Cute cam

THIS Xcute DV2 camera phone looks set to give the iconic Nokia N93 a run for its money. The makers boast that it's the most powerful multimedia mobile in the world. The 6.1-megapixel  device almost doubles Nokia's 3.1. And there's 22 Different shooting modes, a TV connection, powerful LCD Screen and yes, it has an MP3 Player. But it only ships sim-free in this country so you'll have to shell out £228.99 at www.unlocked-mobiles.com, or over the telephone on 0870 7565 314. We're expecting one in the office any day now. But if you've already tested one, give us a shout and let us know how it handles.

Pearl's a winner

PHONE giant Vodafone are offering amazing deals on the new Blackberry Pearl 8100. You can get the sleek, black ultra-smart phone FREE on an 18-month Anytime 150 contract for £11.25 a month (that's half-price for three months). But you'd need to add a data package on top of that for full web access.

The Pearl does everything you'd expect a smart phone to do, including storing pics, music and video. But it has a qwerty keyboard and is great for sending and receiving all your emails on the go. Its star feature is the trackball which  glows white. And you are supposed to be able to make it change colour with some ring tones. We haven't figured out how to do that yet. Any help welcome.

See http://vodafone.com for more

Robosapien: The Next Generation

MEET a likely contender for this year's No1 Christmas toy. At £294.95 the RS Media is the latest in the Robosapien line. It's a giant and we'll be putting one through its paces in the office soon for a full test. We'll keep you posted on the Gadgits page in the News of the World. Meanwhile check out  www.gadgetshop.com for more details.

Protect your PC

GET yourself some PC protection with Trend Micro’s latest Internet Security suite. The 2007 version includes the American firm’s well-known PC-cillin™ engine and anti-malware protection along with a host of new features addressing all the latest threats, including rootkits, spyware, phishing, spam, hackers, viruses, WiFi attacks, smartphone threats and the growing problem of identity theft. Unlike other security software, Trend Micro’s programs have a web-based database of known viruses and other nasties which constantly updates your PC and warns you if you are under threat. It’s like having a personal minder guarding your computer. The software also generates a mouse-click keyboard on your screen for entering passwords to stop key-loggers getting into your bank accounts.

Trend Micro general manager Lane Bess told Gadgits: “We are excited to offer this hybrid software and web-based service because increasingly mobile consumers and computer-connected families want to email, shop, share pictures, bank, browse and instant message with confidence.”

At £49.95 the product is great value because it is licensed for use on up to three computers. Gadgits has ten copies to give away. Just email us at comps@notw.co.uk, by November 7th, and tell us which American firm makes this software. (normal competition rules apply)

• Internet shopping is expected to increase by 4 per cent during the 10-week run-up to Christmas 2006. Shoppers will spend £7 billion online, compared with £5 billion during the same period in 2005.

• UK e-retail sales will be worth £30 billion this year. Britain's 26 million online shoppers will each spend on average more than £1,000 for the first time in 2006, and £269 in the run-up to Christmas

Coolest of the cool

A NEW style bible has published a list of the coolest gadgets - and unbelievably the iPod isn't included. A panel of the "most stylish" people in the country have selected the must-have brands. And they list the coolest gizmo makers as: Tom Tom, BlackBerry, Canon (pictured right), Nokia (pictured left) and Sony. But Apple don't get a look in. That's enough to make any iPod owner blow their cool, and who could blame them. The findings have been published in a new book called CoolBrands An Insight Into Some of Britain’s Coolest Brands, featuring a Canon Ixus on the cover.
Council members, including DJ Trevor Nelson, scored each brand out of 10 on the basis that CoolBrands must be ‘desirable among many style leaders and influencers’ and have ‘a magic about them signifying users have a sense of taste and style.’
This year, for the first time, consumers were also given their say. YouGov, the online market research organisation, polled 1,725 people to get their views.
When it came to the overall verdict, pundits and punters agreed - Aston Martin is the coolest brand.

What's yours?

Fans Peased off!

HUNDREDS of fed-up Fergie fans from all over the world are not best Peased with a website offering the chance to meet the star . . . because it applies to Americans only. The Black Eyed Peas home page has been inundated with complaints  about the contest run by online store Vanity Shops. So Gadgits has stepped in and we've been promised the chance to arrange a similar contest when Fergie hits Europe next year, except it will be open to anyone in the world. The winner will be escorted by Gadgits man Mark Gilbert, who will get down to the gig like, er, Tower Bridge.

Watch this space

Sony's superfast laptops

SONY has launched this SZ3 VAIO notebook, with blisteringly fast web access. The electronics giant has teamed up with T-Mobile to fight sluggish broadband on the move.  Using a next-generation ExpressCard™, the SZ3 provides speeds of up to 3.6mbps.  And buyers will get a free trial of T-Mobile’s high-speed networks. Other features include an integrated Motion Eye webcam and fingerprint recognition. Using Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processors and backed by 2GB worth of memory, this keeps Vaio at the forefront of laptop design and performance.

Win a Skype webcam

ALMOST 75 per cent of of Brits talk to friends and family while on the toilet, a Skype survey reveals this week. And 17 per cent admit falling asleep while chatting to someone else. One person even admitted talking on the phone while driving a tank!

Skype want to know how YOU view their service. Email your answers to these three questions to gadgits@notw.co.uk by November 18 and you could win a Skype Creative webcam*.

1. How would you describe Skype?
2. What do you like about Skype?
3. Are there any areas/issues that Skype could improve on?

*Terms and conditions: First answer selected at random after 9am on 1/11/06 will receive the prize

For more information on Skype click here

Fit phone

THIS phone from Sony Ericsson provides everything you need to enjoy music on the go, including a 512MB Memory Stick Micro™ with room for up to 160 songs.

Once your tunes are uploaded, they can all be easily accessed using Sony Ericsson’s Walkman interface.
The mobie also has a 2.0-megapixel still and video camera with a 2.5x digital zoom for clean, crisp images.
But what separates the W710i from the masses are the handset’s unique fitness applications. It records your running speeds. And the all-day step counter will measure the total distance you've walked. Available FREE from the Carphone Warehouse on £25-a-month contracts, or £209 on pay-as-you-go.