Publication History For : Michael Fereday
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A pre-Christmas evening of magical card manipulation introduced me to a new camera from the Panasonic range. This was a pocket camcorder device.
Cisco has its Flip, whether of the Ultra or Mino variety; Kodak offers users a choice of its PlaySport or PlayTouch models; and Sony is pinning its faith in the Bloggie. With this in mind you might expect Panasonic to come up with something equally memorable as a title to bestow on its initial offering for those looking to purchase a pocket camcorder. In its wisdom Panasonic has decided that HM-TA1 will really grab public attention.
Gather your casino chips together as we are off to Las Vegas to solve a mystery in a hidden object escapade.
As part of its extensive range of casual game titles, Avanquest has released Mysterious City: Las Vegas. Unlike the other numerous game titles in its portfolio, Mysterious City: Las Vegas has been released as a downloadable product only. I am unsure as to the reasoning behind this decision which does seem a little strange especially as Avanquest is charging the same price for the download version as it does for its other boxed game offerings. The actual download is 53MB.
The arrival of a product with the number 6 attached had me thinking that I had missed out on the first five titles in the series but that was not so.
To avoid any confusion I should make clear that Designer Pro is not a brand new product from Xara but rather the new name for what was the company’s flagship graphics title, namely Xara Xtreme Pro 5.0. With this name change, Xara has taken the opportunity to carry out a major make-over on the product. At the heart of this latest version of the product is a new UI (User Interface).
You would have thought that notebook users would be satisfies with the devices touchpad rather than spend extra on a mouse but often this is not the case.
I have to confess that the continued popularity of digital photo frames has surprised me a little to say the least. Initially I suspected that they would be a passing fad and would quickly loose their original appeal for users.
Mixing together adventure game play with hidden object finding and puzzle solving set in an undersea environment is a game that will run on the Windows or Mac platforms.
With the type of opening that immediately grabs your attention, Empress of the Deep: The Darkest Secret introduces you to a beautiful young woman as she is awoken from a deep sleep to find herself in a vast and mysterious undersea temple. She quickly learns that she has been in a frozen state for over a hundred years but has no idea who she is or why she is in this location.
Adding to its popular Aspire One family of products, Acer has released the D255 model. This is a 10.1-inch netbook.
As with the Aspire One Happy reviewed recently, the D255 model is a dual-booting netbook giving the user the choice of opting to use Windows 7 Starter Edition or Google Android 2.2. While the review unit, as supplied by , came in Diamond Black, I believe other models are available in Aquamarine, Sandstone Brown, Ruby Red and Seashell White for those looking to be a little different. As you would expect with a netbook, size and weight are a prime consideration.
Archos has brought together media player features and Internet tablet functionality with the Android operating system
As hard drive increase in capacity so does the demand for faster data transfer. Verbatim offers a solution.
The arrival of USB 3.0 brings with it the promise of a data transfer rate at 10 times faster than that achievable with the previous version of the technology. However not everybody has a computer system that can currently take advantage of this new technology due to the lack of suitable USB ports. Fortunately USB 3.0 interface cards are becoming available so that existing systems can be upgraded to accept the faster data exchange rate from appropriate devices.
Fishdom Seasons under the Sea
Published in Entertainment
on
26 Jan 2011
Tropical fish, coral, air pumps and match-3 game play are bad on the menu as Playrix returns to its popular Fishdom series.
Do you opt for a cheaper inkjet and pay extra for ink cartridges or select a more expensive printer with reduced running costs? Kodak believes the latter is the way to go with kit such as the ESP3250.
Designed as the upgrade to its ESP3 product Kodak has released its ESP3250 model. While the jump from 3 to 3250 might seem rather large, it is more a marketing concept than a technological advance. Taking over the position of the company’s entry-level offering, the ESP3250 is an All-in-One (AiO) product that provides print, scan and copy facilities for the home user.
Where once Disk Jockeys mixed chat with music, now they are more inclined to be creative with the way music is played. A new MAGIX title shows the way/
A while ago if you had mentioned the letters “DJ” then many people would have thought you were referring to dinner jacket while the thoughts of some others might have veered towards the more prosaic garment known as the donkey jacket. I have to own up to wearing, at one time or another, the latter but not the former.
Twisted Lands Shadow Town
Published in Entertainment
on
20 Jan 2011
Having played and reviewed numerous computer based games, especially those categorised as "Casual", I sometime wonder how the plot or storyline behind the game came about. Maybe you have had similar thoughts.
Giving my keyboard and mouse a rest from the usual pounding gave me the opportunity to check out an offering from Logitech.
Maybe James Bond would consider it beneath him but others might find this next product useful for covert photography
Adding to its range of security products, Swann has released its RemoteCam™ device. Combining the ability to capture still images and video clips with an audio accompaniment, the RemoteCam is a pocket size unit that comes attached to a key-ring presumably to avoid suspicion when out and about undertaking covert surveillance. Adopting a kind of flatten ovoid-like appearance, the RemoteCam’s body is constructed of a rubberised material.
Whenever I travel on the London Underground, I regular see fellow passengers reading books and newspapers or listening to various music player devices. There is even an occasional iPad being used. However it is extremely rare to see anybody using one of the eBook readers that are currently available such as the topic of this next review.
