...so said the news release we received a few days back on behalf of 'vzaar'. Their research also suggests that equates to 6.9 billion pounds. With a Christmas perspective in mind this is certainly borne out in our household where toys and gadets eagerly unwrapped on Christmas morning are dutifully discarded by Boxing Day (often in preference for some long owned and loved toy that probably cost very little!).

Vzaar obviously have an interest in pointing these figures out to people - in this case they are promoting the idea of adding video to e-bay listings, where increasingly unwanted presents attempt to find an alternative more appreciative owner. As with all things, e-bay is a competitive environment - it's now so popular that it's difficult to make your item stand out from the others. First listings were text based - then everyone added images and Vzaar believe - video is the next logical step. With the popularity of broadband now extending to around 88% of households with an Internet connection they may be right. We've even experimented a little here at GadgetSpeak.

The problem extends beyond Christmas of course. How many glitzy high-tech products have you bought only to be disappointed with either functionality or, more increasingly, quality. At times it seems that cheap manufacturing in China has lead to a mentality of 'ship anything and market the hell out of it' - with low numbers of sales covering costs. No where is this more evident than in the toy market where a loose tie-in with a popular TV programme is used to sell product that really has no intrinsic value of it's own.

At GadgetSpeak we'd like to think we help people avoid some of the mistakes. We review products so that you don't have to make these mistakes. A number of products we get hold of we simply refuse to review - like the "Electronic Board Game", with TV tie-in, costing around £20 where the only electronic feature was a voice announcing the next round. We didn't review that one!

If we've had a particularly bad day of course we will review the odd awful product just to let you know just how bad things can get!

The moral of this tale? Why, check out GadgetSpeak for ideas and reviews of course :-)

Hello everyone,

we've completed the first 3 days draws - winners are gradually being informed and will be added to the winners page. However we've noticed that quite a few people aren't completing the minimum required information in their profile to be entered.

As a reminder - you must include a minimum of your name and phone number. You must also check the email boxes for our newsletters (sent about once a month when I get round to them!) and for our automated weekly updates that include a summary of reviews from the last 7 days. They aren't spammy - don't include any advertising - and we've been told are actually a little interesting :-)

To help you out we've put together a special entry checker page. It's here.  If you haven't entered the correct information then it'll tell you what's wrong and let you correct it.

Hope everyone is enjoying the competition - and are taking the chance to look around GadgetSpeak :-)

December is fast approaching - and with it our biggest members prizedraw so far. We've been working very hard to get everything sorted here at GadgetSpeak - and we're just about there. Now we all just need to catch up on the sleep we've missed.

Thanks to the various organisations sponsoring this competition we've managed completely fill Santa's Sack with some of the best gadgets we've seen this year. Most have been or are in the process of being reviewed - so you can read exactly what we thought!

We have 18 different products in the sack, including a star prize of a Definia Digital LCD television. You can see the full list on our Santa's Sack page.

There will be a separate draw each day for something in the sack, but to keep an air of suspense we're not telling you what prizes will be drawn on which day, not until the day at least! This is of course a clever wheeze to make sure you come back each day to see what's happening at GadgetSpeak. It does mean one of you is going to win the Teletubby phone dangler though!

Want to know more? Check out our Santa's Sack page and if you have any questions then jot them down below as a comment and I'll try and answer them!

This season, if you have receive a new computer or new software, check em for the gifts you might not know about. Many computers come with bundled software that includes Adware, Malware and even Spyware. You may not find it until you launch the software program. It may give you a message that says it needs to connect to a site to complete the registration. Make sure you read the entire license agreement.

I know of many stories about how a user had to do a complete restore on their new computer just days after getting it. These stories involve the user spending hours on the phone with customer support trying to resolve the problem. In previous years, Dells customer support has been swamped after the holidays with calls from new users asking for help. Before you get online with the new computer, insure the AntiVirus and Firewall is functioning. The computer will probably prompt you that it needs to get updates. Check what the update is before agreeing to the install. Make sure you get the MS updates needed too.

If after all this, you still don't know which updates or installs to agree to, there are help sites that provide assistance.

Check the products site first, they may have customer support or even a Forum.

Visit Spyware Warrior for a list of rogue/suspect Anti-Spyware products and web sites.

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

Test your Firewall at Hacker Watch to make sure you're able to block attacks.

http://www.hackerwatch.org/probe/

If you're unsure of a process thats running, check it at UniBlues process library.

http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/

These are just a few of the help sites out there, there are many excellent sites that can help you.

If after all the searching, you still need help, I recommend the Major Geeks Help Forum.

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/

It will involve you registering and downloading the Hijack This program, running it and then uploading the log results to the Malware Forum there. They are good people there and will help you get your computer happy.

Think you've got it covered? Do the "How safe are you" quiz at Stay Safe Online.

http://staysafeonline.org/basics/quiz.html

Also a point to ponder. If you're giving instead of receiving, make sure what you give is safe and reliable.

Don't forget to create a restore point and maintain backups of important data is my last bit of advice.

So after the gift giving, after the clean up, after the nap on the couch, check your computer to insure your online safety.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Christmas is once again just around to corner. Santa has been in touch to say he's taking reindeer out for a short practice run before "the big day" to deliver a special Santa's Sack to GadgetSpeak. We're told that this sack is full of wondrous gadgets. Santa can't stay around for the whole month, he's got a few other things to do, so he's deputised us to make sure some lucky GadgetSpeak members have an early Christmas.

