The battle for the hearts and minds of web app developers took another turn last week after Firefox creator Mozilla announced the availability of the developer's kit for its Open Web Applications platform.

The firm is hoping to emulate the success of Apple and Google by giving developers the chance to create applications that work across both mobile and desktop devices.

This will mean that rather than a closed ecosystem such as Apple - where a developer can only build apps for its iOS platform for devices like the iPhone or iPad - Mozilla developers can offer apps that run on any device, which could attract many more users.

So a developer could create an app that lets you use store information from several credit cards so a user could select the appropriate one when paying for goods, rather than storing them in each individual site.

Or ya user could add widgets for applications to the browser, such as Spotify, rather than having to have the application open on the desktop as well.

Ragavan Srinivasan, the product manager for Sync, Services and Apps at Mozilla detailed the availability of the kit that includes the APIs, developer utilities and documentation for the creation of apps in a blog posting last week.

"We are excited to announce the availability of the first milestone release of Mozilla's Web Application project. Web Apps are applications that run on any device, and can be distributed through any store or directly by the developer," he said.

Srinivasan added that in the coming weeks there will be several new areas Mozilla is working on to develop this including the ability to sync web apps to mobile devices, support for native browser controls and integration with other operating systems.

Google has also launched a closed application system for its Chrome web store for netbooks adding more fuel to the debate between closed and open platform, with many arguing open environments will win out by improving the user experience.

Posted by Dan Worth on March 7, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is thirty years ago today that Clive Sinclair launched the ZX81, a low-cost computer that seems absurdly primitive by today's standards, but which was one of the first to be cheap enough for anyone to buy and mess around with.

Like many people involved with the UK IT industry today, my first experience of computers was via the ZX81 and its successor, the ZX Spectrum.

The ZX81 was deceptively simple; it consisted of just a handful of chips on a circuit board fitted into a wedge-shaped black plastic case. You could buy it ready-made, or assemble it yourself from a kit, as my father did for my brother and myself.

In terms of specification, the ZX81 does not come even close to the simplest of modern digital devices; it had a 3.5MHz processor and 1kb of memory (yes, you read correctly that's one kilobyte of memory, about one thousandth of a megabyte).

You could only store and retrieve programs by connecting it to an audio cassette tape player, and the keyboard was a flat plastic membrane. It connected to a TV and could only generate a low resolution character-based display in black-and-white.

Sinclair's genius was in squeezing so much out of so little hardware. It was possible to type in and run programs in the Basic language, despite the fact that the 1kb memory had to hold the frame buffer for the display as well.

The ZX81 also had a crude, but highly effective way for users to expand it. All of the system bus signals were brought out to a connector at the rear of the case, which made it easy to clip-on extra memory modules and the like.

Extra memory was necessary if you wanted to do anything ambitious, and if you had this there were even games available for the ZX81 that used the blocky character-mode graphics to good effect, with a flight simulator and the ground-breaking (for its time) 3D Monster Maze, where the player roamed a simulated maze inhabited by a Tyrannosaurus Rex (see a brief demo of this on Youtube).

The ZX81 wasn't the only home computer around, but as one of the cheapest, it soon caught on, although it didn't sell as well as the Spectrum which succeeded it, bringing better graphics and sound capabilities.

Nevertheless, the device is a milestone in computer history, and one of the ways that many people in the industry today first got a taste of programming and using computers.

Posted by Daniel Robinson on March 5, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

V3.co.uk took a trip to Milton Keynes on Wednesday to visit a BT facility in the city and see first hand just what it takes to roll out fibre to the premise (FTTP) internet connections.

What we found was an incredibly complex, difficult and downright fiddly job (fibres are very small, you know) that has too be carried out day and night come rain or shine, with almost each and every deployment throwing up the possibility of an unexpected issue to deal with.

Below are some choice images from our tour.

The Milton Keynes area is currently the trial location for BT's rollout of 100Mbit/s service, with the shaded green area where the firm is running FTTP connections.

Fibre runs from BT's central location down through various network elements, splitting off in to smaller segments to reach as many users as possible. Colour-coded tubes are used to ensure the right fibres are linked together at each point where they split.

BT has 15 splitters like this in the Walnut Tree area of Milton Keynes that each contain the ability to host connections for 128 premises from dedicated fibre links.

The staff at the facility said the hardest skill for engineers was "fibre management", given how small and intricate the storage of fibre in these pieces of equipment needs to be.

