Teach Yourself Visually Mac OS X Leopard Review
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
I consider myself a whizz when it comes to Mac OS X Leopard, so don't really like to read books. However, this book from Wiley caught my attention. It is one of many in the 'Teach Yourself Visually' range and the reason it differs from other so called Missing Manuals, is the full colour pictures. The way it is presented is superb and I learnt some new tricks too. Check out the video review for a taste of what a bargain this book really is.
Product: Teach Yourself Visually Mac OS X Leopard
ISBN: 978-0-470-10167-4
Pages: 352
Price: £19.99
Supplied by: Wiley Publishing
Contact: click here
Labels: Mac Software, Review
Epson P-5000 Photo Viewer Review
Friday, April 04, 2008
If you are a keen photographer, then you will know how important it is not to lose your data, or to run out of space whilst out and about. The Epson P-5000 Photo Viewer allows you to free up some space on your compact flash and secure digital memory cards. It also plays movies and MP3 files, so you really should check out the review below.
Product: Epson P-5000 Photo Viewer
Price: £390 (Amazon)
Supplied by: Epson UK
Contact: 08702 416900
Labels: Digital Photography, Review
LaCie Mini Disk Hard Drive Review
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
They say that 'good things come in small packages', but in contrast 'size doesn't matter'. The Lacie Mini Disk hits home on the first, but proves that size does matter, with its small proportions delivering a very handy portable hard drive that just oozes style and performance. Check out the video review below.Product: LaCie Mini Disk 160GB Dual Interface
Price: £89.90 (was £99)
Supplied by: LaCie UK
Contact: sales.uk@lacie.com
Labels: Mac Peripherals, Review
Griffin Technology RoadTrip with Smartscan Review
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Having always loved my music, listening whilst on the move is a pleasure with my iPod. When driving though, it has been problematic. You can't really wear earphones whilst driving, so getting my iPod to play through my car stereo is the only option. I have used many products in the past, some of which charge my iPod whilst in the car, others that transmit the signal to my car stereo, and some that do both. With so much to choose from, when the Griffin RoadTrip popped through my letterbox, I knew it would be good, but why should you spend your money on this rather than another product? Let's take a look to find out.Griffin Technology have made FM transmitters for the iPod for a very long time. This new version has been updated for the very latest models, including the 'touch' and the 'classic'. It is finished in a nice matte black colour, with very tactile buttons for operating the unit. The RoadTrip plugs directly into the 12V socket in your car and has a steel gooseneck attached (also powder coated in black). This can be bent to give you easy positioning of your iPod, which is very important, you don't have to overstretch to reach your iPod controls. The other end holds your iPod in place, the fit is good due to the accurately size dock inserts for your particular iPod model. Three control buttons are neatly laid out underneath, with a small display just above them.
New to this model is SmartScan. Previous models had you searching for an empty frequency and then dialing in the same on your FM transmitter. SmartScan searches for you and in my tests I found it very accurate. SmartSound is also very effective and when this feature is engaged, the sound seems to sound a lot clearer, albeit dropping down to a mono output. Another really nice feature for iPod touch users, is the ability to skip back and forth through your music tracks using the RoadTrip's buttons, rather than fiddling with the touch screen whilst driving.
Build quality is superb, as is the functionality of the new Griffin Technology RoadTrip. It is this quality, coupled with the design features, in a device that works superbly, that keeps Griffin ahead of the game. Yes, you can buy cheaper, but is you want something that works flawlessly, then get a RoadTrip (with SmartScan) and enjoy your iPod sounds whilst on the move.
