Wireless

If you add Podcasts and FM radio then the title above just about covers the abilities of this, the first of – that I know – a new breed of dual radio that can cover such a wide band of features, this is the Revo Blik.

Using Pure Highway turns your car stereo into a DAB radio, until now there have been very few DAB car radios and this unit from Pure makes it available without spending a fortune.

Here I am looking at two rather different offerings. The first from Jabra to give you stereo from your phone. The second from Mobile Fun with a rather novel way of working.

A true wireless keyboard, small in size and your only loss is the numeric keypad, it also has the possibility of being a mouse substitute as it has a rollball and mouse keys, ideal for use with a media centre type PC.

If you live somewhere where extending Ethernet is not feasible or should there be a pressing reason not to use Wireless then the Lindy HomePlug Ethernet Starter Kit could solve your dilemma.

The Bluetooth headset is the first comes from Parrott their Minikit, and, the second comes from the USA the quality V-Moda Vibe Duo earbuds.

While HP is no stranger to navigation this is the first of their units I have seen that is dedicated to satellite navigation. The others were iPAQ’s where an SD card provided the facility to the PDA, this is totally different as it’s primarily a navigation device.

Mio do several units suitable for pedestrians with an average battery life between charges of four to five hours. This could be used handheld but only for occasional use as the battery life is less than two hours, this is certainly an in car unit.

You still see a lot of people making calls from their mobile while steering with their other hand. This is now of course an offence in the UK. The answer is a hands free kit. Until recently these have involved installation of a wired device and was not cheap.

This is not just another DAB radio. It is small and neat and for good measure it can record onto SD card, not just at the time of playing but up to around 30 minutes after playing.

Not only can this connect all those on a single connection from NTL/Telewest/Virgin but also allow wireless connection and it even has a wireless/USB stick for those PC’s or notebook without wireless built in.

This is something that I first saw just over a year ago, a version was available but a new version was only a couple of weeks away. I gave up after six months of requests and then a few weeks ago I am told it’s available.

Until recently DAB (Digital Auto Broadcast) radio has been something of a niche technology. Dab radios have offered little advantage over their analogue forebears other than limited battery life, often poor reception and higher prices. A lot has changed in the last year with DAB radio going mainstream.

December 2006 saw the legalisation of low-power FM transmitters for personal use in the UK. As so often happens these days outdated law was simply catching up with commercial reality. Already on the market were several FM transmitters explicitly aimed for personal use to beam music from MP3 players into the cars hi-fi system.

Do you have somewhere that you want Ethernet connectivity but running a cable is difficult or not desirable, does it area have mains electricity? If so this offering could be the answer.

This DAB radio (also has FM) is the same wedge shape and size as the recently reviewed Siesta, there are of course differences the first of which is the colouring it looks a silver grey great for a bedroom.

One of the better names for a DAB radio as especially if you are listening to cool music you would often come near to laying back for exactly it’s name.

This is a DAB/FM stereo radio, an alarm clock and it also has a CD player. It has a creamy white rubberised material covering the front and top.

Like many things, as soon as you get away from home the things you take for granted either disappear, or become really expensive. Internet access is just one of those impossibly expensive things that would be incredibly useful on the move.

With not only the better reception but also certain radio stations only available on DAB now could be a great time to purchase a DAB radio, here one with a retro feel.

Having recently looked at the top of the range C520t that seems to do most things. Here is their entry level offering that is exactly what it says a satellite navigation unit.

This is the top of the range unit from Mio and the size of screen makes it ideal for use in a car. There are modes for pedestrian and bicycle but the size and short battery life make these unsuitable.

This is a two in one phone meaning that you can make and receive calls like any landline offering but it can also make and receive Skype calls, it even includes three months of free Skype in calls.

A comfortable headset, a wireless headset, a headset that connects to any 3.5mm jack plug and thus not only is your MP3 player able to be connected without wires but anything else that has a 3.5mm jack.

The first from Jabra a very light Bluetooth one mainly for those who spend their life on a mobile. The second from Logitech for those who are shackled to a notebook.

This has one clever plus on the large range of Skype phones, to use this the PC does not need to be turned on. So provided you have a wireless router that’s it.

The first is something that will probably be appreciated by others and the second is something to possibly save you money or maybe an accident.

Probably something to appeal to ladies as it is pink. This unit looks like a portable radio of a generation ago with the exception of the LCD display on the top.

I first saw a prototype of one of these over three years ago at an annual Innovation event held at Cambridge. Now a year after the first model was launched I can review one.

I use Skype for talking to both friends and increasingly to business people who add their Skype details to business cards. Here I can roam while talking.