Social networks are changing, what used to be a fun past time has now become a popular channel of communication and with increased bandwidth video offerings are becoming key. Facebook have teamed up with Skype and will soon have an icon that would allow users to have group video or a private video conversation all for free. With 750 million viewers this is a great platform to integrate into the social mix. The company is also changing the layout of their chat system so that users can decide the amount of people they want on chat so potentially the whole family could get involved from around the globe – or maybe all our customers at MadBid.com.
The extension of the communication channels have not gone unnoticed as Google has introduced their own social networking platform +circle project – with a video chat feature called ‘Hangout’ which has caused some controversy between the internet giants. With these extra add-ons MadBid.com’s popular auction product the new Dell Inspiron Duo Touchscreen would complement any social network user.
The new Dell Inspiron Duo Touchscreen can be used as a laptop or a notepad, both with a keyboard and touchscreen functions making it ideal for users on the go or in the comfort of their home. The last time we auctioned the Dell Inspiron Duo Touchscreen the ending price was an amazing bargain at £6.37! Allow yourself to enjoy Facebook’s free video chat service with this sought after stylish gadget. The notebook has been reviewed by Amazon users as ‘Innovative and well-made’ The auction will start 3pm on 22nd of July the RRP price is £449 but only the bids on the timer will show the end price. The Stuff have stated that it ‘has a “whoa” factor to it when you see it swivel’ so team it up with Facebook’s or Google’s new Video options and put it in action!
As if Facebook couldn’t be more renowned for its attempt to connect people across the globe, Mark Zuckerberg’s 2004 social networking phenomenon is now about to embark on its latest adventure, which if successful, MadBid.com reckons will revolutionise the social aspect of music sharing.
With the uprising of technology has come a huge surge in music sharing and downloading over the internet. Just look at Napster or Spotify, the biggest pioneers of music streaming. In a similar way, it appears that Facebook’s newest project is being launched in partnership with, the former, Spotify – one of the more notorious names in the online music business industry.
The new feature aims to provide a music dashboard or platform that lets you stream music, see what your friends are listening to and share your favourite tracks. When you log into your account, the music dashboard will display as an official bookmark on the site’s homepage as well as a separate tab on your profile, in which you can access and control the music you want to hear.
The music dashboard will not be tied to Spotify exclusively though, Facebook is looking to incorporate many more music streaming websites, which the music lovers among you may already be familiar with, such as: Pandora, Mog, Rdio, Last.fm, and Grooveshark amongst others. In Facebook’s attempt to create a similar service with similar functionality, the result may be a giant music library, which anyone and everyone can subscribe to.
Here’s a look at just a few of the features that will be included:
Music Notifications
Recommended Songs
Top Songs
Top Albums
Recent listens
This move will ensure that we are better connected than ever: now you will be able to see just what your friends are listening to and even light-heartedly mock them when you see them playing that Boyzone album they said they had thrown out years ago! In addition to this, Facebook’s music dashboard will help you to discover more genres and artists, making the world of music even more social and accessible than it is already.
Techno giant Apple might have brought the social to the music, but now the tables have turned and Facebook is bringing music to the social; a long-time dream its founders have sought to implement into its service. The result is a collaboration of two powerful social forces, both of which bring people together, making the world a more connected place. Keep your eyes and ears open for the potential release date of the music dashboard, which is to be announced after Facebook’s F8 conference in August.
Until then, you can visit MadBid.com for its range of Facebook and Apple friendly products, including our latest instalment, the New Apple TV which lets you stream photos and music from your PC as you please. Alternatively, there is our great range of stereo systems such as the new Samsung Home Theatre System so you can blast your music to the max!
What are other MadBidders winning on the site? We asked our users and this is what they had to say:
I won an Ipod Shuffle 2GB on 26/05/11. I won it for 64p, and I like the size of it; it’s very discreet. The sound is very clear through the earphones, it holds quite a lot of music, and it’s very easy to use. -Ryanred5
I won a Sony PS3 for a total price of £18.43. What I like about the product is it’s a dvd/blu-ray player and upscales dvd’s to full hd quality. I was looking to buy a blu-ray player. So why not buy one that can also play games, browse the web, watch and record tv (with ps3’s add on play tv) It’s a great piece of equipment which can do so many things.
