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.

 
Back on Nelly at Night in 2007
For everyone who enjoys my weekly technology chat with Nelly, I'll be back on the show in the next few weeks!
Happy new year!!
Andy

 
Top 3 websites
http://www.snapfish.com.au/
This new photo sharing and printing website is run by computer maker Hewlett Packard and offers photo printing from 19 cents a print.

www.winmysoul.com
You really can buy just about anything online these days…and this website is a perfect example.
The owner of winmysoul.com in Florida USA is ready to give his soul away and perhaps make a few dollars, but it looks like he’s not really in it to get rich.

www.elfyourself.com
This is the perfect website to get friends into the festive spirit…simply upload a photo of yourself that has a good shot of your face, and in just a few button clicks suddenly your head will be on a elf’s body as it dances around the screen.

Feature chat – Protecting your privacy online (we have software to give away too)

As we’re in the thick of Christmas shopping season, more and more people are looking at online shopping escape crowds and overflowing car parks.

The beniefits of shopping online are many…especially when it comes to saving a few dollars…not to mention a few litres of petrol.

Something that also comes up quite often that people should be aware of are the potential risks in involved with shopping online…plus how you can avoid bad experiences.

Online transactions involve handing over credit card details and other sensitive information and with cybercriminals using more complete methods to try and trick you into handing over this information you need protection.

A recent study by Harris interactive reveals that out of 2,500 consumers 61 percent participate in online shopping, but one in five online adults feel safer using the Internet today as compared to one year ago…which makes sense as 67 percent indicated they have a better understanding of how to protect themselves.

If you already have good internet security software then you’re doing very well, but if you do a lot of online shopping you can take that level of safety a step further.

Norton Confidential is a few software package that blocks fake Web sites and authenticates popular banking and shopping websites so you know you’re money is going to the right place.

The software also has a feature to securely store login details to sites you commonly visit…at the same time keeping that information safely encrypted.

The idea is to use Norton Confidential in conjunction with your current Internet security software.

If you’d like to try it out it sells for 79.95 at computer software stores, or you can actually download a trial version from www.symantec.com.au.

All ten copies of Norton Confidential have now been won...thanks to everyone who entered and for listening to the Tech Chat segment on Nelly at Night.

 
Top 3 websites
www.lastminute.com.au
This website is a handy place to check out last minute deals on accommodation just about anywhere…but the website goes further than that with a good selection of gifts…especially now we’re getting close to Christmas. Goodies range from Wine to homewares and chocolates!

http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/
Can you sum up your entire life in just six words? Well apparently it can be done if you see some of the examples on this website.

http://yournameontoast.com
This website is as silly as it sounds…but it’s also for a good cause.

Feature chat – New Video Camera Technology.

In the last couple of years handycams have moved away from using tapes to using recordable 8cm DVDs, which were great as you could tape an event on your camera then watch the disc in any DVD player.

In the past 12 months, hard drive based video cameras have started to make their way into homes and for anyone willing to part with a few extra dollars the beniefits are obvious…no tapes or discs to carry and the ability to store even more video than the 60-90minutes most tapes or discs can store.

Most people walking into an electronics store will usually choose between a DVD or Hard Drive based camera, but Hitachi have just released the world first camcorder that records to both!

Using an on board 8 gigabyte hard drive the new Hitachi cameras let you edit what you’ve taped, and then with a single button push, record your selected movie clips to a blank DVD…all inside the camera.

I think the idea of a hard drive based camera is great, but having that extra option of also having the DVD burning fuction is perfect for people who don’t want to always be hooking up their camera to a computer to offload or edit their movies.

The new Hitachi cameras are priced between the $1400 and $1600 mark and have just started appearing in stores in the last couple of weeks, check out your local video camera store or electronics retailer. (Model numbers DZ-HS303 and DZ-HS301)

At the moment there's no info on the official Hitachi website at www.hitachi.com.au, however this should be updated soon.