Windows Vista On Sale In UK From Today

The delay of Windows Vista for the UK is finally over, being officially launched today! Windows Vista is supposedly the most secure Operating System that Windows have ever made. Bill Gates believes that the new security features alone, give more than enough reason to upgrade from XP. With its Vista firewall, Windows Defender and Malicious Software Removal Tool, Vista will make it a lot harder for hackers to access your computer, or at least this is the desired effect it is supposed to have. Hackers always eventually find a way through, so i presume with Automatic Update, Windows will automatically install new patches to help protect your system. Not all computers will run Vista and minimum requirements are at least 512Mb of RAM, a 800Mhz processor and 15Gb of hard disk space. Prices aren't too great either, along with all other delayed products in the UK, the price seems to gain weight during its build up to the release and Vista will be double the price compared to prices in the US. Prices are ranging between £100 - £350 depending on which edition you purchase. Amazon are selling it now!

Windows Vista Video Guides:

Vista Features
Security Features
Installing Vista
School Kids On Vista
Bill Gates On Vista

Upload To YouTube And Get A Share Of The Ad Money

If you are a true YouTube head and your always uploading your own films onto their video sharing network, then i have good news for you. YouTube are setting up a system so that people who upload their own films will get a share of the advertising money. It will work by using a number of different advertising techniques including showing a short clip before the actual film. No need to worry though, YouTube say advertising clips wont go on forever and will probably only be about 3 seconds long. To benefit from this great new deal, your film must be copyrighted to you. Fellow video sharing network Revver, already have this system set up. Although Revver aren't as high profile as YouTube, i think this set up has worked wonders for Revver, it is an excellent site where you can get good, tasteful, original content. YouTube say all the features contained in this new system will be released one at a time and they are not going to wait to release it in one big announcement.

"We are still working out the technology and processes involved - both for the rewards system and the video clip advertising system. Various features will be rolled out one by one over the next few months. There won't be one big release."

The full product looks to be finished by the end of March, beginning of April.

Masabi And Playtech Launch Mobile Phone Casino

UK mobile applications company Masabi have put their heads together with Playtech the online gaming supplier to create a number of different Casino applications for mobile phones. With Masabi's ability to create good looking, well constructed games for mobiles at the lower end of the market, these new Casino games will be available on a very high scale and will work on a lot of different mobile phones. It looks like the applications will be put out to GoldenPalace.com and Hardrockcasino.com. The applications will look almost identical to the one's that Playtech put out for their usual Internet customers (higher quality depending on your mobile phone of course) and the first games will include Video Poker, Roulette, Baccarat, Black Jack and Slots!

Nintendo Wii News Channel Launched

Today Nintendo launched their news channel live on the Wii. Now you don't have to put your Wii controller down and walk away from your beloved Wii when you start to feel that you really should make some contact with the outside world. Simply hop over to the News Channel, find out whats happening in the world, find out what the weather is like outside if your too lazy to get up to open the curtains and see for yourself, and then hop back over to your game! No need to leave the house ever again, your whole life sorted in one box.

Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox N100 Sat Nav

The Sat Nav system that isn't just for hanging on the dash of your car or for leading the way on those dreaded mini bus trips:

Due to its size the Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox N100 can be used pretty much any where on any thing. Just say you drive around on a Scooter or Motorbike, just slip it in your pocket and your good to go. Are you a cycle enthusiast? Simply clip it onto your handle bars and off pedalling in the right direction you go! Maybe you are a far too dedicated fitness freak and you like to run the 20 mile journey into work every morning. Tie a piece of string to it and wrap it round your neck, keep a hold of it in your hand, tuck it into your sock! do whatever you please with it because it will go anywhere.

The Fujitsu-Siemens Loox N100 is the first system to have the Navigon MobileNavigator6! and it is combined with an integrated SiRFstar III chipset and antenna, thus making it very fast and very powerful! It is also an MP3 player which plays music in all formats by simply loading them on via USB with no additional software required. You can even play games! They may be old fashioned and a bit Atari like but they are there! Alarm, calendar and calculator are other features along with changeable faces. If you find that your Sat Nav is so ugly that you want to put it to the chopping board, no need to chop it in half, you can easily rip its face off and slap a new sexy one on.

