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
Is it an illusion? Is it magic? Or maybe it is just a box. The answer will soon be revealed.
Like many, magic has always held a fascination for me. The combination of the overall illusionary effect and the challenge of trying to work out how it was achieved makes a mixture that I find very hard to resist. As a result I was keen to dip into the box labelled Marvin's Magic Freaky Body Illusions.
This is a 2.1 speaker set mainly for the iPod but not just another set of speakers to dock your iPod. However you could connect almost any MP3 player via a lead, the high quality sound through the twin speakers and sub woofer is the thing.
Firstly the dimensions it is two items the first like a small French bread stick the second the sub woofer. The French stick has two sets of speakers at either end and is 40cm long a maximum of 8cm wide and 6cm tall without and iPod inserted. The sub woofer is more of less round at 19x19cm and around 25cm tall. The woofer is of course down facing a few centimetres above the base.
Here is a fascinating game with myriad possibilities for kids through to adults - a chequerboard puzzle of 18 pieces which cover 64 squares in 101 different challenging combinations.
The Kaleidscope Classic is part puzzle, part strategy game, and can be played by an individual or up to 3 people. It has taken 20 man-years to develop and is the work of two Australians: Inventor / psychologist, Dr. Mark T Wood and mathematician / physicist, Frank H Dyksterhuis. When you unwrap it, the Kaleidoscope Classic looks like a chequerboard of black and red squares.
Following the trend of merging different technologies into a single device, Kingston Technology adds a new offering to its product portfolio.
Over the last few months we have covered a number of memory card offerings and USB flash devices. Now it is the turn of a product that combines a memory card with a USB stick device that takes over the functionality normally provided by a card reader. As the world's largest independent manufacturer of memory products, it is not too surprising to know that this new approach to memory cards and USB connectivity should come from Kingston Technology.
We're all aware of the impact of carbon dioxide on the environment causing global warming,
climate change, flooding and worse is to come. We can reduce that impact by reigning in the release of CO2
into the atmosphere. The boffins are looking at some very clever ways of doing that, but in practice this
means using less energy! As we enter "Energy Saving Week" we're looking at a little gadget that
may help you change your energy burning habits.
Dubbed 'The OWL' this device comes in two parts - a sensor unit and a large display unit. It allows you to wirelessly monitor your households electrical energy consumption. The argument being that if you can how much energy you're using you're more inclined to do something about it. The sensor is very simply installed around the incoming live mains supply just before your fuse box (or consumer unit).
This is far more than an average web cam, to start with its 2mega pixel and it has a Carl Zeiss lens. It works well in poor light and it has a great auto focus capability.
The camera is quite small it can sit on top of a monitor, clip over a panel or even clip over a note. However they do an either smaller model (with the same 2MP resolution) especially for notebooks that I hope to tell you about later in the year. It is 10cm long between 3cm and 4cm (at the lens end) wide and around 3cm deep if you ignore the gripping arm that swivels to different combinations to suit monitors, panels or notebooks. There is a 1.
Want to do business on the global stage? Need to be able to communicate with people in other languages? Juliet Bernard shows how tranlsation software still has a long way to go before it can replace a highly skilled interpreter.
Translation from one language into another is fraught with misunderstanding and
misinterpretation when using a human being let alone a computer. I have always
been a little suspicious of software companies that claim they are able to offer
packages that will help you communicate with people from a different country,
either as a private individual but more especially as a business.
This is an updated version of the All Tests product I reviewed last year. The driving Theory test has recently been made harder and now you need to answer 50 rather than 35 questions.
Yes it is now harder to pass the theory test, the questions to answer have increased from 35 to 50 and the cost to take the test has risen from £21.50 to £28.50. All the changes including the new questions are contained in Driving Test - All Tests - 2007/2008 edition. You can now learn on the move as the theory test questions can be downloaded to your iPod or other portable media player.
Not everybody wants or needs all the functionality and style of a high-priced mobile phone. The Sony Ericsson W200i model is aimed at such users.
Described by Steve Walker (Head of Product Marketing at Sony Ericsson) as "an affordable music phone that compliments your existing MP3 player", the W200i phone is a candy bar unit aimed at the budget-conscious area of the marketplace.
A Haynes manual for those who would like to build a PC or those who would just like to know more about what is inside and why.
