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Opera has told TechRadar that it is “very satisfied” with the layout of the browser ballot screen and that it has resulted in a tripling of downloads of the Opera browser. Speaking to TechRadar at the annual South by South West Interactive conference, Thomas Ford, Senior Communications Manager said: “We’ve seen about a tripling in the number of downloads from the countries that have got the choice screen, so versus what it was before the choice screen, where we’ve seen it in the UK and France and Poland the downloads have about tripled. “Now of course that was also right when we rolled out Opera 10.5 in final but it was still above and beyond what we typically see. So actually we’re quite hopeful. That doesn’t mean that those have all become new users but the download rate is certainly dramatically up and we’re hopeful that a lot of those will stick around.

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

Every so often we all need to look at a map for reference purposes or to get directions. If you are looking for a great quick reference app then join us as we look at the Mini Google Maps extension for Google Chrome. Mini Google Maps in Action While this may look like a rather basic map extension there is more to it than meets the eye at first glance. Here is the default view when you open Mini Google Maps for the first time

The full story can be found on How To Geek

Quick question: Is Web access a fundamental right or a privilege? If you think the Internet is a fundamental right, then you’re in the clear majority, according to a new global survey conducted for the BBC World Service. In a poll of 27,000 adults spread out through 26 countries, four out of five respondents described Web access as a right, and that number was even higher in South Korea and China. About 78 percent of respondents said the Internet gave them greater freedom, while half said the Web should never be regulated. At the same time, some 65 percent of respondents in Japans said they didn’t feel safe expressing their opinions online, a sentiment shared by pollsters living in South Korea, France, Germany, and China.

For the full story, go to Maximum PC

In France, speaker brand Cabasse is celebrated for its avant-garde creations, but are we Brits ready for floating tweeters and balls that balance on rare-earth magnets? Let’s see… There’s actually a good reason for the spherical design and concentric drive units of Cabasse’s iO2 satellite speakers: the single point source audio that it produces provides an uncoloured and direct sound beam that suits home cinema particularly well. Meanwhile, the powerful magnets mean super-fast and efficient drive units. And, I think you’ll agree, the styling is magnifique! HCC’s test sample, from UK distributor Coherent Systems, featured a black pearl finish and light oak stands; traditional pearl speakers and darker wenge wood stands are also available, and you can mix the finishes to suit

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

Orange has confirmed it is to trial high-definition voice technology for mobile phones, which it hopes will banish crackly phone calls forever. Instead of the garbled shout of “I can’t hear you” every five minutes, users of HD voice will have, according to Orange, audio clarity never before heard on a mobile phone. New era Although TechRadar heard rumour as far back as December, the announcement was made at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where the company called the HD tech “a new era for mobile communications”. The three-month trials are expected in the UK as soon as spring and trials will soon be happening in other parts of Europe, with France, Spain and Luxembourg earmarked. ‘Why HD voice on a mobile phone,’ we hear you cry?

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If you’re a fan of Asus’ Eee 1005PE netbook, then you’re going to love the 1005PE-H model , the company’s latest model built around Intel’s Pine Trail platform. Like the original Eee 1005PE, the H variant sports the same 45nm Pineview Atom N450 processor (1.66GHz, 512K cache). But unlike its predecessor, the Eee 1005PE-H boasts twice the amount of RAM at 2GB versus 1GB.

For the full story, go to Maximum PC

Virgin Media has unveiled the latest channel to be added to its hi-def cannon, Eurosport HD. The channel will be a simulcast version of its SD counterpart which does mean that not everything will be in HD. Virgin promises there will be a whole load of sports action in hi-def, including Tour de France, French Open tennis, all European rounds of World Superbikes, the World Touring Car Championships and Athletics European Championships. Really excited The addition of Eurosport HD puts Virgin Media’s HD channel roster up to eight, which is not bad but still a way to go to reach the heady height of what Sky is offering. Speaking about the new HD channel, Cindy Rose, Executive Director of Digital Entertainment at Virgin Media said: “We’re really excited about the spring launch of Eurosport HD and the wider roll-out of several new HD channels for our customers in the coming months.

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

Rumors are swirling that indicate the recent attacks on Google’s servers may have been carried out with the help of some China-based Google employees . According to sources, a number of employees at the China offices were placed on mandatory leave, and others were transferred. Google even went so far as to briefly cut the workers off from the network to make sure it was secure. Google is currently remaining tight lipped about this bit of the puzzle

For the full story, go to Maximum PC

The UK’s web speeds have been put under the online microscope and the results make for cringe-worthy reading. Despite the government promising to get web speeds up to a 2Mbps canter by 2012, we are currently lagging behind the likes of the USA, the Netherlands and Ireland. Number one in Europe for web speeds is Switzerland, with the city of Lausanne clocking up a massive 24Mbps for an average speed. The rest of Switzerland rates significantly below this, however

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The deputy CEO of France Telecom – parent company of mobile operator Orange – has confirmed that the Apple tablet computer will have a webcam, 3G connectivity and be available to his customers. You can see an interview on camera between a French journalist and Stephane Richard, deputy CEO at France Telecom, which contains the below the exchange (for those of you that don’t parlais Francais). Jean-Pierre Elkabbach: According to weekly Le Point, in a couple of days Apple will be launching its tablet computer … Stephane Richard : Yes. Jean-Pierre Elkabbach: … equipped with a webcam.

The full story can be found on Tech Radar