Get with it; get the latest ION USB turntable

If you have a lot of vinyl in your music collection then you may wish to invest in a USB turntable, it is certainly a sensible option for anyone that has piles of much loved vinyl classics gathering dust and now never played. Of course there is always the ebay or car boot sale option, but then why get rid of all those lovely memorable records just because technology has moved on. The latest must have for the music aficionado is the ION USB turntable; this excellent audio product is an ideal solution to allow you to still enjoy older formats via the very latest of technology.

This clever turntable allows for the conversion of all your favourite music in your record collection 33.3 and 45 RPM (78’s can also be converted but it takes a little more effort to do so) to be converted to MP3, just a simple case of connecting to your pc via the USB and running the software and Bob’s your auntie! The turntable is also able to be connected to your home stereo system where it can be used as a conventional turntable, so that you can still enjoy the crackles and hisses as vinyl truly intended.

For the iPod user there is the ION iPod USB turntable which has also the useful features of the original ION USB turntable but with the ability to transfer onto your iPod via the docking system. This turntable is compatible with all the latest iPod video models as well as the second and third generation nano’s.

The average retail price for the original ION USB turntable is just under £100, this turntable is without doubt backward compatibility at its best and with a very affordable price tag too!

ION Audio USB Turntable with Direct-to-Digital Conversion – Save £30 Web Exclusive

Nokia N97 Preview

The humble mobile phone has, since the basic early years, developed into a more multi-functional tool than anyone could have imagined; from texting on to cameras, and then on to combining phones with MP3 players and radios. The most recent, and by no means the final step of this evolution has been to give mobile phones usable and efficient internet access whilst on the move.

These “mobile computers” have come more and more to the forefront of the mobile market, and the newest iteration of this from Nokia has been causing many waves. Nokia, ever since they began producing phones, have had a reputation for superlative build quality, modern styling and for being as easy as possible to use. Due in part to the success of their N96 model, the anticipation that is presaging the arrival of the N97 has been building to fever pitch and, even after a cursory look, it is easy to see why.

At first look it is easy to see that the Nokia N97 is special – I mean, it just looks it. Unless you are a self-confessed gadget freak (such as myself), it can be hard to see the sort of magic I do when I see it. It has effortlessly clean lines, with simple, understated buttons, and has a certain je ne sais quoi that just makes it ooze class. Although slightly bigger than the iPhone, with dimensions of 15.9mm deep by 55.3mm wide by 117.2mm tall when in its normal position, its size is justified due to the plethora of functions it offers.

The body of the phone is dominated by the 3.5 inch touchscreen, with its touch sensitive call buttons. The phone also features a hidden QWERTY keyboard, which slides out of the side of the phone when needed. Now, there is often much criticism of the type of full keyboards that are used as the input method for these “mini-PCs”, but in this case Nokia appear to have got it right, with well spaced and relatively easy-to-use keys and a D-pad for easier menu navigation. In fact, I dare say that only the most ham-fisted should find it impossible to use. We finish off our tour of the model at the top, where there is the headphone jack and the power button.

So, what does the N97 offer in terms of functions and features? Well first to be mentioned is the built-in camera that is in the phone. It is a 5 megapixel model with Carl Zeiss integrated optics and a dual LED flash. This is a top class camera with which you should be able to take brilliant photos, and the resolution and sheer number of editing options is also very impressive. Whilst speaking of capturing images, it would be worthwhile to mention the video capturing function too. The video capture is of DVD quality and, because of the side-on nature of the touch screen, can be viewed in 16:9 video ratio. Of course, video capture also has many different editing options too.

The N97 also has a mammoth internal memory for the storage of photos, video or music. There is 32GB of storage within the phone, and there is also a Micro SD slot so that external digital storage cards can be added so that you can have more storage and transfer data more easily. The phone also has a built-in music player, which supports most of the popular music file formats, including MP3, and has the music display plug-in Playlist. Also bundled with the musical side of the features is an FM radio.

The phone runs through the Symbion operating system, which links in with the keyboard and touchscreen to operate the main functions. There is, of course, a web browser, and there is both WiFi and HSDPA capability. In with the current craze for “apps”, more commonly known in non-abbreviated English as “applications”, are useful tools such as Conference Calling, Document Viewer and GPS navigation, among others. Not to forget, you also get the standard elements a phone provides, calls, texts and multimedia messaging all being present and correct on the N97.