Haynes has just published the latest (3 ) edition of "Build Your Own Computer" with the sub-title "The complete step-by-step manual to constructing a PC that's right for you". It is not before time as, even though the 2 edition was only published in 2005, the world has moved on with Microsoft having released Vista, the latest version of Windows, and dual-core processors are now the norm from both Intel and AMD.
When was the last time you gave your system a spring clean? Perhaps it is time you looked at a suite designed to carry out this task for you.
System Suite 7 has now been replaced by version 8, for about the same price.
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Update : Click here to read
our review of System Suite 8 Keeping your personal computer running smoothly, let alone at optimum capacity, can be a time consuming task. In some cases you could spend so much time carrying out maintenance that you leave little time for more productive and entertaining past-times.
It's a great time of year to test gadgety toys and games. As Christmas draws closer we're reviewing some Gadgetspeak favourites. This week's selection includes some furry friends (Nintendogs Trainer Pup and Interactive Pup and Shaun the Sheep Music Scene) and the not so fluffy (the latest Tamagotchi and a Teletubbie stocking filler). Our kids loved all of these!
Tamagotchi JinSei Plus The new
(connection version 4) by Bandai. These tiny electronic pets
are a firm favourite with the kids, and Tamagotchi keep updating it so we want to
buy more. This pocket sized virtual pet lives inside a small plastic case. It needs love
and attention - playing games with it will make it happy and reward you for your time.
Having recently looked at a DSLR from Olympus this is the other end of the scale however not only is it small and has a decent zoom but it is also close to waterproof.
The Olympus μ780 weights under a 150grams, will fit in the palm of an adults hand. It is 10x5.5x2.5cm and is made of aluminium. The right side has a dual slot for DC input and USB AV out. The left side is blank while the base has insertion point for the solid battery and the same cover covers for the optional XD card, the base also has screw fixing for a tripod.
If you've got a BlueTooth enabled phone (or computer) stuffed with photos you never look at then
Parrot have just the frame for you.
Electronic have been out for a while from various manufacturers. Most of these allow you to transfer images from your computer via USB. That's all well and good, but each time you want to change the pictures you have to move the frame to your computer and find that cable (ok - where you safely store it this time? photo frames did Parrot have a different take on populating the frame with your images.
The recent deluge of rain and floods, at least at the time of writing, does seem to be the ideal opportunity for getting in the mood for a trip to Venice
Well known for its mosaics, churches, the , canals and gondolas, is now the chosen location for a new game developed by Retro64 and available from Popcap. Venice Deluxe is described as a puzzle-powered retro action game set among the water thoroughfares of 's famed city. of Bridge Sighs Venice Italy Your task is to save from sinking into a watery grave. The job is achieved by taking part in four different game modes.
While this rather wet summer may have reduced the number of flying insects that are around, you can add to their numbers with your own dragonfly
Children often have a fascination for insects of all varieties. I have a clear recollection of one of my younger sisters often carrying worms around in her pocket but that's another story. Along with the overwhelming desire to get to grips with the insect world, the aspect of flight - a vital ability for many insects - can quickly arouse and captivate a child's attention.
This is a full featured PDA a phone and of course a GPS unit. However unlike some other PDAs with GPS abilities this is firstly a GPS unit and it has the ability to make phone calls and to be a PDA. Of course being a PDA you only have a soft keyboard.
It is 9.5x6x2cm and weights only less than 150grams. The viewable screen is 5.5x4cm. As a GPS unit it works exactly the same as other recent Mio units reviewed.
A versatile home and small office telephone unit with up to 4 handsets and built in answerphone.
This is a good phone for a small or home office, or even a family of 4. You can have up to four handsets on the Siemens Gigaset E365, each of which can be used as your own personalised telephone on the same incoming telephone number (although of course only one of you can make or receive a call on an ordinary line at any one time).
When you are unable to deliver your message in person, what better substitute than using a talking head.
Talking heads have been around for quite a while. Whether representing celebrity faces, animals or any types of inanimate objects you care to think of, these computer generated animated images have infiltrated the fields of entertainment and marketing with the ability to amuse and grab the attention of consumers.
I'm a big fan of driving games so as you can imagine I was delighted to have the opportunity to take SEGA's latest release of their Rally game for a spin. Read on if you'd like to know how I faired!
I think one of the first games I ever played on a personal computer back in the very early 80's was a driving simulation game. The road was a couple of white vectors and it was, naturally, night-time. All you had to do was stay on the road. Well times have changed, and with each new generation the thrill gets greater and the adrenaline pumps that little bit harder.
