| Nintendo WII U - Modern HD Gaming Console (Part 4) |
| The eShop is the only supplement that is included in the updated Wii U but we are optimistic. It is a big step forward from the eShop of the 3DS, and the shopping is very fast. More importantly, the front of the store is filled with great content (including "top" retail games – a brave move on the digital side) while looking for is quick and easy. |
|
| Nintendo WII U - Modern HD Gaming Console (Part 3) |
| The Pro Controller is a hybrid between the Xbox 360 controller and the PlayStation's DualShock 3 that Nintendo manufactured. It has a good weight, but not too heavy, but unfortunately it has cheap buttons and the shiny plastic coating similar to what we complained about. |
|
| Nintendo WII U - Modern HD Gaming Console (Part 2) |
| The Wii U’s touch-based GamePad controller has its roots in the Nintendo DS, as proven by the stylus concept of the GamePad, the touchscreen becomes outdated (although it is larger than 6.2 inches, with the resolution of 854x480 and 16:9 ratio), and the microphone is located along the bottom. |
|
| Nintendo WII U - Modern HD Gaming Console (Part 1) |
| Nintendo's new console is an anomalous object in the game console market, but that’s not true for Nintendo. Only in the past decade, the company popularized gaming with the stylus, with microphone and motion-based gaming, and once again promote the game control input. |
|
| How To Keep Your iPod More Durable |
| Use the protective case, paste the screen, use the battery properly, do not put in wet places or where there is direct sunlight, and frequently clean to make your iPod always durable and nice. |
|
| iDECT Solo Plus Twin DECT Phone |
| Despite the singular concept of its title, the Binatone Solo iDECT phone product is not limited to a single unit. I've been checking out the Solo Plus Twin offering, which gives you two handsets and their charging stations. As with all the Solo products, the handsets and accompanying docking stations are available in a choice of glossy red, white or black. |
|
| IRISNotes Executive 2 - Digital Pen Family |
| IRISNotes Executive 2 is a note-taking product allowing you to quickly transfer your work to your computer for integration into other projects. Using a combination of software and hardware, the product is compatible with both Windows and Mac platforms, plus there's a free iOS app available for downloading to your Apple mobile device. |
|
|
|
| Sonus Faber Venere 2.5 Loudspeaker System (Part 2) |
| The great thing about a speaker of this size is that it’s possible to make it usefully efficient and so the Venere 2.5 proved. With a quoted sensitivity of 89dB, you don’t need a direct feed to Didcot power station to tickle its transducers. |
|
|
|
| Grouptest Headphones: $150-$210 - Phone Home (Part 7) |
| The German Maestro GMP 240 is less seriously affected by similar issues. This is a well-built if somewhat prosaic headphone with a pleasantly spacious performance, but the dominant and slightly sluggish bass prevent it from being placed higher as this rather overwhelms the good work the GMP 240 does in the upper registers. |
|
| Grouptest Headphones: $150-$210 - Phone Home (Part 6) - Sennheiser PX 360 |
| Senheiser has a range of headphones and earphones that makes ‘extensive’ look a little inadequate. At the test price point it makes some conventional full size home headphones, but also been getting into smaller designs that are able to work on the move too. The PX 360 is one of these models and is also available in a Bluetooth variant. |
|
| Grouptest Headphones: $150-$210 - Phone Home (Part 5) - Klipsch image one |
| There’s a trend for famous speaker manufacturers to produce their own headphones right now, and along with Focal, Klipsch is a perfect example of this. The new Image One is the smallest design here (although it must be said that the Sennheiser and Grado are not significantly larger) and is also equipped to fold away into a neat and rather useful carrying case. |
|
|
|
| Grouptest Headphones: $150-$210 - Phone Home (Part 3) - German Maestro GMP 240 |
| German Maestro is one of those surprisingly large companies whose existence was largely unknown in the UK until recently. As well as headphones, it produces a complete range of headsets, conventional loudspeakers, car audio and specialized marine audio equipment. The GMP 240 however, is towards the lower end of its range of open-back models. |
|
|
|
| Grouptest Headphones: $150-$210 - Phone Home (Part 1) - ATH-AD500 |
| This is one of the more affordable members of the company’s open-backed range, but this won’t be immediately apparent when you unbox them. The silver finish on the back of the earpad is a bit sudden and hinge in a sort of spike is a little curious, but overall fit and finish is very good. |
|
| Philips 7000 Series 46PFL7007 Smart LED 3D TV |
| The edge-lit 46PFL7007 has all the hallmarks of a classic Philips screen including Ambilight Spectra 2, which consists of two narrow strips of LEDs on the rear of the panel. These produce a glow that matches the predominant color and brightness of the image on the screen, and in so doing help reduce strain. It works best with the TV placed in front of an all-white wall but a palette is provided to cater for different colored wall surfaces. |
|
| SAMSUNG UE40ES6300 3D LED Smart TV |
| The UE-40ES6300 sits half-way between the two in terms of its specification but its price is much closer to the cheaper end of the scale. The Samsung website says it’s $1,320 but look around and you’ll easily find it for around $740. |
|
| SatHero SH-500G Satellite Meters |
| Sathero’s SH-500G doesn’t feel quite as robust as we’d like, and the 7in 16:9 display screen is built into a rather flimsy plastic enclosure. An outer ‘jacket’ and neck strap are provided, offering some protection to the device, but care should still be taken not to drop the unit. |
