
Published in
Phones
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26 Dec 2008
3-Mobile continue their trend of launching innovative, feature rich own-brand mobile phones
targeted at the consumer market with very competitive price points. The INQ1 is the latest
product touted as a social networking phone.
As I saw recently when I reviewed the from 3, the company doesn't compromise on the hardware to deliver these products. The INQ, like the S2, feels well made. Closed the front brushed aluminium facia looks good and frames the 2.2" QVGA screen. The front slides up to reveal the traditional phone keypad. Despite being a budget phone the INQ1 sports a 3.2M pixel camera which takes reasonable pictures in good light.

Published in
Cameras
on
22 Dec 2008
A flexible compact digital camera with a 10M pixel sensor and some impressive
features, all at a reasonable price. The R10 is aimed at the amature photographer
that wants to go beyond point and click photography.
Measuring 100 x 60 x 27mm (WxHxD) and weighing around 200g, including battery the R10 feels very solid and is large enough to sit comfortably in the hand. Internal storage is very limited and generally you'll want to insert a separate SD card. The camera supports both standard and the more recent SDHC conformant cards up to a maximum capacity of 16G bytes. Optically the camera has an impressive 7.
Physically the largest iPod docking stereo system I've reviewed the iLuv uses this
size to good effect to provide sound worthy of your music collection.
Measuring 500 x 200 x 180mm (WxHxD) the iLuv i399 is by no means a shrinking violet. Despite it's size and indeed weight (around 6Kg) the manufacturer has decided to provide battery power as an option. I'm not entirely sure why you'd want to be lugging this around or using it away from mains power, however should you wish to so do you'll have to acquire eight 'D' sized batteries.

Published in
Misc
on
15 Dec 2008
Robots have always held a fascination for me ever since my school days. In that time robots have evolved. Here I'm looking at the latest consumer 'toy' Robot - the i-Sobot from Tomy.
Things have moved on a long way since the plastic toy robot my father bought me well over thirty years ago. If I remember correctly that had a single electric motor in the base and a couple of caterpillar tracks to move. The only other technology was a couple of flashing lights. The only real similarity between that long lost toy and the i-Sobot is that both are made of plastic. Gone are the caterpillar tracks to be replaced with 17 different powered 'joints'.
Version 2 of the Home Hub from BT adds both style and functionality to an already good product. Coupled
with the BT Hub Phone it will offer most of the capabilities an average home could want.
Broadband hubs, or routers, are traditionally fairly drab units designed with function in mind. Originally these devices would have been stuffed away in a corner or behind the sofa - out of sight. Integrating wireless into such a device has always caused conflict between utilitarian design and the need to place the hub somewhere in the open to get the best wireless signal.
If like our house you have remote controls coming out of your ears, but never the right one then
this little box could be just the thing for you. As well as controlling up to four separate devices
it will also completely power them down - saving you money, batteries and the world resources.
The URC-8350 is a fairly standard sized 'traditional' remote control unit measuring 210 x 55 x 30mm (HxWxD). Power is provided by two AAA batteries. As well as the remote the product is provided with an on/off power plug (HC-8000). Simply insert this into a wall socket, and the connect all your A/V equipment through that plug via a power strip. The remote then allows you to completely remove power from all those devices - reducing the standby requirement to zero.
Video glasses for your iPod or other video player with good battery live and that can also show 3D content. A great idea for watching your video in bed or on the move.
Vuzix have a history in developing audio-visual eye-wear for military and medical applications. With the AV920 they bring their expertise to bear on the burgeoning consumer portable video market in the form of a set of video glasses. The AV920 a stereoscopic headset that focusses an image on each eye. The effect is that of 62" screen - very impressive.
A 500Gbyte hard disk aimed at those wishing to centralise their multi-media storage, or
at least to have a usable copy of those files somewhere near their television.
Verbatim have been in the storage industry for very many years and that lineage is very clearly visible in the MediaStation. The convergence of multiple functions into a single device tends to happen with each manufacturer their area of expertise, working outwards to incorporate additional features. So good mobile phones initially integrate a fairly poor camera and media player. In the case of the MediaStation, this is very much a hard-disk that has some additional features.
A small, lightweight, portable iPod docking station aimed at those
that want a robust home dock that's also capable of battery powered use
on the move.
The Intempo IDS-01 is available in black, silver and pink - I have the silver version here to test. The unit measures 240 x 120 x 90mm (WxHxD) and weighs a light 600g. Taking a traditional layout, the iDS-01 positions the iPod dock between the pair of stereo speakers. It's compatible with all the standard docking iPods, only excluding the Shuffle.
A light-weight, powerful and versatile cordless drill from Bosch making use of the
latest in battery technology.
The TEST AGAIN REALLYUneo joins a growing trend in power tools using Lithium-Ion batteries. These provide much higher power density than traditional Ni-Cad or the more recent NiMh cells. They also avoid the memory effects of the older technology resulting in every shorter usable charge cycles. Bosch make use of this technology in the Uneo to provide a compact and powerful hand-held drill, ideal for the DIY enthusiast. The device weighs 1.
A light-weight, powerful and versatile cordless drill from Bosch making use of the
latest in battery technology.
The Uneo joins a growing trend in power tools using Lithium-Ion batteries. These provide much higher power density than traditional Ni-Cad or the more recent NiMh cells. They also avoid the memory effects of the older technology resulting in every shorter usable charge cycles. Bosch make use of this technology in the Uneo to provide a compact and powerful hand-held drill, ideal for the DIY enthusiast. The device weighs 1.
A game aimed specifically at the gaming market, but that also works well in
'normal' applications the Verbatim Rapier V1 contains no less than nine buttons.
A mouse is a mouse is a mouse - well, not quite. I'm sure many people have had at one time or another to use a very cheap optical mouse. This was possibly included "free" with your last computer. Even more expensive devices can have a few niggles. Verbatim have thought long and hard about their latest entrant to this already busy sector. First the feel.

