4th March 2008 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site. Or try the full archive of all our sister sites.

The Bluetooth headset for your neck

"Meep meep!"

Bluetooth headsets are well known for slipping from their position while you’re rushing around town jabbering into one. So an alternative design’s been drawn-up that wraps around your neck to connect up with your voicebox. RoadRunner collects sound from a microphone near your larynx The RoadRunner has a microphone unit on …

Gadgets and Gizmos 4 Mar 09:01
TomTom touts 'more accurate' satnav route-plan tech

Take the A40, it's quicker this time of night

TomTom claims its latest satnav will find you the quickest route from A to B, because the unit calculates routes based on assumed average speeds rather than signposted speed limits. TomTom's Go 930T: signposts? Pah! By basing route calculations on real average speeds, taken from over 10bn kilometres of driven roads by …

GPS and Satnav 4 Mar 10:06
Mobile phone sales under threat in 2008

Only in established market though

Despite global mobile device sales of 1.15bn units in 2007, market watcher Gartner expects sales in mature markets to drop by around ten per cent this year. Consumers’ thirst for mobile phones saw sales increase by 16 per cent from the 990m devices sold in 2006, according the analyst's latest figures. However, it claims mature …

Phones 4 Mar 10:08
Minox DC 7411 digicam

Slimline snapper

German camera manufacturer Minox has unveiled a slimline camera that packs enough features into its anodised shell to make it a certain rival to mid-range digicams already on the market. Minox's DC 7411: 7.2 megapixels The DC 7411’s 7.2 megapixels don't put it at the top of the CMOS sensor tree - Sony’s W300 boasts 13.6- …

Cameras 4 Mar 10:11
Asus 8.9in Eee PC surfaces

CeBIT Larger screen, bigger SSD, same look

Asus is showing the 8.9in Eee PC at the CeBIT show this week, but while it hasn't formally announced the sub-notebook's specs yet, Taiwanese moles have quickly rushed in to fill in the blanks. Asus' Eee PC 900: like the 4G, but scaled up The laptop is expected to debut as the Eee PC 900. The 8.9in display has a native …

PCs 4 Mar 10:37
SanDisk finds new use for ExpressCard SDHC adaptors

CeBIT Auto back-up for key files, anyone?

Having a problem selling ExpressCard memory card reader accessories? Then take a leaf out of SanDisk's book and re-position your add-on as a automatic back-up gadget for laptops. SanDisk's FlashBack is an SDHC-compatible ExpressCard 34 add-in that the company's bundling with software that "automatically and continuously" backs …

Storage 4 Mar 11:01
Pioneer to stop producing plasma panels

Strategic shift expected to be announced on Friday

Recent claims that Pioneer is planning to get out of sub-46in plasma panel production in favour of sourcing them through a third-party may have only been the start of things. It’s now being said that the company is finalising plans to outsource the whole lot. Last week, Japanese newspaper Asahi reported that Pioneer is looking …

HD 4 Mar 11:14
CeBIT Sony Ericsson unveils sexy slider

Posers rejoice, because Sony Ericsson has unveiled a handset boasting chrome and mirrored surfaces that let you stare back at your reflection like Narcissus. It’s also small and light enough to slip easily into your designer outfit’s pocket. Sony Ericsson's T303: use the mirrored display to put your lippy on Dubbed the T303 …

Phones 4 Mar 11:54
Onyx Liscio micro mobile phone

Review Small of stature - and of feature list

Leaving your all-singing, all-dancing mobile phone behind when you slip out for the evening is a terrifying thought for some people. So any handset manufacturer advocating the idea of keeping your Nokia N95 or LG Viewty at home in favour of a secondary handset needs to have something special on offer. On first inspection, the …

Phones 4 Mar 12:02
Sony exec confirms arrival of in-game PS3 messaging

Firmware 2.4 coming this summer

The PlayStation 3 will get system-wide in-game messaging and video chat, a Sony executive has confirmed. This icon sparked rumours of a messaging update for the PS3 At a trade event held this week, Sony Computer Entertainment UK boss Ray Maguire told dealers that the additional XMB UI feature, which was first rumoured to be …

Consoles 4 Mar 12:12
Sony Ericsson: Xperia X1 delay a 'mistake'

2009 release just a mistake

Sony Ericsson has claimed that its Xperia X1 Windows Mobile communicator will still be released this year, as originally planned, despite its own website stating a 2009 release date. Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1: coming in 2008. Honest The 'arc slider' was announced at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Spain earlier …

Phones 4 Mar 14:36
Hauppauge preps portable Freeview player

Walk and watch

Hauppauge is well known for its PC add-ons that let us all watch telly on our desktops, but the manufacturer’s branching out and has created a Freeview-enabled portable media player (PMP) to turn us all into portable telly addicts. Hauppauge's PMP: perfect for portable TV and music? The unit has a 3.5in display with a 320 x …

Gadgets and Gizmos 4 Mar 16:01
Bronze PSP en-route to Japan

And what do we get, Sony?

Sony has again favoured its Japanese gamers first and launched a special edition PlayStation Portable (PSP) in a bronze-coloured shell. Sony bronze PSP bundle pack is only for Japan, so far Despite Japan already having taken delivery of the ceramic white PS3 and readying itself for the satin silver model in two days' time, …

Consoles 4 Mar 16:15
iPhone may sidestep rubbish caller ID suit

'Because the iPhone is rubbish too'

At least one Reg reader believes that Apple will dodge a recent lawsuit tossed at its caller ID function because the iPhone's caller ID function is a piece of trash. Last week, we dutifully reported that a man named Romek Figa has sued Apple for violating his patent on "an automatic incoming telephone call number display …

Phones 4 Mar 19:36