Consumers To Get More Info On Actual ADSL Speeds June 05, 2008

Read more Announcements , Broadband , Online

Broadband users who have become frustrated by dodgy advertising touting line speeds of 8MB and upwards should be encouraged by recent news from Ofcom.

As we all know, these sorts of consistent speeds are the stuff of fantasy, making it all but impossible for the consumer to work out exactly how fast a connection with a specific ISP will end up being.

Sanyo Adds Cool 'Slo-Mo' To Latest HD Camcorder June 05, 2008

Read more Digital cameras , Entertainment , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , HD , HDTV

Sanyo’s latest Xacti HD camcorder is just what you’ll need to capture those embarrassing family moments in glorious slow motion. You know, trousered Uncle Morris moon-walking on the wedding tables before toppling spectacularly off the edge and onto the wedding cake.

The compact and light, Xacti HD1010 - sticking to the same overall design as current Xacti models - offers 1920 x 1080 video capture but can also capture slow-motion video at 300 frames per second (fps) and present it back with ultra-smooth 60fps playback so that the embarrassment can be dragged on endlessly. It’s also a handy feature for capturing exciting sporting moments.

The camcorder sports Face Detection and something called 'Face Chaser' technology which can be used to recognise up to 12 faces at a time when shooting photos and video. That way, Uncle Morris’ amazed/shocked expression as he goes over will be as clear as day.

Alarm Clock Deals Blow To Heavy Sleepers June 05, 2008

Read more Appliances , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK

Tacky and ultimately useless they may be, but we kinda like those novelty alarm clocks that are designed to wake you up in increasingly annoying ways.

The DangerBomb Clock will appeal to the bomb-disposal wannabe inside of all of us, and is fashioned like an arming device with three different coloured wires.

Watch iPlayer With Wiiplayer June 05, 2008

Read more Broadband , Home Entertainment , TV , Wii

If you’ve been adventurous enough to play around with the BBC iPlayer on your Nintendo Wii then you might have become frustrated by the rather poor interface.

The Wii’s Opera browser doesn’t work particularly well with the Beeb’s software, so some bright spark has come up with a better way of doing things.

The $1 Million Superbike June 05, 2008

Read more Entertainment , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , Sport

So you think you have a cool bicycle do you? Well, you probably do but I bet it didn’t cost $1 million (£500,000).

Still, if you really want that Olympic Gold Medal in the sprinting pursuits then you really have to ditch that Raleigh and get yourself something very special indeed.

Dutch cyclist Theo Bos narrowly missed out on a gold at the last Olympics so this time the cycling specialists Koga Miyata have poured $1 million and three years into creating a one-off superbike that will provide him with those precious few milliseconds.

Voix MPX Range Boosts Home Audio June 04, 2008

Read more Digital Audio , Home Cinema , iPod

If you feel the need to give your home audio setup a shot in the arm but don’t want to go all-out and purchase a surround system, these new tower speakers from Voix might fit the bill.

The MPX is labelled as a ‘2.1’ arrangement, though this is a bit of a half-truth as the 36W sub is actually built into the base of one of the two speakers.

There are five high and low-range cones on the towers themselves offering 72W from each, so that’s an impressive 180W of total power.

Consumers Slow To Adopt Blu-Ray June 04, 2008

Read more Blu-ray , HD , HDTV , Home Cinema

More news on the home cinema front today as a recent survey conducted in the US suggests that high-definition format Blu-ray isn’t proving nearly as popular as once thought.

The demise of HD-DVD hasn’t done a lot for Blu-ray’s cause, and although 45% of HD TV owners are now aware of the format (up from 35% this time last year), few are eager to get involved.

Let Battle Commence: iTunes Movies Up And Running June 04, 2008

Read more Apple , Home Cinema , iPhone , iPod

Apple certainly know when to strike while the iron is hot, barely a month ago it announced that movies will be available for download from its UK store on the same day as DVD and the service is up and running already.

Today sees the official launch of its new movie download site, which will allow UK users to download or rent a range of titles from major studios such as Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros and MGM.

MSI Wind Mini-Laptop Gets Thumbs Up June 04, 2008

Read more Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , Laptops , Mobile Devices , Online

Back in April, MSI and Intel hooked up in Shanghai to show off a working prototype of the MSI Wind, a tiny notebook along the lines of the Asus Eee 901 and other mobile internet devices (MIDs). Now, it‘s here.

Like other new arrivals from the likes of Asus, Acer and Dell - the MSI is colourful, small and light, weighing in at 1Kg. It is powered by an Intel Atom processor and runs a choice of Windows XP Home for £250 or SUSE Linux for £150. It sports a larger screen than its rivals at 10in with a resolution of 1024 x 600, has 1GB of expandable RAM and an 80GB HDD – there is no SSD option, which is a bit of a shame.

I’ve Been Driving In My – Inflatable – Car? June 04, 2008

Read more Cars , Entertainment , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , Motoring , Science , Technology

Yes, it's true. There’s a company working on selling you an inflatable car. Not for your kids party either but a fully working car that you can build yourself – with a friend – in about 2 hours.

XP Vehicles will ship the car, made from different non-metal materials like polymer fibre and NASA-grade inflatable material, in two boxes for you to assemble. The car is electric using a variety of different battery/fuel cell technologies and, because it will be so light, it boasts a potential range of 300 miles on a single charge. There’s also some ‘hot-swap’ battery technology that will extend your range to a whopping 2,500 miles. Check out the pimping options from this FAQ on the site: