Review: iPad 4

There was much umbrage at the launch of the new iPad 4, as it basically rendered the iPad 3 obsolete mere months after launch. However, with only a minor CPU and front camera change, is there really any point thinking about upgrading?

The question most people ask us when it comes to the new iPad 4 is: what's different from the old one? Or the iPad 2, for that matter?

Well, in this case it's pretty easy: there's a Retina Display that makes everything look superbly crisp, an updated A6X processor with much superior performance, the same 5MP camera on the rear with a 1.3MP HD sensor on the front now to replace the VGA effort.

Oh, and the new iPad 4 is now running iOS 6 out of the box (well, it's also on the likes of the iPhone 5 and iPad mini, but hey, we've already reviewed those, and you don't really care unless it's a new iPad, do you?)

The design of the new iPad 4 isn't really anything different from the original duo from Apple's tablet range. Actually, while we're thinking about it, it looks almost identical to the iPad 2 – to the point you'd struggle to tell them apart when turned off.

However, in the hand, there's a little bit of a difference, especially when it comes to the weight. The new iPad is nearly 60g heavier than the second iteration, and while it's not terrible, it does add a little arm strain during a marathon movie session.

Before we get onto all the normal insight over the frame of the new iPad 4, it's worth talking about one top feature: the Retina Display.

Apple has packed a huge amount more pixels into the 9.7-inch screen - 1536 x 2048 to be exact. However, despite the fact that the Cupertino brand makes a big thing about the 330 PPI density of the iPhone 4S, we're looking at a screen that's technically a lot less sharp than its smartphone brethren - around 264PPI.

Apple has got around this fact by stating that the screen is meant to be held 15 inches from the face, rather than the 10 inches the iPhone is supposed to be from your eyes, and as such the sharpness is the same.

Given the fact the term "Retina Display'" really isn't a legally binding term, we don't care. What matters is the effect - and it's one of the most impressive we've seen on a tablet to date. If someone took an iPad, printed out a really hi-res image of an iOS system and stuck it on the front, we'd struggle to tell the difference - it's superb, and even squinting up close you'll be hard pushed to notice any pixelation.

The color reproduction will also appeal to many, as it's pretty close to reality - it lacks the punch of the Super AMOLED HD screens seen on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for instance, but it will depend on personal preference as to whether that's a good thing.

We like the vivid colors of Samsung's screens, but we know plenty of people that loathe them, too.

The main thing is things like internet browsing; photo viewing and movie sessions are all much, much improved over the iPad 2, and is one of the main reasons to pick up the new iPad.

The new iPad, as we said, is only marginally thicker and a little heavier than the iPad 2, and if you pick it up with no knowledge of the former, you'll likely be mighty impressed.

The rest of the design is premium too - given you can be paying nearly $850 for a top end model, it needs to seem like a worthwhile investment, and it does.

There's also the new Lightning connector on offer, which brings the smaller, faster port for all your needs... unless your need is to use you recently purchased dock, in which case you'll need to fork out for an adaptor.

The curved edges, the oleophobic scratch-proof glass and the aluminium chassis are all the kind of thing that some Android tablets have tried to ape and failed. Of course, many will prefer the feather-light frames of some of the Samsung models but, like the screen, it really comes down to personal preference.

The buttonry on the new iPad is pretty sparse though - we're talking four buttons and that's your lot.

The iconic home button is back once again, despite rumors of its demise, and is easy to reach and hit within the thick bezel.

The rest of the buttons are all clustered tightly together in the top left-hand corner of the new iPad, with the rocker/volume key, the mute/orientation switch and power/lock key all within an inch of one another.

As you can see, Apple has been pretty efficient with the button placement, with all of them performing more than one function. And they say the iPad can't multi-task... tsk.

View the original article here

Election Impact: Some New Faces, But No "Reset" for Tech Policy Debates

There will be some new faces next year.  But with the Administration and both houses of Congress remaining in the same hands, the election's main outcome for tech policy is that there won't be any immediate U-turns or game-changers in the ongoing debates over important issues like cybersecurity, privacy, and Internet neutrality.

