Publication History For : Paul Smart
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This is the first of two similar products aimed at memory, this one is aimed at children 'yesterday' or 'last week'. The second in a few weeks time aimed at older people whose memory often fades and then they cannot recall times of fifty or more years ago.
The contents of the box are the Instant Printer, USB to USB 'C' Cable, four paper coils three are regular and one is Sticky. Three vertical markers, red, purple and blue. Finally a Sticky Sheet of over seventy different images. The printer is 8x8x4cm and weighs 144 grams without paper inserted.
This is one of the latest offerings from ACER and it has a larger screen but is still quite light. So anyone who needs to use it on the move the 3200x2000 default screen resolution can show that much more.
The measures 35x24x1cm and weighs only 1233grams. Going around the outside has two USB 'C', HDMI and USB3. The front is clear. On the right side is a micro SD card port, 3.5 headphone socket, USB3, two LED's and a Kensington lock socket. Open the lid and the screen has .5cm border on the left and right side, the 1cm on the top has web cam in the centre. There is a 1cm border on the bass. The screen itself is 34x21.5cm, the diagonal notional imperial measurement is 16inches.
This is one of the latest offerings from HONOR and it is currently available from Vodafone with SIM for an excellent 24 month offer.
The Honor 200 Lite measures 16x7.5x.6cm, the exception is the area on the back near the top a 5x4cm rectangle containing the three cameras and the LED flash that is 1cm thick. The total weight is 168grams. Going around the outside has volume up and down rocker and the on/off button and fingerprint scanner on the right. The base has speaker and USB 'C'. The left side has SIM entry point near the top. The top is clear.
This is the latest offering from Poly, the headset can be be connected via Bluetooth or corded. While it is a headset the microphone slides out of the way to allow use as a set of headphones, the quality of sound is excellent with plenty of bass.
The headset is quite light at 171 grams, it is 16cm from the centre of the base of the cups to the padded headband and there is an extra 3cm each side if required and up to 14cm width to get the headband cups parallel. The microphone can move down either side and you can choose which side of the back of the cups answer or end calls and which side increases or decreases the volume. In corded mode you just plug in the USB to USB 'C' cable and you can then listen to music etc.
This is the latest offering from HP that is both a Notebook and a Tablet as such there is of course touch screen either by finger or for those who need great accuracy a pen type device is supplied.
The HP Envy x360 measures 30.5x21.5x1.5cm the last figure at the rear while the front is only 1cm thick. The left side has USB, HDMI and two USB 'C'. The front is clear as is the back as the screen goes through 360 degrees to become a Tablet. The right side has 3.5mm socket and a USB. The base has ventilation and the speakers which still have good volume when used as a conventional Notebook.
This is the latest offering from Emporia, this company are best known for Smart Phones suitable for older people as they do not assume you know how to use it and as an added bonus they have an emergency button on the back that circles though up to five friends/neighbours and relatives until an answer is received.
The measures 16-5x7.5x1cm and weighs 210 grams. The corner to corner measurement is 6.58inches. It has a 2.3GHz Octa-Core processor and has 128GB of memory and 6GB RAM. It runs Android 13 and has a 4,900mAh battery. The front facing selfie camera is 8MP while the three vertical in line cameras on the rear boasts a 50MP main camera. The power button is also a fingerprint reader for ease of access.
Do you own some photos that you would like to improve without spending a lot of money to either have it done professionally or via some rather expensive software that probably assumes you know more than you actually do? If this is the case then this software could be the answer.
In around 18 months Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 so now is the time to start looking for a suitable Windows 11 machine. This offering from Acer in the Aspire series supports 'the earth' by using more suitable components, they name this feature VERO.
It is 35x25x2cm the last figure at the back while the front is only a little over 1cm thick and it weighs 1845 grams. Going around the outside has two USB 'C' an HDMI and USB socket, the front is clear, the right side has two LED's, 3.5mm audio socket, USB and Kensington socket. The rear is clear. The base has four 2x.5cm green bars to keep the base clear of whatever you rest it on and to improve ventilation, there are also two speaker outputs near the front.
