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The latest version of this ‘gadget’ for Windows is now available. I sometimes get into trouble for calling an item a gadget but when people say our product is not a gadget I say fine, please define ‘gadget’ and while they are thinking I add, a tool to make a task easier? Very few people disagree with my definition and this certainly makes some Windows tasks easier. They also do a MAC version but as I do not have a MAC I can only tell you about the Windows items.
Some of the things that Parallels 3.5 for Windows does can be already done in Windows but they take more than a single action to be completed so Parallels is often quicker or easier to complete. Archive, select the files and archive it’s as easy as that and of course Unarchive is just as easy. Block Camera, a lot of people are worried about being spied on and it’s a neater solution than sticking something over the camera.
The Alcatel 3 (2019) is aimed at the competitive middle ground where buyers are looking for a feature phone in a very price-conscious market.
Staying awake should not be a problem when playing a game that involves exploring a character's sub-conscious
This latest phone has some nice little extra features, it also is Android 9 and has a pure Android operating system so no skin added this is called Android One but this means with no extra skin to slow it down it is really fast.
It is 16x7x.9cm and weighs 198grams; this includes a clear silicon case that covers the back and sides. The viewable screen is 15.7x6.4cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial screen resolution of 6.3inches. Going around the outside has volume rocker with on/off button on the right side. The base has its speaker, USB ‘C’ and microphone. The left side has SIM entry point and the top has 3.5mm headphone socket.
If your computer seems slower than usual then maybe it is time for a spring clean.
I suspect most people know of ‘R2D2’ a droid in Star Trek, this camera looks rather like it, it can pan and tilt so unless there is something solid in its line of vision whoever is there gets seen and unlike most other cameras this continues to see where the suspect goes as it can track their movements.
It is round at 10cm across and 12cm tall. There is just one connection a micro USB lead that fits in the back near the base. Like almost all recent cameras it is controlled by an App either iOS or Android. Download the App register and then find the best place to place your camera, as part of the setup routine it will move through 360 degrees and produce an image of what it sees so you can select the area to cover.
As a long established fan of a product originally developed as a file conversion utility and launched in 1991 by Robert Voit's JASC company, it is that time of year when I can look forward to the arrival of the latest version of PaintShop Pro. Now firmly entrenched as part of the company's family of graphic software, Corel has sent me a copy of PaintShop Pro XX to review for Gadgetspeak.com
While this current version of PaintShop Pro package is available in either Standard or Ultimate editions, I was in the fortunate position of working with the Ultimate version of this photo editing and design graphics software. As you might suppose, the Ultimate version of PaintShop Pro 2020 comes bundled with a number of bonus items that add extra value and functionality to the product.
This is a small leather wallet with a push action that partially ejects up to six credit cards each to a slightly lesser extent so you can select the one you need at the checkout of hole in the wall easily, quickly, and more securely.
The wallet is 11x6x1.5cm and also has two additional pockets for things like an Oyster card on the opposite side to the main wallet so you can touch in without having to open the wallet, and as the shape is definitely weighted to one side so no chance of card problems as you know which side you are touching on the reader. For those times when cash is still required notes can also be stored in this section, or indeed under an elasticated strap.
This 27inch QHD Philips monitor, model 272B7QUBHEB, has been designed to provide high performance and to incorporate a range of features such as USB-C docking which are aimed at improving ease of use and enhancing business productivity.
The monitor, which employs an IPS panel with WLED backlight has a resolution of 2560 x 1440 and a 16 x 9 aspect ratio. The high resolution of the QHD panel will be appreciated by many business users as it can display 70 rows of a 30 column spreadsheet – if you are happy to view 10 or 11pt type. It has a frameless black bezel on three sides with the lower one being just one inch.
Join the Penguin family as you create mosaics.
Checking back over my recent reviews of game titles, revealed that I had been neglecting one of my favourite genre of gaming playing activity. The neglected genre was that of nanograms. Since I last took a look at the family of penguins and their close affinity with challenging the player with nanogram puzzles, several different versions of the game have appeared.
This is a cheaper Android phone but it looks anything but that, around £100 should secure this SIM free and some might keep this as a second unit or one to take to festivals or night clubs and the like where security is less than perfect.
It is 14.5x6.6x.7cm and weighs 129 grams. The viewable screen is 12.5x6.5cm with the selfie camera above the screen. The diagonal imperial measurement is 5.5 inches. The screen resolution is 720x1440. Going around the outside finds the volume rocker towards the top of the right side with the on/off button below this. The base has the micro USB socket for charging and connection of an OTG device. The left side has SIM and micro SD card entry point. The top has a pin hole microphone and 3.
