Highly Commended
Some products just miss out on our coveted 5x5 smiley award - a product has to be just about perfect in every way to receive that award! That doesn't mean there aren't a lot of very good other gadgets out there!
To recognise those products that missed out on a 5x5 award by just a whisker, we've introduced the 'Highly Commended' status. Products still have to be pretty good to get one of these and out of almost 5,000 reviews on GadgetSpeak (as of February 2016) only around 280 have gained the required marks to be Highly Commended!
Tell me more about the GadgetSpeak Awards!
Sometimes a review can be difficult to complete especially when you have become addicted to the game on which the review is based.
One element that has remained fairly constant throughout the different versions of Windows has been the Minesweeper game. Apart from some very minor make-over touches, the game has remained the same. Although this game does have a loyal band of fans, I am definitely NOT one of them. Nothing about the game has appealed to me.
After my recent review of the excellent Analogue TV from Polaroid I took little persuading to look at their brand new digital offering.
The Polaroid Definia is totally black not only the screen surround but also the speakers mounted below the screen. First the dimensions, it is 83x58cm and the rectangular stand (23x51cm) raises it 7cm above the base. It is a maximum of 10cm thick and the actual screen is 69x39cm giving the notional 32inch diagonal measurement, (actually 31.
Goodmans 19inch HD ready LCD TV with integrated DVD
Published in Entertainment
by paul_smart
on 10 Dec 2007
Certainly a lot more than another bedroom TV, this has the ability to view HD, it is of course widescreen and at 19inches is far more watchable and just for good measure it has a built in DVD player.
First the measurements it is 47x35x6cm when on the stand that is 24x17cm and raises it up by 4cm. The screen is 41x26cm and this gives the 19inch diagonal measurement. There is a 52 page A4 manual and it is filled with lots of illustrations that are useful if only because this is not just a TV but so many devices. The only assembly required is to slot the base into the TV, no screws or twist and it's a good fit.
For a while Nintendo looked like it was going to play underdog to the
behemouths of Microsoft with their XBox and Sony with the PlayStation. Many
had written of this company as an also run. That was then. Several years on
from those predictions and Nintendo is breathing new life into not
only itself, but also the games industry as a whole.
This review takes a look at the latest in the DS line of hand-held game consoles. The
Nintendo DS (Dual Screen) arguably saw the turn around in Nintendo's fortunes and
a continuation of the strategy that brought the DS to market led directly to
the new Wii phenomenon. Put bluntly - Nintendo had the foresight to put the user, rather than technology, first.
Krusade - At Last a Truly Original and Iconic Game
Published in Entertainment
by carolinewilson
on 16 Nov 2007
I am so impressed with the Kaleidoscope games. It's fantastic to see a company that has come up with a truly original, high quality and addictive game. The Kaleidoscope games deserve to reach the iconic status of Monopoly and Scrabble, when the other board games inspired by TV programmes and novelty characters are 6 feet under.
Just when I thought that was the perfect game, along came it's big brother -
Krusade - a board game for 2-4 players. I liked Kaleidoscope
Classic, the original game, so much that it was awarded the
Gadgetspeak 5*5 award a few weeks ago. Kaleidoscope
Classic In brief, Kaleidoscope Classic is a
brainteasing puzzle of 18 pieces which cover 64 squares and can placed in at least 101 ways to give different patterns.
Autumn must be here as the round of 08 releases start to rear their heads, the first this year goes to Britannica, certainly one up on Encarta that as yet I have not even heard whispers about.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008 edition is available on CD or DVD, I got the latter and went for the complete install which means that you never need to insert the DVD to complete a search or project.
Continuing our series reviewing the array of coffee machines available, this time
we take a look at a well made espresso machine from Kenwood.
The Kenwood Retro is available in three finishes : red, silver and cream. Unlike many
of the machines we've looked at, the Retro takes a very manual approach to preparing your
coffee. Other machines we've reviewed attempt to correctly measure a perfect espresso. This then
leads to complicated 'programming' options to allow you to alter that amount of water used.
With the Kenwood Retro, you get none of this.
This is an updated version of the All Tests product I reviewed last year. The driving Theory test has recently been made harder and now you need to answer 50 rather than 35 questions.
