Publication History For : Paul Smart
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On the face of it very like the professional notebook that I recently reviewed from Samsung however despite having USB3 ports gone is the non reflective screen and back has come the normal shiny black that shows fingermarks.
The Samsung RF510 Notebook is 38x25x3.5cm the latter is the height at the back – with case closed – this reduces to 2cm at the front. The lid opens to around 60 degrees beyond vertical. The viewable screen is 34x19.5cm giving the notional 15.6 inch measurement. The back of the unit has no connections, the left side has the DC power input, VGA outlet, Ethernet, HDMI out, two USB3 ports and the 3.5mm microphone and earbud/headset ports.
My first joy on opening the box was that it was not P I N K (the original PogoPlug was) this was a far more normal black. So what can the PogoPlug Pro do apart from save your eyes that the original PogoPlug cannot.
They have a way of making you make them aware of your PogoPlug as the box has just an Ethernet lead, a power lead and the PogoPlug a single multi language sheet just says go to the PogoPlug website. By clicking on ‘Activate PogoPlug’ you get illustrations to show you how to set it up a total of six screen and all is completed. Using a PogoPlug to access your files from anywhere in the world is just a matter of entering a username and password.
The Samsung ST100 Digital Camera is small enough to fit into almost any pocket but it also has one of the largest TFT screens around. It is totally touchscreen in operation so those who have been brought up on touch will certainly enjoy using this camera.
The Samsung ST100 Digital Camera measures 10x6x2cm and weights only 155grams. The face has the lens and the flash both are in the same plain with the flash central on the unit and the lens towards the right edge. It uses a periscope type device inside the camera to zoom as the lens never visually moves in or out. The right side has an anchor point for a wrist strap, the left side just say 14.2MP the resolution.
The first is a good way to listen with some rather nice earbuds multi sized from Shure. The second a really small TV aerial that can give reception in places without a roof or loft aerial, best of all its easy to move with the TV this from OneForAll.
A somewhat unusual shape when compared to other such buds the bud doubles back on itself making it as wide as it is long at 2cm and up to 1cm thick. The next 8cm of lead is near rigid there is then another 30cm of lead until the lead becomes one, in this length you can control how much hangs separated or becomes joined. Then a further 1.2metres to the gold plated 3.5mm jack plug that turns 90degrees to fit into whatever you use with them.
This on the face of it looks like a rather posh iPod dock, it has rather nice speakers and good sound. Pick it up and you will probably wish you hadnt as it is heavy. So what other features make this Audyssey dock stand out?
It is a maximum of 9cm wide in the centre and 5cm at the front while the back is only just over 3cm, it is 23cm tall and 28cm deep. As far as most iPod docks go they are light this one certainly isn’t down to its speakers. It has no obvious controls when off, just a sleek slate grey object. Plug in the 1.8metre mains lead (yes mains lead not power adapter) and a volume indicator shows in small while lights up the front while a play pause touch control is on the front top edge.
This is quite a sleek All In One unit from Epson. As it can be wireless then the lounge police become less effective as it could live in a cupboard or even behind the sofa as once up and running only a power lead will be needed.
The measures 43x34x16cm, add another 15cm to the 34cm depth for the paper output to be fully extended as well as raising the display area to 45degrees and add say 10cm to the 16cm height to add or remove anything from the flatbed. Few USB units come with a USB lead, this does and you will need it once to setup the initial connection between the unit and the PC you install the software on even if you choose the wireless option, or course for USB you need it all the time.
Having recently reviewed the Pocket Edition from Sony this Touch Edition came soon after, but, in between was another E-Book but that one did not have electronic ink and was smaller, so here the largest of the three recent offerings.
The PRS-650 that I have here is black, matt black so it does not show fingermarks. It is 17x11.5.8cm and the viewable screen is 12.3x9.3cm giving the notional 6inch measurement, the Pocket Edition was 5inch. First as I am confused by the word ‘Touch’ in relation to the reader lets find a definition. It seems to be stroke or pat. The reason I mention this is that the Pocket Edition recently reviewed had a number of touch features.
With three weeks over Christmas and New Year with no events or conferences I am sad to say that DIY finally got to the top of the list, so two new tools from Worx finally got a good test and jobs were completed with ease.
