Following some important pricing details, preorder launches and some concrete hardware specs, we've just got to play with the new Jolla phone. Sure, we've already toyed with the software, but today's event is all about the new physical home for the Sailfish OS. It could be a difficult sell in the cutthroat world of smartphones, there's certainly something compelling in Jolla's split design and all those of color options, regardless of what functionality they might add in the future.

Gallery: Jolla phone colors hands-on

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Google (and especially the Google+ team) are keeping very busy. While I/O 2013 may have wrapped up last week, the company's just unveiled a new update for its social network on Android devices. Packing some familiar new photo features (like auto-backup and auto-highlights), the refresh includes even more Snapseed filters and tools. Location sharing can now tap into your circle arrangements, and you'll be able to share geo-locations with specific sets of people. Related hashtags will now function within the app, like we've already seen on the web-based version, while (perhaps predictably) there's now one-tap access to Mountain View's Hangouts app too. Gotta keep 'em all connected, right?

Update: As some trying to download the app may have noticed, the update is currently incompatible with recent versions of Android. Google has quickly chimed in to say that this is simply the result of a slip-up, however, and should be corrected shortly.

Update 2: It should be available for all to download now, if you're still not seeing it in the app store try checking the Google Play link below from a PC.

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Source: Google Plus, Google Play

ASUS' Transformer Book hybrid may have just graduated from our review testing, but the company already has a new product to tempt you. The Zenbook Infinity will be the "world's first Ultrabook with a lid made form Corning Gorilla Glass 3" and will be revealed in full at Taipei's Computex 2013 in a few weeks. It'll measure in at just 15.5mm thick, which a full 14 percent thinner than previous Zenbooks. Next-generation Gorilla Glass will cover the outer lid and the keyboard surround, although you can expect to see that familiar concentric circle pattern beneath the protection. ASUS says the Ultrabook will launch Q3 2013, but expect to see the full specs before then.

Filed under: Laptops, ASUS

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Say hello to the Jolla Phone. Pre-orders for the world's first Sailfish OS device started today and we've called into Helsinki to get the whole story from Jolla's co-founder and software head Marc Dillon. While we know there's a 4.5-inch "high definition" screen (resolution TBC), dual-core processor and 8-megapixel camera, we were kept at arms length during our meeting with an early prototype. So, unfortunately, our full hands-on treatment will have to wait until later today. For now, Marc takes us through the thinking behind the hardware -- and what the notion of the "other half" really means -- right after the break.

Gallery: Jolla phone hands-on

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The FCC may have spoiled the surprise, but Sony's now gone official with yet another smartphone and this one's for its native Japan. The Xperia UL appears to be a slightly thicker riff on the Xperia Z, matching the display of the company's early-2013 flagship, with a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) ticking behind the 5-inch 1080p screen. It's worth noting that it's a substantial resolution bump from the similar-looking 720p NTT DoCoMo Xperia A. Although it's not the Snapdragon 600 rumored, Qualcomm's S4 Pro flexes its muscle through Exmor RS 13-megapixel camera sensor, offering up the ability to capture 15 frames in a second. NFC, naturally, is already in attendance as well as the Felica wireless payment system. You'll also get the benefits of both a physical camera button and water (IPX5/8) and dust resistance (IP5X) -- two features in tandem that should help separate it from Sony's pair of existing 5-inch 1080p smartphones. The Xperia UL will launch on KDDI's au network in white, black and hot pink colors on May 25th. Check out the obligatory close-up ad after the break.

Update: The Xperia UL runs on an S4 Pro processor, not the Snapdragon 600 initially stated.

Gallery: Sony Xperia UL press shots

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Source: Sony (Japanese)

A new Lumia phone from Nokia, this year's Google I/O and BlackBerry Live -- yep, it was a pretty hectic week for us, but also a good seven days for tech news. Even if Google didn't have any truly new hardware for us, it's started up its own on-demand music service, gave us more details on Google Glass, redesigned its Maps and, well, it was a very long keynote. Join us after the break for a numerical breakdown of that and the rest of the week's big news.

