This little audio/video spy camera from Chinavision will put a touch of James Bond in your Juicy Fruit. Sized perfectly to slide inconspicuously into a gum wrapper, swallowing the camera in dire emergencies will become far more palatable. Sure the specs leave a lot to be desired, as a 176x144 video in 3GP format (mobile phone MPEG4) isn't going to convince any international court that these women having towel fights in locker rooms need to be stopped. But the 2GB MicroSD slot should make room for plenty of video. -Mark Wilson
[product via 7gadgets]
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I never got the whole toy collecting bit [comic collecting cleaned me out] but this guy obviously did and is selling his massive Star Wars collection off on eBay for a cool £17,000.
There are over 1,100 modern carded Star Wars action figures, not to mention a host of other goodies including, 15 carded Spawn figures, Marvel figures, 15 carded Austin Powers figures, an 18in Mini Me, 18in Hellboy Tower Records exclusive, 16in Ozzy Osbourne 'Bark at the Moon' Werewolf and “many, many more misc. figures.”
You will need a spare room for all of this or, as the seller suggests, this lot is probably enough to open your own toy store. As for postage, we are not talking about boxes here, but pallets. It will take 2-3 pallets to get this lot shipped which, to the US alone, would cost almost £500.-Martin Lynch
[Izreloaded and eBay]
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Tomb Raider: Anniversary for the Xbox 360 has finally arrived as downloadable episodes on Xbox Live - despite having been promised for September.
The game has been out for a few weeks with retailers but Eidos Interactive says this is the first time that a full game has been sold as a download on Xbox LIVE – if you don’t count some expansions.
The first two instalments comes as a 1.5GB download will cost around 1200 Microsoft points [over £10] so if you only have an already stuffed 20GB drive, you have been warned.
"We have created this version of Anniversary specifically for digital distribution as episodic content," said Jane Cavanagh, chief executive at Eidos, speaking to PCW.
"This is part of our strategy to grow our presence in online and digital distribution as we believe there are huge opportunities in this format and we intend to capitalise on the increasing demand for digitally downloaded content. Lara has always been at the forefront of technology and this world first with Microsoft highlights that fact. Ultimately we also intend to make the title available at retail so that it reaches the maximum possible audience."
Episodes 3 and 4 will follow in the coming months as another 1.5GB download. So, are downloadable full games a good or bad deal for gamers?-Martin Lynch
games xbox console tomb raider
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Creative is celebrating this week, after hitting the 25 million milestone in MP3 players sales and cementing its No. 2 status after Apple. To coincide, the company has quietly beefed up its Zen Stone Plus MP3 players, with much bigger capacities, while retaining that cute little blue OLED display. Sadly, the funky colours of the existing models have been faded to just one - black.
The old version topped out at 2GB but the new ones will come in at 4GB and 8GB, in a device that measures 53.6 x 35.4 x 12.8mm and weighs 18.5g. Battery life is rated at 15 hours and there’s now added support for AAC music files as well as an FM radio.
Technical Details
* Shapely, ergonomic design in glossy black, with subtle colour highlights
* 1GB model in black/orange stores up to 500 songs*
* 2GB model in black/green stores up to 1000 songs
* * 4GB model in black/blue stores up to 2000 songs
* * 8GB model in black/blue stores up to 4000 songs
* All models support MP3, WMA and Audible Audio
* Built-in FM radio with 32 presets
* Microphone for live voice notes
* Records from line-in direct to WMA without a PC
* Intuitive Creative interface with joystick control makes navigation through content natural and easy
* Plays video clips on the bright 1.5-inch OLED screen
* Rechargeable battery supports up to 15 hours playtime
*Assumes four-minute tracks at 64kbps in WMA.
The 4GB unit costs £70 and the 8GB version – which will be available soon – will cost £100. Let's put it this way - a 1GB iPod Shuffle with no radio, no OLED display and shorter battery life, costs £50.
You can find Amazon selling the 4GB model here.-Martin Lynch
MP3 music creative zen
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It will come as little surprise to anyone following the iPhone saga but new research has pointed out that most UK shoppers will not be slipping an iPhone into a loved one’s Christmas stocking because it's just too damned expensive.
Market watchers, GfK NOP, found that 72% would not buy an iPhone because of the price. The survey polled 500 people and found that although the iPhone brand was well recognised, only a measly 2% considered it as a Christmas purchase.
I'm thinking of adding it to my Christmas list 2%
I quite like it but there are lots of other phones I'm also thinking about 5%
I like the look of it but it is too expensive 26%
I'm never going to buy it at that price! 46%
Forget about it, I don't like it 8%
I've never heard of it and it doesn't interest me 12%
Richard Jameson of GfK NOP commented:
"Apple’s history proves that it has the magic touch when it comes to product development and marketing, however the iPhone has yet to capture the imagination of the UK public. iPhone hype is in full-force, but our data shows that it is very much a considered purchase, with its high price turning many consumers off. We must take into account that the UK mobile market’s success has been down to subsidised handsets, therefore the iPhone’s price really stands out and consumers are not used to paying in excess of £200 for a phone.”
"This is a highly competitive market and the mobile phone manufacturers have very strong brand loyalty. Apple needs more than cutting–edge design to penetrate this market and will have to work much harder in the UK than it did in the US to make iPhone a mass-market proposition.”
So, will Apple do what it did in the US and cut the price soon after launch? Doubtful, but there's always hope.-Martin Lynch
iphone apple mobile phone
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Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
Contributor | Tamlin Magee
