Tech Digest

Vodafone Live Guy: Day 6 - Manchester

Daniel Sung — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:28:44 GMT

He's been to the Hacienda, he's not going to Old Trafford, unless he's heading to the City of Manchester Stadium, I'm not going to be much help to those trying to hunt Live Guy...

Top 100 Christmas Presents 2008: 95 to 91

Daniel Sung — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:01:47 GMT

It's day two of our Christmas countdown to help massage that festive stress out of your shoulders and uncover this year's top 100 Christmas presents...

Ion gear turns you into a podcast king, DJ star, and converts your old records too

Andy Merrett — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:30:32 GMT

Ion has announced three pieces of kit that could help turn you into a broadcast hit, as well as bringing your old record collection firmly into the 21st century. The Ion UCAST lets you record professional podcasts with a high-quality microphone and stand, headphones, USB cable, and Windows/OS X software. The kit costs £59.99, with a subscription to Alesis Podcast that lets you host your podcast and have it listed on iTunes and Podcast Alley...

SHINY VIDEO REVIEW: Sony Ericsson C902 - James Bond's phone of choice

Daniel Sung — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:58:48 GMT

Well, I think that we can safely assume that Lucy's a fan of the Sony Ericsson C902...

NOISE GATE: 6 Tenets for a New Music Industry, Part Three

Duncan Geere — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:54:51 GMT

It's okay! I'm not dead. We just did a little bit of a shuffle of our features, and I'll now be posting Noise Gate on a Friday, rather than a Tuesday. Think of it as an extra-special treat for making it to the end of the week. Anyway, on with the next in my series of what I think a music company of the future should look like. This week, I'll talk about coping with advances in technology.

Music must be sharable - word of mouth is more important than ever
Revenue must come from multiple sources - if one bit of the industry becomes obsolete, it shouldn't sink the whole ship
New technologies are to be welcomed and understood, not feared and litigated against
A&R can be crowdsourced, but remember the long tail
"Added value" is key - give people a reason not to pirate things - carrots, not sticks
Your artists are your most important spokespeople

Click over the jump for my thoughts number three, and stay tuned over the next few weeks (on Fridays, now!) for the last three chapters.

SHINY VIDEO REVIEW: BlackBerry Storm Part 2

Daniel Sung — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:22:29 GMT

Part two of Susi's review of the BlackBerry Storm and we're all very pleased to announce that now, yes, the browser does work. So here it is, up close an personal with everything you want to know and see about RIM's new handset...

Apple releases iPhone firmware 2.2: better maps, Mail, Safari, podcasts, call quality

Andy Merrett — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:15:27 GMT

I realise that this is fairly irrelevant news if you don't own an iPhone, but for die-hard Apple handset fans, the big news of the day is that firmware version 2.2 is finally here and ready to download. As usual, it's a fairly hefty download, so beef up your broadband connection for the 246MB ride. Once done, you'll get some nifty new features. How useful they are depends on how you use the iPhone, of course...

YouTube Video of the Week: High Five

Daniel Sung — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:59:41 GMT

Not sure if this one passed me by or it's just been a very underground cult classic but a mate of mine, with whom I share a particular passion for the high five, sent it my way. It's usually the power I go for but these guys have got the style...

ATTENTION AMERICANS: Monty Python launches official YouTube Channel

Gary Cutlack — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:59:41 GMT

Monty Python's Flying Circus, the only television programme the United Kingdon has ever produced, is now yours to freely watch and link to from your blogs via an official YouTube Channel - with the remaining Pythons saying "we want you to click on the links, buy our movies & TV shows and soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years." 24 clips are currently up there for endless playback, including stuff from the movies, live performances and modern interviews with the depressingly old-looking stars. Here's one from the Life of Brian, seeing as we're allowed to now and it's Friday. There's something in it for them - each clip comes complete with an embedded Amazon link...

Google launches SearchWiki - you may now customise your search results

Gary Cutlack — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:12:32 GMT

Hot from giving up on Lively, Google's now invented another thing we're not sure we'll ever need or use - SearchWiki. It's designed to let browsers customise their Google search results, so if you're currently logged into your Gmail/Google account you'll be able to organise findings as you wish. Which means shuffling about entries and moving lower results higher up the rankings, helping you use Google like more of an extension of your fat and lazy old brain than ever before...

