Publication History For : Michael Fereday
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Older articlesA Humax Soundbar
Published in Entertainment
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9 Sep 2014
While entertainment devices generally have their own built-in audio output, it is not always of the highest quality. This next product offers to improve the audio output.
If you have not had the battery of a mobile device die on you then you must be incredibly lucky. But do not tempt fate and check out this battery charger.
While data is generally easily accessible from almost any location via the Internet and an appropriate Wi-Fi hot spot, its availability will depend upon whether your mobile device has sufficient battery power to carry out the task. When the mobile device does not have enough power then problems can arise. It would be great if we could simply log on to the Internet or some other system yet-to-be developed and carry out recharging the battery powering our mobile devices.
Look after your health and it will look after you so goes the saying and this next product could prove useful.
Personal health and fitness is an issue that should concern us all. However, for some it is easily ignored due to the demands of everyday living. Fortunately help is available from various wearable devices that offer to provide feedback regarding certain health issues. Originally these devices tended to concentrate their efforts on a single topic such as how far the wearer has walked in a given period. But now devices are available to check on a range of health issues.
This next Focus Multimedia offering bundles together two Big Fish titles that feature a magical world.
With a brand name that suggests an explosive device and an appearance that reminds me of a slightly squashed sweet I enjoyed when I was younger, the subject of this next review is a Bluetooth portable speaker unit.
Forming part of the BOOMPODS range of products, the Downdraft speaker adopts a circular discus-like shape with a diameter of 55mm and a height of 30mm at its thickest point. Weighing 112g, and with its compact size, the Downdraft can easily be transported between locations by slipping it into a pocket or bag.
With the amount of available content, either free or subscription based, you might need help to access it. This next product could help.
The Roku Streaming Stick, as it name might imply, is a product for adding streaming capabilities to a device. In this case it is your television set. Resembling one of the original flash sticks, the purple coloured Roku Streaming Stick has body dimensions of 70 x 25 x 10mm (L x W x D) and simply slots into a HDMI port of your television set.
Not everybody needs a printer with various bells and whistles such as Wi-Fi and remote printing capability. The subject of this next review is just such as basic device.
The Canon PIXMA iP2850 is an inkjet printer. This model concentrates all its functionality on the print aspect using two ink cartridges (Black and Colour). Connectivity is via Hi-Speed USB 2.0 with the user providing the necessary lead to link the printer to a computer. Apart from a couple of Canon Logos and a Fine Print sticker, the printer is decked out totally in Apple White signifying that Canon feels this unit has been designed specifically for home use rather than in an office.
Redemption Cemetery is a series of Hidden Object Adventure games, currently standing at five, published originally by Big Fish Games. Focus Multimedia has taken two of these titles and bundled then together in a single package which is priced at the companys usual £10.20 level.
If a wireless network does not work for you then this next Devolo product might provide a solution.
While Wi-Fi is the choice of many when setting up a home network, the technology does not suit every environment especially when obstructions can cause dead areas. A popular alternative solution is that provided by Powerline technology with products such as those developed by Devolo. The company’s latest addition to its dLAN Powerline series is the dLAN 650 Triple+ product.
This is not a case of Jam tomorrow as offered in Lewis Carrolls Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Did Next. Instead it is, in fact, Jam today as HMDX adds another device to its series of Jam portable speakers. This is the Jam Plus which, as you might suppose from its title, is the slightly larger sibling of the companys original Jam device that I reviewed last year.
The Jam Plus device is a Bluetooth speaker which adopts a barrel shape as it rises to a height of 8cm from a base with a diameter of 8cm. Living up to its Jam designation, the product arrives packaged in a container than could easily be mistaken for a jam jar. The resemblance to a jar of jam is enhanced by the various colours schemes used for these devices. You have a choice of blue, red, grey, pink or purple for this device.
While not everybodys favourite household task, a vacuum cleaner, especially a cordless one, can help.
Some company names have been known to take on an even greater significance through common usage. Rather than just representing the company and/or its products, its name is used as the generic term for a particular concept. One of the more recent and a prime example is that of Google with the name representing the company and that of a verb used to describe the act of searching for information.
