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Have you thought about the visual quality of your favourite music tracks? Audiosurf has!
Games generally slot into genres such as Adventure, First Person Shooter, Puzzle or Simulation. Occasionally, however, a title comes along that ventures into new territory either in the form of game style or the resources required by the software. A recent example of this is Audiosurf, a game developed by Dylan Fitterer and published by Ascaron Entertainment. Audiosurf has been categorised as being a puzzle racer which is really only half the picture.
On the face of it this is just another of the huge range of devices to tell your where you are and how to get to where you are not. However after a few days of use I soon realised it did lots of things that other such devices do not.
The TomTom GO930-T is 11.5x8.5x2cm and has a landscape screen 10.7x5.8cm. While most will of course use it in a car I suggest unless you are a passenger then you first try it on a bus or a train where or course you are a passenger as there is so much to absorb from the screen display and unlike a lot of other units it shows things in different places and often in different ways.
Hands-free mobile communication is becoming a more popular judging by the number of people who appear to be talking to themselves as I walk past. Sometimes I feel tempted to join in the conversation.
While you may consider a jawbone to be part of your skull, Aliph, a market leader in noise cancelling Bluetooth headsets, prefers to regard the Jawbone (note the capital letter) as “earwear”. In other words the Jawbone is an ear-piece style headset for hands-free communication when linked to an appropriate Bluetooth-aware device. Aliph has now upgraded the original product with its replacement being entitled, not surprisingly, Jawbone 2.
Another rather nice 32inch Digital TV this one from LG. Called scarlet simply because the back of the unit is err scarlet. It has an intriguing hole below the screen but above the stand, place your finger in it and it turns the unit on/off from/to standby.
What I received was the TV with mains lead, its stand that screws into the TV, the remote control and nothing else. So everything I am telling you about has been by experimentation as it had no instructions. Later I was sent a PDF file, I find searching through 140 pages of a manual designed for 12 different models not that easy, especially when the TV is in a different room to the PC. I printed only a couple of pages; you of course will have the printed manual when you buy a unit.
Here I am looking at two items from John Adams; either have a good chance of the childs parents having a good period of peace. The first can encourage the drawing skills while the second encourages the creative genes. Wonder of wonder two different toys and neither need a single battery. Possibly even better value now and a good way to spend that Christmas cash.
This is a toy that has been around in one form or another for many years. Here however John Adams have gone one further by not only allowing the drawer to capture static objects on the unit but also things far further away. The base is 30x38cm and it grows to about 34cm tall forming two thirds of a triangle. The whole secret is two (unbreakable) mirrors that allow anything in the right area to be captured and therefore drawn on an A4 sheet of paper.
Now up to version 12, Pinnacles video editing Studio software is available in three flavours. These are the basic Studio, Studio Plus and Studio Ultimate.
This review is based on Studio Plus 12 which consists of a DVD, 300+ page User Manual and a Getting Started Guide. The installation routine supplied with this product offers you the options to install the main Studio Plus software and select from additional titles that include Instant DVD Recorder, SureThing Labeler and Adobe Reader 8.1.2. As part of the Studio Plus installation you will need to enter a 25-character serial number.
3-Mobile continue their trend of launching innovative, feature rich own-brand mobile phones
targeted at the consumer market with very competitive price points. The INQ1 is the latest
product touted as a social networking phone.
As I saw recently when I reviewed the from 3, the company doesn't compromise on the hardware to deliver these products. The INQ, like the S2, feels well made. Closed the front brushed aluminium facia looks good and frames the 2.2" QVGA screen. The front slides up to reveal the traditional phone keypad. Despite being a budget phone the INQ1 sports a 3.2M pixel camera which takes reasonable pictures in good light.
Having just finished the monster 28inch offering from Hanns-G this big unit seems almost normal in size. It has exactly the same resolution but instead of the notional 27.5inches diagonal measurement it is 25.5inches.
Transferring notes and illustrations to your computer is the task undertaken by this next product supplied by Selwyn Electronics
Earlier this year I took a look at a digital device that allowed you to make notes and draw diagram using a pen and pad. The data could then be downloaded onto your computer with the minimum of effort. This product was the DigiMemo A402 developed by AceCad and supplied by Selwyn Electronics.
In the beginning Bejeweled was a Match-3 puzzle game that build up an impressive reputation. A follow-up version, Bejeweled 2, help add to the franchises reputation for addictive game play. Now Popcap has added a new twist to the game.
Not a photo frame that currently seems in vogue but a device solely for the display of images. What has an object not that much larger than a camera have that a decent photo frame does not?
