Monthly Archives: June 2005
GSP – Burn.Now 1.5 SE, PhotoImpact XL SE, My Scrapbook 2
Among the latest raft of releases from budget software specialists GSP come these three applications, courtesy of a team-up with Ulead Software. First, there’s Burn.Now 1.5 SE. The clue here is in that ‘SE’ suffix, as while it’s a decent enough CD and DVD burning application, it is a very limited one. For example, it…
Samsung – ML-2250
It’s hard to believe the prices of mono laser printers; not because they’re high, but because you get a lot of printer for not a lot of money. By browsing round the Web, this Samsung ML-2250 can be had for under £80. What you get for that money is a smart, white and pale grey,…
Abit – Radeon R9550 Guru
Judging by all the hullabaloo around their latest, fastest graphics cards, you might think that companies like ATI and nVidia are only interested in the high-end, mega-fast, expensive cards. But this is far from the truth. These high-end cards are only sold in small numbers, and what really sells are the lower-end cards, the entry-level…
AMD – Athlon 64 FX-57
AMD has launched its latest and greatest desktop processor, the AMD Athlon 64 FX-57. As the name suggests, the FX-57 is a faster variant of the FX-55, raising the core speed from 2.6GHz to 2.8GHz. The FX-57 continues to use the Socket 939 form, with 1MB of L2 cache. It uses a core which has…
Logitech – MX 518 Gaming-Grade Optical Mouse
In the past we’ve experienced bad mice, and we hated those ‘mices’ to pieces. There’s nothing worse than an uncomfortable, cheap mouse, and considering how much you use this long-tailed peripheral it’s worth splashing out a little extra money to get a good one. This is especially true if you’re an avid gamer who spends…
SanDisk – Sansa
SanDisk is best known for its storage cards, but has just released a portable music player, the Sansa, in two capacities. We’ve reviewed the 1GB version which is silver and white in colour, but a 512MB alternative (blue and white) is also available. It is certainly small: 2.9 x 2.17 x 0.55 inches, and light…
Serif – Desktop Publishing Suite
Whereas the majority of software companies over the past ten to fifteen years have been embroiled in some kind of downsize, merger, takeover or seemingly vital corporate event, Serif has remained a constant. The simple reason? The company has rarely taken its eye off the proverbial ball, continuing to deliver good, solid software without ever…
ECS – PF88 Extreme
ECS is well known for thinking up innovative solutions for motherboards, but the company’s developers have surpassed themselves with their latest motherboard; the PF88 Extreme. As a basic Intel board this is very well priced, but with the addition of the A9S SIMA card, it transforms into a reasonably priced Socket 939 AMD board. When…
Eidos – Lego Star Wars
Be honest. How many games have you played recently that have left you with a big cheesy grin on your face? And let’s be honest again. How often has a Star Wars game managed to eclipse your expectations? Lego Star Wars, bizarrely, manages to tick both of these boxes. It’s bizarre because it’s a title…
Focus – Your Garden Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition
The English language is such a quirky and eccentric thing. Someone who’s good at gardening is said to have green fingers, yet we don’t call an adept swimmer blue fingered. Or a bad mountaineer black fingered. But whether you’re stereotypically green fingered or not, an informative garden encyclopedia is a must for the keen gardener,…