Virgin Media is now able to offer broadband speeds of up to 50Mb across part of their network, with a full rollout by Summer 2009.

The 50Mb service will allow users to download an entire music album in as little as 11 seconds, a TV show in around one minute and an HD movie in around 15 minutes. The increased bandwidth also means that multiple users can be on the internet at the same time without it affecting the quality or speed of their service.

The launch of 50Mb is part of a massive investment in Virgin Media’s network and more than doubles the capacity of the original build of the UK cable network, creating the potential for speeds of 200Mb.

Using the latest state of the art hardware, the 50Mb package comes with a new DOCSIS3.0 modem, which is a wireless ‘N’ router offering the UK’s fastest wireless connection. Virgin’s broadband also comes with free anti-virus and anti-spyware software as well as unlimited downloads. A typical family will be able to get the new ultra-fast service for as little as £35 a month.

Rollout of 50Meg broadband is expected to be completed by Summer of 2009.

More details on Virgin Media’s broadband service can be found at www.virginmedia.com

It looks like Virgin Media could start running the controversial Phorm service, according to reports in The Guardian.

Phorm is a service that’s being considered by BT, Virgin Media and TalkTalk. BT’s already trialed it for a possible launch, and indications are that Virgin may wish to use it for their broadband service.

The reason that Phorm’s so controversial, is that the service analyses what users are doing online, so that appropriate advertising can be served back at them, and many aren’t keen on the idea of a third party getting access to information on what they browse online.

More information: The Phorm Controversy

Worried about your electricity bill? Who isn’t!

You might want to consider getting yourself an Energy Meter. This clip safely to your home’s incoming mains supply, and let you track how much electricity you’re using.

We’ve just seen online retailer Ethical Superstore drop their prices for the three leading energy meters in the UK, meaning you can now get a meter for your home for under £30.

You can now get the Efergy Meter for £34.21, the Owl Electrisave for £29.31, or the stylish Wattson for £97.82.

Our podcast team has released a podcast covering these energy meters – To find out more about these meters, to see pictures, or to listen to the review, go to http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/energymeters.html

Bag a phone for less than £3: Prices for pay-as-you go phones continue to tumble, and now, Carphone Warehouse has a phone on offer for just £2.88 – madness when you consider how much these things take to make.

The Motorola W180 has a colour screen and an FM radio. Granted, it’s not the most advanced of phones, but it’s easy to use – and it’s a steal at this silly price.

At the time of writing, the W180 available for just £2.88 on Orange. You do have to buy £10 of credit to be able to use the phone.

Available for a limited time only from Carphone Warehouse.

The INQ1 “Facebook Phone” is now available, and our early review is now online.

Much, much cheaper than the likes of the iPhone, this is an Internet-enabled and well-built mobile that neatly integrates Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, Skype, email and camera into one. It can also be used as a laptop modem.

Facebook integration has been done very well – Facebook status is linked into Contacts, and yopu can take a photo and upload it to Facebook.

Available for under £80 on PAYG or from £15 a month contract – you can get this from www.three.co.uk.

More on our INQ1 review page

The INQ1 Social Networking Phone is set for a pre-Christmas UK launch.

Due out very soon, this phone is being billed as The Facebook Phone as it integrates to your phone’s address book and lets you follow your mates using Facebook, Windows Messenger, Skype and Last.FM. A slick mobile, with web browsing and 3G. It can also be used as a laptop modem.

Due out in December 2008 for an expected £80 PAYG or from £15 a month contract – from www.three.co.uk.

More on our INQ1 page

Bag a phone for less than £5 at Carphone Warehouse. Probably the lowest-price way to get a mobile phone, you can now get a Pay As You Go handset for £4.95.

The Samsung B130 has a colour screen and GPRS Internet access, and is available now on Orange or T-Mobile.

You do have to buy £10 of credit to be able to use the phone, but £4.95 for a perfectly respectable Samsung is a steal. Available from Carphone Warehouse.

We’ve just released another inour series of tech and TV podcasts.

In FrequencyCast Show 32, Carl and Pete talk about the future of Shortwave, review Tiscali TV, recharge with a Power Chimp and celebrate Blue Peter’s 50th. In the news, we look at Freeview HD, and a Freesat PVR, plus new HD channels and the demise of Channel 4 radio.

