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You Spinn iPod Right Round Baby…….P10
2008-05-20 13:52:00
iRiver has followed up the launch of its iPod rival, the Spinn PMP, with an updated model for those lucky Koreans! The new P10 features a 800×480 res 4.3 inch LCD,  33GB of internal memory, supports WMV and MPEG videos and Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (the TV version of DAB). It also has handwriting recognition as well several dictionaries including English, Chinese, Japanese. It can also be used as an e-Book reader as it supports PDF, Word and Excel. Two versions will be available - a basic version (without DMB) for 200 euros, and a pro version (with DMB) for 250 euros - yup, lets hope we can use those Euros to buy one over here soon! Via - Akihabara News
More About: Ipod , Round

New Sony LJ - Tiny Keyboard
2008-05-19 15:48:00
Sony Korea has unveiled its latest LJ Series laptop, the VGC-LJ25L. It has a 15.4-inch LCD screen, a built-in camera, microphone and speakers.   It’s powered by a Core 2 Duo T8100 processor and offers 2GB of RAM and a 200GB HDD and a tiny half-size keyboard. The board is what they describe as a “holding” keyboard.  It is apparently designed for more efficient use in “narrow spaces” - something that I’ve always looked for. Honest! The thing is that the odd half board thingy only goes to protect half the screen!  The price, if you’re in South Korea, is 1,399,000 won.  Roughly £700. Pocket Lint
More About: Sony , Tiny , Keyboard

Sony Ericsson X1 or PSP Phone Video?
2008-05-19 11:17:00
There’s a You Tube vid going around the interweb that is said to be showing 2 new Sony Ericsson mobiles. Noone seems to be entirely certain which models these are, or whether they’re just prototypes.  Saying that though, there does seem to be a disctinct whiff of X1 or could it be the PSP Phone ? The theme for Sony does seem to be convergence on their new blowers.  They do point out plenty of multimedia, data sharing, and chat apps. Check out the vid here:  You Tube SE  via Engadget
More About: Video

Planika Lights Up Your Room and Furniture!
2008-05-18 20:41:00
Nope - the table isn’t on fire and that’s not a burning waste paper basket. Planika Fires lets you have a fire in the middle of your coffee table (should you wish) thanks to a proprietary liquid biofuel called Fanola, which burns completely smoke and smell free. Fanola, the company says, is a biologically clean product which emits nothing but water vapor and CO2. The fireplace technology comes in a variety of designs, so you can mix and match with every piece of Ikea/Habitat furniture ever created. Pricing info aint available just yet. Planika Fires via greenupgrader via Gizmodo
More About: Furniture , Room , Lights

Alienware and XPS - Dell Clears it Up
2008-05-18 14:08:00
One of Dell ’s official blogs has come to my rescue and shed a more conclusive light on the whole XPS gaming line in favor of Alienware story that I’ve been watching. The crux of it is that the XPS and Alienware development teams are being combined. XPS will concentrate on the high-end consumer direction (”XPS isn’t going away, though it may go in new directions as hinted by the XPS One and the slimline XPS m1330″) while Alienware totally subsumes Dell’s gaming side becoming the “….. fantastic global brand that sets benchmarks for gaming.” So there you have it. Direct2Dell via Cnet

The Ultimate Flight Controller? Saitec X52Pro
2008-05-17 21:09:00
If you’re looking to make that aircraft simulation a little bit more realistic what you’re probably missing is realistic controls. The X52Pro is probably as close as you’re going to get short of wiring up a cockpit in your living room. Saitec have built upon their wonderful X52 and now the MFD screen is interactive so that you can display important in-game information such as the Radio Stack and interact with your games directly. Shipping with support for Microsoft’s Flight Simulator X, there’s also a Software Development Kit (SDK) included. Chose between night-friendly red, green or amber illumination for the different LED buttons on the controller. Using the SDK, you can also program the LEDs to react to conditions in your game such as flashing red during a stall or changing colour when pressed. Here’s a list - and I mean a list - of controls: Joystick Precision centering mechanism, non-contact technology on X and Y axes and constant spring force reduc...
More About: Ultimate , Controller

