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The Internet age has made many changes in our daily lives, but one notable change has been to the way we consume information and news. The days of reading the morning papers over breakfast are fast becoming a distant memory as websites and digital publications take their place as the primary sources of information for information hungry consumers.

The same can be said for magazines. Due to the instant nature of the Internet, rather than wait for magazine subscriptions to be printed and delivered through our door, we’re turning to digital editions of magazines to get our fix of entertainment immediately. Digital magazines offer instant gratification with digital editions of the magazines becoming available immediately, whereas with print copies you would have to wait longer.

We live in an information age and we demand our information immediately. Printed newspapers are no longer sufficient as they contain yesterday’s news, whereas online media such as digital publications can be up to date to the very minute meaning we read almost everything online nowadays.

Digital magazines, digital newspapers and even digital comics are all available online and can be purchased and available for reading within seconds of their publication. The digital revolution could spell the end for the printed medium.

The popularity of reading digital publications as opposed to printed publications is growing all the time. People are less inclined to purchase magazines and newspapers in their printed form because of time constraints, monetary reasons and the availability of digital editions online as it is now so accessible.

As the majority of people in the UK now have Internet access, and many use computers for their daily jobs, the accessibility of digital publications makes accessing and reading them much easier.

Digital publications are also good for the environment because they eliminate the waste involved with unsold books. More than 1 million books are shredded each year in the Netherlands alone, and many more find their way into landfills.

Digital editions also eliminate the need for transportation costs, which are required with the printed word whereas e-books can be downloaded instantly, helping the environment.

Publishing software for e-books makes creating digital editions much easier and cheaper than traditional printing methods. Without any specialist knowledge, digital publications of e-books can be created from HTML pages in a few short clicks. They can even contain rich media such as sounds and animations, which is something that printed magazines never managed.

E-books are so popular today that there are approximately 1.5 million e-books available in the public domain, and these can be accessed from a variety of different sources, including the new power Google book search.

Find out more about: Yudu Media, Create Digital Magazines with Yudu, Digital Magazines

Welcome to the wide world of binoculars!

There are nearly as many different types of binoculars as there are reasons to use them. You’d be forgiven if you didn’t know the differences between the various types – and the best one for the job. Below, we’ve summarised a few of the most common uses for binoculars and given our recommended choice for each.

Let’s start with the most important, first…

Sporting events!

Look for binoculars with a wide ‘field of view’. A wide field of view describes how wide an area you can see through the binoculars. Usually measured in degrees, it is sometimes also written as a number. That number will be the width of the scene visible from 1000m away through the binoculars (1 degree shows roughly 7m at 1000m distance).

We recommend keeping an eye on the field with: Nikon 10×25 DCF Sportstar IV Silver Binoculars

Shows!

There are standard types of binoculars known as ‘opera glasses’ designed specifically for watching theatre or opera. Or if you want something a bit more rugged you can also use outdoors, go for standard binoculars around 6×30 strength.

We recommend going to the show with: Opticron Traveller BGA 6×32

Walking tours! Holidays!

If you’re on a budget, look at poro prisms. Poro prism binoculars have the classic “dog leg” shape with the eyepiece offset to the one side with respect to the objective or front lens. These are like a great horned owl—wide, bulky, and stout. They provide a big, steady platform for observing and offer a nice hand-filling package, especially for people with large hands.

But if you have the ability to, also consider the higher-end roof prisms, which are more compact and lighter.

We recommend taking on holiday: Opticron Imagic – 8×32

Hunting! Bird watching!

If you are hunting or bird watching in woods, you want a wide view and a strong image. So objective lens diameter may be more useful than magnification – at least until the binoculars become so bulky that they can’t be carried easily. 7×35 is ‘good for all-round field use’, where 6×30 is adequate for looking around a woods, or 8×35 or 9×35 for looking at birds of prey at a longer distance.

Bird watchers should also ask about the ‘twilight factor’ of a pair of binoculars – how easy they are to use in reduced light. Be aware that this measurement is not measured in a standard way across all manufacturers, making it hard to compare different brands.

We recommend bird-watching with: Bushnell 8×40 Natureview Birder Binoculars

Watersports!

You need binoculars made for water. Something you can splash, soak and dunk – yet they’ll emerge 100% fog free and dry inside. Look for waterproof construction and rugged, non-slip rubber exterior. They should have O-ring sealing and be ‘nitrogen-purged’ for waterproof/fogproof protection in any season.

We recommend for waterproof fun: Bushnell H2O 8×42 Waterproof Roof Binoculars

Astronomy!

A pair of binoculars is quite a lot like two telescopes lashed together. But where telescopes are usually placed on tripods, binoculars are handheld, so it’s important that you pick a binocular with a magnification you can hold steady. For most people, this is 8x or below.

Star gazers need binoculars they can hold steady or mount on a tripod.

You also need as much light as possible, so pick the largest objective lens diameter you can easily carry. 7×50 to 9×63 are all useful, and even larger sizes can be used if you want to lug around a tripod.

