Media Centre 2005 Part 1

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 21 Feb 2005
I have studied the offerings and decided on the machine I would like to investigate. Now there needs to be either a monitor, flat panel or TV. Here I have tried all three.

Rio Carbon

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 16 Feb 2005
I have been fortunate enough to review the previous two items produced by Rio, the Nitrus and the Karma. The Carbon fits in between their 1.5GB and 20GB capacity at 5GB.

PocketDAB 1000 Part 2

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 9 Feb 2005
When I rushed through a review of the PocketDAB 1000 just before Christmas I promised a more in depth look and a report on use of speakers and rechargeable batteries.

Samsung SM 730MW

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 24 Jan 2005
Reviewing this so soon after the excellent Philips offering published 17/1/05 gave me more than a few problems. Firstly is it a monitor/TV or a TV/monitor, Samsung list it as a Business unit.

Improve your Memory?

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 16 Jan 2005
For most of us once school or university are finished then exams seem to matter less. However there is a theory that ‘use it or lose it’ could well apply.
The title only covers part of what this unit can do, it can also record and play .wav files as well as having an FM radio, the reviewed version is less than £30 post free.
I have long used a multi CD player, my unit started playing up and the warranty was long past. I looked in shops and online multi CD units are no longer that common.
This product has been anticipated for some time. What would the company that started to move to portable music do to coompete in the hard-disk MP3 player market? Well, the wait is over with the first products arriving in the UK in October. Is this an Apple iPod killer? Read the article!

LP Recorder and LP Ripper

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 5 Jan 2005
Both the programs work not only with LP’s but also with Cassette Tapes and should you have them also with reel to reel tapes.

Philips HDD070 MP3 Player

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 1 Jan 2005
There are lots of alternatives to the iPod and some are even white! The Philips GoGear offering is 2GB and also has an FM radio.
At an unbelievable £79.99, the ProLine DVDP350 rakes in as the lowest ever priced portable DVD player. Five years ago, you would have been looking to spend around a grand for something like this.

VCOM Final Bid

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 11 Dec 2004
The aim in any auction is to secure the item for the lowest price, with online auctions you have a distinct disadvantage you never know who is bidding against you.

Scrabble from Focus

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 30 Nov 2004
This is not by any means new, in fact I first played it as a child and I don’t think it was that new then. It first came out on a PC some years ago, this version was recently released by Focus in their £9.99 range.

Listening Pleasure

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 20 Nov 2004
Naim are a name best known for high quality audio equipment. They do however also have a CD label and a unique way of producing called True Stereo.

Creative MoVo²

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 10 Nov 2004
MP3 players are now often much more, here I am looking at a small rectangle unit that has a large storage capacity and also the ability to keep your music playing for 18 hours.

Focus Revival Products

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 6 Nov 2004
A lot of good software is available at bargain prices, here I am looking at four products all available for less than £5 each.

Gifts for Kids

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 29 Oct 2004
You do not always need – or want - to spend a fortune to find something the kids will love. Here I am looking at a few such items that could solve present problems. All items I am looking at cost £15 or less.
I've wanted a solid-state MP3 player for some time for exercising but had been put off by the capacity (64M seemed common). This little device came to the rescue.
The Medusa headset looks rather like an expensive pair of ear defenders, how wrong can first looks be? Sorry, to find out you will have to read on.

Two Naim CD’s

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 15 Oct 2004
Not something normally reviewed here, but there is a twist – more in a moment – and either or both would make great Christmas presents for the Jazz lover.

Powerstixx Ultra 2.1

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 17 Sep 2004
Add a designer name and the price goes up, however it is not always the case that the quality goes up to match it. Here I am looking at a set of very stylish 2.1 speakers, is the name all they have to offer?

Playing the N-Gage Game

Published in Entertainment by mfereday on 12 Sep 2004
Ever tried playing a game on your mobile phone? Let’s face it, this is hardly the most enjoyable experience especially when compared to dedicated hand-held game devices. One possible solution could be to turn the situation around and make your phone calls from a game device.

USB to 5.1 Audio Adapter

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 8 Sep 2004
If you enjoy music on a PC/Notebook then the speakers and sound card/chip are important. To put a better sound card in a notebook is very difficult and even in some PC’s not that easy, here is an alternative.
I do not normally play a lot of games, perhaps the occasional Freecell or two and the odd – very odd – game of Bridge, however I have to confess that the Bank Holiday saw me spending far to much time on Trainz.

Powererstixx 2.1 Speakers

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 29 Aug 2004
Designed by Porsche is not something you immediately think of when talking about speakers, cars are far more likely. However these speakers are not anything like bulk standard boxes.
As DVD players become almost as cheap as the discs themselves, introducing the very first LCD projector under three hundred pounds.

Bush Video/DVD Recorder

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 6 Aug 2004
Video players in their current form will be redundant when we all have to go digital, lots of people -me included- have stuff we will still want to play so this Bush Video/ DVD recorder could be the answer.
The title only covers part of what this unit can do, it can also record and play .wav files as well as having an FM radio, so far it has stubbornly refused to make the tea.
How can one speaker enclosure + sub woofer give surround sound, sorry you are not going to get a technical answer from me, I will just say the sound it gives is excellent.

4069 pure bug dab digital radiWhat is ‘The Bug’

Published in Entertainment by paul_smart on 17 June 2004
The name may make you think this is something to be avoided, on the contrary it is certainly something to be experienced. The only clue I will give here is that it’s manufactured by Imagination Technologies.