Publication History For : Michael Fereday
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Offering to improve your listening experience with a portable music player is a device from Orbitsound
Portable device, such as the various iPod models, MP3 players and mobile phones, were designed specifically for a personal listening experience with regards to the music stored on these types of devices. Users, however, had other ideas and wanted to share their choice of music with friends and family. As a result manufacturers came up with kit that can turn a personal device into one that can deliver content to numerous listeners.
Technology is making great inroads into all forms of education. Traditional methods of gaining information and storing content are being superseded by the Internet and computers.
Some may remember that a number of months ago I looked at a product designed for use within educational establishments. This product, from AlphaSmart, was entitled Neo ( ). The Neo, for those who missed my original review, is a lightweight unit that brings together the functionality of a portable word processing, including KAZ Typing Tutor, with features such as USB and Infrared connectivity along with a six-function calculator.
To paraphrase a Lionel Bart song of yesteryear, Toys aint what they used to be.
Toys use to be just toys that you were meant to enjoy without any additional baggage when I was a child. You had your favourites and would play with them for hours quite happily. There were even occasions when you created your own versions of a particular toy that was unobtainable due to financial constraints or other reasons. Nowadays though, toys seem to be weighed down by issues dealing with marketing, licensing and even political correctness.
While netbooks are the current hot topics, notebooks continue to push boundaries with regards to performance and style.
As part of its energy saving Aspire Timeline series, Acer has released the Aspire 5810T model. Featuring a 15.6-inch HD, high-brightness CineCrystal LED-backlit TFT LCD screen, the Aspire 5810T has an impressive presence that is reinforced by its brushed aluminium cover and its slim-line depth. When closed this unit measures 378 x 259 x 24.8mm while the weight has been kept down to 2.5kg including the detachable battery pack.
Seek and Find Adventure
Published in Software
on
20 May 2009
The Hidden Object game format continues to be a popular genre with software developers and the game playing public. Various types of storylines have been used to package the concept of finding items that have been positioned in a range of locations and graphical scenes.
Starting life as a Shareware product, Paint Shop Pro has developed into a full featured graphics product.
Over the past few years it has become almost a tradition to welcome and review the latest version of Corel’s Paint Shop Pro Photo package on an annual basis. Following version X (the first to be developed under Corel’s ownership) in 2005; versions have appeared entitled X1 and X2. But now Corel has sprung a surprise by not releasing a brand new X3 version. Instead it has released a product entitled Paint Shop Pro Photo Ultimate X2.
This product arrives with the claim of being able to back up and recover your hard disk with ease and is made up of one, two and free (no thats not a misprint) elements. For more information about this product from Paragon, read on
Exploring Inca Pyramids
Published in Software
on
14 May 2009
For its latest game, Enkord has delved into the fascination that the ancient Inca civilisation had for the building of pyramids full of passageways and secret chambers. Entitled Inca Tomb, the game requires the player to explore a series of Inca pyramids in order to reveal what is concealed in each one.
Shake it, flick it and listen to the music hardly seems like an appropriate introduction to a mobile phone but this is a Walkman phone
Taking over the role of its flagship Walkman phone is the Sony Ericsson W980. Released with the tag line of “Discover Music Reborn”, this clamshell handset measures 92 x 46 x 17mm (L x W x D) and weighs 100g. As is Sony Ericsson’s usual habit, some precise colour naming is apparent as you are offered a choice of Violin Red, Opera Brown or Piano Black model. In its closed state, the handset presents a reflective face featuring three overlapping circles.
Each year my car sets out on its annual pilgrimage for its service and MOT testing. Generally this is the total requirement necessary to ensure I have twelve months of trouble-free usage (petrol, road tax and insurance cost issues aside). I just wish I could say the same for my computer system.
An on-going process of regular checks and maintenance sessions are required to make sure that overall performance of your computer is not handicapped by a variety of hardware and software related factors. One of these maintenance checks should deal with hard disk performance which can be compromised by the defragmentation brought about by normal everyday activity as files are deleted and the regained space allocated on a first-come basis to new files.
Considering the importance of having an up-to-date backup, it is not surprising that there are numerous products developed to carry out this task. One such offering, aimed at the home user, is Acronis True Image Home.
Since the last time I took a look at Acronis True Image Home, the product’s title has changed from using a version number to featuring the year as the means of identification. As a result this latest edition of the software bears the title of True Image Home 2009. This version brings together several new features to sit alongside its main disk image creation functionality.
War and diplomacy often go hand-in-glove when nations start to expand their territorial boundaries. Put your strategy acumen to the test with a collection from Paradox Interactive.
A trend that is sometimes used with popular games is for the original publisher/developer to sell on the licence after the first flush of sales to a budget label. The games can then be sold, at a reduced price, to users who might have missed out on the original launch. However when a series of titles, rather than a single game, are involved then another approach is often used. The various titles are bundled together in the form of a compilation or special collection.
Like a car, your computer can benefit from a session with a mechanic such as a package available from iolo
While a car requires a MOT certificate to show it is in good working order, your computer has no need for such documentation. However your computer does require regular overhauls to ensure performance is not hindered by internal and external influences. Just because you do not need a certificate, it does not relieve you of the responsibility to ensure your computer is running smoothly. One software package that offers to help in this respect is System Mechanic from iolo.
For a number of years Roxio and Nero seem to have been playing leapfrog as their burning/media creating software has fought for supremacy. I recently took a look at the latest Nero 9 product and now it is the turn of Roxio Creator 2009.
Released just before but arriving on my desktop just after Nero 9, Creator 2009 is the twelfth version of a product that used to be known as Easy Media Creator. This review is based on the Ultimate Edition of the software which adds a High-Def/Blu-ray Disc plug-in plus tools for audio and backup that are added to the basic package.
