Once again the time of the month has rolled around for my to do my usual blog about whats new and useful in the world of gdagets.  Microsoft having learned from the old Xbox’s lack of stuff (Wi-Fi and meagre hard drive) have released the 360 Slim.  With its 250GB hard drive and built in Wi-Fi all packaged nicely in a slimmer look box this quieter version is sure to be a hit with the gamers among you.  Have you got a spare $158000 stuffed under your mattress and wondering what the time is?  Then get yourself a MB&F HM4 Thunderbolt!!  With its titanium jet turbofans shape comprising 311 parts this top timepiece took 3 years to design.  So roll up your sleeves and show it off - you know you want to!!  Having been bombarded with the iPad over the last few months one of the things that makes all this marketing annoying is the lack of competition for it.  Well now Toshiba are planning what could be a challenge ot it.  Their Libreto W100 features not one but two 7in LED-backlit touchscreens with a crisp 1024X600 resolution.  Use both screens to view different tasks or view content across both screens.  At 819g and 1.2in thick its not what you call lithe and its spec does seem like it will be up to the job but would you choose it over a normal laptop - prices TBA.  Peckish for some browned bread?  Then Tefals ToastN’Light could be your thing.  Its front changes colour from blue-green-yellow-orange to finally red to let you know how your toast is done.  I suppose it beats black?? At the moment it does seem like there are 2 battlegrounds in the tech world and both featuring Apple as the champion having to defend its title.  How long will it be before a young upstart pulls off a shock victory and takes away the top spot from the iPhone and the iPad??   A2000 Paul

Has Panasonic seen the future as being green??  The corperation says that its going to build it business over the next 3 years by focusing its aims on eco-related fields.  This news comes on the back of its buying of Sanyo, a leader in rechargeable batteries and solar cells.  AV and Hi-Fi specialists Pioneer and Denon have both confirmed that they will be introducing 3D Blu-ray players although dont hold your breath for an immediate stocking of the shelves just yet.  Denon players are only due for the US market whilst Pioneer is waiting for its “preferred chipsets to become available” before it brings its hardware to the market place.  Pioneer says its optimistic that 3D will take off when software availability becomes increased.  It still seems that whilst some bigs names are going to jump into the 3D market with both feet there are some that prefer to take the cautious approach.  At the moment there still seems to be a slight nervousness about 3D and it will be a difficult market to predict whether it be a service thats provided or from a hardware point of view.  Whatever the outcome A2000 systems products will be an ideal way to compliment the eventual result whether its 3D or not 3D!!    A2000 Paul

Since the advent of HD is something poised to be a revolutionary as 3D which seems to have gone from being a mere “pie in the sky” to the mainstream.  Will the technology is still in its baby phase and it is still learning to fully stride across the globe like a colossus all the kit you need is now becoming readily available.  All manufacturers are fully geared up to take on the various challenges that 3D may encounter but it is only a matter of time before its “full steam ahead captain”!!  However there are issues that 3D may still be embroiled in.  Every knows that LCD’s generally use less power than plasma screens because they dont need to power 100’s of electrodes that stimulate phosphers but there still is the issue of overall power consumption and now with 3D being available will the public and the screen makers still have the environment on their minds.  With some of the following consumption figures LED screens are still the best if you still have sleepless nights worrying about how many acres of Brazilian rainforest will be lost while you watch EastEnders - Sharps 32in LC32LE600E only uses 58w whilst Samsungs U55B7020 uses 128w which are some of the best performers however at the other end of the scale Panasonics TXP65V10 uses a monsterous 627w and Cellos C3298DVBIPiViewer isnt exactly effcient using 112w (could it be that smaller manufacturers who dont spend on R&D lose out due to ever tightening energy laws??)  As if eco-issues are not enough to be contending with there are some possible health issues that some makers are warning about with watching too much 3D TV.  Samsung were the first to warn children/pregnant woman/elderly about over indulging in 3D and then backed it up with a further warning about drinking excessive booze whilst viewing 3D.  LG put out that kids under 5 should have limited access to 3D content as it could be potentially damaging to young eyes.  A top yank eye expert said “1 in 20 could experience some difficulty when merging 3D info with physical movement” (due to the movie saying “your moving” and your brain “wait a minute no I aint!”)  So are there storm clouds still building on the horizon or will it be plain sailing on the good ship “3D”??

