Papillon: World's first mechanical mobile phone

These are the first official pictures of the Celsius X VI II Papillon -- the world's first entirely mechanical mobile phone.

The handset, which takes its design inspiration from the visibile mechanical workings of high-end watches, is due to the unveiled at the BaselWorld watch fair in Switzerland.  Constructed from 547 components -- the majority of which are hand-finished -- the Papillon (French for "butterfly") is arguably one of the most excessive mobiles not to bear the Vertu name.

Like all good Swiss watches the clam shell handset is self-powering, relying on the kinetic energy created by the movements of the human body -- a great function for a wristwatch, but probably a real pain for a mobile if you're low on battery and need to make an emergency call.

At present this is just a concept, but if visitors to the Basel World watch fair seem willing to part with the €200,000 (£180,000) asking price, we're sure you can become the proud owner of what will probably become one of the most tiresome gadgets ever made -- unless you're one of those people who paces the room while on the phone.

SXSW: Ford discusses plans for in-car app store

Austin, Texas is a wired kinda town: you're nobody if you're not on Four Square, the barmen know as much about Android as they do fixing drinks, and every year it plays host to South By South West Interactive -- a tech conference on a gargantuan scale. 

This time 10,741 people have converged for the festival, which is their largest turn out to date, and I have the pleasure of being Wired's ears and viewing spheres. Each day, in a special series of blog posts, I will report on an event that's got me excited. 

So, my first day. "Dude, This Is My Car" was a talk hosted by Ford R & D whizz TJ Giuli, and Paddy Srinivasan, founder of cloud computing company Cumulux. With many SXSW-ers plumping for the oversubscribed (and apparently below par) discussion about mobile user experience, Giuli's revelations about his company's plans for networked vehicles was under-attended but intriguing. 

The gist: Ford will soon create an "App Store" for cars, allowing developers to build programs that will run on customisable displays even in its cheaper (web-enabled) models. Given that vehicles already collect a vast amount of data about how you drive, combining this information with geosocial networking platforms throw up exciting possibilities. 

You could encourage desirable behaviour such as greener driving by creating a game where you get points for, say, driving at less erratic speeds (constant acceleration and breaking is fuel inefficient) and competing against your friends. Or perhaps there would be a tour-guiding app that links your GPS navigation to Wikipedia to make journeys more interesting. "Instead of having points of interest drawn from a stock database, what if you could have POIs your friends have recommended to you?" said Giuli. 

More pragmatic applications might include emergency help, as Srinivasan explained. "Say your car is about to blow up" -- "it's not a Ford," interrupted Giuli -- "...you want to find the five friends closest to you to get help". 

This is all very well, but couldn't these kinds of applications cause such accidents, especially when in their crudest forms they will just allow drivers to check their twitter feeds? 

Giuli is adamant that "managed openness" is the solution to ensuring that apps are safety-conscious, though he refused to be more specific. Another potential pitfall is that if your driver data is exposed on social networks, then third-party ownership of that data is rendered acceptable, which means insurance companies might get hold of it and penalise fast drivers (actually, is that so bad?). 

However it works out, the internet of things just got a little more real. Your tweeting plant could soon look positively outmoded.

Olympus PEN E-P2 review

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9 OUT OF 10

PRICE£497.81 (BODY ONLY) £577.27 (WITH 18-55MM LENS) PRICES FROM AMAZON

SPECS

Resolution: 12.3 Megapixels
Sensor type: Micro Four Thirds Live MOS
Burst rate:  3fps
Video recording: Up to 720p MJPEG with stereo sound.
Optical zoom: N/A
LCD screen: 3 inch, 230,000 dots
Lens mount: Micro Four Thirds
Memory card compatibility: SD , SDHC
Built-in flash: No
Image stabilisation: Mechanical
Size (WxDxH): 120.5 x 35 x 70 mm
Weight: 335g (body only)

Olympus started a mini-revolution with the release of the E-P1, or PEN. By combining elegant retro styling with superb build-quality, a compact Micro Four Thirds body, interchangeable lenses and most importantly, excellent picture-taking capabilities, the E-P1 was as desirable as it was expensive.

However, there was no built-in flash, and although Olympus makes a tiny external flash especially for the E-P1 it's an added expense many didn't want to pay for. Because of these issues and also its high initial price, the E-P1 has faced some stiff competition in the form of Panasonic's GF1, with it's even more compact body, built-in flash and optional electronic viewfinder.

With the new Olympus E-P2, the company has addressed most of these points. It's pretty much an E-P1 with a few significant tweaks -- but unfortunately, a much higher price. Even if you search for a good deal, an E-P2 will cost you around £200 more than the original E-P1.

