NAMM is the largest music product trade show in the world. It’s essentially CES for music, and this year was a record year for the organisation with 95,709 registered attendees and over 1,400 exhibitors.

We’re only going to cover a small percentage of what was on offer, from DAW (digital audio stations) to apps and synths to midi controllers.

One of the main talking points of the show was a new DAW (digital audio station) Bitwig. It comes from some of the clever bods behind Ableton – and  the Berlin start-up is clearly very brave considering they’re setting up shop in the same town as goliaths like Native Instruments and their main rivals Ableton.

There’s no information on pricing, which would give us an idea on who they are looking to target. But, Bitwig’s main appeal is flexible editing tools and a super-fast workflow.

Included are features such as multi-track recording, clip automation, instruments and effects, time-stretching and VST support. They haven’t revealed too much yet – but you can sign up for a chance to beta test the new software later this year at Bigwig.com. Check out the video below for an introduction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V_t8GfH-v4

One piece of hardware that caught our attention, and probably the attention of all the world’s music producers, was the new MPC Renaissance from hardware stalwarts Akai. This substantial, vintage-esque, piece studio equipment is designed for music producers and digital DJs and offers Akai’s class-leading drum pads and more rotary controls than a steam train.

The audio circuitry is the same that you would find in a Modern MPC, but the Renaissane comes with a special party piece: vintage mode. According to Akai the software is built in-house and will work with your preferred recording suite by running in VST, AU, or RTAS mode.

It also includes a 6GB sample library for reproducing some of the classic sounds of the MPC3000 and MPC60. On the hardware side, the Renaissance is the mother of all controllers with no expense spared — there’s plenty of room for 16 backlit MPC pads, 16 Q-Link controls, and a ton of I/O, including USB, MIDI, 1/4-inch stereo, and a dedicated turntable inputs.

The Renaissance will cost you though, with a street price is expected to be around £1,000.

But, if you can’t afford that sort of money – then have a look at MCP Fly. Built for the iPad 2, it comprises a 16-pad controller that comes in laptop-style case, which also houses your Apple tablet, and an app that enables you to sequence up to four tracks simultaneously.

The concept seems pretty sound to us, though we’re keen to find out just how capable the MPC Fly is in practice.

Digital music store Beatport was at Namm and from what we saw they are getting into the hardware business. One product that caught our eye was their incredibly practical range of gigging cables.

While they don’t offer anything particularly new they did have couple of clever ideas. First off, their range of cables come colour-coded – something someone should have thought of ages ago. There’s no doubt these will be a god-sent for digital musicians and DJ’s, who are often struggling with low lighting levels in clubs when they’re trying to setup their equipment. Another clever touch was the use of hinged USB ports – meaning you can connect equipment securely into the smallest of spaces.

[Source: The Best of NAMM: Beats, beats and more beats]

On our journey we took in the sights of Paris, Reims, Saarlouis and Frankfurt. This gave us plenty of time to absorb, fiddle and play with some of the amazing technology that can be found in the new Ford Focus.

We’ve already road-tested the new Focus a few months ago – but this time were given the keys to the new wagon version – or as we call it in the UK – the Estate.

Over the course of the 3-day drive we tested every conceivable piece of technology that this car has on offer; from the Parking assist, Lane Departure, My Key, Door Edge Protector and Active City Stop.

During our long journey we thought we give the Ford Focus Estate a proper real-world road test of all of its tech. Our first port of call was the lane departure system. Now when using this system on a motorway we were pleasantly surprised how the system gradually steered us back in our lane with little or no fuss. In many cases you barely even know it’s there when it’s set to intervention mode.

But how would it fair on a b-road in the French countryside and on proper a corner? Well surprisingly well, if you aimlessly drift across the white line whilst on a corner the system it applies a respectable amount of turn to bring you back to where you should be. The system is very clever and over the course of a journey if you keep straying out of lane the dashboard shows a coffee icon to suggest it might be time for you to take a break.

