My Best Toys

Simon’s Cat is back - failing to turn over a new leaf too…

That cat is back.

Simon’s Cat returns to our desktops in another new adventure.

We can’t get enough of this feisty little feline.

If you’ve seen a video online that you want to tell us about email us via the feedback form.

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VIDEO OF THE DAY ? Hot Spot originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. And then there’s some right old tat as well

Just in time for those of you who are super-organised and like to do your Christmas shopping early, here’s something a little different.

Buying that perfect present is always tough, but with Misi you might find just what you need.

It’s an online marketplace for artisans and crafty types wanting to sell their handmade wares.

Some of it is truly beautiful stuff made by clearly very talented people.

But then some of it is the kind of stuff you’d be too embarrassed to give to even the most worthy of charity shops, made by people who clearly shouldn’t be left unsupervised with anything sharp.

Happy shopping.

www.misi.co.uk

If you have a website that you want to tell us about email us via the feedback form.

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WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Misi originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Complete overhaul of the interface

Truphone has announced that its popular Android app is getting an upgrade, to version 2.0. The application will be benefiting from a completely new user interface, better account management and it’ll also now run natively - meaning it’ll run faster.

Truphone, in case you’re unfamiliar, allows you to make international calls for the price of a local call - which for most people is free. The call hits a local Truphone gateway, and is then transmitted over the Truphone network.

You can also call people on Skype, on Google Talk, and use IM on the aforementioned services, as well as allowing you access to your contacts on MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM and Twitter.

Karl Good, Director of Consumer Apps for Truphone, told Pocket-lint: “The improvements to the Android application come from customer feedback and lessons learned from our first application to provide a slicker and faster user experience. This new Android application builds on our heritage of being a pioneer in the mobile industry, providing high quality voice services and making Truphone the smart choice for people with an international lifestyle”.

If you’ve got an international lifestyle, then you can download the app from either the Truphone website or the Android market. You can also get Truphone apps for iPhone, BlackBerry and Nokia handsets.

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Related links:

• News - Truphone launches Android app

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Phones Mobile phone applications Android Google Truphone VoIP Software updates

Truphone Android app gets refreshed originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:55:07 +0100

With a little help from Neil Poulton and Cabasse

LaCie has announced what it says are “high-end speakers”, modelled after acoustic engineering company Cabasse’s loudspeaker technology - the LaCie Sound2 Speakers, as designed by Neil Poulton.

With Cabasse’s loudspeaker driver support, the Sound2 Speakers are angled as ideal for use with computers, while the line-in means audio/video devices such as MP3 players and PMPs can also be plugged in.

Set-up is said to be easy via USB connection or the line-in port with no driver installation necessary. Complete with built-in USB cable and volume control, the Sound2 Speakers can provide 30 Watts total peak power output.

The LaCie Sound2 Speakers will be available through the LaCie Online Store, among others, for ?89.

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Audio Speakers LaCie Hardware Cabasse Neil Poulton

LaCie Sound2 Speakers launch originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:51:47 +0100

Unbranded player includes TV reception

IWOOT has come up with a relatively budget portable media player that also includes television functionality. Although it’s not branded, the player in the picture on IWOOT’s site does say “August”, though that’s not a company we’ve heard of before.

The screen is 3.5-inches across, and it can recieve Freeview. It displays 320 x 240 pixels, and can play back from external media via a USB stick. There are two games included, it can be hooked up to the TV, and it’ll play AVI’s, MPEGs, MP3, WAV files and JPEGs.

There’s also an SD/MMC card slot, for upto 8GB of storage - it doesn’t seem to have any onboard storage provided. The rechargable battery will do you 10 hours of audio or 3 hours of video before it gives in. There’s also an EPG and subtitle options.

The unit has built in speakers, or if you don’t want to irritate people on the bus then you can use headphones. It costs ?95 and it’s available now.

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Related links:

• News - iRiver B30 DAB radio and PMP on sale in UK

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Audio PMPs IWOOT

IWOOT offers 3.5-inch PMP originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:24:08 +0100

Security Essentials graduates from beta

Microsoft’s free antivirus package, “Microsoft Security Essentials”, is now available to anyone, just over three months after it went into a beta test period in June that was limited to US users.

But now everyone can grab the bare-bones security package from Microsoft’s website. It’s a replacement from the company’s paid-for OneCare package that never met with great success, being trumped by McAfee, Symantec and other companies whose products are preloaded on new computers.

Other companies, like AVG and Avast!, provide free antivirus software, and it’s these that will likely be most hurt by Microsoft’s move. Although some have accused McAfee, Symantec and Trend Micro of producing bloated software that consumes system resources, it’s difficult to fault them on the strength of their protection.

Security Essentials is free, available now, and works on XP, Vista and Windows 7. There’s a link to download it below.

