October's biggest news

October 2009 has been some month in electronics. The Palm Pre hit the UK after 5 months, and went straight into contention with the iPhone 3GS. Sky Player was launched and immediatley delayed. Android has also been striding onwards, with the launch of Android 2 and the Motorola Droid. Computers has also been up there, with Apple releasing new Macs and updating the Mac Mini. So, what has your highlight of the month been? Comment below as it is great to hear from you.

Apple app store reaches 100000

Reports have suggested that the Apple app store has reached 100000 apps. Apple themselves are yet to confirm this, but appshopper claims there are over 102000 apps on the store now. But remember, these are the approved apps, many more have been made and not allowed on. So who knows how many apps there are for jailbroken iPhones? Well, fancy a guess? Comment below then.

(with thanks to v3)

Google mania!

Google seem to be taking over the world, literally. Their search engine is the most used by miles, they have YouTube, Android and the list can literally go on and on. But they have two new services which might be of interest you. First is the Powermeter. For £69 for the meter, and £3 a month, this service provides real time read outs in the form of a graph consisting of the energy averages over time, comparing it to other things such as previous and national averages. It is said to potentially save the UK energy customer £75 a year, but that's bogus, because it costs £105 for the first year to set it up. So it'll take 2 years to balance out, still, better than solar panels. There are already wonder stories about it, so just "Google" them and find out.

Second up in today's Google mania is their music service. But when I say service, it isn't. It is a search engine that you always use to help you discover music. There are a few things you can do with it, you can just search for an artist to find out more about them, search for tracks and albums, but this isn't really new, people did that before. The best bit is the lyrics search. Type in a line from a song (best if not in the title to test it out) if you don't know it and it should come up with the track and artist you are thinking of, handy? Well I tried it out with some Taylor Swift, and got a ton of Eric Clapton. I then tried some McFly and got it, but after scrolling down and someone from Flickr writing out the track lyrics. So, it isn't perfect. But what is? It is a great help to discover music and find out more about bands, which is what it is all about. So try it here for yourself and see the introductory video there as well.


(with thanks to the guardian)

Vodafone 360 launches today with the H1 by Samsung

The Samsung H1 has become the first phone fully running Vodafone's 360 service. It has a 3.5" OLED screen, Wifi, 16GB onboard storage for its 5MP camera shots amongst other things. But it is running the Linux based Vodafone 360 software, the new Live! feature of sorts. There are two other phones on vodafone running 360, the Nokia 6730 and N85. The h1 isn't cheap, it's a minimum of £35 a month for 2 years.

This is the strange thing about Vodafone 360, it doesn't only work on vodafone, they are hoping to spread it across multiple networks and also phones, 100 of them! This could be fantastic, or a massive waste of funds. As a vodafone user I am slightly biased for them, so what are your thoughts? Comment below as we love hearing from you.

(with help from t3.com)

Today Sky hits the Xbox 360...

Behold this is the day sky launched their on-demand service via xbox 360, well for gold members anyway. It seems th folks at microsoft are upto their classic thicks; squeezing every last penny out of you. So, you got to already be sky subscribed and an xbox gold member. There is a lot of boring figures and costs related to this story but to keep it simple, the benefit of watching sky tv online on xbox will be the enhanced social features such as inviting friends to view the programmes with you. Here, at the tech stop we will sit back and see how it goes so stay ready for our next edition on the sky tv saga!

Facebook win the battle over a spam and get a $711m payout

Today, facebook won a lawsuit against a spam company touted as "Spamford". The social networking site also recieved a hefty 711 million dollar pay off to compensate. This win, is recorded as the second largest anti-spam victory. Lets hope the folks over at facebook can use the money to create a decent news feed and a dislike button! But atleast it's keeping our favourite networking site clean, something not all social sites have prided as highly cough* Twitter *cough

(with thanks to the guardian)

iPhone everywhere!

