Gizmophobe Technology & Gaming

Nowadays the best way to describe an electronics store is a mini plastic world, but Bowers & Wilkins provides those sick of breakable plastic with an alternative with their new set of headphones where are constructed out of sheep leather and metal.

Of course, outside of the fact that these headphones look pretty retro-cool, they also are extremely comfortable to wear around the ears making them even more enticing even if you already own a nice set of headphones.

Each of the earpads is attached via magnets and are attached to a cord although it can be switched out for an iPhone microphone and controller if you like. Thus, not only can you get some new ear duds for listening to your tunes, but you can get a great ultra stylish headset for your iPhone making the purchase a bit more practical.

Each of the earpads have metal faceplates that are flat and surrounded by foam so that all noise is blocked out and while listening to your tunes nothing leaks out. However, while the noise cancelling feature is nice, it still does not compare with some of the high end noise cancelling headphones on the market such as Bose and you will still hear louder sounds while wearing the B&W headphones such as a plane engine during takeoff

The other distraction that prevents the headset from being perfect is the fact that the cord is a bit flimsy and delicate and despite the fact that the phones weigh less than seven ounces they still do not come with a hard case for protection.

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For those of a certain age, stereoscopic 3D gaming is nothing new. Sega were the first company to attempt 3D gaming with their Master System and came with a pair of very dodgy 3D glasses that had limited success. Nintendo followed suit with their effort of 3D gaming with the rather unsuccessful Virtual Boy which came with 3D goggles that didn’t help enhance the 3D gaming experience one bit.

Even after these attempts of 3D gaming, there is still a sense that now is the first time 3D gaming has really come into its own. The equipment we’re seeing come out now is fantastic and incredibly impressive, especially compared to those that dared show their faces in the early 80s. People’s expectations have risen nowadays and they now know exactly what they want from their 3D tech.

Another reason for these increased expectations is that there is more of a hardcore games market around at the moment and they’re becoming more and more interested in HD graphics and the new tech that‘s coming out now. One possible answer for why there is this so much interest in the 3D gaming world now is due to the publicity that 3D work is getting with the film industry’s renewed interest in stereoscopic film.

However, it’s probably more likely that this new found passion is because the technology has finally started to take off; people can now go to their local cinema and watch a 3D film that really drags them into the film they’re watching, without the need for the flimsy red and green eyewear. To prove even more that the 3D market is starting to make it, true gaming fans are now able to enjoy 3D gaming on their home PCs and laptops with the NVIDIA’s 3D Vision gaming system.

NVIDIA’s 3D Vision is described by the company as; “A combination of high-tech wireless glasses and advanced software, 3D Vision automatically transforms hundreds of PC games into full stereoscopic 3D. In addition, view movies and digital photographs in eye popping 3D.” It also now supports full HD 1080p.

The only issue with this new gaming system, however, is that you will need a display that is capable of operating at a 120Hz refresh rate, and the problem is that there are very few TVs available that can manage this. Not many of the TVs out there capable of this have much bigger than a 22in panel or more than a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, and most also require a dual-link DVI cable to enable the 120 Hz refresh rate to work. NVIDIA does include all of the necessary bits and pieces needed to make the 3D capabilities look great.

If you are tempted by this new fantastic 3D technology then the best thing to do is to compare prices as it can be very expensive with it being so new and innovative. Always remember to check out the moneysupermarket.com voucher channel as there are new money saving vouchers being uploaded daily so it’s one of the best places for you to find great deals on all of your gaming needs.

A gaming article brought to you by the Vouchers team at moneysupermarket.com.

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Gadget-Cover.com provides insurance for a range of gadgets so that all the electronic items you own can be insured. In this increasingly frantic world most of us rely on technology for our work and by having your items insured the amount of working time that you will lose will be minimised. Gadget-Cover.com offers laptop insurance from less than fifty pounds per year and the insurance provided covers against theft, accidental damage and also gives you an extended warranty.

Importantly you are also guaranteed a replacement laptop within forty eight hours if your laptop is stolen, meaning that the amount of time you are without a personal computer if your laptop were to get stolen would be less than two working days.

