GadgetSpeak Articles
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Skype seems to be the current flavour of the month as a new USRobotics product attempts to compliment the technology.
What with skyping and voiping (not actually sure whether either of these is a proper word -by spell checker has flagged both words as not being recognised, so no surprise there), the world of telephony is certainly undergoing a sea-change as new devices make their appearance. The latest such product to come under my gaze is a USB Telephone Adapter from USRobotics.
This is an All In One but not an inkjet, it is a laser unit, it can print in mono, it can copy in mono and scan in colour, however unlike a lot of laser All In Ones it is not huge in size or weight.
So first the dimensions it is 53x43x43cm and weights an amount easily moveable by an adult. The dimensions are maximum sizes as the top is larger than the base to accommodate the scanner. In fact it fits in a space often taken by one of it's inkjet brothers (no pun intended). As a printer this will print 28PPM of documents for as long as the 250 sheet paper tray has content.
Turning one port into seven certainly alleviates any USB access problems.
The original promise made with the introduction of the USB technology was that you would be able to daisy-chain up to 127 devices from a single port. During the many years that have passed since the launch of this technology and features such as "plug and play" (sometimes referred to as "plug and pray"), I have yet to see any USB products that enable you to daisy-chain other devices.
This is a cordless keyboard and mouse set from Logitech, however it contains a number of extras within the box.
This is described as the 'World's First Smart Desktop', well it is still a mouse and a keyboard but the mouse is not only cordless but it can sit in it's charging dock so it never needs to run out of power. The keyboard is much more than the standard 105 key offering.
A firm believer in all forms of protection, SOFTWIN has released a new version of its antivirus software.
Since its inception in 1990, SOFTWIN has developed into the leading European manufacturer of security solutions through its BitDefender range of products. Joining this family is BitDefender Antivirus 10 which is available as either a box product or a download from the web. This product provides protection from both virus attacks and the threat of Spyware.
The Phillips speakers are rated at 50 watts and described as Hi-Fidelity sound. With the sub-woofer tucked away the speakers are small enough to fit into most layouts.
I used these speakers not only on a PC and a notebook but also connecting a couple of MP3 players and I was not disappointed. The black wooden sub woofer box is 30x18.5x20cm with leads inserted, there are no controls on the front, in fact the rear has two built in leads for the remote control and the mains lead, also a single twist knob for the bass and a jack socket to take the leads from the speakers.
They do say You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Of course this is a generalisation that could not apply to you and me or maybe it could. I decided to put it to the test with myself in the role of the old dog.
Image courtesy of Apple Just how would an inveterate Windows user, such as myself, fare when confronted by an . After all with the close link up now existing between Apple and Intel, plus the recent arrival of Apple's bootcamp software that can create a dual-boot Mac/Windows system, it is perhaps the propitious time to check out how the other half lives in the world according to Steve Jobs.
Yes its true shop now have their Christmas displays and not just at Harrods so it must be autumn. Here are two items that are likely to be on your kids wish lists.
Mood Beams Stated as suitable for age 4 upwards I can certainly say that this ** old man was fascinated by one of the modes. There are four different models Shy, Surprised, Curious and Silly, I was sent Shy who is a white soft plastic head on feet, press his head and he glows an alternating red and white colour. Press his head again and he goes into Rainbow mode scrolling between all the rainbow colours.
Maxfield, the German developer of personal audio products, has expanded its range with the release of its Max-Movie device.
If it is meant to be portable then common sense suggests it should combine the attributes of lightweight and a minimum of size. The Max-Movie device, from Maxfield, certainly adheres to this philosophy in its role as a portable music player and image viewer. With its built-in 1GB of flash memory, the Max-Movie measures 69 x 33 x 16mm (L x W x H) and weighs in at around 35g - small and light enough for me.
This is a music and FM radio player, it can also be a rather good voice recorder. All this in a very tiny case that easily sits even in the smallest palm.
This is a MP3 player, voice recorder and FM radio all in a very small housing. It is 7x3.5x1.5cm and weights only around 60grams with it's two AAA batteries inserted. The screen is only slightly more than 2x1.5cm but is amazingly clear and can display up to six lines of information all easily readable.
Multifunctional capability now includes mouse mats and USB hubs among its range of devices.
Having recently had the use of the Goodmans 37inch offering this one came in as the other was returned, same screen size but a little bigger and somewhat heavier.
The previous review ended on the second day of the Open this did the final two days and now it's working well for the early European football games as well as the European Athletics. It's just a shame there are so few worthwhile programs on for those of us who dislike reality TV such as Big Brother, Love Island, Find a New Maria, X Factor etc etc.
Does your computer listen to you? If not then maybe it needs the assistance of a product such as Dragon Naturally Speaking.
