Publication History For : Paul Smart
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A package that by its number you know has been around for a while. However what was first important for one job file size reduction is now less so now it has three other uses that make it a product still useful today.
For a while now WinZip has been owned by Corel, this gives it stability as they tend to develop things and increase functionality and with that value. However here when you install think first as one question you need to answer is will you require it to work with currently existing Zip files if so make the choice with care as new (recent) technologies may not work that well with earlier files.
Although I have reviewed a number of vacuum cleaners I have to confess this is my first mop. However this is not your bucket and mop type mop. In trying to position it correctly it is really a vacuum for all hard floors.
On first glance it could be confused with a vacuum cleaner it comes with a 8metre mains lead and part way down the arm is a bulge that could be confused with a dust collector in fact this is where the steam is produced. Like so many products today you need to assemble it – this even applies to vacuum cleaners – however its not that difficult and the Owners Guide and ‘Quick Start’ which are combined in one run to eighteen well illustrated pages.
If like me you can remember the early floppy disc long before hard discs then a MB was a great deal of space, early hard drives were a few MB, now we talk is hundreds of GB and so on till we arrive at the TB an even larger measure.
The DriveStation Duo is - as it rather gives away in the title – two drives in a single case. In my case they were two 1TB drives. You could purchase larger drives and it’s to you which sort of array you set them up into. The box is 21.5x12.5x8.5cm without the cables inserted in the rear and it weights a not insubstantial 1.91kilos. The front cover pulls off to reveal the two drives that just slide in and out of the drive bays.
By the time you read this you will be able to buy this rather nice DSLR unit in a range of colours as well as the more normal black. To me providing its not pink I could not care what colour it is providing I get decent images.
For a DSLR unit it is quite small at 12x14x9.5 with the 18-55mm lens fitted and the total weight is 845grams. I suppose I only get to see three or four DSLR units in a year, most are smaller units often the sort to fit in a pocket. So my routine is much the same, charge the battery, find an SD card switch to Auto and with a DSLR activate the Auto Focus. Only once I have done these things and taken a few images do I investigate the differences.
A novel design for this hard drive has it sitting up in a cradle, it can be removed if you wish, however this unit has a decent front end of software that offers more than just a hard drive and even then there is a little something extra.
I have reviewed several 500GB drives and even a couple of 750GB ones which although they come with extra power leads they have not needed them, here even when the drive is out of the cradle it can need that extra boost. The main drive has a small partition which is seen as a CD enabling it to have software concealed on it. More on this software in a little bit. The usable part of the drive is 465GB with the other GB taken by pointers.
One reason I like Corel products is that they are intuitive another is they give you printed documentation. To be fair its a Getting Started Guide but as that is a 124 page hard back book you start to see this is not a trivial package.
This is a dual platform product as the DVD installs on both Windows and MAC. Installation of all parts took only around twelve minutes and used 1.3GB of hard disc space. It will run on XP with the proviso that is has a 1GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, certainly my XP system does not have that. I installed it on a 64bit Windows 7 system.
Here a four port Gigabit router and then for those who need more a second switch that gives you another eight connections. Both these items are the latest high specification offerings from the Ciscos Linksys branding.
This is designed as a consumer router but it is fast at up to 450Mbit/s when in 11n. It is actually 150Mbit/s but as it has two transmitting and three receiving antennas so according to whether you are transmitting 300Mbit/s or Receiving 300Mbit/s is possible. It is 12x5x15.5x2.5cm all the controls and ports are on the back so perhaps not the easiest to see.
This is a company owned by Hauppauge who were one of the first to produce TV cards in the UK. Of course with more notebooks sold than desktops you need a USB stick and not a PC Card, so is this what we all now need?
I have reviewed a few other USB sticks but always although the aerial connection has been the same performance has been less than sparkling. So would this unit fail to shine or would a manufacturer has got things right. The USB stick/receiver is 8x2x1.5cm with the aerial adapter inserted in the end. The only possible problem is with USB ports stacked on top of each other where you may require an extender lead (supplied) to make all ports available.
