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Every year in Las Vegas the CES show is held, which is arguably one of the greatest shows involving everything to do with gadgets in the world. It is a platform many of the biggest names in technology used to launch some of their latest products.

Unlike 2011, the show this year did not have one dominant technology taking all of the visitors interests. Last year this was 3D TV but there are several trends that were seen at this show which highlight where technology is going to be going in the near future.

One of the technologies that did stand out above the others were OLED TVs. This type of television uses a technology that is self illuminating so unlike typical television sets there is no need for a backlight. This means that the level of black experienced on the screen is incredibly good and the contrast these televisions are capable of delivering is outstanding. At the other side of the scale colours are very bright and the visual impact of television displayed on the screen is incredible.

Previously, the screens were very small but at the show both Samsung and LG showed off 55inch models. The LG device is definitely the more attractive of the two and it is very slim being only four mm thick. It was so impressive in fact, that it won the Best of Show award given by CNET.

This TV is due to be released in the second six months of this year. That is not to say the Samsung device is not impressive, but at twice the thickness the LG model definitely stole the show.

New televisions by Samsung were also shown to utilise different technologies such as remote controls with microphones and video cameras mounted on televisions. The camera on the television allows the viewer to change the channel and other settings by using gestures; the remote control is also capable of recognising voice to execute commands.

LG released a remote control last year and they have improved this device with the introduction of a microphone as well as a scroll wheel. The company have also introduced a camera that will allow you to play games as well as control the television with gestures.

If the show is anything to go by, social media is going to be a big player in televisions over the next year. Televisions by Panasonic, Sony, LG, and Samsung were all showing improved ways of accessing Twitter and Facebook through their televisions. There was also technology introduced that allows people to message each other while they watch television.

Ultrabooks seem to be another technology that is going to be a big deal over the next year. These are powerful computers that are very lightweight and thin, however many of the device at the show did not look much different from the notebooks that are currently on the market and many people were unimpressed by the lack of change.

There were some exciting models on show however, many of which were capable of turning into tablets. Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga has a 360 degree screen which twists round to turn the device into a tablet. It is only 17 millimetres thick and is a very exciting piece of technology. LG also showcased a device that is a very impressive 14.7 millimetres thick.

The L323CD11’s foray into the world of AV world brazen, but it is unlikely to be less popular for it. With it retailing at only £379 it is, quite simply, the cheapest 3D television currently available in the UK. The fact that a 32iun 3D capable TV can sell for so little essentially makes 3D take that step from luxury to commodity, and the fact is comes complete with 10 free pairs of 3D glasses makes it even more exceptional.

The extreme generosity surrounding these glasses is only possible due to the  L323CD11 using the passive on-screen filter from LG to deliver the 3D thrills. If this was an active 3D television 10 pairs of suitable glasses would set you back between £600-£1000. to put it bluntly, the Logik  L323CD11 is, in some ways, the markets most blatant example as yet of the financial and multiple viewing advantages of passive 3D.

What it does to to enhance the reputation of passive 3D remains to be seen, especially on the picture quality front. Aesthetically, the  L323CD11 looks like a cheaper priced television. By todays standards, the bezel is unusually wide, and its rear end sticks out a country mile, the classic indication that TV is using the old school CCFL lighting as opposed to the LED lighting that is so much preferred by many of today’s television manufacturers.

The connections on the  L323CD11 are, however, a lot better than you might initially expect. There are 3 HDMI ports, which are capable of receiving 3D signals from such sources as a Sky HD box or a blu-ray. There is also a D-Sub PC port that allows the screen to also be used as a monitor for a computer, and a USB port that is capable of playing videos and music and view photo files.

It isn’t all wine and roses on the connections front however, as the L323CD11 is lacking an Ethernet port, and as these are a mandatory accompaniment for Freeview HD tuners, there is no Freeview built into this TV. In all fairness, a Freeview HD tuner would be unusual in an ordinary 32in TV that cost less than £400, but it feels strange that a TV with cutting edge technology like 3D playback is lacking a Freeview tuner.

As there is no integrated Wi-Fi or LAN, this budget Logik set has no chance of supporting online Smart TV or even streaming files from a PC. In reality, however, expecting such features in such a cheaply priced TV isn’t remotely realistic when the TV has already set a new value standard thanks to it charging peanuts for passive 3D.

The lack of features on the L323CD11 outside of the passive 3D continues with the strikingly simplistic on-screen menus, and really only carry bog standard basics that you would find on any TV, and getting the remote to talk to the set is an absolute nightmare, so a more complex menu simply isn’t viable. This aside, the L323CD11 is worth buying for the oene thing it has been designed for; passive 3D viewing at a very low price.

If you’re looking for an effective way to improve the it services that operate within your business, then the chances are you might have considered the merits of installing a new network within your office.  However, installing a set of data cabling can be complicated, which is why we’ve put together this list of things to consider when installing.

