Three new XF Fujinon lenses were also unveiled at CES, to go with the new X Mount on the X-Pro1. This new mount is really thin, which should reduce shutter lag, and the lenses have some outstanding apertures: The lenses include an f/2.0 pancake, a 90mm f/2.4 macro lens and a 53mm f/1.4mm lens.

The X-Pro1 is expected to appear in March and the price has yet to be announced.

The Nikon N4, meanwhile, has an intriguing wireless network feature. Connect the D4 to a network using either Wi-Fi or Ethernet and you can use your browser to operate the camera – take photos, change your settings, focus shoot video. You can also see a live feed, although of course how well this works depends on the quality of your connection. One of the most useful features is that you can take photos on your camera and view them on your computer immediately, without having to connect it via USB or place the card in a card reader.

The Nikon D4 is a professional DSLR featuring a 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, allowing the shooting of Full HD 1080p and 720p video. Pictures can be saved onto Compact Flash or the new XQD memory card format.

The D4 will be available in February and comes at the professional price of £4799.99

Other cameras that focus heavily on connectivity are Samsung’s range, including the 21X-opticazoom WB850F, the 10X optical zoom ST200F and the 18X optical zoom WB150F, which all offer direct uploads and the ability to sync with Android smartphones for sharing and offloading pictures.

Kodak’s EasyShare M750 also allows for direct uploading to sharing sites and can be paired with BlackBerry, Android and iOS handsets.

Camcorders that also offer Wi-Fi include Canon’s Vixia range and Samsung’s QF20 HD camcorder.

Getting rave reviews at CES was the Canon Powershot G1 X, which is a compact camera but still has a 1.5in, 14.3 megapixel sensor  – that’s up there with many DSLRs. So it should give great picture quality (even in low light conditions) without you having to carry around a large camera. It also offers full manual control, 1080p video, and a 14-bit RAW mode

Available in February for around £700.

Lens giant Sigma also announced its new 180mm f/2.8 macro lens for digital SLRS, which features Sigma’s own Optical Stabilizer technology and a wide aperture to offer narrow depth of field and faster shutter speeds.

Sigma also debuted a new range of Micro Four thirds (for Panasonic and Olympus cameras) and E-Mount lenses (for Sony NEX-series cameras) for mirrorless interchangeable lens compact snappers at CES. There are two new lenses – the 30mm f/2.8 EX DN and the 19mm f/2.8 EX DN. Prices and availability to be announced.

[Source: The best cameras at CES]

Another feature of the service is PURE Tag, which lets you bookmark tracks you hear on the radio, and find out more about the track and artist using the search and recommendation facilities of the PURE Lounge, to discover more about the artists and their back catalogue, podcasts, or even discover similar and related artists. This is an updated version of PURE’s FlowSongs music tagging service, which was launched in 2010.

Your choice of albums and tracks can be dragged and dropped into playlists, which will automatically be kept synchronised across all of your PURE Music listening devices. Playlists can be shared with social networking contacts on Facebook and Twitter.

There will be one price to start with – £4.99 – but be aware that there is no caching offered as yet, so you won’t be able to experience offline play. As more functionality is introduced, PURE will introduce a tiered pricing structure.

PURE Music went live in December and you can register your interest at www.thelounge.com/puremusic

[Source: PURE music’s Spotify rivial]

The iGo Green Rechargeable Alkaline Batteries are dubbed as a low-cost, environmentally friendly solution to disposable batteries. They will, says iGo, start saving you money after two recharging cycles – one rechargeable battery is equivalent to 40 single-use disposable batteries.

We’ve always tried to use rechargeable batteries (with the amount of battery-operated toys in this house it would be of benefit both to my wallet and the planet) but we’ve always been disappointed in them. They never seem to hold their charge for long, and small people are not patient enough to wait for them to be recharged.

