New Technology Reviews!.: Biggest

In Depth: The 10 biggest gadget letdowns of 2010

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PC%20Plus/PCP%20298/PCP298.ot01.joojoo-200-200.jpg"> Not everything lives up to the impressive-sounding, bullet-point list of features that appeared on the internet six months before launch. Sometimes owning high-spec gadgets is best left to the imagination, as the result of your latest internet shopping spree can end with the courier dropping off something that isn't quite as life-changing and empowering as the multi-million pound, pan-European marketing assault initially suggested. Spec sheets are one thing, but as tech gets more and more complex and attempts to please more and more people by combining ever-longer lists of features into one box, we're seeing companies fail to get the dizzying modern blend of software and hardware anything like right. So what products have disappointed us this year? Which ones do we wish we'd waited for a few more reviews to filter through before maxing out the credit card? And which product was so terrible it was pulled from sale in the face of mass consumer disgust? 1. T-Mobile Pulse Mini <img alt="Pulse mini" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/classifications/gadgets/phones/mobile-phones/T-Mobile/T_mobile_pulse_mini-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Barely passable when we <a href="">reviewed it in May</A>, it's now been absolutely shamed by the new wave of entry level Android phones. Comparing the Pulse Mini with the similarly priced <a href="">Orange San Franciso</A>, you'd think six years had passed, not six months. An awful screen had you regretting the purchase within seconds, and the general laggy operation made it a pain to use if you had no choice in the matter due to contractual reasons between you and your network. 2. Disgo Tablet 6000 <img alt="Disgo" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20144/WLT144.rev3.disgo_1-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> The post-iPad tablet explosion has seen some real duffers emerge, with their resistive screens, poor OS implementations and general corner cutting when it comes to features. The <a href="">Disgo 6000</A> suffers from all of the above, with a touchscreen so unresponsive it hinders everything. It's slow, there's no Android Market, and it's... terrible. God knows how bad the Disgo 5000 must've been. 3. Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 <img alt="Xperia x10" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/classifications/gadgets/phones/mobile-phones/Sony%20Ericsson/XperiaTM_X10Orange_2-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> There's nothing incredibly wrong with the original, big <a href="">X10</A>. It's a lovely piece of plastic with a good screen and camera, it's just the user experience that's lacking. In the ultra-competitive smartphone world Apple and HTC are delivering smash after glorious smash, so for Sony Ericsson to release a flagship phone with an old OS, no multitouch and a glitchy interface, it was product suicide. Even the 2.1 update arrived late - and significantly after many other Android phone users got 2.2. One big mess, this poor thing. 4. LG Viewty Snap <img alt="Viewty snap" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/classifications/Mobile%20Phones/LG/Picture-31-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> LG was caught out by the lightning fast evolution of smartphones, here. Launching a phone without 3G or Wi-Fi and charging £80 for it may have worked a year or two ago, but with blistering smartphones like the Orange San Francisco and LG Optimus One out there for only a few quid more nowadays, it's hard to see why the Viewty Snap exists at all. Still, it's got a radio. Radio is a bit like Spotify. You could put that on the box, LG - "Has a thing that is a bit like a popular other thing". 5. Sony Qriocity <img alt="Qriocity" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Qriocity/Qriocity-MockUK-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Just what we need. Another way to shovel a regular, small amount of money to a major corporation in return for some of its media products. The main problem with <a href="">Qriocity</A> at the moment is that we just don't really need it. iTunes is entrenched already, many other movie streaming services exist, and charging £4.99 for a rental of a standalone HD film is rather excessive. Clever if you have a Qriocity enabled Bravia, but excessive. 6. ViewSonic ViewPad 10 <img alt="ViewPad 10" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/TechRadar/Gadgets/Viewsonic%20ViewPad%2010/viewpad%20main-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Another product that reads like a fantasy creation on paper. A <a href="">tablet</A> with a 10" screen, the power to dual boot both Android and Windows 7 - what's not to get excited about here? Well, there's the Android element for a start, which is the outdated 1.6 version of the OS, due to compatibility issues with the Intel chipset. And Windows 7 isn't great on touchscreens, so... what was the point again? 7. Boxee Box <img alt="Boxee box" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/classifications/computing/networking-and-wi-fi/media-streaming/images/boxeebox/boxee3-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Decent hardware in a pretty box that'd look great sitting beside your BT Home Hub, - but the problem with the <a href="">Boxee Box</A> is down to Boxee's lack of know-how when it comes to creating and managing the software side of things. It's nice having apps for YouTube and iPlayer, but it'd be nicer still if they worked properly. The web browser's a nightmare and although it does work as a streamer you'd be better off shuffling things about on USB sticks than trying to learn and tolerate Boxee's many odd OS choices. 8. Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro <img alt="Vivaz pro" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/classifications/gadgets/phones/mobile-phones/Sony%20Ericsson/Sony_Ericsson_vivaz_pro-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> A QWERTY keyboard and the Sony Ericsson brand - what's not to like about the <a href="">Vivaz Pro</A>? Well, there's the Symbian S60 OS for a start, which used to dominate but is now very much showing its age in 2010. Plus for some odd reason the Vivaz Pro fails to run it well, resulting in a slow experience hampered further still by a resistive touchscreen. Which makes the Vivaz Pro a clunky phone with an outdated OS that's hard to use. Awesome work, Sony Ericsson. 9. JooJoo <img alt="JooJoo" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PC%20Plus/PCP%20298/PCP298.ot01.joojoo-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Another poorly planned tablet for the plastics recycling bin. The <a href="">JooJoo</A>'s complex interface is a pain to use and the hardware big and awkward, while its Flash capabilities are so poor it's better to just not bother. Oh, and battery life's pretty bad and it's generally glitchy to use as a web browser. When a thing fails at its primary function, you have to wonder how and why it exists at all. 10. Toshiba Folio <img alt="Toshiba folio" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/images/ToshibaFolio03-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Surely <a href="">this</A> would be good? An Android tablet powered by Nvidia's cutting-edge Tegra 2 processor. The Folio wouldn't just kill the iPad - it'd dismember its body and disrespect it on the internet. The reality was a disaster. The 10.1" screen featured an awful viewing angle, the OS was glitchy and it was received so poorly by the first wave of buyers that it was <a href="">pulled from sale</A> by Dixons Group due to the high number of returns. A proper tech catastrophe.

