If you believe the rumours circling around the music industry at the moment then Apple may be close to securing a long-overdue deal to provide DRM-free music from major recording studios. It is currently in talks with Universal, Warner and Sony BMG to secure the rights for its iTunes website, which aside from the obvious advantages also means that it'll no longer be providing tunes exclusively for its own audio players.Everyone seems a little hesitant ...

There's more news for online media addicts and more reason for ISPs to be wringing their hands today. The Beeb has announced that from the 27th of November it will offer live broadcasts of BBC One and BBC Two via its website, accompanying BBC Three, BBC Four and BBC News.

New gadgets these days are all about being 'touchy feely' and HP's latest laptop is probably the most tactile one out there. Using HP's TouchSmart technology, the tx2 laptop is a multi-touch ready laptop that allows owners to use not one, but two hands, to manipulate on-screen content, like moving or cropping photos. This is accomplished via the MediaSmart digital entertainment software onboard, which allows you to manage all your music, video and Web content ...

Since we all love our gadgets and technology so much it's a good idea to make sure they don't run out of juice when we need them most. The latest in portable chargers is the PowerStar GO, which comes with a whole range of adaptors covering mobile phones, PDAs, iPods, portable games consoles, digital cameras and satnavs. It's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and holds enough power to fully charge ...

A new world record was recently been set for domino toppling when a staggering 4.3 million were lined up and knocked down live on TV. 85 people from 13 countries got involved (how much would you not want to be the guy that slips and knocks them over?) and it took eight weeks to get everything ready. As you can see from the video above, for some reason the former Miss Finland kicks (knocks) things ...

Remember that tale about the Three Little Pigs and the idiot one who built his house from straw and got deservedly eaten by the huffy-puffy wolf? You might be forgiven then for scoffing at the LEGO Safe. Weighing in at 14lbs, this LEGO NXT Safe is a little more secure than its component parts suggest but don't, for a second, believe that we recommend you stash your diamonds and pearls in one. What it is ...

Having problems parking that Bentley in central London? No worries, Fujitsu has developed a wraparound camera for cars that offers the driver a 360-degree view of the car and its position to make it easier to park and manoeuvre. The system adapts to various driving situations, offering up a choice oif views best suited to stop you backing into Bugatti Veyrons and running over the feet of traffic wardens. OK, maybe not that last one. ...

The BBC has recently responded to a raft of complaints regarding the quality of its HD channel, with users targeting the programme 'Amazon' as being well below the expected standard. Amazon is an epic journey along with world's most infamous river and principal technologist Andy Quested addressed this particular issue by arguing that it's not safe to use HD equipment in these sorts of locations. "Programmes like Amazon will always have sequences where conditions mean ...

Here's another reason to do your shopping online this year. HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs) has announced that as of the 1st of December internet shoppers won't have to pay duty on any items bought from outside of the EU under the value of £105. Previously the ruling was set at £18, so this is a decent increase in the amount you're able to spend without getting stung. You still have to pay VAT unfortunately, ...

Here's a nice idea that should save a bit of hassle on the move. If you're frustrated with having to carry around a charger cable and/or powerpack with each of your gadgets when you're out and about, this 5 in 1 solution looks like a handy alternative. There's a full-sized USB on one end and compatible connections for the PSP, NDS Lite, iPod and GBA SP or NDS at the other.

With all this digital media floating about and high definition content getting more popular all the time, we were expecting something from the USB camp and more news of the next generation was revealed at a recent Windows Hardware Engineering Conference. USB Implementers Forum President Jeff Ravencraft let loose with some information about USB3.0, which is expected to appear late 2009/early 2010. It'll apparently be able to transfer at blisteringly fast speeds of 5Gbps per ...

If you're the type of person who gets withdrawal symptoms when you're not on Facebook every 30 minutes, then you're going to love the latest phone from 3. Meet the INQ1, billed as the "world's most advanced social networking phone" and guaranteed to ensure that you never get a good night's sleep ever again. The INQ1 offers users 1-click Facebook access and live updates pushed direct to the display, as well as what it calls ...

I'm not sure if you've ever nurtured an inner hippie, or Zelda, urge to play an Ocarina but iPhone owners can get their musical kicks now thanks to a new app. The unsurprisingly named Ocarina app actually turns the iPhone into a full-blown wind instrument since you have to blow to get it working. Place your fingers over the four virtual holes on the iPhone screen and then blow gently into the microphone hole to ...

The company that kicked off the craze for cheap, idiot-proof and tiny camcorders has just gone one better by throwing in high-definition. Flip, the makers of the popular Flip Video Ultra and Flip Mino, has just unveiled the Flip MinoHD, which adds 720 HD shooting into the mix. The Kodak Zi6, which we really liked, did this first but now the market leader in these devices has caught up and added a few extras to ...

Sky customers have been able to access the Sky Player service for a while now but interestingly the broadcast giant has just announced that non Sky customers will soon be able to use it too. The iPlayer-esque video-on-demand website offers access to a range of content that you can either stream and view on the site or download to watch on your computer using the provided software. While it's not as nice to use as ...

Honda is still messing around with robots and similar devices, recently showcasing its new 'Robo-legs', a kind of lower-body exoskeleton designed to make life easier. Rather than walking for you this device is more for additional support. It targets factory workers and those who spend a lot of time on their feet, or consistently lift heavy loads, the elderly and those suffering from conditions like arthritis.

In the last couple of months, the first pico [very small] handheld projectors have been arriving in the UK and recently, Optoma announced one of the most anticipated ones, and not just because it's the smallest. The Optoma Pico Pocket Projector is the first one to be based on Texas Instruments' DLP projection technology - the market leading projection technology. Apple's psyched too because on its Japanese site, we just caught glimpse of the wee ...

Samsung led the way with 500GB laptop drives back in June but now Hitachi and Fujitsu have finally woken up and announced their first 500GB mobile offerings in time for Christmas and all that downloading you're planning to do come the holidays. Hitachi's 500GB Travelstar 5K500.B [that's 250GB per platter] is a 2.5in drive with a 3Gbps SATA interface, 5400rpm spin speed and featuring "advanced encryption", presumably 128-bit. No price yet but it's due out ...

The BBC has been in touch with Gizmodo UK about a new TV show it's putting together about technology and how it has affected our lives over the past four decades. The same people that brought us Edwardian Country House and Who Do You Think You Are are seeking a family to take part in a Back To The Future look at the impact of gadgets and consumer technology. They will be transported back to ...

As good as broadband is in offering access to the glorious world of the web it can be bloody annoying sometimes. Whether you've been affected by slow speeds, disconnections, fickle and unhelpful ISPs or unreasonable prices you'll have done well if you've subscribed to a connection for more than a couple of years without the occasional hiccup.UK website BroadbandChoices, the second largest dedicated broadband comparison site in the country and one of only two to ...