via chicagoist.com
The HTC Rhyme
The HTC Rhyme is something of a delicate matter, as it is HTC's firstphone that is said to have been designed with a female audience in mind. Yet it comes in dull colours and looks quite a lot like every other HTC handset we’ve seen so far.
PENTAX Q-REVIEW
Let’s get one thing straight from the start. The Pentax Q is quite an incredible camera to behold. It’s tiny. But not only is it tiny, it also looks great.
NIKON 1 V1
Nikon has announced two new compact system cameras: the Nikon 1 V1 and the Nikon 1 J1. We got our hands on both new cameras today, so until we can bring you our Nikon 1 V1 review
The ULTra Personal Rapid Transit System
"Think of it as a horizontal lift," says Fraser Brown, managing director of ULTra, the company that has built a new way to travel to Heathrow Terminal 5 from the business car park
THREE MIFI HSPA
Three has updated its MiFi range with the new Huawei E586 complete with HSPA+, and we have managed to get our hands on one to test out all its mobile internet goodness
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
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MIAMI – For business owners, social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook and company blogs should be more than sharing marketing messages and industry news. They should be using these outlets to engage customers and drive business, social media marketing consultant Jason Falls stressed here at a panel discussion during Entrepreneur's Winning Strategies conference yesterday.
One way is to use social media to tell the "story" of the business -- how it came to be and what it aims to accomplish. "There's no such thing as boring people and boring businesses," said Spencer Antle, founder of Miami-based clothing supplier Island Company. "Just get on there and tell your story."
It's also important to interact with customers in a way that enhances your brand and its "social personality," Falls said. He cited an example of an exchange over Twitter between popular sandwich shop Quiznos and a woman who tweeted: “To eat the Quiznos sub or not to eat it…that is the question." In response, Quiznos tweeted back simply: "Eat me."
Quiznos' naughty response was more than just humorous, it "empowered the customer to have his or her own story about the brand," said Erika Napoletano, a digital strategist and Entrepreneur columnist. "Your stories are important, but [your customers'] stories are arguably even more important."
Another goal should be to create a social personality, or voice, that stands out from the competition, Antle said. "People want to get away, to have different types of social interactions," he said. "Why should they go to one business over another? They prefer the story that's most compelling."
Making those social connections can require a lot of trial and error, Falls said. But the most important thing for business owners is to at least try.
"If you're doing something wrong [on social media], your followers will let you know," Falls said. "After two, three, four months, if all you hear are crickets chirping from your followers, take a couple steps back, refocus and start again."
Thanks for making Entrepreneur better for everyone.Please tell us why?
via entrepreneur.com
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Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC) is one of those classic pseudosciences that have been around for a long time – like astrology, Big foot, and the Bermuda Triangle. I put it in the same category as the myth that we only use about 10% of our brain capacity; it’s widely believed, but no one really cares that much. It’s just something people hear about and have no reason to doubt, so they lazily accept it. I did when I was younger (in my pre-skeptical days), you hear about it on TV and think, “Huh, isn’t that interesting.”
It’s therefore a good opportunity to teach critical thinking skills. People’s brains are clogged with myths and false information, spread by rumor and the media, and accepted due to a lack of having the proper critical thinking filters in place. It’s disappointing, however, when people who should know better, or whose job it is to know better, fall for such myths.
Recently an Irish coroner concluded that a man died from SHC, and it is reported:
The West Galway coroner, Ciaran McLoughlin, said there was no other adequate explanation for the death of Michael Faherty, 76, also known as Micheal O Fatharta.
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The coroner said: “This fire was thoroughly investigated and I’m left with the conclusion that this fits into the category of spontaneous human combustion, for which there is no adequate explanation.”
First, let’s play a game of name-that-logical-fallacy. The core fallacy the coroner is committing is the argument from ignorance. The investigation could not find a cause for the fire, therefore here is the specific cause – SHC. The conclusion should rather be – we don’t know what caused the fire.
The coroner said the case “fits into the category” of SHC – but how? Did it have any features that are known to correlate with gold-standard cases of SHC? That is what we generally mean when we say that something fits a defined category. It seems that the coroner only means – unexplained (back to the argument from ignorance).
The case is a good example of why scientists and experts need to have critical thinking skills in addition to their area of expertise. Knowing a lot of information about a complex subject area does not necessarily also grant critical thinking skills – knowledge of logic, heuristics, and mechanisms of self-deception. This is why scientists fall prey to magicians or con-artists, and sometimes even deceive themselves and take their careers down the rabbit hole of pseudoscience.
Let’s get back to the argument from ignorance – someone might argue that it is reasonable, if no external source of fire is found, that we conclude it was therefore spontaneous. In medicine we sometimes make what is called a “diagnosis of exclusion;” once all other diagnoses have been eliminated, we are left with a diagnosis for which there is no positive evidence. But the analogy breaks down in two very important ways.
When we make a diagnosis of exclusions we are appealing to a known entity, whereas SHC is an unknown entity. For example, migraine headaches are often a diagnosis of exclusion. But migraines are a known entity, they are characterized by specific signs and symptoms, and we understand something about what causes them. We have identified specific physiological processes that are involved with migraines. We just do not have any diagnostic confirmatory tests that are sensitive and specific enough to be useful, so we rely on clinical features and ruling out anything serious that can have similar features.
SHC, on the other hand, has never been confirmed to exist – not a single case. The entire hypothesis is based upon the argument from ignorance, strange cases of immolation where the source is not discovered by investigation. I should note that many cases presented as SHC do not even fit this category as there are obvious external sources of ignition or fire, like smoking or fire places. But if we take the best cases, they are based entirely on not knowing what the source of fire was.
There are no proposed mechanisms of spontaneous ignition that even approach plausibility. There are no cases where a person spontaneously combusts while being witnessed, or cases where other animals (animals that do not routinely use fire) spontaneously combust. There are no cases of near combustion, where someone heats up for an unknown reason but does not reach the ignition point. Nor are there cases where someone combusts spontaneously but survives to tell the tale.
All we have are cases where a corpse is found burned, with fire damage to the surroundings, and no witnesses as to what happened. In many cases there are obvious fire sources. In other cases there are no obvious sources, but there are potential sources. In decades of investigating fires it makes sense that there will be the occasional case where the source of fire cannot be discovered. The alternative is to believe that fire investigators will be 100% successful in explaining every case they come upon, which is an unreasonable expectation.
This falls under, therefore, what I call the residue effect. For any frequent phenomenon there will be a certain number (a residue) of cases that defy explanation, just by chance alone, because there are quirky, unique, or highly unlikely circumstances. Very unlikely things happen all the time, given enough opportunity. It is therefore not only the argument from ignorance, but utter folly to conclude that such cases have a paranormal or fantastical explanation, rather than they are just unusual but still mundane cases.