Firstly, it’s important that you take the time to consult an expert in the matter (unless you’re an expert yourself, obviously!).  Installing a full data cabling system will inevitably lead to some teething troubles (as will any new system), but it’s important that you try and minimize the risk.  Consulting a network firm will likely be one of the best investments you make, and the majority of them will be happy to visit you and offer a consultancy service to ensure you get things right the first time round.

Secondly, you should always ensure that you stick to the Hazardous Waste Regulations, which ensures that any materials in your office that are replaced will be disposed of in the most effective way to ensure that your firm’s carbon footprint is kept as low as possible.  It’s also important that you make use of high quality cables rather than those that are lower, as this will mean far less turnaround in the products used, subsequently saving you admin costs as well as ensuring you have a reputation as a firm that cares about being ‘green.’

Finally, you should ensure that if you’re conducting a large network installation, you make the safety of workers the biggest priority.  Needless to say, there can be the potential risk of increased electrical damage, and there might be necessary building work carried out.    Again, it might well be worth consulting an electrical firm to ensure that everything is installed safely, and there are many firms out there that are experienced in the matter who will be able to help you.

Article – Remark Group

The Lumia 710 is often confused with the Lumia 800 which was Nokia’s flagship mobile, but the 710 is actually the newer model despite what it may sound like due to number order. At first touch the Lumia 710 does not feel like much, but it does not feel like a cheap model either, leaving it somewhat in the middle. Unfortunately. the plastic on the phone leads to it quickly getting fingerprints all over it, but the rubber on the back does allow you to get a great grip on the mobile while it is in use.

One problem with the Lumia 710 is the placement of the power button on the phone as it is set  flush along the bezel which makes it a bit hard to get to sometimes. The navigation keys are also a bit awkward as they sit underneath a plastic strip and it’s a bit uncomfortable to reach for while you are using the phone. However, at the end of the day the Lumia is meant to be a nonsense free phone for those who want a simple mobile that is reasonably priced so these small factors are not that vital.

Moving along to the specs, the Lumia 710 sports the ClearBack technology from Nokia that is supposed to make it easier to see the 3.7 inch WVGA display when out in the sun.  Its operating system is the new Mango, or Windows Phone 7, which is a bit of a tossup in terms of ease of use.  One nice advantage is the Windows Phone choice is that it’s easy to use for those who do not have a lot of experience with touch screen mobile smartphones, but it does not offers as much for users as Android or the Apple OS.

Features that do come included with Mango however include the ability to multi-task and to use Internet Explorer 9, which should make browsing a bit simpler for those who only use IE at home. Switching between the apps is pretty simple since you also get a back button such as you when you surf online, and the screen always keeps a list of all open apps up for you that is easily accessible.

For those with other Microsoft products, the Lumia 710 is also an excellent choice because it can be synched with WMP, Zune, Microsoft Office, and Xbox Live.

Finally, for those who want to stay up-to-date with their social networks the Hubs feature is a nice setup since it allows you to get to your Outlook, Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, Twitter, and LinkedIn all in one place.

This makes it easy to communicate with all of your friends without switching apps and even allows you to catalogueu your contacts from the different social networks as you want to.  There are also a few preloaded apps that come with the Lumia 710 such as Netflix, the Weather Channel, Slacker Radio, Nokia Drive, and T-Mobile TV.  Of course, to use any of these features you will need a data plan.

Intel is one of the companies responsible for the growth of the personal computer and because of the chips that it provides to go in the machines. For many years however the company has not been involved in the smart phone or tablet market and the company dominating processor production here has been ARM. Last week it was announced that Intel are about to start fighting back against and will be launching a mobile processor for a smart phone that is going to be operating Google’s operating system, Android.

The vice president of the architecture group at Intel is Stephen Smith who has said, “It is expected that we are going to be announcing the product in the first half of this year. These will be designed so that companies who produce smart phones can use to design systems based around them.”

Intel has so far been unable to break into the mobile processing market in the same way ARM has because its processors have generally consumed more power than the equivalent processes by their rival. The new processor that has been announced by Intel has currently got the name Medfield and the chip is a significant step forward in efficiency and power consumption for Intel chips.

Mr Smith continued, “The reason this chip is more power efficient is because it is our first offering on a single chip. In the past we have been spreading the processing power across several chips and this is a design that requires more power.” This brings the chip much closer to the designs that are seen on ARM processors.

The magazine Technology Review recently was able to see a phone that was operating with the new Intel chip. They commented that the device was very similar to the iPhone but it was notably lighter, probably because of its construction from plastic rather than metal and glass. The phone was running the Android operating system but not the latest version. The magazine commented that like the iPhone it runs smoothly and appeared to be comfortably powerful.