Product: Griffin Technolgy RoadTrip with SmartScan
Price: $100
Price: £39.99 (average UK)
Supplied by: Griffin Technolgy
Contact: +1 (615) 399-7000
Labels: Apple iPod, Review
Red Maloo Laptop Sleeve (MacBook Pro) Review
Monday, March 03, 2008
If you want to protect your MacBook Pro with something a little different, then check out this offering from Red Maloo. Their laptop sleeve certainly offers a lot of design thought, and a sleeve that is very pleasing to the eye. With matching iPod sleeves also available, this is definitely worth checking out.Product: Red Maloo Laptop Sleeve
Price: £75
Supplied by: Red Maloo
Contact: link here
Labels: Mac Accessories, Review
Asus EeePC RM MiniBook Review
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
If you need something nice and compact for your children (or yourself) without spending too much cash, then take a look at our review of the Asus EeePC (also know as the RM MiniBook). This tiny wonder is so cheap and very well made, it certainly impressed me with what you get for your money. There are a few of these popping up nowadays, but the Asus version feels like a proper laptop, with excellent build quality and a nice crisp clear screen.Product: Asus EeePC - RM MiniBook
Price: £169 (from)
Supplied by: RM
Contact via online form
Labels: PC Hardware, Review
Contour Design ShowCase for iPhone
Thursday, February 14, 2008
There are a lot of iPhone cases about, but this one from Contour Design offers that little bit extra... check out the review below. In fact, after using the case for a good few weeks now, we like the ShowCase so much, we have given it our Silver Award.Product: Contour Design ShowCase for iPhone
Price: £19.95
Supplied by: Contour Design
Contact: +44-20-8731-1410
Labels: Apple iPhone, Review
Gelaskins - Protect your kit!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
If you need to spice up that old laptop or protect your new gadget from scuffs and scratches, you need to take a look at our video review. Gelaskins are a vinyl type covering that can be printed with a natty design. Check it out.
Product: Gelaskins for 12-inch iBook or PowerBook
Price: $29.95
Supplied by: Gelaskins
Contact: 1.416.519.1360
Labels: Mac Accessories, PC Accessories, Review
Matias USB 2.0 Keyboard Review
Sunday, February 10, 2008
When you are in the market for a new keyboard, or perhaps one for that Mac Mini (an essential additional purchase), there is certainly a lot to choose from. The natural direction to look is at the skinny Apple keyboards. However, if you have used a Mac for a long time, you will yearn for that Classic keyboard look and more importantly something that gives you proper tactile feedback. The USB 2.0 Keyboard we look at here from Matias, could be just the ticket.This offering from Matias has some superb advantages and features, all of which can be had for a little over £25 in the UK and around $35 in the US. For this sort of price you certainly do get a lot for your money.
First of all you get what I would term as a proper keyboard. The keys are raised in such a way that it resembles that old Apple classic. The spacing is just right and the tactile feedback you get from each key is just right. There is also a full numeric keypad (which you would expect on a full size keyboard), but Matias go one step further... How often have you found yourself searching for that Euro symbol (€)? Well, I don't mind admitting that on more than one occasion that illusive symbol has escaped me. The Matias USB 2.0 keyboard has extra symbols printed on the keys. You get things like the @ € and ™ signs actually printed onto the number 2 key. This is repeated over the whole keyboard, with the relevant symbols printed on each key. Thanks Matias, this is a great time saver and worth the asking price for this alone.
You also get a full whammy USB 2.0 hub on the back of the keyboard. Older offerings from Apple let the side down here, with only USB 1.0 ports on their keyboards. Matias give us two USB 2.0 ports on the back and an extra one on the top of the keyboard, which is handy for USB keys, iPod syncing and the like... if you have an older generation iPod Shuffle you will find this brilliant. Over my test period this was really handy as I use USB flash memory keys quite a lot, so I did not have to stumble around looking for a spare port.
I like the USB 2.0 Keyboard from Matias a lot. It feels lovely to type on, compliments my Mac perfectly and puts those invaluable extra symbols at my fingertips. If you need a keyboard for your Mac, make sure this is on your shopping list.Product: Matias USB 2.0 Keyboard (Mac)
Price: £25 (typical UK)
Supplied by: Matias Corporation
Contact: 1-905-265-8844 or info@matias.ca
Labels: Mac Peripherals, Review
Iomega Storcenter Review - 1TB of Network Goodness
Saturday, February 09, 2008
With more and more people opting for laptops nowadays, it is of ever increasing importance to have a flexible way of storing files without the hassles of being tethered to a desktop external hard drive. Yes, we all know that laptops can now accommodate quite large hard drives, but what about backing up, or storing files in a central location so other users can access them. This is where Network Attached Storage (NAS) comes into play. I had some experience to this medium of storage before, and came away a little disappointed, so when Iomega sent me their lastest Storcenter device I was a little concerned over what I may find.Opening the box gave me my first (positive) surprise. The unit felt really robust and looked very professional too. In an understated gunmetal colour, this robust little box housed 1TB, yes one terrabyte of storage. On the back of the unit is a kensington lock port for securing this baby to a desk, the all important Gigabit ethernet port, and two USB ports. The USB ports can be used for adding more storage by way of external USB drives, or connecting a printer for sharing over the network. There is a tiny power button (and I mean TINY), so I connected the unit into my gigabit ethernet switch and fired it up.
