How many portable devices do you currently own?  I am willing to bet that the number is gradually increasing and, if my experience is anything to go by, you will probably have forgotten about at least one device when arriving at the final figure.

Having looked at a number of USB television tuners in the past, my initially impression of the Elgato unit was related to its size.  It is definitely the smallest television tuner I have seen and is well qualified for its Micro-Stick designation noted on the product box.  This USN stick measurements are 57 x 17 x 9mm (L x W x D), making it a little larger than nano size but small enough not to cause any problems when positioning the stick on even heavily populated array of ports.

Whether you have purchased or built it yourself, a new computer will do its best to impress you with its speed of operation.  However, during the normal course of events, the computer’s performance with regards to speed will start to degrade.  One reason for this state of affairs will be the condition of your hard disk.  Whereas the original files will have been written contiguously to the hard disk, subsequent files will tend to be slotted in wherever space exists.

Keyboards have come a long way since these heavy clunky models, decked out in computer grey, that were attached to my early computers via a cable with a 7-pin plug.  They really made their presence felt with the less-expensive models suffering from keys that lost their letter identification through the effect of finger pounding.

Joining the popular Jewel Quest franchise is Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear.  In this game you join the famous husband and wife archaeological team of Rupert and Emma in their hunt for the Emerald Tear which is an ancient Jewel Board that is rumoured to have mystical powers.

The KRG-D50 gives nothing in the way of evidence to explain what is in the box.  You could easily indulge in flights of fancy as you come up with numerous suggestions as to what the KRG-D50 actually is and still not come anywhere near the fact that this is a radio-alarm with iPod docking and charging capabilities.  Even then there is one important feature still to be revealed.

One product that falls into the desktop replacement category is the Acer Aspire 5942G laptop.  With dimensions of 382 x 174 x 26mm (W x D x H) in its closed state and weighing 3.0kg (including the 6-cell battery pack), this reflective black encased model cries out for a permanent home on your desk space with, perhaps, an option for occasional travel privileges. Driving this laptop is an Intel Core i5 520M 2.4GHz processor that supports Intel 64 architecture.

While backups of old (as I well remember) could be long drawn out affairs involving copious amounts pf disks that were of the removable media of the day; the modern backup process is automated and can be scheduled to take place at a time that will not inconvenience you.  Offering to carry out this type of task is True Image Home 2010 from Acronis. Described as PC Backup & Recovery software, this product arrives complete with Windows 7 compatibility and an online backup option.

It is common knowledge that the unsinkable Titanic failed to live up to its reputation and sank in 1912 with a loss of life that included 1500 passengers.  However you will not be aware, in order to celebrate the 100 anniversary of this horrific event, a replica of the original luxury vessel will be launched ready to undertake and complete the route that the Titanic was meant to take and you will be one of the passengers on this anniversary voyage.

While a splash, or even a dollop, of colour can add an attractive, eye-appealing look to your printed work not every document needs such a fillip.  Many business and even some personal documents are equally effective when presented in black and white format.  When you factor in the needs for superior print quality and operation speeds into the equation, the possible solution could well be a mono laser such as the Samsung ML-2525 model currently taking up a portion of my work space.

Like many users my dominant hand is often found in close contact with my computer mouse.  While the mouse is the undoubted most popular pointing device for different types of computer tasks, it is not the only choice available.  For some a trackball is the optimum tool as they control the on-screen cursor and activate a range of tasks.  One such product is the Kensington SlimBlade Trackball which arrives with the promise of offering multi-function capabilities.

For a variety of reasons, some still unexplained, it has been quite a while since I last had the opportunity to get my hands on a Brother printer for review purposes.  Fortunately the long wait has ended with the arrival of a Brother multi-function inkjet unit.  This is the Brother MFC-255CW with the “CW” presumably referring to the fact that this model can link via a cable (USB) or wireless.

This game is a Hidden Object Adventure that casts you in the role of FBI Agent Claire Ellery who is called in to investigate the kidnapping of three girls.  Aiding you in your investigation is a mysterious and anonymous informant who leaves a trail of tarot cards to help guide you in your investigation. After arriving in a rather out-of-the-way town, where local police officers hardly make you feel welcome, you receive your first message from the tarot card sender.

Like the Matrix, and a previous version of its flagship product, Nero has added the word “Reloaded” to Nero 9.  Not only has the title received an addition but Nero, that’s the company not the product, has added some new features and bundled another of its products with Nero 9 Reloaded.  However before moving on to these new features and bundled title, lets have a quick recap on some of the functionality of the original version 9 before it became Reloaded.

