Publication History For : Paul Smart
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This is new camera from Samsung. Its a digital offering verging on what some call a Bridge unit. This is a full HD video unit with still images up to 12.4MP. It can take 4:3, 16:9 and 1:1. It has a flip out viewfinder like a lot of camcorders.
The Samsung EX2F 'Smart' camera measures 12x6x4.5cm, the last figure the width can increase by 2.5cm when fully zoomed in. The weight of the unit is 309grams. Looking the rear of the unit the left side has only a neck strap anchor point, the other anchor is on the right side that also has a flip door behind which are sockets for mini HDMI and USB. The front has the Schneider zoom lens 52-172mm (about 3.3 times zoom).
The first a set of Bluetooth headphones that allow you movement without wires. The second a device to turn almost any audio system into one that is wireless. So you choose if either or both these devices have a place in your life.
A set of on ear headphones that can be Bluetooth or connected via a standard 3.5mm audio cable which is supplied. The headphones come in a zip all around hard sided case which is oval at 19x15x7cm and considering the headphones are full size this is quite small. The secret is that they fold in at the point of expansion, click back to open and you have up to 3cm of enlargement on each arm. The earpads are leather as the middle 16cm of the headband.
The first is a remote control that can replace several units, even those that the dog has tried to chew because you them more attention. The second a book called Vintage Tomorrows to help us all see the possible future of technology.
This is a universal remote control that can replace up to four devices. The second line of buttons on the control suggests, TV, PVR, DVD and extra which could be a gaming device like an X-Box an Audio system or anything else. It has 45 keys but it is not at all crowded and for those who like to watch in subdued lighting the control is backlit. It is 20.5x5.5x2cm, these are maximum figures and in the central waisted area its only 4cm wide. You need two ‘AAA’ batteries.
Finally months after its release I receive a small touch notebook designed for Windows 8. While the 11inch screen may be a little small for some the touch features work well as you will naturally sit with the screen well within reach.
It is 30x20x1.5cm, it weights 1416grams. The 1.5cm thickness is maximum as at the front and back it is only 1cm thick. The viewable screen is 26x14.5cm giving the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 11.6inches but it is shiny, so shiny that you could shave in it when off and so in bright daylight you will struggle to use it effectively. The screen shows 1366x768 pixels. There is an 82 key keyboard, the alpha and numeric keys are full width but only 1.
This is the big brother of Motorola RAZRi sometimes called the XT890. Everything about it is larger the screen, the overall size and of course the weight, even the operating system is one point later than on the RAZRi.
It is 13x7x1cm and it weights 147grams. The viewable screen is 10.3x5.8cm.Notional diagonal imperial measurement of 4.7inches. The screen display is 720x1280pixels. While most people tend to leave their phone on I still tend to turn it off on occasions, booting is 28 seconds and shutdown is 4 seconds. The on/off button on the right side has a serrated edge so you can feel it’s the right button even in the dark. Below this is the volume up and down rocker. The top has 3.
eM Client an Outlook Alternative
Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple
on
21 Apr 2013
Over the years I have been asked quite often what e-mail clients can read the Outlook Express files. This now becomes more pressing as Windows XP support ends very soon. Here is one item that reads these and other file formats, and, if you have one or two mail accounts then its FREE.
HP first delivered an Envy in the period when they sent nothing out for review, this then is a much later version and is the first to make its way into my office to be given the once over, it may even please the all-seeing lounge police!
The first thing you notice is that the scanner lid is made of clear glass and the whole unit is sleek and very fashionable. It is 42x31x12cm when closed. However that is with the display panel closed and this will automatically open to 45degrees when powered on and this adds around 5cm to the overall depth. The reason that the last figure is ‘around’ is that you decide exactly the angle you want for perfect viewing.
This is the current latest version of Microsoft Office, it has a very new and somewhat sinister edge to it in that it is now a item that comes with a licence to allow its use for 12 months after that you need to pay to keep using it.