With the various conspiracy theories, the assassination of J F Kennedy is an obvious target (no pun intended) on which the developers of games can base their work. One example of this is Hidden Files Echoes of JFK. Available from Avanquest GSP label, this game sets you the task of investigating more modern day events that are meant to have a connection with the assassination of JFK on the 22nd of November 1963.
While perhaps not as cheap as chips as one television presenter is inclined to mention when discussing the value of an item, the cost of additional storage for either Windows or Apple computers is becoming increasingly affordable as the amount of storage capacity on offer increases.
As I have mentioned before, on more than one occasion, my first hard drive was a 20MB model and this was considered more than ample at that period of time. However, as I am sure we are all aware, our appetites for storage has increased greatly as we need storage space for videos, music, images and software to satisfy our productivity and entertainment needs.
Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood is the sequel to Enigmatis: The Ghost of Maple Creek, a game that I seemed to have missed for some reason.
Available in Collector’s Edition format from Avanquest GSP game catalogue, this Mists of Ravenwood title is a Hidden Object Adventure game in which you are cast in the role of a female detective who is still on the trail of the demonic preacher from the first title. When playing this game you have the opportunity to adjust volume levels for sound effects and background music.
This time last year I checked out the Kingston MobileLite Wireless product. This device allowed you to stream content wirelessly to various mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. The content being streamed was stored on SD memory cards and USB flash sticks. Since my original review Kingston has been busy developing the next generation of this product which, appropriately enough, is entitled MobileLite Wireless G2.
Predominately black in colour with a white trim around the sides, the MobileLite Wireless G2 is similar in general size to most of the smartphones it has been designed to work alongside. It has dimensions of 129.14 x 79.09 x 19.28mm (H x W x D) and weighs 171g which means it is eminently portable. Connections for standard USB and SD memory card are located on the top of the unit.
Like the previous Avanquest 4 Play Collection I reviewed recently, this next collection brings together four titles under the banner of Mystery Places.
The four titles in this collection are The Secret of Ghost Manor, The Secret of the Hildegards, Tales from the Dragon Mountain and The Town with No Name. Whereas the titles in the first collection (Ghostly Adventures) were available individually from the Avanquest website, these four titles are currently only on offer in this collection. A front-end menu allows you to select each title for installation individually with the option of including a desktop icon for launching each title.
Is it a laptop? Or is it a tablet? In fact the Pavilion 11 x360 PC is a hybrid as it combines the look, feel and functionality of a laptop with that of a tablet through its screen capability to swivel through 360 degrees, hence the x360 part of the products title.
Basically this is a laptop device that is decked out in eye-catching red livery and is definitely not a product that will easily be overlooked. The HP Pavilion 11 dimensions are 308 x 215 x 21.9mm while its weight is 1.4kg. As you raise the lid of the laptop, revealing its 11.6-inch HD touch screen, you can keep on going until the lid folds back on itself to convert the laptop into tablet mode.
With temperatures rising during July, many companies are keen to show off their Christmas wares.
As you would expect with the UK’s largest IT and Home Electronics High Street retailer, the combo of Currys & PC World has made extensive plans well in advance for the coming festive season. It has even product a Top Ten list of predictions for the must have tech gifts but more on this a little later. With its belief in a “Smart” future, the company has created while offering a range of gifts aimed at different customer groups.
Adding to the already large number of Bluetooth speakers in the marketplace is the latest offering from Edifier.
I suppose it had to happen sooner or later as I come across one of those “as rare as hen’s teeth” events such as the appearance of an Edifier speaker product that adopts a fairly regular shape rather than one of those used by the company with its earlier offerings. In this instance the product is the Edifier Extreme Connect. This is a portable Bluetooth speaker system.
Nightmares from the Deep: The Sirens Call is the sequel to Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart which was reviewed earlier on this site. Do not worry if you have not played the first title as, although your character is the same in both games, The Sirens Call is a self-contained offering.
Available from Avanquest GSP game catalogue, Nightmares from the Deep: The Siren’s Call is a Hidden Object Adventure game in Collector’s Edition format. Along with the main game, this title comes with a number of bonus items, the majority of which are immediately available. Right from the start you can access the concept art, cut-scenes, Hidden Object puzzles, wallpaper, music and the Strategy Guide.
While the presence of coffee shops on the High Street continues to grow, we still need a means of providing our favourite beverage in the home.
