It has been quite a while since I last had the opportunity to try out a new standalone flatbed scanner.  The main reason for this long gap is down to the popularity of multifunctional and all-in-one devices.  These types of product do have the decided advantage of saving on workspace and power source requirements.  However there are occasions when the specific functionality of a dedicated scanner outweighs these considerations.

The is a multifunction device.  This predominately dark grey product with a matt silver top combines an inkjet printer, flat-bed A4 scanner and fax capabilities within a single unit.  You also get PictBridge and memory card (CF Type II, Memory Stick, SD/MMC and xD) connectivity with the latter being hidden in a front-mounted concealed compartment.

Following the release of its USB telephone adapter that allows Skype calls to be made from a normal telephone, US Robotics has now ventured into the field of Internet video with its Mini Cam for Skype product.  Now, not only can you make free or reduced rate calls using the popular Skype service, you can also view the person at the other end of the connection in all their glory or otherwise as the case may be.

At one time adding an additional optical drive to your computer involved a degree of surgery.  You would have needed to open up your system box; find an empty bay; remove the face plate from the bay; insert and screw the drive into place; and attach both a power and data ribbon lead to the appropriate sockets before closing the case and completing the process.  If a laptop was involved then the problems could be multiplied.

The anticipation you can feel when coming face to face with a follow-up title can be both worrying and exciting.  You can never be sure whether the developers have expanded and improved the original theme or are merely trying to cash in with a mish-mash of ideas that demean the original product.

While the various flavours of the iPod continue to dominate the personal listening arena, the product is also to make inroads into home and group listening circles.  The impetus for this incursion is being driven by several third-party companies who have developed different add-ons to take advantage of the iPod phenomena.  One such offering is the mm50 from Logitech.

PIXMA is Canon-speak for inkjet printers.  Joining this range of Canon printers is the model.  This rectangular box shaped unit, decked out in highly reflective black (giving you a mirror in an emergency and a repository for occasional fingerprints), measures 442 x 237 x 152mm and weighs in at 3.3kg.

There have been several instances of so-called "wars" between competing technologies in the past.  A couple of examples are those between Betamax and the VHS video tape format and the short-lived contest between the GEM and Windows GUI software packages.

Brother, that's the printer company rather than a relative, covers a wide gamut of devices dealing with different aspects of printing.  Laser printers, inject printers, all-in-one devices and label printers are all featured in the Brother portfolio of available products.  Within the latter category, the various label printers tend to form the P-touch series of electronic devices.

I'm tempted to say that we are about to undergo a revolution with regards to mouse technology.  However it is probably more correct to use the term "evolution" despite this mouse bearing the title of VX Revolution.  Designed and developed by Logitech, this product is described as a cordless laser mouse for notebooks which is not to say that this particular device will not perform equally well when attached to a desktop system.

As part of its new batch of products, .  This is a device that provides print, scan and copy facilities.  Basically it is an with an A4 flatbed scanner positioned on the top.

So what do you do with the gear you no longer want?  Maybe, like many others, you point your browser at eBay and put the various pieces of kit up for sale.  However if these items are mobile phones then there is an alternative method that you could take to dispose of unwanted items while swelling your bank balance and possibly benefiting third-world countries plus doing your bit for recycling.

Coming across one of my original mobile phones recently (I had thought all my old models had been dispatched to a charity) helped to re-enforce the strides such devices had made over a relatively short period.  Developed initially as a means of voice communication when on the move, mobile phones are now so feature-rich that you could almost forget about the aspect of making and receiving voice calls.

Do you remember your first USB memory device?  In my case it was an 8MB unit.  At the time this device was being promoted as being suitable for all your personal needs when on the move from location to location.  Today most users would be embarrassed to be seen with a USB device of such a low capacity and would consign it to the back of a drawer while making use of one of the higher capacity devices that are currently available.

As processing power increases and hard disk storage costs decrease so more and more people are becoming involved in the creation of home videos.  While the professional fraternity are able to afford the premium price of around £700 for a copy of Adobe Premiere Pro, for many this cost makes the product too expensive especially when you consider you could buy a new system for less.

Like the Sixties, if you lived through them - you won't remember them, the Fifties has left its own distinctive imprint on modern day society.  Take, for example, the phenomena known as B-movies and the classics, especially of the Sci-fi genre, that it let loose on an impressionable public.