Laundry is something everyone does and like most people I tend to buy one of the advertised brands here is something different that could be the answer, it starts by costing less than most, and assuming it gets things clean and without irritation then for me its well on the way to being on my shopping list.
The first thing you will notice is that the egg once filled with the tiny balls is stated to work for 25 washes, very different from throwing in a single multi coloured package that you never see again as I assume it melts away during the wash.
For those who do not want a full size screen but still want to use everything that a modern Smart Phone has and the help that older people and those whom this is their first Smart Phone need this offering from Emporia may fit the bill.
The measures 13.5x6.5x.7cm and weighs 159 grams. This smaller size may suit those with smaller hands as a larger Smart Phone may be difficult to balance easily. Boot up once setup is complete is only 21 seconds so this might encourage people to turn it off at night.
This book is not as you may think about people but about places. In fact it is about pubs in London that you might not have heard or seen, this book is full of pictures and it could encourage you to visit while they are still there. It could even suit a Fathers Day gift.
Staring at the beginning there is a Foreword by Suggs. This is followed by the contents 'Hidden Pubs of London' which have been divided into six areas which are City Slickers & Surrounds, Up West, Eastenders, Northern Stars, South of the River and Don't Forget your Travelcard. In total 38 pubs that you may want to visit but by reading about them and looking at the brilliant photos that accompany each pub you will want to visit.
While the vast majority of younger people are perfectly happy with 'bare' Android phones those 'more mature' and those of 'retired' age who may only have used a basic Nokia type phone to make a receive calls. These people still need assistance when doing more online.
This offering from Emporia looks like any standard recent phone, it has great photo and video taking capacity and from a distance no one would know the user is getting more support to do things like getting online and working with the likes of 'What's App' and indeed many other Apps. The measures 16x7.5 x less than 1cm and weights 210grams. The right side on/off button, the base has USB 'C' connector for charging and more. The left side volume up/down rocker and SIM entry point.
This Keyboard and Mouse set from Trust is sold as 'silent'. Like almost all keyboard/mouse sets these days they are 'wireless' so you have a far greater area available available to use them.
The keyboard is 44x13x1cm you can raise the back from 2cm to 3.5cm with the provided lift out step. The keyboard has 107 keys with the top line the function keys having a further 13 actions via a two button action. It is powered by two 'AAA' batteries already inserted and waiting to be activated by pulling out a short paper lead. There is an on/off switch just above the numeric keypad and to the left of the three LED's.
Freshly ground coffee then gives your coffee machine machine the best chance to give you that excellent feeling normally only achievable from a first rate coffee shop. While it is advantageous to have freshly cooked beans, it is more important to have freshly ground beans, hence the coffee shop grinds while you wait.
This is a small machine at 19x9x8cm and it weighs 894 grams. There is a 44 page operating instruction guide which is in 12 languages. The mains lead is to my mind a little short at 50cm long and the only other item in the box is a 12cm long brush to clean out the inside of the machine.
This Trust Headset is designed for those who work 'connected' as unlike most recent offerings it is not Wi-Fi but USB. The whole unit is quite small with as little as 15cm from the base of the earbud to the centre of the padded headband.
As stated the measures only 15cm from the base of the earbuds to the padded headband this can be increased by 2.5cm with the side expansion but some with larger heads might find them a little small. They are an on ear headset as the distance across the oval buds is 5cm side to side and 6cm top to bottom not enough to totally cover an adult ear. I do not have a particularly large head but needed the full 2.5cm expansion for them to sit over the top of my ears.
If you are looking for an item suitable for Fathers Day (16-6-24) then this game could will fit the bill. Another feature in favour is that unlike a lot of other games the playing time is only 15 to 30 minutes.
Its solid box contains two packs of cards which come in a solid box 12x10x3.5cm that should keep the cards safe between games. There is a 12 page rule book the same size as the box so it can sit safely on top of the packs of cards. Each pack of cards are two different types so in fact there are really four packs, two packs of 48, one of 14 and the other just 10.
