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The Brother MFC-J6510DW all-in-one multifunction printer, copier, scanner and fax is an important machine in the companys professional MFP range. Its ability to handle A3 size documents which, although not an everyday requirement, is a feature which many offices would find extremely useful.
As can be expected of a machine which can handle A3-sized documents, it is quite large. It weighs 15.8kg and needs 590mm of desk space and is 489mm front/back depth. This increases to 690mm when the paper tray is loaded with A3 paper and so projects forward. Nevertheless, with its black finish, it blends easily into an office environment. As well as USB 2, it has 10/100 Ethernet and IEEE 802.11b/g/n wireless interfaces so that it provides a full range of business connectivity.
The Samsung ST100 Digital Camera is small enough to fit into almost any pocket but it also has one of the largest TFT screens around. It is totally touchscreen in operation so those who have been brought up on touch will certainly enjoy using this camera.
The Samsung ST100 Digital Camera measures 10x6x2cm and weights only 155grams. The face has the lens and the flash both are in the same plain with the flash central on the unit and the lens towards the right edge. It uses a periscope type device inside the camera to zoom as the lens never visually moves in or out. The right side has an anchor point for a wrist strap, the left side just say 14.2MP the resolution.
The first is a good way to listen with some rather nice earbuds multi sized from Shure. The second a really small TV aerial that can give reception in places without a roof or loft aerial, best of all its easy to move with the TV this from OneForAll.
A somewhat unusual shape when compared to other such buds the bud doubles back on itself making it as wide as it is long at 2cm and up to 1cm thick. The next 8cm of lead is near rigid there is then another 30cm of lead until the lead becomes one, in this length you can control how much hangs separated or becomes joined. Then a further 1.2metres to the gold plated 3.5mm jack plug that turns 90degrees to fit into whatever you use with them.
It was not until I started checking out this next product that I realised that my computer system box had a face.
While perhaps not the first name you think of with regards to digital photography (although those of my generation grew up using this company’s photographic products), Kodak still has much to offer. Take, for instance, the company’s latest pocket-size camcorder appropriately entitled the Kodak Playtouch. Available in a choice of Smoke Gaze (Black), Chrome, Cabana (Orange) or Spa Blue (Teal), the Playtouch offers a range of features including full 1080p HD capability.
This on the face of it looks like a rather posh iPod dock, it has rather nice speakers and good sound. Pick it up and you will probably wish you hadnt as it is heavy. So what other features make this Audyssey dock stand out?
It is a maximum of 9cm wide in the centre and 5cm at the front while the back is only just over 3cm, it is 23cm tall and 28cm deep. As far as most iPod docks go they are light this one certainly isn’t down to its speakers. It has no obvious controls when off, just a sleek slate grey object. Plug in the 1.8metre mains lead (yes mains lead not power adapter) and a volume indicator shows in small while lights up the front while a play pause touch control is on the front top edge.
Keeping your computer running at its optimum capacity can be time consuming and often frustrating unless, of course, you hand the task over to experts.
Iolo technologies is a long established company operating in the field of utility and performance enhancing software for the PC market. Identified by the American Business Awards as the fastest-growing US Company in both 2009 and 2010, iolo technologies has just released the latest version of its flagship product. This is System Mechanic 10 which offers to take over the performance management aspect of your computer system.
Travelling to Paris and moving back in time, you can insert yourself into a tale of murder and kidnapping from the pen of Edgar Allan Poe.
First published in 1841, Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre tale of Murder in the Rue Morgue has been the inspiration for a number of projects. The latest of these projects forms part of Big Fish Games Dark Tales series which is currently available from Focus Multimedia. Not surprisingly this product is entitled Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder in the Rue Morgue. The game belongs to the Hidden Object Adventure genre as the player joins C.
This is quite a sleek All In One unit from Epson. As it can be wireless then the lounge police become less effective as it could live in a cupboard or even behind the sofa as once up and running only a power lead will be needed.
The measures 43x34x16cm, add another 15cm to the 34cm depth for the paper output to be fully extended as well as raising the display area to 45degrees and add say 10cm to the 16cm height to add or remove anything from the flatbed. Few USB units come with a USB lead, this does and you will need it once to setup the initial connection between the unit and the PC you install the software on even if you choose the wireless option, or course for USB you need it all the time.
It is time to visit Americas Midwest in the 1930s and test your skill at with-drawing cash from banks where you have no accounts.
John Herbert Dillinger Jr. was born on the 22 June, 1903. By the time of his violent death on 22 July, 1934, he had become “Public Enemy Number One” in the eyes of the US Justice Department while to some others he was regarded as a folk hero.
Networking your Computers & Devices Step by Step from the Microsoft Press is a guide to networking a Windows 7 PC with one or more other PCs. As well as networking with other Windows 7 machines, this book also covers networking with Windows XP, and Mac or Linux-based machines as well as sharing printers, devices and files across the home network.
