Thoughts from the Shelf

News has resurfaced that Sony is planning to release a mobile phone that will incorporate elements of its popular Playstation Portable or PSP. With Sony already lending its name to the Cybershot and Walkman Sony Ericsson mobile it would seem a logical step.

In the mobile market Sony is part of a joint venture with telecommunications giant Ericsson to make mobile phones, and last week launched the motion sensing F305 gaming phone. Motion sensing technology used allows the user of the F305 to play games such as bowling and fishing, imitating the movements required if actually playing the sport.

Although a break through in gaming facilities seem in mobile handsets to date, it had been predicted that the F305 model would include some Playstation branding or a PSP style design. However, leaked information suggests that the Sony isn’t willing to give their converted Playstation branding to a joint venture.

With Sony Ericsson lying a lowly fifth place in the handset market it seems Sony are not wiling to risk their closely guarded PlayStation brand on a joint venture handset quiet yet.

It is rumoured that such decisions has lead to the break down of the Sony Eriksson relationship, and sources have said that relation between the two are frosty.

This further fuels rumours that Sony is in fact working on its own PSP style mobile phone handset which is being tipped for release around Christmas 2009, however contrary to this the joint Sony Ericsson venture has filed a joint patient for a portable mobile communication device that mimics the PSP.

As usual there are no confirmed comments regarding any of the rumours so I guess time will tell.

The internet is set for its biggest shake up in decades if plans to open up the address system are passed by the internets regulators. If plans are passed then the rules on top level domain names such as .com and .co.uk could be relaxed, allowing companies to turn their brands into domain names, whilst at the same time individuals could create their own space on the internet.

A relaxation of the rules could also result in the creation of the .xxx domain to serve adult content, a topic that has been widely discussed for a number of years.

Currently TLDs are restricted to countries such as .uk and institutions such as .net or .org. Because of the current restrictions small countries have often hired their TLD domains out to relevant industries. For example Tuvalu has leased .tv domains to many television firms. The country of Tokelau significantly increased its profile by offering free domain names in return for a served advert, a move which has transformed the communications infrastructure of the island.

Internet regulator ICANN has been has been working towards opening up internet address for years, and if successful new domain name could be internationalised.

ICANN spokesman said of the plans “It’s a massive increase in the geography of the real estate of the internet.”

Hundreds of new domain names could become available by the end of 2008, with thousands more likely to follow.

The effects of the credit crunch are being felt in the UK jobs market as official figures show the claimant count has risen.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics released this week shows that unemployment rose for the fourth consecutive month in April, approaching a million.

Despite the news, the Chartered Institute of Personnel (CIPD) report that employers are still hiring and say there is no sign yet of a rise in redundancies, which indicates that the labour market overall is cooling only moderately.

However it has been suggested that a more sinister method of “letting go” is being undertaken and that managers are being encouraged to monitor the time their staff spent online on social media sites such as Facebook and Youtube with a view to adopting “highest time wasters will be first to go” as a disciplinary matter thus avoiding redundancy pay outs.

HR Zone reported that the amount of time online at work averages as much as an hour and a half per week with over half of workers spending time booking holidays or even checking for latest vacancies.

Can’t have it both ways

On the back of the grey clouds surrounding UK jobs another survey highlights that even in a difficult job climate many have issues with the remuneration received - adamant that wage gazumping should not begin to happen in the UK.

The survey has revealed that well over 70% of workers believe they will never earn their ideal salary in their current job.

The research of four and a half thousand workers by Jobbies - an online recruitment site found that the country’s ideal salary is £38k, with over 40% of people saying they will keep moving jobs in order to achieve this.

In addition, three out of 10 workers are unhappy with the amount of money they earn at the moment, while 19% feel underpaid for their job.

When it comes to pay rises, 27% timidly confessed that they’ve never had a raise, while a third have waited a year or more since their last increase.

Yet 51% claimed to be too shy shy to discuss pay in their job interview or request a pay rise in their current jobs.

A spokesman from Careers and Jobs a leading online UK jobs site said: “Far from wanting to be squillionaires, the true British Worker has a fairly realistic annual salary in mind..

The key to negotiating a good salary at interview or with your current employer is having the confidence to show what your skills and expertise are worth.

“Failing that constant moaning and griping in the staff room will go a long long way to improving your standing with colleagues and bosses alike.

Eagle eyed Pasty Muncher - an early subscriber and occasional commenter on The Shelf (we’ve still yet to answer the question he asked at the beginning of January) suggested that the Smart Pants which measured the wearers blood pressure we revealed would be an ideal Valentine gift for a lover to give the man in their lives and suggested they be re-branded ‘Smart Heart Pants’.

