Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 coming 17 June?

A new invite from Sony Ericsson has fallen into the inboxes of the world's media, prompting expectations of another launch.

The invite to an event at CommunicAsia in Singapore reads:

"Join Sony Ericsson as we take you on a journey where mystery, magic and entertainment fuse seamlessly with cutting-edge technology. Sony Ericsson gives a glimpse of what the future holds. This is not just entertainment. It's entertainment unlimited."

The new Xperia X1

The world has been treated to spy pictures of the Xperia X2 for a number of weeks now, and Sony Ericsson usually likes to launch a top handset when talking about its strategy.

The Xperia X2 is set to follow the same form factor as the X1 with a slide out QWERTY keyboard and improved processor and on board memory.

We'll have to wait and see if the new phone turns up at the event, or whether it's just Sony Ericsson posturing further with the Satio and friends, but it's always nice to have a mystery mid-week, isn't it?

Twitter earns Dell $3 million

$1 million of that in the last six months

Dell's 600,000 followers on Twitter (@Delloutlet) have earnt it more than $3 million in sales over the past two years, the company claims. $1 million of that has been in the last six months.

That works out at about $2 per follower per year. Not bad cash, if Twitter was tapping into it, which it currently isn't. The numbers are able to be tracked because Dell issues discount codes, which the company can add up the sales from.

Of course, there's the question of how many of the people who used the codes would have bought a Dell even if Twitter didn't exist, or whether the codes were spread more widely on deals sites, but even so, it's a good source of revenue.

These are also US stats. A similar Twitter account is in place for Dell UK (@DelloutletUK) but the company hasn't published any stats as to how well that's doing

ISPs could get powers to disrupt file-sharing pirates

Government minister suggests internet service providers may be given the power to take action against web users who persistently break the rules when it comes to downloading and illegal file sharing.

Internet service providers could be given powers to disrupt the behaviour of illegal file sharers

The government has indicated that internet service providers may be given powers to take 'technical measures' to disrupt the behaviour of illegal file sharers, who download large amounts of unlicensed music and other content from the web.

Speaking at a music industry event, culture minister Andy Burnham revealed that the government had all but ruled out the 'three strikes and out' approach to illegal downloading - the method by which anyone caught file-sharing on three occasions could have their internet access suspended by their provider - but still suggested that internet providers could be given the power to throttle or slow the access speeds of persistent offenders.

We won't get full sight of the government's official plans until the upcoming Digital Britain report is released. But with the report expected on the 16th June, this is a serious indication that the Ofcom could play a big role in tackling Britain's £1.4bn piracy problem.

The true extent of the UK's piracy was highlighted by a report released by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), earlier this year and painted a pretty damning picture of your average Brit's relaxed approach to software rights, with the revelation that 27 per cent of all software on UK computers is pirated.

Bing live, Microsoft warns over sex searches

Company explains safesearch functionality

As promised, Bing is now live in the UK, and you can go and try it by typing bing.com into your browser. However, before you spend too much time on the site, you might want to be sure that safe search is on.

Microsoft has issued instructions via Twitter on how to turn on content filtering functionality for the search engine. Although it's on by default, anyone can turn it off with two clicks and no age verification.

Once you've done that, a simple search for "sex" will get you watching bonking in no time at all on Bing's auto-play function, without even leaving the site. The 'feature' was pointed out by blogger Loic Le Meur, who tweeted about it on 1 June, and Microsoft responded fast - just one hour later.

Porn aside, what do you think of Bing? Have you switched from Google? How do the results and usability features compare? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below

Vodafone issues major BlackBerry Storm update

Is it an upgrade or a big batch of fixes?

A BlackBerry Storm 2 might be here in September, but that hasn't stopped Vodafone from introducing a major upgrade for the original BlackBerry Storm, known officially as version 4.7.0.141.

The tactile touchscreen handset, famously savaged after release by Stephen Fry, is now on the receiving end of a myriad of improvements, covering everything from multimedia performance and messaging through to enhancements to that touchscreen and the web browser. Much like getting a new phone, but without the new contract to deal with. Shame there's still no Wi-Fi, you'll have to wait for version two for that.

