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Following the recent Polaroid event I was able to check out one of the new products on display. This combined the ability to display digital images and report on the weather.
The tasks covered by multi-function devices continue to expand into new areas. A recent example of this can be seen with a new digital photo frame from Polaroid. Not content to displaying favourite photos, this device, with the less than memorable designation of XSU-00770B, brings together a 7-inch digital photo frame combined with current weather information.
My first experience of touch typing was way back at school at the behest of our computer science teacher
insisting that in order to write software one must know the correct way to type. The three students on
our A level course were duly enrolled into a 6 week course with those studying secretarial skills.
Over a quarter of a century has passed during which I've written more software than I care to think about and I still have all the bad habits I started out with before that course. Nessy Fingers aims to get hold of kids they've learnt the wrong way to type and instil in them typing skills that are virtually a dying art. before With the prevalence of computers of course you have to get them very young, Nessy Fingers is aimed at 8+ years group.
A mono laser is the often forgotten workhorse. One thing you always get from a laser is the stated print speed, in this case 28PPM, something all but never achieved from an inkjet printer.
This is called a business mono laser -at this stage I was not concerned- but it is small and many home offices would benefit from it. It is 40x37x23cm with all leads inserted, assuming you use the built in paper tray you need no more space than this as pages are delivered face down on top of the unit. It does have a manual paper feed and this with paper loaded would increase the first figure the depth by 20cm.
Ignore the weeds and get into the garden, make the most of the summer with a couple of good books. Here I have a recent offering from the Dummies series and one that could even improve your memory.
Laptops All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-14092-5 This is described as ten books in one and best of all being for notebooks you could even sneak your notebook out with you to try a few of what it says while catching some sun. This takes you through the initial choices right through to getting help to solving those annoying problems.
Lets return to the subject of nomophobia (after all my spell checker has been taught this word so I might as well make use of it).
Skypephone S2
Nokia E71 click image to enlarge Obviously believing that this fear of having no mobile connectivity should be
consigned to yesterday's dustbin, the mobile media company 3 has promised a
number of new products and initiatives that will be relieve this complaint.
This is an excellent voice and music recorder. Not only does it record in rather good stereo in MP3 but it can also record in WAV at 44.1 in 16bit (CD quality) but even up to 96 in 24bit.
click image to enlarge The R-09HR voice recorder from Edirol is 11x6x2.5cm and weights around 170grams with the supplied 2x'AA' batteries inserted. I found these tended to last around eight hours. Also supplied is a 512MB SD card this would have capacity to record around 45 minutes in CD quality WAV. The unit is black and coated with a rubber substance that gives it some protection.
Although we generally refer to the whole computer as being a personal device, it is really the keyboard and mouse that provides the personal touch to the system.
The latest example of keyboard and mouse to come under my finger-tip control is the Kensington Ci70 Wireless Desktop Set which combines innovative stylish aspects with a mouse docking feature. The marketing people at Kensington have put some thought into the packaging design for this desktop set. By using a Perspex top to the packaging, the user is able to see both the keyboard and mouse laid out as if ready for use.
The games afoot as you set out to save English treasures from a French thief in an adventure aimed at Mensa-joining 3+ year olds.
When it comes to creating an investigative adventure computer game, where better to start than with the doyen of detectives, that redoubtable resident of 221B Baker Street, known as Sherlock Holmes. Taking this premise, and adding in Arsne Lupin a French gentleman thief who features in a series of novels by Maurice Leblance, the developers Frogwares has come up with Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis.
Not that long ago a 22inch panel would have cost a great deal, now it costs no more than a 15inch panel did at that same time. Here I am looking at a widescreen 22inch offering that has built in speakers.
First the all important dimensions, the Hannspree XM-s 22inch Flat Panel 'Verona' is 50x36x9cm, it stands on a base that lifts it 5cm above your desk. The stand is oval at 19x28cm. While there is close to 20degrees of tilt backwards there is only a couple of degrees forward movement. My unit was black although the rather difficult to negotiate HANNspree site shows other colours including a wood effect but does not make it clear what these apply too.
Although many who would be totally lost if separated from their mobile phone for any length of time, the land-line phone still has a part to play in modern day living. This is especially true when the phone is a DECT device combining a degree of mobility with the more traditional aspects of a phone.
Unlike many of the new breeds of phones which are dominating the marketplace with small keypads and displays that cram in as much information as possible; the Siemens Gigaset E365 has been designed to be more accessible and user-friendly for the more mature user. Decked out in matt silver, the E365 kit consists of a base station and a handset unit - additional handsets can be purchased if required for your establishment.
