© Panasonic

The trouble with mobile phones is that they’re cheap, everybody’s got one and they can do everything apart from cook perfect chips. And given time that will come too!

Many people now think that having an MP3 player, digital diary, digital camera and video camera on their mobile means that they no longer need to carry anything else. And in a lot of cases they’re right.

For a quick video of your mates on a night out wearing Kiss me Quick hats, or a funny shot of the dog running in its sleep for you to post on youtube, your mobile will do fine. But when it comes to recording those more precious moments in life there’s no substitute for a real camcorder DV. You only need pay around £200 for a top quality DV camcorder such as the Panasonic NVGS37B and the benefits over your mobile are obvious.

The main advantage of the Panasonic is the superb lens with 30x optical zoom.  Take it to a wedding and zoom in on the bride and groom’s faces with a clarity that even the most advanced mobile can’t match. Or pan right out to get the whole wedding party in the picture.

Add to that the large viewfinder, higher digital resolution and huge battery capacity (AC adapter supplied) and the camcorder DV wins hands down. If you’re short of gift ideas for a loved one or just want a great Christmas present for yourself, have a look at the product reviews for digital camcorders.

Rob

Rated: from 1762 votes

Is that the future for every roof? flickr © shioshvili

In these days of satellite dishes, you may be surprised to hear that over half of people in the UK still use a good old fashioned tv aerial. In most areas, you can get excellent digital tv reception with your old analogue tv aerial and I for one don’t want my house wall cluttered up with an unsightly satellite dish.

TV aerial © Labgear

If you want satellite or cable for the paid services, or you want the BBC’s HD service which is available on free satellite, then your choice is made for you. You don’t need an aerial.

But if like me you prefer terrestrial digital tv, then there really is no substitute for a quality external high gain digital tv aerial firmly mounted high up on your wall. Aerials with 32 or 52 elements are the norm, depending on the strength of signal in your area. Cost is likely to be around £20 for the smaller one, £40 for the larger.

If you’re not handy with the Black and Decker up a ladder, then get a proper tradesman to fix it for you. Remember poor Rod Hull (and Emu) who fell off his roof while doing it himself.

The other thing you could try is an indoor aerial in your loft. I’ve seen many a good product review of indoor tv aerials, but never yet had one that’s given me a satisfactory picture. And really for the few pounds you’d save, to me it’s not worth the hassle of trying an indoor tv aerial. That said, I’ve got a mate who swears by them. But then I’ve got some odd mates!

Rob

Rated: from 1761 votes

stock.xchng © elvinst

With Christmas just around the corner, now is the time to think about gift ideas. And what could be a better Christmas gift in this digital age than a digital camera?

Compact digital cameras are now so affordable and so packed with great features that you’re sure to find one that’s just right for your lucky friend or relative. Here are a few pointers to make sure you get the features that matter, without paying for features that don’t.

First thing is the number of Megapixels. All that this means is how much detail the camera can record. 5 or 6 Megapixels is plenty for even high quality photos. Bigger numbers sound good but they’re just not needed for the average compact – bigger photos will quickly fill your hard drive up too.

© Casio

Then there’s the zoom. It’s vital to consider only “optical zoom” which is when the lens brings things closer. Ignore “digital zoom” which doesn’t give you any more detail - it just does the same as zooming in on your computer, and it’s little more than a sales gimmick.

3x or 4x optical zoom is pretty standard nowadays, and is adequate for everyday use. Superzoom digital cameras are also becoming quite affordable, with 10x or more being found in an amazingly small camera. These are great, but cost a little more. Look out for image stabilisation features too because the bigger the zoom, the more stable you’ll need to hold the camera.

And the final point is batteries. Digital cameras eat batteries like my cat eats mice. So rechargeable batteries are a must, and if you choose a camera that takes rechargeable AA standard batteries, you can keep a spare set with the camera.

The rest is down to looks, weight and feel, and very much a personal thing. But if you follow these tips, you can be sure of choosing a fabulous Christmas gift.

Rob

Rated: from 1428 votes

© Sony

Many people today have a digital compact camera, so readily available and affordable have they become. You can get a multi-function digital compact camera for £100 or less.
And this price buys you a camera that is so automatic it does everything but press the shutter button for you.

Eventually though, many photographers yearn for an SLR camera with its direct through the lens view, facility to swap lenses and all the manual controls it gives, though the price is often a stumbling block here.

So Enter the Sony Alpha A200 with its bargain basement price of about £260 including a great 18-70mm kit lens. This is well under half the price of a digital camera of similar spec only a couple of years ago, and yet it offers practically everything you could wish for in a digital SLR camera.

10 megapixels gives all the detail you need, and nine point autofocus along with built in image stabilisation make sure that your picture is always pin sharp. For the more advanced photographer, this great value digital SLR camera offers exposure bracketing which many more expensive cameras lack; and ISO sensitivity up to 3200 guarantees a picture in the dimmest conditions.

At this price, there’s very little to match it, so check it out.

Rob

Rated: from 1795 votes

© Casio

When it comes to cameras digital are the only ones to go for. I have a friend who still insists on 35mm film and processes it himself in his darkroom/bathroom, but then he remembers The Beatles too!

 Compact digital cameras are far more powerful and versatile than their name suggests. So in a very small package indeed you can expect automatic focus and exposure, a high quality lens with zoom of 3x or 4x, digital zoom (though if you see my other articles you will know not to bother with this), video recording and playback, and instant review of your pictures.

Casio, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Nikon – all the major manufacturers do a number of digital compacts with a huge array of features depending on your pocket, and what exactly you want from your camera.
The Casio Exilim range are well worth a look. They’re particularly small for digital cameras; with some models little wider or longer than a credit card and they all give stunning pictures.

