The new rule is meant to be implemented over the period of next seven years and hence you may not be able to use this facility anytime soon. The new regulation also requires the member states to collect 4Kg of per capita e-waste every year. By 2016, the threshold limit would be raised to 45 tonnes of e-waste for every 100 tonnes of electronic gadgets issued to the market in previous three years.

Though, the new rules have largely been welcomed, but there are certain voices of dissent as well. Computer Aid International, a UK IT charity organization, has clearly expressed its disappointment. The charity organization said, “Of course Computer Aid wholeheartedly welcomes the additions to the directive, having higher recycling collection targets and tighter border controls on e-waste exports will help to reduce the amount of electronic equipment either being sent to landfill or being illegally exported to developing countries.”

European Union Draws Up New Plan for e-Waste Disposal is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

CES is in full swing and today we’ll give you some interesting details on origami laptops, tablets, 4K camcorders and even an Apple rumour.

Right, let’s get this Apple iPad rumour out of the way first. Now, everyone knows that Apple isn’t at CES (or are they?). Well, according to iLounge they’ve seen something interesting from Apple at CES.

The iPad 3. Now before you start the obligatory trolling, let’s just give them a chance. First of all there’s no picture. Ok….. But there’s the testimony of someone who has seen it and works for a reputable publication: iLounge.

Jeremy Horwitz, has been shown what he was a told is the new iPad. What does it looks like? Well, the iPad 2. According to Horwitz, if you had them side-by-side then you’d struggle to tell them apart. The only visual difference was that it’s a tiny bit thicker: 1mm. According the whistleblowers the design changes are more akin to the changes we saw in the iPhone 4 to 4S. Basically none.

The main talking point about the rumour is the screen. Although iLounge didn’t get to see it working (we know) the new iPad has indeed got a Retina display. According to Horwitz and his manufacturing sources they reckon the new tablet will be with us within 2 months under the name iPad 2S or iPad 2HD.

It’s not the first time new tech is shown off behind closed doors, remember the time Reuters saw the iPad 2 at The Daily Launch?

We’d say file this under: just maybe.

Now, for the tech announcements that actually did happen – remember the 4K screen’s that we’ve been talking about over the last week or so. Well, we made a caveat that we’d be interested to know what content they’d show off on these new TV’s as we weren’t aware of any film footage in this mind-bogglingly high resolution.

Well, that’s not true: JVC has announced a new camcorder, called GY-HMQ10, which offers recording at 3840×2160 at 24 or 50p. Even more exciting is the fairly reasonable £4340 price tag and the promised UK release of March. This is a professional offering and is sure to future proof yourself for an expected move to 4K content in the next 18-24 months.

For the technical of you, the new camera is powered by HVC’s Falconbrid large-scale integration (LSI) chip, which has a half-inch CMOS imager with an impressive 8.3 million active pixels.

Product manager, Gustav Emrich. “We’re witnessing the birth of what is destined to become a broad market for full 4K end-to-end production. The GY-HMQ10 is a breakthrough product that opens up 4K imaging to users who previously wouldn’t have considered it.”

JVC explains that the big problem with 4K for video is processing power, but that this is now shifting.

“There just hasn’t been the ability to capture, process, display and record full 4K images in real time until now,” adds JVC.

Lenovo has been incredibly busy at this year’s CES with plenty of smart TV’s and laptops, but, the device that caught our eye is their up-and-coming IdeaPad Yoga. Admittedly it’s not the greatest name, but, just look at it.

It’s a Windows 8 laptop than can also double up as a tablet in a similar vein as Asus’ Transformer, which saw impressive reviews and sales last year.

The current trend of latops sharing design cues from tablets is something we’ll see a lot of in 2012. So expect everything to get thinner and lighter. Essentially Yoga is an Ultrabook laptop that’s as gorgeous as a MacBook Air, but also doubles as a impressive tablet.

The hybrid laptop comes with a 13.3-inch screen and has 10-finger touch capabilities. Although, we fear that it might just be to heavy to use as an every-day tablet as it weighs twice as much as an iPad 2.

Lenovo expects the IdeaPad Yoga to ship when Windows 8 is available commercially, which should be in the third or fourth quarter of this year. The company expects the device to run for less than $1,200.

Razer’s newly announced prototype tablet is getting a lot of coverage and when you first set your eye’s on it you can see why.

Gaming on tablets can be cumbersome and fiddly. Anyone who has played GTA3 on iPad or Android will testify to this. At the moment Apple isn’t making any plans to make a games controller for their tablet, so it’s up to companies like Razer to show them where there are going wrong.

