To be a truely go-anywhere MP3 player, the most vital feature is that the memory - where the songs are stored - is a solid state flash drive, rather than than a hard disk. If you’ve ever tried to go jogging with a hard drive-based MP3 player, like an iPod Classic, you’ll know that it doesn’t take long before skipping becomes a problem. Flash-based memory is a lot more durable, but the disadvantage is that it costs more per megabyte, so storage sizes tend to be between 2 and 32 GB. For the active listener that’s a trade-off that’s worth making. Check out the Sony NWZS639F or Apple’s new iPod Nano.

Another key item for allowing you to get on with your run without worrying about your MP3 player is a clip so you don’t need to bother having the device knocking around in your pocket. And of course the smaller the better. The Apple iPod Shuffle is very compact, with a durable clip built into the aluminium body. The latest model is voice activated too, making it easier to control on the go.

Or for true comfort on the go, take a look at this wearable MP3 player/headphones combination from Sony:

Depending on what your favourite activities are, you might also want to look out for a waterproof model. You probably wouldn’t want to go swimming, but from mountain biking to waterfights, it’s as well to be prepared. Swimsuit specialists Speedo have entered into the MP3 player market with their Aquabeat Waterproof MP3 player, or you could try SwiMP3 player (geddit?).

Whatever you’re up to this summer, there’s no reason you won’t be able to bring your favourite music with you!

For an in-car system that’s a bit different, check out the Navman S30 3D. You can see all landmarks in 3D and you can upload all the info about them and local attractions via the Navdesk on your PC so that you have all the interesting facts with you as you travel.

If you’re planning a road trip, Che Guevara style, you’ll want a rider sat nav. The TomTom Rider 2nd Edition UK & Ireland has a 3.5″ glove-friendly touch screen, helmet connection and Secure RAM mount. It’s also waterproof so you can splash though as many puddles as you like.

For the treckers amongst you, check out the Garmin eTrex H. It’s built for tough conditions, it’s waterproof and it only has five buttons which can be easily operated with one hand. It will last up to 17 hours on just two AA batteries and will store up to 500 waypoints in its memory for easy retrieval. There’s also the TrackBack® system which will take you back to your starting point by reversing your track log.

If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at our sat nav buyers guide.  or look through the best sat navs on Reevoo.

Being a Nikon user through and through I was thoroughly excited to get to play with a Canon camera, especially one with such high reviews. It has an average score of 9.3 and a staggering 9.7 for both features and build quality.

Colin, whose review was voted most helpful by Reevoo users, had this to say on the Canon Powershot G10:

Positive: The G10 is extremely versatile for a compact and has many features found on more expensive, larger DSLR’s. As a hill walker, I was attracted to the reported image quality, raw recording and the size/weight compared to a DSLR and have been delighted by the results.

Negative: Pricey for a compact, but you do get what you pay for. The multitude of features and recording options may be daunting to the novice, however, to buy this camera and only use it in “point and shoot” mode would be a crime.

I think Colin’s last point is extremely important. This camera is expensive for its type but is worth every penny, but only if you are prepared to make the most of it. With deep menu systems and a multitude of different settings it has a lot to offer. The navigation is extremely well laid out and intuitive so don’t shy away if you are a novice. Just think about buying it if you want to really progress your photography skills.

Images are sharp at low ISO ratings which means that in good lighting situations you can get photo quality comparable to higher end DSLR cameras such as the Nikon D300. However, when you start to work in low light the quality quickly degrades. This is not something uncommon in compact cameras and is to be expected but I was hoping for more from this little battle tank.

The screen is really bright, clear and easy to use but I was a little disappointed to find that when shooting in RAW format (the best possible quality and a rarity in compact cameras) I was not able to zoom in afterwards at full quality. This is annoying, especially when you are taking photos in tricky situations and want to make sure you’ve got the focus and shutter speed right.

There are many reviews of the G10, especially on its Reevoo.com product page, so I wanted to focus my attention particularly on one ingenious aspect, the panoramic mode.

The Canon Powershot G10 has a panoramic setting that makes taking impressive wide angle photos a doddle. Switch to the panoramic mode and take your first photo. After having done that the camera will display it on its big 3″ screen as well as a live feed of what you’re pointing your camera at. This allows you to move your camera and line up the next shot in the scene where your previous shot finished. You can take as many shots as you want and then use the provided Canon software to stitch them together. Providing you’ve taken your photos well, which is made even easier by an auto exposure compensation as the light changes across your panorama, the stitching software works a treat and produces fantastic results.

