Veho VCC-002HD Camcorder
This easy-to-use camcorder takes great quality pictures, even indoors, and is due for release on 5th December 2009 with a RRP of £149.99.
The camera comes with everything you need to get going, upload, edit and organise your videos including HDMI connection, HDMl/Mini USB2.0/TV Out, a Carry Pouch, AC Adaptor and an Np60 Li-ion Battery. Picture quality is excellent as the Kuzo VCC-002 Uses True 1080p Super High Definition technology to record in 1920x1080p and there’s also excellent sound reproduction. Other features include a 3.0 touch screen OSD and 5x Optical Zoom Lens. The built-in memory of 128MB and SD card slot up to 32GB gives you ample recording time. For a 16GB card you can get around four hours of footage that can be uploaded directly to U-tube or onto your HD TV via the Kuzo HDMI output.
Pictures can be taken indoors and at night with a special Night mode with Back Light and there’s an Auto and Skin Scene support. The camcorder also features a self timer of 10 seconds and video stabilization with a 5MP CMOS sensor with interpolation for still captures. The file format is AVl for video and JPG for Still.
And the camcorder not only takes good pictures, it also feels great too with a unique Tacton soft rubber body touch, in fact, the Kuzo VCC002HD has everything you need to make your life truly high definition.
The BeBook e-Reader -download up to 20,000 titles free
The BeBook is an entire library in one book-sized device with epaper technology that allows you to read digital content anywhere in the world, just as you do on paper. With a RRP of £249.99 it represents a revolution for the reading public without attempting to replace books.
Just think how much it would cost you to buy over 20,000 classic books and compare that with the BeBook price. The ebook comes with 150 titles pre-loaded and once you’ve waded through them, there’s the option to download any book listed on the MyBeBook.com website free of charge. Simply select your favourite author or title and download in .txt or .pdf format. All the formats have been adapted to fit the 9x12cm BeBook ereader so the text is clear with three different sizes built in so you can select the one you prefer. Fonts can also be changed quickly and easily.
The BeBook can also be used to read papers, news, catalogues, work documents and guide books or any document you wish. With a long battery life, one charge will last for 7,000 turns of the page with a 512MB flash memory. Supporting many different file formats, the BeBook weighs just 220gr including the battery.
And in the unlikely event that the book you want is not available from MyBeBook.com, the BeBook is compatible with Mobipocket whose eBook files can be bought from online eBook shops with prices around 20 to 30% lower than the paper version, giving you even more flexibility.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
The loveable chipmunk and his friends are back in a hilarious Squeakquel to be released on 11th December 2009 with a RRP of £24.99.
You can play as the chipmunks themselves; Alvin, Simon and Theodore or as rival girl-group; The Chipettes – Brittany, Jeannette and Eleanor, in a cool storyline that takes you across the world and back to different concert locations in cities like New York, London and Sydney where you can perform music tracks that feature either band with their different characteristics or warble a duet with both.
In the main game you can prove that you’ve got rhythm by using your musical skills to master the award-winning songs from the Alvin and The Chipmunks back catalogue. These are judged in varying degrees of difficulty based on tempo and complexity with two global modes of difficulty; Normal and Expert that can be changed anytime during the game. If you manage to fill the stadiums with your fans, there are attendance records to be earned too to boost your score. In a gripping finale that takes place at Hollywood’s Super Duper Dome anything could happen.
Three micro-games use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk or there’s a Multiplayer Party Mode so you can compete with up to two friends and have a ball or you can watch music videos of your favourite songs in the Jukebox Mode while you squeak away to your heart’s content.
Resident Evil Archives:Resident Evil Zero now in Wii
Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil Zero is an epic story that follows events leading up to the incident at mansion in a game that was previously only available on the Nintendo GameCube due for release on 22nd January 2010.
