Publication History For : Paul Smart
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This is certainly not just another MP3 player. It is small enough to fit in even a childs palm, it has a good four line display as well as for good measure an FM radio and a voice recorder.
The Sansa Clip music player is 5.5x3.5x1.5cm and weighs only 27grams. Mine was black with the sliders on each side in a silver/grey colour. The rear of the unit has a good strong clip built in and once clipped to a pocket or belt it will stay there even for those active types who jog or run. Just above this almost invisible on the top edge is the pin hole microphone. The front has the small display 2.3x1.
This is a rather squashed looking grey unit, but it does have some surprises, it is an All In One unit, it can print direct onto CDs and DVDs and while on printing, in custom mode you get close to 30PPM.
The Canon MP610 is 44x40x18cm the last figure the height increases by around 20cm when paper is waiting to be printed in the vertical rear tray. Although it has the squashed look it is remarkably clean as all the controls are under a lid that also has the 5x4cm TFT display inset into the rear of the cover.
Here I am looking at two mice that do their normal jobs but also perform a second task.
The first helps those making presentations while the second is a boon for those with sweaty palms.
Kensington Slim Blade Presenter Mouse As the box says the mouse presents well and travels even better. It is very slim you could say it looks somewhat squashed but for it's second job this is an advantage. It is 9x6x1.5cm. It has no wires as it is wireless and the receiver stores inside when not in use. This action also saves the batteries as they are cut off when the receiver is in the mouse.
It looks like an almost conventional toaster but there is this Perspex area at one end. Yes while you cook your toast you can also poach your egg, it really does work, but please do not try this in your standard toaster.
It is 35x16x19cm. All the controls are on the front these consist of the normal vertical push arm to insert the toast and a horizontal slider to decide how dark you want your toast. To the right in a compass like arrangement are four push buttons. South is cancel, west is toast, north is toast and egg and east is egg. The power lead comes from under the unit it is a tab under one metre long and maybe it could be just that bit longer.
I usually find that Ministry Of Sound systems have the odd extra sometimes quite unexpected, this does not disappoint. Its a CD, FM/MW radio, iPOD, SD Card and USB stick system.
This unit is black as are the speakers who as is the style are open displaying the cones. The main unit is 22x31x10.5cm, the speakers are each 15x15x21.5cm. The connecting leads are the bare wire type and are around 1.15metres in length. The case of the main unit is metal and the cases for the speakers are wood and have 10watts total power each speaker.
Is this a musical instrument or a tool to be used by a DJ, in the right hands it is either or both. One thing is certain it is like nothing else I know.
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It is 20x20x2.5cm and weights (without optional batteries) 680 grams. The case is brushed aluminium and there are two small speakers inset into the top rim of the unit. Inside the rim there are 16 rows and 16 columns of .7cm round push buttons that can light up. Round the rim apart from the two speakers there are 13 buttons, a spin wheel and 5x1.5cm LCD display to the wheels right.
Items tend to dribble through from the Toy Fair, it is held in January for the trade and items shown are often really aimed at the Christmas sales market which starts in the autumn. This was the only product that came home with me from the Toy Fair. It soon had favour amongst the young and even the not so young. The main difference between this and numerous other mini helicopters is that is easier to fly.
It is described as for '8 & up' but at least one six year old can fly it successfully. As with all these type of products the heaviest thing by far is the controller unit. From the tip of the rotor blade to the back of the unit is 29cm and it is 18cm across the blade, it stands 12cm tall. Mine was black with a clear Perspex cover for the cockpit. No polystyrene is sight unlike most of the lightweight offerings around.
This is the second offering I have seen in the Samsung NV range, the first the NV11 was wonderful but had one problem. Will this equally excellent picture and video taker have the same problem?
It is 9.5x6x2.5cm the last figure the width can increase by 2cm the Schneider 3x optical zoom is fully deployed. This is a touch screen camera and unlike the last NV this still came to me with the protective skin still in place over the TFT, this does not effect composition of the image and not a lot on the viewing so I left it in situ as otherwise the unit will suffer greatly from fingerprints on the TFT as all adjustments are made on it.
The first is a lightweight shoulder bag that has lots of pockets, ideal for losing things in. The second is a rotating USB hub called a Flex Hub enabling you to place a hub where a hub would not normally fit.
Belkin Sling Bag Not being up in the latest wording I would call this a backpack or a rucksack but it only has a single strap and sits on your left shoulder. The wording on the bags label says 'slim and lightweight carry your laptop and gear in comfort'. Well it seems quite light - when empty - and it is stated to accept a 15.4inch notebook - it does - and it has a range of other pockets to accommodate all those extras.
This is purely a photo printer and one thats maximum paper size is 15x10cm. However it is extremely easy to use it does one job, it does it well and it does it quickly.
