Sony Reader Daily Edition announced

Looks like competition in the e-book reader market is heating up, with Sony making further inroads into this niche segment by enlarging its Reader family of e-book readers with the introduction of the Reader Daily Edition. This highly-anticipated wireless model will feature 3G connectivity, and will accompany its other two siblings, the Reader Pocket Edition and the Reader Touch Edition that were announced earlier this August. While the latter two models are already readily available at this moment, folks who are looking forward to the Reader Daily Edition to give Amazon’s Kindle and its successor will have to wait until December for it to be released during the holiday season.

The Reader Daily Edition will enable consumers to access AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband network wirelessly, connecting to Sony’s eBook store as long as they are within a decent signal range, which would practically mean from just about anywhere in the US where AT&T are concerned. I’m sure that some readers who subscribe to AT&T’s 3G service will beg to differ, but let’s leave that in the comments, shall we? Users can browse, purchase and download books while selecting various newspapers and magazines to read on demand. You won’t have to worry about additional burdens on your finances since there are no monthly fees or transaction charges for the basic wireless connectivity option. Another feature includes the option to side load personal documents or content from other compatible sites through USB connectivity.

You will find a 7″ wide touchscreen display gracing the Reader Daily Edition which ought to be more than ample for folks who want an intuitive navigation experience. That amount of viewing space also ensures a comfortable layout of content, regardless of whether you’re reading newspapers or magazines. In portrait mode, one is able to view anywhere from 30 to 35 lines of text, making one feel as though he/she is reading a printed paperback book. Other features include a high contrast ratio with 16 levels of grayscale, sufficient internal memory to store up to 1,000 eBooks and a memory card slot. Come December, you can pick up the Sony Reader Daily Edition for approximately $399.

MIMO 720-S Touchscreen Slider USB monitor

MIMO Monitors have released their latest Touchscreen Slider that connects to your machine through USB - the MIMO 720-S monitor. This USB-powered mini-display tips the scales at less than one pound, while boasting foldable characteristics that make it highly portable, boasting full resistive touchscreen functionality that provides netbook users with more visual real estate to play with.

With a display size of seven inches, the MIMO 720-S features 800×480 resolution and a contrast ration of 400:1 — offering sharp graphics and clear images with 90 degree pivoting capabilities. The monitor discretely folds into itself with a tiny footprint of just 7″ x 5 3/8″ x 1″. Supporting Windows XP and Vista as well as Mac OS X (with supplemental third-party driver), the 720-S is powered and connected by a single USB connection, providing a secondary screen ideal for holding email applications, download managers, social network clients such as TweetDeck, formatting palettes, stock tickers, instant messengers such as Google Talk and AIM, webcam feeds and much more. Additionally, with the rise in popularity of netbooks, the 720-S serves as a much-needed secondary screen for added display space and shared viewing.

It is interesting to note that this portable monitor will cost $229.99 including shipping, and we would only recommend this to those who travel plenty with a netbook. Otherwise, get a notebook with a larger screen size, and for folks using desktops, the same price point can net you more than a decent 18.5″ monitor.

Multipot hides and charges your gadgets

Now this is one way to charge all of your smaller gadgets without having them cluttering up an area. Instead it charges them all and hides them away so that they don’t have to be seen at all times. Of course if you’re the type that would forget their phone unless it was within plain sight, this might be a bad idea. However, for those that aren’t so forgetful this would be a great multi-gadget to have lying around.

This Multipot looks like just a random light you might have out to create a subtle ambient glow. It does this with an LED light. All the while underneath the lid is a spot to not only charge your gadgets, but to store small items as well. Things that you might need to grab on your way out the door like your car keys. Storing your car keys in with your gadgets might be one way to make sure that you don’t accidentally leave you cellphone. In the charging section you can charge a total of five gadgets. Upon purchasing you can choose between white, black or chrome and it’ll cost you about $325.

The Renewable Energy Experiment Kit

Renewable energy is something that has become an important part of technology, which makes it important to teach the younger generations about it. This isn’t one of those kits that only teaches about solar energy, instead it helps children to compare more than one type of of renewable energy. Allowing for them to see for themselves how well each one works. This experiment kit would be great for any kid that enjoys science and seeing how things work.

