Microsoft today announced the launch of the latest version of the world’s most-installed browser with the release of Windows Internet Explorer 9 at an event at the SXSW Interactive conference. Internet Explorer 9 is Microsoft’s most-downloaded browser beta of all time. Already more than 250 top sites from around the globe are taking advantage of the capabilities in Internet Explorer 9 to deliver differentiated experiences to their customers, (you can go see these with with  http://www.BeautyoftheWeb.com).

I have been playing around with the IE9 beta on a netbook for some time. While the interface was something new, the fact that it was not finished did not really make me use it all that much. These days I tend to stick to Chrome for most of my web browsing, and only tend to use Internet Explorer for Windows updates or if I am using a few of the sites that still only run well on IE – yes those still do exist… On first use of IE9 you can clearly see Microsoft had some influence from Google’s Chrome principles. The interface is clean, sparse and seemingly no-nonsense. Toolbars are banished by default, and there is clear focus on speed. For example – when managing add-ons, IE9 will tell you how much time you will save on start up if you disable a specific plug-in.

Kind of reminds me of the Soluto tool that tells you how much time you can cut off loading times. Its a slightly nerdy tool, but with browsers, speed is very important – be it loading time or rendering of websites. But back to the interface – IE9′s interface is quite a departure from the IE of old. Gone is the rounded edges of IE8 – its instead replaced by rigid straight lines, try its best to use up minimum screen space. Tabs render to right of the URL, which quickly runs out of space if you use a lot of sites at once. There is however an option to make the tabs render beneath the address bar. Which raises the question – if MS wanted to save screenspace, why did they not just use the uppermost titlebar for tabs like Google Chrome does? I suppose this is good enough, but these days the web platform should be the prominent focus. There is also small attention  to detail – the back and forward buttons actually change colour to match the dominating colour of the website your are on. Not really useful, but nice nonetheless.

Before IE9 was launched, Microsoft showed off the rendering performance of IE9 with a bunch of tools they developed – which honestly I do not trust. I want to compare browsers using official benchmarking tools that are based on industry standards, but clearly the IE9 results are still impressive. Microsoft has made a lot of noise about IE9 being able to use hardware accelaration features found in modern graphics cards, somethjing which will surely lead to more immersive, graphics rich websites. But how does it work for just everyday browsing most of us do? The folks at Engadget already did a comparison of the top three browsers, and here it is:

I am not going to keep on writing about how fast IE9 is – but you can take me at my word. It is lightning fast. But faster than Chrome 10? You have to decide. But IE9 also throws in a few new features which makes it better suited to our new web as a platform browsing habits. First is the “Pinned Sites” feature. IE9 has made improvements to Pinned Sites, which enables users to take their favorite sites and place them directly on the Windows 7 Taskbar like any other application. So you can keep a site you visit regularly (lets say Gmail), right in your taskbar. Click on it, and Gmail opens up in its own window. These pinned sites feature also acts as a notification channel – for example a social networking site might want to use it as a quick way to tell you you have a message waiting. While not really revolutionary, it does make a lot of sense.

These same Pinned sites also gain customized menus that enable you to quickly change settings without going into the site, called “Jump Lists”. Windows 7 has allowed this feature with apps for a while now (for example, right click on Outlook’s taskbar button to see choices like a quick entry into the calendar). Now sites can use this very same functionality – but I had a tough time finding sites that are enabled for it by now. I will just have to take Microsoft’s word for it. This will be ideal for streaming audio services..

Now IE has always had one big blemish – because it is the world’s most used browser, hackers have always targetted it’s vulnerabilities. This was perhaps the number one reason many people jumped to different browsers. In December, Microsoft introduced Tracking Protection in Internet Explorer 9, which puts people in control of what data they are sharing as they move around the Web, by enabling consumers to indicate what websites they’d prefer not to exchange information with. Think about – you can now easily define which sites are acutally allowed to use your stored details. While its a great idea, I do not quite agree with how Microsoft approached it. Right now I have to subscribe to specific company’s defined “trusted” lists, which I find a very manual process. But at least you can easily see which application did actually enquire your details so far.

