Is Apple really prepping a games console?

Is Apple really prepping a games console?

Trademark filing leads to some serious speculation

Of all the months of the year, January is typically the one when rumours about new tech products keep the internet humming. That's probably something to do with the CES show and speculation surrounding it, both before and after.

Among the most creative we've come across recently is a suggestion by respected technology website TG Daily that a recent Apple trademark filing suggests the company could be planning to re-enter the console gaming market.

No more Mac

That idea comes from Apple's multiple applications in various territories to have the term 'OS X' protected. That's notable because it doesn't include the word 'Mac'.

The thinking goes something like this – Apple is weakening the connection between OS X and Mac simply because the operating system powers platforms other than computers.

Play for games

That includes just the iPhone and iPod touch at the minute, but could equally apply to a future console or any other domestic device that needs an OS.

Since Apple is clearly intent on making the iPhone a powerful gaming device and will therefore have both the games and an online delivery system (the App Store), why not speculate that it could try to make a play for some of the cash Nintendo and Sony are raking in?

While we like the idea that anyone would challenge the current console giants, it's hard to believe that Apple will do so anytime soon.

Pippin redux?

Anyone with an unhealthy knowledge of the history of home gaming will know that Apple has already tried and failed spectacularly with something called the Pippin in 1995.

Still, Apple rarely does exactly what we expect, so we're not ruling anything out at this stage. Just don't read too much into this little bit of speculation.

World exclusive: Toshiba on the future of XDE DVD upscaling tech

World exclusive: Toshiba on the future of XDE DVD upscaling tech

Next-gen kit plans revealed

With decades of experience in home entertainment technology, Toshiba continues to claim a spot in the AV limelight. Even after withdrawing from the hi-def player battle last year, it recently added a whole new level of energy to the perennial debate about picture quality with the introduction of XDE (eXtended Detail Enhancement) picture processing to standard definition DVD.

Its debut XD-E500 player shocked many by actually living up to the hype which preceded it. The evidence was onscreen for all to see. Toshiba's engineers had indeed found a way to squeeze a pinch more clarity out of regular DVDs. The critics raved and sales have been good.

Some have purchased the player to enjoy a performance boost while sitting out the early days of Blu-ray and/or the credit crunch, yet more probably bought into the concept simply because it made their existing DVD collections look better.

Why Apple is in safe hands with Tim Cook

Why Apple is in safe hands with Tim Cook

"No other executive touches as much of Apple as Cook"

He wears blue jeans and trainers. He's a workaholic. He's incredibly intelligent, doesn't miss a detail, and can destroy you with a single question.

He's had a brush with mortality. He's intensely private. He eats, sleeps and breathes Apple. Does Tim Cook remind you of anybody?

He may not have Steve Jobs' fearsome temper or quick sarcasm - his sense of humour is bone dry and he's more likely to disarm you with his slow, southern drawl than go ballistic - but like Jobs, Tim Cook is a force to be reckoned with.

The former Compaq and IBM executive joined Apple in 1998 with the job of sorting out Apple's manufacturing and distribution. To say he sorted things out would be an understatement. Cook has slashed Apple's costs and turned it into an intensely profitable moneymaking machine - and the magical appearance of new products when Steve Jobs says "boom" is entirely his doing.

He's also overseen some exceptionally smart deals that made Apple's competitors weep, such as pre-ordering enough flash memory in 2005 to corner the market for at least five years, and he's the man who hammers out iPhone deals with phone companies.

Cook may not have Jobs' eye for design, but there's no doubt that he shares Jobs' attitudes. When the new MacBooks were unveiled in October, Cook listed six reasons for Apple's ever-growing Mac sales: better computers, better software, compatibility through Boot Camp and virtualisation - "when I look at this, frankly, it sends a shiver up my spine," he drawled, as an image of an iMac running Windows appeared behind him - Vista's woes, marketing and retail stores.

As Apple watcher John Gruber noted at the time, "What does not appear on that list is price... Cook's list isn't marketing bullshit - it's an accurate, succinct description of Apple's computer business." As Gruber points out, Cook summed up the entire Apple Special Event - and Apple itself - in just five words: "We don't compromise on quality."

Outside Apple, Cook is on the board of Nike, munches energy bars, is a huge fan of Lance Armstrong and spends most of his free time hiking, biking or in the gym. After a health scare in 1996 - he was wrongly diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis - he began competing in cycling events to raise money for MS, and apparently gives away most of his money. He also funds a scholarship at Auburn University, where he did his engineering degree.

So what will Apple be like under his leadership? For a while at least, it'll be exactly the same: Cook has been running most of Apple for several years as Jobs' right-hand man, and was in charge of the entire company while Jobs recovered from surgery in 2004. As Fortune notes, "the heads of important departments like legal, finance, design and marketing report direct to Jobs. But no other executive touches as much of Apple as Cook."

With Cook running the ship and Jonathan Ive taking care of design, Steve Jobs is leaving Apple in very capable hands.

HDTV no good for those with poor eyesight

HDTV no good for those with poor eyesight

Opticians state what to many seems blindingly obvious

Those viewers with poor eyesight might not be getting the benefits of HDTV, according to latest reports from opticians.

