Hitachi XL500 External Hard Drive – 500GB Review
July 29, 2010
Don’t be ashamed. Your problem is a common one and can be fairly easily treated. So, your photos / music /movies / games collection has got too big for your PC and you’ve got a CD here, a flash drive there and basically your cherished information is all over the place. What you need is to think about buying an external hard drive. A what? But aren’t they expensive and complicated and stuff like that? Not any more, my son, not any more. This Hitachi XL500 external hard drive will expand your storage space by 500 GB, which should be enough to store your files, unless you are a ‘heavy’ downloader.
Design
What do you expect and want from the Hitachi XL500 External Hard Drive – 500GB unit? Unless my powers of clairvoyance have entirely deserted me I expect you want something small enough to be unobtrusive and robust enough not to worry about giving it the odd nudge. If you want the stats then it is black, sturdy and measures up at 185.42 x 134.62 x 50.8 mm (W x D x H). In short it will fit in a small space and looks good.
Notable Specifications
I guess that the most important point about any external hard drive is the amount of storage space it gives you. This one gives you a very healthy 500GB and is connected straight into your USB. It works with PCs and with Macs and comes with all the accessories you could reasonably expect. It is equally and if not quicker than most standard har drives which makes transfering and using files quick and carefree.
Value
Gullible High Street shoppers will smilingly hand over 5 crisp tenners and wander off home in the biting wind, through dilapidated streets filled with Victorian style street urchins who will probably steal the hard drive off them in order to buy some jellied eels and flat caps. You, however, have chosen the internet route and will not only save yourself a tenner but will also avoid those troublesome urchins.
Summary
The HITACHI XL500 External Hard Drive – 500GB unit does everything you could want it to do, and with a good internet offer price that is enough for me.
IOMEGA Prestige Portable Hard Drive Review
July 12, 2010
Questions which have been keeping me awake at night (part 1). Did a 70s or 80s cartoon series about a condor and Peruvian / Mexican boy really appear on our screens once or did I dream it? What was the answer to that annoying riddle about crossing the river with a chicken, a fox and some food? Were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon such a big deal or was it simply a fancy basket arrangement? Where will I put those 320 GB of files I need to transport? Unless a veteran BBC worker, experienced farmyard animal transporter or Middle East archaeologist phones me in the next couple of hours it looks like I am only going to be able to answer one of those questions today.
Design
If you buy a portable hard drive you want it to be strong and durable yet light enough to be able to carry it around with you. The tough aluminium shell and anti drop technology mean that the IOMEGA Prestige should handle a bit of rough and tumble, while it is also a nice weight for moving around.
Notable Specifications
You can store up to 320 GB, which is the most important point here. It comes with a USB 2.0 cable and is cunningly designed so as not to need an external power supply.
Value
You mum told you not to accept sweets off strange men but she didn’t warn you off buying bargains on the internet. 40 pounds will be the price if you track down the latest internet offer at PC World.
Summary
If you want a portable hard drive (and if you are reading this review you either do want one or you harbour the faint hope of finding out some snippet about that cartoon) then the IOMEGA Prestige portable hard drive is a top notch choice at a good price.
By the way, it was called Cities of Gold and hearing the haunting theme music again transported me immediately back in time.
Acer P195HQlb 18.5 Widescreen Monitor Review
July 12, 2010
What qualities do you look for in a monitor? If a good sized screen, high definition picture quality and economic power consumption are on your wish list then join me for a look at the snappily titled Acer P195HQLb 18.5 Widescreen LED Monitor. Design
I like black gadgets. Some people prefer chrome or pink or whatever, but if God/Allah/Buddha/Shiva/Sir Clive Sinclair had wanted us to use chrome gadgets he/she wouldn’t have invented black plastic would he/she? This monitor has a nice, stylish look without being likely to cause severe chest pains or drooling.
Notable Specifications
None.
