Monthly Archives: November 2008
Pentax – K-m
In a world that’s now swarming with entry-level digital SLRs, Pentax is in a crowded market with the K-m (known as the K2000 in the US). It’s a 10.2 effective megapixel model that comes with either a 18-55mm f3.5-5.6AL or a 50-200mm f4-5.6ED kit lens. Despite its good manual operation abilities, the Pentax K-m is…
Britannica – Encyclopedia Britannica Ultimate 2009
The DVD-based version of the Encyclopedia Britannica is back for its yearly regeneration. A bit like Doctor Who, but with a little less pizzazz. Interestingly, the promotional blurb for the package states the advantages of Britannica over using Internet search engines (mentioning no Wikipedia). It stresses that its search results are returned on relevancy not…
Dell – Latitude E6500
The Latitude E6500 is – as ever from Dell – highly configurable, and the base price, while it might be attractive, will almost certainly not be what most people end up paying. However, the ability to configure a laptop to the degree that Dell allows does mean you can fiddle endlessly with specs. Beginning with…
LG – KC550
Phones at the leading edge are currently offering 8-megapixel cameras, but 5-megapixel ones are far from ubiquitous and arguably a better value for money proposition. If you want the quality and clarity that 8 megapixels offers you are currently better off going for a dedicated digital camera. LG’s tri-band KC550 is a low cost 5-megapixel…
BenQ – MP771 projector
It used to be the case that projectors weighed a ton, had to be placed in a room the size of a garage in order to have half a chance of achieving a decent focus, needed an asbestos mat to deal with the over-heating and required a good stock of bulbs because of the constant…
Penny Arcade Adventures – On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode Two
The darkness is nothing to be afraid of. Unless you’re talking about the sounds of the hideous pop-rock band, in which case you should run to the hills screaming, tearing at your ears until their drums are clawed forth and you’re granted a merciful but bloody silence. Darkness itself isn’t inherently evil: it’s merely the…
Creative – SoundBlaster X-Fi Go!
Laptops aren’t known for the quality of their sound and even upgrading a desktop’s sound card can be fiddly and driver-ridden. Creative’s X-Fi sound systems can produce excellent multi-channel sound and can simulate surround sound through a single pair of earbuds or headphones. The latest version, called the SoundBlaster X-Fi Go! (obligatory ‘!’) is designed…
UbiSoft – Far Cry 2
There’s no point beating about the bush here: Far Cry 2 is a huge game. The reviewers’ notes that came with our test copy describe the game in 20-hour chunks, and it’s clear that – contrary to the majority of modern day first person shooters – UbiSoft has gone to great lengths to ensure a…
Canon – HG20
Canon’s current crop of camcorders has been gathering a clutch of plaudits, with its flash memory-based HF10 and HF100 leading the way, the DVD-based HR10 and the MiniDV-centred HV30 catering impressively for other storage formats. The HG20 is the immediate upgrade from the hard disk-recording HG10 and has been brought out in parallel with the…
Konica Minolta – Magicolor 5670EN
Konica Minolta’s Magicolor 5670EN is part of a new line of business printers offering speed and quality for those who deal in high-volume yields. It’s a colour laser printer but is otherwise pretty basic in both features and operation. The design is functional enough, with a 500-sheet paper feeder and a 100-sheet manual feed tray…