Opinion | newslite.tv

Gadgets: Get UK iPad early and a Plug in Porsche

2010-03-14T13:05:08Z

By Jay Garrett

So, my gadgety friends what’s been happening?

Well, fans of the fantastic Assassin’s Creed that happen to own iPhones/iPod Touches were blessed with a free multiplayer version of the game and this was tweaked recently with an update and a further 48 hours of free downloadage.

Fancy a bit of bling at your interment? Well, there is a company that will outfit your last resting place with a touchscreen and mobile phone whilst you sleep the everlasting sleep in a gold casket. Apparently they’ve not received any complaints as yet ;)

Porsche and Ferrari have gone all green – my favourite has to be the Porsche 918 Spyder. It looks awesome and instead of going battery powered the Stuttgart company have gone hybrid and paired a glorious 500bhp V8 with three electric motors that can be called into play when you need that extra boost or, alternatively, you can pootle about on pure lightening for around 16 miles and then plug it in to any socket for the return commute.

Just in case you weren’t aware; Apple’s iPad has gone up for pre-order over in the States. We in the UK still have a while to wait til the end of April unless, that is, you nip over to Bundlebox. Order through the site and they’ll loop-hole you the USA only rules and deliver you a nice shiny iPad to Blighty. ]]>
If you’re looking for a different kind of tablet why not check out Microsoft’s Courier? To be honest, and I haven’t tried either hands-on yet, I rather prefer the Big M’s offering. A pair of cameras (one front facing for video calls), dual screens, stroke it with your digits or use a stylus operation, and it all purrs along using the Tegra 2 OS a la Zune HD – what’s not to like about Microsoft’s digital 21st Century Filofax?

Power Gig: Rise of the SixString – yeah, you’re all ready to rock out? This game will actually get you strumming a real stringed instrument and playing power chords whilst enjoying Rock Band/Guitar Hero beat matching! The beauty of this spin on its predecessors is the fact that you can unplug your guitar from the console and shove it into a real amp and show everyone what you’ve learned whilst “wasting time on that pointless game” – win/win for the gamer! :P

PlayStation’s motion controller (you know the one that everyone was convinced that it would be called Arc?) has been unveiled as Move. It looks pretty good to me and the motion capture apparently is top notch when it was shown off at GDA.

And finally (I’ve always wanted to read one of those ‘and finally’ articles on the news) I want to talk about televisions. You’re an informed bunch so will be aware that televisions generally please your peepers using three pixels: Red, Green and Blue – or RGB if you’re into that kinda thing.

Well, I was at an event organised by Sharp in order to introduce us to a fourth sub pixel. Say hello to Mr Yellow.

Instead of following the crowd into the world of 3D, Sharp have invested in making our large screen pics more life-like with regards to the pallet. They tried Mr White and even the elusive Mr Cyan but favoured Mr Yellow as the neurons within our retinas actually work by comparing levels of red versus levels of green light, versus levels of green against levels of yellow light. So this fourth pixel is, well, a natural choice.

The new Sharp Aquos Quattron televisions, as they’re called, will start to appear in stores by the end of April and will obviously be 1080p combined with UltraBrilliant Edge-lit panel tech and HD Freeview as standard.

Weird Week: Lady Gaga scarecrow and bottled ghosts

2010-03-14T09:38:24Z

]]>
As if that wasn't enough, other weird news highlights from newslite.tv include a high chair for you dog to join you at the dining table, a bull which was given viagra and an hen which thinks it is a dog.

Hosted by Steve Folland

Weird Week: The world's tallest dog and UFOs

2010-02-28T11:39:41Z

]]>
As if that wasn't enough, other weird news highlights from newslite.tv include a giant bottle of wine, rockets which look like Crayola crayons and the UK UFO report. Hosted by Steve Folland

Gadgets: Fishy flashlight, fix or forage tool

2010-02-27T18:40:35Z

By Jay Garrett

It’s time for another gadgety update – what say you?

Toys – we all love ‘em! If you’re anything like me the AT-AT is one of those Star Wars toys that you always wanted but never owned. Well, now that we’re a little older, the bigger, better, Hasbro reissued model is now up for grabs! It can fit more figures and stands taller than the original. You may have noticed that everything has apps these days and this 21st Century Tamagotchi is no different.

