More Atrix Goodness

The above video better outlines the concept behind the development of Motorola's new Atrix phone launching later this year. It's a fabulous idea and it seems to have the hardware to make it work and back up its promise of being one device for all things multimedia! Cost will likely be high though but if it replaces a bucketload of your existing kit it will surely be worth a look...

I can see one potential problem though....if we are to become truly reliant on a single device to do all our multimedia and pc work and be our alarm clock, phone, bath time musical accompaniment etc.....what happens if we leave it in our desk at work overnight for example? It would be a bad start to your day to discover you have left your now vitally-important phone synced in its bedside cradle or, worse, lost it!

This video is also pretty neat...

Android - coming to a desktop near you!

This is a very cool and interesting development. Motorola unveiled their new Atrix phone at this year's CES event in Las Vegas. It is a very high spec Android phone with 1gig of RAM, dual processors, hd video capture, large battery and a very high res screen. However, the most interesting trick it can pull is that when it is connected to a dock it can operate as a web-top pc, outputting to a monitor via hdmi and controlled by a keyboard and mouse. There is also a laptop-style dock where it can connect to a portable screen and keyboard and be used in a bigger but still portable. This modular approach is very intriguing!

The time when our mobile phone is as powerful as a regular desktop pc is fast approaching and this might be the first device of this kind off the grid...

Film of the Year 2010

With the New Year having arrived, the Cyborg Ninja can now reflect on yet another fabulous year of movies in 2010 and come up with the next selection for the coveted 'Ninja film of the year'!

Despite the depth of movies on offer, there were two obvious favourites with one getting the nod by a nose. My choice for film of the year was Knight and Day - a hilarious romp of a movie with a nice slice of tongue in cheek to go along with the rollicking action. The special effects were a bit ropey in parts and the story was ludicrous but I loved it for its humour. Inception was an oh-so-close second - a simply amazing film that had a clever plot, awesome visuals (the Blu-Ray is mindblowing!) and a stunning conclusion but it was the fun of Knight and Day that won out.

Previous winners:

2010 - Knight and Day (runner up - Inception)

2009 - Star Trek

2008 - Vantage Point (runner up - Eagle Eye)

2007 - Shooter & Bourne Ultimatum

2006 - Deja Vu (runner up - V for Vendetta)

2005 - Transporter 2 (runner up - Stealth)

2004 - Bourne Supremacy (runner up - Man on Fire)

2003 - The Italian Job

2002 - Bourne Identity

2001 - Spy Game

2000 - Mission Impossible 2

And if I had to pick a film of the decade...it should probably go to either Supremacy or Ultimatum but the heart says that Vantage Point deserves it....an incredible telling of a gripping story, albeit a far fetched one, but so cleverly told it deserves the recognition!

Google Goggles...find beer here!

It has to be said that Google Goggles is simply amazing! ! It might be the most compelling reason to buy an Android phone. You simply take a picture of something and Goggles recognises it and runs searches based on what it saw.

Now it appears that the latest version (v1.3) will even solve Sudoku for you! The video above should explain the concept but the Ninja would thoroughly recommend getting a new Android phone for this app alone it's that cool!

Honeycomb is here...

In an intriguing twist, Google have unveiled the latest iteration of their world-conquering Android mobile phone operating system - version 3 or 'Honeycomb'. In a twist, however, it is only for the tablet form factor but the UI looks very impressive with 3D elements and obvious speed increases over other mobile OS systems.

What will be interesting is to see what elements of this version are incorporated in to the handheld mobile version of Android, either in the next edition or as an update to Froyo or Gingerbread.

Internet under threat by stealth?

There is a worrying effort underway recently to put the time limit (or at least some from of cap) back on the internet. This goes against the principles of net neutrality and the progress that has been made since the days of dial-up modems. What is perhaps more scary is the stealthy approach that is being taken by both government and major industry players to install this cap.

Mobile phone operators seem content to cap internet use with restrictive data plans rather than supporting its growth with truly unlimited add-ons. Current offerings always have the caveat of fair use and often 500mb or 1gig limits apply. Data costs in the USA seem very high compared to the UK and the recent efforts of Verizon and Google to hash out a supposedly fair compromise over net neutrality seem weak.

Recent UK government efforts have focused on addressing big industry concerns such as piracy (through the much-hated Digital Economy Bill) rather than dealing with the end-users rights. Even the recent effort to make those wishing to access smut have to opt-in seems sneaky. On the face of it seems like a worthwhile effort to protect the vulnerable but this is bound to involve some form of surveillance (packet-sniffing) to monitor web traffic, a far scarier development.

