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« | RSS.HomePage | » 1. Personnal1.1 ReviewsI know Apple, and you're no AppleReview "This is a truly historical meeting of the established and new media," said Les Moonves, the head of CBS, about his network's new video partnership with Google. Um, no, Les. So far, it's just a really crap web site.? Latest and greatest?Review The W900 is billed as the latest and greatest in the 3G Walkman phone series. Spotted at the launch in October in black and in white, the latest news is that only the white version will be released in the UK. And for the first three months, the W900 will only be available in the UK on the Vodafone network.? »
[+] Microsoft Xbox 360It's here. It's impressiveReview Unless you've been living in a Buddhist Temple in the mountains of Tibet for the past few months you will be well aware that the Xbox 360 has launched in the UK. Although there has been a massive amount of coverage and speculation in the technology press regarding the 360, the general marketing has been slightly subdued. OK, so you may have seen the odd advert on TV over the past couple of weeks, but there hasn't been what I'd call a major marketing push. Perhaps Microsoft is waiting for Christmas to spend the marketing dollars, or perhaps the it knows that pretty much every 360 is going to sell on launch day whether it advertises it or not.? Format-tasticReview Buffalo probably isn't the first name that springs to mind when you think of DVD players, but the Link Theater is more than just a DVD player. Following in the footsteps of KiSS, Buffalo has created a DVD player that can play multiple video formats on multiple storage media. Gone are the days when consumers just needed MPEG 2 DVD playback in their living room, now MPEG 4 is as much a pre-requisite as retail DVDs.? Real overclocking potentialReview The GeForce 6800 GT was a cracker. While Nvidia wowed everybody with the 6800 Ultra, it was the 6800 GT that most people bought, offering most of the bang without quite as much of the buck.? Entertaining and stylishReview Slim and sweetReview Turn your Fs to PsReview The Avant Stellar keyboard stands as a major throwback in a PC industry that thrives on making devices smaller, sleeker and quieter. Creative VisionTechnologies has created a keyboard that's clunky, loud and heavy. And it may be exactly what you're looking for, especially if reprogramming keys is your thing.? Too short?Review Cinema on the move?Review Toshiba's Qosmio range is set up for entertainment and the G20 stands at its head. With a large widescreen display and running Microsoft's Windows Media Center 2005, Toshiba has pretty much thrown the kitchen sink at this thing in an effort to ensure that it can act as a full-on digital content hub.? Gorgeous?Review Just like Chelsea Football Club's manager, the D600 is a suave and sophisticated phone that comes across as one cool cucumber. But does the phone have the features to match or is it all style and no substance?? Outclassed by PSP?Review We might not like the idea, but manufacturers around the world are intent on telling us that we must and will watch movies on the go. One of the first companies to try and get you to swallow this mantra was Creative, and its latest attempt is its update to the Portable Media Center, the Zen Vision, writes Stuart Miles.? Treo beater?Review Much as I like i-mate's Jasjar - aka HTC's Universal - its size makes it less practical for me as a phone rather than a PDA. I'm clearly not the only one who favours a smart-phone device that operates like a PDA but is small enough to hold up to my ear and use like any other handset.? »
[+] Palm TX Wi-Fi PDABack in blackReview It's not so long ago that Palm launched the LifeDrive, the first PDA to include a hard drive, and Palm set itself up with a tough act to follow. Its twin autumn launches comprised one PDA designed to get newcomers interested - the £80 Z22, and one for the more serious PDA fan, the T|X, writes Sandra Vogel.? »
[+] NEC N411i i-mode phonei-mode arrivesReview I remember getting my first WAP phone. The hype surrounding the technology was massive and I was expecting an amazing experience. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed, and WAP proved to be slow, poorly implemented and often expensive. One of the things that annoyed me most about WAP, was that I was well aware that the Japanese were enjoying the benefits of i-mode, writes Riyad Emeran.? Could do better?Review It seems like every other week I'm reviewing yet another tiny Pentax five megapixel compact camera. In fact a quick browse through my camera samples folder shows that this is the eighth one that I've written about this year. Come on Pentax, give my aching fingers a break, writes Cliff Smith.? Flash player perfection?Review Despite it's higher model number, the T30 actually sits between iRiver's T10 and T20 players (reviewed here and here). Like the T20, it's intended to be a compact fashion statement, but with space for a AAA battery, it's designed to offer a very long play duration, as per the T10.? High class tech in a non-nerdy caseReview Yesterday Cingular announced that it is bringing Nokia's 9300 Communicator to the US market starting in November. The 9300 puts a QWERTY keyboard, and a powerful computer, into a form factor apparently designed to repel gadget geeks, such is its conservative styling.? Films in your faceReview Many dubious products have stumbled on the rocky road to true innovation. Before the mobile phone reached mass-market saturation, yuppies lugged around lumps of plastic that were closer to army field