Publication History For : Paul Smart
Click to see this members public profile
Older articles
If like me you have negatives from films that the original photographs have long disappeared this device gives you a way to get new photographs. It is made from good quality board and you need to follow the clear – but simple – instructions to erect the scanner, next you download the PictoScanner App and then feed in your negatives focus and then you have a Colour or even Black & White image on your phone, now you can print them out.
The PictoScanner comes in a box measuring 15x10x3cm and the scanner unit folds out from the base so when not required it can be collapsed again to save it from possible damage. You will need 2x ‘AA’ batteries that fit into the unit as shown in the instructions and there is a simple on/off button on the base of the unit to turn the light source on/off. It can take either single film negatives or a strip which can be fed through most of mine seen to be three or four in a strip.
This is both a landscape and a portrait panel that has plenty of back tilt and some forward tilt as well as side to side movement available. It is close to 24 inches in corner to corner display size and has built in speakers as well as a USB3 hub; so far however it has stubbornly refused to make my morning coffee, oh well I suppose you can’t have everything.
It is 54x32.5x2cm however this is only the screen and surround, the viewable screen has .5cm borders top and sides with a 2cm border at the bottom. The viewable screen is 53x30cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial screen measurement of 24 inches. An arm connects the 20x20cm base to the click in place fitment behind the screen; the arm raises the screen between 4cm and 20cm from your desk when in portrait mode.
I see quite a lot of ladies wearing large watches so this could be considered a unisex offering. However my wrist is not particularly small and I needed to take a link out of the strap to be able to place this near my wrist bone without the removal of it the watch had to be nearer my elbow so a lady may need to take more links out of the strap.
The case is 43mm and has a silver coloured band just outside the viewable dial and then outside this cut metal designed to look like precious stones so quite blingy. The dial is close to 1cm thick. The band on my unit was silver in colour, but there are two other option available. The watch charges by USB and a circular dock fits onto the rear of the watch and it then wakes telling you to download Wear OS from the iOS or Android store.
If your Wi-Fi is slow – or non-existent in certain areas – then your answer may lay in Powerline adapters so the loft, basement or garage may come into range and best of all not at a snail’s pace but at a speed suitable for those into gaming. Devolo have two solutions that can help, a starter kit (two units) or as reviewed here a whole home Wi-Fi kit.
They are each 15x7.5x4.5cm in size. The plug part is near the base so even those of us with skirting board sockets can use them. They should be plugged into a power socket and not into a surge strip or even a gang socket, you do not lose any sockets as what was plugged directly into that socket can now be plugged into the face of the unit.
Having recently told you about the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite now I get the change to test the 10T Pro. This is a larger offering and my ruler tells me it is 6.5 inches from screen corner to corner. As you might expect for such a large screen it is also somewhat heavier.
The Xiaomi 10T Pro measures 16.5x7.7x.7cm and where the camera block protrudes on the back as much as 3mm the viewable screen is 15.6x7.4cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 6½ inches, the claim is 6.67 inches but as the corners are rounded that is not possible on the screen. The screen is 1080x2400 pixels. It has a 5000mAh battery so all but the very heaviest users should be able to get two days of use between charges.
While some may be content to listen to music on their phone or in their car there are those who want more from their streaming service like better quality output to be enjoyed through quality headphones or speakers and there Deezer have solutions for you with their Hi-Fi service that also offers some recordings in 360 degree surround sound.
I have looked at Deezer several times over recent years, the reason I keep looking is that they continue to enhance their offerings. They have long had a feature that allows you to find the title of a playing tune from the playing notes – providing the innovation is not too far from the original - now they have a new feature that allows you to find the title when all you have is some of the lyrics.
A pair of good quality speakers sold as ‘True Wireless Speakers’ which they are but they can also be used with RCA sockets, Optical, 3.5mm socket and even USB stick. Or course you still need power but by default when you power on they will default to receiving their signals via Bluetooth. Here they can also be used separately should you wish to.
The speakers are each 23x15x24cm the last figure the depth allows for connection of the power cable. Each speaker weighs 3.3 kilos. While there are controls on top of each speaker, they can also be controlled from your phone or other unit and there is also a remote control supplied. The User Guide suggests ramping the volume to maximum on the speaker and assuming your SmartPhone as the input then turning the volume down from that.
This Desktop offering is very different to the small and compact offering that I had previously reviewed on 10th February this year. While that could sit quietly and just do its job this is big and not only has a large illuminated ‘V’ on its front the left side has lots of holes that show the inside and also omit a good amount of light to its surroundings.
