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
Hands-free communication with a vibrator it is possible with Bluetooth.
Let me start with a few words of explanation just in case you are one of those people who might have seen me standing around apparently talking to myself. No, this is not the onset of senility, despite what some might state; but more down to the fact that I have been using a mobile phone. Yes I know the phone was not immediately visible but when you have a Bluetooth headset then the phone can be attached to your belt or other appropriate location.
Last November I discovered Skype at version 0.97, it worked well but as with the 'Chicken and the Egg' problem not all that many users. This week Skype for the first time notched one million concurrent users.
Version 1 launched in the early summer and I now spend more time on Skype for no cost than I do using the phone. All you need is the free Skype software, download time from around one minute. Probably another minute to complete the installation and maybe as long to create a basic profile. www.skype.com To run Skype on a PC you need a microphone and some speakers.
5.1 sound is almost becoming standard with a lot of PCs having it onboard. However for those without it this offering from Terratec could well improve your sound output.
Print your photographs. Copy your photographs. Scan images. All these tasks can be undertaken by a single device.
Like most peripherals, printers have come a long way since those
early days when monochrome and dot matrix were the accepted standard.
Now we can take our pick from monochrome or colour lasers, all-in-one
(multifunction) devices, basic inkjet or specific photo printers with
additional functionality built in. The Epson Stylus Photo RX420 could
really be said to bridge two of this categories.
The Medusa headset looks rather like an expensive pair of ear defenders, how wrong can first looks be? Sorry, to find out you will have to read on.
Here I am looking at not one but two mice from Microsoft. Neither of which have any lead to confine their movements. One is Wireless and the other is Bluetooth.
Although scanners have shrunk in size and weight, you would not normally expect to carry one in your pocket. Now you can.
Not something normally reviewed here, but there is a twist more in a moment and either or both would make great Christmas presents for the Jazz lover.
My face might not be my fortune but my finger could be my passport to various computer activities.
This product came along at a very opportune time as a new version of my current anti spam package had just brought out a new version, for me anyway it turned out to be unusable.
Want a copy of Microsoft Word, this is the cheapest legal way to acquire one. However you also get a whole raft of other new and very recent products on a total of five CDs.
A coffee machine that does not require plumbing, a decent fresh hot cup of coffee whenever you want it in only 20 seconds, all you need is a 13amp plug. Philips and Douwe Egberts have combined to produce Senseo.
The shape of the is distinctive, in fact I
would go so far as to say unique. A little like a jug kettle, a little
like those thermos type jugs that keep coffee warm inordinately but in
truth nothing like either. Senseo from Philips The Senseo 'coffee pad system' to give
it it's full name can produce either one or two cups of delicious
coffee from 'ready' in 20 seconds.
Looking to maximise the space of your work desk? Maybe you should consider combining your printer, scanner, fax machine and photocopier into a single unit.
Lexmark's X6170 "All-in-One" product provides the functionality that
covers printing, scanning and copying with built-in fax capability. On
top of this, literally, the X6170 has an ADF (Automatic Document
Feeder) feature. Lexmark has packed all this functionality into a box
that measures 48 x 25cm at the base and expanding to 50 x 52cm (W x D)
at the top. The overall height is 29cm including the rear-mounted paper
input tray.
By no means cheap, but if you need a notebook 1.3kilos is extremely light, the Q25 fills that criteria and you get what are often called extras as standard.
It
is 27x23x2cm yes the thickness is only 2cm, the weight is only 1.3kilos
and with battery life with a reasonable screen brightness at close to
150 minutes this could well save a very expensive gym membership as
current muscles may be enough to carry it around. A
31cm display is clear and bright, excellent when used with power and
useable when on batteries.
Its Samsung calling! This time I have been flipping open the Samsung SGH-P510 camera phone.
Have you noticed that all mobile phones, well at least the ones that
I have used, always position the on/off key on the right side of the
unit? This is not meant to be taken as a criticism, rather more of an
observation. But it does go to show how technology is re-enforcing the
dominance that the right hand has over the left in modern society.
Keyboard and mouse sets seem popular these days. Here I am looking a set from Microsoft with wireless keyboard and mouse, the keyboard has an extra feature.
I have had this product for several months without the opportunity to try it. After all you do not upgrade your PC that often. When you do it is often nice to start with a totally fresh installation however this does have its drawbacks and should the thought of installing everything from fresh fill you with dread then this is for you.
Instead of letting your fingers do the work, you could use them as an aid to your memory. To discover how, read on!
At about this time of year the 2005 products appear, one keenly fought encounter is between Microsoft Encarta and Encyclopaedia Britannica. Every year I try to note the differences and changes.
Is yours a standard, one-piece model or maybe you prefer a flip top? Then again there are sliders and swivellers. Currently I am using a Motorola V80 which puts me in the swivel category.
Canon have recently refreshed their range of inkjet printers, this is the bottom of the range unit, but do not think it is anyway lacking in features or ability.
This is a four ink two cartridge
offering. This does mean that if you use more of one colour than the
others there could still be ink left when you need to change the
cartridge. However this is not really a printer for a heavy user. There
is nothing wrong with it and in my tests it performed perfectly well. A 1500 word document with some coloured
text was produced at 7PPM and a 200 word black text document came
through at close to 12 PPM.
Most people have a collection of videos, photographs and music which they want to preserve. If you fall into this category then help could be at hand so read on.
This is certainly something for that special person in your life. It is a watch but that is rather like saying one of Turners masterpieces is a painting. A watch tells the time, so does this, however there is more ....
Adding extra channels to your basic television viewing could not be easier. All you need is one of the new generation of set-top boxes such as the Hauppauge DEC110-T.
This digital terrestrial receiver, measuring 160 x 140 x 35mm and
capable of bringing the Freeview channels into your living room, comes
boxed in a package that contains all the bits and pieces you are likely
to need. For a start you get the DEC110-T unit but more of this piece
of equipment later. There is a remote control powered by two AAA
batteries and a 12v power supply for the actual unit.
With Christmas only around three months away I will from time to time cover things that could be given as gifts, some quite reasonable and others for that special person. Lets start with something for anyone keen on gardening.
I have recently looked at two labellers
from Brother one for the younger members and another for the office.
Now how about one that is ideal for the gardener, it can be used to
label seeds, pots or even shrubs in the garden as the labels are
weatherproof, heat resistant, and perhaps most important fade proof.
Add a designer name and the price goes up, however it is not always the case that the quality goes up to match it. Here I am looking at a set of very stylish 2.1 speakers, is the name all they have to offer?
Walk away from your PC and it automatically becomes locked, nothing on the screen and no access, return and you are exactly where you were and no passwords to enter.
Ever tried playing a game on your mobile phone? Lets face it, this is hardly the most enjoyable experience especially when compared to dedicated hand-held game devices. One possible solution could be to turn the situation around and make your phone calls from a game device.
3megapixel not enough, 5megapixel not enough, then how about 7.1megapixel? The latest PowerShot S70 has exactly that as well as other great features in a compact housing.
It is 11x5.5x3.5cm and weights less than 300grams. It comes with a 32MB Compact Flash card and solid rechargeable battery. There are five image sizes 3072x2304
(large), 2592x1944 (medium 1), 2048x1536 (medium 2), 1600x1200 (medium
3), and 640x480 (small). Like almost all recent digital cameras it can
take short movie sequences but instead of just 160x120 and 320x240 the
normal images sizes this can also take 640x480 as well.
So your pockets are bulging! Maybe it is because you are carrying too many devices. Perhaps one solution might be to switch to a device that combines the features of a PDA and gaming console.
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