The furry Xachi will let you know it’s not happy being upside down as well – be warned! If you’re more into creepy-crawlies but not allowed to bring them indoors, then why not get the geeky version? The HexBug Newtons are small, fast, and will dart about on rubber legs just like real swarming bugs so you’ll still be able to freak out your household but without having the environmental health department called.

Tweakers and hackers will be familiar with BugLabs range of build-yourself hardware that allows you to make your own mobile. Their range has got even better and now your self-build blower will be able to match the latest smartphones.]]> Sony has stopped production of its OLED television in Japan but has released a lovely range of new phones to make up for it and I managed to get some hands-on time.

iTunes has announced that music downloads from its store has now hit 10 billion – unfortunately there’s only two real bands in the top 20 downloads.

Now, whether you’re a camper, handyman, hunter or hiker we all know the utilitarian joy of owning a multitool. It quietly sits there in your pocket, rucksack, gig-bag or handbag waiting for its chance to display its thoughtful and clever design and capability of handling almost any situation.

I have a soft-spot for the Swiss Army Knives and there’s no denying how good the Leatherman range is but check out the fishy fight, fix or forage tool dubbed The Guppie. Made by Columbia River Knife & Tools, the Guppie includes an adjustable wrench, screw driver with multiple magnetic heads, a decent looking knife, LED flashlight, and a bottle opener for a refreshing cold one plucked out of that crystal-clear stream you’re sitting beside whilst a fishing line dangles from your rod sat in its rest .

Launce Barber and Tom Stokes who came up with the Guppie says that the design is made so everything is ready to use in the shortest time possible, right out of the pocket. Best thing of all is that it’s also kind to that pocket costing only $40.

Gadgets - New Tosh Cell TV Records More Programmes Than You Can Watch

2010-02-13T09:35:51Z

By Jay Garrett

The next thing on the gadgety calendar is the Mobile World Conference which happens next week in Barcelona. You can therefore epect more mobile phone news than you can possible handle/care about.

So I am not going to mention the sportsphone by Puma, a Japanese mobile that can split and be used as two independent handsets, the HD video recording Sony Ericsson or even the square Vodafone 360.

That’s how much I cosset you people

I will, however, quickly mention The Machismo mobile phone. Not only is it a dual SIM, touchscreen blower that packs a 1.3MP camera – it can actually, really, light your cigarettes!

As Newslite is the home to weird news I feel it my duty to point out an article about eco-friendly burials that, essentially, has you screwing your nearest-and-dearest into the ground. ]]> But you want to know what’s new and shiny in the gadgety-globe this week and if you’re in the market for a super-duper television; have your wallet/purse on stand-by.

Toshiba has finally released their latest; extremely fancy, next-generation Cell TV in Japan and the reasons to be excited about this great goggle-box are many.

First of all there’s stacks of recording space; a whopping 3TB of it coupled up to not one, not four but eight HD tuners! The reasoning behind that is because the Cell TV has been designed to record every one of Japan’s eight free HD channels, 24 hours a day for a whole week. Although this would mean you’d have to find a couple of months free to watch everything you’ve recorded in one week which kinda means that you’d have even more catching up-to-do afterwards. But the ability is impressive all the same.

Like digital radio, digital TV contains metadata which describes the content. The clever Cell TV takes this info and is able to suggest and record shows that are similar to the ones you watch already. You watch ‘Being Human’ so it might suggest ‘Supernatural’ – you watch ‘Fringe’ so it might nod at ‘Flash-forward’.

Astute PS3 owners (I know you’re out there) may be wondering if the Cell in Cell TV is something to do with the Cell chip in their gaming console. If you were – have yourself a gold star! That speedy processor is indeed shared by both chunks of gadgety loveliness which means that the Cell TV is able to perform picture processing that regular TV’s can only dream of.

Not only that - Toshiba claims that it can even turn 2D TV shows into 3D on the fly. Now there’s a clever trick!

The screen has a native resolution of 3840×2160 pixels so it’ll be able to handle the next generation of HD when it arrives and, of course, upscales 1080p video to fit its super high res eye-pleaser.