This is a DAB/FM stereo radio, an alarm clock and it also has a CD player. It has a creamy white rubberised material covering the front and top.
Certainly not a tiny unit and perhaps not the easiest to move around. It is mains operated and has a wire aerial that in some cases I found was not really that great. It is 19cm deep, 15.5cm wide and 15cm tall, while it is not that heavy there are no hand holds so you need to hold it in the palm of your hand, still it's not designed to be moved.
Heavy both in weight and content as the subject they both cover is one of the most full featured software products around Adobe Photoshop the latest CS3 version and the CS3 Design Premium.
Photoshop CS3 Bible Certainly not a light read in fact you may need to build some muscle to pick it up as it is 1200 pages. As regular readers will know I enjoy a good read in the 'smallest room' this I made an exception as it needs to be adsorbed near a PC as a lot of what it says needs to be tried before the thought process goes. It comes with a companion CD-ROM containing tutorials.
Out of sight, out of mind is not a sensible approach to your data when disposing of unwanted storage devices. Every effort should be made to ensure the data is destroyed before parting company.
While we take precautions with anti-virus software, pop-up blockers, spam filters and various security devices (well at least I hope you do), how many consider the danger of having our personal data falling into the hands of others through our own fault. This can easily happen when we sell, donate or otherwise dispose of computer equipment that is no longer wanted. Relying of the delete command to remove data from a hard disk is asking for trouble.
A compact food processor for basic food preparation tasks around the kitchen.
The Moulinex Vitacompact is designed to take up minimum space in the kitchen and achieves this by incorporating the major functions you would expect - without all the frills. There are only two major units to store away from the countertop machine - the liquidiser and the citrus juicer. For practical people with little space, this is a major consideration.
This annual event takes place at a very early hour, unlike the Toy Fair the items of show here are available now, and, there are items that are already getting hard to find.
Here I will tell you about just ten items that if promises are kept I should be able to give you a full review of them all before Christmas. Firstly the only producer that I have selected two items from Mattel (Fisher Price brand). First a puppy that over a period of four days grows into a dog. You have the option to return it to a puppy or keep it at any stage. A nice idea that I look forward to seeing how well it functions.
If you have a Bluetooth enabled audio device (MP3 player, mobile phone etc) and want
a straightforward set of portable speakers then Parrot may just have what you're
looking for in their Parrot Party product
There are a very large number of portable speaker systems available on the market right now, a sector buoyed up by the popularity of MP3 players in general and the Apple iPod in particular. Many of the available units however are either dedicated to a specific type of player or are limited to a 3.5mm jack/phone auxiliary-in type solution.
Although your mobile phone probably came with a headset, you may want to replace it with something better.
When deciding on a new mobile phone for your personal use, it is no longer enough to look at elements covering cost, features and appearance but also the availability of add-ons and accessories. Take, for example, an accessory that turns your mobile phone into one that is hands-free for most eventualities. Although most mobile phones come with an ear bud style of headset, this is one popular area that is often considered for upgrading.
While a drum roll is often used to announce a new product, in this case the drum roll is the product.
When checking out this next product I was reminded of a Yellow Pages advertisement of a few years ago which advised customers "to let your fingers do the walking". However, in this case, instead of walking, your fingers would be required to do the drumming with Finger Beats. This product, distributed in the by Re:creation, could well be described as a portable drum kit for the emerging percussionist.
This is the ideal system for a childs first system, not too many features no great bells or whistles but a good solid offering at a not too large a price. Alternatively it could be a backup unit.
So what do you get in the 23x18x8cm unit. A CD Player, FM/AM radio, Clock with Alarms, external connections so an MP3 player can output through the external speakers and of course the all but obligatory remote control. The speakers are 24x8.5x2cm and can either be wall mounted or sit on a fold out stand (deck chair like). Each speaker has a 3.5mm jack plug on the end of a 60cm lead.
A roomy laptop backpack for communiting, with plenty of space and the added benefit of specially designed cushioning and lost and found tracking sytem. Part of the extensive Tech air range.
This review is about the Tech air range of laptop bags. There are two unique features of Tech Air bags, one is the Tech Air technology and the second is the i-TRACK (tm) tracking system. Both features are about protection for your laptop bag and it's contents. The Tech air technology, is briefly a series of pressurised air tubes which surround the laptop compartment of the case/bag.
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