Download Show 32 direct to your MP3 player, or listen online at www.frequencycast.co.uk/latest.html

Got an iPod or iPhone? Get new shows and updates first by signing up via http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=142899029

Share and enjoy!

Today saw the launch of the first Google Android phone, the G1.

This new phone, made by HTC, is always-on, has a touch screen and QWERTY keyboard, and as it’s powered by the new OS from Google, has Internet at its heart.

In the UK, the G1 is exclusive to the T-Mobile network.

The phone is available for free, if you’re prepared to sign up to an 18 month £40 a month contract.

You can find more information and a few pictures on our Google G1 information page.

The first phone to be powered by Google’s operating system Android, is set to appear in the UK at the end of October. The Google G1 will be exclusive to T-Mobile in the UK.

More on the Google G1 on our T-Mobile G1 page.

Show 31 of FrequencyCast, the UK’s TV and Tech podcast, is online now. Here’s what we cover:

• News Updates: TV and Radio re-brands, half-price HD, Google phones, and Nuts loyalty.
• Focus – eBook Readers: Like the idea of an electronic book? We explain about eBooks.
• Hands on: We look at the updated Cowon media player and three new DAB radios.
• Your Questions: Home Hub, Hadron Colliders, Slingbox and Freesat PVRs.

You can download Show 31 direct to your MP3 player or listen online at http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/latest.html. You can also get us via iTunes.

The new Nokia N96, the long-awaited successor to the Nokia N95, is now available to pre-order.

Details of this phone, and how to get it free on contract, at http://www.filesaveas.com/n96.html

Since 2006, Sky’s been offering free Broadband to its customers. They also offer a Max package (up to 16 Meg) and they’ve just changed their terms on the Broadband Max product to remove the Fair Use Policy – this means they’re the UK’s only ‘truly unlimited’ broadband service. This applies to new & existing Sky Broadband Max customers.

For full details of Sky’s new uncapped Broadband offering, go to www.sky.com/shop/broadband-talk

We now have a page of information on the new Sony Reader PRS-505 eBook reader.

http://www.filesaveas.com/sonyreader.html

On this page you’ll also find a link to a 20 minute audio review of this new product.

Show 30 of FrequencyCast, our audio podcast that covers Digital TV and Tech, is now online.

In this show, we look at how much your gadgets cost to run, the latest High Definition news from Freeview, Sky and BT Vision, plus a smartphone roundup.

Got an iPhone, iPod or MP3 player? Instead of listening to music on your player, try our podcast. In each show, we cover technology and digital TV, plus look at UK tech news headlines.

You can download the latest show direct to your MP3 player, or listen online at www.frequencycast.co.uk/latest.html

Got iTunes? Add us to to get new shows as soon as they’re created. Our iTunes page is at phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=142899029

Share and Enjoy.

The Skypephone from 3 was released in November 2007, and now it’s just got better.

The Skypephone S2 allows free Skype-to-Skype calls, and now supports Windows Live Messenger, Facebook, Google and RSS feeds. The camera’s been upgraded from 2 to 3.2 Megapixel camera. The new S2 also doubles as a USB Modem. Free on contract, or £79.99 on contract. The original’s now £40 on PAYG.

Available from www.three.co.uk

On Monday 18th August, a new patch for the iPhone, v2.0.2 was released. No new features, just a number of unspecified bugfixes, apparently with 3G connectivity and a known issue with typing lag. Available now via iTunes.

We’ve just added a review of the Polaroid PoGo. This is a portable, rechargeable inkless printer that connects to your mobile phone via Bluetooth (or if your camera supports PictBridge, via USB).

Available for £99, the PoGo from Polaroid is well worth a look. For more, see our Polaroid PoGo Review.

In July 2008, BT announced details of their plans for surer-fast broadband. They’re proposing to spend £1.5 billion on connecting 40% of British homes to a new fibre-optic network by 2012.

Speeds are expected to be between 40 and 100 megabits a second.

Apple’s 3g iPhone launched at 8:02. As has been well publicised, demand is huge. o2′s website buckled under the demand this Monday, and people were queuing this morning from the early hours.

Shortages are due to continue for weeks, with thousands likely to be disappointed.

It’s only a phone, guys…

If you can’t find one in store, try ordering online at o2 or Carphone Warehouse.