Andy chats about the latest technology and interesting websites each week with Nerissa Pace on the "Talking back the night" radio show, heard across Australia.

 
Top 3 websites
www.ihatemylife.us
This website documents the story of a man in the U.S.A who suddenly found himself homeless.

www.adsoftheworld.com
Showcasing some amazing creative adversiting from around the world from TV, Radio, Newspaper ,billboards and online advertising.

www.payphone-project.com
This website features photos of payphones from around the world along with some great payphone stories and telecommunications news from around the world.

Feature – Converting old Video tapes to DVD

I know a lot of people who have old VHS tapes lying around of home movies or maybe just something they taped off TV 20 years ago…but if you have something on an old tape like this, if you plan on keeping it and showing it to others, converting it to DVD is the way to go.

Here are 3 very different devices to convert those old movies to DVD.

A combination DVD recorder VCR - which allows you to record from television or another external source like you video camera…or directly from your VHS tape to DVD.
Panasonic have one of these on the market for around 500 dollars and LG have one for around 430 dollars. (Check out your local electronics or audio/visual store)

Sony DVDirect standalone DVD recorder.
Complete with a 2.5 inch LCD screen, you can use this device to capture video from your video camera, VRC or even photos from your digital still camera and burn them directly to DVD.

You don’t need to use a computer to hook up the DVDirect recorder from Sony, but it does have some advanced features which use a computer for more creative, tech savvy users.
The DVDirect recorder will set you back 399 dollars and will be available in October check out www.sony.com.au

Dazzle DVD Recorder (requires PC with DVD burner)
A very cost effective way to convert your old videos to DVD, is to buy a simple add-on for your computer so you can get the recordings on a DVD.

The Dazzle DVD recorder is just one of these devices that connects via a USB port on your computer and hooks up to your VCR or video camera to make it very easy to transfer those old movies.

Remember, you’ll need to have a DVD burner in your PC already to use the Dazzle DVD recorder device and software.

It sells for around 145 dollars and can be found at your local computer store or electronics retailer like Harvey Norman or Dick Smith. More info HERE.

 
Top 3 websites…
http://www.notanothertoaster.com.au
This is a wedding gift registry website with a difference…as the name suggests there’s the age old problem of receiving the same appliances from a few people if you choose to receive gifts at your wedding.

www.mydr.com.au
This is a general health website with information on everything from mens health to allergies, babies, cancer, nutrition and more.

http://www.phonechoice.com.au/
The Phone Choice website is run by a company that operates independent of telecommunications companies and compares plans and prices for Fixed and Mobile phone services and internet phone companies.

Feature – This week’s Gadgets

The photo album of the future from Sony.
They’ve just launched a High Definition Digital Photo Album in the form of a standalone electronic device that can hold around 50 thousand of your favourite snaps…designed so you can view them on your TV screen.

The device also incorporates functions to sort your photos, create a slideshow complete with music.

Getting photos into the digital photo album is as easy as taking the memory card from your camera and putting it into the appropriate slot to the copied.

The High Definition Digital Photo album will set you back 499 dollars – check out http://www.sony.com.au/dis/catalog/product.jsp?categoryId=34331


Motorola PEBL V6.
As the name suggests the phone looks like a smooth stone….much like the pebbles used in some gardens and water features.

The rounded finish of the PEBL phone gives it a more natural feel in your hand and the black colouring oozes style…and of course it opens up like a clamshell to reveal all the really great phone features.

Hidden underneath the stylish looks you’ll find video and photo capture, colour display, voice dialing, web and email access and everyday functions like text and multimedia messaging.

At a time when we’re beginng to see more electronics that look like fashion accessories…there’s not doubt that the Motorola PEBL phone is all about style!

Motorola have decided to help one Nelly at Night listener out in the style department.

Simply tell us about your worst wardrobe mistake ever – we’ll reward the most entertaining entry with some real style...a MOTOPEBL mobile phone valued at $540

Congratulations to Bryce Nicholls who listens to the Nelly at Night show via 2GO on the central coast - His unlucky bad taste day at work has earned him a MOTOPEBL mobile phone. Thanks to everyone who entered for the tragic fashion stories.

