Entertainment

With the weather warming up and the daily commute getting you hot under the collar, chill out watching videos on this cool device!

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.

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.

Fashion is not compulsory. Be a leader and not a follower by looking at an alternative to the iPod device.

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.

Has Intel developed a Trojan horse aimed at infiltrating the modern living room? Check out the chip manufacturer’s latest initiative.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Looking to expand your notebook and/or home entertainment capabilities, then we have some news for you.

For all those budding DJs out there the Home Mix CDJ-1 is a self contained 'portable' dual CD mixing console with some very advanced features.

A two band – DAB and FM – offering from Sharp that they describe as a ‘kitchen radio’. Not that sure why it needs a sleep timer and alarm, however it does do things slightly differently to other such offerings.

This is a multi function unit including fax. However for something that scans, copies, prints and sends and receives faxes it is very very small. Finally it is also an telephone answering machine and just for a bonus it can also read most types of photo cards.

Not just another DAB radio this one will tell you the time, it will even tell you what station you are listening to. However I am mortified to say it has so far resolutely refused to make the tea.

This will allow your PC or notebook to be used as a TV with Teletext function. This is Digital TV and it also has Digital Radio.

I have for many years enjoyed Bridge problems often found in daily newspapers, however as far as playing in a club they never seem to meet at times to suit me.

This is a DAB radio, it is also an FM radio and just for good measure it also has a CD and is described as a Micro System equipped with ‘ReVu’.

The first edition (2002) had more than a few problems, is the second edition (2005) any more useable, especially now it’s legal to buy a copy of MCE with OEM hardware.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.