radios than items of desirable personal technology, writes Jonathan Bray.? Wireless wonder?Review HTC has been tempting its fans with the Universal handset since the beginning of the year. The prospect not only of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GSM/GPRS connectivity but also 3G, and with them a landscape-oriented display and full QWERTY keyboard, not to mention Windows Mobile 5.0, has fuelled interest in the machine since T-Mobile announced in February that it would be offering the machine on its network.? One for the road?Review Too small?Review You've got to hand it to iRiver. Faced with Apple's iconic iPod, the company hasn't tried to emulate its rival by devising a single, clear product identity around which to build its range. Instead, it's gone for a scattergun approach: fire off lots of different models and hope some of them stick to consumers.? Worth the wait?Review If you have even a passing interest in 3D graphics, you've probably been waiting for the appearance of ATI's dual-GPU solution. It seems like aeons ago that ATI announced that it would produce a platform to rival Nvidia's tremendously successful SLi, but now, finally I have a CrossFire system in front of me and it's time to see if it was worth the wait, writes Riyad Emeran.? Too many corners cut?Review The Captain Scarlet of mobile PCs?Review We test the top LGA755 motherboardsReview Which motherboard to buy? Determining the answer to this question is, arguably, the most important of all hardware choices. The choice of motherboard defines, in part, just how future-proof a system will be. Making a bad choice can lead to problems that aren't apparent for, say, CPUs and processors. Having to replace a motherboard usually necessitates a long-winded process of reinstalling an OS, programs and data. In short, your motherboard has to be good or your system won't be.? iPod Nano need not panicReview In the early days of Windows Mobile smart phones Orange was the UK's leading light, launching the first UK device way back at the tail end of 2002. Since then Orange has been joined by other operators and by operator-agnostic vendors, but the company has kept its own line flowing with a steady range of new entrants. The latest of these is the SPV C550, a blatant attempt to jump on the music bandwagon, but with a few other nice plus points too, writes Sandra Vogel.? Treo-beater?Review Just as the great unwashed now think that all MP3 players are called an iPod, so there was a time when all handheld devices were simply known as iPaqs. This must have annoyed most vendors, especially Palm, but HP was never heard to complain, writes Stephen Patrick.? »
[+] Apple iPod NanoApple's master-stroke?Review Unless you were hiding in a cave last week, you'll have heard about the latest changes made to Apple's iPod range. Out went the iPod Mini, which on the surface seemed like a strange decision. The Mini enjoyed a fanatical reception from the millions of style-conscious consumers who realised that they'd never fill a 20GB iPod no matter how hard they tried, while its smaller dimensions made it even cooler than the original white icon. However, when it comes to dimensions, the iPod Mini looks positively obese compared to its replacement, writes Riyad Emeran.? Cross-platform development nirvana?Review Since its arrival in the mid-1990s, RealBasic has been helping amateur and professional software developers create applications quickly by side-stepping most of the complexities other languages and programming environments throw at them.? Cheap as chips?Review If you aren't a gamer, integrated graphics may seem the best imaging option to choose for your next PC. Integrated graphics engines may be cheaper than add-in cards, but they can hit system memory performance hard, and since on-board graphics are usually only available on budget chipsets and motherboards, you may also miss out on key features such as RAID storage or dual-monitor support, writes Andrew Miller.? Orange gets it right, second time aroundReview Just under a year ago I reviewed the original 3G Orange Mobile Office Card and was decidedly unimpressed. Sub-standard hardware and poorly considered software added up to a package that, quite simply, wasn't up to the job at hand. This situation was made worse for Orange by the fact that only a few weeks earlier I had reviewed the Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G data card, and it had performed flawlessly, writes Riyad Emeran.? Overclocker's dream - or too expensive?Review Think of mainboards based around AMD's Socket 939 processors. Now think of the chipsets on which they're based. We bet that Nvidia and VIA would be on the top of most people's lists, and with good reason, as both companies have a well-established heritage in designing chipsets for AMD CPUs.? Good for gamers and overclockers?Review DFI's popularity has risen steadily ever since it launched its Lanparty range of motherboards a couple of years ago. Since then the Lanparty family has grown with the introduction of a 'lite' version in the shape of the Lanparty UT, writes Lars-Goran Nilsson.? As fast as it's big?Review We've never done a review of a single hard disk before, but this Hitachi drive justifies the attention. It's the first 500GB disk drive to hit the shelves - Hitachi has got its drive to market ahead of the likes of Maxtor and Seagate, who have announced drives but not yet shipped them. Half a terabyte in a single drive. Blimey! writes Leo Waldock.? Time to scrap that PC music hub?Review Germany's Hermstedt isn't a name you'd usually associate with hi-fi or digital music. The firm