The Parking assist function is probably the coolest piece of tech that you’ll find in any car under the £20,000. Basically, all have to do is press the button, drive past a parking space (slowly) and the computer ping’s with a message saying that a parking space has been found.

Now comes the leap of faith; you take your hands of the steering wheel and you control the accelerator, brakes and clutch – then with a wing and a prayer the car parks itself. To give you an idea of how good this system is, Ford set a rather clever challenge where we were tasked to try and beat the car when it comes to the difficult challenge of parallel parking. I think I’m a pretty good driver and an even better parker.

So, I was confident that I could beat any computer, even one as good as the Focus’. The winner would be the blogger who could get the car park within a space and, most importantly, closest the curb. Rather embarrassingly I failed and failed miserably. The car won and won by a margin of 20 inches.

Another piece of tech Ford was excited to announce was their new My Key tech. Although the system has been available in the US for a while now MyKey is finally making its way to Europe.

The My Key is a intelligent key that can be pre-programmed for teenage drivers. So when you give the car to one of your children they will be subject to much stricter set of conditions than the main driver normally would face.

For instance if the passengers seatbelts are not fastened the volume to that all important cool car stereo will be muted. It’s a clever carrot and stick approach to promote safe driving. Elsewhere the main driver can limit the top speed of a car; so the less experience driver won’t be able to go above the corresponding national speed limits.

With excessive speed being the cause of 30% of accidents involving young male drivers and 21% of all female drivers in Europe. The technology, which will be rolled out across Ford’s entire European range after the Fiesta, lets parents pre-program a master key that sets various limits on the vehicle. Top speed settings can be limited, with warnings beeping at 70, 90 or 100kph. Failure to fasten seatbelts can also activate a chime and mute the audio system.

In an Opinion Matters survey conducted last month, 53% of those who would consider purchasing MyKey also said they would allow their children to use the family vehicle more often if it were equipped with the new technology.

Ford is hoping that this piece of technology will, one day, become a system that will actually reduce your insurance premium when insuring teenagers on the family car.

The final piece of tech that Ford had on offer was their Door Edge Protector – and it might well be the simplest, but it’s probably our favourite. There’s nothing worse than scratching your car when you’ve parked in a tight spot – or worse – scratching another person’s car when the kids get in and out of the car.

If you have regularly scratch your door in the your garage at a work or at the supermarket then you will love the Door Edge Protector. Most impressive is the system is completely hidden when the door is closed – meaning you won’t be compromising the looks of your car.

The Door Edge Protector really does solve the problem a protective flap concealed in the door that pops out when the door opens providing a buffer that prevents damage to your car or anyone else’s. The Door Edge protector debuts in the 2012 Ford Focus.

[Source: Frankfurt Motorshow: Ford shows off the technology coming to its 2012 ranges]

September actually see’s two computer game conferences within week of each other; this weekend saw the inaugural show from UK retailer Game and their aptly name GAMEfest.

And this week see’s Eurogamer hosting their annual Eurogamer Expo – there is something to be said about have having both so close to each other. But it was nice to see GAMEfest hosting their event outside of London. Something Eurogamer did try, once, with their Leeds show.
 
The timing of the event has seen criticism from some publishers who feel a new event from the UK’s biggest games retailer, and an established consumer was poorly timed due to its close proximity to Eurogamers Expo.
 
One affected publisher anonymously told MCV recently “with just three days to move from one site to the other, many are unimpressed by the expected costs”. 
 
Eurogamer big-wid, Rupert Loman, told MCV he was “disappointed GAME is attempting to split the market”.
 
Gamefest’s pièce de résistance was an exclusive showing of Activision’s Call of duty Modern Warfare 3. Upon entering the NEC it was clear to see that COD was the big cheese of the show – and what Activision showed was truly stunning; witnessing New York’s skyline ablaze certainly got our attention.
 