Conclusion:

So would I recommend IE9? Well – if you running Windows Vista or 7, yes, please download it, whether you plan to use it or not. Windows still has a number of services which rely on IE9, and the enhanced security alone is worth it. Do I see myself using it instead of other browsers? Depends – I can absolutely replace Firefox, just because of the speed improvement. Firefox has become a slow mess, and Mozilla really need to take notes from the other browsers. But for IE9 to replace Chrome I really need to enhance on what Google is offering right now. While features like Jump Lists and Pinned sites do make it better, I need to see more sites actually using it. But it is still early days – lets see if developers actually adopt Microsoft’s new browser features.

PS: Friends do not let Friends use Internet Explorer 6. If you see someone still running IE6, help them out…

Come on, lets face it: printers are not that exciting. They just sit in the corner of the room, and are expected to spit out the occasional document. Same from scanners – we use them occasionally, and then we dread having to use the software on our machines. So someone really has to bring something new to the table to make people sit up and take notice.

Lexmark‘s Genesis is one of those printers. First off – it looks different. Its big black slab, with an upright scanner on the front of the device, and a big 4 inch capacitative touch screen. It is solidly put together – none of that cheap feel I normally associated with Lexmark printers of the past. Lets first talk about the scanner. This device scans much faster than any other scanner out there, because it does not use a traditional the traditional flourescent bulb which sweeps slowly accross the page.Instead the Genesis simply has a CCD like the one in many digital cameras, and then just takes a picture of the document in perfect clarity, in all of two seconds.

In fact, the moment you put a page inside the scanner, the front screen already shows a picture of the document being “scanned”. Click the scan button on the screen, and within two seconds the page or photo appears on your desktop. This just makes me wonder – why doesnt all scanners work like this? The only drawback to the printer is that it does not have a paper feeder for scanning – you have to manually place each page on the scanbed. You can however scan multiple photos at once, using clips on the top of the scanbed, as can be seen below.

The other big feature of the Genesis is its large capacitative touch screen on the front. While many printers these days come with colour screens with which to preview images, the Lexmark is entirely touch driven. The screen can be used to quickly scan, copy or fax, which we are all used to. However – Lexmark added a feature called SmartSolutions, which enable you to download small “apps” to your printer (currently available on the high end Lexmarks). For example, you can place a page in the scanner, click on SmartSolutions, and then fire that page off to your Evernote account, just like that. It works for social networks as well – Send a memory card’s photos directly to Facebook. Scan a press release directly to Twitter. Quickly print the following week’s weather report from Accuweather. Check and print Google analytics results from your website. View photos from your Flickr account. See your Google Calendar for the day… You get the idea! Its pretty easy to add these widgets – you add it on screen on your printer, which then communicates with your PC (or Mac) and installs the app you want on the printer. Once the apps are installed, the printer does not need your PC to use the widgets.

Now you have to ask – is this really necessary in a printer? Well, it depends on who wants to use it. I think for household members who are not overly technical, this printer really does save a lot of hassle. I really like the use of the widgets – because there is very few things that frustrate me more than having to deal with scanner software. For example, I like to use the “Email to Me”  app, so pages I scan just arrive in my inbox. No messing with scanning software if I dont want to. I like that.

Oh yes – its a inkjet printer as well. And a very good one at that. Pages print quickly, and the quality is pretty great. Photo prints require inkjet photo paper, otherwise the images do appear washed out, which is a common issue with photos on inkjets. More simple graphics look stunning however, and black and white text is very crisp. It claims to print around 30 pages per minute, but I never got close to that, rather 15 ppm in “eco-mode” (but it does take around 15 seconds before it prints out that first page). The eco mode also enables duplex printing, which is handy. Now a inkjet printer is never cheap to operate, and the Genesis does not really fix that, but it can handle extra large cartridges which do lower the cost per page somewhat.

The printer has 802.11n networking built in, so setup is easy, and you can place it anywhere within your wifi’s range. It functioned well in my home environment, and I never had any software issues. Another cool feature is that you can print photos directly from your iPhone. You install the Lexmark printing app, choose the photo from your iPhone’s photo library, and it prints out. However – this is not Airprint, which I was quite disappointed by. Maybe it can be added with a firmware update, Lexmark?