Price for one of these is £240 and they are on sale now! I have provided the link below for a good deal on one of these.

Pocket LOOX N100 - Sat Nav

Samsung Open Online Music Store Along With 2 New Players

Samsung have announced they are going to give Apple and their iTunes a run for their money by opening their own online music store. Having clearly thought long and hard on the name for their new store, "The Samsung Music Store" is going to be up and running and ready for business next month and will only be of any use to those who have Samsung players. From the word go, 2.6 million songs are going to be on offer and it is understood that most are to be protected WMA's but Samsung say that plenty of DRM free MP3's will be on offer. Tracks will cost 79p and albums will be costing £7.99

Along with this announcement is the arrival of 2 new players, The Samsung K3 (pictured left) and the Samsung T9 (pictured right). These players will be available starting either from this week or next. Some of the T9's features are a 1.8” full colour LCD screen, MPEG4, JPEG photo, Gaming Multimedia Files and Bluetooth Wireless Headphones compatibility, so yes it has Bluetooth! It also has a FM Tuner, 30 hours battery life! and the 4GB model has the potential to hold 2,000 WMA tracks. Prices are expected to be £89 (1GB), £119 (2GB) and £149 for the 4GB. It is also believed that Curry's are going to be the main supplier of these, not sure exactly if they will be the only supplier but they are definitely the main one, so if you want one, get yourself over to Curry's!

Personally, i think the K3 looks better, It looks like they've mixed an iPod Nano and an LG Chocolate phone together and came up with this. The K3 is available up to an 8GB model and has pretty much all the same features as the T9, except for the Bluetooth, and the battery life is slightly less at 25 hours. Prices are set to be £89 for the 2GB and £119 for the 4GB but I'm not exactly sure about the price for the 8GB model. As a bonus, all of Samsung's new music players will also come with a week's subscription to Napster totally free!

PS3 Official Announcement

In addition to my post from yesterday, Sony have announced today that the PS3 WILL be released on March the 23rd and WILL be priced at £425. I was kind of hoping it wouldn't be costing so much as we seem to be paying a little more than everyone else. Just say you took £305 and converted it into US Dollars, then you would be able to afford one of these, and if you swapped £395 of your hard earned cash for a stack of Euros, you could cross the Channel and get one cheaper again. You don't mind though because once you've forked out all your savings on your PS3, you and your mates will have a blast right? Well.... in amongst the packaging your only going to find one controller and to buy a 2nd one is going to cost you another 50 bucks!

An excellent plus is, you will be able to download full games straight onto our console with Gran Turismo HD Concept being the first one to get the nod plus a whole lot of demo's for you to try out as well.

UK Date And Price Revealed For PS3

As i promised in my previous post about the release of the Sony PS3, i have an update for you on the release date. Edge magazine have released an article saying that they have a very reliable news source for the PS3, and they have informed them that the PS3 will be hitting the UK on March the 23rd! It is also believed that we will only be getting the chance to purchase one of the 60 GB models and not the 20GB, and this will be setting you back £425. Personally i wouldn't be going for the 20 gig anyway.


This isn't the official Sony announcement, that is expected later on during the week but Edge are adamant their source is reliable and that this will be the final outcome.

BBC Create Childrens Online Virtual World

The BBC's children's TV channel, CBBC, have announced they have made plans to create their own version of the online virtual world, Second Life. It will allow children to create their own mini-me (avatar) and create and share all their own content. Unlike Second Life, creating guns and blowing away fellow players is not an option, the BBC are taking safety and appropriate content matters very seriously. After all, this is for your 7 year old. There will be no chatrooms and kids will not be able to build new parts onto the world. CBBC World will also be free to use.

So what can kids get up to on CBBC World? This is what a BBC spokesman had to say on it :

"It will give children a chance to move around a safe, secure world where they can not only interact with familiar characters but have an opportunity to make that world a more fascinating place with their own imaginations."

