Mid summer 2007: La Gironde – an equally bleak outlook for clients of 1855?

6000+ bottles = 300,000 €

 

There are some stories that surprise you by how they develop. Stories that initially appear relatively innocuous but take on a dimension that you never expected.

Read the rest here. 

Camara Municipal de Sintra (Sintra Town Hall): above and below

Last Thursday we took the train up to Sintra from Rossio Station in Lisbon. Then strolled along from the station to the centre of the small town. 

Palácio Nacional de Sintra

Buildings in Sintra

Looking from the centre of town back towards the town hall

Then it was back to Sintra Station to get a taxi to take us to Praia Adrega. Curiously the taxis in the centre of the town are apparently only allowed to circulate in the town.

The beach at Praia Adraga was virtually deserted with the customary, creamy Atlantic rollers to watch. Once again the small stream that follows into the sea at Adraga had changed course over the beach during the winter. Either the stream or winter high tides (or a combination of the two) has destroyed the small wooden broadwalk that runs from the car park across the stream to the beach. 

Praia Adraga

We had time to sit for half an hour on the beach before heading for a latish lunch (2pm) at the Restaurant Praia Adraga. One of the good things about Portugal is the relatively flexible eating times. In many parts of France the chances of being able to sit down to lunch at 2pm are decidedly slim. Indeed it can be tricky from 1.30pm.   

Ameijoas à Bulhão Pato

We had a table by the window overlooking the ocean. Lunch as ever here was excellent – a dish of ameijoas à Bulhão Pato (clams cooked in olive oil with garlic, chilli and coriander) to share between the four of us. This was followed by simply grilled seabass and turbot – again shared. We drank a very good bottle of 2009 Alvarinho, Vinho Verde, Muros Antigos.

Sea bass (in foreground); turbot (behind)

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The RoboMara or robot marathon has just come to a close in Osaka Japan, with a pair of bipedal bots battling it out in surprisingly close dash to the finish. After 422 laps of a 100-meter track, two robots found themselves only inches apart as coming out of the final turn.

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The Vstone team took first place, with an autonomous robot very literally walking a thin red line to victory thanks to a head-mounted camera, finishing with time of 54 hours, 57 minutes, 50.26 seconds. Seeing as how this is the very first robot marathon, I guess that makes it a world record time too. In second place not two seconds behind was the Robot Center team, with a remote-controlled model clocking in at 54 hours, 57 minutes, 51.99 seconds.

Both robots were good sports however, as they posed for the media just past the finish line and struck sexy poses in front of a flurry of flash bulbs.

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The event organizers have yet to upload footage of the finish, but we'll be sure to update you when it's online. Update: Thanks to Angelica in the comments for providing a clip of the finish. For now, check out this clip from the start of the race a couple of days ago. It's pretty much indicative of how the whole thing played out.

Now that robots have successfully run a marathon, we can't help but wonder what might be next for these miniature mechanical wonders. Hurdles perhaps? Maybe an ironman competition? Better start water-proofing!

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The flood of tablet computer releases seen at CES 2011 looks set to continue at this year's CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany with Taiwan's MiTAC first off the starting line with four new tablets heading for the show. Hoping to capitalize on the success of last year's award-winning Valinor media tablet, the company has announced a couple of media tablets, a rugged model and one featuring two GPS receivers.

While it's doubtful that the two Valar media tablets about to get a showing in Germany will have quite the same impact on the world as their Ainur namesakes, you will at least be able to watch movies like the Lord of the Rings trilogy in full 1080p high definition on the displays themselves or on a big screen TV via HDMI-out.

They benefit from a 1GHz Cortex processor, Android 2.3 with MiTAC overlay, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel webcam and a 5-megapixel camera with flash at the rear. The Valar 7, as you might expect, features a 7-inch touchscreen display while the Valar 10 has a 10-inch high definition widescreen display. Both units come with built-in GPS, with support for location-based services such as Google Maps or turn-by-turn navigation.

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Continuing the Tolkien theme, the Ulmo is the tough member of the new quartet, being IPX7 waterproof and drop resistant. Its 7-inch touchscreen display is also capable of full 1080p high definition playback and there's also HDMI connectivity and stereo speakers.

Naming inspiration takes a Greek holiday for the Zeus 6-inch tablet, which has dual GPS receivers to help ensure a strong GPS signal whichever way the device is held.