Having removed the outer cardboard cover a nice solid plastic box with two catches holds the tool. Flip the catches and nothing happens further examination reveals one of those nasty plastic ties through a loop so out with the industrial scissors and I am in. The tool itself is close to 30cm long and has a hard wired mains lead coming from the rear of the unit, the mains lead is 3metres and the total weight of the tool is a not insubstantial 1.725kilos. However it is extremely powerful.
The box says its a CD Receiver System, I call it an audio unit or dare I use the words Hi-Fi unit. Apart from playing CDs it has DAB and FM Radio and of course an iPod dock, there is also another feature to read on.
A rectangular black box that easily sits on a shelf, it is 34x21.5x10cm however the iPod flap lifts from the top so you need to perhaps double the last figure the height. My 9cm tall Nano actually requires an extra 8cm so measure your own iPod and then take a cm off the height to see the required clearance as it tilts back slightly. The front of the unit has two buttons to the left and one large button to the right of the 12x1.5cm two line display.
Many years ago there were two names in the CD copying field, although Nero was one of them and in fact on my Windows ME machine I still use an early version this product does so much more in so many various ways.
Doing a full install on a reasonably fast Windows 7 system with 4GB RAM took 36minutes. The total space taken was 6GB on my hard disc. On first inserting the DVD you have the option to do a full install or custom. The first 11 minutes prior to a reboot actually install a lot of Microsoft bits that Nero requires this fills 2GB of hard disc.
This does not use E Ink and has a conventional colour screen; however it is very readable even with small typefaces. It can also play some videos, audio and show JPG images. It has both internal and external memory in a small footprint.
The Imagin Colour Screen eBook Reader measures 15x10x.5cm. It weights 165grams; the viewable screen is 6.5x11cm. It has a total of twelve touch buttons. The only other connections and controls are on the bottom these consist of mini USB (to charge and transfer) a tiny on/off button, micro USB slot and a 3.5mm socket so you connect a pair of earbuds or headphones for private listening. However for use on the desk beside you the back of the unit has a perfectly good loudspeaker.
The last long term test panel I reviewed I ended up buying. That was when flat panels were in their infancy. This one I have been using for several months and yes I have purchased it yet again, its lighter, bigger and brighter.
The LG Flatron E2360 is a 23inch offering that is 54x38x1.5cm. The screen itself is 54x32cm, the viewable area is 50.5x28.5cm giving the notional imperial measurement of 23inches. No matter how large a panel is, it seems the ideal resolution (maximum) is 1920x1080. In a way this is great as you can have two decent sized windows open side by side or see a lot of a spreadsheet at a good resolution.
This time its not security for a PC but for a home. I have been testing this range of items all held together by a service since the late autumn. While you have a camera or cameras you also have switches for doors and other items.
For some placing a heat sensitive light outside to light them up their path at night is a safety measure, for others they see this as security to deter a potential intruder. Others have a burglar alarm box showing in full view of the road, some of these boxes maybe live, others are dummies. The drawback of these is that they tell intruders you consider you have something worth stealing. The Halo approach is to tell you what is happening when you are not there.
I have been fortunate to have this longer than a standard test which means I have been able to test a larger range of software and hardware with it than normal. This is a high end offering and the differences can be found.
It is black but not that horrible shiny black that shows every finger mark, this is matt black everywhere apart from the keyboard surround that is a sort of slate marble finish but still a lovely matt finish. It is 37x25x3cm in size. The weight is a little under 2.5kilos. The front has a discreet SD card slot along with a row of seven tiny LED’s. The left side has VGA out, HDMI out, USB port, E-Sata port and 3.5mm sockets for microphone and earbuds.
Unlike the earlier version of this that I was ashamed to be seen with in public I have been happy to be seen reading this in public. In case you are wondering why the first one needed to be used in private it was PINK.
The time the Sony Reader, Pocket Edition (PRS-350) is a more normal silver colour. Being a pocket edition the size (or lack of) is important, it is 14x10.5x1cm and it weights 150grams. Being able to use it outdoors during the winter can test several things, the effect of light and tempreture being uppermost in my mind. This is E Ink and as such having a page open uses no power at all, the only drain on power is when you turn a page and the new words need to be reprinted on the screen.
