Publication History For : Michael Fereday
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Bringing together the various streams of entertainment content that is readily available is the stated aim of a black box from Samsung.
The Samsung STB-E7500M is a Freeview dual tuner personal video recorder (PVR) box that comes with a built-in 500GB hard drive for storing content. While not the smallest device of its type, this reflective black box, with dimensions of 330 x 270 x 45mm (W x D x H), is not too demanding with regards to space and it does look stylish enough to fit in with most home environments as you control its range of features with the supplied full-size remote control unit.
A visit to the dentist does not rate high on my list of favourite tasks. As a result I am always on the look-out for ways of keeping my teeth and gums in a healthy state.
Diamonds, for James Bond fans, are forever. These precious stones are also, according to a classic Hollywood movie, “a girls’ best friend”. Now, so Philips informs me, diamond (note the switch to the singular from the plural) is the latest high standard of oral cleanliness that is available from the company’s new electronic toothbrush.
Corel has never been afraid to open its purse strings to purchase software companies especially when it concerns graphics offerings. One of its latest purchases was ROXIO.
On one of its recent shopping trips Corel purchased ROXIO and its various software products. One of these titles is ROXIO Creator which provides the user with a range of tools for capturing, creating and sharing media content plus burning this content to optical media. The latest version of this software still bears the ROXIO name and is entitled Creator NXT. Included with the ROXIO branded software is a full copy of Corel’s Paint Shop Pro image editing package.
As part of the Hidden Mystery Collectives series, Focus Multimedia has bundled together two Haunted Manor titles in a two-game pack. The two titles are Lord of Mirrors and Queen of Death with both being classified as Hidden Object Adventure games. Using the same front end, each of the two titles has its own installation routine which needs to be instigated separately.
I can remember my grandfather using a cut-throat razor which he would sharpen using a leather strap. Now we have safety razors, disposable blades and electric razors.
According to a recent survey, conducted by a sock subscription service for gentlemen (I had not realised that such an establishment existed), men have now overtaken women in what previously was considered to be an area that they dominated. According to this survey, a man can now spend up to 75 minutes over his daily getting ready routine. Women, on the other hand, only spend 70 minutes on their beauty regime.
Born on March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Ehrich Weisz was to become one of the more charismatic characters of his generation before he died of a ruptured appendix on October 24, 1926 at the age of 52. Perhaps if I mention that Ehrich was better known by his stage name of Harry Houdini then everything will become clearer.
As well as his interest in magic and escapology, Harry Houdini became interested in the occult. Using the skills he had learned through his stage and circus work, Houdini was able to expose the tricks used by so-called mediums. His end came about when he was unable to resist a challenge to perform one of his signature tricks by allowing a student, named J. Gordon Whitehead, to punch him in the stomach. Houdini died shortly afterwards from a ruptured appendix.
It has been several months since I last took a look at an Epsom printer. Bringing this period to an end is a new multifunction unit in white.
After a steady stream of lacquered black devices of the multifunction persuasion arriving for review, it made a pleasant change to open up the latest product to reveal a pristine Apple White unit from Epsom. The product in question is the Epson XP-605. This multifunction unit provides you with the ability to scan, print and copy documents using a choice of USB and wireless connectivity. This multifunction device also features a CD/DVD labelling option.
Adding to its series of Weird Park titles, Alawar sets you the task of rescuing children trapped in various Fairy Tales.
It all begins with a night-time car journey. There you are driving along with loud music blaring out of the radio to ensure you do not drift off to sleep while at the wheel. Shortly after passing a sign for Fair Gate Town your concentration is broken as a young girl appears in the passenger seat and speaks to you.
It is not just celebrities who can benefit from a digital make-over. Now you can use a software package to tidy up your own image.
The digital age has totally disproved the old adage that “the camera never lies”. No longer can we put our trust in the displayed image will give us what actually existed at the moment of capture. Often referred to as “airbrushing”, this technique can be used to remove unwanted items and blemishes plus add what was never there in the first place especially with regards to the physical appearance of the individual subject.
While I could never claim to be a fan of the lacquered black coating that decorates numerous electronic devices, I have to admit that the Canon PIXMA MG6350 has a certain visual appeal. With its rounded corners, sloping base and top, this All-in-One unit would not look out of place in either a work area or living room as it fulfils its function of a Print, Copy, Scan and Direct Photo model.
At a casual glance the MG6350 might seem a run-of-the-mill device providing print, copy and scan facilities. However closer examination of this lacquered black box with dimensions of 486 x 369 x 148mm (W x D x H) reveals some innovative features that sit alongside the standard arrangement of an A4 flatbed scanner mounted on top of an inkjet printer supported by two paper input options.
As regular as clockwork, Serif brings out upgraded versions of its graphics software aimed at the budget conscious user.
