Publication History For : Michael Fereday
Click to see this members public profile
Older articles
One day last summer, I know it was summer because it rained on that day as I attended an event that included an introduction to a product known as View21. As can sometimes happen with an introduction look at a product, several months were to fade into distant memory before I was able to get my hands on a product to check it out.
View21 is a twin Freeview HD television tuner/recorder. Included in the box with the View21 box are the two-piece power lead, HDMI cable, aerial linking lead plus a remote control unit with the accompanying two AAA batteries. Although not included in the box, you could find an Ethernet cable, SCART lead and a modem/router would prove useful in some situations especially when giving you access to content that might be available from the Internet.
I have always imagined that time travel would be an invention of the future but this next game has the development of time travel in the past.
Do you fancy being a hero? The opportunity could present itself with a new game from Alawar Entertainment. The game in question is the Age of Adventure: Playing the Hero. In this new time management title you take on the role of an actor who finds himself cast in a part that is perhaps too near real life for his particular comfort and ease of mind especially as death could prove fatal.
Creative has added to its range of speaker systems with the release of a new model in its Inspire series.
Although Creative has put a lot of effort into the development of its Sound BlasterAxx™ generation of Bluetooth wireless single speaker units, the company has not neglected the more traditional offerings of a speaker set up made up of a subwoofer with attached satellite speakers. As a result Creative has launched its new Inspire™ T3300 speaker system. This is a 2.1 system made up of a subwoofer, two satellite speakers and a permanently attached remote control unit.
My apologies to those who were hurrying home from work in Shoreditch recently and were accosted by a bunch of journalists, myself included, taking photos. It was not our fault; blame Canon who sent us out to check out a new camera.
The Canon PowerShot S110 is a pocket-sixe compact camera. It comes with the promise of offering the user a range of features aimed at appealing to gadget-loving users. Included amongst its feature set are built-in WiFi, GPS tagging facility and a 9MP lens with 10x 36-360mm zoom capability. With dimensions of 98.8 x 59.0 x 26.9mm (W x H x D) and weighing 198 including the battery pack and a user-supplied memory card, the PowerShot S110 is available in various colours.
This next game attempts to add a new slant to the popular Hidden Object Adventure genre with some innovative features.
Tearstone is a game that is described as “a Fantasy Hidden Object Adventure into the Unknown”. Although the words “Hidden Object Adventure” might make you think this is yet another title that mixes together Adventure exploring with Hidden Object scenes, Tearstone puts a different slant on this popular genre.
Printers tend to fall into distinct categories offering the user a choice of either / or facilities. You could select from a laser or inkjet model. Perhaps a standalone unit or a multi-function device that can provide print, copy, scan and possibly fax capabilities would fit your needs. There is a choice of an A3 or A4 model with both types being able to produce documents in various smaller sizes. Now there is a further category to consider as Brother has introduced a range of printers that turn document printing through 90 degrees with its landscape, rather than the more familiar portrait, printing capability. This facility allows the printer to product A4 and A3 documents from the same machine.
The first such printer to be launched in this innovative J4000 range is the MFC-J4510DW. As the MFC suffix indicates, this is a multi-function device that gives you print, copy, scan and fax functionality. You also get a 20-page ADF (Automatic Document Feed) feature and automatic Duplex printing. This model provides a choice of USB, wired LAN or wireless network connectivity when adding this product to your computer system.
Keeping your teeth clean can help various health issues as well as having a cosmetic effect.
Whether featuring squeaky clean teeth or a case of bleeding gums, adverts for different brands of toothpaste appear on a regular basis on our television screens. Yet less consideration is given in these marketing exercises as to the hardware that applies this software solution for the benefit of our personal oral hygiene. A recent survey of 11,000 adults in Scotland has revealed that oral health can have a direct impact on heart disease, diabetes and complications during pregnancy.
After the success of the Gadget Show held in Birmingham around the Easter period, a London-based version of the show took place at the end of November. One of the companies exhibiting at the show was Damson with its new Twist product.
After each review of an Edifier speaker system, I try to imagine what shape or appearance the companys next model will adopt. I have yet to get even close.
The Edifier e10 Exclaim product is a multimedia speaker that follows Edifier’s normal pattern of developing a design concept that is somewhat out of the ordinary when it is paired with a PC, Mac, laptop unit or even various mobile devices. As I have mentioned before, on at least a couple of occasions, Edifier speaker systems certainly make an effort to stand out with regards to their appearance.
