Gadgets
Beats in time
Austrian company Laks is reviving an idea pioneered a few years ago by Casio. Next month it will launch a series of watches that can store and play MP3 and WMA music files. Users transfer the tunes to the watch via its USB 1.1 interface and then listen on earphones. Also on board is a microphone. Power is supplied by a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, with a playback time of around five hours. Four versions offer 32, 64, 128 and 256MB of storage. The top model is to retail for around £200. www.laks.com
Wi-Fi
Cruise control
The Queen Mary 2 has a series of Wi-Fi hot spots to enable passengers to surf the net wirelessly on their own computers. Text messages can be sent for $1.50 each via TV monitors in cabins. The ship maintains its vast array of telecommunications via satellite links.
Route finder
GPS specialist Navman is to launch its first GPS add-on for Palm PDAs. Compatible with Palm's Tungsten's range and several Sony Clies, the GPS4460 is a GPS receiver that connects wirelessly to the PDA via Bluetooth. It uses a combination of 3D colour maps and voice instructions to guide drivers to their destinations. It goes on sale this month for £300. www.navman.co.uk
Cameras
Enthusiast model
Panasonic is ramping up its digital camera range by introducing a top-end "enthusiast model" with an innovative 12x optical zoom. The four megapixel Lumix DMC-FZ10 features a Leica Vario Elmarit lens and Panasonic's latest Venus Engine image processor. The DMC-FZ10 is also the first to feature Panasonic's Mega OIS image stabilising system. Images can be reviewed on a 2in, 130,000 pixel LCD screen and stored on a Secure Digital card. It goes on sale next month. Also on sale next month are the DMC-FX5 and FX1, compact cameras that take four and three megapixel images respectively. www.panasonic.co.uk
Camera phones
Slide and snap
Samsung's German wing has taken the wraps off a top-end camera phone due to arrive in the UK in summer. The key feature of the ultra-compact SGH-D410 is that its bottom half slides down to reveal the number pad. The handset takes VGA pictures, features a front-mounted 260,000 colour, 2in display, has a POP3/IMAP4-compatible email client and includes Java for downloadable games and content. Other notable features include 10MB of storage and 30 seconds of MPeg video capture. www.samsungelectronics.co.uk
Rich pickings
With an MP3 player, FM radio, video-enabled camera phone with 4x zoom, personal organiser and a few excellent games, the Siemens SX1 is very feature-rich. It uses the Symbian Series 60 operating system, is stylish and weighs a mere 116 grams. The phone also features an unusual keypad that is split into two vertical rows and placed either side of the screen. The handset also comes with three games. It costs £250 with contract, £450 without. www.my-siemens.com
Stat of the week Logging off the internet
Nielsen//NetRatings survey of active internet users says Europe's online population is falling. The UK lost 279,268 users in December - although the world's biggest fall was in Japan, where 764,446 users vanished. Modest growth continued in the US, however.