Filed under: Nokia, Google, Blackberry

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Ubuntu tablets may not be particularly new, but thanks to its liberal build, things can get a bit more interesting when another OS is added to the mix. Ekoore's Python S3 tablet goes a little further, nestling Ubuntu, Android and Windows 8 behind its 11.6-inch screen. Specifications can be customized on the order page, but there's an Intel Celeron processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD for storage, while the 1,366 x 768 resolution was chosen to suit all three operating systems: Windows 8, Android 4.2 and Ubuntu 13.04. There's connectivity through both WiFi and an optional 3G module -- the Win 8 license itself is also a purchasable extra. The device is priced at $770 for the US, while you'll be able to pick up a dockable keyboard add-on (with built-in battery) for around $179. For those of you who still can't decide your favorite tablet OS, you can hedge your bets and place an order at the source.

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Via: PC World

Source: Ekoore (Italian)

When it comes to hunting down humans running speeds, MIT's cheetah might come second to Boston Dynamics' own high-velocity quadruped, but by substituting pneumatics with motors, MIT's version apparently runs far more efficiently. At the recent International Conference on Robotics and Automation, the Institute of Technology showed of its newest version, which reached a top speed of 13.7 mph. To accomplish this, the runner still needs parallel support bars to constrain movement in one dimension, reducing any roll, yaw -- and the chances of a pretty expensive fall. The team says the new version's cost of transport (COT is power consumption divided by weight, times velocity) is around 0.52. In comparison, Honda's Asimo has a hefty COT of 2.

This impressive efficiency is down to the use of electric motors over hydraulics, with a new "three phase permanent magnet synchronous motor" providing the necessary torque. Researchers also used biometric principles to conserve energy and reduce stress on joints, including Kevlar tendons across the back of the legs. With all those efficiency increases, it mean that MIT's cheetah can theoretically run while carrying its own power source. We've added a video after the break, where you can see the bot hit its top speed while carrying some battery dummy weights.

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Via: Spectrum IEEE

Source: MIT Biomimetics

Remember ASUS' Transformer Books? All is forgiven if you don't, as we're already approaching the one-year anniversary of when they were first revealed at Computex in Taipei. You'll get your choice of Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, and the ability to detach and use the device as a standalone 13.3-inch tablet when the devices finally arrive in the US next week. Sure, Japanese buyers might have picked one up first, but interested hybrid PC shoppers should mark May 21st into their diaries. No official word on pricing, but preorder pages from MacMall earlier this year had the Core i7 model pegged at a hefty $1,479.99.

Filed under: Laptops, ASUS

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Source: ASUS US (Facebook)

After being taken to task by the BBC's consumer rights show, Watchdog, Samsung says it's looking into reducing the memory footprint of its TouchWiz features on its flagship Galaxy S 4. A spokesperson told CNET UK that Samsung, "appreciate(s) this issue being raised," and that it is "reviewing the possibility [of] securing more memory space through further software optimization." The 16GB GS4 offers only 9.5GB of space for users to fill, but at least we know it's a possibility: Google announced yesterday that Samsung's Galaxy S 4 will arrive in an entirely vanilla Android guise this June. We've got the full statement from Samsung after the break.

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Source: CNET UK

Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi has announced that the series' next racing title will arrive later this year, with a demo scheduled to appear this July, ahead of a holiday launch. Expect a heady 1,200 cars to make the new edition, with 33 locations (and 71 layouts) to drive them around. Polyphony Digital has developed a new game engine for Gran Turismo 6, one that "pushes the limits of the PS3," but the incoming game might make another appearance on the incoming PlayStation 4. At a 15th anniversary event at the Silverstone racetrack in the UK, Yamauchi teased to IGN that they had a PS4 version "in mind, but for this holiday season, we thought it would be best for users to release on [the] PS3." Gran Turismo remains Sony's most successful franchise ever and has sold over 70 million copies to date. Sony adds that we'll hear even more about the sequel at E3 -- likely alongside a next-generation console we can see.

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Via: Joystiq

Source: PlayStationEU (Twitter), IGN

We managed to grab a quick chat with Nokia's Global Head of Smartphone Marketing, Vesa Jutila, following the global launch of the Lumia 925. When asked about the still-notable absence of some mainstream apps within Windows Phone 8, Jutila was surprisingly frank. With reference to the company's Lumia series, he said that "the biggest complaint is that customers are missing the apps they want."

