Publication History For : Paul Smart
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The Sony CMT-MX550i is a elongated rather nice audio unit, it has DAB and FM radio, tray CD player, external audio in as well as the ability to play iPod and iPhone and to cap it off it can also play input from a USB stick drive for good measure.
With leads inserted in the rear it measures 31x28x12cm, the last figure the height might increase according to the size of your iPod. The iPod dock is a drop down open unit on the front and is 9.5cm from the top of the unit. It is supplied with two 1.5metre long wide aerials that push onto the DAB and FM aerial sockets at the rear of the unit, it looks crude but they work surprisingly well giving me excellent reception in my area by just extending the wire to around 80degrees.
This is probably the most powerful notebook that I have ever used. A look at the Windows Experience index will show that. If you are looking for a powerful notebook then this should certainly be on a very short list of items.
The Acer Aspire 5750G measures 38x24.5x3cm the last figure the width is at the back with the front being only 2cm. For those - like me – who hate the finger marks left on shiny black plastic there is very little of it. The top is metal mine was ice blue and this was repeated around the keyboard, the base is matt black while only the screen surround is shiny black. The screen is 34.5x19.5cm giving the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 15.
I have reviewed a number of these small (they still print A4) printers, however the last was a while ago and this has just been launched by HP. So if you work away from power will it do what you need to do or is portable not on?
The HP OfficeJet 100 measures 33.5x19x8cm either with leads plugged in or with the supplied battery pack plugged in, in the latter configuration it weights 2.585kilos. It comes with decent sized ink cartridges – something other mobile units have not seemed to have – it is also stated to have battery power to print ‘up to 500 pages’ between needing power.
Septembers nearly over and the prime buying time to avoid disappointment from the younger ones is just starting. This time items made of wood, first a game that has been around since before I was a child Chinese Checkers and second a game new to me Shut The Box.
Things made of wood are so much more permanent than things made of plastic, not just from the strength point of view. So a lovely light wood board, the pieces themselves are also made of wood in six shades, black, blue, green, red violet and yellow. For anyone who does not know the game the object is to get your ten pegs into the area opposite the starting area.
Normally small DAB radios require a set of earbuds to be plugged in as they rely on them to provide the aerial, reception is often only so so. Here something different it looks like a small standard radio with a speaker and small rod aerial.
The Roberts Sports DAB radio measures 10x5.5x2cm and weights 127grams. Mine was black front and back with silver grey sides to complete it off. The front has a three line white on grey display showing white on grey display, this is 4.5x2cm display that is easy to read even in sunlight, below this is a 3cm speaker giving acceptable sound while out and about, this is covered by mesh.
Labelling machines, a one use product, can be very useful in the home and in a business could save you falling fowl of the latest government regulations, either way they have come a long way since I last looked at one.
Mind you that was an old Dymo machine where you punched the letters in one at a time and they appeared onto a metallic tape. There are three models in the latest range and this the P-Touch 7600 is the top of the range model that supports different sizes of tape (non metallic) and you can even send data to it from a computer for complex labels. It is 23x13x10cm maximum size for the majority of the unit the middle size the width is only 8cm.
Since PowerShots went to solid batteries their size can get nearer that of their other range of pocket cameras the Ixus. However they still form a bridge between the tiny Ixus and Canons high end range DSLR offerings.
It is 10x5.5x3cm only slightly more beefy than most portable units however the weight is somewhat more at just over 200grams. But when on full zoom the 3cm width increases to 8cm so the extra weight is needed to stop the unit becoming unbalanced. Also by default the flash raises automatically when you switch the unit on this adds 1cm to the 5.5cm height. So this is a mid size unit hiding in a pocket size skin with lots of features for the intermediate user.
Yes I am well aware that September is still with us, but with the recession now biting hard those presents need even better planning and so the sooner you start
. Here two more items seen from a recent Christmas event.
Having recently told you about items for older children and most recently for Grandad’s here two things for the very young. This is a ride on suitcase that can be pulled along so the child can ride or pull his or her luggage wherever you go. It has a small wheel at each corner and the front has what I suppose can be called two eyes, it has a 2p twist action for the two locks and then a simple flip action to open the case so small amounts of clothing can be accommodated.
A small very small digital camera from one of the best camera manufacturers. In fact if you are well built you may find some of the controls a little fiddly this is as a direct relation to the small even by modern standards size.
This is one of five new BlackBerrys recently launched. It looks similar to a lot of current offerings from them but it has a faster processor so your email, Internet and messaging can be moved from one place to another even faster.
The last BlackBerry I looked at was the Pearl which although it bore the BlackBerry name had the drawback of a less than perfect keyboard as it was both small and each key represented at least two characters so slow input. Here there are 35 keys each .5x.5cm and if you look closely those on the left half of the keypad are chamfered to the left and those on the right to the right, its subtle but it does mean than input speed is enhanced.
During a recent PC review for a product that came without keyboard, video, speakers and mouse I suggested that if you were planning a purchase to run along side another PC that a KVM switch would be a cost effective purchase.