Howver, iGo reckons it has got this problem licked, as, unlike nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride cell batteries, they can hold their charge for up to seven years. This means they will be ready to go as soon as you get them out of the packet, but will likewise still be ready if you have them sitting fully charged in the drawer for a few weeks, or even years. This means you can have a store always ready to go (pretty vital when a small person needs that train to go RIGHT NOW!)

The batteries come in AA and AAA sizes and cost around £7.99 for a four-pack and £12.99 for an eight-pack. You’ll need an iGo Green Charger (£15.99, including four AA batteries). iGo also sells a two-way USB charger for those on the move. It costs £12.99 and comes with two AA batteries.

[Source: iGo batteries go green]

There are plenty to choose from on the market, so here’s another one to add to the list – the Marmitek BoomBoom 152 wireless speaker. While it looks like one speaker, its makers claim it create a perfect stereo effect, thanks to the two, perfectly positioned tweeters, which sit inside along with a 20cm bass port for rich and deep low tones.

A rechargeable battery is built in, and offers up to eight hours of music before you need to find a socket to recharge.

The BoomBoom 152 comes in white, while the 150 model comes in black. It can be used with Bluetooth enabled devices including BlackBerry and Android devices and offers an extra aux-input for use with MP3 players that do not have Bluetooth.

It costs less than £50 – for more log on to www.marmitek.com

[Source: Two for the price of one with the Marmitek BoomBoom wireless speaker]

The answer to the problem would be? The Capulet Wristlet for the iPhone.

This designer piece from the London-based luxury accessories brand, is a wallet, which has room for your iPhone and which can be hung from your wrist or popped in a handbag should you so wish.

Designed to take out dancing, or to pick up if you pop down the shops, the Wristlet comes in a variety of colours, and has a compartment for the iPhone 4S, a coin compartment and room for credit cards.

Choose from cobalt, seashell white, powder blue, jet black and sunset red

Capulet head of design, Joyce Lin, said: “I wanted to create a wristlet that was relevant to today’s modern woman. It needed to be a minimalist design, carry all the essentials, and seamlessly transition from day to evening.I think this wristlet achieves all of these design
goals.”

The wristlet costs £299 and can be pre-ordered from www.capuletlondon.com/iphone

[Source: £300 to spare? How about a wallet for your iPhone 4S?]

The Gametel looks familiar to gamers – with its D-pad, four buttons and two shoulder triggers. It is compatible with phones and tablets running Android 2.1.1 Éclair or later and connects to your device using Bluetooth. The device connects to a phone or tablet with the built-in adjustable spring-loaded clamp. Once paired, the Gametel will connect automatically, every time it is turned on,

There are more than 50 compatible games available for download from Android Market – Happy Vikings, Cordy, Reckless Getaway and MotoX Mayhem to name a few.

Bo Nyman, CEO of Fructel says: “Playing casual games on a touchscreen phone is fine but when it comes to playing the more addictive and immersive titles, seamless gameplay is impossible. The Gametel controller overcomes this problem by delivering a console experience on your Android device, freeing the screen from fingers, opening up a bigger viewing area and delivering more responsive physical controls.”

And if your Android device has HDMI, mobile gaming can also be brought to the big screen. Hook up an Android device to an HDTV, wirelessly connect up to four Gametel controllers and you can bring your favourite mobile games into the living room with a console-like multi-player set-up.

The Gametel offers around nine hours of battery life and switches off automatically after six minutes if it is not in use.

The Gametel costs £49.99 from Amazon.

[Source: Turn your phone into a games console with the Gametel]

While their respondents favoured the mobile phone above their car or laptop, they also discovered that 74 per cent of them did not regularly back up their personal data on their phone, and 85 per cent of them would ot be able to locate their phone if it was lost or stolen.

What really made me laugh though, was that more than a third said they checked their mobile phone every time they went to the toilet. They must have pretty tough bosses…

Anyway, the upshot of this is that they could all protect their phone using the Lookout mobile app, which protects against malware, spyware, and phishing scams. Lookout can help you locate a lost or stolen device and also backs up important personal data such as contacts, photos and call history.

