It's still two weeks away from going on sale but already key tech companies such as Apple and Nokia may have the Nexus 7 tablet lined up as a target in the patent wars that have plagued Googles Android operating system for some time now.
This week Apple won an injunction in the US against Samsungs Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet that will ban that particular Android tablet being sold there. It also sought an injunction against another popular Android device, Googles own Galaxy Nexus smartphone.
The patents being used are primarily targeted at aspects of the Android operating system itself, for example the slide to unlock and voice search patents strike right at the heart of googles os as does another Apple patent, already successfully used against a number of Android devices, concerning the ability of a device to act upon formatted data such as a telephone number in the context of an un formatted document such as a text message.
In basic terms it simply means that if your phone or tablet can receive emails or texts which contain a phone number or maybe an email address, and then opens up an app to process that data (for example if you click on a phone number and your device dials it, or if it opens an email application for you to send an email to a received email address) then it is violating this patent.
This patent can be applied to any device that runs Android because it is the operating system itself that handles the data and thus the operating system, Android, that is violating the patent. HTC already fell foul of this same patent earlier this year and Samsung, Apples biggest single Android rival, is currently also being sued over what is better known as "the data tapping patent". Make no mistake this is a key weapon in Apples ongoing battle against Android and there is no reason for it to let the Nexus 7 off the hook.
Apple have a history of targeting top manufacturers of Android devices, particularly those it feels threatened by, and the Nexus 7 tablet will undoubtedly become the subject of a lawsuit at some point unless Google have Apples agreement to use the patent, or of course unless Google has neutered this ability on the new tablet which is highly unlikely.
The question is when will Apple strike?
Will they wait a while until the tablet has a good number of users then claim based on widespread infringement or will they make a move sooner rather than later as they tried just days before the launch of the Galaxy S3 smartphone where they tried to add it to an existing court case but instead found they would have to bring a seperate case against it?
History would suggest that because it's not a direct competitor with an Apple product, except the iPad which is of course a tablet but aimed at a slightly different target audience than Googles budget priced tablet is, the company will wait a few months and concentrate on their other existing lawsuits before then freeing up some of their key legal personnel to concentrate on Google and the Nexus 7 tablet.
But what about other patents that may be used against the new tablet?
Nokia own some patents tht involve the use of wifi 802.11 and is already suing some Android manufacturers over the violation of these patents. Most companies simply licence the patent rights from Nokia however Nokia confirmed that neither Google nor Asus (who make the new Nexus tablet) have such a licence which means that they are open to being sued over them when the tablet hits retail outlets in next month.
Then of course there is Microsoft who have asserted a number of patents as being used in Android products without permission and which have led to a surprising number of manufacturers paying royalties to the company in order to avoid a costly legal battle which they could lose.
Microsoft have tablets coming out in the near future, Apple may have a mini ipad coming out and Nokia announced last month that they plan to bring out their own tablets so all three companies have not only the patents and finances for a large legal battle but the incentive to start one in order to protect their interests.
The Nexus 7 tablet faces the wrath of some of the tech industries wealthiest and most influential players, it would be nice to think they can come to an arrangement but in the case of at least one of these companies history shows this is unlikely and Google risks being singled out more than others thanks to it now encroaching on the tablet territory of players such as Apple.
If you have broadband at home you might also have thought about getting a new television that can take advantage of it. A lot of higher end tv's, and even one or two budget models from manufacturers such as Cello / Murphy, are smart tv's, meaning they can use the internet and come with apps installed just like your phone or tablet.
There are two problems though, first is price. The better smart tv's tend to be the more expensive and the budget models are usually smaller tv's (typically 32 inch models) with cheaper components and less choice of apps.
The second is lack of apps. A number of smart tv's now use the android operating system but of course you don't get to use the wide variety of apps from androids app market, the Play store. So you either keep your current tv or splash out on a smart one with either a small screen or a small range of apps.
There is of course a third way, make your tv smart. For the cost of a few dvd or bluray movies you can make any hdmi tv into such a smart one that even the smartest of the smart tv's would feel they were lacking features.
Products such as the MK802, an android computer with hdmi output and shoehorned into a casing the size of a small usb stick, and a myriad of android set top boxes are becoming increasingly popular. They give you access to most of the 600,000 android apps that are available, tuck nicely out of sight behind your tv, are remote controlled and make your tv into a fully fledged android machine.
Suddenly your tv can do all the things a top smart tv can, such as watch movies on netflix or go on facebook, but it can also play any media file that an android app supports (with no manufacturer restrictions), play android games, access the huge number of android apps available from the play store, become a workstation and much more. You can even control your previously "dumb" tv with your smartphone or tablet.
Imagine you want a smart tv, let's say around fourty inches. A quick google search reveals a lovely smart Samsung LED tv with full hd for four hundred and fourty nine pounds. It's cheap for a smart tv of that size but beyond your budget.
Then you see a non smart samsung, same size, a hundred pounds cheaper and a budget brand model that's two hundred pounds cheaper. You can save that money by buying the non smart tv you like and for under fifty pounds (if you go for the MK802 from a site such as this one) you can have your tv made super smart (well, maybe not smart enough to beat you at a game of Jeopardy but certainly smarter than a high end smart tv such as the £3,500 LC-80LE632U although to be fair that sets key feature is it's whopping eighty inch screen!).
