Gizmophobe Technology & Gaming

For many parents, separation anxiety can be a problem when their children go to school in the day. When children go off to school for the first time, it can be sad for some parents to not have their children with them throughout the day.

On many mornings, as lunches are made and bags are packed, parents can experience this separation anxiety, especially for those with children who have not gone to school before.

Some parents wish that they could talk to their children throughout the day, or even leave them with a simple message. Many mothers and fathers feel the same way, and even more so if their children are entering their first year of school.

Sheila Wright, a parent from Bloomfield Hills, has experienced this first-hand, stating that leaving their kids was a “tug on the heartstrings”. She would often leave notes in her children’s lunch boxes, but one morning, she decided to go even further by creating the Talkatoo.
The Talkatoo is a small device that will allow parents with separation anxiety to record a message of up to 30 seconds for their children. Children can listen to the message throughout the day, and the message can be erased and recorded over at any time. Psychologists have praised the device, saying that it is a good alternative to a lunch box note, which can be positive for parents who are concerned about being separated with their child. However, if severe cases of separation anxiety occur, parents should look to receive help from a counselor or a teacher.

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Sony are luanching a new clock radio (XDR-DS12iP) which will let you start your day with either stereo sound from your iPod/iPhone or crystal clear sparkling DAB radio broadcasts. You can dock your iPod or iPhone and the XDR-DS12iP will trickle charge while you enjoy your favourite music and video content. When morning comes, the Sony clock radio offers a dual alarm function giving you the choice of waking up to music from your iPod or iPhone, radio or buzzer.

Key features include:

Compact clock radio/speaker dock for iPod/iPhone
Powerful 3.5W + 3.5W stereo sound with MEGA BASS and MEGA Xpand
Future-proofed DAB+/DAB/FM radio tuner
Charges iPod/iPhone
Dual alarm lets you wake to iPod tunes, radio or buzzer
Supplied remote

The XDR-DS12iP makes a future-proof investment for digital radio fans. Anticipating the UK launch of higher-quality DAB+ broadcasts, the receiver is compatible with DAB+ as well as current DAB transmissions. The stereo sound quality from iPod or digital radio sources is clear and powerful. Conveniently-sited buttons enable MEGA BASS and MEGA Xpand for rich, room-filling sound with extended low frequencies.

The iPod speaker dock is supplied with a handy remote that lets you adjust volume and control the music function of your iPod. There’s also a sleep timer function, giving the option to doze off while enjoying your favourite sounds.

The new XDR-DS12iP iPod speaker dock/clock radio is compatible with iPhone 3GS and most of all iPod models. It is available in the UK only from September 2010.

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Apple has refused to allow their iPhones to be part of the first UK ranking scheme for mobiles.  The scheme assigns mobile phones a ranking between zero and five based on their affect on the environment during manufacturing and production.

O2 is responsible for launching the new rating system and many major mobile manufacturers including Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Nokia have agreed to take part.  According to O2, 93% of the mobiles available on the open market fall under coverage.

Each mobile is assigned a value based on the impact of their raw materials on the environment, packaging, their long term potential, the manufacturing process, their potential to recycle, and energy efficiency.

A spokeswoman for Apple declined to explain why the company will not participate in the new labelling scheme, but did mention that the company reported its environmental aspects online.

Other leading mobile manufacturers such as Nokia also publish reports online about their environmental factors and have still agreed to take place in the ranking scheme.

Next year, RIM, which produces the BlackBerry has also agreed to join into the scheme.

IT Sector analyst for Greenpeace International, Gary Cook, stated that transparency has also been a key issue for any consumer electronic company because they often believe that too much information will tip off their competitors.  He added that Apple is also known to lag behind other companies in transparency but added that lately they have taken steps to take toxic chemicals out of their products.

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Both the HTC Desire and Samsung Galaxy S smartphones are competing for control of the Android-powered market. They are perhaps the most popular Android devices that can be found on the market today.

Interestingly, we have a case of two phones with the same OS competing against each other. Here is a detailed look at each of the two phones to see which one is better for consumers.

The HTC desire ships with Android 2.2 and users currently on a variety of networks can upgrade their phones to the newest version if they own the phone. The Samsung Galaxy S however will not be getting Android 2.2 until September.

In terms of the two phones’ interface, HTC has made a fantastic UI with the HTC Sense. It looks very attractive and there is a great selection of widgets and detail. On the other hand, Samsung offers its customized TouchWiz 3.0 skin for the Android OS. It has some neat features and overall it is quite attractive and useful.

Samsung’s phone also has four hotkeys that are at the bottom of its screen. This is similar to the iPhone, and unfortunately, the HTC Sense UI does not have this. TouchWiz 3.0 definitely works as a decent UI.

However, compared to the HTC Sense, it is somewhat lacking in features and attractiveness. In the future, it is hard to say which phone will come out victorious, especially if Samsung is able to improve their interface. Either way, however, you will be getting a great product.

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New research from Wales discovered that more homes in the country have only mobile phones compared to other regions of the UK.

However, instead of perceiving this as a sign that Wales may be slowly becoming a digital nation, study analysts instead perceive it as a sign that people that live in deprived homes prefer the pay as you go mobile option over facing a regular landline charge.

The UK average for mobile only homes is 14%, while in Wales the average of mobile only homes is 19% according to an Ofcom Communications Market Report.

Ofcom representative, Rhodri Williams, stated that while there are many middle class people who decide that it is time to choose either a mobile of a landline and choose the mobile, but majorities of the people in Wales who choose mobile only are low income.

Communications Consumer Panel member Kim Brook stated that there is still a lot of work that needs completed before the UK can be classified as a broadband nation.  She added that many people in Wales are still missing out on the economic and social benefits that can be gleamed from an online presence due to the fact they have limited access to regular broadband services.

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