Where they come from nobody knows but the Globs need your help to progress to the next stage in their evolution.
Sticky Licky is a puzzle game recently added to Alawar Entertainment’s extensive catalogue of titles. Some initial research reveals that there is a game entitled Sticky Licky available for the iPhone from the Apple App Store.
Storing your documents, images and music in digital format on your computer is now the de facto choice of many. But how would you manage if this data became corrupted especially if you did not have a backup?
Over the years Acronis has built up an excellent reputation for producing back-up software for the Windows platform. The company’s flagship product of True Image is now available in its 2013 edition. This product features a set of tools designed for back-up and recovery tasks and includes support for Windows 8.
While it is a part of out body that is used on a regular basis, it sometimes does not get the attention it deserves. Just how clean are your teeth?
According to recent research, up to 90% of the population is likely to experience some form of gum disease during their life time which could then lead to tooth loss and maybe complicate other medical conditions. Inefficient brushing can allow plaque to build up on teeth while allowing bacteria to attack gums causing bleeding and inflammation.
As the current hot bed of less expensive high tech equipment, Chine is the source for this next laser printer.
Seine Technology is a Chinese company that concentrates its expertise on producing laser printers and printing supplies. I thought I would just mention that as, like me, you might not have heard of this company before. Currently the laser printers from this company are being released under the Pantum brand name for both the home consumer and the business marketplace. The first printer in this range to come my way is the Pantum 2000.
Are you ready to enter a nightmare? This is the challenge facing you with the Big Fish Games Nightmare Realm. This next game adds an Origami tutorial to the popular mix of adventure, action and Hidden Object searching.
It has been quite a while since I last looked at a Hauppauge television tuner. Now the company has added WiFi capability to a two-tuner device for around the world access.
Co-incidentally on the day I started to check out the various items that make up this next piece of kit, the Internet was full of reports on Super Storm Sandy and the havoc it wrecked on New York with areas underwater. I mention this as a kind of tenuous connection between a popular New York landmark of Broadway and the title of the next product under review which is Broadway 2T from Hauppauge.
It is time for a breakfast break as I indulge in a heavy session of consuming toast and coffee.
Up until recently I had no idea that Panasonic has a division that dealt with home appliances. I had always regarded Panasonic as a company that concentrated its energies on the development and manufacture of televisions, cameras and similar products such as the DECT phone currently sitting on my right hand side waiting to choose the opportune moment to interrupt my chain of thought with an incoming telephone call.
Small, medium, large plus IOS, Android, Windows operating system are just some of the options to be taken into consideration when selecting a smartphone. Check out this model from Samsung.
Following the successful release of its Galaxy Note device (around 10 million units already sold), Samsung has now developed the follow up offering. This product is appropriately entitled Galaxy Note II and it could easily be described as a smartphone on steroids with its dimensions of 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4mm (H x W x D) and a weight of 183g.
Its green, it flies and it goes to prove that a popular expression could be proved correct.
You have probably heard, or might even have uttered the words yourself, the expression that “And pigs can fly” in response to some outrageous claim spoken in your presence. I have, on more than one occasion, walked to a window to gaze out while stating that there were no pigs flying overhead as far as I could ascertain nor did I expect to see any in the immediate future.
What started as a Pulse became an Echo and has now entered the Sky as the latest Livescribe smart pen makes an appearance.
When watching television, I tend to find that the greater part of my viewing experience is carried out using my Sky set-top box. Now with the latest version of the Livescribe smart pen, I am also able to make us of Sky to organise my note taking. I have to point out that these are two different Sky environments. While one Sky requires a satellite disk and television, the other Sky makes do with a combination of WiFi, the Cloud and the Evernote service.
Available from Vodafone as a less-expensive smartphone is the Huawei Ascend as a PAYG product.
While Huawei gives its various handsets a model number, which is not always easy to remember, the company also provides each of its devices with a more memorable name for marketing purposes. So, for example, the Huawei model U8815, which is the subject of my next review, is also known as the Ascend G300. I have to thank Vodafone for kindly supplying the review unit of the Huawei Ascend G300 which has recently had a system upgrade to Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
According to the Beatles, All we need is Love and ZTE in partnership with Virgin Media would like to help the world go around with the release of its White Kis offering in time for the forthcoming festive season.