Wait for the smart stick, or box, to arrive and connect it and voila you have a full featured android computer packed into your now smart tv. Now you can have smart tv on a budget, or just make your existing smart tv even smarter.
Imagine watching a film on your smart tv, streamed online from your favourite provider, then killing time with a few playstation games (using an emulator) on your smart tv, or relieving some stress with GTA III. Of course it does have the downside that your friends and family might take control to watch cat videos on youtube but then, if you wanted a break, you could always hide the youtube app.
So what specs do you look for in order to make your tv smart?
There are two main options right now an android stick with hdmi output, such as the MK802, or an actual set top box. The box will be larger allowing more room for heat generated by its internals to dissipate, and some have added usb ports and of course a power switch which the MK802 doesn't have but it's really a matter of personal choice as to which you prefer.
Ideally you want a box or stick running Android version 4.0 with 1 gigabyte of ram. Many offer just 512 mb ram, this will be fine for everyday use but if in the future you plan to play games on it you'll struggle to play some of them.
Don't be put off of products that only offer Android version 2.3 though, this uses a little less memory than the newer versions of the operating system and so a 512 mb product will still be more than enough for most needs and will save you even more money because older models are often less expensive.
That being said there is no reason to avoid a one gigabyte android 4.0 smart tv stick or box other than price, price difference between a 512 mb and 1 gigabyte product can be as little as five pounds so if possible always go for the best.
There is of course a wide variety of processors and gpu's to choose from, a wide range of cpu speeds too.
For an older os such as android 2.2 or 2.3 you will find that anything 700 mhz or higher is fine, even 600 mhz will be usable for everyday smart tv use, but don't go for less than 512 mb ram as there are models with as little as 256 mb and they will struggle to do some things and it will spoil the smart tv experience.
For android version 4.0 try getting a product with at least a 900 mhz or 1 gigahertz cpu and as much ram as possible, if you want to play higher end games get 1 gigabyte of ram. Processor wise most newer products use a Cortex A9 cpu with a mali 400 gpu, a good combination that will meet most needs very easily, a Via WM8710 1 ghz chipset (again good for everyday use but not as good for higher end games or for having lots of apps open simultaneously) or a RockChip RK2918 chipset with a 1 ghz Cortex A8 (again decent for most uses).
Ideally a product with the mali gpu, a 1 ghz cpu and at least 512 mb of ram is the sort of thing that will meet all possible needs and be somewhat future proof. The Mk802 has more support regarding software updates and is my personal choice, although the upcoming Pocket TV may be a better choice when it gets released later this year.
It has virtually identical specs to the MK802 but has a lot more ventilation, which should dissipate heat better, and some may prefer its wii like air remote to the fly remote typically found with the 802 and other android tv devices. Remember that you can use most android tv sticks or boxes with your existing pc mouse and keyboard or a wireless mouse and keyboard so if you are on a tight budget you can opt for a model that has no remote control and save money that you can put to good use elsewhere.
Whatever you do remember ventilation, these things can get hot after hours of use so you may want to go for something that has a lot of vents built into it. Do some looking around on google before you make a purchase though as there are some good deals to be had if you do some research first.
Some of the most revolutionary tech breakthroughs we think of as recent were actually made almost fourty years ago, long before you might think. From the mobile phone to the digital camera we take a look at some of those inventions....
In 1973 Motorola researcher Martin Cooper was watching an episode of Star Trek when the communicators they used gave him an idea, he decided Motorola would invent a wireless personal communicator that you could use anywhere.
In April 1973, after months of testing by Motorola engineers Cooper made the first ever mobile phone call, to a rival company, then spent ten years perfecting the device which was released as the first commercially available mobile phone, the DynaTAC, in 1983 with a charging time of ten hours. For that, and a $3,500 price tag, you got to talk to someone for half an hour.
Yes, back then being an early adopter was costly and not always useful. But in that respect times haven't changed, early Plasma tv's for example could cost upwards of $10,000 yet could break within months.
Fortunately for early adopters, or perhaps unfortunately depending on your point of view, the next invention of the modern age went almost three deacdes before becoming the popular enough for people to buy en masse.
In 1975 Kodak engineer Steve Sasson designed and built the first ever digital camera. It had a resolution of just 0.01 megapixels and took twenty three seconds to save the image to a cassette tape. This was the worlds first ever digital camera and it was a hefty eight pounds (nearly four kilograms).
Oddly enough the first picture taken with it was not the worlds first digital image. That honour falls to Russell Kirsch who, in 1957, used a drum scanner to scan a photograph of his three month old son and then store it electronically. It had just 30,976 pixels but it was the first instant of a digitally created image.
Intel, yes the now famous chip maker, made the worlds first single chip micro processor in 1970. Called the Intel 4004 it packed what was for the time a staggering 2,300 transistors, and as much computing power as early computer Eniac (which took up three thousand cubic feet of space) into a chip that measured just three by four millimetres. The 4004 started what we now think of as the age of the modern computer.