One last very cool and interesting function is the ‘Social Location’ tool, which uses the built-in GPS to automatically update any of your social networking sites with your location. It is a neat little touch which just emphasises how cool and functional the N97 is.

So, in short, the Nokia N97 might just be the ultimate smartphone or mobile computer, with a comprehensive set of excellent features encased in a stylish and easy to use body. After looking at the N97, I can now say I understand the hype surrounding this phone and will certainly be looking out for a concrete release date.

Will you need to give a sample of blood to use your iPhone or Apple Mac?

Apple are clearly developing new and unusual ways of enhancing security measure for iPhones and MacBooks, they have just filed a patent for not only the more conventional biometric sensing techniques including fingerprint scanning, but have also described further security techniques that could be used such as odour or DNA.

The details that have been filed are headed Embedded Authentication Systems and give precise diagrams of proposed techniques that could be used to authenticate the correct user. One of the proposed security measures for the iPhone is particularly disturbing as it seems to hint that the ear canal will be used as some form of authentications, and the iPhone will register if the person holding the iPhone to their ear is the correct owner. There are other ways of checking the identity of the user for security purposes as proposed by Apple for the iPhoine, the filing also details other methods some of which entail shaking or tilting of the iPhone a number of times in a certain manner, tapping the screen in a pattern technique.

The filing for the MacBook focuses on fingerprints, hand prints, knuckle prints, palm prints, blood vessel formation or any other visible distinguishing marks under the skin. There is also some mention of eye recognition, from iris to eye twitching and face recognition.

Clearly we are all concerned with the security of our expensive electronic equipment but whether there is the need for such extreme measures as proposed by Apple to maintain security of our electronic equipment remains to be seen. Now if you needed to give some form of DNA sample to be able to drive your car away then that might be worth the expense. How long will it be before we will need to give a urine sample just to use our iPhone?

Honda give you an Insight into perfect driving

The competition for hybrid cars has just got a bit hotter with the release of the new Honda Insight, this latest hybrid is the cheapest on the market and has exceptional green credentials. Without doubt the Honda Insight will take some of the current market share away from the Toyota Prius, the reason for this is likely to be the price tag. The saving on buying an Insight is around £2,500, added to that the excellent fuel consumption of around about 64 mpg and the extremely low road tax at £15 per year then the Insight is almost selling itself.

The Honda Insight will also teach the driver how to make the most of the cars energy efficiency by giving helpful indicators when a driving style is good or when it is bad for the environment. Driving in Econ mode will allow for improved fuel consumption, a green light behind the speedometer will instantly inform the driver if they are driving in an environmentally manner, however as soon as the driver adopts a more aggressive driving style and being heavy footed on the accelerator or braking more harshly then the speedometer glows a violet blue colour. In addition to the clever light show to let the driver know if they are driving well there is also a display panel that has images of trees, and whilst driving during the course of your journey in a sufficiently green manner then the trees will retain their leaves if the driver is driving badly with a lack of attention to fuel economy and heavy braking etc then the leaves will gradually diminish. So if at the end of your journey it looks like autumn on the display panel then you will know instantly that you have been driving like a complete numpty! Clearly this new eco car is not going to be up everyone’s street, if you are a lover of fast cars with lots of engine noise then this is clearly not the car for you.

Samsung 6 Series UE40B6000 – the BMW of the television world

With the swap from analogue to digital television being in the press it is most likely that if you haven’t already changed your old television set that you are seriously considering doing so in the near future. Certainly the world of televisions is a lot different from a few years ago with so much choice and new terminology such as HDTV you may be a little perplexed by the whole technology and so it worth doing some worthwhile research before parting with your cash. You will of course want to ensure that you are getting a television that is able to not only be able to give you the new digital service, but also will give you the very best picture quality available as well as fitting in comfortably in your home.

The Samsung UE40B6000 is therefore one television in particular that you will want to look at, this 6 series Samsung model gives you the very latest LED technology as well as providing Samsung’s Crystal 1080P HD (High Definition) which uses more pixels and 1.5 x scanning lines which results in an exceptional picture quality with more fine detail and clarity. The 100Hz Motion Plus technology allows for smooth flowing visual images that are displayed as they were filmed, unlike a conventional television which only displays images as 50Hz.