Ok, it's the iPhone, you've probably heard so much about it over the years it has been here, but this is actually some interesting news. The iPhone has been on o2 since it came out, but on the 9th of November their exclusivity contract in the UK ends, so Orange are launching it on the 10th, and Vodafone in early 2010. T-Mobile is already offering the iPhone 3G (not 3GS) to its business customers. But 3 has entered the fray and have repeatedly said that the iPhone will be on 3 sometime in 2010. I am hoping to upgrade to the iPhone 3GS on vodafone in february 2010, are you? Comment below.

(With thanks to reghardware.co.uk)

The DSi XL name

The DSi is called the LL in Japan, and XL for the rest of us, i.e. Extra Large. It has 2 4.2" screens which are a lot bigger than the regular DSi. So, confusion over, here it is, cleared up for you.

Sony Ericsson Rachael video

The end of N-Gage for Nokia

Personally, I think the N-Gage gaming for N-Series phones by Nokia is horrendous. I have used it on a N95 8GB and found it difficult to set up, rubbish to play, and horrible online. The Ovi Store will keep selling N-Gage games online until September 2010, but they will soon become non functional. What are your thoughts?

(with thanks to engadget for sourcing)

Asus planning smartbook for 2010

Netbooks? Nah... smartbooks... yeah!

Asus' CEO Jerry Shan has announced that there will be an Asus smartbook shipping in early 2010. This is a complete contradiction to a few months ago when he said "I still don't see a clear market for smartbooks" but I guess times have changed, and smartbooks could be the new netbooks. Prices seem to be around £110 to £150 for these. The current day netbook normally follows the pattern of a 10" screen, 1GB RAM and 1.66Ghz processor. Asus have said they will be showing them off at CeBIT and Computex next year, so 2010 Christmas might just be flooded with smartbooks. For me it is no surprise Asus are the first to jump on board the smartbook market, they started netbooks with the Eee Pc, and the rest is history. Will the same fate be there for smartbooks? I think so, I love the idea of them. What do you think? Comment below.

(Via Stuff.tv and techradar)

iTunes 9.0.2 is out, and guess what...

iTunes 9.0.2 is now live and available for download. It is 88.5MB for some people, but for me it was 99MB however. It arrives with support for Apple TV software version 3.0, an option for a dark background for Grid View, and improved support and accessibility. What it doesn't say, however, is that Pre sync will not work with this. Now this quarrel between Apple and Palm has been going on for yonks, and I for one am fed up with it. Why can't they sort themselves out, comprimise? Work out what would be best for the consumer, not them as a a company. If you share my view, please express it down below.

Android 2.0 coming to the Hero

Announced here on twitter, HTC has announced that the Hero is receiving the Eclair update. HTC did say that it will take a while to reach the Hero, due to "significantly enhanced release". HTC did say it will depend on partners whether your Hero receives the update, so Orange users, be aware. This will bring the sat-nav software as well to your Hero, which can only be a good thing.

TwitterPeek handheld device

As the gadget world throws itself towards convergence, there's a lone figure that stands alone in the standalone market. That company is Peek, which you may recall, was responsible for the Peek emailing device. Yes, a device that just did email. Now it's back with the TwitterPeek. Have a guess what that does?

Yes, Peek has hopped onto the nearest bandwagon to offer Twitter on the go for the small number of people that use Twitter, but don't have it on their mobile phones. We suspect Peek is aiming at a rather niche market. So niche, it might be non

But does anyone really want a Twitter-only gadget?

As the gadget world throws itself towards convergence, there's a lone figure that stands alone in the standalone market. That company is Peek, which you may recall, was responsible for the Peek emailing device. Yes, a device that just did email. Now it's back with the TwitterPeek. Have a guess what that does?
eek has hopped onto the nearest bandwagon to offer Twitter on the go for the small number of people that use Twitter, but don't have it on their mobile phones. We suspect Peek is aiming at a rather niche market. So niche, it might be non-existent.