Valentines Day is a long way off, so too is Christmas but it has been noted on some shopping information sites that the 7th Wonder of the Shopping World - Trago Mills already has full Christmas displays on show beating their record of last year when a shelves were brimming with Christmas goodies well before the schools returned after the summer holidays.

Every year chaps are forced into panic buying Christmas presents at the last minute and every year our other (and often considerably better) half’s smugly remind us how they had completed the present buying task way back in October. So it is time to make early preparations.

A couple of items caught my eye on a price comparison site which I think may be ideal gifts - who could not feel the pride whilst wearing a Spurs shirt signed by Gazza or at very least appreciate slipping into bed under a stylish Spurs emblazoned luxury duvet cover?

They say Christmas gets earlier every year but I, like The Wizard, wish it could be Christmas every day.

Cheddar Gorge, one of the most spectacular places to visit in South West England - home of pasties. Situated above the rural village of Cheddar, Cheddar Gorge is Britain’s largest gorge, whilst the Cheddar Yeo in Gough’s Cave is Britain’s biggest underground river, and the Gorge Cliffs are Britain’s highest inland limestone cliffs.

I had the pleasure of visiting Cheddar Gorge not too long ago for a day out. Although I don’t live too far away, I’d never actually been before. The views from the cliff top footpath is breathtaking, I don’t think that even a Freelander could descend the slopes safely. The Cheddar Cheese visitor centre is another feature well worth a visit, they still make the famous cheese there and you can watch the process from start to finish.

I would definitely recommend it as a day out, or even just driving through the gorge is amazing. If you’re of a mind to do some Freelander off-roading, I doubt you’d get very far, but you might have fun trying!

HI-TECH underpants that will help save men from heart attack and stroke.

So-called “smartpants” are being developed to monitor the blood pressure of wearers via sensors in the waistband that detect the speed of blood flow through arteries.

Currently only male pants are able to utilise the technology which isn’t suitable for women’s pants, because it could not be fitted into the thinner waist bands.

These smarty pants are part of a 4 year project to incorporate health monitoring systems into clothing, bedding and even household appliances.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease which is amongst the biggest killers, claiming many lives annually.

Despite the dangers and continued campaigns to encourage people to “know their numbers”, many are not aware they are living with the time bomb of high blood pressure.

A recent screening project found 51 % of 4000 adults tested had high blood pressure and were in danger.

Half of those tested did not know their blood pressure.

“We often call it the silent killer because there’s no symptoms of high blood pressure, and the only way to know that you have it is to have it measured with an accurate blood pressure monitor,” a spokesman said.

The underpants, being developed in Europe by technology giant Philips, use electrodes made of conductive rubber in the waistband of the pants to pick up electric signals from the central aorta, a major artery running down the middle of the body.

The signals indicate the time it takes for blood to travel through the artery.

Blood moves easily through a healthy body but labours through diseased vessels and arteries that have become hardened and clogged.

The data is then sent to a clip-on monitor worn on a trouser belt so it can be downloaded to computer for later analysis and relayed via broadband to online health record storage such as Microsoft’s Healt Vault or Google Health.

British Hypertension Society which clinically validates and test blood pressure monitors for accuracy has not commented so far on the accuracy of these undergarment devices but it is hoped that they are seen as a step forward in bringing the issue to the publics attention

For further information about measuring blood pressure the Blood Pressure Monitoring organisation has free factsheets “How to Measure Blood Pressure” and an up to date list of clinically Validated Blood Pressure Monitors.

Since its launch in 2006, Land Rover dealers have been inundated with requests to provide a commercial version of the Freelander 2. Customers wanted the practicality of a commercial vehicle, but without losing the luxuries and comfort of their normal SUV. LandRover listened and believe they have found the solution in the form of the Freelander 2 Commercial.

The Freelander 2 Commercial will be available in ‘S’ and ‘XS’ trim. Essentially the models will be exactly the same as a standard Freelander with the modifications being applied to the rear compartment only. The Freelander commercial will come equipped with a floor support frame, floor panel with lashing points, fixed rear side glass, rubber loadspace mat, tail door and side window guards and rear cargo lighting. All this will be separated from the driver’s cabin via a full-height solid bulkhead with an inserted mesh panel. The ‘XS’ model spoils the tradesman even further by offering 17” alloys, climate control, quality ICE system and even part leather trim. The Landrover is fitted with either a 3.2L straight 6 cylinder engine borrowed from its now estranged relative, Volvo, or a 2.2L turbo diesel 4 cylinder engine.

