Odd for Microsoft to do this .... I would have thought they would rather promote their mobile Office on smartphones running their Windows Phone 8 OS. I guess it's another way of making more money I suppose.

"After rumor upon leak suggested Microsoft was cooking up a release of Office for iOS, you'd think its arrival would be celebrated with streamers and cake. Making a rather low-key entrance, the app is now available to those with a small-screen iOS device and an Office 365 subscription.

You can create new Excel and Word files from scratch, or view and edit spreadsheets, docs and Powerpoint files stored on Microsoft's cloud services, or pinned to emails. Offline editing is also possible, as long as you've recently viewed or edited the file. You'll also be able to see any files you recently accessed at home if your computer is running Office 2013. You'll need an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 6.1 (there's no iPad version just yet), and the app is limited to the US at the moment, but head to the iTunes Store source link for the full feature list."

Source: Engadget

Could this be the cheapest Android phone yet? ... Well, Vodafone's Smart Mini is out now for £50 to all your British consumers.

Press Release: Vodafone Smart Mini now available. Enjoy the full Vodafone experience with the great value Smart Mini.

No liquid metal here ... just a name of Acer's latest smartphone, the Liquid S1. It does howerver come with a single/dual SIM card configuration, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and a quad-core 1.5 GHz processor.

"Acer has announced its tablet/phone, the Acer Liquid S1, designed to be a travel companion for consumers. With a 5.7-inch HD 1280 by 720 display, the device is able to enhance mobile productivity and entertainment.

Featuring single/dual SIM card configuration, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, 42Mbps data connection, a quad-core 1.5 GHz processor, and a day's worth of battery power, the Acer Liquid S1 combines the work efficiency of a tablet with the convenience and multimedia features of a smartphone."

Source: Digitimes

Sounds pretty neat ... its' basically a game jukebox that can hold upto ten retail titles. Not sure it will work 100% ... connection is via USB or ethernet.

"Physical media might lend itself well to the used games market (well, usually), but it does have a distinct disadvantage over digital purchases: you still have to get up and change that disc. It's a minor annoyance, but apparently enough of one to spark the creation of the Exeo Entertainment Extreme Gamer XG 10, an Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 compatible game jukebox with room for ten retail titles. Unlike other Xbox 360 disc changers, however, this one won't void your warranty. According to Exeo Entertainment, the Extreme Gamer pipes disc data to the console through USB or ethernet ports."

Source: Engadget

We could be seeing two new models of the iPhone this fall ... one with a 4.7-inch screen and the other with a 5.7-inch screen. Upto 5 or 6 different colors with the smaller model being priced at $99. Apple declined to comment.

"June 13 (Reuters) - Apple Inc is exploring launching iPhones with bigger screens, as well as cheaper models in a range of colours, over the next year, said four people with knowledge of the matter, as it takes a cue from rival Samsung Electronics.

The moves, which are still under discussion, underscore how the California-based firm that once ruled the smartphone market is increasingly under threat from its aggressive South Korean competitor. Samsung has overtaken Apple in market share through the popularity of its bigger-screen Galaxy "phablets" and by flooding the market with a range of products at different prices.

Apple is looking at introducing at least two bigger iPhones next year - one with a 4.7-inch screen and one with a 5.7-inch screen - said the sources, including those in the supply chain in Asia. They said suppliers have been approached with plans for the larger screens, but noted it is still unclear whether Apple will actually launch its flagship product in the larger sizes."

Source: Reuters

The Japanese are light years ahead in TV and broadcasting technologies ... they're already testing 4K TV over the internet, using H.265 High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard.

"A Japanese telecoms company is carrying out tests to try to prove 4K-resolution video can be streamed over the internet to television set-top boxes. NTT West is hosting the trial - which runs until Friday - and says it believes it is the first of its kind.

A new video compression standard is being used to reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted. 4K broadcasts offer four times the amount of detail as 1080p high-definition content. Compressing technologies allow broadcasters to transmit material using much less data than would otherwise be required while minimising the loss of picture quality.

With regard to video, instead of sending data describing each pixel of each frame as if it were a standalone entity, a variety of algorithms are used to analyse how colour is distributed across each image and what changes occur between each frame.

... In January the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency, approved a new format to succeed it called the H.265 High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard."

Source: BBC

The latest tablet from Acer, the Iconia W3 sports an Intel Atom Z2760 dual core processor, running Windows 8.

"Acer has unveiled its Iconia W3, an 8.1-inch tablet running Windows 8 with an Intel Atom processor. The Iconia W3 will features pre-installed Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 at no additional expense.

The Iconia W3 is powered by Intel's Atom Z2760 processor. It provides up to eight hours of battery life. It features front- and rear-facing 2-megapixel webcams, a micro-HDMI port, a micro-USB port and support for 802.11b/g/n wireless technology.

The tablet is available with either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, and customers can add an additional 32GB via microSD for extra storage."

Source: Digiitmes

The much talked-about kick starter funded games console gets reviewed by Engadget. It's powered by a mobile processor, the same one you'll find on most smartphones running Android OS.

"The console itself is unchanged from the version that shipped to Kickstarter backers, except that it wont have contributor names etched on the side. The final tweaks heading into production have focused on the controller and the software. Visually the gamepad is exactly the same, but a number of small changes have be made to the various components to address feedback from early adopters and reviewers. 

The holes around the four face buttons have been widened to prevent them from sticking and, no matter how hard we tried, we could not get the O, U, Y or A to get wedged under the face plate. The right thumb stick also had a tendency to get caught on early versions of the controller, thanks to a small amount of glue that leaked into the area. That issue has supposedly been resolved, and in our time with the production model we had no problems with the analog stick."

Source: Engadget