January, 2011
Kandela Magic Candle & Wand – Hi-Tech, Old-Style Magical Lighting!
January 31, 2011
You may remember that in the past year we’ve covered Kymera’s technology gadgets that imitate the use of magic, specifically the Magic Wand Remote Control which is not only a very cool way to control your TV or other remote devices by yourself, but is sure to impress your friends when they visit.
Well with the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows released having been released and the final part coming in just a few months’ time, the world has once again gone magic crazy. Naturally, it makes perfect sense then, for another magically-inspired gadget, namely the Kandela Magic Candle & Wand. It’s a candle that you can light up with the swish of the included magic wand! Seriously!
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Humax Foxsat HDR Freesat HD TV Digital Recorder Review
January 31, 2011
Over Christmas I was lucky enough to receive the Humax Foxsat HDR Freesat Digital HDTV Recorder, having had chance to play with it over the last few weeks I thought I was high time it got a review.
For those of you that don’t know (now that you’re surfacing from underneath that rock) Freesat HD is effectively the free version of Sky HD, much like Freeview, except that a satellite dish is used rather than the traditional aerial. However, unlike with Freeview HD set top boxes, you can get a decent signal pretty much anywhere which offers a view of the sky, fantastic for those people who live in the back of beyond. It also offers a larger range of channels and can be used to simultaneously watch and record different programs.
Continue reading »Creative ZiiO 7″ Android Tablet Review
January 31, 2011
The wealth of Android tablets coming our way these days is admittedly somewhat annoying, especially most of them arriving fresh from the production line of a completely unknown manufacturer vying for just a tiny portion of the market with a device not in the least bit innovative and as a result, even less exciting. But, when a sub-£200 tablet arrives from a reputable, and usually quite competitive, manufacturer such as Creative Labs, it’s worth taking a look at. So I did.
Hardware
The ZiiO features the brand new ARM Cortex A8 processor, in this instance called the ZiiLABS ZMS-08. It’s clocked at the typical 1GHz, which means pretty good performance when it comes to playing back movies. In fact, the press releases claim it can handle blu-ray quality video playback. I haven’t quite put that to the test, but it handled all the HD stuff I threw at it. It even has HDMI output which can place 720p movies on your TV if you like.
Continue reading »5 Most Wanted Games of 2011 – It’s Going To Be A Great Year Of Gaming!
January 30, 2011
2011 looks to be a massive year for games following on from 2010′s impressive performance. New hardware such as Nintendos 3DS and Sony’s newly announced NGP are already making my mouth water. But what about the games? Well, where to start.
Everybody’s list of their top 5 games for 2011 are going to be different. If they weren’t the world would be a dull place. So I have a look around to see what tickles my fancy for the year ahead. So why not check out my top 5 list below to see which games I’m most looking forward to getting my hands on in 2011.
Continue reading »Sony NGP (aka PSP 2) Announced – Impressive Handheld Console Features!
January 28, 2011
Nobody can say that they were surprised at this announcement. But it’s now official, Sony’s new handheld is coming and will be called NGP (Next Generation Portable).
Many thought that it would be called Sony PSP 2 from previous rumours, but maybe they moved away from the PSP name to distance the NGP from the under performing sales of the PSP. Whatever the reason, it looks bloody fantastic.
There were rumours of the NGP being as powerful as the PS3 which had people scratching their heads as to how it could be. Well it looks like it so far! So what can we expect from the NGP, what games are going to be released and what’s the price going to be?
Continue reading »BT & Virgin Expand Their Fibre Broadband Horizons – But How Long Until Widespread Rollout?
January 27, 2011
Despite the fact that we are one of the countries at the forefront of modern technology we still languish behind many smaller ones (especially those in eastern Asia) when it comes to broadband speeds, but with increasing public pressure that is slowly being changed and the latest announcements from Virgin and BT represent several steps in the right direction.
Whilst Virgin Media Broadband have this week announced that they have expanded their much-advertised 100Mbps to another 150,00 homes this merely matches BT’s news at the end of last year that they will be trialling 1Gbps broadband, speeds that have only really been available in countries like Korea.
