Review For a company that pioneered the widespread use of the mouse as a computer controller, Apple has a surprisingly bad record at making good ones, particularly since the return of Steve Jobs and, with him, industrial design as the prime driver of product creation.
Past Apple mice have either been ergonomic non-starters or have tripped up before even reaching the longevity hurdle. Who can forget the finger-crimping nightmare that was the circular ‘hockey puck’ mouse that shipped with the first iMac and the blue’n'white Power Mac G3?
Even its more hand-friendly successor was never entirely comfortable, thanks to its oddly pivoted button, which filled the entire upper surface of the mouse. That complete-surface button design was maintained when Apple introduced the Mighty Mouse. While adding the ability to – at long, long last – detect secondary, ‘right button’ clicks, this mouse also sported a tiny trackball that, initially useful, later stopped working properly as its mechanism filled with grease and dust. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Like a faded 1970’s rock group, Sharp’s web site proudly proclaims that the company is ‘Big In Japan’. There’s more than a hint of irony in that claim, though, as Sharp is no doubt aware that it’s a relatively low-profile player here in Europe when compared with the likes of Sony, Samsung and Toshiba. However, it’s clearly hoping that the latest additions to its Aquos range of HD TVs will put it back on the map again.
Contrasting view: Sharp’s LC40LE700E Aquos
The LC40LE700E reviewed here is part of Sharp’s new LE700 range, all of which are distinguished by their use of full-screen LED backlighting. This particular model has a 40in screen with 1080p resolution and 100Hz refresh, and costs £1299 if bought directly from Sharp’s online store. There are also 32in, 46in and 52in versions available, priced at £949, £1599, and £1899 respectively. As always, it’s worth shopping around, as there are some bargains deals out there.
Our first impressions of the LC40LE700E were a little underwhelming. The unit’s design is pretty nondescript, with a simple black plastic bevel around the edges of the screen, adorned only by a glowing blue logo on the bottom edge of the screen – this can be turned off it you find it distracting. The manual was rather unhelpful and we experienced a worrying Ikea moment, with the screen turned upside down while we attempted to screw the stand into place without being entirely sure if the stand was on backwards or not. Read the rest of this entry »
Review The low end of Iomega’s StorCenter range, the StorCenter ix2, is noisy, slow and lacking quite a few features you’d expect on a £300 Nas. The new StorCenter daddy, the ix4-200d, is in a different league in the speed and noise categories though, which you’d expect for 600-plus quid.
Low power, high capacity: Iomega’s StorCenter ix4-200d
Inside its squat, 16.7cm tall case, there’s a 1.2GHz Marvell 6281 CPU with 512MB Ram and four hard drives offering 2TB, 4TB and 8TB capacities. These are chopped into Raid 5 by default, although Raid 10 and JBOD formatting is also available.
There are two USB ports and two gigabit Ethernet ports on the back with one USB port handily placed on the front. There’s no eSata port to speak of though. A blue-backlit LCD is built into the front face, cycling through free space, time, date, IP address and current function. The current function, combined with two buttons, lets you select whether or not to transfer the contents of USB devices to the internal hard drives. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Windows Mobile 6.5 is now with us but its reception has been far from ecstatic. The general view is that Microsoft is playing catch-up and will have to do something spectacular with Windows Mobile 7, due to debut next year, if it’s to really challenge its rivals.
HTC’s Touch 2: aspiring to touchphone greatness
However, that hasn’t stopped a flurry of new smartphones from gaining the updated OS. HTC has two handsets in the fray: the large screened HD 2 and the more svelte Touch 2. It’s the latter we’re looking at today, two-and-a-half years on from the launch of the original Touch.
The HD 2 marries Microsoft’s revamped OS with an updated version of HTC’s own TouchFlo user interface. It isn’t always easy to tell where one begins and the other ends, though the new colour icons on the vibrant main screen’s horizontal shortcuts scrollbar are HTC’s, as is the six-person favourite contacts display. The main slide-to-unlock screen is Microsoft’s, as is the so-called ‘honeycomb’ applications menu. Read the rest of this entry »
Review We approve of the ongoing miniaturisation of external hard drives, but the process has its limits. Western Digital’s latest My Passport Essential is among the smallest drives of its class, but WD’s choice of a tiny connector could be the product’s downfall.
WD’s My Passport Essential: quirky, asymmetrical notebook design
Available in capacities ranging from 250GB to 640GB – we tested the 500GB model – the new MPE is comes in a glossy 110 x 83 x 15mm casing offered in five different colours. It’s just smaller than Samsung’s wee S2 Portable and similarly bus powered.
The casing is curiously asymmetric, WD having applied the broad characteristics of its Desktop My Book drive range to the smaller, portable offering. Three edges are flat, the fourth convex, giving it the look of a Moleskine notebook, though the WD is smaller. You can seen people carrying it cupped between fingers and palm.
The activity LED is located on the spine of the ‘book’. But this volume isn’t designed to be kept upright. The flat edges aren’t sufficiently level to allow the MPE to stand on its end. Knowing this, WD has equipped the drive’s base with four tiny rubber feet. Read the rest of this entry »