|
| Amiko Alien 2 Plus (Part 2) |
| The recording facilities are mostly well thought out. It’s possible to record and view programmers on different transponders, thanks to the multiple-tuner arrangement. As with most other Linux-based receivers, simultaneous recording and viewing of channels carried by the same transponder is also permitted. |
|
| Amiko Alien 2 Plus (Part 1) |
| The well-specified Alien 2+ has a DVB-T2 compliant tuner for terrestrial HD transmissions, and cable is also supported. These tuners can be configured for the same dish, or two different ones. DiSEqC 1.2/USALS motorized mounts are supported too. Yet for all this power the Amiko is quite ordinary looking. |
|
| Samsung HW-E450 Soundbar |
| Along, thin sound bar such as the Crystal Surround Air Track HW-E450 is ideal for placing on the same surface as your TV. This bar can also be fixed to a wall thanks to the supplied bracket, and its subwoofer can be positioned across the room if desired thanks to a 2.4GHz wireless connection. |
|
| Global Invacom ODU32 Kit - Test Integrated Reception Systems |
| When we last looked at optical fiber distribution system (April 2010) we found two problems, the cost, and that Global’s Fiber MDU system is for satellite only. The optical signal is produced by a special LNB, with no provision for terrestrial signals (TV, FM and DAB) to be included in a true integrated reception system (IRS). |
|
| Sonic Gear SonicBlue Rugby |
| Coming from the other side of the world, not many know about rugby. But thanks to the wonders of television, we know what it is: a sport that make others look wimpy and where one needs to be strong to survive a tackle. Why am I blabbering about sports? That’s because Sonic Gear sent us a speaker called Sonic Blue Rugby. Let see if the name fits the sport. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Buyer’s Guide: Touchscreen Monitors for Windows 8 (Part 2) : ViewSonic TD2220, AcerT232HL |
| Its sleek, expensive-looking design makes the Acer T232HL look more like a TV than a monitor. The stand has been engineered to position the screen just above desk height and has a wide rear arm to steady the monitor when it gets pressed. This is visible through a small, clear-plastic lip at the base of the monitor and can be folded flat when not in use. It looks brilliant and performs well. |
|
|
|
| The Small Screen Revolution (Part 2) |
| A number of boxes on the market are tailored towards mobile and computer TV watches who want to watch satellite or Freeview channels, while on the go, either over a home network or, in some cases, the internet. USB tuners for computers often come with software support for this feature, but a number of standalone boxes are specifically designed for this purpose. |
|
| The Small Screen Revolution (Part 1) |
| Maybe it’s a ‘generational thing’, but the traditional idea of the family gathering together in the living room at the same time to share in the experience of watching TV, seems to be fading in many households as computers, smartphones and the internet prove ever-more compelling distractions. |
|
| ViewSonic VX2770Smh-LED - Frameless Widescreen Monitor |
| ViewSonic's VX2770Smh-LED is a sleek SuperClear IPS monitor that presents bold colors, great greyscale and a horizontal and vertical viewing angle of 178°. It's housed in a frameless bezel (or 'borderless display' as ViewSonic puts it), which offers you an exceptional image of resolutions up to 1920x1080, with a dynamic contrast ratio of 30,000,000:1, which when viewing something of a full 1080p HD nature makes the monitor feel bigger than it actually is. |
|
| Toshiba 46TL963 vs. Panasonic TX-L47E5 (Part 2) |
| The Toshiba takes an age to power up (a full seconds) but both screens are straightforward to set-up thanks to the installation wizards. When it comes to comparing the operating systems, things are not clear cut. On the one hand the Toshiba’s GUI is more contemporary looking, featuring graphical icons that appear on the outer edges of a rotating wheel . |
|
| Toshiba 46TL963 vs. Panasonic TX-L47E5 (Part 1) |
| A few years ago the idea of bagging a 46in or 47in screen for under $1050 would have been unthinkable. But largely as a result of the rivalry between LG and Samsung prices have tumbled, and Japanese manufacturers including Toshiba and Panasonic have been forced to slash prices too. |
|
| Alma S1800 HD FTA Media Player - HD Free To Air Satellite Receiver |
| While the S1800 is not quite the fount of features that some (more expensive) machines are, it is certainly a fully-functioning receiver with a size that will appeal to caravan owners and other spatially challenged viewers (although it is mains powered so you’ll need an inverter to use it with a 12V supply). |
|
| Belkin @TV Plus - Mobile Television Anywhere |
| Like the popular Slingbox, Belkin’s new @TV Plus allows you to stream live or recorded TV around your home network, or across the internet to mobile devices such as a tablet or smartphone. |
|
| Golden Media Spark One - Plenty To Offer Out Of The Box (Part 2) |
| With storage connected via USB, the Spark One becomes a PVR. The greatest drawback is the single turner; two tuners, to freely watch and record two different channels at once, would be a huge improvement-but then, this is a budget machine. GM’s Spark Triplex offers three turners, but costs more. |
|
| Golden Media Spark One - Plenty To Offer Out Of The Box (Part 1) |
| It also provides a relatively cheap way into Linux. The receiver is Linux-based and uses GM’s own Spark operating system, which has a number of software plug-ins available, in particular for card sharing and the like. The option to dual-boot the ‘traditional’ Enigma 2 software is promised soon. |
|
|
|
|
|
