GadgetSpeak Articles
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Can you defeat a hungry dragon in this next Match-3 title?
When Dark Omens make an appearance it is probably time to make a visit to the mystical world of Lumina. Once there, in the company of two brave magicians named Tenebria and Alrik, you will need to make your way along a winding path as you attempt to restore the balance between light and shadow or good and evil. This is the situation you are faced in Mystika 4 - Dark Omens when an invasion of evil creatures is looming and a power-hungry dragon approaches.
During the ever-passing years, PaintShop Pro has undergone numerous make-overs. It would have taken somebody with the skill of a Nostradamus to get even close to how the original file conversion program would develop into today's graphics suite offering.
Now up to version 2021, the latest edition of PaintShop Pro is available as either the vanilla or ultimate offering. I have been looking at the top-of-the-range Ultimate product of PaintShop Pro 2021. This version of the graphics software comes with a collection of bonus items made up of Painter® Essentials™ 7, PhotoMirage™ Express and Corel AfterShot™ 3.
This is a large and heavy multi-function unit suitable for an office environment as it has the ability to set up all sorts of restrictions with times and users so you do not end up printing magazines for whatever local group. This is a colour laser All In One unit that comes with starter cartridges pre-installed. It is certainly a two person move at 35kilos.
The Canon i-SENSYS MF742Cdw measures 46cm deep 43cm from side to side and 48cm tall, these are all maximum figures and all leads used are contained within this footprint including the paper out tray, only if you use the second manual paper feed do these figures get exceeded and as the manual feed is a drop down to 45 degrees from the centre front of the unit this adds 15cm to the depth. You can use this via Wi-Fi or Ethernet or if required USB. Installation is from a CD or via the Internet.
Accidents can happen and a Dash Cam can provide evidence to help protect the innocent party.
Nextbase, producer of the largest Dash Cam brand in the world and holding over 80%, by volume share, of the UK market, has added to its product range line up with the release of its 622GW model. This new offering comes with a range of features that the company feel will enhance the critical evidence gathering that can occur thus allowing the driver to concentrate on the main aspects of the driving experience.
Not a new name but certainly the contents are a lot more powerful than the unit I reviewed three years ago. This is a light Notebook that is powerful at the same time; it can happily show a presentation onto an external HDMI panel so ideal for those that travel around.
The Acer Swift 3 measures 31.5x21.5x1.5cm where the last measurement at the back with the front being as thin as 1cm. The viewable screen is 30.5x17.5cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial screen measurement of 14 inches; the screen resolution is 1920x1080 which by default is shown at 150%.
Maybe not as complicated as recent royal issues, this next title takes a look at the life of nobility.
As you gather round the table in order to view and chat to others many miles away and this next product could help.
The arrival of this next product immediately caused a couple of flashbacks. The first of these involved the Amstrad company with its video telephone product. Unlike the earlier more basic offering of just vocal communication, this product allowed users to talk and view whoever they were communicating with at the time.
'How do I do that' or 'let me think' as I do not complete that task very often. Windows can do most things however it often makes the task difficult. Parallels Toolbox has a range of one step tools to complete the tasks that Windows makes more complex, some may even seem impossible this collection of over thirty different tools are in a simple package.
Let’s start with Archive, Block Camera and Break Time; I don’t think any need any great explanation the last named is perhaps the most important for those studying. The next three can all be done in Windows but each requires a separate two key selection to complete here they are simple for those who do this action infrequently; they are Capture Area, Capture Screen and Capture Window.
When transferring data, SSD can offer a fast solution for carrying out this task.
When I think of SanDisk my initial thoughts tend to drift towards memory cards although I do have fond memories of the company's small MP3 player which is still providing good service and its plans to release popular albums in memory card format. However the company does have other products including the Extreme PRO device which is a portable SSD for allowing fast access to video and photos stored on a computer.
Normally writing this first paragraph is easy, it just explains very briefly what the item being reviewed is, be it software, hardware, something for the home, something for the office or even something for the children. This box connects to the Internet using your modem but it is not exactly a router, it’s really for the Internet of Things, any wiser?
Can you help an awakened princess find the missing population she was meant to rule.
While you may be familiar with the story of Sleeping Beauty, this next tale relates a completely different set of events with its own slumbering lady. In this case the sleeping character, who is the Princess Sophia, awakens after a century length repose in the comfort of her castle, she discovers that she is the only human around. All the other humans seem to have disappeared.