is better known for its ISDN-based file-transfer solutions for media companies, so the Hifidelio Music Centre marks something of a departure - I suspect the hand of a company staffer who had the product developed because he or she wanted to buy one.? Solaris 10 on x86Review If Sun gets very serious about Solaris 10 on x86 and the Open Solaris project that it hopes will nourish it, Linux vendors had better get very worried. That's because, in the many areas where Linux is miles ahead of Solaris, Sun stands a good chance of catching up quickly if it has the will, whereas in the many areas where Solaris is miles ahead, the Linux community will be hard pressed to narrow the gap. In this series of articles, we take a careful look at Solaris x86, examining the good, the bad, and the ugly, with Linux as our chief point of reference.? Good things, small packages?Review Toshiba has been designing and manufacturing notebooks for 20 years, starting with the T110 in 1985, which weighed in at over 7kg, had a battery life of 60m and possessed a green screen. To celebrate, the company has chosen to revive one of its older ultraportable lines, in the form of the Toshiba Libretto U100. Initially there will be this one model but if it proves popular, the line will be expanded, writes Stephen Patrick.? Entry-level two-core champion?Review At the beginning of the month AMD launched its latest budget processor, the Sempron 3400+. Launched on the same day was the dual-core Athlon 64 X2 3800+. Right now you have the choice between single core or dual-core but before long dual-core will become very much the norm, writes Benny Har-Even.? Jack-of-all-trades...Review This Brother All-in-One is more all-in-one than most. Although it has a footprint not much bigger than an A3 sheet of paper, it can print, scan, copy, fax, download your digital photos, answer the phone and make you a nice cup of camomile tea. OK, the tea's just on our wish list, but all the other tasks are within the compass of the MFC-620CN, writes Simon Williams.? Real paper, a real pen, linked to a computerReview It's been given loads of different names, but my favourite is 'Gerard's syndrome', named after a chap I used to work with. This office-bound ailment is the pest of many an over-worked office type, who spends so much time in meetings, feverishly scribbling down notes, that they never have time to write them all up or action any of the points raised, writes Charlie Brewer.? Getting Turion rightReview The general consensus here regarding Acer's Ferrari 3200 notebook was that it was a decent, well-featured machine, but no one was really sure that they wanted a bright red laptop. It seems that Acer has taken this on board, and the new Ferrari 4000 is more understated - in fact the general opinion this time around is that it looks damn cool, writes Riyad Emeran.? »
[+] Nokia 3230 smart phoneBusiness or pleasure?Review Whereas a few years ago Nokia was big enough to see off the likes of Ericsson and Siemens, it's not quite the giant it once. Part of the reason for that is the fact it's made some odd decidedly odd handset design choices in recent years. It let Sony Ericsson overtake on styling, its early 3G offerings misfired and its more quirky designs rarely convinced, writes Benny Har-Even.? »
[+] Apple Mighty MouseRe-inventing the wheel... er... ballFirst UK review Apple has insisted that mice need only one button for so long that its stance has become an article of faith for many in the Mac community. What a shock then that this week it should release a mouse with essentially not one but four buttons. And some of you thought the shift to Intel was bad...? »
[+] Fujifilm FinePix Z1Slim, sexy, yes - but is it any good?Review The Z1 features the same CCD technology found in the FinePix F10 - SuperCCD HR technology - providing 5.1 megapixel resolution in an extremely svelte package. The camera is so thin because it incorporates a lens with folded optics that enable a non-extending 3x optical zoom lens to be crammed within its body; it's similar to the lens technology developed by Konica Minolta for its 'X' series cameras and also featuring in Sony's 'T' series models and Nikon's Coolpix S1, writes Doug Harman.? »
[+] AMD Sempron 3400+ CPUWith 64-bit and SSE 3 support, is it the best budget processor?Review The arrival of AMD's Sempron 3400+ will come as no great surprise to anyone who has heard the rumours about its imminent launch. When it comes to budget processors AMD doesn't normally make big announcements, so those who've not kept up to date with the latest processor developments might wonder what the all the fuss is about, writes Lars-Goran Nilsson.? What doesn't it do?Review Perfect portable photo printing?Review When HP launched its portable PhotoSmart Printer range last year we were very impressed. The print quality was good, the portability great and the overall packages top notch. A year on and there's another model in the range, the 385. Does the new model add anything to the mix? asks Stuart Miles.? Impressive... most impressiveReview I've got a bad feeling about this, I thought to myself when I first heard that Alienware was going to build a Star Wars-branded PC. I know how much licences like these cost - my wife used to work in licensing for LucasFilm. Believe me, Mr Lucas knows all too well the power of his brand, and he's never likely to undervalue it. That said, if any PC company could construct a Star Wars box that looked great and could make point five past light speed, it's Alienware, writes Riyad Emeran.? Memory card in innovation shockReview SD cards aren't exciting products. They do what they're supposed to: slip into your digital camera, PDA or whatever as removable storage. Most of the time there's little to differentiate one from another, bar read and write speed. But this particular SD card is very different from any other SD card you're likely to find and it's definitely far more convenient, writes Riyad Emeran.? [+ desc][+ titles]
