Barely a month after buying up software developers @Last Software, Google have released a free version of their popular 3D-modelling application SketchUp.
Running on Windows 2000 and Windows XP Home and Professional editions (Mac users will have to wait), the free version of SketchUp is a cut down version of SketchUp Pro 5, a high-end, commercial product.
Google SketchUp is touted as an ‘easy-to-learn’ 3D modelling program, offering simple tools to let users create 3D models of houses, sheds, decks, home additions and whatever else takes their fancy – all drawn with dimensional accuracy.
To get 3D newbies up and running there’s thousands of pre-drawn components available to download, with video and self help tutorials available from within the program to explain what button does what.
Details, textures and glass can also be added to models, which can then be uploaded onto Google Earth or shared with fellow modelling aficionados by posting them to the 3D Warehouse – a new site where SketchUp users can store, share and collaborate on designs.
Google SketchUp is free for personal use (no registration required) and the 20MB program files can be downloaded from here http://sketchup.google.com/
When it comes to pixel-waving, Casio look set to kick sand in the face of their rivals with the announcement of their new EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z1000 camera, boasting a man-sized 10 megapixel sensor.
For wobbly hands and low light shots, there’s Casio’s Anti Shake mode onboard backed by an ISO range extending all the way up to ISO 3200 (in BEST SHOT mode).
Battery life looks set to last a vacation too, with a claimed 360 shots per charge.
The EX-Z1000 is expected on the shelves in in mid-May, priced at around £380.
Now rocking up to version 10, Agendus is a stable, featured-packed integrated PIM application for the Palm OS.
In fact, just about every element of the program seems intuitively thought out, with lots of nice touches reflecting the developer’s attention to detail.
When adding a new appointment, for example, you can add invitees, assign categories, sketch a note, add a custom icon, add a voice message and photo – with all these options being accessible through a clear and concise interface.
Multiple relationships can be assigned to the same contact and the list is customisable, so you could add new categories like, “Fellow Borg” or “Desperate Drinker.”
If you’re the type who quickly forgets who you met, contacts can be linked to events to build a contact history, exportable as a CSV file.
There’s also a basic project management interface onboard letting you organise complex tasks with hierarchical To Do items and set task ‘roll over’ status.
Conclusion
PayPal has announced that it’s wading into the world of mobile payments with the announcement of a new texting service, PayPal Mobile.
“PayPal already has more than 100 million accounts worldwide, and our customers have already entrusted their personal and financial information to PayPal. Now, making payments is as easy as sending a text message anytime, from anywhere for the millions of customers that prefer to use PayPal,” he continued, with a worrying amount of enthusiasm.
An automated system reads the received text and then calls the PayPal user back and prompts them to enter their PIN.
With a triumphant beat of its kodachrome chest, Kodak has announced the world’s smallest 10x optical zoom camera, the 6-megapixel KODAK EASYSHARE V610 dual lens digital camera
Naturally, this little fella shoots video – managing TV-quality (VGA) footage at 30 frames per second (fps) – saved out as MPEG-4 files with Kodak’s “video-specific image stabilisation technology” claiming to reduce that wobbly jelly camera effect.
When it comes to auto modes, Kodak haven’t held back with no less than twenty-two scene modes, three colour modes and a custom mode, along with selectable exposure metering, exposure compensation, focus zones, ISO, and single/continuous auto-focus for precise control.
So you’ve shelled out for your new smartphone/PDA and you’re ready to watch your productivity soar as you strut around with an office in your pocket.
Like most annoyingly compelling games, Bejeweled is dead simple to play and takes seconds to learn.
In the original Bejeweled (available on Palm, Pocket PC and Windows Mobile) there’s an additional timed mode to add a frantic air to the gameplay, while its sequel, Bejeweled2 (available on Palm and Pocket PC), ramps up the bells and whistles offering four play modes, bonus play modes, explosive Power Gems, Hyper Cubes and Time Bombs and arcade-style noisy effects (which can be turned off).
You can download trial versions of both games from 
Now, we like gadgets. And shiny things. And we like football (well some of us).
There’s also ample storage on board in the shape of a 80GB SATA HDD, with a set of built-in Harman & Kardon speakers for playing back the roar of thousands of tanked up Taffies as Wales slam in the winning World Cup goal (well, we can dream).
The dome-headed boffins at Nokia have triumphantly put their multiple pens back in their white coat pockets as the new Nokia N73 and N93 phones roll out on the product slipway.
Being Brits, we refuse to describe mobiles as having a ‘candybar’ form factor, so how about we call the N73, ‘Amazin’ Raisin Bar’ shaped?
Rounding off the man-sized feature set is Bluetooth 2.0, a music player supporting MP3, AAC, AAC+ and WMA, video player with streaming support, FM radio with visual radio and a set of built-in pixie-sized 3D stereo speakers.
Modestly billed by Nokia as the “ultimate mobile device for spontaneous video recording,” the N93 features a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, “DVD-like” video capture at 30 frames per second, and 3x optical zoom with video stabilisation.
If, like the Temptations, you find yourself wishing it would rain or you just like to belt out tunes in the shower, Pioneer’s new waterproof headphones might be just the things for you.
Of course, there’s no point having waterproof headphones if your player gets slippery when wet, so anyone looking to go surfin’ USA might be interested in checking out the range of waterproof iPod/iriver cases from h2o Audio.
Uber music giants EMI Music Publishing have announced a deal with hotshot VoIP upstarts Skype to sell music on Skype’s new retail website.
Roger Faxon co-CEO of EMI Music Publishing was ready and willing for some Monday morning gushing, dishing out the kudos to Skype, EMI and composer royalty collectors the MCPS-PRS Alliance for their help.