Coming to the rescue of over-burdened iPhone/iPad devices is a data transfer tool.
Recently I looked at the SanDisk Ultra Disk USB Drive. This product provided a means of transferring data between devices with standard and micro USB connectivity. SanDisk also has a product which performs a similar function for devices, such as iPhone, iPad and computers, that rely on standard and Lightning connectivity. This product is the SanDisk iXpand™ Flash Drive Go which is the subject of this review. With dimensions of 53 x 12 x 12.
The Neos Indoor Camera was developed in association with an insurance company and their clients were the first to benefit from it. Here are two more items that can save the householders money by avoiding water damage problems and the second a sensor kit so you can know when a door or window is opened or movement is detected.
Both of these items are add-ons that also require you to have a Neos camera installed as they link into your Wi-Fi and then give you push notifications via the camera. However it is possible to have the camera unarmed with the Neos App open on your phone and get notified of an open door or window that the sensor is attached to.
Keeping your data safe and secure is the task of this next product from Western Digital.
Combining local network and Cloud accessible storage is the aim of the WD My Cloud Home product. Whether it is photos, videos, documents and other files, the WD My Cloud Home provides the capability to gather and store the relevant data from anywhere that has an Internet connection. The gathered data is stored on this central location that can be 2TB, 3TB, 4TB, 6TB or the 8TB of my review sample.
This is a scale that can help in the fight against Obesity. However it also does other things giving you other reading while on the scale, you decide from a list in the App and just for good measure it will give you the weather forecast, for those who weigh themselves first thing in the morning this may help you decide what to wear.
The Withings Body Cardio scales measure 32x32x1.2cm with a central bar to help you keep your feet apart. There is a 7x4cm display window. The numerals displayed are 2cm tall and very easy to read. While being naked during weighing yourself is not essential you do need to have bare feet to get the best from the scale as certain features require bare feet.
When a magician takes his act on to the street, you should be ready for some surprises.
Without any connection to the more recent removals of monuments, the VAST Studios developed Shattered Minds: Encore casts you in the role of a detective sent to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a series of famous monuments. These landmarks included the Statute of Liberty, Coliseum and the Pyramids.
With a name that reminds me of a lighter, this next product combines two functions.
Sometimes the arrival of a product for review coincides with the ideal circumstances.Take for instance when a printer appears when I have a shed load of documents that need printing or a memory card turns up as my smartphone is pleading "feed me, feed me" as it needs more storage space to hold the content I am attempting to cram into it.However, as you could well imagine, this is not always the case as can be seen with this next product.
This is a new SmartPhone designed for 5G but that still works using 4G if you live or work in an area currently without 5G coverage. This is supplied with a transparent back and sides silicon cover that stops the cameras being proud on the back which means that you can lay it on any surface without any danger of scratching that surface.
The Moto G 5G Plus Smartphone measures 16.7x7.3x1cm and weighs 222grams with cover. The screen is 15.6x7cm which gives the notional imperial diagonal measurement of 6.7inches. The display is 1080x2520 pixels in a 21:9 ratio which is the same resolution as most recent films. The twin front cameras do bite into the display near the top left of the screen.
Often when used as a mobile entertainment device, a smartphone requires plenty of storage space.
Have you heard your smartphone whimper? It is not a pleasant sound, some would say pitiful, and one that you should attempt to avoid hearing at all costs. Well perhaps not at all costs. The situation can be alleviated by the act of introducing your favourite mobile device to a memory card with appropriate capacity such as the SanDisk Ultra microSDXC™ UHS-1 Card. Promising speeds of up to 95 MB/s, I have been looking at one of the higher capacity cards from this series.
It looks a little like a ‘tank’ with the top removed so in one form it’s just the treads that grip but once it moves into the fitment it moves as if on stilts. There are some pieces supplied to guide your Power Treads unit around a course which you design but you can go freestyle and use things found in your home to make your own truly original track.
If this was just a vehicle with some curves and twists then the stated age of five plus would be fine however as you have to assemble not just the course which is a test in itself with the pieces provided but you also need to fit the treads to the vehicle so maybe an older sibling would be useful to tell you what is possible. Although it can do some amazing twists and turns it cannot defy gravity.
If you are looking to simultaneously charge several devices then this news might be of interest.