In terms of specifics, TwitterPeek does nothing but send, receive and search Twitter posts. Yes, that's right. it doesn't even offer the email that the original Peek specialised in. But on the plus side, it does have a full QWERTY keyboard, scroll wheel and for your $199.95 asking price (yes, you read that correctly), you get free access to Twitter for the life of the device and/or company. We'll leave you to insert the punchline.

Amazon in the US is offering these now. The UK? We're afraid you'll have to wait a little longer. Still, there's always your phone or computer to keep you going.

(via t3.com)

Palm Pre £499.99 on eXpansys

If you want a Palm Pre without an annoying 2 year contract then today's your lucky day, eXpansys have it up for just under £500 totally unlocked here. The packaging has some o2 symoblism on it but rest assured this is unlocked and will work on any phone in the UK or Europe and US. It might not come with an instruction manual, which can be downloaded here if you desire.

Twitter lists now up!

Remember when facebook redid itself a while ago? Well, twitter is now at it with the launch of its lists feature and also revamp of the site. Lists is a great way to keep track of your real friends on twitter, or anything else, without having to see everything else that you can't be bothered with. This means you can follow as many people as you want and then you can choose who to see with the lists feature on the right hand side of the page. There is also a slight revamp of the page, including a new reply button and change to the profile slice on the right hand side to allow for lists to be enabled. You can follow me on twitter here or my co-blogger MatthewRory here.

Quarter of world online as Internet reaches 40 year landmark

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Internet! It seems amazing to think that 40 years ago "Lo" was sent 400 miles from the Pentagon for the Aapenet project. What this has done has transformed the world. 25% of the world has access to the internet, that's 1.67 billion people. So right now, say thank you to Mr Kline, Mr Duvall and later on, Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

Lord Mandelson confirms "three strikes" policy to illegal downloaders

Lord Mandelson (pictured right) has announced a "three strikes" policy to illegal downloaders. This was said to go ahead in the summer of 2011, he said, "It must become clear that the days of consequence-free widespread online infringement are over," Mandelson said. "Technical measures will be a last resort and I have no expectation of mass suspensions resulting.""The British government's view is that taking people's work without due payment is wrong and that, as an economy based on creativity, we cannot sit back and do nothing as this happens."
"If we reach the point of suspension for an individual, they will be informed in advance, having previously received two notifications – and will have the opportunity to appeal.The threat for persistent individuals is, and has to be, real, or no effective deterrent to breaking the law will be in place," adding that there would be a proper route of appeeal for those who do get their accounts suspended. However, this would only happen if there isn't a 70% drop in illegal downloads by April 2011. What are your views? Is this out of line? Comment below then.

Nintendo DSi XL announced

You may remember the other day we announced the rumours of a 4" Nintendo DSi, well, our wish has been granted. Here it is, the DSi Ll. It actually has 2 4.2" screens, remember, a PSP 3000 has 4.3" and a Go 3.8" and an iPhone 3.5". This would be quite a monster of a device. Colours will be red, brown and white, and will come with two DSi touch pens and 3 DSi Ware titles. It is confirmed to launch in Europe in Q1 of 2010, no word yet on our prices, but in Japan they are getting it for the equivalent of £134, so expect it to be a bit above that considering the current economic status.

Android 2 is official

Android 2 is now out, and the earlier announced Motorola Droid is the first phone to run it, announced Verizon. It apparently will turn your phone into a sat nav, putting it into competition with the iPhone's TomTom app. What do you think about this? Comment below with your thoughts then.

Motorola Droid to hit US on November 6

This post is mainly for the US, so, the Motorola Droid is hitting Verizon on November 6 for $199 on a contract. You must remember that the set out for american contracts as opposed to british ones is very different. This phone is also the first to run Android 2 which can turn your phone into a satnav apparently. What are your thoughts, is this an iPhone beater? Or just the next messaging internet feature phone? Comment below then.

Sony Ericsson Kurara, i.e. Satio on a budget

The Sony Ericsson costs a lot of money, fact, so this newer, cheaper version aims to bring it in at a more reasonable price. I say reasonable price because I hate the saying "on a budget" because everything has a budget, there is a limit to how much you can spend on R&D for your new phone. The Satio was released at MWC earlier this year, so the Kurara is expected to feature at MWC (mobile world congress) at the start of next year. Stay tuned to the tech stop to find out more.

