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Something Low Key for iMacs
2008-01-31 13:56:00
Now, most Mac owners I know are of the designery persuasion and, as such, aesthetics are all important. Minimalist desks, clean lines, design icon chairs - you know the type. Well this is right up their avenue!  It’s the LowKey Stand from Macessity. Buit from 0.1085-inch thick steel and coated to coordinate with your machine.  As well as having a hiding place for your slim board it also offers up a powered 4-port USB port. This pleasing thing will cost you $60.

Is That a 320 gig Drive In Your Pocket……?
2008-01-30 17:02:00
Hmmmm……..look at it. Let me get this out of my pocket and show you it’s glossy black finish. Check out its 320 gig capacity. Sorry - but it is darn sexy aint it?  As well as the humungous data storage in a 5 ounce body the drives are bus powered so they don’t need an external power adapter! Equipped with sync and encryption software (Windows only) you can drag all your desktop content with you and synch it with another PC. Should the drive get lost the data is protected with 128-bit encryption while Google search software on the drive allows the authorised user to quickly locate files. You can grab a WD My Passport Essential USB Drive now.  The 320GB version is £119.99 - that will make just enough room to put it in your pocket.
More About: Pocket

Check Out The Zoom On That! Fuji S8100fd
2008-01-30 16:09:00
I seem to be writing quite a bit about cameras lately - what with the ones I’ve posted on here together with writing bits ‘n’ pieces on DSLRBlog.com. So, what’s this one all about then? What you have here is a compact snapper from Fuji film.  The 10-megapixel S8100fd. So?  Well it will sucker-punch you with its 18x zoom - that’s what!  We’re talking a focal length of 27-486mm equivalent to a 35mm camera. It’s not only about long distance stamina; it copes fantastically with short distances as well with its 1cm macro function and by fitting more into the wide end of the lens so there! A lengthy lens is not all its got - it has the 2.5-inch LCD screen plus a viewfinder.  You get manual control as well as shutter and aperture priority with a 5 frame exposure bracketing mode to boot. If you like taking pics of fast things, or perhaps like the idea of making a flickbook the S8100FD can rattle off snaps at 15 frames per second albeit at ...
More About: Zoom , Check

(ASUS) We Are FamilEee!
2008-01-30 14:01:00
Asus has announced it is planning to launch a whole ”family” of Eee products. The new Eeefferings are to include the E-DT (DeskTop), E-TV and an E-Monitor. This was announced by Jerry Shen, president of Asustek and he says that the new devices will apparently keep the same low-cost price points as the Eee itself. The E-DT is a PC to be sold without a monitor and is scheduled to launch in April or May this year and will be showcased at CeBIT 2008.  The company has set the price of the PC at between $200-300, although it’s to keep nearer the $199 mark. The E-Monitor will be an all-in-one device similar to Apple’s iMac and Dell’s XPS One (but cheaper).  It will come with a built-in TV tuner and will be aimed at the 19″ to 21″ market.  The price will be $499 and should be out in September. The E-TV will enter the over 42-inch LCD TV market, but will integrate the Linux-based PC functionality of other Eee PC products.  The E-TV is also p...
More About: Asus

Wi-Fi Media Remote - SR1500
2008-01-30 10:31:00
You probably won’t be seeing TVcompass’s SR 1500 released looking exactly like this and it probably wont have that name either as it is a “white label design” for the moment. This WiFi-enabled unit has a QVGA display and runs on Windows CE. The SR 1500 pulls device codes from the web using the built-in browser, which supports Flash and J2ME by-the-way!.  It will backup your settings to a server and is able to do custom guide displays. Obviously there’s no pricing yet - we just have to wait for someone to buy the design and market it. Soon please!
More About: Media , Remote

K20D - Pentax Gets Serious
2008-01-29 17:54:00
Pentax have definitely stepped up to the mark in no uncertain terms! The all new K20D is much more than a mere step up from the K10. Gird your loins lens monkeys!! It’s time to get dirty. Lets start with the obscene 15.1-meg CMOS sensor, add in the increasingly popular Live View, mix it up with an 11 point auto-focus, sprinkle in ISO up to 1600 and bake it with a 2.7-inch screen. It’s certainly waded in there amongst the new offerings from Canon and Nikon dontcha think? Cost-wise, bring the pain! The body costs a knee weakening £899 or a penny shy of a grand if you snaffle the 18.5mm lens too. It’s yours from March, but if this is going to be the taste of things to come - wait for replies from the big boys!
More About: Pentax