Published in
Misc
on
28 Nov 2008
Around a year back I reviewed the original Altec Lansing Orbit. One year on the
design has been revamped and I'm pleased to see that one of my few criticisms has
been addressed.
Despite keeping the circular design and 3xAAA power source the new Orbit - the Altec Lansing iMT237 has had a significant make over from . For a start it's bigger. The diameter of the unit is about the same however an additional 15mm has been added to the height and the tapered cone like appearance is replaced with a squat cylinder. My main criticism of the original orbit was the lack of feedback to know that the unit was powered up - there was none.

Published in
Misc
on
24 Nov 2008
According to Ugobe, the creator of the Pleo, this is the very first life-form they have created. While a claim to have actually created life may be a little bold, there's no denying some of Pleo's life-like characteristics.
I'll start by mentioning the price, which I usually leave until the end, which is around about . Now you can either consider this as a very expensive toy as a cheap way of satisfying your childs desire for a pet without the cost of a tin of catfood each day, vets bills and a responsibility for your pet long after your child has moved on to other delights. You can see what Pleo looks like from the pictures - a small happy dinosaur.

Published in
Phones
on
22 Nov 2008
A small bluetooth headset that provides good quality sound and good noise reduction, all at at good price.
The MotoPure H12 from Motorola measures 41 x 18 x 12mm and weighs in at 12g putting roughly in the middle of the pack compared with . It also happens to be exactly the same size abd weight as the Motorola H680 that fared well in my - no coincidence I'm sure! The H12 is well provided with both a small charging cradle and a protective hard case that can also be used as a charge point.
The Gemini 33 is an attractive bedroom radio/alarm system, but it wouldn't be out of place anywhere in the home.
First of all the most striking aspect of the Gemini 33 is the clock face. For those of you that miss a traditional 'clock' to tell you the time you'll love this product - although of course without the need to wind up a clockwork mechanism. In fact all you have to do is switch on and the time is automatically extracted from the radio signal. As soon as the time is established the hands start to turn - which does look very impressive.
A high definition projector aimed at gamers, but that is equally at home
providing a taste of the cinema in your own home.
Optoma have developed a range of projectors based on DLP® technology developed by Texas Instruments way back in 1987. The technology provides a number of advantages over more traditional LCD projectors including better light intensity and closer pixels. The result is stunning. The GameTime GT3000 package contains everything you need to play your games or video on the large screen.
The addition of video to the iPod range is great for when you're on your travels. Despite the
excellent quality screens on the iPod it's still nice to watch on a larger screen. Of course most
video content is still available on DVD - not iPod.
The iLuv i1155 is a great concept. Accepting that however good the Internet delivery may in future become for video distribution you'll still have a large collection of valuable DVDs. As much as you'd love to rip those onto your computer - and hence to your iPod - the big media companies don't want you to do that. They would rather you pay again.
Light-weight radio-controlled flying toys have been available for a couple of Christmases now. This year we
look at a clever helicopter design that has the advantage of entertaining two children at the same time.
Flight has always held a fascination for many children so it's no surprise that inexpensive radio controlled flying toys have been somewhat of a hit over the last few years. Traditionally an expensive pastime, the miniaturisation of electronics, motors and lightweight construction materials has enabled this new generation of device. There have been problems though.
This is a neat speaker system for your Apple iPod that also incorporates a good FM radio and can also take input from an external source.
Mains powered and measuring approximately 225 x 165 x 100mm (WxHxD) and sporting a black grill with brushed aluminum trim the HouseParty 4 is a general purpose sound-system for iPod. The product is packaged with five iPod adaptors covering most iPods right up to the latest iPod Nano, Touch and the 3G iPhone. Also in the box is a short 3.5mm jack lead for connecting to other audio source, a small remote control, manual and power supply.