Now, I wager that you’re thinking that “this all sounds rather spanky but I bet it costs a packet” and you’d be perfectly correct in that assumption. Toshiba is deciding which features to keep before sending Cell TV over to Blighty but the Japanese models are priced up to the equivalent of £10,000.

Weird Week: A cheesy Cheryl Cole and a Virgin submarine

2010-02-07T17:19:25Z

]]>
As if that wasn't enough, other weird news highlights from newslite.tv include the accident-prone street which was covered in bubble-wrap, the man who had a tattoo for free train tickets and the airline with seats that become beds.

Gadgets: BigTrak gets Smaller but Remembers More

2010-02-04T18:36:24Z

By Jay Garrett

Hello there my gadgety friends.

It’s been a while but hey – we’re all busy people right?

I believe it’s almost a month since we last said hi and in that time GadgetyNews and Geekahol suffered a little outage and many a wonderful thing has happened (or is rumoured to happen) in the world of tech.

Should I bother you with a smiling car, a working Star Trek phaser that you can build, or some cute little Google bots that you can own and love?

Nah.

I’m guessing that you’ve also had your fill regarding the Apple iPad and the fact that Google is busy working on a gAblet. Pretty much in the same way as you know about Microsoft’s answer to the iPhone 4G – the Zune Phone
that supposedly will have Xbox and WinMo7 on-board.

What you do want to know about is a modern twist on a very popular, much wanted, programmable tank that would be instructed to deliver tasty fruit (according to the advert in the early 80’s) on command. ]]> Yup, BigTrak is coming back everyone!!

BigTrak was a marvel – It was a six-wheeled vehicle with a front-mounted blue photon beam headlamp, and a keypad on top.

Back then (it was originally released in 1979) the toy could remember up to 16 commands which it then performed in order – the new version, BigTrak Jr, will be half the size of the original but will be able to store up to 32 preset programmes!

Those hoping for an iPhone app or Wi-Fi control may feel a little let down though. But instead of just dragging a trailer carrying an apple BigTrak Jr will have an optional digital camera and rocket launcher. Hello 2010! ;)

The camera will allow you to take still shots that can then be uploaded into a computer but you’re going to have to hang fire (arf) for that rocket launcher. That addition will be out in 2011.

Both the camera and launcher will cost less than £15 though.

BigTrak Jr will also cost a lot less than its original big brother at a pocket-friendly £29.99 – even I can afford that!
BigTrak Jr and the digital camera add-on should be out this summer.

Gadgets: New Year, Same Gadgety Names

2010-01-07T17:34:39Z

By Jay Garrett

Happy New Year my Gadgety faithful! I hope that you all had a fab Christmas and here’s to a fantastic 2010! I’m now sober enough to type once more and have managed to break a few resolutions already – but that’s what they’re for right?

We’re only a week into the new year and the big three are already making their presence felt!

Yup, Apple, Google and Microsoft are making column inches and keeping the likes of us speaking their almost hallowed names.

Unless you’re just fresh out of rehab or have been too busy watching ‘celebrities” sleep on Big Brother you must know that Google have finally unleashed its own brand Android phone: Nexus One. Where it seems to have almost disappointed some people it’s probably the nicest Android blower out there. More interestingly though is the new online store that Google has created to vend the gPhone and perhaps others of its Android brethren.

]]> Courier tablet, reportedly a HP built device, is rumoured be get a reveal during Steve Ballmer’s keynote CES address scheduled for Thursday 7th. That would well-and-truly pip the fruity iSlate to the post as that’s not due to be flashed ‘til the 27th. Tactics from Microsoft? Surely a coincidence. The Courier is said to have a rather natty multi-touch interface – let’s see.

Apple seems to be everywhere you turn once more. If it’s not news about the iSlate or iTablet being whispered on the grape-vine, it’s rumours and nudges regarding the next iteration of the much lauded iPhone. Will it have a front-facing camera for video conferencing, will it have 64GB of memory, will it rock a 5MP camera, will it be able to control a quad-bladed helicopter, will it......? Hang on. What?