Yes it is now harder to pass the theory test, the questions to answer have increased from 35 to 50 and the cost to take the test has risen from £21.50 to £28.50. All the changes including the new questions are contained in Driving Test - All Tests - 2007/2008 edition. You can now learn on the move as the theory test questions can be downloaded to your iPod or other portable media player.
Like many things, as soon as you get away from home the things you take for granted either
disappear, or become really expensive. Internet access is just one of those impossibly expensive
things that would be incredibly useful on the move.
La Fontera and Hawkings Antenna
Email is one of those services that we take for granted - almost everyone uses it. On the road
though if you want to access email you either have to find an Internet Cafe or pay an exorbitant
fee for the privilege, either using a WiFi hot spot or (slowly) via your mobile phone.
Joining the ever-growing family of Sony Ericsson mobile phones is the Z610i clamshell model.
When it comes to selecting from a candy bar, slider or clamshell with regards to my preferred choice of mobile phone style, my vote always seems to go to the clamshell. I mention this purely as a lead to this review of the Sony Ericsson Z610i phone which is of the clamshell variety.
This All In One product is small and when closed will probably be inoffensive enough to get past the lady of the houses lounge patrol.
The is cream with a grey lid and input tray. This is a four ink (two cartridge) solution. The dimensions are 42x26x16cm when closed the front folds down to form the paper input tray and this adds 15cm to the 26cm depth when A4 paper is stored in it (face down) the printed pages are delivered face up just above this. There are nine buttons in a row on the left edge and a small 3x2.
I remember seeing a very early Everio it did not have a hard disc but a MicroDrive I believe 4GB was possible. Here it has a full blown hard disc at 30GB that allows up to 37 hours recording.
Of course you would need numerous batteries to fill the disk on the new in one session. However for most I suspect two would be enough. As for the 37 hours I would not be happy with that high a compression for anything important. The best quality -super fine- gives just over 7 hours. I also found the -fine- at 10.5hours quite acceptable for most uses. To say a camcorder can fit into a pocket maybe a slight exaggeration but it is small at 11x6x6.5cm and the weight is only around 350grams.
While I will admit to a preference for a dog as a pet, I still enjoy the company of a cat although the same can not be said of the need for a litter tray.
As a nation of pet lovers, it is hardly surprising that several toys are based on this aspect of modern life. With cats recently taking over the number one spot by replacing dogs as the nation's favourite domestic pet, a trend that is clearly re-enforced by my local neighbourhood, it is appropriate that Hasbro has of products.
Eternity II - WOW What a Game - More Addictive Than a Rubics Cube, Tantalising as Sudoku
Published in Entertainment
by carolinewilson
on 15 Aug 2007
Now here is a game/puzzle that is more addictive than a Rubics Cube, more frustrating than the Quality Street jigsaw I bought my other half for Christmas last year and bound to be a fantastic seller this festive season.
As my daughter and I eagerly unwrapped the package our copy of came in we couldn't wait to rip off the cling film and get going. Four hours later we were still at the dining table having zoomed ahead on several occasions, only to find ourselves having to backtrack again. Eternity II The feeling is just like when you find you have one stray white cube in the middle of a face of green squares on your Rubics Cube.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I as regular readers will know am no style guru, but the cream and grey HP PhotoSmart D7160 looks low slung and stylish to me. In fact say it quietly some ladies may even allow it into the lounge.
This is a that comes with some rather nice HP photo software to help you improve your images without hassle. You then have the ability to print, email or even backup the output. photo printer It is 44x40x12cm, apart from the 5x4cm TFT display that could raise the 12cm height by another 5cm should your preferred viewing angle be at 90 degrees, mine is less than half that but it will depend on where the printer is placed.
A little smaller than the other TVs I have looked at but not everyone has room for a 32 or 37inch one. This 26inch version is not only just bigger than that it is quite light to move.
First the actual dimensions, the screen surround is 65x47x12cm and the stand is 29x27cm and adds 5cm to the height. The 26inch screen is 58x32cm. Like most modern TV 's once you have turned the TV on it can live in standby (not very good for the environment) and as the mains lead is hard wired into the unit your choice is either switch off at the 13amp plug or remove it from the plug.
This PC has taken longer to review than normal simply because not only did I have a PC to review but also the operating system it was installed with. Yes Vista is supplied with Eveshams Solar MX100.
Having recently now with thanks to Evesham for their patience lets look at this rather nice PC. Firstly mine came with some quite meaty Creative speakers, a wireless keyboard and mouse set from Logitech, and a 19inch panel that gives a rather good image all within a small total screen surround size of 44x30cm the name on it was new to me Cibox. It is however only an Analogue offering but you can pay extra for a digital model. The maximum screen display is 1440x900.
Samsung 32inch Digital and Analogue TV (LE32N73BD)
Published in Entertainment
by paul_smart
on 19 Apr 2007
Several people I know say Samsung is a good make so after a long while trying I have succeeded to get one to review and you know what they are not wrong.
The outer screen dimensions are 81x51x10cm, there is a 4cm high base (but you can fit it on a wall) and the bases footprint is 24x47cm. The actual size of the wide angle screen is 70x40cm giving the diagonal 32inch measurement. As with most recent TV's the routine is much the same, remove from box, fit the base, plug in aerial and any other boxes (Sky, Cable etc), plug into mains and switch on.
Not perhaps the most catchy title but if I say 50 hours or use on a single AA battery that becomes interesting and as a DAB radio around 14 hours, did I mention that its also tiny in size.
As always I tend to barge right in without reading the blurb. I have over the years reviewed lots of MP3 players and initially if you got 8 to 10 hours of use you were doing well. As things developed then 15 up to around 20 hours was possible. But I have never got beyond that on a single AA battery. Here after 20 hours the indicator is still registering fully charged. Apart from some short tests to tune the DAB all my use up till then had been on MP3 use.
Corel expands its product portfolio as it takes on board the latest version of WinZips compression software.
With my first disk-based computer I was able to fit the operating system, along with a word processor and various documents on a single floppy disk that had a storage capacity of 180K. Those were the days when tight code and other constraints meant that we had little need to consider any form of compression when transferring data from one location to another.
While Adobe PhotoShop is the market leading product, not everybody can afford its premium price. There is an alternative.
Adobe PhotoShop is an excellent product with a range of features and a high performance level. However this quality does come with a premium price tag that puts the software out of the range of many users. This is not only my opinion but that of Adobe as well. The result of this is that Adobe has developed PhotoShop Elements.
This is a rather nice 20inch panel from LG. It has both analogue and digital connectors as well as some quite reasonable speakers built in. It also has a TV tuner.
First the dimensions it is 49cm tall on it's base, 45cm wide and around 6cm thick at the thickest point. The base itself is circular at around 25cm. It weights 8.5kilos. The screen itself is 44x27.5 giving the 20inch diagonal measurement. It has a 3cm surround on both sides and the top, the bottom has a 9cm surround with two quite reasonable conical speakers in it.
A phone looking like a small PDA including Internet connectivity and Blackberry push email, it also has another feature that can make texting a joy not a chore.
I think I could probably send a text using the Sony Ericsson M600 as quickly as a teenager, the one proviso the teenager should be using a normal phone keyboard. No I have not developed Superman's thumbs it's the keypad on the M600 that makes me faster. There are a total of 18 keys and a QWERTY keypad. Each key has more than one action dependant on where you strike it.
After looking at a range of 15x10cm printers its nice to be back to an A4 offering that is quick, produces excellent output and can also print direct onto CDs, alas it refuses to make the tea.
It is 43x30x18cm and weights close to 7.5kilos. This is a six ink offering and I suspect most would use it for printing photos and this it excels in. However first the details of text pages using my default 200 word document it prints 14PPM in what is termed 'fast' mode. Printing a more normal 1500 word document spread over four pages in the same mode produced 9.5PPM.
Jewels, gold coins and ancient Egyptian symbols are just some of the elements found in a new offering from URSE Games.
Like big red buses, games of the same genre have a habit of making their introduction in close proximity to each other. An example of this happened quite recently when two similar games, that belonged to the Breakout/Arkanoid family, turned up within days of each other. One of these titles was reviewed earlier on this site and now it is the turn of Gem Ball from URSE Games.
Fitting somewhere between a mobile phone and a landline, a new DECT phone is put to the test.
Why should mobile phones have sole access to all the tasty features that are currently available within the telephony sphere? Landlines have been around for far longer and, even now, hold the dominant position within the home - so maybe it is time for some of these usability features to make the transition from mobile to landline.
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