It's Thanksgiving week which means three certain things. First and foremost is that America goes on holiday while the rest of the world sits in confusion trying to work out what's going on. So, citizens of the UK and Europe, that is why things will be eerily quiet on Thursday. Job done.

Second is that the Black Friday sales hit meaning bargains galore for those in the US who have the nerve, cunning and sharp enough elbows to cope with the crowds. We've compiled a guide on how to get the most out of Black Friday for you. Another job done.

Last of all, it means the mass migration of Americans from their busy working lives to wherever it is they once called home. So, as a gift to all our American readers from the UK, here are some excellent ideas to help wile away those travelling hours - quality downloadable content for your media players, and most of it free.

Short Films

There are plenty of sites out there that stream the work of budding filmmakers, but remember that sites like Vimeo actually allow you to download these works as well. There are nearly 30,000 actual films of all types on the online video service - rather than just sneezing pandas and over confident martial artists. You'll have to take pot luck to some degree although it's worth exploring a few of the channels within the independent and short films tags until you find one with solid looking production values.

UK TV & Film on BitTorrent

If you're not going to toss and turn all night over the guilt and legal position of BitTorrent, then naturally, that's positively a treasure trove of quality content. If you're stuck for inspiration, then try a few bits and pieces from the UK. For classic and quite disturbing stories then check out the Wicker Man, Scum and If. For something a little more modern, then In The Loop and Rocknrolla are both very entertaining. But, if you really want to be blown away, then go for In Bruges or Dead Man's Shoes.

HBO is where it's at for TV right now but the best shows to come from this side of the Pond at the moment are comedies like Green Wing, Gavin and Stacey, and Ricky Jervais's new series PhoneShop. Top Gear is a favourite with car loving gadget geeks the world over and, for something more calming, download the stunning David Attenborough nature series, Life.

Audiobooks

If you'd rather give your eyes a rest, then audiobooks are a good way to go. Fortunately, there's plenty of free sites all over the place. Most of what you'll find are classics, but weighty tombs such as the Iliad, Moby Dick and Pilgrim's Progress are probably quite enjoyable when someone else is doing all the work for you. Highlights might include White Fang, The Time Machine, Heart of Darkness, War of the Worlds, The Legend of King Arthur and his Knights, Metamorphosis and many more.

Radio Plays

The sound of someone else's voice droning on for pages might be a bit much for some people, so for snappier audio action, then do check out the much overlooked category of radio plays and shows.

The Wireless Theatre Company has an excellent range of good quality material, but if you really want something very special indeed, then we heartily recommend this set of ghost stories called Fear On Four which was a radio series aired on BBC Radio 4 in the winter nights of the late 80s. Fantastic scripts, beautifully produced which include well-known tales like the Monkey's Paw and bone chillers like The Face.

iTunes TV & Film

Now, we said most of it was free but we'll end with the one piece of paid content just in case you've got a little iTunes credit or you're feeling flush. As ever, the Apple Store is updated on a regular basis and if you love your TV shows then there's new episodes from the latest series of South Park and Family Guy to enjoy. Glee is the obvious flavour of the month with much of the recently aired first series available, so that's a good one to go for if you missed it first time around.

On the drama side, there's regular favourites like House, Grey's Anatomy and Flash Forward but a strong recommendation, while we're on the sci-fi tip, would be the arrival of the very first episode of the remake of the 1960s classic, The Prisoner.

If you'd rather watch a film or two, then there's a host of new releases from Pixar's Up to blockbusters like Angels and Demons. Do remember to avoid action if you're watching on a small screen in which case, it might be worth taking a look at the Welcome to Macintosh documentary or the dramatised tale of how it all went down with Pirates of Silicon Valley. Finally, of course, there's always the Thanksgiving classic that is Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Now go download, and have a good trip.

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Tags: Home Cinema Features PMPs Films TV shows Audiobooks Thanksgiving Downloads

Free films and audiobooks for your media player originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:19:43 +0000

A new tablet has emerged to take on Archos' dominance in the media tablet market from OEM Moto.

The Moto AMP (Android Media Platform) will eventually form a range of three models with 3.5- and 10-inchers due, but for now it's just the 5-incher available.

