Publication History For : Michael Fereday
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With dimensions of 143 x 69 x 7.7 mm (H x W x D) and weighing 152g, the Xperia X is Sony’s latest entry into the rather overcrowded smartphone market sector.
The Sony Xperia X handset is currently available in a choice of colours. The user can select from models coloured White, Graphite Black, Lime, Gold and Rose Gold. My review sample is the Graphite Black model. The Sony Xperia X’s metallic casing is dominated by a 5-inch screen that is capable of displaying Full HD 1080p resolution with bright clearly visible content in different lighting conditions.
As our personal storage needs increase, we need to look for a solution to offer easily accessible storage capacity. A NAS box could be the answer.
Forming part of Buffalo’s LinkStation 500 series of NAS devices is the LS510 model. Adding a sizeable wedge of storage capacity to your home network resources, the NAS LS510 is a single hard disk unit for creating your local Cloud based storage. I have been checking out the 2TB version of the product and I have been led to believe that 3 and 4TB modules are currently available.
I could have entitled this review as “Be Afraid!” which might give you a clue as to the game’s content.
True Fear: Forsaken Souls is a Hidden Object Adventure game that is available in Standard or Collector’s Edition formats. My review of this game, developed by GOBLINZ, is based on the Collector’s Edition which contains a number of bonus items, some of which are available immediately while others require you to make progress or complete the main game.
Following on from its popular industry leading portrait make-over software, entitled Portrait Pro, Anthropics Technology has moved its focus from the foreground to the background with its new LandscapePro software.
Described as being the industry’s first intelligent landscape photo editing package, LandscapePro from Anthropics Technology is available in either Standard or Studio edition mode. With the latter edition, the software comes as a standalone offering or as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Photoshop Elements. This review is based on the Studio standalone version of the software.
I’m for ever blowing bubbles could be the theme song when I am applying a screen protector.
It has been said that there is “more than one way to skin a cat” and this could be one of those occasions. I should point out that, in this case, the cat is the screen of a mobile device and the skinning involves the addition of a layer rather than the removal of the epidermis.
The more you use Windows, the more reluctant your computer will be to perform at its optimum level. This next product offers to help.
Over the years Nero (the company rather than the Roman Emperor of old) has developed from a company producing burning software (hence the name) to one that has developed a number of titles dealing with topics such as media manipulation and data backup. The latest string to Nero’s bow to appear concentrates on the area of keeping Windows computer and Android devices running smoothly.
One of my grandmother’s was named Nelly but she was nothing like the main character of this next game
It is time to give my home a good cleaning while checking out a Hoover vacuum cleaner.
The Hoover Velocity is a bagless, upright vacuum cleaner which could, more or less, seem to cover everything about the product. This is, after all, a product has been manufactured by Hoover. It is both bagless and an upright vacuum cleaner plus it has been christened “Velocity”. Fortunately there are a couple of other issues that means this review will be of a reasonable length rather than just a few sentences.
This is definitely a case of company action negating a review.
Not only does Vodafone offer users a vast range of mobile devices from the industry’s leading manufacturers but it also has its own brand of handsets. The Vodafone own branded handsets form the Smart range of products.
Bluetooth speakers come in various shapes and sizes with a price point that reveals the audio quality delivered by the device.
With an easy to remember name, the Riva S is a Bluetooth mobile speaker that is available in a choice of three colour schemes. You can opt for Black with Titanium, White with Silver or, as in the case of my review unit, White with Gold. In each case the first colour is used for the top and bottom of the unit while the second colour decorates the heavily perforated aluminium band that encircles the main body as it acts as the speaker grille.
Are you ready to enter various dreamland environments as you search for children missing from Kronville?
Kronville – Stolen Dreams is a Hidden Object Adventure Games that is based on the disappearance of twelve children. Your role in this game is to take on the task of locating and rescuing the missing children from whatever force has imprisoned them. Unlike many other games of this genre, the options available to players are rather limited when setting up the game environment. You can create named profiles for individual players.
Aimed at the budget sector of the mobile market, and currently it is available for around £74, the Archos 70b Helium has been released under the banner of “Entertainment your way”.