This is the size of a Netbook but it is an Android tablet, as far as I know this is the first non screen type device produced by Hanns.G although of course it has a screen, a rather nice touch screen at that, but its all about whats inside.
It is 26x17x1.5cm and weights 750grams. The viewable screen is 22x12.5cm that is 10.1inches diagonal measurement. The back is matt black, the edges are silver why then must the screen surround be shiny black and show all the finger marks! The screen is also rather reflective so when out and about in sunlight you need to get the angles right. The bottom left of the face has three LED’s power on (green) charging (red) and wireless connected (green).
The first device for all those who have important data on IDE drives, the second for those with more modern kit who simply want to copy or clone the data onto another drive. The first needs USB and second can work independently.
Ever needed to transfer data from one device to another, those who know can easily do so from one similar device to another in a PC however older IDE and PATA drives often no longer have a home so this device can help. For SATA drives you just place them in the top of the unit, connect the power lead and the USB one and the PC you connect the other end of the USB lead to sees that drive just as it would any other USB device and it gets a drive letter.
The first item for those who like to record what they are doing even with still images or video while out and about. The second is a lead that is always not where it should be or just not long enough to connect without movement.
While I have reviewed a similar type of unit previously this is the first one that has a degree of waterproofing built in. The camera itself is 5x3x2.5 and weights 28grams with a micro SD card (not supplied) inserted. There is then a silicon sleeve and finally a sturdy plastic outer that increases the overall weight to 65grams. Overall dimensions are 6x5x3.5cm. The outer case has a tripod screw in the base and a slide into fitting on the back, several accessories are provided in the box.
No I have not started to speak in language post 1980, here I am looking at two of the three latest offerings from Jabra, what I believe are called by all, earbuds, first the mid range offering and then the entry level earbuds.
All three sets in this series come in a clear plastic tube so even on the dealers rack you can see what you are getting, easy to remove – no industrial scissors – great, but has anyone tried to put them back in the packaging again? The leads on this set of earbuds are 1.3metres to the left ear and 1.6metres to the right ideal for those who wind one lead around their neck.
No shiny black, is the first thing most will notice about this latest Notebook from Samsung, if only there was not a reflective screen nothing would be shiny at all. So what does the RC510 have to offer once you start it up?
The Samsung Notebook RC510 measures 38x25x3cm and weights close to 2.5kilos. The lid is matt black, as is the back, open the lid and the screen surround is grey, so is the area from the keyboard back, the area in front of the keyboard is shiny but in tiny silver and grey diamonds with the trackpad coated in a Teflon (dark grey) type substance and the only shiny bits are the two mouse keys that are chromed. It has a 107 key keyboard which unlike some 15.
Not the sort to appeal to children in fact they are sold from a catalogue that has medical items and even devices to make life easier for the disabled and elderly, the two I am looking at are Bridge Mate and Brain Training.
It is described as pocket size and is 12.5x6.5x2cm and weights 175grams with the required (not supplied) 3x ‘AAA’ batteries inserted. The viewable screen is 7.5x6.5cm. The left side has the on/off slider. The back is where you insert the batteries behind a door controlled by a Philips screw; there is another door for those who want to link more than one such device together. The controls to use while playing are all well marked below the display screen.
At a recent one evening exhibition to show off new products I saw much of the same that I saw last year however there were a couple of interesting items and this cube is perhaps the star of the show its ingenious.
Often the opening sentence says it all however I doubt anyone has the faintest idea of what this cube does from what is written above, however if you stop reading now I can guarantee it will be you who will be the loser. This is a truly innovative Internet radio. The First of its kind that I have seen. Simple in operation, it does one thing, its brilliant. It is a 10cm cube available in many colours. The only connections are on the back a mini USB to charge it. A 3.