With an impressive reputation for successful crowd-funding campaigns, Changeasap is a consumer electronics start-up based in Sydney. Following its successful crowd-funding campaigns for products, such as Flash Graphics Powerbank, Infinity Magnetic cables and X-Connect cables, the next cab of the rank to emerge from Changeasap is the company's Omega product with its own crowd-funding campaign.
While restrictions are being placed on passport travel, they do not apply to this offering from Western Digital.
While a traditional passport will prove useful when travelling between countries, Western Digital (WD) believes its passport offering can perform important facilities for your computer system and environment. The WD My Passport is a portable storage device which offers features that include automatic back up, password protection and data encryption. I have been looking at the Ultra version of the product which is available in 1TB (my review sample), 2TB, 3TB and 4TB capacities.
The only way you know if your Anti Virus or Total Security product is doing its job is if it fails; and, if you have no problems, then it is probably doing its job. While I have previously told you about what McAfee and Kaspersky have to offer today its BitDefender.
I have been using it for nearly a month and the only time I know it’s there is when I attach a memory stick while it checks its content. Some people are concerned that certain files are permanently deleted and here they have a secure shredder to do the job. The thing that most recently seems to be the thing that people worry about is Ransomware and BitDefender say they will stop files being encrypted once they know an attach is in progress.
Adding to its range of smartphone handsets, TCL Communications has launched its first 5G-enabled model.
The TCL first next-generation 5G smartphone is the TCL 10 5G. Supplied with the product is a slip-on transparent protective cover that slots over the rear of the device. Adopting the standard candy bar appearance, the TCL 10 5G has dimensions of 163.65 x 76.56 x 9.05 mm (W x H x D) and weighs in at 210g.
This is a watch that could help you lose weight and as such is an aid for those of us termed as ‘Obese’ and one of the vast range of subjects that the Government are working on apart from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The reason they care if we are obese is simple we are more likely to become diabetic and have other problems such as asthma and so those who are obese cost the government more as we will have more hospital visits. The watch is circular at 36mm and the surround is steel with a rubberized strap.
If your smartphone or tablet is running short on storage space then this next product could help.
A few years ago I took a look at SanDisk Ultra Dual USB Drive providing connection compatibility with a choice of standard and microUSB connectivity and supporting capacity of up to 64GB. Since my original review, standards have changed and the all-metal SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive has undergone a make-over to reflect these changes and what the user expects from such a device both in appearance and specifications.
The lack of ports is often a problem for a lot of small Tablets as they have as little as a single USB ‘C’ port, this means that unless everything is online you need a hub; earlier hubs were full size USB offerings. This hub is right up to date being USB ‘C’ and the only driver you might require is if you decide to use the HDMI port to output your display to it.
This 6 Port USB ‘C’ Hub from D-Link measures 9.5x4.5x.8cm and it weighs only 66grams. There is a 15cm hard wired USB ‘C’ lead emerging from one end. The back has a full size HDMI port and a USB ‘C’ port. The front has two USB3 ports a SD card socket and a micro SD card socket to make the units six ports.
As part of turning your home into a smart residence, you could add a Tapo light.
With a variation of the age-old conundrum, "When is a light bulb not a light bulb?". The answer could well be a new product from TP-Link, a global provider of reliable networking devices, under the company's offshoot and brand name of Tapo. The product in question, and the subject of this review, is the Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Light Similar in shape and size as to other light bulbs that come with a high collar and screw-type connection, the Tapo L510E is of the A60 type of bulb.
The N20 Pro is a new handset arriving from Spain.
I had to look twice, or maybe it was three times, as I rubbed the disbelief from my eyes. The reason was the arrival of an email regarding a new smartphone that was due to be launched later this month. It was not the arrival of yet another smartphone, we do seem to be a long way off reaching saturation point with these devices, but the name of the company launching this product that was causing my double or triple take.
Having recently told you about Primephonic (Classical only), Spotify and Deezer here is another service this one however concentrates on the quality of reproduction their lowest level useful on SmartPhones is called Normal and then above that High, Hi-Fi and then Master the last only available from your PC.
Sixty million tracks are what they say they have, as regular readers will know my Genre is Jazz and certainly there is a good selection for me. So apart from the quality which as stated you do need a PC for is the ‘Master’ however a lot of older recordings are not available in this quality. What extra Tidal has is Videos as well as music and currently these are not available on Deezer or Spotify.
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