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
A wicked Queen and a search for eternal beauty are the central planks for a Living Legends Hidden Object Adventure game.
With the tagline of “Eternal Beauty has a price”, Living Legends: Frozen Beauty is a Hidden Object Adventure game. This title is available in Collector’s Edition format from Avanquest GSP catalogue. In order to qualify as a Collector’s Edition format offering the game has to come with a number of bonus items. In the case of Frozen Beauty, you have immediate access to the Wallpapers, Screen Savers, Music and Concept Art sections plus a Strategy Guide.
A sub £100 flat panel is not unusual, a near £100 flat panel from a company like AOC is. This offering has cut a few of the bells and whistles but nothing has been cut that matters and with everyone now worrying about Blue Light this gives reassurance.
The screen of the G2260VWQ6 measures 50.5x30.5x1.7cm the last figure is at the edge. The viewable screen is 48x27cm which gives the diagonal imperial measurement of just over 21½ inches. The stand is circular at 18cm and with the connecting arm raises the unit by 7.5cm from your desk. There is no side to side movement but the unit is light so turning is not a problem, there is some forward tilt and a good amount of back tilt.
It was just over twelve months ago that Epson turned its approach to the printer inkjet market on its head. This change was brought about by the companys EcoTank technology.
For those not familiar with Eco Tank, this technology uses bottles rather than cartridges to store the ink used by the printer. Whereas a standard cartridge will hold approximately 3 or 5ml of ink with a price point of £5.99 for the 3ml of colour ink or £7.19 for 5ml of black ink, an EcoTank bottle has a capacity of 70ml of ink priced at £7.99 for both black and the various colours.
This latest Dyson vacuum is both an upright and a handheld cleaner in one. It can perform this seemingly impossible task by having the motor and collection container at the top of the arm remote from the cleaning shoe(s).
The Dyson Wand V6 Absolute measures 112cm from the top to the base of the shoe, the larger of the two provided is 24cm wide. AS stated it can be used with or without the single 65cm connection attached. This means as an ‘upright’ no bending and the smaller shoe sizes mean it can get into far tighter spaces that would either not be accessible or would require moving things around. For very tight places it can be used with other supplied accessories as a handheld device.
This is described as a headset but while it does have a microphone it is of the sort attached to a lead and while it is probably fine for phone calls etc. but I found them less than perfect for say speech recognition use, however the headphone part was fine.
For something to be described as a headset means to me equally able to listen as to hear and for me its listening ability to what you say is not great. Anything coming out of the ‘ear’ part was good be it speech or music no complaints. Each arm has 3cm of expansion to accommodate even the largest head. For me no arm extension and the headset was exactly vertical at the sides for a comfortable fit this being 19cm from outside of one pad to the other pad.
As Windows 10 is, in effect, a new operating system all users are on a steep learning curve. "Windows 10: the missing manual" from O'Reilly will be of major assistance to new PC users as well as to those who have upgraded from a previous version.
This 670 page tome by David Pogue is well structured and contains a vast amount of information that will be of value for both new and experienced users. It is well written in an almost chatty fashion so that the reader will not find it daunting. That having been said it is not bedtime reading. After all, in the main, it will be used as an aid to problem solving – either when getting something working or when dealing with a problem that has just arisen.
It is time to clear the floor and make room for battle to commence as you take on both artificial Intelligent and human opponents in various contests.
R.E.V. is not a mistyped reference to the condition known as Rapid Eye Movement or a 1980’s American Rock Band. It does stand for Robotic Enhanced Vehicle. This is a remote controlled, battery driven vehicle developed by the well respected toy manufacturer WowWee. The company has released a battle pack which consists of two R.E.V. units. One unit is coloured black while the other is white so that they are easily distinguishable when competing against each other.
Once a home has several computers the file or files you need will always be on another PC. Of course you can transfer most by USB stick or assuming they are connected by a Network by Wi-Fi or Ethernet, surely there is a better way.
Yes there is a NAS drive and before you stop reading saying they are complicated they need not be. Here is such an example from Buffalo, the Link Station 520. Another thing people are concerned about – size – this one is tiny for a two drive unit. The Buffalo Link Station 520 measures 20.5x8.5x13.5cm and weights 1.77kilos. Both sides and the top are blank. The front has a door to allow insertion or removal of drives.
Arriving from our friends at Sandberg is another product designed for working with smartphones and digital cameras.
While out and about I regularly see laptops, eBook readers, smartphones, cameras and the like being put to good use by others. However I have never seen anybody using one particular product. Yes I have seen images, usually in promotional documentation, of this type of product being used but I have never seen the act in actual operation in real life.
Are you ready for a special promotion? If so then accept the challenge of becoming the Royal Detective in this next offering.
Developed by Elephant Games and available for purchase from various web sites, Royal Detective: The Lord of Statues is a Hidden Object Adventure Game. My review is based on the Platinum version of the game which is just another way of stating that it is a Collection Edition with a number of bonus items. Many of the bonus items supplied with this game are available immediately.
This is of course larger than an A4 unit but not by as much as you may think. It has tanks five that are filled by bottles of ink that reduces the cost per page. You can see the actual ink levels of each colour by looking at the side of the machine.
