Tags: guide, live, music

Laptop lowdown: 25 things you need to know to buy the perfect notebook

In the market for a new notebook? Check out our list of 25 things you need to consider before you hit the shops.

Get out your virtual scrub brush and let's get busy.

Nokia X6

Nokia has announced its next Comes with Music handset, and it looks to be the goods. Gone is the resistive touchscreens of its earlier models, plus it has a whopping 32GB of storage to keep your music on.
Nokia 5230

Nokia looks set to flood the market with its growing touchscreen line-up across all the major segments, with the 5230 filling the budget model gap.
The Beatles: Rock Band

After a string of disappointing Guitar Hero franchises, Harmonix looks to reinvent the "band-based" rhythm game genre with The Beatles: Rock Band.
Sony Ericsson W302 Walkman

The Sony Ericsson W302 Walkman delivers good sound quality in a neat design for a low price. For those who want a decent, inexpensive phone that plays music, it's a good choice, but don't bother with the poor camera and web browser.
Apple iPod Shuffle (3rd generation)

The Apple iPod Shuffle (3rd generation) is not bad as a budget player, but it has too many limitations for us to recommend it.
BlueAnt X5 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

A good value headset with comfort on its side, but not if you're an audiophile.
Motorola EM330

It is yet another clamshell phone from yet another phone company. So what sets this mobile phone apart from the others? Not much.
Sony Ericsson W595 Walkman

This is a solid phone, aside from its lack of a real headphone socket. But if you're expecting anything radically new, you might want to wait a little while for Sony Ericsson to start innovating before you upgrade.

Best portable mobile phone speakers

People love sharing their music when they are out and about. We check out the best portable speakers to use with your music-playing mobile phone.
Wireless networking demystified

With so many options, which network set-up is best for you?
Network buying guide

Here's what you need to know about networking, from the standards and technologies to the best products for your home or office.
Setting up your new phone

You've just bought your shiny new phone that promises the world — so what next? We step you through how to get the most out of your new purchase.

Sydney movie, music pirate earns jail time

The Australian arms of the music and film industry have won a victory against piracy with the news that Sydney man Yong Hong Lin has been handed a three-month jail term for selling illegal imported discs from his Eastwood music and movie store.
Broken record: Why labels want new album format

There's not enough margin in single downloads, so the music industry wants to find the next-gen album. Let's hope it won't force unwanted tracks on listeners.
Warner Music Group and YouTube talking again

Six months after Warner Music's songs disappeared from YouTube, the two companies are trying to hash out their differences, sources say.
Music video service offers more clips than YouTube

The ground is getting thick with music video services, with the PlayStation 3's VidZone now being joined by a service that brags it has "more depth than YouTube".

GPS buyer's guide

Prices for GPS devices and apps have come down in the last year and many of us are looking at jumping on the bandwagon. We take a look at how it works, why you should (or shouldn't) buy a GPS, as well as key features to look out for.
Digital camera buying guide

So you're looking for a brand new compact digital camera? CNET Australia is here to help with our guide to choosing and buying a compact digital camera.
VoIP guide: Voice over IP in Australia

Tired of paying the phone bill? You don't have to be tech savvy to make calls over the internet. This Australian guide explains all that you need to know about using VoIP (or Voice over Internet Protocol) services.
Advanced iTunes: Get more from the software

Here's a collection of four tips for getting more out of the software — using multiple libraries on a single machine, the best uses for Smart Playlists, getting true CD-quality rips from your CD, and tips for getting perfect album art.

FrostWire

Share files on Gnutella and Bittorrent network.
EJukebox

Organize, and play your music in a jukebox with automatic cover art and related internet videos.
Winyl

Organize and enjoy all your music.
Spesoft Audio Converter

Convert files between a large collection of audio file formats.

Whereis® maps

If you’d like to get to know more of Australia, and do it safely, then check out Whereis® maps.
Commonwealth Bank Mobile Banking

Bank anywhere, anytime. Learn more.
Nokia Navigation

The introduction of GPS adds a new dimension of 'social navigation'.