-garru
I won a Bijan Women Gift Set for 0.41p on madbid.com and its retail value is £42. -rawsht_kirkuky
I won a copy of Smackdown vs Raw 2011 for PS3 just for 25p. The thing I love most about it is that the game brings back childhood memories of watching wrestling late at night - bigmacman
Hi Madbid!
On my first go at bidding I won a Restaurant Discount Card for £0.02!! I thought this would be useful as I am due to go on holiday in the UK shortly. -rawsht_kirkuky
I won George Foreman Grill & Melt (£5.04), Restaurant Discount Card (£4.51) and 75 credits (£0.50). I think all the products on Madbid are very cheap and it was worth trying it.
-Inamhassan
Hi Madbid Team, I won a Morphy Richards Kettle for 90p and although I have not yet received it I am still excited about receiving my quality product at a quality price. Cheers! -Dudesmurf
I love Madbid because although you have to pay money for credits you can win a lot more, if you’re lucky, I had won £10, £25 and a restaurant card and the maximum amount of money I spent on was £20 so I would say to everyone that asks “is Madbid good…… have you tried it?” that it is a very good website and that if you are worried about losing your money, if you’re new, you get your money back on your first time buying credits. - Fabtaste
On my first visit to the site I won 100 credits and have already used these to launch into my online entertainment! -Mumzy75
I won £10.00 cash for only £0.01. I like the product because I made £9.99 profit! -Stitchgrin
Sony is bringing gaming to life in their new portable gaming device the PSVita. PSVita is set to launch at the end of 2011 for £249 WiFi and £299 3G. MadBid.com are delighted to see several new built in features include front and rear camera, a microphone, front multi-touch screen and a rear multi-touch pad, motion sensors, a high definition 5 inch OLED display, and GPS location software.
The new features of the PSVita will bring handheld gaming to a new level with Augmented Reality (AR) Technology. Players will be able to interact like never before with new applications like “Near”, “Party”, and “Welcome Park”.
“Near” takes the PSVita ups social connectivity by allowing users to see what games others are playing nearby and gift virtual game related items through location-based gaming. By checking in at geographic locations players can share virtual content like character costumes, weapons, and treasures.
“Party” is an application available on the PSVita that allows users to text chat or voice chat not only while gaming online, but also while connected to the internet at any time. The PSVita will come in two models one with WiFi connectivity and a more expensive 3G model, which will be connected to the internet 24/7.
“Welcome Park” is a PSVita app designed to help players learn the new 3-dimension-like finger motions available on the device such as touch, grab, trace, push, and pull. With a touch screen on the front, a sensor pad on the back, dual analog sticks, and built in motion sensor, gyroscope, and accelerometer capabilities, the new PSVita brings hand held gaming to a new level of reality.
One of the most exciting features of the PSVita is its full backwards compatibility with all PlayStation Portable games. Check out the official video trailer from the E3 conference above to see some of the games that will be enhanced on the new device.
We at MadBid.com are excited about the launch of the PSVita and you can bet we will be one of the first to offer the product on our site when it comes out just in time for Xmas. Can’t wait till Christmas to get your gaming on? Check out some MAD deals on our site for gaming consoles like the Sony PS3 320GB that went for £5.82 or the Nintendo 3DS Console for just £1.17!
Get ready for a new world of gaming! Nintendo has just released the details of their Wii U at the E3 Conference this week. The Wii U is a gaming system like you have never seen before. It can be used with or without a TV and the feature packed controller will come with a motion sensor like the Wii remote and gyro sensor technology like the 3DS – the Wii U is most certainly a completely new kind of device.