Adopting the standard approach of an A4 scanner positioned on top of an inkjet printer, the Intuition combines print, scan and copy capabilities with the additional ability to print duplex.  Connectivity is via USB or Wi-Fi.  As with the Interpret, the Intuition is predominately black in colour with computer-grey piping around the top of the unit.

Kodak has recently been making a great deal of noise regarding the ability of its printers to save you money with regards to the cost of ink replacement.  Like me, you have probably seen the adverts that appear on television at regular intervals (I saw my first one within an hour of getting back from Kodak’s official announcement of this feature) or in newspapers and magazine.

What do Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Queen Hatshepsut and Abbey Road Studios have in common?  To save you the trouble of Googling the answer, they all appear more than once in Flux Family Secrets – The Ripple Effect.  Developed by Shunk Studios and Big Fish Games, Flux Family Secrets – The Ripple Effect is now available from Focus Multimedia.

With its black and silver trimmed fascia, the Archos 3 is available with a choice of metallic red or chocolate backing which does displays a warning regarding possible hearing damage due to excessive volume levels.  Weighing just 63 grams and having dimensions of 95 x 52 x 9mm, this media player can fit easily into a pocket without causing an unsightly bulge or weigh you down.

Drawn: The Painted Tower is a puzzle adventure game that is available from Focus Multimedia.  As you might expect from the product’s title, this game has a strong artistic element running through the storyline.  The game revolves around the ability of a young girl, named Iris, to produce sketches and painting of magical kingdoms and mythical creatures.  These works of art then take on a life of their own, thus opening up a range of possibilities.

As the move towards digital television gathers apace, so manufacturers are developing products to temp users to part with their hard earned cash.  Recently I looked at a Freeview set-top box from the British Tvonics company.  Now it is the turn of the company’s DTR-Z500 model which combines Freeview digital viewing with a 500GB hard drive for storing recorded content.

Played in a choice of Easy, Normal or Hard mode, you Heroes of Hellas 2 involves dragging your mouse cursor over tiles of the same colour to create chains of three or more tiles.  Specific targets are set for each grid of tiles.  You might need to collect all the precious and semi-precious gems; clear away golden areas; or remove a certain number of tiles within a specified time limit.

Following on from my earlier Panasonic report that featured televisions and the company’s push towards 3D content, it seems appropriate to begin with another product belonging to the company’s 3D family.  Panasonic has developed the world’s first professional, fully integrated Full HD 3D camcorder.  The lenses, camera head and the dual Memory Card recorder are all built into a single lightweight body.

With Munich as its chosen destination, Panasonic revealed a raft of new products to the European Press Corp.  I was one of those fortunate enough to attend this event that had several new products and technologies fighting for our attention.  The event was held in the snow covered Olympic Park Centre.  Luckily no snow fell during the event as there was already more than enough to make us glad we were safely ensconced inside the event centre.

Forming the basis for this review is the Interpret which is a wireless 4-in-1 device designed for office productivity.  Predominately black in colour with a computer grey top, the Interpret combines print, scan, copy and fax functionality within a box measuring 288.4 x 338 x 477mm.  Connectivity issues are taken care of with a choice of wireless or USB.

In Assassin’s Creed you take on the role of a character living in the present day or maybe a few years in the future.  Your character is an ancestor of an assassin, named Altair, who operated his deadly trade during the period of the Third Crusade.  The reason for mentioning this genetic connection between your character and Altair is that you will need to relive your ancestor’s memories as if you were actual carrying out the various tasks yourself.

In the past all the different Sony Ericsson handsets that I have looked at have been available in a choice of colours with rather descriptive names.  However there has to be an exception and that is the Sony Ericsson W205.  With this model the company has mimicked the Henry Ford Mantra.  You can have any colour you like as long as it is black – in this case Ambient Black thus retaining the descriptive policy. The W205 is a slider handset measuring 92 x 47 x 16.

BitDefender Total Security 2010 sits at the top of the company’s current range of security protection titles.  This product combines the features found in the BitDefender Antivirus and Internet Security offering with the addition of Tune-Up and Backup facilities.  A couple of the elements in the product’s installation routine produced the standard dialogue box stating that they had not passed the Windows Logo certification process for Windows XP.

The Treasures of Montezuma 2 has taken over two years to appear following the original title (just subtract the “2”).  Possibly one reason for this delay is down to the fact that many users found the difficulty level of The Treasures of Montezuma rose rather rapidly, to such an extent it put them off persevering with the game.  I must admit that I fell into this category.