The Telegraph reports this week that: "Many consumers are wasting hundreds of pounds on HD equipment when they may as well be viewing a conventional screens," it is claimed.

The report cites a survey for Vision Express that claims 60 per cent of Britons have not had an eye test in the past year.

Colour us cynical

Which sounds suspiciously like one of those 'specially commissioned' surveys that is designed to perfectly promote the company's PR line (colour us cynical, if you will!).

"Even a marginally short-sighted person sitting on a sofa watching an HD broadcast may not see the full benefits in enhanced image quality," according to Vision Express optician Phillip Hyde.

"A small change in prescription can potentially make a big change in the quality of the picture that you see. If you're investing in HDTV, you ought to have your eyes checked to make sure you get the full benefit."

Vison Express's chief exec Bryan Margrath took the rare opportunity to promote his eye-test in the national press, by sapiently adding: "We're living in high-definition age and we should do all that we can to make sure that our eyesight matches up."

Stating the obvious award

"If awards were given out for stating the bleeding obvious, this 'revelation' would be top of the list," said Jake Day-Williams, editor of What Video & Hi-Def TV magazine.

"What next? Mr Sheen highlighting how Full HD isn't worth bothering with unless owners utilise its polish every day to get rid of dust?

"This is undoubtedly a cunning marketing ploy on VisionExpress' part and has nothing to do with the advantages of HD. And clearly it's worked as we're all talking about it."

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Apple's Stock: How Big of a 'Jobs Premium'?

Analysts have confidence the company's shares can hold up, but retail investors may have a different feeling about an Apple without Steve Jobs

Now that Apple (AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs is taking a medical leave of absence through the end of June, will shareholders lose the "Jobs premium" they've enjoyed for so many years?

Amid concerns about the CEO's health, as well as the ability of recession-stressed consumers to continue buying Apple's iPhones, iPods, and Macintosh PCs, some of that premium was already eroding before Wednesday's announcement. Several analysts who spoke late Wednesday expressed confidence that Apple's shares will hold up, and they said they have faith in Jobs' executive team. But it remains to be seen whether retail investors will agree or vote with their feet and send the stock plummeting.

Apple's shares closed at 85.33 on Wednesday before the news broke. Shares fell sharply in after-hours trading, dropping by as much as 10%. As of 8 p.m. the stock was trading at 79.30, down 7%.

So how much has Jobs been worth to Apple's stock? Rick Hanna, an analyst with Morningstar (MORN) in Chicago, figures that Apple was trading 10% to 15% higher because of Jobs' leadership and skills. Graham Tanaka, president of Tanaka Capital Management, believes the stock's 10% drop after the company's announcement basically erased that benefit. Andy Hargreaves, an analyst with Portland (Ore.)-based Pacific Crest Securities, says that a year ago when Apple shares were changing hands at about 170 each, that premium was probably around 20% to 25%. Already, Apple's share price had fallen from an all-time closing high of 199.83 on Dec. 28, 2007. (The shares cracked $202 in intraday trading a day earlier.)

"Pretty Big Shoes"

Despite the uncertainty over whether Jobs will return, many analysts are sticking with their favorable recommendations. "The stock is not trading at much of a premium to its cash earnings—it's now at eight or nine times cash," says analyst Shannon Cross of Cross Research in Livingston, N.J., who is keeping her buy opinion on the stock. "This is something the market will have to digest," she says. "And hopefully he'll come back in June."

Says Hargreaves: "Anybody that's been buying that stock over the last six months knows that his health was a big concern and that it was very possible that he could leave in the near future."

Even with Jobs on medical leave, "our strong buy opinion reflects the potential we see for new products to spur sales, tempered by our projection of a downturn in gross margin trends and potential for consumer electronics demand to moderate with the U.S. economy," says Tom Smith, who follows the stock for Standard & Poor's Equity Research (which, like BusinessWeek, is owned by The McGraw-Hill Companies—MHP). Smith is keeping his 12-month price target of 127.

Analysts praise the executives who have been handling Apple's day-to-day operations and overseeing new product launches, including Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, who will take over for Jobs. Apple "is not just about Steve Jobs, but about his vision, which others in the company implement," says Tanaka, who owns shares.

Still, Morningstar's Hanna worries Apple's management won't have the same chutzpah to seek out new opportunities and execute them, and then market them with the same zeal as Jobs. "He leaves pretty big shoes to fill, if that's the case," he says.

At the very least, Jobs' leave of absence will give investors the chance to face up to his inevitable departure, whenever that day comes, Hanna says. "That may be healthy for the stock in general, instead of trading on emotion," he says.

The Real Cost of Delaying Digital TV

Mobile-phone service providers and TV networks may suffer the most from a prolonged delay in the planned transition to digital television signals

The transition team for President-elect Barack Obama wants Congress to push back a planned changeover to digital television. The delay, Obama's team argues, would give consumers more time to get ready for the switch, now scheduled for Feb. 17.

But analysts say a prolonged delay could also be bad news for the wireless service providers who plan to use the airwaves that will be freed up as a result of the change. It may also put a damper on plans by broadcasters to air popular programming once TV signals have gone digital and viewers have done away with outmoded TVs that only pick up analog signals.