Not being one to stick to the rules I thought I’d be clever and do a vertical panoramic. For a first attempt I was quite impressed with how easy it was to do. The only complaint I have is that too much of the screen was taken up by the overlaid previous image so I felt I was taking 10 photos where I could have taken 5. I think with more experimentation I could probably have found a way around that problem.

The Canon G10 looks like it means business, feels like it means business and for the most part acts like it means business. It’s well weighted, sturdily designed, has a great menu system and well positioned button lay out. Its optical zoom function is deceptively good and at 14.7 megapixels a digital crop zoom is definitely not out of the question on any shots taken below ISO 400. After ISO 400 noise is bad but the camera has a much welcomed flash hotshoe built in meaning you can get really professional photos even in low light if you are happy to buy an accompanying flash such as the Canon 430 EX II.

Overall if you are looking for an innovative and sturdy compact with much of the power of a Digital SLR but none of the backpack space then the Canon G10 is worth considering. Just make sure if you’re willing to spend the money that you are going to make the most of it and delve deep into its menu system and plethora of settings.

If you want to look at reviews for Nikon’s answer to the Canon G10, go to Reevoo and look at the Nikon P6000.

Reviews, product information and price comparison on the Canon Powershot G10 can be read Here

Heading to a festival this year? Even if you’re not, the Orange Power Pump can be used for all manner of outdoor parties. It’s a foot pump that powers a tiny generator that will in-turn, charge all your gadgets. No electricity required and with a minute or so on the pump, you’ll have enough charge for a 5 minute call. All that and you’re helping out the environment too.

Watch this space for a price and release date but no doubt it will be available in time for all this summer’s festivals, just head towards the Orange stand.

[Orange]

Currently appearing in [Coolest Gadgets]

The clue is in its maker - Ulysse Nardin, watch maker extraordinaire. This phone takes top-of-the-range watch technology and teams it up with a touchscreen giving us a stylish hybrid handset. Its built-in battery is charged by the kinetic energy generated by the moving rotor so that your phone charges without you even noticing, while it’s working.

But if you thought this was a gimmick phone, think again. Ulysse Nardin have created an interesting multi-touch smartphone. Complete with Wi-Fi, 5 megapixel camera and 2.8 inch screen, the Chairman certainly sounds like a phone to look out for. Release dates and price are currently under wraps but we’ll keep you posted.

[Ulysse Nardin]

Featured in the Coolest Gadgets competition.

We’ve had lots of great entries on Twitter, but we reckon the prize should go to the person who went the extra mile and sent us a picture to show us why he needed a hifi so badly.

@reevoo I need to #winahifi because I’m a poor student currently stuck with this tiny little speaker — jamesctaylor

Well James, we’re happy to be able to help out a poor student, with - brace yourself - Britain’s best-rated hifi!

And if that wasn’t enough, we’re also going to throw in a copy of the White Lies album, To Lose My Life.

James, if you let us have your address we’ll send through the hifi, and you can look forward to having to make some room on your bookshelves for this:

Look out for more Reevoo giveaways coming soon!

Today, we’re looking at the manufacturer who’s got the first web TV system on the market: Sony, with its ‘Applicast’ system.

Applicast is currently available on UK models on the W5500, E5500 and V5500 series.

So what does Applicast offer?

According to Sony, Applicast offers a fairly uninspiring collection of basic computer programs: ‘an analogue style clock’, calendar, alarm, calculator, and world clock.

Fortunately for web-savvy shoppers, Sony has packed a key feature into the Applicast system - an RSS reader. This will allow you to “Get up-to-the-minute news from your favourite websites right on your TV screen. With more than 100,000 RSS feeds available worldwide, you can tune in to any hot topic without tuning out of the TV show you’re enjoying.”

The short version seems to be that you’ll be able to get Decide What to Buy on your TV! There are lots of other potential uses: as well as blogs, you could get news, weather info, stock markets, Twitter, etc.

As you can see from the picture below, the Applicast system presents the content in a pretty classy manner, but you won’t be able to read much on the RSS widget!