The Epson EcoTank ET-14000 measures 70cm wide, 36cm deep when the paper output tray is closed and 45cm deep when it is open and 32cm tall. It weights is 12.2kilos. The ink bottles fill the tanks on the right side of the unit in theory this is mess free but while the tipping of the ink into the tank is easy enough removing the foil on the top of the bottle can be tricky so as this is stated to be a once in two year task for ‘average’ use.
From its German base, MAGIX has developed the latest version of its slideshow creating software.
Now available in its 2016 Deluxe version, MAGIX Photostory offers a solution that enables you to meld your still images, video clips and music into slideshows and other types of media viewing styles. As usual with MAGIX products, the software will require to be activated by the entry of a 31-character serial number and the registration of the product via an online link.
This is an improved and updated version of something that I had for a while before I could use it as it had a problem with syncing for those of us who use Android. I am pleased to say this rather smart unit does not have those problems.
The iHealth Edge is circular, a tad under 4cm and around 1cm thick. It comes fitted with a grey – near black – rubber strap with eight holes for the simple popper to nestle into so it should fit even the largest wrist. The upper part of the casing is matt silver with the bottom part matt black. When you look at the near flat face you see nothing in fact one person I showed it to thought it was a mirror but in reality it’s not that reflective.
First a real case for a phone not just the back but the screen as well and it also space for your credit and store cards. Second a well-made memory stick - it metal all round and the company are sure enough to offer a five year warranty.
This case is designed for iPhone 6s and 4.7inch iPhone6. It is 14x7x1.5cm and weights 87grams when empty. It has a back that fits over the iPhone and is held in place my magnets. So if required it can be used just as a standard phone back. The case is two tone leather mine was brown on the top and black on the bottom of the case. There is a small hole through both the case and the phone back for the iPhone inbuilt camera.
Even in my lifetime, the shaving implement has changed beyond all recognition. My grandfather used a cut-throat, my father a safety razor and I used a battery powered electric shaver.
In the dim and distant past, although not quite prehistoric times, my first electric shaver was a Braun product. Despite my proclivity to act a little like a pack-rat and hoard kit, this shaver has long since departed to the appropriate cemetery for discarded items although I must admit to still having the small cleaning brush provided with the shaver. However to return to the present day, I am currently using a new addition to the Braun range of electric shavers.
This is one of a range of machines by Sage marketed under the Heston Blumenthal name. If you need to ask who he is then you have either being living on a remote island or have no interest in food beyond baked beans and sausages.
This machine is fairly basic in that it has no bean grinder but if you like your coffee then you probably have somewhere where they roast and grind – use your nose – if it’s there you will find it. The smell of fresh roasted coffee will entice almost anyone. The machine is 30cm deep, 25cm wide and 32cm tall so should fit on most worktops. The water container fits into the rear of the machine and can hold up to 1.8litres of water. The hard wired mains lead is 1.
As part of the Huawei family of offerings, the Honor 6+ is a 5.5-inch smartphone. This is a dual SIM device. However this feature can come at a cost elsewhere but more on this facet a little later. The Honor 6+ is available in a choice of black, white or gold livery.
With a weight of 165g and dimensions of 150.46 x 75.68 x 7.50mm (H x W x D) the Honor 6+ could well be a tight fit for those pockets designated for use to hold your smartphone. I know I had to arrange the content of my jacket pockets in order to free up a suitable sized pocket to store this handset. Admittedly the Honor 6+ is not the only handset to suffer from this problem but it does need to be taken into consideration.
With puzzles and mini-games, this next adventure game takes you on a journey through Egypt as you defeat an evil force.
Egypt, the land of Pharaohs, ancient mysteries, magic and evil curses, is the location for a game developed by Teyon. The game, not surprisingly, uses its location as part of its title which is Riddles of Egypt. Priced at £5.10, this game is available as a download from the Avanquest GSP game label.
Being old I still find it strange that items are sold with one year licences, like most things I have I expect them to last forever, however as we old people die out I am sure that you having a one year licence for everything will become the norm.
This Total Security product from Kaspersky is one such example the DVD style case says 3 Devices and 1 Year licence, in fairness during that year you will get lots of updates and in this fast moving world they are certainly needed. The days of a single piece of software to protect against virus infection are long gone. The CD provided is for PC use only instructions are given for those using MACs and also for Android devices.
Easily recognised by the skull logo, the SkullCandy range of headsets has been expanded by new models including the topic of this next review.
SkullCandy Inc., the company behind the popular brand of headsets, has recently expanded its range of lifestyle audio devices with a series of wireless offerings. I have been checking out the Hesh 2™ Wireless product. This is an on-ear style of headphones available in a choice of camouflage with red embellishment, grey with hot lime embellishment or, as in the case of my review sample, black with silver embellishment.
At the start of December I told you about a portable page scanner from IRIS and mentioned there were other such devices that could read information from a book or magazine without the need for it to be torn out. Here is such a device.