Concern over a delay gathered steam on Jan. 8 when John Podesta, co-chair of the Obama transition team, sent a letter to Congress saying the government's funding of the switch from analog to digital TV broadcasts was "woefully inadequate," and urging Congress to delay the transition to ensure consumers can receive new digital broadcasts.

Waiting List for Converter-Box Coupons

Mobile-phone service providers have a lot riding on the transition. Industry leaders including AT&T (T) and Verizon Wireless, owned by Verizon Communications (VZ) and Vodafone Group (VOD) have spent billions of dollars on the airwaves that will be freed up when the transition happens and intend to use that spectrum to provide advanced services, including Web surfing and mobile video. While the services aren't scheduled to go live immediately after the transition, an extended delay could prove problematic. "Every day they can't roll out the system affects when they can bring [new products] to market," says Tim Bajarin, president of industry researcher Creative Strategies

As the nation prepares to switch entirely to digital TV broadcasts, consumers with older, analog TV sets will need to buy special converter boxes that can turn the new digital signals into analog ones their sets can pick up. The boxes cost $40 to $80, and Congress had allocated $1.34 billion in government funding to supply consumers who don't have cable or satellite television service, or newer digital TVs, with $40 coupons to buy the converter boxes in stores.

That money has run out, though, and more than 1 million consumers are on a waiting list for the coupons, Podesta wrote in his letter to congressional Commerce Committee leaders. By February, the number could reach 5 million. "During the transition, we have discovered major difficulties in the preparation" for the switchover, Podesta said. "These weaknesses mean major problems for consumers."

Nielsen: 6.8% of TV Households Aren't Ready

The Obama Administration argues that many Americans, particularly in low-income and rural households, won't be ready for the conversion until Congress allocates more money for new coupons. Consumers Union, publisher of the nonprofit Consumer Reports, has also asked the government to push back the deadline. As of December, 6.8% of U.S. households with TVs weren't ready for the transition, according to market researcher Nielsen.

TV broadcasters could also suffer as a result of the delay, analysts say. Networks have pushed back the broadcasts and promotions of certain shows, such as new episodes of popular series, to March, to take advantage of the excitement around the digital switch, says Nielsen Senior Vice-President Patricia McDonough. "That cycle has already been changed, and can't be changed back," she says.

Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst at Leichtman Research Group, which advises companies on digital television markets, estimates that the demise of analog TV could be postponed by two to four months as a result of Podesta's letter. That, he says, wouldn't be devastating for many companies.

However long the delay, if it comes, Congress will have to pick a new changeover date that will cause the least disruption for viewers—for example, after the NCAA basketball tournament, which airs in March. The government also needs to do a better job educating consumers about the converter-box coupons and the changeover in general, analysts say. Many consumers are unaware of the boxes, and believe they need to buy a new TV. "There's still a lot of confusion," says Creative Strategies' Bajarin. "The real solution for this is for the government to be much more aggressive in getting the message out."

What Yahoo Needs from Bartz Right Now

A clear identity for starters. But can the new CEO's "adult supervision" steer the beleaguered tech giant into taking more crucial next steps?

With a new chief executive chosen from well outside its decaying orbit, Yahoo (YHOO) now has one last chance to salvage itself from a slow spiral into irrelevance. On Jan. 13, the struggling Internet icon appointed Carol Bartz, the executive chairman and former CEO of computer design software firm Autodesk (ADSK), to succeed co-founder Jerry Yang at Yahoo's helm.

In her first public statements on behalf of the company, on a brief conference call with analysts, Bartz's no-nonsense style shone through. She noted that Yahoo is a strong company that "frankly needs a little management" and said she would take some time to talk with her staff before announcing any plans for what Yahoo should do from here on out. Bartz will still have Yang's counsel in his longtime strategy-setting role as Chief Yahoo, but Yahoo President Sue Decker, who was a top internal candidate for the CEO spot, will leave the company

For her part, Bartz will need a little educating. It's not that most people question her management prowess or her drive to succeed amid huge obstacles. She joined Autodesk as CEO 14 years ago and almost immediately got a diagnosis of breast cancer, returning to work while still in recovery. She also joined a company where she wasn't exactly embraced by the engineers but managed to expand the product line so Autodesk is now a $1.5 billion enterprise, while cutting costs early in the 2001 downturn to keep the business above water.

What Is Yahoo's Niche?

Bartz, however, has no Internet or media experience, so she probably won't change Yahoo's direction on a dime. She'll not only have to figure out Yahoo's operations but also learn where Yahoo fits into a still fast-changing Internet media world. "It will likely take months for her to learn the Internet business and how Yahoo actually works before she can develop an effective new strategy," Bernstein Research analyst Jeffrey Lindsay said in a note to clients.

Observers have no shortage of ideas for what she should do next. None of this advice, it should be said, is something Bartz has asked for outside the company. Indeed, Bartz put it in no uncertain terms that she wouldn't be hurried before she had a chance to examine operations more closely. "Let's give this company some friggin' breathing room," she declared in the conference call.

But investors, advertisers, and employees won't give her unlimited time to decide Yahoo's next steps. Here are five ideas that smart folks are hoping will get Yahoo back on track once and for all. Not all of them are entirely new, but they're all more relevant than ever as Yahoo stares down restless investors, weary employees, and a declining economy that is now taking a heavy toll on Internet advertising.

