Woolworths, home to all kinds of home products, consumer technology, toys and gadgets, has officially gone into administration, putting 30,000 jobs on the line and becoming the biggest High St. casualty of the recession so far. The group said it has entered administration following its failure to secure the sale of its 800 stores to restructuring company, Hilco. Although stores opened across the UK today, the fate of Woolies’ 30,000-strong workforce remains unknown. In a statement, the company’s board said: ‘The Board of Woolworths Group plc announces that discussions relating to the potential sale of its retail business have now ended. ‘Following, and as a consequence of the termination of those discussions, the boards of Woolworths and Entertainment UK have concluded that there is no longer any prospect of those businesses being able to operate as a going concern. Accordingly, the boards of both companies last night resolved to file petitions for administration in the High Court.’ Deloitte has been appointed as administrators and, while they say there has been some interest from third-parties in the crippled retail giant, it’s looking increasingly likely that they will start selling off Woolies stock at rock bottom prices to recoup some money for creditors. Get your bargain hunting runners ready.-Martin Lynch recession shopping news

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Woolworths, home to all kinds of home products, consumer technology, toys and gadgets, has officially gone into administration, putting 30,000 jobs on the line and becoming the biggest High St. casualty of the recession so far. The group said it has entered administration following its failure to secure the sale of its 800 stores to restructuring company, Hilco. Although stores opened across the UK today, the fate of Woolies’ 30,000-strong workforce remains unknown. In a statement, the company’s board said: ‘The Board of Woolworths Group plc announces that discussions relating to the potential sale of its retail business have now ended. ‘Following, and as a consequence of the termination of those discussions, the boards of Woolworths and Entertainment UK have concluded that there is no longer any prospect of those businesses being able to operate as a going concern. Accordingly, the boards of both companies last night resolved to file petitions for administration in the High Court.’ Deloitte has been appointed as administrators and, while they say there has been some interest from third-parties in the crippled retail giant, it’s looking increasingly likely that they will start selling off Woolies stock at rock bottom prices to recoup some money for creditors. Get your bargain hunting runners ready.-Martin Lynch recession shopping news

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While there have been a rush of budget DAB radios hitting in market recent times, the latest offering from PURE is not one of them. The Avanti Flow is for those that want everything crammed into one device. It’s described as a ‘high-performance’ DAB/FM/Internet radio with an iPod dock and some serious audio punch. The Avanti sports a 5.25in downward firing subwoofer, 2 x 3in mid range drive units and PURE’s Clearsound technology - an audio subsystem for producing better sound at higher volumes without using too much power. With onboard Wi-Fi, the Avanti allows for an overdose of radio by allowing you to tune into Internet radio stations, DAB digital radio, FM, podcasts, ‘listen again content’ and media streaming from PCs or network storage.You can register the Avanti on PURE’s radio and media portal, the PURE Lounge, which offers a simple way to access Net stations, organise your favourites and even download from a library of 100 ’sounds’ designed to ’set the mood’ or help junior doze off. Clad in glossy piano black, the Avanti Flow goes on sale soon for £280.-Martin Lynch [PURE] DAB radio music ipod