If you are at all concerned about the environment and your own good health, things such as free radical damage then the sophisticated manufacturing process of the Samsung 40” Crystal TV will lay any fears to rest. Dual injection moulding is adopted and no spray paints are used that could potentially harm during or after manufacture.

The super thin (29.9mm) Samsung UE40B6000 is a sophisticated Rose black and can be easily wall mounted although there is an optional stand. This exceptional television set comes with Freeview already installed and also sports Dolby Digital Plus and SRS TruSurround enhanced sound quality, 4 HDMI connectors for easily linking to multimedia devices and a USB for displaying JPEG images directly onto the television screen. This Samsung UE40B6000 television will set you back over £1500 but for the money there are not many televisions that will better it for picture quality, sound and visual beauty.

Orange and Apple – a match made in heaven?

Practically everywhere on the internet at the moment are stories of Orange the mobile phone service provider teaming with Apple to supply MacBooks with Orange Mobile dongle contracts. It is expected that if Apple and Orange can agree on terms that the Orange MacBook deal to the end user would entail a 24 month contract with quite a high monthly contract price tag.

Orange are clearly hoping that they will be able to emulate the O2 Apple iPhone success, and by providing such an attractive proposition as an Apple MacBook they will get punters flying through the door to purchase a dongle contract. Of course one of the problems that anyone purchasing into this (probably high price) Apple MacBook 24 month contract with Orange are likely to be concerned about network coverage. Although Orange are one of the major mobile network service providers their have been many dissenters who feel that their network coverage is at worst sketchy. Any user who wanted a connection to the internet by a dongle would be reliant on network connection and certainly there are many areas in the UK such as Cornwall and Somerset who do not currently enjoy a good coverage.

Should the deal go through and it is believed to hang on whether Orange can guarantee the volume that Apple would require, then it is likely that the Orange MacBook Dongle contracts would be launched in the summer traditionally a poor time for mobile phone sales. Some figures quoted for possible costs of the contracts have been in the region of £38 to £40 putting this possibly out of the price range of the average user. However the Apple MacBook lovers out there who have often hankered after owning one but who can never quite bring themselves to stump up the cost of the price tag may just about push themselves to pay a higher monthly tariff to own one.

Fallout 3 is Game of the Year at Choice Awards

The dark and atmospheric Fallout 3 role play game by Betheseda Softworks based in Maryland in the United States has scooped two prestigious awards at the 9th Annual Game Developers Awards. Fallout 3 has been named as winner of the Game of the Year award and also the Best Writing Award, beating serious competition from Grand Theft Auto and Left 4 Dead.

The game the third in a series is set in a post world apocalypse backdrop in the year 2277, where the Fallout 3 game player is required to escape from vault 101 in search of his/her father (dependent on player gender). The player if successful will escape into a desolate Washington DC where they encounter a host of friendly survivors and not so friendly enemy opponents. The multi platform game features enhanced interactive gameplay with elements of more traditional shoot outs and combat games overlapping with horror and skill games, there are over 200 end results of the game which are determined by the decisions made and results of combat etc, making this an extremely exciting and flexible game to play.

Fallout 3 was released by Betheseda Softworks to rave reviews in October 2008 selling an estimated 610,000 in the first month. The game is available in three formats including Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Fallout 3 under a different title had originally been owned by Interplay Entertainment and developed by Black Isle Studios, when Interplay unfortunately went bankrupt the game concept was sold on to Betheseda Softworks, who scrapped the original software and started again.

The Game Developers Choice Awards have been in existence for 9 years and provide a lot of kudos for the winners as they are chosen by the games industry themselves.

Video app for the iPhone, coming soon?

More iPhone news reaches us, and we hope that you are not all iPhoned out! The latest news is the exciting developments from GP Apps based in Southern California who have managed to create an app for the iPhone that allows for the recording of video clips on the iPhone. This has long been a bugbear of iPhone users that there is not the ability to record or playback videos, with the latest software from GP Apps it is hoped that this will no longer be the case. GP Apps are just waiting for Apple to give approval for the new software to be used on the iPhone, which is hoped will be forthcoming shortly.

