GadgetSpeak Articles
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Two vastly different toys one for the very young and one for the boy or girl in us all. Firstly Wedgits some blocks that build into so many shapes. Then i-Penguin (I-CY) the follow up to the amazing i-Dog.
Wedgits Normally I tend to avoid toys for the very young, but I found this set of blocks fascinating not least because of the range of objects that can be constructed with the 15 Wedgits that the junior set contains.
The location was a Central London hotel while Lili and Oscar were decked out in all their finery. I was there to meet and greet them on behalf of Gadgetspeak.
It was not all that long ago, when buying various items of computer equipment, that your purchases would be restricted to the single colour of computer grey. Whether it was a desktop or tower system, monitor, printer or whatever, the one constant was the ubiquitous grey. Nowadays there has been a sea-change.
What is there to look for in an iron? Well really just that it does the job - and this one does.
When I set about reviewing this iron, I thought, "now what on earth do you find to look for in an iron"?! And then I realised that actually the most important thing is that it does what it is meant to, and that is produce neatly ironed clothes. So I tried it out on my small pile of ironing and I realised why I had stopped using my own old one.
This Nuance software is now Vista compatible and the version I am looking at here comes with a wireless (DECT) headset that works superby.
My is over a year old but only now have I managed to get hold of the version that I requested at the launch of the product that the demonstrator walked up and down the large room whilst demonstrating, true Wireless technology using a DECT headset.
If you've played with Google Earth, you've entered a 3D world within your computer. You navigate
that world using buttons and icons on the Google Earth interface and it can almost feel that you're
flying. The sensation could be better though...
For one thing you're periodically looking from the world to the controls to click on rotate, or zoom or move or whatever. SpaceNavigator, from 3Dconnexion (part of Logitech) can help with this. It gives you a single control that allows you to manipulate all the various aspects of navigating in three dimensions : pan, zoom, tilt, spin, roll, move. That's a lot from one control.
Cameras, lights and action are all under your control when using the latest 3D animation software from Reallusion.
When a product offers to test your system for its graphics capabilities in order to gauge its suitability for a particular title, you begin to wonder just what you might be letting yourself in for when running the software. With , it was an excursion into the field of avatar generation and accessible 3D animation produced in real time.
A treasured childs toy is often a teddy bear which could provide comfort at any time. Now technology steps in to add entertainment features.
Putting a dragon and a bear in close proximity might be considered a recipe for disaster. Fur and scales could fly in every direction while the cacophony of battle could easily freeze the blood of a casual observer. However this was not the case when this particular bear ventured into the Dragon's Den. Instead the bear was made welcome before being launched on to the consumer toy market in its guise of iTeddy.
Since I last looked at a voice recorder they have come a very long way, no tapes now they have built in memory and the sound quality is light years away from what it was.
There are in fact three different machines the DS-30, DS-40 and the top of the range DS50. They are different colours and the size of the built in memory varies. Whichever one you get they all record in WMA but to avoid death by initials I will just say you can pick recording rates from the worst LP 8kHz (8kbps) up to STXQ 44.1kHz (128kbps).
New from the chocolate fountain people, Giles & Posner. Think Johnny Depp and Juliet Binoche in Chocolat for this one - and hot chocolate has never tasted so good!
In amongst the coffee machines we are reviewing this month, we came across this Giles & Posner Chocolate Cocktail Drinks Maker. As a dedicated chocoholic, this made me smile. The chocolate drinks maker looks a lot like a liquidiser with a heating element. And really that is broadly what it is - except it doesn't chop anything, it mixes and heats. The idea is very, very simple.
Whenever you feel competent with a software application, the developers come up with a new version and the learning process starts again. PC Tutor offers to help.
Once upon a time major applications, and even some minor ones, came with full printed documentation that included training exercises to help get you up to speed. Nowadays the more popular option, as least with the software developers and marketing departments, is to provide documentation in the form of PDF (Portable Document File) and limit any training to opening tips and pointers towards the Help feature.
The Apple iPhone has it's official UK launch tomorrow by none other than Steve Jobs. Rather than review an iPhone though, we thought we'd take a look at the latest addition to the Nokia N series, the N76 - an attractive mid-range flip-open device with all the usual features. Available in a either black or red the phone has a good solid quality feel to it.