We managed to get a few minutes with the game playing Survival Spec Ops mode, which involves fending out fiendish enemies alongside a fellow fragger. Everything is looking very good for Modern Warfare 3 this Christmas – everything except Battlefield 3.
 
That’s right, EA and DICE were on hand to try and steal its thunder. Unfortunately BF3’s stand was a little underwhelming, apart from the guys holding machine guns.
 
Although, they were probably just letting the game do the talking. We were treated to quick press preview before the riff-raff started to queue up.
 
First we hopped onto the single player and can report that the PS3 console version is looking very good indeed. Sure it not on par with the PC version – but the lighting and frame rate were solid as a rock.

Multiplayer-wise it was clear that the graphical fidelity had been toned down somewhat. But everything we saw, played and gawked at proved that BF3 really does have what it takes to take on COD and its first person shooter crown. 
 
Whilst we rushed around the NEC to see as many games as possible before the show was opened to the public and we managed to get sometime with Microsoft’s Forza 4 – which is looking like the racing game of the year. 

The graphics, lighting and handling tweaks add up to a massive change and was one of the most enjoyable games we played all day. Maybe that was because we were driving a stunning Ferrari 599 GTO around a beautiful vista in the Swiss mountains.
 
We managed to get a few laps on Codemasters follow-up to F12010 and from the looks of it not a lot has changed. The handling has been overhauled – but the steering wheel setup we were given made it hard to really access the changes from last year’s version.
 
Elsewhere, it was a little disappointing to see only three consoles showcasing the much-anticipated Batman: Arkham City. Although from what we did see it looks like it’s going to be every bit as good a Rocksteady’s first attempt.

Other games attracting enthusiastic punters included Elder Scrolls V: Skrim, the imminent Gear of Wars 3, Unchartered 3, Quake follow-up Rage and Saints Row the Third. There were even some games that won’t be available until next year – namely – EA’s Mass Effect 3, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. 
 
After a few hours there was a definite growing frustration with having to queue up to play pretty much every game. We even heard stories of several hours just to play one game. It started to feel more and more like a Theme Park than a games convention.
 
Overall Gamefest was a massive success, to sell out a new show within a week of its main competitor shows that there is more than enough space in the market to have a couple of shows in the UK. Just not a week apart.
 
The biggest lesson that publishers have to come away with, is that they need to expand to events outside of London, due to the success of their business it’s clear that gaming isn’t just the preserve of Londoners. The NEC is a massive space is the perfect place to hold any form of trade show – let’s hope it back next year – bigger and better.

[Source: GAMEfest event review]

The latest buzzword in the tech world is ‘Cloud’. Google’s OS laptops takes this idea to the next level with Notebooks that have no apps, no desktop – just Google Chrome and its impressive range of online application.

What you get for your hard earned money is a laptop. Well that’s nothing exciting is it? And your right it isn’t exciting but these aren’t normal Laptops. They are on the face of it poorly specced laptops. Well how’s that cool I hear you ask? Well these are the first notebooks running on Google’s Chrome OS.

The first notebook comes from Kogan and is the world’s first laptop powered by Google’s Chromium OS, available for sale and ready to be dispatched this week.

The Kogan Agora laptop powered by Chromium OS goes on sale today for £269 in the United Kingdom and $349 in Australia and ships direct to customers early next week.

Kogan’s Chromium OS laptop is based on the popular Agora hardware, adds a Solid State Drive, and lets users operate entirely in the cloud, and boots in an impressive 4.5 seconds.

What this means is that the laptops are running on a feature-laden version of the Internet browser of the same name. Google Chrome.

The web-friendly laptops come with no desktop or in-built applications or programs, but instead allows users to do everything might want to do on web-based Internet programs like the impressive Google Docs.

The whole principle is that anything you need to do on an application you can do on the Internet, now this sounds totally plausible – whether it actually works in the real word is another thing.