The app is also capable of identifying and blocking infected apps before they can have a serious impact on smartphone users and stops the user from visiting unsafe websites and locates stolen or lost phones.

Lookout Mobile Security is a free app for smartphones, iPhones and tablets and is available on the Android Market at market.android.com and Apple App Store at itunes.apple.com.

[Source: App will Lookout for your mobile phone data]

Maybe you need a little hand from MicroStrategy’s iPhone app, Usher. This app lets you set up and manage all those parties and drinks events from start to finish.

How does it work? Well, first of all it allows you to send out personalised invitations using Facebook. Create an event from your iPhone and then use filters to identify who you want on the guestbook – so no laboriously scrolling through your long contacts lists,.

You can then manage your guest list – checking RSVPs in real time, managing VIP lists (if it’s that kind of event!) and sending out last-minute invitations. Usher will sort a printed guest list for you too if you wish.

Mobile tickets are then delivered to your guests’ smartphones, so they don’t need to worry that they might forget a printed invite. For those without a smartphone, tickets can be accessed on a browser or printed from the web.

If you have doormen (or women) at your events, they can check people in using Usher on their iPhones and validate their tickets using a Facebook photo, QR Code, Sight Code, Usher Code or Phrase Code. The organiser can then see who has arrived by checking their own phone.

This sounds a great idea for the party planner and anyone who organises PR events. Try it out for free by heading to the www.usher.com website and clicking on the link to the App Store.

[Source: Be the perfect party planner with Usher]

LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer

This appears on just about must-have toy list this Christmas. The LeapPad Explorer builds on the success of 2010′s award winning handheld; Leapster Explorer. And if you know a small person who has been hankering after your iPad, this might do the trick, as the LeapPad Explorer combines the latest technology, educational content and entertainment features, specially tailored for young learners with a robust and durable design.

Onboard are 100-plus learning games, videos, e-Books, flash cards and more, featuring children’s favourite characters. Fully compatible with the existing Leapster Explorer library

Parents will be pleased to see subjects from spelling and maths to creativity, science, music, geography and more included. The nifty stylus also lets children perfect their writing skills

This is also the first tablet device for children with a built-in camera, video recorder, microphone and animation studio, allowing for creative exploration that can be shared with family and friends

It also automatically adjusts the learning across all 100+ experiences so children can learn at their own pace

The Explorer comes in green and pink.

Price: £79.95

From: www.leapfrogstore.co.uk

Huddlestone’s Classic Learning Alphabet Flash Cards

Huddlestone’s ABC flash cards are a set of beautifully hand drawn alphabet cards designed to appeal to iPhone and iPad users who want something a bit different for their children or grandchildren. This simple but elegant interactive application delivers a nostalgic approach to the flash card game, with beautifully illustrated, vintage-style cards, which feature phonics for each letter and audio for each picture. Perfect for a bit of quiet time after all the chocolate and excitement!

Price: £1.49

From: iTunes

Magellan eXplorist 310: Geocaching device

Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game, where players try to find hidden containers, using GPS-enabled devices, then share their experiences online. It’s rather like a technological version of letterboxing, if you are familiar with that.

Geocaching is great for children (it’s popular with Scouts and other youth groups), as it gets them out and about, and learning all kinds of skills, such as exploration and navigation. The waterproof boxes that are hidden usually contain a logbook, sometimes a stamp to record your find, as well as small toys and trinkets for trading and swapping.

Global GPS brand Magellan has just launched the eXplorist 310, a high quality hand-held GPS device which combines high-sensitivity GPS, an intuitive user interface and easy-to-read mapping.

Whether hiking, climbing, backpacking, geocaching, hunting, fishing, mountain biking or sailing, the eXplorist 310 has been designed to allow adventurers to navigate to outdoor destinations worldwide, capture geotagged photos along the way and share their experiences online when they return home.