U2 Manager States That The Silicon Valley Hippies Should Pay Record Industr
2008-01-29 14:23:00
Sometimes people should really think before getting all het up methinks. Judge for yourselves - I’d be interested in your opinions. As I’ve mentioned in earlier items, the finger is being pointed at the ISP’s now for file sharing but U2’s manager of 30-years, Paul McGuinness, goes even further in a talk at the Midem conference where he blamed Silicon Valley ’s “hippie values” for creating the problem. So not only taking a swipe at the ISPs, but also Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and basically every other successful tech company. There are so many problems with this, it’s difficult to know where to begin, but let’s tackle a few of the quotes: First he blames these companies who have “built multibillion dollar industries on the back of our content without paying for it.” Complementary goods are natural for building bigger markets, but no one expects one side to pay the other just for moral reasons. The oil industr...
More About: Hippies , Manager , Record , States

Fitter the Chung Shi Shoe Way
2008-01-29 14:03:00
Lets get one thing straight from the start - these are NOT bought for fashion - obviously.  So why should you put down £130-£150 on these trainers? If, like me, the festive seasons binging is still gathered around your midrift and your life hasn’t got room for gym sessions and the like; then these may be worth the cash. Apparently this footware is able to improve your core stability, strengthen your core muscles and tone your pins and your abs - all whilst walking to the kebab health food store. The stroll to the local might prove troublesome with the constant rocking action due to the 15 degree gradient in the shoe - but, lets face it, the walk back will hardly be any diffferent ;0, You’ll also be burning those pesky calories thanks to the 275% upgrade on the amount you work on your leg muscles.  Bonus! Say I! If you laugh at the 15 degree version get yourself the 20 degree one!  Yup - it’s available. So - get fit, get buns of steel, ripped abs and a s...
More About: Shoe

Touch the Tosh M700
2008-01-29 12:43:00
Tosh is on a bit of a run at the moment and their latest offering is surly gonna round of Jan 08 quite nicely thank you. The Portégé M700 is the first tablet in the dual accented range to have touch screen technology. You can navigate around the twist-turny screen with a waft of your fingertips, using the display as a virtual mouse.  It also sports improved handwriting recognition for use with the tablet users obligatory digi-pen. Spec wise it lists an Intel Core Processor 2 with 2GB Ram and a 120GB hard drive as standard.  They even throw in a multi layer DVD drive. The 12.1 inch screen features anti-glare coating for those ‘hard working’ types who are lucky enough to be able to opt to work outside in the glorious sunshine (that’s light and heat created by that rare yellow/orange globe that sometimes appears in the UK skies). At 2kg it’s not as light as their MacBook Air taunting Portégé R500, but then again it’s not going to cause you an...
More About: Touch

Merc Stealth - Ideazon pwns ‘boards!
2008-01-29 10:45:00
From the people that brought you their gaming revolutionary Zboard; Ideazon’s back with the altogether sleeker Merc Stealth keyboard. Instead of a swappable keyset, the Stealth has an extra-wide body with special gaming keys built into the left side. Basically they give you a second set of the keys that you’re most likely to use when playing FPS-type PC games - such as W, A, S, D, Shift, Space, etc but in a much more user-friendly design. It means you still use the key presses that are hard-wired into your BFG toting brain, but with less RSI and fewer mistaken keypresses (damn - there goes 2 of my excuses then!).  The W key, for instance, is exactly above the S, unlike on a normal keyboard, and both are much wider than your run of the mill key. Other features include a backlit keyboard, very cool if you’re playing something scary like F.E.A.R. with the requesite ambience.  The back-lighting can change colour at the press of a button.  Red, blue and purple ...

So Close - Qtrax
2008-01-29 09:37:00
It sounded too good to be true but I, like a lot of other people, were prepared to suspend disbelief in the hope that the industry had come around to the idea of sharing music (or that we had come even closer to the ‘Music Like Water’ Utopia that Gerd Leonnhard the Music Futurist described back in 2004). But Qtrax  has fallen just a tad short of its promised 25 million tracks at launch. Qtrax busted out its software in “beta” last evening, but isn’t offering a single song - or even a working music browser for that matter. The application is a barely skinned version of the open source Mozilla-based Songbird music player, which has certainly come a long ways since its infancy, and which means Qtrax has done just about nothing of note yet really; other than make promises about label deals. When you launch the application it helpfully points you to a placeholder page from an Oracle application server, and that’s all you’ll be getting until ...
More About: Close