Although there is specific mention of an operating system for the Valar series, what's running the Zeus and Ulmo has not yet to be confirmed, but the product images provided by MiTAC suggest Android too.

The new tablets will be on show at the MiTAC booth between March 1 and 5 at CeBIT 2011 in Hanover, Germany. As soon as we get word on pricing and availability, we'll let you know.

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Recently, devices like LG's Tegra 2-powered Optimus 2X have blurred the lines between smartphone and mini-computer but they're still geared towards the former. The Magic W3's primary function is as a handheld computer that also happens to have telephone functionality. What's the difference? The Atom-powered W3 runs on a full version of Windows 7 Home Premium for multi-tasking productivity and includes 32GB of onboard solid state storage.

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In addition to the Windows 7 OS, the Magic W3 microcomputer runs a Magic Telephony Touch User Interface to cater for user voice and texting needs over a suitable quad-band GSM network. An Intel Atom Z530 processor running at 1.6 GHz provides the computing power, with support from 1GB DDR2 RAM. The 4.8-inch touchscreen display is capable of 720p high definition playback and there's a 1.3 megapixel webcam for video conferencing or web chat.

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The device also benefits from 3G, Bluetooth and 802.11b/g wireless connectivity, and in addition to the obligatory SIM card slot also sports mini-HDMI, mini-USB and microSD. Completing the specs checklist is built-in GPS, accelerometer, dual microphones, stereo speakers and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Having a full version of Windows running on a handheld device may have been enough of an attraction just a few short years ago to make the Magic W3 a huge success, but it's questionable that it will be able to compete with the many more advanced mobile offerings either already or soon to be available. That said though, there's nothing wrong with having another choice for mobile computing.

At the time of writing, there's no word on pricing or availability.

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The wonders of the human mind never ceases to amaze me, and this time around we have a bunch of boffins over at Harvard University and MIT working together to create what could potentially have positive effects in the fight against cancer worldwide – using just $200 worth of parts to develop a scanner gizmo which is capable of detecting cancer in just an hour.

This will be a handheld device, where it will use “antibodies and magnetic particles to seek out and flag cancer in cells, which are extracted with a needle, rather than large amounts of surgically removed tissue.” All diagnostic results can be processed on a smartphone via an app (hopefully the app will be free), and you can check out your results in an hour without having to wait for a week as the biopsy takes place. That kind of wait can be pretty tough, especially for those who have a weak mental fortitude.

Current biopsy tests are around 84% accurate, but this invention is touted to deliver accuracy levels of up to 96%, now, this is definitely a real boost that will have you sleeping batter at night with proper diagnosis before you take a more exact step after that. No idea on whether this will enter production or not, but we sure as heck hope it does!

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One glance at the directly translated CAMJ Tiny DSLR will leave you wondering just how far technology has come, although it is safe to say that this is no purebred DSLR but rather, called so only for kicks. After all, its form factor, albeit scaled down tremendously, does resemble that of a DSLR, but once you take a look at itsspecifications can capability, you can more or less think of this as a joke gizmo.

Despite its size, it can still shoot a good 2 megapixel picture at SVGA resolution, record video at 30 fps whilemaking sure every one of those digital memories are forever stored on a microSD memory card which is all too common these days. Capable of supporting up to a 32GB microSDHC memory card, you can be sure that running out of space is something that will not happen at all throughout the CAMJ Tiny DSLR’s lifespan.

It can be juiced via an equally tiny portable external charger which relies on AA batteries as the powersource, although there is the option of using a USB port as well. Each $97 purchase will be accompanied by a one year guarantee, although we don’t think that guarantees it against any loss due to its size.

Sunrise@Le Quai Mayaud, Saumur

I'm very grateful to Cathy Shaw and Nigel Henton for news of Le Patio, another recommended B&B in Saumur.

From their report:

'We stayed at this B & B in Saumur on Thursday night. Located on the river front just next to the Hotel Anne d'Anjou, this B & B is a delightful find.

Read the rest here.

Marie & Romain Legrand

Le Patio Saumur

31 Quai Mayaud

Saumur

02 41 51 20 22

06 09 94 84 55

contact@lepatiosaumur.com
www.lepatiosaumur.fr

Château Beychevelle: 2005s and 2007s outstanding

The extraordinary tally of Bordeaux en primeurs not delivered by 1855 to its clients continues to mount and becomes ever more jaw-dropping. Nearly 6000 bottles remain to be delivered for a value of close on 300,000€.

