A small and very portable DAC can often make listening to output enjoyable this offering from THX can do even more it can clean up recordings so the blur that occurs when changing from Analogue to Digital so you again can hear clearly exactly where the instrument was positioned on the original recording.
The total length of the lead from USB ‘C’ to 3.5mm socket is 20cm; add another 2.8cm centimeters if you do not have USB ‘C’ for connecting via the USB ‘C’ to USB ‘A’ adapter. Next turn the volume level right down unless you wish to shatter your eardrums. The THX device is installed and you are ready to listen with much more depth and clarity and a great deal more volume.
The G7050 is the latest unit from Canon to use the impossible to spill ink bottles that fit into ink tanks that are so easy to fill. The cost of printer ink is often said to be more expensive than Champagne so having it arrive in bottles means it costs less per page.
The Canon Pixma G7050 measures 38cm wide, 39cm deep and 21cm tall all these figures are when the unit is closed. Add another 10cm to the depth when the control panel and output tray are opened and add another 15cm to this when you are using the second ‘sit up’ input tray at the rear. For everyday printing you use the inbuilt paper tray at the base but for items such as quality photo paper the rear ‘sit up’ tray at the back gives more options.

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Phones
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7 Jul 2021
This is the latest SmartPhone to cross my desk loaned from Vodafone. I remember when Oppo first arrived in the UK and you saw their name at Wimbledon and I am sure most people had no idea who they were, I noticed it this year at The Queens tennis and I am sure more now know they are a mobile phone company.
It is 15.8x7x1cm the last figure the thickness is where the line of three cameras are slightly proud of the back. The unit weighs 186grams; the viewable screen is 15.1x6.8cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of just under 6½ inches. The screen resolution is 1080x2400. Going around the outside has the on/off button on the right side, the base has speaker, microphone, USB ‘C’ port and SIM entry point.
While there are a good number of units that are stated to withstand both heat and cold as well as dust and wet there are a lesser number designed to work for longer periods in places where there is zero or very limited mains power available so this triple battery model might be the answer.
It is 34x28x3.5cm and weighs 3.15 kilos. The viewable screen is 30.5x17cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 14inches, out of the box the screen resolution is set at 150% but 125% should still be viewable and for those with perfect vision maybe 100%. The screen surround is 1.5cm on each side with 2.5cm at the base and 3cm at the top. Inset in the centre at the top is a webcam that has a vanity slider. On the area on the right side is a fingerprint reader.
This is a rather nice 24inch flat panel from Philips. It takes up only a limited amount of desk space and has a good amount of height adjustment, all the normal connection types are supported and it can also be used portrait as well as landscape and just for good measure it has three USB ports - one always on – built into the unit.
The Philips 243B9 measures 49.5x52cm on its stand at the minimum height of 6cm on its stand in landscape mode this can be increased to 20cm, the screen thickness at the edge is less than 1.4cm. The viewable screen is 52x29.5cm which the notional diagonal imperial measurement of just under 24inches, 23.8inches to be exact. In the centre top of the screen surround is a touch out webcam that means your personal privacy is guaranteed if you remember to push it in when not in use.
I was sent an email offering samples to review from a company called If You Care, I asked for household gloves and cleaning cloths, what I received was far more so I will tell you about what was delivered from ‘If You Care’. Before the pandemic of close to 18 months ago I am sure we all washed everything and wiped surfaces regularly, now I am certain we do all that and more and probably most people’s hands suffer from all the extra twenty second washes that take place numerous times a day.
Tablets are great when out and about, however when back in the office be it at home or at work it is nice to have a larger screen to view the output but a lot of Tablets have few connections on the unit to save space, some in fact have just a single USB ‘C’ port used for charging and connecting external devices so this USB ‘C’ to HDMI lead can solve the problem.
This converter cable is 19cm long from the tip of the USB ‘C’ end of the lead to the point where your HDMI lead is inserted. At the other end is a 3.5x3x1.5cm connection area. While most will use this for the times they want to read or work on a long document or view a long or complex webpage without recourse to strong glasses, it is well known that staring at internet pages and the like on small Tablets or Notebooks is a major cause of headaches.