So if you live in fear of losing your laptop when you carry it about in your rucksack in the tube for example there is no need to worry any more. As we rely on our gadgets to live, work and play, it is important that we insure your electrical items, for both piece of mind, and so that if the worse case scenario was to happen you wouldn’t be out of pocket as a result.

From laptops and tablet computers to mobile phones, digital cameras and MP3 players, it is well worth getting your personal electronic items insured: it’s only when you lose your personal electronic items that you realise the true value of everyday gadgets both personally and financially, so don’t let that happen to you.

With the available laptop insurance you are also given 3GB of free data backup in most plans so you won’t lose any of your important data: a real concern for many, whose various files, including photos and word documents, can be practically irreplaceable. With laptops worth hundreds of pounds, to have your personal computer covered for a small percentage of that makes sense economically, too.

As well as laptop insurance, Gadget-Cover.com will provide camera insurance for your digital cameras. As well as guaranteeing you a replacement within forty eight hours you are also given international cover, so that when you take your digital camera on holiday to take some holiday snaps you are still covered.
Whether you’re travelling to the Caribbean or the Canary Islands, the camera insurance will cover your camera against theft and accidental damage, so there’s no need to worry if you accidentally drop your camera in the swimming pool whilst you’re relaxing or sunbathing.

Insurance for your digital camera starts from less than thirty pounds a year, which is basically nothing when it comes to having your personal camera covered. You can now take advantage of the special offer and get one month of insurance free with twelve months cover for the price of eleven, making it an even better deal.

There really isn’t anything stopping you from getting that piece of mind right now and taking out insurance for your invaluable gadgets.

Gadget Cover is administered by Supercover Insurance who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority FSA Registration 313806 www.fsa.gov.uk

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According to a new poll commissioned by Sky HD the average Briton only accesses about half of the functions that come installed on their gadgets.

Out of the 3,000 people who were included in one of the polls, around half did not know that in order for their HD television to produce a HD viewing experience it had to be connected to a HD device such as a HD service or Blu-ray DVD player.

The survey also found that although 47% of women will ask for help with gadgets only about 25% of men will. Women were also more likely to read the product manual with 66% noting they do, while only 54% of men stated they routinely look at the manual.

A bit more on the comical side, it seems even IT professionals fall victim to frustration and the old ways of a Nintendo cartridge, with 10% admitting they will hit a gadget in order to attempt to get it working.

The Sky HD survey also discovered that on average a British consumer has over £3000 worth of electronics in their home but the amount that people spend for their gadgets versus the value of the functions that they know how to use is over £52b.

Editor of the gadget magazine, Stuff, Fraser Macdonald, said it is astonishing how much money people throw away when they fail to use their devices fully such as in the case of a HD television set that fails to reach its full potential due to the lack of an HD box or Blu-ray player.

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The new version of the Vlingo for iPhone app now provides six voice-powered features including email, SMS paste, Facebook & Twitter updates, Google Maps, search the web and voice dial

The app gives users the ability to send email and text messages simply by speaking into their iPhone, and unlike speech recognition apps that offer a single use only, Vlingo delivers up to six voice-powered features including: email, SMS Paste, social site updates, maps and voice dial. It also supports both North American and UK English.

The feature enhancements include:

• EMAIL: send an email by speaking a contact, subject and message body. For example, “Email Chris, Subject Tonight, Message Running a bit late!”
• SMS Paste: send a text message by speaking a contact and message. Simply say, “Text Mike, Message How are you?
• SEARCH: in addition to Google and Yahoo! search, Vlingo has added Bing to the mix. Just say, “Bing sushi restaurants in San Francisco,” and view results.
• AUTO-LISTEN: voice recognition can be set to start automatically when the iPhone is turned on. Simply open Vlingo and speak in one easy step.
• CONTACT SELECTION: when composing a text message, say your contact and the message in one fell swoop, “Text Erin, Message How are you?”

Check out this video to see what the Vlingo for iPhone App has to offer.

The Vlingo for iPhone App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

It includes voice dial, search, maps, Facebook and Twitter update functionality. The new email and SMS Paste messaging features can be added to the app for $6.99 each, or both for only $9.99.

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