It’s not even in dealerships yet, however that didn’t stop Pocket-lint flying up to the Scottish Highlands to test out the new Volvo S60?and grab a plethora of hands-on shots of the new car that has to be the safest car on the road, full stop.

Pictured here is the Volvo S60 5D and 3D. We know what you are thinking, it looks like a regular car. But hidden within the shell is a range of tech that will have a gadget hound like yourself getting very excited.

Yes there is the usual array of in-car entertainment like Satnav, DAB radio, iPod and USB docking options and a stack of menu systems that will confuse the hell out of you, and there’s also Bluetooth as standard that lets you connect your phone, stream music from your iPod.

However those wishing to go even more high tech can opt to add the Volvo?Drivers Support Pack.

At ?1200 it includes a system that will alert you when you drift out of lane, handy for when you fall asleep, as well as something Volvo are calling Blind Spot Information System that uses two cameras mounted under the wing mirrors to alert you if there is a car in your blind spot.

But wait there’s more, as a game show host would say. The Drivers Support Pack also adds Pedestrian Collision Detection, a system that using a camera in the windshield and a radar in the front grill, monitors the road ready for when a “stupid” pedestrian steps out in front of you. If that happens, the car will give you a warning and if you fail to respond hits the breaks hard.

Volvo say, and Pocket-lint has now experienced first hand with dummies that if you are travelling under 22 mph the car will be able to stop without incident. Over that speed and it will do its best to slow you down. While that means you’re still likely to hit them, it might mean the difference between them only breaking their legs and them dying. Phew.

Those who don’t have the spare cash for the upgrades will be pleased to hear their still get City Safety, a similar system that detects cars rather than people hopefully saving you from crashing into someone at a roundabout or traffic jam.

Prices start from around ?23,000 for the entry-level petrol model.

Tags:
Cars Volvo Volvo S60 Photos

PHOTOS: Volvo S60 (2010) hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:10:00 +0100

We already know that Samsung?has plans for a 7-inch tablet called the sPad thanks to a first sighting of Samsung sPad?in June, but now we are getting word of a few more details, officially and unofficially.

On the official side of things, Reuters is reporting that it has Samsung on record that it “plans to introduce tablet computers this quarter based on Google’s Android operating system,” to take on the iPad?and every other internet tablet about to be released in the run up to Christmas.

Unofficially an image has turned up on of the new sPad tablet showing that if you’ve got big hands you’ll be able to hold it one handed.

The news adds Samsung to the list of manufacturers confirmed or rumoured to be launching internet tablets includes Asus, RIM, LG, HP, and MSI.

The latest confirmation confirms previous rumours that the sPad will hit stores in South Korea around August, but there’s still no indication on time frame for other territories.

Samsung is hoping it will be able to continue to build on the success that it has found with the launch of the?Samsung Galaxy S?Android handset.

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Tags:
Hardware Gadgets Samsung Samsung sPad iPad Tablets Android Samsung Galaxy S

Samsung sPad gets a date as first shot in the wild turns up originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:13:00 +0100

First it was the news that BlackBerry?maker RIM had bought the domain name?Blackpad.com, now rumours are surfacing that Research in Motion plans to launch a tablet computer in November under the same name.

According to Bloomberg, two people familiar with the company’s plans say BlackBerry will launch theBlackPad?to take on the iPad later this year.

Although details are still thin on the ground, and nothing is of course confirmed by RIM, the sources believe that the device will sport a 9.7-inch screen (the same size as the iPad), and include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth “that will allow people to connect to the Internet through their BlackBerry smartphones,” the two people said.

Bloomberg is reporting however that “The device will not be able to connect directly to the cellular network the way some iPads can, the two people said.”

There are no details about whether or not the new device will run on the company’s new planned operating system, or details about video cameras for conferencing or storage capacities,?but we do have a supposed price;

“Pricing for the device will be in line with the iPad, which starts at $499, the person said. RIM is focused on reaping additional profits from the tablet effort, rather than competing on price to sell a large number of devices, the person said.”

The leaks come as RIM plan to unveil a new BlackBerry handset on Tuesday 3 August in the US and the UK.

We will keep you posted.

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Tags:
Hardware BlackBerry RIM Phones Internet tablets blackpad

BlackPad tablet rumours grow originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:02:00 +0100

Twitter?has announced that it is following Facebook’s lead by suggesting people you should follow on the micro-blogging social networking life recording site.

“With more than a hundred million users on Twitter, there are sure to be at least dozens of accounts out there that will reflect your interests. The trouble is finding all of them,” Twitter admits on its blog.

The answer, it believes, it to roll out a new feature called “Suggestions for You” that suggests people you don’t currently follow that you may find interesting very much like Facebook currently does with Friends that you might know but aren’t following.