The coroner in this case should have concluded that the cause of the fire was unknown, not that it fit into a non-existent category of SHC. But at least he provided another teaching moment for the promotion of critical thinking.
via theness.com
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September 26, 2011Mastering Distraction in 18 Minutes
There is a better way to focus your time on what you value the most - and say no to the rest. It begins with a mere 18 Minutes.
Posted by Marla Tabaka @marlatabaka at 6:00 AM
Do you ever get to the end of a busy day only to realize that next to nothing has been taken off of your “to do” list? What if you could take back some of the hours in your day? What would you do differently? The problem is that many business owners don’t know what to do about their lack of productivity. Or, like everything else, they put off their commitment to get things under control.
In 18 MINUTES: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done, author Peter Bregman delivers a series of quick-hitting chapters that teach us how to navigate through the never-ending chatter of emails, text messages, phone calls, and endless meetings that prevent us from focusing our time on those things that really matter.
Today, Peter has answered some of my questions here at The Successful Soloist and he will be joining me for an in-depth interview on The Million Dollar Mindset at 2pm ET. Make sure to join us there or download the podcast at a later date.
Q. In 18 Minutes you encourage your readers to focus on things that matter to them; things that have specific meaning. You suggest exploring what matters, what’s working well, what we feel neutral about, and what alienates us. What choices do you feel a solopreneur has if certain aspects of managing his business don’t appeal to him?
A. One of the great advantages to being a solopreneur is the ability to structure the business to match - almost perfectly - what I call the 4 elements: the particular strengths, weaknesses, differences, and passions of the solopreneur. And with the accessibility and availability of outsourcing, that’s never been easier. The first thing to do if an aspect of your business doesn’t appeal to you is to ask whether it’s essential to the business. If it’s not - or if you can change the business to make it less important - then get rid of it. If it is important and it doesn’t appeal to you, outsource it if at all possible.All of us succeed - this is especially true for solopreneurs - when we work at the intersection of the 4 elements. If you can structure your business so it allows you to leverage your strengths, embrace your weaknesses, assert your differences, and pursue your passions, you will be playing the game you know you can win.
Q. Peter, your book is filled with insightful messages intended to help the reader find the path to happiness and fulfillment. Do you believe that individuals who are productivity-challenged are simply on the “wrong” path?
A. Any of us can be productivity challenged, even when we are in exactly the right place, doing the right things, with the right other people. In fact, sometimes I become productivity challenged precisely because I have too many right things to do. It’s an interesting dynamic I’ve recently discovered - When everything is important, working on a single task becomes psychologically difficult because it means we are choosing not to work on all the other things that we know are also important. So we end up watching TV or eating ice cream or buying running sneakers instead of doing the work that’s important to us. It doesn’t make any sense and yet it’s a dynamic I’ve found myself in and watch other people struggle with all the time.There’s another dynamic at play: the more important your work is to you, the more likely you are to procrastinate on it. This is because you have more at stake in work that’s close to your heart. Failure might leave your very identity in question. Maybe you can’t be a writer/solopreneur/online marketing maven/technologist after all. And so you don’t get started. All these are examples of being productivity-challenged while being on the right path.
The solution is in creating a system that gets you to focus on the most important things - that’s what my six box to do list and my 18 Minute process are all about.
Q. You suggest that the secret to thriving in life is to do fewer things – the things that are most important. How does a busy solopreneur determine what to choose?
A. I suggest that everyone choose five things that they most want to focus on in a year. Five things that put you at the intersection of the four elements - Strengths, Weaknesses, Differences, and Passions - and that are most meaningful. I specifically discourage people from trying to find their mission in life. If you have one, great. But if not, it can be paralyzing to try to find it. So simply focus on what you want to spend your time doing in the next year. I ask three major questions in my book - What is This Year About? What is This Day About? What is This Moment About? It’s critically important to answer the first question before the second. Otherwise we’ll spend our days frantically working but not getting us where we want to go. Once you place yourself at the intersection of you strengths, weaknesses, differences, and passions then you will naturally be working on the things you’re good at, make you happy, and have meaning to you. Choose those things to spend your time on.Q. I appreciate your “3-day rule”- nothing stays on the to-do list for longer than 3 days. Do you find that there is any specific psychology behind allowing things to stagnate on our lists for days, weeks, even months?
A. Yes. Many of us are afflicted with a disease called FOMO or Fear of Missing Opportunities. So we add things to our list and, even though we are unlikely to accomplish many of them, we keep them there. Unfortunately, that quickly transforms our to do list into a guilt list; a list of everything we think we should be doing but can’t get to. Which then makes it hard to identify the things that are most important to us. The answer to this is to make more intentional choices about what we are going to do and what we are going to ignore. It’s hard to say “no” to something we’d like to do - but if it doesn’t reasonably fit into the areas we most want to focus on in a year, then it’s a distraction and we need to pass it by.Q. Peter, many of my clients are faced with email overload. Can you suggest a few steps to address/manage this problem?
A. One thing is to delete liberally - If you have an inkling that something is not critical, don’t read it. Also, be very careful what you reply and to whom. You can either keep a conversation going or politely close it - choose carefully which you want to do for a particular email. Finally, I find it is much less efficient - and far more distracting - to answer email as it comes in. Instead, choose email times and go through them all at once - you’ll be much better at making decisions and responding if you’ve cordoned off the time.Q. Entrepreneurs are notorious for losing focus. With so much information coming at us how can we avoid constant distraction?
A. It’s hard. It helps to resist the temptation to multitask. Because multi tasking simply doesn’t work - it slows us down and makes us lose focus. Apple’s new operating system has integrated full screen views into many applications - so, if you want, you can make the thing you are working on the only thing that appears on your screen. That’s a great tool to fight distraction. Another thing is to avoid interruptions. Use a timer and decide how long you are going to work on something and then, no matter what, don’t change your focus until your timer goes off.Researchers watched people work and noticed, on average, that people were interrupted four times each hour. But here’s the interesting part - they often didn’t go back to what they were working on before they were interrupted. And here’s the really, really interesting part: the more challenging the work was that they were doing before they were interrupted, the less likely it was that they would return to it after the interruption. In other words, we’re most likely to lose focus on our most important work.
Q. Lastly, many solopreneurs work from home. What are some important factors in creating a workspace that is conducive to high productivity levels?
