Well, we’ve released some audio just for those getting into the festive spirit, and it’s all thanks to CoolArif79 who tweeted thus: “Can you for show 69 and 70 concentrate on gadgets coming out for Christmas?”

We don’t claim to have any insight on what are going to be the top gadgets for Christmas 2011, but we can help with a few ideas of things to add to your list. Carl and Pete recorded a special Update looking at favourite gadgets of the last six months, and then went out-and-about to see what stocking-fillers they could find at a major shopping centre in England.

The audio update lasts 20 minutes, and features a special guest. As blokes don’t do shopping, we were assisted by the lovely Kelly, who kept Carl and Pete under control, and also kept an eye out for a few gifts for the tech-savvy ladies out there.

We looked at a few high-end must have gadgets, some novelty items, and even a few high-tech kids toys… the aim was to suggest a range of gift ideas that you may not have previously considered – and on our show notes, we include a few links and photos to get your creative juices flowing!

We hope you enjoy this rather unorthodox FrequencyCast update. As you’ll hear, we had quite a laugh putting this together, and hopefully will give you a few ideas on what to look out for as gifts for the upcoming festive period.

Our Audio Special

The show has just been released to iTunes, and is also attached to this news post as an mp3 file. The audio will soon appear on our streaming radio service, and can also be downloaded from our FrequencyCast Update page.

Show Notes and Links

You’ll find the show notes, links and pictures here: www.frequencycast.co.uk/gadgets.html

We’ve also released a transcript, complete with pictures, at www.frequencycast.co.uk/festivegadgets.html

Marmite Chocolate?

So, why have we chosen a picture of Marmite chocolate to illustrate this audio update? Well, you’ll have to take a listen! We challenge our listeners to try this stuff for themselves – your life may never be the same again…!

Comments please!

We’ve love to know what you think of our little Christmas Special. Please add your comments below.

Remember, without your feedback, there’s no show, so please have your say on what you’ve heard, and what gadgets you want for Christmas…

Fancy a cheap and collectible souvenir of April’s Royal Wedding? Well, here it is. A Limited Edition Wills and Kate Mobile Phone.

In patriotic Red White and Blue, with a picture of the happy couple as a screensaver, this exclusive handset will only cost you a quid, and in a few years, could well go for quite a bit more on eBay.

The phone is made by Alcatel, and for its price (£1), has a few handy features, such as a torch and an FM radio.

For the sheer heck of it, Alcatel has also pre-loaded the phone with a “God Save The Queen” ringtone, to make calls on Royal Wedding Day just that bit more topical and regal.

About the phone

According to the blurb provided to us, this is a one-of-a-kind collector’s item and comes in a commemorative box. On the back of the phone, there’s an inscription of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s initials joined together, as well as the date of the historic wedding. The phone also has a calculator, organiser, FM radio and alarm clock (We wonder if it has “Here comes the bride” as the wake-up tone?)

The Special Edition Royal Wedding Phone is available online exclusively at Carphone Warehouse, for a very limited time only.

Price – £1 for the phone. You have to top up with £10. Delivery is free. You can get it on Orange and Virgin.

If you fancy a collectible, get the souvenir Royal Wedding Phone quickly (before it’s too late) from the following link: Royal Wedding Phone at Carphone Warehouse

At the moment, Amazon’s doing a great deal on the wi-fi only version of the 7″ Galaxy Tab – Just £299 at Amazon.co.uk

We appreciate that all the talk at the moment is of the iPad 2, but as we covered in our Tablets roundup in Show 60, the Galaxy Tab is a top performer, and well worth consideration.

There are new Galaxy Tab devices in the offing, which is probably something to do with the sudden price drop, but for those looking for a decent high-spec tablet, the Amazon deal (with free postage) is brill.

More:  Samsung Galaxy Tab at Amazon

Today, the 25th of March 2011, marks the launch of the first handheld 3D console – and one that doesn’t need glasses to get an impressive 3D experience. Equipped with stereo audio, a 3D camera, wi-fi and some built-in games, this is a very impressive pocket console.

We’re working on a full hands-on review for our next podcast, and we’d love to get your questions. What do you want to know? What would you like us to try? Fire away with your questions and we’ll try to include your comments in our 3DS special.