Nokia Gets Full You Tube Appy
2008-01-28 17:22:00
NokNok have just discovered that you can now lay your hands on the entire YouTube library via your Nokia blower thanks to the all new app available direct from the video sharing site itself. At the moment, this means that punters packing an N95, N73 or E65 can get on board, but NN reckon that other Symbian S60 packin mobies should play nice too. The move means no more having to watch selected clips while you’re on the go; as well as meaning that you can even upload vids straight from your phone.  Perhaps gig footage on YouTube before you leave the venue so you can doubly mock your ticketless buddies! The app is currently in beta, so you may have a few issues at first.  But what price having the site good to go before all your mates down the pub? NokNok unveils YouTube for Nokia via T3
More About: You Tube , Full

Labels Blame ISPs For Illegal Music
2008-01-28 15:14:00
In yet another move by the major labels The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has called for the European Union to force internet service providers (ISPs) to crack down on music piracy. In its annual report the industry body said paid-for music downloads rose 40% last year but this was not enough to compensate for the ongoing “sharp decline” in CD sales, ie. 11%! It also estimated that for each song legally downloaded another 19 were illegally shared. Chief executive and chairman John Kennedy said: “Copyright theft has been allowed to run rampant on their networks under the guise of technological development. “ISPs have largely stood by, allowing a massive devaluation of copyrighted music. This in turn has prompted a crisis that has wide implications for the whole digital marketplace. The moment for EU legislation to be drawn up has arrived.” The Internet Service Providers Association said monitoring all data was unworkable. &...
More About: Music , Labels , Illegal , Blame

Happy 50th Lego!!
2008-01-28 14:34:00
LEGO brick turns 50 at exactly 1:58pm today (in about half an hour!), January 28 2008. The timeline shows these fifty years of building frenzy by happy kids and kids-at-heart, which started in 1947, when LEGO bought their first plastic injection machine, and took its final form in 1958 at the patenting of that now famous stud-and-tube brick. The company name Lego was coined by Christiansen from the Danish phrase leg godt, which means “play well” LEGO sets have been going through dozens of iterations, from the younger version (Duplo) to the most sophisticated LEGO TECHNIC and LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT, going through all the different themes of LEGOLAND and, for course, the most successful line of all times - Star Wars :0) As usual - click the pic to get the timeline in all of it’s glory :0)
More About: Happy

Woolies Backing Blu-Ray!
2008-01-28 12:36:00
Warner and New Line have already told HD-DVD where it can go and now the high street giant that is Woolworths has confirmed that it’s backing Blu-Ray all the way as well!! They’re setting up to remove any trace of HD-DVD from their shelves from March and go all out in their support of Sony’s format.  It sounds like the only HD spinner left fighting will be Tosh’s; and he’ll be hiding out in their online store. The move comes after Blu-Ray outsold its rival in Woolies by a massive 10 to 1 over Christmas.  The retailer is now the biggest seller of the format in the UK, with sales rising a massive 40% every month………and there was me thinking that they were only good for cheap Easter Eggs and mugs! All 820 Woolworths stores here in the UK will get a Blu-Ray chart, as well as a back catalogue section. I think that this shows that more and more punters are going for future-proof Blu-Ray players in the form of the PS3 and it’s...
More About: Backing

1 in 3 iPhones are unlocked!
2008-01-25 18:15:00
While it likely won’t come as much of a surprise to those reading this, it seems that Apple’s recently released iPhone sales numbers and AT&T’s customer number don’t exactly match up, leading those ever so insightful analysts to conclude that many of the phones are being sold with the sole intention of being unlocked! GASP! What is somewhat surprising, however, is exactly how many phones that might be. MacWorld reports, Apple says it sold 3.7 million iPhones in 2007, while AT&T says it signed up about two million or so iPhone customers during the same time period. While those aforementioned analysts point out that Apple’s numbers were boosted by 300,000-400,000 sales in Europe, and likely a few sold over the holidays that were yet to be activated, that still leaves over a million iPhones running free out there. If you do the math, that seems to suggest that roughly one in three iPhones sold are being unlocked although, obviously, we’re not...
More About: Unlocked

