We've long known that broadband could easily provide an alternative means for delivering telly to traditional ones. By and large the focus of research into its possibilities have been focussed on its potential as a means for delivering HDTV signals, with poor old low def telly being somewhat over looked. It's nice to see then that ITV have begun trialling a new TV service, designed to reach out to individual communities, using broadband. ITV Local is still in trial period and only covers Brighton and Hastings at the moment, with very limited content. It is, however, easy to see the potential of the service, which is set to accept content from would-be film makers and other keen enthusiasts. It also loads up pretty quickly and seems to stream flawlessly.

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'Proper' TV over the net from Microsoft

What Hi-Fi is a magazine that knows it woofers from its tweeters (it's all about dogs and birds ain't it?) so winning one of its awards (which were officially announced yesterday) is quite a salute from the mag's golden eared and eyed reviewers. Anyhow below are a few of our key selections from the winners of Product of the year from different categories:

Arcam Solo - Winner of All-in-one Systems
Forget Hi-Fi separates; the Solo does everything without dominating your living-room and it sounds amazing too, it has an integrated CD player and inputs for an MP3 player such as an iPod.
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Sony RDR-HXD710 - DVD and Hard Disk Recorders
Boasting everything you need in a recorder: huge storage capacity for short term recordings, removable DVD storage for keeping things longer and an integrated Freeview package to save you a few quid on a digital set top box.
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Monitor Audio i-Deck - MP3 3layers & accessories
Compatible with a decent range of iPod types, this docking station will add serious power to the portable unit and probably negates the need for traditional form of home audio entertainment.
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Click the link below to see the full list of winners from all eighteen categories.

In a deal that should surprise no one Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB has snapped up broadband ISP Easynet for a reported £211 million. The deal now gives Murdoch's BSkyB a foot hold in the UK broadband market. So why does the move makes sense for Sky? Firstly it gives Sky the opportunity to become a triple play provider delivering telephone and web services as well as digital TV - just like its powerful new rival the just merged Telewest/NTL cable group.

Possibly just as important is that it gives Sky another outlet for the HDTV services it is set to launch next year. Easynet has pioneered local loop bundling in the UK which enables it to offer ultra fast broadband connections of 8Mbps and above to a sizeable number of UK homes. This speed is fast enough for Sky to offer HDTV via broadband, with the user possibly taking a set top box than connects directly to the web and delivers what the trade calls IPTV.

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Wanadoo offers eight Meg broadband

10Meg broadband to be standard for NTL

Here's the latest from our High Def blog HDTVUK MTV? Discovery? What other channels are in Sky's HD package? : Philips' HD-friendly Media Center PC: Celebs who are made for HDTV

On our PC problems solved blog Propellerhead we have Random text generator in Word: Collectable Computers

On great lost albums blog Popjunkie Depeche Mode's finest hour: More superb Beatley pop

So are music downloads via mobile phones taking off in the UK? Well yes and no. While some networks seem to now be only offering a half-baked service, others are going from strength to strength. Orange today has announced a few little tweaks to its music download system Music Player which should help make life a bit easier for its users.

The big news is the Orange Music Converter, a rather nifty bit of software for your PC which enables users to convert tracks they have stored on their PC's hard disk into the AAC+ format which is compatible with the Orange Music Player. It works with MP3s and WMAs, but obviously not DRM-ed WMA and AAC tracks downloaded from Napster, iTunes et al. The reason you might want to do this is that the AAC+ tracks take up just 700k of space on a storage card as opposed to 3/4MB of a full MP3 track. So your 512MB SD card instantly now holds the same as a two Gig card would if loaded with MP3s. There is obviously a slight trade off in terms of sound quality though not as much as you might think. Probably the best comparison is MP3 at 96kbps.

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Orange's music phone

Fresh off the back of the launch of Creative Zen MicroPhoto, comes details of the latest docking station for the MP3 player. The TravelDock seems to have gone a little overboard in terms of functionality, so that apart from serving as set of speakers for the Zen unit, it will also play FM radio, recharge the device, serve as a USB PC connection and has an auxiliary input for other devices if you aren't solely reliant on the Zen for acoustic entertainment. And there's a remote too.

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Denon's iPod loving home cinema system
Creative TravelSound 400 portable speakers

We've done shoes, we've done bags, we've done chick lit, and we've done gadgets for girls. There was only one thing left for the girls of Shiny Media to do - pure, unadulterated fashion! Today sees the launch of yet another stylish Shiny blog. Catwalk Queen keeps you informed on hot trends, high fashion and chic celeb looks, and shows you how to get the look without a stylist and megabucks salary. The blog is written by Gemma (yes, she really is running Shiny Media single handed) and has been launched in conjunction with the relaunch of Gemma's own site, Catwalk Queen Magazine. Check out Catwalk Queen.tv now dahlings. 

Propellerhead is less about fashion and more about computer-related makeovers. If you've got a problem with your PC that's sending you into uncontrollable rages, get in touch with our own Mr Fix It, Rick Maybury, who will calmly offer you a solution whilst giving you a relaxing foot rub*. Propellerhead.tv: all your computer woes solved, plus: how to cheat at Solitaire.

