Author

Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer who started his career on PC World and has written for dozens of computer and technology magazines, as well as numerous national newspapers, business and in-flight magazines. He has also written two novels.

He thinks wires are evil and had a custom desk made to hide them, known as the OC Desk for obvious reasons.

He considers 1000 miles a good distance for a cycle ride, and Chernobyl a suitable tourist destination. What can we say, he’s that kind of chap.

He speaks fluent English but only broken American, so please forgive any Anglicised spelling in his posts.

Connect with Ben Lovejoy

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Expect more Chromecast apps soon as Google schedules hackathon

Ben Lovejoy Nov 22 2013 - 3:53 am PT

We haven’t yet seen too many apps that can stream content to Chromecast dongles, but all that is likely to change over the next month or two as Google has scheduled a Chromecast ‘hackathon’ at its Mountain View HQ next month, reports Engadget.

Google has invited several developers including CyanogenMod / AirCast dev Koushik Dutta and Thomas Kjeldsen to a hackathon on December 7th and 8th in Mountain View. An opportunity to test drive the “upcoming release” of the Cast SDK is promised, plus an opportunity to talk with Google engineers about what it can do …
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Samsung S4 beats HTC One in ‘uncheatable’ benchmark test

Ben Lovejoy Nov 21 2013 - 5:48 am PT

Following revelations that almost all Android handset and tablet manufacturers cheat in benchmark tests, detecting the benchmark software and ramping up performance for the duration of the test, GameBench thinks it’s come up with an approach which is impossible to cheat.

Engadget reports that the company – whose co-founders both worked for chipmakers – take a different approach, running real games and using a background app to take systems measurements while those games are running …
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Smartphone chip race is on as Qualcomm goes 4K and MediaTek announces faster rival

Ben Lovejoy Nov 20 2013 - 5:41 am PT

If there is one inescapable fact when buying the latest, greatest tech it’s that whatever you buy today will soon be made obsolete by something launched tomorrow.

Today’s flagship Android devices come with Snapdragon 600 or 800 CPUs. As of today, that’s old hat, as chipmaker Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon 805 Ultra HD replacement. This – together with its on-board Adreno 420 GPU – will play 4K video and run at up to 2.5GHz.

But even that may soon pale against the chip announced by rival chipmaker MediaTek (via Engadget) …
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Samsung offers $50 sweetener to U.S. Galaxy Note 3 buyers

Ben Lovejoy Nov 20 2013 - 4:22 am PT

Android Police reports that Samsung is offering a $50 Google Play Store credit to owners of its Galaxy Note 3 phablet.

The good news is that, unlike most promotions, this one appears to apply to existing owners – a welcome unexpected bonus. The bad news is that it’s U.S. only. Full details of how to get your credit below the fold …
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Samsung patent shows what to expect from wraparound screen phone

Ben Lovejoy Nov 19 2013 - 5:47 am PT

Image: theverge.com

Image: theverge.com

A patent application spotted by The Verge gives some clues to what Samsung has in mind for the user interface for the wraparound screen Bloomberg reported last week.

There are a few boring ones, like slide-to-unlock and a battery meter at the side, but also some rather interesting ones, like ebook chapter bookmarks.

More below the fold …
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Samsung suspends Galaxy S3 update to Android 4.3 after complaints

Ben Lovejoy Nov 19 2013 - 5:20 am PT

Samsung has announced that it has temporarily withdrawn the update to Android 4.3 for the Galaxy S3 after users complained about multiple problems, reports the BBC.

These included faster than normal battery drain, some apps refusing to work and alarms failing to trigger […]

“Samsung keep telling us that they will let us know as soon as they find a fix, but in the meantime I am left with a phone that is next to useless,” wrote one owner, Dylan Barlow …
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See Abraham Lincoln’s handwritten Gettysburg Address in hi-res at Google Cultural Institute

Ben Lovejoy Nov 19 2013 - 4:42 am PT

There’s nothing that makes history real quite like seeing original, handwritten documents. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was just 272 words long and reportedly took just two minutes to deliver, yet has been widely recognised as one of the most important speeches ever given, playing a key role in re-uniting the USA after the civil war and reminding the nation of its founding principles.

You can now view all five handwritten copies in high resolution at Google’s Cultural Institute website on the 150th anniversary of the famous speech. The online exhibit is supported by contemporary drawings, plans and reports and is well worth a visit.

Google does U-turn to clean up results in searches for child pornography

Ben Lovejoy Nov 18 2013 - 4:15 am PT

Google has done a U-turn on its previous policy of stopping short of directly interfering with search results and is now actively trapping more than 100,000 searches for material which constitutes child abuse, reports UK newspaper the Daily Mail.

The world’s biggest media firm has agreed to introduce changes which will prevent depraved images and videos from appearing for more than 100,000 different searches.