The specs of the Notebook aren’t important as there are no programs to load, it won’t need a proper hard drive as you save everything to the cloud.

Ruslan Kogan said: “What we’ve found from talking to our customers is that many of them are already using cloud services without even realising it. They’re uploading photos to services like Flickr, storing all their contacts in Gmail, and even hosting files on DropBox.

When you load up the Kogan Agora Chromium Laptop it is going to be strange experience for your average Windows or Mac User, Kogan are sure that once you get settled you’ll be totally at home. They said: “Loading up a laptop with Google’s open source software can be strange at first. However it is clear that everyone from casual users to pros are embracing cloud services with all their personal computing needs.

“The real beauty is that no matter which Chromium powered computer you’re on anywhere in the world, it will appear exactly as you expect, tailored to your needs.”

Google is also working hard to ensure that Chrome integrates seamlessly with all Android based devices so their will be a real continuity between Android and Chrome making an eco system that will rival ‘normal’ desktop laptops.

Kogan Agora Chromium laptop comes with a 30GB solid-state drive just in case it’s so sunny you can’t find a cloud. HDMI support, so you connect you flatscreen TV to watch films from the laptop to your TV, and the laptop is also sporting a 12-inch LED screen.

It’s easy to stay connected anytime and anywhere with built-in Wi-Fi or by turning your Google Android or Apple iPhone into a hotspot. As your Kogan Agora Chromium laptop boots up, it quickly connects to your favourite wireless network so you’re on the web right from the start.

You will receive the same experience everywhere as your apps, documents, and settings are stored safely in the cloud. So even if you lose your computer, you can just log in to another Kogan Agora Chromium Laptop or any other Chrome laptop and get right back to work.

Every Kogan Agora Chromium Laptop runs millions of web apps, from games to spreadsheets to photo editors. Thanks to the power of HTML5, many apps keep working even in those rare moments when you’re not connected. Visit the Chromium Web Store to try the latest apps, or just type in a URL. No CDs required.

[Source: Kogan Chrome OS laptops: The shape of things to come?]

Quite why Nintendo thought it would be a good idea not to show the actual console is puzzling. Either they wanted the controller to take centre stage or they haven’t actually got a console. Were betting on a bit of both. It’s almost as if they forgot to show off the console for us it was one of the most bizarre console unveiling in E3 history.

They did have some small wafer thin box next the screen in some of the videos on show, but they didn’t show it off physically or go into detail about it. Today it was all about the controller, not the box that powers it.
The Wii U has what Nintendo and others are calling the most advanced controllers ever. It looks like a small 8-inch tablet device with DS-like screen and traditional Xbox/Playstation controls all baked into one rather impressive looking controller.

Nintendo showed off how you can play games on a normal HDTV using the controller like you would any other consoles. And how can play games on both your HD TV and on the 6.5-inch on the controller at the same time or just on the 6.5-inch on it’s own.

They then went on to show innovative ways on how future games could use the second screen. One eye catching example was the new controller laying on the ground showing a golf ball in a bunker on the screen. The user was the stood over the controller with the original Wii remote and nunchuk and the game on the HDTV in front of the player. It looked mighty impressive. All at the same time seamlessly with no lag or latency.

Nintendo went on to promise that all the controllers from Wii would be backwards compatible; so you’ll be able to use your Wii Fit Board, Wii remote and nunchuck for the new console.

The tech demos showed off new types of gameplay you’d usually expect to find on the DSI and 3DS on the new console. Players can use the touchscreen with your fingers or Nintendo Stylus a la DSI or 3DS on the controller, which then appeared on your TV seamlessly with no latency. One such example was painting on Art Academy on the new controller then appearing in real time in high-def on your TV.

They promised that the controller would have gyroscope, accelerometers, front facing camera and microphone. The console and controller would have internet browsing as well as video chat all through the controller and TV.