Rock in Administration!
2008-05-08 22:54:00
I’ve just heard the shocking news that Rock has hit Rock bottom, as it were. In a sudden announcement made today, Dominic Wong and David Langton of Deloitte & Touche LLP were appointed as Joint Administrators of Rock Group Plc. Apparently the failure of Rock is “partly attributed to the cash flow difficulties faced as a result of stock misappropriation by a former employee,” though further details were omitted. As it stands, the admins are currently negotiating with potential suitors in order to place the outfit in more capable hands, but there is still a possibility that no one will bite. For more more news about how this affects you if you’ve bought one of their machines go to their news page here. Engadget
More About: Administration

Another iPod Dock - Gear4 Duo
2008-05-08 22:40:00
I confess to getting a little bored with the multitude of iDock s knocking around. Few have pricked my attention such as the B&W Zeppelin, the loveliness of Roth Audio’s line-up and of course the gorgeous Vita Audio R4 but the latest from Gear4 has it’s own trick. The ‘Duo’ looks like another compact 2.1 speaker system for Apple’s tune-box but pull off the magnetically connected front panel and you’ve got yourself a portable, battery-powered speaker system similar to Gear4’s own StreetParty Size 0 complete with a fold-away kick stand. When you want to re-dock just push it up against the sub and the magnets click it back into place, and your music continues without fuss. Crave states that the “sound quality’s not too shabby. When connected to the sub, the overall tone is acceptable”. Basically it’s ok for your study or bedroom with the benefit of the portable front-end so you don’t have to stop the vibe or pod...
More About: Ipod

Mobile Media Hub or Geek Scooter?
2008-05-08 11:43:00
Personally, with the weather as it is here in London, this is the only time I’d ride a scooter in a faux Italian kinda way. But i’d still miss the car-bound comforts such as hi-fi, video screen, etc. Not so fast! How about a scooter that packs a PC with a 1.2 GHz Mini-ITX motherboard, 1GB of RAM, a 2GB SSD, Bluetooth, and wireless internet into the frame along with a TV and radio tuner, 8″ LCD touchscreen, GPS, web cam, system status monitor, a mobile PVR and even an electric guitar PC uplink? The Lab will be putting instructions on how to build this media hub on 2 wheels on their site. So if you feel like a ride out just check your GPS, hit the open road to write some killer riffs as well as surfing the net whilst chatting over Skype at the same time as broadcasting your own pirate radio station and watching the news (and taping your favourite shows) as well as sharing your love as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot - get ready to build! I can’t see how the police would...
More About: Media , Mobile , Geek , Scooter

iPhone Sold Out in UK
2008-05-08 11:14:00
Well, I don’t really feel like I need to add anything to the picture. I think O2 are trying to tell us something………… ….. The odd thing is that there hasn’t been any whisper of a release date for the next generation of the blower of the lord.
More About: Iphone , Sold

Freesat and Sqish Dish - The Way Forward.
2008-05-07 13:21:00
As you will have heard, Freesat will go up against Sky’s HD service and will be available across the UK - in fact - in 98% of homes. Users will have to make a one-off payment for a dish, set-top box and installation, but will not pay a monthly subscription. As you’ve got to track down your own dish you might as well get something a bit more groovy - enter the Sqish! Suitable to receive Sky as well as Freesat broadcasts, Sqish dishes come with the bonus of “sqishoflage” stickers . Squishes are from around £150, plus £25 for a sticker, available now.
More About: Dish , Forward

Sony Play TV - September Release!
2008-05-07 12:22:00
Sony has confirmed that their Play TV service will be out in September and will hit your wallet to the tune of 99 euros (£78). PlayTV is an add-on gadget for the PS3 and effectively turns the console into a personal video recorder (PVR), although you have to keep in mind the puny 40GB hard drive. It brags dual TV tuners with full access to Freeview, so users can record one channel while watching another and take advantage of the usual Freeview features. A seven-day EPG is also featured for easy channel surfing. The bestest feature for Sony fans is the PS3’s link up with the PSP, so owners of both consoles can record and watch TV remotely using Wi-Fi, effectively turning the combination into a personal global TV channel.  Bonus!
More About: Sony , Release