All the talk has been about the Wii U controller, it has a built in accelerometer and gyroscope, rumble feature, camera, microphone, stereo speakers, sensor strip, and stylus. The touch screen controller allows the user to draw right on the screen and project to the TV. With the video camera and microphone the Wii U can also be used to make video calls to friends and fellow gamers. The controller adds a new dimension to the games with a second screen that can be used to supplement the TV screen to view maps and inventory, panoramic views in all directions, and even your golf ball stuck in a sand trap at your feet for Wii Golf.
Called the ‘Swiss Army Knife of controllers’ by Danny Bilson, Executive VP of Core Games, the Wii U gaming system with the new touch screen controller will create a more realistic gaming experience. You can use the controller as a second window to the gaming world, and for some games you can use the controller with the TV and play without ever touching any buttons.
The Wii U system will be backwards compatible with the other Wii software and will have internal flash memory. The system will also play optical discs and downloadable content and has 4 USB ports. Don’t worry if you’re the first of your friends to get your hands on this new technology, you will still be able to play with less tech savvy gamers because Wii U is designed for interplay with the old Wii-mote controllers.
With powerful graphics processing power the games will run in full HD through HDMI, but the touch screen on the controller will not be in HD. Nintendo says that the launch date for the Wii U will be in 2012 between 1 April and 31 December. No prices have been announced but the cost of the Wii U is estimated to be £300-£400.
Well worth the wait and the money, MadBid is very excited for the Wii U and you can be sure we will have it available on our site at MAD MAD prices as soon as it launches! Until then, check out some of our other games and consoles available right now like an Xbox 360 Console with Kinect that just went for £35.04 or a Sony PS3 that went for only £5.82!
Get ready for a new world of gaming! Nintendo has just released the details of their Wii U at the E3 Conference this week. The Wii U is a gaming system like you have never seen before. It can be used with or without a TV and the feature packed controller will come with a motion sensor like the Wii remote and gyro sensor technology like the 3DS – the Wii U is most certainly a completely new kind of device.
All the talk has been about the Wii U controller, it has a built in accelerometer and gyroscope, rumble feature, camera, microphone, stereo speakers, sensor strip, and stylus. The touch screen controller allows the user to draw right on the screen and project to the TV. With the video camera and microphone the Wii U can also be used to make video calls to friends and fellow gamers. The controller adds a new dimension to the games with a second screen that can be used to supplement the TV screen to view maps and inventory, panoramic views in all directions, and even your golf ball stuck in a sand trap at your feet for Wii Golf.
Called the ‘Swiss Army Knife of controllers’ by Danny Bilson, Executive VP of Core Games, the Wii U gaming system with the new touch screen controller will create a more realistic gaming experience. You can use the controller as a second window to the gaming world, and for some games you can use the controller with the TV and play without ever touching any buttons.
The Wii U system will be backwards compatible with the other Wii software and will have internal flash memory. The system will also play optical discs and downloadable content and has 4 USB ports. Don’t worry if you’re the first of your friends to get your hands on this new technology, you will still be able to play with less tech savvy gamers because Wii U is designed for interplay with the old Wii-mote controllers.
With powerful graphics processing power the games will run in full HD through HDMI, but the touch screen on the controller will not be in HD. Nintendo says that the launch date for the Wii U will be in 2012 between 1 April and 31 December. No prices have been announced but the cost of the Wii U is estimated to be £300-£400.
Well worth the wait and the money, MadBid is very excited for the Wii U and you can be sure we will have it available on our site at MAD MAD prices as soon as it launches! Until then, check out some of our other games and consoles available right now like an Xbox 360 Console with Kinect that just went for £35.04 or a Sony PS3 that went for only £5.82!
This week at the Apple World Wide Developers Conference a new cloud based storage service was revealed: iCloud. Apple’s iCloud is a new system that will automatically synchronize and backup all of your files across all your apple wireless devices. For the multidevice lifestyle we have all embraced with Apple products, this new way of storing and sharing information will revolutionize how we communicate with each other and how we interact with our devices.
iCloud will be a free service available for users to download this fall. The user will be able to automatically synchronize all their information including music, photos, documents, apps, and books to all wireless devices within range. This will create an automatic backup system similar to Google Docs and Dropbox.
