Monthly Archives: December 2008
NEC – EA261WM
For most desktops, both in the workplace and at home, 26 inches is about as big as you’ll want to get. Screens of this size are a much neater alternative to having two smaller displays side-by-side, and allow for multiple windows to be visible simultaneously. NEC’s 26-inch widescreen EA261WM is the latest to arrive on…
Kodak – EasyShare M1093 IS
Long gone are the days when a camera was a large, bulky object, usually contained in a battered, buff-coloured leather case and valued mostly for the effectiveness of its lenses rather than for any kind of styling. Nowadays much of the focus is on the packaging as much as the performance and Kodak’s EasyShare M1093…
Research in Motion – BlackBerry Bold
The BlackBerry Bold is Research In Motion’s latest full QWERTY device. That is to say, underneath the screen there is a little QWERTY keyboard that the emailaholics among us can use to tap out messages while on the move. But the BlackBerry has come a long way from the days when it was purely designed…
Rock – Xtreme XSL8-9550
If ever there was an apt name for a notebook then Rock’s Xtreme SL8 family of hardcore gaming notebooks wears it with pride. There is nothing subtle about any of them: fast performing, huge in stature and colossal in weight, the Xtreme SL8s live up to their billing, especially our review sample, the current flagship…
Gear4 – ProControl AV
If you’re after a dock for your iPod there are plenty to choose from and Gear4 is a company that’s been more active in this market than most. The ProControl AV promises a stylish and multifunctional home for your iPod, but is also compatible with the iPod Touch, Nano and Mini, though sadly there’s no…
TuneUp – TuneUp Utilities 2009
Most people would probably agree that PC maintenance isn’t as high a priority as it used to be. As such we’d expect the success of software like TuneUp Utilities to suffer from the fact that people either don’t need to (or can’t be bothered to) optimise a machine or are happy to make do with…
Nintendo – Wii Music
There’s an inherent brilliance and simplicity to Wii Music that for some time is hard to resist. After all, in stark contrast to the likes of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, there’s no heavy investment in periperhals required here. Instead, the game turns the Wiimote and Nunchuk controllers into musical instruments. And you stand there,…
PC Specialist – Vortex
The Vortex from PC Specialist is the first machine we have seen that uses Intel’s new Core i7 processor architecture and its accompanying X58 chipset technology. Although you may baulk at the price of the review system (and that’s just for the system box) you could have one of the fastest systems around off the…
Samsung – Q310
With its glossy black chassis, Samsung’s Q310 will immediately appeal to those with an eye for style. Whether or not you appreciate the red streak along the wrist-rest is another matter. The shiny black plastic is also something of a magnet for fingerprints and it took us just a few minutes to coat the lid…
Nokia – 6220 Classic
The 6220 from Nokia is a bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It looks like a standard mid-range candybar mobile phone, but behind its ordinary looking fascia there is a pretty strong range of features. For starters there is a 5-megapixel camera. Now, these aren’t exactly rare these days, but nor are they everywhere…