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• News - Microsoft’s free antivirus software nears public release
• Link - Microsoft Security Essentials

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Software Microsoft VirusesAndMalware Security software PC software

Microsoft’s free Antivirus now available originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:23:46 +0100

Proven source says 10.7-incher waiting final approval from Jobs

The most recent Apple tablet rumours to hit pegged the 9.6-inch device at $800 with a February launch.

Now iLounge’s “reliable” Apple source - that correctly predicted the firth-gen nano and iPhone 3GS - has come up with fresh data.

According to iLounge, who dubs the device the “iPad”, the latest version of three prototypes has a 10.7-inch screen, runs the iPhone OS and looks like a big iPhone 3G with a curved back.

The source suggests it will come in two versions - with and without 3G - but both models will get 480 x 320 pixel displays.

Fitting in with Apple’s no-thanks stance on netbooks, iLounge says it is not meant as a netbook competitor but a media player with “light communications” abilities:

“It is designed to expand the iPhone and iPod touch media concept to its next potential level: as a slate-like replacement for books and magazines, plus all of the media, gaming, app, and web functionality of the iPhone and iPod touch”, states the site.

Said to be awaiting “final green light” from Apple boss Steve jobs - with an estimated 80% chance of success - iLounge predicts a 19 January annoucement with some serious hype before a retail debut in the summer.

We will keep you posted.

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Related links:

• News - $800 9.6-inch Apple tablet to launch in February

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Hardware Apple Rumours Tablet PCs PMPs iPhone iTablet iPad

Fresh Apple tablet rumours claim the iPad is due on 19 January originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:36:39 +0100

Limited edition, and high definition

Panasonic has dropped us word of a camcorder that it’ll soon be launching - the HDC-TM350. It’s strictly limited edition - only 200 will be available - and it’s a sister model to the HDC-TM300, which has won multiple awards.

It’s rather on the advanced side - with three seperate colour sensors to process red, green and blue, and 1.6 lux low light recording. It does full HD, and can record still images at 10.6 megapixels, and can do both video recording and still image recording at the same time too - though those are limited to 8.3 megapixels.

There’s an intelligent auto optical image stabiliser, and AF/AE tracking which will keep focus and exposure locked onto a subject even if they stray to the edges of the picture. It comes with 64GB of built-in flash memory, along with an SD card slot for pumping that up further.

The HDC-TM300 will be available from mid-October, and will cost approximately ?1200. But don’t delay - there’s only 200 available.

Related links:

• News - Panasonic launches Lumix FP8

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Cameras Panasonic Digital cameras Compact cameras Camcorders 10 megapixels Panasonic HDC-TM350 Camcorder

Panasonic reveals HDC-TM350 camcorder originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:33:24 +0100

Order your Nokia handset around

Vlingo has created a mobile app that will let you speak to your Nokia handset. The company behind it claims that you can say whatever you want into your handset and the phone will respond and perform, implying that there’s semantic technology in there, too.

The technology works on the N95, N95 8GB, E51, E71, E75, 5530 XpressMusic, and 5800 XpressMusic, and can be used to send texts, emails, search the web, or check Facebook. It has the capability to learn an individual’s voice, too, and pick it out of a loud room.

To configure the app, you can select your language and accent in the Vlingo settings menu, and the company recommends that you speak realistic phrases into the handset, as the recongition is tuned to certain tasks.

In our brief testing, it coped with a fairly regular British accent well. We had to speak slowly and carefully for it to understand us, but it worked out relatively lengthy sentences like “google chinese takeaways in finsbury park” without too much trouble.

The free version’s only limit is that you can only send five messages a day, so if you’re a Nokia user you might want to check it out. Also, if you’re lucky enough to have a strong accent, we’d love to hear how it copes. Let us know in the comments.

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Related links:

• News - Microsoft admits to Vista voice recognition flaw

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Phones Vlingo Mobile phone applications Nokia

VIDEO: Vlingo offers voice recognition mobile app originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:14:57 +0100

Snazzy new home cinema offering incoming?

Apple could be about to revamp its Apple TV offering with a snazzy new remote control, a fresh leak suggests.

From The Boy Genius Report blog comes this image of what looks like a touchscreen remote control for the home cinema product.

Very much in the realms of rumour at this stage, BGR says the image was submitted by an Apple tipster who accurately predicted recent iTunes 9 features.

“We’re told it’s a ‘product mockup that may coincide with the launch of a revised Apple TV’”, says BGR.

Apple recently knocked around $100 of its current Apple TV product, and slimmed the range down to just one model, leading to suggestions that a revamp is imminent.

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Related links:

• News - Apple knocks $100 off the price of Apple TV

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Home Cinema Apple Apple TV Remote controls Rumours Hardware

Leaked pic of touchscreen Apple TV remote emerges originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:32:21 +0100