Once upon a time, pretty much every printer manufacturer worth its salt made a compact printer for printing 4"x6" photos. And then one day, some kind of metaphorical meteorite seemed to wipe them out like the dinosaurs, as suddenly they all seemed to have disappeared.

However, if you look hard enough, you can still find a few photo printers out there. We've even spotted a couple of brand new models, such as Canon's CP800. The technology used in this kind of compact printer is considerably different to that used in A4 models. Photo printers are based on dye sublimation rather than inkjet technology. This basically means you'll end up with a glossy print similar in quality to the kind you'd get from a professional photo lab. Prints will also be sharper, and the paper used is stronger and thicker than regular A4 sheets.

Canon CP800 black	Canon CP800 white
MARCHANDS €     Amazon.co.uk  77.05  Amazon mark...  77.49  Amazon.co.uk  79.02  Amazon mark...  79.20  Amazon mark...  82.13  Homebase  119.99  Compare prices	MARCHANDS €     Amazon.co.uk  77.05  Amazon mark...  77.49  Amazon.co.uk  79.02  Amazon mark...  79.20  Amazon mark...  82.13  Homebase  119.99  Compare prices

Note that the cost of printing per page is also much higher with a photo printer than with inkjet printers.

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3D is absolutely everywhere you look at the IFA this year, with some manufacturers like LG even going backwards.  Its new LD950 series TVs use passive technology.

LG is one of the few manufactuers to have unveiled a lot of exciting new TVs at this year's IFA.  Amongst its OLED displays, 3D THX plasma screens and enormous Edge-LED televisions, there are a few more unusual elements, including the 47LD950 LCD TV, which creates the impression of watching 3D using passive technology.



Officially, 3D content is supposed to be displayed using active technology, the current standard, so why is LG changing that?  According to a spokesperson, it's because the expensive active 3D glasses have proved a burden on customers with large families.  The Korean manufacturer's logic is pretty clear: when 3D TVs themselves cost £1500, glasses go for £100 a pair and you need to add a Blu-ray 3D player to get the most of your investment, it doesn't take long for the bill to mount up.

LG is hoping, then, to bring 3D to a less affluent audience with a more affordable TV--there's no definite news on price just yet--and polarised glasses for around £15 a pair.  Four pairs will be included with every TV sold, too.


In technical terms, there's no LED backlighting, and because of the passive technology, there's no 1080p in 3D either.  The panel does have a 200 Hz mode for improving the fluidity of moving images and a USB port gives access to DivX HD content.  What we don't know, though, is whether it will have built-in 2D to 3D conversion.

The 47LD950 is out now in the UK.



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Prices unavailable Recommended alternatives Editor's Choice HTC One X A Classic! Apple iPhone 4S Nokia Teams Up With Microsoft Nokia Lumia 800

Acer's new high-end Android 2.1 handset has got multimedia fans firmly in its sights and has the tools for the job. 

Indeed, the Stream has more or less the same hardware as the current leading smartphones. 

So how is it going to stand out from the competition?  Is the Acer Touch interface up to the job?  Is it the ideal companion for your multimedia content?  Let's find out ...

> Test: Acer Stream

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Quantcast, one of the many analysts who examine market share, has published its figures comparing the popularity of different mobile OS platforms in the US over recent months.

Logically enough, their graph stops short in August 2010.  We decided that if we were going to work with slightly optimistic predictions, we might as well go the whole way and finish off their graph as if current trends continued unchecked.  Here's what that gives:



Right now, Quancast gives iOS 56% of market share, with Google's Android at about half that.  If trends continue like this, they should meet in mid-2011.

That said, our recent experience leaves us wondering how accurate their statistics are.  When they analysed the traffic of our French sister site, they found 67% of our US audience to be women, around half of them over 50 years old and two-thirds of whom had no higher education.  Which rather contradicts the Netobserver survey from just a few weeks ago, which found that 65% of readers are in the 25-45 age bracket, and two thirds of them are managers or above ...


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Pentax has announced two new budget compact cameras. The RZ10 is set to become one of the cheapest 10x superzooms on the market, while the RS1000 has a customisable design.

Pentax Optio RZ10

The RZ10 is a superzoom compact with one major selling point: its price tag. It has a 10x zoom lens with a 28 mm wide angle and will be available for just £179. Obviously, at this price the lens is a little on the slow side, with an aperture of f/3.2 in wide angle, dropping to f/5.9 in telephoto.

It has a 14-Megapixel sensor, records 720p HD video, has a 2.7-inch screen and looks like a clear rival for the Fuji JZ500, launched at the beginning of the year.

The RZ10 may be similar to the Fuji JZ500 in some respects, but their design couldn't be more different. The Fuji is a sleek little compact with entirely rounded edges and measures just 29 mm thick, while the Pentax has a more angular design, with a protruding grip handle and a lens that's clearly not set flush into the camera body. The zoom controls on this model are also rear-facing for use with your thumb (rather than on the front of the camera under your index finger), a feature we didn't particularly like in the I-10.

Pentax Optio RS1000

The RS1000 seems to be based on another one of Fuji's ideas: interchangeable covers or 'skins' (seen on the Z30 My Skin).

From a technical perspective the camera is bog-standard stuff, with a 28-112 mm zoom lens, f/3.2-5.9 aperture, a 14-Megapixel sensor, 720p HD video, no real stabilisation system, a 3-inch screen with just 230,000 dots ... need I go on?

However, the camera's design is customisable, as you can change the look of the front face with different coloured or patterned skins. These covers attach to the camera using the four screws you can see in each corner of its front face. It'll be supplied with three different skins to get you started. You can also print your very own skins with the design or picture of your choice using a template supplied and a see-though top-cover.

At £119, the RS1000 could have trouble competing with some of the better-spec models that are now hovering around a similar price. The Panasonic FS10, complete with optical image stabiliser, can now be picked up for around £100, for example.

Both models are due for launch in October.

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A year after releasing the well-liked K-x, Pentax has announced a new version of its entry-level dSLR. On the inside, not much has changed, but the K-r does correct some of the faults that the K-x was widely criticised for, notably the lack of AF focusing points in the viewfinder.

The Pentax K-r feels familiar to handle as it's heavily based on the K-x. The overall design has changed noticeably though, as there's a more angular viewfinder (reminiscent of the K-7) and the chrome-effect details have been removed. The controls, on the other hand, haven't changed a bit.

The sensor and image processor are the same as in the K-x too. At the launch event, we managed to have a quick play around with a prototype of the K-r, and we already noticed slight improvements in Jpeg mode, probably thanks to its new and improved algorithms. Pentax also claims the K-r to have an ISO range of from 100 to 25,600. Although the limit of actual usability still seems to be around 6,400 ISO, it's a good sign of what the brand's technology is capable of.

The 720p HD video mode has been upped to 25 fps, but footage is still recorded in Mjpeg with mono sound.

However, there are two particularly promising new features in this camera. The first is that the new screen displays 920,000 dots, for four times more definition than on the K-x. The second is that the viewfinder now displays the AF focusing points selected. The fact that these weren't available in the original model was subject to much debate. While some said it wasn't all that important and put their confidence in the multi-zone autofocus or locked onto one central focusing point, others found their omission simply unforgivable.

The Pentax K-r is due for release in October and will be available with an 18-55mm DAL lens for £600 or with the 18-55mm DAL + 50-200MM DAL lenses for £700.

This prices the K-r a couple of hundred quid above the K-x (single lens pack), which is slowly working its way under £400.


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