Gadgety News

Following on from the news that Brits spend around 50 grand on gadgets and electronic gear in an average lifetime it seems that the hunger for geekahol and gizmos is still strong through the Credit Crunch!

London shoppers are still finding the cash to spend on shiny new gadgets whether as a useful tool or just to look right en vougue!

Five hundred shoppers on Oxford St were recently surveyed and asked what electronics they had on them at that time. The results found that the average person steps out of the house with £247 worth of gadgets in their pockets and handbags - I can hear all the bag-snatchers rubbing their hands together right now.

Sitting on public transport I can generally see another half-dozen iPhones being tilted or flicked through and perhaps 2 or 3 PSP’s during an average journey - add that to London being the best in the world for wifi it all makes sense.

The survey was commissioned by Insuregadgets.com, who have said that the survey results show that consumer technology has gone mainstream.

So; how many gadgets to you wander around with on your person?  Personally I’m usually carrying my iPhone and a set of Porta Pro’s.

Guardian

Pic Cred

I’ve only just got back into regular reading again this year.  Shameful I know. Even more shameful is that since moving to London in February 2004 I’ve yet to join a local library!

Well, a new multimedia venture has just been launched that will bring together the content from more than 1000 cultural organisations across Europe in a free online resource.

The British Library is amongst the institutions that have signed up to the new European online library called Europeana.

The European Commission and the Louvre Museum are also to add content.

This is sounding fantastic!

The ambition is for internet users to be able to access more than two million books, maps, recordings, photographs, archive documents, paintings and films.

More lazy students……..I didn’t think that was possible!

The project was created by the European Commission and is run by the European Digital Library Foundation, and will launch in 2010.

BBC News

Good ol’ Auntie Beeb!

After bringing us the joy of the iPlayer the Beeb is going to be showing content from BBC One and BBC live online.

From the 27th November web visitors will be able to watch shows including Never Mind The Buzzcocks (fab!), EastEnders (never mind eh?) and Heroes (Yatta!) as they are broadcast.

BBC Three, BBC Four, CBBC, CBeebies and BBC News are already broadcast on their channel websites.

Director of BBC vision Jana Bennett told BBC News that this move “completes our commitment” to make channels available online.

“From 27 November licence fee payers will be able to watch BBC programmes live wherever they are in the UK on their computers, mobile phones and other portable devices,” Bennett added.

Via - BBC News

An AMD-commissioned YouGov research into British notebook usage has shown that most Brits would rather be hooked up to the interweb than own their own ride!

The study reveals that 90% of 18-24 year olds own a notebook with 73% saying that they “couldn’t live without” it.

I fear for Halfords - I really do!!

Britons apparently consider access to the internet (67%) as more important than access to a car (54%) or a washing machine (58%).

AMD suggests that the ”constantly-connected” Brits are shunning face-to-face get-togethers in favour of social networking sites and catching up with TV online.

The report states that almost half (41%) of men enjoy watching BBC iPlayer on their notebooks.

Men are the ones most likely to download music (71% men v 62% women) and the ladies are more interested in chatting with their friends and family on Instant Messenger (75% v 72% of men).

Now - I must get back to Twitter, check my email, see who’s online on MSN, AOL, ICQ….

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