A. Put a lock on your home office door. I have three young kids so that helps tremendously. I also find it’s helpful to define times during the day when you aren’t going to work - breaks, lunch, errands - which creates a boundary around your work time. This way you can stay focused, knowing exactly when that break is coming up.Also, know your rhythm. I do my best writing in the morning - so if I cordon off a few hours to write before I even look at email, I know I’ll be productive. Once you know your rhythms, schedule your day around them. That’s the key to all of this really - especially solopreneurs - know yourself well and build things around you so that you can bring the best of who you are out into the world.|
Don’t forget to tune into my interview with Peter on The Million Dollar Mindset where he reveals more about 18 Minutes and productivity solutions that could result in making you a top producer!
via inc.com
Sunday, September 25, 2011
NEC Lavie Touch
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ViewSonic ViewPad 10Pro
Windows for the road warrior
Experience all the power of a desktop PC and full productivity of Windows in one lightweight, handheld device. Intel® Oak Trail Z670 CPU processor delivers enhanced performance and extended battery life. Integrated 2GB system memory ensures optimum computing power, with up to 32GB storage for all your documents, media and applications. Built-in 1.3MP webcam accommodates videoconferencing.
Android Within Windows
Multi-tasking in today’s busy world is easy with the unique Dual OS feature for “Android within Windows”. Switch from Windows to Android in under one second. Instantly surf, share and connect with your favorite web and social networking sites. Select from a wide variety of free and affordable apps for personal interests, business, communications and productivity.
Connectivity Possibilities
ViewPad 10pro with Windows® 7 supports Remote Desktop Connection to your home and work computers anywhere, anytime. Access files, programs and network from your ViewPad10pro. You can also run the Citrix Receiver or Wyse® PocketCloud® apps in Android, creating a complete solution for all your remote access and cloud computing needs.
Connectivity for the Masses
With built-in Wi-Fi® 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR, the ViewPad 10pro is ready to keep you connected. The full connectivity includes high speed USB 2.0 port, mini HDMI, microphone, headphone and micro SD card slot.
Connected Without Limits
The optional exclusive docking station* lets you take your mobile office anywhere. ViewPad 10pro makes going to work easy: just plug in your keyboard and mouse for a complete PC experience. Full connectivity includes 2 USB ports, RJ45, 4-in-1 card reader (MS/MSPRO/MS and MMC,) earphone and microphone.
LG Blade notebooks
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Super Slim Screen, Bezel, and Body
The minimalist, sophisticated design of the P430 features a super-slim LED LCD screen, bezel and body, creating a new style icon for fashion-forward consumers. New display technology, developed in collaboration with LG Display, allows the LED LCD screen to be incredibly thin while still delivering rich, sharp images. With a depth of 4.5mm the screen of the P430 is up to 50 percent thinner than any other notebook in its class.
Thanks to LG’s world-class bezel technology, LG Blade notebooks boast bezels that are more than 40 percent narrower than other notebooks in the same class. This allows the 14-inch P430 to be designed around a 13.3-inch-class notebook. Together, the thinner display and narrower bezel contribute to LG’s new Blade series being up to 22 percent slimmer than the closest competing product in its class.
Maximum Mobility
The P430 boasts an extremely lightweight body to maximize mobility. Weighing in at just 1.94kg (4.2lbs) with a depth of 23.8mm, the P430 is lighter than conventional 13-inch notebooks. Unlike most notebooks with 14-inch screens, LG’s P430 is comfortable to carry around in a shoulder bag, making them an ideal companions for working on the road.
Super Material, Sturdy Exterior
Designed with a metallic case, the P430 offers a more durable alternative to other slim-style notebooks. The metal casing results in a stronger exterior, ensuring extreme protection despite its ultra-slim depth. With a brushed aluminum finish and diamond cutting, a technology that uses real diamonds to cut the edge of the case, LG’s Blade notebooks have a smooth, high quality cover with a refined and luxurious look.
Perfect Mix with Unbeatable Performance
Thanks to the second generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor, the P430 boasts outstanding performance. Intel’s new quad-core processor is 20 percent and 50 percent faster than the previous generation Intel® Core i7 processor and the second generation Intel® Core i5 processor, respectively. The notebooks also include NVIDIA® Graphics® GeForce GT520M – which boasts 50 percent better performance than integrated graphics cards – to deliver exciting, game-friendly graphics. The P430 includes an array of multimedia features including a 1.3 HD webcam, SRS and DLNA technology to easily share and enjoy photos and videos with other DLNA-enabled devices.
Viliv X70
The Viliv X70 is the latest Mobile Internet Device (MID) from Viliv that
changes the way people think of mobile computing. Just like the uber-hot Viliv S5,
this Viliv X70 is beautifully-manufactured, features a great battery
life, and has plenty of power to deliver a full, no-compromise, rich
internet experience. And that's just the start of its capabilities.
The Viliv X70 features a 1024 x 600 7" WSVGA display, 32GB solid-state drive (SSD), and an Intel AtomTM 1.33GHz processor. Its battery lasts for a remarkable 5+ hours of movie playback (actual time), and its instant-on feature allows you to resume Windows XPTM from sleep in under five seconds. With 6 days of standby time, the X70 is a truly ultraportable device that delivers the full rich web experience. Rich web is complemented by rich media. The X70 supports 720p HD video playback, and features integrated Wifi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
Let's take a closer look at a variety of ways the X70 can change the way you utilize mobile computing in daily life and work.
VoIP through built in MIC and Web Cam : Integrated microphone and camera make Skype video conferencing easy to do almost anywhere. Make videos and upload them to YouTube immediately, or even stream live video onto the Web while you're on the go!
Instant on : The "Just On" mode of the Viliv X70 EX lets you boot up from sleep to WindowsTM in under 5 seconds. Thanks to its 150 hour standby time, you can access your data quickly and easily at the push of a button, rarely needing to worry about having to find an outlet before your battery runs out.
HD/Streaming : Watching your favorite shows on demand via the Internet is great, but many users find hauling a laptop to their bed or couch is not ergonomic. The Viliv X70 EX is capable of playing 720p HD video in a variety of formats, and you can even stream your favorite new shows from FoxTM, CBSTM, HuluTM, etc., easily and smoothly from anywhere, whether the couch or your bed.
With the optional TV Out cable, you can even hook up the X70 EX to any HDTV for a full home theatre experience. Take it to your friend's house, or hotel room.
Battery life : The Viliv X70EX has double the battery life of most other devices its size. Its 5.5 hours of video playback or 4 hours of live streaming TV from the web--especially in consideration of 150 hours standby and 5-second wake-up, mean that it works for you throughout the day: morning commute, big lunch meeting, and even watching the latest episode of 30Rock on Hulu--during your lunch break, of course.
The Viliv X70 EX is an exemplary platform for business as well. Whether you are considering CRM, ERP, fleet tracking (GPS), or home automation, talk to us about the possibilities
The Viliv X70 features a 1024 x 600 7" WSVGA display, 32GB solid-state drive (SSD), and an Intel AtomTM 1.33GHz processor. Its battery lasts for a remarkable 5+ hours of movie playback (actual time), and its instant-on feature allows you to resume Windows XPTM from sleep in under five seconds. With 6 days of standby time, the X70 is a truly ultraportable device that delivers the full rich web experience. Rich web is complemented by rich media. The X70 supports 720p HD video playback, and features integrated Wifi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
Let's take a closer look at a variety of ways the X70 can change the way you utilize mobile computing in daily life and work.