You read right – this is the latest reason to get excited if you own an iPhone. Using the handsets accelerometer and connecting via Wi-Fi you can fly the Parrot AR.Drone! As if that wasn’t cool enough it has two on-board cameras that beam a pilots-eye view right to your phone's screen.

This means that you don’t need to see the craft in order to pilot it – the great outdoor beckons! If you do loose connection then autopilot kicks in to gently land the drone. If you’d rather stay indoors then you can use the included foam propeller hubs to avoid injuring pets, loved ones and decor.

Now for the best bit! The AR part of the name: Augmented-reality. You can create race circuits around your area that are superimposed onto the iPhones display there’s also games that involve shooting robots, dodging lasers and dog-fighting with another chopper.

Being AR there is a chance that you could fly against anyone anywhere in the world! No doubt developers will be working on something seeing as Parrot has also released an API (Application Programming Interface) for the little blighter.

This is already my must-have ‘toy’ of 2010 and Parrot say that the AR.Drone is “affordable” but that’s the only hint on pricing at the moment. It’s due for release later this year and you can sign up for email updates at the Parrot Web site.

Box-Eyed: 12 Treats of Christmas

2009-12-20T20:25:29Z

12. Steve Coogan: The Inside Story 
(BBC2, 27 December - 9pm)
 He's become one of our brightest comedy exports in recent times, so Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer present this special look at comedy-actor Steve Coogan's career. Featuring clips from Coogan's favourite characters -- Alan Partridge, Paul and Pauline Calf, Tommy Saxondale and Tony Ferrino. Julia Davis also appears in some new sketches filmed just for this special. Followed by the Alan Partridge's 1995 festive special Knowing Me, Knowing Yule.  

11. The Turn Of The Screw 
(BBC1, 30 December - 9pm)
 The classic ghost story by Henry James is transferred to the 1920s in this 90-minute special about a young governess who arrives to care for two orphaned children in a country house, only to sense the presence of evil. Stars Michelle Dochery, Sue Johnston, Dan Stevens, Nicola Walker & Eva Sayer.  ]]> 10. Hamlet
 (BBC2, Boxing Day - 5.05pm) 
A big reason why fans had to make do with special episodes of Doctor Who this year, David Tennant's much-publicized return to the stage saw him play Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The play has been specially filmed for television, so now everyone interested to see Tennant in "serious mode" will get that opportunity. Also stars Patrick Stewart as Claudius. 

 9. An Englishman In New York 
(ITV1, 28 December - 9pm) 
John Hurt returns to play Quentin Crisp, in a sequel to classic drama The Naked Civil
Servant from 1975. This drama tells the story of Crisp in later life, as he moves from Britain to New York, to become something of an icon for the straight and gay American community.
  
8. The Royle Family: The Golden Egg Cup 
(BBC1/BBC HD, Christmas Day – 9pm) 
The slovenly family are back for another special, which revolves around Jim and Barbara debating what to do with a cash gift from their kids – holiday abroad or buy a HD digibox?  

7. The Gruffalo
(BBC1/BBC HD, Christmas Day - 5.30pm) 
Last year the BBC gave us another Wallace & Gromit adventure, but this year the kid's animation must-see is an adaptation of Julia Donaldson's popular book The Gruffalo. The story concerns a shrewd mouse's journey through a forest, evading many dangerous animals with his tale of a frightening "gruffalo". Voices by James Corden and Robbie Coltrane.

  6. Victoria Wood's Midlife Crisis 
(BBC1/BBC HD, Christmas Eve - 9pm) 
The popular comedian and writer returns for a festive sketch show special, featuring spoof of Lark Rise To Candleford and The Apprentice. Woods is joined by Celia Imrie and Julie Walters, as expected, but there are also guest appearances from Anton Du Beke, Reece Shearsmith, Delia Smith and Torvill and Dean.  

5. Catherine Tate: Nan's Christmas Carol 
(BBC1/BBC HD, Christmas Day – 10.30pm) 
It wouldn't be Christmas without a British comedy character being involved in an obvious but good-natured parody of Charles' Dickens' classic. I doubt anything will beat Blackadder's Christmas Carol, but Tate's foulmouthed grandmother should make for an entertaining Scrooge substitute. Appearances by the likes of David Tennant, Roger Lloyd-Pack and Ben Miller only add to the fun. 
 
