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Continuing its drive towards product development, Xiaomi has made a number of wireless charging announcements.
Since being founded in 2010 Xiaomi has been busy developing smartphones and other smart hardware items that are connected by the Internet of Things (IoT) platform in order to push the boundaries of what is available from such devices.
When considering the purchase of a set of ear buds, Currys/PC World can offer a product with its own neck band.
Headphones come in a variety of styles. shapes and sizes. In the case of the Goji PRO Wireless Headphones, this personal listening audio piece of equipment is of the in-ear variety. These headphones combine a necklace support facility with wireless Bluetooth connectivity with fast battery charging facility giving up to 12 hours of power to produce its personal audio functionality.
Having told you about a far larger Google offering the 3XL in February as summer turns to autumn a smaller more compact offering crosses my desk this may suit those who have slightly smaller hands or pockets both cost and size.
It is 15x7x.7cm and weighs 144grams. The viewable screen is 12.7x6.5cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 5.6inches. The display is 2220x1080. The pixel per inch ratio is rather good at 441. It has 64GB storage. Firstly Google Stadia will be coming to the Pixel 3a later this year so those into gaming will be able to stream to this device. This is a mid range phone that has pretentions to be like its bigger and more expensive cousins.
The Zyxel Multy WiFi system has been designed to provide enhanced wireless coverage over an area of up to 4,500 sq. ft.
Consisting of a Zyxel Multy X node and a Multy Mini to act as a satellite it provides wireless mesh coverage at both 2.4 and 5GHz with separate 5GHz channels being used to provide wireless “backhaul” communication between the two units. The node is roughly 9 x 7 x 2 inches thick and has all its connections on one of the long sides. It is white in colour so won’t look out of place in any home when it is sitting flat on a desk or hung on the wall.
Continuing the Lost Land saga, FIVE-BN mixes a wandering Harpy with gold tainted by a curse.
Categorised as a Hidden Object Adventure game, the FIVE BN Games developed "The Golden Curse" forms part of the "Lost Lands" series of offerings set in a world inhabited by strange characters featuring more than its fair share of magical influences. I have been looking at the Collector's edition of the game which is supplied with a number of bonus items that add to the appeal of the game.
Those old enough to remember manual typewriters will know that you had a good rake on the keys so your hands were always in the right position to type. Desktop computer keyboards less so but if you used the fold out keyboard support correctly there was still some rake, now sadly notebooks have flat keyboards, here is one solution.
This is a single flat sheet that is already partially cut through and pressed out to form a shape – well three shapes actually – that can either sit flat onto the back of your notebook increasing its thickness by less than .2 cm and raising it by zero degrees or by 15 degrees which can give a 5cm rake, finally it can raise the unit by 25 degrees which is around 8cm all this depends on the size of the notebook you attach it to. It fits any notebook from 11.6 to 15.6 inches.
Offering to look after YOUR money, criminals continue to increase their activities.
Over the years I have reviewed a couple of earlier – and smaller – versions of this item. When I saw this at the recent Philips demonstration day ‘Xmas In July’ the claim was made that it could cook a whole chicken in a small amount of time so never one to turn down a challenge I accepted.
As stated this is somewhat larger than previous versions but is still small enough to sit on the average kitchen worktop it is 43cm from back to front, 30cm from side to side and 29cm tall. Unlike other Air Fryers the whole fryer can be extracted on runners so if you wish you can baste the item being cooked without having to hold the cooking basket in on hand or perhaps harder finding somewhere to put it down that can withstand heat.
I am sure that at some time or other you must have encountered a situation where your mobile device emits a warning to reduce the volume output level. This next product could help in this respect.
While being aimed specifically, though not entirely. at the younger generation, the latest product to come from Puro Sound Labs is the PuroQuiet offering. This combines Active Noise Reduction with Bluetooth connectivity and volume limiting features within a set of headphones. The headphones are available in a choice of Blue/Black or Pink/White.
A good sized panel capable of showing up to 4K as well as a range of screen sizes upwards from HD. Its stand means that the amount of desk space it takes is less than most of a similar screen size and the ability to lower or raise the panel is just another good point that can make this something that can fulfil so many demands without costing a fortune.
It is 61x36.5x1.5cm and it sits on a 20cm circular stand that’s arm raises from the rear so the screen itself sits within the stand. The stand raises the panel by between 4 and 16.5cm from your desk. There is a good amount of back tilt as well as a little forward tilt. The viewable dimensions are 59.5x34cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 27 inches.
