TomTom launches limited edition Top Gear satnav featuring The Stig and Clarkson

TomTom has launched  the TomTom GO LIVE Top Gear edition, bringing fans a combination of a Stig mode, Jeremy Clarkson's directions and unique Top Gear selected points of interest including race track and raceway locations related to the series.

Featuring TomTom's congestion-busting HD Traffic technology, the new satnav will steer drivers through traffic jams and is packed with Top Gear features including start-up and shut-down screens and car icons. Drivers can choose to have The Stig mode, which renders the device instantly silent, or select Jeremy Clarkson's voice to guide them.

“For Top Gear fans, this limited edition satnav is the ultimate driving companion. Featuring The Stig, Clarkson and TomTom HD Traffic, the GO LIVE Top Gear edition is perfect for drivers who love the open road,” said Corinne Vigreux, Managing Director at TomTom.

At £179.99, the TomTom GO LIVE Top Gear edition includes one year of TomTom's LIVE Services for free. The flagship service is TomTom HD Traffic, which delivers dynamic routing and accurate traffic information every two minutes. HD Traffic gives drivers detailed incident reports, length of delays and reason for them, accurate travel and arrival times and alternative route proposals.

The LIVE Services bundle also includes the Speed Cameras service, providing mobile and fixed speed camera alerts, while TomTom Places local search helps to pinpoint shops and businesses in the area. QuickGPSfix gets you navigating in seconds and TomTom Weather gives local and five-day forecasts.

Available from today in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US, this special edition also features richer, more detailed maps, hands-free calling (via Bluetooth®) plus voice command and control for entering addresses and more.

Available exclusively at Halfords in the UK, more information on the TomTom GO LIVE Top Gear edition at http://www.tomtom.com/topgear

The Tanooki Power-Up Returns For Super Mario’s Latest Adventures on Nintendo 3DS

The Super Leaf returns in SUPER MARIO 3D LAND and, for the first time, in Mario Kart 7 exclusive to Nintendo 3DS.

Mario is back and ready to take over your Nintendo 3DS™ this Christmas. Mario stars in not one but two exciting new Nintendo 3DS games when SUPER MARIO 3D LAND™ and Mario Kart™ 7 launch across Europe on 18th November and 2nd December respectively. Both games are exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS and both feature classic Mario action including a return of the classic Tanooki power-up.

SUPER MARIO 3D LAND, features a unique mix of classic and brand new Mario gameplay. Princess Peach is in trouble once again; Bowser has kidnapped her and there is only one man who can save the day.

SUPER MARIO 3D LAND mixes traditional elements of side-scrolling Mario titles like Super Mario Bros.™ 3 (NES™) and New Super Mario Bros.™ (DS), with newer 3D platforming action as seen in 3D Mario titles such as Super Mario Galaxy™ (Wii™). SUPER MARIO 3D LAND offers game play that every Mario player can easily get into as well as challenges for the biggest Mario experts. Can you make it to the Goal Pole in one piece?

Get ready to master a mixture of new and classic abilities on your quest through the Mushroom Kingdom, as the fan-favourite Tanooki Suit returns in SUPER MARIO 3D LAND. By getting a brown Super Leaf, Mario slips into his cute and furry Tanooki Suit giving him the ability to glide in mid air as well as perform a tail attack. You will also have fun mastering the many other abilities from the Propeller Box which makes Mario fly high in the air and the Fire Flower that allows Mario to throw fireballs at enemies.

Look out for special binoculars placed in certain stages and use them to shift perspective to first person, controlled by motion control, you can scout ahead in stages to spot enemies, obstacles and hidden options.

Mario Kart 7 is the latest instalment in the fan-favourite Mario Kart franchise and brings exciting 3D kart action to the palm of your hand. Drivers can explore all new competitive kart possibilities, on big jumps your kart will deploy a Glider to let you fly over the track, or speed over sea floor as you race underwater. Mastering these abilities will allow you to find shortcuts and beat your opponents to the finish line.

Classic items return and some new power-ups appear for the first time in Mario Kart 7. Fans of the Tanooki power-up will be glad to hear that the Super Leaf makes an appearance in this latest instalment giving you both offensive and defensive abilities. Use your Tanooki tail to both protect you from incoming shells and to whip opponents off the track.

Show off your style by customising your vehicle to give you a competitive advantage on the track. For example, some tyres will help you to drive off-road when the course gets rough while other tyres help you on the smoother city circuits.