Externally the two cameras are difficult to tell apart, save for the new model's black and dark metallic grey exterior. There's not much that's changed about the internal hardware either: The image sensor and the bulk of the electronics remain unchanged.

If you need flash you'll still have to fit an external unit just like on the original model, but just under the hot-shoe is a new "accessory port" which currently allows you to connect either the included electronic viewfinder (with a considerably higher resolution than Panasonic's offering) or a range of microphones for off-camera audio recording while shooting video up to 720p resolution. Olympus hints at additional future uses for the accessory port, promising the connection of "an array of professional devices".

There are a few important internal upgrades too: A new autofocus mode locks onto your subject and tracks it as it moves within the frame, be it across the frame, into it or out of it. Of course it also continuously adjusts the exposure as it moves. The fully automatic "iAuto" camera mode has now been upgraded to incorporate "iEnhance". Now, not only does the camera automatically detect the kind of scene you're shooting and set the correct exposure, it also makes adjustments to colour and contrast to fit. For example, it will automatically boost reds when it detects a sunset.

At the other end of the spectrum full manual mode has now been expanded to work with video, giving you control over depth of field and shutter speeds when shooting HD video.

Other additions are relatively minor: couple of extra art filters which expand on the range of somewhat gimmicky but fun picture effects available in-camera. Particularly fun is the new Diorama mode though, which automatically creates those fake "tilt shift" images where life-sized objects appear as tiny model replicas.

Features like these really make it difficult to decide whether this camera wants to be fun or serious. We really rather think it's both, although most definitely priced for the latter. In terms of features and function, it may effectively bridge the gap between the high-end compact and low-end dSLR. The price, on the other hand, is over double what you would pay for a Nikon D3000.

Part of the higher price is undoubtedly due to the inclusion of the detachable electronic viewfinder. This comes as an option on competing cameras such as the GF1 and Olympus's own budget model, the E-PL1 -- but if you buy an E-P2 you're forced to pay for a viewfinder you simply may not need.  To give you an idea of its value, Panasonic charges £189 for the, rather inferior, DMW-LVF1E to fit the GF1.

That said, the E-P2 is so much more than a poor man's dSLR. The image quality is just as good, the large live-view screen is superb and the build-quality is truly excellent. Despite its consumer-friendly fun functions, it's a camera to be taken very seriously.

The range of lenses available to the Micro Four Thirds system is expanding all the time and growing numbers of enthusiasts are using inexpensive adapters to fit esoteric and vintage Leica mount lenses to produce some truly stunning results -- all from a camera that will fit easily into a coat pocket.

It may be expensive, but the Olympus E-P2 offers the best combination of features currently available in a Micro Four Thirds camera. However, if you can live without the additional features, the E-P1 currently delivers considerably better value for money and if you simply must have a built-in flash, go for a Panasonic GF1.

Wired

Probably the best Micro Four Thirds camera available at the moment. In-body image stabilisation. Attractive retro looks. Excellent build quality. Detachable electronic viewfinder.

Tired

Too expensive and very similar to the less expensive E-P1. Hidden menus. Pancake kit lens not as good as Panasonic offering. Price includes expensive electronic viewfinder which you may not want.

Nintendo entering e-books market with DSi XL

Update: Good news, everyone! It turns out the UK is once more at the cutting edge of all things gaming -- the DSi e-book reader cartridge is available today. In fact, it has been available for over a year! Yes, it was so unbelievably popular, and made such an enormous impact, that its existence in our market for over 12 months completely slipped us by. Thanks to Wired.co.uk's commenters for pointing this out. (They may be the only ones who knew.)

Nintendo announced that its latest gadget, the DSi XL, will be useful for more than just chasing around in Mario Kart. You'll also be able to read books on it.

Bloomberg reports that the first DSi XL e-book offering will be a cartridge containing 100 public domain books, including classics penned by Twain and Shakespeare. This means Nintendo is opting for its traditional, cartridge-oriented approach versus launching an online bookstore.

The £150 device, which is basically a blown-up version of its predecessor, features two 107mm (4.2-inch) screens, folds like a book, and is about the size of a paperback. All of which could make it an attractive platform for reading (though it's not the only e-reading device to feature two screens).

Nintendo has sold roughly 130 million DS consoles so far (including DSi and DS Lite), and the global popularity of the DS platform might make Nintendo a serious e-book competitor. But Cammie Dunaway, the executive vice president of sales for North America told Bloomberg that's not the immediate goal. "It's just one more way to enjoy your device."

The DSi XL, which has been available in Japan for months now, will launch in the UK on 5 March.

