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While all of the UK has now gone Digital there are a significant number managing on a simple device to import and view the signal, a lot are discovering that their video recorder now just does not function anymore.
So here is a small box that not only imports the signals it allows you to record two at once and even has a working pass though that can watch any digital TV using the same single aerial signal and if that is not enough it has an Ethernet connection so that lots of things like iPlayer and other such things are all available on your TV. The box is 31x28x5cm the middle figure the depth is with all relevant leads plugged into the rear of the View 21.
Rather than retyping your handwritten notes to your computer, you could use this next product from IRIS to do the hard work for you.
The IRISNotes Executive 2 is a product that comes with the strap line of “You write, it types”. By this it means that it has the capability to capture your handwritten notes as they are being created and then convert them into a digital format that is editable for transfer to a computer whether it is a Windows or Mac based unit.
Having spent good money on a new laptop, it is only sensible to look after it. One of the first things to do is to choose a suitable laptop bag that will protect it from knocks and other damage as well as ensuring that the necessary cables and power brick are all in one place. STM and Techair are two of the manufacturers producing ranges of bags to fit the different machine sizes and to meet a wide variety of needs. The shoulder (messenger) bags that Ive looked at from each vendor address a different need.
The actual ones I have reviewed are the for 15inch MacBook and the for 15.4inch PC laptops. The former is 43 x 34 x 14 cm and the latter 42 x 29 x 5cm. Hence, as well as being slightly smaller it is much thinner. They both have convenient carrying handles but, in the case of the latter, the shoulder strap can be removed and it also has a trolley strap and an external rear open pocket for a newspaper etc. Both bags have a padded compartment to provide physical protection for the laptop.
This is a single powerful speaker sold by a company who make musical instruments and amplifiers to professional standards. So while you could say this is just an iPod Dock you know to expect that it could give more.
Certainly this is not designed to blend in with the lounge furniture with its black colour unusual shape and heavy chrome handle and fittings all set off with the large holed metal grill all of course give it the effect desired. It is 20cm across around 30cm tall with iPod in place and around 25cm deep with cables protruding from the rear.
Here a dock that can ramp up the volume even without mains power, in fact it can work even if the i device is not even docked in the unit. Yes in this form it is Bluetooth enabled even though it mentions Wireless, so connected or not.
The HouseParty Portable is 34x14x7cm and weights 1221grams with your ‘i’ device which can if required be docked. While most iPods can be docked using the standard connector later iPod Touch and the Phone and iPad can all also connect Wirelessly. Let me state here that ‘Wirelessly’ means without visible connection as it uses Bluetooth.
In this next game you get the choice of switching between three different characters as you attempt to rescue a fourth character and discover a hidden treasure.
A large panel that is not limited to 1920x1080 resolution. In fact in can display up to 2560x1440 which is a good step up from 1920x1080, this of course can be used to show more detail or just to display more than a single window.
The screen surround is 62x37cm and the ‘y’ shaped stand lifts it a basic 8cm from your desk but there are other choices. The basic front to back of the stand is 32cm and side to side at the front of the ‘y’ is 52cm giving stability. The viewable screen area is 66x34cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measure of a tad under 27inches.
Despite the Solo connotation of its title, this product is available in single, twin, triple or quad offerings depending upon your telephonic needs.
Binatone has added to its range of iDECT phones with the release of its Solo product. There is a choice of glossy red, white or black units that combine docking stations and handsets. This review is based on the twin version of the product. As you would expect there are two handsets, each with a curved shape and a detachable back which gives access to a compartment to hold a pair a pair of AAA rechargeable batteries that are supplied.
Released in a Deluxe Edition version as part of the Hidden Mysteries series, Notre Dame Secrets of Paris is a Hidden Object Adventure game. The reason for the Deluxe Edition classification is that Focus Multimedia has chosen to bundle the bonus offering of Lost Secrets Bermuda Triangle which also belongs to the Hidden Object genre.
Notre Dame Secrets of Paris allows you to adjust the volume levels for background music and sound effects plus whether to opt for a full screen view and a custom cursor but there is no choice of playing difficulty level for any of the five profiles that you can create.
This is possibly the best Android Tablet that I have used so far. I will qualify that statement by saying it is most like a standard PC notebook and therefore easiest to use by anyone coming from a PC background to use an Android device.
The Archos G10 XS Android powered tablet measures 26.5x17x.5cm but it is supplied with a keyboard that allows the screen to sit at around 100 degrees from flat and allow near normal typing. The keyboard is 16.5cm deep and it matches the width of the unit. If taken out with the unit it forms a magnetic sandwich and this of course protects the screen so it is even more like a notebook.
When you have multiple products covering different aspects of media editing and creation, it make sense to combine some of them together in a bundle. This is the approach taken by Cyberlink with its Director Suite offering.