A year later IBM produced the first commercially available removeable storage medium for computers. Known as the floppy disk, this eight inch medium was reduced to five and a quarter inches a few years later and went on to be the storage medium of choice for decades, helping drive the home pc boom of the nineteen eighties and nineties with its ability to store and retrieve data quickly and reliably on a small portable medium that could be easily shared.
Of course many of these home pc's would be less useful without the now obligatory ethernet port (even today most computers and even laptops still have one built in). It became a standard when its inventor Robert Metcalfe left Xerox in 1979 to convince a number of companies including Intel and Xerox to push ethernet as an industry standard but was developed over a number of years during the mid nineteen seventies though officially the date of its invention is 1973.
What is ethernet? In case you really don't know this one it's best known today as the connection used for connecting modems and routers to computers but is specifically the hardware connection used to connect several computers together using the well known ethernet cable.
It was in the seventies, 1970 itself to be exact, that the modern lcd was made and patented. While lcd technology had been experimented with in the late nineteen sixties it was only in 1970 thanks to the work of James Fergason that the lcd display became a practical reality and in 1972 Westinghouse made the worlds first active matrix lcd display, the active matrix part refers to the addressing system used in modern lcd displays.
At the same time a number of other computer related inventions were made, such as the first laser printer in 1975 and the first inkjet printer in 1976, that would help "give birth" to the modern day home computer era we now enjoy.
And there we have it, the not so well known fact that the age of mobile phones, digital cameras and home computing actually began back in the nineteen seventies and, surprisingly, the very first all in one home computer (keyboard, storage and screen) is also from the same decade (it went on sale in January 1977) , that computer being Commodores PET which was followed six months later by the Apple II computer from, as the name suggests, Apple.
The early eight bit home computers gave rise to the worlds first sixteen bit home computer in 1979 helping to seal the nineteen seventies place in history as the start of the digital age we now live in and, of course, setting up the perfect future for what some lovingly call the geek.
Googles first foray into the tablet world is already causing a stir. The budget priced Nexus 7 features Nvidias quad core Tegra 3 cpu with and with its twelve core gpu (graphics processing unit) and one gigabyte of ram this will make the seven inch tablet an attractive purpose for both casual and gaming users.
The tablet, made for Google by Asus, features a seven inch 1280 by 800 resolution high definition IPS display and of course a front facing camera (1.2 megapixels may not be the best camera resolution but is fine for video chats and also suitable for use with facial recognition apps).
The new tablet will ship with the as yet unreleased new version of Android known as Jellybean (Android 4.1) and the inclusion of nfc, bluetooth and gps make this a very impressive tablet when you consider the price starts at just £150 for the version with eight gigabytes of storage. Yes, as you may have guessed the Nexus 7 does not have space for a memory card.
To price such a well spec'd tablet at such a budget price Google and Asus, who make the Nexus tablet for them, have had to find ways to save money and so the sd slot didn't make the cut.
Will a tablet with eight, or sixteen (if you buy the higher priced model), gigabytes of storage really be worth buying? For dedicated gamers maybe not, you can easily use up that much space installing games such as mass effect, deadspace, grand theft auto three and so on but for anyone other than hardcore gamers the answer is a definite yes.
First there is the size. A seven inch tablet is easy to hold in your hands, easy to carry with you (in a bag or case for example) and is the perfect size to use as an e-reader or browsing the internet. It's also great for gaming as, aside from the lack of storage, gaming on a seven inch tablet is actually quite an enjoyable experience and being small, but not too small, high def graphics squeezed onto a seven inch screen look stunning and of course thanks to a built in gyroscope and accelerometer you can also use it as a controller in some games.
For example in Asphalt your tablet can become the steering wheel of your in game car simply by moving in the direction of travel, as you would turn a steering wheel you just turn the tablet slightly and the car moves with you.
The target audience for Googles tablet will be those who might otherwise purchase tablets like the Kindle Fire but make no mistake they are not planning this to be just a glorified web browser and book reader.
The Nexus tablet is also intended to be used for casual gaming and streaming video (hence the reason why the Play store has just been updated to include tv shows as well as, for those who want to read on the go, magazines) and for satellite navigation (for which a seven inch screen comes in much more useful than those on most dedicated satellite navigation systems which tend to be a lot smaller).
Opinion is divided as to just how well the Nexus 7 tablet will sell but don't be surprised if it does a lot better than some pundits expect.
Why?
Android has a lot of users, those with phones (or more recently pocket tv devices such as the Mk802) but not tablets are more likely to get an android tablet if they choose to buy one because they are already used to the way it works and can use their apps on both phone and tablet.
It has a very hard to beat price. You just can't buy a similar size tablet with a quad core cpu, twelve core gpu, high definition ips screen, nfc, gps and bluetooth for a similar price. And when it goes on sale in the next few weeks (in UK, USA, Canada and Australia first, followed by more countries sometime after) it will also have the destinction of being the only Jellybean android available.
But the biggest reason this will do well is because it can be a jack of all trades, do them all equally well, satisfy the needs of most users and do so for the cost of a much lower spec product. This, coupled with Googles brand name and guaranteed system updates when new versions of Android are released, will make this the tablet of choice for a wide variety of people.