1.2 PCsStill not shining Silverlight on UK video playerMicrosoft has taken the beta wraps off its MSN homepage, which the company relaunched in the US in November 2009.? Vostro 3000 line debutsDell has introduced a set of new Vostro notebooks, pitching the products as "a range of new thin, lightweight and durable laptop computers".? Frameless in the name of thinnessAcer is preparing to release a very skinny - and, dare we say it, incredibly fragile - notebook with a glass-backed frameless display.? Dons rose colored glasses for PC forecastThe global PC business is apparently bouncier than the analysts at Gartner had been projecting only a few months ago, and now, they're predicting that PC shipments will rise by 19.7 per cent in 2010 to 366.1 million machines.? All toe they donuts work prefect LeeGoogle is now letting anyone use its new auto-captioning feature for YouTube videos.? Will kill RealDVD, pay $4.5mRealNetworks has agreed to destroy all traces of its short-lived DVD-duplicating software, RealDVD, to appease the Hollywood heads that brought legal action against it.? Retailers reveal allSony looks set to replace its Vaio W netbook series with a new model based on the latest Atom chip series.? 'Butterfly lover' case design, ladies?HP has paraded its latest laptop with a case coloured by fashion designer Vivienne Tam.? Consumers get bitten in the ASPPC buyers, especially small businesses, should get used to paying more for their kit, after Acer predicted that ASPs would rise this year, for practically the first time in PC industry history.? Shows off latest models, and latest modelsCebit Asus showcased its fourth generation Eee at Cebit today, along with its bamboo-cased business laptops and a series of gaming laptops with two of everything.? ToughBook upgradedNeed a touchscreen PC you can use outdoors in the depths of Winter? Panasonic will have one for you in September.? Phantom Eee will manifest soon, honestAsus promised today that its much delayed Eee keyboard PC will finally ship in April.? Tablets for the kidsIntel said school kids need computers, not e-readers, as it kicked off the Cebit computer show in Hannover this morning.? Revamped HD graphics for netbooksExpect a raft of souped up netbooks to follow Nvidia's launch of its second-generation Ion graphics platform today.? More options than you can shake a stylus atHP has taken a typical 12in tablet PC form factor and built in not only Intel's latest Core i5 and i7 mobile processors but also given the machine multi-touch capability. The result: the EliteBook 2470p.? Intel N470 inboundHP is first out of the gate with Intel's latest netbook processor, the 1.83GHz N470, soon to be found in HP's existing Mini 5102 and Mini 2102 machines.? Lenovo merciless on memory lossUsers of Lenovo ThinkPad laptops may be in for a nasty surprise if they forget their main (supervisor) hard drive password.? Standard, skinny and tablet modelsLenovo has introduced what it claims is not only the thinnest and lightest ThinkPad yet, but also the fastest ultraportable around.? Full year of cover providedAcer has extended the duration of its International Travel Warranty - a support package intended to cover users against hardware failures that may hit its laptops used outside the country they were purchased in.? Web2.0rhea insta-searchYahoo! has purchased direct access to the Twitter "firehose" - a gigantic stream of Web2.0rhea - providing near real-time access to public Tweets from its primary search engine.? Google 'old browser' snub rolls onGoogle will remove IE6-support from YouTube on March 13, according to a web post from the company.? Free replacements for the unlucky 'few'Apple has extended the warranty on certain MacBooks from 2006 and 2007 whose hard drive failed, while offering free replacements for defective drives.? But we'll still have to wait two years to see it hereMWC Samsung has shown off a set of netbooks equipped with Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband connectivity - a world first, the South Korean giant claimed.? Wind Top to hit the right notes?MSI has introduced an all-in-one touchscreen desktop its claims is the bee's knees for PC audio.? We don't auto-follow. We auto-suggestFor the second time since the launch of Google Buzz last Tuesday, Mountain View has announced changes to its Tweetbookish Gmail add-on in an effort to answer complaints over user privacy.? It's 2010. And 2007 is finally hereReview OpenOffice 3.2 - now now available for Windows, Mac and Linux - boasts faster start-up times than before. But the really big news is that now - finally - this open-source suite offers full compatibility with files created using Microsoft's Office 2007.? Good-bye, Entourage. Hello, Visual BasicMicrosoft has announced Office for Mac 2011, which will replace the much-maligned Entourage with Outlook, restore Visual Basic support, and add what Redmond's MacBU (Macintosh business unit) calls "new co-authoring tools."? It's not a search engine. It's global hypnosisJust how deep is Google's hold on the minds of the world's netizens? So deep that if the web giant boosts a news story about Facebook and logins to the top of its search results, myriad net surfers will mistake the news story for the Facebook login page, wondering why they can't login to it and why it looks nothing like Facebook.? Mini surfers top 50 millionWith the beta release of its latest desktop browser, Opera now gives you plug-in-free video.? HP AirLife 100 unveiledHP has launched the first ARM-based netbook from a major vendor in Europe, though you'll - for now, at least - have to live in Spain to get it.? Notebooks safer than bees - it's officialIf you're worried about the prospect of dying at the hands of a flaming laptop battery while travelling, relax.? »
