flyinghaggis

It's difficult to say for sure until we see the final release but I can't see us moving to Windows 8 to be honest. We're contemplating trying out tablet computers (android, IOS, Windows 8[x86/RT]) so we might end up deploying it on a small scale for portable devices. Even if that works out though we'll likely still hold on until the next version (or at the very least SP1) until we deploy it to desktop computers.

LOL, quite possibly!

I hope they keep it close the the original to be honest. As far as I was concerned the multiplayer in CS is pretty much spot and and way better than Battlefield/MW so I don't think it'll have any trouble competing with them. Even if it's nothing more than a graphical upgrade I'd be happy with that. I could never really get into the MW/BF series as I always found it too slow paced and a lot of the multiplayer dynamics in them irked me to be honest. especially the whole levellling one whereby the players who've spent the most time playing the game get access to the best weapons whereas when you start out you get rubbish! The weapons were never very well balanced IMO. I've always found myself going back to CS or Halo whenever I'm in need of an FPS fix. I like the look of the new Molotov grenade:)

I haven't pre-ordered it yet cause I know it'll be the end of me doing anything productive at home for a least a month but I'll probably give in and buy it when it's released I'll probably try out the Monk Class as a Pandaren initially (along with 10 million other subscribers!). Feel free to PM me if you want me to add you to my contacts list for a game sometime (or vice-versa). Fancy playing as Horde this time as the other high level chars I have are all Alliance.

As other have suggested in terms of the bike you can use any kind really (mountain bike,hybrid or road bike) for a 6 mile commute but you should ideally get one that can take full length mudguards and a pannier rack. I bought a new bike through the cycle to work scheme a couple of months ago so it's worth asking if your employer offers this as it can save you 20-30% on the cost. If you're planning on getting a new one specically for it I'd recommend a flat-barred road bike/hybrid something like the one below :- Revolution Courier Race I'm sure others will have their own personal preferences though. Best plan is to go to a local shop and test ride a few. Clothing-wise I normally wear a long sleeved t-shirt (keeps wind chill off on the morning and you can roll up the sleeves if you get too hot), Cycling shorts and baggy shorts over them. It's definitely worth getting a pair of firm soled cycling specific shoes as these will be much more comfortable than trainers and improve your speed no end (10-20% IME). Probably worth grabbing some cycling mitts (keep you hands warm and the cushioning helps stop them getting numb) and a pair of sunglasses (keeps the wind/bugs out of your eyes when going downhill!) too. Dont forget to buy a helmet as well:)

Yeah, pre-ordered it a couple of days ago when I noticed one of my friends had bought it. Loved the original counterstrike so thought I'd give it a try especially when it was on sale for just over £10!

After looking at and trying on all the headphones in HMV I didn't really find any over-the-head style sets that seemed particularly comfortable so I've bought a pair of in-ear sennheiser CX 300's for now. Sennheiser CX 300 II Precision Noise Isolating: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics I've been using them for a couple of days and they're definitely a serious improvement over the standard Apple headphones.

The last time I gave blood was about 15 years ago. My arm was in agony several minutes after doing it and it came up in an epic bruise from my wrist all the way to under my arm a day later. Couldn't move it for about at week. Reading about it online they do sometimes say it can damage the arteries around where they take the blood which causes the bruising. Suffice to say I haven't been back since! I realise it was probably just bad luck on my part and that giving blood is a great thing to do but I just can't risk being off work for a week if it was to happen again.

How would the folks with the 5.1/7.1 surround headsets rate them. Is there a noticeable difference in games/movies above and beyond standard 2 channel stereo?

£280! .......Easy now!!! I'd maybe go up to £50-75 for a set if someone recommended them and reckoned they were worth the money but I definitely don't want to spend any more than that !

I've been using my iphone headphones with my PC for the last year but I'm keen to get something with better sound quality and preferably a built in mic. I'll primarily be using them for watching videos, listening to music and occassionaly for gaming. I've had a look through the options but I've come away feeling bemused by what's avaiable :- Should I get 3.5mm, USB or do away with the cables and go wireless? Do I go for stereo or should I consider 5.1? I often wear glasses when I'm at my computer so any headphones I get would need to be comfortable whilst wearing them. I'd been contemplating these as they seemed reasonably priced and the review were good (though I'll confess I know nothing about audio quality/definition/etc!) Creative HS800 Fatal1ty Gaming Headset with Detachable Noise-Cancelling Microphone: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories Any other suggestions or recommendations?

