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I must confess that ironing does not rank near the top of my list of favourite tasks. In fact, if truth be told, I would position this particular job somewhere near, if not quite at, the bottom of those jobs I would be happy to tackle.
Needs must when it comes to reviewing a product and so I took the Tefal AQUASPEED Ultracord 260 product in hand and prepared myself to work through a pile of clothes, bedding and the like that were crying out for a session with this new iron. Almost futuristic in appearance, this purple and cream iron comes with a permanently attached wide base (135 x 145cm) that incorporates an anti-slip feature to help secure the iron when in an upright position.
One was version 6 the other was version 4 so to avoid thoughts of one being behind the other both these new versions will be called 7. They will be available separately or as a bundle together at a saving of around £30.
Everything I'm telling you about today was the result of a meeting around a month ago with Mike Lampietro of Adobe a demo and some slides, as and when the new versions are available which I am told is likely to be around the end of September I will try various things for myself in separate reviews.
First impressions do not always work out as you might expect but I have to admit that the Sony Ericsson K660i did not flatter to deceive and was one of those products that lived up to its initial appeal.
Measuring 104 x 47 x 15mm and weighing 95g, the Sony Ericsson K660i candy bar style phone is predominately black in colour with silver trims around the edges and a wine coloured bar highlighting the non-keypad controls. If this colour scheme does not appeal then the phone is also available with a lime bar on white. Situated above this bar is the handset's 2.0-inch TFT QVGA screen capable of displaying 260K colours. For general use this screen will default to portrait mode.
We all know Digital TV is coming but before you chuck out perfectly good TVs because they do not have a SCART socket there is a way to get Digital TV using this little box from TVonics.
I have a 14inch Analogue TV that sits in my kitchen it works fine but when the switch off gets to my area it will end up in landfill or so I thought till I heard of this TVonics box. I had thought of adding a Digital Box but they all need a SCART socket apart from this offering. The box is 7x9x2.5cm with cables inserted. In fact this can be hidden away anywhere and the only visible item is a little 4x3x1cm IR sensor unit.
Sunday is no longer a rest day lots have to work but if you are away from the workplace then a nice bit of relaxation could be on the cards, here a gadget for an unusual Bluetooth Headset among other things and a cool pillow for those who suffer from a hot head.
Bluetooth Mobile Phone Mate This looks like a stylus and indeed is one, it could also be mistaken for a pen it can hang round your neck but now its real purpose it's a Bluetooth headset there is a perfectly usable earpiece and microphone that can be connected to it and this will work with the rather fussy new iPhone. So providing your phone has Bluetooth V2 you with this gadget now have a hands free phone.
Cameras, watches and a look back at a product that first appeared 25 years ago were the subject matter on view at a lofty location.
The Millbank Tower, on the south bank of the Thames, provides a panoramic view of the London landscape. It is also a popular location for companies wishing to show off their new wares. A recent example of this was Casio using this location to present its new EXILIM compact digital camera models along with several watches that included a couple of models belonging to the EDIFACE and PRO TREK families. The occasion was also used to make the 25 anniversary of the original Casio G-SHOCK timepiece.
This is a rather neat looking AIO (all in one) unit. However being black I doubt it will pass the lounge police. However for those making their own decisions only two things matter, quality and speed.
The Epson Stylus SX200 is 44x34x17cm when no paper is inserted and the output tray is collapsed. Insert A4 in the rear and the last figure increases by 15cm and fully extend the paper output tray and the depth increases by 18cm. This is a four ink four cartridge offering and although lots of units print somewhat faster the quality is excellent.
Adding to its current range of video capture solutions, Pinnacle has developed its Video Transfer kit which does not require the presence of a computer in order to work.
The Video Transfer solution can take content direct from a video source and transfer it to a range of USB enabled devices.
While electric toasters have been around for many years, Tefal has decided to give this type of device a make-over with a new feature.
Whether it is breakfast, mid-morning or a late-evening snack, the thought of poached egg on toast can cause the gastric juices to begin flowing - at least that is probably the reasoning behind a new product from Tefal. The product, as you might have guessed if you had read my earlier report, is the Tefal Toast n' Egg. Tefal has taken a two slice toaster and attached a basic food preparer to one end.
What is it with fast car references, Acer have their Ferrari high end offerings and ASUS have this Lamborghini offering, the Acer starts up with the sound of car moving past while this starts with a very throaty Lamborghini revving up.