What didn’t say anything about is how long does the controller last on battery, does it even run on batteries or have they created all-new power source? Most worrying was the lack of price or release date during the press conference.

They went on to announce a new partnership with EA, which will see all of its massive gaming franchises coming to the new console including BF3, Madden and FIFA. There will be full online gaming for all the titles, as well as exclusive support of the second screen capabilities. This was shown off with Madden, where all plays were handled on the screen on the controller leaving the TV for the actual gameplay.

We’re slightly concerned that there wasn’t any mention of the actual console. Call us old fashioned but how can we make a judgment on the console if we can’t even see it. We have no idea how powerful it is, what media will the games come on? Is it Full HD? Even little things like how many controllers can play together. Most of all is how much is this very impressive new controller going to be? What storage solutions will be offered? All of this was not mentioned during the press conference.

Nintendo always do things a little different, but for consumers to take the new console serious we need to see some bricks and mortar. Today’s announcement has left more questions than answers. There’s no chance that you’ll seeing this console anytime soon. They haven’t even got a console from the looks of it. They’ve got a controller. All be it a very nice one. So we need to be patient and see what they come up with. The controller looks incredible. But it looks like it is going to cost an arm and a leg. Then you have to buy the yet to be seen console. Were slightly worried. But Nintendo has a lot to still show off. When. That is the million-dollar question. Nobody knows.

Although they didn’t say any of this Nintendo during the event – the new console will run in full HD, via HDMI, but the touchscreen isn’t HD. The console has internal Flash memory which can be augmented with “SD Card or USB solutions”. It will play optical disks and downloadable content, and will be backwards-compatible with Wii software. And it will launch some time between 1 April and 31 December 2012.

It will be the oddest console ever, and possibly the best, too. Or it may turn out to be a complete cul-de-sac. But one thing is for sure: it won’t just be another generic games console.

Batman: Arkham City, an Assassin’s Creed game, Dirt, Ghost Recon Online, Tekken, Metro Last Light,Aliens Colonial Marines, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, and Darksiders II all got a mention as coming to the Wii U. Yes!

[Source: Nintendo at E3: Wii U and endless unanswered questions]

Before any of the announcements Sony US boss Jack Tretton took to the stage and talked about the Playstation Network hack and offered his and the companies sincere apologies.

Addressing consumers, he said: “You are the lifeblood of the company. Without you there is no PlayStation. I want to apologise personally and for the company for any anxiety caused. It’s you that causes us to be humbled and amazed by the support you continue to give”.

To Sony’s third-party publishing partners, Tretton said: “I know the outage has been costly. We wouldn’t be where we are without you”.

He added: “We are committed more than ever to making sure the PlayStation experience is entertaining and secure for everybody”.

PSN was taken offline on 20th April following a security breach that left personal information tied to some 77 million user accounts compromised and the details of around 12.3 million credit card possibly stolen.

The phased restoration of the service began on 14th May, culminating in Welcome Back content being made available to users on 3rd June.

Tretton then went on to show what Sony has planned for the gaming over then next 12 months. The big news came in the form of the NGP which has now been named PS Vita, (Vita meaning life apparently) and more importantly, the release date and price was announced.

Sony has said that Vita would be release this holiday season in America with the UK release date soon after.

Vita will come in two flavours and two prices. Vita will retail for $249 (£150) for the Wi-Fi only model but will likely to cost closer to £200 when it lands on UK shores. But if you’re in America when it’s out you could save yourself a decent chunk of money.

The 3G model is be price at $299 (£182) but is likely to see mobile phone subsidies when the networks offer you a decent data package.

Sony announced that Vita would be exclusive with mobile operator AT&T which means we are likely to see the same deal for a UK network – don’t be surprised if Vodafone or O2 snap up the exclusive rights for the new 3G version of the portable.

Sony’s next big announcement came in the form of 3D. Tretton talked up the 3D capabilities of Sony and announced at that they are going to release a Playstation 24-inch 3D TV.