This is another large flat panel, and, what a unit this is. Not only is it big at 27inches but it also can display a lot more that that seen on most other panels as the maximum resolution is 2560x1440 and not the glass ceiling of 1920x1080.
It is 64x39x1cm the latter at the edges; it does become 2cm thick further in. The stand is circular at 25cm and2.5cm thick. The arm that connects it to the panel can collapse to 6cm or raise to 16cm and the movement is so smooth. Almost all monitors and panels I have ever reviewed have a dumb stand meaning that its purpose is simply to support the panel. Here while the connection method is still into the back of the panel the base has a USB hub.
Here I am looking at two full size headphones. First a set from Creative primarily designed for gamers but also great for other uses. Second a name most known for quality in Formula One Ferrari and marketed by Logic 3.
Most gamers refuse a wireless headset on the basis that the supposed latency gives them a disadvantage. Not so with this offering as people who use it have even been accused of cheating as they can hear things with more direction early enough to move away, so it is possible for a wireless headset to even give you an advantage. My interest however is not the 16 hours of use between charges but simply the fact that a volume level once set can be held.
Having recently looked at larger TVs from LG and Samsung it seems only right to look at another of the major manufacturers Toshiba, while most will think of Toshiba for notebooks they also do TVs and other home items.
It is 91x52x4cm and it is only 2cm thick at the edges. The viewable screen is 89x59cm giving the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 40inches, the stand is glass and is 38x20cm it raises the screen by 7cm from the table or whatever you stand it on, four fittings are supplied to allow you to fit into a wall kit should you want to wall mount. The stand allows around 15degrees of side to side movement. The screen however is fixed in the normal vertical position.
Its not often I get to review products made in Australia. In fact to my immediate knowledge I have reviewed only one product previously and that was an excellent software package. Here I am looking at two bags for your notebook.
I picked two of slightly different size, both allow your shoulders to take the strain, I have worn both while out and about. Which of the many bags that STM do that you pick will depend on the size of your notebook and the other items that you need to carry so this look concentrates on the quality of construction as well as overall size. This is available in a light green or a pale brown colour, mine was the latter. The name describes it perfectly as it has a portrait shape.
This is a 10inch Android Tablet with a few extras that are unique to Samsung. A lot has been written about a device made by Apple and the apparent similarities this bears to it, as I have no close knowledge of the former I cannot comment.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 measures 25.5x17.5x1cm and weights 583 grammes. My unit was white. The viewable screen is 22x13.5cm giving the imperial diagonal measurement of 10.1inches. The screen display is 1200x800 which with excellent zoom in and out gives a screen nearly the size of a PC or a notebook and of course good battery life and lack of weight. The unit comes with a proprietary lead to charge it and this can either go to a USB port or to the supplied plug to charge from the mains.
You are out and about and nowhere near a 13amp plug so what do you do to charge your flagging battery in your portable device. Of course there are solar devices but can you guarantee the sun here two portable battery packs.
The basic idea is before your device shuts down to attach the device and the power flows into your unit to power it immediately and in a lot of cases it will also recharge your unit at the same time so in a few hours it could be fully charged. This device has the Sony name and will charge all those items using USB to charge there is a 10cm lead micro USB to USB in the box. The unit consists of a semi circular battery of 2000mAh with input of .5A and output of 1A both of these figures are at 5V.
Here I am looking at two sets of earbuds from Audio-Technica, both are designed for use for those who move about a lot and dare I say the word RUN. The main difference between is the fitment in or over your ear.
Often earbuds come with very long leads which normally get knotted very quickly. Here the basic lead is very short at .6metre however before you think that will never reach the pocket in my shorts or jogging pants there is another .6metre extension lead in the box. Normally the silicon earbuds are smooth as indeed are the pair fitted but for those who want or need them then ridged ones are in the box.
