The mouse. An icon of computing. An crucial tool of the workplace and the residence. It can show off great style, be purely functional or be an out and out gaming plaything. It can boast two buttons, seventeen buttons or be buttonless. The mouse can be a huge, hunch-backed beast, or a svelte thin-as-a-PC Card travel buddy.

The laptop or computer mouse, in other words, can say as much about you as anything else you attach to your PC or Mac. The latest mouse to enter this throng is the cautiously stylish Microsoft Touch Mouse, and it’s a freak of nature.


Let us backtrack a little. Those sober lines could be observed as the height of style to some. Plus there are some neat little tricks and concepts on display to make you want to rub its sleek form.

There is a major issue that requirements voicing for this chunky rodent though. It fails on one key level, and that’s that it is horrible to in fact click anything with.

The quantity of force required to click an icon, menu or application with the Microsoft Touch Mouse is much more than any other mouse we’ve come across. It is extremely frustrating, and this alone had us reaching for any other mouse we could lay our hands on rather than attempting to interact with this monstrosity.


The gestures themselves on the Microsoft Touch Mouse are welcome adequate.

Smoothly slide two fingers to the left and you’ll snap the existing window there. Two to the right and it’ll snap that side instead. Lay three fingers on its textured surface and push forward and you’ll see all the current open windows, while three down will minimise all.

The problem is, whilst messing about with your window arrangements you’ll also locate you are scrolling about inside those Windows, and typically performing points you do not actually want to do. Combine this with not becoming able to effortlessly click on anything, and you have an input device that fails at its most simple level.


There are some good style selections – the tiny USB wireless dongle can be stowed in the belly of the mouse when not in use, for example, which is very neat indeed.

Wireless mice do boast a particular freedom compared to their long-tailed brethren, though their reliance on batteries weighs against them.

If we have to use a wireless mouse then we’d a lot prefer to have one that recharges when plugged in, or has the choice of getting wired or wireless, such as with Microsoft’s own Sidewinder X8. 


Overall, this is a poor excuse for a mouse. It is attractive adequate (if not very for everybody), and an important addition to the Microsoft stable (it did require to show that anything Apple could do, it could do… badly), obtainable for about £50, but it is not the winner it could have been.

It is horrible to use, and prone to randomness. Microsoft is responsible for some of the most essential mice in history of PCs. This, regrettably sufficient, really is not one of them. 
 


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Sprint’s Q3 roadmap has leaked and it reveals the Samsung Epic 2. It will come with a 4-inch display, a 1.2GHz single-core Hummingbird processor, and a 8MP camera. The current Epic (1) 4G has a 1GHz Hummingbird and a 5MP camera. Not an impressive upgrade so I think we should just called it an “update.”

There is also a “full touch 4G” device from Samsung. There are no other details, but it is probably a safe assumption that this will the the Samsung Galaxy S II. We know it will eventually hit all the US carriers. A month ago we reported that the Sprint version might be called the Within.

There are also a couple of BlackBerry phones, the Bold Touch and Monaco. These names are expected to change and will be capable of GSM global roaming.

Samsung Epic 2 and ‘full touch 4G’ slated for Q3 according to Sprint roadmap

Android News, Rumours, and Updates

Iomega’s SuperHero Backup and Charger for iPhone is a charging dock for the iPhone and iPod touch that can also back up your device’s contacts and photos to an SD memory card.

Macworld

In addition to introducing the $ 130 Kobo eReader Touch Edition, Kobo announced that its current model, the Kobo Wireless eReader, drops in price from $ 140 to $ 100.

Macworld

Bold 9700 (left) vs. the new BlackBerry Bold Touch (right)

Gotta love it when a plan comes together! Following up on the 2011 BlackBerry Smartphone Roadmap leaks of January, we’re starting to see these devices take shape for REALZ in February. We saw the monaco/Storm 3 show up on video yesterday, and now today we’re looking at live photos of the BlackBerry Bold Touch, which currently goes by the codename dakota. As you can tell, the newest Bold (pictured above on the right) looks more like the original Bold 9000 from the front than the smaller Bold 9700/9780 we’re currently used to. I can’t wait to pound out emails and BBMs on the Bold Touch’s keyboard… that is the Cadillac of smartphone keyboards right there. As for what the Bold Touch is packing inside, here’s the specs as they have been rumored to date:

• Dimensions: 115 x 66 x 10.5mm
• Radio: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; Tri Band UMTS
• Display: 2.8" diagonol – VGA 640 x 480, resolution 287dpi
• Camera: 5mp – Flash – Image Stabilization – HD Recording (720p)
• Navigation: Capacitive Touch, Optical Trackpad
• Keypad: Wide QWERTY – Physical Send, End, Escape, Menu, Right Side Convenience Key, Volume Control
• Memory: 8GB – 768MB RAM – up to 32GB MicroSd Card
• WiFi: 2.4 GHZ b/g/n – 5GHz a/n – Mobile Hotspot
• Connectivity: Micro USB – Bluetooth – NFC
• Sensors: Magnetometer – Accelerometer – Proximity

Lots more photos after the break, so check them out! You don’t want to miss the one where you see that the trim around the Bold Touch’s keypad LIGHTS UP!!! Who’s waiting on this one?? I know I am!

Source: N4BB

More BlackBerry Bold Touch Photos

CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Live Photos of the BlackBerry Bold Touch (montana) Emerge!

View full post on CrackBerry.com blogs

INQ has recently announced two Facebook centered devices recently dubbed the INQ Cloud Touch and Cloud Q.  The folks over at Engadget happened to get their hands on the Cloud Touch.  The device is candy bar styled and has an “HTC Wildfire like” form factor and feel to it, according to the reviewer.  The device will come with Android 2.2 along with its oversize Facebook widget which can take up a whole screen of its own.  Along with various software elements, the device will incorporate Spotify Premium and come with Fluency, the typing prediction engine that mans the SwiftKey keyboard.  The Cloud Touch is definitely shooting for “easy on your pocket” mode with its scaled down specs.  But according to the reviewer, it runs just as good as any device with a typical 1 GHz Snapdragon.   Read More…

INQ Cloud Touch Gets Previewed (The Facebook Phone)

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

Does the simple lack-luster Facebook app on your phone leave you wanting more? Want Facebook chat without downloading another app? Music streamed from your computer to your phone (via Spotify only available in overseas at this time)?

If any of those ideas ever appealed to you, you’re in luck. The elusive “Facebook phone” has been revealed, although Facebook does not officially endorse the device. Nevertheless  it’s still here and packed full of all sorts of socially integrated features. From keeping track of your most talked to friends, to keeping track of posted media, to streaming music from your home computer via Spotify(not available it US at this time), this phone is specifically engineered for all you social deviants.

Although the INQ Cloud Touch will not grace the states for some time, the assimilated features are more than interesting. Check out for yourself in the hands-on videos below, thanks to TechCruchTV and All Things Digital.

Source: TechCruchTV – All Things Digital

View full post on AndroidSPIN

The Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse is yet another innovative addition to the long-line of classic designs that the Microsoft Hardware group has blessed the world with over the years.

The Arc Touch Mouse attempts to take style and function to a new level in the modern mouse world by combining a wireless portable mouse with touch-sensitive features and the BlueTrack sense system.

The result is the Arc Touch. The name partly gives away its key design feature: a flexible rear section that doubles as the main wrist support and also folds flat turning the mouse off and leaving it perfect for carrying.

Beyond its physical design, the Arc Touch mouse uses an Apple Magic Mouse besting touch-sensitive wheel.

With built in haptic feedback this adds a sense of style beyond just its design through unobtrusive technology.

But the real question is it any good to mouse with?

The centrepiece to the Microsoft Arc Mouse is its folding rear, beyond just being a fancy way to turn the mouse on or off, it provides a physical support to the rear of the mouse and offers an ergonomic grip.

Despite a potentially flimsy slim-build it’s more than sturdy enough and offers a pleasant wrist rest in use.

Attached to that fancy switch is the main body of the Arc Touch Mouse, which is mostly the twin mouse buttons and that touch-sensitive scroll wheel.

In use it does make for comfortable mousing, though occasionally your fingers might fall short of the buttons and this can almost tip the mouse over. We know this is designed as a portable mouse but it’s this type of flaw that means this is no gaming mouse.

It’s not going to stay standing in any rigorous deathmatch situations.

The touch-sensitive wheel provides clever haptic-feedback, give it a flick to start scrolling with ‘gravity’ and the scroll plate actually vibrates in line with the speed of the scroll.

It’s clever and works well, though it’s questionable if this is actually better or more precise than a physical wheel.

