Toshiba Satellite X200 - thoughts on another PC
Friday, December 19, 2008
I always like to keep an open mind when it comes to my computing. A few years back, anything outside the Apple platform would not even be allowed in my house or office. I have been tempted on many occasions to take advantage of one of the free laptop offers that are available with mobile broadband contracts. Well, since the Geekanoids website has become so popular, I felt I owed it to my readers to let them know if the grass is greener on the Mac side or not. I didn't go and get one of the freebie offers, instead the guys (and gals) at Toshiba kindly loaned me a Satellite X200 laptop... not for a full on review, rather for a play with for a month and just let your readers know what you think of it, well here goes.
First of all, it is important that I let you know my general thoughts about Vista. It has improved a lot since the release of Service Pack 1. A lot of the previous problems have been fixed and it also seems to run a little smoother. That said, it is still so convoluted to use. So many clicks and confirmations to perform even the simplest task. Add to that the constant updates and start up time long enough to eat a three course meal (OK, probably only a cup of tea) and you can see where my Vista frustration comes from. Now I have vented my thoughts on the OS, I can concentrate on the X200.
When I first opened it, I was very impressed by the screen real estate. A resolution of 1440x900 on the 17-inch display may not sound like much, but it felt like the right combination. You also get a 2.4GHz Core2Duo processor, 4GB RAM (only 3GB accessible), a beefy 256MB NVidia 8700M GT graphics card, 250GB of hard drive space and a nice 1.3MP webcam above the gorgeous screen. The optical drive reads and writes CDs and DVDs and also plays HD-DVD's which is a nice touch. The trackpad also impressed me with its smooth tracking, though the multi-touch areas for scrolling and shortcuts was a bit annoying at times. Sometimes it behaved itself, other times it was a pig to get working.
The X200 is big though. You would not want to carry this overgrown laptop around. It is destined to be used in a home or office and not venture outside. It is even too big to use on your lap, so needs to be situated on a desk really. At the base there are large vented heatsinks and they throw out a lot of heat. The fans seem to be on all the time, so that warm air is pretty annoying. The screen, although impressive, is glossy and in comparison to the new MacBook and MacBook Pro range, it uses a different finish. I found it a lot more difficult to get the right angle to avoid reflections. Battery life was useless too, just over two hours and the unit started chirping at me. Performance was good though, the 2.4GHz processor and graphics card compbination delivered enough power to eat through my Photoshopping and satisfied on the gaming front too. I guess that with that power you should expect the heat issues.
So, I was impressed. The X200 is a nice bit of kit and for someone who is a Windows Vista user, this could be a good desktop replacement choice. It has a nice powerful processor and would serve you well as a work or multimedia machine. For me, I will stick with my MacBook Pro. Better power, nicer styling, not bulky and runs very cool without any annoying fan blurting out warm air all the time.
Labels: PC Hardware
Ay Up Lights up your Mountain Bike tracks
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Getting out and about this winter is a great way to stay fit and fresh. There is nothing like buring off the Christmas turkey with an off-road ride. With the days very short, we wake up in the dark and before we even finish our evening meal it is pitch black again. Lighting up not only keeps you safe from other bikers and traffic, but is essential for anything off-road. There is a lot to choose from, with bike specific lights and torches like the Fenix we looked at last week. However, AyUp Lights offer the ultimate solution which they kindly sent to me for review.In this awesome 2008 MTB package, I got two sets of dual lights. One set fits onto the handlebars of your bike, with a very effective mount that is cable tied on, then a rubber band type clasp holds the light firmly in place. Then there is a second mount that is called a Gecko Mounting System. This is really cool and attaches to your helmet with velcro tabs. The second light then fastens onto this and your ready to go. The light units don't contain batteries. Instead they connect to external rechargeable battery packs. You get a mains charger in with the kit. The cabling is nice and neat and does not restrict how you use the lights at all.