This little toy has a wind turbine, a solar cell, electrolytic cells, and a hand-operated dynamo. All of which can be used to create renewable energy. The electricity is stored in the rechargeable battery and then in turn is used to power a motor, LED lights and a buzzer. There is also a built-in voltmeter that will allow for the child using it to observe each type of energy and its effectiveness. Within the manual that comes with it, it also teaches kids how to reduce energy costs within the home. You can purchase the kit for $49.95

Duros 8404 Tablet Now Has Atom Daylight-Viewable LCD

A rugged tablet PC is needed nowadays, what with the people always pushing each other around to get where they need to get to. This upgraded Duros 8404 has a 8.4-inch sunlight-viewable SVGA touchscreen.

The display managed to achieve a brightness of 1,100 nit with a 120-degree viewing angle. That takes away essentially the annoying feature of not being able to see the text or images in the tablet when under direct sunlight. The Duros 8404 also includes an Intel Atom processor, non-rotating compact flash drive and a hot-swappable battery.

Encased in an aluminum case, the Duros 8404 has a heavy duty style and design that is perfect for those who are careless with devices like the tablet PC. And also because of this, I am not expecting the Duros 8404 to be cheap and affordable for many.

Samsung CL65 Has GPS And WiFi Capability

The new Samsung CL65 enables you to keep in touch with family and friends all the while taking pictures with amazing resolution. It has a compact and sleek frame that makes it easy for us to bring it just about anywhere.

Packed in its frame is a geo-tagging capability, Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, DLNA compatibility and WiFi support. The wireless Internet feature will allow you to upload pictures in the Internet after taking the shot. It makes uploading pictures in social networking sites such as Friendster and Facebook easy and comfortable. Its GPS capability, meanwhile, allows the device to keep track of where the user is. The DLNA compatibility means users will be able to connect to other DLNA devices including an HDTV.

The camera has a 12.1 megapixel resolution and 5x optical zoom. The Samsung CL65 will be available to consumers come September. Price has not been released by Samsung.

Rumored Apple Tablet Details Released

For months now, tech experts are speculating the release of the Apple tablet by next year. And although we’ve yet to hear from Apple execs themselves, a lot of rumors have been circulating around the Internet regarding the specifications and features of this particular gadget.

Brian Lam from Gizmodo got the most latest deets about this rumored Apple tablet.

- The tablet is described as a 10-inch version of the iPod Touch

- The product will come in two editions: One for webcam and the other for education use

- Pricing will be between $700 and $900

- It’s possible the screen will be used as a secondary touch pad for controlling Macs

- The project has been in development for four to six years

- A prototype was built around the end of 2008

- The product will likely launch this holiday season

Are you surprised with the price tag? Don’t be. I’m sure it even has the possibility of retailing higher than $700 or $900.

Blackberry Curve 8520 Is Cheap And Carried The First Trackball

First of all, the Blackberry Curve 8520 has a trackpad, which we can be sure we’ll get to see in future Blackberries. This model from Blackberry is pretty much like the Curve 8900, only that this looks like it was made for a 6-year-old because of its poorly built structure.

The corners of the Blackberry Curve 8520 are roundly cut. It has a lower resolution of 320 x 240 display screen and a plain plastic for its battery cover. It lacks a GPS (but does include a Google Map) and the camera is only 2 megapixels. T-Mobile also did not include in this Blackberry Curve 8520 the Blackberry App World, so you will have to download it yourself.

The trackpad is 90 percent better than some trackballs in mobile phones out there. You can pretty much control swiftly the trackpad so that makes for a less hassle browsing. There’s also a three-key quick access on top of the phone.

There is not much to tell about the “excellent” features of the Blackberry Curve 8520, but it does include all other standard Blackberry features. It is priced at $130 with a two-year contract with T-Mobile while you can also get it for only $49 at Wal-Mart with the same contract.

Personally, I’d much rather suggest you just do away with the Blackberry Curve 8520, and get yourself some pretty powerful Android, iPhone and WebOS but of you would like to take the risk, be my guess.

Camera Cube Helps Budding Photographers

Unless you’re a professional photographer, I doubt you can take picture that are 100 percent correct when it comes to straightness and alignment. In fact, even seasoned photojournalists have been found to commit mistakes when it comes to taking photos.

The Camera Cube is created exactly for that predicament. It has the same design as a contractor’s construction level, in which the bubble design enables photographers to align their camera on all three axis. This creates a solid and straight image. To mount this, however, your camera will be needing a hot shoe flash mount where you will snap the cube in place. In order to know that you’re shooting straight, the bubbles would need to be aligned within the leveling lines.