Overall I was very impressed by the Lexmark Genesis. It is clearly marketed as a upmarket device, and drops the almost disposable feel of cheaper printers (the packaging with all its folders and binders, and the should be a clue already). Print and scanning performance is good for home and office environments, if you take into account the cost of inkjet printing. The standout feature however is the touch screen with the SmartSolution apps. No, I do not believe that these All-in-one devices need “apps” but it really does cut down on effort and does save time. The easy of quickly adding a document to my Evernote library is still great, and something I can really get used to.

All in all I believe that Lexmark does have a product differentiator with its SmartSolutions software, and I hope they add to as many of their printers as possible, not only the high end ones like the Genesis. I have used HP’s similiar services, but I did not find it as polished as the Lexmark software.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Pros:

• Good looks (for a printer)
• Very fast scanning
• SmartSolution apps are genuinely useful
• Good printing quality
• High perceived build quality

Cons:

• Quite large for a AIO device
• Not a cheapy
• No paper feeder for high volume scanning

Cost: $ 400, SA pricing still unavailable (will update), Warranty: 3 years

So a few days ago we reviewed the new Navv GPS app for iPhone and we were impressed by the relatively low price, and the quality of the maps and POIs. But we were not so impressed by a few missing features… Well, good news – Navv has updated the app significantly:

• Support for Multitasking
• Retina Graphics
• iPhone native keyboard
• On device speed camera updates
• Latest NAVTEQ mapset from December 2010
• 3D rendered buildings
• Adventure Mode

So if you downloaded NAVV in the past – it is totally worth the effort to download the update.

As part of Navv’s update news we managed to get our hands on 5 copies, so we want to give this to our readers. It’s pretty easy – simply tweet the following:

RT @bandwidthblog: Win a free copy of the fully featured Navv GPS app – retweet to enter! http://bit.ly/dUk26G

Click here for a easy retweet.

Bandwidthblog will select five winners based on retweets. Winners will be announced here on Bandwidth Blog and Twitter on 25 February at 10:00 AM. Good luck!

Update: The winners of the Navv GPS South Africa app: @matrics, @pakeevy, @louisvdm, @adielslarmie and @willemlabu – Congratulations. I will be in contact with you soon…

So you just bought a new iPhone and you want to know – where is the GPS app??!! After all, most of the Blackberrys come standard with GPS right? Well-bad news. iPhone does not come with free navigation software, only the cut down Google Maps software which does not give you actual voice directions.

Luckily you do have choices – you do not have to buy the expensive versions of software that mimics the traditional big brand GPS’s. Recently I got the opportunity to review the recently released Navv GPS software which is a quite remarkable product at the price. At $25 it is at least half the price of equivalent GPS apps.

For the past week I have used Navv GPS in my normal driving routine, but also for actual navigation duties to areas I do not know. The software points of interest were bang up to date, and frankly included a few waypoints that my Garmin GPS did not have (which has the latest mapset). Route calculation is quick, and without problems. Things like turn offs with instant lane switching was without hiccups at all. Text and route info is easy to read with clear contrast – the icons and info can easily be switched between things like speed, ETA etc just by touching the relevant info.

So this app is considerably cheaper than other offerings – so what do you lose? Well, not much. First off you fire this up and notice the lack of Retina graphics – icons, text and graphics have a slight pixelation to them, which might bother some people. But the way I think about it – a GPS app is anyway placed a bit further away from your face, so you probably wont need Retina graphics. One other missing feature is multitasking support – clicking the home button while running the app actually closes it, which can be a bit disconcerting, especially if you are navigating some complicated turnoffs. But there is hope – on the iPhone 4 it starts up in about 2.5 seconds – so its pretty quick. Other part I do not really like is the lack of a iPhone keyboard – instead NAVV uses large alphabetic letters.