Star Wars: The Old Republic to go free-to-play | bit-gamer.net Might have something to do with an update for a certain other MMORPG franchise being released next month

And the moral of the story is.... Never let a good crisis go to waste To be fair I suppose that they'll need to use those profits to rebuild their production/factories after all the damage from the floods and pay the increased insurance. It's a cost that would have been passed onto the consumer at the end of the day regardless.

Halfords actually sell some really nice bikes (Boardman, Voodoo,etc). Even some of their own brand mid-range models for £200-300 are quite good for the money. The problem is that some of the bikes they sell in the £50-150 range are truly shocking! Plus their customer service and bike mechanices can vary wildly from store to store so you never know how well put together you cycle is or whether the staff are knowledgeable. They also refuse to let you take the bikes out on test rides so for that reason alone I'd steer clear of them and buy elsewhere to be honest.

As someone else mentioned warioware smooth moves is entertaining! On sale in amazon for only £1.50 too! Wario Ware: Smooth Moves (Wii): Amazon.co.uk: PC & Video Games

Can't really see it being missed by anyone. It's not like it brought anything new to the party that IE,Chrome or firefox didn't already have.

I've phoned Google Play and logged an RMA call for the screen seperation issue on my Nexus7. Most of the posts on the web suggest that Google will allow you to keep the existing device until they send out a replacement by courier which you can swap over so it shouldn't leave me without my tablet for any length of time thankfully! Sounds like it was just bad luck on my part

It was OK to begin with but mine now seems to be suffering from the problem the one above has with the screen popping up slightly on the longer left-hand side as it's held in portrait mode. It's not quite as bad as the image shown but there's definitely a noticeable creak on occasion when pressing around the problem area. It seems to seat back down if you press firmly down on it and run your finger along the edge but it's popped up again since doing that so it's not looking like a permanent fix. I'm not quite sure if it's bad enough to warrant returning the device but I'll see if it gets any worse over the next week or so. Is anyone else having the same issue with their Nexus7?

Mine arrived tonight and no technical issues with it so far thankfully! It's all working as expected. It's the first android device I've owned so it's been a bit of a learning curve but in general I'm really impressed with it. The build quality/finish of the device is really good (not quite up there with the ipad but much better than similarly price tablets) and the screen is vibrant and crisp too. It's a steal for the money when you consider the price and the specs! I cant quite decide on whether the 7" form factor is the way to go or a step backward? On the one hand it's widescreen form factor is great for watching movies, makes it narrow enough to fit in a jacket pocket (just!) and means you can confortably hold it with one hand which is something that could bever be said of the ipad. However, it does sometimes feel slightly too small/narrow when trying to view webpages (especially in portrait mode) and the on screen keyboard is too narrow to be able to type comfortably on in landscape mode (which is something I found to be quite effective on my ipad). It's tricky for me to pass judgement on Android 4.0 Jelly Bean as I've never used Android before but it seems to be at least on a par with IOS in my opinion. The fact you can simply plug it into your computer to copy across files/etc and don't have to deal with the hell that is itunes is awesome! The interface is now a lot smoother than it used to be but there's still occasionally noticeable lag when loading/scrolling up and down webpages that simply doesn't happen with IOS. It's not really a problem as such but it's disappointing given all the headlines about 'project butter' that they haven't managed to banish the lag completely. Overall all though it's an epic device (especially for the price) and I can't see anyone who buys it being disappointed

I've just had confirmation of dispatch through this afternoon (ordered it via Google play on the 28th of June) so hopefully you shouldn't have too much longer to wait.

Google have just billed me for my Nexus7 so with any luck that means it's en route ! No update on the Google Play website as of yet though?

Sounds like Gove's been stealing my ideas Now Gove wants a league table for pupils - Education News - Education - The Independent

Good review on the verge :- Nexus 7 review | The Verge

Hopefully we'll get the same offer in the uk as that makes for a nice cheap upgrade path. Mind you its about time that Microsoft started making upgrades cheaper as its in their interest to get users running the latest version of their software. When it's £100 to upgrade it puts most users off as its verging on cheaper to buy a new computer than upgrade an existing one. It's even more of a problem if you have several windows computers/laptops in your home as the upgrade cost could run into hundreds of pounds. £30 would make the update a no-brainier as far as I'm concerned though. http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/windows-8-pro-upgrade-cost-40-special-promotion-143592 http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090112213504/uncyclopedia/images/5/5d/Bill_Gates_and_Steve_Ballmer_dance.GIF

Likewise there seem to be plenty where I live but I often wonder just how many of them actually have valid insurance!