So what do you get? Well, media is certainly improved, with the option to preview music online, sign up to Vodafone's £5 monthly music download service (for unlimited tunes) and watch video footage with 'improved reliability' (whatever that means). Photography is improved too - it's now faster to take and display a picture, the resolution of images is enhanced and you should find it easier to record video and play it back.

On a more practical level, call sound quality has been improved, mute is more reliable, error messages when sending MMS/SMS messages have been dealt with, incoming call alerts are clearer, face detection is now live (meaning it doesn't trigger the touchscreen when in call mode) and Bluetooth is more reliable.

That touchscreen also gets an upgrade and is said to be more responsive and less likely to reset, while web browsing should be better, thanks to a more responsive 'zoom', a new 'Go' button for quicker searching and a faster accelerometer for a quick change from landscape to portrait view.

Amazon Launches Large Screen Kindle DX

We knew a large screen Kindle was coming this week and bang on cue, here it is...

Dubbed the 'Kindle DX' it does exactly what we expected fitting a 9.7in display (up from 6in) for easier reading of newspaper context or textbook-style pages. It features the same 16 shades of gray e-ink as the Kindle 2.


Other changes are minimal with the admittedly handy inclusion of an accelerometer to auto rotate the screen, an increased 3.3GB of storage and native PDF support which should win it favour from the business sector. As I speculated the DX also offers subscriptions to automatically deliver daily content from the New York Times, while the WSJ, Time, New Yorker and various blogs have signed up as well.

Elsewhere little is different from the Kindle 2 with integrated WiFi, text-to-speech functionality and an ultra thin and fairly light design (264 x 183 x 10mm and 536g). Interestingly, Amazon talks in vague terms of "Long Battery Life" but doesn't divulge how the larger screen specifically impacts the number of page turns.

One final point - and this is a major disappointment - is the price with Amazon quoting a whopping $489 (£324) compared to the still-high $359 (£238) for the Kindle 2. I suspect this will be a deal breaker for many.

The Kindle DX is on pre-order in the US now though an official delivery date has yet to be revealed. Whether we see either it or the Kindle 2 hit the UK any time soon also seems doubtful but given the exchange rate that may prove a blessing in disguise.

HTC Touch Diamond2 review

HTC Touch Diamond2 Spec

How well we remember HTC’s first full touchscreen handset, 2007’s “iPhone-killing” Touch. And oh, how we quaked with mirth at its attempts to hide a Windows Mobile interface ’neath the gossamer thin façade of a touchscreen, which reacted with a disinterested shrug to all but the most vigorous prodding, and a “3D” interface. It was a bit like putting lipstick and a nice hat on the Elephant Man.

Now though, times have changed. The Touch Diamond2 is smaller than you’d expect, with the 3.2-inch TFT LCD screen taking up most of the front. Slim and light, it makes an agreeable change from the cumbersome handsets currently clogging the market like so many obese children.

Many will buy HTC’s mobile for its Exchange push email, Office Mobile and GPS applications and these are all solid. However, it’s the greatly improved, five-meg camera that stands out here. Photos are of high quality and it’s also fast – a huge advantage over many phone cameras. You can even manually adjust the autofocus, just by tapping on the screen. The only thing missing is a flash.

While it’s still running Windows Mobile 6.1, HTC’s TouchFlo 3D skin now does a better job of masking the flaws of that troublesome OS. One thing it can’t hide is WinMo’s tendency to be sluggish. Again, it’s not as bad as previous models, but still leaves it lagging behind other phones on the market.

The occasionally unresponsive touchscreen is unhelpful, too. Whether it’s down to a slow processor or poor coding, frustration results when the phone pauses to load, say, the photo album. It’s doubly annoying on the Diamond2 because you can swirl through its 3D icons at breakneck speed, only to grind to a halt when you want to open an app. Hopefully a fi rmware update, frequently the saviour of initially slow HTC handsets, will come to the rescue again.

