Monthly Archives: June 2007
OpenOffice.org – OpenOffice.org 2.2
OpenOffice.org is an office suite you can download completely free of charge, which is quite the bargain, especially when you consider that it’s not a load of old tat. Not even close, in fact. This is a fully functioning office suite that’s compatible with Microsoft Office files, consisting of a word processor (Writer), a spreadsheet…
505 Games – Cooking Mama
A surprise hit on the Nintendo DS last year, Cooking Mama was tasty throwaway entertainment. Backed by a competitive price point, it’s the kind of open, accessible game that’s helped fuelled the Nintendo resurgence over the past few years. Its move across to the Nintendo Wii, however, hasn’t been as plain sailing as it should…
ZyXEL – NBG-415N and NWD-170N
The new ZyXEL NBG-415N router looks very similar to the 802.11g P-336M, however this Draft-N router sports three antennae, which gives the clue about some major changes under the bonnet. ZyXEL has taken its time about getting on the 802.11n bandwagon. Unlike many manufacturers it ignored the idea of Pre-N wireless hardware and has waited…
Sony – NW-A806
Where other companies have attempted to usurp Apple’s dominance of the MP3 player market by offering alternative features such as video playback, higher capacities and cheaper prices, Sony is the closest yet to taking it on at its own game. Traditionally Sony’s players are solidly built, stylish and make no compromises over audio, both in…
PC Tools – Spyware Doctor 5
Thanks to the good old Internet and its wealth of potential security risks, there will never be a lack of interest in PC protection. Spyware Doctor has been one of the more successful anti-spyware tools of recent times, with the new version 5 even better prepared to combat growing threats. Users of previous versions won’t…
JoWood – Spellforce 2: Dragon Storm
When games like World of Warcraft, Oblivion and Neverwinter Nights 2 grab most of the RPG headlines, it’s worth remembering that JoWood’s hybrid RPG/RTS SpellForce series has been providing hours of entertaining orc-bashing for some years now and, even though it has its flaws, the latest add-on pack continues to deliver more of what the…
3M – Privacy Filter
Ten years or so ago, when the contrast in monitor screens was not as good as it is today, there was a market for filters to stick on them and make the blacks blacker. Now 3M has introduced a similar kind of filter sheet, but for a different purpose. Today’s reason is security, to prevent…
VCOM – Perfect Image 11
There are plenty of uses for Avanquest’s Perfect Image 11, a utility that can save a complete image of a drive and reinstate it. It’s a good guard against operating system corruption or the installation of a new application which freezes things, and it can be used effectively for installing alternative operating systems on the…
Roxio – Copy & Convert 3
Get past the installation that insists on uninstalling certain Roxio programs that already reside on your hard drive, then get over its nagging to be allowed onto the Internet, and Roxio’s Copy & Convert is a useful, well priced tool. Its mission in life is to allow you to copy, convert and backup your movies…
Various – Portable Thunderbird, AbiWord, VLC
If you’re someone who wants to do their computing entirely on the move, then the growing proliferation of portable applications could be just what you’re looking for. These are utilities that are stored, installed and run entirely off a USB flash drive, with no hard disk footprint, and the benefit of literally being able to…