Marketed as an entry-level 3G phone, the C903 is a slider phone with support for GSM/GPRS/EDGE-850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS/HSPA-900/2100 so that users can make use of roaming facility.  As well as being a slider phone in one direction, it also has sliding capability in another area but more on this particular feature a little later. The C903’s dimensions are 97 x 49 x 16mm with a weight of 96g.

Unpacking a new product can sometimes be like a voyage of discover.  In the case of a PIXMA MP490 from Canon, I was convinced that the mains power lead and ink cartridges were missing – that is until I opened the paper output tray and discovered them packed inside.  Thinking about it, this was a sensible arrangement as it keeps all the relevant components safely together.

For a while now the design concept behind notebooks, and more recently netbooks, has shown an increasingly interest is the areas of style.  Colourful, decorative casings along with features such as bevelled edges and round corners have been used to make these types of devices more appealing to the eye and less likely to look out of place in the modern living room.

The latest batch of mini helicopters launched by Bladez Toyz, a company headed by ITV Tycoon winner Iain Morgan and financed by Dragon’s Den business guru Peter Jones, includes the Salvation 3D model which is the subject of this review.  The last Bladez Toyz helicopter (the Salvation 1) I looked at came with a fairly standard remote control unit with twin joysticks.  This was powered by 8 AA batteries.

Joining the ranks of Sony Ericsson slider phones is the W395 model.  Available in a choice of Blush Titanium or Dusky Grey, the handset is constructed of brushed aluminium with a  design and feature set aimed at appealing to the youth market (well that leaves me out of the equation).  The W395 has dimensions of 96 x 47 x 15mm (H x W x D) when closed with the height expanding to 127mm when open.  The handset weight is kept down to a reasonable 96g.

Following an animated comic book style opening sequence, the Mystery of Hillcrest High opens with Natalie receiving a letter from her old school friend, Chad.  It is the contents of the letter which sets Natalie on the trail of this latest adventure that involves the infamous Black Cat Gang and their attempt to commit the crime of the century.

I seem to be in the minority.  I say this as a result of the content supplied with the vast plethora of mobile devices that are currently available.  Otherwise why would the different manufacturers all take the same approach of insisting on including an ear-bud style of headset for personal listening if the majority of users prefer the ear-muff style of headphones.

My first portable (not quite a luggable) music playing device was a record player with its own built-in speaker (this was the time when mono was still the accepted standard).  It would play the rather larger and breakable records of the hits of that period while keeping my arm muscles well exercised through the need to wind-up the unit in order for it to work.

When is enough considered enough?  If the question refers to computer storage capacity or speed of operation then the answer is probably “Never”.  The same is, no doubt, true when making up a wish list for the battery life length for our various portable devices.

Of all the various Sony Ericsson handsets I have looked at, the S312 is perhaps the smallest unit yet.  Even down to the packaging and the folded User Guide, this product goes for the compact look.  Adopting the candy bar style, the S312 is available in a choice of Dawn Blue or the Honey Silver of the review unit. As mentioned, compact is the name of the game for this handset which measures 100 x 46 x 12.5mm (L x W x D).  The S312 weighs in at 80.1g.

While netbooks are being targeted specifically at the user who requires a travelling companion with Internet access, communication facilities and other similar features, the laptop is moving outwards and onwards with the object of usurping the desktop unit as the living room computer system.

Malleable little people form the basis of a new offering from Focus Multimedia catalogue of titles which consists of not one but two separate games that need to be installed individually.  Making up the Virtual Villagers package are A New Home and The Lost Children. Following the destruction of their original home by a volcano, a small group of islanders escape by boat and end up being washed ashore on what appears to be an empty and isolated paradise.

Car keys, purse/wallet, travel pass or even your mobile phone never seem to be where you clearly remember leaving them.  While some may suggest that it is your memory that is at fault, there is a theory that the Borrowers have been up to their old tricks.  Whichever point of view you subscribe to, maybe a new product from Doro could help alleviate the problem. This product is the MemoryPlus 335.

Adding to its portfolio of games, Focus Multimedia has released Serpent of Isis.  Developed by Gamgo, this game is based on the search to track down those responsible for the theft of a rare Egyptian artefact, not surprisingly entitled the Serpent of Isis.  In order to solve this mystery you will need to get involved with hidden object game play, inventory-based puzzle solving and various mini-games playing in either relaxed or timed mode.

While speakers are meant to be listened to, there are times when you might like to consider their appearance as well as audio quality.  At least one manufacturer takes this viewpoint and attempts to add some style to its products.  That manufacturer is the Canadian-based Edifier Enterprises.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words but just imagine how that number would rise if that picture could talk.  By that I do not mean capturing a real person talking on video but rather an inanimate object, image, cartoon or an avatar created for a website.  Offering to provide the tools for creating this type of functionality is CrazyTalk 6 from Reallusion.

In 1993 Adobe released the first incarnation of its PDF (Portable Document Format) software onto an unsuspecting world.  This innovative technology allowed for the easy distribution of electronic documents that could be viewed exactly as the original author intended no matter what software and fonts were available on the host system.  All you needed was the free reader utility.  Since that date, 16 years ago, PDF has become the dominant force in the world of electronic documents.

Joining the Avanquest Click & Play catalogue of games is Adventure Chronicles: The Search for Lost Treasure.  This game features Susan Anderson who some might remember was the central character of Escape the Museum.  Now sufficiently recovered from the ordeal of escaping from the wreckage of the museum with her daughter, Susan is back at work when she takes delivery of a journal from an unknown source.  This journal is the work of T. R.

Hidden Mysteries: The White House forms part of Avanquest’s Click & Play range.  It brings together the familiar mix of hidden object game play with a scattering of puzzle-based mini games  This  game places you in the role of Miranda Hunt, a college student.

Some would say that Point n’ Click Adventures have had their day in the limelight yet still new titles appear that have the ability to draw the unsuspecting gamer into various weird environments.  Falling into this category is The Legend of Crystal Valley.  Developed by Cateia Games and published by MumboJumbo, this game combines 2D backgrounds, 3D characters and interactive objects woven together into a story that is seeped in mystery and fantasy.

In the past I have looked at several digital picture frames from various manufacturers.  In every case these models all had one particular feature in common.  These digital picture frames would only work when physically connected to a mains power outlet.  Now that trend has been broken with the arrival of the latest digital picture frame from Kodak.  This is the EasyShare S730 which features a built-in rechargeable battery and Quick Touch Borders.

Now up to version 17, OmniPage Professional comes with the claim of boosting accuracy by 40%; delivery enhanced integration with Microsoft Office; and including Smartphone features whereby you can download images of photographed documents.  As with version 16, this latest incarnation of OmniPage requires online product activation, to be carried out within five uses, in order to continue using the full features of the software.