Connectivity? The Wi-Fi worked perfectly, but although it boasts 7.2Mbps HSDPA mobile internet speeds on the tin, we found it hard to actually get a true 3G connection, even in spots where we normally browse. In fact, reception in general proved to be a challenge. Despite that, the Touch Diamond2 is a very good Windows Mobile phone. It pales in comparison to the iPhone, BlackBerry Bold or Nokia N97 for the overall user experience, but what the Diamond2 lacks in processing power and touchscreen response, it makes up in efficiency, reliability and push email power.

The hardcore army of Windows Mobile fans will take this over any of the phones mentioned above any day, of course – they’d sooner be seen cross-dressing than with an iPhone. If HTC sorts out the 3G it’ll be a very high-power business tool. Us? We’re not sure we’ll be ditching our Android G1s, iPhones and Sony Ericssons for it just yet. Certainly not until Windows Mobile 6.5 launches later this year...

Windows 7 to get Windows XP mode

Microsoft has said that Windows 7 users will still be able to use programmes designed for Windows XP through a new virtual mode.

Posting the information on the company's Windows Blog, Scott Woodgate, a member of the Windows 7 team has confirmed that users keen to take advantage of the new offering will be able to:

"Install suitable applications directly in Windows XP Mode which is a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC."

The news is likely to be welcomed by businesses worried that some programmes won't work if they move to the new operating system.

The applications, according to Microsoft will then be published to the Windows 7 desktop and then you can run them directly from Windows 7.

The company says the feature has been specifically designed to help small businesses move to Windows 7 although some people are already questioning why you would need to upgrade to Windows 7 if you're already running the software you need.

Woodgate says in the post that the company will soon be releasing the beta of Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate.

Dell updates Studio 15 laptop range with HD screen

Small-screen high definition on a budget

Dell has given its Studio 15 range of notebooks a makeover, offering up small screen HD for a fairly modest outlay.

The latest laptops now pack an energy efficient 15.6-inch LED display that offers true HD resolution (720p/1080p), along with optional 256 or 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 graphics. Opt for that Blu-ray drive too and you can enjoy your cinematic favourites in glorious high-def, although that glory will be tempered somewhat by the lack of a cinema-like screen, even if it is 16:9 widescreen. Not to worry, there's HDMI too, so you can always hook up to the big screen telly for the full effect.

Outside of HD, the Studio comes equipped with a 2.0-megapixel camera and dual digital array microphones, all the connectivity you are likely to need (including the option of mobile broadband), plus 5.1 channel audio and a 3-watt subwoofer, along with a wide colour and design choice for the casing.

Prices will inevitably vary depending on those options and your choice of processor, memory and storage, but they start at £449 including delivery.

Link: Dell

Top 5 things you need to know about Bluetooth 3.0

1. It's speedy
Leaving the Bluetooth we currently use eating dust, 3.0 manages to pull data transfer speeds of 24Mbps out of the bag. Considering we currently max out at 3Mbps, that's going to save a fair bit of time when you're winging stuff over from your phone to a mate's.

2. It's got cosy with Wi-Fi
You can thank 802.11 Wi-Fi for the extra skip in 3.0's step. The new Bluetooth takes advantage of the 802.11 radio protocol to give it the boost it needs to hit the higher speeds.

3. You get more Bluetooth for your battery life
Turning your Bluetooth off to stop it sucking the life out of your phone will be a thing of the past with 3.0, thanks to enhanced power control. This means you'll be able to leave it on and use it as and when you need to without worrying it'll leave you stranded battery-less. Much less hassle.

4. Send bigger files without wires
The extra speed that 3.0 packs means you're going to be able to whizz bigger files like HD video and music libraries backwards and forwards between your devices. This also opens up the doors to manufacturers to work on better tech to take full advantage of this capability. We like the sound of that.

5. We've got a bit of a wait
So now you're all excited about Bluetooth 3.0, we'll break the bad news. It's not actually going to hit end devices on the shelves for another 9 to 12 months, so we'll have to put up with our bog standard 2.1 for now. Still, we'd expect most manufacturers will jump on the bandwagon pretty sharpish so if you're in the market for a new phone around that time, you'll be pretty sure to get your hands on it.