Once everything is in place you need to really prepare yourself for how poerful the AyUps are. You basically have a really focused 320 lumen output set on your bars and another 320 set on your helmet. The beam has virtually no spill, so where you point your bike or turn your head, all the dangers on your off-road adventure are very well lit. When I ventured on-road, I turned the helmet mounted set off, as this seemed to dazzle car drivers. The handlebar mount gave me plenty of visability. It is also nice that each light individually rotates, so you can really tweak the direction of the beam. You will also be pleased at the awesome build quality. These things feel like they are worth every penny.
This is the first time I have used lights with separate battery packs. My initial thoughts were that the packs would get in the way. However, they are very compact and velcro fastenings allow them to be easily mounted and managed. The big advantage here is twofold. Firstly, you get a long six hours of use. The second happened when I was out on a ride. My main handlebar light ran out, but my helmet mounted one was still going strong. A quick swap around of the packs and I still had my main light. A simple solution, but very effective and I could continue on my ride.The lights are also very light, weighing in at 168g. This means that they do not add much to your riding weight and having one helmet mounted is barely noticeable. If you want to get even more use out of your AyUps, there is even a headband mount for £12.56. If you dabble in a bit of climbing, then this gives you the opportunity to use these awesome units to light your way up the climb. In summary, they are not cheap. Just over £224 for the kit we tested here, or £134 for a single light kit. However, what you are getting makes them worth the spend. Fantastic build quality, handlebar and helmets mounts, battery packs and charger, all presented in a useful soft case. I cannot emphasise the quality of the lights and the powerful beam they output. There are also many colours to choose from, so you can customise the look to match your bike. For me, I just want to keep these AyUps on my bike, they are simply superb.
Product: AyUp 2008 MTB Light Kit
Price: £224.10
Supplied by: AYUP Lights Limited
Contact: +44 (0)1285 821030
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Univega Alpina HT-550 Mountain Bike gets you onto the rough stuff
Monday, December 08, 2008
After many years of absence from the UK market, Univega have come back with a slew of new offerings. One of these include the Alpina HT-550 and I was lucky enough to be sent one for our Christmas reviews. This particular mountain bike sits somewhere in the middle of the company's range and offers you the opportunity to get hold of something that looks a little bit special for just over £500.Again, as in my previous MTB review, the HT-550 offers a lot more than those cheap off-the-shelf bikes. With its Shimano component mix, including an XT drivetrain and SLX shifters, when you catch your first glimpse of the bike you will know you have something special. This is a hardtail, so no rear suspension, but up front you get a Rock Shox Tora-SL fork with 100mm of travel. The Rock Shox really does eat up the bumps and is very responsive. The Concept SL saddle, seatpost, stem and handlebar are a nice match and feel very well made. They are not that heavy either, all adding up to a pretty decent weight bike. Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic disc brakes serve up your stopping power and in my rides out on the HT-550 they performed very well. They provide a no fuss solution really and provide more than adequate braking ability. The Schwalbe Racing Ralph tyres are nice and chunky, dispersing all the mud and water that is around at the moment. Planting the bike in some really muddy conditions in the woods found it very sure-footed indeed. It installed a lot of confidence in my riding and made me feel like I could really throw the bike hard into sometimes dodgy conditions. Throughout my wet rides, I was very happy with how well the bike performed. I was expecting a budget feel to the HT-550 because of the price, but I am happy to say that it delivered much much more on all fronts.
The Alpina HT-550 really does look awesome. The red and white paintwork on the double butted alloy frame looks very racey, with the forks matching and the Avid 3's coming in a special white edition. This gives a really nice look to the bike. Your £580 buys you a real solid performer, maybe a little weightier than some other offerings, but not by a lot. The specification for the price is what impressed me the most. If you can afford to treat someone (or yourself) this Christmas, Univega have some great introductory prices for the UK which you should jump on very quickly indeed. The regular price of the Alpina HT-550 is £725, so at £580 that is a very big saving... it should really be referred to as an outright BARGAIN!