It is 36x17x33cm with the best part of another 5cm needed behind for cable insertion. The front of the unit has a strip down the right side beyond the proud ‘V’ that has on/off button near the top and then below this an always on USB and an always on USB ‘C’ and further down two 3.5mm audio sockets. The rear has a line of four USB3 sockets and below this two USB sockets with an Ethernet socket and below this a line of three 3.
This is the first of a recent series of inkjet ‘three in one’ units from Canon to arrive with me. Rather different from any other inkjet offerings that Canon have previously produced it has ink tanks rather than ink cartridges so the cost per page of the ink should be a lot less, as there is a saying around that printer ink is more expensive than Champagne.
Canon are not the first to change from cartridges to tanks, in the past I have had problems transferring ink from the bottles to the tanks. So it was with more than a little trepidation that I followed the instructions, I need not have worried not a drop was spilt so my precautions of putting newspapers under the G2560 was not required. Canon have put a lot of thought into the design of both the ink bottles and the ink tanks.
Unlike other ‘rugged’ notebooks I have reviewed this one is a Tablet as it has no cover, and no keyboard other than an onscreen offering. It is not light as it weighs 2619 grams and the screen is 14 inches, totally touch operated either with finger, glove or the provided stylus. It has eight touch controls below the landscape screen.
The dimensions are 35.5x33x3.5cm with the carry handle extended. The viewable screen is 31x17.5 which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 14inches this display is Lumibond 2.
Having recently looked at one of the previous models in the range 23-9-20, I now get my chance to test the latest version from Apple. Out of the box it seems to me to be rather chunky compared to other phones, this of course may help it to survive the odd drop, while the corners are shaved off the sides are a perfect sandwich shape. This is not the Max or the Mini it’s the iPhone 12.
The Apple iPhone 12 measures 14.7x7.2x.8cm apart from its two cameras that protrude on the back slightly from the raised square that contain them and the LED flash. It weighs 162 grams. The box is small because normal things like a charger and ear buds are not included, I read somewhere that Apple consider most people don’t need them. You do get a Lightning to USB ‘C’ cable and of course the Pin to insert your SIM.
While this is a Smart Watch it can also be a standard watch but it has a battery that may only need recharging around once in two weeks. However link it to your mobile phone and you can get all sorts of notifications, play music and even view your favourite Apps and still have a standard watch face should you wish, or let it tell you far more.
The Skagen Hybrid HR smartwatch has a 42mm face mine was black with similar strap. It has three buttons on the right side which can do a range of things. Like a lot of recent watches it is controlled when you link it to your phone with an App available from the Apple or Google Play store.
I am not a huge fan of buying shoes online, but with no sign of the lockdown ending I bit the bullet and checked a few sites. I ended up with Debenhams – yes I know they will not reopen but any purchase with a Credit/Debit card should be safe – simply because of the price.
As the only way anyone can get around safely is by walking my shoes have taken a fair amount of punishment and with the cost of repairs such as ‘sole and heal’ being astronomical these days it becomes pointless to do so, it may not be good for the planet but when repairs are twice the price of a new pair it’s a no brainer. There is a good amount of information about the shoe and also several images available so if you are sure of your size it becomes easy.
Very few SmartPhones apart from the very expensive offerings have a matt back and I have yet to see one without shiny sides and screen surround and these of course show finger marks. While the screen more or less has to be shiny and as all but very basic SmartPhones are touch unless you wear special gloves every touch of your finger shows a mark.
Most people when the marks interfere with what they are doing rub the face of their SmartPhone on their trousers or jeans not that vital until a year ago when Covid reared its head but now it’s more important or the next time your finger moves from your screen to your face… At this time of year when out and about gloves are something I wear all the time and the ones designed to enable phone usage do help not only does this save your fingers freezing when you touch your phone but I t
This is now becoming a rare beast a Desktop PC rather that a Notebook. Sadly it has one thing missing – from my point of view – an optical drive. However during my testing period it has performed well in all departments that will satisfy most people.
Acer XC-885 measures 32x29x9.5cm, the front of the unit has an on/off button at the top below this in a vertical line down the right side of the front are an SD card slot, always on USB ‘C’ port, an always on USB port and 3.5mm sockets for headphones and a microphone. The back has a kettle style mains input with a fan output beside it, below this are two HDMI inputs and D-Sub.