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Phones
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21 June 2021
This offering from Xiaomi is another recent offering that is perhaps sold on its photographic and video abilities but instead of it costing a lot it’s more of a mid-range to budget offering. This is a name that may not be known that much in the UK.
The Redmi Note 10 from Xiaomi measures 16x7.5x.9cm, the last figure is at the rear cameras that protrude slightly from the case. The viewable screen is 15.6x7cm and this gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of a tad under 6½ inches as the corners are chamfered. The display is 1080x2400. Going around the outside on the right side are the volume rocker with on/off and fingerprint reader.
As far as I know this is the first Wash and Dry unit, earlier units shampooed and then washed drying often meant that that room was out of bounds for a good length of time. Here this unit automatically washes on the forward stroke and dry’s on the back stroke, for even quicker results there is a dry only mode.
The VAX Platinum Smart Wash comes in a 60x50x36cm box and the main installation is placing the handle into the base unit, having done that the water container fit in, everything is well documented in the instructions. It is 107cm tall, 42cm deep at the foot and 33cm wide. Total assembly time is less than fifteen minutes and involves fitting the top tank and the handle that just clips in.
This is the latest offering from Ring, the Ring Video Doorbell 4. As far as I remember this is the smallest ever box yet it still has everything required in it. Dependent on where you live a problem could well be false positives which may be generated by field of view, it is possible to limit certain factors in what the camera sees however bushes and trees may still be a problem, but there is a solution with ‘People only Mode’.
The Ring Video Doorbell 4 unit measures 12x6x2.5cm and this only increases should you use the angled slice device that is provided for those on hills or where fitting the unit flat is impractical. Having reviewed earlier Ring devices I had an idea of what to do, here however the setup is even simpler as is linking to your Wi-Fi that could previously be a little problematic. Providing you have charged the units battery and you have a drill everything else is in the 13.5x8x6.5cm box.
This is filter coffee machine, simple in design but works well with easy to use controls. Perhaps best of all very it is easy to clean so if your tipple is filter coffee then this offering from Melitta should certainly be on your short list.
The 'epour' from Melitta has a total footprint of 32x37x16cm. Cold water is placed into the rear of the machine at the top by removing the lid, this can store up to 1litre of water. It comes with a 70cm long hard wired mains lead. There are just three buttons on the area below the coffee pot at the front, Pre-Brew, Brew and Control. The front of the machine at the top has the area that you place a filter in and then add coffee to your taste.
When I wrote a piece about face masks a year ago they were still a talking point and one that few - if any - of us thought would still be a feature of day to day life a year later. Now when we leave home it is a thing we check along with wallet and keys as while in an open area they are not currently compulsory they are on public transport and shops.
The vast majority of masks that I see are what are deemed as single use pale blue with white elastic to go round your ears. Some more fashion conscious people – mainly ladies – make their own and they are very inventive and sometimes very colourful but do they fulfill the requirement? I see more of the Perspex shield that start at the forehead and come down to the mouth, again I wonder if they stop germs coming from the wearer.
This is a very powerful and also rather expensive offering but when you get a boot at six seconds and shutdown at two seconds this immediately tells you it will not be ‘cheap’ so what exactly does this latest offering from Porsche and marketed by Acer offer.
Porsche AP714-51GT laptop measures 32x19.5x1.5cm the last measurement is at the rear because at the front it is only 1cm thick. The viewable screen is 30.5x17.5cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of very close to 14 inches, the display is full HD 1920x1080 and the default is to show this at 150%. Going around the outside has connections on the left for power in, HDMI out, USB3 and USB ‘C’. The front is clear while the right side has a 3.

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Cameras
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2 June 2021
This is the latest Samsung offering to cross my desk, my unit has a matt sky blue back, a shiny slightly darker blue sides and a very shiny front. There are a vertical line of three cameras top left of the back and a forth camera and LED flash beside these.
The Samsung Galaxy A52 measures 15.6x7.3x.8cm and it weighs 189grams. The viewable screen is 15x6.7cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of close to 6½ inches. The display is 2400x1080 which is called FHD+. Going around the outside the right side has the volume rocker and below this the on/off button. The base has microphone, 3.5mm socket for headphones, speaker and USB ‘C’ socket.
As far as I know this is a new venture for AOC who normally only produce flat panels although most of these have inbuilt speakers. So what might this reasonably priced set of headphones have to offer to both home and office users?
They are the over ear variety and they also have a microphone arm attached to the left earbud and it has enough adjustment for those who like to position it under the chin or on front of your mouth. Fully expanded they are 21cm from the base of the earpiece to the inside of the well-padded headband. There is up to 4cm of expansion on each side so even a child might be able to use them but they have full size earpieces which are round at 9.