Product: Univega Alpina HT-550 Mountain Bike
Price: £580 (includes next day UK delivery)
Supplied by: Univega UK
Contact: 0844 800 5981
Fenix Torch and Lockblock Holder - MTB Review
Friday, December 05, 2008
For many a biker, adequate lighting for dusk or night time riding is often overlooked. For the serious MTB enthusiast, having good, powerful, directional lighting with the right type of beam is essential. Dedicated bike lights start at very cheap and not that effective, right up to £500 for a pro set-up. There is another option though and it is one that could please many a gadget lover this Christmas. Personally, I really like LED torches. Don't ask me why, but my fascination over how such a vast amount of light can be produced by some of these torches amazes me. I keep one in my car and another under my sink. Then I stumbled across the Fenix range of torches and the kind guys at The Photon Shop kindly sent us a Fenix L2D Q5 plus a little gadget called a LockBlock for attaching the torch to my mountain bike.So, let's take a look at the LockBlock first. This little device costs just under £9. It is very simple, but works very well indeed. It comprises of a double-sided U-shaped rubber mount, with two velcro loops threaded through. You attach the LockBlocks to your handlebar, tighten the velcro. Then get your torch, tighten the second velcro loop and voila, your torch is rock solid on your bike. On my rides with this set-up attached things stayed firmly in place. The torch bounced around with the bike of course, but did not budge from the LockBlock mount. Very impressed with this product, simplicity in design paid of and at £9 it is a bargain.
Onto the Fenix torch. This is the first LED flashlight I have reviewed, so my comparisons are made against a £30 Cateye bike specific light. The Fenix L2D Q5 is a lot longer than a regular light, measuring just under 15cm. Even though this is quite long, it does not get in your way when riding. The diameter is 2.1cm, so as mentioned before, it fits nicely in the LockBlock, but if you do use it off the bike, then it is very pocketable. On the bike on night time trails it is awesome. At its highest output you get 180 lumens of output. Running on two AA batteries I was also amazed that it kept going for almost two hours. The beam is very concentrated too, with little spill, so seeing ground hazards was very easy. When I ventured onto the road, cars and other vehicles gave me plenty of room, so I must have been very visible. You can also soft touch the rubber on/off button which changes the brightness, plus you can turn the bezel very slightly to change modes from general to turbo mode. In general mode you get three different brightness levels and an SOS mode. In turbo mode, you get the full 180 lumens plus a fast flashing strobe mode.
Wow, what a torch... lifetime warranty on the LED, waterproof to IPX-8 standard and a toughened optical glass lens. The build is superb and the body of the torch is a hard anodized finish. Dropping it (although not recommended) had not effect and it remained unmarked throughout reviewing it.
The Fenix L2D Q5 is so solidly built and such a useful tool that I just hope that it does not have to go back. This is really a great deal. You get two presents in one. A nice solid torch with awesome light output for the ultimate gadget lover. Plus, you have the ability to use it an a very effective bike light. For this sort of money, what more could you ask? If you buy this particular Fenix torch and a LockBlock it comes to just under £50... highly recommended.
**More photos to follow**
Product: Fenix L2D Q5 Flashlight Torch
Price: £38.95
Product: Twofish LockBlock Bike Mount
Price: £8.94
Supplied by: The Photon Shop
Contact: 02920 407203
Altec Lansing FX3022 Speaker Review - pump up the bass
When choosing speakers for your PC or iPod there are certainly plenty to choose from. What manufacturers seem to try are adding flashy lights, docking features, touch sensitive controls. These are all well and good, but often at the expense of more useful features, like sound quality, frequency handling, and good looks. With the FX3022 from Altec Lansing, they may just have got the mix right.When you unpack these beauties, it is obvious that their gloss black exterior and good weight is hiding some goodies under the hood. The FX3022 are really quite large, but they are tapered towards the top and in such a way that it is very pleasing to the eye. The 1.5-inch drivers at the top protrude slightly and offer up 3.5 watts of mid and high range frequencies. These tiny driver are covered by cloth grills, which add to the quality feel. The only thing that detracts slightly from the value is that the main unit does feel a little bit too plasticky. Each speaker also house a downward firing 4-inch subwoofer, that goes down to 40Hz and is capable of delivering 9 watts per channel. This combination is pretty good, with the subwoofer seamlessly integrating into the speaker and filling the frequency gap.