Even BT, the gatekeeper for the internet in the UK has said it will allow content providers to pay for their data to receive higher bandwidths, in essence creating two-tiers on the web. Big guns like YouTube would be able to afford the upgrade but smaller start-ups would be stalled due to the likely prohibitive cost being a barrier to entry.

2011 will likely be the year a number of these issues are clarified but the end user seems to have little in the way of power to influence the decisions and indeed the general public may be completely unaware of the whole issue.

Another HD Mobile Phone/Camera

The Ninja has already raved about the looming Panasonic Lumix mobile phone but another Asian firm, Altek, has unveiled an equally impressive device. The Leo is an Android-powered mobile phone partnered with a 14meg image sensor and 3x optical zoom. The styling of the device is also incredible - it looks amazing - and Altek are calling it the world's 'first 3.5G professional camera smartphone'.

With all the innovations in Android this could be an absolutely stormer of a phone, capable of allowing photographers to have a quality snapper in their pocket at all times as well as the best mobile OS! Rumours are it will be launched in Europe in early 2011...roll on the launch date!

Nexus Two? No...Nexus S

Last year Google launched the Nexus One – a mobile phone created in partnership with HTC (long the favoured mobile phone manufacturer of The Ninja). The Nexus One was intended to provide a pure Android experience, offering the finest iteration of the open source software and hardware a user can find. It was also expected to offer a unique retail approach whereby users could buy an unlocked handset directly from Google themselves, avoiding contracts and then pick their network of choice.

This did not turn out to be as radical a concept as they had hoped but the device itself was warmly received and treated with reverence by all who used it. With Android growing rapidly in popularity, it was seen as the premier option and received preferential treatment in terms of updates of the operating system, receiving Android 2.2 (codenamed ‘Froyo’) well ahead of any other devices.

Now it seems that a new edition is on its way – a Nexus Two. It will land in the coming weeks and will feature Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). In a small change, it will be made by Samsung and should help push the operating system further ahead in this highly competitive market which has long be heralded as the future of computing. It will be interesting to see what impact it has…

Digital Economy Act 2010 - Under Review...

Thank goodness that cooler heads have prevailed and the Digital Economy Act will now receive a judicial review.

The Act was rushed through Parliament in the 'wash up' period ahead of the General Election and was intended to shore up our digital operations and help clamp down on activities such as illegal filesharing and thereby ready the nation for a more robust and secure future in this field.

However, the bill was horrendously skewed towards corporate demands and placed the rights of the individual web user right at the back of the queue. Indeed, it came to light that the bill's 'three strikes' policy was written using text provided by the BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) the trade body of the record labels - i.e. those who stood to benefit most from a powerful, industry-focused bill.

Mercifully, the collective efforts of organisations such as the Open Rights Group and isp companies such as Talk Talk and BT have persuaded the courts that a review is necessary. Hopefully a more balanced approach can now be implemented.

Windows Phone 7 Lands...

Well it's finally here...Windows very late iteration of their mobile phone OS - Windows Phone 7. The launch today showcased the initial launch partners and devices with the lovely looking HTC HD7 (see photo below) looking like the pick of the bunch.

The Ninja has used HTC Windows mobile phones for years, since the original SPV came out on Orange in the UK and has loved using the awesome Touch Diamond 2 device (with a custom ROM obviously!). However, it remains to be seen if Windows can re-establish itself in the market now that Android and iPhone have crafted such big shares of this crucial computing space.

It is widely acknowledged that the handheld market is the next battlefield of computing and Microsoft needs a good OS to compete. Hopefully they can leverage their Xbox and Windows environments to make this a compelling platform.

I will be watching developments closely as I begin to formulate plans for my next mobile device - it will be an HTC, the question is whether its a WP7 device or an Android one...

Lumix Phone - the reveal...

Panasonic have unveiled their recently touted Lumix mobile phone which many hope will bring the perfect synergy of powerful imaging device and smartphone to the handheld market. Engadget posted a video on the item:

The phone may look relatively uninspiring but you can't knock the specs - hopefully the performance will outweigh the rather bland looks. Still can't tell what OS it is running on though...

A Lumix Phone...yes please!

A teaser site has appeared evidently promoting a soon-to-be-released Lumix mobile phone from Panasonic.

Rumoured to pack a 13 megapixel CMOS sensor, the device will hopefully marry all the photography goodness of the Lumix camera range with a solid mobile phone.

It would be brilliant to have an awesome mobile with a fully-featured camera for times when carting the dSLR wasn't practical. Intrigued to know which OS it will run on...Android?

....no doubt more to follow...

Windows 7 - Greener as well as meaner...

