Publication History For : Paul Smart
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Once a home has several computers the file or files you need will always be on another PC. Of course you can transfer most by USB stick or assuming they are connected by a Network by Wi-Fi or Ethernet, surely there is a better way.
Yes there is a NAS drive and before you stop reading saying they are complicated they need not be. Here is such an example from Buffalo, the Link Station 520. Another thing people are concerned about – size – this one is tiny for a two drive unit. The Buffalo Link Station 520 measures 20.5x8.5x13.5cm and weights 1.77kilos. Both sides and the top are blank. The front has a door to allow insertion or removal of drives.
This is of course larger than an A4 unit but not by as much as you may think. It has tanks five that are filled by bottles of ink that reduces the cost per page. You can see the actual ink levels of each colour by looking at the side of the machine.
The Epson EcoTank ET-14000 measures 70cm wide, 36cm deep when the paper output tray is closed and 45cm deep when it is open and 32cm tall. It weights is 12.2kilos. The ink bottles fill the tanks on the right side of the unit in theory this is mess free but while the tipping of the ink into the tank is easy enough removing the foil on the top of the bottle can be tricky so as this is stated to be a once in two year task for ‘average’ use.
This is an improved and updated version of something that I had for a while before I could use it as it had a problem with syncing for those of us who use Android. I am pleased to say this rather smart unit does not have those problems.
The iHealth Edge is circular, a tad under 4cm and around 1cm thick. It comes fitted with a grey – near black – rubber strap with eight holes for the simple popper to nestle into so it should fit even the largest wrist. The upper part of the casing is matt silver with the bottom part matt black. When you look at the near flat face you see nothing in fact one person I showed it to thought it was a mirror but in reality it’s not that reflective.
First a real case for a phone not just the back but the screen as well and it also space for your credit and store cards. Second a well-made memory stick - it metal all round and the company are sure enough to offer a five year warranty.
This case is designed for iPhone 6s and 4.7inch iPhone6. It is 14x7x1.5cm and weights 87grams when empty. It has a back that fits over the iPhone and is held in place my magnets. So if required it can be used just as a standard phone back. The case is two tone leather mine was brown on the top and black on the bottom of the case. There is a small hole through both the case and the phone back for the iPhone inbuilt camera.
This is one of a range of machines by Sage marketed under the Heston Blumenthal name. If you need to ask who he is then you have either being living on a remote island or have no interest in food beyond baked beans and sausages.
This machine is fairly basic in that it has no bean grinder but if you like your coffee then you probably have somewhere where they roast and grind – use your nose – if it’s there you will find it. The smell of fresh roasted coffee will entice almost anyone. The machine is 30cm deep, 25cm wide and 32cm tall so should fit on most worktops. The water container fits into the rear of the machine and can hold up to 1.8litres of water. The hard wired mains lead is 1.
Being old I still find it strange that items are sold with one year licences, like most things I have I expect them to last forever, however as we old people die out I am sure that you having a one year licence for everything will become the norm.
This Total Security product from Kaspersky is one such example the DVD style case says 3 Devices and 1 Year licence, in fairness during that year you will get lots of updates and in this fast moving world they are certainly needed. The days of a single piece of software to protect against virus infection are long gone. The CD provided is for PC use only instructions are given for those using MACs and also for Android devices.
At the start of December I told you about a portable page scanner from IRIS and mentioned there were other such devices that could read information from a book or magazine without the need for it to be torn out. Here is such a device.
The IRISPen Air 7 is truly portable and it is used like a pen with you scanning a line at a time, it is a bit like highlighting a line or so of text from a page to help to remember a fact or statement. With the highlighter method you still need to refer back to the book to get that fact when you revise, not so here as you scan into your PC or portable device and the book remains in pristine condition. It is 13.5cm long 2.5cm wide and 1.
While some may think this is a printer on steroids or even a multi-use Swiss army knife it is neither. This device is a 32GB SSD which has seven different uses the main one being able to move data from one source to another quickly.
The QNAP QG-103N Network Attached Storage (NAS) unit is small at just 11.5x6.x1.5cm and it weighs 114 grams. Going round the unit it has a small 2.5x1.5cm display on the front near the top. The right side has a slider off/charge/on below this OLED next an SD Card slot and finally a USB3 connector. The bottom has an Ethernet port and a USB3 port. It comes with leads and a small fold out card sheet with eight sides of instructions.
Going to the Planetarium is an expensive experience, buying a telescope is also expensive, looking at the stars with a naked eye requires a clear night that probably means a cold night you also need to be clear of light pollution. This product works indoors whenever you want.
First you need to download the Universe2Go App from the Android Store and start the App. Setting it up to work with your phone will take a while as your phone needs to fit inside the frame. When you get it this is covered by several pieces of foam to cover the whole area if you are using say a 5inch SmartPhone most will need to be removed piece by piece and probably just leave one thin strip to hold your phone in place.
This flat panel from BenQ is one of a growing range that not only want to give you a crisp clear but also are aware of the damage that can be done to eyes by Blue light so that is possibly the one stand out selling point for eye health.
