GadgetSpeak Articles
GadgetSpeak has close to 5,000 product reviews and other articles. You can use this page to find others opinions on anything from mobile phones to computers to the latest kitchen appliance
Sorry horror fans but this Blade has nothing to do with vampires and blood letting but concerns mobile entertainment.
Unlike the Wesley Snipes series of "cut & slash" movies nor the follow up television series based on the same character, this Blade has no pretension to feed on your blood. In this case The Blade is a MP3 player that has been developed by MPMan. This is a company well experienced in the sphere of MP3 player technology; in fact it created the first MP3 player back in 1997.
This is not a SELPHY but a Pixma but it only prints 15x10cm images. It looks rather like a projector or a fan heater of a few years ago rather than a printer, however the images it produces are good.
The is 22.5x22x7.5cm and weights 2.2kilos. It is white with gun metal blue sides. A carry handle pulls out from the back allowing it to be easily moved but this is a mains only unit so the power brick and lead need to come with you.
We have all seen enhanced photographic images of celebrities; maybe FaceFilter was involved in the process.
Most digital image editing packages tend to opt for an overall approach to their feature lists by having a comprehensive tool set. However if your main interest lies with portrait manipulation then the majority of these tools and features are redundant. Even the tools that do apply to facial aspects are more general than specific especially when you are trying to create results that have a professional sheen.
A name that has been in consumer electronics such an keyboards, watches and even handheld computers for many years but they are also a name in digital cameras.
While 7.2mega pixel may be considered by some manufacturers to be 'entry level' the extras within the unit make this far from the case here. Casio EX-Z75 It is 10x6x1.7cm when closed add another 2cm for the lens extension when ready to shoot. It is silver grey and weights less than 150grams.
It shook up the early desktop publishing market and still has the capability to impress as we discovered when looking at the latest version of PagePlus from Serif.
The work area has vertical and horizontal rulers to help with the positioning of items plus palettes handling aspects of colour, formatting and content. Tabs allow you to switch between the different areas covered by each palette. There is also a storage area for images that might be used during the current project. PagePlus provides a range of tools for handling your publishing needs.
This is a widescreen HD ready TV but it does not have Freeview built in (they do another model that does £50 more) so this is ideal for anyone with Sky, Cable or a PVR with Freeview.
Although the screen size of this is 26inches the surrounds make it seem somewhat bigger the external dimensions are 81x46x11cm with a rectangular stand raising it around 2.5cm from whatever you stand it on. Should you prefer wall mounting a kit is supplied. The base is 48x20cm. Evesham Alqemi TV The stated screen size is 26inches made up by 57x32cm however a lot of the programs broadcast have a 1.75cm area top and bottom blank making it often 57x28.
With children learning to type at school I fear the market for typing tutors have reduced greatly and perhaps only those 30 plus today still have need of this tool.
A name that sticks in the mind from around twenty of so years ago was Mavis Beacon and her typing teaching was certainly what improved my two finger skills to just about being able to touch type. is designed to be used by several people as you need to enrol and enter certain basic information, age under 13, 13-20, 21-30 or over 30. You need to state your level, beginner, one or two finger typist, or a touch typist.
While fish exist in a chip environment, they are for an entertainment and not sustenance role.
The original concept behind screen-savers, as their name implies, was to protect your display screen from burn-in that could happen if the same static image remained on view for any length of time. Now with the combination of animated desktop and improved screen technology, this problem no longer exists. Yet still screen-savers remain a popular item.
This is a small 15x10cm printer that prints from almost all cards, direct from cameras via Pict Bridge or from a PC using a USB lead and yes for regular readers I did review it the autumn of last year, however the huge price reduction is the reason for a second look.
This however it a totally new review of the and I only cribbed after I had researched the bulk of the article, so while it is partly the same the actual review was totally new. HP PhotoSmart A516 my original article This is really small at 21x10x10cm when shut, in use the back tilts backward by 3cm at the top to allow storage of a few sheets of 15x10cm paper waiting to be printed.
Adding DAB radio features to your computer sound great but some problems still exist.
In the past I have attached a wide range of devices to the USB ports on various computer systems. These have included printers, web cams, mice, keyboards, modems, scanners, MP3 players and a number of different storage devices. To this list I can now add a standalone radio as distinct from the built-in feature sometimes found in MP3 and mobile phone devices.
