UK mobile phone users can now use Google News, Gmail and a personalised version of the Google homepage on their handsets, as the company continues towards world domination.

We think this is a great new development in terms of searching the web on your phone, as complicated operator-run portals are definitely a factor in why more people don't surf on the go using their mobile.

It remains to be seen as to whether this will encourage more people to use their mobiles in this way, but with Google now on board we can't see why not.

You can launch the services by pointing your mobile's web browser to google.com and then choosing the link to either news or the personalised home.

Check out the full story from Guardian Unlimited.

June 28, 2006 in Mobile Phones | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

LG's latest clamshell phone on the 3 network, the LG U300 has just hit the streets.

Aimed at the busy girl about town, it has a 1.3megapixel camera and has enough storage space to hold about three albums on its 128MB MicroSDcard.

More phones are coming out that are 2megapixels, and it's a little disappointing that LG hasn't stepped up the image quality, but 1.3 is just about good enough for small prints, and fine for showing off on a screen.

It will also connect to 3's music store, so you can download your favourite tracks straight to your phone.

And it wouldn't be the World Cup without the obligatory gratuitous mention from LG. With the phone's video capabilities, apparently, you can show your 'envious mates the goal they just missed at the World Cup'.

That's forgetting that you don't have a ticket and they are watching it on a new high definition TV.

Available in black, the U300 also comes in chameleon and orange in the UK.

June 26, 2006 in Mobile Phones | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

From June 27th, Channel 4 will be broadcasting 'simulcasts' of all of its commissioned output to those who have registered with the free service.

This means that when a programme is transmitted on TV, the same programme will be streamed live on the net.

This will be great for those who want to catch up with the latest shows whilst abroad or away from their TV, although we think it won't really take off until all acquired programmes and films can be shown this way too.

Most of Channel 4's most popular shows are imports, so it is a shame that they won't be available yet, but apparently the channel is in talks for this to take place soon.

June 26, 2006 in TVs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

According to today's Metro, 'Using iPod or phone in a storm "could kill"' as they could be become electrical conductors if a user is hit by lightning, increasing the change of serious burns or worse.

With a few examples of how this has happened, including one sad tale of how a 15-year-old was hit by lightning while on her mobile which left her badly burned and in a wheelchair, with a loss of hearing in one ear, experts have nevertheless said this is a rare occurence.

Phone manufacturers Nokia said that it is 'never a good idea in a storm to hold any metal items'. To be honest we have to agree that this is more common sense than anything else, but it is good to remember when the sky starts to look a bit grey.

June 23, 2006 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Sony has built itself a good reputation over the years for having well-designed products, and it has now turned to Formula One for inspiration.

It has developed its latest laptops using carbon fibre laminate, a material better known for its use in F1 cars.

This also should mean the notebook is tough enough to handle a few knocks.

Available from mid July, the slim Sony TX3, weighs only 1.25kg, yet Sony is claiming a massive seven hours battery life for the product.

The weight is all the more impressive when you consider that it has a good sized
11in LCD screen.

It comes with an inbuilt webcam and mic,  so you can see your mates when talking to then, and if you use a product like Skype, video calls over the Internet will be free.

And to help keep those secrets safe, it comes with a fingerprint scanner, making it easier to keep prying eyes and partners out.

June 23, 2006 in Notebooks | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

As you'd expect, summers brings us a glut of new digital cameras, as people’s thoughts turn to hot days and sunshine (in other words, their holiday abroad).

Joining the likes of Acer and Kodak, is Casio and its slim Exilim Zoom EX-Z70, aimed at beginners and those that just want point and shoot capabilities. 

Higher megapixels in compact digital zooms are becoming the norm, and this Exilim is no exception, boasting 7.2. Casio also claims this has a long battery life, taking around 200 images on a single charge.

It looks a pretty standard camera, comes in two colours – black and silver, costs £230 and will be available from early July. 

June 23, 2006 in Cameras | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

If you're not content on simply watching Desperate Housewives and really want to get into the role as one of the residents of Wisteria Lane, then why not try this new PC game.

Take on the role of a character in this lifestyle simulation, and unlock the secrets of this seemingly 'perfect' neighbourhood.

We don't know what game play will be like, but no doubt it will be centred around gossiping and trying to find out the answer to one of the shows many mysteries.

If you've had a go on this game, why not drop Tech Boutique a line and let us know what it was like to play.

June 22, 2006 in Software | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

If you are into gaming, you know how important a fast response time is for your monitor.

And LG Electronics is trying to tap that market with its new ultra slim 17in and 19in monitors.

The L1770H has a 4ms response time, while the bigger L1970H takes only 2ms. Both are fast enough that you won't see any ghosting on the screen when playing a game or if watching a movie.

They have decent maximum screen resolutions of 1280 x 1024, and have digital DVI and analogue connectors.

Neither should break the bank.

