Samsung YP S2 MP3 Player YPS2

Now I'm not a great MP3 player fan I guess mainly because I don't like listening to headphones that much. But one of the little gadgets in my Christmas Stocking was this little thing the Samsung YPS2.

It doesn't look much like an MP3 player and well I don't really know what it looks like but his has a couple of wonderful features, it sounds awesome - way better than any MP3 player I've heard in the same price range. The other great thing about the Samsung YPS2 is the price - you can pick them up for under £30 and that's a serious bargain.

Remember you're buying this for the sound and the look, the controls are extremely basic stop/go and forward and back but frankly I much prefer that to these stupid touch screens which I find incredibly annoying (or maybe I'm just too dumb to work them out !)

The Samsung YP S2 is actually reviewed in full in this months What Hifi. It's in the January edition Page 86 for those people who like to pretend to browse and just check out one review (erm like me !) and they seem suitably impressed as well even to the point of recommending buying some extra headphones to do it justice.

It's a great little MP3 Player and wonderful value for money !

Welshgadgets

Secure Anonymous Web Proxy

Well on a slight digression from my normal electronic wafflings. An exciting topic on which I have managed to scare a mate and have an argument with my missus who now thinks I'm sort of Internet crook!

Ok so it's not obvious from my Title but anyway - my friend and I were talking about how people could monitor all yoru web browsing and emails. Something that I'm not impressed about - there is even a European directive that states that all this data must be stored for two years by the ISPs - yes that's right that fact that you visited the 'Jubbly Jugs Website' every day for six months is all neatly recorded on your internet transation logs.

The UK Government is actually going to go further and store all this information on a central database plus all your phone records - presumably so Gordon Brown can find out great web sites to visit. Anyway I digress - my missus thinks this is fine and
will help catch paedohiles and terrorists etc - well I'm not bloody fine about it !
To me having the state track every single move I make is not acceptable, it's Big Brother and I don't think the UK government in particular can be trusted to
a) look after this data
b) use it responsibly

Anyway my missus thinks I'm hiding something now !

And why did I scare my friend ? Well he shares my opinions on this and has done something about it - he uses a variety of anonymous proxies so that his whereabouts cannot be tracked. Which is fine apart from the list he is using - you see it is a very old hacker trick still well used today. You hack into a server, install a web proxy on it and then slowly add it to lists for secure anonymous web proxies.

Then lots of people start using this secure anonymous proxy to protect their identities. Unfortunately the nasty guys are actually logging all your data and transactions from that server so in fact you're handing all your information over directly over to the bad guys.

Free Secure Anonymous Proxy - unless you're very certain on it's origins and who controls that server I wouldn't go near them if I was you.

I pay a few Euros a month to completely encrypt all my data so Mr Brown can't see any of my traffic haha! The tool does loads of other stuff as well check it out.

Identity Cloaker

Panasonic TX37LZD80 37" LCD TV

All the Panasonic 37" LCDs are rated as some of the best LCD screens on the market.
A great standard of build something sadly lacking in many manufacturers offerings is combined with the award winning picture technology to produce a fantastic value 37" HDTV.



So what does this Panasonic 37" LCD TV have in the way of connectors - looking to the future the TX37LZD80 has 3 HDMI sockets which you may not need now but look a couple of years into the future and you'll be glad of these. It also has an ambient light sensor similar to Philips ambilight technology and two older scart connectors to plug in older equipment.

• High Definition ready
  
• Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 10000:1
• Panel resolution: 1920 x 1080
  
• HD Ready 1080p/24
• Weight: 23 Kgs including stand
• PC Compatible
• Selectable Picture Format
• IPS Alpha technology
• Intelligent Scene Controller
• Digital Noise Reduction

Probably the weakest part of this TV is the sound which is often the way with LCD TVs having said that it is a definite improvement on the last range and the 3D Sound still compares well with other premium makes. It's mroe than adequate for most people and if you're really into your sound you will almost certainly need a Home theatre system to complement this great TV.   The other option is to pick the LZD85 model which has improved speakers - so you'll get better sound without the wires!

