app is that it does more than  just let you control volume. You can change the source, adjust audio  properties, and even control subtitles using the full-screen touch  interface.
Control Verizon FiOS TV

The iPhone and iPad have made those proprietary remote controls with    4,000 buttons and a tiny screen look like a bad joke. One of the most    powerful iPad apps for controlling television is for the Verizon FiOS    TV. You can browse the program guide, set recordings, view which shows    have been recorded recently, and of course switch channels and  control   basic DVR functions.
Mount one in your car

The RAM Mount POD (www.ram-mount.com) clamps to the seat rail on the passenger side of your car so you can run apps, use an app like Navigon for navigation, or even watch a movie (but not while you drive). The mount costs about $73 and includes a roller that holds the tablet in place. RAM Mount also makes iPad mounts for boats and even airplanes, walls in your home, and for desktop use.


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It's official: The iPad 2 handily beats its rivals in nearly every category, according to Consumer Reports' testing.

Apple’s iPad 2 has beat out a flurry of increasingly difficult competition in the tablet market to earn top marks from Consumer Reports, the product testing and review publication announced today. Motorola’s Xoom tablet, which tied in the rankings with the original iPad, “revealed itself as the iPad 2′s chief rival,” says Consumer Reports, and even beats Apple’s latest creation on a variety of points.

“So far, Apple is leading the tablet market in both quality and price, which is unusual for a company whose products are usually premium priced,” said Paul Reynolds, Electronics Editor at Consumer Reports. “However, it’s likely we’ll see more competitive pricing in tablets as other models begin to hit the market.”

All tablets tested (10 in total) were judged on 17 different criteria, which included the responsiveness of the device’s touchscreen, versatility, portability, screen glare, battery life and overall ease of use. The tablets tested included devices from Archos, Dell, Motorola, Samsung, and ViewSonic, as well as Apple’s 32GB WiFi-only iPad 2, 32GB WiFi + 3G iPad 2 and the original iPad.

The $730 iPad 2 with WiFi and 3G connectivity earned an “Excellent” rating in nearly every category. In terms of “versatility,” which Consumer Reports defines as “the presence of useful features,” the iPad 2 scored the second highest rating of “Very Good.” This is primarily due to the iPad 2′s lack of a built-in memory card reader and the lack of Flash support — both of which the Motorola Xoom includes.

According to Consumer Reports, the most wide-ranging factor between the top 10 tablets on the market is battery life. While the iPad 2 boasts the longest battery life — 12.2 hours — the Archos 70 Internet Tablet could only stay alive for a mere 3.8 hours. Considering the entry level iPad 2, (16GB WiFi-only) costs $499 compared to the Archos 70′s price of $270, the iPad 2 seems like a bargain, even if battery life were the only factory taken into consideration. Of course, the iPad 2 wins on a variety of other levels as well.

Linux can now be thought of as a mainstream operating system. It’s used everywhere, from home and enterprise systems to powerful supercomputers. Many companies have adopted Linux systems, generally citing cost savings, system stability, better security and access to the source code.

It was back in 2006 when Microsoft realised that it could do absolutely nothing to stem the tide and entered into partnership with Novell, the first time that the company had collaborated directly with a Linux and open-source vendor. Microsoft and Novell stated in a joint open letter that Linux was an important part of IT’s future, and that Microsoft would not assert its patents against individual or non-commercial developers.

The partnership made it much easier for companies to have a ‘dual strategy’. The letter said: “Why is Microsoft doing this? Because they recognise that customers today are deploying mixed source solutions - Windows and Linux - and they want these solutions to work well together.”

The open-source community initially viewed the deal with suspicion, but the partnership has been going for nearly five years and has seen some degree of success.

“The relationship has substantially benefited Microsoft’s Linux integration story, and has driven Linux revenue for Novell,” said Jay Lyman, a 451 Group analyst.

Sean McCarry, Novell’s UK and Ireland country manager, quoted recent IDC figures suggesting that around 67 per cent of the enterprise market is looking at a Windows/Linux strategy in the datacentre. He also revealed that Novell saw 80 per cent growth in its Linux revenues last year in the UK alone.

“It’s very topical, because the only two operating systems growing at the moment worldwide are Windows and Linux,” McCarry said.

Novell uses SUSE Enterprise Linux, a distribution that allows for mixed Linux and Windows computing. Aimed very much at the business market, it is targeted at servers, workstations and mainframes, and can also be installed on desktop computers.

“Either SUSE can be the guest on Windows, or Windows can be the guest on SUSE. It makes sense that customers want that interoperability,” said McCarry.

Microsoft pushes its customers in this direction if they want to go Linux, and McCarry said that the growth Novell has seen is “very much Microsoft pushing SUSE Linux to some of their large customers”.

Major organisations like Deutsche Bank, HM Revenue & Customs and BAA have moved to SUSE Enterprise Linux, and companies are also moving from Novell’s enterprise Linux competitor Red Hat to Novell, partly owing to the Microsoft connection, claimed McCarry.

“One of the biggest wins we had last year was with Experian. It migrated from Red Hat to Novell because of the Microsoft relationship, for cost implications and the technical performance issues, though Red Hat will say one thing and we would say another,” he said.

Another example was in 2007, when Microsoft provided HSBC with support subscriptions to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. HSBC said that it reduced the cost of Linux ownership and improved interoperability with its existing Windows infrastructure.

Matthew O’Neill, group head of distributed systems for HSBC global IT operations, said at the time that the Microsoft-Novell agreement “is a great catalyst to helping us reduce the complexity of our Linux environment as we standardise our Linux infrastructure with SUSE Linux Enterprise and continue to extend the use of Microsoft Active Directory”

"A pirated version of an Android app is actually a Trojan that shames someone who installs it by sending an SMS message to all his/her contacts telling them of his/her piracy. The original app is called Walk and Text, and costs $2.10 in the Android Market. The app uses the camera on the back of a smartphone to show a user a visual of his upcoming surroundings, which will supposedly prevent the user from running into the street or across a set of train tracks. The pirated version is available from unofficial Android app markets, and once installed redirects the pirate to the legitimate app in the Android Market, while also sending the SMS message to the phone's entire contact list."

Would-be 4G wholesale provider LightSquared says it's still on track to launch initial Long Term Evolution (LTE) markets in the U.S. by the end of 2011 despite renewed interest from some government bodies about the potential for interference to GPS receivers from the new network.

The Harbinger Capital Partners LP -backed venture has previously said it wants to launch its first LTE markets in the third quarter of 2011, with up to nine markets expected to be active by the end of the year. (See LightSquared Confident in Q3 Launch Schedule.)

"Our launch is still on track. We're looking for a launch by the end of the year certainly," Jeff Carlisle, executive vice president for regulatory affairs and public policy at LightSquared, told Light Reading Mobile during a call Thursday.

LightSquared's goal is ambitious, as it plans to build out the first wide-scale hybrid LTE terrestrial and satellite network using L-Band spectrum. In return for the use of 59MHz of the 1.6GHz spectrum, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated that the operator must cover 100 million Americans by the end of 2012, 145 million by the end of 2013, and 250 million by the end of 2015. (See Harbinger Hatches LTE Challenger in US.)

The 1.6GHz L-Band, however, sits adjacent to frequencies used by global positioning satellites (GPS) to broadcast triangulated location data to earth-bound receivers. That data is used by the U.S. military, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and emergency services as well as many mobile mapping applications.