As with all phones now - this is much more than just a device for ordering a pizza. All the usual culprits are here : MP3 player, camera, FM radio, voice recorder and PIM (Personal Information Manager) functions. Even as a messaging device it isn't limited to voice. You also have video calls across 3G (dedicated camera for this), SMS and MMS. You're almost spoilt for choice when it comes to connecting with other devices.
A name I only heard about through a third party, they are a company big in Germany and they have distributors in the UK.
This V7 L22WD is a 22 inch panel that has built in speakers. The screen is 50x36x6cm. The last dimension the width is the maximum as at the edges it is only half that. The stand raises it 6cm above the desk and is 19x25cm. It is matt black with a silver/grey band round the edge of the screen that matches the stand. The dimensions around the outside of the viewable area of the screen are 47x29.5cm giving the 22inch diagonal measurement.
This great game by Eidos is fantastic for all the family and brill for cheeky sleepovers with your friends as this wonderful game comes with single AND multi-player!
DVD game (rated 12+) The storyline: This Game is all about a woman named Lara Croft. You may recognise the name as there have been many tomb raider movies as well! Anyway, Lara's close friend Werner Van Croy is tracking down the five lost Obscura paintings for a client called Edgar! Despite leaving Lara alone to die on their last mission Lara knows that she has to help him.
These puzzles are not cheap but as with most quality items you do pay a premium for the finish. Certainly these puzzles while playable by children are probably more suitable for adults as the logic required requires study and thought.
Here I am looking at two items sold in the UK by Coiledspring Games and in a few weeks two further offerings from them. Mini Pylos This consists of a 17cm square wooden board with 16 indentations (four x four) in the central portion and a gulley running around the four sides a cloth bag containing fifteen cherry red balls and fifteen creamy/yellow balls, finally two sides of a forty eight page multi language rule book that are in English.
A warm, sunny day (yes there were one or two this year) in Central London provided the opportunity to check out some of Logitechs new products.
Logitech MX Air mouse
Originally referred to as "The Mouse Company", Logitech has developed
into a world leader in the development and manufacture of a range of personal
computer peripherals that make use of the latest technology.
Think fast and easy food preparation, and then leave the slow cooker to it's own devices for tender and tasty food just when you need it.
I've been extremely lucky in reviewing products I like recently. And with Gadgetspeak concentrating on kitchens this month, it was a pleasure to test the Crock Pot Countdown slow cooker on my unsuspecting family - who were actually hoping I'd get around to the Chocolate Cocktail Maker (more on this later). What a breeze it was to use this slow cooker.
There are lots of VOIP and Skype phones out there and without the supplied software this is just another (albeit stylish) phone. However add the software and the phone is no longer a dummy.
This Lindy USB Skype handset is a two piece offering black predominately with a red stripe down each side of the top part and a red underneath for the base part. It can be wall mounted or sit on your desk. The base is a maximum of 18x5.5x3.5cm (there is a 1cm difference between the front and the back. The top part is 18x4x1cm and slightly curved so it feels good when up to the ear.
The funkeys live in a world of their own - literally. One created within the confines of your computer
in which they roam around and enjoy themselves, while carefully avoiding the tax-man!
Internet based game worlds are fairly popular these days. My daughter is often to be found travelling various make believe worlds on the Internet, her favourite being Habbo World where she wanders round, buying 'furni' and chatting with friends. Funkeys inhabit a slightly different kind of world.
As a regular user of a laptop, I sometimes find its heat generating capability can interfere with my personal comfort.
Even with the advent of Windows Vista, and the expected boost that the new operating system was meant to bring to sales of new powerful computers, currently portable computers are outselling their larger desktop siblings. Whether you refer to these portable models as notebooks or laptops, they will, at some stage or another, find themselves being used when perched on your lap (hence the laptop designation).
Like many body parts, your brain can benefit from regular exercise. So let technology take the strain and use it to provide a mental gymnasium.
If my daily national newspaper and various television adverts are anything to go by then brain training is a popular occupation we should all indulge in on a regular basis. Just in case you have been living in a vacuum or are recently returned from a mystical tour of the universe, I should explain that brain training is based on the work of Dr. Ryuta Kawashima.
Certainly this tower case is tiny, however it does not mean that there is a lack of connectivity within.
