Gerald takes a look at the new, free Steam Mobile app from Valve, which gives gamers on-the-go access to the popular PC gaming platform.
Running through the features of the Android version (though available on iOS devices like the iPhone and iPod Touch too), Gerald gives an overview of messaging on the app, navigating the store catalogue, checking out purchases and editing profiles and preferences.
Though available to download now from Apple's App Store and the Android Market, Steam Mobile's full features are currently only available to those who have been chosen to beta test the service.
"The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve.
"Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale - these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing the way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone."
To be in with a chance of trying the service early, download the app now, sign in with your Steam account, and wait for Valve to send you a beta invite.
Hit the video above to see what's going to be on offer.
We went eyes-on with Panasonic's impressive new plasma screen range at CES 2012, and came away gobsmacked by the quality of the VT50 series.
Two different models will be headed to shops; the 55-inch P55VT50 and the 65-inch P65VT50.
Designed using a single sheet of glass and ultra thin bezel, the screens manage great black levels through the company's "infinite black ultra panel" design.
THX certified, the 3DTVs can also convert 2D images for added depth, as well as smoothing 24p 3D using Panasonic's new "3D 24p cinema smoother".
24,576 steps of gradation let colour reproduction shine naturally, gently weaving subtle colour shade changes into pictures, a notable addition considering the problems older plasma panels have with this issue.
Grabbing plenty of headlines at CES 2012 is LG's astonishingly thin 55-inch EM960V OLED TV, a lush screen that some AV enthusiasts are daring to call the best TV ever.
Offering superb viewing angles and flicker/cross-talk free 3D viewing, the EM960V looks as pretty as a picture. It'll also come packing a new Magic Remote model, with gesture and voice controls, as well as built-in Wi-Fi for Smart TV features and a Freeview HD tuner.
Due out in the second half of the year, start saving the pennies now: you're going to need a lot of them to get one of these beauties in your house.
Lenovo are really pushing device flexibility at CES 2012. First, we had the transforming, screen-swivelling IdeaPad YOGA, and now we've been treated to a demo of the IdeaTab S2110.
Part tablet, part notebook, it docks with a detachable keyboard to double its battery life, running a re-skinned version of Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
Sony's Bloggie range may be facing stiff competition from the ever-improving video recording abilities of smartphone's, but this year's product line refresh does include at least one significant feature.
Sony's Bloggie Live, as well as shooting 16MP stills and Full HD video, can also be used to livestream in real-time, anywhere where you have access to a Wi-Fi connection.
It uses Qik video to throw a commenting system onto the camcorders 3-inch touchscreen too, meaning you can interact with your viewers as you're shooting.
For more on the Bloggie Live, click here, but don't leave without checking out our demo video above!
Fitness freaks get another gadget to add to the growing pile of workout-monitoring tech at CES 2012 thanks to the new Iqua Beat headphones.
Pairing with an iPhone over a Bluetooth connection, and syncing with its own iPhone app, the Iqua Beat headphones can monitor heart-rate, calories burned, miles ran, steps taken and your speed.
A touch-sensitive controller unit also allows you to answer phone calls, and select new music tracks by swiping across the controller's surface.
Shipping with an iPhone arm-clip, the splash-proof headphones look a good new tool in the fight against the flab.
Is it a phone? Is it a camera? Is it an Android camera phone? Tell us, Polaroid!
Polaroid's SC1630 Smart Camera, powered by Android, got many a tongue wagging at CES 2012. While many hoped it would have smartphone functionality, Polaroid's tight-lipped approach seems to suggest that, despite housing "optional cellular connectivity", it wont replace your day-to-day blower.
What it does offer though is access to all the Android apps you could ever want, including photo editing apps, as well as taking 16MP snaps with a 3X optical zoom.
For more info click here, and be sure to check out our hands-on demo video above.
Motorola are sharpening their RAZR range for smartphone times, revealing the Motorola RAZR Android Gingerbread handset just in time for the run up to Christmas.
A super-slim phone with a 1.2 GHz dual core processor and Android Gingerbread 2.3.5, it's boasting a stonking 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Advanced display, and comes with all the same docking tricks Motorola first rolled out with their Atrix handset.
We checked the phone out today at a preview session. Hit the video above to see the phone in action.
Modern Warfare 3's single player mode is set to deliver a truly global conflict. Whereas Modern Warfare 2 focussed in on war-torn Washington DC, Russia and Rio de Janeiro, Modern Warfare 3 has packed its passport for a globe-trotting outing that will take in far more locations, including England, Germany and France.
We were treated to a run-through of a new single-player level last week called Iron Lady. Read on for our thoughts.
Taking place about halfway through Modern Warfare 3's campaign, Iron Lady is set in the streets of sweet Paris. It's not quite the Paris you probably remember though; with not a patisserie in sight, Paris is a total warzone. From the off you'll see just how bad things are getting on the European front, with a massive propeller engine aeroplane crashing into the ground near the allied Delta Force and French GIGN special forces, screeching as it tears through the cobbled paving. Just as more of the world is under fire, more of the world's elite troops will be out defending it; this won't be a "Team America" tale of USA saving the world's butts.
Co-developers Sledgehammer were keen to point out the verticality that the new focus on urban warfare brings to the series. We were treated to an example as the point-of-view shot seamlessly from the ground troops up into the sky for an air-support chopper sequence.
Appearing in all other Modern Warfare titles so far, the AC-130 sequence sees the player laying waste to enemy ground troops with an array of frighteningly powerful airborne weaponry. The improvements to the graphical engine become clearly apparent here; using the same heat-signature filter to spot tiny troops below as in previous games, everything is far clearer and more detailed, making accurate shots easier to pull off. The returning 20mm, 40mm and 125mm cannons are all available, with the camera pulling in closer so that can get a better look at the devastation you're wreaking. The sequence ends with a jet-fighter airstrike being called in on the tanks battering your allies, with a neat picture-in-picture camera showing your pals slowly advancing.
Swinging back to the ground, we're put back in a first-person perspective. The aim of the mission is to neutralise a HVT (High Value Target) shacked up in a nearby embassy. To get there, a little sniping is needed, with players swiftly sliding through the shattered remains of a few buildings. The snap of the sniper rifle seems more powerful than ever before now; all parts of the engine, including animations, seem to have been ramped up for dramatic effect.
Clearing a path as a sniper leads you to an open courtyard area, teeming with enemies. After sending a few crouched pop-shots off in a greenhouse (which saw many a plant pot smashed) you make your way to a mounted-machine gun in the centre of the courtyard. It whirs into action, and shows off the impressive damage modelling now present in the engine. Firing at a balcony where a few baddies were hiding out saw the concrete balustrade crumble, adding satisfyingly to the already decrepit surroundings.
The ground troops, after clearing out the courtyard, again hit a brick wall of heavily armoured opposition, meaning it's time to jump back into the AC-130 for the mission's climax. After gunning down a few last enemies, a smoke bomb calls in a last aerial bombardment and it's (seemingly) game over for the HVT.
Though we weren't given story specifics at the preview, it seems big, bombastic business as usual on the single-player front of Modern Warfare 3. Refinement in the engine has lead to a refinement too of the game's ample cinematic qualities. It won't be brainy, but it'll be blockbuster fun.
After checking out the new single player level we were whisked away to try out the new co-op Survival mode in the Spec Ops area of the game.
It takes the idea of the Nazi Zombies mode introduced in World at War and ranks it up to a whole new level of tension. You and a team-mate must face off against wave-after-endless-wave of progressively tougher foes, building up cash reserves and defending your pal. Once you drop, it's game over.
Cash is gathered by felling soldiers, with tougher grunts worth more money and a string of quick kills providing cash multipliers. Dotted around each level (all multiplayer maps can be played in survival mode) are ammo and weapon caches, which can be used to load up on better weapons, more bullets, grenades and the odd turret or airstrike if you've saved the really big bucks.
And you're gonna need them all too. Providing you get past the early, easier waves, you'll soon find yourself faced with suicide bombers, attack dogs, attack dogs with bombs strapped to them and attack dogs with bombs strapped to them with killer bees in their mouths.
OK, well maybe not that last one, but things do get much worse when the attack helicopters come in, and the heavy "boss" troops show up. There's nothing likely to strike more fear into your heart than the sight of a "Juggernaut" troop rappelling into a battlefield, knowing that even your two saved RPG rounds wont be enough to take him down.
The relatively large, open maps leave plenty of room for tactical play, but also a temptingly large amount of space to run and hide in to. Great if you're on the backfoot, but there's nothing worse than getting separated from a bleeding-out team-mate with 20 mercenaries standing between the two of you.
While the rest of Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer may be resting on its laurels a bit with some spit and polish refining things a little, Survival mode may be where the real frantic action lies. It's the most multiplayer fun we've had from a Call of Duty game for some time, which is a pretty big claim to make considering just how addictive the series' standard multiplayer offerings are.
The annual IFA tech show in Berlin has come to a close for yet another year, after bringing plenty brand new gadgets and gizmos to the table to start saving for. It's a massive show, packed with everything from AV gear to mobile phones and home appliances, but we've sifted the wheat from the chaff to give you our highlights from Europe largest electronics expo. Here's Tech Digest's IFA Best in Show for 2011.
BEST TV: Sharp 8K4K Super High-Def TV
The TV that Tech Digest shall set as the high-watermark all others must aim for for the forseeable future, Sharp's 8K4K prototype was by far the most stunning screen we've ever seen, and our favourite item overall at this year's show. Though it's not going to be commercially available for at least the best part of a decade, we were treated to a jaw-dropping presentation of footage 16-times the pixel density of full HD 1080p. We felt sorry for all the TVs we had to check out at the show after seeing this one so early on, as none of the others stood a chance in comparison.
BEST SMARTPHONE/TABLET: Samsung Galaxy Note
Not a great show for tablets or smartphones, with Sony's offerings a little underwhelming and few other manufacturers making a splash. Samsung's Galaxy Note, while not everyone's cup of tea, at least attempted something slightly different, with its massive screen and stylus input. Jobs may have delcared the stylus dead with Apple's touchscreen devices, but Samsung quite rightly still see a place for digital note taking with an input pen.
BEST PROJECTOR: Epson EH-T9000W
If you've got a few grand to spare, Epson proved that having your very own 3D cinema experience in your living room is a relatively affordable reality this year. Showing off their first line of 3D projectors, the stunning visuals were made all the sweeter thanks to the inclusion of Wi-Fi smarts in the EH-T9000W top-end model.
BEST LAPTOP: Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook
Who said Windows machines couldn't be as good-looking as Apple devices? Acer's Aspire S3 Ultrabook paired great looks and portability with supercharged power in a laptop that offered both i7 and SSD high-end configurations.
MADDEST GADGET: Jean-Michel Jarre's AeroDream One 11ft iPad dock
Jean-Michel Jarre; a man known equally for his pioneering electronic music and dazzling live light shows. He'll now also be known as the man behind the world's most ridiculous iPad dock, the 11ft tall AeroDream One. Tech Digest had the pleasure of talking to the French musical legend at IFA 2011 in the video above, where Jarre explains the inspiration behind his designs.
First an official name and then an official spec sheet; IFA 2011 killed two birds with one show-stone for Sony's Tablet P device, formally known as the S2.
A 9.4 inch device, its unique selling point is its dual-screen set up and clamshell design.
Android Honeycomb version 3.1 is displayed across the two screens, with a Nvidia Tegra 2 processor powering the show.
Due for a September 16th launch through Dixons, the 16GB Wi-Fi only version costs £399, while the £32GB version with Wi-Fi costs £499. A 16GB Wi-Fi and 3G version is listed at £499, though no delivery date nor pre-order form is currently accessible.
How much would you pay for a pair of in-ear headphones? £50? £150?
How about £1,000?
That's the asking price for the latest luxury pair from AKG, the K3003 in-ear headphones. They were on show at IFA 2011, and while they were hidden away behind glass meaning we couldn't get a chance to hear them in action, we did get a chance to catch them on camera and grab those all-important specs.
What constitues the £1,000 price tag then? For a start, AKG are claiming that these are the first truly 3-way buds, with separate high, mid and low units, giving a full-bodied sound that AKG claim will match the detail of a high-end Hi-Fi system.
You're also able to customise the out-of-the-box sound by attaching one of three packaged noise filters, letting you boost bass, high frequencies, or opt for the reference levels AKG tailor. Likewise, numerous interchangeable silicone earbuds are included to ensure maximum in-ear comfort.
MacBook Air fans looking for some Windows lovin', have a gander at the Acer Aspire S3. Billed as an "Ultrabook", it's lightwieght and powerful in all of its various configurations, and more than a match for the Apple machines in the style stakes. We went hands on at IFA in the video above.
A mere 13mm at its thinnest point and booting from sleep mode to a useable state in just 1.5 seconds, its available with both SSD or HDD storage options and i3 or i7 cores.