Boasting a 5-inch OLED capacitive touchscreen good for multi-touch, the tablet offers Wi-Fi, 3G, SD card slot, 720p video and an 8-megapixel camera.

There's no news on which company might pick this up yet, but we'll be sure to keep you posted.

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Tags: Gadgets Internet tablets Moto Android PMPs OLED Phones

5-inch Android-based OLED media tablet unveiled by OEM Moto originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:43:03 +0000

Creative has announced it is to enter the e-book reader market with the forthcoming launch of what's dubbed the "MediaBook" which will run on the company's Zii Plaszma platform.

It seems the tablet-esque device may fall more into the PMP category but boast ebook reading capabilities as it won't offer an easy-on-the-eyes E-Ink-type display - rather a touchscreen - and will offer a "media-rich experience".

The MediaBook, revealed at Creative's recent AGM, will boast text-to-speech functionality, an SD memory card slot, internet connectivity, and will offer "videos, pictures, text and [other] services".

Creative is said to be in talks with publishers to provide content for the device with "fiction, newspaper, magazines, education materials and textbooks" said to be in the mix.

There's no further details at this stage about the MediaBook, but we'll keep you posted.

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Tags: Gadgets Creative eBook readers Zii PMPs Audio

Creative unveils plans for Zii MediaBook originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:16:35 +0000

After a mixed start at CES 2009, it's been an excellent year for music gadgets. Slowly the world is getting over its lust for hording mp3 downloads in favour of streaming and digital music, possibly a sign that it's maturing. Sound quality has become important once more rather than just access to one's collection on the move, and the natural pace of technology has meant better bit rates to back it up. At the same time, the high end audio has become more affordable under the pressure of a world recession, while the cheap tat at the other end that doesn't deliver is gradually disappearing. So, in light of such promise, just how were we taken from A to B and who best reflected the consumer's desire in audio gadget function and form?

Dock/Radios

It's hard to believe that the dock/radio market has expanded after what already seemed like saturated times in 2008. The usual suspects like Gear4, Altec Lansing, Pure, Roberts and Logitech are still churning them out both large and small at a steady rate but what we've seen is an increasing move of the high end brands in their embrace of the mp3 and that now ubiquitous 30-pin dock connector. Naturally, the audiophile-friendly manufacturers have admitted defeat in their own way and it's generally been a huge boost to the sector in both design and sound engineering.

Arcam's second foray into the field with the irDock cleans up RF interference, Yamaha has joined the fray with the company's first iPod products, even LEGO got involved as part of the range of 2009 tech products. On the design side, Bowers and Wilkens helped up the ante and many have followed producing almost a new branch of the market into style-led devices many of which have a distinctly 70s, 80s, futurist or retro feel. Revo, YBA and Grove Neo are all good examples, not forgetting an appearance from Phillippe Starck and some completely out the box styles from Bang & Olufsen that we probably should have all expected.

While style and audio quality marched on, so has the technology being driven by the theme of connectivity which has been the strongest throughout all gadgets this year. The dock/radio masters have been the ones pushing boundaries of functionality furthest with touchscreen interfaces and some even with their own app stores, widgets and native support for both Twitter and Facebook. Internet radio has been the add-on for most and with over a third of the world listening to it, it's small wonder. Between that, DAB, SD card slots, mp3 support and USB drives, this sector is fast catching up with the mini-systems and separates above them.

Mini-Systems & Hi-Fi

These gadgets have remained very much the preserve of the serious music fan and probably more so with the lower end of the market doing well in 2009. At the same time, the acceptance of the dock has meant most now have attachments, as well as USB ports and support for digital music as well. The likes of Marantz and Denon are still offering up the goods with perhaps more focus on aesthetics than ever before, but none typifies more the situation than the rare appearance of the NaimUniti system - the very first from this high end manufacturer in the new era.

Headphones

Quality has been the theme oozing from the headphones market in 2009. It all started rather frighteningly at CES with it seeming like we'd have to rob a bank in order to satisfy our aural delights. Denon and Sennheiser both came out with classy on-ear phones at around the ?1000 mark but with Sony's launch of the XB, we knew that on-ear style was making a comeback and that we could afford it as well. Sennheiser followed suit, as did many others in the field, but soon we were to find out where the real trend lay - the in-ear design.