Korea (presumably the South) has become the first country in the world to broadcast 3D over a terrestrial TV network.  All 4 of the main TV stations are taking part in a trial that will deliver up to 4 hours of daily 3D broadcasts.  Coverage is mainly live sport including atheletics and by the time you read this 25 World Cup games.  Toshiba have come up with a new LCD panel for 3D glasses which it reckons will offer better image quality and less adverse viewing effects than its rivals glass.  Called Optically Compensated Bend LCD the lenses are designed for Active Shutter display and promise to reduce any possible crosstalk effects with a high-speed response time and also a wide viewing angle.  Expect these spex to debut when Toshiba launch its 1st range of 3D enabled screens in September.  Menawhile Panasonic have blamed the volcanic ash that spewed from Eyjafjallajokull (or the Icelandic volcano to you and me) for the struggle to meet demand for its 3D TV’s.  They 50in plasma was just one of their range that was in short supply due to air freighting delays.  Over the pond in Tinseltown the film industries top commentators and creators remain divided on the issue of 3D despite the marketeers view of the financial value.  One film critic called Hollywoods obcession ”a waste of a perfectly good format” and that it brung nothing new to the movie going experience.  Others are fitting on the fence with Chris Nolan (of “Dark Knight” fame) musing tha 3D “is an interesting development”.  Even legendary directors such as Sir Ridley Scott and Francis Ford Coppola are split with Scott shooting 2 “Alien” prequels in 3D and Coppola ranting “Todays 3D is really no different from the 1950’s” and also saying that during a screening of “Avatar” he left the spec’s off and watched in blur-o-vision.  Theres no doubt that 3D, whether its on the big screen or at home has the potential to be really big globally but it still is a good thing to have various camps divided on the subject.

Todays blog is a tad bit on the brief side so apologies if you are expecting something longer.  Mainly its two fold - first of all its to say thanks to everyone who has taken the time not only to read our “A2000 Systems” blogs but also thankyou to the people who have posted comments to them.  It is always a difficult task not only trying to think of a subject for a daily blog but also writing one that is not too short and not too long.  I have tried not only to give my views on whats happening with our products and the world of home cinema etc but have also thrown in a few slightly off-kilter topics which I hope you have enjoyed.  If anyone has any ideas for subjects etc please let us know as we will be only too happy to take up the challenge.  Also please accept my apologies for the lateness in replying to some of your comments this is mainly as am fairly new to the world of the internet blog - now I am on the ball!!!  Please keep those comments coming in as its a indicator of if the blogs that I post are any good - we really appreciate it.  On a postscript my brother (the Apple junkie) has now got an iPhone4 - will let you know when he gets an iPad LOL.  Normal A2000 blog service will be resumed 2mora!!!

With the World Cup in full swing some product manufacturers are using it in a way to revamp their existing items.  Sky have released some “HD World Cup Boxes” in a few trendy schemes.  Decorated in footy themes to hopefully recreate Englands 1966 World Cup win these colourful boxes would look good in any fans living room.  The designs are from such people as fashion guru Wayne Hemingway, cartoonist Gerald Scarfe and Brit actor Phil Daniels and priced at 250 quid they are well pucker!! 

Its good to see all the support for our boys over in South Africa and there seems to be not a shop in the high street that isnt flying a St.George’s flag or bedecked in small England themed banners.  Then there is the unmistakable sound of car flags fluttering in the breeze as people drive by.  Also its spot the house that also isnt flying the flag for England (theses ranging in size from tiny small ones to massive ones that seemed to be more suited to a flagpole! - and yes I even have one flying from my bedroom window)  About a week ago a car passed me and as it did there was the unmistakable sound of the african horn (apologies for not remembering what its called) that is causing debate at the tip of Africa - personally it does get abit too much after watching 90 minutes of play (it must be deafening in a footie stadium).  Well its the crunch game for the boys against Algeria tonite and fingers crossed we can produce a performance better in quality than the game against the USA and not be on an early flight home.  It seems that the minnows of the tournament are producing some good results so our boys need to be on their toes!!   COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With the iPad well and truly upon us now and the marketing bombarding us with what it can do to enrich our lives I am wondering how long it will take before the public are seen out with it.  First there was the iPhone which didnt take long before it seemed to be in most peoples pockets.  With its many abilities and apps (some seemingly pointless?) this nifty gadget has taken the world by storm.  Then when Apple released their equally natty Netbook again it seemed that the company had really tapped into a niche market.  However it didnt take long before other companies jumped on the band wagon and developed products of their own.  Even through these tried to “copy” what Apple had achieved there seemed to be something missing??  Whatever Apple release their have hit the nail on the head and others are only “want to be” contenders.  Now the iPad is being aggresively marketed worldwide how long will it be before others follow - one company thinks that it is a market worth investing in.  The JooJoo could be an alternative to the iPad.  Featuring a 12in capacitive touchscreen its slighty thicker at 19mm but still feels light and well built.  More of a friendly web-roamer than a full on tablet PC it comes in a £100 less than the iPad which may grab the attention of punters looking at an alternative to Apple??  Again time will tell if not only the iPad will sell but also if its going to have serious competition.

