Viewsonic’s 24in Display Doubles As HDTV

Viewsonic has launched a 24in widescreen desktop monitor designed to be used comfortably as both a PC display and high defintion TV (HDTV).

The new VX2435wm is certainly one of the biggest desktop monitors out there and it comes – unusually – with HDMI inputs so that users can easily use it as a HDTV, by hooking up a PS3, Sky HD box, Blu-ray or HD DVD player or high definition-enabled Xbox 360. Most monitors still only feature the older DVI input for showing high-def sources. It also sports component, S-video and composite connections.

The display has a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, a high contrast ratio of 1000:1, a reasonable response time of 8ms and a brightness rating of 500cd/m². It features in-built stereo speakers and can also be wall-mounted to help save on that valuable desktop real-estate.

Out now, it costs around £530 and you can find more details here.

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Apple Debuts iTunes Plus: Bye-Bye DRM

Apple has kicked off the world’s first copyright-free music download service with the introduction of iTunes Plus.

Thanks to its recent deal with big music publisher EMI, iPod owners will now be able to download music without the dreaded DRM (Digital Rights Management) copyright protection software. Of course, there will be a price to pay in the shape of a 20p bump in price to 99p per download.

This is not so bad though since the DRM-free tracks are double the quality of regular iTunes downloads. Tracks are encoded at 256kbps, versus the usual 128kbps. In addition, iTunes users can upgrade any previously downloaded EMI tracks or albums to the higher quality versions [20p per track or around £2 per album] with a single mouse-click.

“Our customers are very excited about the freedom and amazing sound quality of iTunes Plus”, said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We expect more than half of the songs on iTunes will be offered in iTunes Plus versions by the end of this year”.

Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group, commented: “This is a tremendous milestone for digital music, Consumers  are going to love listening to higher quality iTunes Plus tracks from their favourite EMI artists with no usage restrictions”.

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iPod Gets First DAB Radio Portable

iPod users will soon be able to listen to DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) radio with the unveiling of an innovative egg-shaped add-on.

Digital radio specialists Roberts Radio and Frontier Silicon have teamed up to create what they claim is the first DAB/FM plug-in for iPods. It’s also possibly the smallest DAB radio on the market. The small, egg-shaped device measures 52.4 x 32.0 x 8.1mm and is based on Frontier Silicon’s Kino 2 DAB IC. It can also be used to browse and control music stored on the iPod.

iPod owners – and there are millions of them in the UK - have often complained that they cannot receive radio broadcasts. Now, both companies are hoping the floodgates will open when the £50 DAB egg launches this October, in time for the all-important Christmas rush.

“The iPod lets listeners take their music collection with them wherever they go,” said Leslie Burrage, CEO of Roberts Radio. “With this accessory they can now choose to listen to live DAB or FM broadcasts anywhere they take their iPod – a must have for the Christmas present list!”

Anthony Sethill, CEO, Frontier Silicon added: “Our world-class engineering team has designed a technology first – the smallest and lowest-power DAB radio available. It’s an exciting initiative that will bring a new generation of listeners to DAB radio and greatly increase the penetration of DAB across Europe.”

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Mordaunt-Short Sounds Out New Speakers

Mordaunt Short has unveiled details of a new family of high-quality, midrange speakers for hi-fi lovers and has promised a home cinema version is coming soon.

Due in September, the Mezzo range currently comprises the Mezzo 2 stand-mount and Mezzo 6 floor-standing speakers. Mordaunt Short are already well regarded for making excellent 5:1 surround packages that look good and don’t break the bank.

Taking centre-stage in the new curved speakers will be the company’s Aspirated Tweeter Technology, which comes from the high-end Performance series. It’s represented by a 25mm aluminium dome tweeter with vents in the top that, apparently, allow it to ‘breathe’ in audio terminology. The result is meant to be a wider and more detailed sound.

The Mezzo 2 and 6 speakers will be priced at £400 and £800, respectively.

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Sonos Wireless Music System Gets Cheaper

Sonos has responded to user feedback by announcing a new multi-room music system that promises to be kinder to your pocket.

The Bundle 130 is designed to let you play and control your music wirelessly in two rooms. The company says the £699 bundle is a direct response to European customer feedback demanding a cheaper introductory bundle. The company’s products have received consistently good reviews but people have always complained that they were too expensive. The new bundle is 20 per cent cheaper than the price of the individual components.

The 130 comprises the Sonos ZonePlayer 80 (ZP80), one ZonePlayer 100 (ZP100) and one Controller 100 (CR100). You hook up the ZonePlayer 80 to your hi-fi system or home cinema kit, while the ZonePlayer 100 can be connected to speakers anywhere in the house. The remote controller can then be used anywhere to access your digital music library, streaming the music to the speakers via the ZonePlayer 100.

“Sonos strives to make it easy for consumers to purchase, set up and enjoy music all over the house with our wireless digital music system,” said John MacFarlane, CEO of Sonos. “This new bundle is the best value for a music lover to enjoy music in two rooms and control it all from the palm of their hand.”

Find out more about the Bundle 130 here.

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The First Heated Keyboard

I’m not sure how cold your workplace has to be in order to justify buying a heated computer product, but would you buy a heated keyboard?

