Judging from the photos on Plantronics’ website, the system requirements for its Voyager Pro headset include a goatee (recommended) or some carefully cultivated designer stubble (minimum). Fortunately, we were in unshaven mode when the box landed on our desk and it seemed to work just fine with a basic two-day growth.
Plantronics’ Voyager Pro: comfortable, if large
There was initially a little confusion about the name of the product. Plantronics quoted us a price of £80 for the Voyager Pro, but that’s just for the headset on its own. We’ve seen it on Amazon for about £55. Read the rest of this entry »
Review About 10 years ago, Psion’s handheld computers were the ones to beat and the Psion Series 5 was at the top of the heap. The keyboard was tiny but so well designed that it was really possible to touchtype on it. Indeed, the Series 5 set the standard for others to emulate, and, quite simply, as far as usability is concerned no other small format device since has come close.
New series? PsiXpda’s Pocket Computer
The PsiXpda doesn’t claim to be a Series 5 for the modern world but – being brought to us by the pairing of an ex-Psion employee and a handheld computing enthusiast – hopes are high that it might recapture some past glory. It falls into the UMPC category, being a fully-fledged Windows XP Professional machine.
Relying on an Intel Atom processor, the PsiXpda has a 5in screen and relatively sizeable keyboard, 16GB of SSD storage and microSD card support. It also features Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and a SIM card slot for mobile data – all quite alluring, really. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Do you really need an electronic notepad and portable media player, but have tiny pockets in all your clothes? If so, the Mintpad could be the answer. This compact device majors on its touchscreen notepad, but also has multimedia features and Wi-Fi Internet connectivity, in a player less than 80 x 65mm.
Small wonder: the Mintpass Mintpad
Some media players lead on their video playback, some on their audio prowess, but few, as yet, shout about their note-taking abilities. Mintpass, a South Korean company that gets its gear made by iRiver, has put together a little player called the Mintpad which does just this, though it also includes audio and video playback, a Camera, Stereoaudio recording and wireless Internet access.
The Mintpad is small, with just a 2.86in LCD touchscreen as its display and main input. Around the edges there are power and status buttons and a hold switch to lock the display, plus a 3.5mm headphone socket a USB connector and a slot for the stylus.
The 320 x 240 screen is bright and clear and the touchscreen is sensitive and easy-to-use. It supports simple gestures, mainly the flick, with other controls from on-screen buttons. Flicking up and down switches between functions, which include Chatting – more correctly messaging – Schedule, Name card for contact details, Text viewer and Recording, as well as the more obvious video, audio and Memo. Read the rest of this entry »
Review It was Amazon’s Kindle that really turned the idea of an e-book reader into a true mass-market proposition. Well, in the States, at least, because the first Kindle was only ever available to US-based buyers. Now, however, you can get an “international version” of the Kindle 2 in Blighty. More accurately, you can buy it from Amazon in the US and have it shipped to you in the UK.
Amazon’s Kindle: now over here
Look up the Kindle 2 on Amazon.com and you’ll find a headline price of $259 and since that’s about £155 in real money, you’re probably thinking it’s a bargain compared to the iRiver Story and Sony Reader Touch Edition, both priced on the wrong side of £200. But by the time you add shipping and import duty, the price of the Kindle is actually £207. Still cheaper than the competition, but not by as much.
Something else worth keeping in mind is that the International Kindle is not the latest version. In the US you can order the Kindle DX, which boasts a 9.7in screen in place of the standard edition’s 6in panel.
Before we dive in to the hardware, let’s deal with Amazon’s Big Idea: buying and downloading content over the air. Buy a Kindle and you get 3G or GPRS access to Amazon’s e-book store. There’s no up-front charge – the cost is built into the price of the book – and it means you no longer need to download books to computer then copy them over to the reader. Read the rest of this entry »
Review The Chumby is one of those strange little gadgets that defies easy categorisation. If we absolutely had absolutely to try to sum it up in half a dozen or so words, it would be: Wi-Fi internet radio alarm clock with widget support.
Chumby: internet-connected, squeezable blob
This description applies to a 150 x 100 x 80mm blob with a 3.5in, 320 x 240 touchscreen on the front. We say ‘blob’ because most of top, sides and back are covered with squeezable padded leather – real animal hide, not plastic. Squeezing the sides has no effect other than to relieve pent-up tension, but press the top and the Chumby’s only external control is triggered. It takes you to the main menu screen. Read the rest of this entry »