How many leads do you expect to get with a monitor or panel? A power lead and a signal lead, maybe two signal leads if like this it is both Analogue and Digital, here however you get those and more, much more.
This unit also has a dock for an iPod and speakers so you get all the leads I suggested above, plus two audio leads a power brick and lead a USB lead and just for good measure a box containing six different shields to fit into the iPod dock to accommodate the various sizes and styles of iPod. Viewsonic The actual screen surround is 44x33cm, with the stand bringing it 10cm above the desk. The stand is oval and a maximum of 20cm in depth.
Kensington continues to add to its portfolio of mouse products with an optical wireless model.
Checking through my records of articles published on Gadgetspeak.com over the last couple of years, I was surprised to discover that there were twelve reviews of standalone mice from various manufacturers. This number did not include any mice that were part of a desktop set (a mouse and keyboard sold as a single package).
This is one of the range of new cameras launched by Samsung at the start of February. It is one from their basic S range. However only a year or so ago this would have been close to top of the range.
There are five new offerings in the 'S' series ranging from around £89 to £229, this is next to the highest specifications. All units in the 'S' series are supplied with two 'AA' batteries although they can be run from rechargables. No Samsung cameras have cards supplied - not even the - all the basic models have 24MB of internal memory but as a 1GB SD card costs well under £10? SLR offering reviewed 13 April th The is 10x6x3.
I reviewed another product in the same series from Focus five weeks ago Secrets of the Mind. That I seem to remember came of two CDs this comes on one, does this mean we know more about the mind than the universe?
The bold statement on the front of the DVD box reads 'everything you need to know about The Big Bang, Astrophysics and Space'. The CD needs to be in the Rom whenever the product is used so only 34MB of hard disc space is taken by the installation and I suspect that a doctored copy of Quick Time is what takes most of that.
When working at its optimum capacity, a Windows computer is fine but it does need regular maintenance such as that provided from iolo technologies.
Keeping your computer running smoothly, let alone performing at its optimum capacity, can be a time consuming task. Dealing with the threat of viruses and spyware plus the general defragmentation of files and memory are just some of the elements you need to consider. Fortunately tools are available to help with these tasks.
Rarely do I look at a standalone scanner, but should you need to scan other than documents then a specialised standalone scanner comes to the fore especially for negatives and slides.
The comes with some excellent software that makes the scanning from whatever format just a matter of a few clicks, also included is PhotoSmart Premium that gives you control over the images once scanned, while the two work together they can be used apart should you already have a favourite package. HP G4010 The install took around 12 minutes and used just on 500MB of hard disc space.
It is small, feature-rich with plenty of storage capacity and has taken over the task of providing my mobile entertainment.
While the iPod family continues to be the market leading brand when it comes to mobile entertainment, it is not the only choice for the discerning user. With its long experience in the field of MP3 mobile players, Creative has a number of possible products including the Creative Zen V Plus.
It is only very occasionally I get to see an A3+ printer. This prints quickly even at that large size. However the overall size of the unit is not as big as some other A3+ models.
Certainly you will need a good amount of desk space for the A3+ printer from Epson, the dimensions are 60x30x20cm when closed, you will probably need to add another 30cm to the middle depth figure to have paper inserted in the 'stand up' rear and the paper output tray at the front extended. Maybe another 18cm to the 20cm height for the paper waiting to be printed.
My first SD card had a capacity of 32MB but todays storage needs call for more space such as that found on the smallest (with regards to physical size) memory card.
Kingston Technology has recently added a new SD product to its portfolio of portable storage devices. However before revealing more about this Kingston product, lets take a brief look at some background details regarding the SD format. Mobile phones, digital cameras, early MP3 players and PIMs (Personal Information Managers) all have roles to play in this modern technological world while making use of memory cards as their preferred storage medium.
This is a tiny sat nav system but not only is it for cars etc but also for pedestrians and bicycles. When I say small it fits into the palm of my hand and I do not have enormous hands.
It is 9x6x1.5cm and weights less than 100grams. The screen is 4.5x6cm and is fine apart from when the sun is right on it when mounted in a car. As regular readers will know I always take sat nav systems for at least a couple of journeys on a train.
