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Money could be made from items that previously would be assigned to a landfill.
Small sets of wireless earbuds seem very popular at the moment, recently I have reviewed a couple that look very like those sold by Apple at a lot of money. While these are small they do not imitate those just mentioned as the whole bud goes into the ear without any leg dropping below the ear.
The buds themselves weigh only 4 grams each and in their charging case the total weight is just 54 grams. Unlike other cases that just show a number of LED’s these from Eona show a percentage figure for the amount of battery remaining, there is an LED to the left and right to show charging. When you highlight the Eona Earbuds in your Bluetooth settings it shows a percentage of battery power remaining in the buds.
As smartphones enter the 5G environment, Fairphone joins the trend.
Fairphone, the Dutch social enterprise, has just announced the launch of its latest device. This is the Fairphone 4 5G which comes with the claim of being more sustainable, repairable and a socially responsible device.
Here is a recent Chromebook from Acer, this is a powerful unit more than capable of running Chrome Apps and that also means Android Apps – although some may look a little strange with the swap from portrait to landscape – so things that you use every day on your phone can now be viewed that little larger in your living room as well as on the road.
The Acer Chromebook Spin measures 30x23x1.5cm, the last figure at the back if you measure at the front it's barely 1cm, it weighs 1368 grams. Going around the outside has USB ‘C’, USB3, 3.5mm socket for headphones and Micro SD card socket on the left side. The front is clear. The right side has volume rocker, HDMI out, USB ‘C’ and finally on/off button. The back is clear as the screen rotates 180 degrees to become a Tablet. The base has four landscape rubber feet 3x.
A headset is often more desirable than speakers, and certainly, using a microphone near to your jaw means you can speak in a normal voice. Headsets that connect via audio ports are not always that easy to configure, often one sound level can be fine but another is not what you want. Using USB as both input and output can be the answer.
Here is an offering from Creative Labs that is truly ‘plug and play’ something often claimed but not always delivered. I tried this headset on a PC, a Notebook, a Tablet and a Chromebook, all worked first time without any problems. It is 20cm from the base of the ear cups to the inside of the padded headband; this includes 3.5cm of expansion on each side. Twelve clicks from fully closed to fully opened means you can get an exact fit for your head.
Magicians are good at developing tricks but is it a trick when a magician goes missing?
Mystic Diary - The Lost Brother is a Hidden Object Adventure game developed by Sunray Games. When you play this game of a brother's search for his missing brother, you have the familiar options of creating profiles to record the progress made by individual players. You also have the option to adjust the volume levels for background music and sound effects with full screen viewing and a custom cursor.
With a cast list that includes pirates, a mermaid, sae monster and an island built to act as a retirement home, this next game is a nightmare from the deep.
You always remember your first time and this occasion certainly qualifies. The next title in my review schedule arrived in a box prominently displaying the GSP branding. This is the company that provided the product that formed the basis for the first review I had published many years ago. This product was a utility entitled "Do It on your Desktop". While I still have my review copy of the software, the magazine that published my review has long since closed down.
A gimbal was something that gave professional camera people the ability to capture video smoothly whilst they were on the move, now SmartPhones capture such good movies they also need Gimbals so that you and me can also move while capturing movies and in a way they need to be better as we amateurs are not used to moving while capturing images.
This offering from Zhiyun is called the Smooth-Q3 is not only a very comprehensive Gimbal but has an arm that can also be a tripod; it also has an added light that can improve what you capture in low light conditions. In the box is a padded zip up case that contains the collapsed Gimbal the arm that can be used either as a Gimbal extension useful for seeing over others as it can give you another 12.5cm of height or as mentioned as a tripod as its three legs splay out to form a tripod.
Mexicana, The Gift, Twisted Lands; Origin, Love Alchemy and Forest Legends: The Call of Love are five titles which have been bundled together to create the Origin & Fate 5-pack.
Subtitled and developed by Happy Artist, Deadly Holiday: Mexicana places you, as its title might suggest, in Mexico for a Hidden Object Adventure game that involves you in trying to rescue a loved one from the world of the dead. With options to create profiles for individual players, you can adjust volume levels for music and sound effects plus opt for full screen viewing and a custom cursor, the game can be played in either Casual or Expert level.
You might mistake these small and light earbuds as something from Apple but instead of them being white they are black; I see they also do them in a post box red. So these are small and light and they come in a small circular container with a flip to the side lid, replace the buds in the box and they immediately start to be recharged.
The container is round at 4.5cm and 3cm deep. Inside the box are the buds which on my kitchen scale register at 5 grams each. The buds in the container weigh only 54 grams. The outer box is 9.5x9.5x3cm and this also contains two extra different sized pairs of Gels and a USB to USB ‘C’ lead. Finally there is a small card that contains a QR code to get more information and a link to an App.
