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Taking your equipment on the road requires a suitable receptacle to provide protection and easy access.
Designed by STM, the King is a rucksack type bag or, as the Australian designers prefer, a Backpack. Available in a choice of botanical green, china blue, tornado grey or, as in the case of my review sample, desert brown, the King has dimensions of 47.
This is one of a range recently launched at Thorpe Park on what in some parts of the country was the hottest day of the year. While it was an event I was unable to make I have been kept up to date by the excellent Acer PR Company, here the first offering sent to me.
This laptop from Acer measures 37.5x24.5x1cm at the front and 2cm at the back, it weights 2304grams. It has a grey back, black elsewhere apart from a matt very dark grey screen surround so less finger marks will show. The viewable screen is 34x19.5cm and is refreshingly matt so quite good in strong sunlight. The screen is 1920x1080 and has a notional diagonal imperial measurement of 15.6inches. There is a webcam built into the centre of the area above the screen.
How many passwords do you have? And how do you remember them all?
Let me start off with a confession. Alright it is not a new confession but it does fit in with the review that will follow. My memory could best be described as having a close resemblance to a colander in that it is full of holes. As a result I am forgetful especially when it comes to remembering passwords.
Take a trip through various worlds as you set out to protect a book from the clutches of somebody intent on ruling everybody.
Amaranthine Voyage: The Obsidian Book is a Hidden Object Adventure game developed by Eipix Entertainment. The game forms part of a series that includes The Tree of Life, The Living Mountain and the Shadow of Torment with each title being a self-contained entity. I have been looking at the Collector’s or Platinum version of The Obsidian Book which comes with a number of bonus items. The bonus items are available from the game’s title page under the heading of Extras.
Often things arrive at totally the wrong time of year, sometimes however they arrive exactly when you can get the best from an item, here one of the latter category a column fan during the hottest part of the year and over the next few weeks it got lots of use in both my office, lounge and bedroom, in the case of the last mentioned because it was nearly silent.
This column fan measures just over a metre tall and around a quarter of that size at the base, it weighs just under 5.4 kilos. It can rotate 90 degrees or be used in a static position. It is ribbed all the way up in horizontal increments and starting 27cm from the base there are 59 rows of three spaces where the air is expelled. The area they cover is slightly decreased as they near the top. The top edge is slightly sloped and the manual controls are on this area.
Adding to its portfolio of make-over software for either portrait or landscape images, Anthropics Technology has released the follow up title to its LandscapePro offering. Not surprisingly, this software is entitled LandscapePro 2.
Anthropics LandscapePro 2 comes in a choice of three flavours designed to suit the needs of different users. The product is available in Standard, Studio and Studio Max versions. This review is based on the new Studio Max product which includes Photoshop plug-in capability, support for RAW files and different colour spaces plus a Histogram pane, batch mode processing and more streamline editing amongst its feature set.
A flat panel that has speakers is the norm these days, they are normally tiny and do not have much volume, here something different as the speakers fit into the stand of the panel, so they can be larger and also give a far better sound.
The Dell S2418H full HD monitor measures 54x30.5x1.5cm; its stand will raise it from your desk by 10cm. The stand is a frame in the shape of a landscaped ‘D’ and the supplied speaker fits in it .5cm at the front (flat edge) and 3cm at the rear, it has two buttons + and – to control the volume. There is a short grey lead that emerges from the rear of the speaker which connects to the panel; the audio signal is transferred via the HDMI connection from the panel to the speaker.
Until recently apart from trips to hospitals the only thermometers that I have used were the glass ones with mercury in them that went under the tongue. Then last year in a roundup of medical devices one that went in the ear so much quicker, but still not perfect, here something that takes only a second to use and will work even with a wriggling child.
At the flick of a button or press of a finger, you can automate different tasks that make up your everyday life using this next product.
With its short and snappy name, the Flic is a button. When I first saw the packaging containing my review sample, I though that it featured a claim that the Flic was the word’s smallest button and my initial response was “Surely not!”. A second glance, after rubbing the sleep from my eyes, revealed that the claim was actual that the device was the “World’s Smartest Button” which was more intriguing and possibly more believable.
This item from Netgear even looks sinister as you remove it from the black box that this switch comes in. The matt black finish and the areas made up of triangles and rectangles add to the illusion that this device is somehow not a friendly one, add to that the dark blue ‘V’ of LED light when switched on it becomes more menacing.
It is 19.5x14.5x3.7cm before anything is plugged in to the rear of it, so add another 3cm to the middle figure the depth. It weighs 765grams main because the case is Zinc-Alloy. The base has four small 1.5x1cm rubber feet to make sure it stays flat on your table or desk and it has to be used in this way as unlike some routers it is only stable in this formation.