Spotify reducing monthly price to £6.49, but hold on...

If you think that £10 a month is too much for your music, even if it can go mobile, then here is a new tempting offer. It is because of a sponsorship deal between Spotify and Swiftcover. But hold on, this offer is only available to those people who signed on to receiving news of special promotions, so if you didn't want that, you have lost a reduced price for 6 months. After 6 months it will go back to normal however.

Toshiba planning a 14.6MP phone?

Toshiba is planning to make some 14.6MP camera phones, apparently. But wait, they won't be out until 3rd quarter of 2010 so don't get too excited too quickly. Comment below on whether this is a good idea or we should leave it to digital cameras.

Symbian App store live

The likes of the iPhone and Android all have app stores, now it is the turn of Symbian to open up its doors to apps. In my view it is about time. It has one of the longest running OS's out there so they should have been one of the first to jump on board with the apps scheme. But no matter, because they are here now so let's be happy and start downloading.

HTC HD2 now on contract from November 11

Ok, we recently announced this phone was going for pre-order sim free, now it is available on a contract from 11th November. Mobiles.co.uk are taking pre-orders, they are a sister company of carphone warehouse if you didn't know. Click on this link for the page and as ever, feel free to comment below.

Sky Player for Xbox delayed

After announcing it hours ago, it seems noone has been able to access it. This is not what was meant to happen, so, if you have been affected by this, then comment below as we would love to hear what you are saying.

New 4" DSi on the way?

Rumours have been flying around the web that a new 4" screen Nintendo DSi is on the horizon. This is yet to be confirmed but be sure to note that the tech stop will inform you ASAP. A 4" screen would leave it lagging behind the PSP 3000 for size, but better than the iPhone and PSP Go. What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment below.

Last.fm to do video?

As a regular user and scrobbler to last.fm I was intrigued to find that they might be launching a video service, called last.tv. I can't really see the point of this, because people listen to music, not watch. But there is MTV and all those music channels on tv which must be there for a reason. CBS, who own last.fm, are apparently trying to expand the site, but is this too far? Comment below.

Dell Latitude rugged XT2 tablet thoughts

I shall start with the answer many of you may have been asking upon the confirmation of th dell rugged laptop, who on earth I going to buy this piece of kit? The "accident waiting to happen type" or the people who are so uncool they have already bought the jcb phone but are wanting the dell latitude in the their caliber to complete their hardman look. Basically the long and short of it is, it's a tablet pc running vista (no 7 please note) that has a hefty casing and is well kitted out in the spec department too with the optional 5gb ram. But I feel it has major concept problems just like the eee keyboard (which I have already posted on) but I suppose their is a place for everything so keep your eye out for the one person that decides to lug this bad boy to the office and back!

Blackberry watch confirmed

Have you ever wished that you didn't have to pull your Blackberry out of your pocket to check it? Well your wish has been granted, with quite possibly the must have Blackberry accessory, the inPulse Smartwatch. Made by a company called Alerta based near RIM in Waterloo, Canada, this watch features a 1.3" OLED display, bluetooth connectivity to your Blackberry, and a vibrating feature to let you know when something happens. It is said to have a 4 day battery life after 30 minutes charge through microUSB. Set to launch in the US in february for the equivalent of around £90, there is no word yet whether this watch will be made available in the UK but let's hope it's sent across the pond to meet us over here.

Forza 3 tops 360 games charts

Microsoft's driving simulator for the Xbox 360, Forza 3, has beaten PES 2010 to be the top of the Xbox 360's gaming charts, despite PES 2010 selling 3 million copies on its first day. Unfortunately Forza 3 is limited to the Xbox 360, as it is Microsoft's own game. But there is also Gran Turismo 5 on the way for the PS3 and Gran Turismo PSP which we have a full review of here. As always, feel free to comment below on any of the games mentioned, or actually anything!