The monitor won’t be available just yet but should be available by Christmas 2011. The set has been designed for those of you who want a device in the bedroom or snug space. Sony’s idea is to bring a decent affordable 3D screen to the masses.

Sony’s new TV does have one particularly impressive party piece. It will allow users to play games with split screen action but each user will see a full screen instead of half. Were not sure whether it will only work with the glasses, but the the idea and tech is very clever indeed.

Included in the price of $499 you get a pair of 3D active shutter glasses, a 6FT HDMI cable and a copy of Resistance 3. Sony stated that the glasses can be bought separately for $69.99 and will be compatible with other screens.

Included in the price which we will get to in just one moment, will be a pair of 3D active shutter glasses, 6ft HDMI cable and a copy of the game already mentioned Resistance 3, for a price of $499. Sony have also pointed out that the new glasses can be purchased for $69.99 and will work on their different TV’s.

There was of course and a full compliment of new software for the Sony family and lots of new Move content for the next 12 months.

[Source: Sony at E3: Alive & kicking with PS Vita and Playstation 3D TV]

Mixcloud was founded by Nikhil Shah and Nico Perez, who met when they studied at Cambridge. Both of them have spent time as radio presenters and DJs and were frustrated by how hard it was discovering and promoting radio online.

The on-demand radio service wants to be the ‘YouTube of radio’. Online radio is very much a digital media orphan; languishing in a fragmented space while innovations in other aspects of streaming media have come thick and fast over the last few years.

Mixcloud has gone from strength to strength with a user base full of chic trendsetters and influencers. And this has certainly been taken into a consideration as the app allows users to share content through a multitude of different social networks including Facebook and Twitter.

Anyone can upload to the site and the listeners decide who gets exposed. Of course, it has social tools built in so users can share and discover radio through friends. There’s also a radio recommendation algorithm to help users find shows they love.

More than 50,000 content creators use the site now and the app allows you to access this treasure trove of content for free – the site predominantly leans to towards club music and DJs sector, but as the site grows it is now widely becoming a go-to place for hosting podcasts of all types of music and entertainment.

You’ll have access to some of the hottest DJ mixes, radio shows and Podcasts on the go, but with 100s of thousands of Cloudcasts available, you can travel from Hackney to Harlem on their instantly accessible content for free.

The Mixcloud app has everything from Electronica to Education; from Dave Gorman to the Guardian to keep you entertained on those terribly boring commutes to work.

The app has a lot of good things going for it, there’s no synching to download tracks as they are built in to the app although you will need a 3G or Wireless connection. Searches and tagging are very accurate and there’s even social commenting too – something Apple’s Ping hasn’t really achieved.

For now, the app is free but Mixcloud will eventually wants introduce a charge. “There are a number of potential ways we may be able to monetise the app,” said co-founder Matt Clayton. “Rather than second guess which model we’d like to focus on, we think it makes much more sense to launch it and wait to get a sense of the actual usage habits and build the revenue model around that.”

For a limited time only, the Mixcloud beta app is absolutely free. So what are you waiting for – get listening!

[Source: Mixcloud iPhone app: The YouTube of radio?]

Many consumers probably don’t realize that you’ll need an after market solution to get you PS3, Blu-ray and 3D Sky or Virgin to work with a 3D ready projector. In order to connect a 3D source directly to a projector, the content must be in a frame-sequential format. The leading types of 3D are not in this format. So you can get 3D projectors, but they are only really work when connected through a PC. Not an ideal solution, but the ViewSonic’s new box converts 3D signals to work on their DLP projectors.

Their latest box of tricks is designed to convert 3D video content including 3D TV, Blu-Rays and 3D Playstation 3 gaming to work with their impressive range of Home Cinema DLP 3D-ready projectors.

After an impressive unveiling at CES, where it was given the thumbs up from the gaming community, it has quickly become one of the most sought after 3D solutions on the market.