Powered by two AAA batteries, Microsoft claim a six-month battery life.

The wireless transceiver is one of the smallest we’ve seen and magnetically sticks to the back of the mouse for transit. Finally the tracking is pretty impressive, the best we’ve seen in a wireless mouse with no sign of lag and it even wakes from rest as quickly.

We liked:

The action is very smooth and the tracking is excellent. It’s certainly an eye catching design and eminently portable.

The wireless ability works excellently and is highly responsive.

We disliked:

Despite its beautiful design the Microsoft Arc Touch isn’t perfect, making it lightweight and so more portable has its disadvantages.

It’s certainly not going to be embraced by the gaming community, even those looking for something with more style than substance.

It also lacks side navigation buttons, which we’ve come to rely on.

Plus the price is horrendous, you can pick it up for almost half the original price but even so we’ve like to see a dedicated Li-ion rechargeable pack at this price.

Final word:

If you want to be flash this is a mouse you have to have, for others it’s something to miss

Related Links

• TechRadar’s Reviews Guarantee
• Read more mice reviews

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The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the standards body that overseas HTML, CSS and other web technologies, has release a rough draft specification for touch screen devices. The spec is far from complete, but eventually it could give developers a set of standards for creating touch-based interfaces.

Thus far touch screen devices have primarily mimicked mouse behaviors. But the rise of multi-touch gestures and the larger screens available on tablets, mean that touch screens of the future may offer design possibilities far beyond the mouse-based world that exists on today’s web. The goal of the W3C’s touch-based spec is to help define standard behaviors and events that developers can translate into touch-friendly interfaces.

Like much of the W3C’s work, the new touch-screen spec starts with existing specs, in this case Apple’s iOS touch event spec. The W3C’s draft adds several more events like X and Y radii for touch areas and a “force” property. The later, while rather vague at the moment, could give developers a way to emulate mouse-rollover events. For example, a light touch could trigger a rollover, while a hard touch clicks a link.

Mobile platform consultant Peter-Paul Koch calls out a few minor problems and undecided issues — for example, no units are specified for the radius or force properties — but overall says the spec is a step in the right direction.

The Touch Events Specification is a long way from done; it doesn’t even have a real URL on the W3C site yet. And, other than the events cloned from Apple, the spec is not supported anywhere in the wild. Still, touch screens clearly need an expanded set of standards to go along with desktop standards and it’s nice to see the W3C stepping up to the plate.

See Also:

• Make a Big Splash on Tiny Screens With Media Queries
• Damn the W3C, HTML5 Is Already Here
• Slide Show Time: Rethinking the Mobile Web
• Can WAI-ARIA Build a More Accessible Web?

View full post on Webmonkey

Creative had their own nicely-sized booth on the show floor at CES and had their latest Android-based products on hand to show. The Ziio is a 7-inch tablet powered by Creative’s own custom chipset that allows them to handle high definition video and high quality audio of all sorts. I got a quick hands on with the thing, and I wasn’t the most impressed set of eyes there.

Things felt a bit sluggish when navigating the UI, and I’m not sure if it’s because the tablet wasn’t at its full brightness capacity, but picture quality while navigating the OS or watching a video couldn’t compare to other tablet offerings on display. Creative also showed off their easy-to-use headset management tool which allows you to easily switch between different bluetooth headsets – nothing that can’t be handled in Android natively without a few more presses of the screen. Other cool bits include a front-facing camera, and the ability to upgrade it to Android 2.2 down the line.

They also had the Zen Touch 2, a smaller PMP device which I likened to my old 30GB Creative Zen Vision: M. Creative left this one untouched, for the most part: the only customization I could see were in the icons for various standard Android apps and their music control widget. Check out the videos above (ZiiO) and below (Zen Touch 2) for a closer look. PS: I was able to later confirm that the Zen Touch 2 comes in at anywhere between $180-$199, depending on where you ship.

View full post on Android Phone Fans

TechCrunch and Bloomberg have been suggesting that a couple of “facebook phone” are being developed, and one of which is being made by INQ. Just recently, INQ placed a mobile phone spec sheet to the FCC for Bluetooth certification, which it now has as well. That handset name is the INQ Cloud Touch, and speculation is now that this is the first of at least 2 facebook phones we’ll see in the near future. The INQ Cloud Touch is described as:

An Android smartphone built to make messaging faster and smarter. It’s designed around the way people naturally communicate and has Facebook built into its core. The homescreen features multiple entry points to different Facebook functions, while a dynamic widget displays a feed of status updates, albums, videos and photos.