The Freelander Commercial also benefits from the award winning Terrain Response System, making it extremely capable offroad too. This video demonstrates the abilities of the Terrain Response system on a Freelander.

News released today has told of plans to monitor internet downloads of video content and games in the UK by introducing certifications to websites that offer such services.

Overseen by the British Board of Film Classification certificates will appear on sites via set-top boxes and portable players.

The news comes a the same time as new data was released from a survey on internet consumer trends that states people with broadband connections spend more time online than they do watching television.

They voluntary scheme is called BBFC.online and is due to launch by the end of the month with leading Hollywood studios Disney, Warner and Fox having already signed up to the scheme. Other leading players are also tipped to join soon.

The scheme will provide help put “age verification or gate-keeping systems in place for parents to monitor and control underage viewing”. The announcement was made after independent research showed 74% of parents were concerned about the lack of ratings on downloads.

The technical side of enforcement has not been made entirely clear with Peter Johnson of the BBFC stating

“It’s up to individual systems to work out how to introduce these technologies, but we will police it through test purchases”

More than 1,000 videos will have rating on them by the end of May. There is also the potential for the scheme to be rolled out on the Xbox live console, PS3 and Nintendo Wii, as well as video on demand service such as the iPlayer.

The BBFC have stressed that the scheme does not signal any attempt to censor the internet or regulate online video gaming.

Mr Cooke director of the BBFC did however go on to say

“I’m hoping there won’t be any need for legislation to underpin this scheme,”

At The Shelf we remain pessimistic as the big brother eye looms a little bit closer.

Social networking site and regular feature of The Shelf Facebook.com is due to have a face lift four years after it was first launched.

Having grown rapidly in popularity since its launch with a vast expanse in the number of applications available on the site, for those who adopt each and every new tool into their profile Facebook has itself changed from a simple user friendly interface into an un-navigable mess.

A result solely of its explosion in popularity over the four years it has been live, the amalgamation of endless applications on user profiles has recently be touted as a reason many have been switched off from the site.

Currently there are over 25,000 different pieces of software available ranging from dating games to music players and time-wasting quizzes.

The facelift plans are due to include several tabbed section that will effectively hide all the ‘super wall posts’ and silly gifts that users can send to each other, often resulting in an cluttered interface more associated with rivals MySpace than Facebook.

That roll out of the new design is planned for next month and Facebook has been consulting users over its plans. 85,000 Facebook users around the world have been able to comment on new features as they are proposed.

Screen shot of plans from BBC

Facebook currently leads the social network market in the UK with 8.9 million members according to Nielsen Online, but a significant proportion of these are threatening to leave if it become a victim of over commercialisation. A delicate balance is needed between the traditional clean interface users expect and the third party add-ons that have driven its vast growth.

The government has released a series of maps for 23 UK cities and towns showing urban noise levels. Residents will be able to interactively access the maps via a government website

At the time of launch this morning the site collapsed due to unprecedented demand.

Users can search for their town by postcode, and will then be able to monitor noise levels in cities including London and Manchester. Other areas included in the project are Blackpool, Brighton, Coventry, Hull, Leicester, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Teesside, Tyneside and West Yorkshire.

The project is aimed at monitoring noise levels caused by factories, planes and cars and signals the most thorough attempt by the government to tackle the problem of noise pollution, a problem linked to serious illness and educational difficulties.

The maps will only monitor ambient noise and won’t include noise pollution form sources such as noisy neighbours.

The project was set up to meet an EU directive between the department of transport, the highways agency, network rail and the environment agency. It will aim to help cut noise in the worst effected areas of the country, covering 50,000 miles of roads, 3,000 miles of railway as well as industrial site and airports.

“They will provide a springboard to go forward and tackle unnecessary and unreasonable noise pollution,” - environment minister Jonathan Shaw.

The maps will be used to draw action plans on where best to tackle noise pollution across the UK which could include the provision and protection of quiet zones. Where roads are concerned quieter surfacing materials on new motorways and trunk roads might be suggested, as well as noise barriers at a number of locations where traffic noise has been considered problem.

“Factors like transport and industry are a necessary part of modern life. But we need to look at what further practical steps we can take to make people’s lives more tranquil.” -environment minister Jonathan Shaw.

Back in February of this year the a European Commission funded study of those living around airport concluded that the noise from plane engines instantly raised blood pressure which can in turn lead to a stoke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure.