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A rather nice small digital camera that I have had a chance to review for slightly longer than the normal two weeks which means I can delve more fully into the various styles available with it while taking out and about with me.
It is 10x6x3cm; with the lens fully extended the 3cm width becomes 7.5cm. The camera is quite weighty for a pocket portable at a tad over 200grams. This weight gives it a very solid feel and also helps with the overall balance. The solid battery is stated to last 1000 shots between charges and while I never managed that many images I never charged it after the initial charge. 10x optical zoom is a decent figure that can still be held still without a tripod. 12.
Here I am looking at two of Brandos more whacky gadgets. First what looks like a Hamburger but it is a hand warmer and massager. Second what looks like a largish mouse (not the rodent) but is a card reader with a memo taker.
While you cannot claim any real ‘medical’ powers for this device it is fun. Imagine a lightly browned burger bun with a burger inside and then a rather garish bright green thick layer of lettuce and that is it but don’t stop reading now as it does have a couple of uses. It is 5cm tall and 8cm across.
Oysters are usually associated with pearls and a shell fish that does not appeal to everybody. Now an oyster is offering to add speaker capability to various devices.
My first portable (not quite a luggable) music playing device was a record player with its own built-in speaker (this was the time when mono was still the accepted standard). It would play the rather larger and breakable records of the hits of that period while keeping my arm muscles well exercised through the need to wind-up the unit in order for it to work.
As you might guess this is based on the Pure Elan however it is rather different. While the sound quality as with all Pure units is excellent I suspect the style police have had something to do here and this would look good almost anywhere.
The Pure Elan II measures 38.5x15.5x10cm (without the rod aerial extended), the six piece rod aerial fully extended will add 64cm to the last figure the height. The whole unit apart from the silvered handle ends and the control area on the top is a wonderful matt black so if you have this in the kitchen no finger marks are likely to show as they do with a shiny surface. It can be run on batteries or even a Pure ChargePak (optional accessory) however most of my tests were run on mains power.
As house guests go I would not normally consider allowing a gorilla to share my abode but in the case of this minigorilla I might well make an exception.
When is enough considered enough? If the question refers to computer storage capacity or speed of operation then the answer is probably “Never”. The same is, no doubt, true when making up a wish list for the battery life length for our various portable devices.
Feeling peckish? Then maybe you would like a snack but not one that will interfere with any dietary issues. Recently I came across a number of games which could be described as Snack titles. Each one is priced at under a fiver admittedly by just a penny which could help with any budgetary restraints.
A rather nice 32inch LCD HD Ready TV from Sharp. Considering what even a small flat panel of a few years ago used to weigh, this even with its stand is light. However when you remove it from its box without the stand fixed its very light.
Without the stand it is 76x50x10cm (max), the stand lifts it a few centimetres above whatever it is sitting on. The stand is 38x28cm. The importance of the remote control is perhaps best stated by the fact that page three of the Operation Manual describes it before it even mentions the TV. In fact the only times I go to the TV is to turn it on/off using the flip button on the left edge or to connect or remove a cable for some external device that is connected to it.
While Sony Ericssons main market push seems to concentrate on the feature-rich, high-end products, the company has released models designed for the less-demanding user.
Of all the various Sony Ericsson handsets I have looked at, the S312 is perhaps the smallest unit yet. Even down to the packaging and the folded User Guide, this product goes for the compact look. Adopting the candy bar style, the S312 is available in a choice of Dawn Blue or the Honey Silver of the review unit. As mentioned, compact is the name of the game for this handset which measures 100 x 46 x 12.5mm (L x W x D). The S312 weighs in at 80.1g.
The latest incarnation of one of the best and easiest to use MP3 players the Sansa Clip, this one comes with 4GB of internal memory plus it also has a micro SD card slot so if 4GB is not enough you can add even more memory.
On first glance it looks very similar to the previous incarnation of the Sansa Clip but the clip on the back is more substantial and this unit has no rounded corners. It is 5.5x3.5x1.5cm and weights 28grams. The screen is 2.3x1.2cm but can still show four lines of very readable information. The USB connection (transfer data and charge) is on the left side near the top with the volume rocker below it. The top has just the on/off button while the bottom is clear.
First two are a wooden (yes wood) mouse and a wooden keyboard that both feel wonderful to the touch, they really look the business when on a desk. Third a USB Card Reader that is wonderfully compact and easy to fit in a pocket this also has another purpose.
