Over the last month or so, Pure Digital have been busy.  They’ve launched two new radios, updated the PURE Sensia software, and have now released a new service, Pure FlowSongs, which is a very interesting (and nicely integrated) service for some of their Internet radios…

Firstly, the Pure One Mi (pronounced Me), only costs £34.99, and includes DAB and FM radio, a clear digital display, 16 presets, multi-lingual menus and a USB socket for future updates, and is one of the more compact models they have ever produced.

They’ve also release the Pure Oasis Flow, a weatherproof and splash resistant, rechargeable internet-connected digital radio, costing £169.99, which features DAB and FM radio (as well as the internet radio via Wi-Fi), and should work for up to 15 hours on DAB.  It also supports the new Pure FlowSongs, covered below.

The PURE Sensia update is interesting.  When the radio first launched, I wondered how many additional plugins we would see over time for this device, and whether Pure would be able to continue to support it with new features.  Well, last month, Pure added Picasa support to the Twitter, Facebook and Weather applications already available.  This allows you to login to your online Picasa account and view a slideshow of your online pictures, either in the smaller visual panel, or full screen.  Some photo information can be overlaid on the picture, and you can change the timing of the slideshow, as well as pause it.

However, the most interesting item is Pure FlowSongs, which was announced this week.  This is only available in the UK (as a public beta), and is supported on the following radios:

PURE Sensia, PURE EVOKE Flow, PURE AVANTI Flow, Pure Oasis Flow and PURE Siesta Flow

The new software to support Pure FlowSongs will be released on Monday (16th August) and will allow you to identify, and then purchase any song you hear on the radio.  Importantly, you can be listening to the DAB radio, FM radio, or an Internet radio station (the software is limited to the internet-connected radios due to what happens next, not that the radio source needs to be internet based); the radio will then use a Shazam service (well known for their mobile application to detect what music is being played) to identify the song.  In the case of the PURE Sensia, there is an addition button on the screen (see below) whereas other radios will need a button combination to be pressed.

If you want to use the service, your radio needs to be registered at the Pure Lounge, and you’ll need to provide a credit or debit card to topup your online account, but then you’ll get a free 90 day trial of the identification service (normally £2.99 a year), and if you decide to purchase a song, they will cost an additional 79p to £1.29, and this uses the 7Digital music service.  The purchasing function on the device will be protected by a 4 digit PIN for security.

Once purchased, the song can then be downloaded (as an mp3) to your PC or Mac, but it will also be located within your Lounge account, allowing you to stream the song to your radio too.  Pure Digital also state the songs can be uploaded to an iPod, and have stated the mp3 files are DRM-free, allowing them to be played back on any mp3 device.  When you stream, the mp3 will be 128kbps, but the downloaded files will be up to 320kbps.

The integration of the Shazam service to allow you to identify any music being played is a very powerful extra facility for these radios; over the last year I’ve been impressed with both Pure Digital and Revo for adding support for Last.fm into some of their devices, and I think this ability to identify and even purchase songs adds even more to the experience.  Even better, although not yet available as part of the beta, Pure Digital are looking to enable you to buy whole albums using this method, which is likely to work out better value.

Here’s the new 3UK MiFi (v2) that was launched last night.  The device features a number of minor updates on the previous unit, and really does address many of the issues and concerns that have been raised against the original unit.  In particular:

• The device now turns on, powers on all radios, and auto-connects to 3UK, instead of needing 3 button presses.
• The device now features an OLED screen, with information on data usage (from that session), WiFi status (including number of connected clients), SMS messages.  When the screen turns off, the green power light on the power button still lit for immediate visibility of the fact the device is turned on.
• The management is now all performed from a web browser interface (the old Windows management tool which only worked when connected via a cable is no more); this means Mac, Linux, iPad / iPhone support is all there and working out the box.  This also now allows access to the microSD card reader from all devices.
• 3UK / Huawei have improved the battery life of the device, but due to the screen needing more power than 4 lights it has roughly the same usage time, although battery charging has been reduced by around 20%.
• Also, you can use it whilst charging (as opposed to the old unit), and 3UK have moved from miniUSB to microUSB in line with most (but not all) mobile phone manufacturers.
• In terms of the new device, it will go on sale on 2 July for the same price as the current unit.  As stocks of the old unit run out, the In Car MiFi and iPod Touch bundles will update to the new unit too.

For existing users of the current device, there are no upgrade plans, although you can simply buy the device on PAYG and move your current SIM across to the new unit. One thing though; 3UK are considering releasing a firmware update for the current device which would enable the 1 button startup (ie basically it turns on the auto-connect feature).  Experiments with this though have indicated this may reduce battery life a little.

Overall, this device has resolved the concerns of the old unit, is styled more in keeping with tech nowadays, and is well worth considering.