(Shocker) RED - Dell Inflate Price for Charity
2008-01-25 11:18:00
This article is taken wholesale from Engadget.com and is a prime example of large companies praying on people’s good intentions - we all know that some ‘charity’ products contain added expense, but we give because it’s going somewhere needed - but when the price hike doesn’t match with the amount going to the charity………….. The whole consumer motivation for (PRODUCT) RED is that a donation is made to those in need at no (obvious) additional expense to you. It’s The Man who makes the donation, you’re just pulling the trigger with the purchase of something presumably wanted anyway. But the (PRODUCT) RED XPS One confuses this whole system, at best. The RED XPS One costs an extra $300 over the regular XPS One’s base configuration. For that, you do get a bump — but it’s software only. More specifically, your $300 premium upgrades you to Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 (found online for ~$100 ...
More About: Charity , Dell , Price

80 into 1 does go - Memory Card Reader
2008-01-25 11:05:00
A recent error on my part saw me throwing out a bunch of USB cables (how many do I need? I asked myself), only to discover one of them was for my digital camera - how do I upload my pics now?  If I had a card reader that would cover every eventuality………&helli p;… iMONO 80-in-1 High Speed Card Reader supports 8-bit read-and-write speeds - an Incredible speedy data transfer! No card adapters are needed as it [is] compatible with most popular memory cards [it] supports the latest card types [such] as SDHC, MMC4.2, CF4.0, micro SDHC and mini SDHC. For $17 from Brando I’d be covered for pretty much every card out there!, and measuring a mere 100mm x 27mm x 15mm it could be carted around everywhere - job done :0)
More About: Memory , Memory Card

192.Com - Ariel Photograhy of Where You Live
2008-01-25 10:19:00
With better resolution than Google 192.Com’s site  is quite outstanding. With a view described as the same as that you’d get from the roof of a 10 storey building it’s pretty special. I zoomed in on The Oasis leisure centre at the end of Shaftsbury Avenue and the result is that you can clearly see people swimming in the outdoor pool!
More About: Live , Ariel

Save Windows XP!
2008-01-24 15:48:00
Save Windows XP. Wha? This must be a great big kick in Microsoft’s teeth to find that there is actually an online petition to keep XP alive after the release of Vista a year ago! What is funny is that 57,000 people have already signed up to save XP! I have to hold my hand up and say that I’ve had no real problems with XP and will be ordering my new lappy with XP and NOT Vista installed as I need something quite stable as I’m going to be using it as a portable Pro Tools studio. Where do I sign?  Click the link at the top of this article to learn more ;0, Microsoft plans to end most sales of Windows XP on June 30, despite a deep reluctance by many business and individuals about moving to Vista. InfoWorld believes such an expensive, time-consuming shift with problematic benefits should not be forced on Windows users, so we have decided to rally XP users to demand that XP be kept available. From The Place of Ferrety Goodness Red Ferret
More About: Save , Windows Xp

Free Music at Last.FM
2008-01-24 15:29:00
Last.fm has now launched it’s service that allows anyone to listen to music on the site for free for up to 3 times. The company claims that this makes them the first music website to offer free, global, on-demand access to the largest licensed catalogue of music built on partnerships with all four major record labels - Universal Music Group, Sony/BMG, Warner and EMI - as well as CD Baby, IODA, the Orchard, Naxos and more than 150,000 independent labels and artists.  This service is ad supported and live here in the UK, the US and Germany and will continue it’s roll out over the next few months. Martin Stiksel, Last.fm co-founder, said: “We’re giving the listener free access to what is basically the best jukebox in the world. The ability to dip into such a uniquely broad catalogue from your laptop, home or office computer, and listen to whatever you want for free represents a new way of consuming music that in turn might change the way you listen to music.&...
More About: Free Music , Free

iSpy with an iPhone Telescope
2008-01-24 12:19:00
The iPhone telescope by Brando is now on sale for $19US So, if you want a good zoom, a way of snooping or just want a phallic attachment to your slim iPhone this is a must! But I think if you want something more covert there’s probably something a little (a lot) more subtle.  Package Content Mobile Phone Telescope Neckstrap Crystal Case with adapter You want one don’t you?
More About: Iphone

StompIO - Revolutionary Modelling?
2008-01-24 10:31:00
I have been prodded and asked “why don’t you review more amps/effects/cabs, etc here as you’re a musician?” So - here’s  a noteworthy piece of gadgety goodness that has recently caught my eye. It’s the StompIO- which is a USB connected interface for AmpliTube and the makers, IK Media, call it a “Revolutionary stage controller”. I think “revolutionary” may be pushing it - I have used a Line 6 Bass POD XT with a shortboard controller for the past 4 years for both live and studio work - have even used it DI’d for a gig when my rig failed to materialise on time!  The POD series are also amp and effect modellers that can be tweaked and new stuff downloaded via a USB connection to your puter through Line 6’s fabulous site. The StompIO gives you control over all “Powered by AmpliTube®” software/plug-ins with the same feeling of a traditional stomp box - no need to even look at the computer screen or touch t...
More About: Modelling