4. Ant & Dec's Christmas Show 
(ITV1, Boxing Day - 7.30pm) 
The popular double-act aim to keep the nation entertaining post-Christmas Day with a comedy and entertainment special, featuring performances from Robbie Williams (who may also take part in recreating some Morecambe & Wise sketches), Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan play party games, and there's plenty of interaction with the live audience. 
 
3. Top Gear: Bolivia 
(BBC2/BBC HD, 27 December - 7.45pm) 
Another Christmas specials find Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May off on another foreign adventure, this time to Bolivia. Once there they have to drive from the middle of the Amazonian rainforest to the coast of Chile, using rusty old 4x4's costing around £2,000. 
 
2. The Day Of The Triffids 
(BBC1/BBC HD, 28 & 29 December - 9pm) 
A modern update of John Wyndham's classic post-apocalyptic novel written in 1951, whereby nearly everyone on the planet are blinded after watching a global meteor shower (now a cosmic storm), leaving the world's population struggling to defend themselves from walking, cannibal plants called Triffids. Stars Dougray Scott as Bill Masen, a man who avoided going blind because he was hospitalized in bandages at the time. Co-stars include Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, Eddie Izzard and Joely Richardson.
  
1. Doctor Who: "The End Of Time" 
(BBC1/BBC HD, Christmas Day - 6pm & New Year's Day - 6.40pm) 
Once again, Doctor Who is by far the season's most eagerly-awaited TV treat. And this two-part special is going to be particularly exciting because it not only heralds the return of John Simm as The Doctor's arch-nemesis, The Master, but it's also the last adventure for the tenth incarnation of the intrepid Time Lord, as David Tennant steps down to be replaced by Matt Smith next year. Can Russell T. Davies keep everything razor-sharp and exciting for the Doc's swansong, or will it fall prey to being overstuffed and rambling?

.....

If you enjoyed Box-Eyed, why not head over to Dan's Media Digest for more entertainment-related news, reviews and musings?

Gadgety Friday - Boxeen Clever

2009-12-11T19:20:17Z

By Jay Garrett

As we quickly approach the festive season things are hotting up in the gadgety world. I think a recap of what’s been happening is in order.

I could start with the Japanese guy that married an anime game character, or with the Pentax DSLR that has 100 different colour options available. Perhaps it would be better to mention the dual-slide-out-screened laptop that’s now available (which is certainly better than being used as bus seats) or, as it’s also the season of the credit card, the ‘Go Dutch’ concept may be more appropriate?

Of course there’s been news aplenty regarding mobile phones since we last met. Moto’s Droid has changed its name to Milestone once into UK airspace, LG has slapped a projector on the back of theirs, Creative’s Zii needs a hand with being built, Acer’s A1 Liquid that not only features Android but runs on Qualcomm’s spanky Snapdragon is now available whereas HTC has plans to drop another 20 Android phones! ]]> naming a street in honour of Lara Croft which is better than naming a concept car after a savoury snack in my book.

I can’t really complete this recap without a nod to Samsonites scooter case, mentioning that Fusion Garage is releasing the CrunchPad as the Joojoo whilst at the same time dismissing TechCrunch as “just a blog” – but more festively it is my duty to point you at the world’s smallest snowman.

Today I’m going to concentrate on a media streamer....... No! Come back! I’m talking about the Boxee Box here people!

This not only looks as groovy as George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield dancing to Chic’s ‘Good Times’ being played on DJ Hero by Rick James but anyone familiar with the Boxee software will already know how easy this thing will be to use.

What this Boxee Box will do, apart from being great at playing stuff you’ve downloaded as well as internet video from the likes of BBC iPlayer, CNN, The Onion and MTV, is to allow you, the users, to sidestep the need to have a PC or Mac anywhere near your telebox.

Boxee has partnered with network heavyweights, D-Link, to create the Box.

What the D-Link hardware will offer is access to that easy-to-use and good-looking Boxee interface which allows playback of practically all video types (you can even grab subtitles if needed), playing your stored digital music as well as giving you access to the cool social network side of Boxee. I’ve got my Boxee software linked into my Twitter feed for example so people can see what I rate and even what I’m watching if I so wished to share that with my Followers.

