GADGET UPDATE powered by Stuff: LG, Google, Playstation and more

LG reveals the Optimus Big

Cast your mind back to the first week of January. You were probably still trying to digest your Christmas turkey when your eyes were blinded by LG’s Optimus Black – a 4in stretch of uber-bright glass, laminated on to the front of a slim Android smartphone. Despite announcing the phone – and its 700-nit NOVA screen – LG hasn’t seen fit to release it yet. And we think this might be the reason: it’s the LG Optimus Big, a 4.3in NOVA-screened brother to the Optimus Black. Read more...

Google Docs app brings snap and paste to Android

The Android faithful have been gifted a free dedicated standalone Google Docs app with all the expected trimmings and one very nice surprise. The app, previously a mobile web tool, can recognise characters optically. That is to say, through the camera. Snap a photo of text and it can be converted automagically to an editable document. It might struggle with handwriting and flowery fonts, but it’s the exciting start of a new – dare we say it – smartphone necessity.

Android 2.3.4 to feature Gmail video calling

Twitter, that ever-vigilant bean-spiller, has let loose another juicy morsel of information, this time regarding Google’s Android Gingerbread 2.3.4 update. A Samsung-affiliated employee’s revealing tweet leads us to believe Gmail video chat will not only be included in the next update, but that the call quality will be rather impressive. Of course, real-world 3G usage is another issue altogether but we look forward to the Big G’s I/O event on 10 May to find out all the details.

Fast facts – PlayStation Network security breach

It’s been a week. The first anyone knew of trouble in gamer’s paradise was on the 20th of April. As itchy trigger fingers tried to sign in for an online frag-fest, they were met with a message saying the PlayStation Network was “undergoing maintenance”.

It’s not general maintenance. Two days later, Sony ‘fessed up, citing an “external intrusion” – denial speak for “we’ve got hackers”. Turns out that the spread went beyond PSN, too. Sony’s new media streaming service – Qriocity – was also hacked.

Bad accounts. By hacked, we mean someone got in. They also got out… with a haul of users’ details, including passwords, profile information, emails, birthdays, physical billing addresses and buying histories. Basically, everything you’ve ever told PlayStation Network about yourself. Read more...

Windows Phone 7.5 dubbed Mango

We’re sure there’s a solid fruit-based joke involving apples and phones here but we’ll take the high road and just deliver the news that version 7.5 of the Windows Phone 7 Series OS (aka Mango) will bring coveted copy and paste functionality as well as a better browsing experience in the shape of Internet Explorer 9. Twitter integration is another handy feature for tweetaholics but you’ll have to wait until later in the year for the update to be released.

YouTube’s movie rental service edges closer

If your brain hasn’t rotted from an overdose of ridiculous animal compilations, you may recall that YouTube has been planning a movie streaming service for some time.

The gloves are expected to come off, possibly as early as this week, in a fight that will pit the Google-owned online streaming site against the likes of iTunes. With big names including Warner, Universal and Sony all confirmed to have signed up we can expect to see some decent flicks heading our way soon. Read more...

 

Sony’s concept VAIO laptop double

When Sony broke news of its long-rumoured VAIO S1 and S2 tablets, it made a lot of noise. So much noise, in fact, that a couple of laptop concepts managed to creep under the Stuff radar. There are few details that can’t be gleaned from the pictures you see here, but the VAIO Freestyle Hybrid PC (top) is a sliding QWERTY tablet, while the Ultimate Mobile PC is a 13.3in slimline laptop with what looks like a unibody build. Read more...