A second-term for Obama means that the Administration's existing technology policy initiatives can continue.  The Administration can keep working on an executive order to address cybersecurity.  NTIA can proceed with its multistakeholder effort to flesh out some privacy principles for the world of mobile computing.  The FTC can continue to be aggressive on privacy issues.  The FCC will continue to back Internet neutrality safeguards, subject to the legal challenge currently underway in court.

Congress, meanwhile, remains divided.  That means partisan legislation isn't likely to pass.  Of course, many tech issues needn't be particularly partisan -- but where issues get dragged into the political realm, as happened in the case of Internet neutrality, legislative stalemate is the only likely result.  CDT will continue to push for legislation on matters like ECPA reform, where we believe there is a broad coalition that can command bipartisan support.

In terms of individual policymakers, the election will usher in some significant departures.  Senators Lieberman and Hutchison have been important players on cybersecurity.  Representative Howard Berman has been a major voice on online copyright issues, as a strong supporter of Hollywood and an original cosponsor of SOPA.   Representative Bono Mack, a key figure in online privacy debates as well as copyright, appears to be in jeopardy.  So does Rep. Lungren, an active voice on cybersecurity.  Come next year, as new committee assignments and chairmen are named, CDT looks forward to working with the new and returning Members of Congress who seek to be actively engaged on technology policy matters.

View the original article here

Review: Samsung Series 3 Chromebook

This is technically the fifth iteration of the Google Chromebook – so long as you count Google's own CR-48 prototype.

Despite being the fifth Chromebook, the snappily-named Series 3 XE303C12 shouldn't be confused with the previous model, the Samsung Series 5 XE550C22 or even the second Chromebook, the Samsung Series 5 XE500C21.

If you know about Chrome OS already, you'll know that this laptop isn't like mainstream Windows laptops or even machines such as the Apple MacBook Air or the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

Though it struggled with HD, SD video streams play perfectly well; no downloads, though

It doesn't run a conventional operating system such as Windows 8, Mac OS X Mountain Lion or even a straight Linux distro such as Ubuntu.

Instead, it is essentially a computer that does one thing: run a web browser.

In this case, of course, the web browser in question is Google Chrome.

Deciding whether or not the new Chromebook is right for you is actually really easy. The first thing you have to know is that it's cheap. Really cheap.

The Chromebook is a great machine to take to a café to get some work done

At a launch price of £229/USD$330/AU$319, it undercuts most conventional laptops, and is cheaper even than the new iPad mini – though it's more expensive than the low-end Android tablets such as the Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire HD.

That's only part of the decision, however.

The other – indeed, main – thing you have to consider is whether you can live with a laptop that only runs everything in a browser, and therefore, with some caveats, depends on being connected to the web at all times over Wi-Fi.

There's no doubt that this is a Chromebook – look at that huge Chrome logo on the lid!

It's not hard to decide if this is something you can live with; take a moment, close your eyes, and think whether what you mostly do on a computer is done through a browser – or could be.

Because while you can install apps from the Chrome Web Store they're not really applications or programs as most of us would recognise them.

In fact, they're little more than links that sit in your launcher and point to URLs on the web. (Actually, it's a little more complex than that; web apps can, if their developers implement it, add extra features such as using local storage on your Chromebook, rather than solely depending on storage on the servers of the companies whose services you're using.)

Regardless of the technical caveats, however, it remains true that you can't install, say, Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop Elements on a Chromebook. That's not what the Chromebook is about.

You need two hands to open the Chromebook; the hinge is reasonably stiff

It's a slim, light, cheap, long-lasting little laptop that, partly because really the only thing it does is run a web browser and isn't based on Windows, is very secure, and if you live your life in web apps such as facebook.com and Google Docs (or think you could), or especially if you are already immersed in the Google ecosystem of Docs, Gmail, Calendars and more, it's worth considering.