Noise cancelling and isolating has been the story for headhones in 2009. Both technologies have, of course, been around for many years now but never before have we seen them come in such a large price range. Sony and Denon were the first to bring noise-cancelling to the small form, while many such as Logitech, with their purchase of Ultimate Ears, Klipsch and Shure chose to find ways to isolate the interference from the outside world. Etymotics went one stage further by offering custom ear-moulds with their range, including the service from ACS. And finally, Radiopaq took the altogether different approach of both specially tuning headphones for digital music and even creating an adaptor to do the same almost at source.

MP3 players/PMPs

One of the most exciting areas of gadgetry in 2009 has been PMPs. With the addition of HD screens, the support of all sorts of video codecs and the commonplace occurrence of touch technology, it's been one of the main focuses of convergence throughout the industry.

It was another mixed start in the field at CES with the Android-sporting GiiNii Movit proving one of the highlights of the show and yet it's failed to appear on our shelves. Sansa came up with a new approach with SlotRadio, which was later improved, and Samsung surprised us all with the challenger to the iPod touch in the shape of the P3. Since then, we've seen an entire new range from the Korean giant in Beat, and Sony has been working hard with the X, B and W series showing off both functionality and innovation of lifestyle design.

Philips, Creative and iRiver have all put in the time and just about everyone has made sure that they include Wi-Fi, DivX support and as much streaming capability as they can muster. Whether your PMP is big or small, just about all of them can play video now and even some can record it as we saw in the refresh of the iPod range with the 5th generation nano and notably not in the iPod touch, which now suffers even stronger competition from the Zune HD amongst others. Last, littlest but certainly not least, do spare a thought for the 3rd generation, lozenge of an iPod shuffle which thankfully has its own voice to help shout about it too.

Fortunately, all the PMPs have more memory stacked in them than ever before else they'd not be much use for storing video and the larger screen devices such as the Archos 5 are now almost indistinguishable from actual computers. Doubtless a flurry of internet tablets in the coming 12 months will permanently blur the divide. As for the likes of INQ's upcoming Spotify phone and the increase in the mobility service, we can save that confusion for next year's awards.

What do you think?

But these are just some of the fantastic choices our ears have had in 2009. What would you like to see held aloft as the winner of Pocket-lint Best Music Gadget 2009? Who have we missed out? Which are your unsung heroes and of those we've already mentioned, which would get your vote? Let us know in the comments below and you can help our panel decide which make the shortlist of nominees to be announced here on Pocket-lint on 16 November. We'll have all out coverage of the Vodafone Pocket-lint awards 2009 right here. Don't miss a minute of it.

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Related links:

• News - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 announced
• News - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards date confirmed and tickets on sale

Tags: Audio Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards MP3 players PMPs Headphones iPod docks Radios

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - music gadgets originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:38:56 +0000

Archos has announced the availability of its new Archos 9 PC tablet. Powered by an Intel Atom processor and running Windows 7, the tablet is said to offer the performance of a high-end netbook with a multimedia twist.

With a full touch-sensitive 9-inch resistive screen, virtual keyboard, optical trackpoint and left/right mouse buttons, the 9 is 1.7cm thick and weighs in at 800 grams.

The adjustable leg stand means the device can be positioned upright for videos and there's support for 1080p files, with a 60GB hard drive plus 25GB online storage.

As far as movie content goes, Archos says the 9 comes with ?80 worth of free movies to download from the Archos Media Club.

The Archos 9 will be offered alongside a Bluetooth keyboard and a port replicator that adds more connectivity with an Ethernet port, two additional USB ports, a VGA output and 2 audio jacks.

Shipping now, the Archos 9 retails direct from Archos, as well as from other retailers for ?449.99.

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Tags: Hardware Tablet PCs Archos Windows 7 PMPs

Archos 9 tablet PC now shipping with Windows 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:07:58 +0100

Advanced MP3 Players has announced the launch of the Mintpass Mintpad, describing the tiny device as an "all-in-one pocket wonder".

