ITV HD Channel Gets Sky HD & Virgin Media Release Date

This is big news for those of us who enjoy watching a lot of sport. Football in particular. It has been confirmed that ITV1 will at last be officially broadcast in HD as of this April 2010 for Sky HD and Virgin Media customers. It comes as no surprise seeing as the company have shared broadcasting rights in the UK for this Summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

ITV HD has been airing Freeview and Freesat for a while now, but from next month it will, for the first time, be a standalone channel. Obviously the major news though, is that Sky HD and Virgin Media V+ subscribers will now have access to the high definition channel.

Of course, ITV is more than just a sports channel. A lot more. Although many people may not enjoy all of the shows aired, it is clear that many of us do. Soaps such as Coronation Street and reality/talent shows such as Britain’s Got Talent keep millions pinned to their armchairs for hours upon end throughout the year. Other top shows include Law and Order: UK and Lewis which have become popular more recently.

Switchball Review (PSN)

Switchball is puzzle game very similar to Mercury on the PSP. In each level you have to guide a ball from one end of the level to the other without dropping of the edge into the void below.

There are 5 worlds in the game with each one having 6 levels to guide through and of course, the further you get, the harder it is to reach your goal.

There are two games types in Switchball, Free Play and Timed Play. But I don’t see the point in having these as there’s literally no difference whatsoever. In Free Play, you’re not timed on how long it takes you to complete the level, so you can just saunter through them if you so wish.

New Sony DR-350USB / DR-320DPV ‘Dual Use’ Headsets

One of the problems that you are likely to face if you go out looking for a headset is that, for the most part, they are very uni-purpose and you are more often than not going to have to have a separate headset for gaming/VOIP etc at home, and another for listening to music on the go.

Having said that they are definitely getting more compact and discrete (such as the Steel Series Siberia V2 we looked at a while back) and now Sony’s two releases – the DR-350USB and DR-320DPV – are testament to this dual purpose aim.

Claiming to be the “stylish alternative to flimsy, drab looking headsets” they certainly fulfil the first part of that with the slim, smooth and ultimately quite discrete design, and the DR-320DPV comes in the usual Sony range of colours namely red or black – which as they suggest you could choose to match your VIAO laptop, although to be honest the fact that they have decided not to do that in the advertising material suggests it may look a little odd!

Microsoft Courier – Digital Journal Tablet Device? (Rumour)

A while back we learned about an upcoming new device called the Microsoft Courier. Since then the announcement and impending release of the Apple iPad has somewhat stolen the spotlight, but now the dust has settled, rumours of the Courier have risen once more and from what i can gather so far, the device most certainly has potential.

Of course, nothing is set in stone, but Engadget ran a post featuring pictures and video’s of the potential features and user interface of the courier and claimed news arrived from, and i quote, ‘an extremely trusted source’.

So what’s it all about then? Well my initial impression tells me that you would be mistaken to perceive the device as an iPad competitor. Whilst the dual screens would make it an excellent ebook-reader, it seems it would have difficulty being an adequate portable media player or lightweight gaming option such as the iPad. It is in fact described as a ‘digital journal’, which sums it up quite nicely in my opinion.

Sony BRAVIA Monolithic Design Concept – Interview With Takuya Kawagoi

Recently here on Zath we’ve covered several new Sony BRAVIA home entertainment products that were unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2010, these included BRAVIA HDTVs, 3DTVs, Blu-Ray players, surround sound systems. All of these new products had a common theme in terms of their design, they all feature Sony’s latest Monolithic Design Concept that certainly makes them look appealing and stand out from the crowded market of home entertainments systems.

Here at Zath we’ve been lucky enough to interview the director of Sony Design Centre Europe (DCE); Takuya Kawagoi who has overseen the implementation of this new Monolithic Design Concept for these products.

Bundle Box Offers UK An Early iPad Release Date

Transatlantic shopping service Bundle Box have managed to secure a deal which will allow UK customers to get a fully legit Apple iPad before the official UK release date. Not only does it not cost any extra than it would if you waited for the official release, you actually save £30 on the predicted launch price due to the differences in retail price between the UK and USA.

So you may be thinking, well won’t I have to pay import duty? Won’t that make the savings pretty much negligible? Well actually, no. Thanks to a binding ruling by UK customs, there is a guaranteed 0% import cost.

So it all sounds pretty spectacular. Of course, there will be plenty of skeptics which will disregard the idea under the assumption there is a ‘catch’. As far as I can tell it is trustworthy and I can’t see why it wouldn’t be attractive to potential iPad buyers. In addition to the lower costs and early release, delivery is promised within 3 days of the US launch date. The pre-order of the Apple iPad in the US opened on Friday 12th March.