Some applications such as Google Docs can work offline even if there's no Wi-Fi

View the original article here

The Cloud, Warrants and Constitutional Rights

On Wednesday, I was very pleased to participate in an event sponsored by Hackers and Founders on what I consider to be one of the most important issues facing us in the digital age: the relationship between citizen and government.

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution is supposed to protect us against unreasonable government intrusions on our privacy.  It protects our "persons, houses, papers and effects."  Pretty much everyone, including officials at the US Justice Department, agree that "papers" includes the digital content of our laptops, tablets and mobile phones.

However, the Justice Department claims that the Constitution provides no protection at all to data once it leaves your device and is stored with a service provider. In the era of cloud computing, that's pretty much everything.  Emails, texts, documents, photos, calendars.  The government claims you have zero Constitutional rights in anything stored with a service provider (Google, Dropbox, Salesforce, AWS, and on and on).  And if you happen to be a company storing data on behalf of your users, the government claims it can force you to disclose that data with a mere subpoena, issued without the approval of a judge, and can bar you from even telling your customer what is happening.

Unfortunately, the courts have been slow in extending the Fourth Amendment to new technology. And the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986, the federal law that defines the rules for government access to private digital information, is woefully out of date. As a result, the Justice Department argues, it does not need a judge’s approval before requiring service providers to disclose stored data.

This needs to change: If government agents want your data, they should come to you or they should get a warrant from a judge.

The good news is that legislation has been introduced in Congress to update the law and establish a simple rule requiring government agents (except in emergencies) to get a warrant if they want to compel companies to disclose the data they store on behalf of their customers.  The legislation, sponsored by Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, is up for a vote on Nov. 15 in the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Amendments will be offered to weaken the bill’s privacy standards and to make ECPA even more complicated than it is today.  It is important that Committee members hear from their constituents to support the Leahy bill and to oppose weakening amendments.  For a list of members of the Judiciary Committee and their phone numbers, visit VanishingRights.com.

View the original article here

Review: NoFan CR-95C

Silent operationGood for HTPC setupsNot one for overclockingHigh temps compared to air coolers

There's a joker in every pack, and the mantle this month falls to the comically oversized Nofan CR-95C. But is it an ultimately doomed effort à la Heath Ledger, or does this passive cooler have the longevity to slip into the Jack Nicholson category and just keep on trucking?

Strained comic-book villain analogies aside, the Nofan is certainly a little bit special. First there are the gargantuan proportions. This CR-95C model isn't the biggest beast in the Nofan jungle, but at 180mm in diameter it's still an outrageous bit of kit.

It's so large, in fact, that it puts significant limitations on system compatibility. In terms of overall height, you shouldn't run in to too many issues. It's the sheer width of the thing that's the problem. For starters, you'll have to make sure you use low profile memory sticks. Anything with a bit of heat sink sticking out of the top simply ain't gonna fly.

Depending on your make and model of motherboard, you might find the CR-95A is wide enough to get in the way of the first PCI Express graphics slot, though that's not a problem if have a second slot and a single-card setup.

As for performance, there's no getting round the passive nature of the heat dissipation. Not only does it make for the highest temperatures of any cooler on test - they're also high enough to induce clock throttling at higher frequencies.

So while we had no problem booting at 4.9GHz, our 2,500K test chip throttled down to below 4GHz when under load.

See more cooling Add comment

All the parts for your PC

All reviewsGraphics cardsMotherboardsCPUs

Buying Guide We review the best CPU coolers on the market

Updated AMD or Nvidia? Choose the best DX11 graphics card for you

In Depth We find out what's hidden inside your computer

In Depth Exterminate malware, encrypt sensitive files and track PC usage

View the original article here

Review: Motorola Razr M

Great performance for the moneyVerizon's 4G network is fastDisplay makes colors gorgeousSlim, compact designLovely and functional interfaceNon-removable batteryWaiting for Jelly Bean updateLow resolution screen sullies HD videoMiserly Verizon data plansPage 1 of 8Introduction and Design

If the M in the Motorola Droid Razr M stands for anything, it must be mobile. It's the lightest, thinnest phone in the refreshed lineup of Droid Razrs exclusive to Verizon Wireless. It's sleek and compact, but hasn't sacrificed anything in performance. It sports the same 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM found in its bigger siblings, the Droid Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD. Instead, the phone is sized down in the screen, battery and storage departments to make for a compact and affordable little handset.