*terms and conditions apply, footrub offer ends 19th October 1992.

It had to happen sooner or later really; take one regular bedside clock- radio humbled by its regular morning beatings, imbue it with the power of DAB, add a CD player and there you have it - Alba's DAB CD Alarm Clock. If you're bored with the hiss of FM stations or simply fancy a bit of a change, DAB is a good and simple way to go. The CD player will also help on that front. As a clock goes, it has a big green LCD display, and though the unit's style isn't going to bowl you over, it does look sturdy enough to fend off the odd early morning whack. 

The £60 price tag is pretty decent for a DAB radio unit and much more affordable than many of the completely DAB dedicated alternatives.

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Morphy Richards expands DAB range
Roberts Radio unveil Gemini 27

There are many occasions when it is preferable to carry a notebook computer that, unlike many laptops, doesn't seriously stretch the limits of the term 'portable'. Averatec apparently is of the same opinion and has chosen to seek out a more compact solution to mobile computing coupled with a decent style.

The Averatec 1050 is pretty distinct with its burgundy colour and has a slim 26.6 x 20.25 x 2.9 cm set of dimensions, it weighs in at just 1.6kg. In computing power, its Windows XP operating system is backed up by 1.1 GHz processor, 512MB RAM and an 80GB hard disk drive, which means it won't be fastest machine around but should have about enough muscle to cater for most needs.

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Another contender for world's smallest laptop
Laptop bags that come back

Sony computer entertainment has just unveiled plans to introduce a new retail package for the must-have handheld entitled the Giga Pack. From November 28^th, you will be able to buy a package bundle which includes the usual PSP unit, AC adaptor and USB cable on top of a 1GB (instead of the Value's 32MB) Memory Stick Pro Duo and the new PSP stand for hands free viewing. 

That means, unless Sony drop the price of the Value Pack, you'll be paying a mere £35 for a stand and a gig of memory (equating to around 30 hours of music). Doesn't seem too bad a deal to me; nice one Sony.

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PSP gets cracked
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Bluetooth has seen a few shaky periods, not to mention the wealth of bigger nastier networking alternatives constantly trying to muscle in on its turf. In spite of that, the technology is still going strong, mostly in thanks to its presence inside a vast proportion of mobile phone handsets as well as many other portable devices and its easy-to-use nature. Trust's development of EDR or Enhanced Data Rate technology could help to expand the capabilities of the networking tool. EDR is boasts the ability to create connections between up to seven devices simultaneously and offers up to three times faster data transfer.

This USB adaptor should provide a useful networking connection between Bluetooth enabled phones, headsets, printers, PDAs and will the increased transfer rate will reduce the amount of power sucked up by elongated connection times. The Trust Bluetooth 2.0 EDR USB adapter will be available from the end of this month for around £17.99

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Nokia does a BlackBerry
Palm adds a pair of PDAs

Forget 3G - it's old hat now with its sluggish connections, rubbish quality TV and video and snail-like downloads. Nope we are moving to the Czech Republic where, as from yesterday, the inhabitants of a country previously best known for top quality lager, Franz Kafka and not especially politically correct football fans have Europe's first 4G service to play with. Installed by T-Mobile it uses UMTS TD-CDMA technology to deliver download speeds of up to 1Mbps - two and a half times faster than the UK 3G networks. T-Mobile says it hopes to attract subscribers who will stick the 4G friendly PCMCIA card in their laptops (there's no 4G phones available for Europe yet) and surf like there is no tomorrow. Interestingly T-Mobile is only charging 34 Euros per month for the one Meg service, which is a lot cheaper than its 3G rates over in the UK.

The service is only available in Prague at the moment, but it is being rolled out across the Republic. Is it a Wimax killer? Maybe, and when are we going to see that HSDPA 1.5 meg technology the networks in the UK promised us not that long ago?

More 4G
South Korea goes 4G

You can't beat a bit of a celebrity endorsement for your product especially when that celeb is the world's most accomplished striker, renaissance man and so the missus says all-round heartthrob, Thierry Henry.

For apparently on the way to the Sparta Prague Champions League game on Tuesday night Arsenal star, and renowned gadget lover  Henry, was spotted sporting Logitech's wireless headphones for his iPod.

The phones use Bluetooth, have a radius of over 30 metres (so Robert Pires et al could also check out what Thierry was listening to) and sells in the UK for around £80.

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Belkin's wireless iPod adaptor
Oregon's wireless speakers for the iPod

Older readers may remember those scenes from The Prisoner where Patrick McGoohan used to try and escape from the island, only to be scooped up by an incredibly sinister balloon Rover and taken back to 'the village' (younger readers just ask your grandad). It used to scare the living bejaysus out of me that's for sure. Well just think how San Franciscans must have felt when 250,000 coloured mini-balloons came floating down the street towards them in July. They must have thought their time was up and they'd been rounded up to live in Arkansas or somewhere equally dull. Fortunately for them it was all a stunt for Sony's new High Definition TV ad to show how just its colours are like no other. We'll be telling you more about the ad campaign and the product itself in a series of Sony sponsored posts appearing on Tech Digest throughout the month. But if you can't wait to see the advert on telly then check out the BRAVIA site.