The Allroundo from German company Vonmählen is a USB charging cable kit that is pocketable and offers a useful way of connecting one’s Apple or Android phone or tablet to an appropriate power source.
Available in a range of colours it is 65mm in diameter and 19mm thick with curved edges so that it is shaped rather like my grandfather’s pocket watch and weighs just 46g. It has an elasticated belt loop on it which rather increases that similarity. Opening the hinged lid allows access to the curly cable and the associated adapters. The cable is black in colour and neatly fits around the inside of the shell. One end has a USB-A plug and the other micro-USB.
There are some strange goings-on in Kronville. Can you help?
Mixing together elements of a mysterious fire, a missing school bus with its passengers plus ideas gathered from child-centric stories, is a Hidden Object Adventure game entitled Kronville: Stolen Dreams.
As notebooks get smaller something had to go, the easiest to lose was the optical drive, other things were harder possibly the Ethernet connection and then the flood gates opened as some devices have just a single USB ‘C’ and sometimes little else.
So the market for third parties to produce the ability to let your notebook have all the connectivity when in the office and still be as small and light when out of the office. So from Brando those clever people in Hong Kong comes the ‘USB-C Multifunctional Converter’ which gives everything you used to have but no longer do with the exception of the optical drive. It is 28cm long 7.5cm wide and a minimum of 1cm and maximum of 2cm thick, it weighs just 258 grams.
When televisions began to dominate our Living Rooms, neighbours would pop in to view important televised events. But today it does not happen.
But times have changed and we all seem more inclined to indulge ourselves in more individual viewing experiences such as those involving PSP, XBox, tablets or smartphone devices. Yet according to recent information from Epson we might be about to come across a sea change as the concept of a family viewing session continues to complete the circle and regains its popularity.
Do you need encouragement to tidy up a work area?
It is surprising how easily and quickly the area given over to your computer system can develop into, what could be described as, a dump site - I am actual looking at my "dump site" now and it is not an attractive sight. This is especially true when the computer system is home based, rather than within an office environment where it is visible to others who work there or pass through, and you are the one responsible for both its usage and its general appearance. In such instances.
I have used Acronis for years it has often been able to replace a file or files that would otherwise be lost, earlier this year after a hard disc crash I was able to say ‘thank you’ when I was able to restore everything on a new hard drive. These days Ransonware is one of the most popular tools for thieves and used correctly even that can be thwarted.
On the 20 August they launched the 2020 version – as far as I know this is the first in the rush to be first – but only once version 17750 the March update is installed does this option appear. Acronis is running on both my Windows 7 and my Windows 10 system.
The Ring Door View Cam combines a video camera, motion sensor and two-way talk with a traditional wide-angle viewer so as to improve front door security.
The front doors of many houses and flats have a peep hole with viewer fitted. While this is ideal for enabling you to have a quick look before deciding whether or not to open the door, the Ring Door View Cam does a lot more.
Mixing together Match-3 and Hidden Object game play takes you to the Opera.
Not to be confused with the classic Night at the Opera movie, starring the Marx Brother, A Night At The Opera is a murder mystery game designed by Angler Games. In this particular storyline, the unfortunate victim of the ultimate crime is Prima Donna Madame Agnes who is a travelling opera singer. No doubt you will be pleased to hear that you are not cast in the role of the victim.
Having recently told you about a camera that looks like the Star Trek R2D2 droid that is stated as usable outside here a real outdoor offering that needs mains power and possibly Ethernet – read on to find out why I say possibly – or Bluetooth but it can also work indoors.
The measures 9.5cm from back to front, 8.5cm tall and 7.5.cm from side to side, however as the both the lens and the housing can be twisted and it can be wall mounted the figures given can be in almost any combination. It has the ability to record to Micro SD card but as with all cameras the data can be downloaded however most external cameras should be in a position that is not that easy to reach/remove for logical reasons. A single round cable at .
What first attracts you to a game? Is its the title or other issues.
I sometimes feel that the name of the production company to be more appealing than its latest product offering. Take, for instance, the which failed to really excite me. However I was amused by the developer's company name which was "Jolly Bears Games". With this particular title, Jolly Bears Games has produced a Hidden Object Adventure game that places the player in the role of an anonymous explorer. This character has a strong interest in the legend of the Incan Sun.