The thorn in Googles side, Apple, may have something to say about this though. Rumours continue to persist, as they have for months now, that the Cupertino company plan to release a seven inch ipad this year. There is no firm evidence of this other than mostly anonymous sources so it's far from certain to be true however if Apple ignore the advice of the late Steve Jobs, who said seven inch tablets were doomed to failure, and release a mini ipad at a similar price it could make things very tough for Apples rivals.
However releasing a budget priced mini ipad might also harm Apples status, the company is known for producing products that market at a notably higher price than its competitors which helps encourage an image of them as higher status items and entering the arena of budget tablets could damage this, perhaps tarnishing the air of prestige that many Apple owners associate with the company.
One thing is for sure, it's going to be a good year to buy your first tablet.
Some movie morsels for the hungry film fan, beginning with the return of evil little Chucky. Brad Dourif is back as the voice of Chucky in "Curse of Chucky". This time round Chucky wreaks havoc at a funeral in what will be a direct to dvd sequel and will be a throwback to the original trilogy, meaning more blood and less slapstick and, hopefully, a return to form for the doll we love to hate. Or should that be hate to love?
The first official trailer for Septembers Judge Dredd film starring Karl Urban and Lena Headey is now available to view on youtube. In it Dredd can be seen kicking butt and of course saying the words all childhood fans of the comic book hero want to hear "I AM the law". Looking to be one of the years more promising blockbuster movies this should keep action fans happy who, with the release in August of The Expendables 2, will no doubt be looking forward to this after having whet their appetite with Stallone and co's action packed adventure the month before.
Paul Verhoevens pet project "Jesus of Nazareth" now has funding and and a writer for the screenplay. Based on Verhoevens controversial 2010 book that portrays Jesus as a mortal human, rather than the son of god, the film will tell the story of the man rather than, as may be expected, the deity.
Already creating anger among Christians unhappy at the books release the film will no doubt cause a stir when it is finally released, although that will likely be in late 2013, which is a pity as an alternative take on the Jesus of the bible could be a refreshing change.
Following rumours of a big design change for the next iPhone, prompted by leaked photo's, an apple patent for a magnetic MagSafe style connector made in 2011, Apple advertising last year for staff to work on a new connector and a patent for a reduced size dock connector, it was "confirmed" this week by TechCrunch that Apples iPhone 5 connector will change from the current thirty pin standard to a new nineteen pin standard. There are other less well known pieces of evidence supporting the new connection as a reality, but we'll get to those later.
The possibility of such a drastic design change, going from thirty to nineteen pins, has understandably caused some disappointment among current iPhone owners because it means that every iPhone accessory ever made will be rendered unusable if they upgrade to the new iPhone when it is released later this year, but will they really be unusable?
There is an argument that iPhone 5 owners can continue using their current accessories by purchasing an adapter, rendering objections to the new interface mute, however in reality this is not quite the case thanks to two key issues.
First there is the problem of converting the inputs from thirty pins into just nineteen, however it's possible that Apple will bring out an official adapter (that is of course if it's possible to convert data from thirty pins into just nineteen) after all there is a micro usb connector for the current thirty pin port although it does not offer all the abilities that the standard Apple port offers.
Secondly is the issue that few people are discussing, the technology built into the new port that will reject un licenced accessories.
Based on recent patents and on some leaked information we know the new nineteen pin port will be similar to the MagSafe magnetic latch connection used in other Apple products.
According to engineers will feature chips on each end of the connection (one inside the iPhone and one inside the connecting cable) to verify licencing of the accessory connected. This is supported by a number of recent Apple patents and patent applications and will help protect Apples "Made For iPhone" licensing programme, ensuring only manufacturers who pay Apple can provide working iPhone 5 accessories.
This technology does indeed exist and in fact one Apple patent for ejectable component assemblies, in connection with other Apple patents such as the iWallet and more tellingly this patent on granting access to a device and its data using security coded magnetic connectors help support the claims that Apples standard connector will change and add new security features.
But how will this affect current iPhone owners who want to use their often expensive accessories with the latest and greatest model when it goes on sale?
Well, they may get a chance to use an adapter, which if priced similarly to the micro usb adapter provided in Europe would retail for around eight UK pounds (or thirteen US dollars). This may prove impossible for some accessories such as docking stations where the connection is also used to support the iPhone in situ but it would help calm the fears of those who wish to upgrade without losing the use of all their accessories.
But even if an adapter is made available there is the problem of an in cable licencing chip not allowing previous accessories to work because they won't be licenced with the new technology. In practice however that issue would be unlikely as Apple would no doubt allow licenced adapters to connect such accessories and have the adapter contain its own licence chip.
If the iPhone is to progress and keep up with its rivals it does need to make space inside of it for new electronics, such as an nfc chip or even a larger screen, and so inevitably the connection standard will have to change to something smaller to help accomodate these. Apple have not confirmed the connector change but then they do not usually confirm or deny speculation about their products, the fact they haven't denied this one though, given the bad feeling it's causing in a number of existing customers, is surprising as it's one they should really nip in the bud if not true.
That said there is a preponderance of supporting patent applications, notwithstanding the TechCrunch confirmation and other circumstantial evidence, that suggests the iPhone 5 really will feature a new type of docking connector.
Basic4android is a modern reworking of the original BASIC programming language specifically for Android devices. It uses easy to learn programming code, very similar to that of the original language and its successors, to help you write native Android applications.