According to Twitter, rather than just a random hodge podge of factors to determine whether or not you should be chatting to Mr or Mrs X, the suggestions are based on several factors, including people you follow and the people they follow.

Currently you’ll see these suggestions on Twitter.com in the Find People section, although judging from our own experience it looks like it hasn’t been enabled in all accounts yet.

“If you like a suggestion, click ‘follow’; if you don’t, click ‘hide,’ and we’ll try not to suggest that user again,” says Twitter.

Furthermore Twitter will also start giving you recommendations for similar users when you view another account’s profile.

Currently only available via the Twitter site, the company has said that it will be adding the new feature to the API so it can make it into an app you no doubt use.

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Software Online Twitter Social networking

Twitter “Suggestions for You” tells you who to follow originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:43:00 +0100

While at the launch of the Pure Evoke 1S Marshall DAB/FM radio, Pocket-lint was also privy to a tour of the Marshall Amplifier factory. If you’re an rock/audio junky you can arrange a visit of your own by appointment too but, just in case you happen to live rather a long distance from Bletchley, we made sure we took our cameras out and got snap happy while we were there.

The story begins with Jim Marshall as a drum shop owner and teacher who would time and time again get guitarists coming into his premises complaining that, firstly, he didn’t sell equipment for them and that, secondly, no one sold any good reliable audio power for their kind at all. It didn’t take a genius to work out the gap in the market and so, with the help of shop repairman Ken Bran and EMI technician Dudley Craven, the Marshall amp was born.

The vacuum tube valve amp system and ‘Marshall Crunch’ was the what made them famous along with fans that included Hendrix, Clapton and The Who, the latter of which was influential in Marshall’s most legendary creation – the speaker stack system.

The tale goes that Pete Townsend and John Entwistle were looking for some amps louder than 100W so that they could hear their own playing over the noise of drummer Keith Moon. Marshall came up with the idea of a single amp head with two speaker cabinets underneath it housing 4 x 12” loudspeaker cones in each and one above it with a further two speakers.

Originally, both guitarists’ two stacks were together until The Who came back complaining that their roadies couldn’t actually lift them. The unit was cut down the middle and the Marshall Stack as we now know it was born.

Marshall prides itself on using the same hand wiring techniques and valve systems from back in the day to provide what the musicians of this world still crave. Take a look at the gallery and see how they’re put together. Don’t miss the museum collection at the end.

?

Related links:

• News – RockStarRadios raises ?15k
• News – The Pure Evoke-1S Marshall goes to 11 in 2010

Tags:
Audio Amplifiers Marshall Features

Marshsall amps and how they’re made originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:11:00 +0100

It’s Friday and, truth be told, it’s hard to get enthusiastic about an App of the Day when the weekend is breathing its hot, sticky sweet breath on the back of your neck, whispering promises of tantalising delights in your ear, and beckoning you like the Ghost of all of the Christmases put together.

Oh, the things we’d do for a lie-in and half a glass of London Stout.

Therefore, a long, complicated application is a real no, no. It’s about as welcome at this time as a visit by a Waterboard engineer telling you that your supply needs to be shut down for the next 2 days.

That’s why this particular nugget is pure genius…

Color Splash for iPad

Format

iPad

Price

?1.19

Where

iTunes

Having already been a hit on the iPhone, Color Splash is nothing particularly new. However, it is such a perfect fit for the iPad that this new version is a worthy entry for Pocket-lint’s App of the Day.

It’s mind-bogglingly simple, but its end products don’t look it. You see, it takes a picture, photograph, whatever, and allows you to colourise one section while the rest remains black and white. It’s a photographic technique that has been knocking around for years, but has never been so easy to emulate.

As soon as you import a pic (from the iPad’s libraries) into the software, it turns grey. Then, using just your finger, you can restore the colour wherever you touch. That’s it.

The clever part is that the size of the brush remains constant, no matter how much you zoom into the shot – which you can do to the nth degree – so you can use the same finger for very fine edging.

A tutorial video even accompanies the app, so that you can learn how to use it in a flash, especially as it’s not too complicated to begin with.

There’s not much more to it, but if you want to create interesting art or photo results, Color Splash is definitely a cannon you should add to your arsenal.

Tags:
Software Apps Hardware iPad apps App of the day Color Splash

APP OF THE DAY: Color Splash for iPad originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:30:00 +0100

As we all wait for the release of the new Windows Phone 7 OS later in the year, news, courtesy of Engadget, has turned up slating Samsung’s first foray into the world of the Windows Phone 7 handset.