On top of one of the speakers you also find a nice power button and volume controls. These are discrete and function admirably. The FX3022 is really designed as a PC speaker, equally at home connected to our iMac or a PC. However, around the back of the unit is an AUX in jack, so you can connect your iPod or other MP3 player and enjoy your tunes. I tested with both music playing from my iMac and from an iPod touch and in both cases was pleasantly surprised. The detail in the mid and high ranges was very good, the FX3022 never seemed to struggle. There was also a nice warmth to the sound. The subwoofer control was awesome, with deep frequencies sounding as though they were reaching far beyond the quoted 40Hz. Pumping up the volume for some movie watching was also a pleasure. Explosions seemed to set the FX3022 alive and added a great deal of enjoyment to the on-screen action. The same can be said with games, without the FX3022 speakers the sound was quite thin, but with these gorgeous speakers turned on I was fully immersed in my Call of Duty.Available in black (as reviewed) or white, for your £100, you get a really good set of multi-purpose speakers. The material used to make them does feel a little cheap, but the sound they deliver more than makes up for that. They are equally at home delivering in-game sound, movie madness or simply relaxing with your favourite tunes. Oh, and the guys at Altec Lansing throw in a two year warranty for good measure.
Product: Altec Lansing FX3022 Speakers
Price: £99.99
Supplied by: Altec Lansing
Contact: +44 (0)870 458 0011
Labels: Mac Peripherals, PC Peripherals, Reviews
Trek 6700 Mountain Bike Review
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Another of my Christmas reviews and before anyone emails me, I know that a lot of people are struggling with their finances, but imagine this, if you treat yourself to the Trek 6700 I am reviewing here, you would save absolutely tonnes of money on expensive fuel bills, tax and insurance. On top of the great savings you will have a load of fun and get fit at the same time.The purpose of this review is to really show you that there are worthwhile alternatives to those cheap bikes. You know the sort, the ones that come in a box, like flat-pack furniture and you spend an age putting them together, never really knowing if you have missed an important part. With mountain bikes, you really do get what you pay for. In the Trek 6000 range, you can get a really decent ride starting at £550 for the 6000, going all the way up to £950 for the 6700 that I have the pleasure of riding.
You get the same Alpha Black Aluminum frame, but you get massive component upgrades that make the bike lighter and more responsive. On the front the RockShox Recon Race Solo Air suspension forks offer up 100mm of travel, that can be adjusted to vary the amount of rebound as well as locking them completely (which you make well do for road use). The gear shifters, crank, brakes, front and rear derailleur are all Shimano SLX. This really makes sense and is what drew me toward the 6700. Rather than a mix and match affair, Trek did this model right. Although SLX is meant to be one step under their XT offerings, I think it is not that far behind. It is light, gear changes are very smooth and the hydraulic disc brakes are awesome. Those disc brakes offer up a 160mm rotor on the back and 180mm on the front. In my tests, both dry and wet, they have given me wicked stopping power. They are also my first experience of disc brakes, so it was really nice that I could easily adjust the reach of my brake levers without messing around as much as I would with V-Brakes.
The tyres on the 6700 are really chunky. The Bontrager Jones XR, 26x2.2/2.25" really offer superb amounts of grip. However, I have spent a bit of time on the road and they do not roll that well, so I may well change them for my road use. The saddle, seatpost, handlebars and stem are also Bontrager branded. Again, this makes sense as they are pretty high quality and also make the bike look very nice. Bontrager welded rims finish off the superb look, with a very nice paint job carried out by Trek. The white frame with red and black decals really does look the part. The weight of the complete bike is very light indeed and makes it a joy to use, very manageable. This is another area that you will find it hard to compete in at this level. Certainly cheaper bikes are a LOT heavier.
