Publication History For : Paul Smart

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HP PSC 1610

Published in Printers/Scanners on 21 June 2005
Multi Function Machines are getting smaller and neater, they now occupy a footprint smaller than an inkjet printer took not that long ago. Sometimes as here they are called All In Ones.

Corel Designer Technical Suite 12

Published in Software on 20 June 2005
Corel are a graphics company, here they bring out a product that comes from their purchase of Micrografx another graphics company.

Pinnacle ShowCenter 200

Published in Entertainment on 19 June 2005
Ever fancied being able to pull together all your media content from everywhere for viewing or listening on a TV? In theory the Pinnacle ShowCenter 200 can do this.

JVC DR-MX1S

Published in Entertainment on 15 June 2005
Having looked at Video and DVD, DVD and Hard Disc, it seems a logical progression to look at a unit that has all three and that is what the JVC DR-MX1S is, now if only the name was something catchy.

Two Further Naim CD’s

Published in Entertainment on 13 June 2005
Another year, another birthday, so another chance to treat myself. As regular readers will know my passion is Jazz and so a couple of True Stereo offerings are always very acceptable.

Kensington WiFi Finder Plus

Published in Wireless on 9 June 2005
A simple tool to do a simple job, it is small enough to fit on a keyring and yet it will not only do the job it is designed for but another and just for good measure it even acts as a torch.
It is a maximum of 9x4x1cm including the substantial link that allows you to place it on a keyring. The weight is less than 50grams including it's battery.   The Kensington WiFi Finder Plus will find out where the best signal is, surely something that is far more simply done with this small gadget than opening your notebook and after waving it around finding no signal.
canon LBP3000 printe

Canon LBP 3000

Published in Printers/Scanners on 7 June 2005
When you hear the name Canon what do you expect, cameras, inkjet printers, scanners, multi function machines or even calculators well there is at least one more item they do.
Giving this it's full name Canon Laser Shot LBP 3000 will probably help, it's a laser printer. It is quite small at 37x25x22cm and weights only 6.5kilos. Unlike inkjet printers lasers produce pages at the speed they state or even slightly exceed it. The claim for this unit is 14PPM and using the normal method of ignoring the first and last page I got very nearly 16PPM. 15.

Linspire 5 Part Two

Published in Software on 5 June 2005
A month ago (6/5/05) I told you about my first successful foray into Linux with Linspire 5, at that time I used to get a single error message when I booted up. This is now resolved by spending £4 at a local computer fair.
The component I was missing was a 10/100 card and to fair to Linspire it was listed as a required component. So open the case and insert the card, boot up and no error message. Now with the ZyXEL modem (reviewed 30/5/05) to attempt to connect to the Internet. All the required information resides on the ZyXEL box so plug it in to the 10/100 card and you are connected.

ZoneAlarm Pro 5.1

Published in Misc on 3 June 2005
For some considerable time my FireWall has been ZoneAlarm, the one drawback is that as that is the Free version you keep getting emails about upgrading to the Pro version.

Philips 190X5

Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple on 1 June 2005
After recently looking at some panels specifically designed for viewing DVD and TV looking at a conventional shaped panel takes a bit of getting used to.

ZyXEL Prestige 660RU

Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple on 30 May 2005
Over the next couple of weeks this will be mentioned several times. As not only does this rate a review of it’s own it has also featured in at least two others.

Learning Maths Double Pack

Published in Entertainment on 27 May 2005
Learning is certainly fun when wrapped up in a cartoon adventure as it is in this Focus Jojo Learning Maths offering that of course follows the National Curriculum.

APC SurgeArrest Surge Protector

Published in Misc on 25 May 2005
This particular unit comes with no less than eight outlets, arranged in two rows of four with perhaps most innovative the end two are fitted in the opposite direction so even those power bricks need take up only one space.

Ricoh Caplio R1v

Published in Cameras on 23 May 2005
Sometimes you love something on sight, occasionally it’s the reverse, however what is unusual when you dislike something and then with use like it so much you wondered how you ever disliked it.
The camera is 10x5x2.5 in black and silver and it looks – unexciting – that in itself is no crime, however all the early signs are no better, it is supplied with a pair of standard ‘AA’ batteries, it has internal memory, it can use an SD but none is supplied, and it is not supplied with a case. At this point I was depressed what other minus points would I find.   It seems none, and, as I used it the dislike disappeared and soon became like and then more.

