TechLounge

Motorola’s new Android powered device is sure to have a few heads turning this year as the firm tries to edge back into the Smartphone market after a lacklustre couple of years. The Motorola Milestone proves that Motorola mobile phones do have what it takes to compete in this fiercely competitive market as it looks to steer consumers away from the latest offerings by Apple and HTC.

The first thing you will notice about the milestone is that it is big, 115.8 x 60 x 13.7mm to be exact but it does boast a huge 3.7 inch touchscreen which is vibrant and sharp; the European model also features multi-touch capabilities whereas the US version doesn’t.

Using the Google Android operating system, the Motorola Milestone is easy to navigate and although the Android market isn’t as varied as the iPhone app store it does have a decent range of applications for just about anything.

The Milestone also features a slide out QWERTY keyboard which is handy for typing text messages and emails, but can become frustrating at times as the top row is quite close to the screen making it a little uncomfortable to type for long periods.

As is standard nowadays there are a range of other features including, a 5 megapixel camera, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS. There is also a multimedia player capable of playing numerous music and video files and a gratefully appreciated 3.5mm headphone socket.

Is there a market for the Motorola Milestone? I think so, it’s not going to sell a gazillion devices like the iPhone, but will no doubt sway a lot of undecided consumers because of its features and price.

The Dualit 2 slice toaster is the smallest in the range, but still provides the style and functionality you would expect from Dualit. Originally built for the commercial market, Dualit 2, 3, 4 and 6 slice toasters have now become popular for many households all over the world.

The Dualit 2 slice toaster features a defrost setting for frozen bread and can also toast buns and bagels. There is also a selector control for heating just one slot when you just want one slice of toast and a ProHeat element which has a two year guarantee.

Each Dualit toaster is built by hand and has replaceable parts so you never have to throw it away and cleaning is easy with a removeable crumb tray. The Dualit toasters glossy and retro design, coupled with 13 colour combinations means that it will be a great addition to any kitchen.

Mobile phones are here to stay, in more ways than the obvious one. With consumers constantly being encouraged to upgrade to the latest models by the manufacturers and service providers, what happens to the old phones? Many will end up at the back of drawers gathering dust, unused and neglected, eventually being discarded and ending up in landfill sites.

As no one has yet come up with a fully biodegradable phone, these old mobiles will stay in the ground for centuries. They will not remain intact though. The dangerous and toxic chemicals used in manufacture will leak out, particularly from the batteries, and pollute the environment. In large enough concentrations these materials, if they make their way into our water supply, can be very damaging to our health and the health of our children.  A solution to this problem is available though.

There are many companies offering to reuse and recycle old mobile phones even paying cash for mobiles that can be reconditioned and sold on. Consumers, through the websites, can establish a value that they can sell their phone for and are provided with a freepost package to send it back to the company. The company will then test the phone, refurbish it if possible, and sell it on, usually to consumers in the developing world.

This prevents the pollution of our environment and makes phones available to people that often can’t afford the latest models. Sending your old mobile phone to be recycled makes a great deal of sense, both economically and environmentally.

Picture courtesy of Kapungo

As you may be aware the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is on at the moment, with manufacturers from all over the globe showing us what we will be using in the next couple of years. A couple of the big things at this year’s exhibition are 3D Televisions and touchscreen internet tablets, but there are more common gadgets on show like the latest mobile phones and cameras.

One of these mobile phone manufacturers stated that its new device was virtually ‘Unbreakable’, but an enterprising BBC reporter managed to break it within one and a half minutes. Click here to see the reporter break the unbreakable!

The Know-ped is the push version of the super popular Go-ped range that includes various petrol, electric and human powered scooters. Voted by the Gadget Show as the best push scooter on the market, the Know-ped is handcrafted from aircraft grade materials and is ideal for the more stunt/physical type of rider.

In keeping with the Go-ped range, the Know-ped folds down for easy transportation and features a solid wood bottom plate that can fit both feet on for free-wheeling. Braking with this scooter is easy and can be done with either the usual back brake or the integrated front brake, which is a smaller version of a standard bike brake.

The Know-ped push scooter is available now for around £175 and is blue or red.

The Nokia N900 is billed as a computer-grade device and takes its inspiration from the N810 internet tablet and N97 mobile phone. It runs the new Maemo 5 operating system, which is said to be its most user friendly OS.

This quad-band device has a large 3.5 inch touchscreen display, a full slide out QWERTY keyboard and a 32GB internal hard drive, as well as a microSD card slot for up to 16GB of expandable memory. The Nokia N900 also features a 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and a 3.5mm headphone socket and supports both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity.

GPS navigation and Ovi Maps are also supported and the media player is capable of playing various music and video files including MP3, WMA, MP4 and Xvid. Files can be transferred to the device via Bluetooth or the bundled microUSB cable.