This bluetooth headset takes advantage of available sunlight to help you
get through the day, supplementing the internal battery with solar power -
when we actually get some sun of course!
Iqua have a range of Bluetooth headsets - this is the first product that I've reviewed from the company - the iQua 603 SUN Bluetooth headset. Physically this headset is on the larger size measuring 48 x 25 x 12mm (LxWxH) and weights 14g. This extra size accomodates a small solar cell mounted on the outer face of the device. Included in the package are an ear hook, two different ear plugs a charger and a carry strap.
It is described as a notebook web cam, I see no reason why it should not be used with any flat panel and even with a CRT monitor, the latter maybe with a couple of sticky pads.
The Microsoft VX7000 is 6.5cm wide and 2.5cm tall, the camera is 2cm deep but there is a weighted articulated arm behind this that folds over the top of the panel. It has a 1.35metre USB lead protruding from the back base of the camera. The camera is grey apart from the face that is black with chrome trim round the lens and on the right edge where the inbuilt microphone is. If you add a chromed button on the top you have described everything.
Here I am looking at two items that come from the company that charges $3 US shipping no matter how large your order. Fist an MP3 player that looks like a largish Lego brick and then an Alarm Clock radio that takes SD cards so you can wake to your choice of music guaranteed.
BB5003 MP3 Player Lego Brick This is a MP3 player but instead of using either internal memory or that of a USB stick it uses a Micro SD card (the ones most mobile phones use) this also gives you another way of transferring content from your phone to a PC or visa versa. It is 5.5x3.x1.5cm and mine was yellow but I think there are other colours.
The recent launch of six new Intel Centrino 2 processors, with a further eight to follow over the coming months, has provided the impetus for notebook manufacturers to refresh their range of offerings.
click image to enlarge Acer Aspire 2930 One of the first companies to take advantage of the new technology behind the Centrino 2 processors is Acer. The company has launched various business and consumer models in the TravelMate and Aspire ranges. Several enhancements have been made to the TravelMate range of business notebooks.
Flash drives have traditionally been fairly slow devices, but like all things to do with computers
performance continues to improve over time. Here we compare two high-performance USB flash drives
from Kingston and from Imation.
From Imation we're looking at the new "Atom Flash Drive", available in 1G, 2G, 4G and 8G bytes sizes. Our
test sample is 1Gbyte. This is pitted against the Kingston Data Traveller 100, available in the same sizes.
This is a rather good iPod playing device, that just for good measure can play CDs of various types has an FM radio and an Aux input to play anything that can connect via a 3.5mm jack plug.
The first unusual thing about this 'box' is that it had no controls on it at all. Everything is done via the remote control. It is 37x26x19cm with leads plugged into the rear. Mine was white with a white grill on the front, at the top right of this- behind the grill - is a six character red LED display that displays what, where and how. The top has the name Geneva on the front edge and in the centre a slot loading CD.
Taking the see-through packaging route, Symantec has lunched the latest version of its Norton 360 product.
From the back and side, the box certainly looked like the standard packaging used by Symantec for its utility products. However turning the box around revealed a see-through panel showing the software CD as if indicating that the enclosed product could see through any malicious attack made on your system. This product is Norton 360 version 2.0 which arrives with the promise of providing all-in-one security with comprehensive, automatic protection.
Seek and ye shall find could well be your mantra in the latest game to appear from PopCap Games.
Entitled Mystery PI: The Vegas Heist, you are cast in the role of the enigmatic, never-give-up, clue seeking private investigator who takes on the task of discovering the missing money. This being , the recovery of the money is regarded as being far more important than apprehending those responsible for the heist. Presumably less-savoury characters will deal out the punishment to those involved but that plays no part in this game.
Those who read my launch report at the start of the year will know the A series are what GE consider to be their entry level offerings. It is a nice simple to use camera.
click to enlarge The GE A835 digital camera is small at 9x6.5x2.5cm the last figure can increase by 3cm when the zoom is fully out. It is silver grey in colour with a chrome strip along the top and sides and it weights around 170grams with its 2x'AA' batteries inserted. The front of the camera has the lens with the flash above and to the left, at the nearest it is 1cm from the lens. The right side has the anchor point for the wrist strap.
Kodak combines images and music with touch border technology in its new digital picture frame series.
With its long standing reputation and experience in the field of photographic development, it was a natural progression for Kodak to get involved in the manufacture of digital displays. The result is the Kodak Easyshare Digital Picture Frame series currently consisting of 7, 8 and 10-inch models.
A small pebble like clamshell, the U9 is available in pink, purple or graphite (black) with a glossy smooth finish and curved edges this
phone feels great to hold.