Fancy having your own web site? Then this is one of many products that say they will make it easy to do. Is it just as easy as they say?
The install was easy enough but before that you have to fill in the registration form and worst still it will not let you do the install until you have gone online. Why have a yes/no choice if 'no' leaves the screen up and 'yes' will not proceed until you have gone online. I am not a fan of forced registration and worst still one that purports to offer a choice but does not. The install took 130MB of hard disc and took just over 3 minutes.
The Bayswater, Queensway and Lancaster Gate area of London used to be my old stamping ground and was also the location for a product launch from Acer.
Acer has been rather quiet of late. But, as I was to discover, this lack of news did not mean that the company had been resting on its laurels. Instead it had been busy designing and developing new models to enhance its range of notebook products. Details of these new offerings were revealed in what the company described as a "Design Launch".
While the camera itself is tiny the headset that comes with it is of a conventional size. If you want to see the other party while talking on Skype video conferencing this could be for you.
To use the USR Mini Cam for Skype your PC will need to be running SP2 of XP or later. You will need a spare USB port for the camera and two audio sockets for the headset one for the microphone and the other for the speaker. The headset comes with 2.1metres of lead so providing you are near to a PC it should be okay. The mini cam has 1.7metres of lead certainly enough to fix on or near the monitor/panel.
We take a look at a new addition to Kensingtons range of optical mice.
When considering the make up of your computer system, I just wonder how much thought goes into the selection of the mouse. In many cases, I should imagine, the answer would be "very little". Yet this input device is constantly being handled and does provide the main communication route between the user and the desktop.
In the dim and distant past I used to see a lot of Olympus cameras, now the chance to review them again has arisen and I took it with both hands. Here is certainly a pocket offering but still powerful.
It seems strange to say 8 mega pixel (actual 8.3MP) is near entry level but that is the way things are going. The is a little over 100 grams and is 9.5x5.5x1.5cm. The back is dominated by the 5x3.8cm TFT display. Olympus FE-250 Quickly through what's where on the camera, the base has an anchor point for a tripod and the door that hides the battery and optional xD card. The right side has A/V out and mini USB as well as anchor point for the wrist strap.
Adding to its range of store and go devices, Verbatim can now offer 12GB of storage capacity.
I first came across Verbatim's Store 'n' Go product family around 30 months ago. Since that initial offering, which, if memory serves me correct, was a 1GB device, the product has gone through various guises that include a five-in-one device featuring a camera module and U3 functionality. The latest product in the Verbatim Store 'n' Go family goes under the title of USB HD Drive and has a capacity of 12GB.
I remember an extremely wet day last year, a very long walk from Clapham Junction to Battersea Bridge (faulty sat nav) and then a presentation offering almost everything that a mobile phone could possibly offer.
It was a huge event held at Three's UK headquarters with almost all the partners there for the multitude of things that can work with a phone. All the journalists there were offered a three month loan of a phone and when mine arrived this year I put it through it's paces. It's strange how any Nokia phone I get to review comes courtesy of a mobile phone company and not Nokia.
Since the days of Nynex and Cable and Wireless and then NTL I have had analogue cable television, for a while now I have been nagged to upgrade to digitalTV, but until very recently one of the channels I view a lot was an extra on digital whereas on analogue it was a standard channel.
I used to pay £24.50 a month for a phone line and cable TV, for the last year or so this has been discounted to £16.50. The phone line I used little as originally it was for fax and now I tend to scan and send by email. So when after the NTL takeover by Virgin and prices were commoditized and finally the TV 'medium' pack was changed to the 'large' pack I took the plunge and upgraded.
A Greek location was chosen for Sony Ericssons latest product announcement. However this was not the Mediterranean location but the Hellenic Centre situated in Central London.
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Sony Ericsson Selecting the day after a Bank Holiday for a product release is hardly standard practice but this did not stop from announcing some new additions to its product portfolio. Taking centre stage were four new and a stereo Bluetooth headset.
This black box can should it be required - occupy a very small space. However the quality of images and text printed are good, so if you have a only a small space this printer could fit it.
The is 44x30x12cm when closed however add another 22cm to the last figure when paper is in the vertical tray at the rear waiting to be used. I discovered the small footprint when moving some stuff around during a reorganisation and for most of the review it sat on the end of it's box and performed without any problems.
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