Today there are a growing number of homes with two or more PCs. They frequently talk to the Internet via the same broadband router but, all too often, they don’t talk to each other. This Microsoft book written by Ciprian Adrian Rusen takes one through the necessary steps to set up a network commencing with actually setting up the broadband router. This included the wireless settings.
Having recently reviewed the Pocket Edition from Sony this Touch Edition came soon after, but, in between was another E-Book but that one did not have electronic ink and was smaller, so here the largest of the three recent offerings.
The PRS-650 that I have here is black, matt black so it does not show fingermarks. It is 17x11.5.8cm and the viewable screen is 12.3x9.3cm giving the notional 6inch measurement, the Pocket Edition was 5inch. First as I am confused by the word ‘Touch’ in relation to the reader lets find a definition. It seems to be stroke or pat. The reason I mention this is that the Pocket Edition recently reviewed had a number of touch features.
With three weeks over Christmas and New Year with no events or conferences I am sad to say that DIY finally got to the top of the list, so two new tools from Worx finally got a good test and jobs were completed with ease.
Having removed the outer cardboard cover a nice solid plastic box with two catches holds the tool. Flip the catches and nothing happens further examination reveals one of those nasty plastic ties through a loop so out with the industrial scissors and I am in. The tool itself is close to 30cm long and has a hard wired mains lead coming from the rear of the unit, the mains lead is 3metres and the total weight of the tool is a not insubstantial 1.725kilos. However it is extremely powerful.
With a name like BookBox you should have a good idea that the product in question will be meant to act as a digital library depository as it allows you to store and read your collection of ebooks. And you would be correct. However this BookBox does not limit its functionality to the sole task of being an ebook reader but more on these additional features a little later.
The BookBox is a View Quest product that is currently available from HMV stores. It arrives in a brightly colourful box that should appeal to the targeted youth market. Opening the box reveals the main BookBox unit, USB lead and appropriate three-pin mains plugs, protective case and a mini Instructional Manual. As this device is meant to be portable, it should fit easily into a pocket and this is definitely the case.
The box says its a CD Receiver System, I call it an audio unit or dare I use the words Hi-Fi unit. Apart from playing CDs it has DAB and FM Radio and of course an iPod dock, there is also another feature to read on.
A rectangular black box that easily sits on a shelf, it is 34x21.5x10cm however the iPod flap lifts from the top so you need to perhaps double the last figure the height. My 9cm tall Nano actually requires an extra 8cm so measure your own iPod and then take a cm off the height to see the required clearance as it tilts back slightly. The front of the unit has two buttons to the left and one large button to the right of the 12x1.5cm two line display.
As well as some imaginative colour naming, Sony Ericsson sometimes takes the same approach when naming its devices. One example is the Zylo.
Typing the word “zylo” into your search engine should produce numerous hits covering many different subject matters. However, in this case, the only Zylo we are interested in is that of a mobile phone from Sony Ericsson. The Zylo is a quad-band handset that will work on any GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 network plus Class 10 GPRS and EDGE. Available in a choice of Metal Black or Pearly Rose, this mobile phone is a slider handset.
Simple in its game play but very addictive, the Bejeweled franchise continues. The latest version is Bejeweled 3.
Many years ago there were two names in the CD copying field, although Nero was one of them and in fact on my Windows ME machine I still use an early version this product does so much more in so many various ways.
Doing a full install on a reasonably fast Windows 7 system with 4GB RAM took 36minutes. The total space taken was 6GB on my hard disc. On first inserting the DVD you have the option to do a full install or custom. The first 11 minutes prior to a reboot actually install a lot of Microsoft bits that Nero requires this fills 2GB of hard disc.
Adding an ecology slant to the familiar mobile phone feature set, Sony Ericsson offers a green product.
Adding to its already extensive range of mobile phones, Sony Ericsson has released its Elm handset. This model belongs to the Sony Ericsson GreenHeart family of products. GreenHeart is an environmentally friendly initiative that includes the use of recycled plastic; no lead and less chemicals; and documentation in electronic format. This eco-friendly handset adopts the candy-bar format and is available in a choice of Metal Black or Pearly Rose.
This does not use E Ink and has a conventional colour screen; however it is very readable even with small typefaces. It can also play some videos, audio and show JPG images. It has both internal and external memory in a small footprint.
The Imagin Colour Screen eBook Reader measures 15x10x.5cm. It weights 165grams; the viewable screen is 6.5x11cm. It has a total of twelve touch buttons. The only other connections and controls are on the bottom these consist of mini USB (to charge and transfer) a tiny on/off button, micro USB slot and a 3.5mm socket so you connect a pair of earbuds or headphones for private listening. However for use on the desk beside you the back of the unit has a perfectly good loudspeaker.
The last long term test panel I reviewed I ended up buying. That was when flat panels were in their infancy. This one I have been using for several months and yes I have purchased it yet again, its lighter, bigger and brighter.
