GadgetSpeak Articles
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I have used Paint Shop Pro for more years than I care to remember. It was initially a shareware program that did things others could not. Now umpteen versions later a new package called Studio.
Any all in one (multi function unit) has a huge thing in its favour it takes up little space. However for all the devices of this type I have seen I think this is the smallest.
Not a name you instantly think of when talking about quality digital cameras. Obviously when thinking of film cameras Kodak is a big name, although they have made digitals for years, here at last they make a giant leap forward.
Unlike a lot of oblong boxes that a lot of digital cameras are today this looks like a conventional film camera. It is 10x9x7.5cm maximum dimensions with the zoom lens contracted. The weight is around 400grams with everything attached. This has a 10x optical zoom and is a 5megapixel offering. The quality of images - even in auto mode - is excellent and anyone with a little knowledge cannot fail to take great images with the DX7590.
Adding impact to your photographs is the task that Ulead has set itself with a new release.
Carrying your data in a pocket has never been easier with a USB storage device.
You do not always need or want - to spend a fortune to find something the kids will love. Here I am looking at a few such items that could solve present problems. All items I am looking at cost £15 or less.
Described as a union of design and technology, the Siemens SL65 could be the phone for you.
Buying in bulk is nothing new for the DIY minded, here however are four separate products on the theme of house and garden maintenance and improvement.
Looking to upgrade your DVD drive capabilities then dual layer technology is the way to go.
Not all mice are created equally otherwise we would be deprived of the luxury of choice.
Portable printers are always useful, a portable printer that runs on batteries very useful, a portable printer that runs on batteries and fits in your pocket, mega useful.
I've wanted a solid-state MP3 player for some time for exercising but had been put off by the capacity (64M seemed common). This little device came to the rescue.
The diminutive MPMan MP-FOL8 measures about 3" x 1" by / "
(don't have a ruler here so that's about right!). It does a lot of
things. Of course the main reason for buying such a device is to listen
to music, which it does very well. It supports both MP3 format and
Microsfts proprietary WMA format. Storage is 256Mbytes putting many
other devices to shame.
Hands-free communication with a vibrator it is possible with Bluetooth.
Let me start with a few words of explanation just in case you are one of those people who might have seen me standing around apparently talking to myself. No, this is not the onset of senility, despite what some might state; but more down to the fact that I have been using a mobile phone. Yes I know the phone was not immediately visible but when you have a Bluetooth headset then the phone can be attached to your belt or other appropriate location.
Last November I discovered Skype at version 0.97, it worked well but as with the 'Chicken and the Egg' problem not all that many users. This week Skype for the first time notched one million concurrent users.
Version 1 launched in the early summer and I now spend more time on Skype for no cost than I do using the phone. All you need is the free Skype software, download time from around one minute. Probably another minute to complete the installation and maybe as long to create a basic profile. www.skype.com To run Skype on a PC you need a microphone and some speakers.
5.1 sound is almost becoming standard with a lot of PCs having it onboard. However for those without it this offering from Terratec could well improve your sound output.
Print your photographs. Copy your photographs. Scan images. All these tasks can be undertaken by a single device.
Like most peripherals, printers have come a long way since those
early days when monochrome and dot matrix were the accepted standard.
Now we can take our pick from monochrome or colour lasers, all-in-one
(multifunction) devices, basic inkjet or specific photo printers with
additional functionality built in. The Epson Stylus Photo RX420 could
really be said to bridge two of this categories.
The Medusa headset looks rather like an expensive pair of ear defenders, how wrong can first looks be? Sorry, to find out you will have to read on.
Here I am looking at not one but two mice from Microsoft. Neither of which have any lead to confine their movements. One is Wireless and the other is Bluetooth.
Although scanners have shrunk in size and weight, you would not normally expect to carry one in your pocket. Now you can.
Not something normally reviewed here, but there is a twist more in a moment and either or both would make great Christmas presents for the Jazz lover.
My face might not be my fortune but my finger could be my passport to various computer activities.
This product came along at a very opportune time as a new version of my current anti spam package had just brought out a new version, for me anyway it turned out to be unusable.
Want a copy of Microsoft Word, this is the cheapest legal way to acquire one. However you also get a whole raft of other new and very recent products on a total of five CDs.
A coffee machine that does not require plumbing, a decent fresh hot cup of coffee whenever you want it in only 20 seconds, all you need is a 13amp plug. Philips and Douwe Egberts have combined to produce Senseo.
The shape of the is distinctive, in fact I
would go so far as to say unique. A little like a jug kettle, a little
like those thermos type jugs that keep coffee warm inordinately but in
truth nothing like either. Senseo from Philips The Senseo 'coffee pad system' to give
it it's full name can produce either one or two cups of delicious
coffee from 'ready' in 20 seconds.
Looking to maximise the space of your work desk? Maybe you should consider combining your printer, scanner, fax machine and photocopier into a single unit.
Lexmark's X6170 "All-in-One" product provides the functionality that
covers printing, scanning and copying with built-in fax capability. On
top of this, literally, the X6170 has an ADF (Automatic Document
Feeder) feature. Lexmark has packed all this functionality into a box
that measures 48 x 25cm at the base and expanding to 50 x 52cm (W x D)
at the top. The overall height is 29cm including the rear-mounted paper
input tray.
By no means cheap, but if you need a notebook 1.3kilos is extremely light, the Q25 fills that criteria and you get what are often called extras as standard.
It
is 27x23x2cm yes the thickness is only 2cm, the weight is only 1.3kilos
and with battery life with a reasonable screen brightness at close to
150 minutes this could well save a very expensive gym membership as
current muscles may be enough to carry it around. A
31cm display is clear and bright, excellent when used with power and
useable when on batteries.
Its Samsung calling! This time I have been flipping open the Samsung SGH-P510 camera phone.
Have you noticed that all mobile phones, well at least the ones that
I have used, always position the on/off key on the right side of the
unit? This is not meant to be taken as a criticism, rather more of an
observation. But it does go to show how technology is re-enforcing the
dominance that the right hand has over the left in modern society.
Keyboard and mouse sets seem popular these days. Here I am looking a set from Microsoft with wireless keyboard and mouse, the keyboard has an extra feature.
I have had this product for several months without the opportunity to try it. After all you do not upgrade your PC that often. When you do it is often nice to start with a totally fresh installation however this does have its drawbacks and should the thought of installing everything from fresh fill you with dread then this is for you.
Instead of letting your fingers do the work, you could use them as an aid to your memory. To discover how, read on!
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