But you’ll find that whatever you pay, a compact digital will give amazing value for money. It’s really down to personal taste and style, and what features you feel you need, which compact digital camera you finally go shopping for.

Rob

Rated: from 1889 votes

© BT

If you’re in the market for a digital cordless phone, you might want to look at the BT Reveal Designer phone whose details passed across my desk this morning.

For a digital cordless phone, it certainly has eye appeal and with this smart gleaming black design, BT is clearly making an effort to lure back those of us who use mainly mobile phones. Sitting on your desk or table, the BT Reveal will attract admiring glances from all who pass by and be a sure topic for conversation.

At £130 or so, this phone is by no means cheap, but it’s stacked with facilities. So if you ask a lot of your digital phone or just like gadgets, the Reveal could be the one for you.

There’s a digital answering machine included with a 20 minute capacity for messages, and a neat little touch is the ability to plug in your mobile’s SIM card and transfer your contacts. There’s nothing worse than having to laboriously key into your new phone all the contacts from your old one, so this feature will be very welcome.

Add to that SMS text messaging, the ability to produce polyphonic ringtones, and a huge contact list of 255 numbers, and you’ll find that the BT Reveal designer digital cordless phone takes some beating.

Rob

Rated: from 1544 votes

© BT

The range of digital cordless phones available on the high street is now quite astounding.

If you want a digital answering machine built in, no problem. Two or more handsets so you can answer the phone in any room in the house? No problem. Funky modern design, retro style or just plain and simple? The selection is yours, and any number of digital cordless phone manufacturers will be clamouring to serve you.

All the major names in electronics offer excellent digital cordless phones – Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Philips for example. And there’s a great range just out under the BT Synergy badge, headed up by the flagship BT Synergy 4500 Quad Digital Cordless Phone which boasts no less than four handsets linked to the one base station.

With a range of up to 300 metres, the BT 4500 is powerful enough to let you use your phone with ease anywhere in the largest house. It boasts 11.1/2 minutes message time on the integral answering machine, hands free operation and a 255 number phone book. It even has SMS text messaging.

The 4500 like all good modern digital cordless phones conforms to the DECT standard, meaning crystal clear speech for both sides of the conversation. And with its sleek stylish design, it’s sure to be an eye-pleaser as well.

So if you’re shopping for digital cordless phones, you need look no further.

Rob

Rated: from 1645 votes

© Kodak

As you know, I can’t resist new gadgets, and as well as writing a shopping blog, I’m a keen follower of shopping blogs and product reviews written by other people.

So I was very pleased to see this morning a review of the latest in digital photo frames. It’s quite a while now since a normal photo frame has been seen in my house, as the digital ones have so many advantages that the old-fashioned photo frames with their paper photos can’t match.

First, you can change the photo on display as often as you like. If you want the same picture for a whole week, that’s fine. On the other hand if you want to change the photo every half hour and so show off your complete album of the trip to Norway, then that’s just as easy.

And secondly the picture quality is so much better in a digital photo frame. It’s illuminated, so it’s nice and bright. And you can get definition similar to that on your PC monitor, rather than losing image quality by printing on to paper.

Digiview does a lovely range of them, including a big ten inch model for under £100. The product reviews are highly favourable, and it will even play MP3s so you can have your favourite music in the background while showing off your album.

Rob

Rated: from 1214 votes

istockphoto © doodlemachine

As a Libran, you are easy-going with a romantic streak which makes you irresistible to the opposite sex, the same sex and gadget salesmen.

You see the good in everything, especially when it has been recommended in a shopping blog or product review. This will be shown by the size of your collection of digital cameras, digital cordless phones and other essential electronic gadgets.

But you are at heart a faithful type. This means that even when your digital camera or digital cordless phone is replaced as best buy in the shopping blog by a later model, you can’t bear to part with it.

Being meticulous and painstaking by nature, you always keep the boxes in a safe place so that when your newest digital camera or digital cordless phone arrives, you can carefully pack up the previous model and lovingly pile it up in the top of the wardrobe with all the others. Nobody can accuse a Libran of being fickle.

stock.xchng © nkzs

Libra your Zodiac sign is the Scales or the Balance. So as a faithful Libran you will carefully weigh up and balance the pros and cons of every new purchase. It is a sign or your consistency and good judgement that when you have pondered over the product review on the shopping blog, you get out the credit card every single time and hit the internet shopping sites.

And this is your lucky month. The number of new electronic gadgets on offer this month, from digital cameras, though mobile phones to digital cordless phones is nothing short of sensational. There will be many happy hours reading product reviews and shopping blogs. And I foresee endless joy as you unpack your purchases and admire them.

And finally, beware. Money troubles could be just around the corner.

Mystic Marvin

Rated: from 1854 votes

ericortners © stock.xchng

Whether you work from home, or just have a busy social life, there’s nothing as indispensable as a digital cordless phone. All the new ones adopt the DECT standard (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications, in case you wondered!), so you will be able to hear your caller clear as a bell – and vice versa.

I remember the days when using your landline meant sitting tied to the nearest telephone point, but of course those days are long gone with digital cordless phones, and you can use the phone wherever you happen to be in the house – or even in the garden. I’ve used mine while visiting my friend next door, so the range of today’s digital cordless phones is quite impressive.

BT produce an excellent range of digital cordless phones, both with and without an integral answering machine, as do all the other major electronics manufacturers such as Philips and Samsung. So choosing one is as much about how you like the design of it as anything now that the quality of them all is so high.

I must admit that I don’t bother with answering machines now that BT’s free 1571 message service is so good and effective, but if you do find you need one there are plenty on offer, and they don’t usually increase the size of the digital cordless phone either.

Today’s digital cordless phones are often just as small as mobile phones, and come in a range of designs to suit all tastes, and prices to suit all pockets.

Rated: from 1225 votes