Even though the analogue switch off is fast approaching, sales for DAB digital radios have gone into free fall in recent times here in the UK. It seems that the British public just can’t accept the fact that in order to continue to listen to their old ‘wireless’, they’ll need to upgrade to a DAB radio sooner rather than later.

Sales were performing well up until Christmas 2005, but as soon as the BBC finished running its DABaganda TV advertising campaign the sales dried up.

With such poor sales one could presume that digital radio would fail as a standard, however this is one format that cannot fail as it has no competition, and is required if listeners wish to continue with their radio service.

Of course, DAB isn’t the only way to listen to digital radio, digital TV and broadband also allow listeners to pick up digital radio.

The BBC however has only been pushing DAB digital radio as a platform for digital radio, when they should have been promoting the fact that other technologies can also pick up the signal. This would have meant more widespread listenership.

When the BBC launched their streaming iPlayer on their website, listeners online jumped 22% in a single month, 6 times faster than the DAB digital radio take up.

The big drawback to DAB is that only 90% of the population will ever receive the signal, meaning the BBC really should be promoting other avenues to run in tandem with DAB.

Those that are able to pick up the signal however enjoy a far better audio experience than that received from an analogue radio.

The industry group ‘British Music Rights’ has conducted a study into the level of file sharing that takes place in the UK due to young people copying and swapping their music on their MP3 players. It appears that music sharing in this manner is rife, with the Internet making it even easier to download and swap music via MP3 that hasn’t been paid for.

It’s not just MP3 players that are the source of the illegal music sharing however, as copied CDs make up an even greater amount of swapped music that hasn’t been paid for.

With home computers allowing for the swapping of MP3s and CD copying, it’s even easier to share music that when cassette decks first made music sharing possible 30 years ago.

The chief executive of British Music Rights, former undertones lead singer Feargal Sharkey, says the trend of music sharing could seriously damage of music.

“For somebody who has spent 30 years in the music industry, you instinctively know this stuff is going on. But when you actually sit looking at your computer and see a number that says 95% of people are copying music at home, you suddenly go, ‘Bloody hell’.”

Rather than blaming young music fans for sharing their music, Feargal Sharkey wants the music business to adapt to the way the fans are listening to their music in order for it to survive.

He means to support the MP3 player, rather than blame it for music piracy.

You may have heard a lot of talk recently about DAB digital radios and wondered just what all the fuss was about. What is a DAB digital radio, and just why would you need one over your current radio, which has no doubt served you tirelessly for many years?

Well, DAB stands for Digital Audio Broadcasting. This means it uses digital technology to bring you more choice with regards to the number of radio stations you can listen to, all in a much clearer audio signal.

The benefits of DAB digital radio include:

More stations than before
As well as all of the current radio stations you listen to, such as Radio One and Five Live, a DAB radio offers more radio stations that previously available’

Superior quality digital sound
With DAB you get crystal clear sound without any sound interference you might experience from a regular analogue radio.

Easy to use
There’s no more fumbling through frequencies to tune in your radio. With a DAB radio you can select which station you want and let the radio tune itself in automatically.

LCD Display
Some of the better DAB digital radios offer an LCD display showing you which station you are listening to, which radio show and even which song and artist is currently being broadcast. This is offered through something called RDS, Radio Digital System.

DAB radio stations are all free
To unlock all of the great new stations and features from a DAB radio you don’t have to pay any extra. Everything is free, all you need is a DAB digital radio.

One of most well-known products from Sony - PlayStation 3 system – now has a new software update version 2.20. It introduces BD-Live - a feature, which will let users download new content - for compatible Blu-ray Disc movies.

This latest system software update will result in adding Blu-ray Disc (BD) Profile 2.0 to the system’s functionality along with the ability to benefit from interactive features like downloadable video content, games, ringtones and more. It provides PS3 users the ultimate, exciting interactive film experience. The system software update will also enable photo & music playlists on a PS3 to be copied to PSP.

To access this Blu-ray Profile 2.0, users need an Internet connection plus 1GB of local storage. Some of the features, which would be possible with BD-LIVE, include, varied downloadable content, comprising bonus scenes, shorts, subtitles, trailers, which can be sent to cell phones, images, etc. Interactive movie-based games can also be played.

BD-LIVE, system software update version 2.20 sure enhances PS3 system’s synergy with PSP, enabling users to copy their chosen music & photo playlists to their PSP. Thus, it becomes easier to share content between the two systems.

Here’s a cool, cute program, which automatically processes, converts Windows Outlook & Mac Mail e-mail, PDFs, Microsoft Word documents, and other texts into MP3 files – nearly 4 to 5 times smaller than the average song! Created by MagneticTime, iAudioize makes use of more natural -sounding voice technology (called Heather) for people who don’t want to be bothered with reading. Instead, they are read to via iAudioize.

The software lets you listen to your Word, emails, PDF, Pages documents, etc. in MP3 format on your iPod. You can thus bring everyday info from the desktop to your portable audio device, in MP3 format. You can also tune in to your files during travel, in the car, subway, train or plane. It’s a great facility for busy business people and Students alike. You can well use it while working, excercising, commuting studying and during more such activities. You can select & import Word documents, RTF and more - drag & drop through the user interface window Databank allows you to listen to your emails/docs at your desk plus manually select-sort, view, process & download to your MP3.