BBC's motive for creating CBBC World is that kids who are born into this "digital world" we have nowadays expect this kind of thing to be on offer and don't see this kind of product as a novelty.

CBBC World is expected to go online in the summer for trials with a full relaunch date set for some time in the Autumn.

The Agere BluOnyx : The Mobile Content Server

As the title would suggest, this is the Agere BluOnyx, a mobile content server or mini little hard-drive, whichever one tickles your fancy. The BluOnyx has been designed especially for mobile phones but can also be used with your TV or PC. "Hard drive for a mobile phone?" you say. Don't worry, your not going to have to carry around the equivalent of a PC tower. It is actually pretty much the same size as a credit card and is ultra slim. Which means you can slot it right in there in your wallet alongside all the gift cards you collected over the Christmas period. Not too much hassle to carry around surely! and i use the word "carry" in the slightest sense.

It works by connecting to your phone, TV or PC via either Bluetooth, SD Card, USB or Wi-Fi and is simple enough to move content to and from. It does not have a screen but don't fear, this is a very clever piece of technology. You browse through what you have on it through your mobile phone, just the same as when you connect to your friends phones via Bluetooth and steal all their stuff. Taking your important work documents or your favourite music and films everywhere you go has never been so easy! Just like an Mp3 player, plug it in to the PC, drag your Billy Joel collection onto it, take it out, and away you go. With a capacity ranging from 1GB to 40GB, hell you can throw your favourite films in there, connect your BluOnyx to your phone and laugh away at the Borat movie during next weeks board meeting!

Depending on the size that you order, prices range from £50 to £130 with 1GB being the least and 40GB being the most. You also have a choice of colour, you can choose from black, white, blue, pink, green, grey or red and have the option on whether to have the BluOnyx logo put on it or not.

Click here to visit the Agere website

Samsung Break Own Mobile Phone Record

Yes, Samsung have done it again with their sliding phones. Their Samsung D900 phone previously held the title of "The worlds slimmest slider" but here they have outdone themselves by replacing the D900 with their new Ultra Edition 10.9. Why 10.9 you ask? Well its only 10.9 mm thick of course! Why else? This is 2mm slimmer than the D900 to save you taking out your measuring tape. Although this is a "new" version, there have been no technical changes, so you get nothing more for your money or nothing nothing less either for that matter. Which means you still get the excellent 3.2 mega pixel camera, TV-out, Mp3 player and video player, stereo Bluetooth etc.

I see this as a phone that's been on a diet, but it does look better than the D900. If you are looking to notch up your street cred points, to own the world's slimmest mobile slider cant be a bad thing surely. Thumbs up from me purely on that basis.

The Most Expensive Mouse In The World!

As this is the world's most expensive mouse, I'm not gonna hold back on blurting out the price. 18,600 Euros! or if you would prefer, £12,200! or if your American it'll leave you... 24 grand in debt!

The question i asked myself when stumbling across this is, Who the hell is thing marketed at? The Sultan of Brunei! or perhaps its sole purpose is to sit in the cabinet alongside the crown jewels. Whoever it is aimed at, one thing that is for sure is that their bank account has to be bursting at the seems! Why is it so expensive? This mouse can be transformed from being a 3 button wheel mouse (which is pretty much your regular mouse) into being a necklace that will fit right in at the Queen's annual Christmas party. By that i mean, "The Diamond Flower" as it has been named, is made from 18 carat white gold! and is set with 59 eye blinding diamonds. They ain't so small that you need a telescope to see them either. 58 are 2mm in diameter and 1 is 4mm in diameter. I do have to say, that for a mouse, it is kind of attractive.

Just incase your not into Dandelions or Buttercups or whatever flower it is supposed to be, Pat Says Now (company that make these) have given you another model to chose from. This one has been tagged with the name "The Scattered Diamond" it contains the same amount of diamonds and are the same size but they are, well, scattered!