GPS :
Built-in GPS lets you use any Windows XP navigation software--including StreetDeckTM, Google EarthTM or Microsoft Streets and TripsTM.
There's no need look up an address on your computer and transfer it to
your car's GPS, because the Viliv X70 EX is with you anywhere you
go--including your wife's car or rental.
The optional kit makes it easy to use in the car, and the incredible battery life assures this is a reliable solution. Check out these videos to see just how seamless this solution can be. |
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VoIP through built in MIC and Web Cam : Integrated microphone and camera make Skype video conferencing easy to do almost anywhere. Make videos and upload them to YouTube immediately, or even stream live video onto the Web while you're on the go!
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Multimedia/entertainment experience :
Naturally, the X70 EX is an exemplary portable media player. With its
7-inch screen, long battery life, nearly instant-on capability, an
integrated broadband wireless (subscription required), you can watch all
of your favorite content, or stream new content from the Internet.
Easily navigate through your music, videos, e-books, or photos with the
ease of a fingertip. Download new content on a whim.
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SDHC Slot :
Using the integrated SDHS slot, you can expand memory capacity by 32GB on a simple SD card.
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Instant on : The "Just On" mode of the Viliv X70 EX lets you boot up from sleep to WindowsTM in under 5 seconds. Thanks to its 150 hour standby time, you can access your data quickly and easily at the push of a button, rarely needing to worry about having to find an outlet before your battery runs out.
HD/Streaming : Watching your favorite shows on demand via the Internet is great, but many users find hauling a laptop to their bed or couch is not ergonomic. The Viliv X70 EX is capable of playing 720p HD video in a variety of formats, and you can even stream your favorite new shows from FoxTM, CBSTM, HuluTM, etc., easily and smoothly from anywhere, whether the couch or your bed.
With the optional TV Out cable, you can even hook up the X70 EX to any HDTV for a full home theatre experience. Take it to your friend's house, or hotel room.
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Haptic keyboard :
With X70EX's haptic feedback, you can actually "feel" a press of a key
on the onscreen keyboard. Of course, we offer the diminutive stowaway
portable Bluetooth keyboard if you prefer a physical keyboard.
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Easy PC to PC Data Transfer :
Unique capability to link directly with another PC using a standard USB
cable, and move files back-and-forth at a rate of 700MB/sec. No
additional software or special cable (eg. USB host-to-host data cable)
are required. You only need a standard USB cable and the Viliv X70 EX!
Check out the YouTube video to see how easy it is.
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Battery life : The Viliv X70EX has double the battery life of most other devices its size. Its 5.5 hours of video playback or 4 hours of live streaming TV from the web--especially in consideration of 150 hours standby and 5-second wake-up, mean that it works for you throughout the day: morning commute, big lunch meeting, and even watching the latest episode of 30Rock on Hulu--during your lunch break, of course.
The Viliv X70 EX is an exemplary platform for business as well. Whether you are considering CRM, ERP, fleet tracking (GPS), or home automation, talk to us about the possibilities
iPhone 8, Not iPhone 4S/5, to Put a Final Nail In Console Gaming’s Coffin?
The increasingly popular iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad become more and more powerful when it comes to supporting your entertainment needs, whether we’re talking about music, movies or actual gaming. It’s more than obvious that Apple’s growing iOS environment will be a bigger and better entertainment oasis year after year; the question is, what will Apple do to increase its presence in your living room?
Apple has never declared its intention to enter the console business, but the more iOS grows, and with it, Apple’s iDevices, the clearer it is that Apple will be able to pose a serious threat to Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, not necessarily in this order, when it comes to console gaming, The future PlayStation 4, Wii U and Xbox 720 may find themselves fighting a tough battle with an unexpected enemy, an iPad/iPhone (as controller) + an Apple TV (actual Apple-made HDTV running iOS) bundle that would offer some serious gaming. In fact they may become obsolete even before being launched since the smartphone business is evolving at a much faster rate.
When will Apple decide to try to overtake the console gaming business? It may be sooner than we anticipate, although certain game developers expect such a thing to happen only in a few years from now. Epic Games’ President Mike Capps thinks the future iDevices may pose a serious threat to the Big Three console makers. But according to him it’s not the iPhone 4S/5 spearheading this gaming revolution, not that we expected it to be even if the new iPhone, packing a dual-core processor like the iPad 2, will be capable of offering an even better gaming experience, but a much later iPhone version, the iPhone 8:
So I think that’s the real challenge for us now, rather than worrying about the difference between a couple consoles and some order of magnitude, whether 3X or 4X. It’s about how do we deal with iPhone 8… if you watch where the gamers are going that’s where they are. Your iPhone 8 will probably plug into your TV, or better yet, wirelessly connect to your television set to give you that big screen gaming experience with good sound. So really, what’s the point of those next-gen consoles? It’s a very interesting situation to be looking at. That’s what we’re starting to think about more… not how do we scale from some Nintendo platform to some other future console.Now if game creators are having such fantasies, then I’m sure Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft may be pondering over similar questions. Oh, and the same line of thinking could very well be applied to Google’s Android OS, although it’s more likely Apple the company that’s going to turn a mobile device into a future console by combining it with the future Apple TV.
Nikon 1 V1 vs Sony NEX-5N
Until now, the mirrorless camera market has remained a bit of a niche, never quite distracting snappers away from entry level DSLRs or top end compacts.
Nikon, one of the photographic big two, and its entry into this camera category with the Nikon 1 system, might just change all that. Of the pair - the Nikon 1 J1 and Nikon 1 V1 - it's the higher-end latter that has us most excited. Priced in at £829 (with a 10-30mm lens) it comes directly up against Sony's NEX-5N camera. So, with both brands carrying some serious DSLR pedigree, which is the one you should go for?
Take a look at Pocket-lint's Nikon 1 V1 vs Sony NEX-5N spec challenge to get a better look at how the two match up.
Build
- 1st: Sony NEX-5N
- Magnesium alloy, 110.8 x 58.8 x 38.2mm, 269g
- 2nd: Nikon 1 V1
- Magnesium alloy reinforced, 113 x 76 x 43.5mm, 383g
On top of that, and more telling when being compact is the aim of the game, the Sony NEX-5N takes the round in the weight and size battle, bouncing in at 269g to the Nikon's 383g. Similarly the super-pocketable Sony is 110.8 x 58.8 x 38.2mm against the V1 which measures up at larger 113 x 76 x 43.5mm. Neither are exactly massive but, if compact is what you are after, we say the Sony wins this one.