Nokia has been on a recent charm offensive towards Instagram, not least with a mini Twitter campaign, but it announced earlier today that a new Hipstamatic Oggl app will be headed to Microsoft's mobile OS, capable of sharing through Twitter, Facebook and, yes, Instagram. However, for users coming from other platforms, they may find some first-party favorites missing -- with things like Google+ and Amazon Cloud Player being just a couple of examples. Jutila acknowledged that there were "some gaps" but said Nokia is "addressing this very strongly" with the help of Microsoft. He added:

"[Developer attention] is very much driven by the absolute volume of Windows Phones in the market. That's why we're so pleased when other manufacturers also make Windows Phones."

When asked if Nokia has a strategy for a scenario in which it becomes the only manufacturer of Windows Phones, Jutila replied "No, we don't have a strategy for that."

Sharif Sakr contributed to this report.

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At Nokia's London launch event, we've just managed to spend a bit of time with the gray version of the 4.5-inch Lumia 925. If you felt its polycarbonate predecessor was a little unwieldy in dimensions or weight, you might be pleased with what Nokia's crafted here. Its new Windows Phone flagship marks the company's return to metal-bodied smartphones, and in the process, it's become both lighter and thinner. This isn't a marginal shedding of a few grams, either -- there's a noticeable difference when compared to the Lumia 920. Likewise, the smaller frame makes the Lumia 920 feel all of a sudden rather chunky. Despite the slimmer lines, Nokia keeps the internal specifications largely the same, so you're getting an identical dual-core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, although this time there's only 16GB of storage -- sacrifices had to be made somewhere, we guess.

Imaging-wise, and yes, it's still all about the camera with Nokia, there's the same 8.7-megapixel camera sensor from the 920 model, although Nokia says it's made countless improvements to noise-reduction algorithms and other inner workings. While the hardware has remained mostly unchanged, the company's gone to town on the camera app, moving beyond the Windows Phone Lens system to craft a new Smart Cam interface. Our favorite part here is the ability to leap straight into it instead of the standard camera app. Once we set it up within the app itself, it launched just as swiftly as the regular option. Performance, in general, was identical to what we've experienced on both the 928 and 920 (the same processor will do that), keeping up with our task transitions and web-browsing tests. We're putting the finishing touches to our hands-on video, but you can find more impressions on the hardware (and that Smart Cam) after our gallery and the break.

Update: Now with video!

Gallery: Nokia Lumia 925 hands-on

Gallery: Nokia Lumia 925 wireless charging cases

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Nokia's second announcement for May is arguably a more notable progression from the Lumia 920 than the US-only Lumia 928. This is the Lumia 925. It's another flagship, but this one's setting its sights on the rest of the world. The first thing to note is the change in build materials and profile. While the rest of the Lumia range have stuck to plastics -- typically glossy polycarbonate -- the Lumia 925 is Nokia's first Windows Phone to be packed into an aluminum frame. One of the benefits of this change in design? The handset's weight has plummeted. While the phone has the same dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 1GB RAM and 8.7-megapixel OIS camera of the 920, the Lumia 925 is almost 50 grams (1.8 ounces) lighter than last year's Lumia 920.

Despite a thinner 8.8mm profile, there's an identical 2,000mAh battery. Alas, instead of built-in wireless charging, you'll have to purchase an accessory cover to enable the function on the 925. Said covers will come in red, yellow, black and white, offering a splash of color to the three understated monochrome shades (white, grey and black) of the hardware. The 925 model also sports an 4.5-inch AMOLED screen, so while it matches the resolution of the existing 920 (1,280 x 768), those on-screen blacks -- a regular occurrence with the Windows Phone OS -- should be notably deeper than the LCD competition. It's also coated in Gorilla Glass 2, with ClearBlack tech and a high-brightness mode to improve outdoor visibility and the same super-sensitive touchscreen that means you'll be able to steer the phone with your gloves on. There's more to say about camera improvements -- jump past some Nokia-approved sample shots below to hear more.

