April 2009 Archives

By Jay Garrett

Ah, another week in the world of tech has passed. So, what's happened?

Well, nothing much really..........except:

Space tastes of raspberries, Leica has released a very white and very expensive camera, 1 billion applications have been downloaded from Apple's app store,  Everest is to get mobile phone reception and it looks like Sony's PSP2 isn't going to be called that – odds are on that it will be called PSP Go!.

By Erik Samdahl

As we gear up the major month that is known as May (because that’s the month I was born, not because of all the big blockbusters being released, of course), studios decide that rather than rely on the tried and true, they’ll subject us to some major crap.

Several films open wide in the United States to some degree or another, starting with Earth, the Disney documentary that looks and sounds a lot like the popular mini-series Planet Earth, probably because it is just a shortened version of it. Given how amazing Planet Earth is supposed to be, I don’t know why you’d want to spend money to see an abbreviated version – other than the visuals will be even more stunning on the big screen.

By Jay Garrett

This last week has seen a couple of cute electric cars: The Chrysler GEM Peapod which uses an iPod or iPhone as a display and the British born Bee.One with its easy replaceable batteries.

There has also been a couple of mobile phone announcements.  The second Googlephone, the HTC Magic has a release date as does Nokia's N97.

By Dan Owen

HELL'S KITCHEN is back: bigger and better? Well, not quite. Cash-strapped ITV have had to tighten their purse strings for this new series, so it's not quite as decadent as previous years.

Chef Marco Pierre White is back, but the celebs are of lower caliber (yes, that is possible), everyone gets a basic fee, the ingredients aren't as expensive, and the fake restaurant itself now only seats 50 people to serve. It's a far cry from the big-budget US version, which retains original chef Gordon Ramsey, but never bothered with the celebrity element...

By Erik Samdahl

There’s a movie for everyone this weekend as we get a Zac Efron film no one wants to see, an over-the-top, R-rated action flick and a political thriller with an excellent cast. The choice is obvious to me, but never underestimate the American moviegoer when it comes to choosing wisely.

Efron, looking to break out from the High School Musical illusion that he actually is a big-name star, plays a grown-up guy who used to look a lot like Matthew Perry before being magically converted into a 17-year old in 17 Again.

By Jay Garrett

Hello all!

Hope you didn't make yourself too ill with all the chocolate.

It's been fairly quiet in gadgety-land but there has been a few noteworthy occurrences.

It looks like the Zune HD could be real and also appearing in the UK later this year.  Acer's nettop, Revo, is out and ready for preorder and you'll soon be able to kit yourself out with a powerful exo-skeleton for the small sum of $4,200.

By Erik Samdahl

This weekend, we see a battle between three drastically different movies fighting for audiences, and it’s anyone’s guess who would win. Bets should be placed on Hannah Montana: The Movie, which brings the wildly popular Miley Cyrus to the big screen once again. Though The Jonas Brothers movie flopped earlier this year, Hannah Montana raked in major dollars last year, and one shouldn’t underestimate the Disney monster.

But regardless of its box office potential, anyone who doesn’t watch the Disney Channel on a regular basis will and should stay clear of this sappy musical. I sure as hell know I will be.

By Jay Garrett

Well, what's been happening over the last week then?

For a start, Google looks like it wants to buy Twitter which would make the live search almost 'as it happens' as I've witnessed truly breaking news unfold on the micro-blogging site.

Here in the UK the first robot scientist has researched and tested its own hypothesis. It's only a matter of time before it writes its own request for a research grant to prove that bees can't fly or something ;)

We could be seeing a new Sony PSP by Christmas which might be packing a sliding touchscreen and a  pair of analogue thumb-sticks.  Continuing in the world of handhelds: The usual iPhone rumours continue this week bolstered by the 'fact' that a bunch of bits are being shipped to Apple's assembley line in China.

By Dan Owen

Radio DJs often try to make the leap to TV – but, while some flourish in a visual medium (Edmonds, Tarrant, Evans), many flounder in the unblinking eye of a television camera, and scurry back to the comfort of their mic's and woofers.

Chris Moyles already tried and failed to make the jump in the late-'90s (remember Live With Chris Moyles on Channel 5?), but now he's been given another chance by Channel 4 in a late-night Sunday slot. The result is CHRIS MOYLES' QUIZ NIGHT, a steal of a regular feature of his Radio 1 breakfast show, which is as straightforward and unexceptional as it sounds.

By Erik Samdahl

The fourth film in the Fast and the Furious franchise – confusingly titled Fast and Furious because the people responsible for making this film aren’t smart enough to count to four – is on pace for a $60+ million weekend at the U.S. box office, dismaying everyone, like me, who prefers to watch intelligent, well-made material.

Given that Paul Walker and Vin Diesel’s careers are in the tanker – thus catapulting their return to the franchise in the first place – we can only expect to see more of these films in the future.

Let me get this out of the way first – I have moved my site to GadgetyNews.com. There, that's the self-promotion out of the way ;)

Other things in the world of tech that caught my attention was that Amusement magazine tested out the possible future of the printed word, a date was set for the Apple WWDC and what appears to be a MacBookMini was spotted.

Skype has landed on the iPhone and will appear on the BlackBerry around May whilst Honda develop mind controlled robots!

My favourite gadget this week was the Moxia Sphere – I'm just hoping that it wasn't actually an April Fool's joke but I reckon that's doubtful unless those trixters went to the trouble of filing a patent!