Really though, it's not that little. It's telling that this "light" model of the new Droid Razr trio packs a 4.3 inch (109.22 mm) screen. Surely the time of the sub 4-inch screen has passed, especially now that the iPhone 5 has hit 4 inches. The Droid Razr M has been designed to strike a balance. It's a phone with a screen big enough for gaming and enjoying videos, but thanks to a compact design, it won't feel like a brick in your pocket.

Weighing in at 4.4 ounces (126 grams) and going for $99 with two-year Verizon contract, the Droid Razr M is easy on the pocket and the pocketbook. Just like the Droid Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD, it runs Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich. Some might wonder why Google-owned Motorola couldn't get Android 4.1: Jelly Bean, the latest Android OS, to ship on its phone. While an update to Jelly Bean has been promised within the year, ICS is still very sweet, especially on this snappy little handset. In white, the two-tone look is reminiscent of the titular dessert.

When it was first unveiled, not everyone was in love with the Droid Razr M's two-tone design, sloped bezel and kevlar backing. In either black or white, it couldn't please everyone.

At first we weren't sure what to make of the phone's unique aesthetic, but we grew to appreciate its striking look and sleek build. The slim bezel makes for minimal bordering around the 4.3-inch screen. Since the Droid Razr M uses only virtual Android buttons, the screen gets to take up the maximum amount of real estate possible on the phone's face.

The Droid Razr M's back has Motorola's signature kevlar backing pattern. The rear bezel slopes inward, providing a thinning, diagonal design that gives the impression of looking at an optical illusion.

It's a weird phone to behold, but not unpleasant to the eye, at least in our opinion. However, we doubt anyone would argue that it doesn't feel great to hold.

At only only 4.4 ounces, the Droid Razr M might have found the perfect weight. It's light enough that you may forget it's in your pocket, but has just enough heft to achieve a premium feel. While the most desirable weight for a smartphone may be shrinking since the iPhone 5 is only 3.95 oz (112 g), we know some consumers prefer a phone with a little more weight to it.

Not unlike an iPhone, the Droid Razr M is constructed with aluminum that feels smooth and strong in the hand. Luckily, it doesn't seem as prone to scratches and scuffs as Apple's new phone. We kept the phone in our pocket among keys and coins while walking around town and haven't found any marks on the handset.

The phone's display is Gorilla Glass and thanks to that thin bezel, the screen is nearly edge to edge. Adding to the sleek design is the fact that the Droid Razr M only has physical buttons on its side. On the right side of the handset there's a volume rocker and power button. On the left there's a hidden panel that pops open, allowing you easy access to the SIM card and microSD slot.

This pop-up panel is a nice touch, though it felt flimsy, like it could be ripped off if we weren't careful. Also, we wish the phone's battery was this accessible. The Droid Razr M features a non-removable battery, sadly.

With a 4.82 inches (122.5 millimeter) body and a 4.3 inch (109.22 millimeter) screen, the Droid Razr M is a great size for one-handed use. It's bigger brothers the Droid Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD broke the 5-inch mark, giving them a nice screen size for media consumption, but the potential to be awkward in the hand. The Razr M avoids this, keeping a body size that remains highly functional but not bad for movies and games.

Page 1 of 8Introduction and Design

See more mobile phones Add comment

View the original article here

Review: Kobo Glo

It may sound like something to do with discrete illumination in a toilet bowl, but the ComfortLight on the Kobo Glo brings the e-reader bang up to date.

In fact, with the arrival of the Kindle Paperwhite, it seems that Amazon thinks that backlighting is really the only way to sell e-readers. Barnes & Noble is following suit by selling the Nook SimpleTouch GlowLight.

However, the Kobo Glo's touchscreen operation and user-friendly interface proves just as crucial as its backlighting. It certainly enables a cleaner design than we've seen previously.

