Publication History For : Paul Smart
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I have had this device for some months; however I have only been able to use it twice. Normally a device review has a lot of use but when it requires two units to do anything meaningful it is somewhat difficult when you only have one.
The Leyio UWB device measures 7.5x5x2cm but is waisted so in the centre it is .5cm less. It weights 70grams, so it is easy to fit in a pocket. It has one task to transfer data quickly using something called UWB (ultra wide band) when you come across another Leyio, you pair taking only a few seconds and then the one sending data flicks their wrist towards the other device and that’s it, large files can be transferred in a matter of seconds. No PC is involved at all.
Apart from mainstream wired phones for home and office, Doro also do DECT phones. Recently their mobile offerings are becoming widely accepted for those with disabilities, first however a seven button remote control.
How can a remote control with only seven buttons replace a remote control with forty or more buttons. In short it can’t but often the only controls required are volume up or down and channel up or down and this it can duplicate. Most remote control replacements are almost as complex as the ones they replace, normally they work by entering a code number to make them a near (or exact) replacement to the remote that came with the TV (or other device) they are replacing.
Another Multi Function unit (it has Fax) silver grey with a broad black stripe around the top edge, so sad to say it will never pass the lounge police. However as an office machine there is little wrong with it.
The Canon Pixma MX860 measures 48x35x7cm when closed. If you store A4 paper in the back vertical tray this adds close to 20cm to the height. You will probably need another 10cm clear at the front to the 35cm depth when printing. Space required might be 50x45x30cm this would allow you to place books on the flat-bed if say you sighting point were a shelf. This is a five ink five cartridge unit. Printing the nonsensical 200 word document produced 12PPM in custom (set to speed) mode.
Often as part of my tests of a Satellite Navigation system I take it for a ride on a bus or train, sometimes both. It gives you a chance to see exactly what is shown on the screen and indeed this can be extremely interesting.
In this case I did neither as I could initially find no way to turn off (or even reduce the volume of the speaking voice) and without this ability I would be very unpopular on either mode of transport. Only later did I find the preference screen that only seems to appear before any route planning is started.
I first saw this at the beginning of the year and only now in late summer did I get to see this environmentally friendly 'green' TV. Strange that it is only available in 40 and 46inch versions, I saw the former, still because of design it takes up little more room than my 32inch model.
The Sony Bravia WE5 (KDL40WE5WU) measures 98x63x11cm (with cables inserted) and the second figure is increased by 5cm should you decide to use the 45x25cm stand rather than take the option to wall mount it. Do you or your family leave the room without turning off the TV well this has a motion sensor so after a set time (default 30minutes) it turns off the picture, when you return so immediately does the picture.
Again looking towards Christmas two items to give as ideal presents, the first for someone with an urge to learn and the second for some who just wants to play, but even playing with this helicopter uses and improves dexterity skills.
A little like the Airfix kits I remember as a child this box has all the bits required to build six different items that all work using solar power. Perhaps a strange thing to promote as a Christmas gift but during the dark days you can build and then when the lighter days arrive the unit is ready to be used, all the best things are worth waiting for. The six items that you can build are a Revolving Plane, Windmill, Plane, Airboat, Puppy and Car all take advantage of the solar unit provided.
Another in a superb range of small digital cameras from Canon. This is the forth one I have looked at in the last three years. This one has three subtle tones from silver to grey and it looks are pleasing even to a style dunce like me.
The Canon Ixus 990IS Digital Camera measures 9x5.5x2.5cm and weights 180grams. The last figure, the width, can extend up to 4cm more when on full zoom. The rear is dominated by a huge 6x4.5cm TFT display and it is reasonable in all but the strongest sunlight. To the right of this are four triangular buttons two above and two below the ubiquitous five position joystick. I suspect all but the real camera novice will know what these do from their illustrations.
First BounceBack Ultimate from CMS Products and second BackItUp & Burn from Nero. Neither review was without its problems, partly due I am sure to a notebook of mine that seems to dislike being backed up. However when used on another system both did their work as expected.
