Following our article “eBook reader: a library in your pocket”, here are the most popular readers on Twenga :

Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600 – Capable touchscreen eBook reader
6” Touchscreen display
Battery lasts for 7,500 pages
Supports BBeB, PDF, EPUB, TXT, RTF, JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG, MP3, AAC formats
MMC/SD/SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo memory-card slots.
512MB  memory for 350 titles
USB 2.0, headphone interfaces
PC and Mac compatible
Built-in dictionary
Best price on Twenga as of 23/02/09: £218.99

iRiver Story – Good range of features, large and expandable memory
6” E-ink Display
E-Book Viewer : EPUB, PDF
Office Viewer : TXT, DOC, PDF,PPT, XLS
Comic Viewer : ZIP(JPEG, BMP, GIF)
Qwerty Keyboard support
Mp3 player, Voice Recorder
SD card slot (SDHC up to 32GB)
2GB memory
Diary, Memo,Scheduler
External Speaker : 0.6W, mono
USB 2.0 Device
Best price on Twenga as of 23/02/09: £177.99

Cool-er eBook reader – inexpensive yet full-featured ereader
6” E-ink Display
Available in eight colours
Capable of storing between 500-800 novels
1GB memory
SD card slot
Supports PDF, Epub, FB2, RTF, TXT, HTML, PRC, Jpeg and MP3 formats
Battery lasts for 8000 page turns
PC, Mac compatible
Best price on Twenga as of 23/02/09: £189.99

eBook readers are set to be one of the hottest products of 2010. They are portable, hold hundreds of books, have long battery life, and can be read in bright sunlight. Prices vary from £160 to £300.
Picking the right one can be difficult with so many new models being released. Here are some points to consider when buying.

1. Access to content.
Which content sources your eReader can access is probably the most important factor. Most eBook manufacturers have their own eBook store. Amazon has the largest catalogue with over 285,000 books, while Sony has partnered up with Google which will significantly increase the amount of books available from its digital store.
You can also download free books from Project Gutenberg (30,000 titles) and some UK libraries will even lend you eBooks.

2. Formats supported
The more kinds of file formats your eReader supports the better. Some devices such as Amazon’s Kindle can only read proprietary formats. However Sony, iRiver and Cybook eBook readers can read the open source ePub format. This format is more likely to be free of DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Other useful functions include the ability to read audio and music files, and business documents (PDF, TXT DOC, PPT and XLS files).

3. Connectivity
Devices with a wi-fi connection will allow you surf the web, purchase books directly, read blogs, newspapers, magazines, and RSS feeds. Devices with an USB connection or that use memory cards require the transfer of content from another source. Compatibility with PDAs and laptops is also important so that you can transfer eBooks easily.

4. Screen size
The most common screen size for eBook readers is 6 inches. Smaller 5 inch models are cheaper, and come with a smaller font size meaning that you will have to flip pages more often. Larger 7 to 10 inch readers exist but are more expensive and are generally geared towards specialist reading such as magazines, newspapers and textbooks.

5. Storage capacity
The more the better. Readers that have external memory slots as well as internal memory offer greater storage possibilities.
If you are on a tight budget then an entry level eBook reader that reads eBooks but doesn’t do much else may be for you. If you are looking for more versatility then go for readers that support business and music files.

One of the many challenges of dressing during the cold months is that we’re so tempted to just go for comfort while sacrificing looking fashionable. But there are many options that offer both; comfort and a touch of style.

This winter one of the overarching trends from the runway that has transgressed to the sidewalk is the comeback of traditional winter hats such as Fur Hats, Sheepskin hats, Russian Trooper Hat, Aviator and Bomber hats.

• Fur hats
It’s no longer the hat for grandma’s – with the increasing trend of wearing fur jackets and coats in the daytime with everything, we see more people turning to these hats to complete the “Snow Bunny” look in both real fur and faux fur versions. It goes well when dressed with motorcycle jeans, wool jumpers and ugg boots.

• Trilby Hat
Trilbies are the ultimate cool hat; they can dress up an entire outfit, for both sexes. The wool or felt types are perfect to keep your head warm in the winter.  It goes well with a long trench coat and over-the-knee boots for women and long duffle coat and low boots for men.

• Beanie (earflap hat)
The bonnet is the best everyday cold weather hat –the earflaps keep your ears from the winter chill. It’s casual enough to be worn with your favourite pair of jeans and most come with a matching hat and scarves to give a coordinated look.

Twenga has compared and ranked the three consoles based on four key areas.

Game and gameplay
1.    Wii: has a unique and innovative gameplay with exclusive accessories such as the Wiimote or the Wii balance board + numerous exclusive Nintendo games: the Wii-Fit, MarioKart Wii, Super Smash Bros Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros Wii, The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime Trilogy…
2.    Xbox 360: has a large games library + some exclusive games: Gears of War, Halo 3, Viva Piñata, Dead or Alive 4…
3.    PS3: a less comprehensive games library, but has quality exclusive games: Uncharted 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Killzone, Gran Turismo 5, Singstar, Little Big Planet

Multimedia features
1.    PS3: CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc player, media player (photos, music, videos) via hard disk, USB key or networked computer
2.    Xbox 360: CD/DVD player, media player (photos, music, videos) via hard disk or USB key
3.    Wii: media player (photos, music) via SD memory card or networked computer

Available models
1.    Xbox 360: there is a choice between the Acrade model, sold with a memory of  256MB, and the Elite model, sold with a 120GB hard drive which allows the user to take full advantage of the multimedia features of the console
2.    PS3: the new PS3 slim model, sold with a choice of a 120GB or a 250GB hard drive
3.    Wii: there is a choice between the Wii + Wii Sports pack (white console) and the Wii + Wii Sports Resort pack (black console)

Price (best new prices as of the 25/11/2009):
1.    Xbox 360: £129.99 for the Arcade pack / £189.99 for the Elite pack
2.    Wii: £135 for the Wii Sports pack / £167.99 for the Black console pack with Wii Sports Resort
3.    PS3 slim: £180 for the 120GB model / £279.99 for the 250GB model

With Christmas approaching fast here are the UK’s 5 most popular men’s fragrances.

1. Armani Code for men by Giorgio Armani
Key Ingredients: lemon, bergamot, orange tree blossom, tonka bean.
Scent: fresh, woody, oriental.
Best price on Twenga as of 27/11/09: £15 for 30mls

2. Cool Water for Men by Davidoff
Key Ingredients: lavender, jasmine, oak moss, musk and sandalwood.
Scent: refreshing, with lavender and amber.
Best price on Twenga as of 27/11/09: £14.50 for 40mls

3. Lacoste red (Style in Play) for men by Lacoste
Key Ingredients: green orange, apple, icy wood, jasmine, cedar,
patchouli and white musk.
Scent: fiery, aromatic, masculine
Best price on Twenga as of 27/11/09: £17.99 for 50mls

4. Obsession Night for Men by Calvin Klein
Key Ingredients: black Tuscan suede, nutmeg, vetiver and patchouli
Scent: seductive, masculine.
Best price on Twenga as of 27/11/09: £10.99 for 30mls

5. Fuel for Life for Men by Diesel
Key Ingredients: anise, grapefruit, raspberry, lavender, heliotrope and dry woods.
Scent: strong, vintage, energetic.
Best price on Twenga as of 27/11/09: £14.99 for 15mls