Measuring a healthy 111 x 60 x 18mm and weighing in at 181 grams, the N900 is a similar size to the N97, but does seem to have a smaller keyboard and the lack of a tilt mechanism may hinder visibility when using the QWERTY keys.

All in all, the Nokia N900 seems to be a viable alternative to the Nokia N97, focusing more on the internet functions and if the operating system proves to be user friendly enough then its sure to be very popular.

Do you want the latest Guitar Hero game but can’t afford to stump up £70 for it? There is another way to show off to your mates with the Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt from ThinkGeek. This colourful t-shirt has a picture of a guitar on it which you can actually play! Featuring all of the major chords, the Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt is really easy to learn and will have you playing classic ballads in no time.

Sound is generated by the included mini amp, which has an on/off switch and volume and tone controls so you can dial in the perfect sound. The amp also holds a special plectrum to use with the shirt and has a headphone out socket so you can play without interrupting anyone; a clip on the back means you can attach it to your trousers or belt.

To play the Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt simply, use the magnetic plectrum to strum the guitar body and push any of the 14 buttons on the guitar neck, it’s that easy!

The Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt is available from ThinkGeek now for the very reasonable price of $29.99 (around £18) and shipping is available to the UK for a small fee.

So get ready to impress your friends with the Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt!

No one can say that the PS3 hasn’t been a success in the console market, but it has lagged behind the family friendly Nintendo Wii and Microsoft’s powerful Xbox 360 in terms of sales. This was mainly due to it being delayed when it first came out and its price, which was substantially more than the Wii and Xbox 360, but there may be a change on the horizon with the new Sony PS3 Slim.

The PS3 Slim has all the features of the original PS3 including a Blu-ray player, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and wireless controllers, but is 33% smaller and 36% lighter than the original device. The New PS3 Slim also consumes 34% less energy, making it a more eco-friendly choice.

Of course the PS3 Slim plays all of your favourite PS3 games, but Sony still haven’t included any backward compatibility, so your old PS2 games will become redundant as only the earliest PS3 systems came with backward compatibility.

Probably the biggest selling point of the PS3 Slim, after the fact you can play the latest High-Definition games, is the fact that it has an integrated Blu-ray player. This opens up the world of HD media with the latest movies and TV programs available to watch at home.

The biggest stumbling block of the original PS3 was its price, but the PS3 Slim is available for just £249.99 which brings it more in line with its competitors. Will the PS3 Slim top the console charts this Christmas? Only time will tell, but with built-in Wi-Fi and Blu-ray player it may just sway some people away from the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360.

Dell has announced the specs for its super-slim laptop the Adamo XPS, which has been given the title of the world’s thinnest laptop (but for how long is anyone’s guess). The Dell Adamo XPS has a 13.4 inch LED High-Definition screen and a striking, yet practical design.

To open the Adamo XPS, you must first open the latch by stroking your finger along the lids heat sensitive strip; the laptop will not open if you do not do this. Once opened the laptops unique folding mechanism comes into play that tilts the keyboard up toward the user (see picture below) and puts the screen to the optimum viewing position.

The Adamo XPS will come with a 1.4GHz Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor and 4GB of DDR3 memory and have a choice of 120GB, 250GB or 500GB solid state hard drives. Another cool feature of the Adamo XPS is that it has a full size keyboard with redesigned fonts bringing an extra bit of style and look to the device.

Connections as you would expect are pretty sparse with two USB sockets (one each side), a display port and headphone and mic sockets, but this should be enough for most users. The laptop is also Wi-Fi ready, so you can connect to the internet at home or on the move.

Dell hasn’t announced a release date or price yet, but states that it should be available before Christmas.

The Flip camcorder has been a sensation since it first hit the market and its newest device is set to be one of the must have gadgets this Christmas. The Flip UltraHD brings High-Definition videos to the masses with a minimum of fuss and sports a 2 inch TFT display and 120 minutes of record time.

In keeping with the other devices in the Flip range, The Flip UltraHD measures just 107 x 56 x 30mm and weighs 170 grams, comes with a built-in speaker and easy press buttons for recording and skipping between clips.

The unit takes just 4 seconds to power up meaning that you can capture spontaneous videos at an impressive 1280×720 resolution and the 2x digital zoom means that you can get even closer to the action.

The Flip UltraHD come with a rechargeable battery which is charged via the power adaptor or any USB slot and is capable of around 2.5 hours of capture time; a full charge takes around 6 hours via USB and 3.5 hours via the power adaptor.

The video editing software that comes with the Flip UltraHD is pretty basic, but does allow you to set start and end points, splice multiple videos together and add titles and music to the finished flick. The device can also upload videos to Myspace and YouTube.

The Flip UltraHD is available now for around £139.99 in either black or white colour combinations.