Well versed in the area of digital multimedia and with software solutions that cover Blu-ray disks, digital home entertainment and TV-on-PC aspects, Cyberlink has bundled together four titles from its Create Director Family and named this offering as the Cyberlink Director Suite. These four elements making up the suite are AudioDirector 3, ColorDirector, PhotoDirector 4 and PowerDirector 11.
Netgear XAVB5201 Powerline 500Mbps adapter kit provides a viable alternative to wireless or long Ethernet cables for adding an extra device in another part of the house onto ones network. It is quick and easy to set up and has the speed to meet virtually every need including online gaming or HD TV streaming or even providing a convenient means of connecting a printer, that lacks a wireless connection, connected as one moves it from one room to another around the house.
All the box contains, and all that is needed, are the two Powerline adapters, two Ethernet cables and two leaflets. In essence all that one has to do is to plug the adapters in: one near one's router and the other one near the computer or other device to be connected, connect the Ethernet cables and you are in business. Hence, it is the ultimate plug and play product. In fact, it is so simple that it is easy to forget to change the default encryption key.
The first a rather nice small 2.1 speaker set from Edifier that I tried in my lounge replacing my handmade speakers. The second I used out and about not however on the device it was made to be for a bicycle as I no longer ride. Both cost less than £40.
This is a three piece speaker set, the two satellites and the sub woofer. Small yet powerful, their weight is light in comparison to my own hand crafted offerings of half a lifetime ago, these are also a lot smaller in dimensions. Playing music from the same source through both produced good results but as the Edifier cost not a lot more in 2012 money to what my own speakers cost in 1960s pre decimal money and that the Edifier take up a lot less space… They are 15.
Neither of these items will break the bank and both are useful and likely to be used so are an ideal present. First a charger for use in most of the world, second something even smaller a cable with a rotating end to charge micro USB and Apple.
In essence a Mains powered USB charger however it not only comes with 13amp plug but also those used in Europe and Australia. It is 7x4x2.5cm before you attach whatever plug end suits your area. With the UK plug fitted it becomes 8x8x3cm. So at this point you think why - when there are lots of 13amp ways to charge your USB device - is this iLuv offering any different.
If you want to get ahead get a head is the mantra behind a game making the transition from iOS to the Windows platform.
While best known for its range of games that cover Time Management, Hidden Object Adventure, Match-3 and Arkonoid offerings, Alawar Entertainment occasionally comes up with a left-field type of title. In this case the left-field aspect is that area which is usually occupied by the Tablet and Smartphone mobile devices that are our constant companions.
A small notebook from Acer that I assume is aimed more at the office market as joy of joys no shiny screen surround to show your fingermarks. It also comes with a rather large battery that protrudes down at the rear of it.
The Acer TravelMate P- (TMP633) measures 32x22x1.5cm at the front but this swells as you go back culminating at 4cm at the back where the battery is, it weights just 2kilos. I assume there must be another configuration with a smaller battery as the back pair of rubber feet never sit on the desk. The left side has the Kensington Lock socket, DC power input, two USB3 ports, SD Card and Express Card ports.
Like vinyl, cassette tapes are yesterdays technology. A new product from honestech offers to help safeguard any media stored on such items.
Over the years, like many others, I have built up an extensive collection of music. While more recent additions to this collection are on CDs, vinyl and cassette tapes still makes up a large percentage of my collection. Unfortunately both of these early formats have seen better days with regards to the availability of the hardware required to play back the content as manufacturers have moved into other areas of production.
The works of Shakespeare have been turned into musicals or modern day equivalents. Now we have a game that takes its inspiration from a classic Shakespeare title.
Shakespeare wrote about many things including royalty, treachery, murder, comedy, magic, court cases and even some cross-dressing. However the idea of time travelling was never a theme that Shakespeare considered for any of his literary creations.
Doro are a name that produce phones that allow the visually and audibly challenged to still send and receive calls, until now the main problem is most of their handsets looked different so drawing attention to the users disability.
The Doro PhoneEasy 715 however looks like a number of mainstream units but you can have very large text, extremely easy to read displays and ring volumes far above that on most phones. The other advantage is this is extremely easy to set up. The handset measures 10x5x1.5cm, slide it open to reveal the keypad and the 10cm height becomes 15cm. The unit weights only 104grams.
A bit like an insurance policy, your computer protection needs regular updates as circumstanced change. Offering to help provide protection against a range of issues is the latest version of Kasperskys flagship product.
Arriving with the promise of delivering “Real time protection from all Internet threats” is the latest version of Kaspersky Internet Security. This is the 2013 edition of the product and it bears the “Ready for Windows 8” logo. In common with other security suite offerings, Kaspersky 2013 (KIS2013) gives you three licences enabling the protection to be installed on more than one computer.
Another title could have been drill or screw. The first not only does what you expect from an electric drill but a little more The second will screw and unscrew either or both could make excellent Christmas presents for those who use such items.