The install of this went as expected however although it can do a full system backup it is aimed at making things easy, so it lets you selects types of file to backup no matter where they maybe on your hard disc. So Photos, Music, Movies, Documents, Spreadsheets etc are all categories and you can easily just add others for any types not included.
Another in an ever increasing range of Netbooks from Asus, this one (sorry not shaped like a seashell or made from shell although they do make a different unit from Bamboo) promises 8.5hours of battery life between charges.
The latest EeePC from Asus, the 1005HA measures 26x18x3.5cm the latter is maximum at the rear feet it is 1cm less at the front feet. It weights 1290grams. Mine was black but I see they also do white. This was not sent directly to me from Asus and so some of the settings may have been unfavourably tweaked by the previous reviewer. In heavy use including attached USB devices I got four hours. In lighter use without external devices draining power it was just over six hours.
Brace yourself ready or not Christmas is not that far away. Here two items for the kids and no doubt the best way to cope is a little at a time. First a tradition Jigsaw from Ravensburger and second a new twist on the Rubiks Cube.
This is apparently the twelfth limited edition puzzle produced by Ravensburger. I cannot talk about any of the first eleven as I have not seen them. This is a delightful puzzle of 1000 pieces and for me anyway quite difficult because of the amount of snow. It is created from an original watercolour painting by Roy Trower who studied graphic art at Norwich and graduated in 1984. It is one of Ravensburgers Premium Puzzles featuring their softclick technology.
First a wireless device great for the energetic that enables them to hear music or phone calls while indulging in exercise. Second a small speaker to enable your iPod, MP3 player or phones content to be heard by all.
Not just another wireless device. This is a set of earbuds with connections behind the ears linked by a wire behind the head. You then place your wireless device phone or whatever away in a pocket and no matter how vigoursly you jog or run the earbuds stay in your ears so no danger of losing your headset as the wire behind your neck holds the earbuds in place. All the controls are on the earpieces so it might be as well to study the manual before you depart so you what to press to control what.
There are a lot of web cams around and somewhat surprisingly few applications to let you make the most of them. Of course to take an image or a video you need little, however should you want to pep up the content then you need something extra such as CyberLink YouCam 3.
Increasingly applications come as downloads as this one did. The problem I find with that is that there is of course no box and no CD so burn one yourself (this download was just over 100MB) and do remember to include not only the downloaded files but also a text file with the all important serial number so if the worst happens and you need to reinstall the product at any time, you can.
I always enjoy reviewing a Blu-ray player, one because I do not own one but do have several Blu-ray discs including several that will not play in a PC with a Blu-ray player, even experts do not know why and two its an excuse to watch Blu-ray movies.
Half way through the review period I got a new TV in for review from Sony (review in a couple of weeks) so this has been tested not only with my 32inch TV but a brand new 40inch Bravia as well. In a short space of time The Blu-ray player has developed a lot and indeed I hear that stand alone recorders are soon to hit the shops. There are of course a number of stand alone Blu-ray player/recorders available for the PC but they need a powerful PC to run them.
More from Brando
Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple
on
6 Sep 2009
Two further items from those clever USB people in Hong Kong. First a LED torch that gives a good bright light and it has another big plus. Second for those without a built in web cam. A Minocam that works with a PC or Notebook and as you should expect from Brando it is also something else.
Yes the bottom part (pull out) section is transparent and without the light around the touchpad you would probably be guessing where the numbers are so you can dial. However this phone from LG will no doubt be a hit with the stylish.
The LG GD900 touch screen mobile phone measures 10.5x5.5x1.5cm when shut and the first figure increases by 3cm when the numeric pad is open. It weights 126grams and has a very solid feel. I know I am one of only a small percentage of people who regularly turn a phone off but for the others of my persuasion its 20 seconds to the default front screen and around 50 seconds to being able to make a phone call. To switch off from pressing the button is around 8 seconds.