The worry is that the GPS receivers will pick up interference from the L-Band network, since signals from a terrestrial LTE cell site -- particularly in a dense urban environment with multiple radios -- will be much stronger than the signals the receiver is tuned to grab from satellites. That interference could disrupt GPS services.

The FCC has already mandated that LightSquared works with the United States Global Positioning System Industry Council (USGIC) to form a technical working group to report back on any interference issues discovered and fixes required. The initial report has been filed, with another due on April 15. The FCC wants the final report by June 15. (See LightSquared Files First Report to FCC.)

The speed of this process clearly has some in Washington worried. On Wednesday it emerged that the Deputy Defense Department Secretary William J. Lynn and Transportation Department Deputy Secretary John Porcari sent a joint letter to the FCC on March 25 calling for a "comprehensive review" of the GPS issue. (See Pentagon Calls Interference on LightSquared.)

If LightSquared's Carlisle is worried by the additional government interest, however, it doesn't show. He tells LR Mobile that the technical group looking at the potential issue now has representatives from the DoD, the FAA and NASA onboard.

"All have had valuable input," Carlisle says.

Nonetheless, although Carlisle says the group is "making good progress," he admits "there's a lot of work left to be done." Namely, the group has to figure out which categories of "legacy receivers" are affected by the LightSquared network, if any, and establish how these receivers are being used.

"We really won't know what kind what kind of mitigation is necessary without a datasheet," Carlisle says. The group has selected independent testing firms and is "close to starting testing," according to the LightSquared representative.

At least one testing firm tells us that interference could be an issue, particularly in cities like New York where GPS systems can already struggle to triangulate location data because skyscrapers block the signals. In this situation, stronger RF signals from multi-radio L-Band cell-sites in the adjacent band could be an issue for receivers looking for weaker communications from satellites in orbit around the earth.

"Theoretically, that possibility definitely exists," Nigel Wright, vice president of wireless for Spirent Communications plc (NYSE: SPM; London: SPT) told LR Mobile recently. "GPS signals are weakest in the areas where you're most likely to have the greatest concentration of base stations."

Spirent is working on test equipment that could prove the interference issue one way or the other. For the moment, Wright says he'd be "foolish" to predict what the results of any tests may be before seeing any hard data.

Others, however, are much more vocal about what they perceive as the threat to critical GPS infrastructure. The coalition to Save Our GPS was launched on March 11 and claims representatives from a range of industries, including aviation, agriculture, transportation and GPS equipment makers and service providers. The group worries that the 40,000 base stations that LightSquared plans to eventually deploy will mean the equivalent number of "dead spots" in GPS services.

LightSquared's Carlisle says the fledgling operator is "cognizant" of opposition to its plans, but doesn't believe the deployment of the earthbound LTE network will be slowed while it waits for the results of the GPS testing.

"There are any number of things that can be done in the meantime," Carlisle explains. LightSquared has been developing tower agreements "for many months" while working on zoning agreements, he says.

Meanwhile, the operator has been co-operating with its network equipment vendor Nokia Siemens Networks on completing development of the L-Band-suitable base station it will use in the rollout. Decisions are also being made on what kind of backhaul it will need for the network. (See NSN: We're Still in at LightSquared.)

The FCC mandate means that LightSquared has to keep the pace up whatever happens, Carlisle reminds us: "We've still got to have 100 million covered by [the end of] 2012."

A new motion in a class action suit filed against WiMax service provider Clearwire LLC (Nasdaq: CLWR) alleges that in mid-2008 the operator intentionally started a scheme to sign up customers outside of its coverage areas in order to boost subscriber numbers and collect on termination fees when the aggravated users left.

The motion was filed Thursday with the United States District Court for the Western District of Seattle alleging that Clearwire’s practices with respect to Early Termination Fees (ETFs) are unlawful. You can read the motion here and associated documents here.

The motion and associated documents claim that top executives at Clearwire knew of a scheme -- supposedly called "Project Star Trek" internally -- that changed the coverage area of the operator's towers in its "pre-qualification" tool so that it appeared that potential customers were in signal range when they weren't.

Clearwire responded to the allegations early Friday afternoon calling them "baseless and absurd."

"We flatly deny any inference of fraud," a company spokesman told us in an email. "We will vigorously defend ourselves against any such allegations.”

On the back of the these new allegations, plaintiffs in a class action suit against Clearwire have asked the court to grant leave for a ruling on a second amended complaint against the operator. The initial class action case was filed in April 2009. The court originally granted Clearwire's motion to dismiss the case in February 2010, but the plaintiffs claim they now have new information at hand.

From the papers filed, much of the new material in the case appears to hang on information offered up by former Clearwire employee Donald Hammond, an ex-general regional manager at the operator, who worked for the company for four years before leaving in early 2010. Hammond claims that executives including former CEO Ben Wolff and COO Perry Satterlee knew of the scheme.

As well as other testimony, Hammond has also provided an email dated May 22, 2008, purporting to be from Gabe Suarez, who is named as a "director of engineering" at Clearwire and "a direct report" to Satterlee. The email states that "last night, the sector limits were changed in the markets below to increase the potential PQ opportunities." The email lists some 20 markets.

The motion goes on to claim that the pre-qualification limits around the fixed wireless towers Clearwire was operating were pushed out from 1.5 miles to 2.5 miles. This is the crucial detail because the motion claims that the executives knew that the towers didn't work well -- or at all -- in providing coverage beyond 1.5 miles to 1.7 miles. The alleged re-programming of the pre-qualification tool, however, would increase the coverage area "passed" by the tower by 280 percent, from nearly eight square miles to 19.6 square miles.

The motion claims that the distance requirements held true for both the Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) Expediance technology that Clearwire used in its first 48 markets and the WiMax technology it began to deploy during 2008. The company launched its first "Clear"-branded WiMax market in January 2009. (See Clearwire Sets Portland WiMax Launch.)

The motion claims that this had a two-fold effect for Clearwire. It allowed the operator to try to boost its gross subscribers at a time when this was an "important metric" for Clearwire's potential strategic investors.

Clearwire completed its asset merger with Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) on November 28, 2008. At the same time, it received a $3.2 billion infusion of cash from Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC), Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) and others. (See Clearwire, Sprint Complete Merger.)

Furthermore, the motion claims that Clearwire management called for staff to strictly enforce ETFs for customers canning the service within 30 days. The instances of customers wanting to drop their Clearwire service contract allegedly tripled following the claimed pre-qual tool changes that were said to have been made in May 2008.

There is no denying that mobile devices like tablets are changing the way we communicate, work and share information on the go -- it's the next logical step in the "post-PC" world. In fact, 200 million tablets could be sold annually by 2014, according to predictions, and cloud-based services are becoming a key feature for consumers.

In addition to an increase in cloud-based services, there is a surge in multiple mobile devices -- with consumers not only using several at one time, but also switching between them throughout the day. C-level executives are a key driver, especially as tablets continue to grow in popularity and are added to the "workforce arsenal" that already includes PCs and BlackBerry devices.

Whatever device is being used, consumers are starting to expect data and application continuity when switching between tablets, smartphones and laptops, which further feeds the demand for cloud-based services. When applications and data are accessed and stored in the cloud, the transition from one device to another is seamless, guaranteeing users' continuity without any problems.

Organizations are realizing that beyond cost efficiencies, they can leverage the advantages of data and application continuity in the cloud to provide employees with greater flexibility. However, this new environment, though convenient, poses several security challenges -- such as blurring the lines between private and company-issued devices.