Hydra controllers connected up to a PC gaming tablet certainly appeals to us – especially with some impressive suggested specs. They’ve included an impressive workhorse in the form of a Intel Core i7 processor, and a 1280×800 display. Now you’d look quite the wholly if you popped this out on your daily commute to work. But gaming on tablets is big business, Angry Birds is proof of this, but so far we’re yet to see a hardcore game really find a home on tablets – could this be the answer?

There are also magnetometer and accelerometers thrown in to take advantage of its mobility.

“Adapted from a full featured PC gamepad, Project Fiona’s integrated dual controllers coupled with its advanced multi-touch screen are designed to make complex game navigation ergonomic and intuitive without compromising on the portability of the tablet,” states Razer.

“You’ll be able to carry out headshots and command troops in-game with ease. This first-of-its-kind PC gaming tablet with integrated dual controllers is definitely not for playing casual games about unhappy birds or zombie-killing flora.”

It’s only a prototype, but it’s good see companies trying to marry tablets and gaming in a perfect match for each other without have to dumb down today’s complex triple-A titles.

More CES news tomorrow.

CES 2012 Round-up: iPad 3, 4K JVC Camcorder, Razer Tablet & Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

It’s been rumoured several times that Apple might be considering putting their Apple TV directly into a monitor and analyst’s reckon it could happen next year. It’s thought that Apple is considering a new line in TV’s after a rather slow take up of their Apple TV set top box.

Global Equities Research’s Tip Chowdry suggests that Apple will not only get into the TV market, but will launch three different sized sets in March Next year.

Each one apparently will come with a mind boggling amount of speakers – 16. Which will mean the sets have near-surround sound audio.

You will be able to connect the sets to both Macs and iDevices via a cable or wirelessly via Apple Airplay. It would mean that the TV’s would be similar to Apple’s Cinema display – but with more bells and whistles.

The real reason for Apple getting into TV’s would be so they can put iTunes baked into the sets from the ground up, so that users could rent movies, buy TV shows and listen to music. Chowdry says the sets will most comparable to Bose’s VideoWave web and media TV.

With the success of Apple iDevice ecosystem they have devised an established and robust manufacturing and distribution system with Foxconn.

So, Apple could easily move into large HD display manufacturing with minimal risk and a high degrees of production quality.

It’s is thought that LG would make the sets for Apple so the cupertino company wouldn’t have to bear the burden of developing the components itself.

An iOS display would create an entirely new revenue stream as its own native app platform, in the same way that native iPad apps have.

Presumably, data and purchases could be shared across the iOS ecosystem, allowing users to access media they’ve rented or purchased anytime, anywhere. A picturesque scenario would be an iTunes movie rental that begins on the Apple HDTV and can be seamlessly continued on the go on an iPad or other iOS device.

Apple To Release HDTV’s In 2012 is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Sony had their E3 press conference last night and it showed that the Playstation brand is in rude health as Sony unveiled 2 new pieces of hardware and plenty of new games.

Before any of the announcements Sony US boss Jack Tretton took to the stage and talked about the Playstation Network hack and offered his and the companies sincere apologies.

Addressing consumers, he said: “You are the lifeblood of the company. Without you there is no PlayStation. I want to apologise personally and for the company for any anxiety caused. It’s you that causes us to be humbled and amazed by the support you continue to give”.

To Sony’s third-party publishing partners, Tretton said: “I know the outage has been costly. We wouldn’t be where we are without you”.

He added: “We are committed more than ever to making sure the PlayStation experience is entertaining and secure for everybody”.

PSN was taken offline on 20th April following a security breach that left personal information tied to some 77 million user accounts compromised and the details of around 12.3 million credit card possibly stolen.

The phased restoration of the service began on 14th May, culminating in Welcome Back content being made available to users on 3rd June.

Tretton then went on to show what Sony has planned for the gaming over then next 12 months. The big news came in the form of the NGP which has now been named PS Vita, (Vita meaning life apparently) and more importantly, the release date and price was announced.

Sony has said that Vita would be release this holiday season in America with the UK release date soon after.

Vita will come in two flavours and two prices. Vita will retail for $249 (£150) for the Wi-Fi only model but will likely to cost closer to £200 when it lands on UK shores. But if you’re in America when it’s out you could save yourself a decent chunk of money.

The 3G model is be price at $299 (£182) but is likely to see mobile phone subsidies when the networks offer you a decent data package.

Sony announced that Vita would be exclusive with mobile operator AT&T which means we are likely to see the same deal for a UK network – don’t be surprised if Vodafone or O2 snap up the exclusive rights for the new 3G version of the portable.

Sony’s next big announcement came in the form of 3D. Tretton talked up the 3D capabilities of Sony and announced at that they are going to release a Playstation 24-inch 3D TV.

The monitor won’t be available just yet but should be available by Christmas 2011. The set has been designed for those of you who want a devie in the bedroom or snug. Sony’s idea is to bring a decent affordable 3D screen to the masses.