I’m really tempted to get the Boxee Box as it is ticking all the boxees (sorry): It has HDMI, dual USB sockets and optical audio out as well as an SD-card socket and an Ethernet jack for networking.

I can’t find out if it has Wi-Fi but I’m taking the risk of assuming that it will. Let’s face it; it would be more than a bit daft having D-Link on-board and not bothering with Wi-Fi.

Unfortunately there’s no clear indication whether or not the UK will get the Boxee Box – word on the interweblogosphere is that it’ll retail for $200 (£120 before Brit Tax).

Box-Eyed: QI and Big Top

2009-12-06T15:43:27Z

By Dan Owen

Last Thursday's edition of QI was interesting for the guest-appearance of US comedian/actor John Hodgman, a regular on The Daily Show and "PC" in the original "Mac Vs PC" commercials. Hodgman's a big fan of the show, and was recently filmed extolling the virtues of QI during a public appearance where rallied support for a campaign to get BBC America to broadcast it (http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/hodgman-activates-rage-gland-against-bbc-america-for-not-picking/). Clearly someone at QI noticed Hodgman's support and he was here rewarded with an appearance on the gameshow itself. I'm sure he enjoyed himself, but it made for an awkward half-hour...

]]>
Of larger concern was the fact that QI's brand of comedy generally relies on wit and a certain level of surrealism. Sean Locke and Bill Bailey have that corner of the market sewn up between them. Americans in general don't seem to have the madcap comedy gene in their makeup. I'm struggling to think of any US comedians who have similar acts to Monty Python, Eddie Izzard, Vic Reeves, or Harry Hill. So, Hodgman was instantly lost during most of the rounds, while everyone else swam around talking bizarre nonsense.

Maybe Hodgman would be able to find his footing if he came back for future editions, as I'm sure it was very nerve-wracking to suddenly find yourself in the show you dearly love and have publicly championed. It's also worth mentioning that the comedy panel show subgenre is practically unknown in America, so he came in a little unskilled. At times, Hodgman just settled for answering questions in a straight-forward manner (which helpd him win the show), in-between forcing out a few halfhearted attempts to be offbeat and funny. Still, at least he actually DID get involved. There are far worse examples of British comedians guesting on panel shows and saying literally four sentences. Which is even worse when you stop to remember these shows can take hours to film and they edit it down to a half-hour of highlights. BBC1,THU, 9.30PM

Amanda Holden goes back to sitcoms to headline BIG TOP, a new BBC1 comedy set in a travelling circus. Holden plays Lizzie the Ring Mistress, which calls to mind a smutty joke the show would never contemplate tackling. No, we're in family-friendly sitcom territory for this series by writer Daniel Peak (My Hero), so it's all very innocuous and frivolous stuff that kids and the elderly will find amusement in. Predictably, it's taken a battering in the press for its old-fashioned sensibilities, but such critics forget the fact that a large portion of the British public just aren't interested in the cutting-edge comedy offered by The Thick Of It and Peep Show. A lot of people just want something colourful, inoffensive and cheeky, with signposted jokes and a few famous faces (John Thomson, Tony Robinson) thrown into the mix. It's not to my taste and I won't be watching a second more, but I've seen a lot worse, and some of the gags made me smile with a groan behind my lips. Plus, there's always the sight of Amanda Holden in hotpants if all else fails. BBC1/BBC HD, WED, 7.30PM

.....

If you enjoyed Box-Eyed, why not head over to Dan's Media Digest for more entertainment-related news, reviews and musings?

Box-Eyed: I ♥ Miranda

2009-11-29T16:39:35Z

By Dan Owen

Based on her Radio 4 comedy series, Miranda Hart's self-named sitcom has breezed onto BBC2 and is proving to be curious fun. Everything about it should guarantee it falls flat on its face, but it somehow achieves the impossible and leaves you feeling aglow. Perhaps it's because Miranda's a dose of "old-fashioned" sitcom that embraces its own format with open arms, mining humour in breaking the fourth wall and giving us that rare inclusive feeling of watching a play. You don't get that kind of relaxed informality with single camera comedies like The Office or The Thick Of It.