Small things to appreciate is the South African language support – it also supports Afrikaans (called “Annetjie”) and Zulu (called “Bongani”). Here is a rundown of the features you can expect from NAVV:

NAVIGATION Mode

• Turn-by-turn navigation for driving

• Voice instructions for accuracy

• Speeding alerts for safety

• 3D landmarks for making maps more realistic

POIs

• Cafes, gas stations, etc. – built-in

• Favorites with categories – customizable

• Google for more POIs – embedded

MAPS AND LANGUAGES

• You can NAVV in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, and Danish, Zulu and Afrikaans

• You can NAVV accurate and up-to-date maps of selected countries

• Compass

• Geo coordinates

• Multiple waypoints

All in all I reckon this is a pretty great app for $25. While it does not have the sophistication of the high priced apps, it is a great deal if you only want an app for the occasional navigation duties.

Now this is a pretty novel modern twist on an old idea – the walkie talkie. Heytell enables easy to-and-fro voice messages between smartphone users, and I have to be honest, it works pretty well! Its pretty easy to understand – User A clicks on User B’s  name in the app, then clicks the “Hold to Speak” button, then the app records the message, compresses it, and fires it off to the recipient.

One of the cooler parts of the app is that it is currently available on iPhone and Android – so regardless whether the users of the two operating systems might not agree with each other, they can at least communicate with each other. I tried it out with the guys over at ZaDroid on their devices, and it worked flawlessly between iPhone and Android. On the iPhone it pops up a push notification whenever you have message waiting.

No you might ask – how is this different to Push To Talk? Well – you do not have instantly hear every message, you can listen to it whenever you want, its just waiting in your inbox. As David Perel points out in Charl’s video review of Heytell, the app is also great for quick messaging while driving. Its pretty stupid to send off an SMS, where this app is very easy to use. I can imagine it being quite popular to contact one or two favourites. You can also share your current position with the person you are talking with – think you great that is when you need to meet someone somewhere?

If there is one little bit of advice I can give to the HeyTell developers – please get it on Blackberry as soon as possible, and perhaps also Symbian. If the cross-platform integration works so well with iPhone and Android, it would be even better with Blackberry! Another small point of advice – maybe get some decent user interface specialists in – the icons and buttons have a very “quick and dirty” feel about them. But hey – I am nitpicking here!

Best part – it is free, and it just works! (But there are a few add-ons like voice changers available). You can get it in the Apple Appstore and the Android Marketplace. Next up: Charl Norman’s video review of HeyTell:

Guest Post: Albert is a developer, gadget geek, and all-round nice guy. He’s passionate about Android, and writes for ZADroid, a new blog that covers Android in South Africa. However, anything shiny and sufficiently technologically advanced puts a smile on his face. Above and beyond that, Albert loves the web and the technologies that drive it, good design, and original ideas.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is somewhat hard to get hold of, but we’ve managed to get our grubby paws on not one, but two of these nifty little devices (not official Samsung review units, though, seems they’re quite attached to it). Both Philip and I have had the opportunity to spend some time with the Tab.

The Galaxy Tab is a seven-inch (~18cm) Tablet device, which measures 190.1×120.6×12.0mm.

You would think that using a Galaxy Tab right after the deluge of Honeycomb and Android Tablet news from CES would detract somewhat from the experience, and after the first few minutes with my unit I thought it was going to be a bit of a “meh” review, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. You’ve probably heard people saying it’s like a giant Galaxy S. That’s both spot on, and way off the mark. Let’s get into the details, and you’ll see what I mean.

Physical Features

The Galaxy Tab is a seven-inch (~18cm) Tablet device, which measures 190.1×120.6×12.0mm. It’s a bit thicker than I expected, but that being said, it’s still pretty thin. It’s difficult to differentiate these all-screen devices, but Samsung have pulled it off with the interesting white plastic back (which holds up pretty well to scratches and dirt). The unit is lighter than expected, a bit plasticky, but quite solidly built and quite durable. Unfortunately, the Tab has Samsung’s standard 4 capacitive buttons right beneath the display. With a device like this it’s even easier to accidentally brush against these with undesired effects following. On top of the device is a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, on the left sits the microphone, on the right is the power switch, a very nice volume rocker, and nicely concealed SIM card and SD Card slots. On the bottom is the dock connector and speaker ports. It’s a pity that the 30-pin connector is non-standard (it almost looks like a flipped-over Apple connector), which means you’re shit out of luck if you lose your cable.

It’s difficult to differentiate these all-screen devices, but Samsung have pulled it off with the interesting white plastic back.