By including the user’s iTunes library in iCloud, when a song is purchased on one device it will automatically be available on up to 10 other devices. So that means you can be listening to a song in a cafe, purchase it on your iPad and then go for a run later that day and listen to it on your iPod touch or iPhone without ever connecting your devices. All of the music purchased through iTunes will be automatically saved to the user’s cloud locker. For £25 a year Apple also has iTunes Match which will scan through all your music not purchased through iTunes and find a copy in their music library of over 18 million songs to replace your song with an iTunes Plus quality copy at 256 Kbps, even if your original copy was of lower quality.
Synchronizing your playlists is just one of the new features of iCloud. All your photos will also be synchronized and updated to each device immediately. With iCloud users can easily share photos and even upload directly to Facebook and Twitter from any device. It will be easier than ever to capture baby’s first beach day and send photos and video to grandma and grandpa immediately from any device.
Music and photos can take up a lot of memory on the iPhone and iPad, but Apple’s thought of that too. There will only be a rolling stream of 1,000 photos saved directly on the smaller devices at any time; the rest of the photo stream will be accessible through the cloud locker through a Wi-Fi or 3G connection. This does pose a problem for users who frequently travel in zones with weak wireless signals. It does not appear that iCloud will be able to stream music from the iTunes library, so there may only be a limited cache of songs accessible when on airplane mode.
iCloud will protect even the laziest users from losing their data. Apple does all the work for you constantly updating and syncing your data. All documents can be easily shared and edited so you are always working on the most up-to-date version no matter what device you use. Sharing and updating calendars and email accounts is another new feature. Text messages and SMS messages are also saved in your cloud locker along with saved ringtones and apps.
We all remember Mobile Me and how that system never really lived up to our Apple expectations. We at MadBid think iCloud is a very different product and will become a formidable competitor in the cloud based storage industry.
We can’t wait to try iCloud out on our Apple products this fall. Which Apple products will you be synchronizing? The benefits of cloud storage and synchronization can only really be optimized when you have more than one device to update, so why not pick up another i-something? At MadBid.com users have picked up the iPad 2 for just £2.52 and the iPhone 4 for £2.34. Those are just a few examples of the deals our users are wining every day, see for yourself.
Google launches the Chromebook on June 15 and although it looks just like a regular laptop, that’s where the similarities stop.
The Chromebook is based on Cloud computing technology which is the on-demand provision of computer resources (data, software) via a computer network/internet. This enables computer users to store information off site and it gives the possibility of an almost infinite amount of storage.
Here at MadBid.com we’re excited to learn that the Goolge Chromebook will take full advantage of Cloud technology by being the first completely web based laptop – there are no files or programs stored on the computer (apart from the bare essentials) and even the software being used is online with no programmes to download.
This means that the computer will start up in about seven seconds, will never need a virus checker and if it gets damaged you won’t lose any of your files or software!
There are some downsides to this technology too, with everything being on the web it means that you constantly need to be connected to the web via Wi-Fi or some models even do 3G. Although this sounds good in principal, it does have some problems as although many places are now offering Wi-Fi and most people have it in their home, if you’re not near one of these then it’s down to 3G. 3G in the UK has pretty good coverage, but there are many black spots that the service doesn’t reach and in places like Central London where the mobile phone networks struggle with the amount of people accessing them. So this means that you won’t be able to do any work in any of these areas and unlike a standard computer there is no option to work offline.
Google are trying to get some developers to start making their online applications work offline too and they hope that the popularity of the Chromebook and the emergence of Cloud computing might encourage these developers to do so. It may mean the introduction of more subscription based software, so a user never owns the software but just pays a monthly/yearly fee to use it – this would also hopefully allow users to use the most up-to-date software available without having to pay for upgrades.
Along with all this the computers will be pretty user friendly as every time you turn it on the software will check online to see if there are updates, and it will always boot up with the latest version. Also even if there’s a catastrophic failure, for whatever reason, it will simply reinstall itself – with no risk to your files as they are all stored online and safe!