The mockup shown above displays a touchscreen with full QWERTY, which was one of the designs rumored by Bloomberg. As far as we know, this device will be running Android as well, which allows them to play with a custom UI, allowing all kinds of facebook features. Which carrier(s) will get this device is unknown, but a European launch may be likely as it would be home turf for INQ out of London. AT&T has also been rumored to provide the facebook phone in the US, but no details or confirmation have been given by any party. We’re sure to hear something soon though now that this has made its way to the web.

INQ Cloud Touch is Facebook Phone running Android

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

Got a desktop-replacement laptop and fancy adding a second display in dual-monitor mode? Then the Samsung LD220Z Lapfit Touch is quite literally for you. It’s a 22-inch Full HD screen specifically designed to work well with portable PCs.

That’s not all. As the name suggests, this monitor also has full multi-touch functionality. In fact, it doesn’t even need special drivers. Simply connect via USB to any Windows 7 PC and the touch capabilities are enabled.

What it’s not, however, is a high fidelity screen thanks to its TN LCD panel. Of course, the combination of the funky, laptop-friendly form factor and touch capabilities puts the Samsung LD220Z Lapfit Touch in a category of its own.

It also lifts its price well beyond that of the vast majority of 22-inch monitors with TN panels. In fact, at around £225, it’s more expensive than many 23- and 24-inch panels, including BenQ’s VA-panelled EW2420 and the LG E2350.

Power consumption
Watts: maximum / approx 170cd/m2 – lower is better
Samsung LD220Z Lapfit Touch: 40W / 30W
LG E2350: 28W / 19W
Iiyama E2271HDS: 21W / 16W

Part of Samsung’s portable-friendly Lapfit range, the LD220Z Lapfit Touch sits directly on the desktop, supported by a flip-out arm on the rear. Thus, the LD220Z’s screen is approximately the same level as your laptop’s display.

Ergonomically, it works well enough and it’s certainly a slick-looking screen thanks to the minimalist design and glossy black bezel. Of course, the real show stopper is full touchscreen functionality. Exactly how well it works is difficult to judge. Although the initial setup is a breeze, the Windows 7 touch interface suffers from poor responsiveness and jerky animations. The Windows 7 GUI is poorly optimised for touch, too.

To be clear, none of this is Samsung’s fault. But given that Windows 7 is the most prevalent touch-controlled OS, it does make this screen’s touch functionality somewhat moot.

As for the quality of the display itself, the Samsung LD220Z Lapfit Touch qualifies as a good but not great TN panel. With a native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080, there’s plenty of desktop real estate. However, there’s also quite a bit of backlit bleed along the top and bottom edges of the panel. Black levels are likewise nothing special and the viewing angles are typical of TN technology.

It’s also worth noting that the Samsung LD220Z Lapfit Touch has an HDMI port but no DVI connection. That can lead to image centring issues when connected to some PCs via a DVI-to-HDMI adapter. Unless your PC natively supports HDMI, we’d recommend testing this monitor before purchase if at all possible.

We liked

This is a sexy-looking screen that suffers little from the added touchscreen functionality save for price. It’s extremely well built, offers a decent if not spectacular TN panel and Full HD visuals. The picture-frame stand also works well when used as intended with portable PCs.

We disliked

Multi-touch is all the rage right now, but the harsh truth is that the Windows 7 implementation is utterly half baked. In fact, it’s bad enough to be disregarded as a pointless gimmick. With that in mind, paying a premium for the ordinary visuals served up by this pricey 22-inch panel doesn’t really make sense.

Related Links

• Read more PC monitor reviews
• TechRadar’s Reviews Guarantee

View full post on TechRadar: All PC & Mac feeds

The DynamoKid Touch Android App by OrangePixel is a unique game for the Android platform. The object of the game is to guide DynomoKid through each level while collecting as many stars as you can. The graphics have a similar feel to other Android games by Orangepixel but the controls are truly unique to any game from them that I have played to date.

The game is a side scroller so the controls consist of Jump, Attack and a new and interesting control which is Complete The Scenery. To jump simply tap on DynamoKid once and he will jump. To attack/remove monsters and obstacles simply tap on them once. There will be parts of game where the outline impression of missing scenery will appear, simply swipe over the area with your finger on the display screen and the missing scenery will appear in place of the outline impression. What makes this game truly unique from others is this control feature.