This is a printer, and this unit has multiple connection types, USB, Ethernet and Wireless, so it can work in the home, SOHO, small office and even larger office settings as a workgroup unit, so it is an all round unit.
It is quite beefy in size at 45x55x44cm with paper output tray extended. You can subtract 18cm from the last figure the height when you do not have thick paper, letterheads or envelopes in the back top 80 sheet capacity paper feed. All the controls are on the sloping front panel, there is no display so you rely on the eight LEDs and seven well marked buttons. The main paper tray at the front base takes 250 sheets so it should work without attention for a reasonable time.
Here I am looking at a Gaming Mouse capable of 3500DPI, it has the name of Death Adder. I am also looking a keyboard, both these items are branded Razer and both connect to the PC using USB as their connection method.
You could connect to any PC and it would work out of the box as a standard mouse however it offers a lot more for the Gamer. It is 12x7x5cm these are maximum sizes. The top has normal left and right buttons with a scroll wheel in between. The left side is waisted and has two further Gaming Buttons cut into the waist to give extra gaming features. It has an infra red sensor in the base which is stated to react at 3.5G, beside this sensor is a Profile change button.
Lego has been around for a long time, I seem to remember that originally there was one shape of brick and possibly just a single colour. Now things are very different and this set here is a case in point to produce a specific object.
I am old enough to remember time before Lego when the only construction toy was Meccano and you constructed most things from within your head. Now you have sets with a specific purpose and although some of the bricks are still the basic shapes a lot of them are specific to the task of constructing your Super Hero.
This is a thin and light notebook claimed as the thinnest but as soon as you boot it up you notice it is also very fast so without looking you know that a ten second boot and seven second shutdown means it has an SSD drive.
The Samsung Series 9 NP900X4C measures 35.5x23x1cm maximum and weights 1665grams. The screens diagonal imperial measurement is 15inches. The viewable screen is 34x19cm with a near invisible webcam mounted in the centre of the screen top. It is capable of displaying up to 1280x1024.
A slim and light panel from Philips, it is capable of 1920x1080 and the unit has a good range of forward and backward movement available on its base. There is no side to side movement but as its light its easy to move around.
The 27inch Philips Gioco monitor measures 62x37x2.5cm, the stand is 31x20cm. It raises the unit by 10cm from your desk. There is around 15% of back movement and around half that in forward movement. As the unit is light – but well balanced – moving it to the sides is easy. However as you can view it from close to being beside it little movement should be required. The viewable screen is 60x33.5cm and the diagonal imperial measurement is 27inches.
This is an All in One unit with a big plus in that paper is fed landscape even though in normal use it will still print in portrait. The major difference is that the units depth is somewhat less than when paper is stored in portrait.
The Brother DCP-J4110DW measures 46x32x16cm and this includes whatever cables you connect to it, the only extra is space required to lift the scan lid. If you require fax then other models in this range have it but for most home users this unit will complete their tasks at a lesser price. The controls are all on the front on a panel that lift from the base by 45degrees very useful when looking from above. There is a small touch screen 3.
Here I am looking at two items that both use dice to play. Neither of them use the normal 16 type dice. The first is very simple in its construction its called Letter Cubes. The second requires more input from the users called Talking Dice.
This has the main ‘rules’ on the face of the pack of twelve dice each face has a different letter and each letter has a score associated with it. The rules are 1)Throw the dice. 2)Build a word. 3)Score points. Turn to the back for a detailed explanation and variations thought of by the inventor but the basics are exactly the three points listed. Stated for an age range of ‘7+’ it is likely that the best games will be for people of closely matched vocabularies.
Way back in 2012 I attended a presentation where Thecus were involved, I heard nothing from their better known UK partner but a trickle of press releases emerged from Europe which eventually led to the unit arriving for review.
While the largest NAS I have previously looked at was a two drive offering. This five drive offering does everything to make the expansion easier. However it is still small enough to sit on a desk should that be required. It is 18.5x23x24cm the last figure the depth is without anything connected, add another 3cm for mains lead and Ethernet connections in the rear. Also at the back are four USB, HDMI, VGA and a range of audio connections.
