GadgetSpeak Articles
GadgetSpeak has close to 5,000 product reviews and other articles. You can use this page to find others opinions on anything from mobile phones to computers to the latest kitchen appliance
With Christmas and the New Year both a distant memory, and the belt needing to be tightened by several notches any saving is worthwhile, so making your own greetings cards is certainly a possibility.
This product comes in a full sized software box. It is also heavy enough to contain a meaningful manual. In fact this is a paperback sized book of 260 pages all in English. The box does list the requirements on the side but a sticker is applied to the front modifying those to state you need a DVD-ROM as this is supplied on a DVD. The install is not quick but then it is transferring over 3GB of data to the PC.
Some like navigation buttons while others prefer a touch screen approach; with a new product from Archos you get both options.
Archos has a long establish presence within the area of PMP (Personal Media Player) devices that have the capacity to provide a range of entertainment features. Forming part of the company's latest range of PMPs is the Archos 605 WIFI. As its title implies, this PMP has built in support for WiFi 802.11g connectivity to add to the provision of music, video and still image playback and viewing.
This is a standard mouse connected via USB that has a thermal printer inside. It can print on a range of sized roll media. Certainly something that you do not come across everyday.
The mouse itself is a standard three button mouse plug it in and it works. However to use the printer inside you first need to install the software. For me this took four minutes and after a reboot you plug in the mouse. Total hard disc space taken was 53MB. I found two problems it wants to install a system file but the installer can't find it, it's there but you need to navigate to it. You now have a line of six icons just above the tray.
I've been looking forward to reviewing this product - from a brief reading of the literatiure sent to
me I was hoping it would be an ideal product for my multimedia and data backup requirements. An
inexpensive video recorder and network attach storage unit with the ability to stream my video
across my home network.
Just after this review was published Emtec came back to us with answers to some of our concerns with this product in the form of a new software release.
have recently been introduced to Jawbone. This is not, as you might suspect, a bone in the human body but a device to improve mobile communications.
Developed by Aliph and designed by Yves Behar, this latest version of the Jawbone headset makes use of Bluetooth for connecting to your mobile phone. Totally agnostic in its support, the Jawbone Bluetooth headset works with any Bluetooth enabled phone. For the purpose of this review I have been using the Nokia 6125 and Nokia N81-1 models.
In one of my breaks from playing the highly addictive Gemsweeper, I took the opportunity to check out another Lobstersoft title.
Not all games require high-powered systems and complicated commands and controls to grab the interest of players. Falling into this friendly approachable category is Arcade Lines from Lobstersoft. This game is based on the old, but popular, concept of creating lines of balls that are of the same colour in order to clear the playing area and improve your score. The game's interface could hardly be more straightforward in its appearance.
This is a pull along unit, however unlike most other cleaners on that type this still packs enough punch to actually lift a fitted carpet and therefore the dirt and dust has no chance.
click to enlarge
To begin with this is no ordinary pull along cleaner. As you might expect it is not that light at close to ten kilos. Giving measurements is not easy as although it is a basic rectangle I can only give the maximum it is 24cm from side to side 45cm from front to back and 35cm tall.
While better known for their ability to mimic human speak, a parrot of our acquaintance can display your images.
Judging by recent experiences Digital Photo Frames have taken on an attribute normally associated with buses. You do not see one for ages but then two or three turn up in close proximity. Following the Polaroid 10-inch model reviewed not so long ago, it is now the turn of a 7-inch Digital Photo Viewer from Parrot to take centre stage.
This unit can record two streams at the same time, or as more likely to happen record one item and start a second recording before the first one finishes so its a twin tuner.
It is 30x25x5cm and black and grey in colours. You need another 4cm on the 25cm depth to allow for connection of cables. So unpack and plug your coaxial into the rear and the provided SCART lead also. Next plug the 13amp plug into the mains. Your TV should automatically tune to the SCART channel if not do so manually, you will now see a screen where you set the aspect ratio 4:3 or 16:9 and then tell it to search for channels.
Flash memory is a small miracle - but it doesn't come without problems. Unlike the veritable floppy that has remain
unchanged now for over a decade, flash emory formats change more frequently than government ministers.
