GadgetSpeak Articles
GadgetSpeak has close to 5,000 product reviews and other articles. You can use this page to find others opinions on anything from mobile phones to computers to the latest kitchen appliance
The Sinkstation from New Soda is described as a sink preparation colander. It is a fresh and versatile approach to the standard boards used in the kitchen for food preparation.
Available in a range of colours the body is moulded from a matt surfaced hard but not absolutely rigid plastic. Perforated with a large number of holes to allow water to drain through, it is 34 x 27cm in size and slightly bowl shaped with a pouring lip in one corner. This is a size that will drop comfortably into most sinks with space to spare although, as the note on the packing points out “not suitable for round sinks”.
The mythical kingdom of the Eleven Islands has been deactivated by an erupting volcano. You have been assigned the task of putting things to right.
Developed by Joyful Software, the game of 11 Islands belongs to the Match 3 genre. However, unlike some other titles of the same genre that I have looked at recently, the developers of this game have opted to use a basic style of graphics that was familiar a few years ago. Rather than grids made up of small tiles, those appearing in this game are much larger, in most cases featuring types of fruit.
This is a column fan described as a ‘Mini 15ʺ Desk Fan’ but it also works just as well on the floor, any fan is likely to disturb papers and while this at lower levels did not do this the rotating action of the unit is likely to catch the eye when on a desk.
The fan is round at 4 inches diameter and not surprisingly 15 inches tall, the vents are between 5 and 12 inches from the base and the five wide openings are spread over 2 inches and are five deep so a total of 25 vents, each is 2/10th of an inch wide and around an inch deep they are slightly staggered.
Forming part of BenQ’s Designer range of products, the PD2710QC is a 27 inch 2K QHD monitor. This particular model comes with the claim of being BenQ’s first USB Type-C display product to take advantage of the latest USB technology.
As can sometime happen when sample products are passed from reviewer to reviewer, some components can tend to go missing. The arrival of the PD2710QC product proved to be a case in point. The content of the delivered package consisted of the LCD Monitor pane; stand arm and a base unit which doubles as an additional docking element.
Those of us of a more mature persuasion remember the first mobile phones, they did one job making and receiving calls, they were huge and you probably got various strains from carrying them around. Now for those who want a simple phone that does far more and weights very little the phone I am looking at here could be the answer.
The Maxcom Classic 330 measures 12.6x5.6x1cm and weighs 111grams. The viewable screen is 6.5x4.8cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial screen measurement of 3.2inches. While it can make and receive calls it also has a torch, 5MP camera, FM radio and can take a micro SD card up to 32GB to store multimedia. Going around the outside of the phone has only two connections both on the top the Micro USB connection to charge the unit and a 3.5mm headphone socket.
At some point in your life you will probably be advised that it was rude to point with your finger – I know I was, However modern technology constantly encourages you to ignore this advise as you need to point & touch screen areas in order to carry out actions.
I regularly take delivery at my front door of review samples arriving by courier. These deliveries generally require me to sign a smartphone / tablet handheld device either using my finger or stylus. Often, in the case of the former method, nothing would register on the screen. However, when using a stylus, the courier would get some visible evidence of a scrawl although it would bear little resemblance to my actual signature.
This is second Watch from Huawei that I have tried the first was just over a year ago in March 2017. So how has this developed and devolved over the last year, it certainly linked with my phone almost instantly and means my phone can remain in my pocket when in areas that I would rather not remove it while out and about.
The watch is circular at 4.2cm across and chunky at 1.4cm thick with the supplied strap the total weight is 57 grams. Both the watch and strap are what they call carbon black. The watch can be used using Bluetooth connection from your phone – the way I used it – or you can insert a Nano Sim in the watch so that it does everything itself. There is a 10.5x7cm Quick Start Guide in eleven languages the first eight pages are in English with adequate illustrations.
The WF-2860DWF is a 4-in-1 print, copy, scan and fax inkjet machine in Epson’s Workforce Range that is targeted at the smaller business user.
Rushing to help an old school friend, you must defeat an evil force in this next game.
Entitled The Secret Order: The Buried Kingdom, this is a Hidden Object Adventure game developed by Sunward. In this game you are cast in the role of Sarah Pennington, a time travelling member of the Griffin Order. Following Sarah’s latest successful mission, the authorities take the decision to ban the use of time travel, leaving your character with plenty of free time to catch up with family members and friends.
A rather nice 27inch panel from Philips, which should be able to give you 2560x1440 resolution which is that step up from the default offering these days of 1920x1080. It has a good colour gamut and shows well in a whole range of lighting conditions.
