Happy New Year to All

Happy New Year to all of my readers! I have some interesting announcements for you all too. You have probably noticed that there has not been many new postings over the Christmas period. Well, I took a well earned break and spent some time playing with my kids and their gadgets. It also gave me a chance to really get some hands-on use of some new bits of kit too. I have reviews of the Sony NWZ-S639 MP3 player coming up, where I look at just how well it integrates with the BBC iPlayer service and how you can get it working with Windows on the Mac.

Keeping with the Mac goodness though, I have plenty of reviews lined up. The Kodak Zi6 HD handheld camcorder for starters, followed by a roundup of snazzy sleeves to keep your MacBook, MacBook Pro and iPod touch nice and cozy. Not only will they protect your kit from bumps and scratches, but also keep them nice and warm over the winter months (yes, the first snow of 2009 fell over Kent last night). I also have a couple of Broadband Router tests coming up, including a budget model from Buffalo Technology. So plenty to keep me busy and to keep you informed. Thanks for sticking with us, I hope you enjoy the Geekanoids website throughout 2009.

Stuff Live 2008 Exhibition Gallery

The Stuff Live 2008 exhibition took place a couple of days ago at London's ExCel. It was packed solid of really exciting stands, showing some of the gadgets and gizmos that will be under Christmas trees this December. There are too many great products to mention here, so check out the further articles that will appear on Geekanoids over the next day or so. Highlights of the show included some superb new netbooks from Asus, the Evoke and Avanti Flow internet/DAB/FM/wireless radios from Pure and the superb wireless multi-room music system from Sonos who were showing their added iPhone and iPod touch application for controlling your tunes. I also really liked the iOplay system, which brings together complete control of your iPod, iPhone (or other mobile phone) and TomTom for really smart in-car use. All of the photos were taken with the Ricoh GX200 digital camera and the gallery is sponsored by Clifton Cameras. More photos can be viewed by clicking the link just after the seventh photograph.

























































HP also announce the Compaq Mini 700 Netbook

In a double whammy of announcements, HP also released details of the Compaq Mini 700. Featuring a sleek casing adorned with the new ‘Unity’ checked design, the Compaq Mini 700 is an eye-catching digital companion at an affordable price. The Compaq Mini PC offers an entertaining mobile Internet experience with a built-in webcam(2) and microphone, WLAN(3) , Bluetooth and optional WWAN(4), extending your social networking(2) opportunities and taking video chat(2) and video conferencing(6) from the home to places like the park, pool or airport.

With a 10.2-inch diagonal BrightView display and a large keyboard, you can comfortably access the web for information(2), communication and entertainment from anywhere. The ease of use and light weight of the Compaq Mini 700 make it an excellent choice for students or professionals looking for a second PC. This little wonder is available as of mid-December at an estimated starting price of £299 inc. VAT.

(1) Weight will vary by configuration. (2) Internet access required and sold separately. (3) Wireless access point and internet access required and sold separately. Availability of public wireless access points limited. (4) Broadband use requires separately purchased service contract. Check with service provider for coverage and availability in your area. (5) HP Mini Mobile Drive available with SSD configuration only. (6) Requires a separately purchased Internet service and VOIP service contracts. (7) Actual price may vary by country.

HP Announce Mini 1000 Netbook

HP today announced the HP Mini 1000 which has an exquisite onyx casing featuring a compact swirl design and a 10.2-inch widescreen display. At 25.2mm thin and weighing just 1.1kg(1), the sleek HP Mini 1000 melds striking form and function. With the Intel® Atom™ N270 processor, a choice of 8/16GB Solid State Drive (SSD), as well as a wealth of connectivity options including a built-in webcam(2), microphone, WLAN(3) and Bluetooth, the HP Mini 1000 is feature-rich as well as stylish. It will be available as of mid-February at an estimated starting price of £399 inc. VAT.

HP is debuting a new Mobile Internet Experience software and HP MediaStyle on the HP Mini 1000, which enable one-stop entertainment through a single interface that lets you easily watch video, view photos, listen to music and more. The all-you-need dashboard interface allows you to split your desktop into your favourite categories such as Internet applications, websites, video, music, email and other content at your fingertips. The web section can be customised with your four favourite websites. All dashboard applications are always on, minimising start-up time with immediate access to Internet browsing, email, online video and video chat. Local storage conveniently lets you take your content with you offline.

An optional USB-based HP Mini Mobile Drive(5) enables up to 8GB of additional storage capacity and allows you to transport and retrieve personal documents, pictures and audio/video files.

(1) Weight will vary by configuration. (2) Internet access required and sold separately. (3) Wireless access point and internet access required and sold separately. Availability of public wireless access points limited. (4) Broadband use requires separately purchased service contract. Check with service provider for coverage and availability in your area. (5) HP Mini Mobile Drive available with SSD configuration only. (6) Requires a separately purchased Internet service and VOIP service contracts. (7) Actual price may vary by country.