Continue reading »Stuxnet – Cyberwar Computer Worm That Took Down Nuclear Powerplants & Hailed A New Type Of War
January 26, 2011
I don’t know how much you can remember of 2010 but with regards to cyber-crime the ‘Stuxnet’ computer worm was by far the most influential, not just because of the damage that it had caused but also because it’s use hailed the dawn of a new age in warfare.
However not a massive amount was ever discovered about its origins despite intensive research by some of the best computer labs in the world, but it was claimed last week that it was in fact designed by American and Israeli experts, something that says a lot about how cyber-war is developing.
Continue reading »5 Best Laptop Designs – Which Notebook Computers Are The Coolest & Most Stylish?
January 25, 2011
Sometimes, portable computing is less about how much power you can fill your pockets with, and more about how much space your laptop leaves to fill your pockets/bags with other bits and pieces and also how much of a stylish gadget it is once you need to take it out and start using it.
Of course, this takes good design, so with this, and a series of upcoming features, we intend to take a look at not how much bang you can get for your buck, but simply the five best looking and well designed (in our opinion) gadgets out there right now…
Continue reading »LaCie Galet USB Key – A Luxury Silver Plated Flash Drive With Christofle Stylish Design
January 25, 2011
As a reader of Zath you may well of heard of LaCie as they make lots of the products that we cover on here such as mobile external USB hard drives, home media servers and a variety of USB memory sticks such as the MosKeyTo and the XtremKey; on the other hand Christofle specialise in cutlery, napkin rings and other assorted silverware and these two things don’t come together very often.
However the latest release from LaCie is just that: an amalgamation of technology and style, of practicality and looks and of course LaCie and Christofle. It is the LaCie Galet 4GB USB Key and it is the perfect home technology luxury, or at least it is in theory.
Continue reading »Robox Review (WiiWare)
January 25, 2011
Robox is a WiiWare action platform game developed by Dreambox Games. Dreambox Games are a new Spanish development company and Robox is its debut game.
The game offers retro style shooting with the best visuals the WiiWare has to offer. The game has a variety of different environments to explore and will take an average gamer a long time to complete this game.
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iaPeel Printable Skins For iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 & iPad – Unique Customisation With Any Picture You Want!
January 24, 2011
So why might you be interested in the iaPeel Printable iPhone and iPad Skins? Well, there are a lot of cases out there for the iPhone and iPad devices, most of them are generic looking, and nearly all of them detract from the stunning looks of your Apple product design.
One way around this is to get yourself something like a Gelaskin – a skin/decal for your iPhone or iPad which allows you to still appreciate the general design of the hardware while still adding a bit of personality to it that makes your device stand out from the crowd.
Continue reading »NVIDIA Tegra 3 Bringing Quad-Core SOC Power To A Mobile Device Near You?
January 24, 2011
A little over a while ago, we brought you news that NVIDIA was almost done with it’s latest and greatest ‘Tegra’ system-on-a-chip. We got quite excited, as the diminutive nature of chips such as these means they can be fit into any number of mobile devices.
What with the mobile computing industry booming right now and everything, it’s pretty timely that NVidia would release a 1.5GHz quad core System-On-a-Chip (SOC).
The original road map cited the Tegra 3 chip for a Q4 2010 completion. That date has obviously passed now, so it could be arriving in manufacturers plans imminently, if it hasn’t already.
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Marware Eco-Vue iPad Case Review
January 24, 2011
As soon as I bought my Apple iPad, I knew straight away from looking at its cool looking metal finish and from experience of owning an iPod that I’d definitely be needing to get a case for it otherwise it would be getting scratched and taking impacts all over the place. I’ve now ended up coming to the conclusion that the Marware Eco-Vue iPad Case is my preferred option and here’s why…
I initially tried a slimline silicone case, however it wasn’t quite what I was looking for in terms of protection and aesthetics, instead I moved to a more robust iPad leather flip case, this was definitely an improvement and meant I was more confident in carrying it around, however it was a little limited in how you could position the case in use.
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USB Discover MIDI Keyboard – Improve Musical Skills At Your Computer!
January 23, 2011
I spend hours and hours every day typing away on my laptop’s QWERTY keyboard, but I’ve never really had the space to use a keyboard of the musical variety. However, now thanks to the USB Discover MIDI Keyboard, that is one excuse that I can no longer use to explain my lack of musical ability as this one plugs right in to a spare USB port on your PC or Mac.