The only thing that you might want to bear in mind is that, by virtue of the Sony's larger sensor size, the lenses that you stick on the front of it are going to be bigger as well, and that might ruin those easy-pack claims. So, although this is a Sony win, in reality, the more compact might be the Nikon.
Screen
- 1st: Sony NEX-5N
- 3-inch, 921k dot TFT, vari-angle
- 2nd: Nikon 1 V1
- 3-inch, 921k dot TFT
The NEX-5N has a 3-inch, 921,600-dot TFT display with TruBlack technology. This translates to rich, crisp and balanced shots turning up on the back of the camera after the shutter has been pressed. It also means a responsive and highly accurate screen to use for composing shots themselves and filming video.
The V1 has an almost entirely identical 3-inch 921k dot TFT display, making it very difficult to choose between the two. The XtraFine tech on the Sony and TruBlack does give it the slight edge when it comes to viewing angles and picture reproduction, but it's the vari-angle ability of the Sony for more flexible shooting that puts the NEX-5N on top again. It also happens to be a touchscreen, if you're into that sort of thing.
Viewfinder
- 1st: Nikon 1 V1
- TFT LCD 1440k finder, 100 per cent coverage
- 2nd: Sony NEX-5N
- Accessory, XGA OLED 2359k dot finder, 100 per cent coverage
Both the Sony and the Nikon can use proper eyepieces - albeit electronic ones - the difference is, however, that the Nikon's is built-in. That, for us, is a serious deal-breaker because, otherwise, you're looking at an extra £200 to turn the NEX-5N into a more conventional prosumer shooter. Until then, you're limited to composing shots via the rear screen, which while very good in its own right, might not feel like proper photography to you.
It also means a lot of the covert and compact nature of these mirrorless cams is lost. As you stare at a back screen you make yourself obvious; not the best thing if you're intending on using them for street photography. It's also arguably easier to hold a camera still when you've got it locked to your eye than when it's right out in front of you.
The Nikon 1 V1 ships with a 100 per cent coverage viewfinder built-in and, as such, claims the win in this round.
Sensor
- 1st: Sony NEX-5N
- Exmor APS-C (1.5x crop) HD CMOS, 16.1 megapixel
- 2nd: Nikon 1 V1
- CX-format (2.7x crop) CMOS, 10.1 megapixel
Crop factor is a major issue when it comes to mirrorless systems, as is the amount of megapixels you cram onto such a tiny space. The more megapixels, the more problems with noise - something you definitely don't want. The smaller the sensor, the less bokeh (area of defocus) at low apertures, and the greater amount of processing power required to clean up images.
It might seem like Sony has the edge simply because of the higher number of megapixels but, believe us, 10 megapixels is more than enough unless you're shooting for billboards.
Where the Sony does come out on top, however, is that the sensor size is markedly larger than the Nikon, resulting in a 1.5x crop rather than the V1's 2.7x. In the case of the Nikon, when you mount an AF-S lens using the FT1 adapter, you can expect a huge increase in zoom range. This means any wide angle lenses you currently own will transform into 50mm shooters when stuck on the V1.
We personally find both the Sony and Nikon to turn out very good quality images. It is, however, the smaller ISO range of 100-6400 on the V1 that puts the Sony in the lead this round. The NEX-5N can shoot in much lower light conditions, boasting a 100-25600 ISO range, and probably backs those stats up with less noise as you increase the ISO. However, we're prepared to stand corrected on this, once we get a chance to test it out the results in the Pocket-lint labs.
Processor
- 1st: Nikon 1 V1
- EXPEED 3
- 2nd: Sony NEX-5N
- BIONZ
That said, it's in this category that Nikon's photographic pedigree really comes into play, with the brand new EXPEED 3 processor making a debut appearance in the Nikon 1 cameras. It features a pair of engines for processing images and can manage to process 600 megapixels per second making it more than a match for Sony BIONZ at present.
The EXPEED 3 allows for serious levels of noise reduction and things like Motion Snapshot which can record both slow motion movies and stills. The BIONZ inside the NEX-5N is no slouch either, however, particularly when you think of the ISO range the camera can manage.
Autofocus
- 1st: Nikon 1 V1
- Hybrid auto focus AF (73-pt phase detection/135-pt contrast detect)
- 2nd: Sony NEX-5N
- 25-point contrast AF system
It's important to remember, however, that all this obsession with speed does mean a lot of the mirrorless cameras sacrifice focus points. Why are focus points important? Well, the more you have, the easier it is to selectively focus objects within a frame. This is important because it can, in the end, speed up how you focus an image, regardless of the speed the camera is capable of. As it goes, the Nikon 1 V1 blows the Sony NEX-5N out of the water here as well, so it's Nikon all the way on the AF front.
Burst speeds
- 1st: Nikon V1
- Up to 60fps
- 2nd: Sony NEX-5N
- 10fps
The standard mechanical shutters of both of these cameras fire away at a seriously impressive 10 frames each and every second when you’ve got your finger held down on the trigger. However, as part of Nikon’s fastest claims, both the Nikon 1 V1 and Nikon 1 J1 have electronic modes that ramp things up to either 30fps or 60fps and at full resolution too.
What you do sacrifice at those speeds is autofocus with only 10-point AF possible for each shot at 30fps and only an initial focus for the first of the volley available when you’re running at 60fps. Nonetheless, the stats are seriously impressive. When it’s all about capturing the action, it’s a big win for Nikon.
Video
- 1st: sony nex-5n
- Full HD, stereo mic, 25p/50p
- 2nd: nikon 1 V1
- Full HD, stereo mic, 30p/60i
There's a sneaking suspicion here at Pocket-lint that Nikon has gone for video in a big way on its Nikon 1 system. Well aware that there's a growing thirst for the stuff amongst consumers - especially at these mid and upper price points - the company has made sure to offer as much in the way of movie shooting potential as possible. Naturally, what you get is full, 1080p HD recording which you can either capture at 30fps or interlaced at 60fps. (If you do drop down to 720p recording, then this becomes a bonafide 720/60p for what should be some excellent slow motion videos.)
The technical side on the V1 is also supported, as it should be, with stereo sound recording capabilities whether you're using the built-in mics or the optional external accessory. Either way, with audio arguably the better part of video, it's a welcome inclusion; one feature that users will find a real bonus is that, while recording in movie mode, you can also snap as many full resolution stills as you want.
Finally, Nikon has included a dedicated video-shooting, power zoom lens for the CX cameras, the automation of which keeps pulls smooth while also cutting down on any external judder.
As for the Sony NEX-5N, it too has no issues with Full HD and stereo sound recording in-body and it even outclasses the Nikon 1 V1 by shooting at a 50fps when in 1080p mode which purists would argue beats the interlaced 60i on the Nikon. What's more, videos are encoded in excellent AVCHD wrapper on the NEX-5N rather than the MOV files one gets with the V1.