As employees increasingly use personal devices to access and store sensitive corporate resources and data, organizations need to address key security issues that until now did not pose a significant challenge.
End-Point Device Security

The need for end-point device security is not new and is recognized by most businesses. Until recently, though, the primary device used to access the corporate Virtual Private Network (VPN) by employees from outside the office was a corporate-issued laptop. When all laptops were centrally issued and managed by the IT department, it was relatively easy to implement standard security policies throughout the organization, and to manage the devices employees were using to access corporate applications and data.

Today, however, when employees are bringing personal tablets and smartphones into the office, organizations are having a more difficult time ensuring the devices are trusted. Companies are facing a situation in which data protection, network protection and identity protection are becoming much more complex.

When both private and corporate data is stored on the same device, it becomes a data container that is vulnerable to data leakage. As a result, when employees use personal devices to access core business applications that reside in the cloud, how can organizations ensure that the device won't be used by unauthorized personnel to penetrate the organization? How can they make sure that passwords stored on a device are protected, and cannot be hacked or stolen for perpetrating identity theft?
Mobile Access and Cloud Security

In parallel to the security vulnerabilities surrounding mobile devices, there are also key security issues related to cloud applications. These issues relate to the challenges of protecting data in a multitenant environment, as well as to the need to secure applications residing in the cloud and protect virtual machines and instances -- not to mention the need to secure access to core business applications such as CRM and email.

As organizations transition to the cloud and simultaneously witness a surge in the number and variety of mobile devices being used by employees and managers, they are facing a convergence of both end-point and cloud-related security issues.

To address these issues, organizations need to think about how they can protect identities by maintaining the integrity of credentials stored on the device, and how they can protect cloud-based applications and data by preventing unauthorized access from mobile devices.

Moreover, the complexity of these security demands and the need for IT departments to adopt new security mechanisms have operational implications for IT staff tasked with implementing and managing these new security policies.
Mobile Device Identity Protection

One way organizations can implement security mechanisms for mobile devices is to establish a framework that supports credential life cycle management and automatic certificate provisioning to mobile devices. These mechanisms ensure that only authenticated users with a trusted device can access corporate information and applications.

By embedding a personalized configuration profile on an employee's mobile device, organizations can implement personal security credentials to each device and thus require employees to authenticate with their personal profile when accessing corporate resources.

When logging on to corporate systems, only those users with a certificate on their device (something they have), combined with the certificate password (something they know) are granted access. Moreover, by eliminating the need for passwords, strong authentication significantly reduces the vulnerabilities associated with password caching on mobile devices and lowers the risk of identity fraud that result from password theft.

With this type of solution, IT staff can provision several certificates to a single mobile device and specify which resources can be accessed. These may include network access via VPN, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Exchange and WPA2 enterprise WiFi networks.
Cloud-Access Protection

For cloud access security, organizations can use identity federation combined with strong authentication to ensure that only authorized personnel are accessing sensitive SaaS services. Through use of the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) protocol, organizations can extend the identities of employees to cloud-based applications.

Employees use a dynamic one-time passcode (instead of the password stored on their mobile device) to remotely access corporate resources that are stored in the company's data center and those that are hosted in the cloud.

Passcodes can be generated either by a software authentication application installed on an employee's mobile device or, if preferred, on a hardware authentication device that is issued separately. Beyond ensuring secure access, this solution also offers single sign-on, which is easier for employees, as they can use the same logon credentials for all remote applications.
Integrated Management

It is up to IT departments to implement security access policies that can keep pace with new technology and mobile trends. However, investing in security can be costly, especially if organizations have to purchase, implement and integrate several different applications from different vendors, each of which only offers a single component of their required security solution.

Strong authentication, implemented on mobile devices in the form of personalized credentials and extended to cloud applications using identity federation, offers organizations a flexible, yet highly secure framework that can extend security mechanisms to employees' mobile end-point devices, as well as core corporate applications that have migrated to the cloud.

Solutions, which are based on a single and versatile authentication server that offers wide platform support, present the added benefit of being easier to manage and implement, as well as being far more cost-effective.
Letting Organizations Play to Their Strengths

Being able to issue personalized credentials to mobile devices and ensure secure access to cloud-based applications through strong authentication helps IT staff to prevent security malaise. Moreover, it enables organizations to be proactive in a world where technological developments are often lagging -- or worse, still responding retroactively to security breaches or data loss.

By implementing a strong security posture, organizations increase strength, receive maximum benefits from the new technologies, and offer employees a more flexible work environment, which ultimately leads to greater job satisfaction and productivity.

t's been a long, long wait since we saw the next generation of mobiles saunter onto the stage at MWC (OK, a little over a month), but HTC are making comparatively fast work of getting their new batch of handsets out to the masses, with the HTC Incredible S appearing last month, and now the HTC Desire S - currently winging its way into the pockets of UK smartphone owners via SIM-free smartphone pushers unlocked-mobiles.com.
The HTC Desire S, which is now on sale on the site for £384.98 SIM-free, runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and comes with a 1GHz processor, 768MB RAM and an 800x480 pixel 3.7-inch touchscreen (all overlayed with that super-smooth HTC Sense UI).


A spokesman for unlocked-mobiles.com told T3: "The HTC Desire S is now on sale and stock is selling fast - we had an unprecedented level of pre-orders for this new HTC - it's looking as popular as the original Desire already."


We were enamoured with the original HTC Desire, which picked up the Phone of the Year Award at the 2010 T3 Gadget Awards. Can its baby brother hold onto the crown in the face of competition from the Samsung Galaxy S2, LG Optimus 3D and Sony Xperia Play? Check out our full, hands-on HTC Desire S review for the T3 verdict.

Find What Your Friends Like on Google with +1A new Google service looks like it could completely change the way we look for sites on the world’s largest search engine.

The idea is called Google +1 and it is going to work a bit like the Facebook option to “like” something. As you look at the results which pop up on screen you can add the +1 symbol to anything which you want to recommend to your friends,

It is possible that the activity on this feature will be added in the Google search algorithm at some point in the future but at the moment putting a +1 next to the search results won’t affect the order in which sites get ranked. What it will do is put your name next to the site when one of your contacts makes a search for this type of site.

The contacts that will see your likes are those which Google can take from your Gmail account, Buzz and Reader. One possible use is where you want to recommend something to a friend but either you don’t have the full details with you or they don’t have any way of noting down the full address. Just tell me what to search under on Google and then they can look out for your name next to the recommended site.

If you want to give Google +1 a try then you will either need to wait until it is released or else go to google.com/experimental. Once there you can click on the option to join in on the current trial.

iVIP, a brand for the rich and famous, have launched a range of iPhone 4 smartphones that would make Kanye West with his gold teeth look like a tramp. Prices start off at a somewhat meek £2,000, I say meek because the prices top out at £1 million in the standard range with customised versions costing even more.

They are available in 24 carat gold, platinum and of course covered in diamonds (if you like that sort of thing). The phones can only be purchased by owners of the iVIP iPhone app, which doesn’t come cheap either. In fact the site doesn’t even have a price list for the iPhone’s, many of the comments on the page ask for some where as others sensibly point out “if you have to ask then you probably can’t afford one anyway”.

You may have heard of the iVIP apps that unlock exclusive venues and deals for the millionaires amongst you. The app comes in a number of flavours with the range topping one costing £599 – this sets off a partnership between iVIP and the app owner who provides proof of earnings in return for planning of their wealthy lifestyle – sounds a bit crazy but is no doubt popular with the rich and famous.

