GadgetSpeak Articles

I am an inveterate labeller.  Whether it is my music collection, DVDs or even just to identify which plug connects to which device, you will usually find a label, with appropriate information, attached.  As a result I am an obvious candidate for a device that can print professionally looking labels to add that touch of style which I would rarely achieve if left to my own devices.

The Deal or No Deal electronic table top game is for four players. The first thing I liked about this board game is there are no pieces to loose! The lack of individual pieces makes this an easy game to play on the settee, in the car or to take around to the relatives on Boxing Day. Like other TV tie-in games, it does help if you've watched the TV show.

So apart from this being a full size keyboard it also comes with a stand to raise your notebooks screen so that in effect you have the same arrangement as you would get with a desktop, so you just put your laptop in the stand and forget it has a keyboard once you have tuned the cordless offering here to your notebook.

The 'Revival' range has been around for a little while from Roberts in various finishes. This limited edition version takes style to a new level. When you take it out of the packaging the first thing you notice is the weight - at around 1.5Kg (3lb) without batteries this is probably the heaviest DAB radio I've seen.

In an effort to differentiate their USB flash drive products from the competition manufacturers have put in varying degrees of effort into trying to make their particular products stand out from the rest of the pack.  Physical dimensions and various shapes have been tried as the means of differentiating certain brands while others have opted for the approach of adding extra value in the form of bonus software such as Ceedo, U3 and encryption protection.

The product QX5 Computer Microscope has been specifically developed to allow children to explore a world of small creatures and other items without too much fuss or mess.  This kit consists of a cylindrical shaped microscope with a permanently attached USB lead; a stand with a moveable tray for holding specimens; and software for displaying and adding special effects to the images.

Firstly for those occasional readers an MFU (Multi Function Unit) has fax capabilities whereas the AIO (All In One) does not. Both have the ability to print, scan and copy. It is 54x42x36cm and compare that to a lot of similar machines and you will see it is big. Mind you it has a duplex unit that adds to the second figure the depth and the third figure the height would be less without the page feed.

When I received four different hair straighteners I wondered what could be different about each. Most straighteners these days have ceramic plates, held to be better for your hair, and swivel leads to stop the wire from tangling up (a good invention).

Recently the company expanded its range of voice recorders with three new models in its DS series.  These models are the DS-30, DS-40 (the subject of this review) and the DS-50.  Measuring 110 x 37.5 x 16mm and weighing 73g, the DS-40 is a handy size device in more ways than one.  It will fit easily into a pocket or bag, without an unsightly bulge, when not in use.

Hard disk recorders have been around for a little while - most famously pioneered by Tivio and then, in the UK, by the Sky+ box. Great if you're a Sky subscriber. With the advent of FreeView based Digital Television Recorders (DTR) this facility is available to the masses without the expense or restrictions of a subscription-only services. have launched their own product in this space - the " " - not quite as catchy as "sky+" - but don't let that put you off.

This is the first TV I have reviewed that is supplied with a screwdriver. Yes it is self assembly - of the stand - the screws are provided as are the screw holes and after a couple of minutes it is ready. A good idea should you ever need to relocate it as the box for a 32 inch TV is tiny only just bigger than the screen so the stand needs to be flat in the boxes back.

First of all a few terms so we're all singing from the same hymn sheet! is the common 'brew' across the machines we reviewed. Think of this as a base coffee from which others are made. Espresso is a short (40ml) strong black coffee. From this base you can add hot frothy milk to make , for example. The machines we reviewed made coffee either from special proprietary 'capsules', such as the system or the Braun Tassimo capsules, from fresh ground coffee or from .

USB Portable Floppy Drive Nowadays the majority of new PC's are sold with an 'A' drive, the capacity is small and most situations can be handled with a pen/stick drive. There are occasions when these will not do and one of these could well the one that totally knackers you or me. Certainly if you have several PC's then if Windows will not boot then a USB floppy could be a 'lifesaver'.

Boots are a firm favourite with shoppers at Christmas so we asked Boots for a selection of their gadgets for the girls this Christmas.  They sent us some of their popular products: The Boots Compact Epilator, Lee's Box of Tricks and the No 7 Rechargeable Manicure Set. We also received the Mini-Massager on the Go, by Homedics, which you can also buy from Boots. For girls who want smooth legs for Christmas and New Year - a nice little epilator - affordable and simple to understand.

Entitled , the provides additional audio output capabilities to your MP3 player.  Although it does come with a claim, clearly mentioned on the packaging, that the product has been designed for all MP3 players, it is obvious that the iPod has had a major influence on the design concept but more on this a little later.

Just when I thought that was the perfect game, along came it's big brother - Krusade - a board game for 2-4 players. I liked Kaleidoscope Classic, the original game, so much that it was awarded the Gadgetspeak 5*5 award a few weeks ago. Kaleidoscope Classic In brief, Kaleidoscope Classic is a brainteasing puzzle of 18 pieces which cover 64 squares and can placed in at least 101 ways to give different patterns.

This is a simple black box, it is 21x17x3cm with the aerial lead inserted. There is a single LED on the front and the mains lead is hardwired into the rear. Unusually for basic Freeview units not only does an aerial input but an output as well. Most will connect to a SCART socket and it of course has one of those.

The is a stylish brushed stainless steel and black plastic unit. The combination of espresso and filter means that it's physically bigger than other machines we've tested at 35x32x31cm (Width x Height x Depth) - my measurements from the actual unit and weighing in at 3Kg.

The Sony Ericsson W850i is the company's first slider model to grace its family of mobile phones.  Available in either golden white or precious black, this phone measures 98 x 47 x 21mm and weighs 116g which, while not the smallest device around, is a reasonable size for the functionality it provides.

Eternity is supposed to last for a very, very long time.  In fact it is meant to be the infinite period that never ends.  Yet despite this apparent longevity, not only do we have Eternity but Eternity II.  I should make clear that this Eternity and the follow-up Eternity II are puzzle type games that have been developed by Christopher Monckton who was at one time (but not an eternity ago) an aide to Margaret Thatcher.