The rocker’s radio returns

Even though it was released four years ago demand is still high for Pure’s classic Marshall amp-style DAB radio, with Marshall enthusiasts snapping them up on eBay for around the £150 mark.

A new version has been announced – called the Pure Evoke 1S Marshall – which will now pick up FM as well as DAB and has an auxiliary output for hooking up your iPod or MP3 player. It can run on batteries too – the original was mains-only.

In true Marshall tradition, you can indeed turn the volume dial up to 11.

It’s due out next month as a HMV-exclusive and will set you back £120. An additional speaker can also be purchased for £34.99.

This is the droid you’re looking for

Last week Samsung had a laugh at Apple’s expense by mocking their iPhone 4 woes via an advert printed in the daily newspapers. This week Motorola are at it with an advert for the Droid X:

The “jacket”, for those not up to speed, refers to the plastic case required for the iPhone 4 to maintain a strong signal.

Guess the gadget

Have a look at the assortment of boxes in the image above and try and guess what they are. If you guessed USB toothbrush sanitiser then you guessed correctly. You are clearly some type of God – well done.

The idea of the UVMini – to give it its proper name – is that you put your toothbrush inside and a UV light will destroy 99.99% of the nasties living on your brush. It has a rechargeable battery which is charged via USB – 1 hour of charging allows 7-8 uses.

A somewhat cheaper, and less bizarre, option is to simply soak your toothbrush in mouthwash once a week as the alcohol contained in the mouthwash will kill the germs.

Tomorrow on Bitade:  How to get your bathroom tiles looking like new.

Apple’s magical trackpad

It was rumoured a few months ago, and now it’s actually real – the Magic Trackpad. It is basically the trackpad from a MacBook, in standalone form. So if you’re fed up with mice and want to make your desktop computing experience feel more like fiddling with a laptop, you can connect the Magic Trackpad to your computer via Bluetooth and get some of that finger-swiping, multi-touch action.

On the one hand, Apple’s multi-touch trackpads are the best in the industry and one of the few things that really make MacBooks better than PC alternatives… but why exactly you’d want to use a trackpad rather than a superior mouse, well that seems a little confusing (afterall, even most MacBook users connect a mouse to their laptop). We’re not exactly sure what to make of this.

Lend me your ears

The problem with buying earphones is that you can’t try them on in the shop. This means that just have to cross your fingers and hope that they fit snugly in your ears once you get them out of the packet.

JHAudio have found a solution to this predicament – custom made earphones, make via a mold of your very own earlobe. As well as fitting perfectly another benefit is that they’ll drastically cut out the amount of background noise.

And now the bad news – the service isn’t cheap. The cheapest pair is the JH|10X3 PRO which will set you back $799 – just over £500. The prices go right up to $1,149 – truly an amount that only a popstar would be able to afford

Boarding with BA? There’s an app for that

Worried about misplacing or forgetting to print off your boarding pass? Worry no more – British Airways have released an iPhone app that lets users download their boarding pass, which can then be scanned when checking in.

Handily, the app also includes flight details including check-in and boarding times, flight search, live details on arrivals and departures and a link to the BA Twitter feed.

Chris Davies, head of digital marketing at BA, had this to say:

“Mobility and convenience is key for our customers, so that no matter where they are, they can turn to their mobile phones to find the very latest information about flights, check in times and even access boarding passes allowing them to stay one step ahead. It’s all about improving the customer experience. We’re committed to putting our customers in charge, making the British Airways’ travel experience even easier.”

Versions for Blackberry and Android phones are due soon, according to the BA website.

Apple throw their toys out of the pram

Oh Apple, have a little dignity, eh? Not content with holding a press conference to basically deny the iPhone 4′s antenna issues as a significant problem (whilst giving out free cases or refunds to all iPhone buyers – a great sign that there’s absolutely no problem at all…), Apple have now taken to saying it’s a problem with all other phones too. They say they’re shooting back – except it wasn’t the other manufacturers who highlighted this problem, it was the thousands of iPhone users who complained they couldn’t get the signal to make a phone call!

We’re sure if you wrap most phones in tinfoil or smash them with a hammer, they lose signal. However, most don’t drop calls when accidentally touched by a pinky finger. Now Apple, how about you stop being shits about this and just own up like a big boy. “Billy did it too, mummy!” really isn’t an excuse for a company with a defective product.

Samsung Galaxy S says Hello

A rather witty newspaper advert for the Samsung Galaxy S. In addition, Samsung have even been giving away free Galaxy S phones to disgruntled iPhone 4 users on Twitter. Nice one Samsung.

Aiptek’s affordable 3D camcorder amazes

The internet is buzzing with news that Panasonic are set to unveil a cheaper version of their 3D camcorder – the AG-3DA1 – in Japan next week. The AG-3DA1 was the first ever 3D camcorder to be released, but it certainly wasn’t for the everyday consumer – it costs $21,000 with lenses that are made to order.

It seems funny, then, that the upcoming release of the Aiptek 3D HD 720P Camcorder is pretty much being ignored. It’s not quite in the same league as the AG-3DA1 but it can shoot 3D images in HD and does it at a much cheaper cost.

The way it works sounds rather simple – two 5MP lenses capture images from slightly different angles. Once you’ve finished shooting the two images are then merged together to form a 3D view. The preview screen displays playback in 3D without the need for glasses, much like the Nintendo 3DS.

You do need to wear 3D glasses though when showing off your videos on a 3D HD TV or 3D monitor. The image above was captured using the camera option – looks good, no?

It’s available to pre-order now from Amazon.com for $199.99. More information can be found on the Aiptek website.

LX5 – the son of the awesome LX3

The Panasonic Lumix LX3 was pretty awesome. Even after its release in November 2008, it remains one of the best non-DSLR digital cameras on the market and has mostly retained its original price due to its popularity among photography geeks (we’d argue the Canon Powershot S90 is probably the best little digital camera on the market today, but let’s not split hairs).

Now Panasonic have unveiled this season’s new cameras, including the Panasonic Lumix LX5, which is pretty much a direct upgrade and sequel to the LX3 (they don’t like the number 4 much in Asia).

It’s very similar to the LX3 but that’s not such a bad thing. It looks almost identical and has the same number of megapixels (10 of them), though the CCD sensor has been improved and it sports a newer Leica lens. In addition to taking high quality photos, it can also record 720p HD video.

Interested? It will be available in August for $499.

Samsung’s Galaxy Beam projection looks good

Samsung’s Galaxy Beam has become the first mobile phone to come with a built-in projector. It’s capable of displaying images varying from 5 to 50 inches in size, and in order to power it the phoned been also given the biggest capacity mobile phone battery ever – 1800 mAh.

I think Samsung have found a nice little niche here – it’s idea for business men who don’t want to lug around a projector to show off their newest spreadsheets. The appeal goes further than that too – it’s also ideal for keen photographers or movie fans who don’t want to watch a movie on a tiny little screen. That said, it would be a little impossible to use a projector on somewhere like a train or while waiting for a bus.

Sadly, it’s currently only available on the Samsung Singapore website with no word on a worldwide release.

Stand up, look sharp

Nokia are toying with the idea of releasing a mobile that will, quite literally, stand and deliver when you have a message.

The Nokia Kinetic is only a prototype at the moment and works via an electro-magnet housed in the bottom of the handset. When a call or text arrives the magnet moves position to make the phone stand upright.

My question to Nokia is this: wouldn’t it look a bit dodgy if it went off in your trousers?