To push the fibre through the subducts that protect it, engineers use "blowing machines" that use compressed air to pump fibre along until it reaches the other end of the pipe.

This can run from between a few metres to several kilometers. The demonstration saw was over 84m.

To overcome the challenges of FTTP deployments, engineers now carry a raft of new equipment including generators to power the blowing machines, petrol to power the generators, up to 1km of fibre and even a tent (the long, blue bag) so they can carry out the splicing of fibre out of the rain.

The splicing machine fuses two pieces of fibre together so engineers can link various phases together when connecting premises to the central network.

V3.co.uk had a go at using the machine and achieved a potential loss of speed of just 0.01dB, the same as the seasoned BT Openreach pro who guided us through the processes.

Ducts containing distribution points with fibre connections (bottom left) sit waiting to be hooked up to premises with the new 100Mbit/s speed.

BT estimates it will take engineers around four and a half hours to set up each FTTP connection given the work involved splicing fibre and running it in to each building.

Posted by Dan Worth on March 2, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (1)

V3.co.uk was taken on a tour of hosting company Strato's datacentre in Berlin, Germany.

The 4000 sq/m site has been used by Strato since 2003 and is home to approximately 16PB of data. Information from the firm's own HiDrive cloud storage service is also stored here.

There are over 35,000 servers at the site, and the facility has enough energy running to power approximately 5000 German households.

To keep the site running 24/7 there are six transformers, with each 3.5 tonne behemoth generating one megawatt of power.

Six giant diesel engines are also on standby in case of power failure, with each capable of generating one megawatt of power, also. These engines are tested once every month and can go through around 80 litres of fuel in 15 minutes.

The site has an average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.55, but this does drop to 1.3 when fresh air cooling is used.

The industry average PUE is 2.6, with the best practice generally regarded as 1.3. Microsoft and Yahoo have achieved 1.2, while the Merlin datacentre in Swindon claims to be the most sustainable with a rating of 1.1.

Posted by Khidr Suleman on March 1, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's been an awful lot of talk about Windows Phone 7 this week.

First up came the much anticipated first update (which was actually just a pre-update update) then, disaster, it was discovered the update was bricking phones.

Then came the more welcome news that developers can now create up to 100 free apps.

But it's what it like living with this phone day-in, day-out?

V3.co.uk came across a Windows Phone 7 device, the HTC Mozart (why is it named after a dead Austrian composer anyway?), while at Mobile World Congress and has spent the last two weeks or so using it as an everyday, non-review device.

The Windows Phone 7 user interface (UI) marks a significant change from the normal, same-old tiles layout of Apple and Android devices, and is incredibly quick to load key applications like email and maps.

Text input is possibly the best on the market with word suggestion very intuitive and responsive while the internet browser is fast to load and is set to become even faster after Microsoft promised to bring the desktop version of IE9 to the platform.

The applications that are available are impressive too. Many major sites have created apps already, such as eBay and Flickr, while popular applications like Shazam and the Kindle are there too alongside a host more in many other categories.

And with the news today that the developer limit for free applications has increased from five to 100, there could well be a lot more apps to come - and even better they'll all be free.

Perhaps the biggest news of the week is that Angry Birds is coming to Windows Phone 7 too - confirmed yesterday by Microsoft for an 6 April arrival date. It'll need that app to tempt users to its platform.

However, there are some downsides.

First, there's been the update issue. If Microsoft is going to close the gap on its rivals it can't have headlines like it has had this week. For all the positives, people will never consider switching if they read such negative stories.

We haven't updated the Mozart yet, so fingers crossed...

Secondly, Microsoft needs to streamline the way you buy apps. You'd think that a system designed to make a company money would only require a working bank card and then, boom, off you go - but with Windows Phone 7 it's not that simple.

We had to ring the Zune support line only to find out that the reason the phone wouldn't recognise a valid bank card was because we had set it up on an account that used Gmail as its sign-in email to the Zune software.

The helpful woman explained only Zune accounts that used a Windows Live/Hotmail email account could be used to setup a credit card for the Marketplace store.

This is a bizarre situation. It's clear Microsoft wants users to sign up for a Windows Live email account, but why? If a customer wants to give you money, let them do so! Don't force them to sign-up for your own email service in order to do so.

Or, at least make it clear as day that only Windows Live accounts can be used to host the bank card details when you set up your Zune account.

