Imogen Heap: ‘Don’t blame the machines, it’s not their fault’
Why singer Imogen Heap wants to make electricity out of horse manure What's your favourite piece of technology, and how has it improved your life? I was going to say Macs, but everyone says that, so I'm going to go into geek mode. I have these wireless wrist microphones that I wear on stage – they are throat mics that I've adapted. The audio gets picked up and goes into my computer. What's great about them is that I can wander about on stage and grab any instrument – like the wine glasses I use – and the mics are in the perfect position to pick up the sound. They've completely transformed me on stage. When was the last time you used them
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Imogen Heap: 'Don't blame the machines, it's not their fault'
Christopher Smith: Macs are beautiful, PCs are vile | Celebrity squares
Film director Christopher Smith devours new gadgets but he won't download films as he's a sucker for DVDs What's your favourite piece of technology, and how has it improved your life? The thing that changed my life, and improved my life, was originally my video [player]. That idea of being able to rent movies genuinely changed me, I think. All of my filmgoing when I was a kid was watching videos. The most modern thing: I love my Sky+. I love the idea that I can use my iPhone and record stuff and having it waiting for me in a big bank. And I don't record movies – I record rubbish. When was the last time you used the Sky+ box, and what for? I used it the other day to record My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding for my wife. What additional features would you add if you could? I wouldn't change a thing, I just love it. I think it's perfect as it is. Do you think it will be obsolete in 10 years' time
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Christopher Smith: Macs are beautiful, PCs are vile | Celebrity squares
From bricks to the iPhone: 25 years of the mobile phones
They started life 25 years ago as carphones - because you needed a car to take the weight of the battery - and cost a fortune, but today there are more mobile phones in the UK than there are people.
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From bricks to the iPhone: 25 years of the mobile phones
The test . . . meat thermometers
We pick three of the best meat thermometers
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The test . . . meat thermometers
Tech Weekly: The iPad analysed and Amazon’s ebook war
There's an iPad flavour to most of this week's progamme as we deconstruct the most anticipated launch of 2010. Was the launch of Apple's iPad a whole lot of hot air or the next evolution in gadgetry? The debate begins as author and technology commentator Nick Carr joins us to debate the highs and the lows of the next must-have gadget, and Bobbie Johnson describes getting his hands on the iPad. The studio is also buzzing with the escalating row between publishing house Macmillan and Amazon . Did the virtual bookseller drawn a line in the sand by removing all of Macmillan's books from its shelves at the weekend? Was the launch of the iPad a contributing factor
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Tech Weekly: The iPad analysed and Amazon's ebook war
Simon Majumdar: I hate being far from my email | Celebrity squares
For food writer Simon Majumdar, his BlackBerry is as much of a lifesaver as his dhal What's your favourite piece of technology, and how has it improved your life? It's my BlackBerry Storm – I absolutely love it. For me it's an iPod and iPhone killer. It's much better for my emails, and I just find it easier to use. It's not as intuitive as the iPhone, but once you get used to its idiosyncrasies, it's much more forgiving. When was the last time you used it, and what for? Today, to read the questions before doing this interview, while I was cooking my lifesaving dhal. I always keep it in the kitchen with me because I hate being too far away from my email – and I'm never far away from my kitchen. What additional features would you add if you could? The one thing that I find very weak on it is the web browsing – it uses 3G rather than Wi-Fi, and from that point of view its very slow. The iphone is much quicker. Do you think it will be obsolete in 10 years' time? I think it will be obsolete in 10 weeks time – all these things, the moment you buy them they almost are, aren't they? What always frustrates you about technology in general? It's never as quick as you think it should be and it always goes wrong. Macs, when they work well, are fantastic, and when they don't you just want to hurl them out of a window.
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Simon Majumdar: I hate being far from my email | Celebrity squares
Hard times turn us to gaming, but not everyone will be a winner | Victor Keegan
Companies may look to cash in on the upcoming mobile market rather than invest millions in video games. Will it work though? Monopoly – the game – has had a long and complicated pedigree.