When I saw these advertised I was intrigued, how do make a wooden (working) mouse and perhaps more complex a (working) wooden keyboard. Both are supplied by those all things USB Brando in Hong Kong. The mouse is 10x6x2.5cm and weights 93grams, it has a 1.4metre USB lead, the top and sides are bamboo with only the clear plastic scroll wheel spoiling the overall light wood effect.
It was a case of déjà vu as a new game arrived from Playrix with yet more aquarium building and Match-3 game play.
Over the last months I have requested to look at several of these book reading devices about the size of paperback but definitely lighter than a hardback. This is the first of them to arrive this one is called the COOL-ER.
The colour was shocking pink (they do other colours) and while I have seen others using these devices on a train as a mere male without a great feminine side I decided to do my reading behind closed doors as pink and I don’t really mix. It is 18.5x12x1cm and it weights 190grams, the screen is 12x9cm. I was somewhat put off by an off icon in the centre of the screen all the time it is not on. Still if it’s not on you are unlikely to be looking at it that much.
Some laptops are used as a travelling companion while others are more suited for providing your computing needs in the home. Falling into the latter category is the Asus K50IN.
While netbooks are being targeted specifically at the user who requires a travelling companion with Internet access, communication facilities and other similar features, the laptop is moving outwards and onwards with the object of usurping the desktop unit as the living room computer system.
While we often make visits to a virtual environment, there are some who spend their whole lives in this king of environment. Im referring to those characters that belong to that tribe known as Virtual Villagers.
Malleable little people form the basis of a new offering from Focus Multimedia catalogue of titles which consists of not one but two separate games that need to be installed individually. Making up the Virtual Villagers package are A New Home and The Lost Children. Following the destruction of their original home by a volcano, a small group of islanders escape by boat and end up being washed ashore on what appears to be an empty and isolated paradise.
This phone is clearly marked GD510 on the box and while the initial press release called it the LG Fun their website (link at the end) calls it the LG Pop. Either way this phone packs a lot in and I can see it being popular.
The LG POP GD510 mobile phone measures 9.5x5x1.3cm and it weights 85grams. Perhaps the fun name came as the range of shades it has. The face is black apart from the single button area near the base that is grey, as are the sides with the exception of the top left corner that is a chrome colour, finally the back is a gun metal grey. The viewable area of the face is 6.5x4cm.
One name that immediately springs to my mind when I think of SatNav products is that of TomTom. With over 3,300 employees spread over four business units (TomTom, Tele Alias, AUTO and WORK), the company is a world leading provider of navigation solutions and digital maps.
This is quite a squat offering and it looks almost child like with large buttons and rather garish colouring, very unlike recent PowerShot offerings, there is however a rather good reason for the PowerShot D10 strange appearance.
This digital camera is usable under water and I assume this is the reason for the electric blue front. The shape is also probably for the same reason. I am afraid taking it out in heavy rain and putting it a bath is the nearest I got to 10 metres under water, but in this weather the thought of swimming is not really top of my hit list of things to do in the UK in winter, not even in an indoor pool and I doubt if ‘health and safety’ rules would allow a camera anyway.
For once the first word describes this product exactly, it is a Power Mat, you lay your supported devices on it and it or they are recharged, in some cases quicker than they would be if they were recharged by a conventional cable.
There are two styles a solid mat and a collapsible one that folds into three for ease of movement (a zip up case is supplied) either way the mat when open is 30x9x1cm. The names given to them by Powermat are Home & Office Mat or Portable Mat. To give an idea of what can be charged by category you can charge Bluetooth Headsets/Headphones, Mobile Phones, Digital Cameras, Digital Readers, Handheld Game Systems, MP3 Players and even some portable GPS units.
While nowhere as near as prolific as new mobile phone handsets that appear on a regular basis, its near-cousin, the DECT phone, does come in a variety of models from different manufacturers.
Voice Recorders have been around for a long time, mainly as an office tool for the executive wanting to dictate notes or letters when away from the office. Of course many other devices such as MP3 players can do this now.
It is 9.5x3.7x1cm and weights 44grams when the single ‘AAA’ battery is inserted. I always try to use such devices without – initially – resorting to the manual. Here I was able to record and replay messages I left on the unit without any problem. Looking at the controls one thing seemed to be missing and that was an off switch, however I found after a period of inactivity it shut itself down. The face has a 2.
Have you noticed how inanimate objects have a habit of developing the ability to conceal themselves in a variety of locations? You may also have come to the conclusion that the effectiveness of this ability increases with the relative importance of the object at the given moment you need it.
