Into Tech

LG has launched what it claims is the first mainstream production 32in plasma TV with the 32PG6000. Well, it’s certainly the only one you’ll get in the UK.

LG launched a non-HD 32in plasma last year but, frankly, it wasn’t all that interesting for the price.

Plasma technology tends to occupy the 40in+ marketplace due to the cost of producing the panels but, LG’s new 32in model brings some of plasma’s advantages over LCD [deeper blacks, smoother playback of fast-motion video like sports] to the mainstream TV sector.

You just can’t get the staff these days. Or, in our case, these are the kind of retail staff we love. It seems Woolworth’s is about to mirror the generous US price cuts Microsoft made on the Xbox 360 in the UK, thanks to an employee scan of its upcoming retail catalogue.

Either Woolies is going out on a retail limb here or they’ve been given the royal nod by Microsoft that price cuts are imminent.

According to the scanned page Arcade will sell for £129.99, the Premium or Core for £169.99 and the Xbox 360 Elite for £229.99. Right now, that compares with £159.99, £199.99 and £259.99, respectively. That makes the Arcade and Premium Xbox 360s cheaper than the Wii.

The problem with designer watches is that they are too damned expensive but now, design hotshot Philippe Starck, has created something a little bit different with a price tag that most will find acceptable.

Meet the Crystal Clear Watch, with its big fat ruby red face, LCD time display and cool stainless steel bezel to show it all off to good effect. The strap comes in either black or white polyurethane, it’s water resistant, has a hidden clasp and we like it a lot.

SD Card storage is very handy indeed but now the technology is about to get a whole lot more useful with the announcement of Embedded SD.

The new Embedded SD standard from the SD Card Association (SDA) will put that technology inside all of our gadgets, up to 32GB.

We all know that Philips pretty much leads the way when it comes to innovative lighting solutions and glowing TVs but now the company is aiming to bring some of its tech wizardry to the sex toy arena.

Specifically the Warm Intimate Massager, described as a ergonomically shaped vibrating device to get folk in the mood. Or, for her to finish the job you fell asleep during. The device is the first small step into this arena for Philips and, considering that it’s about to go on sale in Boots, Selfridges and Amazon.com, it’s a potentially huge step that could take sex toys out of the grotty, black-fronted porn stores and into the living room.

It’s also a big risk.

We try to avoid most of the gadget destruction videos because, well, most of them are crap and we kinda like gadgets. Even the old ones that don’t really work anymore and take up space in the corner gathering dust and spiders.

The above one though is almost arty in the way that this owner despatches a dead MacBook Pro. We even have a soulful piano score to accompany the slo-mo destruction of what was once a well-loved companion. Maybe be this could be the new Microsoft ad.

Sony had always been a very reliable brand when it comes to electronic gadgets, the name itself assures the buyer of an end which would be a quality product. Sony with its collaboration with Ericson launched mobile phones: which have always aroused accolades and appreciation for their looks as well as service. Sony Ericson phones [...]

We’ve come a long way since the annoying electronic pet craze from Japan, where you could feed, walk and try to keep an electronic gizmo alive if you don’t want to spend you money on a real animal.

These days bioengineering is advanced enough to artificially create living, breathing mammals that you can care for in the comfort of your own home. Bio-Genica is the bioengineering company behind GenPets, which are sold in a state of hibernation and wake up when you remove the coma-inducing protein serum from their supply tube.

Brits love gadgets. This may sound like an obvious statement, but a recent study from market-research firm Euromonitor concludes that in 2007 we were the world’s second biggest gadget buyers after the US.

When you consider that we’re often way down the list when it comes to the latest technology, frequently having to wait until Japan, America and the rest of Europe have had their fill, it goes to show that there’s a genuine passion for technology on our shores.

If we had a penny for every iPod related speaker system on the market we’d be rich. These things are being churned out with wanton abandon and far be it for a company like Sony to get left out of the loop.

The new ZS-S4iP, we have to say, doesn’t look great. There seems to have been very little effort put into the styling of the thing what with the jet-black design and rather tacky looking LCD screen.