[+] OpenOffice 3.2 is on tapCommunity celebrates tin anniversaryOpenOffice 3.2 is available for download.? Add-ons, bookmark sync for Mac betaGoogle has released a new beta of its Mac-ified Chrome browser that accepts extensions and provides bookmarking syncing across disparate devices.? First model out nowToshiba's Satellite U500-1EX has become the latest notebook to hop onto the touchscreen bandwagon. The laptop's 13.3in display is multi-touch capable.? Safety Mode is on patrolYouTube has announced an optional feature designed to protect your dumb and impressionable kids from viewing sexual content, graphic violence, and salty comments on the website.? The last Google mileAfter building its own browser, its own operating system, its own mobile OS, its own smartphone, its own DNS service, and what amounts to its own private internet, Google is now building its own ultra-high-speed fiber networks to American homes.? Looking for relevance in Web2.0rheaGoogle has updated Gmail with a "social networking" add-on dubbed Google Buzz, a tool for sharing personal info with others à la Facebook and Twitter.? Hybrid graphics done properlyNvidia reckons it has finally cracked the problem of smoothly swapping between graphics chips in notebooks that have more than one GPU. Today, it launched its solution, which it has branded Optimus.? Replace battery warnings correct, says RedmondMicrosoft says that extensive testing and conversations with OEMs indicate that Windows 7 is handling notebook batteries exactly as intended - despite user claims that upgrades to the new OS have caused significant degradation to battery life.? Camera? Check. Multi-tasking? Check. Flash? CheckApple may have decided against the appellation 'iTablet' - one of the rumoured names for the product now known as the iPad - but that hasn't stopped UK computer supplier X2 claiming the name for its own.? »
[+] Netbook shipments surgeIndustry-beating growth in 2009Last year was a good 12 months for netbook makers: together they shipped 30.2 million of the mini laptops.? Flash never ships with bugs we're aware ofAdobe has fired back at Steve Jobs after the Apple boss allegedly attacked Adobe Flash for being "buggy" and referred to the Flashmakers as "lazy."? Desktops, laptops out - small, cheap computers inARM CEO Warren East believes that netbooks will come to dominate the PC market - and it won't be that long before it happens.? Flickery fix in play, lemony fix AWOLApple says that the shipment delays of its top-of-the-line 27-inch iMacs aren't because it has halted production while it works to correct the big boy's display problems. The real reason for the delays? "The 27-inch iMac has been a huge hit with customers and we are working to increase supply to meet up with strong demand," the company says.? Adamo alternativeDell has taken its ultra-thin business-centric Vostro V13 notebook and tweaked it for suits.? Updated Atom CPUs to get DDR 3 supportExpect to see Atom-based netbooks speed up a little in the latter half of the year when Intel releases upgraded Atom CPUs able to talk to faster memory than the current lot can manage.? Down dooby doo down downInternet Explorer has continued its gentle drift southwards, having missed any boost from last year's release of IE 8 and the sales onslaught behind Windows 7.? The GPadGoogle has unveiled a series of image and video mock-ups of a tablet PC based on its Chrome OS, the still-gestating operating system centered around its Chrome web browser.? Es are good... for typistsSony has crafted yet another good-looking, high-spec Vaio. But this one?s different from the others: it?s the first Vaio laptop to feature a full-size numerical keypad.? Recycled plastic machine heading this wayThe UK will take delivery of an ?environmentally friendly? Vaio netbook later this month, Sony has said.? [+ desc][+ titles]
1.3 Peripherals1,000 jobs at riskLexmark, the printer maker, is ending production of inkjet cartridges in Rosyth, Scotland and is transferring manufacture to a cheaper, unnamed country. Up to 1,000 jobs could be affected.? Set-top maker buy puts Morotola in frame for full IPTVMotorola came out of the IPTV closet this week, spending an unspecified amount of cash to buy IPTV specialist set-top maker, Kreatel of Sweden.? Can't compete in the digital eraKonica-Minolta today revealed it is to quit photography business after more than 103 years - with the loss of 3,700 jobs worldwide.? They're free round the corner at the Apple shopPosh London department store Selfridges is to begin charging punters £65 for a 40-minute one-on-one iPod tutorial later this month - almost as much as it costs to buy the cheapest iPod.? Accessory heavenAnother day, another iPod accessory from Griffin Technology. Today's is the iClear a transparent polycarbonate shell developed to keep your iPod Nano safe from scratches.? Digital SLRs are the place to be, apparently35mm film has come to the end of the roll, Nikon has said. The camera maker this week revealed it is focusing its efforts solely on digital photography products.? Turns portable player into home media centreGriffin Technology will soon ship a dock that converts any compatible iPod into a home media centre system.? The hottest Vegas showstoppers since LiberaceSo the delegates have gone home, the halls are emptying and, yes, Gates (and Elvis) have left the building. The gadget fest that was the Consumer Electronics Show 2006 is now history. Yet before we bury it for good, here's our list of the ten best gadgets to emerge at the show (in no particular order)...? Open-source systems pitched at geeksNeuros is to update its MPEG-4 Video Recorder with a new industrial design and an integrated hard-disk drive. It is also preparing to revive its Digital Audio Computer (DAC) line of MP3 players, basing both systems on both a common hardware platform and open-source firmware.? 