The panel is 62x37x1.7cm and the stand 23x20cm raises it by between 4 and 17cm from your desk. The viewable screen is 60x34cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 27inches. The line of connections on the rear are Digital, HDMI, Display Port and VGA, there is a 3.5mm audio input for VGA as well as headphone output socket, all these are on the left side of the unit with the kettle style power lead entering on the right rear side there is also a flip up on/off switch.
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. On second thoughts it is myself who should be sitting comfortably as I check out the FlexDesk 640 product from Bakker Elkhuizen.
For those not too familiar with Bakker Elkhuizen, I should explain that this company is based in the Netherlands. Bakker Elkhuizen is a company that specialises in the development of high-end and ergonomic hard and software solutions designed to help users adopt a more positive proper working condition for their general environment. One such product is the FlexDesk 640 but before taking a look at this product, allow me the opportunity for a few moments of reminiscing.
For those who already have a coffee machine of choice this unit can give you the froth you sometimes want to get the perfect Latte or Cappuccino or even should you want it - cold frothed milk - it is quick and easy to use and works even with semi-skimmed milk.
It is a round jug with a push fitting clear Perspex lid, the whole unit fits into same size base which means that the jug – minus the base – is able to be fully washed in whatever way you normally do. It is 10cm across and 17cm tall. The inside is impressed with Min and Max fill markers. There is a handle connected to the top so you can pour and or spoon the contents once creamed into the cup or cups.
When turning your home into a Smart environment, a Home Control Starter Pack, such as the product developed by Devolo, could be an appropriate route to take when enhancing certain features
As its title suggests, the Devolo Home Control Starter Pack offers to be your opening gambit when building a Smart Home environment. This Starter Pack consists of three main elements. These are the Central Unit, Smart Metering Plug and a two-piece Door / Window Contact unit.
Having recently reviewed the Huawei P20 I immediately noticed so many of the same features on the Honor 10 which as both brands are in the same ownership is perhaps not that surprising however the Honor 10 is made powdered glass to make it shiny and move its back in the light and it shimmers like satin.
The Honor 10 SmartPhone looks a lot like the recent Samsung Galaxy S9 and others who have held both together struggle to tell them apart when blindfolded. Someone has done the maths and worked out that the viewable screen is 78% of the front and as a landscape fingerprint sensor is also on the front that does not leave much else. The Honor comes with twice the memory that you get with the Samsung and is a lot cheaper.
The Brother HL-L2375DW is a fast small footprint mono laser printer that is networkable and does double-sided printing. It will meet the needs of those who print a fair amount but don’t need colour to enhance their documents.
Like London Big Red Buses, games of a similar type can come in pairs or even larger groups. In this case I had no sooner finished restoring a destroyed Hobbit village with plenty of Match 3 game play than I was immediately faced with more Match 3 action involving an alchemist trying to rescue a dead sister.
Entitled The Enthralling Realm: An Alchemist’s Tale, this game was developed by Sunsoft Games. It contains a back story of two sisters and wraps them with more than 70 levels of Match 3 grid solving. The two sisters, named Coral and Iris, grew up as orphans in a remote village until they met Avis, a master alchemist, who took them in and started training them in his school of alchemy.
While this is a Notebook as it has a keyboard it is more likely to be used as a Tablet as the keyboard folds back behind the screen and then you have an excellent touch screen Windows unit that even comes with a stylus for accurate work. If fact the keyboard can even be totally detached should you wish.
The Acer Aspire Switch 5 measures 28x20x.1.5cm and weights 1311grams with the keyboard being 390grams of the total weight. The viewable screen is 35.5x17cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 12inches, the screen display is 2160x1440 at the default 150% display.
Looking to add some extra power to a home network you might want to consider the Armor Z2.
While maybe not having the high profile and public acceptance of some other companies, ZyXEL has regularly produced some impressive products. One of these is the Armor Z2 offering. This is a dual-band 802.11ac wireless router. Although targeted specific at the gaming fraternity, this product can also provide useful facilities for those who do not regularly immerse themselves in the all-enveloping environment of modern gaming.
Are you old enough to remember Ghetto Blasters? Then if you increase the size and weight you have a rough idea of this rectangular box however the sound it gives even from a low level stream from a mobile phone via Bluetooth is well, that vastly over used word WOW.
It is 49x22x31cm, it weighs 9.5kilos and is available in Blue, Red, Orange, Green, Yellow, White, Grey or Black. The one I was sent was Blue. It has a very solid feel and has a black leather carry handle screwed into the top of the unit. You can purchase it with an optional cover and or battery pack, the latter is said to give between 15-20 hours playback time at a good volume level, I was sent the Classic without the options, so the mains lead that is provided needs to be used at all times.
When your paper-based notebook is full to the brim with your notes and recollections, what to you do? Have you considered microwaving the notebook?