*********Promotional Post in Association with Sony Bravia***********

Nokia's calling its latest batch of fashion handsets the "L'Amour Collection", though why exactly is not entirely clear. First up is the 7380 which has a keyless dial similar to its Art Deco predecessor, the 7280. It's got some decent features including a 2-megapixel camera and MP3 player. Next comes the 7370 with a swivel design a 1.3-megapixel camera and a choice of two colours - coffee brown and warm amber. Finally, the 7360 comes with a standard VGA camera and an FM radio - as well as those two colour choices.

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Nokia's Art Deco Fashion Phones
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Philips is back for yet another crack at the personal audio market with a pair of hard disk players which debut this week. We have been reasonably impressed by Philips players in the past - its debut player, the black and skinny HDD100 was for a time a real iPod rival - and the new pair look pretty impressive too. Both models, the £249 HDD6320, which has 30Gig storage, enough to store up to 15,000 songs or 8400 pictures and the £200 HDD1620 offering 6Gig storage (up to 3000 songs, 1600 pictures) sport colour screens, Philips' reasonably fast SuperScroll navigation systems, voice recording facilities and play back of WMA  files (including DRM-ed WMAs). Battery life is 15 hours on the HDD6320 and eighteen hours on the HDD1620. Philips has also created a range of accessories for the players including splashproof cases, charging docks and cassette adaptors.

More Philips
Philips MP3 newbies
Philips Shoqbox

You know all about Moto's 3G RAZR, the 3x, because we told you how 3 had snaffled them up the other day. Motorola does however have another pair of 3G phones which it intends to launch in the UK and Europe in the next month or so.

The one you'll probably be seeing most of is the Motorola E1070 which should be available from 02 and Orange. Its is a compact clamshell with a 1.3-megapixel camera with digital zoom, Bluetooth, Transflash/Micro SDmemory card, a QVGA display and video. There's also the Vodafone only Motorola E770v, a chocolate bar style handset which has video calling and access to the Vodafone Live! 3G portal. Also on board is 176x220 pixel display in 262,000 colours, VGA resolution camera with 4X digital zoom, Bluetooth, video calling, MP3 and video playback, stereo output via plug-in headphones, email client and web browser.

More Moto
3G RAZR
RAZR review

Interesting to see how the AV manufacturers are responding to the growing popularity of flat screen TVs. Denon, a company that has always produced excellent AV gear and superb sounding systems, has unveiled its latest plasma/LCD friendly system in the Smart Life S-301- the sucessor to the well received S-101. It's all wrapped up in a box that a few years ago would have passed or a VHS video recorder. At £1250 Denon certainly has its eye on top-end buyers and this is reflected in a system that has just about everything on board. Dolby Virtual Speaker surround sounds system - check, flat TV friendly super skinny speakers - check, iPod connect and control with the track names appearing on the system's screen - check. We could go on like this all day. If you get tired of the Apple player's compressed audio you could always play back both high-end DVD formats (DVD-A and SACD) or listen to AM/FM radio transmissions. Finally it also has impeccable HD credentials with the system boasting a HDMI output for the progressive scan DVD player, while also sporting HD upscaling to deliver those high def style images from standard discs. It'll be yours in November.

More Surround
Denon's Micro
Denon's Smart Life S-101

Ok, seeing as Apple has hogged the limelight on the old personal audio front for the last few weeks, now seems a good time to see what the opposition is up to. Creative, which has always been a firm fave with the 'anything but an iPod' lobby, is back with a full UK launch of its Zen Micro Photo. The new player is finished in white and in the traditional upright Micro style, but boasts a bigger eight Gigabyte hard disk and sports a splendid 262,144 colour OLED screen. Naturally it will play MP3s and display JPEGs but it has been optimized for Windows Media Audio and WMA 10 and will play DRM-ed music tracks without any hassle. It also has an FM radio board and battery life of a pretty reasonable fifteen hours. Yours for a penny under £200.

More MP3
Creative Zen Sleek
Apple video iPod

3 today also unveiled a service that suggests to us that a few of its top execs have spent a little bit too much time recently watching re-runs of You've Been Framed. It is offering its customers (it now has 3.2 million subscribers) cash to share their video clips. Users send in thirty second video clips which are then uploaded to the 'See Me TV' channel for other 3 customers to view. Each time a clip is downloaded by a 3 customer the performer gets paid 1p, and 3 is promising that some contributors could make thousands of cash for their efforts. Credits are paid by PayPal.

See Me TV is accessed via the 3 Services menu and is updated daily. To help viewers navigate through the thousands of mini-movie clips that will be available they are divided into categories, from 'Stupid Stuff' to 'Cuddly' and 'Dead Impressive'. The most popular clips appear at the top of the browser to help cut straight through to the top talent. All clips are presented with the name of the 'director' and a title to encourage performers to add attention.

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3's top new music service
3 goes Mobile blogging