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Cameras
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24 May 2021
If you take images while out and about and like to get instant photographs from what you shoot then something like this offering from Fujifilm could well be the answer. I recently reviewed an offering from Polaroid that turns out to be not so instant so this more compact offering from Fujifilm has the word Instax in the title so let’s see.
The Fujifilm Instax mini 40 measures 12x10x6cm when the lens is closed the last figure increases by 2.5cm when the unit is on. It weighs 399 grams. The images it takes are 6x4.5cm. The Polaroid ones are 10.7x8.7, Polaroid films are eight to a pack while the Fujifilm ones have ten images in a pack. I was disappointed with the images that the recent Polaroid unit gave. They were not that sharp and took a long time to be fully developed.
This latest offering from Fossil is a Solar Watch. Unless you live permanently in a darkened cave thinking about winding it up should never enter your mind. It was produced for Earth Day which for those who do not know was the 22nd of April. It is stated that eight hours of sunlight should power it for up to six weeks of continuous use and it can retain charge for three months.
The face is 4.2cm across and 5cm from top to bottom from strap lug to strap lug and 1.2cm thick, it weighs 48grams. Mine had a black face with white hands and a blue fabric recycled material strap with Velcro fixings. On the face from 8 to 4 there is a slash to show each hour, the area below this has a cut out area to show the various things like day and date among other choices. There are four buttons on the sides at 2, 4, 8, 10 and if you look closely at the face they are explained.
This latest version of the Swift 5 is small and powerful and while it is intended for use when out and about, as it has a full size HDMI port there is no reason while it should not be used at home or even in the office if it is the latter then make good use of the Kensington Lock socket or someone else will be using it.
The Acer Swift 5 measures 31x21x1.5cm the last measurement is at the back of the side as it is only 1cm at the front edge. It weighs only a tad over a kilo at 1041 grams. It is gun metal grey in colour apart from the hinge at the back and the Acer logo on top which are both copper in colour. The screen goes back to 135 degrees and the viewable screen dimensions are 30.5x17.3 which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of close to 14 inches.
The SoundBlaster Play 4 is a DAC, a plug in device to USB or USB ‘C’ that improves the sound quality of music and indeed of the spoken voice be in from a phone call or any other source. As a plus it can also improve your voice be it a phone call or any other connection with other people. In the simplest of terms a DAC is a Digital (to) Analogue Converter.
The SoundBlaster Play 4 measures 5x1.5x.8cm and has a 3.5mm headphone or earbud connection at one end and the other end has a hard wired 8cm lead ending in a USB ‘C’ plug, an adapter for USB ‘C’ to USB is included in the box, this would add 2.5cm to the length. A lot of Notebooks and most Tablets compromise audio; I have even seen a Tablet without a 3.5mm socket.
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Phones
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10 May 2021
This is the latest offering from Samsung to cross my desk. While it supports 5G it also works perfectly well for those of us who do not have those faster transfer speeds available on our doorsteps. The phone feels very solid with what looks to me a light violet back, and, on this back, three cameras in a vertical line at the top left corner that look like a set of traffic lights, for some reason this area is in a gold colour which draws your eye to it, so why not smile.
Going around the outside has the volume rocker with the on/off button below this on the right. The base has speaker, USB ‘C’ for charging or data transfer and SIM entry point. The left and the top are both clear of controls. The phone is 15.8x7.4x.7cm apart from the area where the cameras are that is very close to 1cm thick. The viewable screen is 15.5x7cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 6.7inches.

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Phones
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7 May 2021
This offering is a partnership between Emporia and RNIB. So while it can be used by a sighted person, most of those using it will either have severely limited sight or be registered as blind. While most of us take our phones with us to stay in contact and indeed I know of people who run their lives from their phones, for a blind or partially sighted person being in contact can be much more important than that.
Once the SIM and battery are installed this becomes an easy phone to use. The right corner of the back allows a fingernail to slip under to insert the SIM and then the battery the three contacts on the end of the battery line up with three contacts in the battery bay so it will only fit one way. Fitting the SIM is a little more tricky not least because being Nano it’s very small. This is a Flip Phone small enough to fit easily in the palm of your hand when closed. It is 9.5x5x1.
This is a watch although Honor call it a Band. In fact it is far more than a method of telling the time as it tells you your heart rate and a great deal more. In fact it does more than my own watch that is four times the price of this unit.
The Smart Watch measures 4.5x.2.3x.7cm and weighs 30 grams with the attached strap. The viewable screen is 3.5x2cm. It is stated to last up to two weeks between charges this is of course dependent on the amount of time the display is on and after eleven days I was down to 15% so this seems about right as I was testing all the modes for my review. Like most recent Smartwatches or Bands it works with an App on your Android device.
Nescafe produce a large number of two pod solutions for those liking a coffee with milk, Cappuccino, Latte and most other possible combinations. Until now there has only been a single offering in one pod Flat White. In the last five years there has been a 400% increase in Veganism so to help those who do not partake of dairy items, three plant based offerings have been produced, Coconut, Almond and Oat and while I was checking these out along with the original Flat White I found Starbucks had produced a single Pod Café Latte.
So let’s deal with the Starbucks Latte first, all recent pods have slashes on the front of the box to denote the desired setting on an automated machine, and I noticed that this like the other samples I was sent all come in a brown pod. To my taste it was a less enjoyable drink than those made with a coffee and a milk and mainly because there was no real coffee aroma while making which for anyway always start me wanting to enjoy it.