Angled as much more than simply a digital audio player, the 2.8-inch touchscreen Mintpad gets a full-featured web-browser and an integrated video-capable 1.2-megapixel camera.

Running Windows CE there's support for some Microsoft programs, such as Word, while features include Wi-Fi connectivity.

The Mintpad supports Flash, boasts MSN Messenger, 4GB built-in memory (expandable up to 16GB via microSD) and boasts a battery life of 30 hours for audio and 6 hours video.

The Mintpad is available now for ?139, while a 20GB model is also available for ?169.

Related links:

• Shop - Advanced MP3 Players

Tags: Audio PMPs Mintpad Advanced MP3 players Mintpass MP3 players Tablet PCs

Mintpad launches in the UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:53:05 +0100

IWOOT has come up with a relatively budget portable media player that also includes television functionality. Although it's not branded, the player in the picture on IWOOT's site does say "August", though that's not a company we've heard of before.

The screen is 3.5-inches across, and it can recieve Freeview. It displays 320 x 240 pixels, and can play back from external media via a USB stick. There are two games included, it can be hooked up to the TV, and it'll play AVI's, MPEGs, MP3, WAV files and JPEGs.

There's also an SD/MMC card slot, for upto 8GB of storage - it doesn't seem to have any onboard storage provided. The rechargable battery will do you 10 hours of audio or 3 hours of video before it gives in. There's also an EPG and subtitle options.

The unit has built in speakers, or if you don't want to irritate people on the bus then you can use headphones. It costs ?95 and it's available now.

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Related links:

• News - iRiver B30 DAB radio and PMP on sale in UK

Tags: Audio PMPs IWOOT

IWOOT offers 3.5-inch PMP originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:24:08 +0100

The most recent Apple tablet rumours to hit pegged the 9.6-inch device at $800 with a February launch.

Now iLounge's "reliable" Apple source - that correctly predicted the firth-gen nano and iPhone 3GS - has come up with fresh data.

According to iLounge, who dubs the device the "iPad", the latest version of three prototypes has a 10.7-inch screen, runs the iPhone OS and looks like a big iPhone 3G with a curved back.

The source suggests it will come in two versions - with and without 3G - but both models will get 480 x 320 pixel displays.

Fitting in with Apple's no-thanks stance on netbooks, iLounge says it is not meant as a netbook competitor but a media player with "light communications" abilities:

"It is designed to expand the iPhone and iPod touch media concept to its next potential level: as a slate-like replacement for books and magazines, plus all of the media, gaming, app, and web functionality of the iPhone and iPod touch", states the site.

Said to be awaiting "final green light" from Apple boss Steve jobs - with an estimated 80% chance of success - iLounge predicts a 19 January annoucement with some serious hype before a retail debut in the summer.

We will keep you posted.

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Related links:

• News - $800 9.6-inch Apple tablet to launch in February

Tags: Hardware Apple Rumours Tablet PCs PMPs iPhone iTablet iPad Apple tablet

Fresh Apple tablet rumours claim the iPad is due on 19 January originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:36:39 +0100

The iRiver B30 is now on sale in the UK through Digital Audio Distribution, the exclusive distributor of iRiver goodies on our fair isle.

The B30 offers DAB radio on the go plus all the features of a portable media player.

Boasting "crystal clear digital audio" the device offers SRS WOW sound enhancement and SRS Circle Surround Headphone with the boasts of 5.1 sound with standard headphones.

On the DAB side, the B30 offers an RPG, the ability to record programmes and support for DAB+ for a tidy bit of future-proofing.

The B30 gets a G-Sensor that auto-adjusts to watch videos in landscape mode and the ability to shake the player to change tracks.

With the claim of a user-friendly interface, the B30 has a touch-sensitive control surface with haptic feedback.

Battery life claims come in at 40 hours for music and 6 hours for video. Storage-wise the B30 is available in 8GB and 16GB models that are expandable via microSD card.

The iRiver B30 is available from ?139 from www.dadaudio.co.uk.

Related links:

• Shop - DADAudio

Tags: Audio iRiver DAB Radios PMPs Digital Audio Distribution MP3 players

iRiver B30 DAB radio and PMP on sale in UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:08:10 +0100