Canon EOS 550D: Increment schmincrement
Possibly to the dismay of those who shelled out for a 500D just nine months ago, Canon presents a new dSLR: the 550D. The new camera doesn't replace last year's consumer model, however, it just sits next to it on the shelf, looking smug and making the 500D feel dowdy.
That sneering superiority is justified by an upgrade to 18 megapixels from 15, and the addition of selectable frame rates -- 30, 25 or 24 frames per second -- on its Full HD 1080p video recording. High-speed 60 and 50fps video is available at 720p. The display has also been buffed up, with the 500D's 920,000-pixel resolution improved to 1 million pixels. It seems megapixel displays are the new megapixel sensors. Continue reading...
LG Mini GD880: Miniature by name, minuscule by nature
LG has unveiled its latest effort in the mobile-phone arena -- the GD880. If you find that name a little tricky to wrap your tongue around, you'll be delighted to learn it also goes by the Mini moniker.
As you may have guessed, the Mini's main draw will be its size. When it's released to European markets in March, the Mini will be rocking a decidedly petite, 81mm (3.2-inch) touchscreen. Continue reading...
BenQ W600: Low-cost gaming and entertainment projector
Projectors aren't for everyone: they take a certain size room and very specific lighting conditions to really work properly. The gigantic HD image is worth the effort though, and for far less money than an equivalent-sized TV. The BenQ W600 costs around £500 if you shop around, and will throw an image of up to 300 inches, in theory. Gamers rejoice: this is a dream come true.
Although the BenQ only has a resolution of 1,280x720 pixels, that's probably more than enough for most people, especially if you don't get too ambitious with the image size you're going for. Because it's a DLP projector, you'll get a sharp image, with some pretty decent colours. Continue reading...
Canon PowerShot SX210 IS, Digital IXUS 210, 130, 105: Make life worth living again 
Canon has announced four cameras whose fruity colours aim to make life worth living again for those trapped in the interminable grey misery of the British winter: the PowerShot SX210 IS compact superzoom (pictured), and Digital IXUS 210, 130 and 105 compacts.
The SX210 IS, the successor to the PowerShot SX200 IS, wears the pants in this little menagerie, boasting a 14.1-megapixel resolution and a 14x wide-angle optical zoom. Like the IXUS 210 and 130, it can also record 720p video (the SX210 IS can zoom while recording too). Films can be played back on its 76mm (3-inch) LCD display, or a high-definition TV via the mini-HDMI port. Continue reading...
Toyota Prius recalled: Brake issue hits UK
Toyota's not having a brilliant 2010. As if having to recall a whopping 180,865 vehicles in the UK from the Auris, Avensis, Aygo, Corolla, iQ, Verso and Yaris ranges for having dodgy accelerator pedals wasn't embarassing enough, it's now announced a global recall of its third-generation Prius due to rubbish brakes. We wish we'd known that before we filmed our video review -- we might not have driven it quite so fast.
The problem was thought only to affect North American and Japanese models, with Toyota claiming as recently as 3 February that it had received "no reported problems in the UK or Europe". The company appears to have eaten a giant slice of humble pie, however, admitting just six days later that every Prius built before 27 January 2010 -- including 8,500 cars in the UK -- will be recalled over safety concerns.
Continue reading...
Google to add status updates to Gmail, scare bejeezus out of Facebook
Google is set to add Facebook-style status updates to Gmail, according to sources quoted by our sister site CNET News. The move is an effort by the search behemoth to jump-start its social-networking strategy. A raft of recent hires in that area have sought to counteract the view that Google is too unwield to respond to the nimble challenges of Facebook, which is planning to take on Gmail with its own email service. Continue reading...
Microsoft Sidewinder X4 early review: Ain't afraid of no ghost
What do hardcore gamers fear most? No, it's not being told to get out the house and find a job -- although that can be pretty terrifying. The correct answer is ghosts. More specifically, ghosting: the unpleasant gaming phenomenon when a keyboard can't handle the amount of keys being pressed down, and fails to register any additional inputs.
When performing the kind of nimble-fingered hand gymnastics most gamers find essential, a crucial key press failing to register can be fist-through-screen frustrating. Microsoft's Sidewinder X4 exorcises this problem -- an unconventional wiring setup means you can hit up to 26 keys at once without any hits failing to register. Continue reading...
Panasonic DMP-BD65 early review: Blu-ray sturdiness
This is the year you're going to buy into Blu-ray. How do we know this? The hardware is finally approaching affordability, the number of homes with an HDTV is increasing every week and we can't see people not wanting high-quality video to go with them. Panasonic is launching several players this year, each aimed at encouraging you to take the plunge into the Blu-ray lagoon.
Does the Panasonic DMP-BD65 move things on? Not especially: this is a risk-free proposition from Panasonic. A profile 2.0 player with support for JPEG images, MP3 audio and some limited video formats, such as MPEG-4 SD and DivX HD. It is, however, a stylish and compact player that will happily slip into the gap vacated by your ageing DVD player. It's good to see Blu-ray players finally get down a dress size or two and look like modern products rather than VHS decks. Continue reading...
Facebook plans Gmail killer, revamps useless photo uploader
Not content with redesigning its homepage for the forty-billionth time, Facebook is powering into 2010 with yet more changes up its two-tone sleeves. A full revamp of its unreliable photo uploader will be welcomed with sobbing relief by users with thousands of unshared pics of them drinking, but it's a huge overhaul of the messaging inbox that could have the biggest consequences. Continue reading...
MSI Wind U135 early review: Pine fresh
We first clapped eyes on the MSI Wind U135 back in January at the 2010 CES in Las Vegas. We were pretty damn smitten with it too, as it was the first netbook we'd come across to use Intel's new battery-friendly Pine View CPU. Today, back in London town, we've got one of our own to play with and figured we'd tell you about it while we work on a full review.
Not much has changed since we first spotted it. Its glossy black finish isn't particularly inventive, and the large MSI logo on the lid won't win you any mates, but it feels good and solid, so you could use it as a bludgeoning weapon against anyone who dares question your taste. Failing that, you could just insist on showing them the netbook's glorious 'chiclet' keyboard, whose shallow, isolated buttons could fool the uninitiated into thinking the Wind U135 was a Sony. Continue reading...