Want to know more? Be sure to come back to GadgetSpeak over the next few days to learn more!

If you're not a member - why not sign up now? More details of Santa's Sack will be posted in Novembers newsletter!

I reviewed this product a little while ago (black version) and found it to be excellent - and at a very good price. I've just been told that Comet are offering the Silver one for a further £30 discount until the 8th November. At £149.99 for a 160Gbyte PVR - that has to be very good value for money.

Here's the link to the page on Comet - all you have to do is to remember to type HUMAX30 into the promotional code box once you've added it to your shopping basket. Be quick though - this offer ends on the 8th of November!

This was reviewed back in July on GadgetSpeak. At the time it was quite expensive. Despite the price falling, it's still around £500 from many outlets. Comet however seem to be bucking the trend with it available for £399.99 - it doesn't appear to be a special offer of any kind. Here's the link :

http://www.comet.co.uk/cometbrowse/product.do?sku=401323

D900 has a slide-opening camera ably supported by easy-to-use features. With a keypad which is as user-friendly as it can get and a cool slide opening mechanism this Samsung handset is winning many hearts. The 32 x 42 colourful TFT screen satisfies your love for colours and adds extra punch to make Samsung D900 a winnable proposition. The 240 x 320 pixel screen resolution of the screen provides a brilliant display.

D900 comes with a in-built music player which helps you unwind by listening to your favourite tracks. The music player in it supports AAC, MP3 and ACC+ formats' facilitating easy downloads. You can also play MP3 or polyphonic ringing tones to customize your handset.

Samsung D900 is attracting buyers as moths towards celestial flames. The reason being its thickness coupled with a slider which reflects a work of an artist. With a thickness of 13mm this phone is surely competing with the best.

For people who are in live with photography Samsung D900 has a 3.15 megapixel camera so that you can click whenever you want and wherever you like. The enhanced camera features of this handset facilitates video recording, so that you can capture some moments. The built in flash helps you shoot at night or in bad light.

The business-application features of this handset makes easier for you to work smartly. Connectivity of Samsung D900 gets enhanced with compatible devices like Bluetooth and USB connection.

Many online shops offer various Samsung d900 deals which are just a click away. Samsung D900 has captured the market beyond expectations and owning it will definitely make you proud. Samsung D900 is available in very attractive packages. You have Samsung D900 contract phones to make uninterrupted and economical calls

Get one today?and add that extra zing to your personality.

If you are looking for good ideas for children's Christmas gifts and toys, then today's announcement from the Toy Retailer's Association may help you along.  Gadgets and techno toys are expected to feature highly on every child's Christmas List - many inspired by the small and big screen such as the Transformers Movie and Dr Who. 

From their list we've already had a chance to review Eternity II and Flytech Dragonfly and we'll be bringing you more toy and game reviews in the run up to Christmas. 

From the Toy Retailer's Association predictions of this year's Christmas best-sellers, here are the gadgets and games that look most interesting:

• Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old? (Hasbro RRP £19.99) A board game based on the Noel Edmonds TV programme
• Doctor Who Dalek Sec Hybrid Voice Changer Mask (Character Options  RRP £29.95)
• Golden Balls  (Vivid Imaginations RRP £19.99) - board game
• Puppy Grows and Knows Your Name (Mattel RRP £44.99)
• Transformers Movie Leader: Optimus Prime (Hasbro RRP £39.99)
• Creator - Monster Dino (Lego RRP £69.95)
• Transformers Optimus Prime Voice Changer Mask (Hasbro RRP £29.99)
• Transformers Ultimate Bumblebee (Hasbro RRP £79.95)
• High School Muscial Mystery Date (Hasbro RRP £14.95)
• Monopoly Here & Now UK Edition (Hasbro RRP £19.99)
• Rubiks Revo (Drummond Park RRP £14.99)

Of course, the Toy Retailers Association don't have the last say on the best kids gadgets and games out there, so we'll be reviewing lots of others.

Absolutely among our favourite reviews so far are:

• Funkeys (Mattel) and
• Squawkers McCaw (so good we reviewed it twice here and here)

Have a look at more games and toys and games reviewed on Gadgetspeak and keep coming back for more. If you've registered for the Gadgetspeak newsletters and updates you'll keep up-to-date with all the latest news.

The downside of being an ardent gadget fan is that one tends to be responsible for a fair level of energy consumption - something that these days is starting to be frowned upon. Well - there's no need to give up the gadgets - but we can all be careful in how we use those gadgets in order to minimise the amount of power (and other resources) that we use.

The Energy Saving Week is an annual event hosted by the Energy Saving Trust. The idea is to encourage as many people as possible to cut their energy consumption by 20%. May sound like a lot, but it isn't - turning off unused light bulbs, using low-energy bulbs or simply turning down the thermostat by one degree - little things can make all the difference.

If you're interested (which let's face it you should be) then they have page where you can make your own pledge.

Don't forget though - global warming is only one of the ways in which we're damaging the environment and unfortunately many of the products aimed at reducing carbon emissions themselves have other signficant and potentially worse environmental impact - for example depleting valuable, non-replacable mineral resources. As with all things - applying a little commonsense can go a long way. Those compact flouresent bulbs you're going to have to buy soon take more energy to make, contain mercury and have to be disposed of in special recycling facilities (that take more power). Oh - and in my experience many of them last a lot less than the claimed 10 years!

As part of the Energy Saving Week - we have reviews of a couple of gadgets to help you do just that - be sure to come back and take a look!