For their ‘investment’ users receive perks such as free champagne on arrival, butlers, offers, entry to VIP events and more – surely millionaires can afford these types of things anyway?

Do you know anyone with an iVIP app or fancy an iPhone 4 encrusted with diamonds?

Remember Google Buzz? Could Google be doing it again? This time, the Big G is aping Facebook's "Like" button. The new "+1" feature lets punters using search boost up stories or sites they like. You'll need to be logged in to do it, and you'll also see what you Google Contacts mates, chat buddies and (soon) Twitter contacts have been bigging up. Thoughts?

Radioplayer – Freeview for radio – launches in the UK today. It's an online service that offers all BBC radio stations and most stations via one handy portal. Starting with 150 UK radio stations with a further 150 local and community stations preparing to join, it comes with a search engine, personalisation option, and a granny-friendly ability to let users scroll and “tune in” the station of their choice.

Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play gaming smartphone will go on sale on the 1st of April at Carphone Warehouse. Honest, this isn’t an April Fool. Check out our hands-on video for full details on the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) PlayStation-buttoned handset. The Sony Xperia Play is £515 SIM-free.

Xbox 360 discs will soon be granted a greater storage capacity. Thats' the word from Eurogamer, which reckons the dual-layer DVD format (currently partitioned to 6.8GB) will soon max out at a tot under 8GB. The extra 15 per cent of storage will grant developers welcome space to upgrade weak security, cut down glitches and ultimately build bigger, better games. Beta testing is underway, according to the unnamed sources. All just in time for Gears of War 3. Perfect.

Back on Monday when Apple released the details of 2011's WWDC event we at Pocket-lint ran a story stating that the Cupertino giant would no doubt be announcing the iPhone 5 during the event's opening keynote.

After all, Apple is a creature of habit and has announced the last three iterations of its mobile phone handset at the event in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

And, although the invite did quote Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing as saying: "At this year’s conference we are going to unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS," leading to doubts from the likes of Jim Dalrymple from The Loop that any new hardware release would be mentioned, we still weren't convinced.

After all, Apple is hardly likely to send out invites saying: "Come take a look at the iPhone 5" and the future of iOS is surely going to have the next-gen iPhone at its core.

But the evidence against the traditional June iPhone launch being scrapped seems to be mounting up now. And none more so than a report on a Japanese website which claims that Apple has not yet put in the orders to its Chinese manufacturing partners with regards to a new handset - something it surely would have done if a June launch was still on the cards.

The suggestion now seems to be that Apple will wait until its new financial year at the end of September before releasing any new mobile toys.

But it's not all doom and gloom fanboys. Oh no. For you see, September could yet prove to be a bumper iDevice month with not only an iPhone 5 hitting the Apple Store but possibly an iPad 3 as well (as previously reported on Pocket-lint). Or, if not an iPad 3, at least an updated version of the sequel that hit UK shops last week.

And both devices will come packing the cloudtastic iOS 5 that is due to be shown off in June at WWDC. Exciting stuff, we're sure you'll agree.

Saying at that, we still wouldn't be surprised to see Jobs take the stage on 6 June with a shiny new iPhone in his hand.....

Jörg Sprave builds slingshots. Jörg Sprave presents his creations on The Slingshot Channel. We're scared of Jörg Sprave.

Not only has Jörg shown you how to build a slingshot out of an old Christmas tree, fired eggs into the far distance for Easter, and shown us around his slingshot collection (including one with a telescopic sight), but he's now built a device that can fire machetes. Yep. Machetes.

His latest elongated effort can catapult a slightly-modified machete at such a rate of knots that it will happily plunge deep into thick card.

As The Slingshot Channel states: "The result is actually pretty impressive: The weapon sent the machete all the way up to the hilt into six layers of very thick cardboard. Try to do that by throwing a machete! No way."

However, even the operator is in peril with such a fearsome creation, as Jörg proves during the clip by showing off his bloodied arm: "Now a machete is a very heavy weapon, and strong rubber plus a very long draw was called for," says the channel. "This had to be a slingshot crossbow because the rubber had to be so strong that you can not draw it out with one hand. Also the danger of hitting your hand had to be considered."

And it is because of this that Jörg himself tells us "don't try this at home".

We don't think there's any chance of that.

Crikey.

Casio G-Shock fans are in for a tech treat as the popular watch series is all set for a 21st century injection.

Over at the BaselWorld watch expo in Switzerland the Japanese company was showing off a Bluetooth enabled G-Shock, one that will capable of hooking up with your mobile to let you know about incoming calls, messages and alerts.

And, not just any old Bluetooth, but Bluetooth 4.0, with its low energy capabilities. Meaning your G-Shock shouldn't suffer any serious battery issues.

Plus, the watch still meets Casio's high G-Shock standards. "All of our G-Shock Premium watches have to pass the Triple 10 test," Casio designer designer Hiroaki Kubo told Wired.

"That means a 10 foot drop, 10 bar water resistance and 10 year battery life. In fact this one can withstand 20 bar water pressure.

"We use a mix of plastic resin and steel and to achieve the strength. Solar panels help to recharge the battery so you won't have to replace it, which also helps it to be more waterproof because you do not need to open it."

The Casio Bluetooth G-Shock is expected to hit the shops before 2012 comes around - discussions with smartphone manufacturers are currently ongoing.

You know these days, whenever anyone mentions the words “poached eggs”, all I can think off is the Angry Birds stage. I can’t help it, everywhere you turn, you see things that have to do with Angry Birds, ranging from movie trailers to backpack clips.

Well, the PoachPod is definitely useful if you’re a fan of poached eggs, as it is touted to offer you the best DIY poached eggs in town, and for just £4.99 to boot! Getting the right amount of heat is an art form and a delicate operation, requiring precise timing and perfect temperature water, although all of the planets need not be aligned.

With the PoachPod, it is a snap – all you need to do is crack an egg into a flexible silicone mold, where you can let it bob about on the surface of gently boiling water for just a few minutes. Whenever it is ready to serve, all you need to do is run a spoon around the inside and turn it out for perfection.

Amazon thinks that the future of computing lies in cloud storage, and hence has announced a trio of new services – Cloud Drive, Cloud Player for Web and Cloud Player for Android. Basically, any one of the three allows you to buy anywhere, play your tunes anywhere while making sure your digital music collection remains in a centralized place.

Of course, you can always do it the old fashioned way, which is to start in humble beginnings with 5GB of free Cloud Drive storage, and if you like it enough and feel that life is incomplete without cloud storage, then proceed and make that upgrade move to 20GB of free storage space with the purchase of any MP3 album.

Basically, these services let customers securely store music in the cloud, and they are able to access it at any time of their convenience to play back on any Android phone, Android tablet, Mac or PC. Apart from that, customers are also able to easily upload their music library to Amazon Cloud Drive, and are able to save any new Amazon MP3 purchases straight to their Amazon Cloud Drive for free.

This means you no longer need to go through the hassle of moving music around to different devices, and it eliminates the use of flash drives and cables in the process. To sweeten the deal, all new Amazon MP3 purchases are saved directly to Cloud Drive, where they are stored for free and will not count against a customer’s storage quota.

Of course, there is also the issue of security – well, we’re pleased to say that as a customer, you need not worry about losing your music collection to a hard drive crash ever again. All of your digital music files are securely stored on Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), where each file will be uploaded to Cloud Drive in its original bit rate. Apart from that, you can also purchase your music anywhere, safe in the knowledge that your MP3s are safely stored in Cloud Drive and accessible from any device.