While the name of ZTE does not readily trip lightly off the tongue nor will it feature too prominently on some users recognition scale, this Chinese company is certainly making its presence felt in the marketplace. According to a recent announcement, ZTE has moved into fourth position with regards the smartphone manufacturing side of its business. During the third quarter of 2012, the company has shipped 7.
The Westernised version of the ancient Chinese Mah Jong board game comes to the rescue of a world in a state of imbalance.
As its title indicates, Mah Jong Quest II is the follow up to the popular Mah Jong Quest game. With this particular offering of Mah Jong game play you have a choice of three types of challenges. You can opt for Freeplay, Tournament or Kwazi’s Quest with the latter being the focal point around which this game is based.
For those looking for a portable speaker for their work area, Yamaha has developed a unit that also provides iPod docking facilities.
If you are going for a distinctive look for your products, why not go all the way and design a unit that could easily be mistaken for something totally different. When it comes to speakers, especially those that might be considered portable, this might cause a difficulty as the market is brimming with speaker units in an assortment array of shapes and colours.
Starting life as a basic compression tool available as Shareware, WinZip has developed over the years to encompass a wider range of functionality as can be seen with version 17.
As a long time user of WinZip, stretching back to the early days when this software was prominent in the Shareware arena, I have always been keen to check out the latest version of this product that can compress your data. Originally the compression was to enable users to save on storage space when floppy disks were popular with their 720K or 1.44MB capacity.
Children tend to imitate their parents or other adults not just in their behaviour but also with the type of gadgets they feel they can not live without. Television, mobile phone and computer are just some of the items that feature in Can I have? demanding requests. To that list you could easily add the current best-selling gadget, namely a tablet. Binatone has recently developed such a device aimed specifically at the pre-teen generation.
The Binatone KidzStar tablet, with its 7-inch capacitive touch colour screen is protected from being dropped accidentally. Binatone has encased the unit in a removable, sturdy, rubber, protective bumper. This bumper is a bright orange colour and certainly marks this product as a child-centric offering. Blue and pink replacement bumpers are available as part of an optional accessory pack that also contains headphones and an in-car charger.
Usually when you die in a game, you restart from your current location but not in this case as you are transported from one planet to another.
Let me introduce you to Amrite Stone, an archaeologist and leader of a team that has set to explore the depths of the Atlantic Ocean in order to solve the ancient mystery of Atlantis. This is the character you will play in the Alawar Entertainment Hidden Object Adventure game of Eternal Journey: New Atlantis released in Collector’s Edition format.
It started out as an evening to check out a Canon camcorder but events turned out differently to what I expected.
Recently I was a murder victim. I kid you not. There I was busily typing away on a Mac Book when I was repeatedly brutally stabbed several times by a masked maniac. This horrendous crime was committed at The Hospital but this location seemed bereft of doctors, nurses or even medical equipment. Fortunately my murder was part of an unscripted short film being captured on a Canon handheld camcorder.
When developing a follow-up title to a popular game you could opt for a sequel or, as in this case, a prequel.
It all began with Shadow Town which was closely followed by Insomniac. I am, of course, referring to the Twisted Lands series of Hidden Object Adventure games developed by Stargaze Studio and published by Alawar Entertainment. Now, arriving in the guise of a prequel, we have the third chapter in this series. Based on the nightmarish environment of Twisted Lands is Origin. Maybe there is a clue in its title but then maybe not.
Designed specifically for people who like to listen to music when out and about, but feel cut-off when wearing headphones, comes a product from San Francisco.
Up until very recently I was totally unaware of a company with the rather striking name of Boombotix. Suspecting that many of you might not have heard of this San Francisco Company, let me provide you with some background information. As you might guess from its title, Boombotix area of expertise is with delivering audio content.
Following the discovery that the Mona Lisa has been removed from the Louvre, you are called into action to recover this priceless work of art.
Time Chronicles: The Missing Mona Lisa is a Hidden Object game pure and simple. It offers no pretensions as to any adventure influences as you attempt to track down the Time Chameleon. This task is carried out by completing a series of hidden object scenes set in various locations in time and around the world.
Main Menu