The company’s chairman Eric Schmidt, writing in today’s Daily Mail ahead of a Downing Street summit on internet pornography, says: ‘We’ve listened. We’ve fine-tuned Google Search to prevent links to child sexual abuse material from appearing in our results’ …
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Android tablet revenue overtakes iPad for first time (though probably not for long)

Ben Lovejoy Nov 15 2013 - 6:07 am PT

Total revenue from all Android tablets combined has for the first time exceeded Apple’s revenue for its iPad sales, according to IDC data crunched by Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty.

“For the first time,” she wrote in a note to clients Friday, “Android devices accounted for a greater share of the market in revenue terms than iOS. Android revenue share reached 46.2% in 3Q13, for the first time exceeding iPad share of 45.6%. Android’s unit share grew to 66.7% from 58.5% a year ago, largely driven by Samsung and Lenovo, while iPad share declined to 29.7% from 40.2%” …
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The low-cost hacks that let you control Google Glass with eye movements & clothing

Ben Lovejoy Nov 14 2013 - 6:39 am PT

A common misconception about Google Glass is that it uses eye-tracking as a form of control. It uses head gestures, but can’t actually tell where you’re looking – unless you install this OpenShades hack.

The hack uses a $25 webcam and infra-red LEDs to track your eye movements. Linking this to a web keyboard interface allows you to effectively control a virtual keyboard with eye movements …
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Enjoy a virtual gondola ride as Google Street View adds Venice to its tours

Ben Lovejoy Nov 14 2013 - 4:58 am PT

I sometimes wonder whether future generations will do most of their travel sat at their PCs, as Google’s Trekker backpack takes us to more and more interesting places. Latest on the list is the romantic Italian city Venice, built on a set of more than 100 small islands, connected by a network of canals and bridges …
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Europeans get to use in-flight gadgets too, as EASA mirrors FAA ruling (Update: 3G & 4G too)

Ben Lovejoy Nov 14 2013 - 4:34 am PT

: Photo: huffpost.com

Following the FAA ruling permitting the use of portable electronic devices during all phases of flight, the European Aviation Safety Authority has announced that it too will be issuing the same guidance by the end of the month.

This will allow passengers on European airlines to use tablets, smartphones and ebook readers from gate to gate, provided that they are placed in Airplane mode at the gate.

American airlines wasted no time in implementing the FAA guidance, so here’s hoping for similar speed for those of us on the other side of the pond.

Update: The EC has now also approved both 3G and 4G network use on board aircraft. This would allow airlines to install mini base stations in their aircraft, with signals relayed via their own on-board radio equipment. I’m desperately hoping airlines won’t allow voice calls …

Via The Verge

Verizon no longer the gold standard for mobile data?

Ben Lovejoy Nov 13 2013 - 5:31 am PT

: Photo: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Verizon Wireless, once the gold standard for LTE, has admitted that it is struggling to keep up with demand in the big cities – with some users being dropped down to slower 3G speeds. The carrier’s Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo said yesterday:

There are certain pockets where we’re absolutely going to experience that down tick from the LTE network down to 3G because of capacity constraints …
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Best Buy page suggests HTC One Max arriving on Sprint on Friday

Ben Lovejoy Nov 13 2013 - 5:29 am PT

Although no official launch date has been given for HTC’s new phablet, a Best Buy webpage suggests the HTC One Max will be available on Friday. It is priced at $249 with a two-year contract, and is available now for pre-order.

The device was officially announced a month ago, though we had a pretty good idea what to expect as long ago as July …
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Netflix and YouTube account for over half of America’s Internet usage

Ben Lovejoy Nov 11 2013 - 4:53 am PT

Netflix and YouTube between them account for more than half of American traffic on the Internet, according to data from broadband company Sandvine, totalling 50.31 percent of peaktime downstream usage.

The numbers need to be viewed with a certain amount of caution, measuring data transmission rather than number of people watching. For example, Netflix sits well above YouTube not because it attracts more eyes, but because people watch longer, higher-quality videos on Netflix.

By this measure, companies would also be penalised for more efficient data-transmission protocols – squeezing more video into the same amount of data, so it’s possible that Amazon Video and Hulu are a little more than the also-rans they appear here – but with those kinds of numbers, the overall picture is clear.

YouTube’s share may further increase this month when offline viewing is introduced.

Google tracking your store visits to prove its advertising works

Ben Lovejoy Nov 11 2013 - 4:13 am PT

Digiday reports that Google has implemented the tracking system it described last month, allowing it to see whether people seeing ads for local stores do in fact visit them.

If someone conducts a Google mobile search for “screwdrivers,” for instance, a local hardware store could bid to have its store listing served to that user. By pairing that person’s location data with its database of store listings, Google can see if the person who saw that ad subsequently visited the store.

Google can do this by default on Android devices – it’s one of the things you agree to in the small-print when you switch on location services – and on iOS devices when people use Google apps.

It’s effectively the real-world equivalent of cookies. When you’re exposed to an ad for the Acme Hardware Store, a cookie will often be placed on your PC. When you visit the Acme website, it can read that cookie and see that the ad worked. This does the same thing for visits to physical stores.