  Miranda Hart plays a comic version of herself; a posh-accented owner of a small joke shop who delegates the everyday running to her friend Stevie (Sarah Hadland), while essentially trying to get her thirtysomething singleton life on-track. Think a girly Black Books with penis-shaped pasta instead of books, and no alcoholism. Anyway, trying to get her life in order is something that proves immensely difficult because Miranda's always been a clumsy, socially-awkward, underachieving, posh, slightly agoraphobic giant of a woman. ]]>
But it all sort of works, despite itself. It's not laugh-out-loud funny, at any point, but Miranda Hart's a surprisingly charming and charismatic presence. I know she's been percolating on the periphery of British comedy throughout this decade (with small roles in the likes of short-lived comedy Hyperdrive and a "who-the-hell-is-she?" appearance on Comic Relief Does Fame Academy), but this is undoubtedly her big breakthrough. Like Dawn French before her, Miranda uses her unconventional shape and height to her advantage, mocking herself gently and winning us over. It's easy to imagine a lot of women (and men) with low self-esteem finding her presence on television quite a tonic.  

Perhaps the best demonstration of why Miranda works comes in the end-credits. They're based on those ued for "Are You Being Served?", so episodes end with the once-familiar "You Have Been Watching..." legend, and then the cast take it in turns to acknowledge the camera (i.e. us) with a cheerful wave, nod, smile or a blown kiss. It's the TV version of taking a bow as the curtain closes, and for all its cheesy preposterousness and artificiality, it's so infectiously delightful that you can't wait to see those characters again. BBC2, MON, 8.30PM

.....

If you enjoyed Box-Eyed, why not head over to Dan's Media Digest for more entertainment-related news, reviews and musings?

Gadgety Thursday: Clockman an Odd Start to the Day

2009-11-19T16:09:08Z

By Jay Garrett,

I’d like to start this week’s gadgety update by congratulating Swindon on its new achievement. It has officially become the UK’s very first Wi-Fi Town.

You may have heard about a little game called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Well, if you haven’t loads of others have – to the point that it has enjoyed the largest launch of any entertainment product in history – it’s even trounced that little Batman film. You know the one. It’s got the Joker in it played by Heath Ledger.

If you cast your mind back to last week I was rabbiting on about some self-tinting contact lenses – well, if that’s not really your bag; howsabout some that overlay Augmented Reality right against your peepers?

Audio makers of note, Bowers & Wilkins have announced that they have some Zeppelin branded computer speakers on the way. I’m sure they’ll be lovely and also not cheap.

Fancy tracking ghosts, ghouls and other things that go bump in the night? Well, no self-respecting ghostbuster should be without this natty 3-in-1 device!

Have you got a bunch of data that you need to store for.......oooooooh.... let’s say 1,000 years? Well, Cranberry will gladly slap it all on a stone DVD for a small fee.

]]>

Righty, I don’t know about you people but I’d rather prefer not to start the day by being freaked out.

But – if you’re different, why not wake up to Clockman by Takara Tomy? This clock thing can speak its eyes and mouth move and, here’s where it gets really strange, it has a “blood type”!

There are four different versions of the clock, and each of them works differently. The Clockman with blood type A, for example, is the polite one. He wakes you up by saying “It’s time to wake up. Please wake up.” If you need something a little more forceful go for the one with blood type O.

This little blighter will try to get you going in snooze mode by shouting “Fight! Make an effort! Stand up! Fight!” - All in Japanese of course. The 80×83×80mm oddity that is Clockman can speak 300 pre-installed sentences and will hit Japanese stores today (November 19th).

It’s available for pre-order at the Japan Trend Shop for everyone living outside Japan priced at $57.
Why not give the gift of nightmares this Christmas? :p

Gadgets: Shadey Contacts

2009-11-13T13:25:58Z

By Jay Garrett

Here we are once more – faced with a joyful catch-up of titbits from the shiny world of gadgety loveliness.

What have I got to share with you 12 days in to the 11th month?

Well – howsabout some speakers? You can have surround sound coming out of what looks like an archery target, one that looks like a bird cage, one that clips onto your laptop screen or one that will dwarf the iPod that’s docked to it.