Boombench - a Bluetooth stereo for the whole community

Daniel Sung — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:12:32 GMT

I'd happily wait hours for the bus if benches were built according to Michael Schone's design. His creation is called the Boombench. It's essentially a very large Bluetooth stereo nailed to the ground that you can sit on with 60 watt co-axial speakers, two subwoofers and a bass bin with enough power to shake any booty with which it comes into contact. Just look at this lady's face if you don't believe me...

Marantz launches Bluetooth wireless iPod dock and hi-fi receiver

Andy Merrett — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:12:32 GMT

We're pretty selective about what iPod docks we cover at Tech Digest, given that there must be hundreds of them floating about now and they're all much of a muchness. However, we like Marantz, so the latest Bluetooth wireless iPod dock is definitely worth a mention. First up, the dock looks good. It's compact, holds the larger iPods at a nice angle (pictured is the iPod touch), and should fit in anywhere...

Vodafone Live Guy: Day 5 - Leeds

Daniel Sung — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:09:03 GMT

See that slow confident smile of the gentleman on the right in this photo? That's the inner glow of a Dell netbook winner combined with the satisfaction of bundling Live Guy to the ground. Given that today's hunt is in Leeds...

Rotundus GroundBot - surveillance of the future

Daniel Sung — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:18:06 GMT

Crossed somewhere between something out of the Prisoner, my nightmares and my nightmares about the Prisoner, the Rotundus surveillance robot completely freaks me out. It's not this picture that does the damage but the video of it in action on its home site looking all too much like a future I'm not sure I want to be a part of; a future where we not only have 1,001 CCTV cameras but where they actual patrol around us as well...

Sennheiser VMX100 Office Kit - Bluetooth headset with 35m range

Daniel Sung — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:02:31 GMT

Sennheiser has brought out the office kit version of their Voice Max Bluetooth headset and just in time for Christmas too. The Sennheiser VMX100 Office will set you back £199.99, so you'd better like that special someone a whole lot to chuck in this 15g high end device as a stocking filler. It's ergonomically crafted...

Top 100 Christmas Presents 2008: 100 to 96

Duncan Geere — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:46:59 GMT

Welcome to the Tech Digest Christmas Gift Guide 2008! Not a top ten, not a top twenty, not even a top fifty - this is our top ONE HUNDRED gadgets that we recommend as presents this christmas. They range from the sublime to the slightly ridiculous, but with a few tiny exceptions, they're all very affordable. We're hearing some rumours that there's some financial turmoil on the way. You heard it here first. We'll be doing five of the list every day for the next four weeks. If you want to keep track of all of them, you can do that here. For the first five in the list, click through to the full post

VIDEO: Live Guy Diaries - Newcastle

Daniel Sung — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:17:33 GMT

"Cold" is the word that springs to mind when I look at StylistBrighton's latest Live Guy Video Diary of day three of the treasure hunt for free netbooks in Newcastle. It looks bloody cold up there. So cold that not even the winner of a new piece of cutting edge tech could break a smile. I will say one thing for him though. "Twiiter" sounds so much better in a Geordie accent...

FetchTV launches: subscription-free VOD with Freeview and DVR

Andy Merrett — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:10:33 GMT

IP Vision has announced a new hybrid set-top box which can be used to access the complete range of Freeview channels, acts as a digital video recorder (DVR), as well as being able to access a range of video on demand content over the Internet. The company is keen to point out that this is a subscription-free, operator independent service, unlike those from the likes of BT, Virgin Media and Tiscali. It can be used with any broadband provider. At launch, over 1,200 hours of content will be available in the VoD library including films and programmes from Paramount, ITV, Turner Broadcasting, Eagle Vision, Fremantle, Entertainment Rights and Aardman...

Tech Trumpet: Global Ocarina Jam

Andy Merrett — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:10:32 GMT

Social networking meets live performance in this week's Tech Trumpet. Ocarina is a virtual musical instrument for the iPhone that has become incredibly popular....