Are you ready to help a wife search for her missing husband?
Developed by Friday's Games, Stray Souls - Dollhouse is a Hidden Object Adventure game. I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of this Alawar title which comes with the promise of featuring some bonus items stored within an Extras section. However, unlike other titles bearing the Collector's Edition designation, Stray Souls - Dollhouse expects the main game to be completed before you are granted access to this Extras section and its titbits.
A house, whether a home or not, can hold many secrets waiting to be uncovered.
Developed by Five-bn and downloadable from the Alawar website, House of 1000 Doors: Family Secrets is a Hidden Object Adventure game. I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of this game which places you in the role of Kate Reed who has been sent to investigate a strange structure which mysteriously appears in different locations around the world before disappearing again to appear elsewhere.
OWC are a company that produce internal and external solid state drives, enclosures and cables for both PC and MAC users. The unit I am looking at is a 1TB external SSD drive usable on PC or MAC. They also do a similar model – Envoy Pro SX - that is Thunderbolt only so as far as I know that makes it almost a MAC only unit as currently although a USB ‘C’ cable will fit it the power is not there to format it.
This 1TB SD drive from OWL measures 11.2x7x1.4cm and weighs 231grams. It is very solidly built, it comes with an OWC format utility that will create a single Windows readable drive and give that drive the next available drive letter. Once formatted – a far faster one than if Windows does it – you have from this 1TB unit 893GB of free space available.
With the same initial letter, Marshall, Motif and Minor come together as the focal points of a new audio release news.
Well-known and respected by audiophiles, Marshall, with 50 years experience in the development and manufacture of headphones, home speakers and portable speakers, has announced the arrival of two newcomers to the Marshall true wireless range of products. These two new offerings are the Motif A.N.C. and the Minor III with bother products falling into the ear-bud category of devices. The Marshall Motif A.N.C.
Oppo are an upcoming company who hit the UK a few years ago, they made a big splash with small well positioned adverts at Wimbledon and other such events. Of course all this would mean nothing if their phones were not up to scratch. This is one of a range of recently released offerings.
The Oppo Find X3 Pro measures 16x7.4x.8cm the last figure expands to 1cm around the cameras on the back top left of the unit, unlike other units this one champers the edges around the cameras. The on/off button is on the right, the base has speaker, microphone, USB ‘C’ connection and the SIM entry point. The left side has buttons for volume down and up. The top is clear. The viewable screen is 15.2x6.8cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 6.
While often asking you to solve a mystery, the appearance of a game can be a mystery.
Last year I reviewed a game entitled Tower of God. This game was based on a legend that if you had the skill, ability and desire to complete a climb to the top of a specific tower, then you would be granted a single wish. Ironcode Gaming turned this legend into a computer game that consisted of Match-3 game play with accompanying occasional side-tracks of HO action, jigsaw puzzles, key release puzzles and matching pairs of card laid face down.
Following the end of Lockdown, LG offers a speaker to entertain those you invite to celebrate the freedom.
LG Electronics has announced the arrival of its new XBOOM 360 speaker. As the "360" part of the product's title indicates, this product is capable of delivering an all-round omni-directional audio experience that LG feels will be perfect for any listening space or occasion that requires an audio environment. As yet I have not had the opportunity to check out this speaker in situ and, as a result, and this report is based on the information supplied by LG Electronics.
Sometimes the appearance of clothes can be deceptive, you know you wore it yesterday but it still looks pristine, so will you wear it again, perhaps your nose has the answer if that says no you probably do not. However there is something that could turn that no into a yes.
The FreshUp by Bosche is an item to remove smells and odors from your clothes. Not just personal odors but also smoke and food smells. It is 16x6.5x3.5cm and comes with what looks like a slip in glasses case, charging is by USB but for those without a USB port there is also a mains plug front supplied in the box. A full charge of the internal battery is around three hours, while charging a very bright white LED flashes on top of the unit, the on/off button is beside the LED.
As another year passes Corel releases the next version of its Pinnacle Studio video editing product.
Now up to version 25, I have been checking out the Ultimate offering of this Advanced Video Editing software that brings together video editing tools and a selection of creative effects designed to enhance the completed video. Also released at the same time, for those with less demanding needs, are Pinnacle Studio Plus 25 and Pinnacle Studio 25 versions to join the Pinnacle Studio family.
This is one of the few pieces of software that is always installed on my PC or notebook, I have used it for years and apart from a couple of occasions when I have had to do a total reinstall of everything when the hard disk failed all other problems – including my stupidity – have been resolved by visiting my last backup normally to restore files.
For just over a year I have not had other security software and just relied on Acronis – now Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office – to keep me safe from those who wish me harm. Some may wish to make money from things like Ransomware and others just want to prove they can make life difficult.
