Nikon Coolpix S8200 hands-on..

The travel zoom category has thrown up some of our favourite cameras of late, putting a larger zoom into a still compact body is proving a popular choice, judging by the number we see in the hands of tourists. The Coolpix S8200 gives you a 14x zoom, ensuring you get right into the action when on your holidays, squaring up against the likes of Canon’s PowerShot SX220 HS or the Panasonic Lumix TZ20.

Although the S8200 doesn’t give you a GPS, it does offer up that 25-350mm (in 35mm terms) lens, with a max aperture of F/3.3. It isn’t the fastest lens going, but it’s fairly respectable. Internally you get a backside-illuminated 16-megapixel CMOS sensor. It measures 103.7 x 59.3 x 32.7mm and weighs a slightly hefty 213g, but it feels solid in the hand. The pop-up flash is slightly odd and we found ourselves trying to push it back down again once deployed, however it puts itself away when you turn the camera off. The top-mounted control dial sits on the back edge meaning you can easily switch modes - those changes are reflected graphically on the display too so you can see what you are doing without constantly moving the camera. 

Available from 22 September, the Coolpix S8200 has a suggested retail price of £279.99. It might not have the drama of the AW100 tough camera or the features of P7100 high-end compact that we've also seen this week, but as a versatile travel compact, we're sure Nikon will shift a lot of S8200 cameras. Of course, we'll bring you a full review as soon as we can get our hands on one for longer. You’ll get Full HD video capture along with stereo sound, with the HDMI meaning hooking-up to your TV is as simple as it can be. There are also a run of fun effects that you can apply, as is common on this type of camera. 

Schmidt confirms Google TV in UK and Europe for “early next year”..

Google’s Chairman Eric Schmidt has, as earlier rumours reported that he would, confirmed that Google TV will launch in the UK and other countries “early next year”. The confirmation was made at this year’s Mac Taggart Lecture at the Edinburgh Internation Television Festival. The Google chairman talked for over an hour giving his views on the television industry, ways he would recommend fixing it, and Google’s plans to stay out of making their own content, suggesting that the service, which has been available in the US for over a year, will eventually come to the UK.
“We are under no illusions that we can create content. We are good at creating platforms,” Schmidt said at the talk. "We're no good at content. That's what you do. So we're going to help fund it." Criticising YouView and it's chairman Lord Sugar, Schmidt used his talk to say that "Even if YouView launches next year it will still be late." “I was watching The Apprentice recently and Lord Sugar says companies don’t need engineers,” commented the Google chairman. "Shall we check a few facts here?! I don’t think we’ve done to badly.”
Instead Schmidt says that the industry and companies should ignore Lord Sugar and follow the Victorians by bringing engineers into every level of their company. Schmidt used the talk to pay tribute to Steve Jobs saying that the Apple chairman was the "Only person I've ever known who's actually been able to merge the two worlds completely of art and science”.

Nokia 701 RM-744 images spotted..

What you see could be the real deal or a fake, we still cannot confirm it just yet. Still, they’re rumored to be the upcoming Nokia 701, also known by its model number RM-744 if you prefer to take that route. According to the person who leaked this image, this particular model hails from ANATEL (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações), where the mole claims that this agency is similar to the FCC that will see all new phones that are meant to arrive at the market go through Anatel’s inspection and authorization process.

HTC sticking with Android says CEO..

HTC's CEO, Peter Chou, has reaffirmed his relationship with Google following the company's proposed acquisition of mobile giant Motorola.

Chou told the Wall Street Journal he planned to, "leverage partnerships" with Google and Microsoft whilst the company created something unique in the smartphone ecosystem.

HTC is planning to release a slew of handsets before the end of the year, with no less than eight new phones due to be announced. The company has also pulled in over 1000 new R&D staff, which many believed hinted at the possible development of a home-made HTC OS.

"This acquisition is more to enhance Google's patent portfolio, to support us, to protect us..." said Chou.  Clearly HTC is not as concerned with the Googorola pact as you might have expected. The company continues to feud with Apple over patents and the more technology over on Android's side the better for everyone attempting to compete.

"It’s not the operating system, it’s the ecosystem…We think we can find a way to differentiate to add value, but at the same time leverage our partners, Google and Microsoft, since we have such a great relationship with them." Chou explained.

Keeping operating system providers happy is key to HTC's success, after all many now associate the company with Android and nothing else. Developing its own OS, whilst providing a nice fall back in case relations with Microsoft or Google broke down, would be hugely difficult to bring to market, particularly given the strength of Android and Apple.

HP on webOS: It is not dead yet..

If you’ve been following the tech news you’ll know that HP has recently killed a number of smartphones, including the TouchPad, Pre and Veer, that it has only recently launched around the world. For many, that news meant that webOS was being killed too. Not so says HP, and it’s even quoted Mark Twain to prove it. “To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports about the demise of webOS have been off the mark,” HP stated over the weekend via one of its blogs.

According to HP, while it has ditched the new handsets, and started a $99 fire sale in the US for the HP TouchPad, it’s not killing off the operating system. “HP has made these tough decisions to ensure that our efforts with webOS remain tightly focused. Far from burying webOS, our goal is to ensure the platform's evolution as a robust operating system for an increasingly mobile and connected world ... we intend to enhance the platform as we explore the options for webOS in today's marketplace.”