While some might regard the Archos 70b Helium as a bulky smartphone, I tend to feel that its size pushes it more into the phablet (a word that I do not find all that appealing) classification. This smartphone on steroids has dimensions of 188 x 108 x 9.9mm (H x W x D) which means that this unit is far too large for my usual phone pocket.
According to recent research, 29 of the UK’s major insurers will now accept evidence from in-car cameras as part of an insurance claim. Some insurers, such as Swiftcover, even offer a discount on motor insurance premiums if you are using a recognised in-car dash camera.
How many entities share your bed? The answer might surprise you. Did you know that an average mattress can be home to 10 million dust mites? The reason why dust mites choose this type of habitat is that they thrive in the warm, moist environment engendered by such a location.
Once firmly established in a mattress, the dust mites can get to work by bringing on allergies and respiratory problems for their human bedfellows who tend to spend up to one third of their lives in bed. It has been estimated that 300 million people suffer from asthma and up to 250 million people suffer from other allergies on a worldwide basis which goes to show how extremely busy the dust mites have been.
No doubt you know the story of the first Cinderella. But perhaps you are not as familiar with the tale of the Final Cinderella especially when it forms part of the Dark Parables series of titles.
Dark Parables: The Final Cinderella is a Hidden Object Adventure game developed by Blue Tea Games. Standard and Collector’s Edition versions of the game are available and this review is based on the Collector’s Edition which comes with a number of bonus items, most of which can be accessed immediately. You can tackle puzzles, view wallpaper, check out a movie gallery, concept art and parable notes plus an additional game.
As its version number of X8 indicates, CorelDRAW has been around for a good number of years. In fact this software’s first appearance was back in 1989 as it offered users full colour vector illustration and layout functionality on the Windows platform. Over the years this software product has undergone numerous changes including a metamorphosis into a suite rather than a single offering.
This latest X8 version of this package consists of CorelDRAW X8, Corel PHOTO PAINT X8, Corel Font Manager X8, Corel CONNECT X8, Corel CAPTURE X8, Corel Power Trace X8 and Corel Website Creator. You also get bucket-loads of content with 10000 items of clipart and digital images, 2000 professional digital photos, 10000 OpenType® fonts, 350 professionally designed templates, 2000 vehicle templates and over 1000 fills, frames and patterns to use with your projects.
Whether playing to win or just for enjoyment, you need the appropriate tools in order to succeed in the competitive gaming arena.
As part of its expanding range of gaming keyboards, Logitech has released a couple of new Cherry Mechanical offerings under the G610 Orion brand. Constructed of industrial grade plastic for a strong, robust appearance that is strong enough to handle the heavy workload of a gaming device, these keyboards are designated as either Brown or, as in the case of my review model, Red.
It will not come as a surprise to regular game players to hear that Shadlight, developed by Wadjet Eye Games, is a point and click adventure offering that is set in a world where everything is a little off-kilter. In fact the world of Shadlight takes you into an environment that has come about following a post-apocalyptic blast which occurred some 20 years earlier. This is a world where what is left of the population has split into distinct classes.
In the world of Shadlight the ruling classes are known as Aristicrats. This highly distinct group, with names taken from the Roman Empire and an appearance that pre-dated the French Revolution, control all the world’s facilities and available resources. They hand out titbits as personal favours for carrying out their wishes.
While many users have an anti-virus contract in place, they sometimes fail to protect their data in other ways.
According to BullGuard, a fast growing anti-malware and mobile security brand, millions of us are putting our personal and financial data at risk. One reason for this worrying claim is the habit that many of us have of auto-storing passwords on our smartphones.
Designed by Huawei, the P9 smartphone comes with a couple of “Firsts” that might appeal to purchasers.
Following the company’s recently established practice of alternately switching between the release of a premium and more budget orientated model, the latest offering to appear from Huawei is the company’s high-end P9 smartphone product. Released with more than a touch of the style I have come to expect from Huawei, the P9 has been created in collaboration with Leica Camera AG. The result is the first-time appearance of a distinctive dual-lens camera smartphone.
Spread over five chapters, the game of Parallel’s Cross is situated in the grounds and buildings that make up a boarding school with the name of Westerfeld Manor. As you play this graphics adventure offering that is available for purchasing and downloading from various gaming sites, you are cast in the role of a mother who son has gone missing during a car journey.
