I have noticed recently that there has been an increase in the number of emails that I have received that have included the words “Sent from my (device name) mobile, please excuse my brevity”.  Obviously I am not alone in finding that typing using a mobile device’s keyboard, whether physical or on-screen variety is not as convenient as when using a proper keyboard.

Set in a magic kingdom, you are called upon to help put right the misfortune that had befallen this land lead by the friendly wizard and his four fairy helpers who represent Air, Fire, Water and Earth as you tackle the challenge of 4 Elements II.  Following a charming introduction, which does seem to be aimed more at the younger members of the family, you set out to release the first fairy from its captive state.

Available in a choice of Pebble Blue or Marble White (the review unit), the Galaxy S III has dimensions of 70.6 x 136.6 x 8.6mm (W x H x D) and weighs 133g.  As you would expect with a Samsung product, some thought has gone into this smartphones visual style appeal.  The unit’s curved corners, silver metallic trim running around the body of the device and the reflective white surrounds combine to make the S III’s 4.8-inch touch-screen really stands out.

While you might consider that the British Museum is the ideal place to concentrate on the past, it does have the capability to be forward looking as well.  An excellent example of this was demonstrated recently by Cisco using this location to announce new products and services.  These announcements were made to European journalists gathered in the Museum’s Stevenson Lecture Theatre.

A popular topic of conversation, especially when in the mood for complaining, is the weather.  It is either too hot or too cold; there is not enough rain for the farmers or too much rain despite a hosepipe ban being enforced in certain areas; and do not mention the wind which is so changeable that you do not know whether it is coming or going.  If you feel that you are forever at the mercy of these natural phenomena then this next title could help you turn the table on nature.

Ever since Xara first introduced its graphics software to the world, the company has had a deserved reputation for developing software capable of fast performance for the user on a variety of Windows-based systems.  The same is true today with the release of its dual offerings of Photo & Graphics Designer MX and Designer Pro X.  This review is based on the latter title which is Xara’s flagship product.

The game entitled The Missing is described as “a search and rescue mystery”.  Actually the game could just as easily be classified as a Hidden Object Adventure.  Developed by Sulus Games, The Missing now forms part of Focus Multimedia catalogue of Casual games and is available in Collector’s Edition format.

Following its normal practice, Serif delivers WebPlus X6 without any printed documentation to cut down on costs.  A User Guide is supplied in PDF format on the product CD.  The product’s installation will hardly win any races for speed but it is straightforward and requires little user input apart from entering the product’s 25-character serial number which is located on the cardboard packaging.

Portable hard drives offer you an easy way to increase the storage capacity of your computer system.  You simply need to connect one of these devices to a free USB port.  Often you will not even need a separate connection to provide power as the USB port will handle this along with the transfer of data.  As well as providing data storage, an external drive can offer portability by allowing you to take your data with you and use it on computers in different locations.

The camera never lies or so we are led to believe – or does it?  Perhaps we ought to focus (no pun intended) on the photographic evidence produced by the device rather than the camera itself.  What with make-up experts and the numerous software tools readily available, what you see is not necessarily the scene or person as originally captured.

The Snark is back.  For those who missed the first two titles in this series (Welcome to the Club and Revved Up!) published by Alawar Entertainment, I should explain that the Snark is a mythical creature that can move so fast you could often fail to spot it.  The Snark possesses the useful ability (especially when it comes to avoiding capture) of popping in and out of mirrors in order to travel between different dimensions in time and space.

Described as “the world’s fastest drawing program”, Xara Photo & Graphics Designer MX is now up to version 8.  Xara (part of the MAGIX family of multimedia products) is targeting this offering at the graphics enthusiast, small company or academic user looking for general purpose photo and graphics design tools that will not overstretch the budget in times of cut-backs.

Now available as a computer game developed by Legacy Interactive and part of the Focus Multimedia extensive catalogue of titles, House M.D. features the same team of characters beloved by fans of the television series.  Not only will you meet up with Gregory House but also the doctors Remy Hadley, Eric Foreman, Chris Taub, Robert Chase, Allison Cameron, James Wilson and Lisa Cuddy.

The Brother DS-700D was almost one of those chicken and egg situations when I opened the packaging encasing a new scanner from Brother.  There was no Set-up or Quick Start Guide in the box.  Should the hardware be connected before or after the software, I asked myself?  Fortunately on examining the supplied USB cable, I noticed it had a sticker on one end that advised me that the software installation should come first.

Although the titles might be the same, the actual content is decidedly different.  I am referring to Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont’s original novel and PlayPond’s take on the tale of Beauty and the Beast as the developers have turned it into a Hidden Object Adventure game.  Described as “a dark twist on a classic tale”, this game is available from Focus Multimedia in Collector’s Edition format.

FileMaker Pro has a long and slightly unusual pedigree.  It is not often that you get a product developed by an Apple company (Claris) for the Windows platform (QuickTime being one exception).  I can still remember my initial introduction to the first version of this database software.  However it was not until version 3 of the product that I started using FileMaker Pro as my database software.  In those days the product was supplied on three HD 3.5-inch floppy disks.

