GadgetSpeak Articles

The stated price of Tesco Complete Office is £19.97 and it should be available in most larger Tesco stores or online at There are four full applications and three applets within the package and all in all while there may be some things it cannot do most people only use 20% of the features of a package like Microsoft Office and unless you need something special this could fulfil your needs at a tiny percentage of the cost of Microsoft Office.

Like anybody who knows anything about getting the best from their equipment I learn't a long time ago that cost cutting in the cable and wiring dept will cost you in terms of sound reproduction. The long held mantra is to spend at least 10% of your kits value on cables, I would go even further and say 15%; even the most modest of systems will benefit from speaker wire and interconnect cable upgrades.

Up until recently you could have walked into your friendly computer retail store and purchased a device that allowed you to wirelessly connect your iPod or MP3 player to a radio, HiFi or in-car entertainment system.  While the manufacturing and selling of such a product was entirely legal, you would have broken the law if you had used this product.

The above may sound confusing so it may become clearer when I say it's 46x40x16cm and as this includes the plugs into the back and the paper tray in the base to extra height is ever required. Many multi function unit are smaller as far as width and depth are concerned. This is a six ink unit with two shades of red and blue, a yellow and a larger black.

In my house there is a constant fight ensuing between various items of computer equipment and living space.  I hate to admit it but it is often the former that wins the day in these battles.  Sometimes, though, a compromise can be reached as in the case of a KVM (Keyboard, Video and Mouse) solution.

It is 11x8x2cm and weights only around 150grams. If you are going to use it outside a vehicle size and weight are both important. One of my first walks was perhaps my most eventful. It was raining so I of course had the unit well protected in a plastic bag and this meant that I could not use an umbrella. I ended up very wet and due to a glitch rather lost.

As part of its branded range of software titles, Tesco has released Easy Record which is a product that was originally developed by Sonic Solutions who are also responsible for Roxio Easy Creator software.  Easy Record, as you might suppose from its title, is software designed to create and copy various forms of optical media.

The main difference between a laser and an inkjet is that almost all the time the claimed print speed is met. This unit claims 22PPM and while this is for letter mode I got very close to 20PPM for A4. It matters not if you have a couple of sentences on the page or 50 plus lines of small text. I can assure you that any inkjet would produce vastly different speeds if given those two pages.

Over the last few years I have owned a few different digital audio players (DAP) , ranging from Rio, Sony and most recently Apples iPod. Manufacturers usually supply music management software (MMS) with their players, or the player acts as a mass storage device and works with Windows Media; so whatever player you choose it is a given that you must become fully conversant with the software supplied.

While wireless is generally accepted as the preferred option for home networking, it is not always the most suitable method for some users.  A wireless network may remove the need for unsightly wires between devices and be relatively easy to set up in the ideal environment but complications can get in the way.  Often thick walls and metal mesh encased in structures will interfere with wireless signals and cause communication problems.

It is 10x12x8cm and weights around 450grams, there is a 5x3.8cm TFT display that dominates the rear of it. When the lens is fully out it increases the width of the unit by 3cm to 15cm. For those who prefer to take images using the viewfinder this protrudes from the rear by a centimetre meaning your nose is not jammed on the TFT.

As prices of computer systems continue to fall while specifications increase, the temptation grows for users to upgrade their computing capability with a new purchase.  The problem can then arise as to what to do with the old system.  If you do not wish to get rid of an old friend and space considerations are an issue, then you might like to consider a KVM (Keyboard, Video, and Mouse) solution.

Image courtesy Dell Inc. Unlike most modern units the connection of the USB cable is almost at the beginning of the installation process. Ten minutes later it is completed and I am 606MB of hard disc space down. As soon as it prints the on screen indication reminds me of the software used by Lexmark - this is not derogatory - as their indicators are one of the best around.

When the conversation turns to mobile phones then it isn't long before the name of "Nokia" pops up.  After all the company does have every type of phone you could imagine with regards to style and functionality (and maybe some that are so advanced and futuristic in concept that they have yet to see the light of day).  A quick check of the company's UK website revealed that there are 79 current models available from all good stockists.

Brain Trainer The box is emblazoned with 'Winner Gift of the year 2006' Inside the box is what is designed to look like a small book. It is 11.5x9x2.5cm. Open the front cover to reveal what looks like a calculator with 14 keys under a 6.5x3.5 LCD screen. The keys and screen surround are a bright orange as is the background of the covers interior with the basic instructions standing out in black type on it.

VoIP (Voice over IP) technology has been around for a good few years now but it has taken initiatives such as Skype to really kick-start its popular acceptance.  Skype was founded by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis in 2003.  Distributed as free software, this product provided users with the ability to make superior-quality calls using a computer connected to the Internet.

If you have then you will know that I have not spared any hard earned pennies in my search for the best personal listening experience my meagre wages will allow. read my article on the Grado SR60 headphones I have had the run in (40 hours), Shure have a similar reputation to Grado in that they only manufacture quality merchandise, so you will not be disappointed whichever model you go for.

Over the years I have amassed quite a collection of headphones, some which do their job very well and others not so well. I am just a sucker for getting the best I can from my various music sources, and it has cost me much coinage. I recently bought two new sets of phones, a set of and a pair of Grado SR60's.

The Maxfield Max-Sin Touch is a very small and thin unit it is 8x3x.5cm and weights well under 50grams. The only visible controls are the 'Hold' slider on the left side together with earbud socket. The right side has on/off push together with reset pin hole and rubberised bung covering the small USB socket. The top has a carry strap hole and that is it. Certainly minimalistic.

Where there are numerous brands of portable music players, it has to be said that it is the iPod family that has the street cred to leave the opposition trailing in its wake.