TomTom has just announced that they will make available a trio of new 5″ navigation devices for those who need a professional GPS navigation system. We’re talking about the TomTom PRO 7150, PRO 9150 and PRO 7150 TRUCK, where all three of them were specially designed to deliver bottom-line benefits for businesses and the larger display are which makes it a whole lot easier for users to operate.

According to Thomas Schmidt, Managing Director of TomTom Business Solutions, “The larger display makes the driver’s job of managing his order and communicating back to the office even easier, while also increasing the sizes of the navigation screen itself.”

These latest editions will come with a 5” fluid touch screen display that will be able to offer a clear view on what is ahead, followed by easy interaction with the WORKsmart functionality. Apart from delivering the smartest routes, the PRO series will also be part of the WORKsmart solution that will allow mileage registration, time registration and job status reports amongst others.

Additional features include efficient driving with IQ Routes and Eco Routes, Safe driving with Advanced Lane Guidance, text-to-speech and hands-free calling. It is also a snap to find your way around Europe with the richest map for 45 European countries.

If you want to be part of the WORKsmart solution, the PRO series is able to enable vehicle tracking, job dispatch, time management, carbon & fuel management and management reporting. Not only that, it will be able to offer access to LIVE Services including HD Traffic. If your organization decides on the PRO 7150 TRUCK, it will offer a truck-specific routing algorithm and height, width and weight restrictions on the map for 15 European countries. Pricing depends on the model, of course, with the PRO 9150 being the most expensive among the three at 429 Euros, while the PRO 7150 and PRO 7150 TRUCK are going for 359 and 399 Euros, respectively.

NASA has announced that 3D cameras will not be used on its Mars Rover, despite James Cameron developing the technology for the space group.

In a statement NASA revealed that it will be sticking to its tried-and-tested Mast Camera (MastCam) instrument that's already on the vehicle and won't be messing around with 3D.

Although this has undoubtedly come as a disappointment to Cameron, who was busy developing a new MastCam which could cope with 3D, the director does note that some other features he has been working on will be used eventually.

Curious and curiouser

"While Curiosity won't benefit from the 3D motion imaging that the zooms enable, I'm certain that this technology will play an important role in future missions," said Cameron.

"In the meantime, we're certainly going to make the most of our cameras that are working so well on Curiosity right now."

Curiosity is due to land on Mars August 2012, where it will be part of a two-year mission to examine whether there's any life, or if there has ever been life there.

Unfortunately, if there are any Little Green Men we won't see them in 3D - unless Cameron decides to build himself a rocket out of his Avatar billions and shoot the Red Planet himself.

Nokia has issued a letter to developers outlining the future for Symbian and Windows Phone 7 - and it seems the Finnish firm is a long way from being settled on a strategy.

The Symbian platform will keep getting the same handsets planned for 2011 and 2012, which is what Nokia is calling 'its transition period'.

That transition is defined later on in the letter as the point where Nokia is looking to get as many customers onto Windows Phone 7 as possible:

"Our intention is that when users come to the end of the natural lifecycle of their Symbian device they will make the change to a Nokia Windows Phone device and so it would not be in our interests to undermine their Nokia smartphone experience."

Support

"Operators have also been very supportive in their commitment to help us continue to sell and support Symbian devices while we make the transition to Windows Phone."

However, the next crop of Symbian-based smartphones will still have a fair bit of gumption about them, with Nokia promising "GHz+ processing capabilities and faster graphics speeds" as well as "the first major update [arriving] in summer, delivering a new home screen, new flexible widgets, new icons, a faster browser, new Navbar and a fresh look and feel to Ovi Store and Ovi Maps, including integration of social media services in Ovi Maps."

The lights are dimming

But the writing is starkly inscribed on the wall for Symbian - Nokia's plan is only to push it in the markets where it is already strong (ie China, Turkey, Russia etc) and also while it works on getting Windows Phone 7 ready for territories where it still is incompatible:

"For that reason certain markets will play a more significant role in selling the 150 million Symbian devices than others and we will be selling devices long after Windows Phone devices from Nokia have already started to appear in other markets.

"That is why we cannot give you the date when Symbian will no longer be supported."

The full letter is published here if you want to read all about Nokia's promises over Symbian and the QT development platform - if you're a die-hard Symbian fan, we should warn you it won't fill you with massive hope...

Android 3.0 is here, and it's a stunner.

Released only for the Motorola Xoom tablet so far, the new operating system, which started life on Android smartphones but is now formatted for the larger touchscreen, will eventually make its way onto the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 as well as other tablets from big manufacturers like Acer, HTC, Dell, Asus, LG, MSI and Toshiba.

Google's improved operating system boasts a number of upgrades that could give the iPad 2's operating system, iOS 4.3, a run for its money.

Android 3.0 release date

The Android 3.0 release date is currently unclear. The Motorola Xoom is already out in the US, although other hardware manufacturers say they're still waiting for Google to give them the all-clear to put their devices on the shelves.

Needless to say, the official, final release is just weeks away. And when that day comes, expect to see a flood of Android 3.0 tablets explode onto the market.

In 2008, we sat down with Erick Tseng, then a senior product manager at Google and the main point of contact for Android OS, for an article on Google research projects.

Curiously, Tseng never mentioned tablets, but he did talk about a new operating system that could work on many different types of computing devices. Tseng had an Android prototype phone he let us view over his shoulder.


Android 3.0 is an open source project helmed by Google. From all reports, the company doesn't make a great income from the operating system and plans to derive revenue the way they always do: from ads that appear when you search.

Developers gain full access to the code base and searchable documentation.

One of the main issues with Android early on was that the code is flexible enough to run on a variety of devices but the interface is designed for smartphones. Android 3.0 makes better use of the screen size for tablets.

For example, Gmail on a smartphone runs best in a vertical orientation so you can quickly scan through emails. On a tablet, Android 3.0 provides a way for the email client to run with your messages on the left and a preview pane on the right.

android 3.0 gmailSee full size image

Android 3.0 mostly accommodates the screen size, but there are a few times when the operating system could have been reformatted better, or when apps still run in a smartphone mode.

Compared to iOS 4.3, which is running on the iPad 2, Android 3.0 is much more streamlined for tablets. There are pop-overs, like a thumbnail view that shows you a preview of open apps, and the settings and status overlays are decidedly more advanced.

android settingsSee full size image

Also, Android 3.0 taps into the power of the Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor for showing videos, letting you flip quickly through photos and album covers, and playing games.

Google is committed to the platform. Even in the first week after the release of the Motorola Xoom, the company released a new version that works with Adobe Flash, even before that software update became available

A leaked screenshot has revealed a tiny snippet more about Microsoft's forthcoming new operating system Windows 8.

The screenshot, from Win7China.com, shows the system restore for Windows 8, showing options for System Restore.

Those options offer restore to a fixed point in time or to factory settings – the latter being an already revealed new Windows 8 feature.

Fresh start

Being able to bring your computer back to the point just after Windows 8 was installed – albeit with your data present and correct is obviously an attractive option for many.

This would, of course, let you go back to a point before any malware found its way onto your system (as well as bloatware, dodgy drivers and file opening rubbish that you needed for one use).

Or simply allow you a nice clean, happy OS to start to hack away at again.

