Just because…

The weather’s getting warmer (slightly), the days and getting longer and we’ve all coming out of our annual January hibernation. What better way to celebrate than getting yourself a little something pink to cheer you up.

Valentines is also approaching. Pink accessories as a present, perhaps?

Argos are the pink superiors. They have almost everything you could imagine in hot pink. They’ve got tool kits, barbeques, hoovers and Hi-Fis.

How about a Stereo Squealer?

Henry the Hoover has had it tough over the years. So it’s nice to have a replacement to let him put his feet, have a cup of tea and chill out for a while.  In his place comes the indestructible Hetty; complete with painted on eyelashes and a cheeky grin.

LG have also released a bright pink LG Cookie phone - perfect for fitting in the handbag on a night out.

How about a Hello Kitty guitar and amp?

Why suppress that inner girliness, let it run free.  Even the most hardened of rock chics can jam it out on a Hello Kitty electric guitar.

For 2008, Netbooks were big news technology-wise. This was the first year they really came onto the market. What else can 2009 be but the year they came into their own.

Gigabyte are already  leaders in the motherboard market, along with ASUS and MSI, they’ve been quietly getting on with making Netbooks for the past year. But there has been something that we’ve not quite managed that Lenovo or Sony have been able to.

It wasn’t always like that though. This time last year they released their Gigabyte Cafe. Interesting name for a Netbooks that managed to make  waves in the handheld PC market when it was first released with a compact design made for portability. The revolutionary touch screen display could be rotated 180 degrees to transform the device into a tablet PC, offering a completely different user experience. Gigabyte’s Netbooks, as a rule, have higher specifications than those of their competitors hence prices are usually $150 more than other leading brands.  At $800 Gigabyte’s Cafe Netbook didn’t come cheap.

The  will feature new Good OS Cloud operating systems. The browser looks like Google Chrome but can be installed with Windows or any other operating system.

The two other Gigabyte 10″ models will be fighting in the same market as the bigger name Netbooks out there. All three will have a more reasonable starting price of US $400 and according to Digitimes one model is set to retail at below US $300 to compete within the competitive emerging Netbook market.

Catalogue conglomerates Argos have been forced to re-evaluate their marketing strategy as prices drop and consumer confidence nosedives. Are they simply the latest in a host of retailers having to up their game or is this a case of another one bites the dust?

The chain, owned by the Home Retail Group, are now earmarking their wow deals for preferential treatment,bulking up their value range and adopted the new company strap line “Helping you live for less” in an all out attempt to increase consumer spending.

Instead of their usual reduction notifications on re included product lines, a huge number of new items are to be reclassified as wow deals in their latest catalogue, out this weekend.

Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) state that retail spending in London alone  has dropped by 0.7% on this time last year.

An Argos spokeswomen said, “As always, our catalogue prices will be competitive. Our aim would be to hold initial prices where relevant and to adjust other prices to the market where necessary during the life of the catalogue.”

Argos have seen their sales dip over the Christmas period. Like for like sales fell by 7.5 per cent during the third quarter. Although consumer electronics has seen a positive growth, other categories such as toys, jewellery, furniture and home wares had  much worse.

The company pride themselves on competitive pricing and value for money; their typical reductions have ranged from between 2 and 4 per cent during the past year. At the same time, the number of their Wow deals has increased from 179 - 300 in the past year. The number of Argos value items (their bargain basement range) has also increased from 150 - 230.

Should we worry that another British retail institution is heading for the scrappers yard?  Similar things have and are happening across the whole of the retail sector. Woolworths couldn’t handle it, Zavvi bit the dust, never mind Adams, and the Officers Club, all of whom went to that big high street in the sky.

It may have been a great time to bag a bargain but the January sales have given us all a skewed version of how much we can get for our cash and with Argos having to resort to tactile pricing in such an aggressive manner, we can bet promotions like their wow deals will mushroom over the whole of the retail sector, as we’re persuaded to reach into our pockets and pay up.

It’s pretty simple economics, there is only so far a company can drop their prices and still cover their costs. Let’s hope our beloved Argos doesn’t join its less successful retail peers who couldn’t quite keep up.

The rumours have been bouncing around for a while. Larger screen? How big? Oh the netbook possibilities! What wondrous things will it bring.

Finally, we’ve got some hard evidence that the new 10 inch Acer Aspire is being put up for general release and with this new model, more is definitely more.

The newer, slightly, larger 10.1 inch screen, replaces the 8.9 inch Acer Aspire netbook screens of old. A great improvement, it would seem. The slight size increase makes it easier to use and navigate, it can still fit in your bag and it  makes the 8.9 look puny in comparison. An extra 1.2 inches makes all the difference.