Parallel Cross’s opening title screen gives you the option of adjusting various game settings and creating profiles for individual players. You can adjust the volume levels for music and sound effects plus opt to play in full screen mode with the assistance of hardware cursor. Three levels of difficulty are available for players of varying ability.
Mixing a touch of style with plenty of storage space and a single USB connection, Seagate adds a new hard drive to its portfolio.
In one respect this could be considered as one of those “Big Red London Bus” moments that occur from time to time. Usually, in my experience, this type of event happens when two products of a similar type roll off the review production line in close proximity. However, in this case, the products concerned are not all that similar in that one was a smartphone and the next to appear in the line is an external hard drive.
Having recently divested itself of some of its product line up, Sony can now put more effort into offerings such as its Smartphone catalogue.
The Xperia Z5 is the latest addition to Sony’s range of smartphones to be available from Vodafone. This particular model has dimensions of 146 x 72 x 7.3mm (H x W x D) and weighs in at 154g. Featuring a 5.2-inch screen with 1080p resolution, the Xperia Z5 is available in a range of colour schemes including White, Gold, Green, Pink and, as in the case of my review unit, Graphite Black.
Health issues played a major part in the products displayed at the recent Wearable Technology Show.
It was over a decade ago that I first came across the Mio brand of devices. These were various products offering SatNav functionality for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. Recently, following a visit to the Wearable Show held at the Excel Exhibition Centre, I was re-introduced to Mio and the company’s range of activity trackers such as the Mio Alpha 2 which forms the basis of this next review.
Mixing together pirates, Leonardo da Vinci invention and islands within the Bermuda Triangle, this next game sets you the task of thwarting a plan to dominate the world.
Hidden Expedition – The Uncharted Islands is a Hidden Object Adventure Game developed by Floodlight Games and available from Big Fish Games. In order to play this game you will need a 1GHz processor with 1024MB of RAM and 240MB of hard disk space running Windows 7 and later. Pricing is in the region of £7.70.
Spreading its audio net wide, Edifier’s latest speaker system can connect to a range of sources.
As sometimes happens, a model number gives very little away regarding the product's purpose. However it does give me the opportunity to explain that the R2730DB is a multimedia speaker system from the Edifier comprehensive range of audio products. This particular model consists of a pair of speaker units, a small remote control device and an assortment of leads for specific purposes plus a User Manual booklet.
Offering to be your personal private shopper, your Big Apple Buddy claims to get the tech items you want.
A recent spell of convalescing in hospital, as I recovered from a brain bleed, coincided with a number of UK launches I had planned to attend but circumstances decreed otherwise. Also happening during the same period were a number of announcements regarding certain US products that might be of interest to the likes of you and I. Fortunately I had been provided with details of these announcements, sight unseen, for the benefit of Gadgetspeak readers.
You have probably heard, on more than one occasion, the popular sayings of “As pretty as a picture” or “The camera never lies”. These two saying were far more appropriate yesterday than in today’s more computer dominated society. We now have access to a number of software applications that do their best to improve on the former saying and misrepresent what is delivered by the latter. One such product is Portrait Professional from Anthropics.
It has been around three years since I last took a look at the Portrait Professional software. In the intervening interval, the software has moved from version 11 to the current offering of version 15 which is available in Standard, Studio and Studio Max flavours. I have been using the 64-bit Studio Max product as the basis of this review.
With its title of Haunted Legends: The Undertaker, you should have a pretty good idea that this next game will involve zombies at some point and you would be correct.
Developed by ERS Game Studio and available in a choice of Standard or Collector’s Edition format, Haunted Legends: The Undertaker is a Hidden Object Adventure game. My review is based on the Collector’s Edition product which comes with a number of Extra items. Some of the addition items, such as Strategy Guide, Music and Concept Art, can be accessed immediately.
The One holding the Spear of Destiny will rule the World. Can you stop it happening?
According to ancient legend, the Spear of Destiny is the most powerful artefact in the world. Who ever has possession of this artefact can rule the world. So powerful was this artefact that, when the last person to control the force died, a council of wise men decided that its power should be weaken by the removal of the various gems built into the artefact. These gems were then handed over to an ancient Colossus who was charged with guarding them.
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