If you’re not sure if Cloud computing is for you or you’d rather not wait until June 15 MadBid offers a large variety of Laptops such as ‘eMachines 15.6” Laptop’ which is perfect for fulfilling your entertainment and work requirements at home or on the road or if you prefer a touchscreen we have the ‘Dell Inspiron Duo Touchscreen’ – it has the ease of a touchscreen with the added feature of a keyboard too.
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The iPhone 5 Nano or Mini is expected to launch this summer as the less expensive alternative to the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 Nano has many new changes from all the other iPhone models we have come to know so well.
This iPhone will be 1/3 the size of the current iPhone 4 with virtually no internal storage, making the new phone significantly lighter in your pocket and lighter on your wallet. Expected to retail at around £125 off contract and even less with a contract, Apple has made this phone so inexpensive by removing the most expensive part: internal memory.
These new phones will operate almost entirely off of Cloud-based storage through MobileMe. This means that the iPhone 5 Nano will constantly be uploading, and streaming content, through the network. MobileMe is an Apple product that automatically synchs all your files across multiple devices. This online storage service acts as a virtual “locker” to store all your personal media including photos, music, video, email, contacts, calendars, and more.
Some aesthetic changes MadBid.com expect to see in the iPhone 5 Nano, apart from its new size, are an edge-to-edge display and likely no home button. These changes will also increase the battery life of the phone to 14 hours talk time with 3G and 7 hours talk time with 4G.
A few little perks we found out for the internal workings of the new phone include voice-based navigation and face recognition security. With voice-based navigation you will be able to say your destination and instantly get directions. Face recognition security makes it virtually impossible for someone to steal your phone when only the owner’s face will allow use of the phone.
Making life just a little bit easier for those of us who constantly drop our phones or leave them next to a nail file in our bag, the new iPhone 5 Nano has a shatter and scratch resistant screen.
It seems Apple has thought of everything to streamline our lives. To get your hands on one of these super small marvels for an even smaller price visit MadBid.com this summer when the phone is expected to become available. Can’t wait all summer? Try the 16 GB iPhone 4in a live auction on our site right now!
The latest Apple technology, the iPhone 5 is rumoured to be available to consumers in September 2011.
The new phone is expected to have a few cosmetic changes from the iPhone 4 including a metal back instead of the current glass backing which will reduce reception interference from the antenna, a larger screen boasting up to 4 inches with an edge to edge display, and a new LED camera flash moved to the right side of the phone opposite the lens to reduce redeye in photos.
But the new iPhone 5 isn’t just getting an external make-over, the inside of the phone is being upgraded too. Apple is expected to put their patented A5 Chip from the iPad 2 in the new iPhone giving it dual core processing power. It seems however still uncertain whether or not Apple will bring 4G LTE to this new iPhone, or if they plan to wait to include that in a future model.
We can expect the iPhone 5 to retail for somewhere between £510-612. The typical summer debut of new Apple products has been pushed back this year with the expected launch of the iPhone 5 in September due to the disaster in Japan earlier this year where the supplier of some key components of the phone was affected. More on the phone will likely be revealed at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 6 June 2011.
Some additional titbits MadBid.com have gleaned through the rumour mill include the inclusion of Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology in the newest iPhone, which essentially turns your phone into a credit/debit card.
Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology was founded by Nokia, Sony, and Royal Philips Electronics in 2004. This technology allows phones to transfer data from other devices at a close range, much like Bluetooth. If this technology is integrated as a part of the iPhone 5 as an e-Wallet app, as we expect it will be, your phone will then become your digital wallet with the ability to pay with your credit/debit cards, customer loyalty cards, and use coupons too. With this technology you may even be using your phone to get on the London Underground one day soon!
Also, the prototype of a smaller iPhone 5 model affectionately called the iPhone Nano is expected to launch this June as the least expensive iPhone model on the market. This smaller and budget friendly phone will have a shatter and scratch resistant screen, up to 14 hours of battery life, and Face Recognition Security making the iPhone Nano nigh impossible to steal.