Apart from the obvious problems with knowing which format you need for a particular product, you're also often
left having to buy different card for each of your gadgets. Even ignoring competing formats, individual formats
have now spawned whole families of related standards sharing confusingly similar names.
Just over a year ago Vista was launched and memory sticks got a new job as fast storage for temporary files. When it was launched I told you about a 2GB offering from SanDisk.
There are of course others some others produced by different manufacturers some call their offerings ReadyBoost another calls it ReadyFlash. Either way they are still High Speed Flash Drives.
Verbatim USB Drive 4GB This looks like a conventional USB stick drive, just for a moment think that not long ago a 4GB hard disc would be large. It is quite able to do the job of speeding up Vista and indeed does carry the ReadyBoost name. However apart from part or all of the available space being allocated to Vista it comes with a £16.
While some tend to change their mobile phone as often as their socks, others wait to see what the latest batch of new handsets has to offer.
click to enlarge
Sony Ericsson X1i Never the one to sit back and rest on its past achievements, Sony Ericsson has
announced a number of new models to its range of mobile phones. These new models join
the existing Cyber-shot, Walkman, web-enabled and current range of touch screen organisers
plus the new Xperia brand.
Its small size and low price make Lindy's USB DVB-T tv receiver worth looking at -- especially for the notebook user.
Having cut through the plastic of its display package I found that, in addition to the DVB-T Stick together with its USB extension cable and remote control, which weigh less than 100g altogether, there is a stick aerial attached to a 1metre cable, an aerial connector adapter and the driver CD. Where I expected to find the quick-start guide there was, in fact, a fold-out leaflet advertising a whole range of Lindy products. All documentation, drivers and installation software were on a mini CD.
The Bluetooth headset is the first comes from Parrott their Minikit, and, the second comes from the USA the quality V-Moda Vibe Duo earbuds.
Parrot Hands-free Speakerphone This is designed to fit over a sun visor enabling almost any Bluetooth phone to be used hands free. The unit is 10.5x6x2.5 and is two tone shiny black plastic and matt black rubberised for the edges and side of the end knob.
Rather than ask TomTom the way to go, this device could keep the children entertained.
Although SatNav or GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) devices can prove extremely useful when it comes to providing navigational assistance to travellers as they get from A to B, these types of devices often remain unused for long periods. You maybe an infrequent traveller or perhaps you stick to routes with which you are familiar and as a result navigation instructions are not required.
Whether you are a frequent or infrequent visitor to hotels, do you ever think about what goes into making your stay a pleasant experience?
Developed by Enlight Software, Hotel Giant belongs to the business management game genre. As its title indicates, this game deals with creating and running your own hotel. Now available as part of the budget White Label from GSP, Hotel Giant is one of those games that insists on the product CD being in the drive before it will actually load and start.
This is an even smaller version of the Quick Cam Pro 9000 that I reviewed last year. It is designed for use with notebooks and the clip is designed to fit on the edge of the screen.
It is 4.5cm tall and the width and depth to the back of the clip are both 4cm. The lens itself is less than a centimetre across. The USB lead is 70cm again designed for use only on notebooks. I stress the notebook angle as even if you have a flat panel the jaw of the grip of the camera is unlikely to stretch to fit as it is only 1.5cm when fully open.
Taking your favourite MP3 tracks with you on a long car journey certainly helps reduce driving tension.
It was not all that long ago when using a FM Transmitter device would have been considered illegal although you could purchase one without impunity. This unusual state of affairs was brought about by regulations that had been set up during the Second World War. Fortunately these restrictions relating to low power FM transmitters have been removed.
No - not a review! Our November competition was a little special - the chance to drive a Formula One race car, or have the use of an Aston Martin AMV8 for the weekend. Our winner, member 'Terfyn' chose the AMV8 - an experience he could share with his family. I asked whether he'd take a few pictures that we could post here - he went one better and wrote up the whole experience for us.
Click image to enlarge!
Please do click on the pictures to see them more clearly - they are worth it! ----- The Aston Martin Experience started at 4.
A single speaker that manages in a way to produce something a bit like stereo sound. I first saw a surround sound speaker from Yamaha several years ago that was for placing in front of a TV this is for a similar effect for your notebook it is of course considerably smaller.
