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Part one of my round up of some of the many accessories and applications available for your Apple iPhone!
Having been completely underwhelmed by the recent fanfare launch of the new iPad from Apple I decided to ditch the Blackberry and succumb to the sexiness of the iPhone. There is something wonderfully intuitive about sliding things around on a screen but once you have played with all the preloaded applications, what next? There are so many accessories and applications you can buy for your iPhone that bewildering scarcely covers it.
Hands-free mobile devices come in a variety of shapes, sizes and appearances including those that are found in nature. So what would you think the Jabra Stone looks like?
A visit to a certain residence in Baker Street can lead you into a world of mystery and criminal activity. There is also a French flavour to add further spice.
Now available as part of the Focus Multimedia extensive catalogue of titles, Sherlock Holmes Nemesis is a first-person perspective adventure game that is set in the year 1895 and located in London. The story brings together the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle characters of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson with the French fictional cat burglar, Arsène Lupin who was created by Maurice Leblanc.
Having recently looked at a dual TFT screen from Samsung this modern looking (mine was bright red) digital camera looks near normal. But not that long ago a 28mm wide angle lens and 5x optical zoom would not be normal.
The Samsung PL80 digital camera measures 10.5x5.5x2cm and weights 138grams. While the red colour is rather too bright for my liking it does of course not affect the images it takes! The top bottom and left side have a chromed band as well as the lens surround on the front, as the legends are written in white on the chromed area they can be difficult to see what they say in certain lighting conditions. The face has the lens that can extend by up to 3.
There have been various initiatives designed to ease the problem of recharging portable devices. The use of USB and solar powered devices are just a couple that have gained credence. Now we have a device that offers to recharge multiple devices simultaneously.
Unless you are exceedingly lucky, each of your mobile devices will require its own recharging facilities in the form of a lead and a bulky power plug or plugs in the case of those whose travels take them to distant climes. The clutter this causes increases as you add more devices to the collection that you can not live without. Managing the logistics necessary to keep the appropriate power lead and plug with the correct device only adds to the problem.
A small circular shaped speaker that can be connected and powered from any PC with an audio out socket and USB port. However it can also (via USB) be connected wirelessly and with a charged battery with USB power.
It is 7cm tall and both 8cm wide and deep; it is a matt black rubberised material and should handle the odd knock or two. First if you connect via a 3.5mm jack the lead supplied is 66cm long. If there is no power in the internal battery then you will also need a USB port for power and the supplied mini USB to USB lead is 75cm in length. Should either or both of these leads be required they both plug into the unit at the back near the base.
First an assortment of puppies and second a single cat, the latter doing what cats do best sleeping. Both these puzzles are delightful and are from the 1500 piece range, I am certain both will be very popular with puzzle doers.
It is landscape in shape and 80x60cm in size. This image is made up of eight boxes seven of which have a single puppy and the eight has two puppies. In theory this makes it easier to complete as the blue areas around each puppy give you distinct areas to work with. However the drawback is there is a lot of the single blue colour. The image is by Greg Cuddiford. However it would have been nice to know a little about each of the puppies.
Up until recently my walking music needs were catered for by the Sansa Clip device. This small (55 x 35 x 16mm) silver and black device has been a regular accoutrement clipped (a feature that explains the products name) to my belt but now it has been replaced. So it is time to say a fond farewell to the Sansa Clip as I welcome the arrival of the Sansa Clip+.
This small MP3 player is available in a choice of 2, 4, or 8GB capacities. Whereas the original Clip device came in a choice of five colours, this new model can be purchased in sleek black unless you go for the 4GB version which will also be made available in either burgundy red or ice blue. This review is based on the black 4GB model.
I first saw this demonstrated early this year, it looked great. However when I tried to do the same, problems occurred, I asked advice and now a later version of the software seems to have solved all the problems that I initially had.
It is 11.5x12x6cm it has a USB port on one end and three USB ports in a column on the other with Ethernet port below that and the two pin power input at the base. The whole thing is in a frame that is 17cm to keep it balanced. While the PogoPlug itself is cream the frame is pink. PogoPlug is basically a switch that allows you virtually unlimited storage in ‘The Cloud’ at no extra cost you just buy the PogoPlug.
Do you fancy being a journalist? If so then you can take on the role of Nicole Rankwist who works for a New York paper. However it is in her role as dutiful daughter that she gets involved in The Mystery of the Crystal Portal.