The LG Flatron E2360 is a 23inch offering that is 54x38x1.5cm. The screen itself is 54x32cm, the viewable area is 50.5x28.5cm giving the notional imperial measurement of 23inches. No matter how large a panel is, it seems the ideal resolution (maximum) is 1920x1080. In a way this is great as you can have two decent sized windows open side by side or see a lot of a spreadsheet at a good resolution.
Having first seen an early example of this product at a Panasonic hosted event in Munich, early last year, it has taken until now for me to get my hands on a sample for reviewing. I have to say the wait was worth it.
What was often referred to as “that box in the corner” or the “goggle box” has now become the dominant and central feature of numerous living rooms. At the same time televisions has shrunk considerable in depth but increased in width with many families feeling they could not manage with anything less that a 40-inch display for their viewing pleasure. However not everybody has the space to accommodate one of these wide screen offerings.
This time its not security for a PC but for a home. I have been testing this range of items all held together by a service since the late autumn. While you have a camera or cameras you also have switches for doors and other items.
For some placing a heat sensitive light outside to light them up their path at night is a safety measure, for others they see this as security to deter a potential intruder. Others have a burglar alarm box showing in full view of the road, some of these boxes maybe live, others are dummies. The drawback of these is that they tell intruders you consider you have something worth stealing. The Halo approach is to tell you what is happening when you are not there.
A pre-Christmas evening of magical card manipulation introduced me to a new camera from the Panasonic range. This was a pocket camcorder device.
Cisco has its Flip, whether of the Ultra or Mino variety; Kodak offers users a choice of its PlaySport or PlayTouch models; and Sony is pinning its faith in the Bloggie. With this in mind you might expect Panasonic to come up with something equally memorable as a title to bestow on its initial offering for those looking to purchase a pocket camcorder. In its wisdom Panasonic has decided that HM-TA1 will really grab public attention.
Gather your casino chips together as we are off to Las Vegas to solve a mystery in a hidden object escapade.
As part of its extensive range of casual game titles, Avanquest has released Mysterious City: Las Vegas. Unlike the other numerous game titles in its portfolio, Mysterious City: Las Vegas has been released as a downloadable product only. I am unsure as to the reasoning behind this decision which does seem a little strange especially as Avanquest is charging the same price for the download version as it does for its other boxed game offerings. The actual download is 53MB.
I have been fortunate to have this longer than a standard test which means I have been able to test a larger range of software and hardware with it than normal. This is a high end offering and the differences can be found.
It is black but not that horrible shiny black that shows every finger mark, this is matt black everywhere apart from the keyboard surround that is a sort of slate marble finish but still a lovely matt finish. It is 37x25x3cm in size. The weight is a little under 2.5kilos. The front has a discreet SD card slot along with a row of seven tiny LED’s. The left side has VGA out, HDMI out, USB port, E-Sata port and 3.5mm sockets for microphone and earbuds.
The arrival of a product with the number 6 attached had me thinking that I had missed out on the first five titles in the series but that was not so.
To avoid any confusion I should make clear that Designer Pro is not a brand new product from Xara but rather the new name for what was the company’s flagship graphics title, namely Xara Xtreme Pro 5.0. With this name change, Xara has taken the opportunity to carry out a major make-over on the product. At the heart of this latest version of the product is a new UI (User Interface).
Unlike the earlier version of this that I was ashamed to be seen with in public I have been happy to be seen reading this in public. In case you are wondering why the first one needed to be used in private it was PINK.
The time the Sony Reader, Pocket Edition (PRS-350) is a more normal silver colour. Being a pocket edition the size (or lack of) is important, it is 14x10.5x1cm and it weights 150grams. Being able to use it outdoors during the winter can test several things, the effect of light and tempreture being uppermost in my mind. This is E Ink and as such having a page open uses no power at all, the only drain on power is when you turn a page and the new words need to be reprinted on the screen.
Two interesting little gadgets both connect via USB and for regular readers only one is from Brando. A USB powered electric razor is something to keep in a desk drawer. The mouse has bolder claims 'change the way you will use your laptop'.
Certainly the smallest mouse I have ever used and a great alternative for those who just can’t get on with a notebook trackpad. It is a maximum of 5.5x4x3cm and weights only 25grams. There are no cables as it is a wireless mouse and even the charging of the battery takes place via USB. The wireless sender is also tiny at 2.7x1.5x.5cm and it is magnetised. Mine was black with a red left side where your right thumb sits, the rest of the controls are controlled by your next finger.
You would have thought that notebook users would be satisfies with the devices touchpad rather than spend extra on a mouse but often this is not the case.
A squat black box, this will be unlikely to pass the lounge police unless they are goth but it can be used wirelessly, however for those with no fashion taste like me I am only interested in quality of printing, copying and scanning.
The Canon Pixma MP495 measures 42x32x15cm when closed, put paper in the rear tray for printing and the second figure the depth increases by 4cm and lower the front output tray adds a further 16cm, finally raise the scanner lid by 15cm to get pages onto the flatbed. So a total size to put on a shelf - for instance – 42x52x30cm should allow you to use it. The scanner lid is flush to the top and opens landscape towards the waiting paper stack at the rear.
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