Other NAS devices I have tested have been pretty noisy, but I am happy to say that the Storcenter is pretty darn quiet. Just the slight whisper of the hard drives spinning and a very quiet fan is all that you can hear. Back at the computer end it is just a matter of popping in the supplied CD and installing the 'Discovery Software'. I was doing this test with both a MacBook Pro and a Mac Mini running the latest version of Leopard (10.5.1) and both systems found the drive first time. This allows you to mount a public share folder, or to carry out extra configuration, such as adding users and extra folders to the drive. Everything worked flawlessly, and once you have 'discovered' the drive, you can then access and connect to it via the Finder.
There is a lot more you can do to the Storcenter in the configuration options, such as scheduling backups to another share, or to a connected USB drive, and once set up the device can be left to perform the task unattended. I tried this with a 250GB external USB drive and it performed admirably. The drive also supports JBOD, RAID 1 and RAID 0, which gives great flexibility in how you can put it to good use. The important part of any drive is performance, so copying across a series of 4GB files, I found that it was achieving just under 6MB/second, peaking at around 8MB/s. Changing the connection over to a 100Mbs ethernet switch did not effect performance a great deal, giving an average of 4.2MB/s. This is more than acceptable in my opinion, not groundbreaking, but it is very easy to work with these speeds.
Where the Storcenter wins is on two counts. The stunning rock solid build quality, and the price. It starts at 320GB for under £100, 500GB starting at £120, right up to the model reviewed here which is only £269. There is also a wireless version, but with most users having wireless routers, you could just plug into a spare ethernet port (like I did) and negate the need to spend any more money. For those that don't have this option, the 1TB Wireless Version costs just under £400. Back to the 1TB version reviewed, for £269 you get a stonking piece of kit, it comes highly recommended.
Product: Iomega Storcenter 1TB
Price: £269
Supplied by: Iomega Europe
Contact form here
Labels: Mac Peripherals, PC Peripherals, Review
Brenthaven ProLite II Review - SPACIOUS BAGIOUS!
Thursday, February 07, 2008
If you look back at my preferences in bags, perhaps two or three years ago, I would never have considered a Brenthaven offering. I won't name and shame here my bag of choice, but I must hasten to say that it was sold off the back as being designed for the Mac Crowd and a lot more expensive to boot.The ProLite II from Brenthaven is a big surprise to me on lots of counts. It looks very understated, so does not scream "Laptop" to passers-by. It fits laptops up to 15.4-inch widescreen, so was perfect for my MacBook Pro. The main compartment does not have a removable sleeve, instead it padded strips to the bottom and sides. I was happy to slip my MBPro in there without any other case, but if you are the type that wants to stops any type of scratch this is not a problem. With my 15.4-incher inside a slip case, or a corduroy padded case, or second skin, it still fitted nicely inside the ProLite II.
The good things don't end there... on the front of the bag there are three zipped compartments. One is lined in a nice soft material and would accommodate the likes of an iPod, slimline compact camera etc. The second zip down opens right up to reveal some pen pockets, mesh pockets, credit card holder and key holder. The final full length zip toward the bottom of the bag is ideal to put some cables in and perhaps a charger or two.
Round the back there is a further two compartments, large enough to fit loads of paperwork, a mousepad, and yet more mesh pockets. There is also a strap across the back, this allows you to attach the ProLite II to wheeled baggage, freeing up your hands.
