REVIEW: Livescribe Echo smartpen

A significant step up from a trusty old Bic, the Livescribe Echo smartpen takes note taking to a whole new level by allowing you to sync audio to your scribbles and send them all over the web in just a few simple steps. But can it achieve results any more accurate than a fast hand and attentive ear couldn't manage just as well with a humble biro? Read on to find out.

Flip MinoHD heading to UK shelves on 7th April

Flip-minoHD.jpg

Almost one year on and Flip Video is back at us with a revamped version of everyone’s favourite pocket-sized camcorder. Ladies, gentlemen, I give you the Flip MinoHD. Can anyone guess how they’ve upgraded it?

Yes, it’s all in the name. We’re now looking at the world’s smallest HD video camera – 720p of course – and they’ve accordingly upped the onboard memory to 4GB so that you can still capture that magic 60 minutes of footage.

It’ll cost you £169.99 when it comes out on 7th April, which seems slightly on the expensive side after the likes of the Toshiba Camileo P10 was announced, but then it does come with easy to use Flip software and a whopping big fan base. Bound to be a hit once more.

Flip

Flip Mino review:

Buy a straight Flip

Apple to astound world (maybe) by SHUFFLE-ing 1,000 songs (maybe)

Apple scientists have gone mad and achieved the unthinkable, say 'multiple sources'.

That's right.. According to 'insiders', boffins in California have struggled and strained to create the unimaginable by redesigning the Apple iPod Shuffle to support a mighty 4Gb of solid-state hard drive space. Amazed, huh? Well, I'm not surprised. The current series of iPod Shuffles struggle to push past the maximum limit of a piffling 2Gb – so for this rumour to be true – well, it redefines time, space, life and everything.

ZuneFest: Microsoft 's 4GB/8GB Zune takes on the iPod Nano

microsoft-zune-4GB.jpgPhew, at last some hard fact rather than mere rumour. Microsoft has unveiled various new Zune models and related services / accessories, so I’m going to deal with them one by one. Starting with the new 4GB and 8GB Flash-based Zunes.

They’re available in pink, green, black and red flavours, and will sell for $199.99 in the US. Think of them as a direct rival for the iPod Nano, complete with a whizzy Zune Pad touch-sensitive navigation button.