The combined black magic of the VPD31 processor box and some very lightweight PDG-250 3D glasses gives the viewer a super sized 3D experience that only projectors can achieve.

The VPD31 is compatible with ViewSonic’s range of 3D ready DLP Link 3D/120Hz projectors and features dual HDMI v1.4a inputs and one HDMI v1.3 output to enable a scalable 3D projection without losing visual quality.

To further enhance this 3D experience, ViewSonic’s second-generation PGD-250 3D glasses have been designed to be a hell of a lot more stylish, although were not sure who they are kidding, it’s like making shell suits stylish – a complete waste of time. But at least they’re foldable and lightweight compared to other options on the market.

With impressive resistance against ambient light interference and a long effective distance of 12 meters, the glasses also feature an impressive 44 hours of continuous use battery life and are rechargeable via mini USB port on the arm of the glasses

Trevor Holt, European Product Manager – Projectors, ViewSonic Europe, commented: “After a slow start in 2010, Ovum has predicted that 2011 will see sales of 3D hardware rapidly grow as prices drop due to increased competition.”

So there you have a 3D projector experience that won’t set you back a year’s wage – the box comes in a very reasonable £299 and you can get a Viewsonic 3D 1080p ready projector for as little as £700.

Bought a 3D TV recently? Wished you hadn’t? The ViewSonic VPD31 is available now.

[Source: Viewsonic VPD31 3D box]

Although the range starts at a eye-watering £16,000 for the bog-standard, 1.6 petrol engine version, we were given free rein in the 1.6 EcoBoost turbo petrol car, powered by Ford’s Titanium X engine and it came fully-loaded with every gadget available.

While the car comes with a lot of tech as standard, the Driver Assistance Package, which cost £750 adds a host of notable additional options. You can expect to find active city stop, lane keeping aid, active park assist (yes it parks itself), traffic sign recognition, blind-spot warning system and auto high-beam system which automatically turns full beams off and on without any input from the driver.

From the outside it is clear that Ford’s boffins have spent a lot of time with the design – taking the look back to original shape. They have tweaked the outside of the car to give it a distinctly sporty look, slightly at odds with the eco name tag, but they explained that consumers are ditching their gas guzzling BMW’s and the like for cars that are more in keeping with today’s need to save on petrol and car tax. But most importantly according to Ford, customers still want their cars to have more gizmo’s than the Star Ship enterprise, hence why the latest Focus is a tech journalists wet dream.

As soon as you step into the new Ford your automatically cocooned into a cockpit that has more buttons and screens than the Star Ship Enterprise, at first there are a bewildering amount of buttons and switches, but after a few minutes we comfortable with 99% of them, and we easily managed to pair our phone for calls and begun to stream some music from our smartphone using the incredibly user friendly bluetooth system.

Surprisingly, after a few minutes of driving, any initial thoughts about room in the front and back quickly turns to a rather cosy feeling, a bit like the cockpit of an fighter jet. There’s not much room to swing a cat, but you left with a car that has lovely solid feel to it through out. It’s not as roomy compared to last model, but we for one forgave this shortcoming, as the new look is simply stunning.

There are two screens on the Ford Focus, one in the central dash which looked to be a 8-inch LCD display – which controls entertainment, sat nav and host of other gizmos. It’s not so big that it dominates the dash nor does it light you up like a Christmas tree, it’s just the perfect size. The other is where you’d usually find the speedometer. This screen is where you’ll be updated with various pieces of information, including when to change gear for optimum fuel efficiency and it cleverly show realtime traffic sign that the on-board camera picks up when you go into new speed zones or even temporary speed limits. Pretty much all these functions can be controlled from controls on the steering wheel and after a while we really settled into our new car for the day.

On the open road, you’ll notice the gear change indicator which tells you exactly when to shift up or down the six -speed manual box for optimum fuel efficiency, which, we completely ignored, not least because Ford had invited us to try out the cars on the outskirts of Glasgow, which had the least speed camera of anywhere we had ever driven in the UK.

