Gadgety News

To be filed safely under - “nothing special but too cute to ignore”.

These headphones from Greenhouse are for all of us that like the idea of having a mini Angel and Devil shoved into our lugholes.

They’ll rock out an average sounding 5mW output, 20Hz to 20kHz response and are unleashed in Japan in five different color combos for about $10.

Not sure if that stand does anything apart from give you somewhere to sit the little fellas and ask them “should I stick toffee on the dogs back teeth again?”……………

NewLaunches

I’ve tried to stop posting all the neato iPhone apps that keep cropping up but couldn’t resist this one.

All you folks ‘of an age’ will understand my excitement of discovering Pac-Man for the iPhone - and it being FREE!

This is the originally styled Pac-Man game and you can control the character through many ways, not just via the accelometer which is the case in some other games.

Click the pic for the full screen view and note the onscreen controller

Did I mention that it was free?

Now run my childern, run and get this app!!

Get get it at the App Store

There’s official word from my roots back in Canada.

RIM’s Canadian HQ have confirmed that their Storm touchscreen handset will be hitting the United Kingdom within the first 7 days of November.

No word on tariffs but I reckon it’s safe to say that they would be competitive with the likes of the iPhone and the G1 Android.

I’m thinking unlimited downloads and an 18-month contract - these seem to have become de rigueur in the clever phone world.

More news as I get it

There’s something quite militant about Apple users.

There can be something amazing but if it hasn’t be touched by Apple it just wont be good enough and will look odd with all the other iGadgets.

The designer, Mac Funamizu (no, really!), loves the look of the Nokia Aeon but gave it a bit of a tweak.

He’s added Apple’s standard livery and design ideology.

It would utilise a tactile feedback technology and the surface adapts to different purposes while the e-ink screen envelops the phone in graphics and information.

If this is what a Nokia and Apple partnership could birth I say get it on!!

Designer: Mac Funamizu via Yanko where you get more pics

You may be aware that there has been some rumours about new MacBooks.

No? Really?

Well Apple has given its range of MacBooks an external makeover and a serious power boost to boot!

Their graphics processors have enjoyed the biggest tune-up - each of the machines comes with an NVIDA GeForce 9400M GPU.  Allegedly five times more powerful than the previous MacBook offerings.

MacBook Pro users can choose to upgrade their chipset to the 9400M GT for a extra graphical boost.

The displays are new and nifty as well. The LED backlighting ensures brighter, more vibrant colours as well as requiring less power to operate.  How thoughtful.

That’s all very groovy but kinda par for the upgrading a laptop course really innit?

Hold onto your shorts!

The traditional trackpad has been binned in favour of a special new glass design.

Stevie J said that it took months for the designers to perfect, and it features multitouch gesture support capable of tracking four fingers at the same time.  Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!

Each model is hewn from a single piece of aluminium and the screen now has a black surround to match the keys.

Even I’m being tempted over to the fruity side! 

For all you stick-in-the-muds the plain old white MacBook is still going to be on offer at a lower price,

The MacBook Air has had a hike in storage - 120GB as standard - and there’s 2GB of RAM inside, with the option of 1.6 GHz or 1.86 GHz processors.

If you go for the big-boy they also throw in a 128GB SSD too for the exchange of an extra £500.

Prices start from £939 for the MacBook, £1,399 for the Pro and £1,299 for the Air.

Dear Santa…………………….

If you’re a fan of retro musical instruments or Rolf Harris - or perhaps you want to play a version of Telstar the Very Cool Software Company has recently announced its first iPhone application: The Dubreq iStylophone.

For those of you too young for the refereces made above; the Stylophone is an electronic musical instrument (kinda), originally invented by Brian Jarvis in 1968 and manufactured in the UK by Dubreq.

You’ll be able to replicate the instrument’s sound as well as other features by using the phone’s touchscreen.

But, is it worth the $5.95 (£3.49*) asking price?

We’ll see on the 1st December when it will becomes available.

I eagerly await the iWobbleboard for the full Rolf-tastic orchestra

* correction

It’s a shame.