Garmin Forerunner 310XT is here to get you fit

Touting your app heavy mobile as your personal fitness instructor is all the rage these days, as we showed recently in the Stuff.tv vidcast.

But if you're really serious about getting your own tech buddy to help you shed the pounds and get in shape for summer, then you'll need the new Garmin Forerunner 310XT.

Billed as a triathlon ready watch, it packs in a "Virtual Partner" who'll gee you up whether you're on a run, swimming or have it attached to your bike.

Obviously GPS is present, with a big display for seeing how far you've run, where you're going and what your pace is. You can even set vibrating alerts so you'll know when you've passed milestones on your workout.

If you're really into all this fitness malarkey, then you can also nab a specially designed heart rate monitor to check your not about to keel over.

The Forerunner 310XT will cost £299, £329 with the monitor.

3 to offer Skype for free

Skypeing from your mobile is about to get a whole lot nicer from May, with 3 announcing it will be taking the costs on the chin for your chatting time.

Starting from 1 May, data charges and top-up fees will be dropped for both contract and pay-as-you-go customers using Skype on 3's UK network. This means anyone with a 3 SIM card and 3 Skype-enabled handset will be able to take advantage of unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls and instant messages completely gratis.

Even better, this offer is going to be stretched out during the summer to non-3 phones. Anyone with a compatible unlocked 3G handset will be able to buy a pay as you go SIM and enjoy the same benefits, without even ever having to fork out for a top-up. Who says you never get anything for nothing?

Skype has been on a mobile push in recent months, with a new app for the iPhone released just a few weeks ago and one for Blackberry owners winging its way to us in May. Be sure to let us know if you'll be taking 3 up on its Skype for nada offer below.

Nokia unveils 6216 classic NFC-enabled phone

Nokia has outed its first SIM-based NFC device, the 6216 classic, aimed at making your life that little bit simpler.

If you're slightly puzzled at what the hell we're talking about, NFC is cool talk for Near Field Communication and is the same stuff behind the O2 Wallet we trialled in 2007.

It also made its way into a couple of Nokia handsets before the new 6216 classic, but this is the first time it will be the SIM that does the work rather than a chip in the phone itself.

The idea behind the tech is based on one touch information sharing. When touched together, two NFC devices are able to share photos and music instantly without having to faff around with Bluetooth or MMS.

Even more interesting, owner's credit card info can be stored securely on the SIM so you'll be able to pay for stuff quicker by just tapping your phone on a reader, similarly to how your Oyster card works.

Nokia reckons the technology could replace most cards in your wallet in time, and that the storing of details on the SIM will make it easier to upgrade to better NFC-compatible devices as and when they hit the shelves.

As for the 6216 classic, it's got all the stuff you'd probably expect, packing a camera, FM radio, music player, microSD slot and 3G connectivity into its shell.

The phone is expected to launch towards the end of the year, so keep it locked to Stuff.tv for a full review when we can get our hands on it.

O2's exclusive iPhone deal coming to an end?

Apple's exclusive iPhone deals have been slowly crumbling ever since Steve Jobs himself gave his blessing to the 2nd gen model being sold by multiple carriers in specific countries. However, the UK, US and France have remained bastions of this restrictive nonsense. Until now.

French regulators have upheld complaints about the arrangement by other networks across the Channel, giving Apple a major headache in the run up to their last ever Macworld in January.

The question is though, what does this mean for the UK? A SIM–free version is already on the cards for British mobile fans, following plans for a similar release in Spain. And now France has gone the way of the likes of countless other territories, surely it's only a matter of time before O2 has to give up its sole rights to the world's favourite phone.

For now, the deal remains safe, but we'll be waiting to see what Steve Jobs' supersub, Phil Schiller, has to say at Macworld on 6 January. Don't forget you can check out our predictions for the keynote now!