Only joking. It has the connectivity options you need to connect to your PC, a wall mount and Kensington lock and a massive 8,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The clever bit is the back lighting, this means that your usage of power is kept very low at 15.8 watts with each operation. Save the planet and buy yourself a Cornish pasty with the savings. It’s what an American businessman might call a win win situation.
Value
This is the good bit. You have probably already formed an idea of how much you would pay for this Acer P195HQLb 18.5 Widescreen LED Monitor. The figure you have in your head will depend on your current market knowledge, financial status and desperation for a new monitor. When I tell you the price you are either going to: a) angrily switch off the PC and curse me for leading you up the garden path, b) punch the air with delight and add to me to your list of favourite monitor reviewers, or c) shrug your shoulders nonchalantly and forget this review ever existed. £89.99 is the price I had in the sealed envelope. Did we match?
Summary
This is a very good monitor which gives an excellent image and consumes very little power. The key is the price, however. If you are currently in the market for a new monitor then your timing is good.
Logitech Lapdesk n700 Review
June 26, 2010
If you find yourself looking at the picture below and saying, “that looks cool, but what is it?” then don’t worry; you won’t be the only one saying it. The Logitech Lapdesk n700 is an interesting hybrid between laptop stand, additional speakers for your PC and a cooling fan to stop your computer (and your legs) over heating as you rattle through those emails.
Design
Innovative, sleek, white and quite likely to make people who visit you repeat the old “that looks cools but…?” question, the best point of the little Logic Lapdesk n700 is quite possibly the comfort factor. The padded base and well thought out viewing angle mean that you can use your laptop just as easily on the sofa, in bed, on a bean bag or in a rocking chair (top tip of the day: this is a great way for older readers to look up the Val Doonican website).
Notable Specifications
The Logitech Lapdesk n700 comes with great if not spectacular 2W speakers, which are powered through a USB connection and which give an improved sound without you having to worry about plugging in cumbersome units or having cords hanging about. The fan and speakers come with easy to use little switches, to help you regulate everything just the way you want it.
Summary
It’s comfortable, makes your laptop sound better, keeps your lap and laptop cool and means that you probably have even more flexibility about where and when you use your computer. Having said that, it can’t be regarded as an essential piece of equipment. Whether or not you are tempted probably depends whether you think that around £60 is a good price for something which you didn’t know you needed but which could improve your comfort factor and your sound quality and would certainly lead to a few questions being asked by visitors.
Atomic Pico Bluetooth Dongle Review
October 4, 2009
Bluetooth has become the most common way of connecting wireless peripherals and mobile devices to a PC or laptop. In the world of the Bluetooth dongles arms race it has always been about miniaturisation, without compromising on features and functionality. That’s where the Atomic Pico Bluetooth dongle comes in, rightly claiming the title of smallest USB Bluetooth dongle in the world. With its tiny design it is dwarfed by even the next closes competitor, the Nano. The question is, should you consider picking one up for yourself?
The Design
Aesthetically there is very little to comment on because of the Atomic Pico’s small size. It will fit into a USB port and remain virtually flush with the edge of your PC or laptop while it is in use. The main benefits of this unobtrusive operation is that it will be impossible to knock, damage or snap off when in use. This makes it extremely suitable for users who take their laptops and Bluetooth dongles with them and use them whilst out and about. It is not the most attractive device ever conceived, but it is designed for covert operation rather than as a flashy accessory.
The Functionality and Technical Specifications
The Atomic Pico may be small but it packs in all of the capabilities that you would expect from a modern Bluetooth dongle. It uses the advancements of Bluetooth v2.0+ in order to transfer data at a maximum rate of 3Mbps. Additionally you can connect up to six different Bluetooth devices to your PC at the same time using a single Atomic Pico dongle and it can broadcast in stereo for those with advanced Bluetooth headsets. It is also backwards compatible with devices operating with older Bluetooth standards. The Atomic Pico can be used for simple drag and drop file transfer between mobile devices wirelessly, but it is also compatible with top mobile phone software suites for more complete control. The manufacturers state that it has a 10 meter coverage range, which is adequate if you are going to be sitting near your computer whilst you utilise the Bluetooth connectivity. However, for connecting to devices in adjacent rooms, such as printers or networked drives, you may have more trouble. However, since the most common use of a Bluetooth dongle is for data transfer between a mobile phone or PDA and a computer this will not affect a majority of Atomic Pico customers.