While this can of course be connected to a PC it is not essential. It can just work anywhere there is a 13amp power plug. It is 21x16x14cm when closed. In use the first figure the width does not change. The last figure the height increases by 13cm when the lid is opened to form a backplane for the stored paper waiting to be printed, and this together with the front dropping down to reveal the card slots and tray for the images adds 11+12cm.
Four rather different accessories
Published in Misc
on
6 Apr 2008
Here I am looking at four rather unusual accessories, the first called a BoomBox Bag and the others a range of USB flash drives with unusual designs, same use they just look more interesting.
Not a BoomBox but a BoomBag A simple device that is not that expensive. Simply connect your iPod or MP3 player to the 3.5mm plug inside the bag and hey presto the sound issues from the speakers. It is a fabric bag looking rather like a sponge bag with handles. The inside is plastic lined. It is 32x10x15cm, the pair of fabric handles add 20cm to the last figure the height.
If you add Podcasts and FM radio then the title above just about covers the abilities of this, the first of that I know a new breed of dual radio that can cover such a wide band of features, this is the Revo Blik.
It is a maximum of 25x12x6cm, mine was white, but they also do black. The rear has a six section 55cm rod aerial, jack sockets for output to stereo speakers. A 3.5mm earbud socket and input for the power socket, the only other socket is on the right side 'Mport' that allows inputs from other sources such as an MP3 player. The centre of the front has a 6.5x2cm three line display, white on black. When in standby this will show time and date.
A tablet PC that weights 800grams and has a true 8 hours of battery life, it has a keyboard of sorts as well as the touchscreen one. Anyone who needs a lightweight PC its here.
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First the all important dimensions it is 22.5x12x3cm. The screen is 15.5x9cm and this displays at 1024x600 and should you not be a fan of the stylus then there are mouse controls either side of the screen. It has a full copy of Windows XP (Tablet PC Edition) service pack 2 installed. I found around 30cm away was the ideal viewing distance away. It works just as well with a finger as the stylus.
Using Pure Highway turns your car stereo into a DAB radio, until now there have been very few DAB car radios and this unit from Pure makes it available without spending a fortune.
In the box is a lead to go to your cigar lighter to provide the power. A rather flimsy aerial to attach to the inside of the windscreen, a bracket (much like those for Sat Nav systems) to fit the unit into, an optional line out lead and of course the DAB radio module. It is 12x7x2.5cm. When you first apply power it tunes so you need to have connected the aerial first.
Here I am looking at two rather different offerings. The first from Jabra to give you stereo from your phone. The second from Mobile Fun with a rather novel way of working.
Jabra BT3030 As the box states 'Music and Talk meets the streets'. This is far more than a basic answer/call unit it can of course do that but it also allows you to increase/decrease volume, move back/forward tracks as well as star and stop. Of course there is also a phone button. The whole thing is a 5.5x3.5x1cm 'dog tag' style unit that comes on a chain to fit round your neck.
If you wish to amplify the sound coming from your iPod or MP3 player then this could be for you. However it is also Bluetooth so you can do the same from your mobile phone or PDA.
This unit is neither small or light. It is matt black and the sound that comes from it is great. When this unit arrived I plugged the 3.5mm jack into my stereo and the stereo plugs into the back of the unit. The setting was that I normally use to my pair of rather good speakers. I switched on the Parrot Boombox and then started a CD, immediately I went to turn the volume down as it was far higher that I found comfortable.
Do you wake up with a start when your alarm goes off? If you were in a deep sleep this can often make you grumpy and even tired all day. This could well be the solution.
Philips are now a leader in things for health benefits. I have been using this for three weeks now and I certainly feel better for it. It is 29cm tall, 18cm wide and 12cm deep. The majority of the unit - all bar the bottom 8cm - is a white cover for the light - a screw in 100watt bulb - but this is not just any light. The ability to dim lights has been around for years normally operated by a switch.
This is a mono laser (all in one) AIO product that is neat, compact and virtually silent. In fact when I first saw it I could not believe it was a AIO because it was so small.
It is 39x32x15cm and that includes the slight protrusion at the back for the power lead. You will need a few centimetres of space above to lift the lid to place items on the flatbed. You need to allow space in front for pages to come out and also access to the small paper tray at the base. When you first switch on there is no great whirring and churning noises, in fact the only way you know it's on is a blue light.
Please do not be put off by the title, the Dummies Series is very informative, well written and easy to understand. Best of all for anyone new to a subject there is a good glossary to explain any strange words. Here Windows Vista and Web Sites, after reading these you will certainly be less of a dummy.
Windows Vista For Dummies This is 438 pages of information to help you get the best out of Microsoft Vista. However there is an extra as well as the book you also get a DVD that covers everything in the book and has some bonus features. The bonus features are ten aggravations about Windows Vista and more importantly how to fix them. Special tips for laptop owners and 'Printing your work'.
For reasons best known to Acer they launched these new notebooks on Maundy Thursday in the UK when I am told the same presentation was done seven days ago in New York.