Microsoft is hoping that Windows 8 – which is considered much more of an incremental upgrade than a step change (as Windows 7 was to Vista) – can curry the same critical acclaim and public support as its predecessor.

TechRadar has already revealed that PC gaming will be a key focal point in the next-generation operating system, but it will by no means be the only improvement.

This neatly-done poster from French blog NoWhereElse highlights all the rumors surrounding iPhone 5 which is expected to launch around September. Bigger screen, higher-resolution camera, 3D support.. the wish-list is endless. Thanks GottaBeMobile for the tip.

Samsung’s Galaxy S 4G is the latest iteration of Samsung’s best-selling phone, delivering Android 2.2.1 Froyo  along with a shot of T-Mobile’s HSPA+ speed. Still, with dual-core Android phones – including Samsung’s own Galaxy S II – looking to dominate the high-end market in 2011, is 4G enough to keep things flying? Android Community took a look at the Galaxy S 4G to find out.
On the plus side, it’s a lightweight, reasonably inexpensive and highly usable device, with Android Community reckoning that Samsung’s TouchWiz UI grows on you the more time you spend with it. As for negatives, it’s an aging design and its 1GHz Hummingbird processor is outclassed by the dual-cores we’re seeing of late.

4G speeds vary widely, and while Verizon’s LTE may be faster in our experience than T-Mobile’s HSPA+, it all depends on whether you have coverage of either. In the end, the Galaxy S 4G is a known quantity, though not necessarily any worse for that; for the full run-down check out the Android Community review

News of a new Nokia device has leaked, courtesy of the OVI Publisher tools, the Nokia T7-00. The first of what would be a new line of nomenclature for the company, while it’s tempting to think that “T” stands for “Tablet”, unfortunately that doesn’t seem particularly likely; well, not unless you like your slates particularly low-resolution.
In fact, the T7-00 gets its mention under Symbian^3 devices, and in among the handsets with 360 x 640 resolution displays. That means it’s running the same OS and has the same resolution as the N8 and C7; there’s also a mention of the still-unconfirmed Nokia E6-00, complete with a 640 x 480 resolution display.

So, a new range of devices but no indication as to what segment the TSeries might target. Plus still no sign of the much-rumored Nokia tablet. The company has promised 150m more Symbian device sales in 2011.

ASUS has officially launched its first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, a 10.1-inch slate promising up to 16hrs runtime when used with the battery-toting keyboard dock. Running Honeycomb on NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 processor and fronted by a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 IPS touchscreen display, the Transformer has a pair of cameras and optional 3G connectivity.
There’s a 5-megapixel camera on the back and a 1.3-megapixel webcam up front; meanwhile inside there’s 16GB or 32GB of storage, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and all the usual sensors: accelerometer, GPS, digital compass, etc. The slate’s internal battery is good for 9.5hrs alone, but ASUS has sensibly used the keyboard attachment to boost that by a further 6.5hrs; you also get a touchpad, 3.5mm audio jack, two USB ports and an SD card reader. We can’t help but wish Acer had packed a battery into their Iconia Tab W500 keyboard slice too.

Unfortunately there’s still no sign of official pricing, though there’s the hint of a €399 ($565) sticker from a European retailer last week. We’ll find out more at ASUS’ official Eee Pad Transformer launch event next week, which will give us a chance to check out the differences between the prototype we played with earlier in the year and the final model.
Press Release:

    ASUS Introduces the Eee Pad Transformer

    – Innovation meets Versatility as ASUS launches the Eee Pad Transformer TF101 tablet with a unique expandable keyboard docking station –

    Fremont, CA (March 25, 2011) – ASUS is excited to announce the launch* of the Eee Pad Transformer, the best tablet choice for users looking for media consumption and mobile productivity in an elegant yet versatile design. The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer features the powerful and responsive Android 3.0 operating system, an optional expandable keyboard docking station, and ASUS’ intuitive Waveshare user interface that results in an exciting portable tablet for content creation, social communication, high-definition media playback and smooth realistic game play.

    Exciting mini-cinema entertainment on-the-go
    Powered by the NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 dual-core processor, the Transformer browses the web at blazing speeds, providing snappier response times and excellent multi-tasking performance. An IPS (in-plane switching) Panel made from durable and scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass is viewable at angles up to 178°, perfect for sharing your favorite photos, web pages, work documents and more with co-workers, friends or family next you or across the room. The 10.1” IPS panel features LED backlighting that provides brilliant and vivid colors at a 1280×800 resolution, perfect for viewing high-definition movies and other media content.

    Built-in SRS Sound technology provides a dynamic 3D stereo audio experience, with maximum bass response and a wide sound field from the discrete speakers housed in a thin 0.51” thick chassis that only weighs 1.49lbs. A 1.2MP front-facing camera is perfect for video conferencing while the rear-facing 5MP camera can shoot and record HD video, which can be played back on HDTVs via the mini HDMI output port, making the Eee Pad Transformer a true mobile entertainment device.

    Transform from pad to notebook mode with optional keyboard docking station
    The Transformer sets itself apart from other tablets on the market by featuring an optional docking station. This unique docking station provides access to a full QWERTY keyboard along with unique Android Function keys, instantly turning the Transformer into a mobile content creation device.

    A touchpad, 3.5mm audio jack, two USB ports as well as a built-in SD Card reader for easy file sharing and storage expandability makes the Transformer a versatile media hub. The docking station also extends the Transformer’s 9.5 hours** of battery life up to 16 hours**, so users can use it all day for work or play. In addition, the ultra-convenient ASUS WebStorage* with one year of unlimited storage space provides worry-free cloud computing.

    Android 3.0 OS melds with ASUS’ Waveshare UI for a unique user experience
    Google’s Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) is a revolutionary operating system specially designed and optimized for tablets, which enables users a rich web experience for on-the-go web browsing, social media activities, video playback and casual gaming. Supporting Adobe® Flash® 10.2*** and the ever growing Android Market, media entertainment is just a finger swipe away. The convenient ASUS Launcher also allows users to easily launch software, manage content and access online services and connect devices with a few simple taps, while ASUS’ Waveshare Interface hosts a variety of unique applications* such as MyNet, MyLibrary, MyCloud and more.

    MyNet easily streams digital media wirelessly within home network devices so HD videos or music can be played on devices such as an HDTV or desktop PCs for an even better experience from the Transformer. MyLibrary consolidates downloaded books, magazines and newspapers in to one easy to browse profile while MyCloud is a total cloud solution, providing access to digital content such as music, videos and files from the cloud anywhere, anytime. Users can even use MyCloud to remotely access and control any PC or Mac system and access applications or files to extend the versatility of the Eee Pad Transformer experience.

We’ve already compared the original AT&T iPhone 4 to the newly announced Verizon iPhone 4, but that’s not the whole story. If you’ll recall, Verizon had a press conference last week during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where the wireless carrier unveiled a plethora of new devices. Two of the bigger names were from HTC and Motorola, which unveiled the ThunderBolt and Bionic, respectively. But, how do they compare to the iPhone 4?
We already know the iPhone 4′s feature set: a 3.5-inch display, with Apple’s Retina Display. It has Apple’s A4 processor inside, clocked at 1GHz. And it’s running Apple’s latest version of iOS, which now includes multitasking in Apple’s creative fashion. However, the device does not feature 4G LTE, as many had imagined it would. There is a section in the settings of the device that will let you turn on a 3G mobile hotspot feature. The Verizon iPhone 4 will have 16GB or 32GB of memory for apps, videos, games, and music. On the back, a 5MP camera will let you take high resolution images and video. On the front, a VGA camera.
So, what about the HTC ThunderBolt? HTC announced the device, saying that it will indeed connect to Verizon’s 4G LTE network. It has a 4.3-inch display. And there’s a 1GHz processor under the hood that’s not dual-core. There’s an 8MP camera on the back, and a 1.3MP on the front. And as far as memory goes, HTC’s included 8GB of internal storage, with the option of adding more via a microSD card up to 32GB.
And then there’s the Bionic from Motorola. It, too, has a 4.3-inch display, but with a higher resolution thanks to the qHD display. Under the hood, we’ll find a dual-core processor clocked at 1GHz. There is 512MB of RAM, and 16GB of on board storage. On the back, there’s an 8MP camera, and on the front a VGA variation.

