Art Lebedev Studio Navigarius Sat Nav
The Sat Nav is not renowned for its state of the art design, with chunky squares and rectangles being the name of the day. Now, all that is in the past – the Sat Nav just got curvy.
Developed by the innovative Russian design house, Art Lebedev Studio the Navigarius is still in the makeover stages but should become an actual product in the near future. With mini USB and microSD and cigarette lighter adapter, it’s hardly revolutionizing Sat Nav technology, but the new circular shape is raising eyebrows everywhere. Not only is it more futuristic, it offers a much more user-friendly interface with a round touch-screen and a slender, futuristic detachable stand that fixes onto the windscreen via suction.
This is one time when it’s good to be round, it remains to be seen if the concept is adopted by other providers of portable navigation devices.
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Sony Touchscreen Reader
If you need persuading that eReaders are the books of the future, the Sony Touchscreen Reader is the one to make you change your mind.
With a memory that stores around 350 books and a backlight for nocturnal reading after lights out, it’s also possible to turn the page at the swipe of a finger.
Smaller than a slim paperback, the Touchscreen Reader allows you to take a complete library with you wherever you go. Now there’s no need to run out of reading material when you’re on holiday and unable to access an English bookshop.
With thousands of books available to buy online from Waterstone’s, you can download them to your PC and transfer to your Sony Reader. Thousands more electronic books can be stored with a Sony Memory Stick Duo or SD memory card. A facility to book mark and magnify is also available and a long life battery means you could read War and Peace five times over before you have to recharge.
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Slipknot Release Date
Iowa rock band, Slipknot release special 10th anniversary edition of their debut album Slipknot . The band have maintained their original line up of 9 members since they formed in 1995, hence the special release date of 9th September 2009.
The album box-set will comprise of CD & DVD digipack with the original tracklisting along with previously unreleased material and new track “Purity”. The DVD will feature a film “Of The Sic: A Decade Come And Gone” directed by M. Shawn Crahan giving a peek into the surreal and complex time around the release of Slipknot’s debut album. It will also have director’s commentary, all three music videos released in support of the album, the live concert recorded at the Dynamo Open Air, 2000 and “other surprises”.
Collectors can choose between standard box set and a “super deluxe” box set version which will also contain T-shirt, patch, collectible cards, key chain, beanie and a note from vocalist Corey Taylor, boxed in a package resembling a safety deposit box.
Slipknot 10th Anniversary Edition is released on 9th September.
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Logitech 102 Digital Pen
At last, the compromise for people who refuse to bid the good old fashioned pen goodbye!
Suitable for scribes, minute takers, poets, reporters, train-spotters, in fact just anyone who ever needs to write anything down; the Logitech 102 digital pen could be the answer to many peoples’ prayers.
Based on the same technology as the Nokia and Sony Ericsson digital pens, the Logitech l02’s quality surpasses anything achieved by its rivals with every flick of the pen accurately transcribed, capturing notes or drawings via a tiny camera that stores up to 40 pages at a time.
The pen enables you to translate your notes directly on to software applications with back up, enabling you to synchronize emails, appointments and tasks immediately. It requires special digital paper supplied by Anoto, some of which carries special instructions once connected to your PC. If you fill in the email address on the main jotter pad in the appropriate section and click the box marked email, the note automatically appears in your email application and hey presto, your handwriting has been miraculously converted to keyboard text.
The package also includes handwriting recognition and powerful battery charge. Comfortable to use with a neat docking cradle, the Logitech l02 pen should drastically reduce the amount of time you spend on paperwork freeing up time for you to spend on the more creative tasks like writing.
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The Levellers
To the uninitiated, The Levellers are more influential than most people realise. It would come as a surprise to many to discover that they have had more gold and platinum selling albums than any other UK band in the 1990s. This is in some part due to the tendency of the musical press to ignore them, stemming from acrimonious exchanges in the early days of the band’s history.
