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iPhone touched
Multi-touch technology is set for laptops sooner than we thought

If you’ve heard enough of the latest flash TV sets that are priced out of the reach of most of us, then take a look at what one Norfolk man did with his 1957 Bush television.

Realising that analogue switch off is nigh, Richard Howard had his 51-year-old black and white telly converted to pick up digital broadcasts to be shown in all their glory on the curved 17-inch screen.

White dot

The set still takes 10 seconds to warm up and probably shows that nostalgia-inducing white dot when switched off, but we’re betting its owner doesn’t care – he is, apparently, an antiques enthusiast. Really?

Moving on to things more modern, Laptop Magazine says that we won't have to wait for the next version of Windows to get multi-touch screens on our mobile PCs.

It suggests that HP is already working on the software needed to bring the iPhone-like technology to laptop computers long before Windows 7 launches.

Free iPhone apps

Speaking of that attention-seeking mobile phone, a rough count of heads at the recent Apple event has found that almost three quarters of iPhone software developers are planning to give their applications away for free.

Of those that will be offering paid-for software, the average projected price seems to be low – around £1 or so. Roll on the App Store.

Lastly for now, Google’s megabucks look like allowing co-founder Sergey Brin to get to the International Space Station in 2011.

Brin has invested $5 million (£2.5 million) in a company called Space Adventures that will be buying up an entire Soyuz mission for paying passengers, meaning he’s likely to be on board when it goes up in three years’ time.

That’s it for now, but stay tuned to TechRadar for the rest of the day’s news as it breaks or grab a feed here - get it while it’s hot.

J Mark Lytle was an International Editor for TechRadar, based out of Tokyo, who now works as a Script Editor, Consultant at NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation. Writer, multi-platform journalist, all-round editorial and PR consultant with many years' experience as a professional writer, their bylines include CNN, Snap Media and IDG.