The other update Microsoft need to address is including the capability of making groups for certain apps, as currently any application not "pinned" to the front live-tile screen is accessed by swiping right, then scrolling up and down.

This means if you have a sometimes-used app starting with Z, you have to scroll all the way to the bottom, which is a bit tiresome, whereas a sub section called, for example, "productivity" that contained this app and others, would be more helpful.

So, it's all a bit of a curate's egg at the moment but the positives outweigh the negatives and it has huge scope for growth and improvement when the first major updates start to hit the platform later this year.

Oh yes, and then there's the Nokia angle.

Well, it would seem fair to say if the phones Nokia develops are able to handle and display the UI well, there could be a lot of first-time smartphones users who make the transition to a WP7 device.

If you're in the market for a new smartphone, don't overlook Windows Phone 7, you could be surprised by what you find.

Posted by Dan Worth on February 25, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sony has just unveiled several Vaio systems all based on Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors, including a 'prosumer' 13in laptop, an all-in-one system with touch-screen, and consumer models with light-emitting cases.

Read the full news story 'Sony adds Sandy Bridge Vaio models for business and home'.

Shown above is the 14in Vaio C series, available in several colours. This pink colour is one of those with the light-emitting case that glows gently in the dark.

The next image is the Vaio S series, which ships with Windows 7 Professional and is available in a more sober black or silver case options.

The Vaio L series is integrated into a 24in LCD monitor, with a touch-screen for input. It also has touch controls in the surrounding bezel.

Finally, the Vaio F series was actually announced in January. It has a screen that can switch between 2D and 3D gaming modes, the latter of which requires the player to wear special glasses.

Posted by Daniel Robinson on February 22, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ever since Nokia said it would be partnering with Microsoft, the folks at MeeGo must have known that Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona was going to be even more interesting (and busy) than they had planned.

V3.co.uk popped to the dedicated MeeGo pavilion to see the Linux-based operating system in action and was pleasantly surprised by what it found.

The Intel folks at the pavilion said that while Nokia's decision was a blow it wouldn't have a huge impact as the platform is aimed at a far greater number of platforms than just smartphones including TVs, tablets, netbooks and in-car systems.

Certainly the devices we saw running the platform looked good, with the netbooks marking a refreshing change from the same old Windows interface and clearly designed to appeal to a new generation of users.

The interface is fun and easy to use, with tabs running along the top that provide access to core functions - interacting with friends, getting online, opening applications and running/editing media on your device.

Furthermore, content can be shared between devices on the same network so you can move a video from the TV to a tablet, for example, even if they are running on different platforms as the open-source nature of Linux allows you do to this.

Another factor the Intel staff promoted was that each device would have a different type of MeeGo platform, so for example the tablet experience is different from the netbook which again is different from the smartphone.

We had a play on a tablet running version 1.2 which is out in April for manufacturers to use and apparently several major firms are planning on announcing their commitment to the platform at the time.

Certainly it was easy to use and makes a nice change from the standard grid-layout of tablet devices with its "object-orientated" control panels meaning the core applications you access are always open and ready to run.

The 1.2 version has several new features on 1.1 including a push to add greater security, and MeeGo said that by using Linux other firms could add layers of control to make it suitable for set industry needs, such as in enterprises or education.

While Android and Apple are dominating the tablet market at present, the MeeGo platform certainly seems to offer something different and with the use of open source removing licensing costs for manufacturers it could usher in a new era of devices at a lower price point than currently exists in the market.

Author: Dan Worth

Posted by Phil Muncaster on February 17, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Motorola Xoom will be the first tablet to ship with Android 3.0 Honeycomb and the 10.1in device looked pretty impressive when we got our hands on it at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Motorola has chosen to go with a widescreen form factor on the Xoom, and the 1,280 x 800 resolution screen is going to be great for watching multimedia. Whether this form factor will be optimal for the travelling enterprise user remains to be seen, though, considering its 730g weight, which is the same as the iPad.

Those who have used Android before will see that the four dedicated Android buttons commonly found under the display have been scrapped in favour of context sensitive keys located on-screen. The virtual home button is located in the bottom left of the display, along with back and multi-tasking keys.

Touching the apps icon on the top-right of the screen brings up an overview of all the applications and programs available.

However, there are some features common to previous editions of Android such as the ability to swipe left and right to navigate between home screens, loading and customising widgets and multitasking.

Multitasking in particular has been improved with a pane now giving a preview of applications on the left hand side of the screen.