As the younger brother of the 510, 610 and 710, the eXplorist 310 is set at a lower price point, enabling all outdoor enthusiasts to make the most of this advanced GPS device.  A good opportunity to make that family walk on Boxing Day that bit more interesting.

Price: £179.99

From: www.magellan.gps.com for stockists

Laser Pegs

If your child enjoys constructing models with Lego, Meccano and so on, they’re going to love Laser Pegs. It has already taken the US toy market by storm and has now launched in the UK. This is a lighted construction set where each piece feeds the next piece a low voltage current which, when attached to a power source, allows children to build creations that illuminate in a brightly coloured, LED light display.

There are five kits  – Dune Buggy (31 pieces), Tractor (30 pieces) and Mini Monster Bug (36 pieces) each have a power unit, an instruction booklet and sample model designs, each can be used to create over 9 different models. They cost £27.99. The Laser Pegs 3 in 1 Kit has 72 pieces, one power unit, an instruction booklet and sample model designs and Laser Pegs 4 in 1 Kit, has 60 pieces, two power units and an instruction booklet, also with model examples. They each cost £49.99.

Model building ideas can be downloaded from the websites at www.laserpegs.com and www.laserpegs.co.uk

Suitable for children aged 5 and older, Laser Pegs run on three AA batteries or a separately available AC wall adapter.

Price: From £27.99

From: www.laserpegs.co.uk

6-In-1 Solar Kit

Find out all about Solar Power and create some cool models at the same time. This 6 in 1 Solar Kit is the perfect way to get a proper to introduction solar energy and just how it all works. It comes with everything you need to build your very own solar powered robot, a dog, a car, and a boat, with three other designs also possible.

Great for budding engineers or scientists.

Price: £12.95

From: www.gadgets.co.uk

[Source: Teach ’em young – gadgets that are fun AND educational]

So it’s great that there are so many apps out there aimed at little ones. Two recent launches features a couple of very popular characters – Postman Pat and the My First JCB crew.

The Postman Pat Special Delivery Service app has been released to celebrate Pat’s 30^th birthday – and he doesn’t look like he has aged at all!

There are eight games to choose from, all with easy, medium or hard settings to choose from – and even slightly older children will enjoy them. I thought my five-year-old might turn up his nose at Postman Pat, but he really enjoyed the games on a harder setting;

Choose from the likes of:

Thompson Farm: Help Alf round up the animals into the right pens.

Post Office Sorting Game: Help Pat sort the letters and parcels into the correct sorting bins.

Train Game: Help Ajay direct the trains. Look for the coloured lights on the signal posts then touch the junctions to change the direction of the arrow points.

One point – the instructions (as on so many apps aimed at littlies) are written, so you do have to explain how to play the games. This seems to be the case on lots of apps and sites aimed at preschoolers – maybe it is to ensure that parenst don’t just leave them to their own devices – but spoken instructions would be great so that little ones could play on their own if they wanted.

The app costs £1.99 (which is a small price to pay for a bit of peace and quiet!) from iTunes

For those who don’t have a child obsessed with all things vehicular, you might not know about the My First JCB characters. Joey JCB, Marty Mixer and Doug Dumptruck are very popular with small boys who love anything to do with construction.

This is the first time they have appeared on a smartphone app – and the My 1^st JCB app has nine games and activities for them to try out. You can have a race, play a memory game, piece together simple jigsaws and do a dot-to-dot.

This app is not as involved as the Postman Pat one and is definitely aimed at the younger end of the market. Without the easy, medium an hard settings on the games, this is not an app that will grow with your child as the Postman Pat one will. But still lots of fun for small boys up to four who loves their construction vehicles.

The app costs £1.99 from iTunes

[Source: Kids’ favourites appearing on an iPhone (iPad and ipod touch) near you]