Both cameras are top notch at video on paper, but it's the Sony that has the edge for now.
Accessories
- tie: Nikon 1 V1
- Cases, flash, external microphone, GPS unit, grip, lens mount
- tie: Sony NEX-5N
- Finder, cases, flash, finder, wireless remote, lens mount
The usual range of camera cases, lens cases, hoods and general Nikon and Sony branded accoutrements are all available. Where things get exciting, and where the pair come into conflict, is over the relative expensive of NEX and V1 treats.
We already know that the NEX-5N needs an external finder if you want to use it more like a conventional camera, but then the V1 requires a plug in GPS unit if you want to geotag shots. The GPS on the Sony NEX-5N is built in. It all depends which is more important to you.
We definitely think the decision to make the V1 compatible with Nikon's external mic was a good one - especially for video fans who will likely be picking up either the NEX or V1 partly due to to the quality of their 1080p video.
Lenses
- 1st: Nikon 1 V1
- 10-30mm, 30-110mm, 10mm, 10-100mm
- 2nd: Sony NEX-5N
- 50mm, 24mm, 55-210, 30mm, 16mm, 18-55mm, 18-200mm
That aside, don't forget that Nikon has gone and stuck the NIKKOR brand onto the new Nikon 1 system camera lenses. This means you're going to get the same imaging expertise that you get on its DSLR cameras. We can't really ignore the pedigree on this front and are excited to really put some of the new lenses through their paces.
While you can also pick up an adapter for the Sony to fit the company's top end A-mount DSLR lenses to the NEX-5N, it just doesn't compare with the range, number and quality that Nikon has produced over the years.
Price
- 1st: Sony NEX-5N
- £799 for double lens kit
- 2nd: Nikon 1 V1
- £829 for single lens kit
The Nikon 1 V1 is priced in at £829 with just a 10-30mm lens kit. Quite simply you're getting one extra lens for your money on the Sony front.
It is important to consider, however, the pricing for separate lenses for each system. A 10mm f/2.8 will set you back £229 for the V1. Something similar on the NEX - say the for example the 16mm pancake - is £219. On every front Sony manages to keep things cheaper than the Nikon and as such grabs the points for this one but, as ever, prices may change.
Conclusion
- 1st: Nikon 1 V1
- 2nd: Sony NEX-5N
Deciding between the two is a bit like choosing between Mac or Windows. They're both good in their own right. Sony definitely has the jump in the sensor, screen and build department. Of those three, however, it's only the sensor that really, really matters in terms of affecting your photography fundamentally. The other big category it wins in is video.
The Nikon 1 V1, though, is probably the camera that has all the boxes checked in the right places. It's got an insanely powerful image processor running the show offering absurd shooting speeds and the ability to back up an AF system that should keep your image capture super fast and super sharp. It might even be enough to keep the noise levels down at comparable low light levels despite its shortfall in sensor size.
On top of all that, there's an in-built viewfinder, healthy batch of accessories and access to a vast array of high quality glassware with which Sony just can't compete at the moment.
Narrow depth of field shooting might be a casualty of smaller Nikon sensor and we'll have to wait and see how that affects overall image quality too but, for the minute, our gut feeling is that the Nikon 1 V1 will impress more than the Sony NEX-5N.
Naturally, there are functions on one what you won't get on the other - 3D Sweep Panorama on the Sony vs Smart Photo Selector on the Nikon - and we're not yet convinced whether the interface on the Nikon 1 system is something that would appeal to the enthusiast photographer; but, for plain old shooting, we're siding with the Nikon 1 V1 until full reviews.
HTC EVO 3D hands-on
HTC has gone 3D, following LG into the market with the Sprint HTC EVO 3D. But is it a gimmick or the next best thing? We’ve just grabbed a hands-on with the new phone at CTIA to check out what the fuss is all about.
First and foremost this is a superfast, super speedy phone that offers plenty. It might have 3D in the title, but aside from the screen and the camera capabilities, 3D takes a step back in the whole experience.
HTC hasn’t introduced a series of new 3D interfaces, there are no 3D menus, there is no 3D funky stuff -aside from the ability to watch and make dedicated 3D content.
All that 3D love is delivered via the high-res qHD 4.3-inch screen that commands virtually the entire front of the phone. It's crisp and very sharp. There are the usual Android buttons that light up as with previous HTC handsets, and there is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat, but it’s the screen that takes centre stage.
Around the back you’ll find the two 5-megapixel cameras that let you record 720p 3D surrounded by a cool red ring - luckily not of death.
Other features include 4G and 3G connectivity, 4GB Internal memory/1GB RAM, microSD slot (supports up to 32GB memory card), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, stereo Bluetooth, integrated GPS, and a 1730mAh Lithium-ion battery. It all running Android 2.3.3 which is the latest Android version of Gingerbread at the moment. You'll also be able to turn the phone into a Wi-FI hotspot for up to eight other devices.
3D is all controlled via a “heavy-duty” looking switch on the side of the device that lets you jump between the two.
So what’s that content like? Well it’s fair to say from our brief play in a darkened room on the Sprint stand that it's very impressive as long as you’re in the right place.
The viewing angle is by no means as good as the LG Optimus 3D, although when you do get that sweet spot it works a treat.
We watched a Green Hornet trailer, recorded some videos and watched another video of a 3D game in action - currently the software build doesn't support 3D gaming but it will when the device launches in the US in the Summer.
The trick, we’ve already found, is to find that sweet spot and not move - that’s going to be easy at home, but might not be so easy on the bus or train for example.
The trick here is going to be the ability to share the content via either HDMI or DLNA.
HTC EVO 3D will be the first 3D handset pre-loaded with the Blockbuster On Demand mobile application that offers access to one of the largest catalogs of movies, including 3D titles.
Blockbuster On Demand offers the hottest new releases on the same day they become available on Blu-ray and DVD. Rentals range from $1.99 to $3.99 each, and purchases are $5.99 and up. Rentals will be available for viewing on one screen within 30 days of rental, with a 24-hour viewing period once the title is first played.
Also new is that HTC has updated its Sense UI again tweaking the experience slightly. Now users can select which bit of the phone to go to straight away from the lock screen - phone, messages, etc, as well as getting a 3D graphic but not three-dimensional animation between slides - very slick.
LG Optimus 3D review
Last year we were talking about 3D TVs and this year, it seems, 3D is fighting its way into other devices. We’re yet to really see people proclaiming that 3D is essential so it remains somewhat niche in its appeal, but for how long? The LG Optimus 3D was an early entry into the 3D mobile phone market - we first saw it back in February - but it’s only just coming to market, and has a new rival in the guise of the HTC Evo 3D. But is this novelty value with no substance, or is it a revolutionary device in 3D content creation and consumption?