I Laugh at Your Spork - Pen Top Cutlery
2008-01-23 18:21:00
This is just inspired!! I thought the spork was the best idea when it came to multipurpose cutlery until I got wind of these beauties at Book of Joe! They are a set of pen top eating utensils (I can stop jabbing at my steak with an old fountain pen then?) and ideal for camping and the likes.  Briliant!
More About: Laugh

PSP Skype - Updatey!
2008-01-23 15:16:00
By the sounds of things it’s only (sorry) Japan that have been hit by the delay/stoppage of the Sony handhelds VoIP gadgetery. So, I’m guessing, as of tomorrow the rest of us can get Skype d up!!!  :0)

Punctuality for DJ’s! - Turntable Watch
2008-01-23 12:37:00
If you spend your time mixin & matchin on the 1s ‘n’ 2s - Bo! Flud Watch es brings you a replica of the classic Technics 1200… in wrist watch form! You have a choice ’tween a stainless or smooth black leather strap and to add to the effect it even comes in a miniature flight case. One of these classic looking Turntable Watches will retail for $59 dats ill yo!  All this scratchin’ is makin’ me itch, etc Kickin it strictly old skool - JG. peace. out.

No SKYPE for PSP
2008-01-23 12:16:00
Well - I for one was excited at the news that the PSP was gonna get VoIP and it was more than a rumour as Sony themselves announced it on their website before getting to the CES. But, because Sony’s mics aren’t up to Skype s’ specs, they have withdrawn everything prior to tomorrow’s would be release. No news as yet as to when or, indeed, if they will be going forward with the service now. Booooooooooo!

Digital Killed the Analogue Star
2008-01-23 10:52:00
Television is dead - long live television! All you digital-dodgers bewarned!  Your days are numbered.  The big boys have stopped selling anologue goggle-boxes.  Curry’s have announced that they are only now stocking digital tele’s. Let’s face it;  they’ve been a dying breed for years now, partly due to the imminent switch over that’s taking place between now and 2012 and also thanks to our burgeoning obsession with monster screens and all things LCD or Plasma. The out-of-town store people say they will continue to push integrated boobtubes, letting punters use an in-built freeview tuner to watch digital pics. However, with slick HD ready tellies flying off the shelves, most buyers would rather have the fancier option of an LCD panel.  Curry’s says that 90% of the TVs they shift are digital anyway. DVD players with only analogue tuners are also getting the chop, so best start thinking about where you sit in the HD wars if you’re in the ...
More About: Star , Digital , Killed , Anal

Atax - pretty much everything!
2008-01-22 13:12:00
Ok - here’s a gadget for the more outdoorsy types amongst us.  The kinda person that will quite happily kill their lunch and live rough.  I have to admit; the closest I generally get to that is either Download, Glastonbury or similar. The ATAX is pretty impressive. Made of 1095 tool steel (ok….?) and weighing 16 oz, it boasts almost all you need (apart from a fold-away hotel and chef!), here’s the list for all you Rambo’s out there:  a catapult mechanism, a hammer, nail remover, rangefinder, inclinometer, wire cutter, nut gripper (OooO!), animal skinner, compass, clock, sundial and of course an axe.  It aint that cheap at $199.95 - you need to slam down 100 bucks as a deposit but it does ship with an instructional DVD video. via Red Ferret
More About: Pretty

Charles Highgrove Hologram in Abu Dubai
2008-01-22 11:29:00
Could this be the future of video-conferencing? Charlie recently delivered a pre-recorded speech on the environment as a hologram in a Star Wars stylee to an Abu Dubai audience using only a single camera and projector.  The techs from British firm Musion were able to employ a century-old trick known as “Pepper’s ghost” to record the Prince of Wales speak at Highgrove last year and then rebroadcast the performance as a way to congratulate the Middle Eastern country on its plans to build a zero carbon city. Environmentalists note that this method reduces the amount of fuel wasted on transporting celebrities around the world but this does mean that all such venues will have to have this gear before a decent dent is made.
More About: Charles , Holo