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Usually I don’t do news on this site; there are plenty of sources for it and it simply increases the amount of “noise” for people looking for real information. However, the latest releases from Archos look to be the first serious attempts to bring Android tablets to market as a viable consumer product – whilst offering decent spec for the cost (Archos tends to charge for plugins and similar, so the functionality may vary and the cost to reach the same functionality as a competing device could be similar).

Have the Archos 28, 32, 43, 70 and 101 got the spec, pricing and performance to offer a similar experience to the iPad for Android fans – or even, with Android 2.2 Froyo and Flash support, provide an even richer user experience?
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The phrase “long-awaited” is overused, but sometimes repeatedly appropriate. Sigma Japan’s tendency to preview cameras before launch often leaves the consumer feeling more than a bit confused; when DID the camera actually launch? The SD15, a substantially redesigned digital SLR that replaces the 2007 SD14, comes in on a fairly predictable 3-year product cycle that exemplifies Sigma’s careful approach to evolving their Foveon-based cameras. With a few headline changes, but the same sensorsize and pixel-count as the previous model, will the SD15 tempt anyone but the most hardcore enthusiast to hand over £899?
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Sony have consistently removed features from the PS3, and the latest update is no different; it affects different users, of course, and if you currently have a PS3 Slim you really don’t need to care about this.

I don’t. I have a 60GB PS3, the original UK model. It cost £425, a price I considered justifiable because the system included a high-definition movie player (Microsoft charged £99 at the time for the HD-DVD drive), wireless as well as wired connectivity, a decent size of HD and 4 USB ports/card reader. It also included HDMI and the ability to run Linux, making it an ideal “home computer”.

Thanks to the activities of one talented individual, Sony has elected to remove the Other OS function from machines that allowed it a mere month after stating their commitment to keeping the feature in place. Sony, which marketed the systems on this capability and made a lot of noise about the cluster systems based on the PS3.

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Whilst I intend to focus on “real content”, I feel I’ve now found out enough about Alpine’s latest additions to the IDA-X range – due for general release in the UK around April – to offer a belated news item on them. Announced on 7th January, Alpine have advanced the “direct connect” aspect of the IDA-X001 to cover a range of three models, and have refined the user interface. Read more for details of the new models and commentary!

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