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You've painstakingly loaded all your music onto your iPod and you want to enjoy it wherever you are. Headphones are not always the anwser - but do you go for high-quality 'fixed' speakers for home and and to be limited to when out, or do you sacrifice sound quality indoors in exchange for portability?
549904 cenomax F7012A digital picture frame 7 inc

cenOmax 7inch Photo Frame

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on Oct 5, 2008
This is a 7inch offering from the people who I recently told you about a 3.5inch photo frame (21-09-08) this is a unit that offers the ability to play MP3 files while viewing images and even possible to view movies.
Love your media player but annoyed about the piece of wire that is forever getting tangled, pulled from it's socket or just isn't long enough to reach the appropriate pocket? You need Bluetooth.
Well that's what my 13 year old called it. Perhaps a small exageration, but this is a games console designed to get 8 - 12 year olds moving to it's beat.
roberts solar dab radi

Roberts solarDAB

Published in Entertainment by petew on Sep 29, 2008
Roberts have announced a number of energy efficient radios in the past. The 'solarDAB' combines energy efficient design with an integral solar panel to augment traditional mains power.
The solarDAB is distinctive in a number of ways. Firstly it has a somewhat unusual design, partly due to the need to incorporate the solar panel in the top of the device. Aesthetics are always somewhat subjective, although I did find the design grew on me over a couple of weeks. The second somewhat unusual aspect is the lack of an FM or analogue tuner - this is a DAB only radio. This is in many ways a vote of confidence in the DAB system after some poor press earlier in the year.
canon EOS 1000D Digital SL

Canon EOS 1000D

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on Sep 29, 2008
Having just reviewed the excellent EOS 450D (29-08-08) I was more than chuffed to be offered the very new EOS 1000D. At this time of year everyone wants to tell you about what they have to offer for Christmas are you listening Santa?
It is 12x8x9.5cm, add the 18-55mm lens and this adds up to another 7cm to the second figure the width. The main difference between reviewing a digital camera and a DSLR for me is that the manual is essential reading. With a multi language digital you might get a dozen pages in English and what they have to say you probably knew anyway. Here it is 196 and all in English and unless you are a professional photographer I doubt that you could claim I knew that most of the time.
harman kardon sound sticks 2 speaker

Sound Sticks II

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on Sep 28, 2008
These are a very unusual set of speakers from Harman Kardon a name that often comes up with speakers in notebook computers. However I doubt any other company has ever produced anything like these before.
What you get are a pair of sound sticks each with four speakers and a sub woofer. The first difference is that both the sound sticks and the sub woofer are see through. They look like glass but are plastic. Each sound stick is 25cm tall around 5cm across and at points 5cm deep. The sub woofer has the advantage that it is not as heavy as it looks and can be placed on the floor out of the way but of course being unusual you will want it on display. It is 20cm round and 25cm tall.
If you or your kids love marble runs, this magnetic construction kit will take you to the next level of marble play.
You can tell it's the run up to Christmas when more toys start arriving at Gadgetspeak. We were pleased this week to try out the new Magnext iCoaster. If you have kids that enjoyed marble runs when they were younger, this could be the next step up - a roller-coaster marble run with magnetic technology. There are 17 pieces of track and 10 towers of 3 different heights which can be configured in at least 10 different ways to make an exciting ride for the marbles.
sony BDP S300 blu ray dvd playe

Sony Blu-ray Player BDP-S300

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on Sep 26, 2008
I have used this for several weeks, however only around ten days ago did the HDMI cable arrive. Do not try using a Blu Ray player without the HDMI cable as you will hear music, sound effects but no speech when using Composite cables supplied.
A couple of recent reports say that within three years we will all be using Blu-ray, well if the quality of sound and video I achieved using this unit and the Sony TV (reviewed four days ago) are anything to go by I say yes please. Once you have connected the Blu-ray player to your TV and tuned it to whatever setting you are connected by (anything but HDMI will be inferior) it should when switched on go to easy setup if not follow the instructions in the 64 page instruction manual.
myvu crystal iPod video glasses ambe

MyVu Crystal video glasses

Published in Entertainment by petew on Sep 22, 2008
All the latest generation iPods, with exception of the tiny shuffle, are capable of video storage and playback. This can be an excellent way of passing time, either on long trips or even if you're having trouble sleeping.
I'm a complete convert to video on the move with around 20 hours of my favourite videos on my . I've watched on the train and in a camp-site during particularly bad weather. I've even used it on a car journey to keep the kids entertained. There is however a problem - it's not comfortable watching the iPod screen for any length of time. It's not the quality of the screen, which is brilliant. It's having to either hold the screen up to watch (if laying down) or a sore neck having to look down.
sony bravia kdl 32e4000 lcd t

Sony Bravia 32inch TV

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on Sep 22, 2008
Huge Plastacine rabbits, that’s what I think of when I think of the latest Sony TV’s they were used to promote the vivid colours that these are capable of. Of course they are great TV’s but are they worth the premium the name brings.
This is the KDL-32E4000 the instruction book lists seventeen models that all work the same way, maybe that says something that a whole range from 26 to 52 inch operate without difference. There is of course one that the screen will operate at a lower resolution for models less than 37 inches. I am told there are a couple of 32 inch around that work at 1080 but this is the first one I have reviewed.
sibelius 5 2 composer box sho

Sibelius v5.2

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on Sep 19, 2008
Normally you would get my opinion as an experienced computer user but a very basic musician. Here something different the view of a very experienced musician but almost a computer novice.
My friend Don has been a semi pro musician (keyboard player) for more than forty years. He has only a few years computing knowledge and only a few months with Broadband. He had some software by Finale -Print Music- but he always wanted more than it could give, and Sibelius will import Print Music files. So around five months ago I gave him Sibelius 5.
picoo z mx1 radio controlled helicopte

Flying High

Published in Entertainment by mfereday on Sep 17, 2008
Remote control flying devices come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The latest offering to fall into my hands is a mini-helicopter.
My skill, or perhaps lack of skill would be a more appropriate description, as a helicopter pilot is renowned in my family circle.  Amusement is rife as I make valiant attempts to perform even the most basic manoeuvres of flight with various remote control flying machines.  In my defence I do try to claim that I am testing the crash capabilities (of which I am an expert) of the current device but this feeble attempt at justification rarely succeeds.
humax pvr 9150T personal hdd digital video recorde

Humax PVR-9150T

Published in Entertainment by petew on Sep 15, 2008
This new Personal Video Recorder (PVR) from Humax provides 160Gbytes of storage, enough for around 100 hours of recorded TV.
The PVR-9150T joins the established and the PVR-9300 product. We were impressed with the 9200 - it was the products stability and reliability that made it stand out from the crowd as much as price and features. Connections on the 9150 have been significantly simplified from those of it's older stable-mate and it's clear that this product is aimed at the majority of people that want an easy to use, no fuss video recorder that attaches to their TV with the minimum of hassle.
pure one mini dab radi

Pure One Mini

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on Sep 15, 2008
Here I am looking at the latest offering from Pure Digital the One Mini. Just as this arrived Pure announced they had sold 2,000,000 DAB radios this is of course DAB but also FM and you can connect an iPod or portable CD.
It is 14x13x6cm a lot smaller than most DAB/FM units, probably the reason for the name 'Mini'. It has an eight piece rod aerial that increases the second figure the height by 44cm if it is extended vertically. The rear has input for the A/C adapter, there is a battery bay but this can only accept a 'ChargePAK' and not standard alkaline batteries. The top has six silvered buttons, the large one on the left on/off and the other five all labelled as to their job.
motorola motorokr eq5 stereo bluetooth speake

Motorola MOTOROKR EQ5

Published in Entertainment by petew on Sep 13, 2008
While headphones are a very convenient way of listening to your music it's good sometimes to go for the more traditional approach and listen through speakers. The EQ5 from Motorola are a small set of stereo Bluetooth speakers that double up as a speaker-phone.
The Motorokr EQ5 definitely fits into the portable category measuring 115x65x15mm (WxHxD) - almost identical to the iPod Touch. Very easy to slip into a pocket or bag. Build and design quality are both very good with a black fascia and silver trim and this is matched by a pretty good, although bass-light sound. A small but surprisingly stable wire stand folds out from the rear.
oribt plantronics explore

Sound without mains power

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on Sep 10, 2008
Here two items the first a quality speaker that runs of three ‘AAA’ batteries and the second a headset that enables your phone to remain firmly in your pocket or bag and thus saves you from becoming a target for thieves.
Altec Lansing Orbit This is a single battery operated circular speaker for anything that has either a 3.5mm or 2.5mm output jack. It is described as a 360 degree speaker and that the battery life is stated to be 24 hours so is ideal for a small group to listen round. While it is likely the 'group' would be young people, I found that in a normal room environment this speaker gave plenty of volume from an MP3 player.
It's september so as (recent) history dictates it's time for Steve Jobs to take to the stage and show us what he hopes Santa will be delivering this year.
The changes this year though are more cosmetic than substantive. gave us the innovative and totally cool iPod Touch and the video capable iPod Nano. This year we have a new slimline Touch and a new nano that seems to have slipped back a generation in design from that launched only 12 months back. Let's look at the new Nano first. Last year saw a migration from long and thing to short and squat. This year sees a complete reversal of that back to tall and thin measuring 90.7x38.
disney fairies tinkerbell nintend

Disney Does Games

Published in Entertainment by mfereday on Sep 6, 2008
As I mentioned last week, manufacturers and developers already have Christmas product line-ups in place.
This week the spotlight falls on Disney Interactive Studios, the interactive entertainment affiliate of the Walt Disney Company, with its range of multi-platform video games and entertainment products for the young and young at heart.
orbitsound t12 apple iPod sound syste

Orbitsound T12

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on Sep 5, 2008
This is the largest of three models that give a truly improved sound from the otherwise rather bland output available from the Apple iPod. While Orbitsound T12 unit comes with a sub woofer the really exciting stuff is developed in the main unit.
It is 53x13x10cm with leads inserted. The only thing I have not included is the height of your iPod above the top of the unit, simply because this will vary according to the model you use. The Orbitsound product produces 'airSOUND' from a single speaker giving not only an ordinary stereo effect but also a wide stereo. The nearest thing I have heard previously to this is a product devolped by Yamaha a few years ago but this was huge in comparison and was solely to give a decent output from a TV.
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