'There are simply too many notes, Herr Mozart'A University of Leicester psychologist has concluded that modern listeners don't value music as much as their 19th-century counterparts did - and he blames the iPod and music downloading.? Is that an iPod in your pocket or... oh, forget itJeans-maker Levi Strauss has designed a pair of denim trousers with an integrated iPod remote control. The jeans also provide an iPod dock and retractable earphones.? Steve Iacocca goes car poddingMacworld A week after Microsoft and MTV pitched the Urge.com rival to iTunes, Apple Computer upped the ante in online entertainment and services.? Record-breaking record sales...Christmas 2005 saw a new record set for downloaded music - with the last week of the year seeing more than 20m music tracks downloaded and paid for by US customers - three-times higher than the 2004 figure.? Click-tasticYet another surge in demand for digital cameras helped boost sales at Jessops, the high street photographic retailer revealed today.? Now you see it...It?s been difficult to predict how Apple will continue to develop the video iPod, given that it had such a poor start in signing up so little content for the device.? Reg hack escapes stoning undauntedCES Without question, the highlight of this year's CES (Consumer Electronics Show) for us was watching the Black Crowes play at an AMD-sponsored event. Not to gloat, but we managed to make our way backstage after the concert and meet the band. At least we think it was the band. The thick smoke ? yes, that kind ? made it tough to see.? It's got a tiny OLED screen tooCES South Korea's Cowon this week demo'd at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas what it claims is the world's first micro media player based on a 0.85in hard disk drive.? Tech ready for licensing as backers unveil playersCES The Blu-ray Disc specification has been completed, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) announced last night, just three days after dotting the i's and crossing the t's on the format.? At twice the price of an HD DVD rig, though...CES Samsung today pledged to ship a Blu-ray Disc (BD) player ahead of rival manufacturers, getting its BD-P1000 machine to consumers in the "April timeframe", according to Jim Sandowski, head of Samsung USA's digital product marketing.? OK, digital binoculars will doCES Our first Consumer Electronics Show (CES) wrap covers a little bit of everything - from a new twist on binoculars to a pen-sized scanner. If gadgets are your thing, please proceed with pace.? 4x version to follow, apparentlyCES JVC today announced the world's first single-sided, dual-layer DVD-RW media will ship in Q2 - more than a year after the company unveiled the technology.? An eVU that you can't buyCES Maybe the tiny video iPod screen doesn?t quite do it for you. Or, perhaps, you?re tired of lugging around a pretty clunky portable device just to watch DVDs. If so, you might want to check out the eVU device from e.Digital.? Let our powers combineCES XM Satellite has claimed a pair of firsts over rival Sirius Radio with the release of two new devices that can tune in satellite radio and play MP3s and the announcement that it has topped six-million subscribers.? Philips to ship H2, tooCES Sony will ship Blu-ray Disc players to the US retail market in "early summer", the consumer electronics giant said yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show, held in Las Vegas.? Record 5.1-channel soundtracks up to 30m awayCES Sony will next month ship a cute Bluetooth microphone accessory for members of its DVD camcorder line-up. The ECM-HW1 is designed as a pick-up for audio that the camcorder's main mic can't always catch, particularly since it can be located up to 30m from the recording device.? Studio Canal spills beansCES HD DVD will come to Europe in 2006, it has emerged. France's Studio Canal, part of the Canal Plus media combine, this week said it will ship 30 titles on the next-generation optical disc format this year.? Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy for real?CES Sony is to bring its Librié e-1000 electronic book to the US in March, the company annnounced at CES today.? Cool VoIP and PSP apps and gadgets galoreCES Certified gadget obsessives Tech Digest and Shiny Shiny scour Gizmoville for the oddest digital goodies? Tackles 'remote power' problem, still needs a socketJust a day after announcing that Ethernet power would drive all its wireless access points in future, Linksys unveiled a wireless webcam - which needs wires.? Route cause analysisTomTom - the satellite navigation service - is offering its punters free traffic updates after its service was interrupted last month. The service interruption, which TomTom blames on problems with its ISP, follows similar problems in September, originally blamed on a server migration falling behind schedule. Both glitches affected TomTom's website and its TomTom Plus traffic update service.? Fad gadgetsVoIP giant Skype has announced a number of partnerships with telephony gadget manufacturers in a bid to reach a wider market with its internet telephony service.? Weird shades from Moto, high def cams and moreCertified gadget obsessives Tech Digest and Shiny Shiny scour Gizmoville for the oddest digital goodies.? Mac-based GPS software developer beats the retreatRoute-planning software and GPS navigation hardware developer TomTom has successfully forced a small Mac software developer to stop offering code that allows users to maintain TomTom's Go device from a Macintosh.? More compatible with the binaural worldHaving seemingly failed to persuade the digital music world to upgrade to MP3 Pro, the format's founder, Germany's Fraunhofer Institute, is trying again, this time with MP3 Surround, a multi-channel implementation of the hugely popular music codec.? Where do you not want to go today?Nissan and Microsoft have partnered to show that they can deliver as much impotent grandeur as any other auto/software maker duo.? »
[+] PDA for your petand other high-tech shaggy dog storiesCertified gadget obsessives Tech Digest and Shiny Shiny scour Gizmoville for the oddest digital goodies, TV Scoop features all that?s cool in British telly and Propellerhead answers your PC queries? MonsterSony will show off a monster 82in LCD TV in January - ten months after Samsung demo'd just such a beast of its own.? R580 to debut on 24 January?ATI will announce - but not necessarily ship - its 90nm R580 graphics chip next month as the Radeon X1900.? Electronic timesBelgian daily De Tijd is to be distributed electronically in what is claimed to be the first complete solution for portable electronic reading and writing.? Shuffle sweet spotApple is wondering whether to offer a 1GB iPod Nano early next year, even as it prepares a redesigned iPod Shuffle with the same song-storage capacity.? I heard that. Pardon.Music lovers are being warned that the popular 'earbud' headphones worn by users of iPods and MP3 players could lead to hearing loss.? And the PS3 is on its way too Download tracks direct to the deviceMusicGremlin's upcoming digital music player will support direct-to-device song downloads, the company said today as it begins to pitch technology licences to device manufacturers.? Gadgets and eBay goodies from the Shiny crewCertified gadget obsessives Tech Digest and Shiny Shiny scour Gizmoville for the oddest digital goodies, TV Scoop features all that?s cool in British telly and Propellerhead answers your PC queries.? Recordable and rewriteableTDK has begun sampling recordable and rewriteable Blu-ray Discs that don't need to be kept in cartridges, the company said today.? Intel-based iBooks to be USB 2.0 only, website claimsIs Apple about to drop FireWire - the connectivity standard it created and for so long fostered - from the Mac line-up?? Wearing out the rewind buttonSonyBMG?s efforts to regain some credibility with PC users came unstuck again after it admitted that a patch for flawed content protection software included with some its CDs actually creates more problems for users.? Rattling sabre to speed negotiationsCreative has once again touted its ownership of a key digital music player user-interface patent, though the comapny's CEO, Sim Wong Hoo, didn't go as far as to threaten any rival companies - guess who - specifically.? Blu-ray vs HD DVD = PS3 vs Xbox 360The battle between the next-generation games consoles will determine the winner of the fight between the next-generation optical disc formats.? »
[+] Samsung sues MatsushitaPanasonic plasma panel patent clash claimSamsung has accused Matsushita's Panasonic subsidiary of violating nine plasma display panel patents it holds, and today filed lawsuits with the US District Court in Los Angeles and Pennsylvania, South Korean news sources report.? [+ desc][+ titles]
2. Software2.1 OSOld warrior clobberedOlder versions of the Windows flavour of Apache's web server software are vulnerable to a critical code injection flaw as well as a pair of lesser security bugs.? Pretty much slotting into Microsoft's typical roadmap, then...Microsoft has pulled the release of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 forward to the final quarter of this year, according to a speculative report.? Nvidia GPUs sit up and barkRemember Terra Soft and its Yellow Dog Linux for Power processors?? Windows EBS on the way outMicrosoft will halt development of its mid-market oriented Windows Essential Business Server software bundle, as the company bets on "cloud computing" rather than lump licensing to woo penny-pinching IT markets.? 'Unfortunate' XBMC community caught in crossfireThe BBC has tried to draw a line under its decision to bar open source implementations of RTMP (real-time messaging protocol) streaming in the iPlayer, after The Register revealed the Corporation's quiet switcheroo last week.? Runs brown out of townCanonical is replacing its signature brown color scheme with the debut of Ubuntu 10.04, the next major release of the popular Linux distribution.? Patently clear patent dealAnother day, another company developing Linux-based tech falls into line with Microsoft's intellectual property wonks.? But COO admits business spending may remain 'conservative'Microsoft?s chief operating officer, Kevin Turner, claimed yesterday that the software vendor would sell Send in the bankers and lawyersCommercial Linux distro and systems software maker Novell said last night, after it had received