Highly commended

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!

FileMaker Pro 8

Published in Software by mfereday on 24 Oct 2005
What Windows product is owned by Apple Computer? The answer is a top selling database that I have been using for many years.

Vonage Phone Adapter

Published in Phones by paul_smart on 13 Oct 2005
This offers a very similar service to that I reviewed earlier this year, the main difference is that this is a portable service and can be connected to any standard router.

Epson Stylus Photo R220

Published in Printers/Scanners by mfereday on 30 Sep 2005
Looking to produce hard copies of your photos or decorate your CDs with fancy labels, then think about spending £70 on an Epson printer.

Belkin Surgemaster F9M820UK2M

Published in Misc by paul_smart on 30 Sep 2005
Outwardly it may look like just another surge strip however it has a very nice extra feature. This is not the ‘up to £175,000’ you could claim if it should fail to do it’s job.
Increasing your USB 2.0 connectivity options and memory card capability is now possible with a single device from Belkin.

A 64-bit TravelMate

Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple by mfereday on 13 Aug 2005
Acer continues its assault on the laptop market with yet another addition to its TravelMate range.

A Network Laser Printer

Published in Printers/Scanners by mfereday on 10 Aug 2005
With home networks on the increase, perhaps it is time you considered a laser printer designed for that particular environment.
Brand names come and go but one that seems to go on for ever is that of Hewlett Packard's LaserJet product line. With a pedigree that stretches back to the 1980s, there seems to be no end of laser printers joining this particular family. One of the more recent additions is the LaserJet 1022 model which is available in standard (1022), network (1022n) and wireless network (1022nw) versions.

Working with PDF

Published in Software by mfereday on 28 Jul 2005
PDF documents are everywhere. ScanSoft offers a means of working with these files.
Ever wanted to go back in time to the 80's and all those great arcade games that didn't take a month of Sundays to play?
If you're bored with your latest Play Station games, frustrated that you've been playing the latest Harry Potter game since Christmas and can't get to the end or even, like me, work out whether there is in fact an end - then help is at hand! still If you just hark back to a noisier time when video games could be played, and lost, in a matter of minutes with explosions everywhere and a complete lack of sublety, then help is at hand! The video game gives you all this

Snap Happy

Published in Cameras by mfereday on 23 June 2005
Hold that pose! There’s a camera out there just for you and it could well be the latest Acer model.

ZyXEL Prestige 660RU

Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple by paul_smart on 30 May 2005
Over the next couple of weeks this will be mentioned several times. As not only does this rate a review of it’s own it has also featured in at least two others.

A Travelling Companion

Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple by mfereday on 18 May 2005
When it comes to laptops, Acer believes it can satisfy your every need. The TravelMate 4650 is one example
Whereas the Acer Aspire range of laptops has a home/entertainment feel to it, the company's TravelMate models are aimed more at the mobile/office worker who is looking for a desktop replacement or a combination of power and portability to take on their travels. Positioned somewhere in the middle of the TravelMate range is the 4650 model.
canon pixma ip3000 printe

Canon Pixma iP3000

Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple by paul_smart on 6 Feb 2005
I reviewed the sibling to this (iP2000) last year, although this came out at the same time the media recommended to work with it’s CD/DVD printing capabilities has only just arrived.
It is 42x29x17cm and weighs around 6.5kilos. Paper is loaded face forward in a vertical stack at the rear of the unit and this adds around 21cm to the height. Paper is delivered face up from a drop down door that doubles as a tray to catch output and this adds another 21cm to the depth. As always the stated print speeds are not met, I managed 12PPM printing a 200 word document and just on 9PPM printing a 1500 word - spread over four page - item.

Paint Shop Photo Album Deluxe

Published in Misc by mfereday on 14 Nov 2004
Memories fade as do photographs if you don’t look after them. But how?

Paint Shop Pro 9

Published in Misc by mfereday on 12 Nov 2004
It started life as Shareware, became a popular commercial product and now has a new owner – meet Paint Shop Pro.
http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel2/Products/Home&pid=1047023911984 It is with more than a touch of sadness that I have to report that this review is based on the last version of Paint Shop Pro to appear from Jasc. Incidentally I am reliably informed that the company name of Jasc was formed from the initial letters of the founder's two main interests - those of Jet planes and Software Company.

Store 'n Go the Professional Way

Published in Misc by mfereday on 30 Oct 2004
Carrying your data in a pocket has never been easier with a USB storage device.

Have Mouse, Will Travel

Published in Wireless by mfereday on 26 Oct 2004
Not all mice are created equally otherwise we would be deprived of the luxury of choice.

Print, Copy and Scan Photographs

Published in Misc by mfereday on 19 Oct 2004
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.
Instead of letting your fingers do the work, you could use them as an aid to your memory. To discover how, read on!
3megapixel, 3x optical zoom, 32MB SD card, if that does not get you interested then perhaps the sub £100 price point may, if not then you are probably not looking for a digital camera.
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