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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.
Returning to the puzzle-solving genre, Enkords latest game has our reviewer improving his living conditions.
Making an improvement to your living environment would rate high on most people's wish list. When that living environment is a virtual one then the improvements can be brought about by a combination of puzzle solving skills and mouse manipulation. Plus, of course, you will need a copy of Enkord's latest game entitled Clayside.
This is rather like an Archos device I reviewed last year (4/8/06) it is smaller but still has a watchable screen it is far easier to use and the bonus is costs about 1/3 the price.
This is a small black box from the , it weights only a little over 100grams and is 8x7x1.7cm. The TFT screen is 7x5.3cm. It comes with a slip case so it can easily fit in to a pocket, bag or purse. The base and back have no buttons or connections. On the right side is the built in microphone and the up/down push jog control for the menus. Next the top that has six black push buttons that control the unit all clearly labelled on the back edge in a silver/grey text.
When you need help with various office tasks, calling on your Brother could provide the solution.
When your multifunctional device already contains an inkjet printer; flat-bed scanner; photocopying facilities; fax capabilities; network support; ADF (Automatic Document Feed) features built in; media card reader; PictBridge support; and a telephone handset, you would be forgiven for thinking that, apart from speed issues, any developments would be purely cosmetic.
While this is a standalone product it works with Photoshop to help you manipulate RAW images. In fact during the beta stage I am told 500,000 photographers took part.
Like most Adobe products it is not an impulse buy, the price is such that even a product such as this - a powerful tool - prevents that. However I suspect will rapidly become an everyday tool for most professional photographers and also the keen amateur who works with RAW images. Adobe Lightroom This programme works with both RAW and Jpg images. Having worked with the image within Lightroom the changed image can be saved as Jpeg or TIFF.
Canon's new HDV camcorder. Presented with all the "hype" of a film star. Is it an "Oscar" or a "Razzer"?
The great day dawned and the parcel delivered. The had arrived. The first shock was its size - it is very small. This feeling of inadequacy was soon dispelled as the camera had a good solid feel and sat well in the hand.
A red carpet conveniently laid in the Brick Lane area of London lead us to a display of the latest television screens from LG.
Never the one to sit back on its laurels, LG has been extremely busy of late. Recently we had the dual format HD drives and now the company has expanded its range of TV products. These new models are either of the LCD or Plasma format and comprise series designated as LY95, LF66, PF95 and PB65 with various screen sizes being manufactured.
This is a two in one phone meaning that you can make and receive calls like any landline offering but it can also make and receive Skype calls, it even includes three months of free Skype in calls.
This cordless phone from US Robotics (USR) is stated to have ten hours of talktime and one hundred hours in standby. Do not be put off by the array of cables when you open the box. The five pages in English at the start of the Quick Installation Guide make most things clear and the only problem I had was physically switching the phone off - I do not mean ending a call - as this was not described correctly.
Normally a game has a shelf-life of months or maybe a year in exceptional cases but Another World tries to buck the trend with a 15th anniversary re-appearance.
How many games do you know that have celebrated their 15 anniversary with the release of a special edition of the title? Not many I bet! In fact I only know of one and that is "Another World". This game, developed by Eric Chahi, was originally launched back in 1991 when it appeared on the Commodore Amiga.
According to the Met Office we are already experiencing a hotter than average Spring, with the hottest April in 300 years (as if we hadn't noticed). This weather is likely to continue into summer, with a 70% chance of higher than average temperatures, and even a 1 in 8 possibility of a particularly hot summer as we saw in 2003 and 2006. So it seems like a great time to be talking Bar-B-Qs.
If you haven't already got one, now is
the perfect time to contemplate culinary delights on sunny patios on
unseasonably warm evenings. Remember that mid-summer's day is on
21 June. Evenings will get longer until then, but by
the school holidays we are already looking to the nights drawing in.
So get the Chef's hat on, pull out the bangers and arrange that
summer party.
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