Publication History For : Paul Smart
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I first saw this unit when it was launched at a show in the spring of 2008, finally I got one to look at in the spring of 2009, however other pressing reviews stopped it being looked at until now with summer flourishing.
Strange how two installations can be vastly different? I first tried installing it on a fast new Vista notebook and I could write a thesis on the problems, eventually solved after a two hour call from technical support. Mind you as I had already read the manual a couple of times and tried everything I could think of I knew the product fairly well. Next my older less powerful desktop running XP, full install without a hitch total install time 3 minutes and not a problem in sight.
I do not get to see many Sony units as their agency in the past has not the most cooperative hence this unit being supplied by Jessops. This is a small neat unit but it also has a lot of recent features and certainly worth a look.
This looks like many other small digital cameras with a huge TFT. However apart from a very small amount of internal memory it requires a card and because the camera is from Sony it will require their type of memory and not the far more easily available and reasonably priced SD cards. It is 9.5x5.5x3cm the last figure can double when the lens is fully extended. It weights 175grams and my unit was black with a chrome strip around the unit.
Having recently told you about an HP OfficeJet that is black with white sides, this offering from Canon their Pixma MX320 is white (cream) with a black collar around the top. Like the HP it is a multi function unit meaning apart from printing, it can copy, scan and fax.
The Pixma MX320 is 43x38x30cm with A4 paper in the input tray at the rear and the last figure allows the landscape flatbed to be lifted 10cm to allow items to be slipped in for scanning. However there is also a page feed that means it could happily sit on a shelf as it weights around 8.5kilos. There are a total of 28 buttons on the front lip as well as a two line LED display in the centre.
Okay so my normal games involve cards, but as I have a Nintendo DS this is one that Michael could not cover. Over the years I have reviewed a number of software products from GSP for the PC, here a mystery solving game for DS.
The background ‘As a journalist in need of a holiday, you set off to a beautiful, remote island in the Caribbean ….’ ‘…You end up trying to solve a kidnapping …’ ‘You end up 10,000km away in Berlin, will you solve the case’ The above was taken from the eight pages of instructions and apart from what you glean in the game that’s it apart from the rest of the instructions that explain the controls in the game.
Over the recent years Archos have produced a lot of interesting devices but not until now a notebook, here is their first offering a 10.2 inch Netbook and it of course comes with extras that others do not seem to provide.
It is certainly small and light enough to fit easy into a bag or case. It weights 1.28kilos and is 25.5x19x3cm. The left side has the Ethernet port (it also works fine on wireless) VGA port and two USB ports. The front has two 3.5mm sockets for microphone and headphone/earbuds. The right side has SD card socket, VGA port and the A/C power input point. The back is clear as the screen partially folds over it.
It has been a while since I have reviewed a fully fledged camcorder, yes I have reviewed a couple of HD style units that are no bigger than a mobile phone, and yes, most digital cameras can take videos as well as stills, here however a conventional camcorder but getting almost small enough to fit in a pocket without a bulge.
The Canon Legria FS200 just about fits into the palm of your (adult) hand. It is 11.5x5.5x5cm when shut, the last figure the width increases to 13.5cm if you have the screen (that can rotate up to 270degrees) fully open. The weight is 275grams. Quite unusually this came with a ‘kit’ that includes a 4GB SD card and a case. In fact to my mind all cameras and camcorders should be sold this way.
I have been asked numerous times why the reviews of HP items suddenly stopped. The reason/excuse I was given by their then agency is too far fetched even to print. Now with a new agency I hope to be able to tell you about the current range of printers.
The HP Officejet Pro 8500 is certainly no beauty but it is very fast and certainly an Office unit. It is black with white sides and even my total lack of style tells me this is certainly a lounge no no. It is 48x42x30cm andit weights a tad under 12kilos. This is a multi function unit as not only does it print, scan and copy but it also can send and receive faxes.
Of course the two items are not bulk standard offerings from this clever USB company in Hong Kong. First a keyboard that is compact and more and then a mouse small enough to fit in any pocket but big enough to work with.
This is slim in depth, width and height. It is 42.5x11.5x2cm and at the front it is little more than 1cm thick. This is a full key sized 110 key unit and only the top line of function keys are slightly smaller at only .6cm tall rather than being 1x1cm. As it is an international keyboard you get # where the £ sign is on the top row and of course “ where the @ key is beside the enter key but with a UK keyboard driver the keys will still give what you expect them to.
Not just another MP3 player but this touchscreen controlled unit is also an MP4 unit as well. This means that not only can you listen to your music you can also watch movies.
Not small and not big this 13.3inch offering from Acer might be just the size for those who need to travel and also need to work in an office. The lid is a dark chocolate brown so may well appeal to the ladies.
The Acer Aspire 3935 is 32x23x2.5cm and weights a modest 1.87kilos. Apart from the dark chocolate lid and keyboard surround the rest of the unit is the more normal black. The left side has power input, VGA output, two USB ports and 3.5mm microphone and earbud sockets. The front is clear as the edge is feathered up to just a centimetre. The right side has the slot mounted DVD multi drive one further USB port a small Firewire port and the all important Ethernet port.