As of today, the tally of wines known to have been ordered, paid for but not delivered has reached 5930 bottles (494 cases) for an estimated value 295,923€. The value is the cost to buy calculated by taking the cheapest price credible price from UK merchants on wine-searcher. The figures do not include excise duty and sales tax.

Vintage breakdown

2002           1 bottle             39.93€

2003       118 bottles     10,330.77€

2004       353 bottles     10,808.35€

2005     3734 bottles    170,372.96€ (+ 4 bottles Flor de Pingus 275€)

2006     1131 bottles      49,341.05€

2007       589 bottles      54,755.08€

Although it is clear that 1855 (1855.com) got into big problems with the 2005 en primeurs, these figures show that the difficulties had already started with the 2003 and 2004 vintages. Fabien Hyon's (COO of 1855) explanation that the failure by 1855 to deliver the ordered en primeurs is down to the economic crisis of 2008 looks increasingly unlikely. 

Hyon said that only 5% of the en primeurs ordered had yet to be delivered. Not knowing the total value of the en primeur orders placed for the vintages 2002-2007, it is impossible to know whether Hyon's figure is correct. However, 1855's total turnover is around 10 million euros and en primeur is only part of their business, so 5% may be an underestimate.  

Do 1855 have the resources to supply both the undelivered en primeurs from 2002-2007 as well as the 2008s, whiuch are due in June? 

1855 is a member of Fevad (la Fédération des entreprises de vente à distance).

From 1855's press release of 31st January 2011 announcing that they had become a member of La Fevad

'La Fevad accorde depuis toujours la plus grande importance à la promotion de règles fondées sur des valeurs de transparence et de respect du consommateur. Ces règles garantissent l`éthique de la profession et permettent de renforcer la confiance des consommateurs, dans l`intérêt de l`ensemble de la profession.'

'Toute entreprise membre de la Fevad s`engage à respecter les principes généraux et les règles prévus par les codes et chartes de la Fevad, tant dans l`esprit que dans la lettre.

"Le fait pour 1855 d`être devenu membre à part entière de la Fevad et signataire de ses codes et chartes est une nouvelle illustration de notre engagement à bâtir une qualité de service de référence » selon Fabien Hyon, Directeur général de 1855."

Contact Presse
Lucie Delaruelle
Responsable Communication, 1855
Tél. : +33 (0) 1 42 61 06 55 - Email : ldelaruelle@1855.com

   

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Want a surefire way to annoy your neighbors to no end? Then you can fork out £99.99 for the KitSound Boomdock, and make a nuisance of yourself in the neighborhood. This 2.1 audio system boasts of a top loading tray, forward firing satellite drivers as well as a down firing 5.25” subwoofer that is full well capable of delivering a sonic punch which punches above its weight class whenever you hear of it.

The KitSound Boomdock will also deliver serious audio clarity, offering an integrated FM/AM radio just in case you’re already bored with your current digital music collection. Of course, with a built-in alarm clock, you need not worry about getting another of those cheap plastic Made in China models that crack with just a drop to the floor.

At the back of the KitSound comes a pair of phono inputs for you to connect other devices, ranging from your Wii to your TV. Get this and blast it to your heart’s content if you’re living alone with the nearest neighbor being miles away

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If the 7-inch display on HTC's Flyer is not quite big enough, but Samsung's 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab is just a little too big, then LG's Optimus Pad could just fit the bill. Said to offer more comfortable one-handed portability, the Tegra 2-powered tablet with stereoscopic cameras is about to make its public debut in Japan.

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The Optimus Pad from LG (otherwise known as the G-Slate) benefits from an 8.9-inch, 1280 x 768 resolution, 15:9 aspect touchscreen display capable of full 1080p HD playback. There's a high definition webcam to the front and a pair of 5 megapixel cameras facing rear, the latter being able to shoot stereoscopic 3D images and video – although users will need to connect the device to a 3DTV via HDMI or to the web via YouTube 3D to share the results.

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Processing power is provided by NVIDIA's Tegra 2 dual-core processor running at 1GHz, and there's 32GB of internal storage. In addition to 802.11b/g/n and 3G connectivity, the tablet is also compatible with UTMS Tri (900/AWS/2100)/GSM Tri (850/1800/1900) networks.

The Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) operating system has received some special customization for the Japanese market and will come pre-loaded with apps like the BeeTV entertainment portal and the 2Dfacto ebook and comic app.