With a six man, multi-instrumental line-up The Levellers excel in genres of alternative rock and folk-punk with fiercely outspoken lyrics. Beloved by students and travellers of the 90s, the band’s inspiration comes from politics, cultural and social issues. They even founded their own festival, Beautiful Days, in Escot Park, Devon after becoming disillusioned with the commercial character of many UK festivals.
They are nevertheless, veteran festival performers, especially at Glastonbury, where their appearance on the Pyramid Stage in 1994 attracted one of the biggest audiences ever and was featured on a video of Glastonbury’s finest moments. In later years the band repeated this success setting stage records for Glastonbury again and again.
Their album successes include Levelling The Land in 1991, described as an underground classic, featuring the anthemic single One Way. An eponymous album Levellers was another huge hit reaching 2 in the album charts spawning the single This Garden. Other iconic tracks include 100 Years of Solitude which lists everything the Levellers hate, including the NME. The 2008 album Letters from the Underground was The Leveller’s 8th studio album and represents a return to top form, harking back to the “golden days” of the 90s. You may hear singles like 100 Years, 15 Years and Last Man Alive – grab those tickets now!
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You Me At Six Release Date
Pop punksters, You Me At Six (sometimes written as Youmeatsix) released a limited edition of their debut album Take Off Your Colours this September. Formed in 2004, the band have released 5 singles so far with “Finders Keepers” reaching their highest position yet of #33 in the UK singles chart.
Take Off Your Colours was originally released last year on 6th October and reached #25 in the UK albums chart that week. The deluxe edition will include five bonus tracks and the videos for “Finders Keepers” and “Kiss and Tell”, which will be released as a single on 7th September.
Take Off Your Colours is released on 14th September through Slam Dunk Records
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Beatles Remastered
The remaster series continues with Abbey Road, originally released on 26th September 1969 it was the penultimate album released before the band’s break up in 1970. This year, the remastered original will be available on the 9th September.
All albums in this series are digitally remastered and re-packaged with rare photos, illuminating background notes, eco-friendly limited edition packaging and in addition, come with a mini-documentary on each album plus photos and rare footage from Abbey Road Studios.
Come Together
Something
Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
Oh Darling
Octopus’s Garden
I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
Here Comes The Sun
Because
You Never Give Me Your Money
Sun King
Mean Mr Mustard
Polythene Pam
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End
Her Majesty
Mini-Documentary
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InMe New Album Release Date
Herald Moth is the fourth studio album from British alternative/prog rock band, InMe.
In April this year, they sold out their London showcase gig where they performed tracks from the forthcoming album. “Single of the Week” is the first track to be released as a digital download on 31st August and the album will follow in the autumn. The band are set to do an extensive UK tour throughout September and October including two dates as the main support for We Are The Ocean.
Herald Moth will be released in Limited Edition and standard formats and will be the first album to feature new guitarist, Ben Konstantinovic. The album is released on 7th September
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nik + iPod sports trainers
Question: What happens when the sports giant Nike and computer giant Apple get together? Answer: A computerised sports kit that tells you exactly how fast you’re running and how many calories you’ve used up.
It’s achieved by a tiny sensor that is fitted into a pocket under the sole of the trainers and information is transmitted via a small receiver that plugs into your iPod nano. Then with a blast of your motivational running song and with the help of your magic Nike sports shoes, your legs will be pumping up and down faster than a piston engine. As you run, your iPod will give you feedback about your performance and when your run is finished, you can access information of distance covered, calories burned, time, distance and pace.
Once home, you can upload the info onto your PC or Mac and compare your progress on nikeplus.com with other runners from all over the world. This should be an incentive to do better next time if ever there was one or maybe you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re a world class performer.
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Vexia Econav 435 release dates
This Sat Nav, previously only available in Europe is now ready for its UK launch in September 2009.
The Vexia Econav 435 purports to reduce your energy consumption by sending you on the most fuel saving route as well as advising on efficient driving techniques. It will be available with just UK maps or with UK and European data combined.
Makers claim that the Econav can save you up to £400 on your fuel bill and up to 30% on carbon emissions. Theoretically, it should pay for itself in the first six months of use, depending on how many miles you do a day and should ultimately lead to safer and more eco-friendly driving.
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