Asus Lamborghini VX3 laptop computer measures 29.5x22.5x3cm and quality really shines through, it has a fingerprint reader and the area either side and around the touchpad is leather. The screen is 26x16.5cm giving the notional 12.1inch diagonal measurement. It runs natively at 1280x800 and is very clear and easy to read.
An extra g and e changed a Yellowstone bear into a computer protection device.
Let me start with a thank-you directed towards the technical support guy at Yoggie who was invaluable in getting this next product up and running on my system. The product in question is Yoggie Gatekeeper Pico which has been developed to provide, what is described as, Pentagon level protection when venturing out on to the Internet. But before going into more detail about the product, let me deal with the initially installation problems I encountered on two different computers.
This is MP3/phone as the face when closed has controls designed especially for working with music files. A recent survey said those under the mid twenties never tend to listen to more than thirty seconds of any track; this phone would be idea for them.
It is 10.5x4x1cm, flip it open and add 4cm to the length, it weights 72grams. It should fit in the palm of all but the smallest hand. The screen is 3x3.8cm, the whole colour scheme is matt black with and orange band, orange W for Walkman at the base and three interlinking circles on the area below the screen with the centre on in orange. The top of the phone has a hold slider, the left side the Walkman button and the proprietary connector for charging, transfer and earbuds.
Here I am looking at what is described as a 3.5inch HDD enclosure but it offers a lot more than that, and then, what is described as the Worlds Smallest 2.4GHZ Wireless mouse.
. There are also two USB2 ports. The sides and base are bare with the back having an on/off switch, power input, USB socket and an ESATA socket.
3.5inch HDD Enclosure While the likely main use of this product will be to transfer data from a SATA hard drive (both 2.5 and 3.5inch accepted) to other media it can also be used as a station to transfer data from all sorts of other connected devices. It is 12.
While lacking the high profile stance adopted by companies such as Adobe and Corel, Xara continues to develop fast and well featured products.
While most companies involved in the development of graphics software tend to concentrate
on a traditional approach to market their wares, even though they might also have
a web-based store, Xara is an exception in that the company adopts a total web
orientated strategy. If you want to purchase a Xara product, such as the
company's Xtreme Pro 4.
Following a visit to a Christmas in July Toys event, I was re-united with one of the characters that caught my attention while there.
Recently I have been spending some time interacting with a character
called Bob. I hasten to add that this particular Bob is not a
re-incarnation of the Microsoft Bob originally launched back in 1995.
Rather than Microsoft's failed attempt to persuade users to accept a
different desktop, complete with a big yellow smiley face, for the then
current Windows 3.
I notice that there are five models in this range and on reading the specifications the differences seem very much the same see the last link- luckily I was sent the entry level version.
The Toshiba Port g M700-110 is a 12.1 inch notebook with an XGA display 1280x800. It is also a Tablet PC however I was quiet surprised to see it is supplied with Vista Business and not Vista Ultimate. When the screen is open you can see in the centre of the back of the body an arrow telling you which way to twist the screen, likewise when lifted up the arrow tells you which way to return it to closed to save any possible damage to the screen.
Ever wondered if mind mapping techniques can help you get better organised at work or at home? We review two fo the leading products.
The human mind is a wonderful thing but it can become too easily confused; it can forget things and it is selective about what it remembers. Ask any group of people that have just come out of a meeting or a brainstorm and you would be amazed at what they remember.
Adding to its range of web cams, Logitech has released the QuickCam Communicate STX aimed at those who are more interested in video communication aspects.
Although web cams were originally developed, and sold as devices for, video conferencing purposes, they were quickly taken up by consumers for more general videoing activities. As a result, extra features, such as face decorating software and avatar personas, were often included as a standard part of the package.
This is a high quality DECT phone that works either singly or with extensions and unlike some other DECT phones works over good distances. Just for good measure it comes complete with an internal answering machine.
It is described as piano black and the phone itself is about the size of a larger mobile phone at 14.5x5x2.5cm maximum dimensions. It comes with a clip so that it can be fitted to a belt. A lot of DECT phones are stated to work at a certain distance but often this tends to mean in the middle of a field.
For various reasons it has been some time since I last took a look at a piece of Microsoft hardware. Now, like London buses, two separate items turn up together
Adopting a black and matt silver colour scheme, the Microsoft Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 7000 is larger than you might normally expect for use with a notebook. However this increase in size is hardly excessive. The mouse measures 10.2 x 8.5cm (L x W) and fits comfortably in the hand. You could easily use this mouse as your main desktop pointing device.