Essentials
iPhone 3G
Price: £From free
On sale: Now
Contact: Apple

AT&T beefing up international calling/data plans

With the spectacular success smart phones like the iPhone bringing new customers to AT&T from just about everywhere, the Death Star has announced new international roaming packages for smartphone users. The package, which features 50 megabytes of data for just under $70 a month, will be available in 67 countries but will not include normal voice and data plans.
Other smartphone plans include

Unlimited Blackberry emails for for the same $70 a month, and iPhone users specifically will enjoy two separate plans where for about $25 monthly, users can enjoy about 20 MB of data in 36 countries or two and a half times that for an additional $60 a month after their original monthly charge. The $25 iPhone data plan is also similar to a plan for Windows Mobile and Palm owners.

To help travelers manage their data effectively, AT&T has also launched the AT&T Travel Guide, which will allow users to compare their itinerary to specific roaming rates so the charges won’t be so stunning when the bills arrive after vacation.

AT&T recently released the new 3G iPhone with Apple which provides for voice and data plans for about $30 a month. Doing the math, the $199 8GB 3G phone will cost consumers north of $1,000 over the life of their contract, so the new roaming data plans will be over and above that by a rather wide margin.

You gotta love the cult of style.

AT&T beefing up international calling/data plans

With the spectacular success smart phones like the iPhone bringing new customers to AT&T from just about everywhere, the Death Star has announced new international roaming packages for smartphone users. The package, which features 50 megabytes of data for just under $70 a month, will be available in 67 countries but will not include normal voice and data plans.
Other smartphone plans include

Unlimited Blackberry emails for for the same $70 a month, and iPhone users specifically will enjoy two separate plans where for about $25 monthly, users can enjoy about 20 MB of data in 36 countries or two and a half times that for an additional $60 a month after their original monthly charge. The $25 iPhone data plan is also similar to a plan for Windows Mobile and Palm owners.

To help travelers manage their data effectively, AT&T has also launched the AT&T Travel Guide, which will allow users to compare their itinerary to specific roaming rates so the charges won’t be so stunning when the bills arrive after vacation.

AT&T recently released the new 3G iPhone with Apple which provides for voice and data plans for about $30 a month. Doing the math, the $199 8GB 3G phone will cost consumers north of $1,000 over the life of their contract, so the new roaming data plans will be over and above that by a rather wide margin.

You gotta love the cult of style.

Cupertino Rumormill: iPhone Nano coming … but not likely

Remember the good ole days when an iPod Nano was 4-8 GB? Then along came the iPhone and all of a sudden, 8GB was a full fledged model! So, the question arises that if, and when, an iPhone Nano gets made by Cupertino, how big would it really be? Well, we may not be able to answer that just yet, but if the rumor mill is correct (and it seldom is), an iPhone Nano may be just around the corner.

Drive size aside, the rumor has some pretty funky specs attached to it … first, this smaller version of the iPhone would have relatively the same size multi-touch screen, but also a a touch wheel on the back (red flag number one), and users would have a dialing interface on the back of the phone as well (red flag number 2). The rumor also speculates that the sale price for Nano Phone would be just under a hundred dollars U.S. – this could be the only accurate piece of information coming out of it. But still, with the $199 version of the current 3G iPhone selling out all over the planet, it is highly unlikely that an iPhone Nano will hit the Apple Store shelves any time soon, much less by Christmas.

File this under Fan boy speculation, yet again.

Cupertino Rumormill: iPhone Nano coming … but not likely

Remember the good ole days when an iPod Nano was 4-8 GB? Then along came the iPhone and all of a sudden, 8GB was a full fledged model! So, the question arises that if, and when, an iPhone Nano gets made by Cupertino, how big would it really be? Well, we may not be able to answer that just yet, but if the rumor mill is correct (and it seldom is), an iPhone Nano may be just around the corner.

Drive size aside, the rumor has some pretty funky specs attached to it … first, this smaller version of the iPhone would have relatively the same size multi-touch screen, but also a a touch wheel on the back (red flag number one), and users would have a dialing interface on the back of the phone as well (red flag number 2). The rumor also speculates that the sale price for Nano Phone would be just under a hundred dollars U.S. – this could be the only accurate piece of information coming out of it. But still, with the $199 version of the current 3G iPhone selling out all over the planet, it is highly unlikely that an iPhone Nano will hit the Apple Store shelves any time soon, much less by Christmas.