The new model also packs in a 1.6 Ghz Intel Atom CPU along with 1GB of RAM, optical 3G SDHC card slot and 3 USB ports. The new bigger screen still packs in the same pixel power, 1024  x 600 display, as existing Acer Aspire netbooks. Nothing too ground breaking there.

This one is more of an evolution of older models rather than a brand spanking new edition to the line. The overall design of the new model isn’t much of a departure for Acer either. The keyboard has a slight brushed metal finish and the touch pad has more of a seamless quality than before.

Amazon’s list of top selling Blue Rays this year.

1)     The Dark Knight -  no surprise here with this one. With untimely deaths and post-humous Oscar buzz the Blu Ray and DVD sales were expected to be high. Eerily dark with hypnotising performances from the main characters The Dark Knight is very much deserved of its success.

2)     Band of Brothers - the critically acclaimed war drama has made a welcome return to high definition.  It’s received  countless plaudits since it first appeared almost ten years ago.

3)     Iron Man -  Billionaire industrialist and inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is kidnapped. After being forced to use his intelligence for noble means he builds a tech suit of armour to escape and fight for the good of man kind as Iron Man. A surprising hit but we loved it.

4)     Wall-E, Three Disc special edition. After hundreds of lonely years on a desolate, rubbish-strewn earth, Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) finds a new purpose in life, besides picking up rubbish when he meets sleek fem bot EVE. Eve discovers Wall-E has the key to the future of the Earth in the shape of the last living plant.

5)     Planet Earth - The complete BBC series. It’s the titanic of television documentaries. With a budget of millions and a total run time of 530 minutes, Planet Earth was an undertaking so epic in scope that it could easily have been compared to the grandest of Hollywood blockbusters. It’s been a couple of years since it was showcased on our TV screens but the high definition colour and picture quality incumbent with Blu Ray is its perfect medium.

The day of love is fast approaching. What better way to mark that auspicious day than to take your better half out for a slap up…chippy.

These aren’t ordinary chippies, oh no no. The ten below are the best in the country. They’re chip shop delis that have upped the culinary ante. Gone are the days of the haddock or cod options of old now we have new choices of cole, hake and salmon to tempt us. Fish and chips, the backbone of British cuisines, is going through a renaissance.

1. The Townhead Cafe - 185 High Street, Biggar, ML12 6DJ - This stellar establishment was recently announced as Scotland’s number one chip shop. I’ve actually been here; there was a queue around the harbour and you could choose from Pollok, Lemon Sole, Haddock and Hake. Certainly a cut above your average chipper. The flesh melted off the bone.  All their fish are sourced from sustainable waters off Shetland so everything tastes extra nice.
2. Taylors Fish and Chips 66 Tylacelyn Road, Pennygraig, Tonypandy, Mid Glamorgan, CF40 1JU T. These guys are the best of the welsh chip shop contingent. They specialise in the four favourites; cod, plaice, haddock and scampi. Their cod is also available “steamed with lemon”.
3. Tommy’s Fish and Chips (Ballykelly, Northern Ireland) has been a local favourite for over 40 years.  The cafe has been a firm favourite with the English, Welsh and Scottish soldiers who were stationed in nearby Balkenny and frequented the Cafe during World War Two. Their specialities are Pollack and Coley as well the classic cod and chips.
4. Colman’s of South Shields, Tyne and Wear (182-186 Ocean Road, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE33 2JQ) are next on the fish and chip count down. The family run business have been serving up fish and chips to the folk of Tyne and Wear for more than 100 years. During that time they’ve won the accolade of best frier in the North-East of England. They serve all the traditional favourites like quality cod and haddock as well as a daily changing special of the day.
5. Seniors, 91 Fleetwood Road North, Thornton Cleveleys, FY5 4AB. These guys are the champions of the North-East of England. They have some fantastic local views and over 13 varieties of fish including Pollock, John Dory, Coley and Hake. Their very eco-conscious with their bio-degradable packaging.
6. Andy’s Fish Bar 53-55 Market Street, Church Gresley, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 9PR. In January this year they went to London to pick up their award for being the best chip shop in England. They have the newest species like Hake and Coley as well as cod and haddock with chips.
7. The Boundary, 64 High Street, Market Deeping, Lincolnshire, PE6 8EB. These guys benefit from having a 40 seater patio that’s just as popular with out-of-towners as it is with the locals. Owner, Blair Butler has cooking in his blood and has made a name for himself in the industry.
8. McDermott’s Fish  & Chips, 6 Forestdale Centre, Featherbed Lane, Addington, Croydon. This one has the famous take away along with the up-market restaurant above. The minimal decor, uplighting and professional waiting staff give the place the feel of a professional restaurant.
9. Broughton Fish & Chips, 81 Tanfield Lane, Broughton, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK10 9N. This place has only been open a year but its already made a name for itself as the best fish and chip shop in Central and Southern England. They’re only a mile away from the M1 motorway so they’re in the perfect location to take advantage as word spreads about their success.
10. Hanbury’s Fish & Chips, Princess street, Babbacombe, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 3LW. This take away/restaurant has a wide selection of new favourites on the menu including lemon sole, brill, monkfish and gurnard. They’re also inclined to include seasonal favorites.

