TUNE CATCHER

Intempo Rebel £70

www.intempodigital.com 0161 828 5241

Why bother downloading songs when this clever new radio automatically analyses and records the most-played tracks from the FM station it is tuned to? Songs are saved as MP3 files to its 256MB of internal memory. These can be transferred onto an SD memory card (about £8, not supplied) in order to move them to a computer and then to an MP3 player. The Rebel even strips out some of the DJ’s chattering and annoying ads. It’s best if you’re not in a hurry, though, as the optimum recording process takes at least 12 hours. Also, the MP3 files it creates don’t have the artist or song title info of music bought online and they will be of lower sound quality. The Rebel stores up to 40 songs, after which it overwrites the oldest tunes.

BLU HEAVEN

Panasonic DMP-BD30 £330

www.panasonic.co.uk 0844 844 3852

Now that the next-generation video war is over (Toshiba retired its HD-DVD format last month), the future of high definition belongs to Blu-ray. Great timing, then, for the launch of this first standalone player to unlock more of Blu-ray’s potential, including a picture-in-picture feature (so you can watch a movie and its “making of” extras simultaneously). The BD30, available now, can show films at a cinema-smooth 24 frames per second, and has a memory card slot for playing back high-definition home movies recorded on the latest Panasonic and Sony HD camcorders. Sony PlayStation 3 owners can also update their games console to play the new picture-in-picture movie discs. And the story of Blu-ray isn’t over yet – players with full internet connectivity are due to arrive later this year.

LIGHT FANTASTIC

Down Low Glow bike lights £77

www.ridelow.co.uk 0161 834 5788

Bring a touch of South Central LA to south central Milton Keynes with these neon-style downlights for bicycles. The twin-light kit uses a lightweight rechargeable battery and fits to any frame – from fat-barred mountain bikes to the skinniest Italian racer – in minutes. Choose a pair of toughened 12in tubes to match your paint job, with ice blue, plush red and evergreen shades available. The Down Low Glow may even boost road safety as well as your street cred. According to figures from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, nearly 75% of cycling accidents happen at or near road junctions, where visibility from the side is critical.

gear@sunday-times.co.uk

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