Don’t get the wrong impression if I mention that I am a Mug sort of guy. Let me explain what I mean by that remark. I am the type of person who has always preferred having their hot beverage, whether it was tea of coffee, in a mug rather than a cup. Mainly because a mug holds more of the refreshing liquid but I suppose there is also some of my northern upbringing in there as well.
Despite a couple of changes in ownership, Motorola continues to develop an interesting range of new handsets for the smartphone market. A recent addition to this range is the Moto E. This handset has been designed with the first-time smartphone owner in mind especially those who are looking for a well made handset at an affordable price.
Slightly smaller than the extremely popular and ground-breaking Moto G (currently fulfilling the role of my smartphone device), the Moto E has dimensions of 64.8 x 124.8mm for the width and height with the curved back varying between 6.2 to 12.3mm. With its permanently attached battery, this handset weighs 142g.
Whether stored on your computer or mobile device, MAGIXs latest audio product offers to provide cleaning facilities.
MAGIX has released the latest version of its Audio Cleaning Lab software for working with audio files. Following the pattern introduced with last year’s offering, this new version is identified by the 2014 year’s designation. Unlike the 2013 version of MAGIX’s Audio Cleaning Lab, which came with a couple of bonus software items (MP3 deluxe MX and muffin player 2.5), this latest version of the product dispenses with the additional offerings.
The next game is one of those that is easy to play but can be extremely addictive.
While there are numerous games that owe their appeal to some incredible graphics as the player sets out to defeat overwhelming forces, construct futuristic environments and control extremely powerful machinery in competitive racing, other types of games have a more laid-back approach with regards to in user appeal. The use of logic within a simple graphic environment is all they need to grab and hold on to the user’s attention.
When is a speaker not a speaker? The answer could well be when the particular audio output device is called a soundbar.
The Samsung HW-H550 is a two piece Wireless Audio Soundbar product that consists of the main soundbar element and a wireless active subwoofer. Along with the soundbar and subwoofer units, Samsung has packed various accessories into the box.
Adding to the range of budget priced smartphones, Vodafone has released another member of its Smart family.
Vodafone has added to its range of handsets branded with its own name. This new addition is the Vodafone Smart 4 handset. The smartphone is available in a choice of black (as with my review unit) or white. Powering this Android smartphone is a 1.2GHz Dual Core Qualcomm MSM8210 processor backed up by 4GB of RAM and 512MB of RAM. The Smart 4 has dimensions of 134.7 x 66 x 10.6mm (H x W x D) and weighs 152g (battery included).
They are small, they are fast and they perform tricks. Welcome to the MiniDrones.
Parrot, the developer of technologically advanced consumer products for smartphones and tablet, opted for one of London’s high-rise locations to announce that we are about to be invaded by a new generation of connected trays. This initial onslaught will be led by the Rolling Spider and the Jumping Sumo that will perform under the control of Parrot’s FreeFlight 3 application for Apple and Android devices.
No sooner do I complete a review of a Brother monochrome laser printer when another Brother product is delivered to my front door.
As part of its new range of colour laser printers, aimed at the SMB (Small Medium Business) market sector, Brother has released six specific models. My review sample is the entry level model known by the designation of HL-L8250CDN. This is a network ready standalone colour laser printer that connects to a computer system via a USB connection. Brother tells me that the reason for using USB rather than wireless is because many small businesses prefer it that way.
Speakers tend to come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Take for example the speaker currently providing the delivery of my music entertainment as I type this review.
"The product in question is the i-box Max. This is the big and more powerful brother of the company’s Trax Bluetooth speaker which, as it titles might imply, features tank track-like treads running around the body of the speaker’s body. Fortunately, for a more aesthetic appearance, the designers of the Max have dispensed with the treads which were merely decorative and served no other purpose. The Max, however, does retain the same basic shape of a tank-like body.
Making a change from the usual offerings from Doro, this next handset has a name change to reflect its additional functionality.
In the past I have looked at numerous Doro handsets that have been designed primarily for the more mature user or those with visual or mobility issues. All these various handsets, whether of the clamshell or candy bar style of unit, could be classified as feature phones. This next Doro offering however, while retaining some of the same design concepts of the earlier models, is the company’s first smartphone offering.
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