Review The IoSafe Solo USB drive is a robust storage device that promises to protect precious data in the event of a fire or flood. It uses patented technology to surround the 3.5in Sata hard disk with both waterproof and fireproof barriers, as well as an innovative cooling mechanism.
IoSafe’s Solo: disc burning and soak tests take on a new meaning
At 15lbs, the IoSafe drive feels reassuringly heavy – portable, it most definitely is not. The case measures 11 x 7 x 5.1 inches and of a sturdy “alloy steel” construction. Being terminally curious, opening it up we found it contained two large slabs of a solid fire-resistant material resembling plaster of Paris. Cooling channels are moulded into the slabs, leading to a large hole in the centre, in which sits IoSafe’s choice of drive, a 500GB Hitachi Deskstar, enclosed in a plastic jacket.
The drive cables are sealed at the neck of the bag with a silicon-based cement. On the back of the unit is the power switch and sockets for the external PSU and a solitary USB 2.0 interface – pity there’s no FireWire or eSata option though. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Forgotten where you parked your car? Lost your hotel, tent or even family and friends? For the terminally disorientated, the Ecco Personal Pocket GPS Locator is designed to put you back on track. Indeed, this hi-tech key fob proves to be more than just the novelty item that it first appears.
IDC Ecco: for keys that have lost their car
Designed for rough handling, a rugged, hard black plastic exterior protects the inner workings and a robust metal loop provides the means to attach it to a key ring or belt loop. The whole unit is a little on the big side for a key fob, but it doesn’t feel too heavy in the pocket.
The unit works by connecting to the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the little beastie is capable of tracking up to 32 satellites and can operate over a distance of 9999 miles. Charging options are versatile enough, hooking up to anything that will provide juice using a USB port. There’s also mains power, a 12V vehicle charger option, and a 5V auxiliary power pack available. Thoughtfully, the low battery warning doesn’t wait until the unit is nearly drained but kicks in when it is about 25 per cent empty. Read the rest of this entry »
Review The Finepix F200EXR is the replacement for the Finepix F100fd, which we looked at last January. Although there are a number of similarities between the two cameras – they have the same sized image sensor, optical zoom and Camera body – there are some differences too, not least the Finepix F200EXR’s new EXR image sensor.
Fujifilm’s Finepix F200EXR features an upgraded sensor and advanced processing tricks
This being an F-series Camera, the Finepix F200EXR is what Fuji calls an “advanced compact,” and is thus aimed at the user who wants to do more than just point-and-shoot. It has a 1/1.6-inch Super CCD HR CCD with 12Mp, a 5x optical zoom lens in the form of an f=6.4-32.0mm, F3.3-5.1 Fujion lens, equivalent to a 28-140mm lens on a 35mm Camera. The standard ISO range of 100-3200 can be increased up to ISO 12800, with the shutter speed range of ¼-1/1500sec, extendable to 8-1/1500 sec in some modes.
This Camera supports xD, SD, and SDHC cards, has 48MB of internal memory and comes with a lithium-ion battery. In a throwback to the days of film, you can select several film simulation types, including Fuji’s standard Provia and vivid Velvia. The battery has a CIPA rating of 230 shots per battery charge, which is disappointing; we’d expect the figure to be closer to 300 shots for a Camera of this type. Read the rest of this entry »
Review With the price of the Reader PRS-600 Touch Edition having been hiked up by 25 per cent over the original PRS-505, Sony clearly thinks there’s room for a cheaper alternative. Hence the launch of the Reader PRS-300 Pocket Edition which does without a touchscreen and has a 5in rather than 6in screen.
Sony’s Reader Pocket Edition:
In the UK, the Pocket sells for £180. While that’s a hefty £70 cheaper than the Touch, it’s worth remembering that it’s only 20 quid less than the old 505 sold for.
Physically, the Pocket resembles a shrunken and tidied up version of the 505. At 107 x 158 x 10mm, it’s the same thickness as the Touch, but 14mm narrower and 17mm shorter. At 220g, it weighs a noticeable 66g less.
Without a touchscreen, the controls are once again placed on the device’s face, but there are only ten rather than the 17 the 505 had, and the layout is far neater. Read the rest of this entry »
Review You don’t have to dig too deep to see that the diversity of Samsung’s netbook range is a case of flattering to deceive. Sure, there are plenty of them, but the differences are essentially Peripheral and cosmetic with all bar the NC20 having 10.1in screens and the usual netbook-norm Intel Atom chippery.
Samsung’s N510: a full res screen without a weak Z-series Atom CPU
The N510, however, diverges from the pattern established by the NC10 and replicated in such machines as the N110, N120 and N310 in that it uses Nvidia’s Ion LE graphics chip – along with a 1.66GHz Atom N280 CPU – and an 11.6in, 1366 x 768 display.
Despite the hidden differences, externally the N510 is quite clearly a Samsung. The design is restrained, if not to say conservative, and the only colours available are white and black. As with previous Samsung netbooks, the build quality is of a high standard. You get the feeling this is a machine that will take whatever life throws at it.
Easy-on-the-eye blue status lights abound, as do icons telling you what all the ports are for, together making this an ideal machine for anyone who loses sleep over whether or not they have left the Caps Lock key engaged or worry should they try to stick USB devices into HDMI or LAN ports. Read the rest of this entry »