Sony Ericsson Xperia X3 to be launched November 3rd?

Despite the current Xperia X2 not being out yet, it seems that Sony Ericsson is going to announce its 3rd edition to the Xperia line up, the X3 dubbed "Rachel" or the X10. It is set to have a 4-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen, 8.1-megapixel camera, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, GPS, WiFi, and 3.5-mm headphone jack. It is also meant to be running Android, whether this will be edited in some way by Sony Ericsson or left bare like on the HTC Magic remains to be seen. Stay tuned here to find out when it is launched.

Sky Player arrives on Xbox today

The Xbox 360 seems to be trying to ruffle up its look as a gaming machine, with the launch of Sky TV on it. This is 24 channels streamed live over the internet to your Xbox. You will need an Xbox live Gold account, alongside £15 per month for 24 channels. But the entertainment pack is another £15, and the sports is £19, added to the £39.99 a year for your Xbox, you could be paying up to £629.99 a year for TV on your Xbox, or £1.72 a day. If you think it is worth it, or have any other thoughts, feel free to comment below.

Are touchscreens taking over?

Having a quick look on the Vodafone PAYG page, I came across a touchscreen phone for £40. Now this begs the question, are touchscreens taking over? Everywhere you go there are people prodding screens, all high end smartphones of today with the exception of RIM have touchscreens. Why are they so popular? I just don't understand that you see, I can see the appeal of them, but personally prefer hard buttons. That said, I hope to move to the touch screen market with my next mobile phone. Comment below on what you think touchscreens are doing to the world.

UK Blackberry Storm users not allowed software update

The Blackberry Storm 2 is on the way, so is the BB OS 5.0 software update for current Storm 1 owners, or is it? The update is being carried out in the US by Verizon shortly, but the UK is having to wait until 2010 for the same upgrade. Fair? Comment below with your views.

Hosting Your Windows 7 Torrent Party

You heard that Microsoft was giving party packs of windows 7 for $35, well, here is a video taking the absolute rip out of it.

Hosting Your Windows 7 Torrenting Party - watch more funny videos

Palm Pixi priced and dated in US

Palm has announced pricing and a US release date for its second WebOS device, the Pixi. A cheaper version to the Pre, it features a 2.63" screen, 2mp camera, but no wifi. This is aimed at a light user, i.e. someone who doesn't want and need a smartphone like the Pre. There were also hints that a UK release date isn't far down the line. Let's hope it takes less than the 5 months it took for the Pre to reach the UK from across the pond.

Could Google Wave be avaiable to everyone by end of 2010?

After being released to 100000 users on september 28th, it is possible that it could be ready by the end of 2010, according to the product's co-founder Lars Rasmussen. They have 100000 preview users at the moment, but hope to expand the project once it's out for everyone with an app store containing 3rd party plug ins. If you have Google Wave or not, feel free to comment down below.

Dell Inspiron Z-series laptops on sale today

The new 13z and 15z are the two newest additions of the "Z" range of Inspiron laptops by Dell. They have thinner, lighter bodies as well as an integrated cameras and "power sipping" batteries. They are pre-loaded with Windows 7 and cost £479 for the 13z and £499 for the 15z.

NHS endorses Wii Fit Plus

It would be a fair assumption to say that the Nintendo Wii is groundbreaking. And its Wii Fit is also quite fantastic as a game. But noone is really sure about its fitness credentials, until now. Wii Fit Plus is out friday, and will boast the Change4Life logo on it. This is not the first time a Wii has been used in the health industry. Leeds' Seacroft Hospital uses Wii's but only for "light exercise". But what does this mean about the world of gaming? Comment down below because we think it is great that the Government is accepting the games industry into society.