We recommend looking at the sky with: Bresser 9×63 Diorit Roof Prism Binoculars

SOURCE: WarehouseExpress.com | Wikipedia

A quick look around any fine online camera store these days and one thing becomes immediately clear. That one thing is – you really don’t have to spend a fortune to get quality anymore.

Canon has just released a new IXUS model, the 110 IS – which continues the Canon tradition of mid-range cameras chalked full of outstanding features. If any single range of cameras best sums up Canon’s ‘bang for buck’ philosophy, it must be the IXUS.

Take a look at some of the IXUS 110 IS features…

12.1 Megapixels

The number of megapixels determines the amount of sharp detail a digital camera can record. With more megapixels, you can print at larger sizes, plus crop and enlarge without sacrificing quality. IXUS cameras provide all the resolution you need for finely detailed, photo-quality prints with plenty of scope for post-shoot cropping.

4x Optical Zoom

Get the shot you want with a powerful 4x Optical Zoom and genuine Canon optics. Not only does the zoom get you up close quickly, but Canon optical technology ensures that your shots are bright, clear, and alive with true, vivid color.

Optical Image Stabilizer

Any slight shake while hand-holding a camera can cause blurred photos. Canon’s optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology ensures crisp, clear images by detecting and correcting this camera shake. The camera is able to microscopically adjust its own lens with absolute accuracy up to 4,000 times every second, so the image you see is the image you capture.

Motion Detection

When the camera detects a face, Motion Detection Technology will now adaptively vary the shutter speed according to the speed of the face movement. The amount of camera shake is also taken into consideration and the aperture is set to obtain the optimum exposure for that perfect shutter speed.

Face Detection Technology

Canon’s Face Detection Technology ensures superb people shots by automatically detecting subjects in the frame and setting the correct focus, flash level and exposure. With Blink Detection technology turned on the camera will show a warning that a person in the photo had their eyes closed. This displays for three seconds whilst reviewing the shot right after shooting.

Summary

From a huge 12mp lens to integrated optical stabilizers, face detection and wide-screen movie capability, the IXUS from Canon contains everything possible the average camera toting tourist or home movie aficionado could want – all in one small and sleek package.

Available in no less than four different colours, the CANON IXUS IS 110 is now available from all good camera retailers.

SOURCE: Canon.co.uk | WarehouseExpress.com IXUS page

The ubiquitous ringtone – another one of those omnipresent features of modern life. And how far you’ve come, young ringtone. What started out as a collection of monophonic squeaks and squeals became a multi-billion dollar industry, almost overnight.  Believe it or not mobile phone ringtones have been around for over a decade now, with the first commercial ringtone services said to have emerged with the Nokia mobile phones of early 1997.  Gradually, they have become an established part of modern life with some of them becoming headline news over the years.

So as we look back over the history of ringtones, a few stand out as the “big hits” or “classics”. Though there are very few established lists of the top-selling ringtones of all time, we’ve tried to put together a list of the 10 most ‘influential’ (ie. Everywhere!) – of all time.

10. Crazy Frog

It was always going to be on here somewhere, so let’s get it out of the way first. The “Crazy Frog” ringtone was based on an animation called “The Annoying Thing” by Erik Wernquist, and made famous by the mobile content company Jamba who heavily promoted “The Crazy Frog” on TV and the internet. The ringtone spawned a chart hit based on a remix of “Alex F” which went to No.1 in the UK, Japan, Australia and a number of European countries.

9. Ridin’

Ridin’, Chamillioniare’s hit single of 2006 rocked the ringtone world. It sold the most ringtones ever to that point topping out at over 2.3 million sold, which actually eclipsed the amount of singles sold from the same single. “Ridin’” was awarded “Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group” at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Best Rap Song. Number 91 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.

8. Sir Mix-a-lot

In 1992, Sir Mix-a-Lot, a rapper had a huge hit with “Baby Got Back” which was re-recorded as a ringtone with the lyrics “Pick up the phone! Pick up the phone! ‘Cause you don’t wanna miss this call and I cannot lie!.” This was one of the first “ringtone remixes” of popular songs to achieve success after being marketed by Jamba, the same company that produced the Crazy Frog ringtone.

7. iPhone ringtone

When Steve Jobs announced the launch of the iPhone in early 2007, his demonstration included a ringtone, which was quickly made available as a recording by a number of websites. The ringtone has been described as like “holy angels tinkling” and was eventually included within the standard ringtone set on the iPhone.

6.  Eminem – Lose Yourself

Eminem’s Oscar winning song from the soundtrack of 8 Mile. As millions knew instinctually, the instrumental at the beginning made for the ideal ringtone buildup before the epic head-nodding audio explosion began. When this played you didn’t want to answer the phone. That was my excuse, anyway.

5. Classic telephone ring

With the rise of personalised tones a lot of people have decided to avoid them in favour of the classic “bell ringing” sound of a normal telephone. A number of surveys over the years have shown this to be one of the most popular tones.