Two interesting little gadgets both connect via USB and for regular readers only one is from Brando. A USB powered electric razor is something to keep in a desk drawer. The mouse has bolder claims 'change the way you will use your laptop'.
Certainly the smallest mouse I have ever used and a great alternative for those who just can’t get on with a notebook trackpad. It is a maximum of 5.5x4x3cm and weights only 25grams. There are no cables as it is a wireless mouse and even the charging of the battery takes place via USB. The wireless sender is also tiny at 2.7x1.5x.5cm and it is magnetised. Mine was black with a red left side where your right thumb sits, the rest of the controls are controlled by your next finger.
A squat black box, this will be unlikely to pass the lounge police unless they are goth but it can be used wirelessly, however for those with no fashion taste like me I am only interested in quality of printing, copying and scanning.
The Canon Pixma MP495 measures 42x32x15cm when closed, put paper in the rear tray for printing and the second figure the depth increases by 4cm and lower the front output tray adds a further 16cm, finally raise the scanner lid by 15cm to get pages onto the flatbed. So a total size to put on a shelf - for instance – 42x52x30cm should allow you to use it. The scanner lid is flush to the top and opens landscape towards the waiting paper stack at the rear.
I have owned a Flip since the very first model, to me anyway, it is the best pocket camcorder, the latest software release has improved the compression algorithm when sending items to other people, making it even better.
Recently my own first generation Mino developed a fault, I was lucky the first time, a night to let the battery go flat and it recovered, then a few weeks later it did it again this time there was no recovery so this came along just at the right time. The new Flip Mino 8GB measures 10x5x1.5cm and weights 100grams. It looks very swish to me; mine was black with all but the back a lovely matt black that does show any finger marks. Sadly the back is a shiny black but finger marks rub off it okay.
Freeview+HD from Humax
Published in Homes and Gardens
on
31 Jan 2011
As my search continues to find a perfect HD box with PVR I move onto this Humax box that I first saw it as a prototype in early summer, now deep into winter one has arrived to be thoroughly tested to see if it meets my high standards.
As so many boxes fail to deliver power through the pass through when in standby that became one of my first tests, after changing a few settings (it does now peak at just over 1watt) it can deliver a perfect signal in standby. The reason it does not do this out of the box I was told is that ‘standby’ standards demand less than 1watt of power. It is 37x25x5cm but add another 3cm to the 25cm depth for any cables.
Some of the pocket camcorders can also take still images. This unit from Aiptek can take still and movies in 2D and it can also do the same in 3D. It has built in software to allow an interface on the PC, all fine in theory.
The Aiptek 3D HD Camcorder measures 11.5x7x2cm, the middle figure the width reduces to 6cm below the TFT screen which is 5x3.7cm. Viewing 3D images on the units screen is quite impressive, however you will not see 3D on your computer just a red and green haze on the edges of items in it. The same can be said for movies 2D are okay but 3D is a mess. The front of the unit has twin lenses 4cm apart and twin microphones 1.5cm below the lens.
A lot of people want a second TV and with the Digital switchover due to be completed next year that old portable will only work with an external box, so now might be the time purchase a TV that can also be a replacement panel.
The ACER AT 2358ML LCD TV/Panel measures 55x35x4cm and comes with a stand (attached by three screws) to this TV/Panel; the stand is 32x14x4cm. The viewable screen size is 51x29cm giving the notional imperial screen size (measured diagonally) of 23inches. One of the few weak points I found was how you attach the three screws into the units stand. You are of course likely to do this only once but you will probably curse their connection for a long while.
Three things are certain to start an argument, religion, football and coffee. Stearing well away from the first two I look at my first machine from Nespresso, I have looked at several Dolce Gusto machines but this is my first Nespresso.
The first thing I noticed is that it does what coffee should – keep you awake – I had two shots late afternoon and it was twelve hours later before I could get to sleep, not what I wanted but in future I will keep my Nespresso hits till the morning. It is 36x18x28cm and you will need another 10cm of clearance on the 28cm to allow the top to open to pop the coffee pod in. The 36x18cm figure is an elongated oval shape well actually two long straights and two curves at the end.