Google adds share link to today’s cute Google doodle

Ben Lovejoy Nov 8 2013 - 5:02 am PT

Perhaps in an attempt to persuade somebody, anybody, to use Google+, today’s Google Doodle celebrating the 129th birthday of ink-blot psychoanalyst Hermann Rorschach has a link to share what you see in the semi-random projections.

You can click the ink-blots to generate new ones, and there are a few easter eggs in amidst the more abstract ones.

Photos of mid-range Moto G leak ahead of next week’s launch

Ben Lovejoy Nov 8 2013 - 4:35 am PT

Usually reliable @evleaks has struck again, with a claimed photo of Motorola’s mid-range Moto G handset, due to be launched on the 13th.

The specs are rumored to comprise a 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, 8GB storage, 4.5-inch 720p screen and a 5MP camera. An off-contract price of £135 ($217) has been suggested in the UK, which would make the handset an appealing proposition for those who want decent specs at an affordable price.

That Google barge: have sails, will travel

Ben Lovejoy Nov 8 2013 - 4:12 am PT

More information on that Google barge was revealed today by SFGate, including an artist’s rendering showing that it will be equipped with giant sails.

When completed, the full package is envisioned to be an “unprecedented artistic structure,” sporting a dozen or so gigantic sails, to be moored for a month at a time at sites around the bay […]

“We believe this curious and visually stunning structure will be a welcome addition to the waterfront, an experience unlike any other,” the proposal says …

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Is this next year’s HTC flagship handset? Claimed M8 photos leak

Ben Lovejoy Nov 7 2013 - 6:56 am PT

The photographic qualities leave a lot to be desired, but if the Chinese forum Baidu is to be believed, this is the casing for HTC’s successor to the HTC One, codenamed the M8 (the HTC One was codenamed M7).

The hole above the camera is believed to be for a fingerprint sensor, already found in the HTC One Max. The rumor mill says the specs will be a Snapdragon 800 CPU with 3GB of RAM. Generally-reliable source @evleaks says it will be the first handset to run Sense 6.0 …
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Google’s biggest European indoor Street View tour takes you inside one of London’s airports

Ben Lovejoy Nov 7 2013 - 6:26 am PT

Not sure I've ever seen it quite this empty ...

Not sure I’ve ever seen it quite this empty …

Finding your way around large airport terminals can be one of life’s more frustrating experiences, especially when you’re in a hurry and for no reason any human being can understand, gates 22-24 are not between gates 21 and 25.

Google is helping lost travellers find their way around London’s second-largest airport, with full Street View imagery of both North and South terminals.

Take your virtual visit here.

Other Street View tours created with Google’s Trekker backpack includes the River Thames, the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Eiffel Tower, a Bond villain’s lair, a trek up to the top of Mount Fuji , animal park tours, a look around the inside of Dr Who’s TARDIS, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and a submarine.

Nexus 7 won’t be allowed on Verizon LTE until KitKat rolls, “systems issue” blamed

Ben Lovejoy Nov 7 2013 - 6:04 am PT

If you have a Nexus 7 you’re waiting to activate on Verizon’s LTE network, there’s good news and bad news …

The good news is Verizon has acknowledged the issue that has been preventing the device registering on its network, and says that a solution is in hand. The bad new is that solution is to wait for KitKat to be installed on the tablet, and there’s as yet no word on when this may be. Google has said only that it will be “in the coming weeks” and that is for the Wifi versions …
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Airlines implement gate-to-gate handheld device rules faster than expected

Ben Lovejoy Nov 7 2013 - 4:51 am PT

United and American have joined Delta and Jet Blue in permitting gate-to-gate use of portable electronic devices, following the FAA ruling making it legal to do so.

The FAA had said at the time that airlines would need to perform individual tests to demonstrate that the use of electronic devices during all phases of flight would be safe, and had suggested that this might take some time. With the announcement expected as long ago as March, however, it appears that several airlines undertook this testing in advance of the formal ruling.

There has still been no clarification on what constitutes a ‘handheld’ device, but airlines so far appear to be saying yes to tablets and ebook readers and no to laptops. With many tablet and Bluetooth keyboard combos being visually indistinguishable from ultrabooks to non-technical cabin crews, we shall watch with interest to see how the rules are enforced.

Samsung leads U.S. smartphone growth, with a 1.2 percent quarterly rise

Ben Lovejoy Nov 6 2013 - 5:38 am PT

Samsung’s market share in the U.S. smartphone market grew by 1.2 percent last quarter, to reach 24.9 percent. While its flagship S4 models got all the attention, Samsung advised last month that most of its global growth was in lower-end handsets.

Apple retained its lead at 40.6 percent, helped by ten days of sales of the iPhone 5s and 5c, but with slower growth. LG‘s share remained flat, while both Motorola and HTC lost out.

In platform terms, Android experienced a slight drop of 0.2 percent, but remains the clear leader …
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