File this under Fan boy speculation, yet again.

NVIDIA ushers in new gaming notebook era

NVIDIA won’t be resting on their laurels as they make yet another move forward in the world of gaming notebooks thanks to their new range of graphic cards that are touted to push the boundaries of today’s gaming to a totally whole new level. Other that cramming in more pixels and speeding up the frame rate while throwing in physics-related programming, how much more advanced can graphic cards get? Only time will tell, but in the mean time, read more about the newest NVIDIA GeForce 9800M and 9700M GPUs right after the jump.

The GeForce 9M Series GPUs, with their parallel processing design, are ushering in a new generation of ultra-realistic games by being the only GPUs to support PhysX technology. The world’s most pervasive physics engine, PhysX technology is being used by more than 25,000 developers worldwide and is already delivering dynamic 3D realism to more than 140 games across multiple platforms. With PhysX technology, developers can incorporate effects such as rigid body dynamics, collision detection, and cloth simulation, dramatically changing the way the games are played and how the on-screen stories unfold, and then accelerating those effects using the processing power of the GPU.

Some of the features include :-

• NVIDIA’s PhysX technology for real-time game physics calculations


• 112 processing cores for compute-intensive tasks like video conversion and transcoding


• New lightning-fast graphics engine for unprecedented performance, extraordinarily detailed environments, and film-quality game effects


• Support for NVIDIA SLI® multi-GPU configurations for the best gaming experience on a notebook PC


• Support for Hybrid SLI technology for longer battery life, cooler operation, and lower noise


• PureVideo® HD video processing features for improved color and contrast when playing back video


• Full support for the latest Blu-ray advancements, including BD-Live and dual-stream video playback


• Support for the new MXM™ version 3.0 graphics module specification
  

You will be able to find the new GeForce 9800M and GeForce 9700M Series GPUs from more than 20 notebook manufacturers, so be prepared to fork out top dollar (or whatever local currency you’re using) if you want to experience the latest and greatest in gaming. Of course, the onus is now on the software companies to write engines that will take full advantage of such graphical firepower.

NVIDIA ushers in new gaming notebook era

NVIDIA won’t be resting on their laurels as they make yet another move forward in the world of gaming notebooks thanks to their new range of graphic cards that are touted to push the boundaries of today’s gaming to a totally whole new level. Other that cramming in more pixels and speeding up the frame rate while throwing in physics-related programming, how much more advanced can graphic cards get? Only time will tell, but in the mean time, read more about the newest NVIDIA GeForce 9800M and 9700M GPUs right after the jump.

The GeForce 9M Series GPUs, with their parallel processing design, are ushering in a new generation of ultra-realistic games by being the only GPUs to support PhysX technology. The world’s most pervasive physics engine, PhysX technology is being used by more than 25,000 developers worldwide and is already delivering dynamic 3D realism to more than 140 games across multiple platforms. With PhysX technology, developers can incorporate effects such as rigid body dynamics, collision detection, and cloth simulation, dramatically changing the way the games are played and how the on-screen stories unfold, and then accelerating those effects using the processing power of the GPU.

Some of the features include :-

• NVIDIA’s PhysX technology for real-time game physics calculations


• 112 processing cores for compute-intensive tasks like video conversion and transcoding


• New lightning-fast graphics engine for unprecedented performance, extraordinarily detailed environments, and film-quality game effects


• Support for NVIDIA SLI® multi-GPU configurations for the best gaming experience on a notebook PC


• Support for Hybrid SLI technology for longer battery life, cooler operation, and lower noise


• PureVideo® HD video processing features for improved color and contrast when playing back video


• Full support for the latest Blu-ray advancements, including BD-Live and dual-stream video playback


• Support for the new MXM™ version 3.0 graphics module specification
  

You will be able to find the new GeForce 9800M and GeForce 9700M Series GPUs from more than 20 notebook manufacturers, so be prepared to fork out top dollar (or whatever local currency you’re using) if you want to experience the latest and greatest in gaming. Of course, the onus is now on the software companies to write engines that will take full advantage of such graphical firepower.