Anyway a great 37" LCD TV from Panasonic - check out the reviews on Amazon here.

Welshgadgets

Panasonic TX37LZD85 - beautiful Panasonic 37 LCD

Panasonic TX37LZD85

Well this is the very latest Panasonic 37" HD TV ranges and the successor to the Panasonic TX37LX85 model featured in yesterdays post. This Panasonic TX-37LZD85 has a much higher resolution and is full High Definition to display the all 1080 lines. Remember though you will only see all the benefits of a High definition screen like this when you're watching something from a High Definition source like one of the new digital channels, Bluray or PS3 something like that - it will amaze you when you watch though - it's that good.

This Panasonic 37" LCD TV has won plenty of plaudits like the previous model. The TX37LZ85 has much improved speakers over the Panasonic TX37LZD80 and is probably one of the best sounding 37" LCD panels about.

If you're planning on using a home theatre system the extra speaker power is probably pointless if you're going to bypass them - so save yourself some money and buy the Panasonic TX37LZD80 below.

This model has just about all the extras you can think of an ambient light sensor, SD card slot and just about every connector and input from HDMI, scart to PC VGA for your computer.

It's a superb television and you won't be disappointed with it I'm sure.

You can check out other reviews from people who have bought the set here Amazon Reviews

Panasonic 37" HDTV

Choosing a new HD television can be a confusing task. What I found is that people often do it in stages - but at some stage they may get fed up and just buy on impulse. Well if you've found yourself at the stage of wanting a Panansonic 37" TV - well you're definitely on the right track.

Let me help and summarise your main choices -if you've decided on a 37" Panasonic screen.

Panasonic 37" HD - TX37LXD85

This Panasonic model is actually from the previous Panasonic range (the LX range) so it will become increasingly scarce. However it had some wonderful reviews - especially from WHICH. The Panasonic TX37LXD85 37" screen has 3 HDMI inputs and a 1366x768 resolution. Wonderful build quality like all the recent Panasonic range , a bright clear picture through the integrated digital tuner. It also was one of the first TVs to include an SD card slot which allows you to display your digital photos directly on screen.

This Panasonic 37" HD screen is not manufactured any more so it will probably
disappear anytime soon so if you're looking for a bargain grab one quick. It used to be on Amazon for about £540 but it's still available for that you are getting a cracking TV for about £140 less than the newer models

Panasonic TX37LXD80

I'll be posting some information on the other two Panasonic 37" TVs in the next two days so pop in and have a look unless you find a Panasonic TX37LXD85 bargain before then !

Excellent 32" LCd Tv - Philips 32PFL9632D

The Philips Ambilight TVs have been getting great reviews for some time now. They are beautifully made and packed with unique technology - the Philips 32PFL9632D looks like it will continue this astounding success.


The 32" LCD - the 32PFL9632D features lots of new features including the ambilight system, which is a series of lights built into the chassis of the TV. These lights react to the movement on the screen to create a much more involving immersive experience - it's not just a gimmick it really does have an effect - it's other improvement is to improve the perception of three dimensions on the screen.

Philips 32PFL963D HD Natural Motion

Philips invented the High def Natural Motion to eliminate all the juddering effects that are visible with fast moving movie picture content. HD Natural Motion estimates the motion in the picture and corrects juddering movements in both broadcast and recorded movie material. This enables the Philips 32PFL9632D to produce smooth motion reproduction and excellent sharpness take the viewing experience to a higher level.


Nice LCD but quite difficult to find at the moment in my experience. Here's my suggestion for an alternative - My favourite 32" HDTV

LG M198WA - great bedroom or kids TV

I don't know if you've ever found it a problem - my kids want have so many electronic gadgets to connect to a display but no room for multiple screens. Nowadays lots of the latest monitors have TV tuners built in - so it can run as a computer/Playstation/Xbox monitor and a TV all in the same device - they can be expensive but not so the LG M198WA.

Here's some reviews from the internet

" i have now bought a total of three. that tells you how good they are, ......... great package of connections on the back, if you need to connect something, it will have the plug on the back!. A1 item, and Amazon is the best value by far on this! "

"Ordered the LG M198WA I wanted an LCD TV for the kitchen. Delivered within two days - great! Picture quality is excellent. NICAM Sound is good for a small TV"

I bought a LG M198WA for my youngest son so he could play games and watch DVDs in his bedroom. This TV was about the best value I could find with a decent manufacturer.

It seems to be an excellent buy from a quality electronics manufacturer - it has plenty of connector types (for a full list - click Technical features in Amazon specifications) which will allow you to plug most devices into the back (but remember it doesn't have a HDMI input)

Overall the LG M198WA is a bit of a bargain - its 19" TV/Monitor for about the price of a standard monitor. The display is excellent and the picture crisp and clear - the sound is perhaps a little tinny but it's perfectly acceptable to me.

The cheapest option I found for the LG M198WA was with Amazon.

I'd recommend this TV to anyone who's looking for a reasonably priced bedroom/kids TV it's well made and very watchable - I got mine for about £150 here - LG M198WA

Best Lawn Mower - Bosch Rotak 43 ?

Well here we go again - what's the best lawn mower - my discussions in the pub are getting more and more pensioner-like every day ! I guess we're all of a certain age and anything vaguely electronically that we have to use counts as a gadget for gadget talk.

I was always told Hayter where the best lawn mower you could get - but that doesn't stop my extremely expensive one sitting in my garage being unable to start grrrr.

So I would have to say my Best Lawn Mower is the Bosch Rotak 40 a wonderful lawn mower which weighs nothing cuts the grass brilliantly and doesn't cost that much - of course if you had a bigger garden than me the cord could become a real pain.

So in that case you'd have to splash out on the wonderful Bosch Rotak 43 . It's exactly like my Bosch Rotak 40 apart from using a lithium battery which means it doesn't need a power cable - cuts brilliantly for a rotary mower and a spare battery is included to give you enough time to cut all but the biggest lawn in one go.

So there you have it forget all the super expensive lawnmowers - if you live in an ordinary house with an ordinary garden buy one of the Bosch Rotaks - get the Rotak 43 if you're feeling flush and the Bosch Rotak 40 if you don't mind the power cord and would rather spend the cash on something more fun.
As for our pub argument they wouldn't listen - the prize for the best lawn mower goes to a 'goat'.

welshgadgets

Oh dear I must be getting old

A disturbing series of events happened this week - I was whizzing off to a client site to do some computer wizardry (it's important I make it look like that as I get hired again)

It was a long drive and I listened to a story about Eco driving - basically driving more efficiently could help environment and save money. Well both of these are good for me - soo I tried it - I'm going to find some more details of what it actually involves - but I did quite well I increased my MPG to 42.8 from 36.4 - not bad huh.

I just kept to speed limits, accelerated gently and tried to keep momentum up when possible - there's definately something in it and the wierd thing was it actually took about the same time as when I try and go flat out (don't really understand why though!)

My friends told me I was sad driving to my cars Trip computer mpg thing but 6 extra miles per gallon haha.

I did spoil it completelt on the way home though - 40 miles of ACDC Back in Black buggers up your fuel consumption - you try driving 1t 60MPh to "It's a long way to the Top" or "Hells Bells" next time I'll get some Gregorian chant music instead.

welshgadgets

Well that's a title that could mean anything. I guess it all depends on who Derek is and what he's a master of. Well I'll tell you

Derek's Mastery Guide

Anyone one who has the social, personal and work life hugely manipulated by that crack cocaine of a game name World of Warcraft might well have heard of Derek's Gold Mastery Guide. It is of course one of the many guides you can buy to help you earn gold in World of Warcraft. Now at my current rate of earning (tragically not unlike my real world experience) I should be able to afford all the gear I want in World of Warcraft shortly before my 60th birthday (by which time I would hopefully have escaped Azaroth for ever !!).

So I know I'm doing something wrong the fact that other people seem to have loads more gold than me demontrates that.

The phrase Derek's Mastery Guide I have heard is apparently the answer to my problems. Maybe this will solve my cash shortages at least in a virtual world :)

Well I can't say for sure it works yet but it's definately looking that way - my muppety gold making methods pale into insignificance compared to some of the methods in Derek's Mastery Guide (btw he has now given it a better title "Warcraft Riches" )

I'm actually making some gold now and there's a few methods mentioned which look very exciting !!

My missus has just told me to get a life again - I've already got one that's why I'm off to Azeroth armed with Derek's Mastery Guide ( it really does sound like some sort of BDSM guide to me though!)

If you want a look at a couple of other guides - there's some info here on two other good ones
World of Warcraft money

welshgadgets

Empty Toner

Well my last entry was about how to solve the dreaded Empty Toner feeling. It is quite depressing - it signifies shelling out more cash on that little printing machine. Why do we have to print out everything - I cleverly bought a laser printer with a network card and connected it to all the PCs in the house.

My laser behemoth is uber-efficient (until the Empty Toner message appears) - but it takes 2 minutes to warm up and sounds like a Sopwith Camel starting up until it's ready to print.

I sit in my Office and hear the thing start up - 'chocks away fellas' , "stand back boys and girls" - a trifle irritating when

a) you didn't send anything to print
b) you're trying to concentrate on a pointless redesign of a DNS infrastructure
c) it's hot in your office and the printer makes it hotter.

Finally it finishes after beeping - empty toner at me again and making me press enter to continue.

At last my super fast laser printer leaps into action and prints out 120 copies in full photo-quality colour of Thomas the Tank Engine next to Gordon. briefly half way I toy with the idea of cancelling the print or whipping out the paper tray ( but I now what happens then!)

But no - Empty Toner it told me it will stop in minute - not bloody likely it had just enough toner to finsh the last blue smoke stack on Gordons beautiful engine - excuse me - arggggggggggggggggggggggg!

So now I really am in Empty Toner land - so back I go to my good friends at-Toner top up

I do wonder why those two engines really need so much colour - I mean what's wrong with black and white.

Welshgadgets,

How To Refill a Toner Cartridge

The art of how to refill a toner cartridge is lost in time - your friendly printer manufacturer doesn't want you to do this because you will upset their profits.

I used to go through stages 1-5 regularly.....

1) Swear at printer as the ink fades half way through your vital 200 page report.
2) Your laser printer beeps annoyingly reminding you to refill the toner cartridge.
3) You search desperately for the spare set you promised you'd buy (but didn't)
4) You search in mounting horror on the internet as you discover that to replace the toner cartridges is going to cost a fortune.
5) you realise why Lexmark where knocking £200 off this laser printer!
6) This time you visit Toner Topup
7) Speak with chap who seems to know an awful lot about refilling toners (and wonder if he gets asked to parties a lot)
8) Order kit with replacement ink for about 35% of cost of new cartidges
9) Next morning follow - How to Refill a Toner cartridge instructions.
10) Ten minutes later finish refilling the four cartridges.
10) Sucks to you Lexmark - back up and printing again.

Thanks Toner Top Up guys !!!
TonerTopup

Viral Blogging

For those who want to tap into the viral blogging craze this might be of interest.

I've just downloaded a report Ultimate
Viral Blogging System For Webmasters and have to say it looks pretty interesting to say the least. If you want to virally grow your web traffic, and boost your search engine rankings with a ton of backlinks, this report is definitely for you. I managed to get a free copy of the 50 page report, and you should be able to get it from the link above, but hurry as it's going to return to it's regular $67 price tag at any time!


welshgadgets

Acer 57157Z

I was in PC world the other day and heard another poor sap being talked into buying a £1100 laptop by a aherm PC world laptop expert. This old chap would take home his laptop and eventually get it onto the internet and browse the BBC and Times web sites. Few months later he might search for a holiday or type up a few notes.

And that's it - using approximately 2% of his laptops power and no the argument of future proofing doesn't work either - because the specs of laptops consistently rise.
A few years ago even the bottom of the range laptop would cost you about a grand.

If you only want to surf the web, send the odd email don't be suckered into buying something you don't need.

Thsi little machine from ACER is perfect for browsing the web and basic computing stuff - sure it's not tough enough to be lugged around trains, planes and offices - but if looked after and used to surf and type emails at home it's fine.

Acer 5715Z

A few years down the line it will be outdated and you can buy another one if need be - still saving hundreds of pounds !!

welshgadgets

Open Pandora - GPX2

Don't know if you've ever come across this but once upon a time there was a revolutionary handheld games machine called the GPX2. It ran on Linux and was about the same size as a PSP or DS the latest versions the FX200 even had a touch screen.

It had some fantastic games - ran a whole host of emulators to support SNES, arcade, Amiga,Atari, BBC, spectrum to name but a few and a whole host of converted roms. If you still missed playing ELite on yoru bbc you could load it up on an FX2 no problems.

http://gp2x.co.uk/

The FX2 deserved to be much more popular than it was - it still did pretty well - you could read books, play movies or surf t he web on it . Most programs could be loaded onto an SD card and run from there - loads of games available for free :)

Well it's now gone company have stopped manufacturing although you can probably still pick them up on Ebay ( you won't find mine there though!!)

The reason - a new hand held console - promising the most powerful handheld ever - backed by Opensource principles. It's name is Pandora - I'll tell you about it on this site soon.

welshgadgets

Panasonic TH37PX80B

If you're looking for a reasonably sized Plasma. It might be worth checking out
the Panasonic TH37PX80B. It's been reviewed by most of the experts and always seems rated - WhatHifi gave it 5 stars and said - wonderful images and great freeview 'stunning'

Sounds pretty good to me and if you're fussy about images it has to be plasma at the moment - especially as the price differences are negligible.

Panasonic don't seem to do much wrong anywhere at the moment - they even do the best breadmakers !!!

Welshgadgets

Bosch Rotak 43

Well risking being called Lawnmower man (do you remember that film - rather strange I thought!)

I found out my friend has the upgraded version of the Bosch Rotak 40 which I own the Bosch Rotak 43 .

So I thought I'd have a quick go to check - hmm this is definitely a sign of getting old - I should be borrowing money, drugs or women not lawnmowers !!!

No real surprises it's pretty much like my Bosch Rotak 40 but instead of a power lead it has two Lion batteries. apparently they last about 20 minutes each depending on the grass. It's quite a lot more money but not having to dance around a wire makes it way easier - you could mow a huge lawn with 20 minutes of battery power and you can pop the spare battery in when required.

I'm impressed quite a bit more money so I need to offload my rotak 40 first - my garage is beginning to look like a museum of grass cutting devices


Welshgadget

Bosch Rotak 40

Lawnmowers - can't stand them. First the problem that apart from a day or two after mowing your lawn never looks perfect (while mine doesn't), the second that getting my lawnmower out is such a pain.

It's a beast of a machine and I feel sure that if my house somehow spontaneously exploded amidst the wreckage my lawnmmower would survive. But it's still a pain and now it doesn't work because of a little rubber bulb all that metal and high craftmanship means it can't cut a single blade of grass !

But the good news for about 1/4 of the cost I bought a cheapish plastic lawnmower which weighs nothing and cuts the grass brilliantly,

Step up the Bosch rotak 40 - well worth a look.

And in fact it's so good I would have to say the one without the power lead is a worthwhile buy although it's a bit more expensive because of it's ermm ion battery power thing.

Bosch rotak 43

Welshgadgets

Sony KDL26S3000

There are a couple of things you notice as HD screens get more an more complicated.

One they seldom look their best just plugged in and turned on - you almost certainly will have some tweaking to do to get the best out of your new set. There is lots of help on the Internet for these though.

The 2nd is the menus are so darn complicated to use with all these settings - this is why Sony have pioneered their new xcross Media bar - it has been used on the PS3, PSP and some of Sonys high end phones - the idea is that naviagtion moves the icons that are displayed rather than a cursor - makes it easier to navigate. The new Sony Bravias all have this navigation system - I tried it out on the new Sony KDL26S3000
a cracking TV which you can pick up for under £400 nowadays!

Welshgadgets

Pioneer 508XD

There is no doubt that some of the best (and unfortunately most expensive) Plasma screens are made by Pioneer. I was looking back at some of the reviews of their Pioneer PDP 508XD the other day. You wouldn't be surprised it got rave reviews from most of the specialist Home Cinema type magazines/sites like What Hifi, HDTV etc but once again inexplicably WHICH gave it 49%.

I mean how can a plasma - described as having Awe-inspiring picture quality - get 49%. Of course I know all these things are subjective but I do wonder especially with these larger screens if people are sitting 2 feet away and watching a SD broadcast of a 1940s film and moaning about the quality. Then they can't get it out of their mind when watching HD on the PDP 508XD.

Who knows but in my mind the Pioneer PDP-508XD is worth a damn site more than 48% - it is beautiful but alas too big to be allowed in this house whilst the missus is in residence (got the kids vote on my side though)

Welshgadgets

Morphy Richards 48271 - bread from heaven

Well to continue on my rather girlie run of reviewed gadgets and items - I'll today recommend a brilliant device - an automatic breadmaker!

Now I don't know about you but one of my earliest pleasant childhood memories was the smell of fresh baked bread from the kitchen. A better smell I woudl find difficult to imagine. Now although these fond memories were rather spoilt by my mother insisting she never baked bread - (must have been someone elses kitchen I was dreaming of !) - having your flat or house smell of warm bread is pretty desirable.

The best thing is the latest breadmakers like the Morphy Richards 48271 are pretty much automatic - you bung the ingredients in - and about an hour or so later (on rapidbake) you've got a fresh loaf.

You can even set it to bake overnight so thaaaaat smell wakes you up in the morning. Of course there is obviously a downside (like the half a stone you put on after troughing loaf after loaf covered with Lurpack) but hey nothing is perfect.

The Morphy Richards 48271 does look pretty space age and cool as well - all polished stainless steel and little viewing windows :)

welshgadgets...

Philips LivingColors - mood lighting but useful for men too!

A lamp - why am I writing about a lamp.  Well it's a very special lamp and it has uses that will appeal to all.  I'm talking about the Philips LivingColors  A special new mood lighting lamp - from Philips.   It costs about £100 but it is very impressive - it can display over 16 million colours from the 4 built in LEDs.  Now it obviously can be used by poncy interior designers and othersuch to change the mood and ambience of the room - yeah yeah and of course it could help you set the right seductive tone to  impress the lady of your choice.

But it has another use besides impressing the chicks - turn the light down low and load up your favourite fps shooter or rpg game whatever.  A nice green or red is perfect for any post apolyptic shoot em ups, a greenish glow works great for creeping around dungeons - try the Waterworks in quest in Dungeons and Dragons online

It really does make a difference in some games for setting the scene - plus I guarantee women will be impressed (with the lamp not playing counterstrike in a purple haze)

Welshgadgets..   

Dyson DC16 Root 6 Vacuum Cleaner - a handheld vacuum that actually works !

It's not often that my gadget/technology obsessed mind finds an outlet in the Home appliances section of my local electrical retailer.

But when I went looking for a dustbuster after getting fed up with - kids, crumbs and my car (I'm sure you can work out the rest).   I possessed an alleged dustbuster - basically you charged it for several days then desperately tried to pick up small crumbs from the car for about 2 minutes (failing dismally) , until it packed up and you put it back on the charger on  the way to pick up a dustpan and brush.

I mean how pathetic is that we can send probes to the far distant reaches of  the galaxy yet can't design something that can pick up a crumbled digestive from my car !!!

Well my friends I have now discovered the Dyson DC16 vacuum thingy.   Not only does it look like a techno laser gun (big plus in my book) it also sucks like nothing on earth (fit in rude joke here)

Dyson DC16 Root 6 Vacuum Cleaner

It's awesome it cleans like a full sized vacuum cleaner and picks  up just about everything - manages crumbs with ease.   It still doesn't last long before needing recharging - between 4 and 6 minutes - but that's more and enough for most little jobs as the thing actually works.

It's a bit expensive for a dustbuster type device but it really does work well.   Definately worth checking out - buy two and you can have a laser fight whilst cleaning cars :)

Welshgadgets.