Two items for home use although the second could have uses almost anywhere. First a Blood Pressure Cuff for all those who need to keep regular checks. The second is a USB temperature sensor that works and reports it.
Not long ago I told you about a very nice Blood Pressure monitor, this one is slightly different and also keeps a lot of readings in memory. It is a rather different design and works in a slightly different way to produce the same result. Unlike in a doctor’s surgery or a hospital these units are designed to be used by the patient and for me anyway when fitting to yourself a little extra length of cord is always useful, this is not required when being fitted onto you.
It is amazing the difference viewing a video or photo using a decent flat panel makes even if the source is a decent laptop. Most videos today are shot in HD and viewing at less whatever the size of the panel is a determent.
The Viewsonic VG2436wm is not as you may think 24inches however it is close. The overall dimensions are 55x42x18cm, the panel is 55x35cm while the viewable portion of the display is 52x29.5cm which gives the diagonal measurement of 23.5inches. Like all recent panels from around 17inches upwards the maximum resolution is 1920x1080.
The first from IDAPT a device to charge all sorts of things using mains power so no bundle of wires and piles of adapters. The second even more simple a small light bulb attached to a length of toughened twistable wire.
Compatible with over four thousand devices is the claim made for this device. The one I had the i2+ comes with six major heads and as the ‘2’ suggests any two can be connected to be charged by the device simultaneously.
Wow seems a good starting point, I unpacked it and plugged it in found my iPod and switched on, as I have said once WOW, my iPod has never sounded better of course I also tested the speaker unit with other music sources.
The Altec Lansing Octiv 650 is 31x20x18cm with power adapter lead inserted in the rear, when in use you see a single blue LED showing through at the top left of the black fabric covering the pair of front facing speakers. Up to four other blue LED’s show when making adjustments using the control buttons on top of the unit. The sound is not just the two speakers but a rather nice bottom mounted sub woofer and you can experiment with this by what surface you place the unit onto.
A company perhaps better known for photocopiers and large printers but they have produced digital cameras for a while. However this is the first of their units to have come my way, but all decent recent units have similar features.
Ricoh CX5 Digital Camera is a black unit that is a bit larger and heavier than some. It is 10x6x3cm and it weight is just on 200 grams. It has a 10.7 optical zoom lens which is probably in the region where you need a wall or tripod to hold it still, however just because the camera has that amount of zoom there is no reason to try and use it on every shot you take. The lens extends by 4cm from the 3cm width when fully zoomed in. To the right and above the lens is the small 1.5x.
A three band outdoor radio, but it is so much more, its a torch, it can charge your mobile phone and is also an Altimeter, Compass, Barometer, Thermometer, Chronograph and it even has an alarm and it can recharge using Solar power.
I was going to say this rivals the Swiss army knife for functionality but perhaps with the Swiss Knife they become a formidable team. It is a maximum of 20x7x3cm and has a snap clip on the top to clip onto a belt or rucksack. It is rubberised as being an outdoor item it must expect the odd knock. So predominately black with orange bits the latter for high visibility.
The first is USB and will cool a can for those hot days. The second is a peeler not just for potatoes but for all those items, so if you want a serrated pattern this three blade triangular piece of equipment can probably do it for you.
Mine was red and funnily enough shaped like a can it was red with the top having a dummy ring pull and the rim in grey metal look, in fact apart from the lack of any logo the red colour matches exactly that of a famous cola brand. It is 19cm tall and half that across. Towards the base there are four columns of four slots for cooling or heating ventilation. The can itself has no controls these are a three position toggle switch in the hard wired USB lead.
It is difficult not to make comparisons having recently reviewed the excelled Magicbox Tower that was only a smidgeon short of the rarely awarded 5x5 award. Here is a different beast, the Magicbox Parabola, a DAB/FM radio with alarm and sleep timer.