We reviewed the Nintendo DSi XL recently and concluded it's not just about it being bigger: "The DSi XL is a grown up console in every sense of the word and is the only Nintendo DS you'll ever need. "

Nintendo's move most likely doesn't represent an aggressive move into the e-book market. Rather, it shows the company is trying to make its gadgets more useful in new ways before a tidal wave of tablets and smartphoneschips away at the audience for mobile games.

Sony: 'We advise you do not use your PS3'

Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN) went into meltdown this weekend, logging users out of the service and preventing them from playing online games.

That alone would be inconvenient, but users are reporting that previously downloaded games -- including Heavy Rain -- cannot be played offline, and that trophies won in games have disappeared from the console.

Sony is aware of the problem, posting updates on both its PS3 blog and Twitter stream. Oddly, the issue is confined to the original big PS3s: The PS3 Slim remains unaffected by the problem.

Sony has posted an update, explaining that “this problem is being caused by a bug in the clock functionality incorporated in the system.” The company said it is hoping to resolve the issue in the next 24 hours. Sony advises owners of the non-slim PS3 to avoid using their systems until the bug is fixed.

Affected units have their system date set to Dec. 31, 1999 (something impossible to do manually, apparently) or Jan. 1, 2000, and the consoles are only able to play non-protected games.

We’ll keep an eye on this, and we’re sure that Sony’s PSN engineers aren’t getting much sleep tonight. If any readers are experiencing the same issues, let us know in the comments.

Google Chrome browser now translates websites

Additional privacy controls and an integrated translation function are among the improvements Google is promising from the latest iteration of its Chrome browser.

The new beta version, which was announced today, has even more emphasis on privacy. The beta already offered an incognito mode, which Google touted as "a handy way to browse the web without leaving traces of website visits or downloads on your computer".

However, users will now be able to control how browser cookies, images, JavaScript, plug-ins and pop-ups are handled on each website that they visit. This means that you will be able to block cookies, for example, on websites that you don't trust. Chrome users can also opt to have all cookies deleted when they close their browser.

And more control over Adobe Flash Player has been included so users can "view and control the local objects that Adobe Flash stores on their computer".

It is a bid that is sure to win over hardened web surfers who browse websites in a variety of languages that is the most interesting update. While the majority of us currently have to cut and paste URLs to get translations, Chrome is offering instant translations "without the need for any browser extensions or plug-ins". If the web page is in a different language to your preferred setting, Chrome will ask you automatically if you need a translation.

The news of the beta update follows weeks of additions including access to web apps from TFL, TicketMaster, SeatWave, the Independent and Financial Times.

Look out for the updates, which are expected to be available in the next couple of weeks. And please do add your views in the comments below once you have given it a try.

The Bloom Energy Bloom Box busted

The Bloom Energy Bloom Box got a lot of coverage ahead of the Clean Tech forum. Blue chip companies such as eBay and Google, amongst others, were announced as customers; Arnold Schwarzenegger and General Colin Powell attended the launch; and the company’s CEO, Dr KR Sidhar, was featured on talk show 60 Minutes, appearing to claim that the device emitted almost no C02.  

Exciting stuff, but what does the Bloom Box actually do?

According to the press release: "Bloom’s fuel cell technology is fundamentally different from the legacy hydrogen fuel cells most people are familiar with. The Bloom Energy Server is distinct in four primary ways: it uses lower cost materials, provides unmatched efficiency in converting fuel to electricity, has the ability to run on a wide range of renewable or traditional fuels, and is more easily developed and maintained."

Well, it’s a solid oxide fuel cell, which certainly is different from a hydrogen fuel cell. But that’s nothing new in itself: British Gas is already installing solid oxide fuel cells made by Ceres, a British company, into UK homes. It’s a very cool new technology, but one many businesses are currently producing, according to Richard Miller of theUK Technology Strategy Board.

As for the four primary ways Bloom energy is distinct, these are so fluffy as to be meaningless: we want data. And Sidhar’s claim, that it has nearly zero CO2 emissions, simply can’t be the case: solid oxide cells work by combining and burning air and methane (or other natural gases) to produce energy, water vapour and CO2, unavoidably. The question that must be answered is how much energy the Server generates for each unit of fuel input, and how much C02.

Bloom might turn out to be as fantastic as the press coverage it has received. But we need to know more. "It’s like launching a car and saying, 'This is amazing -- you put fuel in it and the wheels go round.' The question is how much fuel you put in," says Dr Niall Caldwell, of Artemis Intelligent Power, a company which aims to digitalise hydraulic power, also on the Clean&Cool Mission.

Until this is answered, Wired will remain circumspect about the hype. Google and eBay are great companies (and we’d love to say Schwarzenegger is a great actor and governor…), but their endorsement alone doesn’t make a technology miraculous and is certainly no substitution for data.