The news will no doubt come as a surprise to many who thought that HP would be dumping the operating system, or at least trying to sell it to another manufacturer, having decided not to support the OS itself with its own hardware launches. “We will continue to support, innovate and develop the webOS App Catalog. Our intent is to enhance our merchandising and presentation of your great products and to continue to build our webOS app ecosystem,” added Richard Kerris,VP webOS Developer Relations in another blog post - this time on the company’s developers blog, apparently blind to the fact that HP has admitted poor sales of webOS devices.

“As many of you are aware, we are currently scheduled to hold many developer events around the world. We are planning to continue with these events, however, due to the recent announcements; the nature of them will change,” he added. Even though the operating system currently has no new devices planned, HP still believes it can continue to prove webOS will be a success, even though it has failed to do this so far. “Together with our great webOS developer community, we are confident that we will meet the challenges ahead and build momentum for optimal success.”

In what’s more likely to be the hard reality of the decision, Microsoft is already moving in to help webOS developers switch sides: “Kids down...webOS outreach going well. A Palm dev relations person sent me an email asking for a job. Can't wait to talk to him. #gumption,” tweeted Brandon Watson, the exec responsible for apps/developers on Microsoft’s Windows Phone, before another tweet promised. “To Any Published WebOS Devs: We'll give you what you need to be successful on #WindowsPhone, incl.free phones, dev tools, and training, etc.” HP might believe that it can continue to gather support from the third party developer community, but without devices to get people excited, and compelling offers from the other bigger mobile players, it is going to find it a struggle.

Apple planning karaoke on the iPhone..

We never really expected to be using the words Apple and karaoke in the same sentence but the uber cool company appears it could be making a dive into the world of the sing along.

Diagrams contained within a recent patent application reveal how Apple could be planning to use the iPhone and iPod Touch to help teach people to sing. The technology will act a bit like auto tune, bringing any musical mistakes into the correct pitch.?

Singing will be analysed by the handset and advice offered as to how you could bring things back into pitch. Mistakes made will be?exaggerated by the handset whereas on pitch singing rewarded with a concert hall effect. Think of it like the way Rock Band boosts decent solos when you play them well.? Even better, bad singing can be fuzzed by the system to hide mistakes when put through speakers. ?

No news as of yet as to whether the new karaoke setup will be implemented in Garageband, but given the patent is intended for the iPod and iPhone, it could be we see the currently iPad 2 only editing software headed to other Apple portables.

iTunes currently has its own karaoke section with tracks by bands like MC Hammer included. Apple is unfortunately yet to comment on whether or not we will be able to nail 'hammertime' in tune thanks to its new karaoke tech. Either way, expect plenty more people to disturbing bus journeys home with auto tuned singing once it launches.

Nokia Sea Ray Windows Phone handset "leaked"..

It’s only been a couple of days since the launch of the MeeGo-based Nokia N9, but although Nokia’s new baby has been receiving favourable reviews, the company has just let slip its first Windows Phone handset – codenamed Sea Ray.

In a bizarre presentation, Stephen Elop asked those present to turn off their recording devices, but almost inviting them to do the opposite as he pointed out that he’d be showing them something “super confidential” and something “that we do not want to see out in the blogosphere”.

Oddly enough, Elop didn’t seem to notice that people continued recording his presentation – with some devices evidently held aloft to capture the presentation in full.

Elop then went on to show off the new so called ‘Sea Ray’ phone – a handset that looks incredibly similar to the Nokia N9, albeit with a new extra button on the side, but running the Windows Phone OS.

To leak Sea Ray so soon after the Nokia N9’s launch definitely seems to kill off Nokia’s newly launched handset, and seems like a bit of a bizarre PR stunt.

Either way, we think that the official launch of the first Nokia Windows Phone handset can’t come soon enough

Apple under scanner for violating Indian competition laws with iPhone 4..

India may conduct an inquiry against Apple following a complaint that the iPhone maker is breaching the competition laws of the country. The complaint lodged at the Competition Commission of India (CCI) states that Apple is curbing the customers' choice by restricting sale of the iPhone 4 through only two mobile operators – Bharti Airtel and Aircel. It further states that the software for the device can be downloaded only from the official Apple app store. The complainant also alleges that the Apple hardware can be serviced only at Apple stores.

AFP quotes a CCI official as saying the competition watchdog will examine the complaint and see if Apple is violating the laws. The CCI official, however, declined to divulge the details of the complaint. Apple, meanwhile, has said that it has not received any notice from the CCI and refused to comment further. The commission is likely to take up the matter later this week.

Apple's iPhone 4 was launched last month in India, almost after a year it was launched in the US. The phone came with services of two mobile operators Bharti Airtel and Aircel. The two operators have offered the latest iPhone with discounted data plans. The launch of iPhone 4 came months after the third-generation wireless spectrum was launched in India. The operators brought the iPhone 4 hoping to take advantage of the 3G services.

Apple has been selling its iPhone with exclusive operators since its launch in India, and most territories around the world. But in India, consumers are not yet very used to such contract-based devices. However, until operators offer more than a few devices on such contracts, we will never know if the Indian consumer actually likes or dislikes such deals - unless they have sufficient variety to choose from.

Do you also think Apple has breached laws by restricting its devices to certain network operators? Let me know what you think in the comments section below :