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Pentax's new expert SLR is now available in the shops. It seems that the manufacturer has put cutting prices behind it for now: although the prices on several models fell as soon as they became available, the K-7 is on sale at the originally advertised price.

The new K-7 isn't a direct replacement for the K20D--it's a little more advanced than that. It's smaller, and very dense. It boasts a screen that shows the whole scene, a burst mode that reach five frames per second and video with support for an external mic.  The exposure and focusing systems have both also received some small updates.

Another change has been the kit lenses, for those who prefer that option. They now offer better weather protection, meaning that the camera body and the lenses that are supplied with it are protected from water and dust. Of course, some users will prefer to buy the K-7 by itself and then make their own choice of lens.

We'll be bringing you a full test soon.

> Product Survey: Digital SLRs and Cameras with Interchangeable Lenses

> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products

Whether you're in the market for a new screen, or have just been following the evolution of LCD monitors for years, the arrival of the Samsung P2370 marks a new chapter.

22'' screens are now long gone, replaced by 23'' versions at the same price but with better quality displays.  On this one, you can look forward to a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, faster response times, a significant fall in energy use--and a new record for our tests.  Samsung is the first manufacturer to receive five stars for its colour handling using its default settings in our lab!

> New Test: Samsung P2370

> Product Survey: 23" to 28" LCD Monitors

> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products

Netbooks with NVIDIA ION are only just starting to appear and there's already talk of its successor. More powerful, it will also be available for VIA Nano processors. An opportunity to gain market share then, unless Intel comes up with its equivalent before then.

Already available on some nettops such as the Acer Aspire Revo, NVIDIA'S ION technology offers improved performance for video and gaming.

It's becoming possible to play with good quality graphics on these machines. Even if they don’t measure up to a real graphics card designed for the job, current levels of performance are fine for games such as Call of Duty 4 (with, we suppose, low detail settings).

When it comes to video, built in decoding means Blu-Ray works fluidly and can transform a low cost PC into a living room player if you use the HDMI out (if it exists).

The ION 2 continues this good work and is likely to give even better performance at lower energy consumption. ION 2s will be engraved at 40 nm rather than 55 nm on the first version, which should increase performances without increasing energy consumption or heat levels.

The graphics chip used for ION 2 is also likely to have at least twice as many shader units (namely 32) as on the 9400M used for the current ION. This increase wont be enough on its own to double performances but should mean a significant increase. In the best case scenario we can hope for a doubling of performance, which will open the door for even more games on these machines.

Lastly, the ION 2 platform will also be used with Via Nano processors. This is excellent news as it will encourage competition and diversify netbook configurations, which tend to be too similar one to another. The Atom processor seems a little out on its own here, which will certainly please Intel.

NVIDIA is reported to be planning to release the ION 2 for the end of the year but we’ll stilll have to wait a bit to see the first netbooks with the first version of ION. At the top of the list: the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 will be a key element for the success of the ION platform. This model is expected in a few months.

Product survey: Netbooks

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NVIDIA ION technology should now be seen on numerous netbooks between now and the end of the year. Several more or less important players have decided to show off their new models, as you can see in this new video filmed by netbooknews.com at Computex recently.

The NVIDIA ION platform, which associates an Intel Atom processor with a GeForce 9400M based graphics solution, has already existed for several months but until now commercial success has been limited. Indeed there are very few of these machines on sale because of problems with Intel who are not best pleased to see another player encroaching on its territory and entering the netbook market. The price of the ION platform was quite high because of the difficulty in getting hold of an Intel Atom processor on its own without the Intel chipset.


Now however the situation seems to have fluidified as ION based nettops are now on the market, notably the Aspire Revo from Acer. Netbooks are not to be left behind and numerous manufacturers seem to be adopting the system. Among the most popular is Lenovo and its IdeaPad S12, similar to the IdeaPad S10-2 (but with a 12.1 inch screen). Samsung has also announced that it wants to bring out its ION models in a few months.


So, the ION solution has finally moved into gear and we are expecting a lot from it when it comes to multimedia, as it will now be possible to use netbooks for gaming. Call of Duty 4 seems indeed to be perfectly accomodated by the solution. Promising!

Product survey: Netbooks

> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products

According to our sources, Deezer has today entered into an agreement to raise 6 million euros in capital and Spotify 20 million pounds, from Wellington Partners.

Enough to give a bit of breathing space to these two leading European music content providers, whose accounts have been hit by miniumum guarantees per title played now paid to the major labels.

In the United States, where the organisation SoundExchange has revised downwards the new royalty rates that it is hoping to impose on webcasters, Pandora has justed limited to 40 the number of songs non-subscribers can listen to in a row.

> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products

Google has announced the launch of an operating system, Chrome OS, for the second half of 2010, designed for Netbooks. The Mountain View giant is once again on the offensive against Microsoft, but this time they’re serious!

Google is a past master in the art of vague announcements, the sort that start endless conversations in front of the screen. Their most recent sally, the release for the end of next year of an operating system made in Google! The reacton has been immediate. The web media industry has been all over the story, emphasizing the extent to which a new OS based on Google know-how would represent a serious challenge to Microsoft’s empire. And it is true that such an OS, the computing grail, the developer’s philosopher’s stone, could represent a third way between Windows and Mac.

At the moment there is really no other choice. The figures speak loud and clear. The battle between Microsoft and Apple is disproportionate but unavoidable. The firm from Redmond controls 90% of the computers on the planet while the firm from Cupertino just 5%. The rest is just crumbs with a little chunk based on Linux. Your average user has never embraced Linux, prefering tried and tested solutions for good or bad reasons.

Google has chosen its moment well. Microsoft is rattled. Apple is growing fast, nibbling away bit by by at market share. The new element is looking to the relatively uncharted territory of content consumption, music, video and mobile devices such as netbooks and smartphones. There is a window of possibility between the saturation and lassitude of Windows users and the desire for true change incarnated by Apple.

Less than 2%

When you facture in the financial power of Google, there’s a good chance that this third way will fully open up in the years to come. But why? What is Google hoping to bring to the OS market, by far the most complex and difficult in the industry?

The few details on Chrome OS (the name of the new OS) given by Google on its blog, give plenty of food for thought. Let’s begin with the unexpected: Google make the point that Chrome OS is not an adaption of the Android system for smartphones but rather a separate project altogether. This seems like a recognition of the failure of Android to federate enough user enthusiasm. Chrome, the internet search engine, is used by 30 million people worldwide according to figures given by Google. This seems to be an overestimate however if you go by internet site frequentation as measured by Net Applications. Chrome barely attained 2% before dropping back to 1.8% in May. One explanation could be that the browser has been downloaded 30 million times but hasn’t been used much.

> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products