It is 33x26x10cm however to insert various leads in the back you will need to add another 5cm to the 33cm depth. No monitor or panel is supplied as standard but it is supplied with a DVI to Analog converter should you use an Analog monitor/panel. It has an Intel Viiv Core 2 Duo processor E4300. This seemed to handle everything I asked it to do without problem.
A neat and compact toaster that warms croissants and has single and both side toasting functions.
Here at Gadgetspeak we've kitchen-tested the Kenwood Response toaster - which has worked hard for its money. It has three functions: normal toasting, single sided toasting and warming. The three functions are controlled from buttons on the front of the toaster, with additional buttons for raising and lowering the toasting rack, and buttons for adjusting the toasting time.
Even though your mobile phone can display the time, you might prefer using a wristwatch to provide this function especially one that can communicate with your phone.
As somebody who does not feel totally dressed unless wearing a wristwatch, I was an obvious candidate to try out an addition to the Sony Ericsson family of products. This product is the Sony Ericsson MBW-100 wristwatch which can be classified as both a fashion accessory and a mobile phone add-on. The latter designation is due to the Bluetooth connectivity built into the wristwatch.
The Humax PVR 9200TB is the equivalent of the Sky Plus box for those of us that don't want to be tied to monthly
subscriptions, but prefer the flexibility offered by FreeView.
It was with some trepidation that I plugged my very old TV aerial into the back of this Humax FreeView PVR. Having been on cable for the last 5 years with the aerial dangling in the garden I was expecting the worst! Luckily though the box sprang to life and discovered a good range of digital channels. The Humax PVR9200T provides everything you need to receive and record FreeView programmes onto it's internal hard-disk drive (HDD).
With not only the better reception but also certain radio stations only available on DAB now could be a great time to purchase a DAB radio, here one with a retro feel.
On first glance this looks like a Bush radio I owned very many years ago however do not let that turn you away from what it has to offer. To begin with it is stereo where a lot of DAB offerings only have a single internal speaker. It is a mains/battery offering and is 31x10x20cm to the top of the carrying handle. It has a 50cm five piece rod aerial.
This is another board game that will be a big hit at Christmas, I saw it last January at the Toy Fair and now with our wonderful summer I have played a number of games of it.
With this product the good news starts -assuming you buy it in a store - before you open the box as all you really need to know is printed on the back of the box. It has 'small pieces' so is unsuitable for the under threes. A game should take around 90 minutes so don't start playing if it is not a suitable timescale.
Shady Beats is a rather novel combination of MP3 speaker, cash carrier and sunglass case.
There are some things I absolutely love about this portable MP3 speaker and some I'm not quite sure about. The number 1 love for me is the sound of the speaker. When this camoflauge patterned speaker arrived, I have to admit putting it to one corner for a week and resisted reviewing it. I wasn't sure how something so gimmicky looking would compare. However, when I plugged my MP3 player in I was more than plesantly surprised by the sound quality.
Whether looking to enhance the in-car or home multimedia experience, Parrot might have products of interest.
Set up in 1994, Parrot was originally involved with the development of voice solutions designed to help the visually impaired. Following this introduction, the company then branched out into the area of wireless mobile telephone accessories as it established itself as a pivotal global player using the expertise it had accumulated in voice recognition and signal processing technologies.
Apple have unveiled a torrent of changes to their iPod range of entertainment
devices (they do a lot more than play music now!). Have the change done enough to
boost Apples sales for another holiday season?
Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, was in fine fettle delivering his 90 minute keynote speech to the Apple faithful this week as he rattled through product after product and feature after feature. All members of the range have been revamped, and a brand new product has been
added to bring the iPhone interface to the media player family.
Evesham is one of the more popular makes of notebook. Here I am looking at what probably qualifies as a mid range offering but it still manages to support Windows Vista Premium.
First the all important dimensions it is 35x25x4cm and weights around 2.7kilos. It is traditional black apart from the silver-grey lid. It has surprisingly few ports, the rear has 2xUSB2 ports and the power brick input. The right side has 2xUSB2 ports and the DVD multi recorder. The front has microphone, earbud and SPDIF sockets and a card port (SD and MS). The left side has PCMCIA slot, Ethernet and modem ports as well as external monitor port.
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