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Not actually a new company but one that that I have not reviewed before, the company is called Xiaomi, and like a lot of recent SmartPhones comes to me via Vodafone. As far as I can tell this company has not incurred the wrath of the USA as it comes with Google and G-Mail.
The Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite measures 15.3x7.5x.7cm apart from the circle of its back that has its four cameras that protrudes a little more and it weighs 219grams. The notional diagonal imperial measurement is 6.6 inches. 2mm down from the top of the screen in the centre is the front camera so it does protrude into the viewable area. However the items to the left and right are the housekeeping ones so it does not really detract. Boot up time is 14 seconds and shutdown is 2.5 seconds.
TCL continues to offer users a choice of handsets with its latest offerings announced at CES 2021
Looking for a holiday with a difference, then you might like to consider a visit to an Adventure Park.
Acting as a kind of digital travel agency, Casual Arts offers game players the choice of various Vacation Adventures. In this case you are invited to join a Park Ranger as you visit the different locations that make up the gaming environment of this Hidden Object game. Profiles can be created so that different players can take their adventurous break when they fancy. The profile will record their progress and score of the designated player.
When normality returns, and we can move about at will, the next product could be a useful aid.
This small heavily padded Tablet is something that should withstand rough treatment. There are three in the range with stories from recent Disney hits. There are other claims on the box that I could not always test as some external programs seem to require a controller that – after checking with the PR agency – I am told is not supplied.
The Pebble Gear kids tablet computer measures 19x11x1cm without the slightly flexible cover and weighs 285 grams; the cover fits snugly and adds 90 grams to the overall weight. The screen is 15.4x8.6cm this gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 7 inches. The controls and connections are on the right side, first the on/off button, next a 3.5mm socket for headphones and then the micro USB socket and finally volume rocker with a micro SD card socket to its side.
Adding to its range of Alcatel smartphones, TCL has announced two new models at the recent CES event.
While we are bound by the various restrictions imposed by the Lockdown procedure, the Consumer Electronics Show has gone on its merry way with numerous companies announcing new products and initiatives. One such company is the global electronics TCL Communications with regards to its new additions to its suite of Alcatel products. These handsets are the Alcatel 3L and the Alcatel 1S.
Looking for new locations in which to arrange hidden objects, Casual Arts place you on board an ocean liner visiting various locations.
Developed by Casual Arts, Vacation Adventure Cruise Director is a Hidden Object game. As can be surmised from its title, this game involves taking a holiday on board a cruise liner. All your activities will be organised by the cruise director and all you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy yourself. Well not exactly as you will be challenged to complete a variety of tasks aboard the liner and at the different ports of call established during the cruise.
Do you trust a ghostly figure when you are searching for a missing friend pulled back in time or rely on your own instincts.
As is my usual practice, this review is based on the Collector's Edition of the title which comes with a number of bonus items. In some cases, such as wallpaper, music and concept art, you are granted immediate access to the bonus items. However to make use of collectibles, achievements, archives and screen saver items, you will need to make progress in the main game.
Since last spring most of us have discovered Zoom or other video streaming services. Those using it often find that while a built in camera on a notebook gives perfectly acceptable video sometimes the supplied pin hole microphone is not up to the standard required especially if the call is not just a meeting of friends but something more important then perhaps this offering from Shure can help.
The Shure MV5C microphone is round at 6cm across and comes with a stand that can raise it by up to 8cm from your desk. This can be set to adjust the get the perfect angle. As with most microphones the last thing you normally want to hear is yourself but there are occasions you might want to do so and so it has a mode where when you plug a set of headphones or earbuds into it you can. The connection to your PC or Notebook is by USB and there is a small 12x9.
Keeping your data safe and secure when transferring it between locations can be a worry. This next product could help.
Adding to its range of portable protective storage devices, iStorage has developed their DISKASHUR M product. This is a Solid State Drive (SSD) with encryption delivered by FIPS PUB 197 validated AES-XTS 256-bit technology. iStorage has opted to offer this device with storage capacities of 120/240/500 GB and 1 or 2 TB versions. This review is based on the 1TB model of the DISKASHUR M .
Can you act as the bridge and the groom to ensure they get to the wedding chapel?
Dark Romance - The Curse of Bluebeard is a Hidden Object Adventure game. However the game's developer, Domini Games, has opted not to base their game on the more obvious Bluebeard character but on one that is less well-known. Rather than the pirate known as Bluebeard, this game has Count Bluebeard, a man whose servants have had their tongues cut out, as its central character.