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Hard times turn us to gaming, but not everyone will be a winner | Victor Keegan
Apple looks for iSlate mobile partner
iPhone creator believed to be in talks with UK phone networks over subsidies for the much-anticipated tablet computer Apple is understood to have approached several UK mobile phone networks, including Orange, about selling its forthcoming tablet computer to British customers. The device, rumoured to be called the iSlate, has created a buzz among mobile phone operators not seen since Apple pitted several networks against each other in the race for the exclusive British rights to sell the iPhone in 2007. That deal was clinched by O2 at the last minute when it barged aside Orange and Vodafone. The Californian technology company is expected to unveil the iSlate at an event in San Francisco on 27 January and it is likely to be on sale in the US in March. British gadget fans will have to wait until much later in the spring, according to UK sources, but the price of the device could be reduced if Apple can persuade a mobile phone company to subsidise it. Rumours abound about the iSlate but it is expected to have a 10-inch touchscreen, no keyboard and allow users to surf the web, watch TV shows and read digitised magazines and newspapers. While it is expected to have short-range wi-fi access to connect to the web, it will also have the ability to connect to mobile phone networks, meaning users will have to sign up to a mobile broadband package to get the most out of the iSlate. Already several UK mobile phone companies subsidise the cost of laptops to persuade customers to sign up for long-term mobile broadband contracts. Anyone signing up to a two-year mobile broadband deal with T-Mobile at £40 a month, for instance, gets a free Sony Vaio laptop worth £499. Apple is looking for mobile partners willing to bundle a mobile broadband contract with the iSlate. The UK's mobile phone networks, meanwhile, also have deals that allow their mobile broadband customers easy access to thousands of public wi-fi hotspots across the country. Any such tie-up with an operator, however, is unlikely to make the iSlate free because the basic price of the device in the UK is expected to be only slightly less than Apple's cheapest MacBook laptop, which costs £816
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Apple looks for iSlate mobile partner
Learn to clean a keyboard
10 minutes Replacement cost From £5.99 DIY cost £4.71 Difficulty: For a PC keyboard, unplug before you start; for a laptop keyboard, make sure it is turned off and remove the battery (refer to your manual for how to do this). Turn the vacuum to its lowest power setting and, with the keyboard flat on a desk, brush the keys with the duster attachment from left to right. You should press down hard enough to push the keys down, but not so hard that it is difficult to move the vacuum. Remove the duster attachment but keep the vacuum on. Now use the paintbrush to dislodge any debris from between the keys. Keep the nozzle of the hoover near to the brush as you work so it carries away the dirt before it has time to drop back behind the keys. Clean the brush then spray foaming cleaner on to the bristles (never use water). Give the keys a good scrub and, for stubborn stains, use a pencil eraser. Finish by wiping with a soft cloth. Rating: 1/5 Gadgets Saving money Computing guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Learn to clean a keyboard
Learn to remove a stuck CD from a computer
5 minutes Professional cost Varies: depends on the problem DIY cost Free Difficulty: PC or laptop Turn off your computer. Bend the end of the paper clip outwards, so that you have a straight section of wire. Look closely at the front panel of your CD or DVD drive – you should see a tiny hole. Push the wire into this little hole: you should feel a bit of resistance, but the paper clip will push in further and the disc tray will eject slightly. Pull the disc tray into the open position and remove the disc. Remove the paper clip and power up the computer. Use the button to open and close the tray a few times. If the tray does not open consistently, replace the drive (see here for how to do this on a desktop PC ). On an Apple Mac There are a number of ways to remove discs from an Apple Mac, so try each of these until you find one that works. Try the following: • Power up the Mac with the eject button held down. • Power up the Mac with the mouse button held down. • If your Mac has an emergency eject hole on the drive, follow the instructions above for ejecting a disc from a PC or laptop. • If you have a MacBook, tilt the machine towards you while trying the first Mac solution. • As a last ditch attempt to remove a disc from a MacBook, turn the machine off and insert a piece of thick (about 300gsm) card a little way into the drive slot.
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Learn to remove a stuck CD from a computer