If you’re looking to buy a Nintendo 3DS, then online is your best bet – Amazon.co.uk will sell you one for £187 (next day delivery available!

If you want to buy on the high street… it’ll cost you. At GAME, the 3DS will cost you £219 (although it’s £197 on their website! Most other high street stores will do it for £219 too.

TIP: There is one cheaper way to get one on the high street – At the time of writing (25th March), the 3DS is £197 online at Comet – Do a Click and Collect, and you can get it instore for £197 within 30 minutes – A saving of £22 over the likes or Argos, GAME and HMV on the High Street.

If you have a comment or question on the new Nintendo 3DS, we’d love you to leave us a comment!

In this update, the guys talk about the new Apple updates, a look at some BBC radio changes, plus a new appointment to the YouView team.

We also read out some of your feedback and play a couple of recent podline calls.

Pete also brings along some new toys – a disposable digital camera, and a plush red Angry Bird.

Also – details of a top freebie from Maplin – if you’re quick – Free PIR light from Maplin

Our update is now available iTunes: FrequencyCast on iTunes, or you can get it from here: FrequencyCast Updates

Share and Enjoy!

If you’ve been considering getting an external light for your front door, but don’t fancy the hassle of running mains outside your house, then this little freebie could be the answer. It gets power from the sun, and when it detects movement, fires up 15 LEDs for 25 seconds.

To get the free light system, worth £24.99, just spend £35 or more at the online Maplin store between now and the 22nd of March. Here’s how:

• Go to maplin.co.uk and buy stuff to the value of £35 or more
• Add the PIR light to your basket as part of your order – the order code is : N10JF.
• Select from the vouchers drop down menu ‘FREEGIFT £24.99 off item £35′ in the checkout process.

If the free PIR light doesn’t tickle your fancy, here’s some money-off codes valid until 22nd March 2011:

• £1 off any purchase over £10* (voucher code: secret1)
• £3 off any purchase over £30* (voucher code: secret3)
• £5 off any purchase over £65* (voucher code: secret5)
• £10 off any purchase over £130* (voucher code: secret10)
• £15 off any purchase over £200* (voucher code: secret15)
• £25 off any purchase over £300* (voucher code: secret25)

Share and enjoy!

The Nintendo 3DS handheld games console allows you to play games in 3D, without the need for special 3D glasses. It also includes a motion sensor and a gyro sensor for new times of game play, plus a bundle of other nifty features such as a stereo camera, hotspot and 3DS detector, and the rather freaky Face Raiders game.

The 3DS is officially available on Friday the 25th of March 2011, and you can pre-order it now from a number of retailers for around £229

Until the 3rd of March, you can pre-order the 3DS for free delivery for just £197, saving £30. It’s available at this price from Tesco Direct, and you can also earn Tesco Clubcard points. Preorder the Nintendo 3DS from Tesco.

It’s also available for £197 from Amazon.co.uk

Set this up in your garden, then it will send a wireless signal to the base unit indoors, which you can connect to a PC. If you have a website, you can set up a live weather website with data delivered from the sensor in your garden.

Forecasting your own weather is great fun, and with 50% off, now’s the time to get one – but you might want to let the snow subside before you venture out to install it!

You can order the weather station online for half price until 24th December 2010 at Maplin USB Weather Station, whicle stocks last. (You could also be cheeky and try to use the code secret3 at the checkout for £3 off orders over £30!)

The grey version is available too: Maplin USB Weather Station. (Use the code secret5 at the checkout for £5 off orders over £65 before 24 Dec 2010!)

For more, have a listen to Show 48 or see our web review of this product: Weather Station Review.

• £1 off any purchase over £10: secret1
• £3 off on purchase over £30: secret3
• £5 off any purchase over £65: secret5
• £10 off any purchase over £130: secret10
• £15 off any purchase over £200: secret15
• £25 off any purchase over £300: secret25

Also, while stocks last, use code PSGIFT when spending over £40 for a free weather station

Happy Christmas Shopping!

If you’re a BT Vision customer, you can get Sky Sports 1 for £6.99 a month , or £11.99 for both Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2. Given that you can also get ESPN on BT Vision (free with a Value Pack), suddenly BT Vision becomes an attractive option for anyone into their football.