The pink and purple varieties are most definitely aimed squarely at the female market, and in case you're not convinced Motorola provide a Pink or Purple test to help you choose your colour - question two asks whether you'd rather date Prince William or Prince Harry ( ). you can take the quiz here! The Motorola U9 is a quad-band phone that comes with a raft of features for those that prefer the clamshell format. Measuring 90 x 48.
Quality Earbuds : m-JAYS Stereo Handsfree Headset/ Stereo Music Adapter ; Ear-Fit Headphones ATH-EW9
Here I will tell you about two different companies with wonderful earbuds that shall we say are not cheap. In fact both could probably cost more than the unit you plug them into.
m-JAYS Stereo Handsfree Headset/ Stereo Music Adapter This can be used two ways. First as a standard set of earbuds and second as a hands free setup that can work with a mobile phone. It is one of the new range of headsets that work with the Apple iPhone. It is in fact two items that can be used only as earbuds (60cm) or you can plug them into the second longer extension lead (80cm) that has the microphone.
First the Wireless Notebook Microsoft Presenter Mouse 8000 that comes in some very novel packaging. Second the Belkin offering that I first saw last August as a prototype a washable mouse.
Microsoft Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 This is the first mouse I have reviewed that comes in its own carrying case, and more than that, it swivels in the packaging so you can view it 360 degrees while still on the dealers shelf.
The merger between Mio and Navman has seen a division of targeted territories with the Navman branded products taking care of the UK. The companys entry-level product is the S30 model. This particular device has a suggested retail price of £149 although the more experienced shopper should be able to find the S30 listed at a more tempting price with the minimum of effort.
Included in the box with the SatNav device is a mounting bracket that can attach to the windshield using a clip-down sucker. You also get a cigarette lighted power adaptor and a mini USB cable for linking to a computer.
The boss of LG in the UK made a great joke of telling journalists prior to the announcement that the name of their new phone was Secret. He was of course correct it is called Secret.
click to enlarge It is 10x4.5x1cm when closed, when the screen moves upwards to reveal the twelve key keypad this increases the first figure by 3.5cm. The phones weight is 110grams. It is matt black with a silver band and controls and the back is a fine checkerboard pattern of grey and black weaved to look like tweed. The viewable screen area is 5x3.7cm. The left side has the dual headset and charger port.
Although a number of institutions provide power sources for your mobile devices, there could be problems with other locations. Kensington offers a possible solution with its latest power adapter.
Kensington has updated its range of Notebook Power adapters. Consisting of three different models in the series, this review is based on the K33403 product. This particular item provides a combination of wall / auto / air functionality plus USB connectivity for various mobile devices.
In real life buses can sometimes appear in convoys. However a move to a virtual environment results in a bus becoming a solitary vehicle.
I have to admit, that as a child, the job of being a bus driver, or any type of driver for that matter, did not feature to high in the list of possible future careers that I considered in any moments of wishful thinking. Buses were merely a mode of transport for my own convenience rather than an object of affection such as my collection of cigarette and bubble gum cards.
This piece of software in various guises has been on my PC for many many years. So what is in version 14 sorry X4 to make you upgrade or indeed what has it to offer for those who have never succumbed to its charms.
When reviewing hardware I usually start with the dimensions and I suppose the equivalent for software are it's system requirements. Windows XP (Service Pack 2) or Windows Vista (either 32bit or 64bit). After that it's 512MB of Ram, 430MB of hard disc space, a 1024x768 or greater display, a mouse or tablet and a DVD drive. There are four main applications in the box all with the X4 suffix, CorelDRAW, Corel PhotoPaint, Corel PowerTrace and Corel Capture.
Computer protection should be automatic and should not be intrusive. Symantec believes its Ghost product fits the bill.
Although the Concise Oxford Dictionary lists definitions that include "Soul of dead person in Hades" and "bright spot or secondary image in field of telescope due to defect of lens", Symantec would like you to think of Ghost as the preferred method of protecting your computer with advanced backup and recovery technology.
If you're one of those people that have to interact with virtual 3D worlds it's quite possible that
you'll find using a mouse and keyboard either frustrating, limiting or both. A 2D pointing
device just doesn't give enough flexibility to move in a 3D world.
The solution proposed by 3Dconnexion, a division of Logitech best known for their mice and keyboards, is the SpaceNavigator, described as a 3D mouse. We reviewed the SpaceNavigator back in September 2007 ( ). you can read that review here 3Dconnexion have now released a smaller, lighter Navigator - for notebooks. To recap - the SpaceNavigator in a single hand control allows you to : pan, zoom, tilt, spin, roll, move.
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