WaSnake - The Digital Shelf
2008-05-07 11:57:00
The WaSnake is a shelf that can be bent and reshaped to fit the style of your room and can also disply SMS text messages and RSS feeds via the coloured LED clusters and optic fibres. It’s all hooked up to a puter and there’s a varity of options on the shelf itself to change the displays. It has been developed by Jean Louis Frechin and showcased at the International Milan furniture show and I think that it’s a pretty cool idea for the office and it would be even better if you could link up others around the department - in fact, I’d love one of these! Via NewLaunches
More About: Digital , Shelf

BT’s Blackberry. Home Hub + Vodafone.
2008-05-07 10:47:00
British Telecom are apparently looking to dip their toes back into the mobile handset market with a “BlackBerry-styled” device that does everything your typical smartphone can……..and more! According to Times Online, the device will automatically ”switch from BT’s wireless Home Hub indoors to Vodafone ’s network on the move” and it will probably be sold with a broadband package. Do we think that they’ve learned the lessons that the ‘Fusion’ presented them with and, by-the-way, can we have a look at this handset please? Via Pocket-lint
More About: Blackberry

HTC Touch Diamond Update
2008-05-06 14:10:00
Because I didn’t get an invite to HTC’s show n tell I have to use the info from Engadget - also visit their page for pics from the presentation. Below you shall find the latest spec fresh from the presentation at the Soho Hotel here in London town.  It seems that Touch FLO 3D is being pushed quite heavily by Peter Chou.  It’s all about one-touch browsing and single-finger dialing - I’m guessing so you can keep hold of your take-away coffee. Windows Mobile 6.1 VGA Screen Quad-band HSDPA 7.2 One-touch navigation, including single-finger dialing An accelerometer that rotates pictures as you rotate the phone One-touch music playback with an animated music browser A heavily-animated weather forecast app Full-featured desktop-like web browser (Opera) with zoom-in tech that actually reformats to fit the screen upon zoom, although Microsoft promises IE 6 coming soon for it Youtube app and content playback Available in June in Europe via Orange and the “res...
More About: Update , Diamond

The He(art) of Coffee Grinding - Heart Beans
2008-05-06 13:29:00
I, like many of you out there, can’t face the day without a great deal of caffine pumping through my veins and I think this contraption is aimed at us. The Heart Beans coffee-grinder is meant for the coffee connoisseur (note: not coffee junky - drat!) who believes making a great cup of coffee is pure (he)art. So here is an artistic coffee-grinder that operates according to the beat of the user’s heart.  It’s a “personal product from quality mahogany, with a built-in motor, controlled by an apparatus to measure the pace of the beating heart (HBM, Heart Beat Monitor); also included are peripheral electronics that bind it all together and allow it to work.” It all sounds very nice until the blurb tells you that the design is so that the user gets to ”hold the grinder in similar pose to holding a baby or a musical instrument, very affectionately (it) enables you to experience intimacy with the process of making coffee.”  Now, speaking as a...
More About: Coffee

HTC Touch Diamond - Pics
2008-05-06 11:16:00
I’m expecting more news of this later today but here’s some “leaked” images as I know how you lot love this kind of thing :0) This is purpotedly the new HTC Diamond and just check out these specs: 2.8-inch VGA display WinMo 6.1 Pro WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 eGPS, FM tuner Quad-band HSDPA 7.2 4GB internal flash, microSD slot 528MHz CPU 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus 10.7mm (0.47-inches) thick could also feature an orientation sensor / accelerometer There’s disagreement as to whether it will sport a QWERTY keyboard but then so will their CDMA-based Raphael. Let’s face it - they weren’t going to be resting on their laurels after engineering SE’s Xperia now were they?
More About: Touch

Moto and Kodak Join Forces - ZN5
2008-05-02 15:46:00
Say hello to Moto rola’s upcoming ZN5 and it looks as thought the 5-megapixel camera that it is armed with is a Kodak shooter.  I haven’t made my mind up as to whether I like the keypad and until I get my mits on it I wont be able to tell how easy it is to use. I’m guessing we will have to wait to see if it can compete with Nokias N95 and soon N96 or Sony’s Cybershot but I’m guessing that Moto and Kodak are praying that it will help them both out of their money haemorrhaging situations. KeySJ.com via Gizmodo
More About: Join , Forces