Some of the features of the Camera Cube includes:

- Attaches to any hot shoe

- Perfectly level photos, every time

- 1? x 1? x 1? cube

- Spend less time editing, more time shooting

- 3-axis level so you can shoot horizontally or vertically

The Camera Cube is better used when you are also using tripods for your cameras because the boon is that you’ll lose your composition once you made sure the bubbles are all aligned. If, however, you feel like you’ve got the talent to take well-aligned and well-composited photos without this cube, then feel free to post some tips below.

This cube will cost you only $15, so there’s no need to dilly-dally about it if you’re in need of some serious help.

Samsung ST500 And ST550 Has Display Screens In Front

Samsung is doing something for the first time with their Samsung ST500 And ST550–two cameras with a display screen in front that enables you, basically, to see yourself while taking photos. This makes for a great self-photography companion.

The front display is touchscreen, which allows the user to touch it and take a self-portrait. I think this might be Samsung’s answer to cameras with flip out and turn-around screens. Those are not usually helpful at all.

Both cameras–Samsung ST500 And ST550– have a 12-megapixel resolution, 4.6x optical zoom and 1.5-inch display screen in front. The difference is that ST550 has a 3.5-inch rear display while ST500 only has a 3-inch display at the back.

We still don’t have the release date and price for this line of Samsung cameras but I’m pretty sure it won’t come cheap. If you’re eyeing this as early as now, get ready to shell some big bucks when it becomes available.

Dell Latitude 2100 Netbook Is Kid-Friendly

The Dell Latitude 2100 is made especially for kids, but adults can find something useful with this netbook as well. The 2100 has a striking matte and rubber-like exterior that coats the netbook so it will be more convenient for kids to use. The exterior also repels dirt and grime.

The Dell Latitude 2100 has a proportioned keyboard that is perfect for kids and even adults. The buttons are well-placed, making it easier for users to use the keyboard. This 10.1-inch netbook is bright and does well in bright sunlight and under fluoroscent lightning. It has an Atom N270 processor, 1GB memory, 80GB hard drive and WiFi connectivity (with a small rectangle indicator on top of the lid). At 2.91 pounds, this netbook is light enough for kids to carry in school.

This netbook battery has a life of more than six hours, and is quick to wake up from standby and hibernation mode. It packs an XP operating system, and has a price tag of $560.

Olevia HD Media Player

Now here’s a device that will definitely grab your attention if you’re an entertainment buff - the Olevia HD Media Player, also known as the ZP-500. What’s so special about this, you ask? Well, this media player is able to decode, playback and output full HD video (1080p, baby!) via its HDMI 1.3 interface. Supported codecs include MKV, HD MPEG2, HD VC-1, HD AVC/H.264 movie and RMVB HD, while you can also transport stream from a USB flash drive or hard drive to your new HDTV. Heck, it even comes with built-in network connectivity, allowing you to go through all your files from a PC. screen. The Network function allows you to browse the video file in your PC, NAS which is in your room and play it on TV in the living room. You can pick one up from gadget mavens Brando for $177.

Samsung announces new 8500 Series LED HDTVs

Samsung has recently unveiled their latest LCD HDTV to the world, and in the flagship model, no less. The all new 8500 Series of HDTVs will bring together superb picture quality without sacrificing style, where the thinness of Samsung’s older LED HDTVs alongside all the latest networking and interactive features are still retained in order to keep TV connoisseurs happy. Samsung has also thrown in the Medi@2.0 suite for a higher level of immersion when it comes to viewing movies and shows on the 8500 Series. More on this line right after the jump, especially if you’re looking to upgrade your current flat screen TV.

Samsung managed to turn a corner with innovative use of white LEDs as a backlight source, enabling the 8500 Series to be able to achieve a stunning 7,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for extreme detail and image depth. The inclusion of its Wide Color Enhancer Pro makes sure that colors remain consistently vibrant, while Samsung’s Ultra Clear Panel strives to offer improved image clarity and brightness regardless of a room’s ambient lighting. All of that does not mean that Samsung has forgotten about Mother Nature, and the 8500 Series is compliant with the latest Energy Star v3.0 ratings, while boasting an optimized energy savings mode which adjusts the backlight and picture quality, without having to sacrifice the overall viewing experience. Not only that, its “Natural” mode optimizes picture settings to model the brightness advantage of LCD displays and the cinema-like richness of plasma displays with any content.