We did find that the interface was not as intuitive as the webOS operating system on the HP TouchPad, but whether the latter will be able to offer compelling applications has yet to be seen.

There apps on display for the Android tablet and a number are expected to be pre-loaded on the device when it ships.

Overall, it could take users a while to get to grips with the Android 3.0 operating system, but the brand-awareness is likely to mean that users will give this tablet a chance if the price is reasonable.

If however, the $700 price bracket being thrown around is correct, the Motorola tablet could well find it hard to attract users.

Author: Khidr Suleman

Posted by Phil Muncaster on February 17, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (1)

The LG Optimus 3D has been heavily marketed here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as the world's first smartphone to allow users to view 3D images, and features dual core, dual channel and dual memory. But does it live up to the hype?

The device has impressive specifications including a 4.3in WVGA screen, a 1GHz dual-core, dual-channel Texas Instruments processor, 8GB of internal memory and 4GB of DDR2 RAM. However, rather disappointingly the 3D capabilities are limited.

The screen is very large with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, and although it is sharp, it does add bulk. Overall, the device weighs 168g and is heavier than the average smartphone.

Users can switch to a 3D interface using a dedicated Hot Key. This brings up a 3D-dedicated interface for the gallery, camera, games and YouTube 3D applications.

The 3D itself isn't the best and we found it to be blurry unless the device is held in a fixed position. Anyone looking at the handset from an angle will not be able to see the 3D effect either.

Eye strain is also likely to be a problem and users are going to struggle to watch more than a few minutes, let alone full movies.

The use of the 3D effect within menus was interesting, but this could hamper battery life and doesn't really add much extra to the user experience.

Connectivity-wise the handset supports HSPA+, DLNA/HDMI 1.4, DLNA, GPS and Wi-Fi, so it has all the makings of a very usable handset. However, as a business device there is not really much extra on offer apart from the extra grunt.

LG has signed a number of 3D content agreements, the most prominent being with YouTube, so that users will be able to record a 3D movie and upload it in 3D to the video sharing site.

Disappointingly, the Optimus 3D runs on Android 2.2 Froyo, but LG has said that an upgrade to Android 2.3 Gingerbread will be made available shortly after release.

Pricing is also going to be an issue, with the 3D feature like to add on a substantial cost. V3.co.uk has a video demo of the LG Optimus 3D.

Author: Khidr Suleman

Posted by Phil Muncaster on February 17, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

The HTC Desire S, the latest handset from the Taiwanese manufacturer, is more of a subtle upgrade than a complete revamp.

This is understandable as the original Desire was a very high quality device and received a solid four star rating from V3.co.uk.

The main difference between the Desire S and its predecessor is the build quality. The manufacturer has chosen to give the latest version a unibody aluminium frame that was used successfully on the HTC Legend handset. The trackball found on the original has also been deemed to be surplus to requirements.

In reality, these redesigns give the Desire S a much better look and feel than the original and even the Desire HD, which has a particularly fragile rear. Handily, HTC has also managed to shave 5g off the new device, so it weighs a comfortable 130g.

The specifications haven't really been increased too much, with the main addition being the 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, which allows for video calling. This is likely to be an attractive feature for business users who use Skype or any conference calling applications.

The Desire S retains a 3.7in display, with a 480 x 800 resolution which is crisp. The 1GHz processor is the same speed as the original, but it is the latest Snapdragon chip so it will be more efficient and use less power, or so HTC says.

Still, even a miniscule improvement will be something, considering that the original had such a poor battery life.

Similarly, the 5-megapixel camera is the same one found in the Desire, but it does feature a larger image sensor to give it better performance in low-light, HTC claimed.

The handset ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which again will help with battery performance.

Some tweaks have also been made to the HTC Sense user overlay. Applications, for example, are now stored in a more methodical way and users can click on tabs to access the most frequently used or those that have been downloaded.

Each of the seven home screens can be rearranged at anytime, and users can manage their internet connection from the drop-down menu.

The device also gives users the benefit of logging into the HTCSense.com portal. This has so far been limited to just the HTC Desire HD, Desire Z and Windows Phone 7 models.

Desire S users can divert calls and text, locate their device and remotely lock or wipe the handset should it be lost or stolen.

Overall, the Desire S is shaping up to be better than its predecessor, but whether users are going to want to splash out on an upgrade so soon remains to be seen.

Author: Khidr Suleman

Posted by Phil Muncaster on February 16, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)