Overall, this is a truly unique game for the Android platform. At the time of this review the DynamoKid Touch Android App is $4.15. Thumbs Up.

Download DynamoKid Touch

View full post on Android App Review Source – Reviews on Android Apps from the Android Market

After introducing its ‘search the world with your camera’ feature to Android phones nearly a year ago, Google has finally brought Google Goggles to the iPhone.

View full post on Macworld

CGC launches Nokia’s 1st Touch and Type phone in Qatar
29 September 2010 Consolidated Gulf Co. ( CGC CGC ), Nokia partner in Qatar, has launched Nokia’s first ‘Touch and Type’ phone packed with lot many exciting features.

Read more on Zawya

image: 965 Studios

It’s not often that I am given a chance to review an app based on my favorite appetizer. This was my first thought when I was presented with a download code for Edamame Touch for the iPhone/iPod Touch. In the end, I discovered the title to be a quirky little game that, unlike its hearty inspiration, was a bit low on substance.

The gameplay of Edamame Touch couldn’t be simpler. You tap the bowl to get a pod, press the pod to remove the beans, touch the beans to “eat” them and then flick away the empty husk. What comes out of said pod, however, can sometimes be a little surprising.

Mixed in with your run-of-the-mill soybeans and the occasional mysterious missing bean are a number of notable aberrations. Some beans sport cutesy emoticon faces, while others are skinned in wholly un-legume-like majesty. From the sinister Franken Bean to the oddly enticing Bacon Bean, there are 24 of these themed beans to shock, delight and confuse.

The discovery of each (as well as certain other in-game benchmarks) is tied to a relevant achievement. Sadly, these achievements feel fairly hollow in a game that offers no other real reason to play. Even the reward screen itself – which redundantly states “Achievement achieved” – seems a tad underwhelming. Edamame Touch keeps records of not only your achievements but your total playtime and the number of each discovered specialty bean, but it fails to make the experience compelling. Perhaps if it were tied to the new Game Center application it would feel as though you were at least getting some genuine bragging rights, but on its own Edamame Touch is nothing more than a simple time-waster.

Still, as time-wasters go it’s a pretty cute one with amusing graphics and silly sounds – that at least counts for something. If you’re looking for an easy way to distract your kids or to help a newbie understand the use of a touch interface, Edamame Touch will do nicely. If, however, you’d rather spend your time (and your 99 cents) on a title with a bit more of a pay-off, better options abound on the App Store.

Review materials provided by 965 Studios

View full post on GeekDad

Samsung’s new tablet, the Galaxy Tab, is gaining a new partner in the solutions department. Samsung has now partered with Atmel, and is planning on using the company’s maXTouch for a touchscreen solution. What does the maXTouch bring to the table? According to the press release:

The Atmel maXTouch solution offers higher performance, better accuracy, faster response times and lower power than competing solutions to provide a better user experience. Its true unlimited touch functionality and faster performance enable advanced features including rejection of unintended touches, multi-touch stretch/pinch and rotate gestures, and handwriting recognition on larger form factor screens, ranging from mobile Internet devices (MIDs) to PC Netbooks and notebooks. The maXTouch solution is based on Atmel’s proprietary microcontroller technology, combined with software algorithms for a more robust touch solution.

Hopefully this new partnership will prove gainful for both companies. What do you think of this new partnership? Be sure to let us know in the comments. Full presser after the break.

View full post on Google Android News Android Forums

Nokia World: C3 Touch and Type targets emerging markets
Nokia has unveiled the C3 Touch and Type phone in a bid to wrest thesmartphone initiative from Apple and Google and appeal to burgeoning emergingmarkets.

Read more on V3.co.uk via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News

Following up the Nokia X3 Touch and Type Nokia today announced the C3 Touch and Type which has the same touch screen and phone keypad elements of the X3. The C3 Touch and Type is also a S40 phone with a bit more polish to it, including a full stainless steel body, 3G, WiFi, 5 megapixel camera with flash, FM radio, and microSD card. The X3 had a price of EUR 125 while the C3 is priced at EUR 145, excluding taxes and subsidies. Both of these devices will most likely be free on contract in many countries too.