But this here thing is destined to fail unfortunately.

At first it seems a good idea but when you do a James Brown and “break it down” you see there are many stumbling blocks.

The OLO Computer is reportedly thinking of bringing to market a netbook-styled device that seems to require users to plop their iPhone / iPhone 3G into the palm rest.

Now, I’m guessing all manner of sync’ing will ensue which is good but then is the iPhone then a trackpad?

It could be that the machine uses the iPhone as it’s ‘core’ but then it will only be able to run iPhone apps and the screen on the pic is showing MAC OS - which is the next point.

Apple aren’t reknowned for sharing their OS’s with anyone so we can surly cross that off the list.

Sad thing is - all the juicy info should be posted this week…….the week of a certain announcement from Apple………….

Liliputing

Official OLO Teaser Page

We all know that the Sony PSP 3000 isn’t due to be launched until next Tuesday but the PSP-3000 Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack has managed to slip into at least one Best Buy a few days early.

An Engadget friendly tipster, namely Aaron G, sent them a few unboxing shots.

It’s good to share - so for all of you that enjoy the voyeurism of vicarious unboxing………

Slip quietly over to Engadget and peek at the unboxing gallery

The average British household will work its way through more than 250 electrical devices over a period of 60 years, according to a new survey.

The poll of 3,000 households by Reevoo.com shows that electrical items rarely last longer than six years - and the kettle is the item Brits use and replace the most.

Over sixty years, each household will get through 20 kettles and spend approximately £1,000, which works out as a new kettle every three years.

The most expensive item is a home PC, replaced around 4 years at a cost of around £500 while the average oven costs more at £545, but lasts around 6 years.

In total, Reevoo.com reckons Brits will fork out £48,940 on electrical devices over their lifetime.

LG continue to negate the need to take out a compact camera with their KC780.

We all know that phones are getting bigger cameras but this one not only packs an 8MP sensor, it throws in a Schneider-Kreuznach lens, an ISO of 1600, face and smile detection, a spot-removing beauty mode, image stabilisation and ‘DVD-like’ video recording.

Why would you need to take your tiny camera to the pub?

If that wasn’t enough you can hook this up to your PC to use as a webcam.

You can also use it as a real mobile phone!

It’s got what you’d expect and it all can be viewed on the 2.4-inch screen.

You can find out more details and stuff from November, when the KC780 gets ever realer in Europe.

Play.com, the online store, has just bitten a chunk out of Apple.

Their range of DRM-free music now includes artists from Sony BMG, Warner and Universal joining EMI and a host of independent labels. 

At 65-pence-per-track, that’s 14p less than the iTunes variety and you don’t need an iPod to play them either.

Smugness abounds in the Play.com camp as they also beat HMV, Amazon and Tecso to signing with the big four.

PlayDigital head Wendy Snowdown says: “It’s great for us to get this service live before Amazon, HMV and Tesco and it’s showing in the sales results.”

They’re not the first, however, 7digital pipped them six weeks ago, but Play says the ability to purchase from DVDs, books and everything else, in the same shopping basket gives them the upper hand.

A bit of modesty please Play

PlayDigital

The PSP-3000 may not seem like a great deal different to the PSP-2000.

Ok, there’s a few cosmetic changes, but apparently it’s the firmware that makes all the difference according to Eurogamer.

So, if you’ve only recently bought a PSP there’s no need to kick yourself!

Yeah, the new screen is much “richer, warmer and deeper than the PSP-2000.”

The third brightness setting is brighter than the current gen’s fourth brightness level, says Eurogamer.

Does the PSP-3000 screen fare better in glaring light than the PSP-2000? You’ll have to wait and see since EG wasn’t able to get a day of sunlight over here in Autumnal England.

The D-pad and other buttons are more pronounced and feel much firmer according to Tom Bramwell.

The built-in mic performed well during Skype calls.

Regarding firmware v4.2, a “USB Auto-Connect” option will automatically revert the handheld into USB mode when plugged in but not during gameplay and it won’t charge during gameplay either. It will charge when in USB mode like the current gen does.