Some people have said it’s one of the most frightening games they’ve ever played. Following the format of Capcom’s survival horror films, we go back in time to discover the story behind the infernal Umbrella Corporations as players uncover the origins of the T-virus and surprise, surprise a few rampant zombies on the way.
Action follows Rebecca Chambers, the newest member of the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team who comes to Raccoon City to investigate a series of grisly murders. When she discovers a military transport truck filled with corpses, the horror begins. She is accompanied on her journey by Billy Coen, an ex-marine who was convicted of murdering 23 people – fortunately the evidence was purely circumstantial. With flesh-eaters, ghouls and the undead making unscheduled appearances, you’ll be on the edge of your seat with your heart pumping throughout. Graphics heighten the sense of fear in the spooky mansion with odd camera angles and dark shadows. You can use the standard Wii remote, classic controller or GameCube pad. There’s also a whole arsenal of weaponry to choose from with the ability to shoot anything from a pistol to a rocket launcher.
You can play as Rebecca and Billy simultaneously by using the Partner Zapping system, solving some cryptic puzzles along the way, as you help them in their desperate bid to escape from Raccoon City.
The Laser Cosmos Projector provides the ultimate star show
Now you can create your own planetarium in the living room; the Laser Cosmos Projector illuminates any room with a superb light show of twinkling stars.
The whole beauty of the cosmos can be yours with this piece of laser technology. With a green laser and a holographic technology and two built-in precision lenses, the Laser Cosmos Projector creates a panoply of thousands of shooting and twinkling green stars with optional blue cloud formations and an adjustable cloud dimmer.
Measuring ten inches in height with a width of nine inches and depth of seven, the device can pivot to any angle. Shipping with a mains AC adaptor included the projector also has key hole slots so you can fix it on the wall if you like for a more permanent light show. Although it has a recommended retail price of £159.99 we reckon it can be purchased for almost half that amount from our recommended suppliers.
Eliminating the need to venture outside into the cold night air to gaze at the night sky, the Laser Cosmos Projector creates the perfect ambience for a romantic evening or a peaceful environment for a chill-out session. Or you could even use it to soothe the children to sleep at night as the fan has a quiet motor and the system is easy to set up.
Truly cosmic man!
Philips-3000 TV
Get ready for the future with the Philips 3000 Series which is out on 14th December 2009 with a RRP of £299.99.
The TV uses Philip’s innovative Digital Crystal Clear package whereby picture quality is digitally adjusted and optimized for razor sharp colour, detail, depth and quality. If you thought TV pictures couldn’t be improved on, look again – watching the Philips 3000 is just like being at the cinema only better.
With an incredible 28.9 billion colours, the LCD display gives a widescreen HD resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Advanced algorithms detect subtle colour shades and skin tones to produce natural images and vibrant colour. And with a MPEG4 HDTV reception via DVB-T tuner, your set won’t be need to be updated for years to come.
If you like a good sound system on your TV, you need look no further; Philip’s state-of-the art Incredible Surround audio technology mixes sound from left and right to enhance the stereo effect and create a greater depth. You can also use the TV as a PC monitor or connect a Blu-ray player and Game Console or Digital Camcorder. One HDMI input with Easylink gives full HD connection and only one remote control is needed to operate your TV and connected devices. With a USB connector that can be slotted into the side of the TV, there’s scope for superb photo and music playback.
And if that wasn’t enough, you also get accessories in with the price including a table-top stand, power cord, remote control with 2 x AAA batteries, a Quick Start Guide, User Manual and Warranty certificate.
Samsung-DVD Player - inexpensive
At a fantastic £49.99, this Samsung DVD-H1090 Player takes a bit of beating as a powerful home theatre system of the future.
First thing you notice about it is that it’s almost round – DVD players are never round! But what a great idea! It looks contemporary, stylish and slim. It’s also very lightweight and thanks to 1080p up-scaling, means that you can watch your normal DVD movies in high definition quality resulting in vivid, crystal clear images. The HDMI v1.3 technology gives faster data transmission to create deeper blacks and natural colours and achieve a quality that is normally only shown on Blu-ray discs. A progressive scan irons out blurs and distortion that scans individual picture lines in sequence rather than alternately as is usually the case.
