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.

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.

I love a good haggle. It’s been too long. Last time was in a market in Ubud, Bali. I got some mixed spice and a chili, all for the equivalent of 3 pence. Shameless.

The recession is back and it’s biting with bared teeth and it’s a shame we’re too British and polite to be any good at it. I think this should change.

In some cultures it’s impolite not to haggle, in fact it’s expected of you. Then again so is burping at dinner. In some places that fits in perfectly with the cultural milieu. Some rules, as they say, are there for a reason.

We can’t be prissy about these things, though. Times are hard and we’ve got to get the best prices we can. The sales won’t last forever.

Here are some of my best tips for haggling:

1) Stand your ground. Go in there with a firm conviction about how much money you want to spend and stick to it. Do this even in the face of bewildered looks and suppressed shop assistant laughter. You need the tenaciousness of a rabid rottweiler.

2) It’s easier to get discounts on bulk buys. If you’re a regular customer of an independent retailer you’re likely get some sort of bulk buy discount. Indulge in some polite small talk before dropping the bombshell of a discount on an purchase.

3)  If you want a discount get the luxury products - sly discounts are dished out much more readily on  expensive goods.

4) If something’s tarnished or slightly damaged - ask for a discount. You’re likely to get at least something off.

5) Market stalls are a gold mine for haggling. Go just before they close, when the traders are looking to get rid of their stock for the day, and give them some banter. It’s all part of the game.

When we haggle it’s a big neon sign saying we’re living beyond our means. We don’t want those around us to know that we have less money than we’re letting on, hence the ensuing embarrassment.

Instead, think of haggling as being on a par with the great British entrepreneurial spirit and where would this great country of ours be without that?

We arrived, we drank, scoffed the hors d’oeuvres and got the low down on the big technology trends for the coming year. So far so good at CES 2009.

It seems that new fangled blue tooth head sets are the new black. At the CES Unveiled press night it was Bluetooth headsets that attracted the most press attention with manufactures Zivio proving to be top dogs of the headset, set. With their sleek, minimalist designs they are truly one step ahead.

Their oh-so-cool-it-hurts head sets are minimalist, easy to use and technology-smart.

The Zivio Boom range, the latest innovations from Joby, offer expendable boom microphones to create crystal clear audio. The body of the headset is only a meagre 137 mm long, excluding the extendible microphone.

The interchangeable earpieces, pivoting ear buds and optional ear loop ensure exceptional comfort and customized fit. Their head sets have volume adjustment, mute, voice dialling and three way calling, all at the touch of a button.

The battery life of these headsets are top notch too. With ten hours of talk time and 200 hours of stand by ensures you’ll never be caught short of battery power when you need it most.

This Tuesday the Macworld Expo will turn a quarter of a century. Macworld 2008 saw the Mac Book Air showcased for the first time. Previous years brought us iPods, iPod Nanos and iPhones; all shown for the first time.

With no appearance from Apple CEO Steve Jobs, the rumor mill has been churning out predictions about what’s to be announced this time around.

This year it’ll be Apple Vice President, Phil Schiller taking the stage for the final key note instead and the real question the apple fans have to ask themselves is will we get the same game-changing gadgets in 2009? Or, will MacWorld be more evolution than revolution?

So Apple-watchers, here’s a brief summary of predictions for Macworld 2009 (Some more likely than others).

This year’s top prediction, and naturally so, is an updated version of iLife studio; Apple’s video and music editing software that lets you manage all digital media on a mac.

An upgrade of the Mac Mini is also a pretty safe bet as it hasn’t been upgraded since August 2007. It’s that  or their dropping it from their product line entirely. That’s not really likely as it’s been in Amazon’s list of top selling desk top computers for a while.

A new version of Apple TV is also pretty certain. It lets the user watch movies and music videos from their PCs and on their TV screens and stereo systems.

But the monster prediction, the one that just won’t go away, is that of a cut-price version of the iPhone. It makes perfect sense to capitalise on a product such as the iPhone that’s brought the company so much cash and publicity.

Whispers have been going around for a while. There’s even been talk from the supposed Chinese manufacturers who are already making the casing for the new versions. It’s handsets’s expected to be non-3G, the same height as the iPod nano but wider and thicker. If true this Apple cross-breed will really cement the brand as the ultimate consumer electronics retailer.

There’s also talk about Apple jumping on the netbook bandwagon by releasing their own light weight, easy to carry laptops. Convinced to do so by the increasing sales of their lower prices laptops.

So, the two ones to watch out for at Macworld 2009 are the Netbooks and the cut price iPhone nanos.

What do you think Steve Jobs’ “one more thing” will be in 2009?

Tell us your thoughts!

Those of you who’ve still got some present shopping to do. You are in luck. We thought we’d give you a nice definitive list of who’s doing what to their prices on the high street.  You’ve still got one day left to get yourself a bargain after all.

Here’s some of the best deals out there at the moment:

John Lewis start their clearance sale online at 6pm tomorrow night.

DIY chain B&Q are offering 50% off all their kitchens and bathrooms from 7am tomorrow, in stores and online, with discounts of up to 75% on other items. That’s 75% off at one of Britains biggest retailers.

Selfridges are slashing their prices tomorrow with their 75% sale begining on Christmas Eve too.

Superdrug are cutting their prices by up to 90% from midnight on the 24th aswell with some products going for a criminally cheap 10p in a bonanza on more than 24,000 products.

Struggling retailer Zavvi have also got some bargains to be had on DVDs and CDs.

You know what it’s like - you wake up in the wee small hours, dying for the loo. Trying to find your way out of the darkness you stumble to the bathroom. All the while trying to avoid plugs, hairbrushes and other potentially painful objects littered on the bedroom floor.

Or is that just me and my messy bedroom?

Anyway, The Cool Flow Tap from Glow Flow will turn that 5AM trip to spend a penny, into a light show. When the tap’s turned on, an internal switch activates the L.E.Ds inside the gadget, which can be fixed to any mixer tap, and turns the water into, what looks like, a light saber poking out of the faucet. Depending on the temperature of the water it’ll be turned into a cascade of either red or blue light. Hot water glows red and cold water glows blue - obviously.

The idea may be kind of random and the technology pretty simple but the end result’s really eye catching. Kids would love it and if you’ve got friends round I imagine they’d enjoy washing their hands in liquid light too.  At least until the novelty starts to wear off.

Following on from the pre-budget report, VAT has been reduced to 15% a 2.5% drop from the previous 17.5% level. This is part of Brown’s financial stimulus package aimed to encourage shoppers to keep spending. It’s not Dig for Victory any more, more like Spend for Victory. Do the patriotic thing and buy something today and make the most of the cheaper prices.