Finally, thanks to @3MobileBuzz for arranging the event, and even providing cupcakes…

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Having already announced and released the iPhone Kindle application, Amazon have now confirmed that they will be releasing their Android version at some point during the Summer.  The application itself will be free, but will give access to the whole Kindle catalogue of over 540,000 books.  It will also give them access to their purchase books, and will sync bookmarks across the whole range of software (Kindle device, PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry) giving a true integrated experience.  Also, unlike some other platforms, the Android version will also allow in-app purchases of new books.  The only downside to this application is you need at least Android v1.6 OS, which (at the time of writing) was not what, for example, the HTC Hero has available in the UK, leaving a lot of UK devices unable to even consider this application.  We hear, however, that the HTC Hero Android v2.1 OS update might be available before the end of the month, and may be as early as Wednesday this week…

In other Kindle news, it appears that the v2.5 firmware update will start rolling out to users shortly as a wireless update.  Personally, I think you’ll need to already be on the 2.3.3 firmware to even have a chance of getting this new firmware, and even then it’s not 100% clear whether this will be made available wirelessly to Kindle Glocal users.  More news over the coming weeks as the situation becomes clearer…

We covered the reduced price on the O2 Joggler last week (here), and it looks like this has been very popular; to the extent that most O2 Stores have now run out of stock, and O2 have advised all Stores there is a Nationwide shortage.  So, right now, if you want to order one, you’ll need to order direct on the O2 website, where O2 have also indicated that delivery is now up to 7 days, instead of the original Next Day Delivery.

In fact, this might be the only way of getting one at the reduced price of £49.99; we understand that stock will not return to the O2 Warehouse until late next week, and the earliest an O2 Store can order new stock will be the 17th April; which is after the reduced price offer finishes (15th April).  Although it’s possible an online order will also need to wait for this stock to arrive, at the moment you can still order it at the reduced price.

Now, once you get your O2 Joggler, what to do with it?  Well, first of all, get all the software updates, as this will add all the latest functionality.  Try these things which might be worthy of doing:

• If you don’t already have a uPNP Server, then you might want to install MediaTomb (Linux and Mac OS X only) to provide access to your music  / pictures / videos over your local network without having to make another copy of your media collection for the Joggler.
• If you want to install additional applications, the first thing you’ll need to do is to get telnet working, and there’s now a new way of doing this, that was released yesterday; head here for more information.
• Or, for those more security conscious, get ssh working from here.
• Setup the ability to access Live BBC Channels (see here; you’ll need to have telnet access, and you’ll need to use telnet to get the streams working).

This is a screenshot from the latest Boxee Beta.  Boxee is an XBMC spin off which should work on Windows, Mac, Linux and Apple TV, and there have been a number of worthwhile articles about it if you are interested.

Firstly, Lifehacker have produced a Beta Walkthrough, which covers looks of detail over the software, including looking at some of the application addons that include Social Networking sites.

Now, if you are looking for a complete guide to installing Boxee, then head to Liam Green-Hughes site, where he has covered the install on the Acer Aspire Revo in sufficient detail to allow anyone to be able to get it installed and working.

Of course, if you are not keen on installing the software yourself, or don’t have an Acer Aspire Revo, then one option is to wait for their own hardware (in conjunction with D-Link) to be released…

This will be produced with a nice stylish RF remote (with a QWERTY keyboard on the back for performing searches and entering information).  It’s due to go on sale in the US for only $200, although it’s not clear what it will cost (or whether it will even be available) in the UK.  Just in case you’re worried that it’s a large ugly box, the height of that box is about 6 inches!

We’ve heard of a number of interesting Kindle updates that should come to the International Kindle at some point, although possibly not until 2010.

Firstly, we understand that Amazon have announced that by the first half of 2010 the Kindle will support organising eBooks into folders.  Of course, this comes just after the beta release of Kindle for PC (Kindle for Mac is due out into beta soon), which although it does not improve the organisation, does allow you to pick up where you left off on either your Kindle or your iPhone Kindle client.

Secondly, and probably more key to the uptake of the Kindle around the world, is news that Amazon may well be bringing the full web browser experience to the International version.  Now, when we say “full” experience, this means that the ability to view web sites on the B&W screen, without high CPU facilities such as Flash (it’s often better on the Kindle to head to mobile optimised websites), and it will be a little slow.  At the moment, the only Kindle accessible website is the English Wikipedia mobile website, so extending this will be very useful, and allow a number of small applciations (such as some games) to be able to work too.

This web access would remain free too, which will make the device even better for accessing email, news websites, blogs, Twitter, etc. as it is commonly used in the US; although at this moment in time there is no ETA for this function to be made available.

This is an innovative desk stand for your phone.  As well as including an 8-in-1 memory card reader, a 2 port USB hub, having a variety of connectors to charge your phone, and running solely off USB power, it also claims to be able to hold any phone in portrait or landscape formats without any additional support!

