Product Round-up The UK’s ongoing digital switchover means that Freeview HD has probably now rolled out to a transmitter near you. If you’re using old digital TVs or set-top boxes, you won’t get the four – soon to be five – high-def channels through your aerial, alongside the standard line-up.
One of the best ways to upgrade is with a new recorder equipped with DVB-T2 tuners. If all goes to plan, Freeview recorders will continue to evolve with the launch of YouView, which aims to set a common standard for ‘connected TV’. However, more than half of the DVRs below already access content such as the BBC iPlayer.
In many ways, products that cram in too much end up disappointing. The most dependable get the basics right – like tackling the problematic surround sound used on some HD broadcasts. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Plunging from a treacherous rampart, slowly succumbing to the poisonous bite or bludgeoned by a monstrous ice giant – Dark Souls wants you dead. And it doesn’t care how.
Shanking of the colossus
That should come as no surprise, of course. Anyone who dared play last year’s Demon’s Souls knows all too well that death will be their constant companion throughout the follow-up to From Software’s infamous RPG. While Dark Souls is as tough, if not tougher than the original, it’s also every bit as insanely addictive and rewarding. Read the rest of this entry »
Android App of the Week Fist published in 1998 Roger’s Profanisaurus is a compendium of words and phrases inspired by the lexicon and philosophy of Viz comic’s foul-mouthed northern TV reporter Roger Mellie.
Thirteen years later and “the man from the telly” can now spice up your descriptive and euphemistic powers through this handy app. Never before has it been so easy to find an alternate term to describe an ugly bird, taking a dump, throwing-up or passing wind.
Look up rude words
For anyone who doesn’t know what Viz is, the entire content of the app is based on sexual, regurgitory or lavatorial undertakings. There is nothing remotely uplifting, pleasant, politically correct or educational going on here. Much of it is bloody hilarious, though. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Sony Ericsson may not be churning out Android handsets in the bulk of HTC or Samsung, but its has produced some consistently good phones recently in its Xperia range. Building on last year’s X10 Mini Pro, this new version adds a slightly bigger screen, faster processor and Gingerbread, the latest version of Android for mobiles.
Sony Ericsson‘s Xperia Mini Pro: take it out for a slide
The Xperia Mini Pro is one of the smallest Android handsets you’ll find anywhere at 90 x 53 x 18mm and weighing 136g. But it has also got a trick up its sleeve, as it slides open with a reassuring clunk to reveal a 43-key full Qwerty keyboard. The teensy keys sit proud of the casing and while they don’t have much in the way of grading or angling, there’s enough room between each for mis-keying to not pose much of a problem. Read the rest of this entry »
Review When Toshiba UK announced the launch of the Qosmio X770 3D – a new gaming laptop with stereoscopic 3D graphics and a 17.3in HD screen, I immediately thought: could this be an Alienware killer? Toshiba has been said to lag behind other manufacturers when it comes to high-end gaming laptops, but after spending time with the X770 I would suggest that’s no longer the case.
Taking the heat: Toshiba’s Qosmio X770
The sample Qosmio X770-10J came in a huge leather case and I did wonder if it was going to unluggable. Indeed, portability isn’t the X770’s forte, but being 3.4kg doesn’t render it immobile. It’s still not comfortable to carry around for significant periods, even in my Crumpler backpack. Read the rest of this entry »