As a popular manufacturer of audio devices, Edifier once again steps into the spotlight.
When starting to review a product, such as the Edifier R19U unit sat in front of me at the moment, I generally follow an initial set pattern for hardware devices. This pattern involves removing the device to be reviewed from the packaging and checking that all the content is how it should be and present. However in this case there was a problem in that I could find no mention of a content list or any documentation whatsoever.
A recent visit to view some of Amazon’s cornucopia of goods introduced me to a product designed to enhance my communication skills.
Are you ready to play a game? I should explain that this is not the usual type of game that I review for Gadgetspeak. Rather than a computer game offering visual representations of different environments as you search for clues and carry out tasks, this next game involves cards designed to pique your imagination and creativity as you produce your own visual imagery.
When I went to a recent Bosch event that featured items like fridges that were connected the one item that seemed out of place was a tiny chain saw, ideal for use in the home or even the garden but it works in the same way as it would on a tree branch but for smaller items.
Having recently tested a powerful hedge trimmer I took one of the thickest items it had cut at 2.5cm across and cut into it with ease with the Bosch saw looking at the two ends bore no resemblance, the Bosch saw cut was smooth the hedge trimmer end was a work of three slashes to get through. Certainly in the home you do not want anything but a smooth finish. Bosch call it the EasyCut 12 cordless NanoBlade saw.
As you might expect from its Toughbook classification the FZ-Q2 is a product that has been developed for use by professional field workers who require a device that can withstand the rigours of a workspace environment.
Developed by Panasonic, the FZ-Q2 combines a touchscreen element, which can double in the role of a laptop screen or tablet, with a spill resistant keypad. Whereas other 2-in-1 laptop products that I have checked out arrived as a single unit, my review sample of the FZ-Q2 was delivered boxed as two separate units packaged within their own boxes.
This is modestly called ‘The World’s First 3D Printing Pen’ but as far as I know it is. It is certainly the first 3D printing pen I have seen or used. Given the price of 3D printers a pen that can extrude onto a flat surface in 3D it is well unique.
While anyone can draw a 2D image drawing a 3D is different and in theory anyway you could use this kit to replace any broken plastic part. The instructions make it sound easy, I followed them and they worked, the one thing I was lacking was any real artistic talent.
In hot weather a cool bag is very useful either to keep your lunch, shopping or even picnic cool or maybe allow frozen food to stay frozen. Most are insulated bags with a cool brick or two inserted but those bricks take up valuable space.
Here I am looking at a small version called a Lunch Bag and one more than twice the capacity called a Picnic Tote. These bags are different in that the coolant is between the outer and inner layers and you actually fold the bag up and place it in your freezer overnight and then in the morning pack your lunch/picnic or take the bag with you when you shop the next day.
While I must admit that as I get older, I tend not to shave every day but this confession did not stop me from checking out this next product.
Described as a device promising to deliver an “Effortless even trim”, the Series 5000 Beard trimmer, with its model number of BT5200, forms part of the Philips facial hair product line up of offerings. This particular kit consists of the main hand-held beard trimmer unit, combo guard and comb element, power lead with attached three-pin plug and a small cleaning brush which does tend to make itself scarce when it is required.
This is a small Mono DAB/FM from Alba a budget brand now sold by Argos. So what can you expect without having to spend that much money? The first surprise for me was that it is both mains and battery operated so immediately a plus.
It is 16x10x5cm and weighs 306grams (without batteries). With 4x‘AA’ batteries not supplied add another 96grams. It has a seven piece rod aerial that will increase the 10cm height by 42cm when fully extended. There are two rows of five buttons Power, Scan, Menu/Info, Prev and Alarm on row one. Row two is Mode, Preset, Select, Next and Snooze. There is also a large twist know that is simply volume. The rear has the battery bay, an on/off slider, earbud socket, and DC input.
With a name more like that of a military plane, this next product is a set of earphones.
You may, like me, have seen several adverts for products such as the B150 from Brainwavz when accessing your browser. Brainwavz is a Hong Kong based multinational company that specialises in the development of earphones and headphones that claim to deliver high quality audio that can be used across a wide range of audio genres with support for various platform formats. Adding to its range of over 25 earphones and headphones, Brainwavz has launched its B200 offering.
With 50 levels, many of which are challenging, this next game sets you the task of helping a young woman regain her memory.
Do you remember your dreams or are you the kind of person who wakes from a deep sleep knowing you have dreamed but can not remember an iota of these distant memories? Whatever your answer, you could be an ideal candidate to enter the world of Oriental Dreams. Developed by Adept Studios, this game is classified as belonging to the Match-3 with some additional features.