We are all familiar, and bored, with the many heated computer mice out there but the V8 Tools Heated Computer Keyboard claims to be the first keyboard with inner fire. It comes with two heat settings: Low heat (85-90 degrees Fahrenheit) which is normal hand temperature and High Heat (95-100 degrees Fahrenheit) which is classed as normal body temperature.

It consumes 20Watts which isn’t a lot and the heat can be turned off once the blizzards pass. Still, it’s hardly a design icon. The heating technology might be 21^st century but the styling stopped somewhere back in the 1990s.

You freezing hordes can pick it up here for under £24.

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The PSP Phone From Sony and BT

The PSP is set to become a phone, Internet browser and video conferencing tool thanks a new deal between Sony and BT.

BT and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) have signed a four year deal to help transform the PSP by adding wireless broadband functionality including high quality handheld video calls, voice calls and messaging. The announcement confirms rumours that Sony was planning to expand the PSP beyond its gaming and entertainment roots.

There are 24 million PSPs around the world, 8 million of them in EMEA. A deal like this is certainly going to give some Apple honchos something to think about, just a month before the official US launch of the iPhone.

BT will be Sony's lead wireless communications partner across 102 SCEE territories but the UK – for a change – will be the first the to get the new PSP extras. Whenever it arrives, that is, since no date has been set. The technology used will based on BT’s IP-network, 21CN, and will add BT Broadband and other ’softphone’ products to the PSP.

Sony recently launched its clip-on Web-cam, the Go-cam [pictured] and it’s now good to know that the PSP with added wireless broadband features, will be able to do more than just capture that video.

Steve Andrews, BT chief, mobility and convergence, commented: “The PSP is an excellent device for both gaming and communications, because of its high quality screen and audio capabilities. With over 8 million PSPs shipped across Europe, we are very excited by the opportunity to give customers a whole new communications experience, connecting and seeing friends across the world through BT’s technology.”

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LG Says ‘Touch Me’

If you haven’t already fallen for the iPod then there are plenty of other digital media players to choose from. LG has just launched its latest entrant in the portable video/MP3 player wars with the ‘Touch Me’ [MFFM37] player.

Measuring 51.5 x 90 x 10.4mm, it’s a neatly sized and good-looking player with a brushed aluminium finish and a touch-screen – a feature that is becoming increasingly popular.

It supports playback of a wide variety of file formats, including MP3,WMA and OGG music files, BMP, JPEG, and GIF photo files and MPEG4, WMV, and H.264 video files. Videos can be displayed on the 2.4in LCD display with a resolution of 320×240 pixels. LG’s Mobile XD promises to boost picture quality by automatically adjusting colour, contrast and brightness. There’s also the 10EQ graphic equaliser with numerous presets.

It connects to the PC via USB 2.0 for file transfers and it has 4GB of memory, which is average but nothing to write home about. There’s no price or availability on this yet but you can see all the specs on LG’s site here.

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Steinway Moves From Pianos To Hi-Fi

World-famous piano maker Steinway & Sons is to enter the world of high-end audio by launching a limited edition series of audio-video equipment.

The company has teamed up with Lyngdorf Audio to creata lovely looking series of audio video products under the name, Steinway Lyngdorf. The joint ventures says it will offer:

“Unsurpassed performance, exceptional value and, most importantly, an extraordinary experience for discerning clientele the world over.”

If £75,000 represents ‘exceptional value’ then this Model D music system could be the brand for you. It comes with a full set of speakers and a receiver that uses Lyngdorf’s RoomPerfect automatic acoustic calibration system, so that set-up is easy in any environment.

“We have sought for some time to expand the Steinway & Sons brand into the high performance digital sound system market," said Steinway & Sons executive vice president, Frank Mazurco. “In Peter Lyngdorf, one of the audio industry's most respected innovators and pioneers, we have found a
kindred spirit in terms of an uncompromising commitment to excellence, incomparable craftsmanship and quality. Steinway Lyngdorf creates products that are truly worthy of the Steinway name, offering unsurpassed performance, exceptional value and, most importantly, an extraordinary experience for discerning clientele the world over.” 

There are only 100 of these planned so get saving now.

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Amazon To Dump DRM Music

Amazon has announced that it will sell digital music without the controversial DRM copyright technology later this year.

The company aims to open a digital music store in a few months that will sell millions of songs in DRM-free format from 12,000 record labels. This is good news for consumers, who will be able to burn them to CDs or transfer them easily between different types of music players or computers. Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology was introduced to prevent piracy but prevents people from doing what they like with the downloaded music they have paid for.

Amazon will be dipping into the vast stores of record label EMI, which recently became the first of the ‘Big 5’ record labels to dump copyright – albeit for a small price through Apple’s iTunes.

“Our MP3-only strategy means all the music that customers buy on Amazon is always DRM-free and plays on any device," said Jeff Bezos [pictured], Amazon.com founder and CEO. “We're excited to have EMI joining us in this effort and look forward to offering our customers MP3s from amazing artists like Coldplay, Norah Jones and Joss Stone.”

“Amazon has been an important retail partner of ours, and we are delighted they will be offering consumers EMI's new premium DRM-free downloads in their new digital music store.”

The arrival of heavy-hitter Amazon to the DRM-free camp is a big boost and may, hopefully, force the other major music labels to start offering some form of DRM-free music downloads.

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