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!
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.
HP Deskjet 5940
Published in Printers/Scanners
by paul_smart
on 3 Sep 2006
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.
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.
Chessmaster 10 from Focus
Published in Software
by paul_smart
on 25 Aug 2006
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.
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.
US Robotics Max g 9108
Published in Wireless
by paul_smart
on 30 Jul 2006
With the home rapidly having more and more PC's then having wireless connectivity makes sense if only to avoid the hazards of trailing wires that are lethal to all ages.
The "paperless office" maybe a result of marketing hype but electronic documents are on the increase. Nuance offers a solution to help you manage these types of documents.
Usually suites consist of 3-5 elements; however Easy Media Creator Suite 8 brings together the functionality of 25 products.
Acer may have been late coming to the digital camera marketplace but the company has quickly made up ground as its latest models show.
The technology behind digital cameras continues at such a pace that it is easy to become confused by the range of specifications that are on offer. There are so many different aspects that need to be considered when making your choice. Some say that the higher the camera's megapixel rating the better and this can affect the quality of the image. However other factors have their part to play.
Although displaced by the iPod as the number one choice for mobile music, the Walkman refuses to lie down as its appearance in various mobile phones indicates.
Sony is well known for its style and entertainment expertise while Ericsson is seeped in the technology of telecommunications. Put the new companies together and one result is the Sony Ericsson W810i Walkman phone. Decked out in cool Midnight Black, this Quad band (GSM, GPRS, EDGE 850/900/1800/1900) handset combines a Walkman music player and 2.0 megapixel camera with a full range of mobile phone capabilities.
Being responsible for your data storage, a hard disk deserves the type of special consideration that Acronis can offer.
Insuring your computer against data loss is just a matter of making sure you have backup software and USE it on a regular basis.
Not all hubs are created equal. The latest hub device from Belkin is a prime example.
This is a twin tuner PVR (hard disc recorder) with built in Freeview so you can record two channels at the same time, or start watching something from the beginning after its started, and, lots more.
There are lots of hard disc recorders about, some are analogue, a few are digital but this unit marketed by Evesham Technology has built in Freeview (so no other box is required) and best of all it can record two separate channels at the same time. Because of the loop through you can still watch an analogue channel at the same time.
Portable Photo Printing
Published in Printers/Scanners
by mfereday
on 24 Mar 2006
The rise in the popularity of digital photography has seen the introduction of personal photograph printers such as the Photosmart 385.
The arrival of a new printer, for testing purposes, is usually followed by a period of hectic activity as boxes and the like are moved around in the vain hope of creating enough space for the printer and its accompanying packaging. I must admit that you can become quite skilled at this type of exercise but it does take up time and can increase the frustration level.
Logitech LX7 Cordless Optical Mouse
Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple
by mfereday
on 16 Mar 2006
There are so many mice to choose from that it can be a difficult decision. Here is one that quickly became a personal favourite.
I have had the opportunity to try out numerous wireless mice from various companies such as Microsoft and Logitech. In most cases the kit would be made up of the mouse and a receiver unit that attaches via a lengthy lead to a USB port or with a USB flash device style receiver. However there are always exceptions and one such example is the Logitech LX7 Cordless Optical Mouse.
Getting from A to B has never been easier for those taking the GPS route. Navicore has recently updated its product for the intrepid traveller.
Navicore is one of the companies leading the way in making Satnav technology an economic and easy to use proposition. Last year saw the introduction of Navicore Personal and this product has been quickly followed by Navicore Personal 2006 which offers several new features to the basic Satnav features. One aspect of the product that has not changed is Navicore's approach to the technology.
One way to help speed-up hard disk activity is to use a defrag tool. A leading contender is Diskeeper.
No matter how careful you are, the content of your hard disk will become fragmented over the passage of time. This will happen quite naturally through the normal course of business as files are removed and new data is added. Rather than look for a space big enough for the new information, Windows will break the file into portions which can then end up in various locations on the hard disk rather than a contiguous area.
Getting Bluetooth to work has not always been as easy as it should be. However help is available with a new device from Belkin.
I must admit that my experiences with Bluetooth have not always been totally successful. This wireless technology, originally developed back in 1994 by the mobile phone company Ericsson and named after a tenth century Viking king called Harald "Bluetooth" Blatand, has probably been responsible for a number ( I was tempted to say 'fair number' but decided against the pun) of my grey hairs.
Seagate Portable Hard Drive
Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple
by mfereday
on 17 Jan 2006
Struggling for more storage space? Then why not consider an external hard drive.
Goodmans Micro1104SDAB affordable HiFi with DAB radio and CD
Published in Entertainment
by jonw
on 15 Jan 2006
Want something with Dab radio that doesn't look like it came out of the ark? Want DAB as part of a system with CD player? Want 'stereo' that sounds great? And all at an unbelievable price? That's what we found in the Goodmans Micro 1104SDAB.
We weren't particularly looking for all those features, what we wanted were a couple of good quality, non-portable stereos that we could give the girls for Christmas. Non-portable, because we didn't want another one they'd cart around and break. Wandering round John-Lewis we found a stack of these Goodmans micro-systems. I've had a couple of Goodmans products before and never been disappointed and at the special price of £69 I was wondering what the catch was.
With more and more users taking advantage of Broadband, wireless and networking, NETGEARs® Wireless ADSL Modem Router could come into its own.
As Broadband and the take-up of networking expands into the small office and home user market, so there is a need for kit that will provide the necessary features with greater ease-of-use and perhaps having a touch of style about it. This is an area in which NETGEAR feels its products have the necessary combination of performance and distinctive appearance to make them stand out from the pack.
If Adobe Photoshop and Premiere titles are beyond your budget then alternatives are still available from Adobe.
Looking for a way to improve your systems performance then perhaps you should consider a set of utilities from VCOM.
ViewSonic VA702
Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple
by mfereday
on 17 Dec 2005
Do you need to increase the space on your desktop? Then why not change your bulky CRT monitor for a slim line LCD screen.
With different DVD formats available, it can be difficult deciding the type of media to use. Why not opt for a drive that supports all formats.
While new computer systems, whether of the desktop or notebook variety, generally arrive with a CD/DVD burner as standard, the drive will probably not support all the various formats available. With a choice of DVD+R, DVD-R and DVD-RAM, it is more than likely that the drive in residence will only be able to read / write two of the three formats. However there are drives available, normally referred to as a multi-drive, which can handle all three formats.
Mobile Media Centre
Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple
by mfereday
on 29 Nov 2005
DVDs, video, music, images and television are the main ingredients of a media centre. They can all be found on a notebook from Acer.
The latest version of an old favourite returns under new management. This should please the many Paint Shop Pro fans.
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