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While there’s little reason to jump about the living room, wailing in uncontrolled joy at the arrival of the latest PlayStation 3 console update, there are at least a couple of noteworthy additions that might warrant a small smirk. The most notable of these in the new 2.53 update is that the PS3’s Net browser now supports full-screen mode for Adobe Flash Player content. Support for Adobe Flash Player 9 has also been added. Other notable tweaks include an option to set the PS3 to turn off automatically after background downloads or installations and some new power-save options to stop your controllers dying just as you’re about to defeat that final level boss. Jump now for the full list of tweaks.Users * You now have an option to set the PS3 system to turn off automatically after a background download or installation of content has completed. This option is available when you turn off the system under [Users] > [Turn Off System] while content is being downloaded or installed. Settings * [BD/DVD Settings] has been renamed to [Video Settings]. * [Under [Video Settings], the [Cinema Conversion] option has been renamed to [BD/DVD Cinema Conversion] and the [Upscale] option has been renamed to [BD/DVD Upscaler]. * [ [Sequential Playback] has been added as an option under [Video Settings]. * [ [DivX VOD Registration Code] has been added under [System Settings]. You must use this registration code to authenticate and register the PS3 system to be able to play video files that are compatible with the DivX VOD (Video On Demand) service on your system. For details, visit the DivX website. * [ [Power Save Settings] has been added as an option under [Settings]. To save power, the PS3 system and wireless controllers can be set to turn off automatically after a certain period of inactivity. * [Under [Accessory Settings] > [Audio Device Settings], the method for reconnecting Bluetooth devices has been changed. * [Under [Accessory Settings] > [Keyboard Type], you can now choose the following keyboard types: [German Keyboard (Switzerland)], [French Keyboard (Canada)] and [French Keyboard (Switzerland)]. * [Under [Printer Settings] > [Printer Selection], you can now select printers that support network connectivity. You can also select HP printers using the [HP] option. Music * [You can now select one of nine volume output levels using the [Volume Control] setting on the control panel (or the mini-size control panel). * [Pause] has been added as an icon on the mini-size control panel. Video * [You can now select one of nine volume output levels using the [Volume Control] setting on the control panel. * [ [Scene Search] has been added as an option on the control panel. * [You can now use the [Mosquito Noise Reduction] setting for video content that is saved on the hard disk or storage media. Use this setting to reduce mosquito noise that appears on the edges of visual images. * [During BD (BDAV) and DVD playback, a technique known as “chroma upsampling” is now automatically selected based on the movement of objects within the video content and then applied to enhance images in the content. Game * [New for 2.52: The playback quality of some PLAYSTATION3 format software has been improved. * [New for 2.52: A text entry issue that occurs when using the on-screen keyboard, USB keyboard or Bluetooth keyboard with some PLAYSTATION3 format software has been addressed. * [ [Sync with Server] has been added as an option under [Trophy Collection]. * [By pressing the PS button while playing PLAYSTATION3 format software, you can now view information from the [Settings and Connection Status List] option under [Network Settings].* * This feature is not available for use with some PLAYSTATION3 format software. Network * [New for 2.53: The Internet browser now supports full-screen mode for Adobe Flash Player content.* * [Support for Adobe Flash Player 9 has been added to [Internet Browser].* PlayStationNetwork * [The way to disable the automatic sign-in option and the way to sign out from PlayStationNetwork have been changed. * [In PlayStationStore, the design of the [View Downloads] and [View Cart] buttons has been changed, and a [Redeem Codes] button has been added. Friends * [You can now view information about the most recent sign-in for Friends who are on your Friends list.* * If you do not set the correct date and time in the [Date and Time] settings under [Settings] > [Date and Time Settings], this information may not be displayed. Like I said, nothing major, but a few things to keep those that love to fiddle with their settings happy for awhile.-Martin Lynch ps3 games console

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Medion is a good choice for solid and reliable, if a little uninspiring, in-car satnav devices and is updating its range with the new GoPal P5430. This little number will suit those who find smaller, budget alternatives a bit difficult to manage since it sports a large 5″ widescreen display and full maps of Europe are preinstalled. There’s also an FM transmitter, a fingerprint reader for security, a built-in TMC antenna for navigating your way around traffic jams and Bluetooth for pairing with your mobile phone. Add an MP3 player, travel guide and even a game of Sudoku to keep you entertained when you’re stuck in traffic and it becomes one of the most feature-packed on the market. The good news is that Medion is sticking with its policy of offer a lot for your money and the GoPal P5430 will set you back just £175 when it’s released at the end of the month. - Paul Lester [TechDigest] Medion GoPal GPS

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If you’re wondering what to buy a tech-obsessed relative for Christmas then why not pick up a USB toaster so that they can prepare breakfast at their desk or via a notebook on the commute? Only one slice of bread can be done at a time and it’ll take between seven and nine minutes to toast it properly. It also supports Firewire 400 and 800 for Mac owners and you can remotely control toasting levels via the supplied software on your computer. It’s been named as Best Cooking Peripheral at the Golden Floppy awards, which is the gadget industries most prestigious cooking event. Seem like a genuinely useful invention to you? Of course it doesn’t, its ridiculous, and luckily nobody has really been paid to design and build such an absurd product (though we wouldn’t be that surprised if they had). The USB toaster is actually a joke present from US comedy website The Onion and in reality is an empty box that you can wrap up and put under the tree just to see the feigned delight on the face of the poor sap you bought it for. You still have to pay £5 for the privilege of owning an empty box, but if you’re that kind of prankster you might think it’s a good idea. - Paul Lester [RegHardware] USB toaster joke