This radio measures 29x8x15cm shaped like a half circle with the unit ending 4.5cm before the top making a very nice carry handle. You need to add another 2cm to the 8cm width when using the unit on mains for the mains lead to stick out. Apart from the D/C lead the back also has a 3.5mm socket for earbuds or headphones and an on/off slider switch. There is a 75cm eight piece rod aerial that is near the top of the back.
While in the past some Brother units have been extremely slow at photo printing this has now improved. This is an extremely thin All In One unit, meaning it not only prints but also scans and copies the later without need of a PC.
The Brother DCP-J315W measures 38x35x15cm and it weights under 7kilos. The front edge – in front of the landscape scanner lid – has fifteen buttons including the ubiquitous joystick layout. To the left of this what looks like a 6.3x3.8cm screen however it is actually only 4x3cm. Just below the scanner lid and above the output tray are two card slots one for various memory sticks and the other for SD. To the right of this the entry point for the four inks.
An iPod or iPhone dock with a battery backup for the alarm clock should you have a power cut the ability to use it as MP3 or other auxiliary sources amplifier and FM radio all in one curved rather swish looking black unit.
The i-Station 26 from Logic3 measures a maximum of 28cm long 12.5cm tall and thickness has a maximum of 16cm with the retractable iPod out and power adapter lead inserted. This is not just a basic stereo system as it has two speakers front facing and a sub woofer rear facing to give decent sound. The top has a total of nine bar buttons to control the unit and there is also a fourteen button remote control that duplicates the controls. There is a 5x1.
While I personally am quite happy using a Trackpad I know a lot of people do not like them but in certain situations such as using a laptop on your lap there is nowhere to put the mouse not so here. Having a mouse platform then this is the ideal mouse to use with it.
Do not be put off by the terrible instructions this is a simple product and I have used it with a 10inch Netbook and two larger laptops, whatever the size the setup is the same, and yes I am left handed so it can fit either side of your machine. In all you will need around 20cm of space to one side or the other of your machine but this does not need to be firm space as it grips the side of your machine. The total depth required is 21cm meaning that there is 13x12cm area to move your mouse.
While most other small digital camera manufacturers use SD cards for image storage, Samsung have always used the micro SD, a little fiddly to get in and out and of course the other problem is they are always more expensive.
The Samsung SH100 Digital Camera measures 9.5x5x2cm and weights 130grams. It is black but not that horrible shiny black, if only the screen did not show fingermarks. This is made worse by the fact that this unit is almost totally touchscreen so keep a cloth handy to clean the TFT. The left side just says 14.
This Nevada DAB/FM radio is easy to use. While most will use it on mains it is possible to run it from 6xC batteries. The plastic finish makes it easy to wipe down so ideal for use in say a kitchen where there could be spills.
The Sinfonie II DAB/FM Radio measures 20.5x14x7cm and weights 730 grams without batteries. The size I have given is without the rod aerial being raised. The eight piece rod aerial is 70cm long and should pick up stations even in low reception areas, where I live I used it successfully with around half that height but you should fully raise it for the initial channel scan process.
The first a name often coupled with expense and more normally with headphones rather than earbuds. The second a name that I associate mainly with speakers but they do of course also make earbuds amongst other items.
Not a flash back to the past in posh schools but a rather nice set of earbuds of course the fittings of them are gold plated. The leads are 1,2metres long and feel rather like post shoe laces rather than plastic as the actual leads are coated. You can use them as a microphone as well as the left bud incorporates a microphone 15cm down the lead. There is just over 32cm before the two leads join and then there is a clip to attach to a shirt or blouse, the lead ends with a fairly substantial 3.
Medical devices to help both, the first something most will encounter on a visit to their doctor a blood pressure monitor. The second something most will get in a hot summer a mosquito bite and they normally itch a lot.
Earlier this year I had been feeling unwell for a few days, I was due routine visit to the Asthma clinic, the nurse remarked that I looked very unwell – although my Asthma was fine – and she insisted I see a doctor. The doctor examined me consulted with a senior colleague and although both had no idea what was wrong insisted I went to hospital as I had extremely low blood pressure.
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