Not only does a KVM switch save the purchase of another keyboard, mouse and flat panel but also a lot of desk space. As both sets of leads are 1.5metres long the technical distance between the two PC’s would be 3metres but in practice probably somewhat less. Looking back it’s a while since I reviewed one and that was an offering where keyboard and mouse were probably PS/2 and not USB, the design was somewhat different with leads not being integral but connecting to the switch.
Yes I am well aware that September has only just dawned, but with the recession now biting hard those presents need even better planning and so the sooner you start
. Here two more items seen from a recent event.
Here I am looking at presents that may appeal to the older members of the family with a couple of jigsaws not this time from Ravensburger but here from a British company Gibsons who have been making quality puzzles for many years. Two puzzles to remind people of the way things were first a delightful unspoiled view of Castle Combe and second Grandad's Workshop perhaps as seen through the eyes of a child who has now become a Grandad himself.
Having recently reviewed the Marshall Minor it seems natural to try the Marshall Major. Almost at the same time one of the latest offerings from Sony the MDR-570LP so here I give my thoughts on both these headset units.
A name that has been around in music for over 50 years – initially in amplifiers – the headsets came later but have always been at the better end of the market. Even now they do not go in for glitzy packaging just a cardboard box. The headphones sit comfortably over the ears without being huge so they are wearable for long periods a thing musicians often need to do. Sound quality is of course uppermost but then comfort comes very close behind.
Two different products for two different market sectors the link they are both produced by Jabra. The first for conference calls including Skype, the second to fit over your cars sun visor to allow the user hands free phoning.
This is a flat circular unit at 12cm across and it stands around 2.5cm tall, it comes with an 87cm USB lead hard wired that can curl round the base off the unit when not in use. It has a small white LED when power is received, around the edge at 9 is a – sign to reduce the volume, at 3 a + sign to increase the volume, at 12 a microphone mute point and at 5 a call end button while 7 has the call start button.
A rather neat All In One (not multi function as it does not have fax) from Brother. This unit not only, prints, scans and copies but also prints photos and for good measure not only does it has USB connection but also Wi-Fi.
It is 38x37x16cm the grey and black design on the scanner lid is nice but the glossy black elsewhere means finger marks will show. Installation is straightforward your choice is USB or wireless with the latter supporting the more recent routers with one touch activation, but if yours does not that is not an insurmountable problem. Either way its quite simple.
Yes I am well aware that September has only just dawned, but with the recession now biting hard those presents need even better planning and so the sooner you start
. Here two items seen at a recent event to start you off.
I have never heard of T-Pain but I assume from information on the box that the kids of today will have done so. This is a portable microphone that can transform your voice to sound like he does, he has – so says the box – had 16 top ten singles. The microphone is 23cm tall and has inbuilt batteries. The front has an on/off button near the base and a line of three blue, red and green near the top.
Here I am looking at a 32GB external USB3 SSD drive from Verbatim and a more normal 32GB stick type flash USB drive from Kingston. While lots of people make stick drives in all sizes 32GB is certainly a serious size.
While I have reviewed a number of internal SSD drives this is the first that I have looked at that is designed as a USB offering, to get the best speed out of it you will need USB3 but it will work on a USB2 port quite well. It is small enough to fit easily in a top pocket. Its dimensions are 9x4x.6cm; the USB3 lead provided is only 13cm so it will need to be placed close to a port. It comes in brushed aluminium with the two ends in a light grey plastic.
Anyone who has seen wildlife shows on the TV will have seen larger versions of something like this. What has made that hole, who has done that, where has this come from, all things that this still and movie offering may solve.
It is 12x10x4.5cm grey in colour and weights 315grams with the canvas strap attached that allows fixing to trees etc. It takes colour images during the day and monochrome ones at night, it is really down to the available light level. While it is described as waterproof this does not mean you can immerse it in water.
This is the latest version of the excellent voice recognition software from Nuance. Dragon were at one time a competitor and some years ago they became a Nuance purchase, now it is not only the best speech software but the easiest to use.
Installation is straightforward, it took 12 minutes and installed 3.5GB of files including extra Microsoft files not already on the PC, you will need to speak into the provided headset to test your audio, and somewhat surprisingly to me it said my audio test failed. I repeated it and it failed again but I saw it also said I could continue. While training is no longer essential you do really need to speak some sentences to allow it to get used to your voice.
Prize won for the first to mention 2012 not in terms of the Olympic Games, however when people launce 2012 versions half way through 2011. Second a different approach from Viper offering whole (PC) life cover for a single fee.
Not quite sure what people think they gain by giving a year date like 2012 half way through 2011. Mind you some magazines do it with the month, as I write this at the start of August October issues are already in the shops. While most of us still think of these packages as Anti Virus most now do far more including Firewall, Identity Theft and even Parental control. Installation from the CD took only two minutes on a reasonably fast PC.
No obvious link but two very useful items, the latter can go on your keyring without damage risk. The first could possibly have saved my life at the start of the year, well certainly my sight according to an A&E doctor.