Microsoft have released the findings of a study they carried out with Reading University indicating how much more energy efficient their newest operating system is compared to its popular but soon to be retired relative XP.

Microsoft have revealed that W7 is 30% more efficient than XP, clearly illustrating that this is a major reason to upgrade to the new software as it would provide both a carbon saving in terms of reduced emissions but also financial from the reduced energy demand. With the home premium edition available from as little as £50, this move makes a lot of sense...

Crysis 2 - in 3D across all platforms

The original Crysis pc game was a groundbreaking IP that lit up pc gaming, both in terms of its story and gameplay but also in its brutal system specification needed to enjoy the game at its highest quality. Indeed the game was written with one eye on the future as very few pcs could run it at optimum levels upon release. Only when the hardware caught up could it be run as the designers intended.

Now word has emerged that the looming Crysis 2 will be available to play in 3D across all three platforms (360, PS3 and PC) which I believe is a first for gaming. Many questioned whether the 360 and PS3 will be able to handle the game as these consoles lack the scope for upgrade that the pc offers and the pc version will probably look the best but this sounds like an exciting prospect for fans of the game. I for one cannot wait to once again don my nanosuit! Maximum Game!

Droid X - phone or pc?

I find it curious that the new Motorola Droid X, a follow-up to the popular Droid ('Milestone' in the UK) phone that really took on the iPhone in terms of sales has a new security feature.
If the phone detects that its ROM has been tampered with it will brick itself, rendering it useless. It uses an electronic fuse, dubbed an 'eFuse', to check that the software has not been touched prior to booting. If it has been, it will lock out and no doubt require a pricey return to the manufacturer.

Custom ROMs are increasingly popular amongst users as they often add functionality and upgrades to devices which might otherwise be locked down by the phone's operating system. As an example, I added a custom ROM to my HTC phone that unlocked geotagging in photos amongst other features.

My main question raised by this is the legality of this move by Motorola, either moral or judicial, as it brings us to wonder whether the phone is now a pc or still just a phone? No one would accept not being able to hack and customise their computer but Motorola expects that users should accept the curtailing of this option on their phone. It is skewed further when you consider that Android, its operating system, is open-source! Surely the whole idea behind using Linux on a phone is to allow this customisation process to happen?

Modern mobile phones offer all the apps and features of a modern pc but this move to limit user tweaking seems odd. Anyone who tinkers with their phone knows the risks but surely we deserve the right to do so? It will be interesting to see if it hurts sales of the device as well.

3D Water-based display

This video of a 3d display projected on water droplets is very cool, in more ways than one!

Project Canvas – a work of art?

It is curious that the next version of the UK’s tv channels on-demand services, currently dubbed Project Canvas, will likely be powered by P2P technology, the supposed bane of all modern content providers.

The new version of services such as 4OD and iPlayer will be called YouView and will see all the main channels in Britain collaborate in an unprecedented move to save costs and promote forward thinking as the networks strive to fend off the threat of internet based viewing services such as YouTube with ones of their own.

It finally seems as if P2P will go mainstream and legitimate with this move and should ensure that users receive a quality service as the increased bandwidth required for this offering will only be possible using this file-sharing technology.

Where previously Napster was lambasted, the future now lies…the more things change, the more they stay the same!

Honda CR-Z - A very hot hybrid!

The Ninja got his first look at Honda's new hybrid sports car at the weekend - the CR-Z. I have written about this awesome machine previously but today was my first chance to see one up close and to actually sit in it and, not surprisingly, as I am a fan of the Japanese firms' cars and their green technology...it is beautiful!

As you can see from the above image, it looks incredible and sits very low to the ground. Hidden beneath this exterior is a 1.5 litre petrol engine topped up with an electric engine with the electric part kicking in to add power when needed.


The car has three buttons on the dash that allow selection of one of the three driving modes - Econ, Normal or Sport. Sport obviously being the most punchy and Econ maximising the fuel efficiency. However, even in Sport mode the CR-Z does almost 40mpg. The model I saw (above) was the top-of-the-range GT edition, replete with lots of muscular carbon fibre, which retails for c£28,000.

Needless to say, I would like one!

Google TV - A little bit more...

A red hot electric motorbike - Yes please!

There doesn't get to be much cooler technology than this motorbike in my book. The real kicker...it's electric...zero emissions!

Built by MotoCzysz, a US bike manufacturer, the E1pc will do 140mph (at present) and is doing the Isle of Man TT race this week.

Hopefully some awesome YouTube video will be forthcoming but in the meantime I have included one below of any early shakedown test. The quicker these come to market the better....