Overall, the Applicast system has some potential, but plenty of room for improvement. Still, at least the Applicast system is available on TVs that are on sale now, unlike many of the web TV offerings we’ll be covering!

Hours after Reevoo announced that the Tesco Value MC-907 Hi-Fi had trounced the opposition in the first Reevoo Customer Awards the machine was sold out across the Country!

In an effort to prevent enormous public outcry Reevoo are giving away one copy of the glimmering gold champion of music lovers’ eardrums!

There’s a catch though. Not just anyone is worthy of the public’s favourite Hi-Fi, you’ll have to prove it truly deserves pride of place on your mantlepiece this summer, and you’re going to have to think creatively if you want to win.

At Reevoo we want the last remaining model to go to the most deserving person out there so show us how much you need the thumping bass in your life by sending us your finest picture, poem or paragraph showing and explaining why you’re truly worthy of Britain’s greatest Hi-Fi. We expect to see air guitar pictures, romantic song lyrics and at least one person brave enough to dress up like someone from The Archers.

A Hi-Fi is nothing without music so we’re giving away the new White Lies album To Lose My Life too.

How to Enter

Being big fans of all things internet we would like to invite you to use your favourite blog site or Twitter to communicate your passion for this mighty prize to us!
Just answer this simple question:

‘Why do you or someone you know deserve to win a new Hi-Fi?’

Blog entries

If you blog your entry make sure you link directly to this post at http://www.reevoo.com/decidewhattobuy/2009/05/win-britains-favourite-hi-fi

and feel free to use images to accompany your post.

Twitter

If you use Twitter begin your tweet with

@reevoo I need to #winahifi because…

By doing this we can keep track of all entrants. You can also search Twitter for #winahifi and see how you compare to the competition!

If you want to add an image to show how much you need the Hi-Fi you can use the popular Twitter image uploading service, Twitpic.

What if I’ve never used a blog or Twitter?

If you’ve never blogged or used Twitter before don’t worry, it’s easy! Simply visit Blogger to get started blogging or Twitter to start writing your own Tweets.

Closing Date

The closing date for the competition is 3pm 15/05/09. Be sure to check back on Decide What To Buy the following day to find out if you’re the lucky winner.

Please follow this link for full Terms and Conditions.

People have been talking about all the technology in your house communicating with each other for years but Microsoft’s taken the bull by the horns and done something simple about it.

They’ve teamed up with Californian company Fugoo to create a Windows-based platform which can be plugged into a whole heap of gadgets so that they can all talk to each other. And the result? An alarm clock which can talk to your coffee machine and tell it you’ve woken up and to start brewing your coffee, not only that, it can remind you of your first appointment and calculate how long it will take you to drive to work based on current traffic conditions. Your digital photo frame will also be able to sync up with your PC and display your favourite photos, stocks and shares info or the latest news as you slurp that freshly made coffee. The possibilities are endless. Pretty nifty, hey?

So what does it all cost? The system will be released in the US in June and will set you back a cool $99. The rest of the world will have to wait until 2010.

The guys behind the technology are already working on future uses for the gadget, envisaging “a refrigerator that can generate a weekly shopping list based on staples that have been used up, and then place a delivery order at a local supermarket’s web site. Or a lawn sprinkler that checks the weather forecast for the possibility of rain before turning itself on”. Watch this space!

[Fugoo]

So what is ‘web-enabled TV’ - nobody has been able to agree on a standard name yet - and why should I care?

Web-enabled TV is the ability to get some web content available directly through your TV, which is hooked up to an internet connection. As is often the case with new technologies, the kind and amount of content varies widely, from feeds from from sites like Flickr to weather reports, and potentially YouTube.

Web-enabled TVs should be of interest if you like the idea of checking your email or Facebook from your sofa without having to crouch over the PC at the desk, or if you simply like being on the cutting edge of media consumption: YouTube access in particular, could mark a real change in the content we watch on TV.

Web-enabled TV is an emerging technology, with web-enabled sets just beginning to appear. Over the next week or so, I’ll be blogging about the different technologies available from the key manufacturers, including Samsung with their Internet@TV system, Sony with Applicast, and Panasonic with VieraCast.

We’ll take a close look at the current features of each web TV system, and we’ll also try to predict where each system might end up in a few months time. We should end up with a pretty comprehensive guide to the best of the web TV experience. I hope you’ll be able to join us.