Samsung LE40A656 - a new colour for LCD TVs

It was Henry Ford who once famously said you can have any colour you want as long as it's black.   It's been pretty much the same for Tvs for many years - although the colour choice has been usually black or silver - you'd think that someone could do something different !!   Yes I know there have been a few variations expecially on smaller portables and lcd screens but if you're talking about mainstream LCDs and plasma Tvs black and silver (or an almost indistiguishable variation) has been your choice.

Well Samsung have tried to change that with it's new range of HDTVs - the Samsung LE40A656 comes in a "rose black finish"  - it certainly adds something - the 'reddish  black' gives the Tv a very stylish look and it definately stands out from the rows of shiny silver and ordinary black LCDs.

What's more the TV  is actually very good as well - picture is excellent and I like the on screen touch controls - very futuristic. 

Samsung has often been accused of "style" over substance but the Samsung Le40A656 seems to debunk that accusation

Check it out here.

Samsung LE40A656

Welshgadgets

Samsung LE22S86

I guess like me there's lots of people getting overloaded with gadgets that need to be plugged into screens.   My children have games, PCs, DVDs etc - so it's important to when you're looking for a TV for a kids bedroom to get one with the right connectors.

Nowadays the distinct world of LCD monitors and LCD tvs has begun to merge - so if you buy wisely you'll only need one screen for your PC and DVD/PS3 etc.  One of the latest small TVs is the 

Samsung LE22S86

Samsung have made some cracking small TVs in the past and this one looks pretty good to - it has a VGA connector (for your PC) plus scart and HDMI for your other goodies - say a dvd player and a PS3 for example.

Built in freeview so no connector or box needed and a special gaming mode which cuts out a lot of the TVs fancy screen optimisation for films/sports etc to improve when using a console.

It looks quite stylish and well built like most of the Samsung range and would be a good buy a second TV or a bedroom/office TV.

welshgadgets 

GHD Hair Straightener MK4

"Why don't you write about this hair straightener" asks  my missus.   Errmm because I've got straight hair and can barely spell hair straightener !  But apparently it's fantastic and has brought more joy to my curly haired missus than I could ever do - hmmmmm.

This is it GHD MK 4 Hair Straightener  and apparently it's the ermm dogs whotsits as far as this sort of thing is concerned !

Although I vaguely remember them being on Watchdog some years ago for something or other - still I'm sure everything is sorted out now.

Anyway can I finish now - I've exhausted my literary inspiration on hair straighteners (although checking Google keywords did  you know that about 25% of people seem to spell it "straightners") 

I'm off  to the hairdresser to order an afro so I can try these things out properly.

Welshgadgets. 

Sony KDL40X3500

I am often wary when I hear some magazine or expert reviewer rave about the latest screen and vibrant colours etc etc.

What Hifi gave the  Sony KDL40X3500 5 stars and praised it's all round performance.   It certainly is a might impressive TV although currently fairly expensive .   Besides  the screens performance - it really does look a beautiful TV - they've even made some of it transparent to try and reduce the apparent size.

This Sony Bravia won't disappoint anyone I'm sure - but is it worth the price - I guess it depends on the value you put on your viewing.   As ever in life you usually get what you pay for and LCD TVs usually follow that rule.

Welshgadgets 

Panasonic TX32LZD85

Well I don't know about in your house - but a lot of arguments in mine are about size.   Frankly I don't think 32" is enough but my wife disagrees !!

Seriously  though I want the biggest telly (within reason) that I can get away with - who wants to watch the match on a little tiny screen (especially with the macular degeneration making increasing inroads on my once hawklike vision!)

But if you to get nagged into a smaller telly - then the least you can do is treat yourself to one of the best - the Panasonic TX32LZD85 is simply an awesome TV - 1080p, Full HD with clear, crisp and stunning images particularly from HD sources.

It's main difference between this and the Panasonic TX32LZD80 is the sound - it is much improved with vastly upgraded speakers - it's one of the best sounding LCD tvs around (ok maybe not that much competition.

If you're going to hook up to an external sound system probably not worth the extra expense though,

Welshgadget