Millionaires’ mini-sub launched

A miniature submarine aimed at the super rich has arrived. The Nautilus VAS Luxury Submersible is packed full of the latest kit as well as some home comforts to keep the guests entertained.

Recently it seems as though everyone with a few hundred million in the bank is being enticed to take to the waves in some way or other. Richard Branson’s submersible plane turned up a few weeks back and now this far more sedate mode of underwater transport is offering an alternative look at life beneath the surface.

The Nautilus VAS is rather more traditional in its design than the other high-tech submersibles, looking akin to something from an old sci-fi movie rather than a multi-million pound plaything. In fact you might recognise the name as reminiscent of a vessel piloted by the fictional Captain Nemo.

The manufacturer behind the Nautilus VAS says that it has been made to a military standard on the outside, but inside they have crammed in a hi-fi system and a small bar area, which is distinctly opulent.

Both the front and sides of the Nautilus VAS are dotted with large, circular viewing ports, giving the occupants a good look at what is around them.

The Nautilus VAS is set to cost about £1.75 million, which is rather more than most people could ever hope to afford. But if you happen to consider this amount mere pocket change, then the romance and adventure of the underwater world can be yours to view at leisure as you sip on a martini and listen to some Sting.

Stats show UK users hate PC problems

A new study has shown that 25 per cent of UK consumers will head down to the shops and buy a new computer if they experience serious problems with their existing machines.

Furthermore it looks as though nearly a third of Brits are more than happy to deal their computing hardware a blow or two in an attempt to get it to behave.

A survey carried out on behalf of Virgin Media has shown that 58 per cent of people are willing to admit to cursing their computers in the event of an issue arising. This figure is probably much higher in all honesty, as no one is immune to PC frustrations from time to time.

25 per cent of people find it necessary to get in contact with a friend or relative who knows a little bit more about computers when their machines are giving them a tech-related headache.

Virgin Media’s Jon James said that a lack of available support was a big cause of computer frustration amongst consumers. Even problems which can be fixed simply by someone in the know can be insurmountable to an amateur and the result is that perfectly viable PCs are being consigned to the scrapheap as buying a new computer is seen as the only solution.

Mr James believes that 10 per cent of internet users are craving solid support and Virgin Media is using the results of this survey as a platform to launch its new Digital Home Support service, which is designed to tackle PC and broadband issues whenever they arise.

Microsoft unveils own-brand smartphones

Microsoft has been in the process of developing its own smartphone range for some time and now the first two handsets have emerged, called the Kin One and Two.

Microsoft’s Robbie Bach said that the two mobiles are focused on social networking services, providing the user with complete, unified access to their various online persona’s.

Despite the fact that these phones are developed by Microsoft, it is actually shying away from imprinting its name anywhere on the outside of the mobiles. Instead the Kin brand will be used to mask the true identities of the phones.

The Kin One is a slider phone with a full QWERTY keypad emerging from beneath its almost square top half. The Kin Two looks more like a modern smartphone with its landscape sliding QWERTY keypad and larger display.

Both of the phones will use a cloud-based service called The Loop to keep them up to date with the latest tweets and status updates.

Although the social networking aspects will be completely integrated, Microsoft has said that the people you chat with and text using the phones’ standard functions will be kept in a separate contacts list to those with whom you only interact online.

Both of the Kin handsets use capacitive touchscreen technology, complete with the pinch to zoom feature that has been such a big hit on the iPhone.

The Kin Two can capture high-definition video at 720p, whilst the Kin One has a decently specified 5 megapixel camera and a bright LED flash.

Vodafone has announced that it will bring the two Kin handsets to the UK.

Samsung smartphone runs 62 apps simultaneously

The next iPhone operating system may be bringing partial support for multitasking to the table, but the true king of smartphone multitasking has been revealed as the Samsung i8910HD, which has been recorded running 62 apps at the same time.

The Palm Pre is a native multitasker and recently one of these webOS-based mobiles was spotted with 50 apps being handled in one session. However, the i8910HD has already beaten this, despite being equipped with 256MB of RAM, which is half the amount boasted by the Pre.

The Samsung i8910HD uses the Symbian operating system, which many have recently criticised because of its ageing looks and poor implementation on touchscreen handsets. Despite this it continues to prove itself to be an unrivalled multitasking platform, suiting power users who cannot bear to wait whilst apps load.

Sadly the i8910HD does not allow you to run quite this number of apps in its standard form. The 62 apps were only operable thanks to a customised ROM update from HyperX, so those with a bit of mobile tinkering knowhow will be able to take advantage but this is not suitable for the mainstream user.

The focus of the smartphone market is moving away from simply platforms that offer lots of apps, towards the ability to multitask and have many apps accessible and active at the same time. Thus far multitasking has been a feature of specific smartphone platforms, without really making a mainstream impact, but the new iPhone OS will doubtless allow Apple to claim this innovation as its own.

Apple premieres iPhone OS 4.0

Apple fans around the world will be thrilled to hear that the next version of the iPhone operating system has finally been officially unveiled and multitasking is heading up a wealth of new features.

The iPhone has been criticised for some time over its lack of multitasking, meaning that switching between apps was not as swift as some would have liked. Apple has changed all of this with version 4.0 of its smartphone software platform, but there is more going on than multitasking alone.

Apple has made sure that the user interface (UI) is tailored to multitasking and you can now view every active app via an onscreen pop-up window.

