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
Unlike the box shaped speakers that those of us of a certain age will have fond memories from our music enjoyment sessions, todays speakers come in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit in with more modern living environments. One example of this trend is the Portable USB Tube speaker which is part of Conceptronics Lounge Collection. The USB part of the title immediately gives the clue that this speaker set is for use with a computer rather than a Hi-Fi system.
As the product’s title indicates, this speaker set comes in the form of a tube. Measuring 140mm in length and a diameter of 75mm, this black tube features speaker grills at either end plus a diagonal cut running round the middle section of the tube. Following a firm twist, the tube separates into the two speaker units at the point of the diagonal cut. The sloping end of the two speakers enables them to be positioned so that any output is directed upwards at an angle.
This is a Sat Nav unit from one of the best known names in that field. This is also an in car TV capable of receiving all the digital channels. Why put both in one unit? Well if you have ever travelled with children you will know why.
The Garmin Nuvi 1490TV SatNav measures 14.5x8.5x1.8cm the weight without any holder is 250grams. It can be used in the front of the car as a sat nav, in the back of the car as a TV and should you wish still as a sat nav where it can still give directions. Finally it can be used in Pedestrian or Bicycle mode as well as Car mode. I tested all but bicycle as I no longer ride a bike. The viewable screen is 11x6cm and even with one single aerial attached indoors. I found this amazingly good.
This product is a MUST for every mad scientist. FSPs affordable science kit has three experiments in one, all powered by a high voltage step up transformer. The main portion of the kit is a jacobs ladder, commonly seen on old horror movies due to the huge spark it creates...
I first saw what they were proposing nearly three months ago. After a few days to let things settle I tried their service. Not with a brand new up to date photo (stated minimum of 2MP required) but with a scan of a near 40 year old image.
I am suggesting that anyone should try to send a low quality image such as I used. It was rejected almost immediately by their first check, it was also rejected by a second check and then by a personal email. This was however all that was available for my nephew at that age. After much arm twisting they agreed to do their best.
The World Cup has raised the profile and interest in High Definition TV which, in turn, has increased the attraction of monitors with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. The Acer H234H is a quality 24inch monitor that meets this demand as well as giving the user a reasonable degree of future proofing.
The downside of the move to widescreen monitors is that they have a relatively low vertical resolution so that, while the resolution of an old “square” 17inch monitor is 1280 x 1024, even a 20inch widescreen one will typically be 1600 x 900. This is definitely a retrograde step and so one has to go to a larger screen to get adequate vertical performance.
Having built up a popular fan base, the World of Warhammer 40,000 introduces more forces capable of causing death and destruction.
When is an expansion pack not an expansion pack? In the case of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Soulstorm (now there is a title to sink your teeth into), it is when you do not need the original title in order to play this strategy war game (originally launched in 2004). Set in the 41 Millennium, this battle to the death extravaganza now has two new armies, namely the Sisters of Battle and the Dark Eldar, to throw into the mix of death and destruction.
This is an All In One (copy, print and scan) unit that is smaller than a lot of equivalent ink jet printers. At last manufacturers realise that fax is not required by the majority of small businesses as email has long overtaken it.
The Brother DCP-365CN measures 37x36x14cm but space will be required in front of the unit for printed pages to be ejected as they are printed to a shelf above the input paper tray, around 15cm should be plenty making the actual second figure 50cm. This is a four cartridge and four ink unit, swapping cartridges is easy as they fit into the front right edge of the unit. All the controls are on the front edge, 15 buttons and a small one line display black on grey.
Originally set up in 2003, Cygnett is an international company with its headquarters in Australia. The company has recently added the Cygnett Micro to its product portfolio.
The Cygnett Micro is a rechargeable mini speaker unit for use with any device with a standard 3.5mm headset socket and not, as some might think, a new computer brand (“Micro” seems to be used less these days as a contraction of micro-computer). Described as allowing hours of ear bed-free music, this small unit can be connected to a range of devices including the iPhone / iPod family, MP3 players, PMPs or even your computer.
A ghostly apparition, missing students and an ancient Celtic legend come together in a Mystery Case Files titles designed to keep you looking over your shoulder.
In April I told you about a nice Nikon unit just under the DSLR level. Here I will tell you about something from Nikon above the point and shoot level but below that of the April offering. Thus helping those not yet ready to progress.