An electric drill is something that has been around for years, I have an old Black and Decker one that was my father’s and I think it still works. However in recent years the technology has improved not just in gearing but also in other ways.
Here the latest offering from Bosch, not as some recent offerings are cordless but mains powered so not work time limits between charges providing of course you have mains power.
Forming part of its business-orientated Pro-line brand of products is the AOC new 90 Series of offerings. One of these new models making up this new series is the 12490PXQU which forms the subject matter of this review.
While the 12490PXQU panel can be wall-mounted, this does require the purchase of an additional supporting arm, I have been looking at the free-standing unit. This comes with a two-piece ergonomically designed adjustable stand. Consisting of a circular base, which connects via a thumb style screw to the upper support arm, this stand is coloured a fairly tasteful matte gun-metal grey. Forming part of the support arm is an adjustable square plate.
When a dog is at home you normally know where it is, when it is in your garden likewise – unless or course you have a very big garden – however if you let your dog off its lead when out for a walk/run and you lose sight of it maybe not.
This unit is unlike many other collar attach devices I have reviewed that just tell you where you dog is assuming the device has not been removed. It also tells you how far your dog – according to size – should walk as a number of steps as well as other things to keep your dog healthy. The box has a statement on each side ‘Your pet is never lost’, ‘Your pet is always connected’, Your pet is always healthy’ and ‘Your pet is worth it’.
StarTech were a name new to me but as I know their PR company through the good things of a totally different item I said I would look at the product offered, initially I failed as the item offered had limited availability of the cards to use in it. Then I was offered this offering which if you have USB C on your mobile device is very useful.
It is 7x6.5x1.5cm and weighs 66grams. It has a hard wired 20cm USB C lead emerging from the back. The front of the unit has Compact Flash on the top and SD and Micro SD under it. Before you say everything is SD or Micro SD these days – and you are probably correct – there are still some top of the range cameras that have Compact Flash alongside SD to capture images and videos.
A recent visit to a central London location introduced me to nkd Life a British company specialising in the design and development of cutting edge water purification and filter technologies.
With a company name that owes something to the popular phrase of “naked as nature intended”, nkd is on a mission to grow with high performance, high quality products that promote a clean and healthy life style and environment to create a lasting change. As its opening gambit to achieve this aim, nkd plans to shake up the global bottled water market with the release of the company’s initial product, the pod+ offering.
While a hedge trimmer is useful in all gardens that have hedges and small trees, having a professional unit such as this cordless offering from EGO might be a luxury, but for a gardener or landscape technician it is a tool that is an essential not a luxury.
It is 114cm from the end of the cutter to the back of the unit. It is described as a 65cm unit that is the length of the cutter arm so it will go far deeper than all ‘home’ units I know. It will also cut far thicker branches; one such I lopped was 2.5cm thick.
I first came across Tune-Up Utilities several years ago as a Shareware product that you could try before you buy.
Over the years I have used various versions of this TuneUp Utilities suite of tools developed to help improve the performers of computers running on the Windows operating platform. During this period this software has undergone a number of changes including the one of ownership as Tune-Up Utilities now forms part of the AVG family of offerings.
When a job offering arrives, with financial rewards that are too good to be true, then you should regard it with suspicion. Albert didn’t!
Cursed is a Hidden Object Adventure game which casts in the role of a young woman who is in the process of preparing for her forthcoming wedding to her fiancé Albert. The preparations however were interrupted when Albert receives a letter offering him a job with financial rewards that would pay for the wedding, a home for the young couple and set them up for life. Not surprisingly Albert takes up the job but then goes missing after arriving at his new workplace.
Walking around a recent show in London found several interesting stands, one of the most interesting was one from a firm based in Birmingham that had a range of interesting electrical items, here is the first of three that I selected from their wide range.
A lot of modern homes do not have a conventional oven, so this small unit could enable things to be made that otherwise would only be childhood memories. It can also be used instead of a conventional oven when cooking for one at a far lesser cost. For those of us old enough the remember the Breville Sandwich Toaster this is a slightly larger unit and you just plug it in and cook. The maximum dimensions are 29x27x17cm and it weighs 2.64 kilos.
Mobile device battery chargers continue to be a popular accessory. This next product is from Moshi.
Designed by Moshi, a company founded in 2005 to create simple, sophisticated accessories for users of mobile devices, the IonSlim 5K is a portable power bank product. Extremely simple in appearance, with a touch of style, the IonSlim 5K is an ultra slim slab encased within an anodized aluminium body that can be used to extend the life of a mobile phone when you are out and about with no access to a convenient mains power source. The unit has dimensions of 130 x 70 x 8.
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