Files, which have been ‘iAudioized’ can be played back on your computer and/or even exported to several portable devices, including MP3 players, cell phones and PDAs.

The music lovers often want to know as how they can upload music to their brand new MP3 player. Well, most tech-savvy music buffs, this is an easy thing. But there are people for whom it’s a difficult proposition. Here we will explain as how to go about this process.

To begin with, if windows can’t recognise your MP3 player, you need to make use of the Driver CD. Put it in the CD/DVD Drive. Usually, this CD comes with ‘autorun’ feature. Just wait for a few seconds for the installing application to appear. You will see something like ‘Install’ or ‘Install Drivers’.

Now, follow the setup. Generally, this process is short & easy, hence it won’t take more time. All you’ve to do is to click ‘Next’ & ‘Finish’. Once you’ve done this, your MP3 player is installed. Again go to ‘My Computer’ and look for the new icon – i.e. your MP3 player.
So, you have successfully installed you player. Your MP3 storage device will be located in ‘My Computer’. All you’ve to do now is to double-click on it.

When the player is brand new, there’ll be nothing to show. Go to your hard drives, and locate your music files. When you select the files, you’re ready to upload them to your MP3 player. Just COPY them; go to Your MP3 icon in ‘My Computer’ (the new icon), double click it, and PASTE. Wait for the copying process to be completed. Switch off the USB cable & you are all set to enjoy your music.

So you’ve just bought a brand-new MP3 player. We shall understand the basics of establishing a connection between a new MP3 player and your computer.

With your new device, you will need to get some important accessories, such as installation CD, earphones, USB cable, recharger USB cable, etc. Installation CD is necessary for establishing connection between your computer and MP3 player. This CD will help your Operating System in recognising the device (player).

If you’ve Windows 2003 & above, maybe there’s no need for installing anything. In most cases, Windows XP will recognise your MP3 player automatically after you connect it with USB cable. You must have a CD in any case. This CD is also known as User Manual CD or Driver CD.

You must turn on your player and then plug the cable with it. Now, plug the other jack into the desktop. Now the device and PC are connected. If Windows recognise the player automatically, messages like ‘New Hardware Device Found’ or ‘Hardware Installed & Ready to Use’ will appear. After your MP3 is installed, go to ‘My Computer’ & look for the new icon ‘Removable Storage Device’. The icon may perhaps be named after your player.

For e.g. SciFlux MP3 Device or something similar to that!

Boasting a storage capacity of 2GB, the Eco EMP-MX71 comes with an expandable SD memory card slot that allows users to store more songs and images in their player. This player also sports a 1.8-inch display and supports various file formats including MP3, WMA, ASF, WAV, and OGG files. Additionally, it also supports video player WMV, AVI, and MPEG files with help from a file conversion utility. It includes voice/in-line recording, which enables users to conduct crisp and clear voice recording.

One of the best features of this player is users can power the Eco with the built-in hand crank, which gives at least 40 minutes of music playback for every minute of winding. The crank will also charge dead cell phones and users can also power up the player via its USB port. Other features on the EMP-MX71 include an LED flashlight, a photo viewer, and a text file reader for user’s convenience.

Here’s a great piece of news for people who remain glued to the computer screens for a considerable amount of time, enjoying their gaming sessions. One of the most popular and desired gaming consoles, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is now going to be made available at cheaper rates in the UK.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 - the 20 GB hard drive model - will be now made available at 270 euros, from the third week of March. Plus, the entry level machine, which does not come with any hard drive, will be made available at £159.99 - £40 less than the current price.

This price drop has made the Xbox cheaper than its chief competitors - the Nintendo Wii and Sony’s PlayStation 3 (PS3). Although the Xbox was launched before its rival gaming counterparts, it was said to be losing ground because of the cost factor. The company confirmed the new price of the entry level machines had been worked out, keeping in mind the fact that it’s one of the key elements, greatly influencing the decision of buying a gaming console.

Wii Sports is a sports game developed and produced by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video games console. It was released in North America, Japan, Australia, and Europe. The game is included as a pack with the Wii console in all territories except Japan.

The game is a collection of five sports simulations; tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing and has been designed to demonstrate the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii Remote to new players. Players use the Wii Remote to mimic actions performed in real life sports, such as swinging a tennis racket. The rules of the game are so simple that younger players find it easy to pick up. The game also features training and fitness modes to enable the players to monitor progress in the sports.

Wii Sports has won accolades from critics and entertainment community. It pocketed many awards from the gaming press. It was the best selling game of 2007 in Japan; a whopping 17.85 million copies sold is the testimony to the grand commercial success of Wii Sports.

The game has been featured in Wii commercials, news reports, and other programs on television. For the players of different genders and ages it has become a sought after platform for social gatherings and competition.

Every game has a single player or two-player mode, and some up to four players. Bowling and golf allow for multiple players, with a single Wii Remote,while tennis requires each player to have their own Wii Remote.