Apple has been keen to emphasise that if it had implemented multitasking in haste, it could have ended up with users eating into the iPhone’s battery life faster than intended. Instead it has compartmentalised the multitasking to make it functional as well as efficient.

In a demonstration of the new platform, Apple showed that you could run music streaming app Pandora whilst simultaneously browsing iTunes to buy the track that is playing. Then it showed that VoIP app Skype can remain active whilst you are making standard voice calls.

Apple has added an intelligent folder grouping system to iPhone OS 4.0, which essentially pulls together similar apps and games to make them logically accessible and easy to find.

Literature lovers will be pleased with the addition of iBooks to the iPhone, as this was previously only available to early iPad adopters. If you happen to own both of these Apple devices, then iBooks can also synchronise content between the two.

Ultimate Star Wars lighting launched

Fans of George Lucas’ much loved sci-fi saga Star Wars will no doubt be delighted at the news of a brand new remote controlled night light which takes the form of an iconic lightsaber.

The remote control acts to turn on the light, but it can also be used to cycle through the seven different colours that the lightsaber wall light can display. There is even a button to set the wall light off on automatic rotation through the colours if you want to get the effect of a really slow disco.

The lightsaber is designed to attach to the wall of your bedroom or any other living space and it gives off a soft glow. There is no news as to whether it will emit the associated humming, throbbing sound whilst it is turned on, but this is unlikely.

The RC Sat Wars lightsaber wall light is not a particularly expensive gadget at around £17-£20 and it is not going to be available until the autumn. However, you can pre-order one online right now and the power of the Star Wars brand will ensure that the lightsaber wall light will make it to the UK.

Some might point out that the wall light is aimed at the kids market, primarily with the function of easing fear of the dark. However, there is surely going to be demand for this gadget amongst a much larger audience and it is easy to imagine it illuminating dens and home theatre rooms around the world.

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David Attenborough backs 3D TV series

Fans of natural history and national treasure David Attenborough will be pleased to hear that Sky will be bringing a new full 3D presentation featuring the great man himself to the select few people who buy into the 3D TV craze.

Sir David is going to take the helm of Flying Monsters 3D; a feature that deals with airborne dinosaurs from hundreds of millions of years ago. It will be shown in 3D at IMAX theatres, but will also become part of Sky’s first 3D programming on the UK’s only 3D channel.

The dinosaurs under the spotlight will be the pterosaurs, which spent their time on the wing over 200 million years ago. With a wingspan of 45 feet, the pterosaur should have good screen presence and will hopefully make the most of the new 3D technology, helping to convince those early adopters that they have made a worthy investment.

Sky is really pushing 3D TV and in securing this Attenborough-backed program it is attempting to appeal to people who might not be interested in the live sport and movie licenses that it has also arranged in 3D.

Sir David says that he has seen television move through various technological advances, having begun his career back when everything was broadcast in black and white. He praised Sky for innovating with the new 3D technology, with which he is clearly taken.

Sir David said that the pterosaurs were the largest flying beasts to ever live and their domination of the skies should translate well in 3D format.

iPad Rival Revealed

The Gemini tablet PC from ICD is not going to arrive for a while yet, but on paper it has a specification that could see it wipe the floor with Apple’s new iPad.

The most obvious area of superiority is the display, which will be 11.2 inches across and capable of displaying full HD video, which is impressive considering its small size. This also suggests that the Tegra 2 processor that the Gemini houses is a capable powerhouse.

3G connectivity will be included as standard, which will allow for voice calls and data transfer. The Gemini will also have a forward facing 2 megapixel camera which can be used to chat via video link and there is an even more impressive 5 megapixel camera on the back for higher quality still shots.

Connectivity is rounded off with a GPS receiver, Wireless N capabilities and the latest Bluetooth. USB peripherals can be plugged in, which is a bonus. The basic onboard storage can be augmented with extra memory via an SD card.

The Gemini’s screen will use capacitive touch technology on the most expensive models, but a cheaper resistive version will be available, which will mean that multi-touch will only be accessible to some users.

Google’s Android OS is on board, which means that the Gemini will not only be competing with the iPad, but also with tablet PCs powered by Windows 7. The inclusion of Flash compatibility will be welcomed by many who have been put off the iPad by the lack of native support for this essential piece of software.

iPad sales soar

Apple’s iPad has only been on sale for a few days in the USA, but already the oversized iPhone has been flying off the shelves.

Apple has reported that more than 300,000 iPads were sold in the first 24 hours and since then many thousands more have been picked up.

There had been fears that the iPad would not be as big a seller as the iPhone, but the initial pre-orders and launch day sales from Apple’s premiere retail outlets have shown that there is still plenty of love out there amongst gadget-lovers and consumers for Steve Jobs and company.

Apple has also said that there have been over one million iPad apps downloaded since the weekend, which shows that the hunger for touch-friendly software is all but insatiable.

In the weeks running up to the iPad’s launch, some critics had claimed that the high cost of iPad apps compared to their iPhone equivalents would put off potential customers. Virtually identical apps were being given a 100 per cent price hike on the iPad, but it seems that this has not deterred the early adopters.

Initial sales from the iBooks store have also been strong and a quarter of a million eBooks have been downloaded since the iPad went on sale. This suggests that the iPad could easily edge out rival standalone eBook readers, such as Amazon’s Kindle, which has recently enjoyed a technical upgrade.

In the eyes of many, Apple can do no wrong and the initial response to the iPad has been generally positive. But there are a wide range of alternative tablet PCs in development offering consumers a broader choice in the longer term.

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