The latest update to Basic4android was released today, introducing new programming methods and adding new keywords to make writing your own Android apps even easier.
The biggest change is the addition of support for class modules along with the inclusion of CallSubDelayed keywords for making interaction between services and activities even easier. If you want to know the exact details of what is new or improved check out B4A's forum thread or if you don't know what Basic4android is and want to find out, or want to get it for half price while you can, read on....
Basic, to many that word still conjures up memories of old school programming with BBC, Spectrum or Commodore computers and scouring through lines of "If then else" code or having to sit through another "hello world" example.
Most versions of the Basic language used interpreters, you would write some lines of code and the computer would interpret them and act on them. It was fun, easy to learn and meant you could write your own computer programs but also meant that because it was interpreted the resulting programs weren't as fast or powerful as native software written in machine code.
Step forward in time to the twenty first century and with the Android operating system being the most used OS for mobile devices Anywhere Software took the ease of Basic but threw away the interpreter.
Adding new commands and reworking old ones they came up with a new programming language called Basic4android that instead of needing an additional interpreter app on your Android would produce native apps without the programmer needing to learn java or understand the ins and outs of the eclipse ide used by many traditional developers.
The Basic4android IDE
The language itself is simple and easy to understand but, if you wish, you can delve deeper and do anything you can imagine with it. NASA, for example, use it to help monitor and control a fibre optic sensing system that has to monitor up to 16,000 inputs in real time and there are a large number of software developers (over 25,000) using it to produce their Android apps because it is fast, easy to learn and simplifies the process so that even new programmers can begin producing Android apps in just a few hours.
I have a bias towards B4A (Basic4android), my first app written with it was a gps program that showed your position in real time on a satellite image and it then reverse geocoded your location to give you a postal address.
It took around five hours to finish coding (learning the language as I went) and after spending a day or so rigorously testing the code I placed it on the Android Market (before it became the Play Store). It now has over 40,000 downloads and while that may not be much compared to big software companies it's still pretty good for a first app and shows how easy learning the language can be.
To program in Basic4android you need the ide from Anywhere Software, plus the free Android SDK and Java development environment. The ide (short for intergrated development environment) is simply a program you run on your pc that lets you type in the lines of code that tell your app what to do.
It allows you to write applications for Android that easily support multiple screen resolutions and gives your apps full access to the key areas of the Android operating system including gps, bluetooth, internet, cameras, nfc, multi touch, push notifications, advertising, openGL, networking and even USB modes.
It also offers features which make writing and debugging apps much easier than it has been before such as a powerful step by step debugger which can run your app line by line to help you find any errors as well as making it possible to test your app on any Android device using the wireless bridge app which will install your app without you needing to plug your Android into a usb socket on your pc.
The wysiwyg gui designer is one very useful part of B4A that makes creating good looking apps much easier. You can add or remove things such as buttons or drop down menus, rearrange them, test different graphics or add support for a variety of different screen resolutions and densities all with a few mouse clicks.
One thing that makes Basic4android unique is its ability to use libraries to extend its functionality, there are libraries for a wide variety of uses including youtube, openGL, custom message dialogues, ftp, pop3, audio recording, writing games, image processing, gps, geocoding and more with users adding new ones on the products libraries forum on a regular basis.
A list of its features in more detail is available at the Basic4android website, but if you want to dive right in and try it for yourself visit this page and see what you can do.
If you want to get the full version at half price use the couponcode ckncvc when you buy from the products online store but be aware this code can only be used for twenty individual purchases so while it's unique to readers of bigfatuniverse when the codes gone it's gone.
Without discount the full version starts at just $49, those lucky enough to use the discount can get it for half that price which, at just over fifteen UK pounds is a very cost effective way to make your own Android apps.
The impressive, and free, Android app FaceLock (or FaceLock for apps, to give its full title) got a significant update this week that adds another new feature, more on that shortly but for those who haven't tried it yet just what is FaceLock?
FaceLock lets you protect your Android device using facial recognition, say you don't want anyone using a particular app - tell FaceLock to protect it and any time the app is asked to run it will check it's you using it and not someone else. The new update adds an experimental feature, allowing it to unlock the phone itself by recognising your face. Although this feature is only in the Pro version, which is the basis of this review, I'm happy to say both the free and pro versions work well on an Android device running gingerbread (Android version 2.3) or higher.
The facial recognition itself is impressive, after taking ten different images to train it (you can take less or more but ten is recommended) the app performed flawlessly never mistaking one person for another and if for any reason it cannot identify someone, for example in a dark environment, it can revert to asking for a pin, password or pattern to verify it's really you.
FaceLock is great for protecting apps you don't want others to run, perhaps you have private data you want protected (such as a banking app) or want to restrict say a son or daughter from accidentally using something such as facebook or netflix. With this they could only use protected apps or devices when you are present.
The newly added screen lock feature is equally impressive and a welcome addition. There is a brief moment when your Android is first switched on (or rebooted) when, because your device has not yet loaded in third party apps, the FaceLock is not active.
It is a short period but you needn't be worried about it because if someone were to steal your device and reboot it to try bypassing the lock they would have to be very quick indeed because that window of opportunity is very small (seconds) and as soon as FaceLock runs the phone locks, preventing any unauthorised access.