Actual pics of 3G iPhone
2008-05-02 14:44:00
More news - since my last post it seems that the French iPhone blog, iPhon.fr, has had these pics sent in from an anonymous and unverified source, yeah, I know. But they do match what was stated earlier - I realise I may have been had but hey - I’m willing to take one for the team if it means that my gorgeous readers are kept bang up-to-date :0)   iPhon.fr 
More About: Iphone

JVC Super Hi-Vision LCD - 16 times better than HD!
2008-05-02 12:47:00
This tiny work of art is JVC’s new Direct-Drive Image Light Amplifier and it can produce images at an eye-popping 8192 x 4320 resolution—that’s 35 megapixels-or around 16 times more than full HD! JVC are saying the little single-device reflective liquid crystal imager has the highest resolution in the World - so there! They’ve been working on this tech since 2003, refining the pixel count and contrast upwards with each generation. Last year JVC made a 1.27-inch 4096 x 2400 version, which went on sale in a projector in February 2008. So does that mean we’ll see the new 1.75-inch, 20,000:1 version in projectors soon? It is likely, but not neccessarily for the home set-up. via Akihabaranews
More About: Super , Times , Vision

Lego Universe - Multiplayer Online Brick Building
2008-05-02 12:09:00
If the totally awesome Lego Chess-Set is not enough all you Lego fans will soon be able to create your own virtual Lego Universe brick by brick. Next year will see the launch of a multiplayer online game called Lego Universe, in which players will be able to create online Lego versions of themselves and interact with each other. “We want to make the connection between digital play and physical play,” Mark William Hansen who is in charge of Lego Universe told Reuters. “The physical experience is our core, the digital experience will never replace the physical experience, but it’s a nice add-on.” Lego fans will actually be able to order a real version of the online Lego avatar they create of themselves - fantastic! The game will inititially launch as a PC game that will be available to buy in stores as well as a download, but rumour has it that it will also come to other platforms. Hansen added that the game will operate as a pay-as-you-go subscrip...
More About: Building , Online , Multiplayer

3G iPhone - New Design Pics?
2008-05-02 11:14:00
Another rumour that seems to becoming more real is the much anticipated 3G iPhone. The latest information comes from iLounge and seems to substantiate that the 3G iPhone will be glossy black and slightly thicker than the original. iLounge says that Apple has provided overseas case manufacturers with details of a new device, and they’ve mocked up the image here as an illustration, with the old model on the left and top for comparison. Granted, it’s not a greatly enlightening as to what the new blower will look like but I’m interested as to what that additional front-mounted sensor is. iLounge 
More About: Design , Iphone

Blu-Ray for XBox 360. More News!
2008-05-02 11:00:00
We are all aware of the constant rumour/denial cycle concerning the XBox following the death of HD DVD. Rather than being ignored it seems that the leaks are getting more and more specific. Engadget states that the Chinese language Economic Daily News is reporting that Pegatron, an OEM subsidiary of ASUS, has won the order from Microsoft to assemble the Xbox 360 with Blu-ray Disc ROM drive and should be shipped out by September!! Let’s wait and see as it seems that the sales of Blu-Ray players has levelled off according to recent reports - apparently buyers are saying that DVD is good enough.
More About: Xbox 360

Shanling CD-T300 the Sci-Fi Hi-Fi!
2008-05-01 14:36:00
When I first saw this disc spinner I thought to myself, “what the flippin eck is that!!??!!” (or similar), and then when I saw that it costs $12,000 (around £6,000) I said something akin to “how much!!??!!”. If its sci-fi looks still win you over and you have that six grand to spend on a CD player you’ll need to know that it’s made by Chinese company Shanling, who specialise in this kind of thing apparently. For your hard-earned you get four amplification valves, two remote controls (two - surly not his ‘n’ hers!), gold-plated tube legs as well as it all being covered in lovely aluminium alloy. Didn’t feel it neccessary to mention the multitude of lights. If anyone wants to send me one you can get them from Shanling’s site! T3