Named the Cetus, the details for the new phone turned up on Bluetooth Special Interest Group page, and list specs such as a 4-inch screen with an 800 x 480 AMOLED display, built-in GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n,d a 5-megapixel camera on the back and a now-all-the-rage VGA front facing camera – whoop dee doo.

No word on pricing, availability or what it will look like – but as ever we’ll be sure to let you know all the details as and when we have them.

Do you like the new name? Looking forward to a bit of Windows Phone 7 series action? If so, let us know your thoughts in the usual way.

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Tags:
Phones Mobile phones Windows Phone 7 Samsung Samsung Cetus

Samsung Cetus arrives to Windows Phone 7 party originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:02:00 +0100

In light of HTC’s recent announcement that the Android 2.2 update will be coming to the HTC Desire from 31 July to all unlocked handsets, we thought it a good idea to find out when everyone tied to an operator might expect the latest addition of the Google OS.

We’ll update the story as and when, but for now here are a few of the operators who we’ve chatted to and who’ve offered statements:

Vodafone

Talking to a spokesperson from Vodafone Pocket-lint was told that Vodafone is working to get the Android 2.2, Froyo, update to its customers ASAP, but it will be after the unlocked HTC Desire date of 31 July as Vodafone doesn’t actually get to see its version before this time.

To ensure a smooth transition it’ll be necessary for Vodafone to test its version, making sure that data connections and its voicemail service all run smoothly before releasing to customers. We were told that the Vodafone update should be “weeks rather than months”, however – so let’s hope for an August release.

O2

An O2 Spokesperson came back to Pocket-lint with a formal statement, which reads:

“We’re working with HTC to bring the latest version of Android, 2.2 FroYo, to our HTC Desire customers as soon as possible. We expect this to take several weeks and we will update our customers once the new software is available”.

Other operators who stock the HTC Desire have been contacted, so we’ll be sure to keep you up to date as and when we hear from them.

This could be a little frustrating for HTC Desire owners, as it looks as if you might be kept waiting.

Meanwhile as far as manufacturers go Samsung has stated in a recent tweet that:

“We’ve seen a lot of Q’s about the Froyo update; it’s currently in development & will be released for all networks at the end of September…”

T-Mobile

TechRadar is reporting that T-Mobile has confirmed to them the release of Android 2.2 for its HTC Desire customers will be in September: “we are aiming to roll out in September.” We are awaiting confirmation.?

Tags:
Software Phones Mobile phones HTC Desire Android Android 2.2 Froyo Operating Systems

HTC Desire Android 2.2 Froyo update: When can you expect to get it? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:30:00 +0100

Although it’s been mooted since August 09, Duracell’s myGrid device charging station is finally coming to the UK, and will be stocked by Currys.

Similar to rival product Powermat, the myGrid is a sheet of silver strips that charges up mobile phones when they’re placed on top. It can cope with multiple devices at the same time (up to four, as long as there is space) and it shuts off completely if it comes in contact with human skin (hands, for example) and metal objects (such as keys), for safety reasons.

There are several devices that are listed as being able to work with the mat, including the iPhone, iPod Touch, many other MP3 players and mobile phones, and BlackBerry handsets, and it is likely to come supplied with a solitary Power Sleeve that will fit your specific gizmo (you choose at point of sale).

Adaptors (Power Clips), and other Sleeves, for alternate devices will also be available, and can be attached to the back relatively simply.

There’s no pricing details yet, but it is expected to hit stores before Christmas. And, as it looks cunningly similar to the Wildcharge, which is available for around ?60 with one inclusive sleeve, we wouldn’t expect the final ticket to be much different.

Tags:
Gadgets Duracell Currys Duracell myGrid Powermat

Duracell myGrid finally coming to UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:27:05 +0100

For most of us 10 minutes is more than long enough when it comes to YouTube content, as there is only so much inane prattle and silly stunts that the fragile human mind can take – or maybe not – since YouTube has seen fit to extend the upload limit to 15 minutes.

The change has come about due to improvements in its Content ID system (basically a copyright protection tool). The management of this has been successful, with users now limited in their ability to upload extracts from movies and TV programmes, meaning YouTube can increase the limit.

The company states that “We will continue our strong commitment to provide advanced technology and tools to protect the rights of small and large copyright owners worldwide. We’ll also do everything we can to release incremental improvements like this one that benefit our video creators”.

To celebrate the increased video upload time, YouTube is asking you to tag any 15-minute videos you upload with “yt15minutes”. If this is done by Wednesday 4 August, you’ll be in with a chance of featuring on the YouTube homepage.

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Related links:

• Video – YouTube Leanback wants your TV
• News – YouTube’s secret Snake game

Tags:
Software YouTube Online Video streaming

YouTube increases video time limit originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:43:00 +0100