The connection can be used to link all your devices to your TV and can be operated with one convenient remote control. Playback formats cover all the most popular multimedia like DivX, MP3, WMA, JPEG and MPEG-4 clips. Also solving the perennial problem of jumbled up wires, the HDMI uses a single cable wire to transfer video and audio to your TV. A USB device or MPE player can be easily connected and used to download content on to a disk. Plus, you can simply plug in a portable digital device into the USB port to listen to music, watch video clips or view photos.
Oxegen is Ireland's biggest festival
If you want to be first to get your hands on tickets for Oxegen, 2010 read on. Early Bird tickets are now on sale at 2007 prices from 9am Friday 4th December until Thursday 31st December, so grab your wellies and your Leprechaun hat and cloak and get on down to Ireland’s biggest festival.
Taking place from Friday 9th July to Sunday 11th July at Punchestown Racecourse, Naas, Co. Kildare, Eire, the festival is now officially Europe’s favourite rock’n’roll weekend. Winner of the Best Overseas Festival category in 2009 in the Festival Awards, the three-day event fought off competition from prestigious festivals all over the world, like Spain’s Benicassim and Coachella in the US.
According to the Belfast Telegraph, who sum up each Oxegen Festival in meteorological terms, year 2005 was “the sunny” one, 2006 was “the torrentially rainy one,”2 007 was “the muddy one” and 2008, “the so-so one” (obviously not in terms of performance with the likes of the Kings of Leon playing). What will 2010 bring we wonder?
But in the end, it doesn’t really matter because Oxegen is one of the best festivals you can go to, whatever the weather.
Receiving its inauguration in 2000 under the name of Witnness Festival, Oxegen has grown to epic proportions with five main stages and at least 80k visitors attending every day. Bands like Snow Patrol, Kings of Leon and Muse have headlined and eulogised about their experiences there. The Killers who headlined in 2007 and 2009 described Oxegen as the “highlight of our year” and REM member Michael Stipe stated it was his backstage visit to Oxegen in 2007 that made him want to go on tour again; “I saw all these great bands and the next day after the festival we went into the studio,” he said.
With three large areas for camping, there is a store located in each, a funfair including a Magic Carpet ride and roller coaster, a circus, silent disco and, best of all folks… the toilet facilities “have improved.”
The line-up hasn’t yet been announced but Early Bird ticket prices are as follow: 3 Day (Fri-Sun)/No camping: €179, 3 Day (Fri-Sun)/with camping: €199, 4 Day (Thurs-Sun)/Camping €219.50. Campervan must be purchased with 3 or 4 day ticket: €60.
Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks featuring our hero, Link, brings us a new adventure with a new story, puzzles and a new mode of transport – a train. Take care along your route and watch your speed – obstacles and enemies lie in wait to derail you but you have an on-board cannon and whistle to protect you against your foes and scare off animals in your way.
Accompanying Link through the dungeons is a Phantom, a suit of armour that responds to his commands – players can control him with touch screen technology and the brave companion can walk through fire or lava, be used as a platform to carry Link above dangers, or even block Link from harm. Link uses a variety of new items and weapons, including the Whirlwind, which players activate by blowing into the microphone of the Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi system. As with The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, players can draw notes on the in-game maps using the stylus on the touch screen.
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is released 4th December.
Where to get it >>
StarCraft 2 Release date
StarCraft 2 from Blizzard Entertainment continues the epic saga of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. These three distinct and powerful races will clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the legendary original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types will do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles for survival.
Featuring a unique single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft 2 will present a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in an edgy sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. In addition, Blizzard will again offer unparalleled online play with several enhancements and new features to make StarCraft II the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game.
StarCraft 2 Release Date is set at the 4th December 2009
Where to get it >>