All the classic Mushroom Kingdom characters return along with some new characters like Metal Mario and Lakitu, but if you would like to jump into the fun, then why not race as your Mii™ character? Challenge your friends in local wireless matches or online over a wireless internet connection while you try to master the new courses.

Share Ghost Data with people you encounter via StreetPass™ and register those you meet to challenge them online. You can also download Ghost Data from across the world via SpotPass™ to test your global karting skills.

There is a course suited to every driving style, from wild rides over a mountain road to city streets and dusty deserts. Fans might recognise new courses on Wuhu Island and in the jungles from Donkey Kong™ Country Returns.

SUPER MARIO 3D LAND and Mario Kart 7 will be available exclusively for Nintendo 3DS across Europe from 18th November and 2nd December respectively.

For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.co.uk.


(EDITOR: An ideal Christmas present for the gamer in your life!)

Lytess can help in more ways than you'd think

It’s that time of year again. The stores are filling up with Christmas gifts and party invitations are arriving on a daily basis. But all you can think about is losing a few pounds to get back in to your favourite dress! Don’t panic, with Lytess you can trim down in just 18 days.

Lytess is clinically proven to reduce hips and thigh measurements and all you have to do is wear one of three versatile products. Woven into the fibre of the clothes is a unique formula, containing active ingredients caffeine and Shea butter. This is known as ‘cosmeto-textiles.’

By repeatedly wearing the products for 8 hours a day over 18 consecutive days, the caffeine in the garment fibres is released every day, stimulating the breakdown of fat. The Shea Butter nourishes, moisturises and softens the skin leaving it feeling silky smooth. So you can even wait until the
beginning of December and still trim down on time for Christmas.

The range includes a full length legging, a Capri length legging and a short. The garments are versatile and can be worn during the day either under your clothes or as part of your outfit and can even be worn in bed so you can lose centimetres as your sleep.

The Lytess Slimming range is clinically proven to substantially reduce the hips, thighs and moisturise the skin in 18 days. 77% of 20 trial subjects experienced significant centimetre loss up to 3.1cm on the thighs and 54.5% experienced loss of up to 5.1cm on the hips.

This Christmas wow all your friends when you walk into your office party and share your secret to slimming success – Lytess!

(EDITOR: My wife trialled the Lytess leggings and reported that she was: "Very, very pleased to be wearing them." She added: “I do not know if this was supposed to happen, but I suffer from rheumatism and often have a painful, swollen knee. Within a very short while of putting on the Lytess leggings, I noticed that the pain in my knee had lessened considerably and that the swelling in my knee had virtually disappeared! Thanks, Lytess! These leggings are wonderful! And they are very stylish, too!”)

Buy the cook in your life a set of Salter Colourweigh Scales this Christmas!

It seems that cookery programmes are becoming still more popular, so what better present for the dedicated amateur chef in your life than a set of Salter Colourweigh Scales this Chirstmas?

Colourweigh Kitchen Scale (£20)

In funky Lime and striking Raspberry, these ultra-slim and easy to store Salter Colourweigh Kitchen Scales pack a lot of efficient features into its slinky frame.

Key features include:

Ultra slim design for easy storage.

Easy-clean stainless steel platform – you can weigh directly on the platform and clean afterwards or with your own bowl. Suitable for use with most bowls or containers.

Add and weigh ‘zero’ function – for measuring multiple ingredients in the same bowl. You can just re-set the scale to zero whenever you add a new ingredient.

Easy to read LCD display.

Aquatronic™ function for measuring liquids.

Choice of metric or imperial measures – switch easily between ounces and grams, millilitres and fluid ounces.

A weight maximum of 5kg/11lbs/5l/175 fl oz.

Available in Lime and Raspberry.

The Colour Weigh Kitchen Scale RRP: £20 and available at Independent Cookshops, Steamer Trading, Department Stores and www.salterhousewares.com.

And do not forget the NEW Salter Induction Hob RRP £69.99

 The new Salter Induction Hob gives you precise control making it perfect for all types of cooking.  It gives you six pre-programmed settings which range from simmer through to boil reaching a maximum of 280° and a clear, easy to read digital display with touch controls. 

The Microcrystal glass top gives a premium high quality finish that is very easy to clean and the smooth edge design means no dirt traps. As heat is only generated in the base of the pan itself, the cooking surface remains cool in operation making this a very safe appliance to use. As soon as the pan is removed, the flow of heat stops immediately.  A child proof lock is also added for peace of mind.  