Can it be circumvented with a photograph of the recognised user? In theory you would think so but during my testing I tried using several recent photographs of myself including one taken the same day as testing and was unable to have it unlock anything although I would have expected it to be able to as it seems unlikely the app can tell if the face it sees is real or just a still image.
It is of course great fun to just hold your phone in front of you and have it automatically unlock, but the app does have a very real use as a security feature and indeed security is a key factor here with FaceLock being able to be set to one of three security levels. These levels change the level of certainty that the app requires before unlocking. I tried only the highest level, which means it will only unlock when it is 100% sure it's you, but you can alter the setting should you require it to be a little less precise.
Are there any bugs or flaws in the app? Not that I have noticed, it would be nice if before the app reverts to asking for a password it would offer to retry facial recognition but then this isn't a problem as you can tell FaceLock to wait for a longer period of time before deciding a face cannot be recognised.
You can of course have the screen locked with your Androids pin security lock as well as FaceLock, providing double security for those who feel they need it, something that may appeal to those after the highest level of security possible but however you use it FaceLock is one of those useful apps that just happen to also have that side to them where its fun to show people just what it can do.
In a bold move the developer has no adverts in FaceLock, instead relying on the quality of the app itself to attract customers to buy the pro version which of course has additional features such as the screen lock.
The app certainly gets my vote, it's a useful security application that brings an added layer of protection to Android. Some may ask why, when Android 4 has a face unlock feature of its own, we should use this and the reasons are obvious.
Only seven percent of Androids currently run version 4 of the operating system and so, for the majority of devices, this is the only real alternative to that which actually works, and aside from the fact that a lot of new devices are shipped without face recognition being one of the included features FaceLock allows you to do more than simply unlock your phone or tablet, it also allows selective protection of only specified applications as well as having additional settings that help improve upon the alternatives such as that offered by Google for Android 4.0 (more popularly known as Ice Cream Sandwich, or ICS).
With useful settings that aid its performance, a good level of accuracy and a high rating on the Play store this is one app definitely worth a look.
Sequels and reboots. Two words guaranteed to strike fear into the fans of a decent movie, so it may come as a surprise to learn that several sequels and reboots that come out soon might actually be worth watching when they hit the big screen.
For those who just want the titles they are Dredd, Expendables 2, Man of steel, RoboCop, Total Recall, Die Hard 5, Resident Evil : Retribution, Taken 2, Iron Man 3, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall and Star Trek 2. There are of course also a number of sequels currently in the planning or pre production stages including a sequel to eighties hit Twins, the return of Bill and Ted, the sequel to X-Men First Class and Ryan Reynolds taking over as the Highlander. A warning in advance, there are a lot of action films in here....
Dredd - this certificate 18 (r rated) reboot of Judge Dredd promises plenty of dark action when released in September as Dredd (Karl Urban) takes on the evil Madrigal (Lena Headey) responsible for a new drug called slo-mo that alters reality itself.
The plot sounds interesting but as long there is lots of action and Dredd utters that classic line "I AM the law" no doubt fans of the comic will enjoy it and as befits a film based on a violent heavy handed hero it will be released with a rating that ensures it won't, as many modern movies are, be heavily cut in order to reach a family friendly audience.
Adults only rating, Karl Urban, Lena Headey, lots of violence, big budget scif fi action and (apparently) true to the comic book....this should be fun.
The Expendables 2 - this sequel sees pretty much every action hero you can imagine (Jason Statham, Chuck Norris, Jet Li, Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Jean Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwartzenneger) in a plot that sees one of the heroes being murdered and the expendables going all out for revenge while trapped in enemy territory.
The original was fun, if not quite up to the hype, but the addition of Van Damme and Chuck Norris almost guarantees that anyone who grew up with eighties action films is going to go out and see this. Will it be worth the wait? It has what the best action movies need to have, lots of great action stars, lots of action, a plot that gives the heroes an excuse to blow things up, good one liners and of course a big budget for all those explosions and stunts.
Will it be great? Probably not, but will it be a fun two hours? For action fans that's pretty much guaranteed.
Total Recall - the remake of the Schwartzenneger hit stars Colin Farrell as Quaid along with Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel and Bill Nighy. It hits cinemas in August and while the trailer which can be seen here looks a little too over the top the original wasn't exactly oscar material and it does promise a rollercoaster ride.
Farrell does have what it takes to be the action hero and though it's likely die hard fans of the original will be a little dissapointed in the remake it could work. Here's hoping his performance is better than in the not so good Fright Night remake.
A good day to die hard (Die Hard 5) - with Die Hard 4 surprising people by being a pretty good sequel hopes are high for the latest installment which hits the big screen in February. Bruce Willis and Patrick Stewart are the big names headlining the action in which McClane and his son take on Russian terrorists.
Man of steel - this Superman reboot sees Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe play Supermans respective fathers (Costner plays Jonathan Kent while Crowe plays Jor El) with British actor Henry Cavill donning the iconic suit in a film that hits the big screen next June.