When installing this product you are offered a range of options.  For a start there is the main Imagination Studio software.  This consists of ACID Music Studio 8.0, DVD Architect Studio 5.0, Sound Forge Audio Studio 10.0 and Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11.0.  In each case you will need to activate these applications by entering their specific serial number and provide registration details.

My first memories of TDK revolve around the company’s magnetic tape products.  This tape would have been used on my Grundig reel-to-reel tape recorder used to capture the latest hit records (45s) broadcasted on the radio and picked up by the tape recorder’s small microphone along with any other background sounds over which I had no control.  You have to remember this was at a time when no direction connection was possible for home equipment such as I had access to.

The Premature Burial is available in Collectors’ Edition format from Focus Multimedia.  Making up this Collector’s Edition is the main Hidden Object Adventure game, bonus chapter, Strategy Guide, wallpaper, screensaver, concept art, music plus a printable version of Poe’s original story.  While you will have access to the Strategy Guide right from the start, the other bonus items only become available once you have completed the game and the bonus chapter.

Box-shaped and available in a choice of white or grey, the SCX3405W has dimensions of 389 x 274 x 249 (W x D x H) and tips the scales at 6.7kg.  Adopting the standard arrangement of the flatbed scanner mounted on top of the printer, this unit makes no attempt to disguise its functionality but you do get rounded corners and ribbed side panels.  Both the paper input (150-sheet capacity) and output trays are located on the front of the unit.

Many mobile devices, including handsets, music players and tablets, arrive with their own rechargeable Li-ion battery pack for providing power.  However this is not always the case especially with legacy devices and other household products.  A quick check of my own home reveals several such products that regularly require a fresh set of AA or AAA batteries.

WOWee is the name of a product that offers to enhance the audio experience when listening to various devices such as your mobile phone or MP3 player.  Although specifically designed for use with the ever-growing ifamily (Phone, Pad and Pod), the WOWee will work with any device with a standard 3.5mm jack headphone socket. Recently I have had the opportunity to check out the WOWee One Classic.

If you have not already encountered Melinda Gordon then I should explain that she is the Ghost Whisperer, the lead character of the television series of the same name.  A Ghost Whisperer is somebody who has the ability to communicate with ghosts and, in Melinda’s case, help solve the mystery as to why they are still earthbound.  She also helps the spirits to become at peace.

Available in a choice of black, red or white, the Samsung MV800 is a compact camera that combines 16.1MP capability with a flip-out screen to help capture shots at unusual angles or self portraits.  This flip-out feature does add a little to the depth of the camera but this is not too excessive at an extra 5mm.  The MV800 has dimensions of 55 x 92 x 22mm (H x W x D) and weighs 143g including the BP70A 3.

Unlike the various other members of the Doro mobile handset family, the Doro PhoneEasy 515 is the first Doro unit I have seen to have a built-in camera unit.  As a result of the extra memory requirements of this photographic facility, especially with regards to storing the captured images, the PhoneEasy 515 supports the use of a memory card in microSD format.  You also get Bluetooth capability.

While Cyberlink is probably best known for its PowerDVD and PowerDirector products, the company also has developed a number of other titles covering different aspects of media management which could prove useful.  You could, of course, purchase these items on an individual basis or opt for the less expensive route that is available with Cyberlink Media Suite.  This product is a collection of various Cyberlink’s products.

Developed by cooperation between 3AGames and James Software, this offering is entitled Pearl Harbor: Fire on the Water.  With such a title you could be forgiven for thinking that you would be taken back to that fateful day on the 7 December 1941.  That was the date that an attack force made up of 353 Japanese fighter, bomber and torpedo planes attacked the American Fleet while it was at rest in Pearly Harbour. However the game’s developers have other ideas.

Combining an 18x optical zoom Schneider lens with a 12.5MP RSI CMOS sensor, the Samsung WB750 is a digital camera that offers a wide range of features.  Reasonably compact in size with dimensions of 105.3 x 59.4 x 24.9mm (W x H x D), the WB 750 weighs 217g including the SLB-10A battery pack.  Small and light enough to be easily managed one-handed, the WB750 predominately black in colour with some white and silver labels that helps give the camera a rather stylish appearance.

When I came across the letters ETS displayed in that order recently at an event, I could not help but imagine that extra-terrestrials were to be the subject under discussion and maybe they were due to arrive in the very near future.  Fortunately, some would say unfortunately, in this case those three letters did not refer to intergalactic visitors but the latest series of notebooks from Sony belonging to the E, T and S series.

A few months ago I checked out a mono laser printer that had the smallest footprint I had seen for a device of this type.  That printer was the Samsung ML-1865W.  Now I have come across another mono laser printer that has an even smaller footprint.  Admittedly this reduction is just 6.5% but it could make a difference when available work space is at a premium.