• Focus, focus, focus. For the past year or so, Yang and Decker have repeated the mantra that Yahoo aims to be the first stop online for consumers and advertisers alike. But that amorphous vision has never resonated with many people outside the company. "They need someone to lead a redefinition of where they want to be, where their strengths are," says Bill Coleman, CEO of software maker Cassatt and a former colleague of Bartz at Sun Microsystems (JAVA).

Management will also need to end debate over whether Yahoo is a tech company or a media company, as many analysts and investors keep wondering. It simply has to be both, just as successful companies such as Google (GOOG) and Amazon.com (AMZN) are. The bigger imperative is to define what makes Yahoo special.

More than anything, Yahoo's uniqueness lies in its unmatched collection of curated media properties, from Finance to Sports, that have large, loyal, and distinct audiences that advertisers still love. That message has gotten lost in Yahoo's fitful attempts to be a search engine, a social network, and other flavors of the month. And Yahoo's leadership needs to focus on more than just message, but also make hard decisions about what not to do anymore—perhaps its international operations, maybe even search. "We expect Yahoo to reduce the number of operations it has" to focus on what it does best, says Scott Kessler, an analyst at Standard & Poor's, which, like BusinessWeek, is a unit of The McGraw-Hill Cos. (MHP).

• Nuke the current management structure once and for all. Although former CEO Terry Semel was credited with turning Yahoo around in its youth, he helped create a "matrix" management system that required ideas to be vetted by many managers, slowing new services and making few people truly accountable for particular projects. Despite repeated vows to get rid of the matrix and constant reorganizations of management, that hasn't happened. "They need one person in charge to coordinate what they do," says Autodesk CEO Carl Bass.

And Bass and others think that's precisely what Bartz can do. "She has a forceful ability to make decisions, and that's a talent Yahoo needs," says Neil Sims, managing director at the executive search firm Boyden Global Executive Search.

• Free the techies. There are still many talented engineers and programmers among Yahoo's more than 10,000 employees. Many frequently mention being shackled by that pesky management structure, which is true enough. But at the same time, engineers always need focus, and nowhere more than at Yahoo. Too many times they've come up with services, such as the Yahoo 360 social network, that look cool but go nowhere because they don't work as well as simpler services, such as Facebook. At Autodesk, Bartz "got various engineering groups to work together," says Gartner (IT) analyst Allen Weiner. "She brings adult supervision to Yahoo."

• Dial up Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to talk about a deal. No, not for the whole company. That's not going to happen because Microsoft no longer wants to do it, and Yahoo will never sell out for anything close to its current stock price. Nor, in some people's estimation, is selling off the search business a great idea. Yahoo would be unwise to sever search, given the growing, potentially lucrative connections between search advertising and the display variety that are Yahoo's strength. Rivals Google and Microsoft (MSFT) are busily devising ways to tap those connections better.

A better choice, says S&P's Kessler, would be to forge a joint venture that combines Yahoo's and Microsoft's search businesses into one but gives both a stake in the operation. This is something others, such as Silicon Alley Insider's Henry Blodget, have been advocating for a long time, too. The advantages: no huge cash outlay, no huge integration issues, and a Yahoo board likely to be much more open to such a deal.

• Nail the next generation of online display advertising. APT, Yahoo's latest attempt to automate the placement of display ads, is a start, but it hasn't yet come close to the ease of placing search ads. Because Yahoo is the clear leader in display ads, and advertisers clearly want it to succeed to provide richer venues for their marketing messages, it's in a unique position to be the leader.

Indeed, the entire advertising industry is desperately looking for what new ad formats will give them a way to do branding as effectively as Google's ads work for direct-response marketing. No one yet has sure answers. But if anyone can come up with them, it should be Yahoo, whose considerable experience in search, banner, and video ads—combined with unmatched relationships with advertisers and agencies—gives it a golden opportunity. Bartz must figure out how to seize it. One promising avenue: Corral Yahoo's many social networking efforts into something more coherent that will provide a way for marketers to forge deeper connections with consumers—in other words, steal a march on Facebook.

No doubt the new CEO will have her own ideas. And no doubt investors weary of Yahoo's struggles will welcome almost anything Bartz does that changes the status quo. "Given the recent stagnation at Yahoo, we think almost any movement from here will be forward," says UBS Investment Research (UBS) analyst Ben Schachter in a note to investors. But Bartz will have to move quickly to keep Yahoo from falling further behind.

A year in AV: Blu-ray won, Freesat launched, Sky went 3D

A year in AV: Blu-ray won, Freesat launched, Sky went 3D

A memorable year for AV

What a year it's been for the world of the home cinema enthusiast. The shady goings-on in the broadcast industry has meant that more often than not, the technology stories to hit the front page have been AV based.

Whether it's Sky falling out with Virgin Media, Freesat snapping up ex-satellite subscribers, or iTunes muscling in on the world of movie downloads, never have so many companies got down and dirty in the fight for viewing figures.

So with this in mind and with the end of 2008 approaching fast, we thought it best to take a look back at a year that started with a format war and ended in another dimension…

January

The year began with a bang with Warner deciding to show its allegiance to one HD format and backing Blu-ray. This meant that Toshiba's HD DVD press conference in CES was a little bit, er, frantic.

