Latest Inventions

posted by admin on Apr 7

This is your last chance to get into the Gadget Show this year!

There are only tickets left for the opening of the show this afternoon - basically you have about an hour to buy your tickets, and up until 5pm this evening to get in the door!

The show - one of the largest of it’s kind in the UK has sold out in record time - not surprising really considering what they have on offer for the visitor!

I won’t go into too many of the details here now (maybe a catch-up in a few days) - otherwise you won’t make it there on time………

So, visit their Official Site asap - and order your tickets now!  

Maybe I’ll see you there? 

posted by admin on Aug 30

Sony’s Playstation has a long and illustrious history. I remember buying my first Playstation 1 back in roughly 1997 and it was cutting edge at the time. The graphics and gameplay were nothing short of amazing. Anyone remember “Abe’s Oddysey”?!

Of course, since then things have moved on. Firstly the Playstation 2 and then even the Playstation 3. Of course the PS3 was a tremendously impressive piece of kit, but was hardly cheap.

Now it seems that Sony are relaunching the PS3, much like they did with the PS1 some years ago, and based on what we’ve seen it looks like the new machine is going to be a run away success.

It seems that Sony have really put some thought into making the PS3 the “must have” gadget for Christmas 2009 having expanded it from just a games console to now being your entertainment center.

Now of course it does play games. And HD games at that for an amazing gaming experience. But plug your PS3 into your broadband connection and suddenly it becomes so much more than just a games system. Thanks to Sony’s “Playstation Network” you can now access a world of new entertainment.

For example, you can play demos of new games to see what you think before actually buying them. And if you like them, you can download the game straight into your PS3 rather than having to go out and buy a disc. Cold, wet winters day? No problem! Just try out the latest games and purchase the one that looks best then get on with playing. What could be easier?

Of course it’s not just games you can access on the network. You will also be able to rent or buy movies and music too, and even surf the internet. Oh, and don’t worry about all the hard drive space because Sony have increased the drive space from 80gig to an impressive 120gig to give you plenty of space for all your media.

Games, movies, music and internet - all on one device and accessable from the comfort of your couch? Sounds pretty good to me.

And just to top it off, Sony have reduced the size of the PS3 by around a third, and have dropped the price too making this piece of kit even more affordable than ever before.

One final point worth making before you dash out for your game system is the newly released Playstation Eye, which is a motion sensitive camera that will attach to the PS3. It can act as a web cam if you desire or best of all, it will allow you to play motion sensitive games thus challenging the Nintendo Wii for functionality.

It should be interesting to see how Nintendo respond to this onslaught to their realm…

posted by admin on May 12

My little nephew has taught me something great about his new DSi!

I recently wrote about the new Nintendo DSi and how my little nephew was addicted to the thing!  Playing Pokemon games even when he was asleep!

Anyway, I was watching him playing one game (which I couldn’t quite understand) when he suddenly started playing a completely different one with just a few bangs of his stylus! 

How on earth??

Well, it turned out he had heard about the r4i adaptor card and was taking full advantage!

So, what’s the r4i adapter card then I hear you ask?  Well, it’s a modified flash memory card that is exactly the same shape and size as a normal DSi games cartridge - but it can hold more than just the one game!

Basically you can use it as a sort of memory stick.  You can download games that you have already brought from sites on the Internet for free - this way, you are getting a ‘back-up copy’ of your favourite game.  So, if you damage your original cartridge, you don’t have to buy a whole new one - just stick in the r4i adaptor cartridge and carry on playing.

Is that all?
Well, no.  The thing is that the r4i adaptor can hold more than the one game - therefore allowing you to download copies of all the games you already own into one cartridge - and as my nephew had just done - switch from one game to the next without having to swap cartridges - or spend 20 minutes trying to wrestle the other game off of his younger brother!

The technology is so simple that my nephew was downloading files himself from his Mac - it was basically using drag-and-drop technology to move the files across!

And, further to the whole games concept - the r4i adaptor can also hold anything else you fancy from your computer.  For example, you can download movies onto it to watch on your DSi, or music to play when you are supposed to be brushing your teeth!

It also allows you to perform other simple functions from your media, including browsing through your favorite photos with family, reading e-books about tips for your new games and you can read your own downloaded computer files including birthday lists (with more games on it) or boring work documents!

The r4i cartridges can hold up to 32gb of memory - so there will be plenty of space for a bit of everything inside!

What’s the catch?
To be honest - there isn’t one!  It does exactly what it says on the packet.  It is a cartridge-shaped flash memory ’stick’ that works with the new Nintendo DSi.

There is a separate r4 adaptor you can buy that works with the original DS, as these cannot be used for the new version, and vice versa.  That way, which ever console you choose to use - you just need the one cartridge!

Both the original r4 cards and the new r4i cards are readily available from www.gamesbackup.co.uk - so you can start moving your games across and enjoy your games and personal media files in a whole new way!

But, please remember- you need to have originally brought each game before you can legally download it from the Internet to make sure you stay within the bounds of copyright law.  These files are only meant to be an online back-up for damaged cartridges or to move your favourite games into a new media format - i.e. - onto the r4 cards!

posted by admin on Apr 1

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My nephew has been waiting for ages for this!  He has been talking about it non-stop like it’s better than his Birthday!

So what’s all the fuss???
Well, launching in the US on April 5th is the new Nintendo DSi - thinner and with a bigger screen (17% bigger) than the DS Lite.  It also has 2 cameras inside - one facing out when using and one facing the player (!!!)  The SD memory card slot then allows you to move your pictures onto your Nintendo Wii console for enlarged viewing! 

My nephew will no doubt take pictures of his granny across the room without her knowing - manipulate them on screen to look hilarious - then flash it up on the TV screen to his continued amusement!!

The DSi is already out in Japan, but is set to take the States by storm when released!  It should be around $170 and available in either black or blue (no pink for the girls yet then!!).

What Else:
Further additions to this magical gadget also include audio enhancements for gaming - which not only allow you to play music, but to change it while you listen.  You can speed up or slow down your music - or your recorded voices!  I can see my nephew asking his mom a silly question - recording her answer and then playing it back to her at high speed so she sounds like a leprechaun!!!The new DSi also has a built-in browser which allows games to be downloaded straight to the DSi through it’s WiFi connection rather than buying a separate games cartridge.It will also still play all the existing DS games - so you won’t loose any of your old favorites and my nephew can continue to fight Pokamon characters all day, every day…….