These Touch and Type devices are not designed for the smartphone enthusiast reading this website, but is designed to help those in developing countries and those who don’t want to give up their phone keypad still gain most of the features of a smartphone. The Ovi Store just recently came to S40 as well so that the world of 3rd party applications is opening up to S40 owners.

View full post on Nokia Experts

Nokia unveils ‘Touch and Type’ smartphone C3
BANGALORE, INDIA: Handset major Nokia , which is struggling hard to win back the high-end smartphone sector, has just announced the launch of its new ‘Touch and Type’ handset, Nokia C3, in a surprise announcement at the Nokia World conference at London today.

Read more on CIOL

Nokia’s Plug and Touch turns your HDTV into a giant N8 (video)
What do you get when you combine the N8 ‘s HDMI output, its 12 megapixel camera, and your trusty old TV set? As Anssi Vanjoki might say , you get a big new smartphone. Nokia’s research labs have thrown up a neat little “prototype” app called Plug and Touch, which enhances the N8′s already famed HDTV friendliness with the ability to recognize touch input. This is done by positioning your aluminum …

Read more on Engadget

RuneScape makers Jagex Games Studio launched a free role-playing game for iPhone and iPod touch this week.

View full post on Macworld

Product: iPod Touch 2010 4th Generation

Manufacturer: Apple

Wired Rating: 8

There’s a joke widely told among tech nerds ending with a punch line that goes something like, “I loved my first gen iPod Touch when it could make calls and was called an iPhone.”

The iPod Touch may constitute 40 percent of iOS sales, but the general consensus among gadget hounds is why? Why would you shell out for a device that looks like an iPhone, operates like an iPhone, but doesn’t make calls? (It might be argued that the iPhone doesn’t really make calls either.)

For its 4th generation iPod Touch, Apple has done much to answer this question and labored hard to set the gadget apart from the iPhone. First off, it does not co-opt the iPhone 4G’s aluminum and glass ice-cream sandwich design. Instead, the Touch retains a trapezoidal shape with a flat glass front and a smudge-attracting chrome back plate. It’s also extraordinarily thin at 1.48 x 1.61 x .35 inches, weighs just .75 ounces and flaunts a vibrant 960 x 640, 3.5-inch screen. When compared side-by-side, the iPhone 4G looks rather like a behemoth next to the Touch. But aside from outward appearances, the two devices do share some important similarities.

Like the processor! Using Apple’s A4 CPU (same chip in the iPhone 4G and iPad) the Touch runs supremely quickly. Scrolling through the OS is swift and simple. Multitasking is also effortless—we ran the music player while engaging in some heavy app usage. If you’ve never FatBoothed a friend while listening to Thunderstruck, then, well I don’t think you’ve truly lived yet.

Overall the VGA quality cam takes some decent images but is not quite as sharp as ones taken with the iPhone 4G. Colors are a bit more washed out and there is some distinct noise. Check out the difference below.

The rear-facing video cam records at 720p and 30 FPS. The footage is … meh. But it’s also just good enough to stay competitive with video recorders like the Flip. The front-facing cam, designed to work with apps like FaceTime, only operates at VGA resolution but still has 30 FPS.

Speaking of apps, FaceTime is a hoot. The app allows you to video chat with anyone who has iOS 4.1, is easy to set up and conversations are passable but the audio is slightly muddled. Gaming, which is rapidly becoming the iPod touch’s raison d’être, is baked into the software of the Touch. Called GameCenter, it wasn’t active when we received our review unit. We’ll be sure to update the review when this feature becomes active.

And what about media playback? You know, the thing the Touch was designed to do in the first place? Video is smoother than a freshly oiled veal cutlet, while scrolling through the music library is a breeze. Audio playback is sparkling—especially in Apple lossless. As always, it’s wise to steer clear of the garbage earbuds packaged with this thing and upgrade to a grown-up set of headphones.

So this brings us back to the question at hand: Why get the Touch over say a new iPhone? Good question. When you look at the sum of its parts, the Touch is actually a lot of single-serving devices rolled into one. Its video camera makes it competitive with the Flip, its gaming abilities (while not on par with a Gameboy or PSP) are decent for casual users, and video playback is better than just about any dedicated device available out there. So if you want to trade all of those gadgets in for an all-in-one device, you could do a lot worse than the Touch. It may not make phone calls, but hey, we hear your iPhone doesn’t either.

