· Camera phones
Mega battle
The battle to produce the most advanced camera phone continues, with Korean company LG announcing a new handset with a six or seven megapixel camera in the pipeline. The module for the camera will be supplied by Canon. Samsung holds the record for the most advanced camera phone with its five megapixel SCH-S250 and it has unveiled a portable sound system to accompany its mobile phones. Only avail able in Korea, the Anycall Theater has a pair of speakers and a dock for a phone, enabling users to hear music files or listen to TV/video while on the move.
<A HREF="http://www.lge.co.uk"">www.lge.co.uk
· Music/video players
Sony warms to MP3
Sony has unveiled the NW-HD3, its second 20 gigabyte hard disk-based music player, and its first to be fully compatible with MP3s. Users can transfer MP3 files directly to the NW-HD3 via the SonicStage 2.3 software without having to convert them to Sony's proprietary Atrac format as was the case with the NW-HD1. The NW-HD3, right, will also be available in a range of colours, Otherwise, the players are virtually identical. This means the NW-HD3 is smaller and lighter than its equivalent, the iPod, can run for up to 30 hours before batteries need recharging and features a 1.5in LCD screen. It is expected to go on sale imminently for around £250.
Personal player
Goodmans has become the latest company to unveil a hard disk-based personal video/audio player. Set to go on sale next month, the GPDR40 boasts a 40GB hard disk, 3.6in TFT screen and play back of MP3, MPeg4 and JPeg files. The player also has an Outlook-compatible calendar and features an SD/MMC memory card slot for transferring files. The GPDR40 can be connected directly to a TV to record programmes, with Goodmans claiming it can store up to 200 hours of footage. The device, which can also be used as voice recorder, is accompanied by cables, earphones and a carry case.
Million tunes
Napster is claiming to be the first online music store in the UK to offer more than a million tracks to customers. The service, which began earlier this year and uses the Windows Media Audio (WMA) format for downloads, is way ahead of Sony's Connect service and Tesco in terms of available tracks. Apple's iTunes, which debuted in June, a month after Napster, is rumoured to offer around a million tracks, though the company hasn't confirmed this. Napster has also announced a deal to sell vouchers - via newsagents and convenience stores - for its download service. This would help target those who don't own credit cards. A variety of cards are available from TM Retail group, whose stores include Forbouys, RS McColl and Dillons.
