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With a title of Hive View, the subject of this next review has to be a security camera that has been designed to keep you informed as to what is happening in the home when you are on your travels.
Are you ready for a story about a journey? Maybe it is not to the destination you would opt for given the choice. But Vendel Games hope you will accept the invitation.
Downloaded from Gamehouse.com, Love Chronicles - Death's Embrace is of the Hidden Object genre developed by Vendel Games. I have been checking out the Collector's Edition of this particular title. Bundled with the main game are a number of bonus offerings that Vendel Games hopes will add extra appeal to your trip to the Underworld.
This indoor camera is shaped like a wheel and has a slightly magnetic base so it stays where you put it. Like most such items it is controlled by an App. The setup is therefore almost entirely on your phone. Place the camera and insert the long micro USB lead and answer a number of questions on the phones screen and then you have a working security camera.
This indoor security camera from Somfy measures 9x9x4cm without the small curved base it sits on. The box it comes in has three layers first the camera, then after removing the top layer the three metre (10 foot) micro USB to USB lead and on the final layer dual EU and UK plugs with USB front. Plug in the plug to a power outlet attach the full sized USB end to the plug front and then anywhere within three metres place the camera and plug the micro USB end of the lead into the rear of the camera.
Looking after your teeth is not a task to be taken lightly.
Similar, but not identical in its outward appearance to the Colgate 250R electric toothbrush reviewed recently, the company's E1 product is a Smart Electronic Toothbrush. White in colour, the E1 toothbrush consists of a handle unit and replaceable brush head. The toothbrush handle does have a couple of differences that help distinguish it from the 250R model.
For those who like being in charge, the results of a survey indicate some pointers.
This offering was sent to me body only but with a 12-40 lens for my testing. I was surprised first by the way it arrived in a brown box with each part bubble wrapped and second when I mentioned no manual to be told no printed manuals are supplied now with any of our cameras. Even for someone used to using an interchangeable lens unit surely no manual is not the way to go, however you can still download one in PDF from the website.
The Olympus OM-D E M5 III body measures 11.5x8x4.5cm without lens. With the supplied 12-40mm lens attached the last figure increases to between 12.5 and 15.5cm. The weight is 800 grams without neck strap which I assume is included although not sent to me. All the outputs are on the left side behind rubber bungs. The base has tripod screw and solid battery bay, the SD card slot is on the right behind a snap shut door.
Collect and decorate the wheels of Ritzy Rollerz.
As I was taking my leave of the latest DreamToys 2019 event, following hearing about the release of the Top 12 Toys, as selected by a panel of retailers and industry experts, I was handed a copy of Ritzy Rollerz™. This gift was from the Tomy Series 2 Besties product line-up. The company feel that this product had been developed and was suitable for the 4 plus age group of children.
Oppo headsets have always been different, instead of putting a cheap pair of earbuds in the box that probably never get used they sell better quality offerings. Here a round the neck set of buds that look quite old fashioned but instead of a 3.5mm plug there is no plug as they are Bluetooth and work rather well with any phone.
There is 25cm of cord from each end of the grippy rubber that goes around the neck this is stiffened and thickened in a 45cm loop to connect the other earbud. There are two buttons split by the volume rocker at the end of the stiffened area that is horseshoe shape to lie comfortably around the neck.
Children and parents have different views regarding game and its role in life.
When the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom arrived for review, I felt a certain affinity with the product.
This was due to the Oppo part of its title as this was a palindrome - a word that is spelt the same way forwards and backwards. My date of birth is a palindrome with numbers replacing letters. I was also tempted to reduce the product title to just Oppo Reno in order to save on the wear and tear of my typing figures. However, know that a Oppo Reno product had also been released, I decided to stick with the full title to avoid any possible confusion.
When out and about and wanting to listen to music then headphones are often the way to remove external noise. This could also be true in a household where there are several occupants. Here a set of small on ear headphones that could suit.
Weight is not normally the first item I mention but at only 180 grams they are light for a set of headphones. Next is the size as the arms fold in on themselves a size of 16x14x7cm makes them easy to slip into a bag or pocket. They can be as little as 15cm from the base of the earpiece to the top head band but there is up to three centimetres of expansion in each arm so they should fit most heads.
The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Starter Kit from OKdo, a brand of the long-established Electrocomponents Group, brings together all the special items necessary to get started and put together a computer based on the 4GB Raspberry Pi 4 Model B single board computer.
In addition to the Pi itself the kit includes power supply, cables, heat sinks, microSD card with operating system pre-loaded, and a Raspberry Pi case with an integrated fan. This latter is important because the Pi 4 is more powerful than earlier versions and so needs the enhanced cooling that a fan will provide. (You provide your own monitor, keyboard and mouse.
You might find some surprises when checking the details of famous paintings.
During the initial development stages in the construction of a Hidden Object game, important consideration needs to be given to the various locations used to place the various objects to be discovered. In the case of this next title, the game's developers hit on the idea of using famous items of artwork. The player's task is to find the listed items integrated into paintings and restore the paintings to their original state.
Picture a normal mid sized ice cube tray and place another upside down on top of it and you arrive quite close to what you have with IceBreaker Pop. There is more to it including the ability to keep other items frozen for longer.
The IceBreaker Pop measures 20x11.5x3.5cm at one end and 5cm at the top end. However a normal ice cube tray is open here it is closed – sealed - so does not need to be laid flat while freezing and no chance of taking in tastes from other items. The instructions as received by me were on a brown cardboard sleeve in the now popular illustration format. Being old I did not find them that easy to follow and a couple of attempts were required to get the desired results.
A visit to a Soho hotel introduced me to a high-end amplifier product.
For those that are not too familiar with Cyrus, I should explain that Cyrus is a British company specialising in high performance, upgradable Hi-Fi systems. Over the past 35 years, the company has been hard at work developing modular audio room-friendly products that are claiming to make listening to music to be an emotional experience. The latest product to emerge from Cyrus is the earlier mentioned Cyrus ONE Cast.
Probably better known for its toothpaste, Colgate also produces a range of toothbrushes..
Released under the banner of being "Tough on Plague, Gentle on Gums" as it provides a deep clean service, the Colgate ProClinical product consists of a handle unit and a brush head which is already in place and ready for action. The sleek and white handle unit houses a rechargeable battery that can hold enough power for two daily cleaning sessions over a period of ten days.
It would be nice if we could all sit right beside our modem as that is the point where - however good or bad our signal is – it is at the maximum we will get. If you use Wi-Fi then any distance will mean a drop in signal strength. One choice that will work – even in far flung areas where Wi-Fi is poor or non-existent – is power through mains plugs.
Devolo have such a product called Magic 2. In the UK your electrics are on a ring main and providing both the master socket and any subsidiary Devolo plugs are on the same ring main you can live in any shape of building with solid concrete walls – normally very bad for Wi-Fi – the signal should not be reduced. The main (starter kit) unit and a LAN triple come in the same box and then should you need it you can buy extra LAN triples.
Taking a train journey sets you on an adventure to find your son and solve a mystery.
Taking you on a journey to another world with a mystery to solve is a title from the Big Fish Surface series. Developed by Elephant Games and entitled "Mystery of Another World", the next game under review belongs to the Hidden Object genre. I have been looking at the Collector's Edition of this game which comes with various bonus items adding extra appeal to the main game in which you take on the role of a father looking for his missing son.
Unlike a number of other Huawei SmartPhones this arrived with little fanfare. It is that little bit smaller than some and for a lot of people this may seem a good feature, so what exactly has this latest offering to offer the user.
It is 15x7.4x.8cm and weighs 177grams. It has 3mm borders except at the base where it is 5mm. The viewable screen is 6.8x14.5cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial screen measurement of 6.26 inches. The selfie camera is top left corner of the display. The screen is 2340x1080 and is easy to read. Going around the outside has the volume rocker and slightly inset on/off button on the right side.
Its cuddly with a strange voice, gives birth and belongs to the Nestlings family.
For under twenty pounds, this next product uses German technology to add speaker output to a computer.
Founded in 1974, the company Jöllenbeck is the driving force behind the Speedlink brand of devices that cover gaming. computers, office, sound and accessories for PCs tablets, camera and smartphones. I have recently had the opportunity to check out the Speedlink Daroc product which is a set of stereo speakers.
This is large and you will need to sit well away for normal work and even farther away for those times when you marvel at videos shot in high resolution as this panel displays 3440x1440 and unlike other manufacturers offerings this requires no drivers to do it.
The Philips 346B1C curved screen monitor measures 80x37x2cm but the screen is far larger than the measurements given as there is a 4cm difference between the edges and the centre of the screen. It has a two piece arm the flat base 25x25cm and the arm that connects to the centre of the units back 9cm from the rear of the base. The screen has about 30 degrees of back tilt and a good amount of forward tilt. It can be as little as 6cm above your desk to as much as 25cm.
Question - What do you say when you meet a visitor from outer space?
Answer - Hello Rizmo!
On my annual visit to DreamToys, I bumped into Rizmo. I should explain that Rizmo is a new arrival from the far reaches of the universe, looking to make new friends with Earth's young inhabitants. To achieve that aim, Rizmo has taken on the persona of a soft cuddly toy waiting to evolve through the attention it gets because of its love of music and ability to provide a series of game. After we had both apologised for the accidental collision, Rizmo set out telling his story.
Mobile power is something in demand, did you charge your phone last night and even if you did will it last all day? Here is one solution that may get you out of a hole while out and about a charge station charge point, or you could just buy it all keep it with you, it has both iOS and Android connections built in.
If you opt for rental then you pay £1 for an hour of charging once your use gets to £3 you then get the rest of that day for free. This continues till you get to £30 when the Charged Up unit becomes yours to keep. Alternately you can get it from the website. It is 14.5x7.5x1.2cm and weighs 168grams. The left side has a groove for the hard wired 10cm long double ended micro USB and USB ‘C’ adapter. The same on the right side for the iPhone connector.
Using wireless technology, this next product should be fine for relaxing listening and while exercising.
The Cyrus soundBuds is a set of wireless sports earphone. Along with the ear-buds, which I found slipped easily into my ears, you get three pairs of interchangeable ear-tips, These are of various size for use with different sizes of ears. Completing the package is a charging case with a small standard-to-micro USB lead plus a small concertina type User Manual.
If your Wi-Fi is slow – or even non existent – in the further flung places of your home then you are likely to need a ‘Point’ which duplicates the signal once linked to the ‘Router’. The ‘Router’ sits beside your modem, and the ‘Point’ at a place where it pumps up the signal to reach those places that otherwise will not get a sufficient signal.
Like so many things today it is controlled by an App. There are two sides of instructions on 12x12cm card that consists of three items on the left side, Plug in your Router, Get the Google Home App and Set up your devices. The right pane has illustrations in order that a total novice can identify the supplied parts. These are the Router, the Point, a couple of Power Adapters and an Ethernet Cable.
"Real","Counterfeit"
Many more years ago that my memory is capable of delivering total recall, I attended a Microsoft event dealing with the topic of counterfeit products. Actually it was just over 19 years ago and the event had Graham Norton as its compère. The numerous attendees were divided into various teams. Each team had to identify which items, from a selection, were genuine or counterfeit.
This is a DAB and FM radio with presets, it is also a speaker for those who want output from the ‘Aux’ input plus it also has ‘Alexa’ built in. This oval unit has another big plus the ability to run from its internal battery for up to fifteen hours.
I called it oval as it has rounded corners but in truth it is a 10cm cube when in use. The height when switched off is only 8cm. The on/off mechanism is simply by pushing down in the centre of the top and this releases the unit to show the display, push down again from any mode and the display disappears and it becomes 10x10x8cm. On first switch on you should be given the option to set your language of choice.
Leonardo, the detective cat, returns for further Match 3 game play.
A little over a year ago I reviewed a game entitled "Mystery Loss". This game belonged to the Match 3 genre and dealt with the less than dynamic duo of Grandma and her pet cat, named Leonardo, as they attempted to solve the mystery of a case of bird-napping. Now Intersol has produced a follow up offering which is simple entitled "Mystery Loss 2". As with the original title, "Mystery Loss 2" is a March 3 game but with a slightly different cast list.
An interesting offering at the top end of the budget and below the mid price phone category. This comes with lots of extras not just things like a case and even a solid looking suitcase but also several software offers to temp you but as always it’s the phone that matters.
This is a 3D SmartPhone and once setup the globe on the front screen is an eye catcher. It comes in a large 18x12x4cm hard sided zip up case rather like a suitcase. Inside are a case for the back of the phone, a nice long USB to micro USB for charging, a wrist strap, and the all important tool to open the SIM slot and a small 13x7cm eight side fold out getting started sheet. The phone is 15.8x7.5x.8cm; the viewable screen is 13.
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