When an old friend offers to help you find work, you should look before you leap.
Developed by BLAM! Games, Dangerous Games : Prisoners of Destiny is a Hidden Object Adventure game that involves a magical world filled with puzzles, unusual situations and an occasional weird creature. I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of this title which comes with a number of bonus items. Some of these items, such as wallpaper, concept art and music, can be accessed immediately while other need you to complete or made sufficient progress in the main game.
This is the latest 5G SmartPhone from Google, in comparison to some recent offerings it is quite small and because of the lack of size it is also quite light. So apart from being one of the first units to have Android 11 what else does this have to offer.
It is 14x6.5x.7cm and weighs only 150 grams. The viewable screen is 13.6x6.3cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 6 inches. The screen display is 1440x3040. Going around the outside has the on/off button and below that the volume rocker button, on the base are the speakers split by the USB ‘C’ port, the left side has the SIM entry point, the top has a pin hole microphone. The lovely matt black back has a finger print reader 3.
Fancy a trip to Australia? This next offering from Lazy Turtle Games might seem like a possible inducement to make the trip but, somehow, I seriously doubt it. Yes you do get some interesting snippets regarding popular locations in the land of "down under" but, unless you have an overwhelming desire to cuddle a koala or play fisticuffs with a kangaroo, you might think "so what!"
The game, entitled Travel to Australia, belongs to the Hidden Object genre with its various scenes spread through the antipodeans continent that, I'm reliable informed, were not featured in Neighbours. Profiles can be set up to record the progress of individual players. Adjustments can be made to the volume level for background music and sound effects. There are options to select full screen viewing and use a custom cursor.
If you have weak Wi-Fi or even parts that have no Wi-Fi then Devolo have solutions that can help. Here I am looking at an add on a new version of their Wi-Fi repeater. So even if you have a good signal at your Modem then this could help for the places that have less good signals.
The unit is 15x7.5x5cm and plugs into any 13amp socket. What was in that socket can then be plugged into the Devolo Repeater. You should not plug it into a surge strip and gang sockets are not recommended but may or may not work. The repeater has two Ethernet sockets on its top, Devolo were one of the first to react when people in the UK complained that skirting board sockets could not accommodate Ethernet ports on the base of the unit. Also in the box is a 14.5x10.
Providing Match-3 action, this next game involves breaking a curse that is affecting the world of magic.
E-funsoft's latest excursion into the world of Match-3 game play involves the Academy of Magic. Subtitled "The Great Dark Wizard's Curse", this game deals with the adventures of Dennis Griffin. However long before Dennis enters the picture, many years ago the hidden world of magic lived in fear of the human world. Fortunately some witches and wizards got together and set up a pact with the human world so that peaceful harmony was established.
The last time I took a Bridge to Another World, I ended up in the Land of Oz keeping Dorothy company. Now for my second excursion, over this virtual structure, to yet another literary environment, the destination is Shadowland with Alice as my companion. To avoid any confusion, and with my companion's name giving a possible clue, I was bound for a visit to Wonderland, the magical world created by Charles Dodgson who is better known as Lewis Carroll.
Profiles can be created to record the progress of individual players. There are also options to make adjustments to certain elements of the gaming environment. Levels can be set for music, sound effects and voice dialogue. You can also opt for full and widescreen viewing plus a special mouse cursor. When playing the game there are four levels of difficulty namely Casual, Advanced, Expert and Custom.
While audio in all its forms is of great interest to me, I am not a fan of my singing or should I clarify that no one else will be a fan of my singing. So it was with more than a little trepidation that this item got opened to be given the Smart onceover.
The box has a quite conventional looking Microphone, it is 17.5cm long with the head being 5cm across this has a connector on the base and an on/off slider switch on the side. Next is a mixing box 17x12cm and this is 4cm deep at the back and 2.5cm deep at the front with four twist knobs on the top, Mic one, Mic Two, Music and Echo. The front of the box has inputs for the two Mics and at the right front edge an on/off push button with an LED beside.
Personal data has an attracting for many as they can not keep their hands off it. It is up to you to protect this type of data from the schemes of hackers.
Setting up the product, in its initial format, is relatively easy as you follow a series of instruction screens. These screens will include options to accept or decline for feedback to be sent to Eset and whether you want to enable or disable potentially unwanted applications. The installation routine concludes with an initial automatic scan of the system under protection. As well as this automatic scan, there is a choice of other types of targeted scans.