A phone company perhaps better known in Europe, I have previously reviewed offering from them both for the home and mobile. Here I am looking at two different mobile phones aimed squarely at the older age group who might be new to the idea.
It is 12.5x5.5x1.5cm with a white face and black back. It weights 95grams. The screen is 3.7x2.2cm and a mono display. It has a total of 20 keys and perhaps most important three of the keys labelled A B and C are one touch dials ideal for those who perhaps struggle to remember numbers. So ‘A’ might be their daughter, ‘B’ might be a neighbour and ‘C’ maybe the doctor.
Yes two more useful USB gadgets from the people in Hong Kong that charge a flat rate postage and packing fee of $3 US no matter what the size of your order. First a Micro SD Card reader that is also an MP3 player and second a model plane that is a speaker.
Like a number of things from Brando this does two jobs. It looks just like a memory stick and is 5x2x1cm mine was transparent orange but they do other colours. It inserts in any normal USB socket (ver 1.1 or 2). Just above the bit that plugs in is a slit for you to insert a Micro SD card. The PC will then read it and you can add MP3 or WMA files to it. This action also charges the internal MP3 player. Remove the unit and plug earbuds (supplied) into the other end.
Buy the BlackBerry Pearl from T-Mobile and the included SIM gives you 12 months worth of web access and emails included in the price. Yes this is still a phone as well (you do need to pay for phone calls) but it means you email can follow you everywhere.
The Blackberry Pearl 8110 is 10.5x5x1.2cm, mine was silver and chrome and it weights 90grams. It comes with a rather neat leather slip case. The TFT screen is 4x4cm. Below the screen there is a sort of QWERTY keyboard and this is the thing that might stop this unit being a roaring success. The keys are .8x.
My own modem/router started playing up just a couple of weeks ago and a few days before this arrived it gave up working at all, the wireless side had stopped working some months ago and recently I had to reboot it often two or three times a day.
So when a modem/router suggests that you need no knowledge to attach a new unit I took this with a large pinch of salt. Insert the CD and it autostarts. A number of questions are asked – and answered – by the information already held within the PC. A range of tests are conducted – by the unit – and then it reboots itself. Done, no questions at all. However the one proviso is that your PC was live and then this scenario is correct.
Another quality inkjet AIO (All In One) from Canon. When closed it looks like a grey box with a black trim round the top edge. However lift the small lid at the front and a large TFT is revealed together with the buttons to control it.
The Canon Pixma MP980 measures 44x38x19cm when closed, insert A4 paper in the rear tray and the last figure the height increases by 20cm, that is also enough to insert anything on the flatbed as it will enable the landscape lid to be lifted to around 45 degrees. The 9x7cm TFT display can be adjusted to anything just over 100 degrees from horizontal meaning if you are viewing from above or below you should be able to get a clear view.
It has been a long time since I have told you about some of the recent Naim offerings that come under the broad heading of Jazz. Jazz in itself is a word that means many things to many people, my preference is modern but not experimental.
If you have a general liking for Jazz then a Sampler is a good way – at a reduced price – to see exactly where your preferences lie. Here there are ten tracks from ten different groups. To give you an example of the ten three or possibly four were in my comfort zone. I will just mention the names on this sampler but beside each track it tells you the CD (and the number) each one comes from.
Kodak sells a lot of cameras and I get asked why do I not review more of them? Well here is one I was recently sent that has amazing zoom capabilities and it looks like a quality unit around the size of a DSLR.
This is the Kodak Z980 camera and it measures 12x8.5x10.5cm, the last figure the width can vary substantially when in use as the zoom lens moves out between 2 and 6cm when the camera is switched on. It runs on four rechargeable ‘AA’ batteries and they and the charger are supplied. The weight with supplied neck strap attached is 540grams.
Around 18 months or so ago photo frames were are the rage, the new must have thing well at that time I was given one well almost one by Sony and now another has materialised by AgfaPhoto, so lets look at both.
First the explanation of my statement above. I attended a Sony event in the summer of 2007 where lots of new things were shown and indeed the camera division kept their word and you have heard about their offerings. However – despite numerous reminders – the PC side did not and while I asked for a 10inch photo frame this never happened.
In February this year (23-2-09) I reviewed a pre production version of their 250GB version. Here I am looking at the resale version and the one I have is 500GB and it takes a long time with normal watching to fill this unit up.
The unit looks identical to and even having seen that previously it still takes a while to get used to the display on the unit being only three LED’s. The one dead centre can be either red or green dependant on if the unit is on or off. The right one only shows green when something is being replayed and the left one red when something is being recorded.
First a WebCam that looks like an old style stills camera and second a set of earbuds that is less expensive than a number of those reviewed recently. The latter is also in white so others may just think it is linked to an iPod.
Not quite back to a box brownie but certainly looking like a camera of a long time ago. It is 5.5x4x4cm mounted on a 4cm tall stand with a 6cm round base. The weight is around 70grams. It has a plastic handle that is totally functionless. In fact the only thing that has a function is the wheel on the front of the lens that rotates should what you are capturing not be in focus. It is a simple plug and play device within Windows. Plug in the 1.
