I am sure many of you like myself now own either an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch, enjoying the Internet browser capabilities as part of the feature set. The ability to check emails on the move is a blessing and a curse as although you can keep an eye on your inbox wherever you may be, the urge to check just one more time and responding to those so called ‘urgent’ requests will more than likely have you in up to the neck in deep murky water with your loved ones from time to time.

I hate being disconnected from this information though and now many sites use an iPhone and iPod Touch compatible theme, feature an App on the Apple iTunes Store for a slightly different viewing experience or at the very least add a little bit of code so that its easier to scroll for these modern mobile devices.

My blog and indeed my Yamaha keyboard and digital piano enthusiast website both have an iPhone/iPod Touch theme designed specifically for these devices (and others of course!), allowing to view the latest posts and features, run a site search, listen to podcasts and comment on articles.

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No don’t fall into the obvious trap of thinking this is your typical mediocre Sonic the Hedgehog game. Yes I know there have been many and although there have been fairly recent exceptions to this terrible truth, the bargain bin is still heaving with titles that us SEGA fans would much rather forget ever existed on our cherished gaming shelves.

Developed by Sumo Digital who have had success with SEGA character based games in the past, boldly undertake this latest SEGA project with both hands, presenting us with what actually turns out to be a big surprise for the many like myself who usually fear anything that features Sonic in the title.

So no doubt your first Nintendo inspired thought will lead you to the apparent similarity to Mario Kart. It is all our favourite characters in one game, racing around various wacky tracks, collecting and using weapons, ludicrous jumps and the list could go on. Of course this conclusion would be accurate, but let’s brush that aside and look to what Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing actually boasts.

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I have been spending countless hours listening to the sound of ‘plink’ as one peg bounces off into another and now the experience has transcended on to the Sony PlayStation3 after months and months of waiting, finally fulfilling the yearnings of PS3 puzzlers everywhere. I loved this game so much that back in May 2009 when I created a HD video feature of my top 10 Xbox Live Arcade games, Peggle triumphantly stood at the top spot.

Who would have thought such a simple idea would be so terribly addictive! Dropping a ball from the top of the screen and watching it bounce around is hardly rocket science, yet Peggle achieves something very special and that is your total captivation. It may be a fairly basic idea, however the execution is superb. Your task is to hit all (or as many) of the orange coloured pegs. There are green pegs that initiate a perk dependent on the character you have chosen, ranging from explosions and multiballs to the crazy magic hats and assistance from the divine interventions. Purple will provide a points boost and the boring blues will mostly just get in your way.

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The Yamaha Club in association with Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner (owned by James Woodcock) have released three tutorial DVD offerings so far, providing you with all the essential information you will need if you are going to get the very best from your Yamaha instrument. The tutorials are relevant to a wide range of models because most of the mid to upper range instruments produced since the turn of the century have adopted the same way of working, so the essentials remain unchanged right back to the PSR-1000 keyboard.

There are currently three DVD tutorial disks available including Getting Started: Exploring Music Finder, Understanding Files and Folders and Basic Sequencing – Recording using Song Creator…

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From episode 1 to 8, I hosted the Console Monster Podcast but due to lack of time and staff participation we all took a breather. Now with Rob Rymond at the hosting helm, I appear as one of the guests along with David Wrigglesworth and Marty Greenwell to discuss the latest Microsoft Xbox 360 console and Sony PlayStation3 news and reviews on the renamed Monster Cast.

I am afraid my router was a little dodgy during the recording resulting in some choppiness and quality dipping when I speak, but I am sure you will persevere.

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 55:55 — 38.4MB)