The 8500 Series will carry an ultra-quick 2ms panel response time, coupled with Samsung’s up-to-date version of its Auto Motion Plus frame interpolation technology which brings true 240Hz refresh rate to the living room, helping improve playback of fast-paced content by a significant amount. Users are able to adjust levels of judder and motion blur reduction by going beyond the three standard Auto Motion Plus presets for superior picture control. As for Samsung’s Medi@2.0 suite, this enables users to access content from an expanded range of sources including Internet@TV - Content Service, web-based content from Yahoo! (Flickr, Video, News, Weather, and Finance), USA Today (Sports), Twitter, YouTube, and others. You can pick up the 8500 Series from 46″ and 55″ models for $3,599.99 and $4,499.99, respectively.

Canon G11: better, stronger, faster

The Canon G11 sports a 5x optical zoom that's 2 stops faster than the G10.

Canon has announced the latest in the “G” series, the Powershot G11, which sports a larger, 5x zoom len (28-140mm 35mm equivalent) which is 2 stops faster, a 10MP CCD (backing down from 14MP in the G10) with better low light performance thanks to an upgraded anti-noise sytem, and a 2.8 inch viable angle color LCD. Can we call it the bionic cam?

In addition to an upgraded CCD and faster, longer zoom lens, the G11 has all the typical features expected from the G series including RAW support, full manual options, mode dials for exposure compensation and ISO adjustment, and the ability to use an external Speedlight flash or underwater housing.

The Canon G11 sports a new viable angle LCD screen.

The G9 was a popular backup camera for professionals looking for a shirt pocket option where a full DSLR rig was either impractical or unexpected. The G11 gives them faster exposure options, and while the larger vari angle LCD gives great room, Canon still managed to hang onto the classic viewfinder for those who enjoy shooting “old school.” And with the noise limiting technology and faster lens, Canon shows it can think outside the box when it comes to increasing megapixel capacity, but without allowing noise to creep in at higher ISOs or in low light.

The Powershot G11 will be available this October for an MSRP of about $500.

USB Hub and World Travel Clock

This is one of those gadgets that it’s most definitely debatable as to whether or not it’s useful or completely pointless. I suppose it purely depends on your perspective and what you need out of a device like this one. This USB hub will at the very least offer you a few more ports to make plugging in your gadgets a lot easier. Plus it does tell the time, although so does your computer.

It seems a little silly to have a clock to sit directly next to your computer that typically displays the time anyway. Of course it can flip between 25 different cities around the world, so you can know the time elsewhere. Again, you’re already at your computer, so you could just as easily look it up on the internet. However, if you deal with one specific time zone a lot, you could set it to a different time zone than your computer is set to. The hub has a total of 4 different ports and the clock will automatically illuminate when it’s plugged into your computer.

Sony VAIO VPC-W11S1E/T netbook

Can Sony do cheap and cheerful?

First thing’s first – if you’re expecting the Sony VAIO W-series to be a super-budget Acer Aspire One rival, you’ll be disappointed. It isn’t, but accept it for what it is – a pricey but highly portable netbook – and there’s a chance you may just get on.

The best thing about the VAIO W is its 10.1-inch screen, which is without a doubt the most impressive we’ve seen on a netbook so far. With a 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, image quality is incredibly crisp and smooth. LED backlighting also offers vivid colour reproduction, although the glossy finish frustrates and reflects in bright conditions. The higher resolution great for daily use, with websites easily fitting onscreen, and the widescreen aspect ratio ideally suited to movie playback.

The extra real estate onscreen lulls you into thinking you’ll also be able to work with a couple of windows open, which can be a bad thing. With the now default Intel Atom N280 processor and 1024MB of memory in place, it’s simply not powerful enough to multi-task, slowing down to a crawl if you do run a couple of applications simultaneously. The most disappointing aspect of the VAIO W is its battery life, lasting for just under three hours between charges – considerably less than many of its rivals.

The design of the VAIO W is also highly successful, with a mini-me style that looks nearly identical to the company’s mid-range laptops. With an isolated keyboard design, bright textured plastics and curved edges, it’s stylish and of a high quality, with robust materials used throughout. The 1.2kg weight also makes it easy to take with you wherever you go.