Gallery: Nokia Lumia 925 sample images

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Sorry, you're a little early. But please come back later, because we'll be reporting on Nokia's plans for its Windows Phone range in 2013, which is likely to involve more than just last week's Lumia 928. We're expecting a global iteration in redesigned hardware and yet more PureView details. Rumors so far reach a little further -- could we hear word on a Lumia tablet, or a return to lossless digital zoom? We'll have all the answers from the London event at the time shown below.

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Nokia's Verizon-bound Lumia 928 may already be a reality, but there's still more to reveal, with the company's London-based Lumia event set to start Tuesday morning. We'll be there from the keen 10AM BST kickoff, so be sure to bookmark our liveblog page to ensure you get all the news. Wondering how that works in your particular time-zone? Consult the magic time bubble below and add your Lumia hopes and dreams in the comments below.

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We're still days away from Nokia's London media event, but the company has apparently got a real taste for teasers. A new 20-second promo clip aired today in the UK, and although it doesn't outline any outright specs or model numbers, we get a (very) up-close look at a dual-flash arrangement (unlike the xenon flash seen on Verizon's Lumia 928), a glossy white shell and some metal detailing. We're relieved that Nokia has something new to unveil in the UK next week, but we're now itching to hear exactly how this Windows Phone will differ from the now-public Lumia 928. We'll have all the details on Tuesday morning.

Update: The Verge has managed to upload a digital copy of the ad. See it for yourself right after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia

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Source: Pocket-Lint, The Verge

If you've heard enough of Nokia's near future plans for its Lumia range, sorry -- there's more. While the company's official event isn't until next Tuesday in London, that hasn't stopped it from announcing the Lumia 928 on Verizon. Again. Nokia's latest installment supplants the Lumia 822 and HTC's 8X for the US carrier, matching the camera specifications (Carl Zeiss f/2.0 lens, 8.7-megapixel sensor) we saw in the Lumia 920 and pairing it all with a potent xenon flash. There's also high-amp mics and a 4.5-inch OLED (1,280 x 768) display protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass. Inside, you'll find a capable 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 2,000mAH battery and 32GB of storage for all those low-blur photos. As for the phone itself, compared to the bright (admittedly chunky) looks of its predecessor, we're looking at a toned-down refresh, in black and white options, with a more squared design aiming to complement those Windows Phone Live Tiles.

Contactless charging and NFC are both built in, as are all those extra Nokia software additions, including Here maps and Nokia Music. It'll launch in the US on May 16th, priced at $99.99 with a mail-in rebate, while you'll also pick up $25 of credit for Windows Phone apps and games if you decide to sign up. Nokia's got an officially sanctioned hands-on after the break -- expect to see our opinions on it next week.

Gallery: Nokia Lumia 928 for Verizon press shots

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia

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Source: Nokia Conversations, Verizon

Gordon Freeman, in your head. Well, that's the plan, with Oculus now offering official beta support for a headset-based Half-Life 2. There's a few known issues to iron out already, including an overly-dim UI and issues with the zoom. But even at this early stage, it appears to lack any gameplay deal-breakers we've seen elsewhere. As mentioned by Valve's Joe Ludwig on the Oculus developer forums, however, the current build is a bit rougher around the edges compared to the Team Fortress 2 beta that launched earlier this year. Developers with the necessary Rift hardware can pick up the files on Steam or follow the developments on Oculus' own forums -- but no comments about headcrab hats and wearables, okay?

Filed under: Gaming, Wearables

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Via: Ubergizmo, Oculus3D (Twitter)

Source: Oculus VR developer forums

We've seen Microsoft's Surface RT face similar accusations, but this time it's the turn of Samsung's Galaxy S 4 and how much space you'll actually get from that advertised 16GB of storage. The BBC's consumer rights show, Watchdog, will be focusing on the smartphone in next week's episode, and the fact that almost half of the phone's memory is already occupied by Samsung's own software and apps. According to UK retailer Clove, there's just 9.5GB of storage left for customers to fill. It's not the only Android phone with storage space less than advertised -- visit our More Coverage link to see how the Droid RAZR Maxx's 16GB of storage magically transforms into 8GB of usable space. While the smartphone maker argues that the phone does offer an expansion option in the form of a microSD card slot (up to 64GB, no less), some apps still seem to prefer to reside on built-in storage over anything removable -- Amazon's Cloud Player comes to mind.