This camera has a removable lens, mine came with a 20-50mm offering that is fine for a lot of normal images. However its small size could possibly have it confused with a basic digital camera, this it certainly is not.
It is 11.5x6.5x11.5cm, it weights 400grams without the provided neck strap. My preference was to use it as a digital camera and while you would need a capacious pocket it easily fits into a bag. The hold grip for the right hand is comfortable. The left side has only the anchor point for the neck strap. The right side has the opposite anchor point as well as a door that hides micro USB and mini HDMI sockets. The base has a door behind which the solid battery and any SD card you use will rest.
Some say size is important, certainly for this All in One lack of size is vital as this is a portable unit that has a battery for when mains power is unavailable. It connects via Bluetooth or USB so no leads are required for the former.
It is 34x19x8cm when closed, it weights just a tad over 3kilos. Lift the lid and the 8cm height becomes 38cm with paper loaded. Once the lid is lifted the small touch screen needs to be lifted 45degrees and that is about it. If you are using mains power then the DC lead fits in back left and the USB lead connects back right, there is also a USB port beside it. The ‘Home’ screen has just three options, Print, Scan or Copy. Touch any of the three to proceed to more detailed screens.
There is one product in the CAD market that people think of even if they never use CAD. However providing certain rules are adhered to there is no reason why others cannot work in the same arena here an offering from Corel.
Most CAD packages are not cheap and this offering from Corel does not break this rule. The name everyone knows was when I last saw a copy protected by a dongle. Unlike other Corel products you do not get extra bundled offerings. However the price is the offering here from Corel as it reads and writes even the latest version of AutoCAD files in .DWG format. While I have only used it in the Windows environment it is said to work just as well for those working in the MAC arena.
Another excellent offering in the larger panel field from AOC this can connect via VGA, DGI, HDMI or Display Port the last more commonly found on MAC computers. This is an offering from their professional range.
The screen of this AOC 27inch M2752P measures 64x39x2cm, with the visible portion being 59.5x33cm this gives the notional diagonal measurement of 27inches. The stand is round at 25cm and it raises the screen by a minimum of 6cm from the desk. The screen resolution is 1920x1080. Under the right front bottom edge are five buttons which in normal use are invisible, these allow you to make changes outside of Windows.
For those wanting to print a bit, scan a little a copy occasionally this could be the answer. This small unit is easily able to sit on a shelf or under a desk without causing any problems. Press the on/off and print, scan or copy.
The Canon AIO Pixma MP230 all-in-one printer measures 44x32x12cm when shut. Place A4 paper in the rear sit up tray and the 12cm height becomes 32cm and the 32cm depth becomes 38cm. This unit has no paper output door to open and output is delivered face up from the front base of the unit.
As the front of the Instruction Manual calls it, CD / USB / SD / DAB / FM Digital Sound System with dock for iPod and iPhone. As I would say a proper audio system to suit everyone apart from those who still play LPs.
The main unit is 17x14x24cm with cables inserted in the rear. The first figure the height would need to be increased by the height of your ‘i’ device as this sits above the height mentioned and a couple of centimetres to allow insertion of CDs. The pair of provided speakers are 17x12.5x7cm each. They are hard wired with a 2metre long lead to a double plug arrangement that fits into the back of the main unit, so the maximum spread of the speakers is 4metres.
This is another of the recent releases that I waited for a working copy of Windows 8 to review. If you are serious about editing your videos then this software can do it, transform, add, delete, modify and more then this can do it.
Like a lot of other packages doing simple things is easy, doing more complex things will require practice to achieve. If however you are willing to learn Cyberlink users online are often willing to share their hints and tips. As with other recent items the install needs to take place from the Desktop and not the glossy home screen that so far I can find no real use for. However that may change if and when one of the many touch unit’s lands on my desk.
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