What's New Week ending: 9 January 2008
Pocket camcorders let you shoot from the hip
Kodak and Flip pocket camcorders go head to head
Camcorders these days aren't huge bits of kit only lugged out for special occasions, and the internet has revolutionised the way we can share footage quickly and easily.
Camera phones have been at the forefront of this development, but dedicated pocket camcorders are now emerging, promising to make taking and uploading video as simple as possible.
Both the Flip Ultra and the Flip Mino pocket camcorders have taken the US by storm, where they have sold over a million units thanks to manufacturer Flip’s no-nonsense attitude to straightforward video-sharing.
Kodak now looks keen to get in on the act, and the camera giant has upped the ante by squeezing a high-definition performance into the diminutive Kodak Zi6 pocket camcorder.
We pitted them against each other to see which came out on top - see our full report.
Find out how the latest laptops fared in our tests
Movies on the move with latest laptops
We've just added new test results for laptops, among them the dark, serious-looking TravelMate 5730G.
This machine is a good performer with the added bonus of a Blu Ray player.
It has the latest WiFi technology which means wireless data transfer speeds are particularly good when the laptop is in the same room as the wireless router.
Find out how the 5730G handled the other every day tasks we set it in our tests in our full review - plus see how the latest HP Pavilion and Toshiba Satellite Pro models fared.
The radio that's designed to be kept under the counter
Under-the-counter digital radio
The Roberts RDK 2 digital radio has been specifically designed to fit to the underside of a cupboard or worktop to help keep you entertained in the kitchen.
But we reckon it would also lend itself well to workshops and offices - in any event, wherever it is used it has to be mounted, as the speakers are on the base of the radio and sitting it on a surface will muffle the sound.
There's plenty to keep you listening - live radio can be recorded, rewound and paused for around five to 15 minutes, depending on the station.
Recorded radio is saved as an MP2 file on an SD card. SD cards can also be used to play MP3 tracks. There are five DAB and five FM presets.
But it's not just about entertainment - it has an alarm clock function and an egg timer too. Find out more in our first look review.
Innovative TV is first of its type
The Sony Bravia KDL-40Z4500 is the first of its type and does seem to do what it claims - improve on-screen motion.
It's got just about every feature you can imagine - and a hefty price tag too.
But if you want a Best Buy LCD TV that offers superb picture quality, this innovative 200Hz 40-inch HD-ready 1080p set could be the one for you.
Find out more in our full review.
Preserve precious memories with this negative scanner
Preserve your negative memories in digital form
If you’re in possession of endless lengths of negative film strips left over from your pre-digital photography days, you may be wondering what on earth to do with them.
If so you might want to have a look at this USB negative scanner from Veho.
Film negatives are as prone to decay over time as old photos, so converting them into digital colour photos is a great means for saving old pictures.
This is the first dedicated negative scanner we’ve had the chance to try out - find out more in our first look review.
We're off to find out what's new at the CES in Las Vegas
The world's biggest consumer electronics show
The Consumer Electronics Show 2009 gets underway in Las Vegas on January 8, and we'll be there reporting live from the show floor.
This is the event which over the years has witnessed the launch of products such as DVDs and camcorders, so we're expecting pretty big things.
You can find out more about the show in our preview report, but check back for more coverage, images and videos as the pre-show press days get underway from January 6.