Time does not stand still especially when a company take-over is involved as part of the process. In some cases favourite projects can suffer the short-end of the straw as it is ignored but this is not always what occurs. Take for example the Parallel's Toolbox and how the company reacted to a take-over..
DFollowing Parallel becoming a Corel Business unit, you might have suspected that the Toolbox development being put on the back-burner but instead version 3.5 of this collection of one-click, time-saving productive tools has been released for the Windows and Mac environments. This review is based on the Windows version of the Parallel Toolbox product as the tools offer the user a range of features.
Making things from raw vegetables does not really appeal to me, fruit yes, vegetables no I tend to prefer my vegetables cooked. But things like carrot cake can appeal even to children so be a man and give it a go, the pulp that is not juiced goes into a vacuum environment and can be kept – even frozen - to be added to stocks to give extra bulk.
While this can be a conventional blender it also has the ability to become a vacuum blender which means the parts of the fruit or vegetables not liquefied can be kept and added to soups and stocks and as once you pressed the vacuum button the residue keeps far longer and can even be frozen for use at a later date.
No doubt you are aware that the latest step forward within the world of communication expansion is that of 5G. This latest technology is slowly spreading its net(work) over the communication world with the promise of better things to come as users adjust their equipment to take advantage of this latest Holy Grail of mobile orientated features to keep users happy.
Although the spread of 5G might seem initially slow with regards to its availability rather than performance. you do need to consider the geographical spread that this technology needs to cover and the upgrading of the equipment needed to support the technology with the range of equipment being developed by various competitive companies and the tactics being used to promote their take on the product and its technology.
I think of a plaster for a minor scrape of the skin, while most will say the biggest name in plasters is Elastoplast but they do other things apart from plasters. Here I am looking at plasters, wound healing ointment and wound spray.
What most used to call ‘Blood Poisoning’ is actually sepsis and that can be fatal. Some years ago I was feeling unwell for several days but as I had an Asthma review on the Thursday I did nothing, I walked into the nurse’s room at my health centre she looked up from her desk and said ‘you are not well’.
Based on an idea by David Molyneux, subsequently developed by Three Headed Eagle and published by Play-In Digital, "The Seven Chambers" is a game that belongs to the Hidden Object genre.
The game involves the trials and tribulations of a young woman's apprenticeship as she attempts to master the Karmic influence that the planets bring to the world. As you take on this role you will need to battle clawed beasts, fallen angels and tricky alchemists plus manipulate lost souls as you explore past lives and memories.
Another of the items I saw at the Homewares show in June. This time a set of five – three of one size and two of a smaller size – that are sold as a value pack and since they arrived have been put into service both in my fridge and my microwave.
The larger size is 23x14x6cm and stated to hold 900 ml. The smaller size is 14.5x10.5x6cm and stated to hold 375 ml. They are described as microsafe and have also spent a lot of the time in my fridge. The label holding the pack together states they are free of BPA, PVC, lead and phthalates so they are completely safe for storing food.
Taking a more basic approach is a speaker system from Edifier.
Joining the ranks of Edifier speaker system product line-up is the company's R980T offering. This speaker system is made up of two wooden encased boxes covering the role of active and passive units. Various permanently attached and floating leads are provided for connecting purpose along with a User Manual covering different languages for carrying out the straightforward set up process required by this speaker system.
Regular readers will have seen recently a Kindle review, this Kindle called Oasis, it is very different in shape and it is the first I have seen with a front light. So can this change merit the far higher price of the unit over even the 8th Generation unit?
The Kindle Oasis 2 from Amazon measures 15.8x14cm and weighs 189 grams; the first 5cm of the width is .7cm thick about the same as most newer SmartPhones however the rest of the width is harf that this is the part with the viewable screen that is 14x10.5cm. However if you hold it the other way up so the thicker part is on the right the screen turns round to support this. The viewable screen is 10.5x14cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 7 inches.
Technology can help you find what you may have misplaced.
Have you noticed how often the word "Smart" is tagged onto numerous inanimate objects and devices to give them the appearance of so-called super-intelligent facilities? In some cases this built-in intelligence feature can be combined with a fund-raising facility to provide the cash to take the new concept from its original thought to full fruition.
Most streaming services are only MP3 but just a few offer a Hi-Fi mode and while you have a subscription you can even download your music to play back when no Internet is available or when only more expensive mobile data is the only option.
Listening while on trains, buses or tube is not only a relaxation but it also avoids the extreme noise of some tube trains through tunnels when no signal to stream is available, you just get your own sounds at a level to suit your ears. While you can still log into Deezer via the Internet the long awaited Deezer Desktop is now finally out of Beta.
The mono Epson EcoTank ET-M1170 has been designed to be the workhorse for the advanced student or small business which needs a low-cost means of producing large amount of letters, reports or other documents.