Does Wii Fit Work?
2008-05-01 13:32:00
It has been about 6 years since I stopped coaching Lau Gar and I’m getting to the ‘built for comfort and not speed’ zone - it doesn’t help that I’m soon to be 3 years off of being 40!! Now that my music career is going fairly well my thoughts have started turning to the idea of getting back to regular exercise and perhaps getting my tone and 6 pack back - I have photographic proof that I did have this and that’s all I have at the moment! Being a gadget lover the Nintendo Wii’s latest ‘game’, Wii Fit, got me quite excited as it was supposed to be a ‘fun’ way of getting fit and loweing your BMI. However, ScarlettSusi from Shiny Shiny has done some research and I think that I’m better off back in the gym at the moment. Read the article here!
More About: Work

Mac Razer - Gaming Mouse for Apple
2008-05-01 11:27:00
I’m a big fan of Razer ’s gaming mice and use their Krait mouse every day but I’m slightly confused by this latest addition to the range. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s not that many games out there for the Mac family is there?  I can’t be certain (being a PC user) but I can’t recall seeing things on the shelf…….. Yup - I’ve had a look and there are games for the Mac!!! I think I just spend too long in recording studios and automatically equate Macs with session work, music and not seeing the outside world for days at a time! Razer obvioulsy knew better all along as they have launched the Lunar White Razer DeathAdder, an ergonomic right-handed gaming mouse specifically built with the needs of Mac OS X gamers in mind(?) It features their renowned Razer 3G Infrared Sensor technology and 1800 DPI with 1000Hz Ultrapolling/1ms response and a tracking speed of up to 120 inches per second.
More About: Gaming , Apple , Mouse

NOVA - World’s Largest LED Display
2008-05-01 11:14:00
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich has unveiled NOVA, a 3D LED display to mark its 150th anniversary. It is the world’s largest 3D display measuring 5 x 5 x 1 metres and weighing a not unconsiderable 3.3 tons! It is made up of 25,000 lightballs, each of these contain 12 LEDs. It’s capable of displaying 16 million colors and 25 images per second. It lives in the main hall of Zurich’s trainstation and it will be there ’til September 2009.
More About: Display , Nova , Largest

Kickstart - The New Blackberry
2008-05-01 10:36:00
On my routine trawl through the interweb I found this. Hold on to your undergarments as what you’re staring at is the previously unseen BlackBerry clamshell - named the Kickstart. The Boy Genius is unashamedly flaunting a number of photos of this latest crackberry - to rub salt in our wounds he has apparently known about it for “a while”! The phone is equipped with what looks like a Pearl-esque keyboard, the usual trackball navigation, and apparently utilises both an internal and external LCD screen. The BGR is saying that this bad-boy is due before the end of the year. Read more at Boy Genius Report
More About: Blackberry

These (High Heeled) Boots Were Made For Walking
2008-04-30 16:52:00
C ‘n’ C Costume National have a rather odd idea of what walking boots should look like. These shiny high heels actually come with a stair counter screwed onto the ankle - Step aerobics in these killers?? I can only see a health concious dominatrix, street girls who might charge by the step or trad goths that perhaps dabble in a little EBM being interested in these. They’ll be out in September if you happen to be one of the above. Fashion and Runway
More About: Walking , Boots , Made , High

Free UK Tele on Your Puter - Thanks Zattoo!
2008-04-30 14:46:00
If, like me, you occassionally have cause to miss your UK tele programmes when you’re out and about and the catch-up services don’t actually service your needs sufficiently. Well, you are now able watch all your favourie programmes from BBC 1 and 2, ITV 1, Channel 4 and Channel 5 via the Zattoo online media player. The service already offered a host of satellite channels but now is claiming to be the first of its kind to offer all five of the UK’s terrestrial channels and the best bit is that it’s FREE!  Content will be streamed live to Zattoo subscribers and joins financial news from Bloomberg, children’s programming from Cbeebies and special interest channels such as AutoMoto TV and The Poker Channel. All you need to do is download the free Zattoo media player to your computer (Mac, PC and Linux systems) from zattoo.com and then set up your preferences through the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) and Channel Manager functions - easy as that :0)
More About: Free , Tele