All in all, the seven-inch form factor turned out to perfect for prolonged, yet comfortable use, quickly stuffing in an average-sized pocket, and leaving on the nightstand for a charge.

Display

The Super TFT LCD on the Tab is a better-than-average display. Running at a resolution of 1024×768, with a pixel density of 169ppi, text is sharp, colours are bright and vivid, and graphical elements just look better than usual. It even performs surprisingly well in direct sunlight, with a little bit of wash-out, but not to an unusable degree. The Galaxy Tab’s display is covered by a sheet of Corning’s Gorilla Glass, which makes it the ideal toss-it-in-the-bag tablet.

It’s no Super AMOLED, but it’s good enough, and a damn sight better than some other tablet displays out there.

Other Bits and Pieces

The Galaxy Tab has the usual array of extras: 3G and WiFi connectivity, aGPS, and Bluetooth, as well as an ambient light sensor. Nothing out of the ordinary here, and they all work as expected. It’s curious that Samsung has decided that the GSM functionality shouldn’t be limited to data on a Tablet device. You can actually make phone calls if the included headset is used, or on the built-in speaker if private conversations aren’t your thing. A nice extra.

For those intending to use the Tab without a SIM card, the Tab offers a Flight Mode toggle, which will disable the GSM/3G and Bluetooth radios, but leaves WiFi as an option to enable. Be aware, however, that for some reason the Samsung Apps application that is pre-installed on the device will refuse to start if a SIM card is not present. The annoying thing about this is the fact that, even if it knows very well that it won’t run without a SIM, it will still present you with a notification that you can download application updates using it.

Performance & Battery Life

The 1 GHz Hummingbird processor (an ARM processor featuring package-on-package construction) is the same that can be found in the Galaxy S Phone. Samsung takes advantage of the Package-on-Package architecture by embedding 8Gb of MLC Flex OneNAND, 1 Gb of OneDRAM and 3Gb of Mobile DDR into the processor. We already know this makes for a snappy experience, but it felt even quicker on the Tab. It may be down to software tweaks and optimizations. Whatever it is, the Tab is blazingly fast, even with multiple applications running. You also get 16 or 32 GB of internal storage capacity (depending on the model), which can be expanded with a microSD card. The Galaxy Tab also packs 512 MB of DDR RAM, which is less than expected, but it doesn’t seem to hamper performance.

The Galaxy Tab feeds off a massive 3.7V/4000mAh Li-Ion battery, and Samsung claims up to 7 hours of video playback. We didn’t get quite those numbers, but the battery lasted a little bit more than a day and half with regular use. The battery isn’t user-replaceable, but at the pace gadgets are becoming obsolete these days, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Camera(s)

The Tab has two cameras: 3.2 MP rear facing camera and 1.3 MP front facing camera.

The Tab has two cameras: 3.2 MP rear facing camera and 1.3 MP front facing camera. You’d expect a camera packing slightly more mega-pixels from Samsung, whose cellphone cameras are generally very good. So, the main camera isn’t wonderful, but it does the job. The front-facing camera couldn’t be tested with video calls, but the pictures it produced in self-shot mode were useless. That being said, the Camera application almost redeems the lackluster hardware. It has a few very nice features like an auto-stitching panorama mode, and smile detection.

Software

Up to the Galaxy Tab, Android just wasn’t meant for screen sizes large than 5 inches. Samsung worked with Google to bring a modified version of 2.2 (Froyo) to the Tab, which scales correctly, and has a few display tweaks such as larger fonts and buttons (and a different, quite pleasant colour scheme). Samsung has also pre-installed a few applications specifically created for the Galaxy Tab and its form factor. Among these are e-mail, calendar, a media player, and one or two other bits and bobs, like a calculator. It is evident that a lot of thought and care was put into the development of these applications, as they are a joy to use. Also included is Samsung Applications, an extra software repository with Tab-specific extras.