While all this was happening, Apple announced its latest version of AppleTV and unveiled its plans for movie domination, with the launch of its iTunes Movie Store.

February

HD DVD officially dies – Blu-ray is championed victor of the rather short-lived format war.

March

7Digital announces that it is to sell its Warner Music back catalogue completely free of DRM.

Panasonic decides to update its Viera line, with the rather impressive TX-LZD800. The plasma screen came in 32 and 37-inch sizes and boasted something called 100Hz Motion Picture Pro 2.

Not to be outdone, Loewe announced its Connect 37 DR+ LCD TV which came with built-in media streaming. Nice.

April

Tesco announces it is to launch a DRM-free music website, but can't quite get all the major music labels on board.

Pioneer and Panasonic shake hands in plasma deal, which sees the two companies share and share alike when it comes to TV technology.

Sony announces that it is to offer TVs with built-in Blu-ray players. So far, they still haven't materialised.

May

Freesat officially launches to much fanfare. Essentially the company is boasting that you can have free satellite, hence the Ronseal-esque name. All you need is a dish – which confuses a lot of consumers.

Sony's PlayTV is announced. Turn your PS3 into a PVR. No, we weren't excited either.

We were excited about super hi-vision, which debuted in Japan. Who said 1080p is the future? It looks positively opaque in comparison to super hi-vision.

Pioneer announces it's to release LCD TVs. Which doesn't sound that exciting, but it's a major step for a company who have always been seen to favour plasma technology.

June

The UK's iTunes Store gets movie downloads. Thanks for that Mr Jobs, it only took you, er, five months to sort out.

It was also a packed month for new TV tech. Philips announced its new range of 7603D Ambilight TVs. The range is so beautiful, that you'll spend more time looking at the frame than what's showing on the screen.

Mitsubishi also wowed the AV world with the launch of its first 3D TV.

July

Pioneer creates 400GB Blu-ray disc. This news is so important, so ground-breaking that it gets its own special slot in July.

Okay, we admit it, July was a stupidly slow month for AV news. It's bigger Blu-ray discs and that's your lot.

August

Moving swiftly to August, Sony launched its Bravia Z4500, EX1 and ZX1 tellies, but it was Toshiba who grabbed the biggest headline with the world's first upscaling HD TV. Well, it's not the world's first as all HD sets upscale, but the TV does boast about upscaling SD footage to near-HD quality. Nice.

September

September was the month of IFA 2008, this was where Samsung debuted something called UltraHD. The question remains, though, can our humble eyes take such clarity?

After being announced way back in May, PlayTV finally launched, which allows you to turn your PS3 into a… ah, we're bored just typing it.

September also saw the Freeview HD trials finish, with BBC successfully pushing HD content over DVB-T2. The results of which we should see in 2009.

In music download news 7Digital went completely DRM-free and RealDVD announces legal DVD ripping – only for it to be ripped away from them again.

October

Nintendo Wii got full-screen iPlayer access in October. This was a tad better than what Sky subscribers got – their iPlayer access turned out to be a rubbish hyperlink. Not that there's anything wrong with hyperlinking, as this marvellous article proves!

Panasonic sold its 300 millionth TV set and Sony announced the Blu-ray friendly Vaio TT-Series.

Not to be outdone Steve Jobs calls Blu-ray "a bag of hurt". This probably means that we won't see a blu-ray drive in a Mac any time soon.

November

Sky choose the wintry month of November to launch/re-launch its Sky Player service, which now includes live streaming. Theoretically it also means Sky for all, as you don't need a dish to watch Sky through the internet. You do have to pay, though – about the same as you would if you had a dish. Go figure.

YouTube also decided to go widescreen. There's not much else we can say about that.

December

Ex-Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq became the face of Blu-ray in December, offering slightly condescending advice to us all.

Denon announced that it is to sell a Blu-ray machine costing over £3,000, at the same time Woolworths went into meltdown (completely unrelated, of course.)

The UK also saw its first Digital IMAX launch, and a select few journalists were allowed to see into the future of AV, and that future is 3D. Sky 3D in fact. Funny that the future of AV is reliant on technology almost 80 years old, but there you go.

And finally, the good ol' workhorse that was the VHS finally died, after a slow and rather fuzzy death.

All that's left to say after that is: roll on 2009…

Nintendo Wii now in over 14 million European homes

Nintendo Wii now in over 14 million European homes

Nintendo DS also quite popular

Okay, that's it. The console war is over. Nintendo won, high definition gaming is rubbish, housewives and teenage girls are the new leet gamers. Males above the age of 21 should just take up angling before everyone else nicks all the best spots by the canal.

It's 2009 now, so console makers are just starting to gloat about their hardware sales for last year. Nintendo is leading by a considerable margin.

Full article

50 Greenest gadgets

50 Greenest gadgets

Start the year with an eco state of mind

Yes we've got more technology in our back pockets than NASA had when firing humans into space, but make no mistake, our power-sucking toys are draining the Earth's resources, filling the skies with pollutement and making puppies cry.

