Entertainment

Almost exactly 3 years ago one of the most exciting pieces of kit I had seen for some time crossed my desk. It was the ViewSonic PLED–W500, a tiny but surprisingly bright projector that used cool-running LEDs for illumination instead of a hot lamp. Designed primarily for business presentations, its XVGA resolution and extended color gamut made it perfectly suitable for movies. Unfortunately, it soon disappeared from the market. But the good news is that it's back again, reborn a

This is one of those occasions when I missed out on the original title of a game. In this case the game was called Runaway. The follow up offering, from the same development team, is entitled Hidden Runaway. Featuring the same two main characters of Brian and Gina, Hidden Runaway belongs to the Hidden Object Adventure genre.

As you would expect from a 4 Play title, this next offering considers of four games that have a treasure hunting theme.

While an inch might be considered a small amount, it can make a difference with a portable device.

This is certainly the thinnest soundbar I have seen. It does however have a separate rather meaty sub woofer. So any thought you may have of a thin or sub standard sound reproduction should immediately be banished from your mind.

For those looking for a book reader then the Aura H20 from Kobo could well be something to consider. The bright white background makes it seem just like what one used to take off the bookshelf to read, the main advantage is that text size can suit your eyesight.

The popular Ivy Restaurant was the location where I first cast eyes on the subject of this next review.

This unit arrived shortly after the Humax YouView unit, at the same time as a brilliant Humax Sound Bar (review to follow). Things did not start out well but after a couple of conversations things improved and I now trust it.

A trip back in time, both in the style of game play and the period setting, takes you off to America for this next title.

This is a wireless (Bluetooth) Boombox that is able to get reasonably wet and has an uncanny look like a sculptured shape with its fourteen upward facing edges which are there to project the sound, twelve of them have a speaker grill finish.

Everybody enjoys their private moments and the next product allows you these moments when listening to your favourite music.

In this next game you play not one but two different characters with one investigating the other.

This next product could give you the opportunity to improve your street cred as you wear a music output device on your hip.

Avanquest has gathered together four Match-3 games for this next offering from the company’s GSP label.

This is a rather nice square speaker from Polk; it can be used with Bluetooth or via a 3.5mm lead to connect to older music devices. This has an internal battery so in Bluetooth mode no cables are required so it can be placed almost anywhere.

Described as a dark and mysterious Hidden Object Adventure game, Small Town Terrors: Pilgrim’s Hook sets you the task of saving your twin brother from the evil presence that has invaded the community of Pilgrim’s Hook.

For a gamer hearing a sound a fraction of a second earlier can be a matter of life and death. So the quality of the headset is almost as important as the speed of the processor and the graphics card that show what they are doing on the screen.

This is a tiny portable Bluetooth speaker. Like an egg without the ends, however twist the centre and then the egg shape expands. So can this be an answer to sharing music in a small space without having to have large speakers?

Using an assortment of bits and pieces, you are challenged to create some weird and wonderful machines with this next title.

It is time to pack your bags and take a trip to Portsmouth where the Mayor has an abandoned ship cluttering up the place.

It should not come as a surprise to hear that the latest offering in the Witch Hunters series of titles has a strong element of witches running through the action.

With Bluetooth speakers now a popular option, some manufacturers are adding extra features to their offerings to make it stand out from the competition.

On the face of it a slightly oversized screw threaded bulb that can be controlled from an App to increase or decrease the brightness seems a good idea, add the ability to play your Smart Phone music through the bulb seems a great idea, does theory work?

This is a stereo Bluetooth speaker unit built almost like a triangle – without coming to a point – meaning that the speakers have a larger surface area to height than would otherwise been possible in a unit of this size and shape.

Sad to say the VHS era is now history as digital format takes over with devices such as the product forming the focus of this next review

With an organisation known as H.E.L.P., you are set the task of solving the case of the Hope Diamond in a Hidden Object Adventure game.

Mystery, darkness and hope come together in a triple pack from Focus Multimedia. Originally published by Big Fish Games, the three offerings making up this pack are Hidden Object Adventure games. The three titles are Tesla’s Tower: The Wardenclyffe Mystery, Fantastic Creations: House of Brass and Dark Heritage: Guardians of Hope.

Here I am looking at two recent items from BoomBotics. Regular readers will remember their first UK offering last year a device for use on a bike among others. Here a Wireless (Bluetooth) Portable Speaker and a set of Headphones.

It was at a Christmas In July event in 2013 that I first saw one of these. As sometimes happens there was glitch and it was only at their Christmas In July event at 2014 that one was available, however my tests seem to prove it was worth the wait.

I had a few days of watching my own 32inch TV before I had at accommodate yet another 48inch TV from Samsung; this was not a curved screen offering so it was even a little bit larger than their recently reviewed item.