Sony’s new TV does have one particularly impressive party piece. It will allow users to play games with split screen action but each user will see a full screen instead of half. Were not sure whether it will only work with the glasses, but the the idea and tech is very clever indeed.

Included in the price of $499 you get a pair of 3D active shutter glasses, a 6FT HDMI cable and a copy of Resistance 3. Sony stated that the glasses can be bought separately for $69.99 and will be compatible with other screens.

Included in the price which we will get to in just one moment, will be a pair of 3D active shutter glasses, 6ft HDMI cable and a copy of the game already mentioned Resistance 3, for a price of $499. Sony have also pointed out that the new glasses can be purchased for $69.99 and will work on their different TV’s.

There was of course and a full compliment of new software for the Sony family and lots of new Move content for the next 12 months.

E3 2011: Sony unveils PS Vita, New 3DTV & Apologises For Hack-Gate is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Samsung developed the display in collaboration with Nouvoyance and has used PenTile display technology, which provides better performance with up to 40 percent lower power consumption. The display is also designed to provide better viewing experience in brighter outdoor lights. In comparison to the regular color gamut of 55 percent NTSC, the new display boasts of 72 percent color gamut, thus expect your new device to provide true colors.

Samsung is a leading supplier for Apple, so it is only natural that we will speculate about the use of this display for iPad 3. There were rumors of iPad 2 being launched with retina display, however, sadly for us, the speculation did not turn out to be true. Though, merely developing a new display is not enough, since the apps are also needed to be optimized for the augmented resolution.

But Samsung is not alone in the quest for bigger and better displays. LG, is also expected to unveil its new range of displays. LG also acts as a supplier for Apple. In fact, it is going to introduce new displays with in-plane switching technology. Though, LG has not specified the pixel density it is aiming for, but it claimed that it would be minimum 1.5 to 2 times the typical LCD resolution. Since the new display will have better outdoor visibility, it seems like, in the future, we may have better luck using our tablets as e-readers.

Samsung Launches 10.1 inch Display with 300dpi: Is it for iPad 3? is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Viewsonic’s first multi-touch display monitor (The VX2258wm) has a 22 inch screen and built in SRS speakers. The monitor connects through a USB port to work the multi-touch feature and commands for a Windows 7 PC. The screen uses Infrared Optical Imaging technology to detect your fingers (or a stylus too if you prefer) and has a 5ms response time to boot. The screen has a 1080p HD display, so don’t expect the picture to be affect by the touch feature (bar smudges and marks left by frequent use).

The new monitor is out now, coming in at £189, not a bad price at all. Maybe if this monitor is a success, Apple might realise their own mistakes (while not admitting them of course) and make their own.

Via: Electric Pig

Multi-Touch Monitor Released for Windows 7 by ViewSonic is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

The rumour also states that Sinek Photronics are supplying capacitive panels for the touchscreen testing.

This may be a rumour at the moment, and they can’t always be taken seriously, it is almost inevitable that Apple are going to integrate touchscreen technology into a desktop screen. However, what people would want to know is when. If Apple were to do such a thing, we would expect the best quality possible from the product, so don’t be getting your hopes up any time soon.

Would you sink money into a touchscreen iMac from Apple? Leave your thoughts below.

Via: Gadget Venue

Are Apple Testing a Touchscreen iMac? is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

The Cinema Display also has a MagSafe cable for recharging your MacBook and is made of Aluminium and Glass. So the price? Well, a not so wallet friendly $999 with free shipping (which takes 1-2 weeks).

It’s quite likely you had already decided whether you wanted this stunning screen or not when it was first announced, but what do you think? Is this huge screen what you’ve been waiting for, or are you holding out for something else? Leave your thoughts below.

Via: Slash Gear

Apple’s 27-inch LED Cinema Display Now On Sale For $999 is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Not many details are yet available. However, the tablet-slash-netbook has a certain aww factor to it.  The likely earliest shipping date for this cool machine is around the end of this year. This machine looks very similar to a blueprint leaked way back in April. Codenamed ‘Sparta’, the leaked machine had an 11 inch screen instead and was thought to be running Android instead of Windows 7. Now let’s see the kind of reception this gadget gets when it hits the market. No news about pricing yet.

Source: Engadget

Dell Shows off Atom Powered Tablet cum Swivel screen Netbook is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

The new Sharp Quattron is one the new breed of ultra-thin LED’s that has hit the market recently and boy is it stunning.  However it’s more than a pretty face too, with networking, next-gen picture processing and Freeview HD tucked away inside it finally looks as if it’s no longer a simple decision to choose your next LED TV.

