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Joining the ever-growing family of Sony Ericsson mobile phones is the Z610i clamshell model.
When it comes to selecting from a candy bar, slider or clamshell with regards to my preferred choice of mobile phone style, my vote always seems to go to the clamshell. I mention this purely as a lead to this review of the Sony Ericsson Z610i phone which is of the clamshell variety.
As the most talkative of our feathered friends, a parrot can make an excellent pet especially if it does not need cleaning or feeding.
Squawkers McCaw As the most talkative of our feathered friends, a parrot can make an excellent pet especially if it does not need cleaning or feeding. Joining the FurReal Friends family is the new addition of Squawkers McCaw. This talkative, trainable parrot comes with its own perch, toy cracker (the biscuit rather than the Christmas variety), and a remote control. It is being aimed at the 5 - 105 age groups which just about includes this reviewer.
This unit is tiny, it will easily fit in the palm of your hand but that does not stop it having a decent display and lots of memory that can be further expanded by adding an SD card
This Alba 4Gbyte personal MP3 player is 5.5x4.5x1.5cm and the weight with it's single 'AAA' battery inserted is less than 50grams. The front has a 3x1cm LCD display that does not stop it having a very readable three line display that appears black on pale green (with backlight off) and black on pale blue (with backlight on). The unit is black with a sort of silver/grey border around the LCD display and joystick.
A time saving, easy to use, easy to clean food processor with a multitude of uses to bring the fund back into cooking, and all for just under £100.
Extending our look at gadgets for your kitchen, this week I tested the Kenwood Multipro Food Processor ( ). Another excuse to donn the pinnie and get cooking! The Multipro has an extensive range of uses, combining as it does the jobs of separate mixer, whisk, smoothie maker, juicer and liquidiser.
Although based on the same format, SD cards from various manufacturers also perform at different speeds with some brands falling into the slowcoach category
Digital cameras, mobile phones and PDAs have overlapping areas of functionality. They also all rely on memory cards as the means of increasing their storage capacity and, in some cases, enhancing their functionality with applications and data. Generally the most popular format of memory card used by such devices, unless the Sony family of products is involved, is that of Secure Digital (SD).
All your music on an iPod? Fed up with wearing headphones everywhere? Yearning for
a 'traditional' music experience? You need one of the variety of 'solutions' to this
problem - a traditional Hi-Fi, but with an added 'iPod slot'.
In this case I'm reviewing a product the Sharp . The box boasts
"Plays and Charges your iPod with ". I think it's the
playing that is high-fidelity rather than the charging! We've given it a road test. i-Elegance High Fidelity Sound First of all a summary. From the picture you'll see the box looks a lot like
a traditional portable stereo.
This is a dual tuner model, that means you can watch one Digital channel while watching another. Its size and shape make it something different from all other units I have seen, it only has LEDs on the face and is stated to use only 2.4watts in standby this is stated as much less than most other similar units.
It is a black box that works equally as well horizontally or vertically (cradle provided) The face is 18x6.5cm with around 23cm of depth required for cables etc to be plugged into the back. All the connections are on the back, there are two SCART connectors, the DC power input and an 'X' arrangement where top left is the aerial input, bottom right aerial outlet (if required) and the top right/bottom left being the externally connected pass through (RF-Loop).
This brilliant game is fun for all teens and adults! Once you've played once you'll get addicted! But watch out for the last question, it may get a bit tricky!
Do you think you are a music trivia champion, or that you know more about lyrics than all your friends? Well here's a fun way to find out! Compete in teams of at least two to commence in a weird and wacky way to become the king of all lyrics! is like a Trivial Pursuit game for music lovers! Lyric This board game allows you to explore the world of music with your friends.
This is quite a large parrot (larger than life size at 45cm) and it talks but in the time I have had him he has so far refuses to swear. It talks and moves but as yet he has not pooped, in fact all its habits are hygienic so a perfect pet.
This is a beautiful bird that loves being stroked it talks, sings and any child would love it. The one I was sent has blue wings, a yellow front, green top of it's head with a black and white face. The fur/feathers are really tactile and all in all this parrot is a 45cm joy. It comes with a perch but it can be easily removed to be held and it even has a biscuit to chew on.
This amplified corded telephone has been designed for ease of use by those with severe hearing impairments.