The Desk Genie is apparently made from a special rubberised material, which is strong enough to hold an phone in portrait or landscape positions, and should even still hold the phone in place when the phone is vibrating, yet should leave no sticky residue on the phone.  For only £15 (+ delivery) this looks an interest device, if only to hold your phone at the right angle for use on your desk, let alone all the additional properties it has.

Mobile Fun do warn that with time the rubbery surface’s ability to hold a phone will fade as dust collects on the surface, but a quick wipe with clean water should restore it back to normal.

As for those mobile phones charging connectors: iPhone, Nokia (both 2mm and 3.5mm), Sony Ericsson, Samsung and LG are all supported, as are the miniUSB and microUSB formats (the latter being the standard connector for many manufacturers moving forward).   This power connector does not use either of the USB ports on the device, although it would appear at first glance that this is a power only connector, so it may not be possible to sync and charge many devices (unless you use Bluetooth to sync between the device and your PC/Mac).

You can see more of the Desk Genie at Mobile Fun.

Although we don’t have much detail, Amazon have announced that following on from their announcement of Kindle for PC last week, that they will also be releasing a Kindle for Mac software application which will provide similar functionality for Mac OS X users.

I was fortunate to be invited to an online feedback session with David Kerrigan, who heads up the Internet services at 3UK the other night to discuss the recently launched MiFi device.  One common concern by the early reviewers was the 4 lights, and whether it was clear enough about what the status of the device was.  David said he took these comments onboard, and would look to see what could be done; a little LCD display was discussed, but whether 3UK are able to implement it we don’t know yet.

I raised a question about the lack of GPRS fallback on all 3UK Mobile Broadband devices, and David re-iterated 3UK’s position that with their plans for their “monster” network over the next year, they feel the problems of lack of coverage will go away such that thoughts of GPRS fallback should no longer occur.

Questions were raised over the current management interface, especially for Mac and Linux users, and David confirmed that “early next year” there should be a web interface available for these devices.  When pushed, David took onboard my comments about making new facilities such as this available to existing users, as well as users of the “next generation” MiFi device, and David stated he would feedback to the developers that this was wanted as a firmware upgrade for existing devices, as well as new devices, and I hope the developers listen and provide functionality like this to the early adopters.

A couple of important points from me; firstly, this confirms 3UK’s statement earlier in the year that they want to listen more, and take onboard feedback.  I’m impressed that they are willing and open to discussions on their devices, and for that, I fully support 3UK.  With their new improved network rolling out I guess that just leaves their Customer Service as an issue, although I’m not sure any mobile network could be said to have a “good Customer Service” experience.

Finally, a few snippets of other news; the Android phone announcement should be any day now, and promises to be an interesting device.  Also, 3UK confirmed that they will not be carrying the iPhone any time soon (that’s not to say they won’t ever carry it, just don’t hold your breath!); they said they feel their upcoming range of phones will offer a similar “or better” mobile internet experience, although they did finish with “We’re not saying never.. just not yet”!!

I’d like to thank David from 3UK, Sarah B from 3UK (PR), and the team at 3mobilebuzz for organising the feedback session.  If you have any opinions on 3UK, the MiFi device, or any other area of 3UK’s service, then leave a comment, and I’ll pass it back to 3UK at the next feedback session.

This is the new Revo IKON, launched this morning by Revo Technologies. We’ve featured various devices by Revo before, but this is a very interesting device.  Previously we were big fans of the Revo iBlik RadioStation, which brought together their FM, DAB and DAB+ technologies with an iPod dock, but this unit takes things a stage further…

In terms of music, the Revo IKON can play FM radio (with RDS information), DAB, DAB+ as well as Internet Radio, and will, where available from the broadcaster, display colour station logos, station descriptions, track and artist information, and even news headlines.

Yet it also supports a few other methods; it can stream music from any wirelessly connected PC or Mac (and will show colour album artwork and track information where available), and it’s also an iPod / iPhone sound dock.  If that wasn’t enough, in the US (these services are all US-only, so none are generally available in the UK), it will also connect to the Sirius, Pandora and Rhapsody premium online service too.

However, a really interesting feature is that the device also supports Last.fm, something we’re a big fan of here at UK Gadgeteer; the Revo IKON will also provide access to online music service Last.fm. Simply choose an artist or genre and let Last.fm build the perfect playlist from its library of 5 million tracks – unique to the user, and fresh every time.  Alternatively, an existing Last.fm profile can be used.  On top of that, Revo are including a 30 day trial to last.fm, which would then need a standard subscription of £3/month €3/month $3/month (this service is only available in the UK, US and Germany) to continue to use this facility.

Owen Parry, Last.fm Product Manager said “We’re delighted that Revo has taken the decision to include Last.fm functionality as a standard feature on their new IKON ‘touch-radio’. The combination of high quality audio, large colour display, and a free 30 day trial subscription, makes it easy to explore and enjoy music through Last.fm, right out of the box.”

The unit features an NXT flat panel speaker, and delivers 30W of audio.  It will be on sale from October 2009, and cost £279.95.