Carrying this around is also pretty comfortable. The obligatory shoulder strap is nicely padded, as are the two shorter carrying handles on the top of the bag. Where the ProLite II really scores for me is in three main areas. Firstly, the build quality is really nice. Everything feels as though it will last for a very long time. Secondly, the looks... yes I know a lot of you will say it is just a plain old black bag, but I think in connection to the build quality and the stitching, it just looks really nice. The final winning point is the price... and again, I can hear you say that you could buy cheaper, but I would argue that for just under £70 you get a really useful, well designed bag that is guaranteed for life. Well done Brenthaven, you get my vote!
Product: ProLite II
Price: £69.95
Supplied by: Brenthaven
Contact: +44 (0)20 8400 1275
Labels: Mac Accessories, PC Accessories, Review
Pure Chronos iDock Review - Wake to DAB!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
It seems like I cannot sing the praises of Pure Digital enough lately, but when a company continually produces such high quality products, I think I am excused. The Chronos iDock combines a DAB/FM stereo clock radio, with an iPod Dock, plus a certain style that just shouts quality, so let's take a closer look.When first unpacking the Chronos iDock, the shape stands out as a little different. Rather like your favourite Quality Street, the triangle shape has smooth rounded corners and feels like it will melt in your hand. The build quality really is superb, everything fits nice and flush, and the buttons are well arranged and very tactile indeed. Available in white or Black, we were sent the latter version. It has a silk finish to it, so does not attract the usual fingerprints. In the box you get dock adapters suitable for all dock connecting iPods, even the latest iPod touch is catered for. You also get a nice little remote control.
The first time you switch on, the unit auto-tunes, grabs the time from the DAB signal and sits there waiting for you to play. The first thing I tried was docking and playing back some music from our iPod touch. The audio reproduction is very rich and full bodied. Some cheaper docking affairs sound tinny, but the Chronos iDock really sounded great. A nice amount of detail int he sound, good mid-range, and plenty of bass tones. Switching over to DAB delivered much the same and proved to be a really nice listening experience. The FM tuner is put in for good measure (in my opinion) for those who cannot receive DAB broadcasts. That said, I did try it and it sounded very good indeed, with the odd crackle that is inherent with FM.
With the Chronos iDock you can chose to wake up to the radio (DAB or FM), or to your docked iPod. Setting the alarm is very easy, as are all the other controls on the unit. Having your iPod docked, not only means that you can wake to your fave tunes, but also that you can grab your iPod and it is fully charged every morning. A nice large snooze button is located on the top of the unit, which is easy to find and press when you are half asleep. The display is really nice too, it shows the time, signal strength, volume, DAB text, now playing etc. and even has an auto-brightness sensor, so it dims when you switch the lights off... it is nice touches like this that make it stand out from the crowd.
For £99 you get a really polished product. I would pay this sort of money for a dock/speaker combo of this quality. The fact that you also get DAB/FM and alarm features too, make the Chronos iDock a real bargain. This superb combination certainly deserves our prestigious Gold Award.Product: Chronos iDock
Price: £99.99
Supplied by: Pure Digital
Contact: +44 (0)1923 277488
Labels: Apple iPod, iPod Touch, Review
Xerox Phaser 8860 Review - Raised Prints !
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
There are stacks of choice when it comes to buying a printer, but if you are looking toward the higher end, something for a professional graphics market, then a lot more has to be considered. Speed plays a big part, as does quality of the prints, but if you are churning out volume then running costs are very important. The Xerox Phaser 8860 that we take a look at here, is right up there with all the superfast lasers, but it offers something a little different... just what makes the prints from this machine stand out from the crowd?I am going to deal with the 8860's main features, and deal with the question of how each feature performs as we go. This is a slightly different way of doing things, but it means I can give you instant answers to your questions as they come along. The 8860 ADN costs £1,699 and offers 10/100 Ethernet connections and USB2. I tested the machine on an Intel based Apple Mac, and the software install and connection over both ethernet and USB performed admirably. There were no set-up problems at all.