The Benq GW2870H monitor measures 65x37x2cm the latter is at the edges. It comes with a 11.5x32cm base that extends in the central area to 30cm where it is attached to the arm. The stand raises the panel by 10cm from your desk; there is no side to side movement but a reasonable amount of back tilt and a small amount of forward tilt. The base of the stand attaches via a twist screw to the arm. The viewable screen is 62x34cm which gives the diagonal imperial measurement of 28inches.
If the charms of an i device are not top of your wants list then the name top of the Android wants list will be whatever the Samsung machine has to offer. Here is one of their most recent offerings courtesy of Vodafone the Galaxy S6.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 measures 14.2x7x.7cm and weights 138grams. Going round the outside the right side has the on/off button, the base has speaker, 3.5mm headphone socket and micro USB for charging or attaching an OTG device. The left side has volume up/down buttons and finally the top has a very effective microphone.
Looking like what early impressions of an alien space ship might be like; a circular disc with thin sides and thicker in the middle this hub from Cygnett does but a single thing it charges your USB devices using mains power and offering five outlets around the disc.
Five equally spaced ports around the side and the sixth space is taken where the two prong mains leads is inserted. The five USB ports take 180degrees of the circle with the mains lead entering mid-way through the other half of the product. It is white in colour with blue lettering on the top and a blue band around the middle highlighting where the five charge ports are, it is 9cm across.
This inkjet unit can print, scan, copy and fax. It is suitable for the home or SOHO user. Unusually it has three paper inputs within its normal sized form. So what exactly can this latest offering from Brother bring to the market.
Being designed to be left on – to send and or receive faxes – the Brother MFC-J680DW has an extra press of a button on the TFT screen which adds a couple of seconds to boot time. Shutdown also has another press to remind you that you are turning the fax off. The machine is 40x38x17cm the last figure will need to increase by a few centimetres if placed on a shelf to allow you to put sheets on the flatbed scanner.
There are several programs about that allow you to control one PC from another remotely very useful for teaching purposes. Here however a program that allows you to run Windows PC programs on an Android Tablet.
As an example I have a database program that lists my CD collection but it is a Windows only program and when out and about it would be useful to know if I had a certain CD or the tracks that make it up – record companies do sometimes reissue under another name – to stop me buying something I already have. Best of all you can try it free for seven days to see if it does what you want/need before you need to purchase. Download an App from the Android or ‘i’ Store.
At a recent press event showing new products one item got me excited although there were other interesting items that item were these brand new adjustable lens glasses that enable each eye to be suited and for good measure they cut out 80% of harmful blue light.
First what is an advanced night light which could work at both ends of the spectrum for the young or the old. Second a word that only recently found its way into the dictionary yes its a Selfie stick this one even has Bluetooth.
A visit to a recent event held by a large distributor saw me leave with information from a number of companies I do not normally hear from. One such company was Integral who I think of only for memory but here something rather different. A very simple looking device at 7.5x11.5x2.5cm these figures are maximum when plugged into a 13amp socket. The light is 7.5x7.5x.
A Tablet computer running Android intended for use by the young. It looks like a rugged device used on say a building site with lots of protection around the sides of the unit and of course the average pre school child is just as tough on toys if not tougher.
The Leapfrog Epic tablet measues 22.5x15.5x2.5cm and weights a touch under 600 grams. The initial setup should be done by an adult – even if it’s for an older child – to set up age group and all Internet use should be set by site which requires the parent’s password. I always have my doubt about such devices once a child reaches school age as they seem to want the ‘real thing’ rather than something designed for them.
Reviewing an item like this attached to my TV requires many hours of work just to see if the dire sound quality associated with many American movies can be improved once that hurdle is overcome then you check to see what else it can do.
This is described as a 4.1channel system with 200watt output Sound Bar with Bluetooth. It is 93cm long, 8.5cm tall and 6cm deep. The sub-woofer is a 25cm cube. Assuming you are using it with your TV you can connect by RCA leads or Optical cable both are supplied, I used the latter. Plug the Optical into your TV and the other end into the end of the Sound Bar. Position the Sound Bar and then connect the supplied lead to run from the Sound Bar to the Sub-Woofer and place that.
A chance email had me journeying to Bethnal Green to look at some audio products produced by a German company whom I had not heard of previously. After listening to several I asked to review two of their offerings, this is the first probably their entry level offering but do not let that make you think it is either poor quality or cheap.
The Raumdeld One 'S' measures 17.5x10x13cm and it weighs 1400 grams. The back has a large rubber bung to cover the inputs. While you need Ethernet to set it up once successful you can take that out and work on Wi-Fi. The well-marked connections are for Ethernet, USB, Reset, Setup and Power input. The front has two white LEDs and a small on/off button. The 24 page Setup Guide is clear and easy to read.
Earlier this year Gillette launched their Fusion ProGlide and I have been using the two razors provided ever since, while their five blades in the shaver are very good I do not have a wet shave more than about twice a week.
One thing I mentioned in my review in March was that I would update how long the blades lasted well I am still using them. In the manual unit it is beginning to pull a bit but I have used it 51 times.