In Depth: The 10 biggest gadget letdowns of 2010

Not everything lives up to the impressive-sounding, bullet-point list of features that appeared on the internet six months before launch. S...

Biggest and smallest game launches of 2011 today

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/images/bejeweled%203-200-200.jpg"> The new expansion pack for Blizzard's World of Warcraft launches later tonight, in what is sure to be one of the biggest and glitziest game launches since last month's launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops. Yet in a direct juxtaposition to this triple-A PR frenzy, today also sees the smallest games launch taking place in a London living room over tea and cakes. Casually hardcore "Forget A-list celebs and paparazzi," says PopCap games, heralding the low-key launch of Bejeweled 3. "This is the antithesis to the blockbuster-style video game launches we are used to seeing, with guests including the Clapham WI secretary, a retired schoolteacher and a librarian." PopCap claims that a recent study into gamers reveals that average gamer is a 45-year-old mum of grown-up children, with her own games console as well as laptop and MP3 player. Try telling that to the hardcore Warcraft horde crowing Oxford Street's game stores at midnight tonight! Back at the official Bejeweled 3 launch event earlier today, journalists saw "no glitz beyond that of the iconic in-game gems" as well as a "a cross section of the UK's most prolific casual video gamers: a Women's Institute secretary; a Welsh librarian; a glamorous banker and a trendy dad. An octogenarian granny of 12 pulled out at the last minute through illness - so we are sending best wishes for a swift recovery. Neil Shah from the Stress Management Society was on hand to promote the game's new 'stress-busting' Zen mode, with PopCap also citing un-attributed 'scientific research' claiming the game's new mode "is a great idea for helping players chill out even more and put all their worries to one side." PopCap's Cathy Orr, added: "Videogaming has become as mainstream a lifestyle entertainment as watching TV or reading a book so we couldn't think of a better place to launch Bejeweled 3 than a living room. Bejeweled is a phenomenon appealing to the widest possible audience of everyone - men and women, aged 6 to 106, from kids to glamorous businessmen and women to grandparents." Breath modulation, ambient sounds, binaural beats and mantras for focusing your thoughts, it all does, admittedly, sound very zen. But how many of use really know any 106-year-old gamers. Really? Still, for more on Bejeweled 3, check out <a href="http://www.popcap.com/trademarks">www.popcap.com</A>

Biggest and smallest game launches of 2011 today

The new expansion pack for Blizzard's World of Warcraft launches later tonight, in what is sure to be one of the biggest and glitziest ...

