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November 20, 2009
This may well be the ultimate dangerous toy for boys. It certainly had this lass worried.
Now, you may wonder why you've not come across an electric skateboard before. Well, we've got the answer. They're dangerous! (Especially when you try them out while dressed in a wraparound skirt, but that's another matter.)
Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...
November 2, 2009
If you're fed up with having hundreds of different chargers for mobile phones, iPod and portable cameras, all cluttering up your house, then the Messless could be ideal for you.
The circular glass-effect device, which measures 205mm in diameter and is 75mm high, is capable of charging up to four gadgets at any one time. The Messless comes with six interchangeable adaptors that Giugiaro Design, the company behind the device, says are compatible with over 2,500 gadgets from mobile to iPods, digital cameras and satnavs.
Carrie-Ann Skinner | Read more...
October 27, 2009
Just when the Amazon Kindle e-book finally starts international shipping, along comes another.
British bookworms can now buy the Kindle from the US Amazon store on an AT&T international contract). Meanwhile, behemoth bookseller chain Barnes & Noble has waded in with an Android-based e-book with a full colour screen. The 7.7in screen Nook will cost $259 - the same price as the Kindle.
Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...
October 19, 2009
Hannspree has launched the Photo Alarm Clock - an alarm clock with FM radio that will also display your favourite digital photographs.
The 123x91x33mm device has a 4.3in colour LCD that shows the time as well as displaying photos. A USB port is used to transfer images from a PC to the Hannspree digital photo frame. Music can also be played on the device.
Carrie-Ann Skinner | Read more...
October 8, 2009
Ever wondered what happens to a computer keyboard when it's superseded by a slimmer, sleeker new one?
Some lucky keyboards avoid the ignominy of having dregs of tea splashed all over them and crumbs getting caught inside them.
Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...
October 6, 2009
TomTom has unveiled Start - an entry-level satnav designed for occasional drivers or those who haven't used a satnav device before.
The lightweight device has a 3.5in screen and has just two buttons on its user interface, 'Plan route' and ‘Browse map'. The TomTom Start comes with a semi-fixed mount and the overall unit is compact enough to be slipped straight into your pocket.
Carrie-Ann Skinner | Read more...
September 22, 2009
Plagued by a tangle of cables and fed up with never having the right charger to hand? The Bluelounge Refresh is designed to help. It's a charging dock that also acts as a cable tidy.
Available in black, white or pink, the Refresh was commissioned by Apple and features two iPod or iPhone connectors, a mini USB connector, a micro USB connector and two standard USB ports, ensuring users can charge everything from mobile phones and digital music players to games consoles and digital cameras.
Carrie-Ann Skinner | Read more...
September 15, 2009
Fed up with all those plastic and nylon cases for your gadgetry? Hatti Trading has come up with an alternative.
The ethical trading company has launched a range of pink felt cases and 'snugs' for your netbooks and MP3 players. As well as being a bit different from the standard iPod accessory fare we're used to seeing, the Hatti Trading Pink Daisy line gets a nod from us for its efforts to raise money for charity.
Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...
September 14, 2009
The World Wildlife Fund (the WWF) has launched a boxset of USB memory keys in the shape of animals it's fundraising to protect.
The USB flash drives come in capacities from 1GB to 8GB with each set containing a panda, a polar bear and a penguin.
Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...
September 5, 2009
There are things that should be left enough alone, and Amazon's Orwellian removal of the book Nineteen Eighty-Four from customers' Kindle e-readers is one of them. Orwell would have got a kick out of this, yet Amazon seems to be taking the matter very seriously.
You remember the story: Amazon thought it had digital rights necessary to offer George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm to users of its Kindle e-reader. When it turned out Amazon didn't have the rights, it without warning simply removed the books from user accounts and refunded their money.
David Coursey | Read more...
September 4, 2009
The Q-London QL Xperience 2 is the upgraded widescreen version of Q-London's Xperience virtual-screen shades: 'cinemas for the face', in essence.