WIRED Feels impossibly thin—we literally lost the Touch in our own pockets. Looks so sharp you could nearly shave with it. Runner? You’re in luck. Touch supports Nike plus. 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi support. The display is beautiful, brilliant and mesmerizing. All glory to the hypno-screen!

TIRED Metallic finish collects more fingerprints than the NSA. Higher end models are fairly costly. No flash on the browser or the camera. Video recording and still-image capture could be a touch (ha!) better.

View full post on Wired Product Reviews

The Squeezebox Touch is nothing less than an absolute bargain. There is truly little else to say about this incredibly easy to set-up and enjoy network player.

It crams a shed-load of technology into a 150mm by 110mm enclosure, which is just 10mm deep – albeit increasing to 40mm at its base to accommodate its connection sockets.

The player delivers internet radio along with music streamed from any computer(s) on your local network. It is wireless-capable, but we used it predominantly with a CAT5E Ethernet connection to enable it to access music reliably on a computer and NAS, running the free Squeexebox Server software, which runs on Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.

We supplied it with rips from a £370 VortexBox Appliance 1TB NAS, which conveniently comes with Squeezebox Server already installed and configured – although putting it on a Windows PC is only a five-minute job.

Fully featured

You can connect the Touch to a regular hi-fi system through a pair of RCA analogue sockets, or through a DAC using the coaxial or optical output. Equally, you can connect it straight to a set of active loudspeakers in an appropriately compact office or study system.

While inspecting the back panel you will also notice a USB port, into which you can plug a memory stick or drive containing music you would like to play. There is also an SD-slot on the side of the player, in case you wish to play music stored on an SD card.

To use either of the sources one simply selects them in the on-screen (touch-screen) display. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack outlet for late-night listening.

We prefer using the display to control the player rather than the remote handset, but this is mainly down to personal preference and familiarity. Either way, the interface is logical and responsive.

Touching the remote control increases the size of the display font, a feature our eyes particularly appreciated on the recently reviewed and considerably more expensive Arcam Solo Neo. There is no doubt that the Touch delivers a rewarding ‘user experience’, one that certainly belies the budget price of the unit.

Connecting to network audio is perhaps the feature that will be most attractive to the majority of buyers, but internet radio might prove more so to those of a not especially energetic disposition. We certainly enjoyed having Radio Paradise select music for us while we sat and relaxed.

A slick package

The question of build quality does not really arise with the Touch: it is little more than a circuit board and a touch-screen, with a handful of connections pinned to the rear of the plastic case. There are no mechanical components to fail or slip out of adjustment. Everything works as it should and the whole shebang looks sleek and shiny.

Its packaging is exemplary and Logitech even thoughtfully supplies a cloth for cleaning the screen. The favourable impression created by the slick packaging is reinforced when you flick through the user manual and discover just how easy it is to get the unit connected to your network and playing.

No elevator music

It truly seems churlish to criticise the Touch overall, when one looks at what one is getting for the price: streamed audio, internet radio, alarm clock functions and all for £260 or less.

The sound is not a million miles away from that of the Slim Devices Transporter I and that was comfortably over £1,000. It will now set you back around £1,799.

Sound quality obviously varies with the source material. High-resolution FLAC files naturally sound the best. They are understandably not as detailed as they are with the high-end Linn Klimax DS or the Naim HDX, but they sound vital and alive and do not sink to background or elevator music quality as one might expect.

At the other end of the performance spectrum, decent bit-rate internet radio still sounds plausible and entertaining, even if it is not a completely audiophile experience.

The sound offers an appreciable degree of subtlety: for example, it clearly reveals deft brush work on a hi-hat by a drummer behind a female vocal. This really is not the sort of polished performance one expects from a £250 streamer. It is extraordinarily assured, enjoyable, and highly authentic in musical terms.

Dynamically, the presentation seems slightly muted, but not to the degree that any listener is moved to complain. The unit has an embedded version of the server software, so that it can replay music from a USB hard disk with no external assistance.

The software enumerates a 160GB disk very quickly and replays tracks with the same ease that it reveals when playing from the Vortexbox appliance.

A stellar performer

The Squeezebox Touch thoroughly deserves to be a phenomenal success. It is a stellar performer and can hold its own against far more expensive competition. It strikes us as being the ideal office system: it sounds good; it looks good, it is a breeze to operate and it takes up negligible desk space.

Store your music on a convenient hard disk, install Squeezebox Server, add a pair of active loudspeakers and that is it: your music is totally sorted.

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