So, if your loaded don't be a scrooge and surf the net in style with "The Diamond Flower" or "The Scattered Diamond" if you prefer, i mean after all you are rich! show it off! and if your a regular Joe Bloggs like me, stick to your £20 Logitech and save the bailiffs from giving you a visit!

Apple iPhone Could Be Hitting The UK Early

The stories going on about the Apple iPhone are constant at the moment and we are never deprived of hearing a story or two, but this one i was a little more interested in. The latest is, that some hyperactive little man who works for Apples online sales team in Cork, Ireland, just couldn't resist any more and decided to release an Apple email stating that the iPhone will be in Britain for October! We've always been led to believe that we would be meeting the iPhone face to face in the last part of the year. However whenever we are told "last part of the year", straight away we think Christmas do we not? I certainly did! If this latest story turns out to be true, then it looks like our 11/12 months of waiting to grab an iPhone has just been reduced to 9!

Just How Much Has Computer Technology Come Along?

Recently i have been pretty obsessed with the Sony PS3 and cant wait for it to hit the UK shores, as you may be able to tell if you happened to read my recent post on it. Today however i stumbled across a blog post on one of the PS3's great great great grandfathers ,the old BBC computer, and it got me thinking just how much computer technology has come along. It got me rather intrigued so i have decided to post a little time-line of some selected gaming consoles from over the years.

Magnavox Odyssey - 1972 - Worlds first video game console.

The Magnavox Odyssey was designed by Ralph Baer. It was powered by batteries! and had no sound, sounds like a blast eh?. A prototype known as the Brown Box was actually completed in 1968.

Atari 2600/VCS - 1977

The Atari 2600 was originally named the Atari VCS but was changed to the 2600 in 1982. This is the console that gave us classics such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders. With the Atari 2600 you got 2 joystick controllers, 2 paddle controllers and a cartridge game. Wow!

Sega Game-1000/ Mk II - 1984

The SG-1000 was Sega's first games console which was popular in Japan, Italy, Spain and Australia. Sega released an improved Mk II version shortly after which had a detachable keyboard and a better looking case, looking back now though you wonder just how much of an improvement they actually made.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) - 1985

The Nintendo Entertainment System was THE games console of its time selling 60 million consoles worldwide. This is when Super Mario and his mushroom friends came to life along with King Kong's cousin Donkey Kong and set the bar for competitors to follow.

Sega Master System - 1986

Ah, the Sega Master System, Alex The Kid! What a game, i absolutely loved that game! The Master System was to rival the NES and in the US it came off battered and bruised but here in the UK it was ultra popular. Definitive piece of technology in my mind, i loved it!

Sega Mega Drive - 1990

The Sega Mega Drive or Genesis as it was called in the US due to the suing culture they have in the states, had the same amount of power as the Amiga and Macintosh II home computers which at the time were the best hardware so you can just imagine how popular it was.

Super Nintendo - 1991

The arrival of the Super Nintendo started the war between Nintendo and Sega, if you think of what it is like between PlayStation and XBox today, times that by 50 and you'll see how fierce the competition was. We used to fight as kids over who would squish who between Sonic and Mario. (Sonic would win of course!)

Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn - 1995

The year of the Sony PlayStation, this is when gaming went to the next level with its 32-bit console, 3D graphics and all new great game list. It soon became the worlds best selling console and was a very exciting time for game lovers. Can you imagine life without PlayStation? The Sega Saturn however didn't live up to its high expectations despite its two 32-bit CPU's and was a flop.

Nintendo 64 - 1996

Nintendo were expected to release a new console to match the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn and instead of matching the very popular PlayStation's 32-bit console they decided to up the stakes and release a 64-bit console. The N64 was far more popular than the Sega Saturn but was no match for the PlayStation.

Sega Dreamcast - 1999

After the disaster of the Saturn, Sega had to take it a step further and with the Dreamcast they certainly did. The console boasted a 128-bit processor, Internet browsing with a built in modem which led to Online Gaming with SegaNet. In its first year the Dreamcast did amazingly well however Sony had announced that the PS2 was going to be arriving soon. This proved to be the death of Sega. I can just imagine the guys at Sega standing in the factory listening to the news of the PS2's arrival while the funeral march plays on the loudspeaker. After being the big dogs of the gaming world for so long, Sega made there exit from the hardware business in 2001.