Full article

7 Days on the internet: the egos have landed

7 Days on the internet: the egos have landed

Biggest heads, best top 10s and a dash of news

Welcome to the inaugural 7 days on the internet feature from TechRadar, your weekly guide to all that's sizzling on the world wide web, with an hors d'ouevres of the most topical news, a seasoning of sarcasm and a soupcon of humour on the side.

Stuff that occured

It may be a bleak mid-winter as we trudge manfully through the snow and suicidal bankers muttering about lost bonuses, but if you want a genuinely British way to lift your spirits then the news is good. Why? I hear you cry, as you neatly sidestep the chancellor calling for you to go and spend your savings in Marks & Spencers. Because Monty Python has finally (officially) Hit YouTube.

Now you can (officially) enjoy such classics as the Ministry of Funny Walks, (legally) watch the dead parrot sketch and (not have to wait for the P2P download to) lap up the 100 metres for the directionally challenged.

And that's not the only way you can entertain yourself as you cut back on such frivolities as food and shelter, because Google has given us countless* hours of entertainment with a raft* of thrilling* announcements this week including (drum roll) themes for Gmail.

Now you can dress up your formerly perfectly functional and clean webmail with NINJAS! ZOOZIMPS! Err BUS STOP or our personal favourite 70s brown, or 'sunset' as Google call it. Can we stick a small wager on you opting for the theme called 'default'?

* caution may contain hyperbole

Someone commented on my piece about Dido's site being optimised for the iPhone that sticking the word 'bland' in the opening paragraph could be seen as judgemental editorialising in a news piece.

Two things. One, I'm not entirely aware that I did it, so I'm tentatively suggesting that my wordprocessor saw the words 'Dido album' and amended it and secondly isn't there some form of trade descriptions ruling on this?

Away from the world of, deep breath, Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong, Facebook has hit the headlines with the news that a juror held a poll on her page to see which way she should vote. Aside from how funny this is (and it did get picked up before a man was sent down/let off for his crimes/non-crimes) it started us wondering if a Digg system of votes would indeed be an effective method of justice. It would certainly make Big Brother more interesting if the least popular one was actually jailed on their exit from the house (and as for Davina…).

Last, and possibly least, comes the rumour that Microsoft is going to rebrand its Live search as 'Kumo' – which apparently means both 'cloud' and 'spider' in Japanese. We're not entirely sure how this works but this is the internet and the critical mass of more than five people have said it – which means it must be a fact. Just ask those people looking up their medications on Wikipedia. As an aside – this story carries the least interesting image ever used in the history of TechRadar.

7 biggest egos on the internet

After much rowing with T3 online who believe that big ego = famous, my personal view of the biggest web egos are:

5. Harry Knowles, Aintitcoolnews.com – Harry, we know you did good when you created a world-beating movie rumours site but do we really need an animated gif of you as a film character? Really?

4. Bloke from 'the best page in the universe' – "This page is about me and why everything I like is great. If you disagree with anything you find on this page, you are wrong." Kudos

3. Jason Calacanis Mahalo.com et al – "This is my blog, this is where I live. You should also listen to my podcast." Err, okay.

2. John Romero http://www.johnromero.com – Legendary egotist who famously threatened to make us all his bitch. Did co-create Doom in his defence however.

1. Martin Lewis http://www.moneysavingexpert.com – "Right everyone, I'm TV's thrift expert Martin Lewis and I need an icon for my site. Any suggestions. My face? Good. Make it happen."At this exact moment there are three images of Martin, one icon and a video - all on the front page.

10 top 10s that we didn't do on TechRadar* (from Digg)

Top 10 celebrities who play world of warcraft
10 Sarah Palin excuses for turkey slaughter
Top 10 signs you drink too much
Top 10 reasons George Lucas movies are so bad
Top 10 most pirated movies on BitTorrent
Top 10 amazing Biology Videos
Top 10 reasons why Kanye West is a douche
Top 10 things you can do with a DVD
Top 10 games on the Wii
The top 10 worst stepmother movies
*yet

Word of the week

Cyberchondriac – Reading up on your symptoms on the web and deciding you're dying of Ebola.

Three stories that amused me for the wrong reasons

Daily Mail – The Mafia gun disguised as a mobile phone. Yes – and if you lived in the 80s, when a phone that looked like that actually existed it would be really terrifying. If someone pulled that phone out I would be running well before I wondered if it was a 'cunningly' disguised gun. Opening line merits mention as well:

"It's the mobile phone that could leave you with more than a warm ear." Quite.

Reuters – Israelis develop software to improve your looks. Let's clarify this. It's a program that helps you alter photos of yourself to make you look better in pictures. Surely, I dunno, Adobe got there first with Photoshop.

The picture on this article is brilliant. Guess which is before and after.

BBC - The UK government is losing 53 computers a year – not amusing. But this sentence bears consideration: "A spokesman said all the incidents had been investigated and that all portable equipment was marked with an invisible dye to help deter or detect theft."

'Don't take that, it's got a security measure we can't see!'

Vodafone and Babelgum offer free mobile TV

Vodafone and Babelgum offer free mobile TV

Annoy your fellow com

muters with some well-worn TV clips

If you happen to be on the Vodafone network and use a N96, N95 and 6210 handset, you can get yourself some free mobile TV, courtesy of Babelgum.