There have been a couple of female singers associated with new Nokia mobiles since we last met.

Rhianna is to perform live and this will be streamed on the Nokia-a-a-eh-eh blog on the very same day that the spanky looking X6 becomes available.

Not to be outdone: Blonde pop warbler, Pixie Lott, just loves the girly chic-ness of the Nokia Illuvial range. Fact!

]]>
Mozilla’s Firefox is now five years old! Keep a look out for its portable sibling Fennec soon.

If you still see people wearing Reactolite glasses and think that the transition from clear to dark lenses is a real cool thing then hold onto your shorts!

There’s now similar trickery for those who wear contact lenses!!

It’s true – thanks to some clever nano-engineering, these photochromic lenses perform even better than their traditional, frame-rimmed counterparts.

The Director of the Singapore based IBN (Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology), Jackie Ying, claims that the contact lenses adapt faster thanks to the use of a network of really tiny tunnels distributed evenly throughout the lens – and who am I to argue?

These tunnels contain the dye that automatically adjusts to the sunlight; the structure itself allows more of this dye to exist in the same area, granting the sensitivity and those speed benefits.

Apparently transition sunglasses take a minute or two to change whereas the IBN proudly boast “Our response time is 10 to 20 seconds.”

Hmmm……. imagine your eyes turning completely black when at the beach.

This is going to freak people out isn’t it?

Box-Eyed: Did Jon Culshaw make a good impression?

2009-11-01T17:41:21Z

By Dan Owen

 For many people, impressionists are only above ventriloquists on the ladder of entertainment. Both are "party trick"-style skills that audiences find diverting, but the actual content of their material can leave a lot to be desired. Consequently, both have their peaks and troughs in widespread popularity, but there's generally an appetite for lighthearted impressions-based sketch shows – something less politically-motived than Rory Bremner, and more along the lines of Alistair McGowan's Big Impression or Dead Ringers. ]]> The Impressions Show, headlined by Dead Ringers' own Jon Culshaw. He's joined in this new venture by actress Debra Stephenson; best-known for her roles in Bad Girls and Coronation Street, who actually started her career as an impressionist when she won TV's Opportunity Knocks at the tender age of 14.  

It's common that first episodes of sketch shows tend to be amongst the best, because they include the strongest material to hook an audience. And for impressionists there's nothing to equal the first time an audience hear a new voice you've been working on. The Impressions Show was therefore an entertaining watch, if only to hear additions to Culshaw's repertoire: a good Michael McIntyre, a perfect Ray Mears, a decent Simon Cowell, and a passable Gene Hunt transported into Jane Austen's world, amongst others. Stephenson's impersonations were less memorable, but not bad: she did an okay Davina McCall (well, the crazy gurning struck a chord), a decent Anne Robinson (if not a patch on Jan Ravens'), and a good Christine Bleakley (although bigger teeth would have helped), but celebs like Cheryl Cole and Kylie Minogue felt like generic Geordie and Aussie accents, respectively.  

A mixed bag then, but that's par for the course with impressionists – some voices are spookily accurate, some only show a general flavour of a person. Sometimes it's not really the precision of a voice that matters, but the mannerisms and gusto with which they're performed, as Culshaw proved in a sketch where bald, cockney consumer expert Dominic Littlewood proved himself cheerfully useless at haggling. Sadly, in terms of material strength, there were more clunkers than I care to remember; from obvious gags (strident Brian Blessed as a librarian), to shopworn jokes (Eamonn Holmes is fat, Ricky Gervais has an ego), or sketches that just didn't click (we meet Kylie and Dannii Minogue's uncouth sister.)  

The Impressions Show got off to a rocky start in some ways, but it was an easy and undemanding watch – although quite why BBC1 have decided to broadcast it at 9.45pm on a Saturday is anyone's guess! It would find a more appreciative audience around 8pm on a weekday, if you ask me. Even worse, the second episode has been postponed for a fortnight because of the Festival of Remembrance, and I'm not sure there was enough here for people to make a mental note to check back in a fortnight. BBC1, SAT, 9.45PM.

.....

If you enjoyed Box-Eyed, why not head over to Dan's Media Digest for more entertainment-related news, reviews and musings?