A 13.3-inch, 1366 x 768 pixel LED display is offered up by Acer, with 7 hours worth of battery power per charge.
JBL have updated their iPad speaker the system, the OnBeat, with the new OnBeat Xtreme dock. Showcased at IFA 2011, the OnBeat Xtreme lets you dock an iPad in either landscape or portrait angles, and offers crisp, room filling sound.
The OnBeat Xtreme also caters for wireless audio over Bluetooth, perfect for gamers looking to boost their iPad gaming audio while still holding the tablet in both hands. There's also a built-in speakerphone for giving FaceTime calls an extra volume injection.
I can remember trying to catch the majority of World Cup 1994 from inside a tent on a camping trip with a little battery-powered handheld TV. Needless to say, it was like watching a Subbuteo match through a blizzard, and thoroughly frustrating.
If only I'd had Sharp's LC20FE1 portable HD-ready TV! On show at IFA 2011 over the weekend, it's a 20-inch display running at XVGA resolution, and features HDMI and USB playback, as well as Wi-Fi connectivity for streaming over a home network.
A 5 hour charge of the internal battery gives only two hours of playback right now, which is frustrating, but as an AC adapator can be hooked up, you technically can use this as a regular fixed, wall-powered TV set too.
Out now in Japan, Sharp are considering a European release with a DVB tuner, at somewhere around the €600 mark, but have yet to finalise any plans.
Sony's madcap 3D headset prototype from CES 2011 is set to hit stores in a fianl retail build, and the HMZ-T1 Personal 3D Viewer visor was on show at the IFA 2011 tech conference for all and sundry to try out.
The headset manages a pretty impressive 3D image by placing two 0.7 inch OLED panels in front of your eyes, giving the impression you're watching a single 750-inch 3D screen. The headset also comes complete with pseudo-5.1 surround sound thanks to the multi-channel ear pieces that sit either side of your head.
Set first for a Japanese release before the year is out, as yet there is no UK release date set. It'll set you back around £480 to import them from Japan however.
French electronic music maestro Jean-Michel Jarre had one of the most space age stands at this year's IFA 2011, showing off his latest range of Jarre Technologies Apple docks. Though the star of the show was the gigantic AeroDream One, he was also displaying his eqaully stylish AeroPad One and AeroPad Two docks.
Both are iPod, iPad and iPhone compatible, and each features the same chrome finishing as see in the larger dock. The AeroPad Two is the more powerful of the pair (pushing out 200W compared to the AeroPad One's 120W output) and is resultingly the more expensive of the pair at €699 with the AeroPad One €499.
Sony Ericsson took to IFA 2011 with their fastest Xperia handset yet, the Arc S. Running off a 1.4GHz processor, the Xperia Arc S features 512MB RAM, Sony's Mobile Bravia Engine, Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread, microSDHC card support, a 4.2-inch display with a 854x480 resolution, Bluetooth, WiFi, an eight-megapixel rear camera, Sony Exmor for mobile CMOS sensor and SE's own Timescape UI.
The camera is also capable of 3D photography, including 3D sweep panorama shots, though you'll need to hook the handset up to a compatible 3D display over HDMI to get the benefit of the added dimension.
NOTE: Please excuse mention of a dual-core processor in the video; it's a single core in the Arc S. 3 days of tech-show fatigue were kicking in by the time this clip was shot, sorry!
2.1 speaker systems aren't always the most exciting of ventures when it comes to home cinema gear, but Panasonic have a nifty little unit heading to stores before Christmas in the shape of the HDB15 2.1 soundbar.
The HDB15 can split into two separate speaker units sitting either side of a smaller flatscreen TV, or transform into a single bar to sit under the display.
All the major display manufacturers are clamouring away to be the first to produce a convincing glasses-free 3D display, but the only company showing any real innovation in the area at this year's IFA conference was LG.
They were showing off the LG D2500N glasses-free 3D monitor. A full-HD display, it managed well to give the impression of 3D space from the flatscreen, with little flicker and only marginal blurring on the 25-inch screen.
It manages this by popping a head-tracking webcam in the top of the monitor's bezel, which then tells the display to adjust the 3D image to better suit your positioning.
It worked great, and more exciting is the fact that LG are planning big screen TV versions, capable of tracking multiple people at once, in the near future.
From: REVIEW: Samsung Galaxy Note