Just don't expect the pick of last night's TV.

Full article

New Mac Mini based on Nvidia Ion chipset?

New Mac Mini based on Nvidia Ion chipset?

It could be a better Mini or it might be an Apple TV - who knows?

As rumours go, the suggestion of a revamped Mac Mini is just about the stalest one on our shelf right now, but at least we finally seem to be getting closer to the truth.

According to the usually reliable Tom's Hardware website, Nvidia has let slip that a new Mini will be available (probably around March) with guts based on the Nvidia Ion chipset.

World's smallest

As revealed at CES, the Ion platform is based on an Intel Atom 330 CPU and an Nvidia 9400M graphics processor. Together, they form what Nvidia calls, "the world's smallest, premium, visual computing PC."

Naturally, many are taking this rumour to mean that the Mac Mini will soon come in a smaller box than it does now, but it could equally lead to the conclusion that a new Apple TV is on the cards.

After all, one of the main draws of the Ion platform is that it can decode full 1080p high-definition video. Watch this space (if you can bear the tension).

Hard times lead AMD to slash workforce

Hard times lead AMD to slash workforce

Chipmaker cutting costs through job losses and more

Ahead of its earnings report next week, chipmaker AMD has reported that it will be cutting over 1,000 jobs from its workforce.

The move is no surprise, after Intel filed a huge drop in profits and in the context of AMD still paying for its costly takeover of ATI in 2006, but 1,100 job losses is still more than expected.

Pay cuts too

The company also announced pay cuts of up to 20 per cent and a suspension of contributions to employee retirement plans.

Still, there is hope for AMD, as the graphics-chip side of its business built on the ATI acquisition continues to grow. One analyst told Reuters:

"In fact graphics, which is 20 per cent of the business, is outperforming microprocessors. It's taken share from Nvidia in the last couple of quarters. I expect that to extend into the first half of 2009 despite the weak economy."

Microsoft also in trouble?

Meanwhile, Microsoft is rumoured to be considering even larger cuts to its workforce of 91,000 globally. Any news on that is also expected to become public next week.

10 cool Windows 7 tips, tweaks and secrets

10 cool Windows 7 tips, tweaks and secrets

Get more from Windows 7 with these handy nuggets of advice

Windows 7 is fast, stable and far more reliable than we'd expect from a first public beta.

And while it doesn't include major new features, take the time to explore and you'll find lots of useful changes that will make a real difference in how you use your PC.

Like any version of Windows there are various tips, tweaks and hacks you can perform to get your PC working the way you want it.

Here's our first guide on how to get the most from your Windows 7 installation.

1. Protect your MP3 files
Along with many good new features, the Windows 7 beta also includes a nasty bug. Its version of Windows Media Player 12 will automatically add missing metadata, including album art, and this can overwrite the first few seconds of the file. Oops. Installing an update may fix this (see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/961367) but it would be a very good idea to back up your MP3 files, too.

2. Right-click everything
At first glance Windows 7 bears a striking resemblance to Vista, but there's an easy way to begin spotting the differences - just right-click things.

Right-click an empty part of the desktop, for instance, and you'll find a menu entry to set your screen resolution. No need to go browsing through the display settings any more.

Right-click the Explorer icon on the taskbar for speedy access to common system folders: Documents, Pictures, the Windows folder, and more.

And if you don't plan on using Internet Explorer then you probably won't want its icon permanently displayed on the taskbar. Right-click the icon, select "Unpin this program from the taskbar", then go install Firefox, instead.

3. Fix the taskbar
The new Windows 7 taskbar acts as one big quick launch toolbar that can hold whatever program shortcuts you like (just right-click one and select Pin To Taskbar). And that's fine, except it does consume a little more screen real estate than we'd like. Shrink it to a more manageable size by right-clicking the Start orb, then Properties > Taskbar > Use small icons.

If you've no problem with the taskbar size, but find the way it combines icons to be confusing, then right-click the Start orb, click Properties > Taskbar and set "Taskbar buttons" to "Combine when taskbar is full" for a more familiar XP and Vista-style look.

4. Keyboard shortcuts
Windows 7 supports several useful new keyboard shortcuts.

Alt+P
Display/ hide the Explorer preview pane

Windows Logo+G
Display gadgets in front of other windows

Windows Logo++ (plus key)
Zoom in, where appropriate

Windows Logo+- (minus key)
Zoom out, where appropriate

Windows Logo+Up
Maximise the current window

Windows Logo+Down
Minimise the current window

Windows Logo+Left
Snap to the left hand side of the screen

Windows Logo+Right
Snap to the right hand side of the screen

Windows Logo+Home
Minimise/ restore everything except the current window

5. Customise UAC
Windows Vista's User Account Control was a good idea in practice, but poor implementation put many people off - it raised far too many alerts. Fortunately Windows 7 displays less warnings by default, and lets you further fine-tune UAC to suit your preferred balance between security and a pop-up free life (Start > Control Panel > Change User Account Control Settings).

6. Display your drives
Click Computer in Windows 7 and you might see a strange lack of drives, but don't panic, it's just Microsoft trying to be helpful: drives like memory card readers are no longer displayed if they're empty. We think it's an improvement, but if you disagree then launch Explorer, click Tools > Folder Options > View and clear "Hide empty drives in the computer folder" to get your empty drives back.