As somebody who regularly needs to jot down notes at various events and launches of new or enhanced products whether of the software or hardware variety, I am always on the look out for ways of making the process easier. Several years ago I came across the Livescribe system, with its various Pulse and Echo products, which allowed for notes to be written and simultaneously recorded within the pen device.
The latest offering from Huawei a company that around two years ago was not heard of outside China, now they have Samsung and Apple worried with their technology and quality at a lower price than their competitors high end offerings.
Unlike the first Huawei unit I saw this is not all about its excellent camera. In its small overall size it packs a lot and while some might find a few minor niggles there are many more plus points. It is 14.9x7x.7cm and weighs 165grams. Its pair of vertically mounted Leica cameras do protrude slightly from the back but the finger print reader is on the front below the screen in a horizontal format. Talking of the screen it is 5.
Put your skill at Match 3 game play to the test as you assist a witch and a young hobbit in their task.
The Enthralling Realms – Curse of Darkness is a tale of redemption based on an age old story and packaged as a Match 3 game. Your role in this game, developed by Funsoft Games, is that of an assistant to Alice and Sam who set about restoring the Hobbit Village that had fallen prey to a dark curse which caused it to fall into ruin. But just how had Alice and Sam become involved in such a difficult task of restoring the Hobbit Village.
This device is small but can allow a lot of things that would otherwise cause problems for those who find themselves with a USB ‘C’ port as their only easy method of getting data from either a phone or one of the growing range of Notebooks and Tablets that only have this method of transfer. I found it also worked on the SmartPhones I tested it on.
This small USB 'C' memory card reader measures 5.5x3x1cm and weighs 21 grams. The 3cm depth is increased by 1cm when not inserted as this the amount the USB ‘C’ port sticks out of the back of the hub. I use the word ‘Hub’ as when you first insert it that is what Windows calls it. The box calls it a Type-C Smart Reader but it is actually a quadruple adapter and also has an LED light on its top.
To paraphrase an often used expression “Is that a rocket in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?” In this case the rocket in question is a paper-based notepad/
The Rocketbook solution, offering reusable notebook facilities, came about due to a series of chance circumstances which resulted in a meeting at a local pub.
A black leather book with creamy white pages looks very innocent until you open it, red, blue, green, purple and white light emerges in sequence from the pages, yes not a book at all but a light powered by three ‘AAA’ down the spine.
This mood light measures 16x13.5x2cm and weighs 270 grams. Anyone opening this not so little black book is certainly in for a surprise it is held shut by magnets and you need to exert a good force to open it at all. At first I thought there must be some tape holding it shut but no it’s just its magnets. So no addresses, phone numbers or emails of past or present lovers or friends just a light so here the black book has a new twist.
Taking its time to appear, Reallusion’s latest animation software reaches version 3
Unlike some companies, who tend to release new versions of their software on an annual or even a more regular basis, Reallusion takes a slight different approach. New versions of the company’s software only appear when additional features are available. It is for this reason that I have had to wait for over three years for the appearance of Reallusion’s CrazyTalk Animator 3 to arrive. This software is available in Pipeline, Pro and Standard versions.
This is a multi-functional pressure cooker as not only can it work as a conventional pressure cooker but also has the ability to be a slow cooker – there’s an oxymoron – cook from frozen ‘to sear’ and according to the book even prepare desserts.
The Morphy Richards MyPot measures 30cm tall and round at 29cm across weighting 3.675 kilos it is stated to handle up to four litres at a time. I remember my grandmother’s pressure cooker it was a good way to redecorate the kitchen as more than once it had a mind of its own and dinner ended up everywhere. My mum had one a generation later and this was more reliable providing you followed the rules and were very careful when the pressure was removed.
The Brother MFC-J5330DW is a 4-in-1 multifunction device that can print up to A3 in size and is targeted at the small office.
Deep down, under the ocean waves, is a pleasure park for the aquatic inhabitants. Now is your chance to join them.
While you might expect a game’s title to give you a clue as to what you might be faced with – but this is not always the case. Take for instance Tales of Lagoona 3 – Frauds, Forgeries and Fishsticks. Set 20,000 leagues beneath the sea, this Hidden Object game offers little explanation with regards what to expect as you set about rescuing Poseidon Park. So lets take a look at what this enigmatic title has to offer, starting with environmental adjustments.
While a lot of better mobile phones has decent enough cameras I still get a buzz to test out a proper interchangeable lens camera from a good manufacturer. Here is such an item from Olympus now at M5 iteration II.
The The Olympus E M5 II is not a large unit but is powerful and the images its takes are superb. As always I start in Auto mode while I familiarize myself with everything it can do.
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