Director Zack Snyders previous work (including Sucker Punch, Watchmen and 300) show he handles stylised action well and suggests a more traditional rather than, as seems to be common recently, gritty reworking of the Superman story focusing on the story but packing in some memorable action sequences along the way. Star Henry Caville seemed a surprising choice but looks the part and judging from publicity photos will undoubtedly be popular with female fans, the big budget and addition of more well known stars along with a good director should ensure that the film is watchable, and likely a big hit when it comes out.
RoboCop - the Robocop reboot, scheduled for release next year, stars Samuel L Jackson and Gary Oldman with Joel Kinnaman playing the title role of Robocop. The hundred million dollar budget should guarantee some impressive big budget action scenes and the acting talent of Jackson and Oldman suggest the film will be more serious than the original which while great fun had a deliberately cheesey comedic element running through it. More in the style of the rebooted batman franchise, this will be more dark and gritty than the original but likely still manage a PG-13 rating to make sure it reaches the widest possible audience. No word yet on the new look robocop outfit but hopefully they won't change the appearance too much from the original which was pretty near perfect.
The Dark Knight Rises - Christopher Nolans final installment in the new look Batman series sees Batman taking on a new enemy eight years after being blamed for the crimes committed by Two Face the Dark Knight returns to protect Gotham. Now seen as the enemy Batman faces his greatest challenge as he tries to save the city from Bane. Dark and gritty (sequels seem to use that description a lot in recent years) the film sees Christian Bale and Michael Caine back for one last outing as Bruce Wayne / The caped crusader and Alfred in what promises to be a strong finish for the series.
Taken 2 - Liam Neeson returns in a sequel to the impressive Taken that hits UK screens in October. Here he takes on associates of the men he killed in the first film but the fact that his daughter is enlisted to help him suggests that this may end up being more a by the numbers sequel. Still it's one to keep an eye on if you enjoyed the original and if it can live up to the original it will likely be another hit, and possibly the start of a new franchise.
Resident Evil: Retribution - September sees the release of another resident evil film. This one promises a twist in the plot as Alice finds out that things are not as they seem, along with the usual over the top action as she takes on the Umbrella corporation. This follows on from the previous installment in the franchise and while it may not be a thought provoking movie it will undoubtedly be a fast paced action horror with as always good special effects and a serviceable plot although this time male fans may be pleased to know Milla Jovovitch is joined by another female lead, Michelle Rodriguez.
Iron Man 3 - the month of May next year sees Robert Downey Junior return as Iron Man battling amongst others the villainous Mandarin (played by Ben Kingsley), though despite being a major character in the comics and cartoon series Mandarin will apparently not be the main opposition in this sequel presumably instead returning as main villain in a future installment of the franchise.
Guy Pearce, Paul Bettany and Hong Kong legend Andy Lau round up the cast with of course Don Cheadle as War Machine and Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper in what promises to be a better sequel than its slightly lacklustre predecessor. Written and directed by Shane Black the man who wrote action films Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout his scripting talent coupled with an impressive supporting cast should make this a sequel well worth watching.
Skyfall - the new James Bond sequel hits UK cinemas this October. Bonds loyalties are tested as the past of M (Judi Dench) comes back to haunt her when MI6 is attacked and Bond (Daniel Craig) must find and stop the threat no matter what the personal cost. Ralph Fiennes and Javier Bardem head up the main cast in what should be a more traditional action filled excursion for Bond with a richer plot than the more recent Bond films have provided.
Star Trek 2 - hitting the big screen in May next year this sequel to the popular reboot stars among others the star of British tv series Sherlock, Benedict Cumberpatch, as the villain Khan and will also feature (allegedly) Section 31, the "secret police" of Starfleet who appeared as the enemy nine times in episodes of the tv series Enterprise and Deep Space Nine where they were the evil side of starfleet, willing to do anything (even committing genocide) to protect its interests.
The same cast return including Chris Pine as Kirk and Karl Urban as Bones, and J J Abrams sequel looks set to surpass its predecessor with a reworking of traditional trek villains and a story that delves deeper into the trek universe. And no this is not the official poster for the movie but the poster for the reboot.
Future sequels and reboots that aren't in production yet but are in final stages of development include the reboot of Highlander with Ryan Reynolds in final talks to take the lead role (something he would be well suited for), Harrison Ford is in talks to star in Ridley Scotts sequel to Blade Runner, the sequel to X-Men first class has a cast and begins filming next year for a 2014 release, Mad Max: Fury Road is a Mad Max reboot filming later this year starring Charlize Theron with Tom Hardy playing Mad Max rather than Mel Gibson, Chris Evans returns as Captain America in Captain America 2 to be released in 2014 and on a more tentative note Keannu Reeves and Alex Winter have agreed to star in a third Bill and Ted movie if studios accept the recently finished script which sees the pair travel through time again in what would surely be a popular sequel.
And last but not least Triplets - the sequel to eighties comedy hit Twins will pair up original stars Arnold Shwartzenneger and Dany DeVito with Eddie Murphy. The three actors have already agreed to star but as Universal are currently looking for writers to script it this one won't hit the big screen until at least 2014 although Schwartzenneger has already indicated the plot will be that the brothers find they have a third brother, Murphy, and are in fact triplets. Fans of the original would no doubt enjoy seeing the twins return and it could be the vehicle Eddie Murphy needs to resurrect his career after a string of not so great movies.