With all this uncertainty surrounding Apple’s latest invention, one thing is certain: MadBid.com should be your first stop to getting your hands on the latest technology for up to 98% off recommended retail prices! Can’t wait until the end of the summer? We currently have the 16 GB iPhone 4 running live on our site.
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So the speculation has already begun, even before the Wii’s successor has been officially announced. And it’s not just at MadBid.com, some key executives at Nintendo, in various interviews, have often confirmed it is in development.
Way back in November 2006 Wii was the first console of the current generation to offer motion-controlled gameplay. Due to the relatively low price and Nintendo targeting the family orientated market, the Wii took an early lead in the battle of the consoles soon after it launched – with the company selling 20m units in the first year.
But Wii sales have been declining recently, in the financial year 2009/10 Nintendo still shipped 20.1m Wii consoles, but that fell to 15.1m in 2010/11.
This fall might be due to the introduction of the Xbox Kinect and the PlayStation move. Both bring motion-controlled gameplay to the other platforms and with their advanced graphics this gives them an edge over the Wii.
Market data suggests that Wii’s share of new console sales have now slipped to second place behind Sony’s PS3
“In the first three months of 2011, PS3 held a 36% share, compared with 32% for the Wii and 31% for XBox 360.” BBC suggests
So speculation has started on the next generation of Nintendo consoles. It is expected that there will be a preview at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles in June, and a release some time in 2012 – this certainly fits in with the Nintendo release timeline as consoles are released on average every 5 years (see image) – but everything is being kept quiet for now.
Edge magazine claims that some of the big publishers such as EA, Ubisoft and Activision have already had development kits ‘for months’. It has also been suggested that the console may even have a different name in a bid to appeal more to Western audiences – with the consoles codename currently being ‘Project Café’.
Speculation as to what the new console might have includes:
The controller:
Screen on the controller – perhaps touch-screen like the DS. The screen might be HD and could be as big as 6”
Extra game content can be seen on the supposed controllers screen (such as maps, your possessions, text/speech that replicates what’s on screen and using the touch-screen you can respond, mini games)
The controller might even operate as a second console – like a simplified DS
It’s suggested that there might be a camera to help with interaction
The controller will be more sensitive , with accurate mapping of movements
It is hoped it will be backwards compatible, so that users can play existing shop bought and downloaded games
It should hopefully be more powerful than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
There might even be a chance for 3D technology as Nintendo have already embraced this in their handheld 3DS
Some say that it will be just an update of the current Wii with perhaps HD – but at MadBid.com we feel that is unlikely – as Nintendo seem to want to break the mould with each new release that they do.
Whatever Nintendo come out with is bound to be interesting – they seem to be willing to push the boundaries. We’re hoping for something a bit different and whatever it is we’re bound to be selling it on MadBid.com as we’re currently selling the other up to date consoles such as the Nintendo 3DS, Ltd Wii Black + Sports, Sony PS3 & Xbox 360 with Kinect.
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MadBid.com is one of the UK's leading pay-to-bid auction sites with users saving up to 98% off top brand products such as iPods, iPhones, TVs, Laptop's, Car's, Games Consoles and much more all fall under the hammer at MadBid.com and can go for just pennies! Just a few great examples of the savings made for some of our users!
MacBook Air (RRP £1,299) - SOLD for just £3.38
iPhone 3Gs 16GB (RRP £449) - SOLD for just £26.88
Samsung 50" Plasma (RRP £975) - SOLD for just £13.50
So why not grab yourself a bargain today and visit MadBid.com
Social networks are changing, what used to be a fun past time has now become a popular channel of communication and with increased bandwidth video offerings are becoming key. Facebook have teamed up with Skype and will soon have an icon that would allow users to have group video or a private video conversation all for free. With 750 million viewers this is a great platform to integrate into the social mix. The company is also changing the layout of their chat system so that users can decide the amount of people they want on chat so potentially the whole family could get involved from around the globe – or maybe all our customers at MadBid.com.
On my first visit to the site I won 100 credits and have already used these to launch into my online entertainment!
s the Chromebook on June 15 and although it looks just like a regular laptop, that’s where the similarities stop.