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Phones
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26 Apr 2021
This is both a ‘normal’ SmartPhone and also one with added help for those with hearing and or sight impairments as well as those of us where age has caught up with us. Externally this looks like a perfectly normally recent SmartPhone but Emporia have been producing offerings for those with such problems for longer than even DORO.
It is 14.8x7.3x.8cm and weighs 177grams. The viewable screen is 12.5x6.2cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 5½ inches. Once you power on having inserted your SIM you see a normal Home screen with all the normal icons and indeed if you do not feel you need the added assistance you can continue without any, when you do, just press the Emporia icon and answer three quick questions and sit back with the extra help it gives.
This is a very lightweight on ear set of headphones. Appearances can be deceptive and in the case of these it is certainly so, they do not look much and my first thoughts were these are from SoundBlaster, yes they are reasonably priced but they look not that special. Looks are not everything and all that changed when I linked them to my phone and I realized that were a really rather nice offering.
They can be as little as 15cm from base of the ear pieces to the inside of the headband. Each side can be increased by up to 3.5cm so anyone from a child upwards should be able to wear them securely. Total weight is only 84 grams. While most will use these with Bluetooth they can be used with the USB ‘C’ to USB lead as a wired unit. All the controls are on the right ear and they slope slightly from front to back.

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Cameras
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19 Apr 2021
While Polaroid cameras have been around for a very long time new models and colours continue to be launched. Even new film types for a range of different scenarios. I was sent both i-type and 600 film types to test with one of their latest PolaroidNow, but I see other types are also available.
It is 15x11x9.5cm these are maximum figures and it weights a tad under .5 kilo at 492 grams. A large instruction sheet is included and providing the unit has some power in its internal battery they are clear and easy to follow. So to avoid any problem attach the supplied USB to micro USB lead for a few minutes before inserting a pack of film stock. All current Polaroid film types colour or black and white are eight image films.
This is one of the new breed of Chromebooks that give you much more functionality and even allows access to the Google Play Store and that also allows you to link to your Android phone. In fact it bears little resemblance to an early Chromebook that did not even have the ability to store things offline. This should really be considered a totally new category of product.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 511 measures 29.5x21.5x2cm and weighs 1212 grams. The viewable screen is 23.5x14.5cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 11.6inches and this gives you a variable screen resolution of up to 1518x853 which may make text a little small for some but a slider lets you change it through a range of resolutions up to 911x512. Going around the outside, on the left side is a small blue LED denoting power on, next is a USB ‘C’ then USB3.
Two rather different toys that will also intrigue, first a ball – a little smaller than a tennis ball – that can with very little effort bounce to a far greater height than it is dropped from. Second a rocket that takes off with only the effort of your foot. So while I must say it very quietly they are both toys to get the child thinking and therefore learning.
The box says for 5+ but I would think children far younger would puzzle as to why a ball dropped will bounce up to the same height, or why a ball bounced goes even higher and then exactly how high will it bounce when thrown onto the ground. Even on grass I easily got it bouncing well above my head, on concrete it bounces far higher.
This looks very similar to the other recently reviewed Canon unit the G2560 on the 3rd March 2021 however while the dimensions may be similar the speed and connection methods do vary so worth a look at both reviews to see which might fit your needs best.
The G3520 is 44x32x16cm, the exception is the rear input paper tray that doubles the height (the last figure), the left side at the back has the power input and on the right side also at the back is USB input. However this can also be used via Wi-Fi meaning the G3520 does not need to be tethered to your PC and you can also print to it from other devices such as Tablets and SmartPhones.

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Misc
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7 Apr 2021
These are the latest TransMemory flash drives and micro SD card offerings from Kioxia. I was sent a 128GB USB3.2 and a 256GB similar device one was black and the other white. Also was a 128GB High Endurance micro SD card and this also has a holder so it could be used as a standard SD card. The TransMemory devices have a five year warranty and the micro SD card a three year warranty.
The 128GB one (white) was 5x2x.8cm and weighs 8 grams. It has 8x2mm hole through the case on the right of the top edge so that it can be attached to a keyring. The cap only fits one way as it is larger one side than the other, this is a snug fit so far less likely to fall off in a pocket or bag. This is a USB3.2 Gen 1 drive however it still works with earlier versions of USB3 and even USB2 at a somewhat slower speed.