Gadgets
Rio fights back
Rio, one of the first companies to launch an MP3 player, is back with a range of seven new models, including a challenger to the Apple iPod - the Rio Karma. A cigarette pack-sized player, the Karma has 20GB of storage and comes with a USB 2.0 connecting cable. Its main advantage over the iPod is its accompanying cradle, which features an Ethernet connection to enable it to be integrated with a wired or wireless home network. Unlike the iPod, it can record directly from a CD/hi-fi and includes support for Ogg Vorbis, the open source-based music format. Battery life is rated at 15 hours - twice that of its rival. It is expected to sell for around £250. Also from Rio is the Nitrus, with a tiny hard disk (around the size of a 10p coin) capable of storing 1.5GB of music. Slightly larger than a matchbox, the player also features a USB 2.0 socket and will retail for around £185. Another rival for the iPod has just arrived. The Ministry of Sound MOS MP028 hard disk 20GB MP3 player (available from Argos) might be larger and less elegant than the iPod, but it can record directly from a CD/hi-fi system. At £200, it retails for £50 less than the iPod.
Camcorders
Pocket-sized
Sony has unveiled what it is billing as the world's smallest camcorder. Apparently small enough to fit into a shirt pocket, the DCR-IP1 uses Sony's tiny digital MicroMV cassettes, a format introduced by Sony in 2000 which some insiders predicted would soon be shelved. All the main parts of the camcorder have been streamlined, including its lens, mechanical deck and LCD panel. The DCR-IP1 includes a one megapixel CCD, 10x optical and 120x digi tal zooms, a Memory Stick Duo slot and a USB terminal. Expect to see it in the UK in November for around £1,200.
Canon fire
Canon has announced a Mini-DV camcorder with a "super slim, visionary design". The MVX10i has a 2.2 megapixel CCD and works as both a still and a video camera.It wil appear next month, accompanied by a 2.2 megapixel DV camcorder, the MVX3i, that is roughly twice the size. Both will take MMC and SD storage cards. Finally, Canon plans to introduce a film-capable contact image sensor (CIS) scanner, the CanoScan LiDE80. This features automatic retouching technology and is only 38mm thick.
Mobile Phones
Nokia targets the game young
Nokia's 3300 multimedia phone springs from the company's policy of producing special models for different segments of the market. This one is for young people who like gaming and listening to music and the radio but only want to carry one bit of kit. The only major function it lacks is a camera. Otherwise, it works well. Music tracks are easily transferred via Nokia audio manager from a CD-Rom (60 to 90 minutes worth): and the phone's controls lend themselves well to games - though the tiny letters make texting a sweat. The 3300 is heavier (125g) than many cheaper models but it still feels like a phone and has most of the features we take for granted such as GPRS internet connectivity, recorder, polyphonic ringtones, dual band, infra-red (but no Bluetooth), picture gallery, MMS and so on. Intrepid gamers may be tempted to wait for the N-Gage but those wanting a phone to do most things except take pictures will find this very tempting. Prices range from £29.99 to £129.99 depending on monthly contract.
Best 3G yet?
UK 3G phone network 3 will extend its range of mobiles by launching its most advanced handsets to date. The Motorola A920 is a triband model with integrated camera, video and audio player and full messaging facilities. Unlike 3's current Motorola handset, the A830, it is compatible with the network's video-calling service. It also boasts GPS to access location-based services, although 3 has not yet announced what it will offer. The AG20, which uses the Symbian operating system, is not unlike Sony Ericsson's P800 in that it has a large touch screen. Unlike its rival, though, the A920 doesn't sport a keypad. It is set to go on sale next month. Due in stores in the next couple of weeks is the Motorola A835. A more advanced version of the A830, its main enhancements are its compatibility with 3's video-calling service and integrated camera. Also featured are video/music/games downloads and Bluetooth.
Hardware
Top-end tellies
Innovative Danish company KiSS Technology has announced a range of products it intends to show at the IFA exhibition in Berlin at the end of this month. Among the devices due on sale in the UK by the end of the year is a 42in plasma screen that includes an integrated DVD player and a wireless Ethernet connection to access the internet and content from a PC. Also on display will be the DP-1000, a slimline DVD player compatible with DivX movie files and the DP-508, a DVD player with an 80GB hard disk and the ability to access music, video and photo files stored on a PC. Completing the range, the DP- 558 has all the 508's functionality plus an integrated TV tuner.
Media Center
Almost a year after it was launched in the US, Microsoft is bringing the Media Center edition of its Windows XP operating system to the UK. Due to debut on a series of PCs from manufacturers including Evesham Technology, Packard Bell and Time, the Media Center system allows the computer's digital entertainment content to be operated via a remote control. Users can access live TV (via an analogue tuner), record and play back videos stored on the PC's hard disk, and play DVDs, digital music and video at the touch of a button. Users will also be able to discover what is on TV via a free programme guide. The first PCs with the software should be on sale with the next couple of months.
Worm alert
It's becoming an annual occurence: ever since the Great Code Red scare of June and August 2001, we've had a virus scare in the summer. This year's is the fast-spreading MSBlast worm, which exploits a vulnerability in versions of Microsoft Windows NT, 2000 and XP. It's certainly fast-moving: S-Secure, a Finnish security company, says it took only five minutes for an unprotected PC they left outside their firewall to be infected on Tuesday morning, and a matter of seconds when they tried again later that afternoon. But security experts say the worm has flaws, which should alert system administrators and computer owners that their machine is under attack. Make sure your system is up to date before you get attacked by using the Windows Update service or installing the patch from http://masl.to/?Z23632F85.
Broadband
Surf wirelessly
Subscribers to Telewest's cable broadband internet service can now buy a self-installation pack that enables them to surf the web wirelessly. Retailing for £35, the kit combines a Netgear wireless access point with the cable modem embedded in the company's digital set-top box. Users place the wireless card in their PC or laptop and can surf the net at up to 150 metres from the digital box. The system is only configured for one PC and will not create a wireless home network. It is compatible with all Telewest's 512Kbps and 1Mbps broadband packages.
Stat of the week
What's in your inbox?
Jupiter Research has found that - surprise, surprise - the amount of spam we're getting has surged in the past year (with the biggest increase in "health" spam). Relative to this huge increase, email from other sources has fallen.