This is possibly the easiest set of Ear Buds I have reviewed to link to a phone or other such device. However there is another side as Skullcandy do seem to be taking the environment seriously as there was not a single piece of plastic anywhere in the box there was only paper and card both of which are recyclable.
The whole box is only 10x6x2.5cm but everything you need including the recharge unit are included, even two extra sets of buds. The charge unit is only 5x3x2cm with a short 3cm long USB 'C' lead that wraps around the side to live in the base of the unit. The buds are stored in there when not in use and you remove them to link to your device. The total weight of the charge unit with the buds is only 21grams.
This web cam can be used both inside and outside. It is especially good at night when there is little light around. A near 3metre long USB 'C' to USB lead fits into the back of the unit and there is also a 13amp USB plug supplied so you need to be less than that distance from a 13amp plug.
The camera is round at 5.5cm and is 5cm from the back of the USB 'C' lead to the front. It has a stand attached to the base that can be used as such or extended vertically by 9.5cm and screws are provided should you wish to permanently fix it to a wall. The camera rotates manually should you need to aim the camera at a different direction. Alternately it can be used with a supplied magnetic base plate to any magnetic surface or stuck to a clean wall.
A rather different flat panel from AOC as it does not come with a standard stand instead part of the back folds out from the base. This can be used just with the USB 'C' to USB 'C' lead and as such it might go on journeys with you to show output from things other than a notebook and because of that comes with a fabric case to carry it in.
The monitor measures 36x23x1cm and weighs 1092 grams. It comes with four screws and a small panel should you wish to fix it to a wall. Also provided apart from the already mentioned USB 'C' to USB 'C' lead are a USB to USB 'C' lead, HDMI to mini HDMI lead and a power adapter with a two pin lead so you would need an adapter to plug into a 13amp plug.
This Notebook made by ACER is one of the Nitro 5 range. Its not quite the most powerful but still should help you to stay alive for longer if you are into games. It is also a very useful business notebook as it has numeric keyboard included to the right of the main keyboard.
Going around the outside of the there is a Kensington Lock port, Ethernet, USB3 and audio out on the left, the front is clear, on the right are three LED's and two USB3. The back has charging port, USB 'C' and HDMI. The base has four mid sized rubber feet to keep it off whatever you place it on and allow extra ventilation. The 104 keyboard is 3cm in from the back and this space has the rather good speakers. Left and right has a .65cm gap and the 10.5x7.
Quite unusually this is not an actual review. Nitro is a range of notebooks, the one I wanted to review was not currently available from ACER. To buy it is only available from VERY, so next week all being well I will tell you about the model I am reviewing that is a little less powerful and -because the VERY offer is so special- is more expensive. If my review continues to be as promising as it currently looks then this unit if I had reviewed it could well earn the very rarely awarded 5 by 5 award.
So what does this offer firstly the screen is bigger than most at 17.3 inches, second it has a 1TB SSD drive twice the size of the unit I am reviewing. It has a 12th Gen Intel processor where my unit is 11th Gen. Most other features are simular so while this unit costs £999 against £1049 for the unit I am reviewing you see why with the larger screen, slightly later Gen Intel processor and double the size of SSD this is a very powerful unit.
Only three inches bigger than a 24inch offering but the amount of extra space on your desktop is considerably more 2160x1440 as against 1920x1080, until you see the extra amount of Desktop you will not believe how much larger it is. The imperial diagonal screen measurement is 27inches.
The best way to describe it is an 'L' that has fallen on its side so you have a 16.5cm area at the right that is 32cm high and a10cm area that is 60cm long at the base so that's lots of extra information or as this is a gaming flat panel a chance to see your enemy a lot sooner. The measures 60.5x30.5x1.5cm. On the bottom right underneath are six buttons that control everything including volume level from its internal speakers. However the Auto settings for brightness etc.