The IRISPen Air 7 is truly portable and it is used like a pen with you scanning a line at a time, it is a bit like highlighting a line or so of text from a page to help to remember a fact or statement. With the highlighter method you still need to refer back to the book to get that fact when you revise, not so here as you scan into your PC or portable device and the book remains in pristine condition. It is 13.5cm long 2.5cm wide and 1.
While some may think this is a printer on steroids or even a multi-use Swiss army knife it is neither. This device is a 32GB SSD which has seven different uses the main one being able to move data from one source to another quickly.
The QNAP QG-103N Network Attached Storage (NAS) unit is small at just 11.5x6.x1.5cm and it weighs 114 grams. Going round the unit it has a small 2.5x1.5cm display on the front near the top. The right side has a slider off/charge/on below this OLED next an SD Card slot and finally a USB3 connector. The bottom has an Ethernet port and a USB3 port. It comes with leads and a small fold out card sheet with eight sides of instructions.
Adding to its range of consumer multifunction devices, Brother has introduced its DCP-J562DW model.
Decked out predominately in black, and box-shaped with rounded corners, the DCP-J562DW is a new addition to Brother’s range of multi-function devices for the home user. Combining an A4 flatbed scanner with an inkjet printer, the DCP-J562DW offers print, copy and scan facilities with a choice of wireless or USB connectivity plus support for various remote print services such as Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print and Brother’s own free iPrint&Scan app.
Going to the Planetarium is an expensive experience, buying a telescope is also expensive, looking at the stars with a naked eye requires a clear night that probably means a cold night you also need to be clear of light pollution. This product works indoors whenever you want.
First you need to download the Universe2Go App from the Android Store and start the App. Setting it up to work with your phone will take a while as your phone needs to fit inside the frame. When you get it this is covered by several pieces of foam to cover the whole area if you are using say a 5inch SmartPhone most will need to be removed piece by piece and probably just leave one thin strip to hold your phone in place.
Like many others, Im sure, I have a number of VHS tapes containing videos capturing personal memories. Sadly these videos are often neglected due to the fact that they rely on technology that is not of the most recent kind and the player required for viewing this content no longer forms part of my current entertainment set up. Offering to help get round this type of problem is a product from MAGIX. This is entitled Rescue your Video Tapes!
Now up to version 8, Rescue your Video Tapes! consists of a software CD, Scart-to-phono-plug lead, Installation Guide and a Video Converter kit plus a card containing a 31-character serial number needed to activate the software. The Video Converter kit consists of a bulky USB stick featuring a mini USB port, a short extension lead and a mini USB to RCA (Cinch) female sockets.
Golden Trails 2, subtitled The Lost Legacy is a Hidden Object Adventure game. The Collectors Edition of this game is available as a download priced at £10.20 from Avenquests GSP game catalogue.
As you would expect with a Collector’s Edition title, Golden Trails 2 comes with a number of bonus items are included with the standard game offering. You get various wallpapers, sound tracks, a shooting gallery module, information about the making of the game plus a bonus episode. However you must complete the main game before you have access to any of these items.
This flat panel from BenQ is one of a growing range that not only want to give you a crisp clear but also are aware of the damage that can be done to eyes by Blue light so that is possibly the one stand out selling point for eye health.
The Benq GW2870H monitor measures 65x37x2cm the latter is at the edges. It comes with a 11.5x32cm base that extends in the central area to 30cm where it is attached to the arm. The stand raises the panel by 10cm from your desk; there is no side to side movement but a reasonable amount of back tilt and a small amount of forward tilt. The base of the stand attaches via a twist screw to the arm. The viewable screen is 62x34cm which gives the diagonal imperial measurement of 28inches.
Oil and water not mixing is a popular conception that I would be surprised if you had not heard many times before. Some might even apply the same though with regards to the operating systems developed by Microsoft and Apple. However those inventive people at Parallels headquarters, based in Seattle, would certainly not agree with this point of view.
Oil and water not mixing is a popular conception that I would be surprised if you had not heard many times before. Some might even apply the same though with regards to the operating systems developed by Microsoft and Apple. However those inventive people at Parallels headquarters, based in Seattle, would certainly not agree with this point of view. Parallel has developed a solution for mixing Microsoft Windows on a Mac device running the Apple Mac OS software.
If the charms of an i device are not top of your wants list then the name top of the Android wants list will be whatever the Samsung machine has to offer. Here is one of their most recent offerings courtesy of Vodafone the Galaxy S6.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 measures 14.2x7x.7cm and weights 138grams. Going round the outside the right side has the on/off button, the base has speaker, 3.5mm headphone socket and micro USB for charging or attaching an OTG device. The left side has volume up/down buttons and finally the top has a very effective microphone.
Looking like what early impressions of an alien space ship might be like; a circular disc with thin sides and thicker in the middle this hub from Cygnett does but a single thing it charges your USB devices using mains power and offering five outlets around the disc.
Five equally spaced ports around the side and the sixth space is taken where the two prong mains leads is inserted. The five USB ports take 180degrees of the circle with the mains lead entering mid-way through the other half of the product. It is white in colour with blue lettering on the top and a blue band around the middle highlighting where the five charge ports are, it is 9cm across.
Older articles
Main Menu