The Epson P-3000 measures 14x5x8.5x3.5cm and weights 420grams. The display window is 8.3x6.1cm giving the notional 4inch display. It runs on a solid rechargeable battery. The top has earbud socket, SD and Compact Flash card slots. The right side has on/off hold slider as well as a Kensington Lock connector. The base has the entry point for the solid battery, while the left side has two rubber bungs covering the power adapter and A/V outlet and USB sockets.
While some prefer a shoulder bag for transporting their notebook, others plump for a backpack style of carrying.
Although notebooks are sometimes regarded as desktop replacement units, they are designed to be easily portable. However the means to carry the notebook is not considered to be part of the standard package. This omission has given the opportunity for various manufacturers to come up with cases and bags for carrying notebooks of different sizes. One such company is Brenthaven which based in Bellingham, Washington.
A flexible compact digital camera with a 10M pixel sensor and some impressive
features, all at a reasonable price. The R10 is aimed at the amature photographer
that wants to go beyond point and click photography.
Measuring 100 x 60 x 27mm (WxHxD) and weighing around 200g, including battery the R10 feels very solid and is large enough to sit comfortably in the hand. Internal storage is very limited and generally you'll want to insert a separate SD card. The camera supports both standard and the more recent SDHC conformant cards up to a maximum capacity of 16G bytes. Optically the camera has an impressive 7.
Many months after the launch I finally get my hands on one, and yes it was worth the wait. Nice small machine that does not cost the earth and if you only want word processing, email and Internet then why look elsewhere.
It weights under a kilo (984 grams) and is 24.5x17x3cm. Mine was cream with the inside of the lid black. It has an 84 key keyboard with alpha and numeric keys being near full size at 1.5cm square, I say near full size as the space between is of course far less than a standard keyboard. The left side has power adapter input, VGA out, Ethernet, USB and SD card slot. The front has only the slider switch to turn wireless connection on/off.
Not perhaps obvious items to be put together but either or both could make a great present. The first something for that frustrated drummer I am sure you will have heard or Air Guitar but how about Air drums? The second a twist of a jigsaw that is made in the shape of a globe.
Not a skin in sight, it is basically a pair of drumsticks with thin leads going to a small box, while there are a couple of smaller boxes that is it. Insert 4x‘AA’ batteries in the box and start learning the movements and hear your efforts either from the inbuilt speaker or once you have things perfected pipe it out through external speakers. Annoy the neighbours without even ever bringing anything larger than 43x26x6cm cardboard box into your home.
Using resources that are renewable is advice we could all follow. Unfortunately sometimes the required resource is not always available.
Reviewing kit, of whatever type (software, hardware, toys, kitchen equipment, etc.), can sometimes involve the need for additional resources. For example to test a printer you will need plenty of paper; a flight simulator product cries out for a joystick as the preferred method of control; while electronic toys often arriving bearing the “Batteries not included” warning. Generally supplying these resources is well within the scope of this reviewer.
Physically the largest iPod docking stereo system I've reviewed the iLuv uses this
size to good effect to provide sound worthy of your music collection.
Measuring 500 x 200 x 180mm (WxHxD) the iLuv i399 is by no means a shrinking violet. Despite it's size and indeed weight (around 6Kg) the manufacturer has decided to provide battery power as an option. I'm not entirely sure why you'd want to be lugging this around or using it away from mains power, however should you wish to so do you'll have to acquire eight 'D' sized batteries.
Neither of which is via a PC however both require an Ethernet connection, the first the Belkin Ethernet Skype Phone is wired and the second the Philips VOIP 841 has a wireless link to its base station that connects to the router.
This looks exactly like a standard office phone. Looks are deceiving as it is a Skype phone and unlike most other Skype phones needs just one thing an Ethernet port. It is not wireless but wired and probably because of that sound to the caller and receiver is excellent. It is 15cm tall, 18cm wide and 3cm thick. However the phone sits at 45degrees making its display very clear on your desk. The handset is 17x4.5x3cm max and this sits on the left side of the unit.
The Navigon 2200 and 2210s are slimline 3.5inch screen GPS units which incorporate traffic information (TMC) and text-to-speech. They are identical with the exception that the 2210 maps cover Europe and not just the UK & Ireland.
I like the very clear print that is used, under the rolling map display, for the names of the road that one is currently on and the road into which one will next turn. However, it was not really needed most of the time as the voice instructions gives the name of the street into which you should turn. This is particularly valuable as it minimises the chance of taking the wrong turning where there are two in close proximity.
An Egyptian Queen, a dead Pharaoh, renegade priests and scarabs aplenty are just some of the elements that make up the latest episode of the number one selling action-puzzle franchise.
