House prices fell again in January, Nationwide says February 1, 2012 HOUSE prices declined in January and barely registered any growth over the last year, according to figures out yesterday from Nationwide. Prices fell 0.2 per cent last month, repeating December’s fall and taking the 12-month growth rate down from one per cent to 0.6 per cent. Average prices now stand at £162,228, from £161,211 in [...]
The thinking man’s games February 1, 2012 Last year saw a host of games that pushed the boundaries of what the genre can achieve. New techniques give almost cinematic animation quality and video game acting is no-longer the refuge of Z-list talent. Titles like LA Noire and Skyrim were vast in their scope and brilliant in their execution, proving that games are [...]
THREE OF THE BEST February 1, 2012 SUPERBROTHERS: SWORD AND SWORCERRY Sword and Sworcery (sic) is a point and click with a difference. This ever-so-clever Canadian game is part homage to point-and-clicks of yesteryear, part musical social experiment. Most of the puzzles are sound-based, with the player having to respond to the beautifully crafted soundtrack. The game will often prompt you to [...]
BlackBerry tops handset sales… sort of February 1, 2012 So, the biggest selling phone of last year was the… BlackBerry. It’s been a mixed year for… Wait… What? BlackBerry? Seriously? After a year that has seen global blackouts and gigantic writedowns – culminating in its co-chief executives stepping down last month – RIM has come out with a tub-thumping statement claiming to be the [...]
House prices fall February 1, 2012 House prices fell by 0.2 per cent in January compared with the previous month, according to the Nationwide. The building society, the first to report on January’s prices, valued the average home at £162,228. The annual rate of house price growth slowed to 0.6 per cent in January, from one per cent in December, according [...]
Meet the enchanting new Peugeot January 31, 2012 Hybrid cars have been on sale in Europe for a while now. Toyota, Honda, VW and even Porsche all sell hybrid versions of their cars that improve on fuel economy by supplementing their petrol engines with electric motors. Until now, such cars have made the most sense for North America or other regions that don’t [...]
CAR TALK January 31, 2012 BMW GIVES THE X6 A FACELIFT BMW has released the first pictures of its facelifted X6. The Sports Activity Coupé has a new revived face with a more pronounced kidney grille, higher fog lights and adaptive LED headlamps. Available with five engine choices, the xDrive30d is the most frugal and can be fitted with BMW’s [...]
UBS commits to Broadgate development January 30, 2012 INVESTMENT bank UBS committed to a future in the City yesterday, after it finalised a pre-let agreement to move into British Land’s new Broadgate development. The deal is the final seal of approval for the £850m project, which was last year threatened by an application for listed status of the original estate by conservation group [...]
Scents for beating the chill January 30, 2012 Fortitude is needed when stepping into the chilly grey city day after day. Everyone has their own way of combating winter blues, from Krispy Kremes to extra exercise. For me, it’s scent. A waft of patchouli or a burst of deep red fruit has the power to wake me up and make me smile, for [...]
FIT IN THE CITY January 30, 2012 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT So as Britain’s running stars head off to Kenyan training camps ahead of the London Marathon and 2012, tedious stints on the treadmill seem even more unappealing than usual. But with more and more training add-ons available to compliment your running, there’s no need to go it alone this spring. THE [...]