I have reviewed many DAB/FM units and a few DAB/FM/CD but so far none from Sony. As you would expect it is a quality unit and as you should also expect it is by no means cheap, but then quality never is.
A unit over 3kilos in weight being called portable is perhaps unusual but it can be run of batteries (that weight does not include the six ‘C’ cell required) for this. However my main reason for this statement is the carry handle that goes along above the top of it. Below the handle is on the top is the slot loader CD with eject button on its right side and in front of this a circular silvered volume control and on the left of the CD a silvered push button for on/off.
If your singing is better than hair brush standard then this item from Memorex could get you used to a Microphone so that when you progress you do not make the eating/licking the microphone mistake on your first gigs.
The base of the Memorex Sing Stand is circular at 32cm across and it stands 15cm high. The controls and settings are in the base. In the centre of the stand fits a three piece pole that stretches to more than two metres so that the supplied microphone can be at the correct level for all, no matter how tall or short you maybe. The reasonable quality microphone has a 2.7cm lead attached and even an on/off switch on the arm of the microphone.
Most multi function or All In One packages come with crippled versions of OCR software, either full versions of a few years ago or lite versions. However should you want to do more than just convert a few letters to editable text then a full product is what you need.
This offering from OmniPage includes two other full products within the box. So apart from OmniPage 17 you also get PDF Create (sold at £49.95) and PaperPort 11 (sold at £49.95) so in effect that’s all but £100 worth of value before you look at the main product. Of course both have a lot of overlap with the main product. The OmniPage installation (also installs PDF Create) took only 8 minutes on a reasonably fast Vista system. It eats up 1640MB of hard disc space.
Not one but two Kensington Wireless mice, both using a tiny Nano receiver that fits almost invisibly into any USB port. The two being looked at are the SlimBlade and then the catchily named Ci95m, both of course are free to move without wires.
The SlimBlade mouse is 9x5.5x2cm the last figure is maximum. It is all back with the exception of a grey surround for the scroll wheel. It weights 70 grams with the supplied two ‘AAA’ batteries inserted. It is just oblong with no curve and the highest point is just behind centre. There are no distinct mouse buttons with the whole front portion of the sides able to be depressed for the mouse actions. This of course means it is suitable for almost any hand size.
I get the chance to look at a lot of A4 multi function machines but very few A3 ones often because of the size; those I do see are normally laser units here just for a change is an A3 ink jet offering from Brother.
It is 53x47x30cm and it weights around 16kilos. While few would try to put it in the lounge if you have a large cupboard this is possible as it not only has USB and Ethernet but also Wireless. It is black with a grey trim around the front edge. It does support duplex printing but only for A4. There are two trays so up to 400 sheets of paper can be accommodated.
As I am sure everyone knows the Digital Changeover is coming (in fact it has already arrived in some places), so to keep perfectly good Analogue TVs working set top boxes were made to translate the signals, then the PVR (to replace the video recorder), then the PVR had Freeview built in. Now something slightly different.
Here not one but two exciting precision tools for the home hobbyist. First do not confuse these items with toys they are definitely not, these items are tools for the home hobbyist. First an engraving stylus and then a quality soldering iron.
First the dual tin that it comes in, the top part is divided into various compartments to store bits and pieces while they are a work in progress. The second larger part is what holds the stylus and the charger as well as various parts to fit on the stylus. It is powered by a Lithium-Ion battery to enable you to work in restricted areas. The stylus itself is shaped like a backward facing gun. The holding arm is 10.5x3.5x4.5cm.
Two different phones both designed for people with a disability the first for perhaps the more serious disability the HandlePlus 334gsm. The second the PhoneEasy 342gsm for those with less agile fingers.
It is 12x5.5x1.5cm mine had a white face with a black back. The face has a 3.5x2.2cm display and under this only eight keys. Two rows of two and under this the letters A to D in a single column with space beside to put a name. These can be the numbers of anyone you wish such as a son or daughter a neighbour or a close friend. This phone would enable someone with very limited digit control some range of independence to lead some form of life.