The Mystery of the Crystal Portal is a game in the popular hidden object adventure genre but, in this case, with a novel twist that adds an extra challenge for the player. As often happens in games of this type, it all begins with a message from one family member to another. Nicole has had a telephone conversion with her father in which he was rather excited about his latest discovery which, he claimed, would “change the cause of humanity”.
It is time to return to the scene of earthquake destruction as you join the Anderson family in an escape attempt.
From its title you would suppose that this next game was a sequel to the GoGii developed Escape the Museum and you would be correct. However if you were then of the opinion that Escape the Museum 2 was about being trapped and needing to plan your escape from a museum then you would be wrong although not completely.
Nero has been around for many years, first as one of two excellent CD copying programs (I remember using it with Windows 98) and more recently as a Back Up package of repute now with version 10 its a Multimedia Suite.
Even when installed on a Windows 7 system this package needs to install various Microsoft C++ and Direct 3D items then it requires a reboot and on my machine anyway you needed to remove the installation DVD or it tried to start a restore from the DVD. The total time taken for both parts of the install including the reboot was 26 minutes. In total my hard disk had lost 3.35GB of hard disc space after the Microsoft and Nero installations.
Often you need access to your important data from a variety of locations. One way to ensure you have this access is to invest in a portable hard drive.
Not another Photo Frame, well yes and err no. Yes it is a Photo Frame from a name known for their panels but I doubt anyone would initially recognise the unit as it comes built into a stuffed toy, mine was a Polar Bear.
This Hannspree digital photo frame is 43cm from tail to the end of its nose. 30cm tall to the top of its head and a maximum of 9cm wide. It weights 1.5kilos. The screen fits into the body and its legs support it, the viewable screen area is 17.5x10cm giving the 8inch diagonal measurement. Before I talk about the screen I wonder if this is meant to be a toy or a talking point. If a toy then well….
I received samples of the glue (two types) and the tape last year, a few weeks later I was rung to find out how I was going with it, my answer was I would review it when I had found the need to use each product in real situations.
Adding to its various image editing products, MAGIX has released Xtreme Photo & Graphics Designer 5 which brings together a number of applications.
MAGIX Xtreme Photo & Graphics Designer 5 integrates the features found in MAGIX Graphic Designer 5, MAGIX Photo Designer 7 and MAGIX FunPix. Like other titles from the company, this product comes with a couple of bonus items. In this case you get the regular offering of MAGIX Photo Manager 8 plus Reallusion Face Filter Studio 2 SE. These titles need to be installed separately if you want to get the full benefit of what is really a suite.
In theory you just connect this External Hard Drive (almost as easy as the USB unit reviewed on Wednesday) install some software and then you have 1TB of external storage, shame it did not happen like that.
This Network Attach Storage (NAS) unit measures 19x11x5cm and is matt black apart from the face that is shiny black. The front has a green pin hole LED in the middle. The connections are on the back, two USB ports, Ethernet port and DC input above this the on/off button. It comes with a CD-ROM that has an application called Finder, manuals and Nero Back It Up 4 Essentials. There is also a printed manual the first 51 pages in English.
While many games support the use of a gaming console, some users are not comfortable with this type of approach and would prefer to use their keyboard as their main control method.
In the past I have looked at a number of keyboards. Some could be classified as general purpose; others offer additional multimedia controls; while occasionally you would get light displays and one, if memory serves me correct, could be rolled up when not in use to save on space. However this is the first time I have looked at a keyboard designed specifically for the hard-core gaming community. The keyboard in question is the Microsoft Sidewinder X4 model.
Egyptian Gods, time travel, altering history and hidden object game play are just some of the elements found in the latest Luxor title.
As one of the most popular gaming franchises, the Luxor reputation has been built on numerous match-3 style shooter titles. However with this latest Luxor title, Luxor Adventures, the game’s developers have branched out into the area of hidden object adventure game play folded into a storyline that includes the good old standby of time travel.
A single sentence at the launch of Duracell Torches event made me aware for the first time that Duracell made rechargeable batteries. After several months I found out the correct agency and then after a couple of bouts of illness an eventual meeting.
If you knew that Duracell made rechargeable batteries then you probably shop in B&Q or Homebase who seem to be the main stockists of the batteries. They of course also make various rechargers for them some quite innovative. First the batteries that at first glance look quite similar to their non rechargeable cousins however look more closely and you will see a green area that the more famous (advertised) batteries do not have.
According to a popular saying "There is more than one way to skin a cat" (with apologies to the bundle of fur that keeps me fully occupied) and this is definitely true when it comes to setting up your backup routine.