As the processing power of hardware has improved and increased memory has become more economically viable, one type of application that has benefited more than most is that of speech recognition. Leading the way in this particular area is Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS from now on) from Nuance (nee ScanSoft). Now up to version 9, DNS is available in Standard, Preferred, Mobile and Professional flavours.
Two or three times a year a get the chance to tell you about my hobby Jazz, here are two further CDs from a label with a jazz section.
For those looking to change their current mobile phone, O2 has put together a collection of attractive offerings.
O2, in its role as a leading supplier of mobile telephony services to both consumers and businesses, has been particularly busy of late with a raft of announcements regarding new products and accessories on offer. Leading the way is the new O2 Ice which has been designed exclusively for O2 (that's the company and not the device) and is being promoted as an extra-cool, chic handset.
A rapid printer that also produces rather nice photographs perhaps this could be the inkjet printer that is a good all rounder.
It is 43x32x14cm with paper inserted, the 14cm is the measurement at the rear and this becomes 11cm at the centre and only 5cm at the front. Silver/Grey in colour with black for the base paper tray. There are three buttons and two LED's on the left front edge but in all probability you will only use the leftmost one on/off. Below this is a Pict Bridge port. On the back there is the entry point for the DC adapter plug and the USB lead.
Big Brother may be suffering from a reduction in popularity but Spyware continues to assault out computer systems.
A mobile phone package that allows unlimited Web and e-mail use for a set fee on a monthly basis with pay as you tariff.
You will need to supply the eye patch, parrot and bottle of rum (a peg-leg is optional) as you live the life of a pirate.
This camcorder writes directly to DVDs either R or RW and as such avoids any possible data transfer problems to a PC.
Small enough to fit in a wide pocket, the is 12x5x8.5cm and given that the mini DVD are 8cm it could not be and smaller. The weight is around 400grams. Canon DC100 This unit can use DVD-R or DVD-RW discs the differences are not just that a DVD-R can only be recorded once it is then finalised and the disc taken out, place it in any DVD player - either PC or standalone - and watch your work.
While wireless offers several networking advantages, problems can occur. This next piece of kit offers to help.
Unlike the , reviewed recently, or the similar offering from Solwise, the NETGEAR WGXB102 product is not a standalone alternative for a wireless network. Although it does make use of the standard home mains electricity loop as its conduit, this particular piece of kit acts as an extender facility to an existing wireless network.
A truly portable DAB radio that can run for the best part of the day on a single charge on its built in battery. Now could this be a true portable DAB radio.
I have reviewed a couple of small DAB radios but they both used standard batteries. Now technology has improved, battery drain is less and above all the earpieces that form the aerial have improved and the unit is far more useable in a whole range of environments. It is 11x6.5x2cm and weights less than 150grams. The centre on the right side is where the excellent Sennheiser earbuds fit.
Currently a large box is blocking my hallway, the content of which is the subject of this review.
One thing you can say straight away about the Brother DCP 8060 unit is that it is not a shrinking violet with regards to its presence in your working environment. Alright there are several larger units available but the DCP 8060 is big enough for me.
I am no chess expert, but I first played at school some many years ago, I never really progressed beyond the basics, normally I can manage to avoid fools mate but with this package I should improve.
Time for some fun with the help of a chameleon.
Strange how some things pass you by, HP made a big thing of the ability to write on CDs or DVD using lasers, not that long after all HP CD and DVD drives are being made by Lite-On.
Firstly what is LightScribe, it is the ability for the laser that writes the CD/DVD to also write or draw on the reverse of the drive - the side that may normally get a felt pen or even a label attached to it. Currently this is only mono but I am told that there are coloured discs about but even these only remove the top colour to expose the one below so if the surface was green with a yellow coating below the text or image would be in yellow.
Fancy a chance to explore the ruins of Atlantis then solve the puzzles presented by this game.
Often you buy a printer for text with the fact that it can print photos is an extra. With the Canon Pixma IP6220D its the other way round, this is a excellent photo printer.
It is a small and smart enclosure at 42x26x15 the latter increases by another 15cm when paper is stored in the 'sit up and beg' vertical position at the rear of the unit. This is a four ink - two cartridge - solution and that makes the printing quality and speed even more unusual.
Is the more expensive Siemens phone all that it is cracked up to be and worth the extra money? Andrew Taylor has used this for three months and now gives his opinion.
This is a mini-review to give you some idea of what you will get, using a high end DECT phone system. Although priced at a little over a hundred pounds, this DECT phone has a tremendous amount going for it. Before getting into the nitty-gritty, let me give you an overall view of the setup. The phone comes in three parts.
No man is an island according to John Donne and Tony Ellis is obviously of a similar opinion especially when it comes to his stick people.
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