Can you navigate through this world, return shadowy figures to their normal shape, create potions, defeat enemies in battle and discover the cave city of Ermin-tera in order to recover the sacred relic?
Usually with games of the Match-3 genre, you can look forward to a series of grids with tiles that you need to remove by creating groups. However there are exceptions and Cave Quest is one such title. Developed by MD Studio, this game combines Adventure type activities with various forms of Match-3 game play. I have been looking at Cave Quest's Collectors Edition which contains a number of bonus items.
A doctor, detective and possible victim come together to solve a series of murders.
Shifting its focus to Murder by Moonlight, the next title from e-Funsoft is entitled Crimson Night. This is a Match-3 game involving a series of murder that you are meant to solve as you assist Detective Elliot Moore. As usual you can create profiles to record the progress of individual players. You can also adjust the volume levels used for background music and sound effects plus opt to play the game in full screen mode.
This is a lightweight over ear headset, which can work in a range of situations however it is sold as a Gaming headset. As with so many recent products the unit has to be saleable in many countries and because of this the documentation is minimal and most of it is images. So what do the Philips Gaming Headphones 3000 series have to offer?
The word featherweight appears on the front of the box while 213grams is not that light it is quite light for a corded set of headphones that include a microphone arm. There is 20cm from the tip of the earpiece to the inside of the padded headband; this figure includes 2.5cm of expansion on either side. 16.5cm has the earpieces parallel. Each earpiece can turn through 90 degrees. The earpieces can also move by around 15 degrees forward so should fit almost any head. Each padded earpiece is 9.
And now it is time for yet another instance of the Big Red Bus syndrome as news reaches me of this next product.
No sooner had I send off my report on the arrival of a new speaker system from Tronsmart than information arrived regarding the launch of a new speaker from Fyne Audio. This is a company founded in 2017 as the brainchild of six audio-industry professionals. Based in Scotland, Fyne Audio, the UK's fastest growing audiophile brand, has developed their latest offering which is the F500SP speaker model.
These are small and light even in their charge and storage case they weight only a tad over 50grams. Honor were a new company from China and now they are building a reputation for being a quality company whose products do the job at a reasonable price so what have these wireless earbuds got to offer in a very congested market?
First the figures the buds in their charging case where you should keep them when not in your ears weigh only 51 grams. Each bud weighs only 6 grams and I found initial linking was just a case of opening the case and pressing the button on the side of the case and the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite showed as a link in my Bluetooth settings, once linked each time I put them in my ears I got music immediately from my phone. The outer box is 9.5x9.5x4cm which then contains the 5.
Sometimes mistakes committed earlier can be remedied later.
Do you fancy a trip to the "Spirit World"? If so then e-Funsoft is willing to act as your travel agent. While retaining the touch and feel of a sense of magic, e-Funsoft has taken its love affair with Match-3 game play from the Academy of Magic to Amanda's Magic Book. Now up to version 3, Amanda's Magic Book is subtitled The Spirit World.
When putting together your meals for the day, you might have worries about an increase in your waist size but not if you use the method adopted by this next title.
A poplar board game of yesteryear, and probably still popular in either its original or more modern computer format, is that of completing jigsaws. Recently I have been looking at Tasty Jigsaw Happy Hour 2. Developed by 8 Floor, this game offers you a collection of 500 images which act as the source material image for your jigsaw puzzles. These puzzles can then be completed at your own speed without the need to take up table space within the household.
The problem with most upright cleaners is when you need to move them over obstructions or upstairs they are quite heavy. Now Hoover has produced an upright cleaner that is 30% lighter than previous models but still just as powerful.
The Hoover Upright Pet 300 measures 116cm tall and the foot is 30x23cm. The accessories in with the unit are a small 11cm wide foot and a small 20cm long nozzle to fit onto the hose and a double ended brush, these can either be stored in the box or fitted to the sides of the unit so they never get lost. Next a nice surprise a twelve side A4 manual in Landscape that covers everything and it’s all in English.
If you need help then look elsewhere as this next Adventure game has no Hint feature.
Described as an Action game, although it could easily be designated as an Adventure game, this next title under review is The Wild Case. Developed by Specialbit Studio, The Wild Case casts you in the role of an unnamed character who is sent to investigate a strange phenomena and discover more about the appearance of creatures with glowing eyes. Prior to entering the environment found in The Wild Case, you can make adjustments to the volume levels used by background music and sound effects.
Creative Labs do a lot in sound, most will know this with SoundBlaster range of headphones and earbuds however they also do DAC’s and of course speakers, here a set of rather nice speakers so those who like to fill their rooms with sound can get satisfaction.
They are 20x8x12cm and while by far the simplest way of taking sound from your PC or notebook is via USB and these speakers do that they also need a mains connection to work. If you only have USB then you are still catered for by an adapter in the box but natively the connection is USB ‘C’ and the lead to the master speaker is 1.
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