“To back up or not to back up” should not be the question. Instead it should be a case of “When to back up and how to back up”. With the numerous backup solutions available you could be spoilt for choice as you make the selection most suited to your particular needs. A new addition to the range of backup options is Clickfree Transformer SE (Special Edition) which combines a small hardware device with automatic backup capabilities.
The Canon Pixma iP4700 is an up-market inkjet printer in the higher price bracket and should not be compared with the budget printers that can be bought for less than £40. It is a stylishly designed versatile machine that delivers realistic colour prints as well as crisp black printed documents. It is easy to use and, as well as offering duplex printing, can print on CDs and DVDs. Consequently, it will come high on many peoples wish list.
When closed it is just a rectangular black box 44 x 30 x16cm high with the paper cassette protruding from the front by some 9cm. Overall, it is black in colour, with a partly matt and partly brightly polished finish, so that it would not even look out of place in most homes. Both the paper cassette and the rear paper tray each have a capacity of over 100 sheets.
For anyone wanting a single unit to do it all (sorry, it refuses to make the tea) then this Cello offering is not only a 32inch TV but it is also a DVD player and even can become a PVR with the addition of SD cards in the rear slots.
I know people who really only want the screen from their TV, even using external speakers. But the converse is also true and for some this unit from Cello will be nirvana with everything from one single electrical 13amp plug. The Cello C2698FR television measures 80x52x10cm on a fixed stand 48x25x5cm meaning it is 57cm from whatever you sit it on. For someone who attaches a number of stands to TV’s every year having fixed unit is joy, but for others I know this is less important.
First a voice controlled USB powered lamp and then a card reader and USB hub. How does this innovative Hong Kong company keep finding more devices that are available to use from your USB ports?
Time to put your detecting skills to the test as you tackle a hidden object game with a difference from GoGii
Developed by GoGii and now available as part of Avanquest’s GSP Click & Play series, Private Eye is a puzzle solving game that combines hidden object game action with quick reaction interludes to keep you on your toes. In this game, as the title indicates, you take on the role of a Private Eye who has recently graduated from the Private Investigation Academy. The game allows individual players to set up their own profile with some personal information.
This looks rather like the Grundig machine recently reviewed however there are differences; one is that it has features such as the ability to set HD recordings in advance for ITV programs via the improved program guide.
The measures 30x26x4.5cm. The face, like the Grundig, has no visible clock and all that can normally be seen is a red button on the left together with a similar button on the right when recording while the unit is not being tended. The six sides of the A4 Quick Start Guide4 should be enough to get even the novice user up and running. The 32 page A5 instruction manual has little more detail.
Memories can be transient especially over the passage of time. It is for this reason that we often take the precaution of storing special moments using the technology that was current at the time.
Unfortunately that which was created by yesterday’s tools is often incompatible with the modern devices developed using today’s technology. Put simply, content stored on VHS tape is in danger of being lost due to issues such as deterioration caused through moisture and geomagnetism as well as an inability to replace faulty equipment because manufacturers are no longer making the kit as they switch production to disk-based PVRs (Personal Video Recorders) and the like.
When the year in focus is 1912, the thoughts of any student of maritime history should concentrate on the RMS Titanic and its disastrous maiden voyage which resulted in massive loss of life.
Titanic Secrets of the Fateful Voyage is a game in the Hidden Mysteries series and part of Avanquest’s GSP Click & Play catalogue and is described as a point & click adventure game. In this game you take on the persona of Margaret Ashley, newly married and about to start a new life in America with her husband.
This is a very thin 500GB portable USB hard drive that displays the free space available even when no power is available (or even connected to a PC). Could this unit be the way that all external hard drives will become?
This is really easy to attach via the 50cm USB cable supplied, to any –preferably- USB 2 port and after a few seconds Windows will recognise it as an external drive. There is a tiny Quick Start Guide with two pages in English and a folded (equally tiny) sheet of paper with a single side in English explaining why 500GB means 465GB. It is also stated to work on MACs. The hard drive already has the User Manual and Nero Back It Up Essentials 4 on it.
With its expertise in the area of telephonic devices within the home/business environment, it is hardly surprising to discover that Doro is also active in the manufacture of headsets designed to add functionality to the basic landline phone set up.
One such product is the Doro Prosound hs1910 DECT device. This is a wireless DECT headset. It has been designed for those who seem to spend a great deal of their time either making or receiving phone calls. While the various Doro phones that I have looked at, whether of the traditional, DECT or mobile variety, have prided themselves on their basic functionality and ease-of-set up, this wireless DECT headset attempts to be extremely flexible in how it can be used.
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