Traffic Sign Recognition was notable feature, it recognises within a instant traffic signs ahead of you and displays them for you on the screen next to the rev counter, it just another way technology can help drivers stay within speed limits and we found it to work pretty much perfectly. And we’re not talking out-of-date GPS tracking here. The car actually takes video of the road in front of you and recognises a variety of standard signs including speed limits, and even those that have been set up temporarily so you’ll never get caught out again by the temporary speed limits.
When out onto the motorway more clever piece of tech became apparent – drift into another lane without indicating and the Lane Departure Warning will let you know you’re going off the straight and narrow. Persist with your inconsiderate lane changing and the computer will grabs the steering wheel and put you back on the right track using the Lane Departure Aid. This is quite an achievement and un-nerving at that the same time. The thought of a car taking control off the driver on a motorway at 70mph does seem quite frightening, but imagine, god forbid, if you fell asleep at the wheel. The system in theory could save you life. Importantly if you use your indicators like every decent driver should the system will not interfere so it also teaches you to be better driver, meaning safer, more stress-free journeys.

Changing lane on a motorway while someone is sitting in your blind spot and a little orange light flashes in your wing mirror to warn you that you’re about to merge into another car, the system is sure to save countless lives and crashes, and is just another example of Ford thinking of everything.

Auto High Beam will stop you dazzling other motorists as it dips the headlights automatically, Active City Stop will operate the brakes automatically under a speed limit of 10 mph, and the Active Grille Shutter cuts the car’s emissions by two per cent by closing the radiator grill at certain times to reduce drag and increase full economy.

We were blown away by the new Focus, it’s without a doubt Ford’s finest C class car, we are concerned how long all this tech will last after 5-10years of hard driving, but this is something that can’t be tested after a few hours of driving. Only time will tell, it’s without a doubt the safest car we’ve ever driven, and with all this tech your likely to see a decent resale value, which is a major plus. It would seem that Volkswagen and its Golf range finally has something to be worried about, Expect to see the new Focus on forecourts in May.

[Source: Behind the wheel of the new Ford Focus]

Not only can it stream music from devices it can stream Internet radio or other audio content from your computer using a wireless dongle.

Available in slate black or gunmetal, the inMotion Air has top-mounted controls, a soft-texture finish and built-in handle.

Its wireless adapter hooks into your computer and can transmit stereo audio up to a range of 100 metres. Which means it could be easily be used as an ideal product for anyone who wants music in the garden or a room away from your computer.

No software or driver installation is required – making setup simple and fast to pair the Air with the adaptor involves holding down the pairing button on the speaker and on the USB dongle, and when the lights alternately flash red and blue, they are paired.

The inMotion Air comes with a built-in rechargeable Lithium-ion battery for portable use, providing up to seven hours of music. So it’s the perfect device for getting your ever-burgeoning digital music collection out into your garden or lounge – and most importantly away from those horrible PC speakers.

A notable inclusion for those you concerned about the quality degradation is Altec Lansing’s apt-X Bluetooth codec, which supposedly gets around the main bugbear with Bluetooth, the lack of quality. It creates superior sound quality, and the Bluetooth Class 1 system used cuts down on interference from wi-fi networks and cordless phones.

If you buy two units they can be linked to the same transmitter for basic multi-room playback, and the remote gives control for both iTunes and Windows Media Centre – so you don’t have keep going back the computer to change tracks.

If you’re looking for a premium speaker box that’s a step above the average run of the mill iPhone speaker and you want to be able to stream music, with possibility of multiroom support, then we see no reason why shouldn’t consider the inMotion Air – it offers functionality, quality all at a reasonable price.

It costs around £180-£200 and is available from Apple, John Lewis, Dixons and PC World stores.

[Source: Altec Lansing inMotion Air: Music player of my streams]