How cool is this?

A wireless charging mat that lets you charge a load of gadgets at once, wirelessly.

You don’t have to put up with a load of different chargers, loads of wires sticking out all over the shop and stacks of different plugs. You just place them all on the mat and they get their batteries charged up.

It all works by induction. According to the Powermat website it’s done with a virtual “handshake”. The  mat is synchronized with any of mobile receiving devices (phones or otherwise) that are placed on top of it. It’s so clever that it monitors the power in each of the devices and disconnects each of them when they’re fully charged.

The mat is portable, to some extent and can be used in cars. It’s not limited to mobile phones either; it’s compatible with laptops, iPods, digital cameras, handheld games consoles and Sat Navs.

In a similar vein to Powermat, Callpod are another company who are doing great things with portable recharging technology.

Although not completely wireless, their Chargepod lets you charge up to 6 devices at once, with a single power cord. It still looks pretty impressive but lacks the wow factor of the totally-wireless mat.

The Chargepod uses voltage regulator technology and interchangeable power adapters to safely charge a whole host of mobile devices, regardless of whether they’re different models or from different manufacturers.

The future is wireless!

Iamhuman have turned their hand to mac book covers.

The laptop covers are the first product offerings from the small, Seattle based, design company.

Their mac book covers come in a range of materials to let you mix things up a bit. You can choose from cork, wooden veneers or wool covers and a host of bright prints; from camouflage to cherry blossoms. They’re also customised to fit mac books of any size and model.

They’re all backed with quality pro grade 3M adhesive so they won’t leave any marks when they’re removed. They can be repositioned if you don’t stick them down quite straight enough on that first attempt.

They currently retail for about $30 - $45 (US).

I can’t remember who said it but I beg to differ. Money doesn’t talk, it doesn’t even whimper.

It may be just one day out of the year but if you’re single it has that horrible habit of making you feel like a social outcast, destined to die alone. If you’re one of the lucky ones who’ve found their other half, then fair play to you, congrats. Here are some of my top money saving present ideas for Valentine’s Day. Do with them what you will.

1. A home made card is a true gift from the heart and it’s much better than all those generic, off-the-shelf numbers from Clinton’s.
2. How about a foot massage? Buy the woman in your life a big plastic tub, some Radox bubble bath, run the tap and let the bubbles flow. Your lady will be putty in your hands with the offer of a “foot spa” with your clever money saving gift.
3. Take her with you to a tall building, doesn’t really matter where, as long as it’s tall so you can admire the view together. If it’s a sunny day, even better - you’ll get extra brownie points. This option is cheaper than cheap, it’s free in fact. So take advantage!
4. Buy in lots of Cava. She’ll never know the difference between that and the real stuff. In all honesty, who can. The bubbles may not last as long but what’s that got to do with anything.
5. Make an album of her favourite love songs. All this costs is the price of a CD.  Go for the classic love songs ala Tony Bennet or Chris De Burge - works a treat.

Please note - the details contained above are not to be taken literally. Well, maybe the Cava one. No one can really tell the difference, can they?

Happy Valentine’s Day x

We may still be financial buffoons in this ever depending recession but money matters have been shoved into the very top of the cool list. ISA’s shares, bonds stocks, whatever they’re called; all that financial jargon’s moved right up to the top of the hot topics list. There is one thing though, do we really understand what all this stuff actually means?

A recent survey, by credit reference agency Experian, found that 53 per cent of us are now more likely to talk about money with friends, family and even strangers. All this money talk is spreading too.

The best selling books? They’re all related to money.

From cook books that help you to “(Re)discover the Merits of Offal” to “Doing Designer Fashion on the Cheap” it’s all about scrimping and saving.

It’s taken over the web too. One of the fastest growing sectors of the internet at the moment are discount voucher sites. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve gone to Pizza Express with my two for one voucher; sweaty and crumpled in my hand.

Saving money is going through its own personal renaissance.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) are declaring war on our financial uncertainty in the shape of some money saving advice. This is the watchdog  the duty to, “promote public understanding of the financial system”.

I’m not sure exactly how they’re going to do this. Would we all read consumer websites and official white papers on how to save money? Previous FSA campaigns have seen financial advice leaflets posted through letterboxes and left in post office branches waiting our quick once over.

With so many of us feeling the proverbial pinch, we may not like the idea of being told how to handle our finances but we may just have to go along with it.

Before too long we’ll all be psuedo financial advisers.