So, some changes but not much.  If, like me, you have the 1st Gen model it might be worth the change.

Wanting more colour options for your HTC Diamond?

Well time to dust of those phrase books out as France will get the bon chance to pick up the Diamond in one of seven colours: White, blue, brown, fuchsia, yellow, purple or rose.

I can see a few people nipping over La Manche as this is probably the only way you’ll get so many options.

Parlez-vous Francais?

The Tube 5800 is part of the XPRESS range of handsets from Nokia, joining the 5310.

There’s a 3.2-megapixel dual flash camera with a Carl Zeiss lens, and 8GB of storage for your music that Nokia hopes you’ll be picking up from the new Comes With Music service.

The other musical bonus is that it’s packing some pretty potent speakers too!

One of the best bits is that you’re able to store your four favourite contacts, complete with photos, on the home screen storing your entire history with that person.

That means you can keep up-do-date with your fave 4 with all their texts, emails and calls exchanged as well as Facebook status updates through the RSS feed. That is pretty cool

The 5800 Tube is hooked up with Flash so you can browse “the whole internet”. I think that was a little attack on the iPhone………………

You’ll be able to grab this phone now for just 279 Euros on pay-as-you-go - another attack aimed squarely at the 3Gesus iPhone which will hurt your pocket for twice that.

T3 actually got their paws on one for a preview - here’s their thoughts:

• Design

The Tube 5800 is slim in thickness and in width, much smaller than the N96 which we were expecting it to be most similar to. It’s a candybar design, coated in a glossy piano black finish, with a bright red metallic strip around the edge. The front fascia is also glossy black, however the edges are encased in what looks like a transparent burgundy plastic.

• Touchscreen

There’s a slide-button on the right side of the phone, about three quarters down, which activates the screen. The screen itself is big - 3-inches, we’d say, so a tiny bit smaller than the iPhone’s screen. The touchscreen is fantastic though, hugely responsive, and the closest thing to the iPhone we’ve seen so far. It certainly eclipses the usability of recent touchscreens, like the Samsung Omnia and LG Renoir.

However, the downside of the touchscreen is that it’s still prone to fingerprint smears, even more so than the iPhone. The top right hand section of the phone has a touch-sensitive ‘XPRESS MEDIA’ written on it, and when pressed, launches the music player.

• Comes With Music

As aforementioned, Nokia’s first official touchscreen mobile phone will be compatible with their Comes With Music service, allowing users to download millions of tracks over a 12 month period, playable on the Tube.

• User Interface

It uses the Symbian S60 operating system, however the homepage looks different to other handsets, with an almost iPhone-esque array of icons. Sadly we didn’t get a proper chance to look through the entire menu, but it’s standard Nokia fare - so easy to use, even your granny will be wanting one.

T3

Engadget have revealed Nintendo’s latest pocket pleaser.

The new Nintendo DSi will still retain both touch screens, although both displays have had an increase in size to 3.25″ from its original 3″. Everyone will appreciate a combined extra half-inch.

In addition the screenage the DSi has slimmed down by 12% compared to its predecessor, partly due to the omission of the GBA cartridge slot.

That’s a little odd as games like Guitar Hero: On Tour (a game that requires the Guitar controller add-on which fits into the GBA cartridge slot nicely) won’t work on the new DSi.

Other improvements include a front-facing VGA camera located on the inside hinge, while a 3 megapixel external camera will compete with your cell phone for casual photographs.

Not only that, the DSi will support SD memory cards with a new SD card slot, and the integrated browser application makes it a contender for the iPod touch since you can also play back your favorite MP3s!

The Nintendo DSi is said to be out in Japan on November 1st for $179 or thereabouts.

The rest of the world will get it next year at some point.

Will you be chopping in your old DS for the DSi?

Engadget

According to Japan’s Nikkei newspaper (kind of Japans’ Wall Street Journal) they report that Nintendo will launch a new version of the DS later this year.

