E-reader manufacturers Kobo have announced that their 'Vox' reader now supports Google's Play music, video and App store.

From their press release:

Kobo Inc., a global leader in eReading, today announced that Kobo Vox™ eReader customers now have access to more than 500,000 apps as part of its support for Google Play™. Consumers can now take advantage of more music, movies, Android™ apps, and games than ever before with the Google Play store app preloaded on the Kobo Vox.

“Google Play is the perfect addition for the content-rich eReading environment of the Kobo Vox,” said Dan Leibu, Chief Technology Officer, Kobo.

“This is another big step in our ability to give people an open and compelling multimedia device that can be customized to suit their needs. Having access to the thousands of games, apps and tools offered by Google Play makes the Kobo Vox an eReader and so much more.”

Samsung has published an account of how it kept the Galaxy S3 secret - and a picture of the guys that did it:

So now you know.

In a funny public relations story doing the rounds today, a retailer has imposed a 'tax' for users who buy products with Internet Explorer 7.

The old browser is reviled by many for its continuing popularity despite its poor compatibility with many modern websites.

The Australian electronics store involved, (Kogan) said it will charge users an extra 6.8% - which will rise over time - unless they switch browsers:

The way we’ve been able to keep our prices so low is by using technology to make our business efficient and streamlined. One of the things stopping that is our web team having to spend a lot of time making our new website look normal on IE7.

Orbitsound has today launched a new soundbar which is far-smaller than competitors, but which it boasts has "room-filling" sound quality:

The T9 soundbar will be available from mid-July 2012 from John Lewis and selected independent retailers, priced £199.99.

Leading British audio technology company Orbitsound announces the revolutionary new T9. Launching to market in mid-July, the compact T9 is a neat, versatile unit with the capacity to fill a room with Orbitsound’s unique spatial sound. A soundbar and mini-speaker dock in one, this ground-breaking system is a first for the market. No other audio manufacturer has developed a compact unit capable of delivering such impressive audio. The T9 significantly enhances TV and home-cinema audio from smaller screen TVs; whilst also producing stereo definition and powerful sound to surpass the quality available from any similarly-sized docks currently on the market.

This video is apparently a leaked trailer for Thief 4, via an Eidos employee's showreel. We have no idea if it's true - but it does remind us of the old Thief games (which you can buy here).

This infographic explains:

Via: OnlineEducation.net

Gizmodo has a new comparison of Apple's new Maps app and the Google version it is replacing in iOS6 for iPhone and Android.

The takeaway - as we've said before, it's not good for Apple.

"Apple's maps look wonderful. Crisp, clean, paper-like, even, but... right now they're completely devoid of useful information" says Giz.

Skype has just launched a new ad-platform which can serve up banners during audio calls.

The company said in its announcement that customers would like the new service...

"While on a 1:1 audio call, users will see content that could spark additional topics of conversation that are relevant to Skype users and highlight unique and local brand experiences," Skype's Sandhya Venkatachalam wrote on the company blog. "So, you should think of Conversation Ads as a way for Skype to generate fun interactivity between your circle of friends and family and the brands you care about. Ultimately, we believe this will help make Skype a more engaging and useful place to have your conversations each and every day."

Not a joke.

Condition One is a startup launched by a war photographer, Danfung Dennis, which converts video into 180-degree images, which you can pan around with your smartphone or tablet.

A pilot project has already brought some big names, including the Guardian, but you can get a sense of the idea in the video below.