The keyboard offers good usability, with decent spacing and keys that are large and responsive. As with many keyboards of this design, it features a very shallow keystroke, with the keys moving a minimal amount as you type. It’s easy to adjust to this, but it’s worth trying before you buy.

Sony has fitted mic and headphone jacks on the left-hand side of the VAIO W, along with a VGA-out port for hooking up external monitors. On the right-hand side you’ll find two USB ports and an Ethernet adapter, with an SD and Sony MS card reader on the front.
Wireless connectivity is provided via Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi, with the features list rounded off by a 160GB hard drive.

Powermat announces wireless charging system

Aiming at iPhone and BlackBerry users

Wireless gadget charging company Powermat, which we first saw at CES this year, is about to unleash the first generation of its product on the market, targeted at iPhone and BlackBerry users.

Why them? Because the company has built a case for iPods and a battery cover for BlackBerrys that let you easily charge the devices without much hassle. Other products are possible to charge, though they need to be connected in a slightly more complex way.

The Powermat sits silently when there's nothing on it, consuming milliwatts of power. However, when you place a compatible gadget on it, an RFID chip detects its presence and begins the charging process. Three different things can be charged at any one time.

The standard powermat can also be replaced by a travel version, which folds down into a smaller space for ease of transport. It comes with a plug that can be switched to whatever country you're in, and the company confirmed that it has approached the designer of the "flat plug" about featuring it in the next generation of its products.

That next generation is due towards the middle of 2010 and will enable devices with higher power requirements, like laptops, to be charged with the electromagnetic induction technology behind the powermat.

The Powermat will be arriving in the UK in the first week of October, and will cost £70. The travel version is slightly more, at £80, and a "cube" which comes with tips for many common gadgets, costs £30.

The backplate for BlackBerry devices costs £30, and cases for the iPod touch and iPhone cost £35. The price difference between BlackBerry and the iPod versions was explained by the company to us as "because Apple needs its royalty".

The future might see Powermats embedded directly into walls, tabletops and other surfaces, meaning your desk could soon become an invisible connectivity point for wireless energy.

• News - Powermat launches wireless charging products

Sony launches Pocket Edition and Touch Edition Readers

With new affordable option for $199

Following the rumours we brought you on the topic, Sony has now officially launched two new additions to its ebook Reader line in the States.

A new budget model, the Reader "Pocket Edition" (PRS-300) claims to "put a library in your hands for as little as $199" while the Reader Touch Edition (PRS-600) comes in at $299, both priced below Amazon's rival Kindle device.

The Pocket Edition model offers a 5-inch e-paper display and will be available in navy blue, rose and silver.

Sony claims the diminutive device can store about 350 standard eBooks and provides up to 2 weeks of reading enjoyment on a single battery charge.

The Reader Touch Edition gets a 6-inch touchscreen display that works with both finger touch and a stylus pen for notes.

With an onboard Oxford American English Dictionary, it boasts expansion slots for both Memory Stick PRO Duo and SD card and will be available in red, black or silver.

Both models will go on sale in the States this month, there's no news yet of a UK or European launch.

Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000

Can this shortcut your Windows 7 experience?

6 August 2009 - The Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 is the first Windows 7 compatible desktop solution from Microsoft to feature the new “Taskbar Favourites” buttons along the top of the keyboard.

Building on the now standard "Windows key", the result promises to give you instant access to the first five applications on the taskbar without the need to manually set it up all from your keyboard, but do you need it? We got typing to find out.

The keyboard features Microsoft’s Comfort Curve layout, which means that the key layout is slightly curved and the keys have an irregular size. It takes a few minutes to get used to, but it’s by no means as bad as some of the more “exotic” ergonomic keyboards out there that we've tried - remember the first ergonomic split keyboard anyone?

Typing, we found the keys felt a little bit stiff giving numb feedback. It's not the end of the world, but it's something that could be improved upon for a more comfortable typing experience.

Perhaps aimed at someone who has never seen a keyboard before, some of the keys also feature handy tips on what they do if you press them in combination with another key on the keyboard, such as the Ctrl key. It's a nice idea, but please, do you really need to be told that ctrl and V is paste?

The function keys have been demoted to a thin line of very tiny keys between the keyboard and the quick launch keys. There’s an F lock key which has to be pressed to enable them to be used in traditional Function key mode, as otherwise they have been assigned new functions that seems to generally work well within office applications such as print, save and spell check. Above the numerical keypad is also a quick launch button for the calculator and a low battery warning light although Microsoft say you shouldn't need to worry about power issues that often.