4.  CTU Ringtone

The popular TV show “24” features a highly recognisable ringtone on the phones in the CTU office complex. The same sound is now being marketed as a ringtone for mobile phones and is rapidly becoming a big hit.

3.  Super Mario Brothers Theme

Created by Koji Kondo, the Japanese composer and musician best known for his scores for various video games produced by Nintendo. This is the number one selling ringtone ever in Japan, and set the benchmark that all annoying video game based ringtones aspire to.

2.  Mr T. (Pick Up Yo’ Phone, Fooo)

Many things in life defy explanation. This is one of them. Do yourself a favor and find it. Truly, hours of fun.

1.  Nokia Tune

The Nokia Tune, based on a 13 note rendering of “Gran Vals” by Francisco Tarrega, a 19th-century Spanish musician, is typically included within all Nokia handsets as the default ringtone and has therefore become famous or infamous due to its popularity. It is the typical ringtone of the middle-aged business man who hasn’t got the time or inclination to work out how to change it.

I’m standing on a street corner in the general proximity of Shepherd’s Bush station. My significant other and I have been wandering around for 15 minutes in search of a live music venue, a venue, where we were set to meet friends almost an hour ago. As passer-bys glance at us from the corners of their eyes, what began as a calm conversation about where we were going has escalated into a heated debate, a debate that I’m quickly losing. I’m stubborn and should ask for directions. She’s prone to over-reacting and should trust my sense of direction. Never have two people been so right, and so wrong at the same time.

I do that thing where I pull out my phone and fiddle with it aimlessly; giving the impression that somewhere in that plastic frame is the answer to all my problems. This buys me some time to think and I come to the realisation that I don’t in fact know where we are going, I am stubborn, and maybe I should ask for directions; but I wont, because I can’t let her win. At this point I accidentally click an inconspicuous little app that I downloaded earlier called Spoonfed Radar, and the answer, and victory, has arrived.

Released by the guys at start-up Spoonfed, this app aims to answer the age-old question ‘What’s going on near me now?’ Spoonfed Radar provides detailed information about the best Live Music, Comedy, Theatre, Exhibitions, DJ Music and Beery Fun events across London. This can be done either through genre searches, or the unique radar feature, which pinpoints your location and displays everything that’s happening in your area. Once you’ve pinpointed a venue, contact information, weekly schedules, directions and more are immediately available. The layout is sleek, user-friendly and simple, and the information provided is very helpful.

I’m really impressed by this app, especially considering that it represents the company’s first foray into the mobile arena. It’ll be interesting to see how the app develops as the company grows and new features are added, though at it’s current state it is definitely a great app for Londoners to own. Spoonfed Radar is currently available for free at the iphone application store. For more info check out Spoonfed, or take a look below at the video promo below.

The idea of leaving your house and setting out on a car journey to a new place will often involve you using a sat nav. Millions of motorist world wide rely on a sat nav to take them from A to B, but now Healthcare professionals have found a useful tool for sat navs.

Following an impressive £12 million investment, scientists at Newcastle University , England have developed a new piece of digital technology which will be used by the elderly and disabled members of the community. The new Sat Nav for the elderly will be able to allow those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease the ability to navigate their way through supermarkets.

Professor Paul Watson, who helped develop the new system states: “Many older people lack the confidence to maintain normal walking habits. This is often due to worries about getting lost in unfamiliar, new or changing environments.”

The new technology is designed to assist the elderly whether they live at home or in residential care with normal day to day activities, which may prove both challenging and confusing with out it.

Source : Barchester Healthcare

Remember the cloth that came with your glasses? The grey micro-fibre one, the one you used 4-5 times then somehow lost. It worked so well. Remember that cloth? Sure you do. How about the cloth that came with your camera? That one was incredible – never a smudge. Gone now. Great while you had it though.

Did you get one with your mobile phone?

Me too (no, I don’t know where mine is either).

Where did they all go?

The concept is wonderfully simple; find yourself a perfect cloth material for safely and effectively cleaning optical glass, sew it into a pouch to keep it in good condition and attach a clip for you to fix it to something so you can always find it when you need it. At the top of the storage pouch is a plastic clip, allowing you to attach your Spudz cloth onto your chosen optical product, making it always easily accessible. How brilliant is that?

Spudz are available in a range of colour designs and sizes. What makes Spudz so convenient is the design. Unlike other lens cloths, the Spudz lens cloth stays attached to the inside of the storage pouch. The snap hook also provides an easy way to clip it to a keychain or camera bag and keep it available at all times.

Many photographers have already found Spudz to be an essential part of every photo shoot. Spudz will clean finger prints, moisture and dust particles from lenses gently because of the special Micro-Fibre cloth inside.

The latest addition to the Spudz range is a cleaning cloth that is also 18% grey so cleaning your lens and calibrating your camera have never been easier.

Ideal for a number of uses, and finally available in the UK, Spudz are selling as fast as the brilliant concept behind them suggests they should. Find yours at fine online camera retailers.