Misc

This is one of those occasions when the review product was used to produce the text review of which it is the subject matter.

The first does sound like a toilet cleaner but is a brand sold by a supermarket chain of bargain price small electrical products, here an electronic toothbrush. Second a name known by all for ball point pens but here there is a twist.

Irrespective of what Microsoft may claim, Windows 8 is not truly intuitive – even on the touch screen of a tablet computer. Consequently, Windows 8 for Tablets in the Plain & Simple series from the Microsoft Press is of great value in getting started with a Windows 8 tablet and then customising it to meet your needs and then being able to get the best out of it.

I am sometimes asked ‘what is a gadget’ my answer is anything produced to make a job easier. Both these products fall into that category, first a microphone aimed at a vocalist and second a very flexible five port gang socket.

The first is an item I saw at the Wilkinson’s Xmas In July event, an ideal stocking filler for those who expect their tea to be stirred for them. The second is another stocking filler this time from Brando in Hong Kong to get your Smartphone at the correct viewing angle.

While USB Flash Sticks continue to improve their functionality with regards to speed of reading and writing files, especially those products that now feature USB 3.0 technology, they still lag well behind the various pocket sized external drives with regards to the available capacity. Currently 64GB of capacity seems to be the ceiling for USB Flash Drive and, as a result they can not hope to compete on a level playing field with devices such as the Buffalo MiniStation offering w

Verbatim’s Mobile Power Bank model 97926 is designed to provide backup power for tablets and smart phones for those on the move. Because it has dual outputs, it will prove particularly valuable for those who need to keep two devices working and yet cannot be certain of always being within reach of a convenient power source.

“Here, there and everywhere” is not just the title of a Beetles’ song but it is also the approach that many of us take with regards to the storage of our digital content. You could have stored data on an internal drive, external hard disk, optical media, flash stick, memory card, the Cloud or, if you have been involved with computers for as long as I have, the various types of floppy disks. Offering a central repository for all this data is the stated aim of Seagate’s appropriate

To many a mouse is just a mouse. It is a periphery that is used to guide your cursor around a screen and select appropriate options when necessary. However for some, a mouse can be a device that can be used to carry out different actions. Recently I reported on an IRIS mouse that could perform the duties of a scanner along with its more common features. Now it is the turn of Gigabyte to come up with a mouse that can double as a presenter’s tool. It is the type of device that tea

With the demands we put on our mobile devices, it is not surprising that their batteries struggle to cope.

A company I think of for notebook bags have produced a three in one device, a pen, a stylus and screwdriver. Second another multi use item this time aimed at keeping you fit and apart from counting steps it also takes your pulse among other features.

As data files become larger we need larger capacity portable devices to store the items we need to take with us between locations.

Taking advantage of the latest USB technology, Lexar has released a range of flash drive devices with the promise of speedy operations.

The first is a device that ‘other half’s’ will love as the cables are kept out of sight. The second is something most people need a device to keep those cords untwisted. The link they both work in the home or office environment.

The first item will charge devices that are gasping for power it will also via a Free app allow you to transfer and play items via Wi-Fi. The second item the PocketCell Duo does exactly what it says but will allow simultaneous charging of two devices.

Tablets have been able to offer users the ability to act as an eBook Reader for quite a while now. You just need to download the appropriate free app and your tablet can transform itself into a Kindle, Kobo or Nook in the blink of an eye. Now, with the arrival of products such as the Nook HD+, we are beginning to see a turn of the tide as devices, whose primary function is that of an eBook Reader, appear with tablet-like capabilities to enhance their appeal to the discerning user fraternity.

At first glance two items with little in common. However all those original recipes mixed with the hand mixer need to be written down somewhere and of course it’s not only recipes but also designs and patterns that it can hold for posterity.

With the functionality now available from various devices such as smartphones and tablets, the manufacturers of SatNav products face an increasing challenge to persuade would-be purchasers to loosen their purse strings. Why should customers spend their hard-earned disposal income on a new SatNav product when they already possess the tools that are capable of providing basic navigational information through the use of GPS and mapping apps? Garmin’s solution to this conundrum is to

Three different items from Breffo, two that grip, first a Smartphone and second a Tablet. The third device allows your camera to get a hold in places where it normally could not, round a pole on top of something with no flat edge etc.

Simple ideas are often the best especially when the solution can be applied to different problems.

When was the last time you discovered your mobile device was power deficient when you needed it in an emergency?

Without wanting to sound sexist, Gigabyte’s decision to use attractive female presenters for its latest product tour certainly appealed to yours truly

As smartphones, tablets and other devices, upon which we are now totally reliant, get more powerful and have faster processors and more memory they impose a heavier battery demand. Mophie's Juice Pack Powerstation Duo external battery pack has enough capacity to provide a useful safety belt that can be used to increase the time before one needs to use a mains charger.

Backward compatible with previous versions of the technology, the latest incarnation of USB offers various enhancements that might appeal.

Over the years satnavs have got more user-friendly and more sophisticated. Garmin’s 2598LMTD is a vast improvement over products available even just one or two years ago. It comes with maps covering 45 European countries and free lifetime map updates so will meet the needs of the traveller both today and into the future. Consequently, as well as the first-time buyer, many existing users could well consider that it is s worthwhile upgrade.

With its stores within a store, Kobo is certainly making an impression within its designated field of eBook readers.

Powerline communications is a convenient technology where data is transmitted around the house or office over the mains wiring. It provides an alternative to wireless or long Ethernet cables. Tp-Link’s TL-PA551 adapters are HomePlug AV compliant, are plug-and-play, and are claimed to have a range of up to 300 metres, and provide speeds of up to 500Mbps and so should meet the majority of needs.

Bluetooth has been around now for a good number of years but it is only recently that this technology has become the preferred option for transferring data between various devices.

Older readers, and perhaps those of a younger age, can, no doubt, remember their first computing experiences especially with regards to the storage capacity of the media used to hold programs and a data files. Personally I can remember using floppy disks (they bent if you waved them about) that had a pre-formatted capacity of 180K – a disk could hold the operating system, word processor and numerous documents. Later my first hard disk raised the storage level to a then massive 20

Its not often I get to review products made in Australia. In fact to my immediate knowledge I have reviewed only one product previously and that was an excellent software package. Here I am looking at two bags for your notebook.