The gadget maker has been making the line for a while now, but reckons it's close to cracking the necessary technology to make them sit neatly on a variety of face shapes without falling off or letting in light. The forthcoming Xperience 2 will also feature a higher resolution.
David Price | Read more...
August 26, 2009
Sony has added a touch-sensitive model to its Reader electronic book line-up, the Sony Reader Touch. Sony has also launched a smaller e-book model, the Sony Reader Pocket.
The new model has the same 6in monochrome display as its PRS-505 predecessor but can also be used to highlight sections of a document and save them as notes for later reference.
Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...
August 24, 2009
Means of keeping gadgetry charged are becoming almost as prevalent as protective cases to keep them from becoming scratched and losing their lustre.
The latest on-the-go charger is the WildCharge PowerDisc. This takes the form of a charging mat that holds the charge and a selection of connectors that fits a range of phones and portable entertainment devices.
Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...
August 16, 2009
Fans of Dragons Den may well recognise the TrueCall - it's a clever little box that helps you monitor incoming calls and only accept those from numbers on a 'white list' - in much the same way that you can automatically allow or block websites and files using security software and filtering rules.
The TrueCall's trump card is that rather than nuisance callers disturbing you and you having to check your phone to see who's calling, the service can prevent the phone ringing in the first place. If the number is on a blocked list, the phone won't ring. You can add up to 100 numbers to the safe caller's list.
Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...
August 5, 2009
Nikon's Coolpix S1000pj digital camera with a built-in projector sounds as good as peanut butter and chocolate. Why didn't anyone think of this sooner? And If a point-and-shoot camera can double as a video projector, what other tech marriages are possible? Here are a few combinations we'd like to see.
1. Mobile phone and breathalyser. You've had a drink at a bar, and you feel sober enough to drive - but you may be legally impaired. Rather than risk it, you breathe into your mobile phone, which tells you if you're fit to get behind the wheel. In fact, South Korean manufacturer already sells one of these, but not in this country.
Jeff Bertolucci | Read more...
July 28, 2009
We'd love to say that the Rovio Wi-Fi robot has an immensely practical purpose such as doing your household chores and taking the dog for a stroll, but the £299 required to acquire this hugger-mugger will be pure indulgence.
It's essentially a webcam, but one you can have a lot of fun manoeuvring about the place by plotting a route and getting it to follow the path (a TrueTrack add-on module is required to create waypoints for multiple rooms). There's also a handy 'Rovio go home' button that instructs him to go back to his base for a recharge.
Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...
July 27, 2009
If Apple doesn't introduce a tablet computer soon, we'll all be sorely disappointed. With all the ongoing speculation about the supposed iPod-on-steroids, I feel like the device is already here.
Today's tip from Apple Insider has the Big Tablet arriving early next year, a prediction that matches one two months ago by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.
Jeff Bertolucci | Read more...
July 21, 2009
Late last week, hundreds of Amazon Kindle owners picked up their e-book readers and discovered two of the books they'd purchased were missing. Was it a software glitch or a hardware failure? Had some hacker figured out how to access the devices? No. The thief was Amazon itself.
The store's digital rights management apparatus had reached into the gadgets via their always-available Sprint Whispernet connections and erased the books. Apparently the publisher who sold the books did not have the rights to them. So Amazon 'unsold' them.
Robert X Cringely | Read more...
June 16, 2009
Charging gadgets on the go can be a pain, especially if you need a 240v power source. These two new Ring Automotive chargers could help.
The MP:75 is a 3in silver device, one end of which plugs into a car's cigarette lighter and at the other end offers a standard 240v plug socket, into which any electrical device from laptops to consoles can be plugged into and powered.
Carrie-Ann Skinner | Read more...
June 8, 2009
Belkin has updated its in-car FM transmitters to automatically find the strongest frequency on which to broadcast music stored on an iPod.
The TuneCast Live Auto is the first device to use the GPS (global positioning satellite) receiver in the Apple iPhone to scan the airwaves and seek out the clearest FM frequency in the vicinity. Data is based on geographical information and feedback from other TuneCast users within range.
Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...