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A total of eight new notebooks aimed at the home market and for the first timer from Acer there are fingerprint readers on consumer products. Two entirely new screen sizes 16inch and 18.4inch, these are so the 16:10 ratio on earlier offerings can be changed to suit the current DVD's and TV that want 16:9. All have variety of NVIDIA graphics cards with 512MB of RAM plus extra shared RAM.
This is a very thin and very capable digital camera. I am however not sure why the name makes it sound like a secret project, maybe if the name was something more friendly.
At 132grams it is light and at 9x6x1.5cm easily small enough to fit in a pocket or purse. When it's 3x optical zoom lens is fully extended it adds another 2cm to the width. This is a 7.2mega pixel offering and according to some camera manufacturers this would almost be sub entry level, however I can assure you size is not everything.
This is a sleek low slung AIO (All In One) unit that without the black front may have just passed the lounge police. However it still is a rather nice unit that does everything rather well.
It is 43x34x15cm the last figure the height increases by 17cm when A4 paper is in the tray at the rear of the unit. The scanner lid opens landscape front to back and to the right of the lid are the only controls a total of eight buttons and some LED's including a simple 1 to 9 counter for copies. You can of course copy either in colour or black without the PC being turned on or even connected to the unit.
When conventional medicines fail to help you may often look to other things like herbs to solve the problems. Here I explore a few of the alternatives.
Pelargonium I could just about spell this plant, but not being a gardener I would be unlikely to recognise it. However I heard about it while I had a stinking cold. The box states that you should take one tablet three times a day for ten days (30 in the box) but not if you are pregnant or breast feeding. By day six my cold was almost over but I completed the course.
There are two 605 models, the 30GB version I saw and a 20GB version that comes with several Harry Potter films pre installed.
It is 12x8x1.5cm and weights 230 grams, the screen is 9.5x5.7cm. The top of the unit has an on/off button and another to switch the output from the screen to a TV. The left side has three pin hole LED's to confirm activity and an earbud socket. Two proprietary connectors are on the base. This leaves the right side of the front where there is a column of six cream buttons.
This is the latest in the excellent Ixus digital camera range, in August 2006 the Ixus 700 won the rarely awarded 5x5 award. Does this latest offering live up to this rarely awarded accolade.
Like all of the Ixus range it is small at 9x6x2cm the last figure the width doubles when the 3.8 to 1 optical zoom lens is fully extended. This is very solidly constructed unit so it weights 120grams. The base has the optional tripod screw, and cover that hides the li-ion battery and also where you would insert any SD/MMC card. The right side has a very solid anchor point for a wrist strap. On the face is the 4.6 to 17.
This is a multi function unit (MFU) as it has a fax and it also has a wireless phone unit attached to the side. I remember reviewing many units with phones attached but never a wireless one.
It is 36x39x18cm with the phone and it's socket adding 8cm to the 39cm width. The power lead fits at the rear of the left side well behind the phone so needs to further space, note I said power lead as there is no external power brick. The USB cable fits inside the unit and exits at the rear on the right side.
A true wireless keyboard, small in size and your only loss is the numeric keypad, it also has the possibility of being a mouse substitute as it has a rollball and mouse keys, ideal for use with a media centre type PC.
The FK-760 - sold by Gizoo details at the end - is available according to the box in Black or Silver or Red I was sent the more normal Black. However for lounge use the other colours might get a look in. This is the same model I looked at first close to 18 months ago. Once I reviewed it several people said that the one they were selling was different well it's now back in stock and indeed at less money.
Here I am looking at two mice different in shape and connections. The first from Logitech the VX Nano that has a tiny wireless connector. The second from Kensington that takes shape to the extreme the SlimBlade Trackball mouse.
Logitech VX Nano This is a small (described as for a notebook) mouse, however the real surprise is the transmitter that fits in an USB port it's so small that it fits in the base of the mouse so you just plug it in when you wish to work. So the dimensions the mouse is a maximum of 9x6x3cm with the front edge reducing the 3cm thickness to only a single centimetre.
While this may look like just another All In One it does have the odd surprise of two. Certainly the silver grey top and black for everything else is unlikely to pass the lounge police unless he/she is of the Goff persuasion.
The Epson RX585 all-in-one printer is 43x43x19cm but once you put paper in the tray (vertical at the back) this adds 14cm to the last figure the height. Installation is reasonable although it does have several (linked) parts and once started just make a cup of coffee and look in on it a few times.
All the bits on this unit are designed for the smaller home, from the one litre dust container to the overall height, this unit still an upright is designed smaller.
Size everything the lack of it in this Dyson cleaner. It is 108cm to the top of the handle when extended. 28cm wide and 32cm from front to back at the base this is less than 20cm at the dust receptor and only 3cm at the skinny handle. Like all Dyson cleaners it goes through a cycle for every part, they have specific machines that test each part giving it years of wear in a very short time by almost constant action.
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