Amazon app for iPhone

Christmas is a coming, clap your hands... for the easiest way to do online shopping has now reached the iPhone and iPod touch! The app is free from the app store, and you need iPhone software 2.0 and upwards. This app makes your Christmas shopping, or even your general shopping, a lot easier in a number of ways. One of these is the photo feature (iPhone only). Say you're out and about and see something you think you want to buy, simply take a photo of it and send it to amazon and it will find the product in the photo. Neat, huh? So far there hasn't been much testing of it, but let's hope it's accurate. It works with your current amazon.co.uk account and orders are through one-click. If you have it, feel free to comment below on your thoughts about it.

Orange to sell iPhone 10th November

Reports have been flying around the web saying that mobile phone provider Orange is going to start selling the iPhone on November 10th. We recently found out that Orange and Vodafone were set to start selling the iPhone as well as o2, but vodafone is expected for some time around the start of next year. Unfortunately, Orange seem to want to "add value" to the iPhone tariffs compared to the o2 ones, so maybe no undercutting yet, but we'll see. Stay tuned to the tech stop to find out for certain, and, as ever, feel free to comment below as we love hearing about your view.

Some of the funniest tweets ever

Ever wanted to know some of the funniest tweets ever? Click on this link to find out. You will be literally laughing out loud to them.

New Mac mini

In my earlier post about the new Apple iMacs, I unfortunately forgot about the new mac mini. The cheapest, smallest, and arguably worst mac, has been updated. You can now have up to a 500GB hard drive for your HD movies. Also a 2.54Ghz processor for rapid interchanging. And also use it as a Snow Leopard server, useful if you want to make your own blog. It starts at £499 but that is with no screen, keyboard, mouse. So once you've added those in you are looking at £600 at least, which is still cheaper than the macbook. Sorry for the delay about this post, but I felt you readers needed to know eventually.

The ultimate calculator: the Texas Instruments TI-83

Recommended by most school, used by thousands around the globe. This calculator does it all, and it is the ultimate calculator for any person, be it geek or human. It even has snake! Come on, that is cool in some retrospects. So, be positive about the Texas Instruments TI-83.

Guardian jobs site hacked

The Guardian has emailed "up to half a million" users of its UK-based Jobs website to tell them that some of their personal data may have been compromised by "a sophisticated and deliberate hack" on Friday night.

A Guardian spokesperson said the site has about 10 million unique users per year, and that "the hack was stopped before it was completed".

"As soon as we were alerted to the fact that there was a problem, we dealt with it, in line with the information commissioner's guidance on data protection," said the spokesperson. "We felt it was important to be transparent and alert our users as soon as possible."

Yesterday , the Guardian put a security notice on its Jobs site, which said: "The supplier who runs the site has identified the manner in which it was hacked and taken steps to prevent a recurrence."

User accounts were not hacked, so there is no need for site users to change their passwords. The compromised data could include the person's name, email address, covering letter and CV, but "we have no reason to believe that any financial or bank data was compromised," said the Guardian's email. Some of the data was up to two years old.

The user data is not held on the web but stored on separate databases run for the Guardian by third parties. In the UK, it is reportedly run by Madgex.

A Guardian technology director said: "We will have final numbers of real users and the type of data in the next few days, once we strip out duplicates, false emails and so on." He said he was unable to provide any technical details of the hack, as these were part of a police investigation by the central e-crime unit at Scotland Yard.

Jobs site user Chris Gittner said that at first he thought the email was a hoax, and "all of this wasn't helped by finding out about it late on Saturday evening when there was no one official around to talk to."

Kate Waugh, a user from Staffordshire, said: "I'm quite worried about the repercussions of my sensitive data falling into the wrong hands: I've had enough experience already of card fraudsters so I know how easily you can fall victim to these things.

"I'm going to take the steps recommended by the Guardian, but it's one more worry I could do without. I have to say the Guardian's reassurance that it won't happen again doesn't help."

The Guardian's email passed on police recommendations for "precautionary measures" such as contacting a credit reference agency - Callcredit, Equifax or Experian — and using Cifas, the UK's fraud prevention service . Cifas also runs fraudjobsite.co.uk.

Another user, Simon Anthony, said "we probably will" register with Cifas but "it costs £12 each person. Will the Guardian pay for this?" He said he objected to paying for security that he should not need.