The Kobo Glo's reliance on on-screen controls leaves the e-reader's body smooth and free from any nonsense save for an underslung micro USB slot, and a super-subtle on/off toggle switch for that ComfortLight on top.

The follow-up to the Kobo eReader Touch, released alongside the Kobo Mini, the six-inch Kobo Glo has a depth of 10mm (0.4 inches), a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels and a 16-level grayscale, with a rated battery life of two weeks - as long as its Wi-Fi antennae is switched off.

That makes it a decent candidate for taking on long trips, though the ComfortLight backlighting feature is aimed largely at home users not wanting to have to sit near a lamp.

Others will wonder what the point is of an e-ink screen with backlighting. After all, aren't e-reader owners constantly grappling with the temptation of buying a tablet instead, but not doing so because they want to avoid the glare of the LCD backlight?

Priced at £99.99/AU$159.99/US$129.99, the Kobo Glo is significantly cheaper than a tablet, and around the same price as the Kindle Paperwhite and Nook Simple Touch GlowLight.

Don't dwell on whether e-ink screens with backlighting have lost their point of differentiation with tablets because, in practice, that argument doesn't stand up.

The LEDs themselves are positioned at the bottom of the device and let loose their light across the screen much as an edge LED-backlit LCD TV does, although the e-ink pearl panel used by the Kobo Glo ensures that the light is streak-free and totally even.

Out of the box it's set far too bright, but it's possible to take it right down to just a slight illumination, which is more suited to a blackout.

As you move the brightness slider, the levels visibly dim or strengthen with even the slightest of touches, though our fingers proved too clumsy to find more than about 15 separate levels.

Kobo also claims that the ComfortLight doesn't use any discernible battery life, staying with the two-week figure whether or not you read in the dark.

In fact, there's only one thing wrong with the Kobo Glo's ComfortLight, and that's its on/off switch, which is just too small.

We had no specific problem activating the backlighting, but it does entail gripping the Kobo Glo with two hands to get enough purchase to press down as precisely as is needed.

Touching the screen while reading turns pages swiftly in either direction. A touch of the middle third of the screen initiates most of the Kobo Glo's book functions, including returning to the home menu, highlighting passages of text or fiddling with the screen's settings.

The latter is lavishly comprehensive, with a choice between seven fonts and 24 font sizes and their exact weight and sharpness (it all makes a big difference), while the home menu has plenty of options, too.

An icon-based user interface strewn by book covers is divvied up between portions headed Reading and Discover. The latter is all about Kobo using your habits to recommend content in its bookstore.

That may sound unwanted, but it's actually the opposite, since without it Kobo's online store can be a pain to negotiate.

That's partly because pages appear to be slow to load via Wi-Fi, but in truth the Kobo store suffers from the same problem as its Kindle rival - it can't show more than a fraction of its contents on a single page, and those pages take a second or so to flip.

At least Kobo's store is split up into genres, with themed lists - such as a section dedicated to the Booker Prize nominees for 2012 - easily accessible.

Meanwhile, the Reading section details the contents of the Kobo Glo, a shortcut to the Kobo store, and something called Reading Life, which collects Tweet-able statistics on your wordly achievements.

About 1,000 ebooks and files can be packed into the Kobo Glo's 2GB storage in any of the EPUB, PDF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RFT CBZ and CBR formats.

No MOBI, then, though the fact that EPUB files (even those locked by Adobe Digital Editions) can be transferred to the Kobo Glo makes this a very different beast to the Kindle Paperwhite. It means you can buy or download EPUB books from anywhere on the internet, and not just from Kobo.

However, other niceties of the Kindle are lacking, particularly the computer-less online syncing.

Although we got a couple of different Kobo e-readers to sync page numbers with each other as we read the same book on each, it's not possible to email documents to a Kobo account and watch things download to the device.

It means having to use a computer, even if just occasionally, to load up the Kobo Glo, though straying from the Kobo store - just like that ComfortLight - is entirely optional.

View the original article here