In Depth: Wikileaks: 8 biggest leaks in its history

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com////classifications/computing/internet-and-broadband/images/Wikileaks_3-200-200.jpg"> The most important website in the world right now isn't Facebook, Google or Twitter but one that's lifting the lid on the machinations of governments the world over. It's also shining a light on racist political parties and trying to out those who are actively censoring the web. Wikileaks, for good or bad, is offering up the truth in a way that's not been seen before. Its motto is "to publish fact-based stories without fear or favour" and it's a site run by volunteers who seemingly seek nothing but fact. This week saw the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/wikileaks-sparks-diplomatic-crisis-after-250-000-docs-leak-911452">biggest leak yet</A> for the site. A total of 251,287 United States embassy cables were put onto torrents for anyone to download. According to Wikileaks, it's "the largest set of confidential documents ever to be released into the public domain." The documents go as far back as 1966 and offering them up to the public has seen the US and many other countries go into diplomatic crisis overload. But this isn't the first time Wikileaks has managed to deliver documents that have embarrassed whole countries and it certainly won't be the last. Below are 8 of the biggest leaks from a website that's only been around for four short years, but has already left a legacy that will last for decades to come. 1. Scientology exposed It's one of the most secretive religions in the world. Founded by sci-fi author L Ron Hubbard in 1952 and now seen as the religion of choice by the Hollywood elite, the methods of the Church of Scientology have been shrouded in secrecy for a long time. Wikileaks changed all this by posting "the collected secret 'bibles' of Scientology" – a whole host of documents that explained the hierarchy within Scientology. The religion and its lawyers were not best pleased. 2. BNP membership list released For some reason, not everybody in the British National Party is happy to have their name associated with the BNP. This became apparent when Wikileaks (and other blogs) <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/entire-bnp-membership-list-leaked-online-486621">published details</A> of every member of the far-right political part, including addresses and what they did for a living. The document meant that anybody who downloaded the information could CTRL+F their way to finding out who in their hometown was paying the BNP to pedal its non-immigration stance. Teachers were exposed, as were members of the UK police force, which was bad news for the officers – it's illegal to be in the police and support the party. 3. Afghan War logs The leaking of the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/wikileaks-releases-92000-secret-afghan-war-files-705613">Afghan War Logs</A> put Wikileaks firmly in the public conscience, mainly due to the US government publicly condemning the information that was made available to the public. Talk of torture, the death of civilians and a multitude of cover-ups did not make for light reading, but did show off the true horror of what was seen by many as an unwinnable war. 4. Sarah Palin's email account gets hacked Palin's latest slip of the tongue made her North Korea's latest fan recently, but it was her outed Yahoo email accounts that caused even more embarrassment <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/web/sarah-palin-must-reveal-personal-emails-475667">back in 2008</A>. According to information given to Wikileaks, Palin was using her private Yahoo account to send work messages – a minor faux pas, but one that is strictly forbidden when you're part of the US government. Considering she may well be running for President in the near future, we really hope she doesn't make the same mistake again. Or at least updates her personal email to something a bit hipper, like Gmail. <img alt="Wikileaks" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/classifications/computing/internet-and-broadband/images/wikileaks-twitter-420-90.jpg" width="420"></IMG> 5. Diplomatic crisis Over <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/wikileaks-sparks-diplomatic-crisis-after-250-000-docs-leak-911452">250,000 documents were</A> released this week that detail what the world already new – government diplomats say one thing to the press and another when they think it is in secret. The new documents are yet to be fully sifted but this is a monumental leak at it is the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/wikileaks-next-release-is-7x-bigger-than-iraq-war-logs-909989">biggest ever of its kind</A>. The leaked information includes everything from Arab nations pleading with the US to bomb Iran, China cosying ever closer to North Korea and even stuff about Prince Andrew and Bank of England head honcho Mervin King. 6. Climate 'research' UK climate researches were put out to dry in 2009 after amore than 1,000 emails and 2,000 documents were leaked about climate change. The documents apparently showed that information which didn't fit with current climate change theories (that it is bad) was suppressed. Quotes such as: "The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't" appeared in mainstream media and began tarnishing the reputation of a number of scientists. 7. Web censorship lists Wikileaks found itself on an <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/wikileaks-has-funds-stopped-due-to-blacklisting-901283">Australia blacklist</A> back in May 2009, all because it released details of sites banned by various countries around the world. While Wikileaks <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/australian-government-takes-wikileaks-off-banned-website-list-585894">is no longer banned</A> in Australia, its publishing of the Australian Communications and Media Authority's list did cause outcry Down Under. The list was interesting because Oz's stance on banned sites was meant to be to be ones that advocated child porn and terrorism. However, Wikileaks found a number of sites banned that did not fall under these banners. 8. Revealing the Bilderberg Group Ah, the Bilderberg Group – up there with the Stone Cutters in terms of secret organisations you can't help but be interested in. While we are not suggesting that the biggest leaders, celebrities and people of influence in the world meeting up once in a while to exchange pleasantries is in the least bit shady, it was interesting to see the Wikileaks posting a number of meeting reports from the group. Unfortunately, while this was a monumental leak since it was one of the first times the lid had been lifted on the Bilderbergers, the minutes weren't actually very exciting. This was because all the names had been omitted (even Steve Guttenberg's) and the Bilderberg Group decided to post the information on its own website anyway.