Offered in partnership with mobile operator NTT DOCOMO, the LG Optimus Tab will be up for pre-order on March 15 in Japan

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Apple's new MacBook Pro line-up might be grabbing all the headlines with its new Thunderbolt port, but the claimed battery life pales into insignificance when compared to that offered by HP. When running on the company's new Ultra-Capacity Notebook battery, the HP EliteBook 8460p is said to be capable of running for up to 32 hours between charges. It's one of a number of business notebook releases announced by HP, so let's take a closer look...

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The HP EliteBook 8460p is available in 3-, 6- or 9-cell battery options, but is also compatible with new HP Extended Life Notebook Battery and HP Ultra-Capacity Notebook Battery. It's with the latter installed that HP claims an industry-leading battery life of a quite extraordinary 32 hours.

Power for this marathon performer comes courtesy of second generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processors and Core i7, i5 and i3 dual-core processors supported by up to 16GB of DDR3 memory. There's a 14-inch, 1366 x 768 or 1600 x 900 resolution LED-backlit display with a choice of integrated Intel HD or discrete AMDRadeon HD 6470M discrete graphics. The notebook also supports up to four concurrent displays with AMD Eyefinity Technology.

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The 8460p is available in various HDD or SSD storage configurations, and there's USB 3.0 connectivity, a USB 2.0 charging port (which allows users to use the notebook as a power source for attached devices) and an eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port. 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR and the soon to be available HP un2430 EV-DO/HSPA Mobile Broadband as an optional addition take care of the wireless options, with Gigabit Ethernet also being on offer.

HP has also unveiled another member of the p-series business notebooks - the 8560p - which shares much of the same feature set as its cousin but sports a 15.6-inch, 1366 x 768 or 1600 x 900 resolution LED-backlit display.

They're both also rugged mobile business solutions, their DuraCase housing, aluminum-alloy hinges, cast titanium-alloy display latches and HP DisplaySafe frame being tough enough to meet MIL-STD 810G drop, vibration, dust, humidity, altitude, and high temperature military-standard testing specifications.

Bring on the ProBooks

All of the new HP ProBook b-series additions have LED-backlit displays, benefit from a smudge-resistant design and a magnesium-reinforced ABS chassis with a bottom-case drain that helps protect against accidental minor spills on the keyboard. Processing power options take the form of second-generation Intel Core i7, i5 and i3 dual-core processors or an Intel Celeron processor and there's up to 16GB DDR3 RAM to back them up.

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Storage of up to 500GB HDD or 160GB SSD is available and wired connectivity includes Gigabit Ethernet, three USB 2.0 ports and one eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port. Ditching the wires is made possible with 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR and optional HP un2430 EV-DO/HSPA Mobile Broadband when it's available.

The HP ProBook 6360b has a 13.3-inch, 1366 x 768 resolution display and comes with integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000.

In the middle is the 14-inch, 1366 x 768 or 1600 x 900 resolution display 6460b, with integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000/discrete AMD Radeon HD 6470M graphics with 512MB onboard video memory.

The last of the new ProBooks is the 6560b, with a 15.6-inch, 1366 x 768 or 1600 x 900 resolution display and integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000/discrete AMD Radeon HD 6470M graphics. This model also gets an extra USB 2.0 port, making four in total.

Wait, there are more ProBooks incoming

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There are five models to choose from in the ProBook s-series, ranging in screen sizes from 12.1- to 17.3-inches and coming with a choice of second-generation Intel Core i7, i5 and i3 processors or an Intel Celeron processor. Up to 8GB DDR3 memory is available, 5400RPM hard disk storage up to 640GB or 750GB at 7200RPM and integrated Intel HD 3000/AMD Radeon HD 6740M discrete graphics.

The 4230s, 4330s, 4430s, 4530s and 4730s notebooks also benefit from a spill-resistant keyboard, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, Wireless-N options and HP un2430 EV-DO/HSPA Mobile Broadband as an additional option when available. There's a 6-in1 media card and fingerprint reader and HDMI-out.

All of the new releases from HP benefit from high definition SRS premium sound - which optimizes audio settings depending on the application being used - and stereo speakers. There's also the option to add an HD webcam with dual array microphones and they all come with Windows and Linux configuration support.

Penciled in for March availability, the HP EliteBook 8460p and 8560p start at US$999 and US$1,099, respectively. The HP ProBook b-series starts at US$799 and the HP ProBook s-series starts at US$579