Does anyone actually own a first generation iPod that still works? I'm curious, as the average life of iPods these days seems to be no more than a year or two. Please comment on this because it would be quite interesting to find out just how long they can last.

I've got a 3rd gen and it still works to this very day! Unfortunately, the battery is just about dying every time I play an album, but it still works. My friend had a mini and that gave up the ghost just after a year of ownership [oh how she wished she got that extended warranty]

So have a think about when you got your iPod: you might be the lucky owner of the oldest working iPod.

Everyone knows that the iPhone is due to be released this summer, but will it have DRM (digital rights management), something which current mobile phones on the market don't?

Apple, creators of the much hyped iPhone were perhaps the biggest culprits for promoting DRM with their best selling iPod + iTunes phenomenon. The question to be asked is: Will the iPhone also feature this protection and prevent its users from being able to send music to each other for free via bluetooth or wifi? Also, will it be able to recieve such files from other devices which already exist? Finally, will it be able to sync these back with iTunes?

Currently, using my Sony Ericsson V600i, I can transfer any mp3 file that i have put on it [from my pc] to any mobile device that a) has bluetooth or infa-red and b) supports .mp3 playback. Very little has been done by either the music industry or the mobile manufacturers themselves to combat piracy via mobile phones. With an ever growing market likely to overtake standalone portable music players in the future, it would be stupid to think that the labels would not be planning strategies to combat music piracy on phones.

From the introduction of the iPhone to the celluar market, will we suddenly be limited with which files we can send and receive?

It looks like all we can do is wait and see.

Porsche Design, the pioneer in masculin look and modern technology have unveiled two new products due to be released soon.

The first product is the latest edition to the family of both sunglasses and glasses which are world renouned for their lightweight and cutting edge design. 'Perfect execution of sporty design' as Porsche Design like to put it.

These new glasses frames (pictured) have a striking masculine look and look fantastically modern. Made from ultralight titanium and utilising technology developed from the Germans themselves, they have special ergonomic earpiece construction which ensure perfect fit and comfort. Supposedly, they are so light and comfortable: you forget that you are wearing them.
Due to be released worldwide at the beginning of April 2007.

The second new Porsche Design product is 'The Sport performance meets engineered luxury' multipurpose shoe. Designed for your everyday routine (provided this consists of: tennis, running, golf and driving!).

The extraordinary result of the collaboration between Porsche Design and Adidas (pictured above) gives an immediate long lasting impression. The first sports collection developed by the two companies unifies functionality and style. Combining technology with design. The trainers, sneakers, shoes (whatever you want to call them) have been specially developed and equipped for use when playing tennis & golf plus running and driving.

Porsche Sport Design Site

Absolutely the most attractive 4 door Jaguar we have seen in a long while. Moving away from the altogether "old man" image, Jag is boldly becoming an ultra stylish car maker again. Jaguar, no doubt has a very strong design heritage, but sticking to that for too long has cost them money, so in the last year or so Jaguar has been working on "getting with the times".

The inside is changing aswell. More Lexus than not, the interior is modernist with chiseled surfaces and cool, dark tones. Long gone are the warm, antique-esque cabins of last century Jags. Even the rear of the car is amazingly beautiful: "So many companies just seem to give up as they get to the back end," says Ian Callum, Jaguar's design boss. After all, the back of a new car, especially a fast one, is probably going to be seen more than anything else, so making it look good makes sense.

It's not just about changing people's perception of the brand though, it's a whole new design language from Jaguar, with a fast, low down, sporty profile. Despite being a concept, the C-XF is certainly a fine example of things to come.

Jaguar Design

By purchasing a Square, you now not only get seen on GoSquared, but also liquidicity. Costing as little as just $2 a week, you can be sure that you 'rake in the dollars' without dropping many on the way.

View all the Squares.

The second in our Help Sheet series, you liked cheating with CSS, hopefully you'll love cheating with HTML! To get going with HTML, just get the PDF below.

Here's a preview:

Get the PDF [112kb]

See also: CSS Help Sheet

Google has now added traffic data in several cities, allowing users to see what the traffic is like before they leave the house on a journey. Although, there isn't as much coverage as everyone would like at the moment, the existing ones are already quite widespread and more stretching to other continents are bound to be added soon.

The new Apple iPhone, set to be released this summer is going to have a version of google maps on it and if google could make the whole traffic data work, then they could be on course to something big and special. Being able to check the traffic density on the go using my mobile phone would make my life so much easier. Directions for pedestrians, which have started to feature on a selected few cities in America could also be the future of google maps, a feature which would also be very useful while travelling. Users will also notice that outlines showing the footprints of buildings and subway stops have been added in most major cities.

How the new feature works:

The same usual interface appears on google maps, displaying the whole of the US with major city names labelled. However, there are now traffic lights which appear next to each city which has traffic data enabled.

Clicking on one of these traffic lights allows you to zoom in, and then using colour coding (based on the standard industry coding) you can tell what the traffic is like. Google codes it to three different levels: Green = fast. Yellow = maddening. Red = miserable.

This means that whist writing this article. (i.e. at 10:46 GMT) in London, UK; I can find out that the traffic going north on the 278 is congested and going south is ok. All in a matter of seconds. Obviously I can't use that information very effectively except for the purposes of demonstration for this article. BUT, if I lived in New York then I would use information on a day to day basis. The simple Google interface means that everything is very easy to view and take in.

I just can't wait until they cover London!

Check out this awesome Spiderman 3 trailer in HD! The film looks incredible, and already people are counting down the seconds until May 4th, the official release date. To view, just click on the link, and your torrent software will do the rest for you.

The BBC will be bringing some official channels to the internet scene via YouTuve very soon, after they announced a deal with the Google owned video site earlier. The BBC had a few words on this themselves:

"Clips of new shows and specially commissioned promotional content linked to popular series such as Doctor Who and Life On Mars. At launch, the YouTube community will be able to enjoy a range of specially- created video diaries including David Tennant and Freema Agyeman, who'll take viewers around the set of Doctor Who; John Simm going back in time for Life On Mars; and Clive Myrie on the streets of the red zone of Baghdad."

There will also be clips from BBC Worldwide, who had this to say:

"An entertainment channel called "BBC Worldwide" showing clips from material such as Top Gear, Spooks, The Catherine Tate Show, The Mighty Boosh and a range of factual programmes including those presented by David Attenborough. The channel will include a limited amount of advertising."

BBC World, an international commercial television channel will also be showing clips:

"Around 30 news clips per day will be offered, with up-to-the-minute news and analysis from around the world. The advertising-funded clips will be available to users outside the UK only."

Clearly some advertising income making an appearance here from the BBC. Please, please keep the BBC what it is: ad free, because we love it!