Sunday, 17 August 2014

Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 08-17-2014

TechRadar: Phone and communications news
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iPhone 6 could debut a new Lightning cable that's reversible at both ends
Aug 17th 2014, 15:29, by Chris Smith

iPhone 6 could debut a new Lightning cable that's reversible at both ends

Apple is likely to introduce a new Lightning cable which is reversible at both ends, according to a new leak.

Sonny Dickson, the man who revealed the iPhone 5C in all its glory last year, posted a photo of a new cable showing a USB end that could slot into the power adapter or computer either way up.

The new cable looks like it has a thinner, floating centre that could come to the aid of gadget users fed up with faffing about in order to plug in their Apple devices.

A new USB standard is on the way, which does include reversible cables, but Apple could bring them into play in a matter of weeks when the firm is expected to release the iPhone 6.








No queue jumping please, we're British! EE angers users with 50p priority charge
Aug 16th 2014, 14:38, by Chris Smith

No queue jumping please, we're British! EE angers users with 50p priority charge

Mobile network EE has provoked anger by introducing a priority customer service line that allows users customers to jump to the front of the queue for a flat rate of 50 pence.

When calling through to EE's customer service line, an automated message now entices callers to move straight through to a representative, rather than wait in line.

In June this year Ofcom named and shamed EE as the UK's most-complained mobile network, with 0.12 calls per 1,000 customers. Now the firm is asking users whether they want to pay for the privilege.

The Priority Answer initiative, which is available to EE's pay monthly users, has angered long-time customers who believe all calls should be treated equally.

'A joke'

@PhilUK53 tweeted: "Thought it was a joke that @EE were allowing customers to jump queue for 50p. Do they not think great customer service should be a given?"

@Gadget_Ry wrote: "EE is just the RyanAir of mobile networks. They've introduced a 50p "queue jump" charge for their customer service calls."

The network defended the move claiming it had made a heavy investment in customer service, which included bringing call centre jobs back to the UK.

"We've already committed to returning over 1,000 roles to the UK from overseas call centres, and have already opened two new UK centres. To contribute to this and other investments in service we have introduced some small charges for certain customer services," a spokesperson said.

Would you pay for the very un-British privilege of jumping to the front of the line? Share your thoughts below.


Premier League issues red card to Vine goal uploads on eve of new season
Aug 15th 2014, 18:40, by Chris Smith

Premier League issues red card to Vine goal uploads on eve of new season

The Premier League has warned fans who upload clips of goals to social media are in breach of copyright, ahead of the season openers this weekend.

The League, which will bring in over £3 billion from television rights in the UK alone over the next few years, says it is clamping down on Vine posts and .gifs that appear soon after goals are scored.

"You can understand that fans see something, they can capture it, they can share it, but ultimately it is against the law," warned the Premier League's communications chief Dan Johnson.

"It's a breach of copyright and we would discourage fans from doing it, we're developing technologies like gif crawlers, Vine crawlers, working with Twitter to look to curtail this kind of activity. I know it sounds as if we're killjoys but we have to protect our intellectual property," he added.

The people's game, eh?

The emergence of .gif files posted to Twitter and Vine posts recorded from television coverage skirts copyright, but is the only way some viewers are experience goals before they air on Match of the Day.

BT and Sky have exclusive rights to televise live games, while The Sun and The Times offer users the chance to watch goals almost instantly through their mobile apps at a cost of £7 a month.

The Premier League's move has been criticised heavily by those who believe modern fans are being priced out of the game due to high ticket prices and subscription television costs.

Do you think the league is right to clamp down on Vine clips? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.


Updated: 10 best iPhone football apps
Aug 15th 2014, 10:01, by TechRadar

Updated: 10 best iPhone football apps

As legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once said: "some people believe football is a matter of life and death - it is much, much more important than that."

That sentiment will ring true for any football fan, from those who stand on freezing terraces on Tuesday nights to those glued to the television every Saturday afternoon.

We've rounded up our top 10 football apps for iPhone, just in time for the new Premier League season, which will help you enjoy football even more.

Whether it's following your team, enjoying the finest goals from around the world or passing those hollow days between games, these are the best football apps for your iPhone.

1. Sky Sports Live Football Score Centre - free

Sky Sports Score Centre

Every Saturday, millions of people around the UK spend their afternoon feverishly staring at their TV, watching four grey-haired men from Sky Sports watch football.