These in ear Buds are small enough not to exert undue pressure on the ear so they can sit comfortably where others tend to droop down and with the ear being one of the more sensitive parts of the body comfort in that area is important.
Everything about this product is small from the box that is only 11x10.5x5cm to the charger that 8x4x3cm and the buds themselves that are around 1.5x1.5x2cm. The case with buds weights 57grams and the buds themselves weigh only 6grams each. These are Bluetooth only buds and like most units there are two other sizes of gels in the box. The only other contents are a short 30cm USB ‘C’ to USB lead to charge the charger unit and the multi-language guide.
Hopefully when visiting this establishment, you will arrive as an investigator rather than as a patient or you might never leave.
Classified as belonging to the Hidden Object genre, Abandoned : Chestnut Lodge Asylum forms part of the BlackLime series of game titles. Rated at being suitable for those aged 12 and older, the game has been developed by Lazy Turtle Games. Prior to entering this world built around an asylum from where patients tended to disappear and neither the nursing staff nor the police could find any trace of them, you can create profiles for different players and adjust the gaming environment.
Loved by some, certain features can be annoying to others.
A watch used to be for telling you the time, now lots do far more. This top of the range one from Polar does so much that there are no less than ten screens on the watch and when you sync the data you realise that what you saw on the watch was only a small proportion of the data it is keeping.
Let’s start with the watch as a timepiece it has one centimetre tall numerals in the centre of its always on display. In low light you may need to tap the display to get the backlight to show the result, you can also turn your wrist to activate the backlight. The first thing I liked was the fact you do not have to sync it with a phone you can do so and this will enable it to display the latest weather details.
Take a deep breather and breath in air that has been purified by this next device.
As regular readers will know I was very impressed with my initial weeks using the SleepHub and my last posting 25-11-20 told you so in no uncertain manner. While my sleep has certainly improved overall I have had some recent problems using it. However this could well be due a bout of toothache as well as some stomach problems and nausea.
There are four usage modes Deep Sleep, Easy Sleep, Fall Asleep and Power Nap. You select which you want on the 7inch Touch Display which spends all but two minutes when you activate it and when the alarm sounds totally blank. It sends a range of pulses and tones to the two supplied speakers. When you set the sound level of the Sleepsound you should also set a Soundscape but a tiny bit lower.
Going undercover as a detective can be tricky as you discover when investigating mysterious deaths.
Following a murder, which the perpetrator would claim was more of a test to check out the validity of a substance known as the Elixir of Immortality, and disposal of the corpse into the sea, you are cast in the role of a detective assigned to solve a series of mysterious deaths, you are presented with a list of suspects made up of a physicist, botanist, magician and alchemist. Evidence to reveal and convict the murderer is to be found on an island with a forbidden reputation.
If you are looking for a last-minute Christmas gift then this next product could help.
While I have been known to bestow certain inanimate objects with a personalised name, this practice has not been applied to my toothbrush. Despite coming into regular personal contact, as it carried out its teeth cleaning duties, this device was simple known as the toothbrush. Oral-B obviously feels differently as it named this particular series of toothbrushes, one of which arrives in the Fereday household, as "Genius X".
This is a small stereo unit that can run on mains or batteries. It is not only a DAB and FM radio but also an Internet radio and Bluetooth set of speakers. So what has Pure the biggest name in DAB radios got to offer for those who want the option of using their unit both in home/office and outside?
The Pure Elan Connect+ measures 23x10.5x5.5cm and weights 768 grams with batteries inserted. I found that you get between 7 and 8 hours on a set of four ‘AA’ batteries between charges. It is supplied with a USB to micro USB lead of one metre that then is the distance it can be from a computer or USB plug front. There is an eight piece 50cm long rod aerial that extends from the top.
While Spring is many months away, it might be time to consider having a clear our of technical devices.
Straight from the box this screen shows 3440x1440 which has the ability to show three screens of information at near to full HD IE 1920x1080 side by side with no real overlap and after a small amount of pruning this means no switching of screens just move your mouse to the bit you want and work away.
The AOC CU34G2 measures 80.5x36.5cm, the screen is 2cm deep at its edges, and it has close to 6cm of concave curve at the middle. While this initially seems a lot sit at least one metre from the screen and you are able to view everything on up to three screens and work on any of them with ease. I also was able to view full screen displays including the odd video or three from a little further back.
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