Design
The LG Optimus 3D is a beast, there is no doubting that. It’s chunky, measuring 128 x 68 x 11.9mm it might not sound huge, but compared to the Samsung Galaxy S II, HTC Sensation or Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, it feels big. For some big is beautiful and you do get some recompense for those extra millimetres: a 4.3-inch display for starters, putting the Optimus 3D up there with the biggest Android phones.
For some the Optimus 3D will be too big in the hand. Of all the phones we’ve looked at this year, the Optimus 3D has been the one that takes the most stretching of the thumb to operate. Typing one-handed is more of a stain because you’re gripping around the bulk of the device whilst still trying to thumb the screen. It isn’t impossible and for those with larger hands it will be less of a problem, but if you have small hands, you might find it uncomfortable.
Like the LG Optimus 2X, the 3D doesn’t offer you the latest, greatest, construction. This isn’t a precision-machined body befitting its futuristic features, instead it is finished in plastics. It does feel solid though which is more the point and there is no creaking from the body as you use it.
The layout of controls are all regular, with the four soft buttons under the screen giving you menu, home, back and search, with a sleep/standby button on the top along with the 3.5mm headphone jack. On the left-hand side you’ll find both the Micro-USB and micro HDMI ports covered by little flaps and on the right-hand side you get the volume rocker and a key marked “3D”.
Feature packed
Flip the Optimus 3D over and you’ll see what sets this phone apart from the rest of the phone world. Around back you have two lenses, each offering 5-megapixels. This adds one dimension to the 3D name, the other comes from the lenticular display on the front. This means you’ll get glasses-free 3D from it, opening the door for the consumption of 3D content.
Let’s set the record straight right from the off: the LG Optimus 3D offers 3D features, it isn’t entirely 3D. You get a regular 2D experience for the majority of the time, with 3D swinging in when you want it. Making phone calls, browsing the Internet, running Voice Search - all these things are in 2D as normal. 3D is available for photos, video and gaming as we’ll detail below.
Sitting at the core of the Optimus 3D is a 1GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 processor, making a break from the Tegra 2 we’ve seen in most other high-end devices. The processor still packs in the dual-core ARM 9 architecture you’ll find elsewhere, offering hardware acceleration, 720p 3D capture and 1080p capture and decoding.
But LG haven’t just left the dual action to the processor. You’ll also find it has dual memory. Although this only comes in at 512MB, this is composed of two 256MB banks and the arrangement allows each processor core to access each (or both) of the memory banks. LG tell us that this means there is a higher memory bandwidth as a result.
You'll find internal storage offering you 8GB, with the option to add an external microSD card up to 32GB. Application storage comes in at 1GB, so it looks relatively strong on the storage front.
In reality, it means that the LG Optimus 3D performs as you’d expect a high-end handset to. Typical operation is smooth and there is little sign of the stability problems we’ve encountered with the LG Optimus 2X, but there was a run of unexpected little things that took the shine off the performance.
There was a little slowdown during large data events, like when we sent it off to download and install a collection of apps from the Android Market so you’ll find you can’t do much else. Whilst general navigation is fast enough, it doesn’t seem to have the urgency to open menus, or offer up the lockscreen to let you in, as other phones do. On the other hand we found that sometimes the keyboard would throw out double letters with little we could do to reel it in. Something doesn’t quite feel finished, not to the standard set by its rivals.
Interface experience
LG’s take on Android is lighter than HTC’s, more akin to the experience you get from Samsung’s Android phones. Whilst HTC customise pretty much everything, flood it with changes, LG’s user interface sticks much more closely to the native Android.The biggest changes include a permanent dock at the bottom of the screen offering shortcuts to phone, contacts, SMS and the apps menu, which is present on all the homepages. The number of homepages can be tailored to your needs, with a range of respectable widgets on offer. The weather clock, from AccuWeather, apes some of the feel of HTC Sense, but is clean and effective. The calendar and favourite contacts widgets are pretty good too, making it easy to get to details quickly and easily.
The other thing that is likely to annoy some is that the LG Optimus 3D is rolling out with Android 2.2.2, so it’s a step behind some of its top-tier rivals, although in reality that doesn’t make a huge impact on the day-to-day experience. But it does leave LG in the position where they are fighting off the back foot as these are things you’ll experience in daily use, even if they aren’t insurmountable.
Entertainment me…
If you’re looking for an entertainment device, then the Optimus 3D may just fit the bill. Before we get to 3D content, it’s worth pointing out that the Optimus 3D is a great 2D device. The inclusion of a micro HDMI opens the door for playing back your HD content on the big screen, essentially mirroring the screen. Switching to 3D will change the output to side-by-side for your TV to convert back into 3D if you also have a 3D TV.
Beyond the cabled input, you’ll find that the Optimus 3D also offers you LG’s SmartShare app, which offers you DLNA streaming of content you might already have on a network drive to another compatible device. Strangely on the Optimus 2X, this app will let us play network content on the phone, but on the Optimus 3D, it failed to offer the phone itself as a playback option. Fortunately our perennial favourite Skifta had no such problems, swinging into place to offer seamless performance.
Video playback looks good on the 4.3-inch 800 x 480 pixel resolution display. It’s size gives it a pixel density of 216ppi, typical of Android devices at this size. It is nice and vibrant, and plenty bright enough, but it doesn’t give us the cleanest whites we’ve seen, looking slightly yellow when set alongside the Optimus 2X. We also noticed a couple of yellow patches in the corners on the right-hand side of the display, although this is only really noticable when you’re on something with a white background.
Video support is pretty good, although the Optimus 3D wasn’t interested in any of the higher-bitrate 1080p MPEG4 files we fed it, claiming that playback wasn’t supported. It did, however, tackle DivX and DivX HD without issue and made a good showing of 720p MPEG4 content. It’s a great size of screen for watching video, and things like YouTube and catch-up TV, either from apps like BBC iPlayer of ITV Player, or direct from Flash-based websites, all look fantastic.
…in a new dimension
But the real novelty here is 3D. The phone comes preloaded with some 3D video samples, which really do look fantastic. As with your 3D TV, switching to 3D sees the display change, the brightness dips and it the sharpness falls away. Without the need for glasses, you’ll have to find the sweetspot for viewing, although that isn’t difficult at all and feels entirely natural. You’ll then find that the 3D effect is very good. One point we feel worth mentioning is reflections. Viewing 3D content whilst mobile does suffer when you get reflections or smeary fingerprints over the screen.Press the 3D button on the side of the phone and you’ll launch a 3D carousel offering up the main 3D avenues you have to explore. You get a 3D guide, YouTube 3D, 3D Gallery, 3D Camera, 3D Games & Apps. These are the main areas that 3D comes into play on the Optimus 3D and everything is also offered individually at the top of the apps menu in a 3D section.
