Sony NW-A840 Walkman - the thinnest ever
Now that Sony’s latest portable media player, the NW-A840 Walkman Series has been launched in Japan to wide acclaim, we can’t wait to get our hands on it. Unfortunately, we have to wait a bit longer – when we spoke to Sony in November, we were told that as yet no date has been announced for the launch in the UK or US – but never fear - we’ll keep you posted.
That doesn’t stop us from telling you what delights you have in store once the OLED Walkman is eventually released. Sony has brought the portable media player bang up to date – albeit with retro styling. Available in mahogany brown, reminiscent of wartime radios or in sleek black, the NW-A840 is the thinnest Walkman on the market at 7.2mm. Its slim build doesn’t mean a compromise on display however as it comes with a 2.8 inch OLED and up to 64GB of flash storage.
It ships in three models – the 16GB NW-A845, the 32GB NW-A846 and the 64GB NW-A847. With a 720×480 resolution option to playback video through your TV, the battery lasts for 29 continuous hours of music or nine hours of video. The Walkman incorporates an S-Master digital amplifier and FM radio for crystal clear sound quality but Sony’s digital noise cancellation MDR-EX300SL ear-buds mean that you won’t be annoying anyone next to you on the tube. Note that support Wi-Fi networks are not provided.
With dimensions of 104.9 x 7.2 x 46.8mm, the Walkman weighs approximately 62g and is available in Japan at prices ranging from £160 to £266 – a rival to Apple’s iPod Shuffle if ever there was one.
Nokia N900
Initially available at £469.99 SIM Free, the Nokia N900 is the first-ever Linux-based mobile phone and could possibly be the manufacturer’s most advanced handset to date.
For a start, it’s a lot faster than most in bringing up applications and runs on the new Linux-based Maemo browser which means you can get 24-hour connection with wireless broadband, Wi-Fi and HSPA connections. Being powered by Mozillla technology, the device displays websites exactly as they are seen on a PC with a full browsing history available and, for the more myopic, there’s a zoom facility that adjusts text to the size of your screen. The panoramic, touch screen is used to switch between applications and can also be customised with short cuts, widgets and applications up to four different desktops, or if an email needs to be typed, you can swiftly slide out the QWERTY keypad and bang it out straight away.
The 5-megapixel camera with high-quality Carl Zeiss optics comes with tag clouds to label and share photos with friends. With Maemo OS and Adobe Flash 9.4 support, online videos and interactive applications are a synch and the Nokia N900 is capable or recording 16:9 video with a resolution of up to 848×480 pixels at 25 fps. Plus, you can watch your favourite videos on the high-resolution WVGA screen and display your photos with stunning clarity.
Communication wise, you can make voice calls, VoIP calls as well as SMS, emails and instant messaging. With up to 48GB of memory available via a microSD card, other features include a GPS receiver with Ovi Maps to find your way in over 150 countries, an FM transmitter, 3.5mm audio jack with TV-out function, Bluetooth and DivX/Xvid video playback support.
And priced at £469.99, now seems like an excellent time to get your mitts wrapped around the Nokia N900 before everyone else does.
Where to get it >>
The Whispered World - fantasy and adventure game
The fantasy adventure game The Whispered World is to be released in the UK, Scandinavia, France, Spain and Italy on February 12th 2010 for use with Windows PC, XP or Vista.
The beautifully animated point-and-click game from Daedalic Entertainment follows the 12-year-old clown Sadwick, who is visited in his dreams by a strange, blue creature that despatches him on an adventurous journey from autumn forests to islands through the crumbling Whispered World. As the only person who can prevent the destruction of the world, Sadwick has to discover the meaning of a mysterious prophecy somewhere along the way.
Integral to the game is Sadwick’s companion Spot who helps to solve many puzzles and is able to shape shift on the user’s command and metamorphose into useful tools like a flaming torch or sheet of paper etc. Throughout the game, the player simply chooses to point at an object to look at it and decide whether to pick it up or keep it. With hand-painted backgrounds, fine details and atmospheric music, a fairy-tale atmosphere is created with melancholic overtones that create the setting for a truly epic story.
Animated by Macro Hüllen, the wide backgrounds sidescroll on different levels to create a sense of depth, even in 2D, and are reminiscent of games like Runaway and So Blonde. The storyline is also sophisticated with witty dialogue, so should appeal to adults and kids alike. Game reviewers have pointed out that The Whispered World has something missing from many others available on the market – an emotional connection. It’s a game that will move you, it will soothe and entrance you – it may even bring a tear to your eye and it’s available from February 12th 2010.