Today there is a wide choice of radios that also have Internet options. Here from Roberts they openly admit this to be there entry level option, so is there anything missing that could be found in a unit costing more money or is it super value.
The Radio Stream 104 measures 21x12x5.5cm with an additional 2cm on the left side for the power lead, as it can be run from batteries I did not include this in the main measurements. So lets go round the unit on the back is a slide open bay to take 6x‘AA’ batteries rechargeable ones work fine and at the top the dock for the six piece rod aerial that extends to 72cm. The right side is clear while the left side has three near identical sockets the bottom one is for the power lead -1.
This version of Sphero goes far beyond what the previous version could do and that was be controlled by an App to move around, if you were good then you could just about control it, if not it controlled you. Here you teach it.
The Sphero supplied here is transparent so you can see its inner workings. Anyone from 5 upwards can learn as well as teach Sphero. But just like the majority of teachers they also learn from their students so it’s a two way street. Understand Sphero and in a weird way Sphero will understand you. So what does SPRK stand for, Schools, Parents, Robots, Kids so in one way or another I think that covers most of us. The box contains what it modestly calls a ‘Genius Kit’.
First an OTG device designed for the newest type C USB 3.1 ports. Second a more conventional micro SD card but for i devices to once again facilitate transfer of data between the PC or MAC to the portable device and back again.
OTG (On The Go) devices have been around for quite a while and for the devices that support them they make an easy way to transfer larger files quickly. Here is the first USB Type C OTG I have seen, type C means it fits either way round. In itself a great idea and with a cable – rather than a device – it means you do not need to ferret around trying to get it to fit into the port. However with a device you need USB 3.
When I think of Focal I think of quality and these earbuds are rather good. However unlike a lot of items in their catalogue the price they are sold at does not make your eyes water. So these mid-priced earbuds got tested over several weeks.
When I think of Canary I think of a bird known for its singing and in a way no doubt this is how the name of this product was arrived at. It is a security alarm product that sees the intruder and then no matter what he/she does they are on camera.
To say the setup was not easy is perhaps the understatement of the year – no make that decade – as even though I live in the UK – and it agrees with that – it insists I enter a ‘state’ this however can be anything a blank space or a non-existent one it just needs an entry.
For a very long time people have talked about a paperless office, and yes we all still seem to be drowning in paper. Utility companies and banks want you to go paperless but there is not normally a great incentive to do so.
Here a small scanner that may assist as it lets you scan and then convert files into a format readable by Word and Excel to name but two. It comes in a small box and the scanner itself is 28.5x5x3cm there are minimal instructions consisting of a single sheet with just four points. So no CD is supplied and if you are on dial up or a very slow connection this is not for you as when downloaded and installed the hard disk space taken is over 3GB.
By chance these came in for review whilst I was learning to use an iPad and it was not a huge chore to listen to music while learning a new operating system and again by chance when I was flicking through the battery properties I came upon a reading that told me the state of the iPad battery which I expected but also the state of these earbuds which I did not expect.
These earbuds from Optoma are just under 60cm from earbud to earbud and surprisingly – to me anyway – the cable from the right bud has the units controller only 6cm down. Checking all the other units of various types I have found that this always seems to be from the left bud. The fold out instruction sheet of 12 sides is almost totally in diagram form the exception being one side that says please visit optoma.
The problem with handheld massagers is that unless the area of pain is reachable you need another person to operate it. While as an older person I have aches and pains all over my body like a lot of other people my back is the main offender.
The unit has three feet which means that the area it can work in is fairly wide as all the feet vibrate to give relief to a larger area. The area you hold is oval at 9x6cm with the power button at one end which is likely to be the front. So there are two feet a total of 11cm apart below this with the back foot 11cm back and mid-way between the two front feet.
This is a large unit so my advice is make sure its place is clear before you unpack it. It can be Wi-Fi or USB. I assume TNTs couriers are a lot stronger than me as it journey to its review position once delivered was by pushing its box along my hall.
The Brother DCP-9015CDW colour, multi-function printer measures 40x45x37cm and weights over 23kilos and around four kilos more in its box. The off white colour means it might just get by the lounge police; it has clean lines and could even pass as a coffee table when not in use. There are just two connections at the rear USB back left and power back right. There is no sheet feed so the rear 30cm is perfectly flat and it just rises to place a sheet of paper on the scanner.
The Asus ZenPad 8 Android Tablet is shaped more like a mobile phone than a tablet as it is taller than you think and also less wide than the normal. This shape means it is easier to hold in a hand than a lot of other similar devices, so possibly less easy to drop.
The ZenPad measures 20.5x12.2x.7cm and weighs just 348grams, the diagonal imperial screen measurement is 8 inches it is of course 16:9 ratio and this is great if you want to view UK TV which I was able to do as I was reviewing a Humax PVR during the review period that review should have been published around a week ago. The screen resolution is 1280x800. Going round the unit the right side has volume up and down rocker and the on/off button. The base and left side are clear and the top has a 3.
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