Published in
Cameras
on
13 Nov 2008
Ricoh has quite a history in camera design and development dating back over fifty years. The latest
GX200 camera continues their tradition of robust quality.
My own history with Ricoh dates back around thirty years when the first 'real' camera I was allowed to use was my fathers compact 35mm range-finder camera. I was allowed to take it away on a school trip! The results even in my inexperienced hands were good. That experience led to my 18th birthday present of a Ricoh KR10 SLR camera. Over 25 years later I still have that camera along with a couple of Pentax K-mount lenses.
Also called the 'GlowTime', the CRD-51 is a neat little bed-side clock radio that's
available in black, white or pink and offers a very flexible alarm system.
I've been provided with the 'pink' version for this review, a fact that was not lost on my daughter, who promptly disappeared with it to her room where it remained for a good few days until I could rescue it and put it through its paces. This is a particularly attractive product (not only my opinion - my daughter helpfully agreed!) measuring 166 x 60 x 150mm (WxHxD) and weighing around 450g.
JBL have produced an excellent speaker system that isn't tied to any specific sound source - use it
to play back whatever you want : iPod, CD player, TV - anything.
I recently had the pleasure of reviewing the excellent . The JBL Spyro is built on the same technology to deliver a powerful rich sound system for a variety of uses. The Spyro comprises a central 'bass' unit (the sub-woofer) that provides 24W output using JBL's 'Atlas' transducer. Higher frequencies, and hence the stereo effect, are generated from two rather attractive 6W satellite speakers that look very much like four-petal flowers.
Video projectors are not new although they have only recently started started to appeal as
an option for those (with the room) that want the full cinema experience in their own home. With
the advent of high-definition, new projectors are required, spurring Sony to announce the VPL-HW10.
Whether you're a fan of the high-definition broadcast systems now on offer or have hailed the end of yet another format war and opted for a Blu-Ray DVD player there's just one problem... All the components are there - all the technology you need to create your own cinema. But how do you get the effect of a huge screen in your home? Well, the answer is to get a huge screen.

Published in
Phones
on
3 Nov 2008
Phone doesn't really cover what O2 have managed to shoe-horn into the
latest incarnation of their XDA smart phone manufactured by High Tec Computers (HTC).
Marketed by O2 as the Xda Ignito and manufactured by HTC as the 'Touch Diamond', this devices measures a mere 102 x 52 x 11 mm, weighing 110g. Into this very modest enclosure the Xda Ignito/Touch Diamond provides a wealth of functionality hosted on the Microsoft Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system. As is popular these days the primary interface is a touch sensitive screen, although the Ignito should really be considered a hybrid device.
A stereo DAB radio that includes a CD player and the ability to play
MP3 tracks from SD cards is a great idea. The built in alarm in this
particular product makes it ideal for the bedroom!
On first sight the Roberts CRD40 (Sound 40) has an unusual design being wider at the top than at the bottom - looking a little like a bucket. This isn't to detract from the product in any way and the looks very quickyly grow on you. Sound is produced by a pair of 76mm speakers giving stereo reporoduction. Quality is on the whole good for a bed-side product or for a childs room.
As in many areas of technology the humble digital picture frame, a fresh idea only a couple
of years back, has evolved to take on more functions.
This particular incarnation from Linx includes a slide-show picture viewer along with an MP3 and Video player. First of all the hardware. The screen is a bright 8 inch display with a viewable area of 18cm by 10cm givin it an aspect ratio of 16:9. Resolution is 800x600. All of the controls and connections are on the rear of the unit, including the two small 1.5W stereo speakers.
Fashion has reached even the most mundane of computer peripherals with Toshiba, amongst others
launching a fashionable range of external hard disks to either transport or simply back-up your data.
Interesting for a fashionable product - there doesn't seem to be a product name - it's just a
"Toshiba External Hard Drive"
With fashion in mind Toshiba are shipping their drive in four sizes, with each getting a distinctive dash of colour, that also denotes the size : ; ; ; and the latest member of the family - . My test unit is the 320GB grey version. As well as the colour you have a shiny black case measuring approximately 16x 81 x 127mm (DxWxH) and weighing a very slight 155g.

Published in
Phones
on
27 Oct 2008
Like most people I'm very aware of the existence of Research In Motion (RIM) and their BlackBerry products. This is the first time I've used one in anger, and I'm pleased to say it's not all hype!
In this case I've been provided with the Blackberry Bold 9000. This is one of the wider variants that has a small, but full qwerty keyboard and a landscape orientated screen. Total dimensions are 114 x 66mm with a 16mm depth and a weight of 136g. The device feels very solid and well built. The rear of the device has a leather-like textured cover that is removed to insert the SIM card or to access the battery. For once it's good to see a cover with a proper clip that makes removal simple.
We all know we should backup our important data. We all intend to back up our important data. We'll
definitely back up that important data... tomorrow.
The issue of how to back up your data is not new but also has not been solved for the average user. Despite a huge number of software solutions I've yet to find anything that actually works and is practical. Want a solution that will save your data from the most common problem - hard disk failure? A solution that doesn't actually require you to remember to do anything? I thought so.