Doro recognises that the elderly form the majority of those with severe hearing difficulties. Hence, visual features and ease of use were high on the company's check list when designing its HearPlus 317c phone. In addition there was the need to avoid additional facilities which its target audience would find too complex to use. . It was equally important that the phone should not draw attention to the user's debility.
Using flash drives or optical media can be used to transfer data between unconnected computers. However there is an alternative method using a USB link.
It is becoming increasingly common for homes to contain more than one computer. Often these system boxes, along with various peripherals, are linked together via a network whether that is of the wired or wireless type. However not everybody needs the functionality offered by a network. In some cases all you really need is a quick and easy method of transferring data from one computer to another that is in reasonable proximity.
Versatile toaster for bread, a wide range of bakery products and filled sandwiches and ciabattas.
The lastest of our toaster reviews is the toaster - and my pain au chocolat is warming up in it right now. When I first started to review this toaster, I thought 'oh no, not another specialist toaster' - one for paninis this time! Do I really need a different gadget for every type of food I can think of! However, as I've got to grips with using this one, I see that it's actually quite versatile.
A lot of people think of a surge strip as a gang socket and little more. There is a vast difference as anyone who has had an electrical surge will know to their cost.
However until now most surge strips looked like gang sockets even if they sometimes had extras like Ethernet and phone protection, I remember one where a couple of the sockets rotated to allow for power bricks that were above and below the actual plug.
Here however are two strips from Belkin that are a totally new design and format.
Belkin Compact 6 socket This unit is an upturned 'T' with three sockets either side of the base this could sit on the floor or a desk or other flat surface and the plugs allow for both above and below plug power bricks of a reasonable size as the actual plugs are mounted mid way. A cable management clip is supplied in the box allowing all the leads to be kept safely together.
Continuing with our review of up-market coffee machines, today I'm reviewing the Nespresso
DeLonghi Lattissima. Having worked my way through the various combination of options on this
machine I'm a little worried that sleep may elude me this evening!
The specific machine I'm reviewing today is the DeLonghi Lattissima EN660, designed for Nespresso by the Italian design house DeLonghi. At a recommended price of £249 this is a budget product and is aimed squarely at the coffee lover. Available in two finishes, silver (brushed aluminium) or 'creamy white' with dimensions of approximately 20cm wide by 26cm tall and 34cm deep and a good weight at a full 5Kg. The design is basically symmetrical split into three roughly equal areas.
Magic, good and evil with a large amount of destruction come together in a game developed by Sky Fallen and released on Koch Medias Deep Silver label.
Magic is the name of the game and the game is Dawn of Magic. This title is described as a "new era of hack 'n' slash". In this game you are cast in the role of a character who takes on the task of defeating a rather nasty immortal named Modo who has been banished from the realm of afterlife known as Absolute.
Meeting up with an old acquaintance can sometimes be an enjoyable experience but that is not alwsys the case.
Originally appearing in the late 1960s, the Stylophone was launched on to the marketplace as "The Electronic Organ in your Pocket". For those young enough not to have come under the influence of the initial advertising campaign, whether television, newspaper or other media, the Stylophone campaign was headed by Rolf Harris, a popular entertainer of the time, who was capable of playing some rather unusual musical instruments, many Aboriginal based.
This All In One product is small and when closed will probably be inoffensive enough to get past the lady of the houses lounge patrol.
The is cream with a grey lid and input tray. This is a four ink (two cartridge) solution. The dimensions are 42x26x16cm when closed the front folds down to form the paper input tray and this adds 15cm to the 26cm depth when A4 paper is stored in it (face down) the printed pages are delivered face up just above this. There are nine buttons in a row on the left edge and a small 3x2.
A smoothie maker that makes it easy to get your 5 a day - no mess, no fuss, just simple smoothing!
Smoothies are a fantastic way of staying healthy. They are quick and easy to make and a much faster way to get your 5 a day in. If you mix fruit, juice and yoghurt together, you have a nutritionally sound breakfast packed with vitamins to bump start your day. Even better, the kids love them and you can get really creative with the ingredients. I tried out this and was impressed with the results.
Deleting a file does not remove it from the media but sometimes it can prove difficult when trying to resurrect it.
Some members of my family have the distinct impression that I am a hoarder who never disposes of anything. I can hardly blame them for thinking thus as I have learned from bitter experience that whenever I do get rid of something, it isn't long before I discover that I need that very item to complete an important task. Fortunately when that item is a file, there is a possibility that it could be resurrected.