Where to get it >>
The Sound Asleep Pillow - ultimate bedtime indulgence
The ultimate in bedtime indulgence, the Sound Asleep Pillow will soothe you to sleep or wake you up in the way you want via an inbuilt speaker cunningly concealed inside the soft, hollow fibre filling.
Whether you want to drift off to the gentle wash of waves on shingle, listening to winsome lullabies or the dulcet tones of Stephen Fry reading your favourite audio-book or even the sounds of Metallica thrashing their guitars, the variations are endless. Connecting to any music source, the Sound Asleep Pillow is compatible with MP3 players, iPods and radios.
There’s no chance of feeling a bulky protuberance sticking into your neck during the night either as the speaker is completely undetectable. In fact it’s a far better alternative to using headphones with the attendant problem of wires that become accidentally wrapped around your throat or of ear plugs embedded in your ears.
Nor is there any danger of your partner being disturbed by your favourite sounds as the noise is inaudible to anyone beyond the realms of the pillow. You won’t be woken once your music is finished as the sound pillow automatically stops playing.
Ideal for insomniacs who can listen to relaxing tracks or for sufferers of tinnitus who can use the pillow to create a distraction the Sound Asleep Pillow is also excellent for parents who want to persuade their children to stay in bed that bit longer or even for those who want to learn another language as they sleep – it’s also great for brainwashing secret agents.
Available in the original version made from cotton and polyester or as an ergonomically designed Sound Asleep Memory Foam Pillow that moulds to your head and neck, the connector cable is approximately 124cm long and the pillows are suitable for ages above 5 years. Prices are from £12.99 for the original version or £24.99 for the foam pillow.
Sound Asleep Rocking Chair connects to games console
Sound Asleep has come up with the perfect inflatable gaming chair that will fit comfortably into any teenager’s bedroom and connects to a games console via a 3.5mm stereo plug.
Easy to inflate and incorporating inbuilt speakers, the chair rocks – literally! With a pocket for your music device the Sound Asleep Rocking Chair is compatible with all music sources such as iPods, MP3 players, CD players and radio and requires no batteries as it is powered from the headphone socket of the connected device.
Made of 100% PVC the Sound Asleep Rocking Chair is also pretty durable, ready to stand up to those long hours of hard gaming. Risks of bottom grooves are minimal however, due to the comfortable and robust flock-lined seating. Measuring 96cm x 65cm x 86cm approximately, the product is suitable for anyone over the age of 5 and is attractively designed in red and blue at the remarkable price of £30.
The only fault is that it may become even more difficult to entice your offspring downstairs into the living room so why not solve the problem by putting a Sound Asleep Rocking Chair in there too?
Orange is to launch iPhone
Orange has announced the launch of the Orange iPhone which will be available from November 10th, 2009 and is hoping to grab as much of the market share from O2 as possible by improving on the user experience and increasing availability.
Not content with being the fastest GSM iPhone ever, the easy-to-use touch screen delivers web pages and emails instantly with improved performance and updated 3D graphics that enhance the whole gaming experience. Video recording functions mean you can shoot high-quality video in portrait or landscape and edit accordingly before posting on sites or sending to your friends via email. A new 3-megapixel camera combines a built-in autofocus and pictures can be viewed in portrait or landscape format simply by rotating the handset, with a zoom facility and geo-tagging option available. The iPhone can also be used to sync with photos already on your Mac or PC so you can share them with anyone wherever you are in the world.
With a digital compass and voice control, users can choose from more than 85,000 applications available through the iTunes App Store and the phone will cost £96.50 for a 32GB iPhone 3GS handset on a £44.04 per month, two-year contract.
As more than a quarter of a million people have registered an interest on the Orange website the iPhone looks set to be the must-have gadget for Christmas. Just as well then that Orange has assured customers that there won’t be a supply issue. In addition, they plan a 3G mobile broadband network covering more people in the UK than any other operator and have committed to providing the best-in-class applications in an attempt to cash in on the market before Vodafone starts selling the iPhone in 2010.
Modern Warfare 2 Release Date
The sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is released under the shortened title, Modern Warfare 2 in November and will continue the CoD storyline.
It’s now several years since the conclusion of Call of Duty 4. Sergeant “Soap” MacTavish has returned as a non-playable character, and has been promoted to captain in the Special Air Service. MacTavish leads an elite commando unit to counter a new Russian terrorist group. Locations for the missions vary between the mountains of Russia to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The first person shooter will be released worldwide on 10th November for PC, PS3 and XBOX360.
Where to get it >>