Unfortunately, Saturday afternoons often have other dubious functions such as family, shopping and kids. If this sounds familiar, try Sky Sports Score Centre, which puts Jeff Stelling and his silver-haired gang in your pocket, with up-to-the-minute action from every game from the Premier League and Serie A to the Evo-Stick League, with team line-ups, live commentary and stats.

A new season brings a new version of this app, with the addition of the ability to follow four teams at a time and a speedier startup time.

Download it from iTunes

2. Sun+ Goals - free (needs subscription)

Sun+ Goals - needs a subscription

It used to be that you would have to go to the ESPN goals app for speedy access to clips of goals at no cost.

But now The Sun and The Times app is the place to go. To check out the critical moments of Premier League games you will need a subscription to climb over the newspaper paywall.

Download it from iTunes

3. FourFourTwo Stats Zone - free

FourFourTwo Stats Zone

If you take your football more seriously than those halfwits in the pub who spout half-baked observations based on tired cliches, FourFourTwo Stats Zone is the app for you.

It offers full analysis of all the Premier League games, from the basic shot count and possession to full pass maps and work rates of the players.

It's not just a pool of meaningless information for football geeks, as it can also be used for evil, adding insight to your fantasy football teams, weekend sports betting and pub trivia.

Download it from iTunes

4. Football Manager Handheld 2014 - £6.99

Football Manager

A game for true football fans, Football Manager Handheld 2014 is a portable port of the classic PC game, which has sapped millions of collective hours from our youth.

It's made with footy-mad commuters in mind, and while it's lighter on the options, it retains all the compulsive enjoyment of its fully-featured predecessors.

The best thing about it isn't the breadth of teams or smooth learning curve, both of which are excellent, but that it can be picked up and put down easily, making it ideal for short journeys to work.

Download it from iTunes

5. New Star Soccer - 69p

New Star Soccer

The game that took the world by storm last year, New Star Soccer is one of the best footy simulators out there. You command the career of an up-and-coming player who has to battle the conflicting interests of playing the modern game with gambling, sponsor commitments and high-maintenance girlfriends.

If it sounds like a grown up version of The Sims, that's because it is, but you get to score 40-yard wonder-strikes and enjoy your character having a better life than you.

Download it from iTunes

6. Sky Go - Free (requires Sky subscription)

Sky Go

So you've been dragged away for the weekend, the biggest game of the season is live on Sky Sports, and you're not sure what's worse: missing the turning point in the title chase or that you pay for Sky Sports and you're stuck in a rainy caravan in Morecombe.

Sky Go is the essential app for any iOS rocking Sky Sports subscriber, and it lets you watch the game live on your iPhone. We'd urge you to tweet the hashtag '#winning' but you might miss a goal.

Download it from iTunes

7. Score! Classic Goals - free

Score

The App Store is filled with footy games which let you flick and swipe balls into the net with varying degrees of majesty, but Score does it best.

Why? Because each of the wonder goals hammered home by your index digit are reenactments of the finest strikes in international football history.

Eagled-eyed gamers will spot them from the tournaments of yesteryear, from Michael Owen's mazy England goal that humbled Argentina in '98 to Dennis Bergkamp's dreamy volley in '96.

The game's made better by the rating system of the goals, and you need to get them perfect to unlock the next set; think Angry Birds does football and you're there.

Download it from iTunes

8. TeamStream - free

TeamStream from The Bleacher Report

TeamStream is a news and information service from US sporting giant The Bleacher Report that lets you choose your favourite teams and then scrapes stories and tweets from around the web.

It's a good looking one-stop-shop for football news, although it tends to work better for the bigger clubs.

Download it from iTunes

9. BBC Sport - free

BBC Sport

The Beeb has just released its official sports app, which puts all the latest football news at your fingertips. Not only is it great for following the fascinating soap opera of football, but it also has live text commentary of the biggest games from the BBC's world-renowned team of journalists.

It's also fully customisable, so you can filter football stories from the vastly less important rugby, tennis and athletics news.

Download it from iTunes

10. MatchPint - free

Match Pint

You're in a strange city and it's almost the lunchtime kick-off - time to find a pub. Leaving it up to your mate who reckons "he knows somewhere nearby" is a sure-fire recipe for missing the first half or ending up in a friendly local Millwall hangout.

Leave nothing to chance with MatchPint, which find the games on TV and tells you which pubs are showing them, offering reviews of the establishment in question and even guiding you there using Google Maps.

It's one of many apps that do similar things, but the simple interface and multitude of users make it a top-scorer in our eyes.

Download it from iTunes


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