Publication History For : Michael Fereday
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The Internet can be a vast treasure chest of information and resources but it also has the capability of being a mine field for the unwary. It is best to be well protected when on surfing sessions.
When thinking about the subject of security with regards to Internet activity, one of the first names that spring to mind is that of Norton. First as an independent utility company and later as part of the Symantec family, Norton has been a leading player in the field of computer maintenance and Internet security.
Streaming Audio
Published in Wireless
on
2 Apr 2009
Whether you are a fan of the iPod or MP3 style of mobile music player, you presumably purchased your chosen device as a personal player for you ears alone. However once the item has been purchased, there is no need for it to remain a personal device.
Kings Bounty: The Legend
Published in Software
on
1 Apr 2009
Mix fantasy, role-playing, turn-based strategy, warfare with the opportunity for marriage and divorce within a single game and the result is Kings Bounty: The Legend.
It was just over a year ago when I last took a look at Corels VideoStudio product. That was version 11 Plus which introduced a number of new features. Since then the product has been further enhanced.
The top-of-the-range edition is entitled VideoStudio Pro X2 Ultimate and comes bundled with WinDVD 9 Plus, DVD Copy 6 Plus and WaveLab LE 6 that adds playback, copy & convert plus audio mastering facilities to the main package. The VideoStudio installation procedure lets you cherry-pick from the various applications and drivers that include Windows Media Encoded 9, Flash Player 9 and Quick Time.
The greater majority of remote controls tend to have an over abundance of control keys covering as many features as possible. However, for some, these devices tend to be complicated.
I have been told that a sea voyage can be good for your health. But presumably the type of voyage that is involved in Sea Journey does not fall into this category.
Sea Journey is a game from DivoGames, a Russian based company that was founded in 2001 and specialises in the development of casual games. This game brings together sea battles, pirates, hidden treasure and maps aplenty with the traditional match-3 genre. The whole package is encased in a story line that casts you as a young captain of a merchant ship.
While many users will be content with the scanner module that forms part of an All-in-One device, better quality can be achieved with a standalone model.
Adding to its range of standalone flatbed scanners, Canon has released its CanoScan LiDE 200 model. This colour image 48-bit scanner offers a resolution of 4800 x 4800 dpi that can be expanded to 19200 dpi through the use of software as part of a feature set designed to tempt those users wanting better quality than is usually available from the scanner unit forming part of a multi-function or All-in-One device. Opening the box reveals four components.
Using the wireless connectivity of DECT phones, you can easily set up an arrangement of handsets in various rooms with a single telephone line connection.
Not to be confused with the similarly named Doro Arctic brand of DECT phones is the Doro Arc brand. Any confusion is easily understood. Not only are the brand names very similar but both types of product are DECT digital cordless phones with answer machine capabilities. However there are some difference but most of these are concerned with improved functionality rather than additional features.
Sometimes first impressions can be misleading. Take for instance this next product from Kensington.
The Kensington LiquidAUX product is not, as I first thought, a FM Transmitter device. Instead this device, designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod products, is an auxiliary car kit with a remote control for the music loving driver.
Canon has recently made some changes to the line-up of its PIXMA range of products. One of these changes involves the entry-level All-in-one device. This position is now taken up by the PIXMA MP190 model.
Maybe due to the current economic climate, this years Toy Fair definitely seemed smaller. One product that caught my eye was a helicopter manufactured in China.
While visiting the recent Toy Fair, held at the Excel Exhibition Centre, I was struck by, what appeared to be, a total lack of one particular toy that was heavily featured last year. Flights of fancy, via remote controlled helicopters and the like, were now conspicuous by their absence – but not quite. The thought had barely faded from my mind when, as chance would have it, I stumbled across the small, but welcome, Extreme Fliers stand.
One of my favourite episodes of Last of the Summer Wine involves bulky walkie talkies. Nowadays units are much smaller and more portable as can be seen with t product from Doro.
As part of its telephony-based product line-up, Doro has released its wt96 Pro offering. This product is a walkie talkie communication kit. Opening the box reveals a pair of walkie talkie handsets with accompanying docking stations, various power leads, ear-bud style headsets and two packs of AAA x4 rechargeable batteries that fit into each handset.
Not to be confused with a 50-year old hit of Sir Cliff Richard, Move It is a new product from Nero, better known for its disk burning technology and software.
One of the common problems relating to media content is the variety of formats used for music, image and video files by manufacturers of mobile and personal media devices. Move It offers to help in this respect by offering a range of profiles designed to make the transfer of content between devices as simple and seamless as possible – or that is the claim made for the product.
Sometimes all you need is a mobile phone rather than the usual diet of multi-function devices developed by various companies.
Mobile phones come in a variety of styles, shapes, sizes and colour combinations. That is even before you consider the feature sets and additional attributes that have been integrated (some would say “shoe-horned” or bolted-on) into the device to increase the “wantability” appeal for users. Developers and manufacturers continue to try and out-do the competition with new features and stylish looks.
If you had a third arm, just what use would you put it to? Maybe this next product could be used to experiment with different possibilities
From its early beginnings with flip-books, animation has developed into a skilled art form that can take full advantage of a computers processing power.
