OUYA promises quick game approval process, reviews start by the end of February

OUYA CEO Julie Uhrman's promising a quick, simple approval process for games on her company's upcoming Android-powered game console, the OUYA. She told us in an interview this week:

"It's similar to mobile: they'll submit their games, and we'll review for intellectual property infringement, and malware, and excessive pornography. But ultimately it's a quick review and you're in the storefront in one capacity or another."

That's not the only mobile model OUYA's following; Urhman already said the OUYA hardware will iterate on an annual basis, similar to the mobile market.

Despite the console's impending March launch to Kickstarter supporters, OUYA's yet to begin reviewing games for its storefront. "We literally just opened the ability for developers to upload their games into the store," Uhrman explained. The review process isn't too far off, however -- she's predicting a "middle-to-end of this month" timeframe. "We're building that right now," she said, when asked who's staffing that approvals process. "We are a start-up like any other start-up, it's just-in-time business."

The first consumer-ready OUYA consoles are planned for a March launch, with availability at retail to follow in June. The $99 console made a big splash on Kickstarter, eventually raising over $8.5 million when the original goal was a meager $950K.

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By: Unknown On 7:46 PM

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Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

If you haven't done your Christmas shopping yet it really is time to start panicking - it's only 10 days until the Big J's big day.

If you're feeling flushed, you might like to check out some of the awesome tech we've been testing this week. If you're not feeling flushed, you should probably check them out anyway just to be safe.

Samsung Galaxy Camera review

It may not be the best compact camera on the market, but the Samsung Galaxy Camera is certainly one of the easiest and most fun to use. The image quality is also good, way beyond what the average phone can produce and on a par with some of the most popular compact cameras on the market. Enthusiasts are likely to be willing to forgive it any image quality shortcomings because they want it to take more creative shots than their phone can manage and then share them with their friends and followers. It is also smaller, lighter and better connected than DSLRs and CSCs. For the moment the price seems very high compared with compact cameras such as the Panasonic TZ30, although it is low in comparison with a smartphone such as the iPhone 5. When Samsung first announced the Samsung Galaxy Camera, we were told the price would be around £100/$160 less than it is on sale for now. While we can expect the price to drop over the coming months, consumers are currently being asked to pay a high premium for the camera's connectivity and Android operating system.

Sony Xperia Tablet S review

The Sony Xperia Tablet S does so many things right but many other things wrong. As a portable music player it's almost unrivalled, it's pretty good for video too in a lot of ways, but the poor screen resolution holds it back from being brilliant. The build quality is great; it's got a powerful 1.3GHz quad-core processor and the inclusion of an SD card slot helps set it apart from the iPad 4 and the Nexus range. But the battery life is terrible and the camera is glitchy, plus it's a bit of a disappointment even when it does work. All in all it's a tablet of two halves, and some of its missteps are forgivable given the fairly reasonable price tag of £329/AU$539/US$399.99 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version. But others are harder to overlook.

Philips 46PFL9707 review

Wrapped in both the finest brushed metallic build quality around and an Ambilight glow, and supplied with an innovative and powerful speaker system, the Philips 46PFL9707 is special in so many ways. A new user interface proves flexible, and the TV's keyboard-backed pointer remote dazzles, though it's mixed brightness sequences and total black that are this Direct LED-backlit LCD TV's clear highlights. It's just such a shame that Net TV offers few apps and, worse, that 3D is plagued by crosstalk. Still, spin a Blu-ray disc and the Philips 46PFL9707 is capable of producing the best-ever black levels, contrast and detail from an LED-backlit LCD TV. Mixed brightness sequences amaze, and rarely look processed. Net TV is much improved, largely because of the new double-sided remote control - another slab of high quality hardware - and its clever cursor-style navigation.