Instant Music

Published in Entertainment on 20 May 2005
I am sure anyone over 30 has some music on cassette or LP and probably a lot on singles, some at least, they may not be ashamed of, so you need a way to transfer it to MP3 or CD.

Treo 650 Smartphone

Published in Mobile Tech on 17 May 2005
It makes sense to have a PDA and phone in one unit. However most – until now – have been to say the least bulky.
I remember the early Nokia offerings that looked as though they would make a good cosh. The predecessor to this, the Treo 600 was nearly there now the Treo 650 seems to tick most if not all the boxes. It is 11x5.5x2cm and weights around 150 grams. The 11cm height is increased by 2cm at the left corner by the aerial. A little history, the Treo was developed by Handspring.

SpyCatcher 3.51

Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple on 16 May 2005
Sounds exciting, in fact if it does what it should, it will enable you to have a quiet and peaceful life with your PC as it should deal with all the Spy Ware that tries to infiltrate your PC.

iPlayer+ Freeview Box and more

Published in Entertainment on 12 May 2005
This is a Freeview unit, but just like other recent items it does more, and in the case of the iPlayer+ that means playing MP3 and photo images on your TV and it also can collect and receive emails and even more.
Firstly it is a very good and easy to tune Freeview box, it is 31x20x5cm with cables inserted. The front of the unit has three pin hole LED's red, green and yellow. The red is on when power is connected to the unit, the green comes on when turned to a digital TV or Radio station and the yellow comes on when there is email waiting to be read. The front also has the infra-red receiver for the remote control and wireless keyboard.
This 20inch LCD Wide Screen Monitor would have cost an arm and two legs not that long ago, now they cost about the same as a good 17inch CRT monitor cost a few years ago and they only gave you a maximum of a 16inch viewable screen.

HP OfficeJet 7210

Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple on 9 May 2005
This multi function unit (MFU), scans via sheet feed or flatbed, copies, prints and can be used as a fax. However these days it does other things as well, but still, will not make the tea.
Over the years I have tried – without success – several shades of Linux all asked me questions I did not know the answers to, here the only questions it asked I could answer.

Dual Link 2.5” Drive Kit

Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple on 4 May 2005
This seems a simple idea – the best often are – but then you wonder why no one has designed one before, maybe they have and I have just never heard about it.

Palm Tungsten E2

Published in Mobile Tech on 2 May 2005
This unit outwardly looks exactly the same as the original ‘E’ except that the connection on the base for synchronising is different. The other main difference is that this model has Bluetooth something the original ‘E’ did not.

JVC DVD & HDD Video Recorder

Published in Entertainment on 30 Apr 2005
No tape involved you can record to DVD – either R or RW - or to the built in hard disc certainly a vast improvement on the quality associated with VHS tape.

Focus Art Attack (Double Pack)

Published in Misc on 28 Apr 2005
It’s been a while since I have looked at something for the kids but these two CD products in a single DVD case from Focus are certainly worth a look.
Notebooks continue to evolve and now there are such things as entertainment notebooks, here HP put a Linux front end for 12 second booting into DVD or CD play.

Select CD/DVD Burner

Published in Misc on 24 Apr 2005
Focus who republish this have a lot of excellent products, however there have to be exceptions to make the rule. I have reviewed other Select products that are well worth having.

JVC GR-D290 Camcorder

Published in Cameras on 21 Apr 2005
Camcorders are not something I see a lot of, however for that very reason I can probably spot the differences easier than someone looking at them week in week out.
They are definitely getting smaller and lighter and now having a 'card' as well as DV tape means that still images can be stored separately. My knowledge is not so great that the manual can be disguarded without reference. I often know what I want to achieve but not the way to do it on the unit.   Dimensions are 12.5x9x4.5cm and the weight is just over 500grams.
I have wondered for a while when DAB will spread to ‘music centres’ well it may not be mainstream yet but this ‘ghetto blaster’ size unit has DAB, FM, CD and of course the ubiquitous remote control.

Photo Explosion Deluxe

Published in Misc on 18 Apr 2005
With printers, cameras and who knows what else providing cut down versions of some very acceptable software, why pay for a standalone product?