Technofile: By the time you read this, Apple will have announced its new - widely predicted - movie downloads, available in the US only for now. You may also have read about the predicted iPod Nano (brushed casing, longer battery life), the larger memory iPod and the iTV device to enable you to play downloaded movies on the TV.
Whatever new announcements they make, it remains the case that Apple still commands over 70 per cent of the digital media player market and is set to continue that lead for a while yet. The crucial issue for Apple is trying to make the link between digital downloads of movies and the TV - something most Internet players would give their right arm for.
Apple made the business model work for music, but there you are talking about a few megabytes to download. A whole movie is at least 300-500Mb - not exactly 'on-demand'. But the Hollywood studios seem eager to try their movies out on the safe iTunes platform before attempting to sell via other means.
•Apple has another advantage in that it looks like Microsoft's Zune media player is going to disappoint when it comes out in November and may not be the immediate 'game changer' they hope it will be.
However, we can say that when Microsoft commits to dominating a market, sheer will and cash can work. This happened to the XBox which started badly, but now leads the field - and looks set to do well now that the Sony Playstation 3 has been delayed till March next year.
Speaking of which, parents wishing to get the next Sony Playstation 3 for their game-obsessed teenagers now face a choice.
Buy an XBox 360 now or wait till March when the PS3 emerges with a High definition DVD player built in. If you can't wait then, on balance, I'd go for the XBox. Why? Sony's DVD player will be a proprietary 'Blu-ray' format. But by Christmas, Microsoft's XBox 360 will probably be sold with the option of its own 'HD DVD' format bundled-in.
And no-one knows which format will win. Remember VHS versus Betamax in the 1970s? Sony put all its eggs in one Betamax basket, but when the public voted, it preferred the VHS tape's longer recording time.
This time, Sony's Blu-ray will cram more data onto its discs, but the process will make the discs more expensive than the shorter-running HD DVD, which will cost less and still play the movie with all the extras. We'll all know who's winning by mid-way next year.
•Just when you thought you'd seen all the online video sites, another one comes along.
Following the likes of Google, Yahoo, AOL, and nearly every other new start-up these days, Microsoft's "Soapbox" - yet to launch - will allow you to upload videos up to 100Mb in size. But it'll have a tough time against YouTube which is far and away the market leader.
• Navman is improving the features in its GPS navigation units. The the F20, N20, N40i and N60i set to launch this Autumn. Each unit will get a built-in camera to use in conjunction with the Navpix service as standard issue.
This enables a user to find their way to a location just by taking a photo of it with the unit; handy for travellers in an unfamiliar city. The upgrade also means a more accurate GPS chip, TeleAtlas 2006 maps, and Navman's latest software.
European retailers appear to be taking pre-orders with prices between €249.99 and €499.99.