In Depth: Wikileaks: 8 biggest leaks in its history

The most important website in the world right now isn't Facebook, Google or Twitter but one that's lifting the lid on the machinatio...

The Biggest Internet Criminal Schemes This Year

Viruses and spywareProbably the most widely known scam and the type that has been around the longest are viruses and spyware. We are certainly more cautious than we used to be however viruses still find themselves everywhere and as technology advances it is becoming more difficult to protect yourself from them. You may be visiting a website which has been infected with a virus only to go and download a file or watch a video and then be infected yourself.The best advice is to have anti-virus software installed and to regularly back up your work to minimise the risk and impact should your system become infected.Phishing and identity theftThere is a huge black market for financial data that is increasing lucrative for criminals. They look to steal your personal data using various techniques which include bogus websites where they attract people in via e-mail spamming. Often you can receive an e-mail claiming to be from your bank which is designed to get your attention and have you click and log your personal information into their website. This is known as Phishing; they will also use telesales, hack into popular websites and more recently have been creative with using social networks to gain information.Your personal data is very valuable; think before you give it out, basic information such as date of birth should never be disclosed unless absolutely necessary. If websites insist, use a fake date of birth.Economy related scams Many of us have money worries due to the current economic climate and are therefore more vulnerable and looking for solutions. Fraudsters will use this situation to come up with new scams to look to rob us of our money and personal information. The newest scams include unemployment insurance, debt consolidation and assistance with repossessions.It is easy to get drawn into a scam especially when it seems like the perfect solution to your problems however always think it through. If you have found what you think is a great offer then take the time to research the company and discuss it with others before going ahead. Use the internet, chat forums to see if anyone else has heard of the company in question or has had issues.Protect your business from the latest scams by attending a <a href="http://www.cio-quarterly.com/marcusevans-scam.asp" rel="nofollow" target="_new">Marcus Evans scam</a> conference.	 	 		 			 				 					 						Tom Swayer writes articles covering a broad range of subjects. His main area of expertise is fraud awareness and scam prevention. Tom has written articles on these subjects including an article covering the <a href="http://www.cio-quarterly.com/marcusevans-scam.asp" target="_new">Marcus Evans scam</a> conferences.

The Biggest Internet Criminal Schemes This Year

Viruses and spyware Probably the most widely known scam and the type that has been around the longest are viruses and spyware. We are cer...