Being just 375mm wide x 347mm and just 151mm high (even though one needs extra headroom to collect the output or when using the rear single sheet feeder for special media) it takes up a relatively small amount of real estate. It has been designed so that side access is not required and, with its small size and being light grey and black in colour, it can blend unobtrusively into most environments. Furthermore, weighing 4.
Get out your red shoes as you attempt to escape from the land of Oz.
This next gane is based on the creative imagination of L. Frank Baum who introduced us to the fantasy land of OZ. Ruled by a Wizard and inhabited by a variety of strange creatures including flying monkeys, witches, a talking scarecrow, tin man and a lion with no confidence, the land of Oz has featured in books, movies, television series and a musical. Now it is the turn of a game entitled "Bridge to Another World - Escape from Oz.
Sometimes people snort at me our product is not a gadget, I say fine, define to me what a gadget is, while they are thinking I add would you disagree with the statement ‘something to make a task easier’ I have yet to have anyone disagree with that statement. Certainly this item from the King of USB Brando certainly keeps you cooler in hot weather and saves the need to move your hand and say a newspaper back and forward over your face.
Yes this is a battery powered powerful fan and it has three different speeds. It is 15cm tall, 7.5cm wide at the fan end and 6cm wide at the handle end, 2.5cm thick at the fan end and 1cm thick at the handle end. The total weight is 81 grams. The fan enclosure has seven curved blades and the maximum entry point is .5cm so even the smallest finger cannot get in.
When you need to draw power from a bank, a Varta product could help.
It has been said on more than one occasion, and will probably be said many more times, by myself, that power bank units come in a range of sizes, charging options and capacities. You just need to balance your current and future needs of your lifestyle with the price being asked for your favourite shape, weight and size of product to suit your pocket. For example lets take a look at the next power bank product which comes from the Varta catalogue of power delivering offerings.
As we grow order most will notice that they have to say ‘pardon’ far more often and that people mumble far more – or at least we think that they do – however hearing loss is a factor everyone has to face so what if anything can be done. In my own case I have Tinnitus – a ringing in the ears – which makes discerning speech when several are speaking in the same room near impossible.
This is a set of Bluetooth earbuds but while they can be used quite successfully to listen to music I would not say that is there main purpose. Like most recent products they work with an App downloadable from either the iOS or Android store. A simple hearing test conducted in the App will show/notify/horrify you of the amount of hearing loss you are suffering.
External drives are useful but they do need a layer of protection such as that provided by encryption.
Nowadays when it comes to the time than selecting a hard drive for storing valuable data is called for, yes there is the Cloud but this is not everybody's favourite storage location, we could be considered as being rather spoilt for choice. I can still remember struggling to decide whether I could manage with a 100 MB drive or stretch my budget to afford going larger with a 200 MB unit (and the capacity is not a typing mistake).
Hard to get places can be accessed with this item, and if something metallic like say a ring has got out of reach then this small unit has a magnetic end to attract and before you capture it you can locate it with its LED light on the end.
One word in the title had me thinking this had a motor that word was ‘Vac’. It is actually a brush and the brushes holder is another brush which also has sticky Velcro sides. For good measure the end of the outside container is also a larger version of the small brush, in both cases the bristles are 3cm long meaning they can delve into crevices. The larger unit is 19cm long 7cm wide and 5cm tall, this has grippy Velcro on either side and a round brush bar on the underside.
While some Tower and Desktop systems still have 5.25 inch drive bays I have recently seen some who only support 2.5 inch bays rather the norm of 3.5 inch bays. So this latest offering from Toshiba is most likely to be used in a NAS (network attached storage) solution.
I am sure there must be boxed versions of this product but mine arrived in ‘drive only’ silvered envelope so all you get inside the envelope is the drive, not even the screws required to attach it to whatever you connect it to. It is 14.4x10x2.4cm and is marked as a surveillance unit. I replaced a smaller capacity drive in my NAS with this and let the special software in the NAS format it and it then was ready to use.
While Vodafone sell all the major brands of phones they also do their own range of phones designed and tested to work on the Vodafone network. Here I am looking at their latest offering the Vodafone Smart V10 that will not cost nearly as much as certain recent review items.
The Vodafone Smart V10 measures 15x7x.8cm and it weighs 147grams. The viewable screen is 13.7x6.5cm which gives notional diagonal imperial measurement of 5.9 inches; the screen display is 1560x720 which is 19:9. The selfie camera is a notch in the centre of the top of the screen. The front is shiny black and the sides and back are chrome colour. Going around the unit has the on/off rocker towards the top of the right side with the on/off button just below in a contrast red colour.
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