There are a lot of deciding factors when it comes to any device. More than that, it will always come down to personal preference. Apple’s iOS mobile Operating System will appeal more to some customers, less to others. While Android may attract a flock, and push away a crowd. But, what’s for certain, is that Verizon obviously has a huge push in the handset market right now, and they’re attacking it with vigor. With the three devices listed above, and including the Samsung 4G LTE-enabled device also coming soon, Verizon is staking their claim.

So, let us know what you want. Is your next phone going to be the iPhone 4? Or will either of these other recently announced devices steal your attention from it?

Samsung has been on a roll this past week, with the ultra-slim Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1 tablets finally bringing some serious competition – in specs, design and price – to the iPad 2, and helping the company dominate the news cycle at CTIA 2011. Samsung also brought along the Galaxy S II to the show, and our sibling site Android Community grabbed some hands-on time with the dual-core smartphone.
As we found back in our initial hands-on with the Galaxy S II back at MWC 2011 last month, the 8.49mm smartphone certainly makes a great first-impression, with its huge 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display and pair of 8-megapixel and 2-megapixel cameras. A familiar face walked Android Community through the key features, as you can see in the video below.

There’s also a full demonstration of TouchWiz 4.0, complete with new Live Tile widgets, new gestures and more. The phone itself is expected to drop in Q2 2011, pricing to be confirmed.

Apple's 2011 Macbook Pro laptops retain the sleek, beautifully engineered aluminium bodies and excellent screens of their predecessors, but this new model leaves a lot to be desired.

In fact, little has actually changed – it looks the same as the previous model. The one we looked at is the 13in one with a 2.7GHz Core i7 processor and 4GB of memory, at almost £1,300 the second-cheapest in the range (a 13in model with a slower processor is £999).

This Macbook Pro model makes use of integrated graphics so there is no dedicated graphics card; instead the graphics are produced by the main processor. Though the Core i7 processor has dedicated graphics hardware it's still not as powerful as a separate graphics card. What would make this laptop faster and better is the inclusion of a dedicated card such as the ones on its more expensive siblings.

Performance was impressive, but for £1,300 (£50 more than before) we think it should be even faster.

Apple has a history of adding strange ports and sockets to its computers before they are found elsewhere. The new one here is called Thunderbolt and designed for high-speed data transfer. It's fast but few other products currently support it.

It uses the same socket on the new Macbook Pro as the Displayport connection for attaching a monitor, another Apple addition that's rarely seen elsewhere. Adapters are available to convert the socket for attaching a DVI or VGA screen.

On the same side of the case there are a Firewire socket, two USB 2 ports and an SD memory card slot. It's a shame the computer didn't come with the faster USB 3 sockets, and another strange omission is Blu-ray.

While Blu-ray drives, for storage and watching high-definition films, are becoming more common on Windows laptops, no Apple product has one, which is a shame given the high quality of this computer's screen. There is also a 500GB hard disk and a new high-definition webcam.

Like all Mac computers this one runs the Apple Mac OS operating system, not Microsoft's Windows. This means Windows programs won't work with it, but it comes with the excellent iLife software suite for editing photos, videos and music.

There is a lot to like about the Macbook Pro, such as the large and responsive glass touchpad that supports a range of gestures such as pinching to zoom and a three-finger swipe for navigating through web pages. The backlight of the keyboard changes depending on the light conditions of the room it's in, making typing in the dark much easier.

Our main problem with the Macbook Pro is something that commonly affects Apple products: it's very expensive. For £11 less than the Macbook Pro's price we found a 13in Sony Vaio S laptop with same processor, Windows 7, a larger hard disk, more memory, Blu-ray and a graphics card. A Vaio with a similar specification to the Macbook costs around £1,000. But of course neither include Mac OS or iLife, which accounts for a lot of the difference.

Our recommendation would be that the big screen of the 15in model makes it a better choice for films and games, while the cheaper, less-powerful 13in model is better for less power-hungry users. This model in-between is a bit of a disappointment.

Audio Cleaning Lab from Magix is a good way to clean up old recordings, and this latest version includes new features that will appeal to both beginners and more experienced users.

Unlike programs such as Rescue Your Video and Tapes (click here to read our review) it's software-only, with no kit to connect your tape or record player, so you have to connect these yourself to the computer's sound inputs.

To help first-time users the program starts by launching into its new Intelligent Start window that lists common tasks such as Restore Vinyl and Clean Tape. You are then prompted to start recording the record or tape before moving onto the next two steps, Cleaning and Mastering.

Cleaning focuses on the removal of specific flaws, such as scratches or hissing noises, while Mastering provides an equaliser and other controls that can be used to improve overall sound quality.

There are many different options, but Audio Cleaning Lab remembers the task you chose in the Intelligent Start window and will automatically offer suitable preset options such as ‘tape hiss removal' or ‘remove crackling' for vinyl recordings – the latter worked a treat on an old 12in version of Chain Reaction by Diana Ross.

There is also a more advanced option available called Spectral Cleaning. This displays audio files as a ‘spectrogram' in which different frequencies are shown in different colours. Major flaws will show up in a different colour from the rest of the recording, allowing the user to isolate those flaws and remove them without affecting other frequencies in the recording.

This was a bit tricky, but if you have time on your hands to go through some trial and error on your saved recordings it will work better.

Fortunately, the basic preset options were more straightforward and should cope with the more general crackling and hissing noises that tend to affect old records and tapes, making Audio Cleaning Lab a good investment for anyone that has a big collection of old recordings they want to preserve in digital format.

Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/review/2036771/magix-audio-cleaning-lab-deluxe#ixzz1HkRmRBRS
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Q You recently explained how to disable Microsoft Word's overtype mode.

However, I have a different type of overtyping request: I have to edit documents from others and have a need to strike out certain words with a dashed line.

The idea is that the original word would remain in place but struck out, with my suggested replacement alongside. This would allow the original author to see both words and choose which one he or she wishes to use. Is this possible? I'm using Word 2003.
David Boswell

A What you want to achieve is easy in Word. First, click and drag to select the relevant word or text passage. Now right-click and click Font on the pop-up menu.

In the Font dialogue box, click to place a tick in the Strikethrough box and then click OK. To remove a strikethrough from some text, just reverse this process.

However, if dealing with large numbers of revisions on a regular basis, then this would be an inefficient way to proceed.

Instead, take a look at Word's built-in reviewing tools. To enable them in Word 2003, open the Tools menu and choose Track Changes. Notice that the TRK legend in the status bar at the bottom of the Word window is no longer greyed out: this means Word is now tracking any changes made to the document.

To further explore how this feature works, click View, point to Toolbars and then click to enable the Reviewing toolbar.