There’s of course the usual array of quick access keys as well. They take you to things such as your web browser and email application, but new on this model is access to the My Documents and My Pictures folders as well. There’s also a set of media playback and control keys as well as volume controls. All these keys are grouped in a single row at the top of the keyboard and they’re somewhat stiff to press and for some reason have a very glossy finish.

This being ergonomic you get a wrist rest. It is rubberised and textured, but not so much that it feels uncomfortable, although we have to say it gives off an unusual feeling.

Two little rubber “pucks” also comes in the package and these can are twisted in to place either at the rear or the front of the keyboard depending on your preference to raise it up from the desk.

Get to the mouse, as this is after all a desktop package, and you get the Microsoft Wireless Mouse 5000. It's an ambidextrous BlueTrack mouse that has rubberised grips around the sides, a total of four buttons and a slightly too loose scroll wheel that ends up going amok if you don’t move it very slowly.

The scroll wheel can also be tilted for sideways scrolling. The Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 comes with a mini-transceiver that operates at 2.4GHz and has a range of about 30 feet or 10 meters.

Nikon COOLPIX S1000pj projector camera announced

World first can project pictures and video up to 40-inches

Looking for something a little different to capture consumer's attention - and credit cards - Nikon has announced the launch of the world's first camera with an integrated projector.

Nikon says the new COOLPIX S1000pj will "revolutionise the way we share images and videos, using personal projection".

We've seen standalone "pico" projectors (as the small form factor devices are known) and pico projectors built into mobile phones, but the camera-projector combo could become a logical, and popular, addition to the market.

On the photography side, the S1000pj offers 12.1 megapixels, a 2.7-inch TFT LCD monitor, up to ISO 6400 sensitivity, a wide-angle 5x zoom NIKKOR lens and Nikon's EXPEED image processing.

The built-in projector, with "one-touch operation", projects an image size from 5 inches up to 40 inches. It comes complete with a remote control and a "simple" projection stand for ad hoc projection sessions.

The S1000pj takes SD memory cards, but we're waiting to hear from Nikon up to what size, what file formats it can playback, how transferring files from your PC to the camera (rather than those captured on the S1000pj) for playback works, and what the resolution or brightness of the projected image is.

Other camera features include "Scene Auto Selector mode", five functions to reduce image blur, a "Smart Portrait System" with face tracking, smile and blink detection, "Skin Softening" for a bit of DIY air brushing and four movie modes with sound.

Available in black and silver, the S1000pj is due to go on sale in September for £399.99 or 485 euros.

UPDATE: Nikon has revealed to Pocket-lint that the camera will only "officially" project images/movies taken with the camera itself and the brightness of the projector is up to 10 lumens.

UPDATE 2: Nikon's also told us that the resolution of the projector is VGA, which means 640 x 480. The model we handled had a 4GB SD card in, so it goes up at least that far, but we still haven't been able to discover the upper limit. The battery will give you a full hour of projection before it conks out.

Nokia 6700 Classic mobile phone

Cyberman meets phone

The Nokia 6700 Classic replaces their popular 6300 model, living breathing proof that not everyone wants a smartphone. The 6700 takes the candybar form and our review version was chrome, which looks utterly stunning: it gets a little smeary, but looks cracking.

The 6700 measures 109.8 x 45 x 11.2mm and is only 116.5g, small enough to fit into any pocket or bag. The front is divided between the all-metal 12-key keypad at the bottom and the 2.2-inch display at the top. Between the two is the normal run of calling and navigation buttons.

The screen has a 320 x 240px resolution, so despite its size, it looks nice and crisp and it is bright enough to cope with sunny conditions too. Things are a little cramped on the screen compared to some of the larger screens, but in return you get a compactness those other devices lack.

The phone runs the Symbian S40 user interface, which whilst not exactly cutting-edge by modern standards is simple to use. For those who want a simple handset, then it is free from confusion. To aid you in your navigation the home page does offer a shortcut bar to jump you into Nokia Maps, the browser or Nokia's Ovi sharing portal.

Customisation isn't available to the same degree as on rival platforms but you will be able to tap into the Ovi Store to download relevant applications, such as a Facebook app. But being a simple interface it is fast to navigate and extremely stable.