Acer Aspire S7 review

When it comes to Windows 8 a user's experience will be tied directly to the device that they're using. To that end, the Acer Aspire S7 is a great way to experience Windows 8. With its sleek design and top-notch specifications this is the perfect companion for road warriors. We really liked the inclusion of the Intel Core i7-3517U processor, it's super fast and efficient, and the lovely 13.3-inch screen and 256GB are both pleasing features. The battery life with this device is great and the fact that it's only 2.9lbs means that we'll be rocking this baby for a while. But we were somewhat disappointed with the flimsy Bluetooth mouse and iffy touchpad, and it's a bit expensive, too. We don't think these drawbacks should be deal breakers.

Nokia Lumia 820

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review

Steelseries Flux headset

Samsung 840 Pro 256GB review

Intel Core i7 3970X review

AMD FX-4300 review

Linksys EA6500 review

Sony VAIO Tap 20 review

PC Specialist Vortex III 680 review

Hands on: Canon 6D review

YouView from BT review

View the original article here

By: Dilusha On 7:36 PM

Continue Reading

Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

If you haven't done your Christmas shopping yet it really is time to start panicking - it's only 10 days until the Big J's big day.

If you're feeling flushed, you might like to check out some of the awesome tech we've been testing this week. If you're not feeling flushed, you should probably check them out anyway just to be safe.

Samsung Galaxy Camera review

It may not be the best compact camera on the market, but the Samsung Galaxy Camera is certainly one of the easiest and most fun to use. The image quality is also good, way beyond what the average phone can produce and on a par with some of the most popular compact cameras on the market. Enthusiasts are likely to be willing to forgive it any image quality shortcomings because they want it to take more creative shots than their phone can manage and then share them with their friends and followers. It is also smaller, lighter and better connected than DSLRs and CSCs. For the moment the price seems very high compared with compact cameras such as the Panasonic TZ30, although it is low in comparison with a smartphone such as the iPhone 5. When Samsung first announced the Samsung Galaxy Camera, we were told the price would be around £100/$160 less than it is on sale for now. While we can expect the price to drop over the coming months, consumers are currently being asked to pay a high premium for the camera's connectivity and Android operating system.

Sony Xperia Tablet S review

The Sony Xperia Tablet S does so many things right but many other things wrong. As a portable music player it's almost unrivalled, it's pretty good for video too in a lot of ways, but the poor screen resolution holds it back from being brilliant. The build quality is great; it's got a powerful 1.3GHz quad-core processor and the inclusion of an SD card slot helps set it apart from the iPad 4 and the Nexus range. But the battery life is terrible and the camera is glitchy, plus it's a bit of a disappointment even when it does work. All in all it's a tablet of two halves, and some of its missteps are forgivable given the fairly reasonable price tag of £329/AU$539/US$399.99 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version. But others are harder to overlook.

Philips 46PFL9707 review

Wrapped in both the finest brushed metallic build quality around and an Ambilight glow, and supplied with an innovative and powerful speaker system, the Philips 46PFL9707 is special in so many ways. A new user interface proves flexible, and the TV's keyboard-backed pointer remote dazzles, though it's mixed brightness sequences and total black that are this Direct LED-backlit LCD TV's clear highlights. It's just such a shame that Net TV offers few apps and, worse, that 3D is plagued by crosstalk. Still, spin a Blu-ray disc and the Philips 46PFL9707 is capable of producing the best-ever black levels, contrast and detail from an LED-backlit LCD TV. Mixed brightness sequences amaze, and rarely look processed. Net TV is much improved, largely because of the new double-sided remote control - another slab of high quality hardware - and its clever cursor-style navigation.

Acer Aspire S7 review

When it comes to Windows 8 a user's experience will be tied directly to the device that they're using. To that end, the Acer Aspire S7 is a great way to experience Windows 8. With its sleek design and top-notch specifications this is the perfect companion for road warriors. We really liked the inclusion of the Intel Core i7-3517U processor, it's super fast and efficient, and the lovely 13.3-inch screen and 256GB are both pleasing features. The battery life with this device is great and the fact that it's only 2.9lbs means that we'll be rocking this baby for a while. But we were somewhat disappointed with the flimsy Bluetooth mouse and iffy touchpad, and it's a bit expensive, too. We don't think these drawbacks should be deal breakers.