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You’ve probably seen the 3G iPhone advert that shows Apple’s baby browsing around web pages, fixing GPS locations and downloading files ‘really fast’. The ad states “So what’s so great about 3G? It’s what helps you get the news, really fast. Find your way, really fast. And download pretty much anything, really fast. The new iPhone 3G. The internet, you guessed it, really fast.” Well, following a number of complaints from customers about the fact that their iPhone doesn’t even come close to the sorts of speeds shown, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rapped the company on the knuckles and ruled that the advert be removed in its current form. Apple’s argument is that the speed shown is relative rather than absolute in comparing the 3G model to the old 2G iPhone but despite the fact that it does state that ‘network performance will vary by location’ the ASA weren’t buying it and said that it would be likely to mislead. This isn’t the first time Apple has ‘exaggerated’ the features of its products and the ruling leaves the company rather red-faced so soon after its rather puerile mickey-taking of Microsoft in a recent campaign. - Paul Lester [BBC] Apple iPhone advert

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We are not talking about silly Wii peripherals here but the real deal, the mother lode, the real [although without the body chopping laser] lightsaber that Mark Hamill waved around in the first Star Wars flicks. And, a snip, at only £120,000. Used by farm boy Skywalker in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, this is the original hunk of Jedi hardware. If that’s too rich for your blood, you could always opt for C3PO’s face and metal hands for £54,000 and £19,500, respectively. No? How about a bit of that Indy magic then? You can pick up Indiana Jones’ fedora hat and his whip from Indiana Jones in Temple of Doom for a cool £40,000 apiece. Maybe you fancy some original signed Ian Fleming Bond books or a signed collection of the Lord Of The Rings books, complete with fold out maps? Jump to see some of the highlights. • C-3PO face for $83,000 and hands for $30,000. • Mohawk and Brain Gremlins puppets for about $7,000 each. • The original Jor-El tunic wore by Marlon Brando in Superman for $51,000. • His t-shirt in Apocalypse Now for $20,000. • An original set of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, bound in red cloth, signed by Tolkien, and containing a fold-out map of the Middle Earth for $124,000. • For the same amount you can also snatch an 82-inch flying saucer made of wood, steel and fiberglass from Forbidden Planet. • First editions of James Bond novels inscribed by Ian Fleming, including one that said “To the real James Bond from the thief of his identity”, which was dedicated to American Ornithologist James Bond. These items make up a treasure trove [almost 500 objects] of Hollywood-related gems spanning movies to the silent era. They will will be sold at aution on December 11 by Profiles in History.-Martin Lynch [Source and thanks to Gizmodo US for the pics] hollywood movies star wars

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You might hear a lot about super-fast broadband coming online in the UK but for the average consumer, the broadband experience is less than advertised. The latest report from the Office Of National Statistics (ONS) reveals that 42.3% of all broadband connections are still slower than 2Mbps. This figure is in stark contrast to the figure from market regulator Ofcom last year that claimed “the average headline speed has doubled in a year to reach 4.6Mb/sec”. The fact that the ONS figures are based on headline speed and not the actual throughput speeds means that the percentage of folk slumming it in the sub-2Mbps Slow Lane could be higher. Jump now to see a chart outlining what kind of broadband UK consumers are getting - and how speeds are increasing very slowly indeed. There has been some improvements, according to the ONS, with higher speed connections on the rise. In September, 57.7% of broadband connections had a speed of over 2Mbps, up from 55.8% in June. Are you getting what you paid for?-Martin Lynch [PC Pro & ONS] broadband online internet

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We know there’s a recession and Christmas is coming but, take heart from the reduction in VAT to 15% and check out the latest in expensive ear candy from Atomic Floyd. If you though Sennheiser made expensive earphones, think again. Atomic Floyd is a new brand created by audio technicians and designers from companies like Philips, Nike and Adidas, and who have set out to create some very pretty Titanium2 earphones complete with some very bold claims to audio superiority. With their ‘angel wings’ shape, they are certainly pretty. They use some new-fangled audio technologies and are built using something called ‘acoustic steel’ that’s been heat treated to the perfect temperature for the best audio performance. That’s what they tell us. There’s also, anti-tangle leads, a manoeuvrable earpiece and a 24-carat gold audio jack. Atomic Floyd founder James Strong, comments: “Our headphones have been conceived by engineers at the top of their game, shaped by designers responsible for some of the most cutting-edge products of the last 10 years and built with the finest components. The result is great looking headphones that deliver an unrivalled sound experience.” They boast that the sound is fab and kicks the butt of similar offerings from the likes of Bang & Olufsen, Sennheiser and Bose. We’re hoping to listen to them soon and will update this piece in order to let you know if they are worth the cash. Speaking of cash, the AirJax Titanium2 [above] go on sale next week - with some other [cheaper] models - for £120.-Martin Lynch [Atomic Floyd] music MP3 earphones

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