The Altec Lansing iM600 joins a growing list of systems that form part of the 'iPod economy' - the
industry that has grown up around the worlds favourite media player.
This AIO (all in one) product also has the ability to be totally hidden, not that it is ugly but ladies often decree no printers in the lounge so this can live in a cupboard somewhere without any wires trailing from the PC as it is wireless.
First the dimensions of the when closed but power lead and USB (if used) is plugged in 45x37x16cm. Now with paper stored in the rear vertical position and the output tray lowered these figures become 45x52x38cm that is the actual amount of desk, shelf or floor space it will require. The scanning lid is landscape and items easily inserted whilst it is still far lower than the height required for A4 paper in the input storage tray.
Two vastly different toys one for the very young and one for the boy or girl in us all. Firstly Wedgits some blocks that build into so many shapes. Then i-Penguin (I-CY) the follow up to the amazing i-Dog.
Wedgits Normally I tend to avoid toys for the very young, but I found this set of blocks fascinating not least because of the range of objects that can be constructed with the 15 Wedgits that the junior set contains.
The location was a Central London hotel while Lili and Oscar were decked out in all their finery. I was there to meet and greet them on behalf of Gadgetspeak.
It was not all that long ago, when buying various items of computer equipment, that your purchases would be restricted to the single colour of computer grey. Whether it was a desktop or tower system, monitor, printer or whatever, the one constant was the ubiquitous grey. Nowadays there has been a sea-change.
What is there to look for in an iron? Well really just that it does the job - and this one does.
When I set about reviewing this iron, I thought, "now what on earth do you find to look for in an iron"?! And then I realised that actually the most important thing is that it does what it is meant to, and that is produce neatly ironed clothes. So I tried it out on my small pile of ironing and I realised why I had stopped using my own old one.
This Nuance software is now Vista compatible and the version I am looking at here comes with a wireless (DECT) headset that works superby.
My is over a year old but only now have I managed to get hold of the version that I requested at the launch of the product that the demonstrator walked up and down the large room whilst demonstrating, true Wireless technology using a DECT headset.
If you've played with Google Earth, you've entered a 3D world within your computer. You navigate
that world using buttons and icons on the Google Earth interface and it can almost feel that you're
flying. The sensation could be better though...
For one thing you're periodically looking from the world to the controls to click on rotate, or zoom or move or whatever. SpaceNavigator, from 3Dconnexion (part of Logitech) can help with this. It gives you a single control that allows you to manipulate all the various aspects of navigating in three dimensions : pan, zoom, tilt, spin, roll, move. That's a lot from one control.
Cameras, lights and action are all under your control when using the latest 3D animation software from Reallusion.
When a product offers to test your system for its graphics capabilities in order to gauge its suitability for a particular title, you begin to wonder just what you might be letting yourself in for when running the software. With , it was an excursion into the field of avatar generation and accessible 3D animation produced in real time.
A treasured childs toy is often a teddy bear which could provide comfort at any time. Now technology steps in to add entertainment features.
Putting a dragon and a bear in close proximity might be considered a recipe for disaster. Fur and scales could fly in every direction while the cacophony of battle could easily freeze the blood of a casual observer. However this was not the case when this particular bear ventured into the Dragon's Den. Instead the bear was made welcome before being launched on to the consumer toy market in its guise of iTeddy.
Since I last looked at a voice recorder they have come a very long way, no tapes now they have built in memory and the sound quality is light years away from what it was.
There are in fact three different machines the DS-30, DS-40 and the top of the range DS50. They are different colours and the size of the built in memory varies. Whichever one you get they all record in WMA but to avoid death by initials I will just say you can pick recording rates from the worst LP 8kHz (8kbps) up to STXQ 44.1kHz (128kbps).
New from the chocolate fountain people, Giles & Posner. Think Johnny Depp and Juliet Binoche in Chocolat for this one - and hot chocolate has never tasted so good!
In amongst the coffee machines we are reviewing this month, we came across this Giles & Posner Chocolate Cocktail Drinks Maker. As a dedicated chocoholic, this made me smile. The chocolate drinks maker looks a lot like a liquidiser with a heating element. And really that is broadly what it is - except it doesn't chop anything, it mixes and heats. The idea is very, very simple.
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