When I first saw this I assumed that the ‘heart rate’ function was a toy – based on the look of the watch – but I found it accurate and it may even have pointed out a heart problem I had that normal medical checks had not. The last fifteen months have been a bit of a health rollercoaster for me; a nasty virus last year took me months to get over and caused the loss of 20KG of weight.
Two rather different sets of PC speakers both using USB one self powered and the other also needing mains connection. One pair looks kind of normal while the other is definitely more on the side of being a designer product.
You get a pair of speakers that will be equally at home with a Desktop or a Notebook PC. They are predominately cream with silver grey base front and top. They are 3cm taller at the back than the front and 1cm deeper at the base than the top. Overall they are rectangles with the metallic grill stretching over the entire front. So the base is 8x7cm, the top is 7x7cm with the units being 15cm tall at the front and 17cm tall at the backs of the units.
A lot of software products are now in their mature stage especially when the number gets to double figures. In the case of OmniPage it probably means its been around for around twenty years, so surely it should do things right?
Often software was judged by the weight and size of the box here its smaller than a book and the contents consist of a single A4 sheet of paper folded into four ‘notes before installing’ in six languages and a CD-ROM with the program and manuals. The box with contents weigh just over 50 grams that’s less than a small letter.
Not so much a sat nav although it can do that but a tool to guide you around the countryside for what I am told is a new craze Geo Tagging. People hide clues and you then go on a search for the next and so on using this tool.
Sometimes you will need to prove you have been somewhere so the built in camera can do that with time and place information. It is 12.5x6.5x3cm and weights 225grams. It is powered by two standard ‘AA’ batteries. The base of the face has a gap that either a clip or thin cord can be passed through to enable you to secure the device to say a rucksack.
Another tiny (in size) PowerShot - the Canon PowerShot A3200is from Canon. Since going to the solid battery offering for PowerShots they have managed to fit everything into a body that means the whole unit slips easily into a pocket.
The Canon PowerShot A3200is measures 9x5.5x2.5cm with the unit off. With the lens fully extended the last figure the thickness extends by another 2.5cm. The total weight of the unit is 146grams. My unit was orange but they do more sober colours as well. The unit has 5x optical zoom and can capture images up to 14.1MP. The 35mm equivalent lens setting is 1.28 – 5.9. The bar flash is mounted to the right and above the lens with it being at least 2.5cm away from it.
This is the middle one of three security cameras recently released by Swann. The catchily named Pro-670 with the others 660 and 680. The 660 being wide angle and the 680 having optical zoom. So it fits between the others.
The overall dimensions of the camera are 18x8x7.5cm. It is supplied with 18 metres of twin cable, one for video the other for power, an adapter to allow fitting direct to the back of a TV, screws and raw plugs for three holes in the back of the fitting, some warning notices and a four side connection guide complete the items.
Sometimes you discover a little gem; I did earlier this year at a twice yearly press event. They are a PC manufacturer who return your calls and even deliver exactly what you ask for, something certainly worth considering.
Unlike most manufacturers today you can have exactly what you want, find a unit that is close to what you require and then modify it to give you exactly what you want, the price updates with every change that you make. The OP3 Mars seemed a reasonable starting point, a small tower with a reasonable sized power supply a 3.06GHz processor (over clocked to 3.5GHz) an Asus Motherboard that has both USB2 and USB3 ports as well as eSATA, the memory was only 2GB so I doubled that.
I know we are at the height of summer but the round of Christmas offerings are already happening, the two jig saws I am talking about here were actually shown at the Toy Fair to the trade last January for sale for this Christmas.
Still with memories of the 5000 piece offering that defeated me early this year I reverted to the other end of the scale with a 100 piece ‘XXL’ puzzle. This is aimed at 6+ with the average piece size being around 6x3.7cm. The overall puzzle size is 49x36cm and features Dr Who and Amy Pond along with something that looks rather like one of my school teachers as well as a Dalek and what I think is a stone monster in a very blue scenario.
Not the first version of this, but the first I have seen. Earlier versions had only 1GB of memory, now they come in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB versions. There are also other improvements to this interesting unit that is not just a pen.
While this functions as a pen on ordinary paper on the special paper (coated with almost invisible tiny dots) it does far more. You can set it up to record – ideal for students – and just write the odd word or phrase as a reminder to a salient point. Press the pen on the paper at that point and once you replay the recording it will skip to that point. If you have recorded a two hour lecture and the point you want is five minutes before the end you can see the time that can be saved.
A sleek black All In One unit that works wirelessly or with USB. It is totally black apart from the front edge of the landscape scanner lid that is grey, even the LED screen sits flat on top of the unit when not in use, the only visible control is the on/off button.
It is 45x39x19cm so slightly larger than some, it is a six ink offering with red, blue, yellow, two blacks and a grey cartridge. Two seconds from pressing the on button you are ready to copy and if you want just a straightforward duplicate this can print quickly, however you can reduce to 50% and increase to 400% as well as change the intensity.
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