Well all the hype is over and the World Cup has truely started.  With everyone supporting their team and wishing them onto the final what sort of hope to they have??  Well England got off to a indifferent start witha 1-1 draw against the USA whilst Germany (who I reckeon may lift the trophy) put 4 in the back of the net against Australia.  France whose lack lustre performance could only manage a 0-0 draw against Uruguay.  Whilst most people will be supporting their home team it is always fun to watch some of the minnows play their games.  I am looking forward to watching North Korea play - firstly as they havent been in the World Cup tournament since 1966 (that was a good year!!) and also in the faint hope they advance and get to play South Korea (last time these two met the Nth Korean manager accused the south of poisoning his team!)  The thing about the World Cup is that unknown factor of the smaller world teams causing an upset - this year is no exception with teams like Switzerland, Honduras, and North Koreas all poised to make a giant killing hopefully??  Having watched the England game and cheering our cracking opening goal it came as a big disapointment to see the USA goal (once again the “goalie fumble” rearing its ugly head!!)  Fingers crossed that our next game on Friday will be more in our favour.  If we do go the distance and a final beckons then please god dont let penalties play a factor!!

Well Well Well - once again the time of the months rolls around that I always enjoy writing about (I aint talking about pay day either!)  My fav mag’s just out and its time for me to put on the old STUFF review hat.  The main news I suppose is the launch of the iPad but as everyone will be going on about that I will take a few steps away from Apple’s latest gizmo.  First up from across the pond is the Commodore Phoenix - a low power consumption PC in a rather stylish keyboard case that features a Core 2 Duo or Quad processor, optical drive and up to 2TB of hard drive all crammed into a neat little package.  Instead of using Wimdows 7 / Ubuntu which it comes with why not bung a C64 emulator on it and relive the glory days of REVS!  Bored of the usual looking TV remotes - if the answer is maybe then what about a “Wand TV Remote”.  Priced at about 50quid it has 13 commands and so with a quick flick of the wrist - hey presto!!  Or for an extra tenner go out and buy a Retro Telephone - it has a nice big dial with numbers that requires turning and will ring if and when someone calls you (thinking of getting my mum and dad one of these??)  With the World Cup only a week away why not step back from all this footie based madness for a day - grab 9 mates (apologies for people with less or more mates) and head down to the Race Centre in Hampshire.  With its 10 race pods it allows you to choose between 800 of the worlds greatest circuits and drive anything from a 1960’s GP motor right up to the latest spec supercar.  With each of you having Momo designed controls and a whopping 108in hi-def screen to play on what better way to spend 5 hours and £20??  Finally here is a small checklist for June 11th - big screen TV / recorder to record any really early morning or middle of the night games / a small brewery’s worth of beer / nibbles / excuses to use to the boss why you aint come into work!!

If you think that you have access to a large range of bigscreens TV’s then think again as a drive by the Energy Saving Trust and DEFRA (Dept of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to you or me) could change all that.  Even though the scheme is voluntary major retailers like Comet, Currys, PC World, Argo’s, Sainbury’s and others have put their name to it.  DEFRA claim that 42-47in screens are bad offenders when it comes to power comsumption but have not “named names”.  This may cause retailers to promote edge-lit LED TV’s at the expense of CCFL LCD and Plasma screens.  Phil Sellwood of the EST said “we’re delighted to see such commitment from the UK retailers.  Their decision to prioritise the best performing TV’s in their stock will help buyers reduce thier household carbon emissions and save themselves money”.  DEFRA also say that the UK’s worst performing 42inch TV’s can cost around £75 a year to run when compared to £33 over the same period by an energy efficient screen.  Whilst everyone applaudes attempts at saving both energy and money and thus hopefully saving the environment would this scheem be in the best interest of consumers??  This scheme has the potential to remove better performing and more feature-rich TVs from the shelves of UK retailers.  Its also worth saying that all manufacturers are already legally bound to introduce sets that comply with EU efficiency standards in 2012.  Are makers of power-guzzling flatscreen TV’s not going to invest and develop feature-rich TV’s which the public may demand in the future and instead invest heavily in LED technology which have more eco-freindly credentials?  This is good news if they can offer edge-lit TV’s that have the same level of features as LCD/Plasma screens whilst offering reduced levels of power consumption.  Again only time will tell as both makers and retailers embrace further reductions in “juice guzzling”??