If you have seen the latest Sharp TV adverts you’ll have probably come across George Takie aka Hikaru Sulu from the Start Trek, explaining why Sharp’s newest line of Quattron High Definition TV’s, are so impressive. Instead of just announcing a load of new 3D LED TV’s they have been hard at work re-inventing the wheel by adding a fourth pixel colour.

Normally there are three colours within a pixel, but with the Quattron there are now four. They have managed to add a fourth colour, Yellow. Which gives it the ability to create millions of new shades of colours. Especially apparent when watching natural coloured scenes like nature programs, you can really see the difference.

Sharp are so confident in this new technique that they firmly believe that the new pixel will help generate a better picture. They have even gone as far as saying that they think Sony and the other big guns will be employing this new technique in their new TV’s in 2011.

We got hold of one of these Sulu approved Quattron TV to give it a real hand-on review and to do this we thought, we gave it a hammering on a HD Sky, a Xbox 360 and of course a Blu-Ray player. To see how well it handles all the latest HD content the average family will require.

Review

Functionality

Before we give you the low-down on the new Quatttron Aquos, we need to give you an idea of the panel’s functionality. All Sharp’s new screens are 1080p HD-Ready and incorporate Sharp’s UltraBrilliant Edge-lit panel technology, which gives it some very impressive brightness levels and even picture throughout.

The sound for this panel is actually much better that some of the other TV we’ve seen. As they get thinner and thinner so does the quality of sound, but the 46-inch model we tested have some impressive built-in speakers. Yes, it not 5.1 but it is Dolby Digital Plus 2.1 channel system.

The review model we got our hands on features 4 HDMI connections, 1 USB and digital audio in and component HD connection. The new panels are DNLA certified so you’ll be about to stream files from your Windows 7 computers and sadly there is no MAC support with DLNA, so take note Apple owners.

Each of Sharp’s new panels come with Freeview HD which is a welcomed inclusion for those of you who are starved of High Def content with BBC HD and ITV HD available for free.

The design of the panel is light-years ahead of their previous models and would be pride of place in anyone’s lounge, especially as it is 39mm thick and is finished with a sexy silver bezel and has some nifty touch sensitive buttons if you should ever loose your remote.

For the green TV lovers you’ll be glad to know the new LED screen features an impressive range of energy saving modes, making it substantial lower consumption than its older LCD cousins.

Setup

With most High Def TV’s you need to go into the setup mode to really get the best out of the screen as they tend to come with a lot of the image smoothing functions like 100hz enabled, but if your going to use the panel for gaming, we would recommend you taking these option off, as they can often have some undesirable effect.  Once we set the TV up to our personal preferences we fired up the Xbox 360 we were more than impressed by the picture quality.

Gaming

Most noticeable was the deep, rich colours, thanks to the new sub-pixel. We for one were really impressed by the colour spectrum on offer and for gaming we were very impressed – we would go as far saying it’s equally as good as any Sony/Samsung panel we have seen and this is something Sharp should be really proud of. They have been playing second fiddle to the big two, but no more.

Blu-Ray

Next we fired up a Blu-ray of the Dark Knight, which is a great film to really test a high def panel. And we were impressed again. Initiate the film mode and image-smoothing mode and it was more like looking through window into Gotham city rather than watching a TV. The picture quality and smoothness was truly breath-taking and with most Batman films it gives you a good idea how the Sharp Quattron can handle some really dark images, where a exceptional contract ratios are crucial, we are pleased to say that it performed admirable and produced some very impressive deep black levels.

Features

We tried to use a USB next to play some files directly onto the panel but we kept getting a error saying that USB wasn’t being recognised, whether this is because it doesn’t work with MAC file format or whether it was just a slight issue with review mule, were not sure. So we can’t confirm how it performs with various file formats but according to the press release it can play Xvid, DivX and MKV, which is more compatibility than you could ever need

Some disappointing omissions come via the lack of Internet apps, which is a new function that Samsung have been tinkering with. In some cases it allows users to check YouTube, Twitter and even play the BBC iPlayer. Not seeing their own version of this on the Sharp was a bit disappointing especially for the premium price, but it is not a game changer in our opinion.

You won’t get any 3D capability with the Quattron, which does seem a little strange; it’s not available on this range and will probably be available next year.  But again for the price it does seem a glaring omission.

We Say

Apart from a couple of niggling omissions this is by far the most accomplished Sharp TV they have ever made, and if it had a few more options it would probably best in class. The picture quality and colour spectrum is really impressive. The new sub-pixel is a fantastic new feature and is a major reason why you might buy this screen.  We for one can’t fault this top-of-the-range TV for picture quality and looks it is truly stunning to look at and watch in equal measure.

Gaj-it Rating 8/10

Price £1400 – £1600

Sharp Quattron LED LE821E Series Deals…

Direct TVs (£899.97)

Review: Sharp Quattron LED LE821E Series is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com