It looks like any standard 15x7cm phone both in size and weight however it unfolds to become almost 15x14cm to give a much larger surface viewing area. So when folded the display is the front and the units three cameras are the back. When unfolded the right of the back are the cameras the left of the back is blank while what was the inside becomes the double sized front.
At the widest bit the is only just over .7cm wide, this increases to 1.2cm at the top left where the three cameras are in a vertical line, the total weight is 240 grams. This is the first foldable phone I have seen that does not seem to be thicker at the fold and therefore when your finger moves over it there is no disturbance. When viewing in the unfolded state you have a wider view and still have 20:9 aspect ratio. Folded or unfolded the refresh rate is still up to 120Hz.
This i7 processor Windows 11 touch PC from HP is available only from Curry's so I decided that I should check it out. If offers a lot in a quite small overall package and is '2 in 1' as its not only a notebook but also a tablet.
It is 31.5x21cm, its 1.5cm thick at the back and only 1cm thick at the front and it weighs 1512grams. Going around the outside has HDMI out, USB 'C' and audio out on the left, the front is clear, the right side has micro SD card connection, two USB and finally a 3.5mm charge point, you can of course also use a USB 'C' lead to charge as well. There is nothing on the back as the screen goes back 360 degrees as this can also be used as a Tablet. It has an 84 key keyboard, there is 1.
A lot of recent notebooks no longer have HDMI out in fact some Notebook/Tablets no longer have USB and just have USB 'C'. So this latest small and neat flat panel from Philips solves the problem while still allowing you to connect via HDMI but still has your back even if you only have USB 'C'.
This 24 inch monitor from Philips is very small and light and the only thing you do not have is the ability to raise or lower the panel, so the measurements below are what you get, you could if required place some books under the base to raise it should it be required. The panel measures 54x31x1.5cm, there is some back movement, the stand raises it by 10cm from your desk. While this is a 24inch flat panel (23.
As we get older one thing that normally happens is that your hearing will deteriorate. Possibly turning the TV volume up will help but that has other side effects like not always hearing your doorbell, here is one solution from RISWOND.
In the box a 6x3cm clock type battery bell push, the 11x5.5x2.5cm bell, a fold out 10x6.5cm 14 side instruction sheet and a small container with two double sided sticky tape fixings the same size as the bell push back together with two screws and two fixings for screws. The top part of the bell has a 13amp plug on its back so if you have skirting board plugs this could be a problem as there is 6.
A lot of money is spent each year of Easter Eggs and most of them will have vanished by Easter Monday. This year Easter is at the end of March so now is the time to consider what to buy.
This offering is something rather different the outside looks great being a mid brown colour and what is inside is definitely not for children as its a alcoholic mixture of the finest Cocoa mixed with vanilla and cream.
A lot of flat panels and even a few notebooks now come without a webcam, possibly as size matters more than communication so there is a place for an external webcam apart from its ability to have better resolution than most built in offerings.
This is a Microsoft Teams dual microphone Speaker Phone, I found it also did its job with other similar products like Zoom and other platforms.
The speaker phone has two microphones capable of detecting angles up to 1.5 metres away as well as a 50mm quality speaker. The unit is suitable for rooms around 3x3 metres. It is 18x8x4cm and has a wrap round USB 'A' lead of 72cm length. The controls on the top front are simple and easy to understand. Just four touch buttons volume -, microphones off, volume + and phone connect, if you have this version designed for Microsoft Teams there is a fifth button on the left of the others.
This is a over ear gaming headset from a brand that produces good quality items at a lot less money than similar products. It is also unusual in that it is not Wi-Fi or 3.5mm plug, it is USB not USB 'C' but that part could be resolved should you have a USB 'C' to USB adapter.
I do not have the largest head and no hair to speak of so the well padded headband comes in very useful, fully compressed there is 4cm of extra expansion on either side, I found it just right fully compressed, then there is 18cm from the base of the earpieces to the centre of the base of the headband. The external measurements of the earpieces are 10cm tall and 8cm wide. There is a good length of USB lead which totals 2.1metres surely plenty long enough.
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