A little different to the normal iPod dock in that the clock which can be battery operated is in the dock and does not rely on the iPod in fact the dock can support Auxiliary input (MP3 player) and it has inbuilt FM radio.
Two items from Ravensburger, first a puzzle what they are best known for but it has rather unusual twist in its look. Second something most puzzle fiends will require a unit that allows a part finished puzzle to be stored away.
On the face of it his 500 piece puzzle would not be a great test of the more expienced puzzler, the first problem is the subject its Tower Bridge at Night so there is a great deal of blue grey and black, however there is another twist. It glows in the dark so the finished item is quite likely to need to be displayed possibly behind glass as a picture.
As most will know Canon produce two ranges of small cameras the PowerShot and the Ixus. Having reviewed some tiny Ixus this seems quite large. The main difference is that PowerShot use AA batteries and the Ixus a solid battery.
The Canon Ixus 1000HS measures 10x6x2cm and weights 187grams, my unit was gold in colour except for the face that was a chocolate brown although it's also available in red and silver. This unit is ‘10’ by that I mean 10x optical and 10mega pixel. Perhaps that is why it has the name 1000 to keep with the ‘10’. The 2cm width can increase to a maximum of 4.5cm when you are fully zoomed.
This is quite a large unit that is certainly a multi function unit. My interest was the claim made with that it 'cost 50% less per page than colour lasers'. I am sure we all know normally a mono laser is far more frugal than an inkjet.
The is big and black measuring 50x42x30cm and the middle figure. the depth, is only to the front of the paper tray a shelf to catch printed pages can extend up to another 18cm. All the connections are in a line at the back on the right hand edge. Not only does this have a flatbed but also a document feeder. It also has a duplex printing unit that has to be fitted as otherwise the paper path is not complete.
This is a triangular shaped box and a wireless USB dongle that lets you show whatever you can see on your notebook or a PC onto your TV screen, so you can show HD movies, play MP3 content or even use it for work stuff like Powerpoint.
Installation was a matter of downloading the software from the Veeebeam site, running it on the PC or notebook and then connecting power to the triangular Veebeam box and finally plug in the USB dongle into a port. Wait a few seconds for them to pair and once your TV is tuned to the correct source you see your PC or notebook screen on the TV. I used the Composite cables provided and all worked correctly. After a few tests I tried an HDMI cable and there my troubles started.
While earbuds are popular, my travels around London still see a lot of people preferring Earphones and in fact it seems to me especially in noisy environments that such items are in fact more popular than they used to be.
The Genius GHP-04NC are a pair of smaller Earphones. 20x14x6cm in a non stretched state. The individual ear pieces are 7.5x6.5cm and do not smother an adult ear like some larger units can. I was happy to walk round with them on, an added bonus was that during the review period we had some cold weather and they kept my ears warm. Joy of joys they come in a box that does not need industrial scissors to gain entry so they and the provided case can be returned to it when not in use.
The various range of coffee machines from Nescafe bearing the name Dolce Gusto have been amoung the most popular reads, everyone needs coffee to get you going in the morning, some bear the name Krups who make the machine, the coffee that goes in them is Nescafe.
The Nescafé Dolce Gusto Piccolo is undoubtedly the smallest machine; it can hold just enough water for three cups and would be ideal for the small flat. It is a maximum of 30cm tall, 22cm from front to back and 14.5cm wide, mine was in a nice bright red colour. Whereas the Circolo ( ) had similar water container in the rear this slots into place a lot easier than that container did.
Here I am looking at three new SD cards, one from Kingston, the second from Verbatim and the other from Integral. All are 64GB and use the new SDXC format (128GB cards will follow shortly). However you will need updated card readers to view your files.
Last year with the aid of Kingston Technology - and how to tell what the various numbers found on stood for. These covered 4GB up to 32GB. Now however there are 64GB and soon – I am told – 128GB. One word of caution if you are purchasing a 64GB or 128GB card you will need a new card reader as older readers can only recognise up to 32GB. Two of the cards I am looking at came with readers.
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