The smaller L1770H costs £229 and the 19in L1970H is £269. Its worth adding an extra £40 to the credit card bill and buying the bigger model, rather than the 17in monitor, which is starting to be a bit small by today's standards.

June 22, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Acer has brought out its latest digital camera, the 8megapixel CP-8660.

Better known for its laptops and monitors, this is Acer's flagship camera, despite its non-descript name.

The lightweight, compact camera has a 6X optical zoom (and an 8.5X digital zoom, but forget this - digital zooms never produce great photos), and 25MB of internal memory, enough for a handful of shots only, but a good backup if the SD card is full.

The CP-8660 is Acer's first camera to come with anti-shake technology, although this feature is increasingly common now. It helps get sharp pictures in low light.

It takes video at 30 frames per second, plus you can voice tag your images - always useful for remembering what you got up to after a heavy night out.

June 22, 2006 in Cameras | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Mustek have just released a new portable LCD-TV, the PT1000, with integrated DVB-T tuner so you can watch TV on the move.

You can sit back and watch digital programmes in 16:9 widescreen format on the 7in TFT screen and benefit from features like the electronic programming guide and teletext.

This diminutive player is also really handy to carry around, with small dimensions meaning it can fit almost everywhere, either with the battery for on the go use or via the power adapter to run off the mains.

At £149, this is pretty cheap for a portable digital TV, although be warned that you could have trouble picking up reception for digital TV in the UK, as we reported a few weeks ago.

June 21, 2006 in TVs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Kodak claims its new Easyshare P712 superzoom digital camera can capture pictures faster than the blink of an eye.

According to the company, its 7.1megapixel camera has a ‘click to capture’ rate of 0.07 seconds.

Shutter lag – the time it takes between depressing the shutter and the photo actually being taken – can be a problem with compact digital cameras (and camera phones).

Kodak says the P712’s speed eliminates this, so that you can take the picture you saw through the viewfinder, rather than what was happening a split second later.

The £350 camera also boasts a 12x zoom (36mm-432mm in old money), pushing it into the superzoom class, and has an image stabiliser to steady shots taken in low light or at high magnification.

As part of the Easyshare range, photos can be emailed from the camera using the Share button or loaded up to Kodak’s Easyshare online gallery. Also unusual for such cameras is its support for the Raw picture format, which is typically the choice of professional and serious amateur photographers.

We are a bit worried by one claim though. This camera, says the PR blurb, helps photographers capture images of “children on the playground”. That sort of behaviour is likely to get you arrested.

June 21, 2006 in Cameras | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Samsung’s latest mp3 player, the YP-U2, is one for the music buffs, as it supports the superior Ogg Vorbis sound codec.

With Apple’s players so dominant in the market, rivals are looking for ways to brand their’s as viable alternatives, and for Samsung, it’s the music playing format.

Ogg Vorbis is generally considered better than the mp3 format, although it is not widely supported by digital music players on the market.

And Samsung is trying to draw that distinction, but not too much – it supports mp3 and wma as well.

It comes with three capacities, ranging from 512MB to 2GB. In our view, steer clear of the 512MB unless your budget is incredibly tight – it’s just too small, but does cost only £49.

Style wise, the YP-U2 has a glossy look and feel. Its USB cap lights blue whenever it’s being used and navigation buttons are easy to locate and use, even when in a pocket.

Overall, it’s not a bad little player, and you can get more details in our fuller review of the Samsung YP-U2.

June 21, 2006 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

With this neat gadget you get three features in one for your iPod - a hardwearing case, speaker system and battery charger , plus it is portable too.

The Soundbag iPod Speaker with PowerBank combines a lot of the key elements you need when you are away from home, with seven hours play time per charge and a dock connector to connect all iPods and other mp3 players plus laptops and DVD players too.

You can play your tunes when you are out and about, charge up and protect your precious pod all in one.

With these three useful elements, we think this would be a great gadget and for £37.99 it is cheap enough not to break the bank too. Get yours from iWorld.

June 20, 2006 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

If you are looking for a new camera, why not check out the new Pentax Optio T10, a fun and easy to use digicam with the added gimmick (sorry extra) of touch screen controls.

Check out a full review of it here and see what you think.

June 19, 2006 in Cameras | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

If you're looking for a stylish yet practical case for your notebook, then why not check out the Tech Air Laptop Bags which, not only look stylish, but also offer you i-Trak technology, which registers your laptop on a worldwide tracking system which allows it to be recovered if you lose it or if it gets stolen.

Of course, if the laptop is taken out of the bag then it can't be traced, but this is a neat idea.

There are 21 styles to choose from, from £14.99.

Head over to Laptopstuff to check out the latest range

June 16, 2006 in Notebooks | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Sony has brought out its first Alpha digital SLR, the a100, and sister site Computeractive has taken an early look at the camera.

While perhaps not ready to dethrone Nikon, Canon and Olympus, which dominate the entry level dSLR market - Sony's a100 is an impressive debut that comes with some neat touches.

