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Countdown was the first program on Channel 4 when it launched, now there is another quiz show on that channel that has a huge audience Drummond Park licence two versions of the game in the UK.
One of the gems I saw at Dream Toys this year a certain hit, maybe almost as big 'can I have a 'P' please Bob' in case you are not old enough that was an ITV quiz called Blockbusters. There are two versions of this game a board version and a console version, the latter is the one for me. First a disappointment it requires 4xAA batteries and they are not supplied.
Fish & chips, salt & pepper and bacon & eggs (who said I was food orientated) go together but a torch and a radio is something else.
Continuing my series of 32 and 37inch LCD TVs with this Digital and Analogue TV from LG, having both means PIP (Picture in Picture) can be used to show a second channel.
The was reviewed in the same place as the 37inch offerings with my own 28inch standard TV sitting on the floor sulking. While there was more space on top of the unit the missing five inches does not really detract. It is 80x61x13cm and sits on a silver grey stand that is 21cm deep at the widest point in the centre so the panel itself is well within the stand.
Not every digital photograph turns out as you expect. Often software can help correct matters.
So much talk about the next Windows operating system, so why not delve a little deeper with the help of one of the Dummies series, also everything you have ever wanted to know about web site visitors.
The price is £19.99 and is likely to be available from specialist bookshops or you could try Windows Vista For Dummies 204 sides of information on the next Windows operating system from Andy Rathbone. This paperback tome is produced from Beta 2 so there may be a few changes before Gold Code. It should still - we are told - be available to corporate customers this year with the likes of you and I being able to purchase it early in the New Year.
Continuing to push the boundaries of keyboard/mouse functionality, Logitech has come up with a VoIP enhancement.
It was an easy call to select the next item for review. Actually it was a that was to become the centre of attention. The desktop element of this particular product's title refers to the keyboard and optical mouse while the EasyCall appendage relates to a module which combines a wireless receiver unit and speakerphone. A headset and sixty minutes of free international calls via Skype are included in this package.
Here two different ways to charge your iPod all types and just for good measure one of the devices also allows files to be removed or added from the iPod as well.
TunePower First the one that comes in the Blister Pack - strong scissors and gloves required - while these look great on the dealers shelves they are devils to get into. Any iPod with a dock connector will be able to be charged from this device and if you disconnect the battery from the lead it can give an additional 8-10 hours of use to your iPod. It comes with a range of custom sleeves so your iPod will fit securely.
This is the first of my follow on pieces from Dream Toys and Test Tube Alien along with Phlat Ball and a couple of different Oidz go under the microscope.
Oidz These are strong magnets - complete with warnings about placing near computers - in a variety of shapes and sizes. The two sets I saw are from the smaller sizes one from the PlanetOidz set and the other from the AsterOidz sets. While the latter has a small collectable character the former has a disc looking rather like a gaming chip.
Completing our look at SOFTWINs family of protection products, it is the turn of the top of the range BitDefender Internet Security v10.
Increasingly the functionality offered by its other two BitDefender family members (BitDefender Antivirus v10 and BitDefender Antivirus Plus v10), SOFTWIN has released BitDefender Internet Security v10. This product consists of anti-virus, firewall, anti-spam, anti-spyware and parental control modules that are closely integrated into a single protection solution.
A printer for 15x10cm photographs, it has a small TFT screen and can be connected direct to cameras via Pict Bridge, print from a range of photo cards or even from a PC.
The 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. The front drops down this adds a further 10cm to the depth to catch the printed sheets. HP PhotoSmart A516 I found - when printing directly - that around two minutes is required from selecting the image on the TFT to a virtually dry printed page being delivered.
Whether it is video conferencing or live Web video content, you do need a webcam.
It has been quite a while since I last looked at a webcam. In the intervening period, the various models have certainly become smaller, more adaptive and feature-rich in their make-up. A good example of these various trends can be seen with the offering.
The lady who demonstrated this to me said as it has a ball even a man can use it I think it was a joke, however it is a very good vacuum cleaner.
For more years than I can remember I have used an upright Hoover and apart from emptying and occasionally changing the bag the only thing I ever remember doing was replacing the belt to the sweeping brushes a couple of times and this is over at least thirty years. Then a couple of years ago I found that the bags were no longer available.
Given the opportunity to play a new slant on an old classic genre was too good a chance to miss and so
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In my last piece I covered reasonably small units, here a little larger in size still small enough to fit in a pocket and a lot larger in storage capacity.
Seagate 6GB USB 2 Pocket Hard Drive This looks very like a yo-yo it is circular 7x7x2cm and weights only 50grams. It is grey and black with a clear plastic centre that flashes blue when data is being transferred. Twist the grey outer cover to reveal a standard USB plug on the end of a 13cm black lead.
Here two gifts available from Gizoo that tell the time although neither can be said to be clocks. One an adult gift and the other very defiantly for the younger ones.