The Galaxy Tab also boasts Adobe Flash 10.1 support, but this is something of a mixed bag, as some Flash content will completely ruin your browsing experience. As an example, the Flash content on Rockstar’s Social Club website caused the Browser application to eat CPU cycles so badly that the operating system made it go away with nary a peep or a notification. Another huge annoyance caused by the Flash support was that one block of Flash content on a page managed to obscure the Browser toolbar at the top of the screen, rendering one unable to perform almost any kind of useful navigation. It eventually got so bad that we set plug-ins to load on demand, instead of automatically.

Admittedly, these issues may well be the fault of the Flash content creator, but the plug-in should at least ensure that the tablet’s user interface isn’t affected by content it’s displaying.

From a usability perspective, using an operating system I’ve gotten used to on a small screen all blown up like this was strange at first. Every now and then it’s evident that the Android we all know and love just wasn’t meant for Tablets, but for those of us familiar with the ins and outs of the OS, using it is a breeze, and, on the Tab, a joy – as there is little to no lagging. Downloading and installing applications from the Android market happened so fast sometimes, that I missed it.

So yes, this tweaked version of Android works on the Galaxy Tab, but only because it is so familiar. Hopefully the Tab is in line for an upgrade to Honeycomb, so it can run Android as Google intends it to be run on this form factor.

Conclusion

I was prepared to be wholly underwhelmed by the Galaxy Tab. I thought that I was going to brush it off as Samsung’s attempt to get a foot in the door before everyone else. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. Samsung has managed to make a software and hardware pairing that was never intended to be work quite well. It’s a pretty device that is fun to use, and it’s just the right size and weight. Would I buy one off-contract? Probably not. Would I get one on contract? I’d seriously consider it.

Now to see how, and if, Samsung catches up to Motorola, LG, and all the other players that will be releasing very powerful hardware coupled with a flavor of Android intended for Tablets.

Build Quality: 4/5

Performance and Responsiveness: 4/5

Aesthetics: 4/5

Display: 4.5/5

Score: 4/5

Guest Post: With many people getting their hands on the Kinect this past holiday, we decided it might be a good idea to get some hands-on experience with the device. Is it worth it? Is it kids only at this point? Hans Haupt will be helping out Bandwidth Blog in future with some gaming related reviews... Expect to see some more in future! You can follow Hans on Twitter at @hanshaupt .

The simple truth is that the Microsoft Kinect is a winner. It is also remarkably addictive. From the moment you turn the device on, you will not want to put it off. It usually performs so well that extended periods of use make other methods of controlling media feel instantly dated. In addition to offering you a new way to play games and interact with your television, the device is also a great showcase for the latest in facial recognition, voice interaction and motion tracking technology. That is, when it works.

Like most new products, Kinect is not perfect. It has its kinks and flaws but when it works it generally does so with aplomb. Considering the device is only a few weeks old and has already sold well over 3 million units, not to mention the strides those in the open source community have made with hacking Kinect, we can give Microsoft’s latest gaming peripheral the benefit of the doubt. Although the steep price may keep some people away at first, Kinect is hands down the best option for motiongaming. Bar none!

In addition to the innovation Kinect brings to gaming, the device also changes the way you can interact with the Xbox dashboard. From subtle voice commands like “Xbox Open Tray” to “Xbox Recommend Movies” within the Zune interface, to waving your hands about a la Tom Cruise in Minority Report to navigate around menus, dress your avatar or view achievements; what Kinect does it does supremely well. In fact, prolonged use of Kinect began to make handling an Xbox 360 controller feel alien and unnatural. This is a great sign, for it means that Microsoft is on the right track with Kinect.

Several launch games are currently available in SA for Microsoft’s latest peripheral. However, because Kinect is new, game developers have yet to harness the obviously untapped potential of this new device. Therefore, although Kinect’s launch line-up does a fair job of offering a taste of what Kinect is capable of, there are no mind blowing titles on offer. With that said, the games which are currently available for Kinect are fun, easy to play and can be enjoyed by many.

So which games should you get? Here is a quick overview of some of Kinect’s launch titles:

Kinect Adventures is the game which ships with every Kinect unit and serves as a fantastic introduction into the Kinect universe. The set of games which make up Kinect Adventures are bright, well-paced, fun, easy to play and are surprisingly well polished. It is the perfect way to become acquainted with controller free gaming, which can take some getting used to depending on your level of coordination or fitness levels. The game is loaded with a variety of unique activities, each with four difficulty settings, multiple levels and the ability to earn a variety of interesting and interactive achievements. Surprisingly, Kinect Adventures is the kind of game that you will end up playing again and again, especially with friends and family!