Ragdale Hall's Christmas Gift Guide

With Christmas fast approaching, it's time to start thinking about present buying, if you haven't already! With a wide range of gifts for everyone from girlfriends to husbands to mothers, Ragdale Hall are here to do what they do so very well, take the stress out of your Christmas shopping.

Most of the gifts listed in their Christmas Gift Guide are available to purchase from their online shop and so are a mere  few clicks away.

Sirana Gligora Paški Sir Cheese is an exceptionally fine tasting hard cheese from Croatia

It is a sheep's milk cheese and it is a very hard cheese with an absolutely genuinely mouthwatering flavour that could make a Christmas Angel weep for joy!

It is like the cheeses one recalls from a halcyon childhood of long ago, when cheeses had real, distinct flavours and you knew that the milk came from herds that were contented and well-looked after, and you also knew that the cheese was made by people who were proud of their heritage as artisan cheese makers and very careful about their craft produced specialist cheeses, who wanted their cheese to be enjoyed by true lovers of good cheeses.

For those of us who believed, as I have to admit that I did, that such things as cheeses with real tastes could only be found in memories of how we used to live long ago, Paški Sir Cheese has made me realise such real cheeses are still being made today.
It has been famous for many, many years in Croatia and to a handful of real cheese connoisseurs throughout the rest of Europe. Sirana Gligora Paški Sir Cheese is beginning to receive the International recognition that it truly and richly deserves!

As spokesman Simon Kerr said: "Indeed there was an awful lot of excitement during the final as we more than exceeded our expectations with our success!"
(Pictured is Ivan Gligora)

It is a must for any discerning cheeseboard.

You can buy Sirana Gligora Paški Sir Cheese at the following establishments

The Cheese Hamlet, Manchester

http://www.cheesehamlet.com/

Yellow Wedge Cheese, Twickenham

http://www.yellowwedge.com/

The Cheese Society, Lincoln

http://www.thecheesesociety.co.uk/

The International Cheese Centre, London

http://www.cheesecentres.co.uk/

Sawers Deli, Belfast

http://www.sawersbelfast.com/

The Lairds Larder, Carlisle

http://www.thelairdslarder.co.uk/

For more information you can visit the following sites:-

http://www.sirena.hr/en/dairy-gligora-s1.htm

and Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/paskisir?ref=ts

and Twitter too

http://twitter.com/#!/PaskiSir

Festive cheer from Guylian this Christmas

Christmas is all about enjoying time with family and friends. What better way to do this than with a box of Guylian chocolates? The world’s favourite Belgian chocolatier has something for everyone, and is certain to keep all the family happy. Available from all high street retailers, Guylian is a perfect accompaniment to your shopping basket this Christmas.

Guylian Praline Seashells
Only the finest hand selected Mediterranean hazelnuts are     roasted, caramelised and added to premium Belgian      chocolate to make this delicious and iconic box of Guylian chocolates. Available in a variety of sizes from most major high street retailers, it’s easy to pick up a box at the last minute and you will struggle to find anyone who is not delighted with a box of Seashells. Guylian Seashells are also available as a stocking filler (65g) and new for 2011 is the Guylian  Seahorse impulse pack (46g) from £1.

Luxury Belgian Collection

This luxurious gift box is a refined combination of Guylian Seahorses, Original Praliné, Opus Belgian Pralines and La Perlina Milk Truffle chocolates. Wrapped in a luxurious golden foil this elegant box with its dark brown chocolate ribbon makes it the perfect gift. The selection is available in a luxurious gift box ranging in size from 258g to 717g. RSP dependant on pack size.

Guylian Opus

Named after internationally renowned operas like Aida and Romeo and Juliet, Guylian’s Opus selection will surprise you with their different centres. Opus are also available in a beautifully gift wrapped double layered continental ballotin box with a luxurious ribbon, making it the prefect ready-made gift-to-go. RSP from £2.49 to £6.49.

La Trufflina

This visually stunning combination of premium dark, milk and white chocolate Belgian truffles; La Trufflina is hard to beat when looking for a gift this Christmas. La Trufflina is also available in a gift wrapped option for a luxurious last minute gift. RSP from £2.49 to £6.49.

La Perlina

Made from 74% dark or milk chocolate and filled with a velvety smooth milk truffle centre, Guylian’s 132g La Perlina box provides an intense chocolate sensation, guaranteed to appease chocolate lovers this Christmas. Available in a choice of milk or dark truffles. RSP £3.99.