VIA debut $49 Android PC

If you've ever dreamed of an Android PC, or just wanted to be able to make a decent set top box based around Googles operating system then VIA have probably just made your day with the company announcing a very low cost motherboard that runs Android 2.3 from its 2 gigabyte NAND flash memory, has an 800 mhz cpu with 512 megabytes of DDR3 ram, a built in 2D and 3D graphics chip that can handle 720p H264 high definition video, HDMI and VGA output, has a micro sd card slot and four USB sockets.

The new arrival also has an ethernet connection, microphone input, audio output and at maximum load uses just thirteen and a half watts, making it a very attractive proposition for anyone interested in building a cheap but useful Android media centre.

The pc itself is actually a motherboard in the neo itx form factor, meaning it will fit nicely into a variety of small compact pc cases. Yes you will need to provide the case and any accessories (such as a keyboard) yourself.

VIA plan to begin shipping what they call the APC in early July and will be taking pre orders soon so if you fancy getting one or just want to find out more visit their website. Or for a side on view showing the connections available, check out the following picture.

Sanctuary loses fifth series

Die hard fans of Sanctuary, the cult tv series starring Amanda Tapping, may want to skip this and hope it isn't true but unfortunately the popular show was officially cancelled today which means the series will not have a definitive ending and unlike Eureka, another cancelled SyFy channel show which was given an extra episode in its final season to wrap things up, this won't be happening with Sanctuary.

This is the fourth SyFy made series starring Amanda Tapping to be cancelled, the others being Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe but fans of the sultry star will no doubt see her back on their screens in the not too distant future with SyFy announcing that they plan to work with Tapping (along with Sanctuary creators Damian Kindler and Martin Wood) on a future project.

Will SyFy do the same with Sanctuary as they did with Stargate SG-1 and continue the series with a tv movie? While it hasn't been announced yet this is always a possibility although in the case of Stargate SG-1 the movies were spurred on by rights holder MGM, unfortunately Sanctuary doesn't have quite the following of that series and so a tv movie could be seen as too big a gamble.

Lovers of mutant themed science fiction need not be too downhearted though, SyFy did renew Alphas last year and this year gave the go ahead for another series of the impressive US version of the BBC's Being Human which means there's still at least two reasons you might want to stick with SyFy.

That being said it may be a good thing if SyFy don't make a tv movie of Sanctuary, given their less than exciting movies featuring everything from flying sharks that eat airplanes to the upcoming Arachnoquake (about killer albino spiders unleashed by an earthquake!) they might make things worse.

New iPhone gets chunky new screen

The upcoming iPhone 5 has been the subject of more rumour than even the Galaxy S3 but today one rumour has been confirmed by two independent and reputable sources - Reuters and the Wall Street Journal with both stating publically that they have highly placed sources inside Apple confirming that the new iPhone will have a four inch screen.

While the majority of such rumours are usually proven untrue this is as good as one gets to at least this one being a fact with wo respected news sources unlikely to be making this up and risking their credibility. The reported manufacturers of the new screens will begin production in August ready for an October release.

A larger screen will help the iPhone compete against large screen Android rivals, with an October release almost certain to make the iPhone 5 the best selling gadget in the run up to Christmas. Less well supported rumours have claimed recently that the new model will feature near field communication (NFC), while that rumour is not confirmed it's one of the few that are likely to be accurate. Apples main rival, Samsung, already has the NFC enabled Galaxy S3 out and, as the iPhones main rival in smartphone sales, it would make good commercial sense for Apple to include the same feature in it's own phones rather than risk being left behind as NFC devices begin to become more common.

OverSkreen - unique browser with a twist

If you're a fan of all things tech you have no doubt heard of the Samsung Galaxy S3 with its ability to play videos and do other things at the same time. A technique known as "floating" whereby the video is played in a window which you can move around while still being able to interact with whatever is underneath.