Star Trek fans won't be the only people pleased at the arrival of the new must have gadget from Sensorcon. The sensordrone, a small but powerful bluetooth device, puts the power of the starfleet tricorder into your hands for $199 (£128). It connects to your phone or tablet using bluetooth and despite its small size is home to an array of useful and surprisingly advanced sensors all of which can beam information to you on demand.
Currently working with Android powered devices through the use of apps that receive and act on the incoming sensor data the sensordrone will also be compatible with Apple and Blackberry devices when it is released later this year.
The keychain sized gadget can be used to monitor information such as alcohol levels, air quality, proximity, heat temperature of an object (without needing to touch it), light intensity, carbon monoxide levels, humidity, location of studs in walls, air pressure and can even be used as an altimeter.
Worried you're over the limit for drinking? The sensordrone can check if you're drunk, have a child and want to make sure they're comfortable? The sensordrone can tell you if they are warm enough (with app shown in the picture here), if there are any harmful gases in the surrounding environment and even tell you if the weather is going to turn bad so they know to wrap up warm.
Connect a pressure cuff to the device and you can check blood pressure. Worried there is a gas leak? Wave the sensordrone around the suspected area and it will let you know if there really is a leak or not.
Not content with simply sending you the data on demand it can be used to record the data over an extended period of time, useful for getting a picture of changing conditions over time for example, and the device itself is small enough to be put on a key ring or tucked away in a pocket making it a useful but unobtrusive helper for situations where the human senses just aren't enough.
It isn't quite the tricorder of trek fans dreams but a significant step in the right direction and a very useful piece of equipment that could be a lifesaver for some whether it's by stopping you driving home drunk and having an accident, letting you know your blood pressure is consistently too high or too low, warning you that there's a gas leak or that the weather is going to turn bad it's something not only geeks will find of value.
Beta devices have already been shipped to some lucky individuals and the company have a kickstarter project that will get you a pre release version if you can't wait until it's Autumn release or if you just want to help assure it's completion.
The inner geek would love to have a tricorder app for this, and with the api being open source it won't be long after release before some clever trekkie does just that so those of us who grew up watching Kirk and co boldly go can have a piece of our mispent youth made real.
Nippon Systems have unveiled a clever new layer of film that when put on your iPhone makes it a glasses free 3D device. At just $52 (around £30) it looks identical to a typical screen protector but uses parallax technology to show different images to each eye meaning you get true 3D without glasses.
While the effect is not quite as good as a dedicated glasses free 3D device such as the Nintendo 3DS or LG's Optimus 3D the film does bring proper 3D to anyone who wants it without the need for a new phone and the company say they will follow up with the same technology being available for selected Android phones (Galaxy S2 version initially) as well as the PS Vita, MacBook Air, iMac and Panasonic Let's Note laptop soon.
The company also provide an app that can convert 2D content to 3D as well as an app to take 3D pictures. Not speaking Japanese I had to use google translate in order to dig deeper into the details and find that the 3D camera app works by getting the camera to take a picture then has the user move the phone slightly to the right for a second view. The two images are then combined into one 3D image and stored in a 3D format. Combining of the pictures is automatic as is the picture taking process which, if I understand the rather awkward translation correctly, uses the phones sensors to take the pictures for each view rather than depending on the user to align the shots manually.
Here's something for anyone who wants a smart tv, or a large screen Android pc, or both but without spending a fortune to do so.
Imagine your tv becoming smart, with wifi internet access, the ability to use your favourite android apps, being able to plug a webcam or external hard drive into it and even playing the latest games on it and controlling them with a wii like wireless controller.
Pocket TV aims to do just that and more. The clever little adapter turns any tv with a HDMI connection into a smart tv. The adapter, running Android version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will retail with a standard remote for around £100 but a clever air remote can be purchased for a little extra which will let you control it by simply moving the remote through the air in the same way you can control a wii games console, which offers interesting possibilities for gamers.
When it comes to hardware the little dongle packs a large punch. A1 gigahertz Cortex A9 cpu, Mali 400 gpu, 512 megabytes of ram, 4 gigabytes of internal memory and a micro sd slot as well as built in wifi are shoehorned into a sleek card shaped adapter that weighs in at just 35 grams and sits nicely in any HDMI slot without attracting undue attention while turning your tv into a powerful large screen Android computer and allowing you to use everything from BBC iPlayer to Netflix or YouTube on any television with a hdmi input along with, of course, your android apps of choice.
iPhone and Android smartphone users can also use their phones to control the pocket tv. The pocket tv supports three output resolutions of 720p, 1080i and 1080p,and will allow users to do anything a new Android tablet can do which means that those without the budget for a new tablet or an internet connected smart tv can now have the best of both worlds on their existing television.
What does the adapter require? A free hdmi connection on your tv and an electrical socket in which to plug in its power adapter ( a small mini usb type). For internet access you will need a wifi modem or router, if you already have broadband then you most likely already have a wireless modem supplied by your internet provider but if not the pocket tv can still be used as a non internet connected android computer without one.
Pocket TV is a kickstarter project. This means although it has working prototypes it still needs additional funding, if you wish to make a pledge the group behind the project, Infinitec, is offering special low prices so if you want to know more check out this link.