This is a 27inch flat panel 1920x1080 that shows everything just that little bit larger, it also has something that most other flat panels do not have a decent set of speakers so external speakers should not be required, so what else does this recent offering from Philips have to tempt you.
It is 61x36x1cm apart from the base of the screen surround that is 3.5cm and immediately you know why the sound is so good as the speakers are down facing in the base. The surround on the sides and top are .5cm with the base surround being 2.4cm and so the notional diagonal imperial measurement is as stated above, the full 27inches.
Not actually a new company but one that that I have not reviewed before, the company is called Xiaomi, and like a lot of recent SmartPhones comes to me via Vodafone. As far as I can tell this company has not incurred the wrath of the USA as it comes with Google and G-Mail.
The Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite measures 15.3x7.5x.7cm apart from the circle of its back that has its four cameras that protrudes a little more and it weighs 219grams. The notional diagonal imperial measurement is 6.6 inches. 2mm down from the top of the screen in the centre is the front camera so it does protrude into the viewable area. However the items to the left and right are the housekeeping ones so it does not really detract. Boot up time is 14 seconds and shutdown is 2.5 seconds.
This small heavily padded Tablet is something that should withstand rough treatment. There are three in the range with stories from recent Disney hits. There are other claims on the box that I could not always test as some external programs seem to require a controller that – after checking with the PR agency – I am told is not supplied.
The Pebble Gear kids tablet computer measures 19x11x1cm without the slightly flexible cover and weighs 285 grams; the cover fits snugly and adds 90 grams to the overall weight. The screen is 15.4x8.6cm this gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 7 inches. The controls and connections are on the right side, first the on/off button, next a 3.5mm socket for headphones and then the micro USB socket and finally volume rocker with a micro SD card socket to its side.
Since last spring most of us have discovered Zoom or other video streaming services. Those using it often find that while a built in camera on a notebook gives perfectly acceptable video sometimes the supplied pin hole microphone is not up to the standard required especially if the call is not just a meeting of friends but something more important then perhaps this offering from Shure can help.
The Shure MV5C microphone is round at 6cm across and comes with a stand that can raise it by up to 8cm from your desk. This can be set to adjust the get the perfect angle. As with most microphones the last thing you normally want to hear is yourself but there are occasions you might want to do so and so it has a mode where when you plug a set of headphones or earbuds into it you can. The connection to your PC or Notebook is by USB and there is a small 12x9.
This is the latest 5G SmartPhone from Google, in comparison to some recent offerings it is quite small and because of the lack of size it is also quite light. So apart from being one of the first units to have Android 11 what else does this have to offer.
It is 14x6.5x.7cm and weighs only 150 grams. The viewable screen is 13.6x6.3cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 6 inches. The screen display is 1440x3040. Going around the outside has the on/off button and below that the volume rocker button, on the base are the speakers split by the USB ‘C’ port, the left side has the SIM entry point, the top has a pin hole microphone. The lovely matt black back has a finger print reader 3.
If you have weak Wi-Fi or even parts that have no Wi-Fi then Devolo have solutions that can help. Here I am looking at an add on a new version of their Wi-Fi repeater. So even if you have a good signal at your Modem then this could help for the places that have less good signals.
The unit is 15x7.5x5cm and plugs into any 13amp socket. What was in that socket can then be plugged into the Devolo Repeater. You should not plug it into a surge strip and gang sockets are not recommended but may or may not work. The repeater has two Ethernet sockets on its top, Devolo were one of the first to react when people in the UK complained that skirting board sockets could not accommodate Ethernet ports on the base of the unit. Also in the box is a 14.5x10.
While audio in all its forms is of great interest to me, I am not a fan of my singing or should I clarify that no one else will be a fan of my singing. So it was with more than a little trepidation that this item got opened to be given the Smart onceover.
The box has a quite conventional looking Microphone, it is 17.5cm long with the head being 5cm across this has a connector on the base and an on/off slider switch on the side. Next is a mixing box 17x12cm and this is 4cm deep at the back and 2.5cm deep at the front with four twist knobs on the top, Mic one, Mic Two, Music and Echo. The front of the box has inputs for the two Mics and at the right front edge an on/off push button with an LED beside.
These in ear Buds are small enough not to exert undue pressure on the ear so they can sit comfortably where others tend to droop down and with the ear being one of the more sensitive parts of the body comfort in that area is important.
Everything about this product is small from the box that is only 11x10.5x5cm to the charger that 8x4x3cm and the buds themselves that are around 1.5x1.5x2cm. The case with buds weights 57grams and the buds themselves weigh only 6grams each. These are Bluetooth only buds and like most units there are two other sizes of gels in the box. The only other contents are a short 30cm USB ‘C’ to USB lead to charge the charger unit and the multi-language guide.