Now use the dropdown menu on the left-hand side of the Reviewing toolbar to switch between the original document and the final version, with your changes in place.

Intenet Explorer is in a curious position of being the most used web browser but also one of the most criticised. Internet Explorer 9 is a big step in the right direction with improvements to performance and interface design.

Sadly there is also a disappointment in that it is only available for Windows Vista and 7, there is no official version for Windows XP. XP users might want to look to one of the alternatives – such as Firefox, Chrome or Opera – for a boost in performance.

The most obvious change on starting Internet Explorer 9 is that all of the browser controls are now on single line, leaving a lot more space for web pages.

Putting tabs and the address bar on the same line does mean that it is often hard to see the whole web address. That is rarely a problem but it would be better if Internet Explorer followed the example of Opera. Opera shows the basic website without the rest of the link unless you click in the address bar itself.

The address box also doubles as search, which should help to remove some confusion when you are using the browser.

We also think Internet Explorer could do a much better job of showing when it is connected to a secure site. As the picture below shows other browsers do a better job of making this clear compared to the small padlock in the Internet Explorer address bar.

how-different-browsers-show-secure-connections

Tabs have been much improved and it is now as quick to open tabs as other browser, a source of much frustration in previous versions. The default tab view is now a list of frequently visited websites in the style of Opera or Chrome. There is also a link to InPrivate browsing when Internet Explorer will not keep a record of your browsing.

Overall performance in webpages (how Internet Explorer handles Javascript, the programming language used in pages) has been significantly improved as you can see on our blog post comparing the performance of Internet Explorer with Firefox and Chrome.

Downloads are also handled much better. The old information bar notification of downloads has been replaced by a bigger bar at the bottom of the window. Once you get used to the new position it is much easier to spot. There are more options of what to do with downloads including one to save and open. This prevents the problem of the download being saved to a hard-to-find temporary folder and then getting lost.

There is now a proper download manager as well. This has a search box that will filter downloads by name and publisher.

Uninstalling Windows programs isn't as straightforward as it should be.  Programs seem to have a way of leaving bits of themselves all over the place, clogging up the PC and eventually slowing it down.  In this Back to Basics article we will look at why this happens and explain the most effective methods for removing unwanted programs.  The problem with uninstalling files The way Windows is built does not encourage tidy installations. By the same token, getting rid of old or otherwise unwanted programs requires a certain amount of clearing. The majority of Windows programs, for example, create a folder for themselves inside C:\Program Files\ and then one or more sub-folders inside that.  So far, so good. Unfortunately, at the same time they spray bits of themselves into other folders where Windows keeps the different libraries and other supporting components it needs to make everything work together properly.  As well as this new programs will also usually make changes to the Windows Registry, a kind of database where all kinds of important settings are stored.  The upshot of all this is that while it is possible to right-click a folder where a program was installed and choose Delete, this will leave lots of stuff behind. So how do you get rid of a program you don't need any more?  Install and uninstall tools As well as the setup wizard that takes you through the installation in step-by-step fashion, well-behaved programs come with another program that handles the uninstalling process.  Most of the time this will be available from the All Programs menu. Just click the Start button followed by All Programs, find the entry that corresponds to the program you want to remove, click on it and look for an Uninstall or Remove option. It may be hidden in a sub-menu.  If you find the entry, click it and follow the instructions. First, though, close any other running programs to avoid any conflicts.  Sometimes a program will not include the option to uninstall it directly on the menu. Instead, it will be hidden away in the folder where the program was installed. To check, use Windows Explorer to open the Program Files folder and look in there for the relevant application's installation folder.  Once inside, have a look around for a program file called something like ‘uninstall', ‘uninstaller', ‘uninst' or even ‘remove'. Then double-click it. If in doubt, check the help file that came with the program (by pressing F1, typically) or the website of the company that wrote the program.

Samsung unveiled its next generation high-end Galaxy series smartphone - Galaxy S II GT-I9100 at the Mobile World Congress 2011 last month in Barcelona, Spain. This new Galaxy S II GT-I9100 has a dual-core Samsung Exynos 4210 SoC processor and flaunts a gorgeous 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. Samsung would be introducing a substitute of Galaxy S II with model number GT-I9103 which will have Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. It is expected to sport Super Clear LCD display, reported Samsung Hub.

Samsung is expected to introduce a Galaxy S II variant with a different processor and screen technology. The Galaxy S II specifications page itself notes that the Exynos processor may not be applicable to some regions. Call it dearth of Exynos CPUs or different strategy, the Galaxy S II variant with model number GT-I9103 is close to reality. The Galaxy S II GT-I9103 will have dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and will sport Super Clear LCD display. At this moment, it's unsure whether this model would have more differences compared to the original Galaxy S II GT-I9100 model. Lately, Samsung has quietly introduced the Galaxy S LCD 4GB (GT-I9003) in India to meet up the popularity and demand of the Galaxy S (GT-I9003). The new Galaxy S LCD is basically a toned down version of Galaxy S with Super Clear LCD, a different processor as well as graphics and a couple of other differences. Hence, there's a price difference between both the models. You may read our review of Galaxy S LCD 4GB GT-I9003 here to know more about it. 

We expect Samsung to make an announcement regarding the Galaxy S II in India by next month. Let's hope that Samsung introduces both Galaxy S II models at the same time or at least with a short time gap between them.

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t’s obviously the morning for Android tablet listings; we’ve seen the Dell Streak 7 WiFi pop up on Amazon, and now Toshiba’s 10.1-inch Android tablet has been spotted staking out its online retail space. The Tegra 2 powered slate – which we grabbed some fleeting hands-on time with back at CES – also gets a long list of specifications, including HDMI, a full-sized USB 2.0 port and twin cameras.Up front there’s a 2-megapixel webcam for video calls, while on the back is a 5-megapixel camera for photos and video. Connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth – no sign of 3G in the Amazon listing – as well as a mini USB, full-sized SD card reader and a 3.5mm headphone socket. GPS, an accelerometer and digital compass are all included.

The rubberized back covers are user-interchangeable, as is the battery, and Toshiba is readying a docking station with extra ports. No word on pricing or availability, but previous leaks suggested it might arrive in June.

The latest Apple software update, iOS 4.3, was released only a week or so ago and yet there seem to be a few issues with the new operating system. We have already reported on some graphics issues for the iPod touch 4th generation and now it seems some users are reporting a worsened battery life on various iOS devices.

The iOS 4.3 update introduced new features such as new iTunes Home Sharing, updated AirPlay, faster Safari and the addition of Personal Hotspot. OSM’s Tim Ollason also informed readers how to enable multitasking gestures on iOS 4.3 for the iPad 2. Mark Gurman over on 9to5Mac reports though on how the update also seems to have introduced a subpar battery life, with many of the sites’ readers reporting that battery performance was “drastically” worse and one saying that it “will even randomly drop 15-20%.”It’s not clear yet just what is causing the problem but it could be because the speedier Safari uses more processing power, hence battery juice. A poll on 9to5Mac shows that a huge number, 72.9% at present, say that their battery life has worsened following the 4.3 update. Steve Mayo over on AllNewsMac reports on Apple’s Discussion Forums being filled with comments about the battery issue and points out that a similar problem happened after the iOS 4 update was issued in July 2010, which Apple solved shortly afterwards.

We’d like to hear from you if you have noticed any battery life issues since the iOS 4.3 update and on what devices? Let us know with your comments please.