What you may not know is that you don't need the new Galaxy S3 in order to do it. Visiting any website in OverSkreen, a web browser from developer MBFG, is just the same as visiting it in your normal browser until you realise that you can shrink the window from full screen to something smaller and it doesn't disappear from sight when you launch an app.

Yes, that's right, it floats on top of your screen meaning you can do two things at the same time on your phone or tablet. And yes, it works just fine with video sites such as YouTube. Available from the Play Store (or Android Market to those who still think the new name a little daft) for less than it costs for a decent cup of coffee the browser offers you the best of both worlds, a decent web browser but with the benefit of true multitasking thanks to its unique ability to float.

MBFG have cornered the market when it comes to floating windows, with a number of floating window apps that include a terminal and a dedicated video player this is one developer that manages to make Androids multi tasking nature even more useful. iPhone users will perhaps be disappointed to find the app is only available for Android devices but if you have an iPad and it's jailbroken (and running at least iOS 5.0) check out Quasar which is a tweak (not from the same developer) that lets you open multiple apps in multiple windows but be aware it does cost a lot more at just over six pounds.

I can't believe it's not utter - Siri rival gets big update

XDA developer Brandalls Siri style app for Android, currently available for testing purposes on the play store under the name nutter (short for Not Utter), gets a major update this week with (among other things) Tasker integration and a custom voice recogniser that replaces the current Google one.

Details of what else may be new are unknown at the moment but the alpha update should be available wednesday or thursday and give those keen to road test it some new features to play with. The addition of a custom voice recogniser should help progress toward a planned future feature of utter that for some will be eagerly awaited, the ability for it to be activated through the use of a user specified command though that is unlikely to be included just yet.

The speed of nutters development is impressive and with the building blocks firmly in place and initial bugs ironed out it's hoped by the developer that a beta release of utter will be available in a few months. In the meantime eager followers of the project can check out the new improved alpha when it gets released later this week.

Body Of Proof and Alcatraz - one cut, one saved

UK TV fans will be glad and possibly also sad at news this week of the fate of popular shows Alcatraz and Body Of Proof.

Body Of Proof gets a third series so we will find out exactly what happens to the main character left bleeding out at the end of series two. Strong sales outside the US helped sway ABC, the network responsible for the show, into renewing it.

Sadly for fans of mystery JJ Abrams Alcatraz has officially been cancelled by Fox, the series will not be returning although there is hope for those still keen to know the answers to questions the show raised with the news that it may live on as an internet comic or story series though this has not been officially announced and is an idea suggested earlier this year by one of the shows main writers who was asked what would happen were the show to be cancelled.

So good news and bad news for tv fans but hopefully body of proof can keep those viewers who returned for the finale and come up with a strong third series.

Body of proof - cliff hanger finish may bring third season

In the UK alibi's popular crime drama Body Of Proof is heading into its final two episodes, this week viewers find out what happens to Kate and a week later the series reaches its conclusion with a cliff hanger ending that will have fans desperate for a third series.

The series, made for the American ABC network, had a good first series and while slightly less viewers returned for the second series it still averaged nine million per episode for series two. Figures dropped by two million for seven of the new episodes and the series still faces possible cancellation but the final three episodes of the series saw a large number of viewers return.

This and a campaign by fans to save the show seem to have had a positive effect with sources at ABC reportedly cautious but optimistic that it will indeed be renewed and the series producers have already started looking for new writers for a third season.

While nothing is confirmed, and it is believed to be very close as to whether the show is renewed or cancelled, the series is popular outside of the US in a number of European countries and it's possible, in fact more probable than not, that this sale-ability may swing the decision in the shows favour.

The gripping two part story "going viral" began the shows recent turn around. The story, in which a terrorist unleashes a deadly virus on Philadelphia, saw the ratings boosted by over two million and the finale (which sees a serial killer unleashed on one of the main characters) did a god job of keeping the majority of those viewers hooked.

This upsurge of viewers combined with strong international sales of the series could mean that ABC will renew the series. As one of those viewers who wants to know just what happens to a certain character (and yes it is one of those in the picture seen earlier in this article), here's hoping they do.