YouTube has a growing number of 3D videos and you’ll be able to able to identify them by the “3D” logo as a large number have a title claiming 3D when it isn’t actually a 3D video, although some do slip through the net. You’ll quickly find that some 3D videos work well and other do not.
Of course you also get the option of 3D conversion, so any 2D video you have can be switched to 3D if you are viewing it through the regular Galley video player. You can change the strength of the 3D effect using an on-screen slider (as you can within the camera) and we had varying levels of success. The smaller size seems more forgiving of conversion that results we’ve seen on larger screens, but in many cases you sacrifice clarity and sharpness for that depth effect.
Watching video also has the downside of putting some strain on your eyes. 3D photo browsing doesn’t suffer in the same way and we suspect that 3D photos will be where the main wow factor comes from with the Optimus 3D. Everyone we have shown 3D photos to has been impressed with the clarity and 3D effect on the display. If nothing else, then the Optimus 3D is a great way to display your 3D snaps to friends.
3D gaming of course is one of the selling points of the Optimus 3D, with LG teaming up with Gameloft to bring you three pre-installed titles, NOVA, Let’s Golf 2 and Asphalt 6. An additional selection can be purchased from Gameloft, but they’re not new titles, so if you’re into mobile gaming you may well have seen them before. They look ok and you can adjust the 3D settings to essentially turn the effect off if you find it too much for you, but essentially 3D doesn’t really make for a better game, from what we’ve seen so far.
There is also a 3D gallery, which lets you rotate through all your 3D photos and videos on a 3D carousel. It’s neat enough as an effect, but in reality you can easily distinguish your 3D content because it is all labelled as such in the regular gallery. This is great for picking out images especially when showcasing what the phone will do.
3D shooting
3D capture is going to be one of your novelty features on the Optimus 3D. Using those stereoscopic lenses you’ll be able to take 3D snaps at resolutions up to 3 megapixels. There are various settings to be adjusted, but specific to 3D shooting you’ll find the choice of centre or border focusing, as well as the ability to change the 3D depth on a sliding scale as seen elsewhere. This can be altered once the shot is taken, but sits as the default for the camera once set. We found that around halfway got the best general results, but it is something to play around with when experimenting with 3D photography.
3D video capture comes in at a respectable 720p and again you get the same settings to adjust your 3D composition. The results look pretty good, although as a “casual” 3D videographer it seem much more difficult to get anything as dramatic as we managed from stills photos. The final result suffers from being a mobile phone, naturally, with some limitation on adjusting exposure automatically and a general dislike of low light or very bright conditions.
With video, of course, you can upload it directly to YouTube in 3D with a few button presses to share with the world.
Or 2D shooting
Regular photos fair better and the Optimus 3D is a fair camera phone, capable of giving you some decent shots. It does suffer in bright conditions however, and doesn’t have quite keep up with the best phones out there, but for sharing and candid photography it’s good enough. It is worth shooting 2D shots as well as 3D shots to take advantage of the difference in quality.
On the 2D video from the Optimus 3D will give you up to 1080p at around 30fps, which is reasonable quality but no match for your camcorder. It offers continuous focus, so things will slowly sharpen up as you move around a scene, but this isn’t as speedy as some, which has both pros and cons. Low light video is naturally noisy, the LED doing little to alleviate things.
Adding 3D to the camera does make it slow by comparison to its regular 2D counterparts. Launching the camera takes a little longer than we’d like and switching to 3D from 2D adds in a delay. Then you have something of a delay when you press the start and stop buttons on the video, so you need to remember to keep nice and steady beyond what you think should be the end of the video.
The 2D camera offers up some additional settings, from focusing modes (auto, macro, continuous, face tracking), down to colour effect. There is little in the way of fun features, it’s all very straight laced, eschewing the current trend for retro or art effects that are creeping in to phones and cameras.
The rest
The music player is pretty regular, offering easy navigation of your albums as well as offering SmartShare integration so you could potentially share this music with other DLNA devices. Again, we could see network music here, but the phone couldn’t be selected as the playback device. You get music control in the notification bar, as well as on the lockscreen, so you are well catered for, and the external speaker is pretty good too. Unfortunately there is no FM radio.
Dive into the browser and you’ll find that navigation is slick and fast. The browser has had a little customisation so you get easy access to different browser windows and to bookmarks. As mentioned, this being an Android 2.2.2 device, you’ll get Adobe Flash support for a more complete internet experience and plenty of screen space to roam around in.
As we’ve mentioned, LG’s keyboard was a little too sensitive out of the box, throwing up double letters on a number of occasions. We found it settled down a bit when we turned on prediction, meaning that mistakes are more easily cleaned up with a press of the provided words. It isn’t the most sophisticated keyboard around, with no alternative characters provides on keys, requiring extra key presses to get to punctuation which makes it a long job when typing out an email.
As a phone, the LG Optimus 3D performs well, but it’s a noticeable lump to hold to the side of your head. We also found it a little slow awaken the screen using the proximity sensor, meaning a delay on hanging up, which is irritating. Callers, however, come across loud and clear and we didn’t experience any problems with call quality.
Where we did experience problems, however, was with the battery. This is a feature packed phone, but even without pushing it hard, we found the battery draining itself before the working day was done unless serious power saving measures were made. We don’t normally resort to turning everything off and down, but this is a handset that demands it. In fact, leaving the house with it fully charged for a Saturday afternoon and evening on the town, you’ll be lucky to get home with any power in it, especially as you’ll no doubt be showing off the 3D to all and sundry.
Verdict
Pushing the envelope will always leave you open to criticism so we have to acknowledge what LG have achieved here. They have created a 3D-capable phone that doesn’t destroy the 2D experience in the process. In that sense we love the Optimus 3D. The 3D is fun, 3D videos look great and 3D capture will wow everyone you show. It’s also a capable media phone, with a huge screen and good basic video codec support.
But with these things come some negatives. The software could be tweaked a little to make it better. We like LG’s take on Android, but in some places it fails to keep pace with Samsung and HTC. Little delays here and there could be sorted out with updates and the troubles we had with DNLA were easily sidestepped.
There is also no getting away from the fact that this phone will be just too big for some people, no thanks to the chunky design, which is bettered by its current rivals. The battery also puts in a poor showing, which may well be a concern for anyone who doesn’t fancy carrying a spare, and doesn’t have the luxury of sitting next to a charger all day.
Put alongside the Samsung Galaxy S II or the HTC Sensation, then the Optimus 3D only really has its 3D card to play and that may leave it as something of a niche device. It’s a technological achievement and takes its place in the 3D creation story, but for many there will be too many compromises in day-to-day use.