It is the quality of components and superb finish to the frame that really makes the Trek 6700 stand out from the crowd. It is quite lively to ride, with the saddle being the only thing I would really like to change (just a little too hard for me). On road it is plush, but struggles because of the tyres. Offroad it is a real pleasure to ride, it just eats up all the mud and handles inclines with ease. The power you can get down through the pedals and into the drivechain simply rockets the 6700 ahead of the pack. If you can afford it, go for one, if not then look at a little lower down the range. Please don't buy one of these cheaper supermarket bikes with big suspension, just because it looks good. With the Trek 6700 you are investing just as much in a superb frame, it just so happens you get superb components too.
Product: Trek 6700 Mountain Bike
Price: £950
Supplied by: Activ
Contact: +44 (0)1303 240110
Garmin Oregon 400t Handheld SatNav Review
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
It is the season to be jolly... well almost and in true Christmas spirit I am really excited to kick of our alternative reviews section with something very special. If you have a loved one (and that includes yourself), that loves getting out and about, this will be of interest to you. Maybe hiking or walking is your thing, or a bit of geocaching, or maybe you like to get out on your mountain bike for a good cross country hack. The Garmin Oregon 400t that I have in my grubby mitts can handle all this and a lot more, so please read on...In the run up to Christmas, Geekanoids will be bringing you a series of reviews on products that get you out and about. Our very next review is on the Trek 6700 mountain bike, which is where the Oregon 400t got its second outing, the first outing found it on our Specialized steed. This tiny handheld satellite navigation system is beautifully made. Its compact size allows it to fit your hand like a glove, measuring just 5.8 x 11.4 x 3.5 cm. Even with batteries installed, it only just goes over the 200g mark (192.7g without). Whilst out biking I would recommend you have both hands planted firmly on your handlebars. So, Garmin kindly made a really simple, yet effective, bike mount for the device. Once attached to your bike, it is a simple matter of turning on, waiting about 15-20 seconds for it to lock onto a signal and a couple of touches on the screen has it recording your route. The touch screen is wonderfully easy to use and a good resolution too at 240x400 pixels. The screen is a little difficult to read in bright sunlight, so could do with a bit better backlight or maybe a different coating to the screen, but it was certainly not a deal breaker. Finding your way around the device is really easy and if you have ever used a Garmin in-car satnav you will feel instantly at ease. So, whilst concentrating on the riding, the 400t was left to do its thing, constantly updating our speed and elevation. I had a TOPO Great Britain map memory card installed into the device. This is an extra cost (£100) and adds a lot more detail onto the device. I think without it, the 400t is fine for on-road use where the basemap detail is fine, but if you are going for long hikes or off-road biking, then the TOPO is great value and recommended.
Back home and the route was plotted. We have done just over 17 miles and it gave us an insight into our maximum speed, moving time, average, stopped time and overall average speed. We also had access to loads more information such as an Elevation Plot and even a 3D view. If we had a chum with another Oregon we could even wirelessly share the route. At the base of the device you have a rubber flap that reveals a USB connection. So, onto my trusty Mac and I downloaded the relevant drivers. It was a little confusing as to what I needed, but 30 minutes saw me a happy camper. I started with Route Buddy, which showed my route on-screen, albeit on a rather basic map. To get a more detailed map into Route Buddy I would have to buy a TOPO map DVD, so I looked for another solution. Garmin suggested MapMyRide, which is a cool website and free to register and use. I transferred my route to the website and overlayed the Google Hybrid Satellite view and voila, this is what I needed (see screenshot). What I could do from here is save my route and/or edit it, or even create a new route and then push it back onto the 400t. I could also use the web-based workout calculator, which sort of turns my mapping oriented 400t into a fitness device too.