This printer included automatic duplexing (double-sided prints) from the box. This is a really useful feature when report printing, so was a welcome addition. IT also gives you the ability to save paper (more on the money saving later). With a duty cycle of 120,000 prints per month and a quoted speed of 30ppm in both mono and colour, this reads like a true powerhouse. I cannot vouch for the duty cycle, but the speed is pretty much spot on. Black text resulted in an average of 27ppm, add in some graphics and after processing time we got 25ppm. Colour pages mainly consisting of text came in at 26ppm, with graphics added this dropped to a respectable 24ppm. So if you need speed, the 8860 delivers.
Quality is also very important and at 2400dpi the resolution should be superb. I found text to be great at point sizes 8 and above, but below this, not as crisp as some cheaper laser printers. When printing business graphics and photos the 8860 shone. Smooth gradations, very colour accurate, punchy graphics, all the traits of a high class printer. Now we get to the exciting part, and where the 8860 really stands out from the crowd. This printer uses a solid ink technology, instead of normal laser toner. It uses wax type blocks that you drop into the top of the printer, so loading it is very clean and easy. It then heats the wax and melts it onto the page. Two minor problems with this are the smell, which is not that nice, plus you cannot overprint your printouts on a standard laser or laminate them. If you try this, the print will smear into a gooey mess. That aside, the quality is outstanding. The print is laid onto the page in such a way that you get a slightly raised feel to it. When printing large areas of solid colour or photos this also shows off the finish which has a nice gloss look to it. So the 8860 delivers again, with awesome quality printouts.
The Phaser 8860 offers true Adobe Postscript 3, Mac and PC compatibility, speed, cheap running costs and quality prints. I would not recommend it for the home market, due to the smell, but then it is not aimed at this sector. For small to large office based companies, or graphic design pros, the 8860 really is worth the money. You will be amazed at the consistently good prints, and that raised effect that jumps off the page at you, has to be seen to be believed. This is a lot of money to invest, but well worth it.
Product: Xerox Phaser 8860
Price: £1699
Supplied by: Xerox UK
Contact: 0870 873 4519
Labels: Mac Peripherals, PC Peripherals, Review
iPod Classic Video Review - Most Popular 2007
Our most popular video review of 2007 was the iPod Classic. We got so much feedback from this review that I was amazed at just how many people appreciated the honest look we took of the user interface. Enjoy!
Labels: Apple iPod, Review
Nescafe Dolce Gusto Drinks Machine Video Review
Friday, December 14, 2007
As promised, here is our video review of the Nescafé Dolce Gusto Drinks Machine. Our written review can be found here, but to see this wonderful machine in action, take a look below.
Product: Nescafé Dolce Gusto Drinks Machine
Price: £89.99
Supplied by: Nescafé
Contact: 0800 707 6066
Velodyne CHT-15R Subwoofer Review - Wobbly Legs
When it comes to leisure time, a lot of us enjoy playing a console game or watching a good movie. Gone are the days when the latter means leaving your house for a night out at the cinema. The preferred way of watching a movie nowadays, is at home on your LCD or plasma TV, complete with surround sound. You might be content with your set-up, but the addictive nature of wanting the best picture, and the most awe inspiring sound, will soon have you wanting to upgrade certain parts of your kit. On the sound front, a good set of speakers is essential, but to add that earth shattering bass levels of sound, that shake your booty to extreme levels, you need to look at something above the level of the sub/sat systems that are on the market today. There are plenty of subwoofers available that do a grand job, but to take things to the next level you need to move air, and here we take a look at the Velodyne CHT-15R.There are many models available in the CHT range, the 8R, 10R, 12R, right up to the 15R on test here. Available in a range of colours, dependent on model, you can pick from black, silver or cherry finishes. The black finish on our CHT-15R is really nice, the quality is faultless. Before I kick off with the review good and proper, I should warn you, the 15R is big, not just in performance, but in physical size. It measures approximately 21x21x18 inches and weighs 75 pounds. If you need something a little more lounge friendly then you should look further down the range. All have pretty much the same features, they just differ in performance levels, especially the frequency response and power ratings.
Back to the CHT-15R, this brute packs 1,000 watts of continuous power and a 4.4 pound magnet on the speaker unit. The driver is a massive 15-inch forward firing beast, which delivers a frequency response down to a trouser shaking 23Hz. This is very very low, and the amount of air that is moved when you get powerful in-movie sound effects is quite worrying. You need to appreciate that the 15R delivers the type of movement and rumbles that you can only really experience in the best cinema set-ups... and I am referring to the cinema that you have to travel to, not a home based affair.