I never did get to review the larger unit designed for a TV despite asking again only a few months ago but at least that did bring this offering for a notebook. Unfortunately this unit had been elsewhere and the English instructions had been lost the box had instructions only in a foreign language but after saying my knowledge of this language is non existent I was sent a PDF file in English.
In this mercenary world we all want a bargain and better still something for nothing here with these three services this just may be possible.
I am not sure this works well with this sort of product as there are lots of price comparison sites. However for larger purchases such as cars and boats it may be a better service. Again should there be a flaw let me know by adding a comment to the review. Wabbadabba.Com There are three search engines that most people use, Google, Yahoo and MSN.
Although taking photographs with your digital camera is fun, even more enjoyment can result from creating your own prints and sharing them with others.
While the printing of photographs could be carried out using a basic inkjet or multifunction device, for increased functionality and ease of use you might prefer a dedicated photo printer such as the HP Photosmart A826 Home Photo Centre model. Despite being fairly compact, measuring 275 x 263 x 244mm (H x W x D) and weighing 2.63kg, the photo printer is not particularly portable as it lacks a carry handle.
By the time any product gets beyond version 4 you start to think what is there to add. Here however not only are there new goodies they are also packaged with a rather different interface.
I found it took 10 minutes + a reboot to install of a reasonable fast XP system. It took 1040MB of space. Now the PC I put it on is around a year old and not my main work machine so I was more than a little surprised when I allowed it to create thumbnails of the images it found 19,000 items and took 23 minutes to do so. At that point it wanted to do the red eye correction and I then decided to opt out.
Ever wondered what a brain trainer has to offer you, then this article will help you find the best trainer for you.
During January and February gyms are at their busiest all over the UK, but since the sweaty, testosterone-filled atmosphere doesn't appeal to me, I thought l would flex my mental muscles instead. Although brain trainers are getting a mixed press at the moment, keeping your brain active and agile seems to be acknowledged as a good idea. The products I were, on the whole, great fun however they are a relatively quick fix.
Labels provide an easy method of identifying objects and DYMO has a range of devices to help in the production of these items.
The LetraTag QX50 belongs to the DYMO Personal Labelmaker family of devices for producing labels for a wide range of household uses. The product arrives in one of those bubble packs that does it best to make life difficult as you try to extract the content from the confines of the packaging.
For those not tall enough to qualify for the real thing, computerised basketball management can be an option for fans of the game.
. If reports are to be believed then it can be financially rewarding to fail when taking on the role of a national sports team. Get the sack and have your contract paid up is the route taken by some. Unfortunately this approach has yet to make an appearance in the various sport management titles that I have seen. The latest such title is FIBA Basketball Manager 2008.
While HP is no stranger to navigation this is the first of their units I have seen that is dedicated to satellite navigation. The others were iPAQs where an SD card provided the facility to the PDA, this is totally different as its primarily a navigation device.
Click image to enlarge
First the size it's 11x8.5x2cm and although I have used it on a bus there is no pedestrian mode so only designed for in car use and of course all the required fittings are supplied. However the battery gives enough power for around two hours use away from the cars cigar lighter power.
Adding to its recently redesigned product line-up of colour inkjet multifunction devices, Brother has released its DCP-350C model.
This product brings together the capability to print, scan and copy documents from a single item of kit with the aid of a colour LCD feature. Combining matt silver and creamy white colours with a rectangular box shape, the DCP-350C has an attractive appearance that would not look out of place in a small office or home environment.
The trend for carrying your music with you, started by Sony with the Walkman cassette player
back in 1979. Things have progressed to the point where you can carry an entire lifetimes music
in the palm of your hand.
Click image to enlarge
An industry that started as a portable cassette player has developed into the myriad of
devices of varying capabilities and varying capacities - ranging from a simple flash based
player through to to video playback.
This is a total touchscreen MP3 player that can also play video and much more. The only physical controls are on the top the on/off hold and on the side the tiny record button.
It is 10x5x1cm and finished in a matt metal effect with chromed sides. The total weight is only 65grams it will sit comfortably in your palm. The hold (lock) part of the unit is very important as when it is in your pocket the slightest touch on the screen is likely to change tracks. The screen is 5x3.6cm and it can display video quite well.
Older articles
Main Menu