With a route planned and back on the 400t, it was out on the road again. Touching the GO button, I was guided around my route. There are no turn-by-turn voice prompts, but then this is not a car based device, it is really for walking with. It got rained upon with a few showers and a bit muddy, but worked flawlessly. A quick wipe down with a damp cloth brought the Oregon 400t back to its former glory. Having been used for about eight hours constantly, the battery level had not even moved, so I imagine 20/25 hours of use will be easily achievable. The fact that this unit runs on two standard AA batteries makes it very easy to pick up new ones if you are on holiday. I will update this review once the device runs out of juice. The screenshot to the left shows the main screen that appears when you first turn the unit on. Lovely large icons mean that it is easy to use, even with gloves on. You can clearly see the battery meter, along with the satellite signal strength just below.The Garmin Oregon 400t is not a cheap device, though there are other models further down the range. What it does offer though is a wealth of very useful features. Other than those already mentioned, you get a compass, image viewer, dedicated geocaches function, route planner (actually on the 400t), area calculation, calculator, alarm clock, stopwatch and some other features that would make this list just too extensive. It really is the ultimate handheld satellite navigation system. It is waterproof, rugged and so well made and thought out, that it is worth every penny.
In a couple of weeks we will be bringing you a review of the Garmin Edge 705, which is bike specific, so keep an eye on Geekanoids for this exciting review.
Thanks to Rob for his invaluable input in this review, it was very helpful and important to have the views of an experienced rider.
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Product: Garmin Oregon 400t
Price: £399.99 (400t) : £69.99 (TOPO SE England & Wales microSD) : £12.99 (Bike Mount)
Supplied by: Garmin UK
Contact: +44 (0)870 8501242
Epson GT-1500 Scanner Review
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
In the age of digital photography, the work of a scanners seems to be a lot less. They still have their place in your computer set-up though. Scanning in high resolution photos is essential if you are reproducing anything in print. If you combine this requirement with the need to scan lots of documents, then you need to look at something a little more capable though. I was lucky enough to be sent an Espon GT-1500 scanner to review and this smart device sits in the business category, but could find its way as a very useful addition to the SOHO sector too.The GT-1500 is not a lot larger than a regular flatbed scanner. The clue is in the height though, where you find a very useful and robust-feeling Automatic Document Feeder or ADF for short. The unit is made really nicely, it feels like a premium product. Even though it is primarily a plastic affair, it certainly feels solid. Setting up is really easy and installs Epson's suite of software, as well as Twain compatible plug-ins to the likes of Photoshop.
Using the unit as a standard flatbed scanner takes advantage of the full 1200x2400dpi optical resolution. I was impressed by the preview speed, as well as the actual final scan speed. For my tests I mainly used Photoshop, but using the EpsonScan software produced almost identical results. Colours in photographs remained true and had good depth and detail. Black and white photos were very neutral with a very slight green tinge. Scanning white sheets of text and business graphics resulted in crisp text scan, with hardly any shading.
The ADF on the top of the GT-1500 was my area of interest here, as this is what you are paying extra for. Using the ADF you can scan up to 600x1200dpi. The scanner head is simplex, so you can only scan one side at a time, but you can load up about 40 pages (though I did manage 50) and leave this baby doing its thing. It automatically de-skews wonky scans well, and a few that I noticed fed a little off-line wre fine in the resulting scan. I love the ability to scan direct to PDF files, as the results are easily filed and searchable, it is a very useful feature. Epson quote 12ppm in colour and 18ppm in mono, this is pretty accurate. The actual scanning I acheived was 10ppm in full colour and 17ppm when doing text based pages. This is only scanning time though, so if you have a really slow computer it'll take a little extra time to process the scans. My 2.4GHz iMac flew through them though, so I was very happy at the end of my testing.
At just over £200 you are paying about an extra £100 over a standard flatbed of comparable quality for the ADF function. Add to this that you get a one year on-site warranty. Throw into the mix all that added functionality and you can see that the GT-1500 offers very good value for money. The ADF really is the icing on the cake and gets my thumbs up.
Product: Epson GT-1500 Scanner
Price: £229 (average UK)
Supplied by: Epson UK
Contact: +44 (0)8702 416900
Labels: Mac Peripherals, PC Peripherals
The Authors
Dave
Dave has been in the graphic design industry for 14 years. Long time reviewer of technology related products, he is Owner/Editor of Geekanoids.
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