The Compatibility
Like most modern USB Bluetooth dongles the Atomic Pico is a plug and play device. That means you can slot it into a spare USB port and in a matter of moments it will have installed all of the drivers that you will need to begin using it. It is also compatible with Windows XP, Vista and 7 so it will work with future as well as past operating systems. Mac users running OSX can also enjoy the Atomic Pico dongle. There is even the option to install BlueSoliel software for free which will give you access to advanced connectivity options, although for standard use the device will function well without this. Because of the frequencies which this device uses the manufacturers claim you will experience less interference with wireless networks that you would with other Bluetooth dongles. However this will of course depend on the specific calibration of your own wireless network.
The Negatives
Though on the surface the Atomic Pico Bluetooth dongle is ideal, there are a couple of problems that could surface through prolonged use. The first issue is that because of its small size it is very easy to misplace if not stored safely. On the flip side the manufacturers suggest that because of its small size, low power consumption and unobtrusive installation you could leave it plugged in to your laptop at all times. The problem with permanent use is that you will always have one of your precious USB ports taken up by the Atomic Pico. This issue goes hand in hand with the next problem. Bluetooth connectivity is now fairly common in mid range laptops, but the inexpensive netbooks with which this device will be most commonly used will also have fewer USB ports available. This may result in a Catch 22 situation, so you will have to weigh up the convenience of such a small device against the potential downsides.
Conclusion
There is simply no smaller Bluetooth dongle solution available at the moment, so if you have a laptop or PC without built in Bluetooth then this product should be a serious consideration. You could use this single dongle to connect a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, a mobile phone and a headset while still keeping the ability to connect more devices should you need to. This product is available exclusively from the mobile fun website.
Wi-Fi on the move with Proxicast Cell-PAK 3G HotSpot
May 2, 2009
Getting mobile internet connectivity for a laptop on the move is now relatively simple with the advent of the dongle. However what do emergency services and major businesses in war torn or disaster areas do when there is no means of wired communication? Wireless communication equipment manufacturer Proxicast have developed the solution with the Cell-PAK. This compact, heavy duty 3G cellular router provides a mobile communications centre whatever the location.
Clearly for domestic situation this is not useful product but for a business this could be critical for providing a much needed internet service in the event of a disaster whether natural or manmade. The uses for industry however are not confined to emergency situations this product will provide internet connectivity for locations where a conventional router is not possible or should there be an interruption to power and wired communication services.
Some of applications that the Proxicast Cell-PAK could potentially be used for are Humanitarian Aid and relief services, emergency mobile medical operations, site construction and engineering works, backup service for conventional wired internet connections, disaster management zones and relief effort services, emergency services including police and fire brigade services and emergency vehicles. In fact the uses for the Proxicast Cell-PAK are almost endless, no matter what business or industry the downtime implications to services and the incurred costs in respect of lost revenue are astronomical, by keeping one of these portable high speed cellular broadband packages to hand the financial effect on any industry can be minimised.
The Proxicast Cell-PAK provides over twelve hours of continuous high speed wireless communication service from one battery charge. Proxicast Cell-PAK has a 12 volt battery, AC/DC adapter included, crushproof , impact resistant, water resistant, cellular long range and Wi-Fi high gain antenna, LCD battery level meter, multiple LED charging status, continuous operation possible can also be recharged whilst operating.
Let the Devolo MicroLink sort out your home networking problems
April 16, 2009
The Devolo MicroLink dLAN DUO HomePlug 14Mbps Ethernet & USB Starter Kit is not a new product to the market, but it is a damn useful one! We just felt we should share the details with you just in case you have never heard of it.