The keyboard comprises of 25 piano style keys, is nice and small so you can take it wherever you want to, and includes software for both Windows and Mac OS X that helps you learn the basics of the keyboard and record your playing sessions, too.
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Goldeneye 007 Review (Wii)
January 23, 2011
Goldeneye 007 on the Nintendo Wii is a reimagining of the Goldeneye movie and the N64 game, which many people considered to be the best shooter game of all time. This version of the game was developed by Eurocom, who originally created the fantastic Dead Space Extraction game for the Wii, and published by Activision.
Being one of the most loved shooter game of all time, Eurocom had a huge job to please all the fans who had played the N64 version, however, at the same time modernize the shooting elements of the game which we all expect in this generation. They have done this by reimaging Goldeneye and rewriting the whole script to today’s Bond, played by Daniel Craig, with less emphasis on gadgets, cheesy lines and more on physical action like Daniels Craig’s Bond movies.
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Golden Sun: Dark Dawn Review (DS)
January 22, 2011
Several years ago I picked up a game called Golden Sun. I played through, collected all of the Djinn, became emotionally involved with the storyline, and giggled with demonic glee after killing the last boss despite watching Felix get away. Shortly after my conquests, I heard news of Golden Sun: The Lost Age. I waited for its arrival and learned the other half of the story as I played as Felix’s crew of Adepts. I actually became so absorbed in the story that I cried at the end (My girliest gamer moment).
Years passed, I occasionally replayed these games while wondering if there was more to the story than what I had been given. Something didn’t seem right in Weyard. My suspicions were proven correct last year when Golden Sun: Dark Dawn was released. I was immediately excited and wary at the same time. Would a third sequel with a nine year time gap really fulfill my childhood expectations of a perfect RPG?
Continue reading »Mflow Review (Update) – New HTML5 Interface & Recommendation Credit System
January 22, 2011
Last May we wrote about music streaming service Mflow and what affects the then new Spotify social features would have on the fledgling application.
Mflow have recently updated their offering and released a brand new web-based application which is currently rocking along quite nicely in beta.
The first thing you notice about the service is the tweaked interface which is now cleaner and more intuitive to use.
However, what is very cool about the update is the use of HTML5 to build the service. It means that you can use any browser and Mflow will work with ease, making your experience identical no matter what your preference.
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No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Review (Wii)
January 22, 2011
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is a third person action game developed by Grass Hopper Manufacture and directed by Suda51. You play as an assassin named Travis Touchdown whose goal has always been to be the best assassin. However, Travis is now motivated by revenge.
If you have played the first No More Heroes and Killer 7, you will probably think that the way Suda51 has directed this game is a little strange. However, on some level it makes the game more unique and enjoyable.
Story
No More Heroes 2 Desperate Struggle picks up three years after the original No More Heroes. Travis Touchdown had simply vanished and left the number one rank behind him. He is now a retired hero.
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Pebble Portable Battery Charger Keeps Your Mobile Phones & Other Gadgets Running While Travelling!
January 21, 2011
For better or worse, our lives are full of various gadgets and gizmos. Most of us have a smartphone such as the iPhone or HTC Desire that stays with us throughout the day, along with an MP3 player and various other USB powered gadgets – what happened to gadgets all merging into one?
Since we have all these gadgets, that is why we need devices such as the Pebble Portable Charger!
As great as this is (and it is) to have our favourite gadgets on the move with us, the only problem is their battery lives are often painfully short with prolonged usage. These things run out of juice a lot, and sometimes we can’t make it home in time to keep them powered up. Therefore the solution is to ensure you have a portable battery charger with you!
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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, New Playable Races & New Starting Zones Review – Where To Begin?
January 21, 2011
The new WoW: Cataclysm content has arrived after the previously released WoW: The Stattering content patch literally changed the world – now with the latest expansion pack, there are two new playable races in the World of Warcraft!
The dilemma that many players are now facing is whether they want to be a vicious Worgen or a cunning Goblin. Here’s a quick overview of the races and their starting areas to help you decide.
Worgen & Goblin Character Creation Screens
Worgen have the most unique character customization screen that I’ve seen. You get to design both a human and a Worgen, a change to one alters the other. The only complaint that I have about the linked changes is that some of the alterations don’t make complete sense.
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