The Nikon Coolpix L22 digital camera measures 9.5cm long, 6cm tall and between 2 and 2.5cm thick. The unit I was sent was silver grey with chrome on the face and sides and matt black on the rear. The TFT screen is also matt in finish making it easier to read in strong sunlight. The sides are clear of sockets except for the wrist strap anchor point on the right side. The base has the solid battery door where you also place any SD card you might use.
With a name like Pogoplug you might just wonder what kind of device this might be. Maybe it could jump up and down or provide power on the go? In fact neither of these possible options comes close to describing the functionality offered by the Pogoplug. Describing itself as Your Personal Cloud, the Pogoplug is a multimedia sharing device that allows you to access and share content with others over the Internet.
Unpacking this device could be a little disconcerting especially if you were expecting to find a reasonable sized Getting Started / User Guide. There is one there but it is small enough for it to escape your attention. Once located this concertina style booklet provides the brief instructions required for connecting the device to a Mac, PC or iPhone.
In fact no larger than a Netbook but do not think of this as an entry level product. It will be both thinner and lighter than any Netbook I know but it is also quite a powerful offering so you have been warned its not cheap.
This Sony X Series Laptop, the VAIO X11S1EB measures 27.5x18.5x1.3cm and weights 760grams. Now at that weight you really can carry it around with you all day. The right side has VGA out and Ethernet socket. The left side has power in, Kensington lock port (very important as it will easily fit in a poachers pocket) two USB ports and headphone socket.
Everyone thinks of Microsoft and software in the same breath, mainly for the operating system but of course there is Office and other programs such as AutoRoute as well. Here I am looking at two items released recently.
Overall this takes around 50% of the space a normal keyboard takes. On a desk this may not be that important but in the lounge or on the move every inch (or lack of an inch) counts. It is 31x15.5x1.5cm.with the supplied 2x‘AAA’ batteries inserted. The tiny 1.8x1.1x.4cm wireless dongle fits under the keyboard when travelling. Plug it in to any USB port and a few seconds later you are typing. It has 76keys including a single four way action key for the direction arrows.
No matter how careful you are, or think you are, your Windows-based system will tend to slow down as it struggles to cope with the demands you place upon it.
Another item that I discovered at a recent Panasonic white goods event that I my ignorance did not know they produced. However as they have been big mainly in Asia for around 50 years it is certainly worth a look.
I first saw it at a recent presentation by Panasonic; it looked interesting and powerful so I requested to look at it. In fact since then I have seen it advertised on TV so they are pushing the items now in the UK so look for offers. Described on the box as black and silver this does not include the head brush head that is white a strange mix I assume it was boxed up at that event and went back into storage before it came to me a bit later as it arrived without instructions.
By putting together features that include photo, video and music plus burning and sharing software, you end up with a product entitled Digital Studio 2010. This is Corels attempt to tackle the photo and video market for those with limited experience in this particular area.
Time to dust off your business management skills as you buy and sell plots of land, construct hotels and make money for your recently divorced boss.
I have to admit that this is the first game that I have come across that features a pre-nuptial agreement. As a result of this agreement Lynette finds that she has been cheated out of her family hotel business following a marriage that collapsed after just a few months. Determined to regain control of this family business and its sentimental attachments, Lynette plans to set up a rival chain of hotels with the eventual aim of being able to buy back her original property.
It's been a while since I have looked at a printer (as opposed to an All In One or MFU) and even longer since I have looked at a basic entry level offering. Both those criteria are fulfilled by this small unit the Canon iP 2702.
The Canon iP 2702 printer measures 44x25x11cm with the lid closed. The lid forms the paper tray at the rear (insert sheets face forward) this adds 13cm to the 11cm height. However you need another 8cm of clearance to place any A4 sheets in the tray. So should you be thinking of placing this on a shelf you need 44x22x32cm overall space. It weighs 3.4 kilos.
As part of its expansion into areas other than purely media storage, Verbatim has released a new product designed to deal with your media management.
Bringing together the functionality to record, store and play all your multimedia content with wireless LAN capabilities is the designated aim of Verbatim’s MediaStation HD DVR product. This kit consists of a black box, various leads, remote control, and a CD containing Nero Move It Essentials, transcoding software plus the User Manual in PDF format. You also get and some Getting Started documentation but this is minimal rather than comprehensive.
When does a phone become a computer? Perhaps not quite yet but as this Samsung phone can do a lot of things that a computer can its getting there. The screen flips easily between landscape and portrait for ease of viewing.