a takeover deal from a New York hedge fund named Elliott Associates to take Novell private, that it would put out a statement about the proposal. It took nearly four hours to come up with the statement, and the wonder is why.? New supporter for MeegoOrange has given its thumbs-up to the Intel-Nokia Linux venture Meego, the OS formerly known as Maemo and Moblin.? Former Sun exec lowers red flagsA former Sun Microsystems' executive has re-assured worried OpenSolaris users the open-source operating system has a future under new owner Oracle.? Former CEO strikes backDesperate to fund its seemingly-endless legal battle for Unix copyrights against Novell and others, SCO Group has found someone willing to buy the bankrupt company's mobile assets - and it's none other than Darl McBride, the former SCO chief executive sacked as a result of his ruinous crusade to claim Unix.? Tuesday ties makes for 7 day truancyFedora Project developers said they will push back the first alpha release for Fedora 13 by one week.? VMs gets cozy with Apple XserveParallels has introduced a bare-metal hypervisor for servers built by the Jobsian cult.? Switching off life support, left to breathe aloneMicrosoft will kill support for its unloved Windows Vista operating system a few months ahead of its Windows XP SP2 and Windows 2000 planned end-of-the-road-for-updates deadline.? Perfect storm plays outIn Gartner's assessment of the server market in the fourth quarter of 2009, X64 servers and blades in particular were singled out as the growth engines. With IDC's similar, but different, report Thursday we learn that the Windows platform was the real beneficiary of the bump in sales.? Spanish boffins put value on penguinHow much would it cost the European Union to cobble together the Linux kernel from scratch?? Five-year bling planPCs running Ubuntu will be getting more social thanks to changes that will set the popular Linux distro's look and feel for the next five years.? CentOS for grown upsReview Red Hat's Enterprise Linux (RHEL) version 5.5 has reached the beta stage with downloads available for those with a subscription to the Red Hat Network.? And big opportunities for Cupertino lock-inApple is advertising for an Engineering Manager to take the iPhone OS onto new platforms and new hardware, extending the OS, and the Cupertino control that goes with it.? Differences more than skin deepConfusion over a Dutch translation has prompted Microsoft to confirm that its new mobile platform is not backwards compatible, though new documents point towards a .NET and Silverlight future.? Get excited now! Or in a few monthsMWC Microsoft has rewritten its mobile platform at last, but the competition still has eight months before Windows Phone 7 Series handsets slip into pockets.? Computer upgrade hazard aheadMPs hoping to have their House of Commons' computers upgraded to Microsoft's Windows 7 OS were hit with a nasty Vista setback last week.? Maemo + Moblin =
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Placed firmly in the musical youth market, the W550i is one of latest edition to the Sony Ericsson Walkman series: a tri-band GSM phone with music, Java, web and email capability. As with the K750i/D750i, Sony Ericsson has again introduced a cluster of phones with a common theme and brand, all based upon the same internal technology. The good news is that Sony Ericsson gets it right and has a selection of solid phones to suit the needs of media-hungry consumers.?
Ultra-compact digital cameras don't come much thinner than the 1.5cm-thick Sony Cyber-shot DSC T5 a supremely pocketable 5.1mp digital camera that will really turn heads towards the lens.?
Alienware is still fairly new to the UK market and up to now has stuck to its guns and produced only very high-end, and very expensive, PCs. But Alienware isn't only well known for its high-end, high-powered gaming systems, but also for its large, stylish cases.?
iRiver's Flash-based T10 is one of the chunkier digital music players I've seen. It's clearly pitched at a more sporty audience - it's got yellow trim, always visual shorthand for a 'sport' model - and both its size and heft are intended to appeal to folk who maintain an 'active' lifestyle, whatever that is.?
Navman is hoping to win back business from its PDA-based GPS rivals by creating a new range of budget units that offer a scaled down version of its advanced rigs but at a fraction of the cost. One of the first, the Navman iCN 320 is for the GPS newcomer. There's no large touchscreen, and everything is controlled from buttons placed on either side of the screen. As for the screen itself, although fairly large, it looks incredibly small compared to the unit, writes Stuart Miles.?
Panasonic has been making notebooks for a long time, but you may not have come across the Toughbook brand before. The reason for this is that Toughbooks tend to attract a buyer who is more concerned with durability than design and performance. To get an idea of who the Toughbooks appeal to, next time you see a BT engineer working on a junction box in the street, take a look over his shoulder. It's a near certainty that he'll be working on a Toughbook, writes Riyad Emeran.?
Epson's latest entry into the photo printer market helps fill the gap between its R800 and R200 models with an update of the R300. The Epson Stylus Photo R320 comes complete with a new, colour screen and memory card slots for 13 of the most popular card formats, including xD, SmartMedia, Memory Stick - Pro, Duo, Pro Duo and MagicGate - SD and miniSD cards, writes Doug Harman.?
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