The various titles making up the Mumbo-Jumbo developed Luxor series can justifiably claim to be the Number One selling action-puzzle franchise. Since the launch of the original title, Luxor in 2005, this series has racked up 75 million downloads and this figure will no doubt increase with the arrival of the latest addition to the Luxor family. This is Luxor – Quest for the Afterlife.
Just over two years ago I reviewed a coffee machine from the people who made the coffee Nescafe. Now there is a new version and this is from the people who make the machine Krups. Its still the same coffee but the machine is even better.
In the ensuing two years my Dolce Gusto article has been well read and I am told is one of the top reads ever on it certainly still often features in the monthly top ten reads as it is still an extremely popular coffee machine. So what is new or different well lets deal with the consumables first the Chocolate was launched after the review and has had some favourable comments. If you have a spare half an hour why not read all the numerous comments to my original review.
Stepping back the best part of a hundred years in time, you can test your military and strategy acumen in Ascarons latest historical strategy game.
Whereas Canon uses the i-SENSYS brand name for its laser multifunction devices, when the all-in-one device makes use of inkjet technology then the brand name changes to PIXMA.
In the case of the Canon PIXMA MX700, this product has been designed to deliver fax, print and copy functionality to the small office or home environment. Following the standard arrangement, the flatbed scanner unit is positioned on top of the inkjet printer. Adding further to the height of the PIXMA MX700 is an ADF (Automatic Document Feed) unit.
Robots have always held a fascination for me ever since my school days. In that time robots have evolved. Here I'm looking at the latest consumer 'toy' Robot - the i-Sobot from Tomy.
Things have moved on a long way since the plastic toy robot my father bought me well over thirty years ago. If I remember correctly that had a single electric motor in the base and a couple of caterpillar tracks to move. The only other technology was a couple of flashing lights. The only real similarity between that long lost toy and the i-Sobot is that both are made of plastic. Gone are the caterpillar tracks to be replaced with 17 different powered 'joints'.
This is the second of the phones from the Swedish company I met recently. This is two handsets the base one has a built in answerphone and the remote one can be placed anywhere within range where there is a power supply.
The phones are 15x5.5x2cm and with their two ‘AAA’ rechargeable batteries inserted weigh just over 100grams. Mine had a black face and silver back; the rubberised buttons were silver with black numerals. The display is black on grey however for eight seconds after a key is pressed it is backlit in blue. There are a total of nineteen buttons and a circular one that works top and bottom so I suppose it’s twenty one.
The first is hidden inside a standard looking pillow, the second inside a fabric hat. Both allow you to use your favourite iPod or MP3 player to provide the material.
All you need is your iPod or MP3 player plus a pillowcase. Replace your normal pillow with this offering and you can listen to your music without disturbing others, I doubt even most people sleeping in the same room or maybe even in the same bed would be disturbed. While I suggested iPod or MP3 there is no reason why it should not be a radio or even a portable CD Player. I am told learning works with this method of dropping off to sleep while listening.
It is small, pocket-size and can deliver printed images of your digital photos almost as soon as they are captured.
Back in the early 1960s, before personal computers were not even a twinkle in the eye of manufacturers, mention Polaroid and you thoughts would probably turn to an instant camera that could capture and then produce a print of your image. Since then technology has moved on and the Polaroid Instant Camera is no longer with us as digital rules the roost. However the company has not given up on being involved in photo printing as can be seen with its Polaroid PoGo product.
Sometimes you want to listen to your music stored on a portable player without the need of a headset. Altec Lansing offers a solution.
In the past I have made my feelings clear regarding the over-whelming number of audio devices that have been developed to support the various types of iPod units without giving much thought to the many users of MP3 players. Being a fan of MP3 music format myself, I am always on the look out for products that treat both formats on a more or less equal basis. It has to be admitted that this is often a thankless tasks that generally ends in disappointment.
Version 2 of the Home Hub from BT adds both style and functionality to an already good product. Coupled
with the BT Hub Phone it will offer most of the capabilities an average home could want.
Broadband hubs, or routers, are traditionally fairly drab units designed with function in mind. Originally these devices would have been stuffed away in a corner or behind the sofa - out of sight. Integrating wireless into such a device has always caused conflict between utilitarian design and the need to place the hub somewhere in the open to get the best wireless signal.
It must be at least two years since I first saw these sort of items advertised, however for one reason or another it is only now late in 2008 that I finally got to test one. This unit from ION comes with three different pieces of software.
The record deck is 40x34x10cm, mine was silver in colour with a clear Perspex lid. There are three push buttons on the front and a USB connection on the back along with two RCA audio output sockets and mains lead input. The three push buttons are for setting the deck speed 33 or 45, to automatically lift the stylus from the record and a stop button. The reason I mentioned these is that they are not controls to effect in any way the output to the PC.
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