It is 11x5.5x1.5cm and weights 125grams. Heavier than a lot of other units but most is the larger battery to give more time between charges. The viewable screen is 4.5x6.8cm. There are lots of apps that can be purchased for all the modern phones, here apart from the built in bits you get seven icons on the desktop apart from a rather nice analogue clock as well as the digital one on the top bar. This bar also shows what sort of phone and Internet reception and the state of the battery.
First a rather nice small but powerful laptop speaker from Altec Lansing called the Orbit USB. Second another offering from Brando in Hong Kong, this time a clip on USB fan or course there is also an extra, quite small but it still very efficient.
While this is described as a notebook speaker I see no reason why it should not be used with a desktop system – in fact I did with one of my tests – as the sound is a lot better than say cheap small speakers often found in a panel. It uses USB sound, so even if your sound card or chip is knackered there is no reason why you should not enjoy wonderful sounds from your PC or Notebook. Indeed some of the recent Netbooks have really nasty sound.
Lets start with a warning you should not reconstruct the opening of this next game at home. Instead consider playing this game.
Available on the Avanquest GSP Click & Play label, Trapped: The Abduction is a GoGii developed game. Described as a “dark and mysteries hidden object adventure game”, Trapped: The Abduction places you in the role of a young woman named Helene. The dark and mysteries side of the game is obvious right from the start as your character discovers herself trapped inside the trunk of an old car.
Yes this is what used to be called PaintShop Pro, but that was in the days before it became a Corel product and also as with most software a product to do one job at a time, now it does most things and is more complex.
Anyone who has used Corel products knows that added value is their byword. So not only does the DVD have the main PaintShop Photo Pro X3 on but also in a separate installation PaintShop Photo Project Creator and a cut down version of Painter (Essentials 4). I installed all three and my hard was 4.145GB down on hard disc space afterwards. The install times 8 minutes for PaintShop Photo Pro X3, 15 minutes for PaintShop Photo Project Creator and 4 minutes for Painter Essentials 4.
While software arrives on optical media, sometimes the destination device lacks the appropriate means to access the software. This next product could help solve this dilemma.
Old memories came flashing back as I took on the challenge of a platform style game that certainly had me scratching my head.
One of the earliest examples of popular computer gaming genre was that of platform games. I can remember spending many enjoyable hours playing games such as Commander Keen and Duke Nukem (this was before the character was turned into a first person shooter) with plenty of running, jumping and avoiding the various nasties to keep me occupied.
Not exactly a catchy name for what could be a rather nice DAB/FM/CD/iPod unit. Its small sleek and dare I say as a fashion dunce rather fashionable, however with a note of caution not everything is absolutely perfect.
It is 38x22x9cm, I give the width figure as 9cm as that is the maximum but at the top it is only half that as a maximum. There are 11 buttons on the top that can do most things. The remote control is 18x5x2cm the size of remote normally given to TV’s and other such devices, it can control everything except opening and closing the CD door.
According to information prominently displayed on the packaging of an Aliphs product, 4 out of 5 users prefer talking on a Jawbone vs. a cell phone alone. I should point out that the Jawbone is Aliphs hands-free headset that comes in a variety of flavours. The latest such headset is entitled Jawbone ICON.
Things do not always arrive that quickly, this is a case in point I saw this unit last summer before Windows 7 was even launched. Finally after much nagging it arrives to be tested after summer time had started in 2010.
The Sony Vaio L12S1E is a Touch Screen unit complete with Wireless Keyboard and Mouse. It also comes with a remote control so it can be a Media Centre PC as well if you should desire. The screen has everything built into and around it. It is 57x41x20cm on the pull out stand. The viewable screen area is 53.5x30.5 giving the notional diagonal 24inch measurement. The left side has three 3.
Okay so I cannot really see a link between a book 62 Projects to make with a dead computer and a rather neat small hub/card reader. The first from Workman Publishing and the second from Conceptronic, both however are worth a look.
I found this 260 page book easy to read. There are nine choices of things to make/convert on the front cover and only three of them seemed logical to me before I read the book. There are lots of cartoon type illustrations often several to a page. The two column format over the 18cm page width make things a lot easier to read. It starts by explaining the innards of a computer and the bits that need care – or even leaving alone – within it.
Retyping your hand written notes on your computer is a task that a product from IRIS offers to take care of for you.
Combining its expertise gained in the areas of scanners and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software, IRIS has come up with a solution to transfer and convert handwritten notes into ext that is editable. The procedure takes the content from an ordinary piece of paper to a computer system. This solution is IRIS Notes 1.
Older articles
Main Menu
