So what is the Kindle?

Only the best and most wanted ebook reader in the world!  Amazon have had problems with the downloads of the books in the European market, and have cracked it by making downloads available via the 3G network.

The Kindle is the most wished for, the most gifted and the number one selling product on Amazon.com.

This great gadget allows for to instantly download books, there is no installing software, syncing etc!!

The Kindle is available for $279.00.  So that works out at approximately £175.  It will begin shipping to the UK on the 19th October.

You can order the Kindle with your Amazon.co.uk username and password.  So what are you waiting for!  I’ve got mine pre-ordered!

Go check in out at Amazon.com by clicking here .

Essentially, this is a 200x magnification microscope that is powered from your USB port on your desktop or laptop computer.  With a resolution of 1600 x 1200 this is a pretty handy piece of kit for a variety of tasks.  I can think of a multitude of uses for this gadget…

So, in no particular order, it can be used as: reading aid, model makers tool, jeweller’s tool, visual aid for electronics engineering, an aid for collectables magnification, computer parts examination, or even just to mess around with looking at the back of your hand more clearly.

Included with the USB Microscope is a software program that allows you to store up to 2GB of information online.  With the capability to record movies in AVI format and still images as JPG or BMP this is a multi-functioning little gizmo.  Other features are the variable magnification (from 20x to 200x), with full 1.3MP resolution, the ability to have widescreen imaging and the internal white LED that illuminates anything that you are examining.  I think I’ll have a good look in my ears to see how much wax needs syringing!!! Eurrgghh!  With the added ability to be used as a webcam and record features online chat is also possible.

Click here to go to Amazon.co.uk – Priced £40.09

Click here to go to Firebox.com – Priced £59.95

Click here to go to IWantOneOfThose.com – Priced £49.99

One accessory that really makes the Nintendo Wii a very exciting gaming experience is the controller. Each system comes with a wiimote that detects movements in all directions. This means that the games are played as the player moves around. Thanks to the wiimote, long gone are the days of sitting around to play video games!

Also long gone are the bulky controllers and joysticks. Now, players can hold this special wiimote and move it around in order to go along with the game. Imagine playing a sports game: the moves on screen are determined by how the wiimote is moved around by the player.

Another great accessory for the Nintendo Wii is the Nunchuck! The Wii Nunchuck hooks up to the controller through a cable so that it can have the same movement sensors. This Nunchuck accessory gives the player even more capabilities and options for some games.

A great addition to the Nintendo Wii is the ability to play GameCube games in a new, renovated way. Players can also use their old GameCube controllers to play those games on the Wii. This is great news for anyone who loves Nintendo and enjoys playing all the top Nintendo games over the recent years.

Players who love shooting games will be glad know that with the Wii Zapper, which is a case that holds Wii remotes for the purpose of pointing and shooting. Shooting games are some of the most popular these days, so this gun is a great addition for those who enjoy such games.

More Wii accessories are set to come out soon. They’re inexpensive for the most part, and they make gaming very unique. They can all be used together to give players a fun and fulfilling gaming experience.

Nintendo Wii accessories can be ordered online, and they are sometimes found at retail stores and departments. It’s best if the players do research first and then shop around to find the best deals possible for these must have accessories.

I was doing a bit of research on this classic game and was amazed to find out that it has been about now for over 70 years. I also stumbled upon this amazing official product currently available at Firebox.com – My Monopoly.

It is the official game made by Hasbro, but it is made exactly to your own specifications… So, you can re-name each property, station, utility and even the name of the game itself. Your game would be totally unique, and I think it would make a great gift for someone too. (You can buy a voucher from Firebox to allow the recipient to customise their own board!)

It takes a couple of weeks to build, but I think that is well worth the wait for your very own customised My Monopoly board. There is a warning though from both Hasbro and Firebox that foul language won’t be accepted!

The board itself can either be the traditional colours, or one of several themed boards such as: New Home, Wedding, Birthday and Christmas. The game is packaged for you in a tin which is labelled with your own personal message.

So no more Mayfair on my new board, as I’ve just renamed it Dan’s Palace!

Click here to visit Firebox.com to check out this amazing game - Priced £79.95.

Now this gadget is something I really need, as I have loads of old VHS tapes cluttering up my wardrobe!  I won’t tell you what they all are, but let’s just say I was a closet trekkie about 10 years ago!  The USB VHS Converter could by the answer to saving me a lot of space!!

The VHS 2 PC Converter has a RRP of £150.00, check out the best price below, currently Ebay.co.uk have some great prices:

Retailer	Description	Price	Link
	VCR to PC Computer USB Video Audio Converter	From £99.99
	VCR to PC Computer USB Video Audio Converter	£139.99
	VCR to PC Computer USB Video Audio Converter	£149.99

God knows how the VHS format won the war against Betamax – but they did, and after about 30 years the VHS tape is practically dead, buried and decomposing!  So, now you can resurrect them by bringing all your old tapes into the 21st Century with the this VHS to PC Converter.

The USB VHS Converter not only allows you to convert your old tapes into the digital format, it is also able be used as a normal VCR, with auto-tracking nonetheless!  The gizmo uses the EZ VHS Converter software, thus enabling you to play your new video files on your iPod, PSP, DVD and mobile phones.  It also allows videos to be saved from camcorders in 8mm format.

Unfortunately this version isn’t compatible with a Mac, and PC users need to ensure you either have Windows Xp or Vista for it to work.

Overall, I’m really excited about the USB VHS Converter.  It could be great for digitising your old home-movies, wedding videos, kids birthdays, old soaps etc.  Then, if you wanted it could easily be uploaded to Youtube or a social media site such as Facebook.