7. Burn images
Windows 7 finally introduces a feature that other operating systems have had for years - the ability to burn ISO images to CDs or DVDs. And it couldn't be much easier to use. Just double-click the ISO image, choose the drive with the blank disc, click Burn and watch as your disc is created.

8. Speedy video access
Want faster access to your Videos folder? Windows 7 now lets you add it to the Start menu. Just right-click the Start orb, click Properties > Start Menu > Customize, and set the Videos option to "Display as a link". If you've a TV tuner that works with Windows 7 then you'll appreciate the new option to display the Recorded TV folder on the Start menu, too.

9. Run web searches
The Windows 7 search tool can now be easily extended to search online resources, just as long as someone creates an appropriate search connector. To add Flickr support, say, visit I Started Something [http://www.istartedsomething.com/flickrsearch], click Download the Connector, choose the Open option and watch as it's downloaded (the file is tiny, it'll only take a moment). A "Flickr Search" option will be added to your Searches folder, and you'll be able to search images from your desktop.

10. Explore everywhere
Launch Paint or Wordpad and you'll immediately spot the new Office-style ribbon interface, a real improvement in what were very dated applets. But other improvements are a little less obvious. At first glance the Windows calculator looks much the same, for instance, but the Mode menu leads to powerful new Statistics and Programmer views. And if you're clueless about bitwise manipulation, then try the Options menu instead. This offers many different unit conversions (length, weight, volume and more), date calculations (how many days between two dates?), and spreadsheet-type templates to help you calculate vehicle mileage, mortgage rates and more. Be sure to explore every menu option in Calculator and all the other Windows applets to ensure you don't miss anything important.

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Now read Why Windows 7 should be a free upgrade

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Can GMX really improve on GMail's functionaility?

Can GMX really improve on GMail's functionaility?

Interview: Effective and community driven email the way to go says Eva Heil

Despite the lure of web 2.0 trinkets, email remains one of the web's killer apps. Gmail and Windows Live Hotmail might rule the roost at the moment, but they're not short of competitors.

GMX, owned by webhost 1&1, is one of those hoping to muscle in on the market and has just launched a UK-based arm. We spoke to Eva Heil, Managing Director of GMX, to ask her about her hopes for the service.

"It's certainly the case that GMX.co.uk is entering a highly developed market," she said. "However, we think that by virtue of its functionality, GMX.co.uk is a match for the major players."

And where does Heil feel the opportunity for GMX is? "Our research suggests that Britons are taking their personal email more seriously these days and are wanting an effective free email service that allows them to manage their various accounts easily without the gimmicks and distractions often involved with other free email services."

Of course, search is a big reason why so many people use Gmail. We asked Heil what plans GMX have in the area. "Searching in emails is definitely a standard functionality," she said. "As GMX offers the 'full package', search is certainly included. Currently we have some interesting additions to a basic search box in our pipeline, which we plan to release beginning of 2009."

But is it the case that Webmail providers will have to provide larger and larger amounts of storage to succeed? "Storage space is a popular criteria when choosing a service, so we will remain competitive in that respect."

"For a great many of users, however, 5GB is enough storage space – the organization of their email is where they become stressed. GMX is an excellent email client for email management and we think many Brits will prefer it."

We asked Heil how else she felt GMX could compete with GMail and Google's huge resources? "The current feature-set including file-storage is only the starting point. A key strength of GMX is its unique approach to developing products and its ability to launch new features in almost weekly release cycles."

"GMX is genuinely 'community-driven' – it's enhanced continually with our users' feedback. Over 500 user requests have been incorporated into today's GMX since January," added Heil. Also, our R&D uses innovative development technologies that are cost effective. For example, we use AJAX web 2.0 technology and a powerful new framework called Qooxdoo, which we are actively developing together with numerous voluntary developers all over the world.

"Over 10 years, we've gained over 11 million users throughout Europe, so GMX is high quality and reliable. Aspects like our very efficient SPAM protection will come as a pleasant surprise to new users.

Finally, we asked Heil where the webmail market will develop in five years time. "Email communication will still be one of the key applications, if not the most important, for Internet usage in general," she said. "However, free email services will also see a transformation over the coming years. The next generation email clients will have even greater personalization and collaboration features built-in to make email as effective and fun as possible."

Europe threatens Microsoft over IE again

Europe threatens Microsoft over IE again

Browser wars just won't go away as unfair practice claims come back

In a move that should surely surprise no one, the European Commission (EC) has renewed its assault on Microsoft and announced that it believes the US giant is still behaving anti-competitively.

Yesterday saw the EC renew its accusations that Microsoft is illegally preventing other companies from competing fairly against Internet Explorer by making the browser an integral part of Windows.

More money?

After paying over £600 million in fines to the EC already, Microsoft now has two months to respond or face yet another fine.

Whether that response includes "a remedy that would restore genuine consumer choice and enable competition on the merits" – as the EC demands – remains to be seen.

Microsoft, for its part, contends that it has already done everything necessary to compete fairly, after a 2002 US ruling imposed clear conditions that should allow the likes of Mozilla and Google to join the browser wars on an equal footing.