For those who think size is important then having a spare may also be important. Here I am looking at not one but two electric drills from Hitachi both are cordless and while one is larger than the other both have their place. First the smaller one the WH 18DSAL, it is 23.5x14x5cm the height includes the battery pack but it is 11x7cm at the pack. The first 12 pages of the Handling Instructions are in English which covers safety, charging the battery and fitting items in the chuck.
Now that the days are getting shorter it is a good time for working indoors on tabletop photography whether it is to make a photographic record of valuable items, to illustrate adverts on ebay or purely for enjoyment. However, for those who have mainly taken photos outdoors using available light, possibly supplemented by fill-in lights, it is often daunting task to get started. Cyrill Harnischmachers book entitled Tabletop Photography, which has the sub-title Using Compact Flashes and Low-Cost Tricks to Create Professional-Looking Studio Shots, provides a large amount of useful information for both the beginner and those with more experience.
The short chapter on basic theory relating to sharpness & blur, the effect of different focal length lenses and the key issues relating to light is followed by one entitled Technology. Having made the point that the small size of compact or system flash units make them ideal for tabletop photography, the author discusses the various types of units available and the various ways of triggering them.
Something for the young child that may let you find out if they really want a pet cat or dog. Both these do things that cats and dogs both do, some are nice others are less pleasant but the beauty here is that you can turn them off.
It is 21x18x14cm in the sitting position, it moves a little and creates a number of noises, some are charming others less so, however as there is no smell attached a young child will probably enjoy the noise and they look fun. For once I can say batteries are included and providing it has not been played with in the shop the 3x‘AAA’ should be fine. It pants, burps, snores, barks and farts. It also waves it left leg in the air.
Large telephonic buttons and an Emergency message facility means another Doro phone has arrived for review.
Doro’s latest addition to its family of handsets is the PhoneEasy 715. This is a slider handset available in either a black or white outer casing. In its closed state the handset has dimensions of 100 x 50 x 17mm (H x W x D) and weighs 103g including the 800 mAh 3.7V rechargeable Li-ion battery pack that should give up to 12 hours talk time or 533 hours on standby. As is becoming standard with more recent Doro handsets, the PhoneEasy 715 comes with its own charging stand.
This is a set of speakers that can also charge external devices; it is also a dock. Yes that word does have a life beyond the i devices. Other Sonoro devices are high end so why should you spend your money on this device.
It is not often I start with the Instruction Manual, I can just forgive English being the second language after all they are not manufactured in the UK. What is harder is that the one page in English lists the contents and tells you to read it in its entirety before using and then the next page does the same for the next language and so on. Then from page 12 on you have a series of pictures and diagrams with little or no worded instructions on how to use it.
One thing you can be sure of when Edifier International is involved is that the various speakers that emerge from this company will be of a design that could be considered slightly unusual.
In the past I have reviewed Edifier speakers featuring various colour schemes and with an assortment of shapes that include cylindrical, spherical and a decapitated pyramid. This trend has been continued with the latest Edifier speaker to reach me. This is the Sound To Go Plus™ unit. This latest Edifier speaker (note the singular rather than the plural) adopts an elongated triangular shape. Rather surprisingly, this particular shape is not all that innovative.
Several months ago I reviewed the first episode of the Fall Trilogy. Now it is time for the second episode as amnesia suffering character tries to escape from his environment.
The Fall Trilogy is an adventure game that the developers have decided to release as three separate chapters. The first title in this series was entitled Separation (see my review at URL) and involved your game character, who was suffering from a memory loss, while attempting to escape from a mysterious old temple.
A new Smartphone seems to arrive often, a new Apple offering has people queuing round the block, a new Android offering less so, but you can do more of what you want, a new Android smartphone with an Intel Chip.
Yes the Intel smartphone is alive and fast in the form of the Motorola RAZRi. It is smaller than a couple of recent offerings and uses a micro SIM and micro SD for added storage but even study fingers like mine work well with it. People I have shown it to often say that is heavy it’s actually 126grams but the case is metal and it should survive the odd knock with ease.
It is that time of year when the latest edition of Bitdefender Total Security software makes an appearance just as emails start to arrive advising you that your current subscription is about to expire. Following the general pattern established over the years, this latest version of the product is identified by the appendage of next years date. So we have Bitdefender Total Security 2013.
In common with other protection type software, Bitdefender does not like to play with other competitive products. As a result it will offer to remove any competitive titles it identifies during the initial stages of its installation. There are some titles that Bitdefender is unable to remove and it will ask you to carry out this task if necessary.
This is another in a range of larger flat panels to have recently crossed my desk. This one has VGA, DVI and Displayport connections as well as USB to power a hub. Here however you can control how high off the desk it is.
Assuming this is your only display then use either DVI or VGA and you should get a perfectly acceptable image. Should you need any further advice then you need to consult the manual that is in PDF format and to view this you need a working monitor. While this unit has Displayport most such connections are on Apple units and I do not have one of those so I cannot comment on whether this works out of the box on first connection or not.
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