This useful bit of kit will allow you to have access to the internet to practically any location in the house via the mains power circuit. This is an amazingly simple solution to those annoying problems that crop up at home; such as trailing wires, connection drop outs on laptops or gaming devices, data sharing, having an additional internet connection in a home office, studio or shed. The Devolo MicroLink is a fantastic plug and play device and is the easiest problem solver possible.
The range the Devolo MicroLink can cover is up to 200m and it can share up to 14 Mbps of data. The kit comes complete with two of the MicroLink dLAN adapter sockets and cabling, as well as full simple to follow instructions. Just a simple case of plugging your PC or gaming devices to the power via the MicroLink dLAN Duo adapter and connect the DSL modem/router to the power via the MicroLink dLAN Duo adapter – instant internet access.
The Devolo MicroLink dLAN DUO HomePlug 14Mbps Ethernet & USB Starter is retailing for about £55 though we have found it cheaper so it is certainly worth looking around for the best price, but even at £55 we think it is a great price for such a huge problem solver. After all if you wanted to get an engineer out to sort out any of the above problems then you are talking over £50 call out charge without even touching anything else.
The all new LG W53 Monitors are a lot easier on the eye
April 14, 2009
LG the global electronics brand has released a new series of LCD monitor screens that they claim will help alleviate eyestrain. The new W53 series monitors feature LCD High Definition Widescreen technology that alters and optimises the brightness levels depending on the surroundings, the monitors also feature a black out function that will remove flickering pop up images when there are video clips displayed.
Want ultimate gaming graphics? GeForce 295 GTX can fix it!
April 11, 2009
For all you gamers who would like the most superior gaming experience possible then you really need to get your hands on the GeForce 295 GTX graphics card. Providing the fastest possible graphics and the same performance as two of the previous 200 GTX processors, the 295 GTX delivers an unrivalled gaming experience which is without doubt the ultimate gamers heaven. The GeForce 295 GTX graphics card has been hailed as the “Most Powerful Dual Chip Graphics Card” ever, and the gaming experience is certainly second to none.
In brief the tenth generation 295 GTX comes complete with Farcry 2 and is packing HD PureVideo Technology, NVIDIA CUDA technology, HDMI certified, Dual Link HDCP and Quad SLI capable. PCI express, DirectX 10 support, Open 2.1 support and second generation unified architecture.
All this speed and excellence however comes at a cost, and you had better start dropping hints for Christmas as this is not a cheap acquisition. It is a real ‘must have’ and it really is worth the enormous expenditure of, maybe you should sit down at this point …. The recommended retail price of almost £470! It honestly is the ultimate in graphics card and the bigger the screen the better to really fully appreciate the outstanding image quality
One criticism that has been levelled is that it can cause overheating so good ventilation is essential to eliminate any risks of this happening. Also it is worth bearing in mind that you will need a good computer system to ensure the motherboard is up to the job and of course to get the most out of what it can offer and of course some really great games. With this graphics card installed, which in itself is fairly simple then you won’t look back, getting you away from the PC though that is another matter.
HP Photosmart C4380 All In One Printer Review
August 27, 2008
The HP Photosmart C4380 all-in-one printer has a lot of features and you can pick one up for £80. The range of features it has means that it’s most definitely an all-in-one rather than a 3-in-1 although simplistically it features a printer, scanner, and copier. Geared towards the home office or small business worker it combines high quality prints, excellent features, and speedy printing times to make it a highly desirable addition to the office.
The wireless printer is extremely portable but its not lightweight in terms of options. You can print directly from memory cards, digital cameras, and other external storage devices and it includes a 3.8” preview screen so you can view them and make any minor adjustments before you print them.
It’s possible to print a photograph in under 30 seconds and general printing speeds of up to 30 pages per minute in mono and 23 in colour means it’s no slouch in the printing speed department. As a standalone copier it offers one touch copying so is great for small businesses limited on budget or space.
Other features include borderless printing, automatic paper type sensing, and two different HP Photosmart software packages.