Animation was once the preserve of skilled artists with access to expensive equipment. Then computers came along and animation was made available to those who could afford powerful systems with top-of-the-range graphics capability and oodles of memory. Fortunately computer prices fell as performance improved and along came Reallusion. This company is responsible for a product entitled iClone which was priced within many users’ budget constraints.
While the main focus on Acers acquisitions of companies last year was on the Gateway and Packard Bell deals, it was all too easy to miss one further acquisition. Almost slipping under the radar was Acers take over of E-Ten Information Systems Co. Ltd.
Adding television reception to your computer has never been easier with various companies offering products. This next product was developed by Pinnacle but now forms part of the Hauppauge portfolio
You could almost sat that this is another example of dig for victory following last weeks look at farm management for the casual gamer.
Small is better when it comes to storing data or sending it via email. Compression software can help.
Apart from a brief flirtation with another compression utility many years ago, I have been firmly committed to using the various versions of WinZip as my utility of choice for compressing data for emailing and other purposes. Now part of the Corel family, WinZip is up to version 12 with both Standard and Pro versions being available. This review is based on the Pro version which offers the ability to compress data and carry out various management tasks.
While we are often encouraged, and sometimes make the effort, to be energy efficient with regards to our home and car environment, the home computer is generally an area that is neglected in this respect.
Recently I have been talking to my computer. This should not be regarded as a sign of any mental disturbance but more to do with testing the latest speech recognition software from Nuance.
Nuance, the leading provider of speech solutions, has released the latest version of its best selling speech recognition software. This is Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS from now on) which is now up to version 10 and arrives just over two years after version 9. The product is available in Standard, Preferred, Preferred Wireless and Mobile, and Professional flavours. This review is based on DNS Preferred.
Ranch Rush
Published in Software
on
25 Feb 2009
In the past I have played numerous games dealing with the management of various types of businesses and involved the building and running of hotels, theme parks, airports and even a prison or two. Now I have the opportunity to try by hand at farming with Ranch Rush, a game developed by Fresh Games and published by MumboJumbo.
Although its main purpose is to play music and videos, my iPod also comes in useful when testing products such as a speaker system from Logic3.
The presence of an “i” as a suffix to a product’s title can certainly give the clue that it belongs to the numerous offerings developed with the iPod market in mind. Falling into this category is the i-Station25 product from the UK company, Logic3. The i-Station25 is a speaker system that has been designed for use with the iPod and iPhone products. Decked out in black with a silver trim, this wedge shaped speaker system measures 154 x 170 x 103mm (H x W x D).
Asus certainly created a stir when the company launched its original mini-notebook that was the flag bearer for the various netbook models that have appeared from a range of manufacturers. Now fashion forms part of the latest Asus product.
With the tag line of “Fashion-on-the-go Made Eeeasy”, Asus has released its Eee PC S101 model which will be available in various colours. The review unit featured a metallic brown top with silver crystal-adorned hinges. Despite the propensity of the top cover to attract finger prints (they are easily wiped away using a supplied cloth), the S101 has an attractive, stylish appearance. Measuring 264 x 180.
Sometimes you could be forgiven for thinking that mobile music was the sole preserve of the iPod but there are other devices often with a far more attractive price point.
Size, as we all know, isn’t everything – a truism that is perfectly illustrated by the Sansa Clip. This is a tiny MP3 player measuring 55 x 35 x 16mm. The Sansa Clip is available in a choice of colours such as Black, Candy Apple Red, Hot Pink, Silver and Ice Blue with capacities of 1GB, 2GB or 4GB. This review is based on the silver 4GB model.
For those who have not already encountered him, let me introduce you to Mortimer Beckett. Following his first appearance in the episode of the Spooky Manor, our intrepid adventurer is once again called upon by his uncle to help resolve a problem of chronological significance.
Developed by Paprikari and published by Real Arcade, Mortimer Beckett and the Time Paradox brings together elements of hidden object, puzzle solving and object replacement spread through various time periods and geographical locations. This time the task involves a trip through time to find a Time Bomb which has been broken into pieces. Our hero will need to bring together the pieces of the Time Bomb and close a time portal before disaster strikes.
Put together an 18-inch display, Blu-ray drive, Intel Core 2 Duo processor packaged inside a Gemstone Blue design and the result will be the Acer Aspire 8920 which is currently residing on my work space.
As befits technology, its sphere of influence continues to spread through the use of different mediums. While wireless and cable connectivity continues to hold sway, sometimes these methods do not meet the need of users.
When setting up a home network you do need to consider which connectivity method is most appropriate for your particular circumstances. If the though of laying cables from system to system located in various rooms does not appeal and your environment is not conducive to wireless connectivity or you are worried about security issues then a third alternative might appeal.
The needs of multimedia and telephony based applications tend to differ with regards to various settings. Sandberg believes it has a possible solution to circumvent this problem.
Recently I have looked at a number of products from Sandberg, a Danish company involved in the development of various computer accessories that are distributed in the UK by Interactive Ideas. Generally the purpose and functionality of these devices is fairly evident from their title but not always. For example this next product is a USB device that goes by the name of ChatSet.
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