The clever iPhone software that GP Apps have developed is called iVidCam and although not perfect it is certainly a lot better than the ‘nothing’ which is currently available. In a press release about the new software Susan Lee one of the founders of GP Apps said “ iVidCam is only able to record 5-6 frames per second and currently does not support audio recording. Further, the encoding time takes approximately 2 seconds for every 1 second of video recorded. Nevertheless, we believe that iPhone users will appreciate the option of having video recording on their iPhones.”.

GP Apps struggled to get the encoding software to the current standard that provides an mpeg4 clip that can be watched via PC or uploaded to sites such as YouTube, but over a period of six months they managed to get the glitches ironed out to get to the current standard that it is today.

GP Apps are the same company that have provided popular family app software for the iPhone including Kid Art, Kid Camera, The Yummy Cook and Period Tracker.

Don’t let the SatNav drive you up the wall!

Its not the first time that Gadgets and Gizmos has brought you news of daft SatNav users (nor will it probably be the last), Matt in July 2008 brought you the sorry tale of ‘Slaves to SatNav’, which no doubt brought some superior smirks from the ‘SatNav non believers’. The latest tale of SatNav disaster is in respect of Robert Jones who managed to follow his SatNav directions to the letter and end up teetering on the edge of a Pennine cliff in his BMW! It took nine hours for the car to be recovered and Police have now decided to take the matter further and have charged Mr Jones with driving without due care and attention.

If you have been considering buying a SatNav but are put off by the bad press associated with incidents such as these or sarcastic goading from male friends or relatives then don’t worry. Millions of these devices have been sold and are used daily by most drivers without any problem, other than maybe taking the odd wrong turn. If you use the SatNav in the correct manner then they are a useful prompt to tell you that your next turn is due or will provide you with an instant alternative route if there are major road holdups. They are a useful aid to driving and should not ever be followed if the road ahead looks like it presents dangers, if you follow all visible road warning and direction signs, read the road correctly and of course use common sense then you will not encounter any problems. There will always be the odd car driver who has a mishap, such as driving their car through the side of a house after a momentarily lack of attention but that doesn’t mean we all do. A SatNav will provide you with easy access to route information both here and abroad and can be a valuable tool to assist the competent driver. Don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed to buy one they are a fantastic aid to driving and never again will you need to drive around in the dark trying to find a passing pedestrian to ask for assistance (unless you are a kerb crawler).

For the very small minority of SatNav users who rely on the device too much (some even seem to think that they drive the car for them) then it is clearly bound to end in disaster and quite frankly they should really not be allowed to leave the house without being wrapped in bubble wrap and with a police escort!

Will the new Canon T1i EOS 500D bring out the Rebel in you?

Gadgets and Gizmos haven’t given you keen photographers any real news for a little while, but that hasn’t been an oversight on our part we have just been waiting for something extra special that we think will really take your fancy….. And here it is, introducing the Canon Rebel T1i EOS 500D DSLR.

So what does the Canon Rebel T1i EOS 500D DSLR have that other cameras don’t have? We here you ask, well for a start Canon have packed this DSLR camera with as many functions and improved specification as possible, in brief; 15.1 megapixels, DIGIC 4 image processor, variable shooting modes, extended ISO range up to ISO 12800, LCD monitor 3.0” TFT, 1080p & 720p HD Video recording (offering 20fps & 30fps respectively), recording up to 30 mins (or 4GB), wide view, DOF preview, LCD live view angle, 3.4 frames per second burst shooting, auto rotation, orientation sensor, auto lighting, external flash and auto pop-up flash, playback mode USB connectivity HDMI type C video out, direct printing, lithium-Ion 7.4v rechargeable battery, mic on front and speaker on rear, dust reduction, firmware upgrades, enhanced functionality with 13 custom functions allowing for 39 settings, 25 languages.

With an expected RRP price tag of £870 for the body only it certainly doesn’t come cheap, add the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens and the price rises to just shy of the £1,000 mark and if you wanted to add the EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens then the price rockets to somewhere in the region of £1,400. With a price tag like that you will most certainly be more than a ‘wham bam thank you mam’ happy snapper, but if you are a keen photographer or somebody who just likes to have the best that you can afford then the Canon Rebel T1i EOS 500D DSLR is for you – go on, bring out the rebellious side!

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