Mobile phones
Push and shove
Is America about to wreak revenge on Europe for stealing a global lead with SMS text messaging? Yes, if Chicago-based FastMobile has its way with its "Push-to-talk" launched here this week. For £6.99 a month, it enables you to send a voice message as an SMS or - the killer application - to press a button on the side which effectively turns it into a "walkie-talkie" phone.
This is the audio equivalent of instant messaging on computers. Lots of friends can be online at the same time, using their phones to send voice messages to anyone they have ticked as being in their buddy group.
FastMobile thinks it will create a multi-billion euro business in Europe in a few years, replicating its success in parts of the US where it is claimed to have left text messaging in the starting stalls. The main drawback is that, as with text messaging and faxing, it won't work unless the person on the receiving end has also signed up.
It is relatively easy to use. You get sent a couple of text messages, one of which triggers installation, and then you follow a series of instructions to set it up. We sent and received voice messages this week, though beware: when it is in instant messaging mode, everyone within listening distance can hear the message as well.
Taking better pics
Frustrated by the poor quality images taken by your camera phone? Japanese network NTT DoCoMo is set to launch a Sony Ericsson mobile with a camera that can take images of 1.3 million pixels - four times higher resolution than the VGA images taken by current European models. According to the managing director of NTT DoCoMo's i-Mode service, Takeshi Natsun, says: "The phone is as good as a low-end camera." The network is also launching a pair of phones from Sharp and Fujitsu, both of which have one megapixel cameras.
Hardware
Cooking up a PC
Icebox, the first "entertainment" PC designed specifically for the kitchen, will arrive in the UK in June. The £2,300 unit is designed to be attached to the underside of a kitchen cabinet. Users then pull down its LCD screen to collect email, surf the internet, watch TV or a DVD or monitor other rooms via a video security camera.
Connection to the net is via a wired connection, though the company hopes to offer a unit that integrates within a wireless Wi-Fi (802.11b) network later in the year.
http://www.iceboxeurope.com
Outselling PCs
A research group is predicting that in five years' time, sales of Windows PCs will be outstripped by Windows CE devices such as PDAs, home recording systems and smartphones. While 126m PCs sold last year, compared to just 9m Windows CE devices, eTForecastsbelieves that by 2008, sales figures will be 190m PCs to 220m CE products.
Blu-Ray today
Earlier today, Japanese consumers got their first glimpse of what Sony hopes will establish it as the leading DVD recording format - its DVD recorder that archives on to Blu-Ray discs. Although they are physically similar to standard DVDs, Blu-Ray discs store up to 27GB of data - almost eight times as much as recordable DVDs. Although Sony insists there are no plans to launch the recorder here, it is rumoured a British launch could come as early as winter.
Gadgets
Versatile video
Toshiba has set a May launch for its first DVD/hard disk video recorder for the home. The RD-XS30 combines a 60GB hard disk and a DVD recorder compatible with rewritable DVD-Ram and write-once DVD-R discs. Consumers record on to the hard disk and then transfer programmes they want to archive on to DVD. The unit has features found on such hard disk recorders as the Sky Plus and TiVo, including the option of enabling the viewer to pause live TV. It will cost around £700, £300 cheaper than the only other hard disk/DVD recorder combi on sale in the UK - Panasonic's DMR-HS2. www.toshiba.co.uk
Bigger hard disks
Digital TV decoder manufacturer Humax is to launch a hard disk video recorder that offers four times more recording capacity than rival Sky Plus and TiVo boxes. Due in the UK in August, the £420 PVR-900T comes with a 160GB hard disk - enough space to record up to 160 hours of programmes.
The recorder is also available with smaller capacity hard disks at a slightly lower price. Owners can also store images from their digital camera and MPeg1 video and MP3 audio files on the recorder. Humax, which is launching products in the UK market under its own brand name for the first time, is also promising a budget DVD recorder and satellite and terrestrial digital TV decoders.
www.humaxdigital.com
Digital radio
Rewind radio
British manufacturer Roberts is to debut a digital radio with a unique feature that enables listeners to "rewind" programmes and listen to transmissions made minutes earlier. The Gemini 1 digital radio includes a buffer that automatically archives the last 30 minutes of a programme. Listeners can delve as far back as several hours, if they add a Secure Digital storage card.
Other features include a three band analogue tuner, alarm clock and an LCD display for showing programme information. The Gemini 1, along with three other Roberts digital radios, will go on sale in July for around £200.
PacMan returns to a store near you
The legendary 80s arcade game PacMan could soon be heading to your mobile. A deal between the game's creator, Namco, and mobile games specialist Digital Bridges, will see the wide-mouthed creature available in the form of packs sold by high street phone stores this summer. Other Namco arcade classics, such as Galaxian, are also being lined up for a mobile launch.
Heathrow's hotspot
Next time you jet off from Heathrow Airport don't forget your laptop. As of this week, terminal one has become the latest public space to offer high speed internet connection via Wi-Fi hotspots. Computer users with 802.11b facilities can log on at lounges, coffee shops and hotels within the airport. BT, who worked with Intel and airport operator BAA to set up the hotspots, is charging £6 per hour for the service. Wi-Fi hotspots are already available at other airports including London's Gatwick and Stansted and Paris's Charles de Gaulle.