Add to that, Sky’s just announced a £3 a month price increase on their standard TV and Sports package.

With the 2010/11 season due to start in a few weeks, if you’re with Sky, it’s time to look again at whether the huge fee you’re paying to Sky is worth it. Sure, you won’t get Sky Sports in HD, but you will get a lower bill each month and still be able to watch all of the Premier League action.

With BT Vision, you also get access to their on-demand sport, movies and TV, as well as 7-day catchup from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five.

If you want Sky Sports on BT Vision, you can preorder now

If you’re not up to speed on BT, have a listen to our 15 minute hands-on BT Vision review (released yesterday), or got to btvision.bt.com for full details.

We’ve tested a number of Sat Nav apps for the iPhone, and at £4.99, our expectations of the NDrive weren’t high, but it’s a surprisingly impressive sat nav app, and has some nice touches including a handful of 3D buildings, and a built-in Google location search. Postcode search, lane assist, safety cameras and a speed limit alarm are all there, and the heads-up display is surprisingly impressive.

Whilst a sat nav on a phone isn’t as good as a dedicated stand-alone Sat Nav, at a fiver, it’s worth having as a handy backup for those times when you need a handy voice-driven turn-by-turn navigation solution.

NDrive UK is available for £4.99 – NDrive on iTunes.

Give it a go…

We’ve now had a chance to give this impressive technology a try. If you’ve ever lost, or being worried about losing, one of your precious bits of tech, then you need to consider EnigmaTAG.

Essentially, you apply a dot of the magic liquid, and that item is marked with a unique code that can be read under UV light by the police. The micro-particles contain a code that’s linked to the UK Immobilise database, so if your lost or stolen device is recovered, the police can reunite your kit.

To see how this works, and to find out more, see our full review of EnigmaTAG.

Want £5 off? FrequencyCast listeners can use the following code at the checkout: EGSL15 for a limited time if you order online at www.enigmatag.com

In May last year, the Carphone Warehouse announced the acquisition of troubled Tiscali, and the user migration happens this week. However, some users may find that they’re in for a shock. Customers on a broadband-only tariff with Tiscali, may find that unless they’re prepared to sign up to TalkTalk’s phone service, their monthly bill will go from £14.99 a month to £19.99 a month.

Luckily, there are some better deals out there, and switching broadband providers is now pretty easy.

Vak=lue provider Plusnet is offering three months of free broadband to Tiscali customers who switch to their service before the 31st of January 2010. No connection charge and you get a free wifi router. To take advantage of this offer, go to the Plusnet Offers Page and when you get to the payment screen, use the special promotion code tiscalisave.

Alternatively, there’s BE Broadband’s basic service for £7.50 a month. Full details on Be Broadband‘s site.

Got any thoughts on the takeover? Happy to switch to TalkTalk, or are you looking for alternatives? Add a comment here and we may read it out in the next show.

Apple’s currently running a 12 Days of Christmas giveaway, with a different freebie available on iTunes each day until the 6th of January. Today’s giveaway is a free downloadable copy of Lesbian Vampire Killers, the British vampire comedy film. Those who’ve seen the film either love it or hate it, but if you’re reading this post on the 31st of December 2009, get the film for free and make your own judgement.

To get the film, and for more on the 12 days of Christmas, go to www.itunes12daysofchristmas.co.uk

While you’re on iTunes – Don’t forget to give our humble TV and Tech podcast a listen: FrequencyCast on iTunes.

Secret Santa is the tradition of swapping gifts anonymously amongst groups of friends or workmates. Those guys and gals at Firebox.com are attempting to get into the Guiness Book of records by creating the largest Secret Santa. Here’s how it works:

Go to the special Global Secret Santa site, pick a gadget gift from the section on offer, and write a quick message. Firebox will send your gift to a random person somewhere in the world, and you’ll get a mystery gadget from someone else in return. It’s a bit of fun, and you’ll get a gadget for your trouble.

All of the team at FrequencyCast HQ have joined in – so some lucky tech lovers out there will find a gift and a message from FrequencyCast.

Join in too, and share the gadget love at globalsecretsanta.com