Gadgets
Digital Britain: How would Crave have made Britain Digital?
The dust is settling on the Digital Britain report and we have to say, we're really disappointed. We wanted better broadband, and all we got was a tax on phone lines to pay for some slow Internet connections for people who can't get anything at the moment. We wanted a proposal for ultra-fast fibre-based networks, but that was just hinted at -- no real plan seems to be in place to make it happen.
Worst of all, DAB is now the system of choice for analogue radio switchover. We like the idea of DAB, but the audio quality of the stations isn't a patch on FM, and at this rate it never will be. We're so frustrated by the fact that in the UK, digital seems to mean 'worse quality than analogue, but millions more rubbish channels to watch or listen to'. Continue reading...
Digital Britain: Wave goodbye to high-quality FM radio
We've long maintained that the idea of digital radio is a good one. We also like DAB, on the whole, but we can see it has quite a number of very obvious failings too. But now the government has announced in its Digital Britain report that it will be migrating all radio to DAB, and that it plans to switch off analogue radio by 2015. There's a substantial caveat here, in that at least 50 per cent of all radio listening will need to be via DAB before they'll consider flipping the switch.
We aren't yet sure how the government thinks it's going to get DAB listening up to such high levels. It's claimed it will work with vehicle manufacturers to ensure digital radios are installed in cars, which has been a massive barrier in the take-up of DAB. But even with brand-new cars potentially getting new radios, where does that leave the millions of older cars on the road? We can't scrap them all, even for a discount on our next vehicle. Continue reading...
Digital Britain: Download illegally and lose your right to privacy
It was today announced that the massive waste of space known to many as Ofcom would be getting some new powers with which to annoy the British public. The government's Digital Britain report included anti-piracy measures (PDF link) meaning that people sharing files via P2P networks would find themselves warned first, but then have their details passed to rights-holders if they didn't cease trading files.
It appears that the technologically ignorant and ill-informed people who are in charge of running this country into the ground have failed to grasp the reality of the situation once again. They have heard the buzzwords around downloading (read: been berated by handsomely paid film-industry lobbyists) and assume that by hitting P2P file sharers they will bring a halt to what they call piracy. Indeed, they are so confident that they believe they can reduce illegal downloading by 70 per cent in the next two years. Continue reading...
Digital Britain: Read our lips, phone line taxes are on the way
It was probably inevitable, but if BT wasn't prepared to spend money upgrading the broadband infrastructure for those who live in far-flung locations, it would be the British public who would have to pick up the tab. In its Digital Britain report, the government announced today that every fixed phone line in the UK would be liable for a tax. The money generated by this 'levy' will help pay for broadband in outlying regions -- it's expected that everyone will have access to broadband by 2012.
The tax, which will apparently amount to around £6 per year (50p per month) per line, is intended to enable every home in the country to access broadband Internet services at a minimum speed of 2Mbps. This is great news for people who are stuck using dial-up and have no hope of BT ever providing them with ADSL services. Continue reading...
Cashback: What's the deal with QuidCo?
The world is astonishingly short of free lunches, unless you're a journalist like me. But free money? Now that's something I can help with. In fact, a Web site called QuidCo has plopped hundreds of pounds into the pockets of both myself and my co-editor Ian Morris, not for our ringing endorsement but for buying stuff through the site we'd buy anyway. Why not you too?
What is QuidCo?
It's a free-to-join UK cashback system. You've probably heard of sites such as Confused.com and MoneySupermarket -- they have deals with businesses such as insurance companies, who pay these find-a-good-deal sites whenever they refer someone who buys one of their products. Customers get a bargain, and the sites get paid commission as a result.
Continue reading...
Heinz Beanzawave: USB-powered microwave
Heinz has partnered with Frazer Designers to invent the world's smallest USB-powered microwave, the Beanzawave. The device aims to satisfy the appetites of office workers who have so much work on their plate they can't find the time to step outside for a bite to eat.
The small turquoise device is officially the smallest microwave ever invented, measuring 157 by 188 by 150mm. Much like today's external hard drives, the microwave is entirely powered by the USB bus on a computer, so there's no extra plug necessary. Continue reading...
OLED data glasses put Internet in your face
If you thought there were enough menaces on the road with people yakking away on Bluetooth headsets and texting while driving, these concept OLED data glasses just upped the ante.
Just imagine if this little invention -- from the wonderfully Teutonic sounding Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems -- were to hit mainstream use. We'd have a global epidemic of distracted users plugged into their eyewear, busily accessing the day's news, emails, IMs and Twitter on their glasses, barely paying attention to where they're going. Continue reading...
Complete our survey for a chance to win £500
Here at CNET Towers, we're continually busting our guts to improve the site and make it more relevant to our readers. As such, we'd like to invite you to fill out our rather wonderful user survey, giving us a few details about your habits to enable us to better serve your good selves.
What's more, in exchange for no more than 8 minutes of your time, you'll have the opportunity to enter into a prize draw for 500 of the finest English pounds. That, dear readers, is potentially £62.50 per minute of your time -- a fine rate, we think you'll agree.Continue reading...
CNET UK in pictures: @cnetuk's daily Twitter gallery 
They say a picture speaks a thousand words, but in this case a picture speaks 140 characters. Welcome to CNET UK's Twitter picture gallery, where we'll be lifting the curtain, breaking the fourth wall, and going behind the scenes on just what goes on at the UK's biggest and best consumer technology review site. You'll meet the team, see what we get up to at press launches, watch the CNET UK Podcast being recorded, and see outtakes from our video and product shoots. Continue reading...
Yubipoki virtual knuckle cracker: Intimidation without the arthritis
If you want to intimidate those around you without risking the onset of arthritis, you might like to consider the Yubipoki virtual knuckle cracker.
According to Strapya World, which sells the product, the idea is to look tough, since "you always see fighters cracking their knuckles before they start fighting". At a piddling 500 yen (£3), though, don't expect this gimmick to be crackingly loud (it sounds tinny in the video below) or to last more than a few good cracks. Continue reading...