A watch used to be for telling you the time, now lots do far more. This top of the range one from Polar does so much that there are no less than ten screens on the watch and when you sync the data you realise that what you saw on the watch was only a small proportion of the data it is keeping.
Let’s start with the watch as a timepiece it has one centimetre tall numerals in the centre of its always on display. In low light you may need to tap the display to get the backlight to show the result, you can also turn your wrist to activate the backlight. The first thing I liked was the fact you do not have to sync it with a phone you can do so and this will enable it to display the latest weather details.
As regular readers will know I was very impressed with my initial weeks using the SleepHub and my last posting 25-11-20 told you so in no uncertain manner. While my sleep has certainly improved overall I have had some recent problems using it. However this could well be due a bout of toothache as well as some stomach problems and nausea.
There are four usage modes Deep Sleep, Easy Sleep, Fall Asleep and Power Nap. You select which you want on the 7inch Touch Display which spends all but two minutes when you activate it and when the alarm sounds totally blank. It sends a range of pulses and tones to the two supplied speakers. When you set the sound level of the Sleepsound you should also set a Soundscape but a tiny bit lower.
This is a small stereo unit that can run on mains or batteries. It is not only a DAB and FM radio but also an Internet radio and Bluetooth set of speakers. So what has Pure the biggest name in DAB radios got to offer for those who want the option of using their unit both in home/office and outside?
The Pure Elan Connect+ measures 23x10.5x5.5cm and weights 768 grams with batteries inserted. I found that you get between 7 and 8 hours on a set of four ‘AA’ batteries between charges. It is supplied with a USB to micro USB lead of one metre that then is the distance it can be from a computer or USB plug front. There is an eight piece 50cm long rod aerial that extends from the top.
Straight from the box this screen shows 3440x1440 which has the ability to show three screens of information at near to full HD IE 1920x1080 side by side with no real overlap and after a small amount of pruning this means no switching of screens just move your mouse to the bit you want and work away.
The AOC CU34G2 measures 80.5x36.5cm, the screen is 2cm deep at its edges, and it has close to 6cm of concave curve at the middle. While this initially seems a lot sit at least one metre from the screen and you are able to view everything on up to three screens and work on any of them with ease. I also was able to view full screen displays including the odd video or three from a little further back.
First a Book Light that is small and has choice of two settings it clips onto whatever you are reading and is small and flexible enough to fit into a pocket with ease. Second a game that unless you have been in a monastery or on top of very remote hillside for several years will be something you must have heard of, Richard Osman’s House of Games. Lastly a male Cologne in a tin and rather than it being liquid it is a gel so it will fit in a pocket for a quick freshen up while out and about.
It is 23cm long and a maximum of 3cm wide at the crocodile clip end it weighs only 33 grams. The last 4.5cm is the crocodile clip that pulls off to reveal a standard USB connection which is how you charge the light. The clip can easily expand to 2cm or more but it is also happy at just a few sheets of paper so is versatile. You can even remove the crocodile clip to help you investigate round dark corners in a cupboard and the flexible lead can even wrap round a pipe to give you a third hand.
Certainly not a cheap notebook, however it is a very powerful offering that is capable of doing everything you ask and it does it all within a small footprint so easy to use at home, in the office, or on your travels. So the name is right this is a Travel Mate.
It is 32.5x23x1.5cm the last figure is maximum as it is only 1cm at the front, it weighs 1218 grams. The viewable screen is 31x17.4cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 13.8 inches. The screen surround is matt black so less finger marks. There is a .7cm border either side, the top border is 1.3cm and the bottom border is close to 3cm. In the top border has a web cam complete with shutter for privacy and a pin hole microphone.
It is rare for me to form an instant like or dislike and even rarer for this not to change during the course of the review period. This arrived as I was trying to stream something via a notebook that has adequate speakers when it is on your lap or desk, if you walk to the door you lose the context so as soon as I unpacked the Creative Pebble I plugged it in, instant plug and play and I could clearly hear even outside the room.
The Pebbles are 12cm across, 12cm tall and 12cm from back to front, however they are not round and in places are far less than that. A triangle might describe them better as the speakers are angled at 45 degrees. The left unit is hardwired to the right unit. The right unit has a wire emerging from the back to link to the left unit and another also hard wired that goes to the USB ‘C’ port.
Main Menu