A cry of Ive got a little one is hardly likely to bring a rush of the opposite sex. However a small digital camera is something that can attract attention especially from a quality manufacturer like Nikon, this unit is exclusive to Jessops.
It 8.5x5.5x1.5cm silver in colour and it weights only 110grams it easily fits in the palm of an adult hand, but just because its small do not dismiss its capabilities. The left side is clear and the right side has only the wrist strap anchor point. The base has tripod screw and the solid battery door that also houses the SD card slot. The top has the rectangular on/off button and the round shutter release with wide angle/telephoto control around the edge.
This is the second Blu-ray drive notebook from Asus that I have reviewed recently. Outwardly it seems to have everything you could want providing you have transport to ferry it about as the weight of just over 3kilos might make public transport a chore.
It is 36x28.5x4cm the depth is a maximum at the back and it is .5cm less at the front. The exact weight is 3.070 kilos. The front has headset and microphone sockets front and centre along with an E-Sata slot. The right side has the multi DVD drive (including Blu-ray) a single USB port and Kensington lock socket. The rear has nothing as the edge of the screen ducks under the back so this area needs to be clear.
Just over a week ago I told about two ways of listening while unconnected, here are two different types of quality earbuds. The first from Shure and the second from a company that designs earbuds to suit your Genre of music.
A nearly conventional set of earbuds. There is a choice of three ends that stuff into the ear. However the rubber tips do expand somewhat in the ear so there is good noise cancellation properties. These are of course not up to the Etymotic ones with the precision resin made earpiece but these are considerably cheaper.
First an ingenious device called the Deco Mandala Designer and second something say it very quietly educational from the History of Art series, that dare I say is fun as well as educational what used to be called Edutainment.
This is stated to be for age 6-12 what worries me as certainly an ‘over 18’ is that I enjoyed using it immensely with one exception its pink!! As stated it is two tone pink and around 35x35x6cm. You are provided with a range of stencils and the object is to make a design on paper using one or more of the provided stencils. However here is the clever bit you can repeat the design as many times – within reason – as you like.
This is a little larger than the very popular Ixus range but still a good deal smaller than a DSLR or DSLR size type of unit. It certainly feels a little more meaty in the hand than its smaller sibling.
The PowerShot SX200is from Canon measures 10x6x4cm and weights 237grams, mine was a chocolate brown colour with chrome edges and lens surround. The lens moves out by up to 5cm and when the flash opens it is a minimum of 4cm from the lens. The 12x zoom is quite impressive and while it works well items taken at full zoom will need either a very firm hand or a tripod to get razor sharp images.
Know your SDHC Cards
Published in Misc
on
24 June 2009
Once you go beyond 2GB the SD card limit then choosing SDHC cards becomes more difficult as there are a number to choose from. Obviously a brand name like Kingston, Dane-Elec or San-Disc is half the battle but beyond that there are various Classes.
So what exactly do things like Class 2, Class 4, and, Class 6 mean and do they make any difference apart from the larger Class number meaning the memory is likely to be more expensive to purchase? In fact a visit to certain sites like say give you the information as to what class the card you are selecting is and certain other sites just tell you the make and maybe a card name like say Ultimate or Elite Pro and on their own this means little other than the manufacture has dug into a thesaurus
This is the second Nikon offering I have reviewed, the first was extremely popular and I see no reason why this mid sized unit will not be equally so with anyone wanting to progress that bit beyond point and shoot.
The Nikon Coolpix L100 measures 11x7x8cm, the latter figure the width can increase by 2cm when the lens is out. It weights 445grams. It is black with silver colour clips for the neck strap and around the shutter area. The left side has an anchor point and a rubber bung to cover the A/V out and DC in. The right side has only the anchor point. The base has tripod screw and battery/SD card door.
Listening Unconnected
Published in Entertainment
on
21 June 2009
Wireless speakers are one such method and outdoor speakers are another. Here I am looking at both. First some rather natty speaker cubes from Griffin. Second an outdoor speaker that works by wireless from wherever.
Just one week ago I told you about the first mobile phone sized HD camcorder from Kodak, this offering from Flip is an obvious competitor, I suggest you read this and last weeks review to make your own comparisons.
This is the third Flip I have reviewed the first was a little garish the second quite smart aimed at the younger market but the Flip Mino HD is their first HD offering. It is the same size as the Flip Mino at 10x5x2cm and that is perhaps major problem. The screen was always small at 3x2.2cm and with HD recording you have bands top and bottom and the playback/capture image is 3x1.
This is the second notebook I have seen recently that has a Blu-ray drive. The drive itself is not that special but its the power needed in the notebook to drive it so you can watch the latest movies with the special Dolby sound quality and therefore the speakers provided are.
The Acer Aspire 6935G measures 38x27x4cm and weights 3.2Kg. It measures 28cm from front to back with the lid open this may sound strange but the hinge opens behind the rear of the unit. The left hinge is where the power plug goes in – novel – in front of this is the modem port (anyone still use dial up?) VGA port, Ethernet port, E-SATA and HDMI along with three audio ports complete the left side. Under the front edge is a card port.
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