What's your mouse like?  I ask the question because of the numerous styles of this particular peripheral that ate currently available (and as a way of leading into this review).  Since its initial introduction as part of the standard computer set-up, this pointing device has progressed through various evolutionary stages.

With my first disk-based computer I was able to fit the operating system, along with a word processor and various documents on a single floppy disk that had a storage capacity of 180K.  Those were the days when tight code and other constraints meant that we had little need to consider any form of compression when transferring data from one location to another.

Unlike my waist measurement, which does have a tendency to fluctuate, the hard disks in my computers do not have the same ability to adjust their capacity to suit storage requirements.  While I have no concerns with regards to the lack of shrink capability, problems can arise when I need to store more data than there is space available.  Fortunately additional storage space is readable available in products such as product.

Adobe PhotoShop is an excellent product with a range of features and a high performance level.  However this quality does come with a premium price tag that puts the software out of the range of many users.  This is not only my opinion but that of Adobe as well.  The result of this is that Adobe has developed PhotoShop Elements.

It must be admitted that the title "Cinergy DT USB XS Diversity" hardly flows off the tongue.  However it is by the performance and ease of use that this Terratec piece of kit should be judged in its designated operational area of providing television facilities on the move rather than its mouthful of a title.

Think graphic and you think of Adobe and Corel with products such as PhotoShop and CorelDRAW.  But there are alternatives especially for those operating on a tight budget.  Since its initial appearance with a DTP (Desktop Publishing) package that help kick start the acceptance of budget software, Serif has continued to produce graphics software for the price sensitive market.

A good number of years ago, a device, which I used on a regular basis, was a print switch box.  This allowed two computers to share printers by simply moving a switch to the appropriate position.  It should be pointed out that this was when DOS ruled the desktop and Windows was struggling to make an initial impression with users.  Printers then tended to be parallel devices and home users only dreamed about networking their computers.

While a look-alike lunch box might not top your list of preferred equipment when considering your photographic needs - stranger things have happened.  When you realise that this particular lunch box is really a portable printer that provides photo-lab capabilities, you might have a rethink as to its suitability.  This matt silver box, with a useful carry-handle, is the Epson PM240 photo printer.

Music is mobile.  Well that's the way it appears judging by the number of mobile devices that are appearing with the ability to store and play back our favourite tracks.  One company that has taken on board this particular mantra is Maxfield.  It seems only yesterday that the company launched its MAX SIN-Touch device, now it is the turn of MAX-IVY to take centre stage and provide mobile entertainment capabilities with capacities ranging from 1 to 4GB.

Like ideas, some gadgets are simple in concept while others have varying degrees of complexity as they perform their designated tasks.  The subject of this review definitely falls into the first category as it makes life easier for those of us who are addicted to using numerous USB devices especially when one of the devices in question has a connection plug that has over-dosed on steroids.

The city of Atlantis, prehistoric dinosaurs, and an ancient Zodiac tower might seem like an unusual progression but not to Enkord.  First it was Jewel of Atlantis; next came Jurassic Realm (both reviewed earlier on this site); and now it is the turn of Zodiac Tower.  In each case the game is of the puzzle genre and involves the removal of gems, stones or tiles in order to make progress through various screens.

Often referred to as "the father of pop art", Andy Warhol was born in 1928 and died in 1987.  His work, whether you are a fan or not, is instantly recognisable.  You only have to mention Campbell Soup and the series of star faces portrayed in repetitive format to know that the subject matter is Andy Warhol.  But what, you may ask, has Andy Warhol to do with this review of a software product.  The answer is Pop Art.

"Batteries not included" is not a message that is usually associated with computer peripherals.  Whatever the device, whether it is a wireless mouse, keyboard, or whatever, you will generally find the required batteries tucked away somewhere in the box.  However, as we all know, batteries tend not to be everlasting.  In fact they do have a propensity to run out of juice at the most inconvenient moment.

One of the names that immediately springs to mind with regards to printers is that of Epson.  Tucked away in a corner somewhere I still have my original Epson LQ800 model that was popular many years ago before inkjets and lasers took over the market but that is another matter.  So forgive my brief bout of nostalgia and lets get on with today's topic which is the printer.