The first some speakers that can work wired or Bluetooth these are from Parrot. The second a headset from Sony that looks unlike any normal headsets I know.
They are a pair of cone shaped speakers that need power but not necessarily any connection as they can operate by Bluetooth. However they can be connected conventionally. They are 15cm long, 13cm across and stand 16cm high. Each has it's own power supply and lead so they do not even need to be in the same room. The signal is transmitted from one to the other so if setup in a stereo configuration that is what you hear. Each speaker weights around 1100grams.
Here a Hot Stone Grill to cook on and while its cooking how about a game of Boules but whatever you do not play it on the patio or the prize lawn.
Giles & Posner Hot Stone Grill Sometimes cooking outdoors (near electric power) is nice, but the thought of cranking up the barbecue is just too much trouble, here is something that almost gives the same effect a Hot Stone Grill.
While it may be struggling to keep up with Adobe, Corel still produces some interesting software especially with its flagship CorelDRAW product.
What do you do while waiting for one of today's large applications to install itself? This question sprang to mind recently while I waited for a Corel product to complete its installation process. I found myself reminiscing about the time when the company set about encouraging the uptake of CD media by offering the current version of its graphics software at a cheaper price if you purchased the CD rather than floppy version.
Asus were the leaders in the new generation of ultra Mobile PCs but with more brands entering this market is the EeePC 900 worht the money?
This review is a little late, you might think, since Asus has just launched the EeePC 1000 and you would be absolutely right. I have been trying to review this machine since April and, unable to borrow a machine from Asus I actually put my money where my mouth is and bought one through a wonderful company called TCR Direct ( ). Having never used a Linux machine I decided to go for the 20 GB version and it arrived quick as a flash.
A somewhat different offering from LG, run your finger across the bottom part of the face and you can make your own music. This is a slim slider phone with a 3mega pixel camera with flash.
click image to enlarge the KF510 phone from LG is 10x5x1cm and weights a tad over 100grams. Push the slider up and the 10cm length is increased by 3cm and this reveals the 12 keys of the keypad. The right side has a metallic plug covering the input point charging, and proprietary earbuds and transfer cables. Also on this side is the on/off slider and combined camera/MP3 button.
In these days of healthy eating, we have all been made aware that chips are loaded with oil and are not good for us. However, the Tefal Actifry which is claimed to only need 14ml of oil to fry 1kg of chips changes all that. After all, less than 2% fat is pretty good.
As part of its document-centric focus (Dragon Naturally Speaking and OmniPage form the main thrusts), Nuance has recently updated its PDF (Portable Document Format) tool with the release of PDF Converter Professional 5.
PDF Converter Professional 5 sets out to allow the user to create and edit files using the ubiquitous Adobe PDF standard that dominates the electronic document market plus take a PDF file and convert it into a range of other popular common text file formats. As is standard practice with Nuance products (and it has to be said those from several other companies as well), you will need to enter a product serial number. In this case it consists of 16 characters.
Egyptian curses aside, are you up for an expedition through various locations to solve the puzzles concealing the Heart of Ra.
continues to hold a fascination with the developers of computer games. I have lost count of the number of titles that are based on this particular geographical location. With its various stories and legends concerning Pharaohs, gods and other supernatural forces that excite our imagination, what more could you want. The latest such offering to find its way on to my desktop is Ashley Jones - The Heart of Egypt.
I have used an electric razor of one sort or another for more years than I like to remember. However this Philips system was something totally new to me as shall we say a mature user.
I have used battery, corded and rechargeable units with both two and three heads. My normal regime would be two wet shaves a week and the rest with the electric razor. This Philips system is 15cm long and a maximum of five cm wide and deep at the head end. It sits nicely in hand and has two buttons on/off and to transfer some of the supplied Nivea lotion through two of the three heads.
Adding to its range of digital cameras, GE has released its E1035 model which looks remarkably similar to the companys E1235 offering.
click to enlarge Opening the box reveals the camera unit; Lithium-ion rechargeable battery; battery charger with power lead; 1GB SD card; and leads for USB and AV connectivity. You also get a wrist strap, Quick Start sheet and software CD containing an electronic version of the User Guide plus ArcSoft PhotoImpression.
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