This is described as a message clock, however it does more and if nothing else it will be a conversation piece on any desk. Maybe an executive toy but for anyone who you struggle to find presents for it would be ideal. It is 20x20x6cm with a chrome bass and the rest is matt black, the messages appear at the top of the unit. Without scrolling they can be up to 13cm long and the display letters and numbers are 1.5cm tall.
Missing from todays laptops, the 3.5-inch floppy disk drive could make a comeback with a product from Gizoo.com.
A new name to me and probably to you but Funai products are often sold under various other names, now as 2006 draws to a close they are marketing under their own name.
The is a video recorder, a DVD recorder and a hard disc recorder all in one unit. It is somewhat larger than other such units - not all of which also have video - at 43x37x10cm. Funai HDR-B2735 I suspect the main use - for most people - for the video recorder part will be to dub to DVD or hard disc. It is probably easier to dub to hard disc but I managed to do it both ways without problem.
Size isnt everything. On the one hand small is important with regards to physical dimensions but then large also has its advantages when capacity enters the equation as with a portable storage device.
This powerful 5MP camera with 3.4 to 1 optical zoom is small enough to fit into the smallest pocket but has one of the biggest TFT displays I have seen.
The TFT display literally fills the whole back of the unit. The dimensions are 8.5x6.5x2.5cm and it weights around 150grams. The TFT display is 6x4.5cm and in a line along the bottom of the display are seven buttons that control the unit.
Have you noticed how inanimate objects have a propensity to move from where you placed them? Then perhaps your memory is like mine.
It has been known for me to have, what a family member refers to as, a "senior moment" from time to time. This occasional memory lapse can sometime be a cause for amusement (generally for others) but can also result in frustration especially when you have forgotten where you put something of importance that you really need. Offering to help with this problem of locating items is the appropriately named Loc8tor device.
This small notebook is powerful and is packed with loads of extras including some very useful Acer software utilities that make adjustments a breeze.
It is 30x22x3cm and weights only 1.7kilos. The screen size is 26x16cm giving the diagonal viewing size of 12inches. The screen resolution is 1280x800, given that you tend to sit quite close to a notebook it is quite readable. First surprise it is not notebook grey but cream, when I got it others had already used it and there were a few marks on the keyboard that would probably not show if it had been grey.
With Christmas now bearing down very fast all those presents for the younger and not so young ones are fast becoming a nightmare, for the more Gadgetly minded I hope these suggestions help.
Radica Connectv Cricket Just imagine the scenario England win a one day series, far fetched maybe but with this simulation it certainly possible and should you have longer you can even play Test cricket best of all, wind or rain or even bad light need not be a factor as you play on your TV and you can make the unit your opponent so you do not even need someone to play with.
Keeping your system safe and privacy intact from malicious software is the designated task of the Privacy Expert Suite.
Until now this has been sold in modules just like the test itself now Focus have offered the whole package on two DVDs and amazingly it is all sold for £9.99
The popularity of digital images has seen an increase in image editing options such as working with multiple images at the same time.
Another printer looking like a rectangular box, however providing the other half does not mind the grey colour then surely its all about the print quality and print speed.
The is a four ink and four cartridge offering from Canon so should you be a heavy user of one colour you save a little in ink costs by having to buy only that cartridge. Fitting them is foolproof as unless you get a red light for confirmation you know it is not inserted correctly. So when you see four red lights under the cartridges you know they are correctly inserted.
If capturing still images no longer satisfies your creative urge then perhaps it is time you considered a camcorder such as the DC100 from Canon.
The DC100 is Canon's entry level model in the camcorder field of digital video. The kit consists of the DC100 camera, instruction manual, battery pack, power adapter, AC cable, stereo video lead and a SCART adapter for connection output to a television. It should be immediately obvious that this list does not contain any mention of recording media.
The blurb says works without any training, well always the one to take people at their word I installed it on a notebook that had no files of mine, installed it and then started the program.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 Preferred comes on two CD's and say's it needs 1.3GB of hard disc space, the actual space taken on the notebook was 1523MB and the install time was only 12 minutes. On starting the program you get a toolbar along the top of the screen, so as not to give it anything I used Windows Notepad and started speaking, reproduced below are the first words I spoke and the three errors, with what I intended added in brackets, I was astonished.
For those looking for software to help copy digital movie content to DVD and various handheld devices, InterVideo believes it has a possible solution.
As its title indicates, DVD Copy 5, from InterVideo, is a product designed for copying DVDs but it does not stop there. It also offers a range of tools that allow you to carry out video file conversion; disk labelling; make use of virtual drive capabilities; monitor folders; and provides support for various handheld devices.
My annual trip to the Dream Toys event found new and enhanced toys, games and gadgets for kids both big and small for Christmas and beyond.
Prices of things on offer range from a fiver to hundreds. As always I try to find things that do not break the bank, mind you the report does end with one extravagance. Lets start with one of the more noisy, Dare Devil Stunt set around £34.99 from Flair. It needs space and then with practice the motor cycle will jump the gap between the supplied objects, Evil Knieval style.
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