Click here to go to Ebay.co.uk - priced from £99.95

Click here to go to Firebox.com - priced £139.95

Click here to go to Amazon.co.uk - priced £139.99

Click here to go to Iwantoneofthose.com - priced £149.00

But what about your old photographs I hear you say… Well now you can convert them to digital format with a USB Negative Scanner.  At a touch of a button you could any of your old pictures on your PC!  Imagine that, old wedding pictures, high school or university albums can now be uploaded to the social networking site of your choosing!

This very simple to use (Idiot-proof could be another term to use), if the perfect solution.  You can take your 35mm negatives or mounted slides and catapult them into the digital age!

The USB Negative scanner is as the name suggests powered by USB – so simply connect it up to your desktop computer or laptop and hey presto – you’re away!  No power cables or anything.  By simply pressing one button, the device will scan your 35mm negatives or mounted slide with it’s 5 megapixel scanner, and then convert them to either a jpeg or tiff format image.

The gizmo needs Windows XP or above to run and there is included software to edit or crop the image and the USB Negative Scanner can handle both colour and monochrome images.  It comes with different holders to mount the 35mm negatives or mounted slide.

The full name of the scanner is Veho VFS-004 5MP 35mm Negative & Slide Scanner according to Amazon.

Click here to visit Amazon.co.uk - priced at £52.99

Click here to visit Firebox.com - priced at £79.95

So, do double the props, make flying the TandemZ doubly difficulty?  (I have only just mastered my PiccoZ flying)  My answer would be yes…  Why?  The TandemZ comes with removable training stabilisers, which are transparent and don’t look very cool!!  So practice alone, and then unleash the beast upon friends, once you’ve mastered the controls!  Then, laugh at them as they struggle to control the monster!

The controls for the TandemZ are 3 channels for the up, down, backwards and forwards.  Then there are separate contols for adjusting the trim of the chopper - the tilt and roll (pitch and yaw for the boffins out there!).  To ease, or should I say complicate the flying, the TandemZ also has tilting rotors.

Currently you get buy the TandemZ-1 in Blue, Orange and Red, and each RC helicopter uses a different channel, so you can fly them together too.  It is also available in a camo paint-job, and you can specify which channel you want.You’ll also be impressed to know that each TandemZ is equipped with it’s own LED searchlight/headlight too!

The infrared transmitter controller, which needs 6xAA batteries, is where the TandemZ is charged.  After a 20-30 minute charge, you should have 10 minutes to able to cause enough chaos/damage to you house (Only joking!)

Click here to visit Firebox.com (All colours available), priced at £24.95

Click here to visit Amazon.co.uk (Blue, Orange and Red available), priced at £24.95

Click here to visit iwantoneofthose.com (Only Red and Blue available), priced at £29.99

It has won 3 awards at the CES 2009 - Best in Show, Best in Category - Cellphones and Smartphones and it also one the People’s Voice Award.

So why is this new Palm smartphone going to be such a rival to the iPhone?

Well, it has a 3.1in touchscreen, it is 3G capable, it has GPS, has a 3Megapixel camera with LED flash, removable battery and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard!  The combination of the touchscreen and the keyboard are what excites me, and is a big plus point, as the typing on the iPhone is my main complaint!

The Palm Pre’s operating system is something which the rivals will be salivating about and the user interface is a vast improvement on their previous attempts.  It has a “Deck of Cards” effect, in that no window closes when you scroll/toggle between them.

It also uses Palm’s Synergy Tech to pull all of your calendars into one place from Outlook, Facebook, Google etc.

The Palm Pre is also charged wirelessly (Is that a word??) by using a magnetic inductive charger, this holds the phone in place and upright!

The technical specs show that the Palm Pre has a 8 GB internal memory, it’s size is: 59.57 x 100.53 x 16.95mm when it is closed and it weighs 135 grams.

It is due to be released in America in the first half of 2009 on the Sprint Network.  I’ll update this post when I find out when it is due to be released over the pond here in the UK.

Check out this Youtube video below which showed the Palm Pre and the new Palm WebOS at the CES 2009.

Strange name – Minoru – which after a quick google search you’ll find out that in Japanese Minoru is “reality”.  I’ll sure you agree that it’s not just the name that is strange.  It’s a damn odd, if not ugly looking gadget.  The daft looks are from its 2 eyes which are in fact dual cameras.

These cameras are the technical brilliance of the Minoru, which enables it to create the 3 dimensional images.  The images are only seen in 3D if you are wearing some of the 3D glasses.  You know the sort I mean, the 1 red eye, 1 blue eye cardboard type from those old movies!!  I love them, and they are already making a comeback in the modern movies too!

The Minoru also has the ability to be a normal bog-standard, the world is flat, 2D webcam.  But seriously, once I’ve tried this, I doubt I’ll ever want to hold a conversation in the future on Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Google Chat or the good old original AOL Instant Messenger again without using it.  The Minoru is compatible with all these programs!  So lets all chat away in 3D!

The webcam itself is powered by a USB cable and can also be used for taking 3D photos and 3D videos!! The videos can then be uploaded to Youtube…  Hmmm, I wonder if there is a market for creating a 3D-only Youtube-like website?  I may just go do that, before YOU do!

Click here to go to Firebox to check out the Minoru 3D Webcam.

Well then…

What is the Picoo Z (Strange name!!) and why am I blogging about it??

It’s awesome that’s what it is!!!!

I got one as a present last week (I’ve just moved jobs, and the old work-mates knew I was a gadget/toy freak!!). I swear I can get the little blighter to hover now and then aim it at people!

The Picoo Z is a truly amazing indoor flying helicopter, and its brilliant!!!!

For only £19.95 at most online gadget stockists (e.g. Firebox)

Check it out in action on youtube.