The all-metal keypad looks good with its single-piece design and gentle backlighting. One thing to watch out for ladies, if you use your nails to press the buttons, you might find that the cut characters on the keypad act a little like a nail file and roughen the ends of your nails. Otherwise we found it fast and responsive and backed by Nokia's reliable T9 system makes for some fast texting action.

But the 6700 doesn't offer retro connectivity, it is packing in the full range of GSM, GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA, so your handset will happily lap up data on the move. It doesn't have Wi-Fi, so you won't get the advantage of fast free surfing at home through your phone.

However it does have AGPS with Nokia Maps, which we found to be good and responsive, whilst Bluetooth 2.1 will allow you to connect to your PC or stereo headset. The bundled headset connects to the Micro-USB connection on the bottom of the phone. It's of the hard plastic ear bud variety and does leave a little to be desired, but incorporates the handsfree kit too. The headset acts as the aerial for the FM radio as well, so you'll probably be stuck with it.

Around the back of the handset you'll find a 5-megapixel camera, a generous offering perhaps, considering the "Classic" tag. It features an LED flash that is as good as useless for anything other than candid shots to share online, giving your subjects a telltale yellow cast. There is a dedicated shutter button on the top of the phone, which is perhaps a little sensitive.

The camera performance is pretty good overall for a basic handset and you'll have no problem capturing still shots in good light, but it doesn't compare to the performance of Nokia's camera phones packing a better quality lens.

Video can also be captured at a maximum resolution of 640 x 480 at 15fps which isn't so impressive, although a smoother 362 x 288 30fps option is available, which will do for basic sharing on YouTube. If video and imaging is important, then perhaps you'd be better off looking at some of the more dedicated handsets on offer.

The Nokia 6700 Classic is miserly, giving you 170MB of internal memory, although our review model came with a 1GB microSD card in the slot (hiding under the back cover). Nokia claim that it supports up to 8GB, although it happily accepted a 16GB microSDHC card.

Timex WS4 adventure watch

But does it tell the time?

Whether you’re scaling K2 or just negotiating Knightsbridge can Timex’s ‘wrist-top adventure instrument’ keep you safely on track; we strapped ourselves in to find out.

The WS4 serves up an altimeter, barometer, compass and thermometer, its waterproof to 50m, has 100 hour chronograph for serious timings, has a tough rubber casing, INDIGLO night light and all the daily/weekly alarms you could need. It also squeezes in time telling (digital and analogue) and date.

Impressive, but nothing terribly exciting; the likes of Garmin and Suunto (and Timex) have been knocking out adventure specific watches for years. What makes the WS4 stand out is the screen (WS = Widescreen) and the effortless functionality. For once you can navigate your way around all the functions with ease, even in zero visibility with huge great mittens on.

The 3.7cm wide screen is split into four sections; there’s a clear analogue dial (shows time at a glance and also compass direction), large bitmapped area that displays names, time, modes, graphs, while a smaller segments displays numbers, lap times, the date, barometer pressure etc depending on the menu. Finally a small graphic in the bottom left gives you the temperature and a current weather graphic.

Lots to take in on one display, but there’s an ocean of space between each graphic making it easy to decipher all the info at a glance.

Finding and using each feature is also a breeze. The chunky mode button gets you to the altimeter; barometer etc and once there the on-screen prompts guide you through each. For example to set up the compass the top right display asks you to rotate the watch twice before pushing mode to calibrate.

It’s up to you if you’d find an altimeter/barometer/compass useful but rest assured each worked a treat. The altimeter was accurate (standing on a desk even registered) and the progression graph a great touch. You can set altitude alarms, useful for keeping on track and hitting goals and record how long you’re at a certain height – essential if the oxygen’s getting thin.

The compass did as it should and was spot on with accuracy while the barometer proved a handy tool. Ignore the sunny/rainy symbols, you can look out the window for that info, but the Hg pressure display and history graphs can really help predict the weather – watch the numbers drop and you know you’ve got bad weather on the way, essential if you’re half way up Ben Nevis or on Bond Street without a brolly.

We were disappointed by the temperature gauge. It was too influenced by the heat of this reviewer’s wrist to be totally accurate. We had to take it off to get a proper read out.

In darkness the silver INDIGLO button illuminates the display in easy-reading neon green for about three seconds. We found it worked superbly in dark conditions but at half light the original display was often clearer.

It’s also available in black; blue; yellow; orange, and white for the fashion conscious.