Setting up is really easy, and once you have calibrated the 15R with your main speaker levels, you can sit back and enjoy. The included remote control gives you access to the DSP control unit. You can remotely adjust the volume (which aids in balancing the overall sound to blend in with your main speakers), phase adjustment to further match the timbre to your speakers, mute, a night mode (which tones down the output to keep your neighbours happy), plus it gives you access to various presets. The presets available are Movies/R&B, Rock/Jazz, Classical and Games. I am not a great fan of such things, but I must admit they worked admirably. Switching to ‘Games’ seemed to add some extra punch to explosions and sound effects, whereas ‘Classical’ seemed to trim in the settings, to give a more focused and natural bass response.
If your main vice is movies, then the CHT-15R will not disappoint. Testing with the likes of Fifth Element, showed the tight, yet awesomely low frequencies that were being delivered. When you start to ‘feel’ the sound, you know that your sub is really shifting some air. The film U571 has some really loud explosions, and the 15R brought those into my test room with the type of presence I had never experienced from my home cinema system before.
In summary, if you are serious about movie watching and you want the best subwoofer money can buy, then splash your cash on a Velodyne CHT-15R, you will not be disappointed. Just remember to leave enough cash for some rubber bands to tie around your trouser legs.
Product: Velodyne CHT-15R Subwoofer
Price: £799
Supplied by: Redline Scotland Ltd
Contact: +44 (0)131 555 3922
Labels: Home Theatre, Review
Pure Digital ONE Review - DAB for the masses
It seems that the digital TV revolution is upon us, with the UK starting the switch off of analogue transmissions. Where radio is concerned though, we will always have FM, MW, and LW, but for a long time now, if you want that bit extra from the service, then DAB (or Digital Audio Broadcasting) has been the way to go. It has been available to the general public since 1999, so it comes as no surprise that a successor (DAB+) is on the way. DAB+ will offer better error correction coding (so less dropouts, better sound), plus MPEG surround audio, which will be really cool.In its current form, not only does it offer really clear sound, but you also get extra information, such as the DJ you are listening too, or scrolling text with news or current programme information. The choice of stations depends on your area’s coverage, but it is pretty darn good and well worth checking out what you can pick up in your area. Long time leaders in DAB radios are Pure Digital who offer a range of standalone radio, alarm clock radios, and CD combo units, they even do the Chronos iDock which features a dock for your iPod.
In this review we take a look at the very affordable Pure Digital ONE, which is small enough to be used as a portable, whilst just as comfortable as a mains powered unit too. If you are using away from a plug socket, it takes six C-Cell batteries or a ChargePAK. The latter costs £30 and fits into the same compartment. It then charges whilst connected to the mains, and then you have instant battery power when away from home. The ONE is available in white, pink or black, and the white one we have on test is really quite pleasing to the eye. It is an all plastic affair, but does not feel cheap in any way, the standby button is black, with all other buttons finished in polished silver.
So, let’s take a look at those buttons. There are seven small ones arranged in a circle around a larger rotating button, which you turn to cycle through the various menus and then click to confirm your selection. This works very well, apart from I forgot to push it in time and time again... this same large button also controls the volume, so I kept adjusting the volume by mistake. Totally my fault, and after half an hour, I didn’t make the same mistake again. The tiny buttons give you access to the volume, timer, presets (20 in total), info, DAB/FM selection, menu and stations. The arrangement is really nice and makes it very easy to navigate.
The timer works in two different ways. You can either set a sleep timer, to turn the radio off after 15, 30, 45, 60 or 90 minutes, or you can use as a kitchen timer. Set the hours and minutes, then an alarm will sound when your cooking is done, which is pretty neat. The DAB/FM button allows you to switch to normal FM radio, if you need to get a station not available via DAB. The information you can choose to have displayed includes scrolling text, time and date, programme type, signal strength and quality, bit rate, plus the multiplex name and info. This is fantastic, so much information on the clear backlit display, but there is more to come...