Sony has recently released two new eBook readers entitled the Touch Edition and the Pocket Edition with the latter being the subject of this review. Arriving in a book-sized box (presumably to help emphasize the connection between the device and the more traditional reading style), the Sony Reader Pocket Edition consists of the actual digital book reader, USB lead and a Quick Start Guide with all the various elements being manufactured in China.
Following its normal policy, BitDefender 2011 product line-up consists of the three titles of Antivirus Pro, Internet Security and Total Security.
BitDefender 2011 Total Security offers antivirus protection, firewall capability, network management, file encryption and online back-up in its feature set. As part of its installation routine, which is not the quickest I have encountered by a long chalk, the software checks out your system for any issues that could cause conflicts at a later date. It will recommend that Windows Firewall and Microsoft Defender are turned off and does carry out the task for you.
A new addition to the Avanquest Click & Play game series brings a 3D option and the opportunity to play as different members of a family.
Available for both the Windows and Mac platforms, Escape the Lost Kingdom is a hidden object adventure game with a difference. Developed by Gogii, Escape the Lost Kingdom has the distinction of being the first ever casual game to have a 3D feature at various points during the adventure. To help you benefit from this feature, the Collectors Edition of this game, available as part of Avanequest’s GSP Click & Play label, comes with free 3D glasses in the box.
While not the first name you may think of regarding digital cameras, Ricoh has some interesting products such as the CX3 model.
Adding to its range of digital cameras, Ricoh has launched its CX3 model. While not the small digital camera available, the Ricoh CX3 is reasonably compact with measurements of 100 x 59 x 28mm so that is should not cause an unsightly bulge in a pocket or bag. This model also has the advantage of a 10.7x 28-300mm zoom lens for capturing those memories we all love. Not having had the opportunity to check out any other Ricoh camera units, I had no preconceptions of what to expect.
I wake up slow is a song written and performed by Dory Previn. I was reminded of this recording when setting up a new device from Logic 3.
How do you wake up in the morning? Are you the type that prefers to do it naturally without any outside interference? Maybe you opt for some form of assistance such as sometimes happens in my case when my cat decides it is time for me to perform the important task of providing him with food. For many the preferred method is to rely on an alarm clock. Joining the range of possible alarm clock models available is the i-Station TimeCube from Logic3.
Having purchased a netbook, you might find the lack of an optical drive to be inconvenient. A solution could be to add an external drive
The arrival of netbooks, without any optical media capability, has had the effect of increasing the interest in external devices that can provide the missing functionality delivered by optical media. With the right piece of kit you could access data stored on optical disks and even burned your own data on suitable media. Providing this type of functionality is the slim-line optical writer from LiteOn. This product is the 8X External Top-Load DVD/CD writer with USB connectivity.
In what can be one of the bargains of the year for hidden object adventurers, Avanquest has bundled together three Samantha Swift titles from MumboJumbo priced at under a tenner.
I first met up with Samantha Swift when searching for the Hidden Rose of Athena. Later we got together to explore the mystery of the Midas Golden Touch. Both of these MumboJumbo titles now come bundled together with the third instalment of the Samantha Swift series entitled Mystery from Atlantis. These three titles now form a single package as the Samantha Swift Mystery Trilogy which is available from the Avanquest GSP Click & Play catalogue.
Once considered only suitable for the experienced user, networks are now being promoted as being straightforward and easy to set up with products such as this new offering from Cisco.
It was hardly the most auspicious of meeting. I had to battle through a heavy downpour and then sit through a presentation that was in constant competition with those watching a televised European football match featuring the local team in the next room. This was my introduction to CyberLinks latest media playing software.
CyberLink Power DVD 10 Ultra 3D is the new all-singing, all-dancing version of a product that comes with the tag line of being “The No. 1 Movie Experience on the PC”.
Over the years I have has the opportunity to try out various versions of Acronis software developed to provide backup and restore facilities. Now it is the turn of the latest version which goes by the title of Acronis True Image Home 2011.
This review is based on the download product which is currently available on a trial basis so that you can test the product on your own system. The full unrestricted product is priced at £39.95. Installing the product is relatively straightforward as you follow a series of on-screen prompts. The full paid for version of the software will require the entry of a serial number.
Time to put away your toys and childish things and get down to some hard gaming with a new headset from Plantronics.
In the past I have looked at a number of headsets, some with an attached microphone, which could be classified as being designed for general purpose use. The latest headset to come my way, however, has been designed specifically for use by hard-core gamers although that should not stop others from making use of this headset. This product is the GameCom 777 which has been designed by Plantronics in close cooperation with Dolby.
Not everybody can afford the prices being asked for the market-leading graphics products available from Adobe and Corel. Serif offers an alternative with its DrawPlus product.
Since it was founded in 1987, Serif has continued to challenge the conception that full-featured graphics applications should automatically qualify for a high price tag. Starting with desktop publishing software, entitled PagePlus, before expanding into other areas, Serif has developed and published a series of applications under its Plus brand name covering all aspects of graphics. Each title was released at a price point considerably lower than other titles in that arena.
Fans of Nancy Drew will be pleased to hear that the young detective returns for yet another mystery solving escapade, this time in a snow-bound holiday resort.
Keeping your computer running at its optimum capacity is a never-ending task. Why not take the approach of letting software do the job for you.
With a choice of first or third-person action, Sherlock Holmes joins the Focus Multimedia catalogue of games.
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