MacLiveExpo 2008 London - Academy Class

If you need to brush up on your skills in one of the many print & design, web, CAD or perhaps video pro application, then you need to get yourself down to the MacLiveExpo. The guys and gals from Academy Class are their in force, giving a massive 50% discount on courses booked at the show. With training facilities at London, Manchester, Devon, Glasgow and Leeds they have pretty much all of the UK covered. You can check out their website or give them a call on 0800 043 8889.

MacLiveExpo 2008 London - Planet Video

Planet Video Systems had a massive stand at the MacLiveExpo and it certainly got my attention. They handle the distribution of a large range of products, amongst which was the very cost effective editBOX 4, which is a four disk SATA2 hard disk box. It looked very well built and offers an innovative port-multiplier and multi-lane technology. I was also amazed at the tiny dvBOX Portable, a minute multi-interface external hard drive. This little wonder offers USB2, FireWire 400 & 800 and eSATA connectivity. It is BUS powered, or externally powered and comes in sizes up to 320GB with 7200RPM drives. Last, but by no means least, CineBags... these are the bags to have if you carry around a lot of gear. Multiple compartments for hard drives, laptops, cameras, lenses and they felt really well made. Expect to see reviews of some of these products real soon.

MacLiveExpo 2008 London - onOne Software

Of particular interest at the MacLiveExpo was the onOne Software stand, where they were giving video demonstrations of their superb software collection. They produce a range of plug-ins for Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and iPhoto, as well as products for Adobe Lightroom and Quark Xpress. Their Plug-in Suite 4 is a culimnation of all of the Photoshop plug-ins they produce, that enable you to manipulate your photo images with ease. FocalPoint, which is part of this bundle is of great interest to me. It gives the user the ability to create realistic depth of field in a photo, simply designating a sweet spot and tweaking the kind and intensity of blur. I am hoping to be able to bring you a series of reviews of onOne Software's products in due course.

MacLiveExpo 2008 London - MyGlove

There was certainly not a lot of iPod goodies at the MacLiveExpo 2008. Compared to last year, where the iPod and iPhone ruled, the only gem that stood out from the crowd was MyGlove. They were selling a range of iPod cases that are made from really supple leather. Each case looked really unique, with printed designs that were a nice refreshing change from the mainstream cases. Hopefully I will be able to bring you a video review of a couple of their cases soon.

MacLiveExpo 2008 - Gallery Photos

As promised here is the gallery photos from the MacLiveExpo 2008 in London. All of the photos were taken with the Ricoh GX200 digital camera. The majority of which were taken with the GX200's square format mode. This is ideally suited for the Geekanoids website, as the square format not only looks superb, but also means that the images do not need to be cropped before uploading them. A full review will appear of the Ricoh GX200 in a couple of weeks, but early impressions of this compact unit are very good. It handles very well and performed admirably with the awkward lighting in the exhibition hall. (click the link at the end of this article to see the full gallery). This gallery is sponsored by Clifton Cameras.






























MacLiveExpo 2008 London - Event Roundup

The MacLiveExpo 2008 started today in London and this time around you will find a different event. It is being held in association with CreativePro and LinuxLive, so on the show floor there is a much wider variety of exhibitors. Whether or not you think this is a good thing really depends on your main area of interest. Apple fans may well come away disappointed, with Mac exhibitors and resellers somewhat lacking. There are a few gems to be found, but that Mac feel has been lost. However, the diverse range of stands means that you may well discover something new, perhaps a flavour of Linux may take your fancy.

Of interest to myself were the likes of Academy Class, who have some very special show offers. Adobe had a great presence, with the new Creative Suite 4 being shown. Konica Minolta also had their 4650 laser printer on display, that could be picked up for a fantastic £260 from Cancom with a free 160GB Formac hard drive thrown in for free. Iomega also had their full range of storage devices lined up. These included their ultra smooth and stylish eGo Helium 320GB hard drive, that looks so curvy and matches the MacBook Air perfectly. Other stands of interest included Planet Video, MyGlove and onOne Software all of which I will cover in separate articles.

MacLiveExpo 2008 Starts Tomorrow

My annual trip down to the Olympia National Hall in Kensington, London starts tomorrow for this years MacLiveExpo. This year it is running in conjunction with CreativeProExpo and LinuxLiveExpo for a combination of the latest technological treats. With the likes of Adobe, Canon, Iomega and Samsung there, we are sure to be in for a treat.

Geekanoids sponsor Academy Class will also be at the exhibition, so I will be sure to bring you some news of their latest offerings. Plenty of photo opportunities no doubt, and this year we have a new sponsor... Clifton Cameras and Ricoh and supplying a Ricoh GX200 digital camera, which will be used to take all of the exhibition photos. I will be testing this camera's abilities throughout the show and reporting back to you all with 'gallery photos' and a full review of the GX200 over the coming weeks.