The Pure Digital ONE also features Intellitext, which gives you on-demand information from the station you are listening to. This includes headlines and news from the likes of Virgin, talkSPORT and BBC Five Live, or any other station that supports it. It is this extra information that sets DAB way above anything FM radio can offer, and the 16x2 display is very clear and delivers this extra info very well.
Now I have given you an idea of what the ONE offers in terms of features, it is time to let you know how it performs. On first switch on, it goes into a set-up mode, which takes about 30 seconds. This grabs the time and date info over the air, and auto-tunes the available DAB stations in your area. I was so excited that I quickly clicked the ‘stations’ button and scrolled through to Virgin Radio and pushed the centre button. The quality was awesome, crystal clear and very rounded. The quality delivered by this small radio really impressed me, and within a couple of hours I was a convert, swearing that I would pick up a DAB radio for myself before the end of the year (which is only a couple of weeks away). The volume goes up really loud and even at its highest, the 3-inch speaker did not distort at all. Music sounds really good, but the vocals are so clear, it makes commentary a real pleasure to listen to. From the offset of the review I had been running on C-Cell batteries, so I could rate the performance. With lots of switching between menus, setting up, tuning, etc, I managed to get 28 hours before the batteries gave up. This is superb, and with just radio listening, I would expect a couple more hours, so this can really be used as a portable radio.
For just under £50 you can pick up a Pure Digital ONE and I can highly recommend it. You can even connect it to your PC via USB to perform product upgrades, so it has some future-proofing built-in. At this price it gives you the opportunity to try DAB on a very small budget. Having spent the money, you probably will not feel the need to upgrade, as the ONE performs so admirably. I was so impressed, that I will most likely make this my first DAB radio (if not, I will look at something from the same company). In fact, I was so impressed that my Christmas shopping list has changed... I am going to buy one for my Mum and my Sister too !
Product: Pure Digital One DAB Radio
Price: £49.99
Supplied by: Pure Digital
Contact: +44 (0)1923 277488
Sound Asleep Pillow Review - Do Not Disturb!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Do you have trouble dropping off to sleep? I know I do sometimes, and having my earphones in my ears has led to some really uncomfortable awakenings. If you fall asleep listening to your iPod (or other MP3 player) with earphones in, then you certainly know what I am talking about. Painful lobes, tangles of wires, and sometimes being woken up by my beloved iPod falling on the floor. Well, the Sound Asleep Pillow aims to solve all this.Basically, for £20 each, you get a nice comfortable pillow, with a speaker built in. Out of the top corner of the seam there is a wire protruding, into which you plug your iPod, or any sound source with a 3.5mm mini-jack connection. An extension cable is also supplied, that connects between the pillow and the gadget you are plugging in.
I had my doubts about how effective the Sound Asleep Pillow would be, but I was really surprised. At low volumes it is quite hard to hear, but from mid-volume up to full, when you place you head on the pillow you can hear music really nicely. Speech is also nice and clear and overall pretty impressive. Where this scores extra marks is that it does not disturb your partner or the rest of the house. Move you head more than a couple of feet away and you cannot hear the sound. At full volume you can hear it slightly, but certainly not enough to disturb anyone.
This solves a big problem, that I mentioned right at the beginning of this review. It stops you getting tangled wires and more importantly prevents sore ears. This product is ideal to soothe you off to a good nights sleep and the price is pretty good too. It'll make a superb present (something a little different don't you think?) or why not treat yourself. The sound is not astounding quality, but it isn't meant to be, it simply does what it says on the packaging. The Sound Asleep Pillow is available direct or at a good selection of retailers detailed on their website. This is a great fun product and is worth the asking price.
Product: Sound Asleep Pillow
Price: £20
Supplied by: Sleep Limited
Contact: info@sleeplimited.co.uk
Noreve Tradition Leather Case for iPhone - Review
Monday, December 10, 2007
Hear yeh, hear yeh, free sim cards are a pourin', great deals are a comin', it really is the season to be jolly. With this passion vintage colour leather iPhone case from Noreve, reminding me of mulled red wine, mince pies, and Christmas holly. If you want something luxurious to protect your iPhone, then check out the video review below.