N96 Bruce Lee edition - enter the handset

Duncan Geere — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:38:33 GMT

Yes, you read that right. Bruce Lee edition. If you didn't think the N96 could be any cooler, then you've got a problem, because it's not exactly the coolest handset around, but it has just got a smidgen cooler, thanks to this launch. Sadly, it's Hong Kong only so far. The handset comes with Lee's trademark glare on the back cover, as well as a bunch of accessories and a Bruce Lee doll. Several rare photos of the actor are stored on the phone's memory. It costs 8,788 Chinese Yuan (£870!), and you'll need to know some Chinese to buy it. Nokia China (via Unwired View) Related posts: Shiny Video Review: Nokia N96 | iPlayer marches on: catch-up TV service coming to Nokia N96

SHINY VIDEO REVIEW: BlackBerry Storm Part One

Duncan Geere — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:22:43 GMT

Here's Susi's initial thoughts on the Blackberry Storm. On the model we got sent, there's a bug with the browser, so we can't give it a proper proper review until that's fixed, but in the interests of keeping you lot as informed as possible, Susi filmed some thoughts on the build of the handset, and her initial impressions. Want one? More than an iPhone? Really? Personally, I'm not convinced just yet. Let us know your thoughts on the Storm in the comments. BlackBerry Storm Related posts: Technology Deathmatch - Apple iPhone 3G vs BlackBerry Storm | Vodafone taking pre-orders for BlackBerry Storm, still no release date

MSI has the same idea as Asus, a little bit after Asus - reveals its Neton "all-in-one" Intel Atom desktop

Gary Cutlack — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:48:04 GMT

MSI's been doing a bit of tech blog espionage again, launching three "all in one" PCs with touch screen powers that appear extremely similar to the ones Asus showed off recently. Three alternate MSI Neton models have been revealed - the M16, M19 and M22. I'll now give you a bit more information about all three, as you can't work much out about them from those boring model names. All three run XP Home and have touch screens so you can get fingerprints over the bit you look at all the time. Touch screens on desktops are a terrible idea. The M16 is the smallest model, with its Intel Atom processor stuck into the case of a 15.6" 1366 x 768 monitor. The M19 features...

Vodafone Live Guy: Day 4 - Liverpool

Daniel Sung — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:59:42 GMT

Know where this is? Yep, me too. The only problem is that by the time I catch the 11:37 from Euston, Live Guy's going to be elsewhere and I still won't own a Dell netbook. However, if you happen to be up in the 'pool, last I heard Vodafone's running rabbit is heading for the old cathedral...

eBay Nutcase of the Week: Person pays $10,000 for digital picture of a "seven legged spider"

Gary Cutlack — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:44:12 GMT

The beginning of this story is mildly amusing. An Australian man called David Thorne attempted to pay an outstanding bill of $233.95 by sending the utility company a drawing of a spider he made on his computer - which he valued at precisely $233.95. The utility company replied to his email in a very serious manner, saying it was "unable to accept drawings as payment" and a whole heap of internet hilarity entailed as the conversation between David and the poor admin assistant was beamed around the internet. Then things start to officially go TOO FAR. David Thorne gave his spider...

Emtec S800 HDD Movie Cube - an all-in-one digital media set-top-box

Duncan Geere — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:27:21 GMT

If you want to pump your television viewing experience up to the next level, you might be considering some sort of PVR, or set top box. It's called a Movie Cube, but I've no idea why, because as you can see in the picture above, it's clearly not a cube. Still, I can overlook that because the specs are surprisingly impressive. It contains a 500GB hard drive, which will hold 600 or so feature-length movies. It'll record TV, like a PVR, as well as convert your old videos and DVDs into digital formats - useful for people who don't like maintaining a vast library of DVDs. Best of all, it's networkable, with Ethernet and Wi-Fi built it. That means you'll be able to stream your content over the network from your Windows or Mac computer. You'll be able to enjoy all those episodes of Heroes that you've downloaded off Bittorrent on your big-screen TV, rather than your little laptop screen. In terms of formats, it'll play back MPEG, DivX, XviD, MP3, WAV, and JPG. It's got a lil' screen on the front in case you're streaming stuff to a stereo without your TV on. It'll upscale video to 720p, has extensive subtitle support, even on DivX files, and has upgradable firmware. All-in-all, a tremendously useful little box. I'm getting one in for a proper review, so keep an eye out for that. If you're convinced just by the above, however, then it'll be available to buy from Dixons in December. It'll cost £230. Seems, on paper, to be a decent price for a decent device. I'm looking forward to playing with it in person. Emtec Related posts: Emtec Gdium Liberty 1000 - a netbook with an OS on a stick | Emtec launches Movie Cube-R multimedia centre