This is yet another nice Netbook; it boots and shuts down quickly but still runs Windows XP. The finish is nice and all in all it is a rather nice unit that you could whip out of a smallish bag or case without having to grow extra muscles.
The Samsung N310 Netbook is 26x18x3cm and weights 1225grams. Mine was a light blue colour and the case feels almost rubberised thus giving it a little extra protection. The left side has Kensington lock anchor point, a USB port, a covered Ethernet port and the two 3.5mm sockets for microphone and headphones. The front has an SD card socket. The right side has two further USB ports and a rubber bung over the VGA out. Finally the power input connector.
Here two items from Griffin to enable you to power iPods. The first PowerDock 2 allows you to charge two iPods simultaneously. The second allows you to power an iPod from either in the car or by inserting an AA battery to give you a Power Boost when out and about.
I am told they also do a PowerDock 4 but I find it hard to imagine anyone having four iPods, still in a large family it could be possible. It is 18x7.5x3cm, brushed metal top with black inserts and sides and grey rubber base. The back has the input for the power lead. This lead comes with one of those multi plug devices that has different plug ends to clip on for Europe, the USA/Japan, Australia/New Zealand and of course the UK. The lead is 1.4metres.
First a Digital Luggage Scale that is easy to use and it could save you pounds of money by not having an overweight case. Second a Solar recharger for USB devices that comes from Brando those clever USB people in Hong Kong.
Have you ever tried to weigh luggage? The bathroom scales are favourite as of course the kitchen scales never go up enough. The problem is are they accurate and even if they are is the whole weight on the scales? This is a simple device but it can save you pounds (that’s the money pounds) as overweight at the check in is expensive. The alternative is to leave something behind and if you choose that do you have someone nearby to leave it with? It is 16x6x2.5cm maximum.
This is another HP OfficeJet that is predominately black with a white base and part of the sides; sadly it will never pass the lounge police. However as it is Ethernet/Wi-Fi/USB you could possibly hide it in a cupboard, the latter is also a good idea as when it prints it is quite noisy especially when in fast draft mode.
The HP Officejet 6500 is 46x42x24cm. It is stated to give professional colour for 40% less than a laser this is energy and cost per page, but read the HP site for how that is calculated. There are 36 buttons on the front sloping edge of the unit together with a two line black on white display. There are two card slots for MS and SD/xD on the front left edge. All the connections USB, Ethernet, Power and Phone lead are back left located close together.
This unit has a built in Freeview box so anyone with only an Analog TV can now move on and since it can play (and record) DVDs as well as record either to the HDD or direct to DVD you have the best of both in a single unit.
The LG RHT497H measures 43x30x5cm with leads inserted. The front has a four position circular control and two drop down flaps (more on these in a bit) while the front edge of the top has a button at each end. The sides, underneath and rest of the top are free meaning something else could be stacked on top. The rear has A/C input, HDMI out, two SCART sockets, the five Component sockets, S-Video, Coaxial, Optical and Aerial In and Out sockets. You can record to the HDD or to a DVD.
This is very new notebook (well desktop replacement) from Acer. It has almost everything you might want in a single unit. The 18.4 inch screen means you do not need to skimp of image size and you even have a Blu-ray drive inside.
I was just coming to the end of my review when Windows did yet more updates and these included Internet Explorer 8. All seemed to go well and after the reboot no error messages but IE 8 refuses to load.
120 years ago the electric motor was invented and although it has had minor changes it remains more or less the same as it was then. James Dyson has invented a totally new and considerably lighter offering, just one of the new things in this latest handheld unit.
This will never replace the full sized unit and indeed it is not intended to do so. I remember when I was first shown an early ‘ball’ unit the lady demonstrating it said the ‘ball’ means even a man can use it, I am still not sure how much her tongue was in her cheek. However the ‘ball’ unit does get into spaces and round tight turns that other cleaners cannot get.
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