Product: Tradition Leather Case for the Apple iPhone
Price: $49.99
Supplied by: Noreve USA
Contact: 866-804-9159
Labels: Apple iPhone, Review
Nescafe Dolce Gusto Review - Get All Steamy !
Christmas comes but once a year, but a cappuccino needs to be enjoyed all year through... Most of us lead hectic lives, either in physical jobs, or mentally demanding desk based jobs, so getting that all important wake-me-up drink, or something to set you going at the start of the day, or even winding down in the evening is very important. Popping down to the local coffee shop is an option, but hardly friendly on the pocket. Making a nice, proper tasting drink, with the numerous drinks machines out there, is again an option, but often a chore. So we often settle for a plain cup of coffee or tea, which does the trick, but is a bit boring day in, day out. This is where the Nescafé Dolce Gusto steps up to the block, promising a delicious coffee every time, fast, fresh and instant. The question is, does it deliver? and is it worth your hard earned cash?Personally, I am not a big coffee fan, but I do love Cappuccino and Hot Chocolate, so I was very keen to get this baby set up. Out of the box, it was a simple matter of a few minutes reading the instructions. These are particularly good, in full colour, with nice photos and a step-by-step walk through of how to set up, make a drink and take care of your machine. Setting up was easy, plug in, switch on, top up the container with water and I was almost there. Topping up was really easy, the container lifts easily from the main body of the Dolce Gusto and the fill up cap reveals a really large hole. Once topped up, there is no snapping or awkward alignment needed, you just sit it back onto the base and it slides into place. Now I was ready to make my first drink, which was a cappuccino. The cup holder/drip tray needs to be adjusted in height manually, so I did this for my particular drink.
Most drinks seems to be a two stage affair, so I put the milk capsule into the holder, pushed the piercing pin into it, and slotted it back into the machine. Then the lever on the front is slid over to the red position, and piping hot frothy milk is pumped into the supplied white cappuccino cup. Once you have enough in the cup, you slide that lever back across to the middle position and wait about four seconds for the green LED to stop flashing. Then I popped the used capsule out and trashed it in the supplied tub. The second capsule contains the coffee, so I put this in place, repeated the motions and voila, I had a wonderful cup of frothy cappuccino. The taste was spot on, and I was surprised on two separate counts. Firstly how silky smooth and perfect the drink tasted, and secondly, how stunningly fast I had prepared my FIRST drink. It was just so easy, to say I was totally impressed in an understatement.Taking care of the machine is really easy to, there is really not much cleaning involved. The drip tray will need rinsing every now and again. Plus, if you switch to a different type of drink, it is recommended that you run some plain water through, with the supplied rinsing tool in place. This was really easy to do. You can also purchase a descaling kit, which is probably wise if you live in a hard water area.
Choice... is a good thing. The Dolce Gusto does not disappoint here either. Apart from the cappuccino and hot chocolate mentioned earlier, you also have Latte Macchiato, Caffé Lungo, Espresso and a cold option with Cappuccino Ice.For your £80 you get a choice of base colours on the machine (black, red or ivory), plus you get a starter kit to get you going. This includes a white cappuccino cup, a saucer, a taller glass cup, plus a selection of ten drinks. Ongoing costs are really pretty good too, with packs of capsules costing just under £3 for between eight and sixteen drinks (depending on the variety you choose). Shopping around, I found some on special offer at £2 which is even better.
Another option to make things even more appealing is to register on the manufacturers website, where you can then add points to your account for every box of capsules you buy. These can then be redeemed against accessories, like cups, spoons, or even more drink capsules. For example, every box purchase you register gets you 10 points, and to redeem these for a box of capsules would cost you 150 points.
In summary, the Dolce Gusto is the best drink machines I have ever experienced. It is super easy to use, mess free, and most importantly delivers delicious drinks. The quality of the drink can be put down to a combination of the Arabica beans used in the capsules, coupled with the high 14 bar pressure delivered. This really is a serious offering, and it is built to a very high quality. It’ll save you a lot of time and really guarantee you a great tasting drink every time.
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Product: Nescafé Dolce Gusto Drinks Machine
Price: £89.99
Supplied by: Nescafé
Contact: 0800 707 6066
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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