Now I’ve already talked about this but this is where the Nikkei article gets interesting:  They say that this new DS is coming loaded with a built-in camera, music playback and a more powerful wireless to boot!

The camera will be used for new types of games - given what they’ve created with the Wii there’s no telling what this could lead to - though I’m sure it would involve taking pictures of yourself at some point…….

Of course, it’ll reportedly launch in Japan before it hits overseas, where it’ll sell for under 20,000 yen (Kotaku notes the current DS is 16,800 yen).

If true, it looks to be another iteration of the current DS, not the dual widescreen jobby I mentioned before - expect it in April or May 2009.

Nikkei via Kotaku

This is a totally cool bit of kit.

Songreference has a free download for the Windows version of iTunes (Mac to follow I guess) and Winamp called MiniTube.

MiniTube will sniff out the music video of whichever MP3 you are playing at the time.

That’s cool enough but it then plays it all synced up to the song.

The syncing part is the trickiest bit and, quite frankly, makes all the difference.

The plug-in also has links to Wikipedia information on each song.

See a demo video here.

Apple is now selling its iPhone 3G unlocked via its on-line Apple Store in Hong Kong!

Yup, the 8GB model sells for HK$5,500 (about £376) or HK$6,200 (about £431) for the 16 gigger.

“iPhone 3G purchased at the Apple Online Store can be activated with any wireless carrier. Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 to complete activation.”

Unfortunately for the 1 billion mainland Chinese and the rest of the world the terms and conditions limit sales to those in Hong Kong only - it can’t be long until we see the Grey Import versions tho

It’ll be interesting to see if Apple extends the unlocking more broadly (presumably as exclusivity deals expire) or if this is strictly a local phenomena.

PC World

I had this land in my inbox today.

It looks to be a new camera phone from Sammy called the Pixon.

It’s a touch screen jobby with an accelerometer and an 8mp snapper.

MP3’s should sound pretty good as it comes loaded with the SRS system.

You want more insider knowledge?

Read on………….

The press specs are thusly presented:

• 8MP Camera with Auto Focus.
• 3.2-inch Full-Touch Screen.
• Only 13.8mm thin.
• 16 x Zoom, Dual Power LED Flash.
• Face Detection.
• Smile Shot.
• ASR (Advanced Shake Reduction).
• WDR (Wide Dynamic Range).
• Photo Browser (Accelerometer Sensor).
• High Speed Video Capture and Playback.
• HSDPA Quad-Band 7.2Mbps connectivity.
• Online Widget for easy access to frequently used functions.
• SRS (surround sound system) Virtual 5.1CH.

As well as all of that there appears to be what looks like a gaming icon on the screen………

It’s said to be arriving in November with a £400 price tag - prolly best to get it on a contract huh?

The press chappy asks me to point you here : www.thephotographicadventuresofnickturpin.com to get involved.

Why?

That’s my first question on discovering the latest venture by the large labels to convince us that we need another physical media to carry our tunes.

Personally CD’s are still my main alternative to MP3, etc.

I still have my vinyl but that weighs a ton. I loved the ease of tapes and I even tried MiniDisks. In fact I  still record my rehearsal jams on MD but that’s about it.

These Sandisk slotMusic cards are not much more than tweaked 1GB microSD cards with a logo and a special USB-compatible sled: and the fact that they’ll carry albums from BMI Music, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group fails to pique my interest.

They’ll be DRM free which, to be honest, is a pleasant surprise.

It’s an attempt to change the way some people buy MP3s, the cynical amongst you might think this is a way to attract people back into real stores.  I worked for FOPP and I can tell you that when the chain of stores went into receivership noone was particularly shocked.

Anyhooooo…you’ll get a card you can slot into your cellphone or PC with high-quality MP3s (up to 320kbps), artwork, videos and such, which you can also reuse as a 1GB memory card later, and that’s kinda handy I spose.

If I want, and I generally do, a physical, tangible version of a bought album I’d go for the one with pictures and sleeve notes I can read, touch and yes; perhaps even smell!

I am prepared to be proved wrong - we can only judge after crimbo has come and gone I guess.

SlotMusic