While you may not be able to call on the resources of a Spielberg or Lucas, your computer and appropriate software will give you the opportunity to wear a Directors hat.
While the telephone can be a life-line for the elderly, they might have a problem hearing the phone when it rings if their hearing is impaired
As we grow older so the wear and tear of life can affect out faculties without any outward evidence. It is not until we struggle focusing on small text or mis-hear a comment from others that the penny drops (of course we probably would not hear it but that’s not the point). Fortunately technology (along with a visit to an optician or optometrist) can help overcome some frailties.
Starting in Victorian London of 1889, The Clockwork Man is a hidden object game which has been developed by Total Eclipse and is published by GameHouse.
As is becoming increasingly standard with games of this genre, The Clockwork Man has a storyline of sorts and has a number of mini-games which take the form of puzzles that need to be solved in order to make progress. In some cases the mini-games rely on finding certain objects so that the task can be completed. You are cast in the role of Miranda Calomy, a young lady whose appearance and attitude is completely at odds with what you might expect from a Victorian lady.
An iPod can keep you entertained during the day and help you awake from a restful nights sleep.
The success of a product can sometimes be judged by the state of the add-on industry that it creates. An obvious example of this is the third-party products that have been developed to add functionality to the ubiquitous iPod device in all its incarnations. Numerous companies have taken advantage of this Apple phenomena to rack up sales for the various peripheral devices designed to enhance the user’s experience whether in-car, in-home or where ever they might be located.
A pent house suite in Mayfair and an establishment in the heart of Soho were the locations for a couple of press briefings that dealt with initiatives designed to entice users to expand their mobile experience. Dragging my weary bones through the thoroughfares of London, as it basked in an unseasonably warm spell, I attended both events.
It should come as no surprise, with the wide spread influence of mobile communications, that two separate companies made announcements regarding their services within a twenty-four hour period. What is slightly more surprising is that both these announcements relate to partnership deals with established hardware or software service providers.
Once known as the Mouse Company, Logitech has not forgotten its roots and regularly updates its collection of pointing devices as can be seen with this offering.
Better known for its puzzle centric titles, Enkord has come up with a new game that sets you the challenge of bringing peace to a series of islands.
sometimes wonder whether you need to have had at least one dead battery episode for a mobile device before you really qualify for being a road warrior.
A favourite ploy used by script writers to create a situation ripe for all eventualities (horror, comedy, drama, romcom etc) is a dead battery for a mobile device. I’m sure you can remember at least one story, whether portrayed on film or television, that has made use of this particular gambit.
When opting to display your digital images, you are almost spoilt for choice. Yet another digital picture frame demands by attention.
XSU-00850B is hardly the most memorable or descriptive title for a product. In fact it gives nothing away at all about the purpose of this particular piece of kit from Polaroid. To clear up the mystery, this is an 8-inch digital picture frame with Alarm Clock/Calendar functionality.
No matter how much storage space you have available for your computer, an additional wedge, presented in a stylish box, will always be welcome.
Following the migration of the computer from the study or office into the living room, more emphasis has been placed on appearance without negating performance. Naturally designers/manufacturers of peripheral devices have followed suit. We are now seeing devices being marketed on looks along with the other areas of price and performance. Printers, scanners, desktop sets and external hard drives all fall into this category.
While some titles, passed their first flush of youth, tend to reappear on a budget label, others become part of a collection such as this offering.
First there was Hearts of Iron, a title that failed to register on my horizon. Later along came Hearts of Iron II and yet again it passed me by. A standalone expansion pack, entitled Doomsday, and the Armageddon booster pack joined this series of titles. Now Ascaron Entertainment has bundled the expansion pack and booster pack with Hearts of Iron II thus giving me the opportunity to see what I missed first time around as I review Hearts of Iron II Collection.
It was about 12 months ago that Logitech introduced the Pure-Fi Anywhere product to the UK. Now there is a new version of this portable compact speaker set for the iPod Pure-Fi Anywhere 2which is entitled, not surprisingly, Pure-Fi Anywhere 2.
As well as the Eee family of netbooks and the like, Asus does have other irons in the fire. There is a video phone product, developed in conjunction with Skype, and the notebook that is the subject of this review to mention but two.
Generally when I receive a notebook for review, it has already served a similar purpose with others and arrives with the operating system up and running. However with the Asus N80V model I was granted the privilege (maybe task or something even stronger would be a better description) of working through the final stages of the installation of Vista and the accompanying software bundled by Asus.
While the idea of Nero playing the fiddle as Rome burned is a matter of conjecture; Nero, that is the company formerly known as Ahead, has certainly been busy working away at developing the latest version of its flagship product. This is Nero 9.
Starting primarily as a burning tool, Nero has gradually developed into a full-blown suite for the creation, burning and distribution of digital media. As a result of this multi-functionality, you should be prepared to allocate 1.5GB of hard disk space and be ready for a lengthy installation session as the various files are copied to your system. You will need to enter a 39-character serial number in order to start the installation.
It would be appropriate if I could begin this review by relating the dream I had last night. Unfortunately, try as I might, I have no recollection of the dream or even if I dreamt at all.
Sometime a degree of patience is required during the interval between seeing a new product and getting your hands on a review unit. With this next product that wait lasted six months before I was able to confirm or adjust my initial impressions.
Classified as an Internet Media Tablet, the Archos 7 is the latest addition to the company’s portfolio of PMP (Personal Media Player) type products. As its classification indicates, this product combines Internet access and media storage/playing facilities within a single device. The number “7” of the product’s title specifies the diagonal dimension of its high resolution (800 x 480 pixel) touch screen.
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