Terms & Conditions:Competition commeces Tuesday August 22 at 10pm with entries accepted until 10pm Thursday August 24 . One entry per household. The most entertaining entry, as judged by Andy Wells, will recieve a Motorola PEBL V6 Mobile phone valued at RRP$540.The winner will be notified by telephone on Friday August 25.Entry into this competition is open to Australian residents only - incomplete entries with missing contact information will be deemed ineligible.

 
Top 3 websites
http://www.thevisualdictionary.net
Visualdictionary.com is an attempt to create…well just like it sounds…a collection of words as photographed in the real world.

www.doggie-dating.co.uk
The silly animal website of the week goes to this website…as the name suggests, it’s a dating website for Dogs.

www.platewire.com
This U.S based website is a forum for people to name and shame drivers who have done them wrong while out on the road.

Feature – Battery Life

I’ve spent the last few weeks doing a very time consuming tests on which brand of batteries last the longest.

Energizer sent me a kit to test out their claims of having the worlds longest lasting AA batteries in high powered devices.

Tested Batteries...
Energizer E2 Lithium
Duracell Coppertop
Panasonic Oxyride

Each pair of batteries was tested in my 5.0 Megapixed Kodak digital Camera, taking 10-20 photos at a time (with a few hours, sometimes overnight between taking photos). Flash and Zoom were used around 50 percent of the time - LCD preview was rarely used.

Results...
Panasonic Oxyride Batteries - 250 photos
Duracell Coppertops - 120 photos
Energiser E2 Lithium - 605 photos.

Which is the best value?
The Energiser E2 Lithium Batteries appear to be expensive at 19.99 for a 4 pack of AA batteries, but that test works out to be around 3 cents per shot.

For the Duracell batteries at only 6.97 for a 4 pack, it actually works out more expensive at almost 6 cents per shot.

…and for the Panasonic Oxyride at 11.95 for a 4 pack of AA size batteries, my tests work it out at just over 4.5 cents per shot taken.

Summary...
Overall….Energizer E2 Lithium Batteries seem to live up to their claim…showing that paying less for batteries doesn’t nessisarity give you the best value.

 
Top 3 websites
http://answers.yahoo.com.au
A great place to go online to have a question answers to get some advice.

http://www.abs.gov.au
Tonight is Census night.

http://www.isitfriday.net/
Have you forgotten what day of the week it is?

Feature – Getting connected to Broadband (tips)

If you’re looking at getting connected to the internet for the first time or are looking at upgrading from a slow dial up connection, here are some things to think about.

Do you know what you want to do online…just email and surfing the web? Online gaming? Buying and downloading music or movies? Each use has it’s own demands in terms of the connection speed needed and the amount of data your computer will be downloading.

If you plan on doing a lot of downloading, those cheap 20 or 30 dollar a month plans won’t be suitable – they are usually lower speed connections with only a couple of hundred megabyte download limit per month.

For plans with a capped data amount, does the Internet service provider charge you for downloading more than your limit…or do they simply slow down the service?

A website I can recommend to help you find the right Internet service provider and plan is www.whirlpool.net.au

 
Top 3 websites
http://www.hassleme.co.uk/
If you have a list of things that you simply have to do, but you keep putting them off, then this website is designed to motivate you.

http://www.fatfingers.com/
This website is designed to help you find a great bargain on eBay, all because of someon else's spelling mistakes.

http://www.hoffgallery.com/
The Hoff Gallery has hundreds of David Hasslehoff images, but doesn't solve the riddle of why the guy is so popular.

Feature - Tips for buying a video camera

Your decision on what Video Camera to buy, could lie in the different formats available.

Mini DV is the standard tape based format,fitting 60minutes worth of video on each tape. It's a great quality format, but if you intend editing or sharing your videos with friends you'll need to hook it up to a computer and use editing software.

Mini DVD - Cameras that use this format record around 30 minutes of high quality video to a miniature DVD.
The advantages of this format include being able to take the DVD directly from the camera and play it in almost andy DVD player.

Hard Disc Drive - Cameras that record directly to a hard disc drive can potentially record hours of high quality video without the hassle of changing tapes or disks

High Definition - If you have a few more dollars to spend, take a look at some of the new High Definition video cameras. The picture quality is amazing, and although the price is still much higher than standard definitition cameras, you can pick them up starting at just over 2000 dollars.

There are other things to take into account, but choosing the recording format is a good place to start. You might also like to take a look at Sony's online guide to choosing the right camera at http://www.sony.com.au/dis/dis/category.jsp?id=30395