Gear4 UnityRemote iPhone app is a universal improvement 
AccessoriesUniversal remote controls are a great idea. Dispense with millions of controllers that clutter up your lounge, save on AA batteries and reduce the confusion suffered by the less technical members of your household. The problem is, universal remote controls are also universally disappointing. So when we got introduced to Gear4's new UnityRemote, we were more than a little bit excited.
Instead of some proprietary hardware controller, you get to use an iPhone or iPod touch to manage all of your AV equipment via an app and a Bluetooth receiver (pictured above). As a result the user interface is high-quality, responsive and user-friendly, which isn't something you can say about most universal remotes. Continue reading...
Samsung Galaxy Tab gets official accessories range
LaptopsSamsung has announced -- and priced -- a range of official accessories for its hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Tab. The selection of Tab kit includes a keyboard dock and a smart-goo case that instantaneously hardens if you drop it.
Samsung is launching two docks for the Android-powered tablet. The first is a portable keyboard dock with connections for charging and 3.5mm audio output. It'll be exclusively available from Carphone Warehouse for six weeks after the Tab's launch, before going on sale at other outlets. It'll cost £70. Continue reading...
You might like these...
Amazon Kindle for Web embeds the first chapter of a book, YouTube-style -- and earns you money
AccessoriesAmazon is giving away the first chapter of a range of books to embed in your website. Kindle for the Web is a new service that lets readers peruse an opening chapter without leaving the web page they are on, before downloading the whole ebook with one click.
Authors and bloggers can embed the Kindle for the Web widget on their site. Click it to see the first chapter in an ebook-style windows in your browser, showing off ebook features such as adjusting fonts, spacing and background colours, and browsing through the chapter. Continue reading...
Cirago HydraDisplay X3: Helps realise your dreams of a mission control at home
AccessoriesYou want to build a NASA style mission control centre in your study, with monitors everywhere and the ability to control every facet of the Internet from your Surbiton-based lair. But there's a problem: you’ve only got one graphics card, or a laptop with just a measly DisplayPort output. What's a geek to do?
Well worry no more, because the HydraDisplay X3 from Cirago offers a solution, of sorts. The small piece of hardware can turn your single DisplayPort into three DVI sockets. There’s also a version that turns a single DisplayPort into three new DisplayPort outputs, although you can just keep plugging more HydraDisplay X3s into each other to create infinite desktops. Continue reading...
Apple live blog: September 2010 music event as it unfolded
MP3 PlayersWelcome to CNET UK's live blog of Apple's September product announcement. We sent our most caffeine-filled journalists to the press conference, to bring you up-to-the-minute updates and UK-focused commentary. Tell us your reactions to Apple's new products in the comments section at the bottom of the page or on the CNET UK Facebook page.
19:30: That's it, folks! Our ringing ears are off for some rest. Make sure you check back later for our first impressions of the new products. Bye! Continue reading...
Canon X Mark I Mouse: Crazy calculator maths mouse mash-up
AccessoriesThree rounds up to one in the Canon X Mark I Mouse, or as we have now christened it, the X Mark I Calcu-mouse. It's a maths-tastic mash-up of a calculator, Bluetooth wireless mouse and numeric keypad that puts the fun into functions and the cool into, er, coolculus.
The Calcu-mouse pairs to your computer via Bluetooth. You can then use the two click buttons, scroll wheel and 1,200dpi sensor to mouse your cursor about like you haven't got a care in the world, or get down to some serious mathematics. Continue reading...
You might like these...
CNET UK Editors' Choice winners July 2010
Home CinemaStrangely for a summer month, July saw a fabulous crop of home-cinema equipment hit our reviews section, with some superb tech to keep people indoors, whatever their budget. If you really insist on going outside, a very fine compact camera and some earphones also won our highly competitive Editors' Choice award. Continue reading...
Photos: Getting fitted for Etymotic hf3 earphones with ACS custom fit buds
MP3 PlayersAll earphones, no matter how advanced or expensive, share a common flaw -- none are actually designed to fit your ears. That's why we followed Formula 1 drivers, the world's best musicians and Jedward and got ourselves fitted for a set of custom fit earphones which, because they're moulded to the contours of your individual ears, promise significantly improved sound quality.
To join this elite club yourself, you'll need to buy a set Etymotic hf3 Customs from the Apple store (£129). Inside the box, you'll find a bunch of rubbish one-size-fits-most earbuds, which you may discard. Also in the box, you'll find a voucher redeemable from a company known as Advanced Communication Solutions (ACS). For an extra £70, these guys will create custom ear moulds which they believe will increase your listening comfort and pleasure. Continue reading...
Apple Magic Trackpad: Ooh, it's magic
LaptopsMacBook users who pine for their trackpad when they're sitting at their desktop computer can now limber up their fingers for the Magic Trackpad, which brings multi-touch gestures to your desktop set-up.
The Magic Trackpad doesn't actually use the dark arts, but it can partner or replace your mouse for flinging your pointer around the screen. You can tap to click or double-click anywhere on the surface, and use two fingers to scroll, flip pages, or rotate an image. Continue reading...
D-Link DHP-307AV pumps the Internets through your powerlines
AccessoriesThe D-Link DHP-307AV powerline kit is simpler than Prince Harry's wordsearch collection. It contains two little white boxes that plug into your mains electrical sockets. You connect one to your broadband router, and the other to a device somewhere in your house that wants to talk to the Internet. And that's it. The Internets then stream all over your home mains system without the need to mess about with dreadful Wi-Fi or messy cabling. Continue reading...
iPhone 4 dock and 500GB hard drive in one: Buffalo Dualie makes this stuff look easy
AccessoriesThere's nothing better at the end of a long hot day than kicking back. Even the iPhone 4 needs to relax, and the Buffalo Dualie helps it look good doing it.
The Dualie combines external 500GB hard drive, iPod dock and USB hub in one two-tone package. Hard drive and iPhone recline in the sleek black and silver dock like a couple of dandies just chillin' out. Yep, just syncing, backing up and charging at the end of a hard day spent rockin' data and lookin' good doin' it. Continue reading...
HDMI 1.4 FAQ: What is it and how will it make my life better?
AccessoriesHDMI has been a part of our life for a few years now. It enables HD video and audio to travel from an HD source, like Blu-ray to our high definition televisions. There have been several revisions, and the latest is known as HDMI 1.4. But what's the big deal about this version?
The people most likely to care about HDMI 1.4 are those intending to buy a 3D TV and Blu-ray player. The new standard is intended to make 3D TVs a bit more user friendly by allowing televisions to auto-switch to the correct mode when they detect a 3D signal. All 3D TVs and Blu-ray players will support HDMI 1.4 from the outset, so TVs will only fail to auto-switch to 3D when being fed a signal from a Sky+HD or other set-top-box that's essentially had 3D support added retrospectively. Continue reading...
Meet the £10,000 iPhone 4 dock
AccessoriesWe knew the iPhone 4 was expensive, but we had hoped that the docks would be more wallet-friendly. Sadly, it seems we were wrong, as this screengrab shows. On the plus side, Cupertino's finest is offering free shipping on the £10,000 accessory, which is a saving, of sorts.
We're pretty sure this was a listing mistake on Apple's part, as the product page for this iPhone 4 dock is now showing it at a more reasonable £25. Although we've no doubt some of the more ferocious fanboys might be prepared to cough up £10k for it --we’re looking at you Stephen Fry. Continue reading...
Asus Eee Tablet: More like an ebook reader
AccessoriesTablet this, tablet that -- these days, the news is full of more tablets than a branch of Boots. But when is a tablet not a tablet? When it's an Asus Eee Tablet, that's when.
The Eee Tablet isn't a tablet in the sense everybody else means at the moment. It's not a flat portable PC like the iPad, JooJoo or Asus' own Eee Pad EP121 and EP101TC, also announced today. Instead, it's a flat portable take on the graphics tablet, like the Wacom Bamboo range. But really it's an ebook reader and digital notepad. Continue reading...
CNET UK Editors' Choice winners April 2010
GadgetsApril was a goodly month. As spring sprang, we reacquainted ourselves with the outside world. Then decided we preferred it indoors and sat down to review some cracking tech. Allow us to present, for your delectation, four products deemed worthy of a prestigious CNET UK Editors' Choice award. Continue reading...
ViewSonic VMP72 media player early review: Video-format warrior
Accessories
Remember the tiny, ickle ViewSonic VMP30 media player we tested back in November -- the one that claimed to handle 1080p video but struggled slightly? Well we've recently had a chance to take a look at its bigger brother, the VMP72, which ViewSonic says addresses the problems of its smaller sibling.
The VMP72 certainly looks the part. Whereas the VMP30 resembled something that had fallen out of a cracker, the VMP72, while quite plasticky, is pretty fetching and should blend well with your existing AV set-up. Continue reading...
Conceptronic Grab'n'go CH3MNAS early review: Compact home for your data
AccessoriesNetwork attached storage isn't new -- plenty of devices out there offer solutions for your home network. A couple of things about the Conceptronic CH3MNAS, however, caught our eye. This model is one of three network-storage devices Conceptronic sells -- the others are a simpler NAS and a much more basic network hard drive. It can accept two drives up to 4TB and has a number of different ways to help you protect your data.
The CH3MNAS is a petite machine, which we really like, because space for things like this is always limited, and our other halves don't really like technological things cluttering up the place. Continue reading...
Sony MDR-RF4000K and MDR-RF810RK: Slick and sexy wireless headphones
AccessoriesSony has removed the veils from a pair of headphones that aim to satisfy style-conscious audiophiles with a distaste for wires: the MDR-RF4000K (pictured) and MDR-RF810RK.
The higher-end MDR-RF4000K headphones offer wireless sound at distances of up to 30m from the base unit. That doesn't really compete with the capability of Sennheiser's RS 180 lossless headphones, which can keep their signal at distances of up to 100m, although you'd really need to live in a mansion to fully exploit that potential. Continue reading...
Wacom Cintiq 21UX early review: Quick on the draw
AccessoriesWacom has redesigned its 21-inch Cintiq tablet screen. The 21UX has added new touch-sensitive controls and increased its sensitivity, making it an even more powerful tool for artists, designers, and geeks with delusions of artistic ability.
Wacom is noted for making tablets such as the multitouch-sensitive Wacom Bamboo Fun Touch, which let you draw on to the tablet and have your scribblings appear onscreen. The Cintiq 12UX and 21UX go even further, allowing you to draw straight on to the screen. Continue reading...
Western Digital Passport Studio hard drives: Why didn't we think of this sooner?
AccessoriesSometimes a product makes us wish we could travel back in time and steal the idea for ourselves, thereby becoming millionaires. While the idea behind Western Digital's new range of hard drives probably wouldn't make us insanely rich, it would make everyone's life slightly easier.
The My Passport Studio range of hard-drives come in 320GB, 500GB and 640GB flavours, and like the earlier My Book range will display the drive's remaining capacity on a digital screen on the front. Continue reading...
iPhone App 
Newsletters 
RSS Feeds 
Send Us Tips 