Sony PlayStation 2 - 2000

When the PS2 was released in the US it became the all time fasting selling games console, with the introduction of its DVD-Rom it gave consumers that little bit more. With its ability to play new better looking games, DVD movies and PlayStation 1 games AND make them look a little better, it was a breath of fresh air.

Xbox - 2001

This is where Microsoft finally got their feet running into the race to have the best console. With an 8GB hard disk and a Pentium III processor, the Xbox was a beast and was right up there with PlayStation. The Xbox's update, the Xbox 360 was released in 2005.

Nintendo Wii - 2006

Now Nintendo have been clever with their Wii console, when i look down this time-line i notice a pattern. All competitors tend to compete with each other by matching each other. When you already have Microsoft and Sony producing such mind blowing machines i cant see how you can fancy your chances much... So Nintendo make something that is totally different! simple. With its unique control system it gives a gaming experience that is brand new to everyone. You know the graphics aren't going to be as good before you play but you don't care because playing the console is different from anything else you've played before.

Sony PlayStation 3 - 2007

So we're back to the present after going back in time, if you have actually read the full post and made it to the end i salute you! and invite you to give your brain a rest and let you finish off by watching a video review on the Sony PlayStation 3.

LG Prada Phone: Worlds First Completely Touchscreen Mobile Phone

So the Apple iPhone isn't going to be the worlds first completely touch screen mobile phone. Yes LG and Prada have beaten them to it with their LG Prada Phone! and as the name would suggest, it is definitely a looker as you can see but I'll come back to that later.

Lets start of with what the phone is actually capable of before it takes a walk down the catwalk. Of course it has its touch screen, which is the whole point in the phone and is of course its best feature, that goes without saying so lets see what it else it has. The rest of this supermodel phone beholds an Mp3 Player of course, a video player with video recordings at 30fps (pretty impressive), Macromedia Flash, Music multi-tasking, a 400x240 pixel widescreen, an external memory slot, USB and a 2 megapixel camera which is the same as the iPhones plus Bluetooth and tri-band etc. Sounds pretty impressive doesn't it? All those lovely features i reckon i would enjoy very much , however, this thing will cost me €600 and amongst those features i don't see Wi-Fi or 3G, which means no rampant Internet browsing! Big let down. Also as you can see in the picture, at the bottom there appears to be some buttons. Now i'll give them a bit room for an ON button but hey! theres a couple more down there i don't want to be pressing buttons on my "completely" touchscreen mobile phone. I want to be gliding and sliding my fingers over its sleek stylish body not poking it in the ribs, which brings me back to its looks.

With its 12mm deep body and its shiny black coat i say it is a beauty. So you may not get Wi-Fi or 3G for your €600 where the iPhone will and it may have a couple of buttons down the bottom there but if we were talking Prada handbags or Prada shoes here you wouldn't be saying no, and don't forget you still get great features plus that all important touch screen. I like it!

Sony PS3 In The UK For March!

I'm pretty sure all you computer lovers out there will be thinking the exact same thing as what i certainly am thinking... "About Time!". After what seems like an eternity of a delay it looks like the release date is actually going to be a little earlier than was first thought,YAY!, moving to March instead of April, yes it ain't much of an improvement but any improvement is good improvement right? It looks like Sony are going to release proper details of when we can get our gaming little fingers on one of these beasts next week, along with prices etc. I will tell you however that the 60GB model is looking like it is going to be around £420-£430. As for the 20GB model i cant tell you for sure but i am going to guess that it will be in the region of about £350, we'll find out how wrong i am next week. All that i have left to say to you is that, i recommend that come Spring, you don't spend to much cash on Easter eggs and all other sorts of weight gain treats and make sure you keep some pennies in the bank account to fund for one of these bad boys and i will post the proper details up next week as soon as they are released.