Car keys, purse/wallet, travel pass or even your mobile phone never seem to be where you clearly remember leaving them. While some may suggest that it is your memory that is at fault, there is a theory that the Borrowers have been up to their old tricks. Whichever point of view you subscribe to, maybe a new product from Doro could help alleviate the problem. This product is the MemoryPlus 335.
An Egyptian artefact, robbers, a train journey and plenty of puzzles and hidden object searching make up an offering from Focus Multimedia.
Adding to its portfolio of games, Focus Multimedia has released Serpent of Isis. Developed by Gamgo, this game is based on the search to track down those responsible for the theft of a rare Egyptian artefact, not surprisingly entitled the Serpent of Isis. In order to solve this mystery you will need to get involved with hidden object game play, inventory-based puzzle solving and various mini-games playing in either relaxed or timed mode.
Earlier this year I saw a demonstration of Solid State Storage demonstrated at an event currently I understand it is available in 64 and 128GB. I was sent a 64GB unit to review by Kingston, their price seems quite reasonable.
So what do you get. A 64GB module that fits into a SATA slot in a PC, a copy Acronis True Image software and an external USB case to insert your old SATA drive. try to insert the SSD in the external case it will fit but it will work. You cannot format the unit while it is a USB drive, full instructions are supplied in the box. The box is called SSD with Accessory Kit. My kit was for a notebook but they also do a similar kit for desktop machines.
Whereas speakers have traditionally been box-shaped in appearance, todays users tend to look for a more stylish appearance especially with regards to shape.
While speakers are meant to be listened to, there are times when you might like to consider their appearance as well as audio quality. At least one manufacturer takes this viewpoint and attempts to add some style to its products. That manufacturer is the Canadian-based Edifier Enterprises.
Not a writing instrument as you may think from the title, but a DSLR camera, this designed to look like an SLR of a long time ago. It takes brilliant images in daylight; alas I cannot tell you about night time shots as no flash was supplied.
The Olympus Pen E-P1 measures 12x7x11cm with the supplied 14-42mm lens fully extended. It weights 550grams including the supplied neck strap. It is supplied as standard without a flash, a hot-shoe socket is on the top and almost any flash can be fitted. A small rectangular module is mentioned but at the time of my review one was not available to be sent to me so all my tests were in daylight.
Two USB devices that can help keep you warm during chilly weather, neither is an item of clothing. First a cup warmer and second a lunch box warmer, both from those clever people in Hong Kong who do all things USB. Finally a device that works out how much power your PC can save without shutting it down.
This is something I have seen before but not in the format supplied here. It is 16cm wide 14cm deep and 3cm high apart from the front that has the display screen and here it is 7cm high. The rear of the unit has a one metre long hard wired USB lead; to the right of this is a push button to control the warming plate that is most of the top of the unit. Along side of this are two USB ports, another two USB ports are the other side of the hard wired USB lead.
Rather than add a caption or speech bubble to get your message across, why not consider putting words into the mouths of your creations.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words but just imagine how that number would rise if that picture could talk. By that I do not mean capturing a real person talking on video but rather an inanimate object, image, cartoon or an avatar created for a website. Offering to provide the tools for creating this type of functionality is CrazyTalk 6 from Reallusion.
Unlike most PC reviews that have to rushed through in only a week or so I have been allowed to keep this unit for an extended period that has allowed me to not only review it but a number of software products with it as the medium.
The Asus F70SL laptop must be considered a desktop replacement as it has a 17.3inch screen, measures 42x29x4cm and weights close to four kilos. Certainly if you carried this on public transport all day everyday then you would be a pretty fit person. The face of the lid and the area around the keyboard are a pinstripe pattern the rest is the more normal black colour.
While Adobe controls the PDF standard, other companies have not been slow in developing solutions to take advantage of this technology.
In 1993 Adobe released the first incarnation of its PDF (Portable Document Format) software onto an unsuspecting world. This innovative technology allowed for the easy distribution of electronic documents that could be viewed exactly as the original author intended no matter what software and fonts were available on the host system. All you needed was the free reader utility. Since that date, 16 years ago, PDF has become the dominant force in the world of electronic documents.
A Search for Lost Treasure
Joining the Avanquest Click & Play catalogue of games is Adventure Chronicles: The Search for Lost Treasure. This game features Susan Anderson who some might remember was the central character of Escape the Museum. Now sufficiently recovered from the ordeal of escaping from the wreckage of the museum with her daughter, Susan is back at work when she takes delivery of a journal from an unknown source. This journal is the work of T. R.
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