This is both a camera and a printer all in one unit, you can take pictures on it and print them on Zinc paper or as it has Wi-Fi to your phone take images on your phone and send them wirelessly to the units printer for immediate printing while still out and about.
This unit can not only print images taken on the Polaroid Pop 2 but also print images already captured on your phone using Wi-Fi. It is 14.5x12x3cm and weighs 441grams a tad under 1 lb. Its display is 8x5cm which allows you to see what you will capture before pressing the shutter. The image is shown at close to 4.5cm square and this is important as the images will be 1:1 and if printed on the Polaroid Pop 2 They will come out at 3 inches square even though the ZINC paper stock is 11x9cm.
Adding to its range of graphics software products, Corel has released version 23 of its Pinnacle Studio offering. I was fortunate to have been sent a free version of the top of the range Ultimate product rather than the standard Studio or Studio Plus products.
Without a doubt, the fact I had been sent the Ultimate version of the product added to the time required for the downloading of the software and its installation on my work system. The size and length of time required by the tasks can be judged by the number of desktop icons that were created. Normally you would expect a product, even one involved with graphics, to make do with a single desktop icon.
Around eighteen months ago OnePlus had a major worldwide launch in the UK for their OnePlus 6. Then at the start of this year they launched OnePlus 6 Pro. So what as the autumn creeps in does the OnePlus 7 Pro have to offer.
It is 16x7.5x.7cm and weighs 204 grams. The viewable screen is 15.4x7cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 6.67 inches. Going around the outside has a lock button on the right side with the on/off button below this. The base has a reasonable speaker, pin hole microphone and USB ‘C’ charging connection. The left side has the volume rocker and SIM entry point. The back has the three cameras in a column 1.5cm down from the top with the LED flash below them.
Amazon started life as a book seller, now it sells EBook readers.
Books, a valuable source of information and entertainment, whether in hardback or paperback format, have been around and will continue to do so for many years. However this should not mean that new, or more recent concepts with regards literature, should be ignored. Not only does the digital format of text presentation provide the means to read literature but it also delivers additional information concerning the story and its author.
While most will think of Brando as the King of anything USB this is a slightly different offering as it actually takes power from your phone for those occasions when the end of the day is a long way away but your beard needs some attention to make you look as though it is still 9AM.
Phones run for a day or so and then they need recharging. This tiny shaver takes power from your phone and fits onto its base. It would take a while to do a full shave especially for those with a vigorous beard however before you buy you need to select the type of method your phone charges either micro USB or USB ‘C’ as they are different items, I was sent the USB ‘C’ version. The shaver itself is 4.7cm long thickest at the head end where it is 2.
When computer problems arise, do you ask others for help? If so who do you ask?
Chromebooks have been a Windows alternative for a while and dependant on the tasks you want to carry out can be all you need. Certainly you would not get a Windows touch panel unit for anywhere near the price of this Chromebook offering.
It is 29x20x2cm and weighs 1350 grams. The viewable screen is 25.5x14.5cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 11.5inches. At the centre of the top above the screen is a camera. Bootup is 14.5 seconds and by default if you shut the lid it remains live – screen off – so unless you set a password on wake up then you can be working again at the point you left it as soon as you raise the lid.
Winging its way from a German Gaming show is news from Turtle Beach.
Adding to its range of gaming accessories, Turtle Beach announced the release of its ROCCAT's all-new Kain mouse series at the recent Gamescom 2019 event. This particular series has been designed to provide the best "click" and "aimed" experience offering maximum precision and performance for the game player attempting to improve their performance.
The latest version of this ‘gadget’ for Windows is now available. I sometimes get into trouble for calling an item a gadget but when people say our product is not a gadget I say fine, please define ‘gadget’ and while they are thinking I add, a tool to make a task easier? Very few people disagree with my definition and this certainly makes some Windows tasks easier. They also do a MAC version but as I do not have a MAC I can only tell you about the Windows items.
Some of the things that Parallels 3.5 for Windows does can be already done in Windows but they take more than a single action to be completed so Parallels is often quicker or easier to complete. Archive, select the files and archive it’s as easy as that and of course Unarchive is just as easy. Block Camera, a lot of people are worried about being spied on and it’s a neater solution than sticking something over the camera.
The Alcatel 3 (2019) is aimed at the competitive middle ground where buyers are looking for a feature phone in a very price-conscious market.
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