It's 10megapixels for a start, but also has an eye sensor that automatically switches on the viewfinder and focuses when you raise your eye to it.

Plus it comes with in-camera (rather than in-lens) anti-shake technology, which is not that common in the dSLR market, and an anti-dust setting. This will shake free any dust that lands on your sensor when changes lenses - Olympus has this in its dSLRs, but its still a rare feature.

You can read the full review of the Sony Alpha 100 on Computeractive’s web site.

June 15, 2006 in Cameras | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Dialogue is building on its range of innovative notebooks, producing what it is calling an ‘airline friendly’ laptop.

A full size ultraportable notebook when closed, the VM’s screen is attached to an extendable column.

Once raised, the display’s hinge allows it to be swivelled. Dialogue says this makes it much easier to use when on the move, particularly when there is a train or airline seat immediately in front of it.

Weighing just 1.6kg, the VM comes with either 30GB or 60GB of hard disk, has a built in finger print scanner, optical drive and web cam.

There was no word on price or availability.

June 10, 2006 in Notebooks | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

This pair of cuties is the latest handheld digital TVs that will be hitting the UK streets pretty soon.

They were on display at hi-tech exhibition Computex in Taiwan, and b oth use the DVB-T standard and are aimed at telly addicts that just have to watch programmes on the go.

The first is MSI’s D310, although it’s not much use in the car or on the train, as it will lose the signal when you’re going faster than 20 miles an hour. Still, at least you can grab a few seconds when you pull into a station.

Its 4.2in screen should be just about comfortable enough to use, although maybe won’t be the best way to watch a Hollywood blockbuster.  The antenna is embedded, plus it has an external antenna jack. It will also play mp3 and mpeg4 video, and has slots for SD and MMC cards.

The second TV pictured is the EM-311 from ECS (it also has a slightly larger cousin, the EM-3511. That comes with a 10 or 12GB internal hard drive). ECS claimed that the signal was good up to 100km/h, but with a disappointing three hour battery life, you won’t be using it so much on long journeys.

The picture quality for both was pretty good, but they were shown in areas of controlled lighting, so the real test will be what they are like when out and about.

And they have one large buyer beware – DVB-T signals often won’t work too well in the UK using the tiny antennas these devices come with, so you may just find you can’t get any TV at all unless hooked up to your roof aerial.

June 10, 2006 in TVs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Just when you thought there weren't enough iPod products around, along comes another one. This time in the form of the iWoofer.

Compatible with all iPods post the second generation (and that includes you Shuffle fans), this is a 2.1 channel speaker system that looks more like an alien than anything else. FM radio is also included, and you can charge your pod while you listen.

The most exciting part is when the blue halo light comes on and does a flash dance when you are tuning the radio. We think this looks like fun

June 6, 2006 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

The market seems to be awash with iPod accessories at the moment, with companies announcing new gadgets and gizmos almost everyday. So here's another one...

GEAR4's ProControl is basically an AV connection kit which lets you play music, pictures and videos straight from your iPod to your TV or home stereo. Now we know that many companies go on about 'freeing your tunes' you it does seem like this could be a pretty nifty gadget for doing exactly that.

At £49.99 it isn't too expensive and with the addition of a remote control to be able to select things from the comfort of your sofa, you could have everyone round to show them your latest holiday snaps like a modern-day slideshow!

It fits all dockable iPods, and you can also charge and synch your device via USB. We'll let you know what we think when we get our hands on one.

June 5, 2006 in Audio & MP3 Players | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

For all those with expensive taste who've always wished they could match their mobile with their outfit, Tech Boutique are pleased to tell you the wait is finally over, as Motorola have teamed up with ultra-trendy designers Dolce & Gabbana to bring us the MOTORAZR V3i DG.

This is basically the same as the regular RAZR phone, but this mobile comes in gold or silver, and is engraved with the D&G logo. You also get a pendant with little gold Dolce and Gabbana initials, and it comes customised with special backgrounds, screensavers and ring tones.

Also available are some matching accessories, including personalised Bluetooth headset and a luxury gold leather case. The phone will be available from all major Motorola stockists and Dolce and Gabbana outlets. We reckon it will be quite popular, although how much it will cost is another matter.

June 2, 2006 in Mobile Phones | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

We love the sound of this gadget – a photo frame that you can send pictures to from your mobile phone via Bluetooth.

The Parrot Photo Viewer has a high-resolution TFT LCD colour screen which means you can beam your photos direct from your mobile to your mantlepiece.

We have to see it to believe it, but it sounds like great fun, as long as the photos you take  are of a high enough quality. It can store 100 pictures which can then be displayed either as single images or as a slideshow.

We hope to get one in to take a look really soon, so when we do we'll get back to you with the results! It would certainly be a talking point anyway, although for £156 it is pretty pricey.

June 1, 2006 in Cameras | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)