I must admit to having a somewhat soft spot for Serif and the company’s software. This feeling dates back to when Serif first appeared on the scene with graphics products that were developed as budget-priced alternatives for the then market-leading offerings that came with wallet-squeezing price tag.
Legend has it that once upon a time, Gods walked upon the earth as they dwelled with ordinary mortals. When the time came for these beings to return to the sky, they left behind nine mysterious jewel boards through which they were able to communicate with those they left behind.
Over time the many wars fought resulted in all but one of these jewel boards being destroyed. The location of the one remaining board, known as the Oracle of Ur, was lost until a clue was discovered by a determined archaeologist. This clue was hoped to reveal the location of the last board and uncover the truth behind this 4,000 year old story. This is the background to iWin’s fourth instalment of the award winning Jewel Quest Mysteries series.
Although predominately a developer of products designed specifically to enhance the functionality of various Apple offerings, iLuv does occasionally produce kit that supports other brands.
One product that encompasses both the Apple and non-Apple offerings is the iLuv ReF™ range of on-ear headphones. The ReF™ is the first range of products to be created as part of the company’s Fashionology® collection. Fashionology® is an attempt to bring together a meld of fashion and technology so that appearance matches performance.
As part of its male grooming product line up, Philips, with its mantra of bringing simplicity to peoples lives, has released its most advanced premium electric shaver to date. This is the SensoTouch 3D model which offers the male community the choice of dry or wet shaving from a single unit.
Launched with the claim of producing the ultimate shaving experience, the SensoTouch 3D comes with GyroFlex 3D technology. This technology uses a distinctive three-dimensional component set up that allows the shaver heads to follow the contours of your face. This feat is achieved through three floating heads that are raised above the body of the shaver and automatically adjust as the SensoTouch is moved around the jaw line, checks and mouth.
Not one but two opportunities to explore the Dark Dimensions where evil forces have taken control of the local population.
As part of the Hidden Mystery Collectives, Focus Multimedia has released a Dark Dimensions double bill. Making up this two-game pack are Dark Dimensions City of Fog and Dark Dimensions Wax Beauty. Separate installations will need to be carried out for each title with individual profiles being set up for those playing the games. These profiles include the volume level for background and sound effects plus whether to opt for the special or standard cursor.
The Scuderia FS1 is a wireless Bluetooth speaker dock. The product forms part of the Ferrari by Logic3 collection of audio offerings. As you might suppose from the Ferrari influence the Scuderia has more than a touch of Italian style in its general appearance.
Opening the rather sturdy box (little chance of this product being damaged in transit) revealed that the Scuderia FS1 was packed so securely that it took a little time and plenty of effort to remove the foam rubber casing that totally encased the speaker unit. Included in a separate box were power leads for use in the UK, Europe and America plus an audio lead with 3.5mm jack plugs at either end.
While you may not always be looking your best when a photo is taken, this next product could help smarten your appearance.
While there are numerous photo-editing packages of various complexities and different price points, those that concentrate their expertise purely on the face are few and far between in number. One such product is Portrait Professional from Anthropics. This digital facial make-over tool is now up to version 11 and is available in a choice of Standard, Studio and Studio-64 versions with different price points to reflect the functionality of each product.
Those pesky aliens are causing more trouble. This time Fort Nightingale is the centre of their activities in a new game from Alawar Entertainment.
Forbidden Secrets Alien Town is a new Hidden Object Adventure game from those inventive people at Alawar. The game, which is in Collector’s Edition format, is set in Fort Nightingale, a city that has never featured on a map. Little is known about the place apart from it has a research institute about which even less is known.
The name of Tunbow Electrical may not be all that familiar to you. This company is a Hong Kong based Chinese technology manufacturer with over 3,500 employees and 140,000,000 products that are sold in 30 countries around the world. Recently Tunbow Electrical set up Aves Digital as its first subsidiary brand operating from a UK base in Milton Keyes. I came across Aves Digital at the London version of The Gadget Show. Included in the Aves Digital portfolio of products is one known as the Diamond which is the subject of this review.
Looking for bargains and then selling them for a profit is the work undertaken by the American Pickers
According to information gleaned from a quick Internet search, American Pickers is an American (not surprisingly) reality show that appears on the History Channel. Travelling around American are Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz who search through cast-off items that they can purchase and then sold on at a profit. Managing the Home Office is Danielle Colby-Cushman whose role is to line up locations for the two boys to put their pack rat skills to the test.
It wasnt so long ago that the mention of a tablet would refer to a medication. Now entertainment and browsing are more likely to be related topics.
Where ever you seem to look these days, 7-inch tablets is a popular choice with consumers looking for an easy portable device that can provide entertainment, news and email capabilities. Joining this ever-increasing group of devices, with its banner firmly attached to the Android flagpole, is the Vodafone Smart Tab II.