Host Anne Robinson hints at the end of this week's episode: "It [Samsung] claims that its brand new Galaxy phone has an extra-large memory, but what did it forget to mention?" Although we might have spoiled that question for you already, check the teaser after the break. Brits can tune in for the show at 8PM GMT next Wednesday.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Via: SlashGear

Source: Videolan (YouTube), Gavin's Gadgets

After just shy of two months in private beta, TestFlight's now ready to welcome any devs wanting to upload apps and put them through their paces. As mentioned when it first appeared, the Android version (which bridges the app gap with an identical iOS iteration) includes app management, tracking and distribution as well as centralized feedback, keeping all those improvements in one easy-to-manage pile. Crash reporting is promised in the near future, alongside the release of its own SDK -- early adopters will get to try that out as soon as next week.

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Source: TestFlight

Following a tweak in how Nielsen defines homes with TVs, it's noted a reversal in the two-year decline of TV household numbers. This adjustment has apparently increased Nielsen's estimate of TV homes by 1.2 percent, up to 115.6 million. The definition now extends to include viewers that take their TV through broadband internet, with qualifying households having both the high-speed connection and "at least one operable TV/monitor with the ability to deliver video." This new wording encompasses anyone who watches channels through their Xbox, Apple TV and other data-based services. Nielsen will begin including these extra homes in its sampling starting in September, but we're still waiting to see what it does with its wider metrics for both streaming viewers and social networks.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Source: Nielsen

A new system for monitoring almost everything that's going on inside India's telecoms network has been quietly launched. The Central Monitoring System will offer tax collectors, law enforcement and and other agencies the ability to scrutinize phone calls, text messages, emails, social networking and general web activity. In one of the fastest-growing internet markets in the world, the Indian government has been increasing its role in watching communication channels following the Mumbai bombings in 2008, with laws amended both in that year and in 2011, increasing the access of government workers for "reasonable security practices and procedures."

In recent times, India has interfered with both Nokia and BlackBerry to ensure they had their own monitoring systems in place. The new country-wide system has been under construction for two years and offers investigative agencies a single point of access to all citizens' digital exchanges as well as location data. Pavan Duggal, a specialist in cyberlaw told the Times of India that the system is "capable of tremendous abuse." He noted that there wasn't much clarity from the government yet on exactly what it intends to monitor, or what it's looking for.

Filed under: Internet

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Via: The Register

Source: Times of India

Flush from that springtime financing boost from Samsung, Sharp's reportedly readying production of new screens for Apple's next smartphone. According to Nikkan Kogyo, one of Japan's business dailies, the display manufacturer will start making LCD panels for the next iPhone in its Kameyama plant this June, although there's no specifics about size and resolution differences compared to the iPhone 5. Company team-up Japan Display (which includes Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba) and LG Display have also allegedly received orders from Apple, with production already underway. With the combined might of all those screen-makers, Apple should be able to sidestep any possible screen component delays.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple

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Via: Apple Insider

Source: Nikkan Kogyo

Valve has a surprisingly varied staff roster. Mike Ambinder is the company's very own experimental psychologist and he's been outlining some of Valve's work with biofeedback technology, including eye-motion controls for Portal 2 and perspiration-based gaming adjustments on Left 4 Dead. Mentioning these developments at the NeuroGaming Conference last week, Ambinder notes that both are still at an experimental stage, but that "there is potential on both sides of the equation, both for using physiological signals to quantify an emotion [and] what you can do when you incorporate physiological signals into the gameplay itself."

In Left 4 Dead, test subjects had their sweat monitored, with values assigned to how much they were responding to the action. This data was fed back into the game, where designers attempted to modify (and improve) the experience. In a test where players had four minutes to shoot 100 enemies, calmer participants would progress normally, but if they got nervous, the game would speed up and they would have less time to shoot. When it came to the eye-tracking iteration of Portal 2, the new controls apparently worked well, but also necessitated separating aiming and viewpoint to ensure it worked. With Valve already involving itself in wearable computing, it should make both notions easier to accomplish if it decides to bring either experiment to fans. Venture Beat managed to record Ambinder's opening address at the conference -- we've added it after the break.

Filed under: Gaming

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Source: Venture Beat