Job sites are regularly attacked by hackers and via email "phishing" attacks, as they provide a rich source of data for those interested in identity theft. Job seekers who simply circulate their CVs directly to potential employers, or post them on the web or on Facebook, are also increasing their level of risk. Job sites may still be the safer option.

The Guardian's US-based Jobs site was not affected.

(via guardian.co.uk)

2 year mobile phone contracts- why?

Remember the days when we could get any phone on a 12 month contract, then came the 18 month contracts which were annoying but we stuck with them. But now, have the tariff providers taken it too far with these 2 year mobile phone contracts? Well there are a few things to consider, because the mobile phone providers have been raking in the money for these contracts, or have they? Vodafone lost 159000 customers last year and are desperate to keep them in any way, so, if they are tied in for 2 years, it is plain sailing for them. But the thing is, these contracts can prove to be costly for high end smartphones of the moment, which everyone wants. Unfortunately, very few of the smartphones are available on PAYG, with the exception of the iPhone. Let's take it as an example. The cheapest iPhone contract for the 16GB model involves you paying £184.98 for the phone, and signing up for 2 years on o2, resulting in £890.10 for 2 years of an iPhone. But if you go for the iPhone on PAYG, it is £440 for the 16GB, and even though you are stuck on a confusing o2 PAYG scheme, it is cheaper to do this than the enormous contract. And you are free to leave after 12 months, it means stumping up the cash early on, but if you can do that, then the world is yours.

Blackberry Bold 9700 up for pre-order on vodafone

A few days ago Blackberry announced their second trackball smartphone, the Bold 9700, and now it is up for pre-order on vodafone, with contracts starting at £35 a month for 600 minutes, unlimited texts, and, most importantly, unlimited Blackberry internet, mobile internet and webmail, using the full potential of this phone. This is unfortunately a 2 year contract, but vodafone are also offering the 9700 on an 18 month contract with the same specs as the £35 24 month contract, but for £40 a month. Click here to view the Blackberry Bold 9700 plans on vodafone and make your pre-order.

Facebook's change of homepage

Remember the old facebook homepage? Well now there is a new one. Gone is the highlights section at the bottom right, and now there is... NOTHING! They have replace a useful section with nothing, classic. There is more, instead of just having a homescreen with the news feed, now there is a news feed, and for now apparent reason, a live feed. The news feed has status updates and stuff like that, but the live feed has that and so much more. Including: notifications of people becoming friends,notifications of people becoming fans or joining groups, wall posts and what they contain, for the ultimate facebook stalkers among you. There is a feature now in the suggestions box which has people you haven't spoken to in a long time and says "reconnect with...". Why does it say this, if I haven't spoken to them there is a reason for it. So leave me alone and let me have the old facebook back. Luckily, I am not alone in this wish, so join this group here and let's see how many amongst us facebook users want the old facebook back.

Universal Phone charger in 2010

Mobile phones are notorious for their eco-credentials, so, the Telecommunication Union has a universal phone adaptor that works with all kinds of handsets. This means there will be one adaptor for all phones, saving up to 51000 tonnes of unnecessary phone chargers. Hopefully it means phones won't have to come with a charger, i.e. bringing their price down.

A free alternative to Memory Map

Garmin GPS systems recommend that you use Memory Map with your GPS, unfortunately, for a pack containing just Britain, it costs £200. However, there is a free version available online. It is called Easygps, and it is great considering the non-existant price. Admittedyly it doesn't have all the features of Memorymap but as a free alternative, what have you got to lose?

HTC HD2 priced sim-free for pre-order

The HTC HD2 is exactly what Windows needed, some awesome specs to get the most out of it. And now it is up for pre-order on amazon for £549.99. This puts it just above the expected Nokia N900 but miles below the iPhone 3GS. This HTC monster features Windows Mobile 6.5, a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and a huge capacative 4.3" touch screen. Due to be released on 20th November, this is set to be Windows Mobile's best hope of re-capturing some of its lost market share.