Imagine, if you will, a section of interior tubing that has been designed to bend (I was tempted to say it like Beckham but resisted) around an obstruction and you will have some idea as to the general shape of the Samsung DA-E550 product. This piece of kit is a Bluetooth, one-piece, audio speaker system with a docking facility.
Decked out in a high-gloss white coating, the DA-E550 unit has dimensions of 462.7 x 122.3 x 151.8mm (W x H x D) and weighs 1.6kg which does take it out of the range of a portable device. Situated at each end of this curved cylindrical tube are the speaker’s cones which display fixed and flexible silver meshes with a silver phase plug protruding from the centre. Arranged near the right speaker is an array of touch sensitive controls for Bass, volume and play/pause.
If, like me, you paid a visit to the Gadget Show held recently at the London Excel Exhibition Centre then you probably noticed the AVES stand with its collection of DAB/DAB+ radios and iPod docking units. You may even have gone on to the stand to check out the various products and, perhaps, wondered about the companys name.
While the name of AVES might bring forth images of birds as this is the scientific name of the animal category that communicates by visual and audible signals, I am reliable informed that the name AVES is an acronym of the company’s four core values. Thus the joining together of Audio, Vibrant & Vitality, Enjoyment & Entertainment with Social & Sensory produces the British brand name of AVES.
Cast in the role of a princess, your task in this next game is to rescue your parents and other inhabitants from the spell of an evil witch.
The Kingdom had always been a happy place under the benign rule of the King and Queen. Everybody rejoiced when a royal birth brought the King and Queen a daughter. However the arrival of the Dark Queen changed everything as she cast her evil spells on the royal couple and others in the Kingdom. Fortunately the young baby’s nanny was able to spirit her charge away and then raised her away from the gaze of the evil queen.
As many move from the desktop to a touch-enabled tablet, ViewSonic takes us in the opposite direction with a large screen AIO touch screen device.
As part of its latest batch of new products, ViewSonic has released its VSD220 offering. This is a touch screen Android AIO Smart Display. However unlike the numerous pocket and bag sized tablets that are currently fighting for market share, this AIO (All-in-One) product has been designed purely for desktop use where it can be placed in an upright orientation supported by a flip-out stand. With dimensions of 513 x 350 x 122mm (with the support stand extended) and a weight of 4.
Marriage and death at Rainheart castle seem to go hand-in-hand. Are you brave and savvy enough to solve a mystery that if Gravely Silent.
The opening introduction sequence lays the groundwork for the story as you awake from a nightmare that features your sister Jennie. You then hear from your brother-in-law, Richard Rainheart, that your sister has died and her body already laid to rest in a private funeral where he was the only mourner. With no more information coming from your brother-in-law, you set out to visit his castle and discover how your sister died.
The Canon PIXMA MG5450 is a Photo All-in-One product offering print, scan and copy functionality with a choice of USB or WiFi connectivity. You also get a built-in facility that allows you to print labels directly on to appropriate optical media as part of a second paper input tray.
With a plinth-like top, which houses the A4 flatbed scanner module, mounted on top of the box-shaped ink-jet printer unit, this product has dimensions of 455 x 369 x 148mm (W x D x H). The MG5450’s outer coating of lacquered black seems to want to tempt you to reach out to touch and feel its smooth lines – especially if you share my hang-up about finger smears that tend to congregate on this type of surface.
You should let sleeping Pharaohs remain undisturbed otherwise a whole heap of trouble could be the result as seen in this next budget title from Focus Multimedia.
Regular readers will know that Focus Multimedia has a portfolio of standard game titles and a budget line-up of offerings for the game player. This next game belongs to the BlackLime budget catalogue of titles. Curse of Pharaoh: Tears of Sekhmet is a Hidden Object game with a slight Adventure influence. Your task in this game is to help discover the seven Tears of Sekhmet which have been scattered around the globe.
Put together Logic3 with Ferrari and you get a collection of electronic audio products with Italian style. Included in this collection is a set of headphones.
To many the mere mention of the company Ferrari brings up visions of high speed cars with the iconic red colour and a prancing horse. However the company has other strings to its bow. It is heavily involved in other areas especially those that deal with the design concept of bringing Italian flare to a range of products in partnerships with other companies such as Logic3.
Available from the Avanquest GSP catalogue of games titles is Jewel Legends which is described as 3 gem-matching adventures in 1 great pack. This triple play collection bundles together The Legend of Atlantis, The Legend of Egypt and The Legend of Rome. Obviously this package is aimed at those who can not get enough of match-3 action.
A single installation routine, covering all three titles, is provided. While I sometimes feel that the Avanquest installation procedure is not the quickest around, and this title is no exception in that respect, I have always found that I was able to access the accompanying program without any problems. This Jewel Legends bundle definitely bucked the trend by refusing to load any of the three separate titles.
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