Kinect Sports:

Kinect Sports is very much like Wii Sports, only controller-less. The game offers a variety of sporting games to play, either alone, with friends or even via Xbox Live. Although not playing with a controller can be quite an odd sensation, it makes for interesting and intuitive gameplay. As fun and entertaining as this sporting game can be, and it is, it does suffer from the occasional motion tracking glitch. This is by no means a deal breaker but it is annoying none the less. However, the overall quality of the game does save it from the occasional glitches and, as a launch title, it is a worthy and enjoyable sports title to own.

There are no delusions that children were the intended audience for Kinectimals. Kids will love having their own cute panther cub to care for and literally play with, while they spend hours exploring all that the Kinectimal Island has to offer. With that said, the game does have plenty of extras to keep even the most seasoned of gamers entertained. It will mesmerise gamers of all ages and it will bring out the kid in pretty much anyone who plays. If nothing else, Kinectimals is a great showcase for all that is Kinect.

Kinect Joyride is a simple arcade racer at its core with the primary difference being that you use only your arms and upper body to play the game. Lean back for boost, push your arms out to activate boost, spin around or lean to your sides to perform tricks, and always remember to keep your arms out to hold the imaginary steering wheel. It is a simple game which offers only a few moments of pleasure throughout the games very short campaign. Sadly the game is a rather barebones racer and pales in comparison to the other much more accomplished launch titles on offer. If you are desperate for a Kinect inspired racer then give it a go, but it would be advisable to wait for future racing titles before ‘jumping in’.

Dance Central is probably one of the best and most polished games in the Kinect launch line up. Think of it like Rock Band, except you are the instrument. In addition to the game exuding graphical eye candy it also features one of the most intuitive and easy to use menu systems in a Kinect game. As good as the game is, however, it could have been so much better if the developers had just added a few additional modes, some extra features and more than just a handful of songs. Even so, the core mechanic of the game works flawlessly, making this a must have title for every Kinect owner or aspiring ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ competitor.

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved is basically your very own digital personal trainer. It aims to be your one stop home workout solution, which is able to track and audibly correct your movements as you progress through the various exercises and activities. The title is certainly innovative and offers a great showcase of the technology while implementing one of best interfaces for a Kinect game, but any fitness buff or regular gym goer will probably not really benefit from what this game has to offer. For everyone else, however, expect plenty of sweat and many sore muscles after each intense and fun workout or activity. The potential for a good home based video game gym solution is ingenious and is no doubt a sought after idea. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved is therefore a good indication of the future possibilities of the technology offered by Kinect.

A few weeks ago we promised you that we would follow up our review of the Cell C Speedstick with some real world speed tests, and here you go. I ran these tests during different times, and also at a few different locations. Overall the speeds are very quick, but there is a definite spike in network speed at off peak hours, a few times my connection reached above 10Mbps, which is great considering SA still has a maximum of 10Mbps of ADSL lines…

In terms of reception I was pretty lucky – I used it in quite a few areas in the Cape Town / Bellville / Stellenbosch areas, and also to a trip to Pretoria, and not once did I have reception problems. I did however once get only EDGE reception in Durbanville (or D’Urbanvale to be precise), despite Cell C’s map indicating full HSPA reception where I was standing – maybe I should tell Trevor eh?

I also found that the reception can be very sensitive – for example at work I found that connecting the modem to a laptop above my table gave me full HSPA speed, whereas connecting to a desktop below my table gave only a WCDMA connection. Maybe your experience would be different. But to be honest – in 90% of my use I had full HSPA+ speeds.

At present I am sharing a PDF file with my Speedtest.net results so far, based on connections to Johannesburg and London. Information includes download and upload speeds, and ping times. I also check how long Youtube videos had to buffer before playing (using standard definition videos). You will also find my signal strength and location info.

• You can find my Cell C Speedstick speedtest results here (PDF).

Once again I will try to keep this updated over time…