Nokia Lumia 820

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review

Steelseries Flux headset

Samsung 840 Pro 256GB review

Intel Core i7 3970X review

AMD FX-4300 review

Linksys EA6500 review

Sony VAIO Tap 20 review

PC Specialist Vortex III 680 review

Hands on: Canon 6D review

YouView from BT review

View the original article here

By: Dilusha On 6:19 PM

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Target to showcase CNET reviews as it courts gadget shoppers

By Jessica Wohl

Thu Nov 8, 2012 7:03am EST

n">(Reuters) - Target Corp is bringing reviews from tech news website CNET into its aisles in time for the holiday season as it tries to stand out from a crowd of stores and websites selling a mix of new gadgets.

The partnership between the discount chain and CNET, a website popular with gadget enthusiasts and known for its consumer electronics reviews, kicks off this week after a small test this spring showed that Target's shoppers appreciated getting third-party reviews in stores.

Shoppers will see reviews of 28 products in Target stores and reviews of 300 products on Target's website. In stores, televisions on display will also occasionally show videos featuring CNET Editors' Picks for Target and how-to videos.

The partnership marks a bit of a shift for CNET, whose reviews are sometimes syndicated to places such as retailers' websites but until now were not on store shelves.

"The goal of this is to really make purchase decisions easier during the holidays because this is the time when a lot of people may not be purchasing for themselves," said Lindsey Turrentine, editor-in-chief of CNET Reviews.

A survey released this week by BDO USA found that 62 percent of retail chief marketing officers said consumer electronics would be the strongest selling category this holiday season. The same amount, 62 percent, said that the category would see the most discounts and promotions during the holiday season, BDO, the assurance, tax and financial consulting firm, said.

A wide variety of products are hitting stores in time for the busy holiday season, including updated Apple Inc iPads, iPhone and iPods, the new iPad mini, Nintendo's Wii U, Microsoft Corp's Windows 8 software and Surface tablets, Google Inc's Nexus tablets and new Samsung tablets and phones.

However, the growing practice of using stores to look at items and then buy them at lower prices elsewhere, known as showrooming, has added pressure to stores.

"If you don't really know what you want, (and) you want the broadest selection, then you go to an electronics store," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for NPD Group. "If you have a better idea about what you want and you've narrowed it down then you probably have some more choices in terms of what type of store you want to go to."

For Target, which says that it edits the selection of goods to help make decisions easier for its shoppers, offering reviews may help seal the deal in the stores or push shoppers scanning QR codes to its website, where more reviews will be available.

In May, Target tested putting CNET reviews near a handful of items such as cameras and televisions, and shoppers "definitely valued having not only a consumer review but the expert review as well," Scott Nygaard, Target's vice president of electronics, said.

Now, 28 items - ranging in price from $19.99 to $1,399.99 - will be highlighted with 5-star reviews that CNET writes. Selections were made based on the products' ease of use, style and value, CNET and Target said.

The products selected include cameras from Samsung, Nikon, Fujifilm and Canon. Barnes & Noble Inc's Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight was chosen as the best e-reader for reading in the dark, while Apple's iPad was named the best tablet.

Nintendo's DSi was picked as the best gaming system for under $100 and Sony's PS3 was named the best all-in-one gaming and entertainment system.

"We've got an edited assortment already that we think helps simplify and we're hoping this is just a way for the guest to save time, money and have some research done for them, especially at holiday time where we know they're already doing additional research from a review standpoint," said Nygaard.

Target will also get some added exposure, as its weekly circular promotions will be featured in Marketplace section of CNET.com.

Manufacturers are aware of the partnership between Target and CNET but had no input on the reviews, Nygaard said.

The holiday quarter is the biggest time of year for Target's electronics sales.

Sales of hardlines, which include everything from videogames to gadgets and toys, accounted for 19 percent of Target's sales in 2011, down from 20 percent in 2010 and 22 percent in 2009.

(Reporting by Jessica Wohl in Chicago; Editing by Bernard Orr)

View the original article here

By: Dilusha On 4:52 PM

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